Brimming with heart, humor, and a bit of mystery, this third book in Melody Carlson’s lively new Boomer series packs a poignant punch! Life is heating up for the four Lindas—and it’s not just hot flashes! Abby’s losing sleep over her husband’s health and neglecting her bed-and-breakfast dreams. Caroline may have waited too long to put her Alzheimer’s-afflicted mom in a care facility. Marley’s hard-won independence is threatened by her grown son’s neediness. And Janie’s having a hard time being everyone’s rock as the relationship she counted on falters. Add to that a house fire, a missing set of dishes, a bully brother, plus a half-crazy blonde named Donna, and things get really complicated. But with each new twist their lives take, the Lindas are learning that good friends are the best family a girl can have.

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One of my goals is to start reading through my physical book to be read pile alongside my official review books. After all, it makes it easier to downsize if I know if I actually like something or not! This book was sent to me ages ago by the author along with some of her other books after I won a contest that she was doing.

The Good:

The Bad:

The Summary:

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With holidays approaching in the charming town of Appleton, and Daphne Ballinger's deadline to "get hitched" drawing closer, Daphne finds herself happily distracted with the unexpected tasks of "motherhood" Young Mabel is enjoying the attention, but the clock is ticking and unless love comes her way, Daphne's delightful life will start unraveling by spring.

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Book 3 in the series! I can't believe that I had this one on my shelf already as well. It might be time to take stock of what's sitting there, eh?

The Good: Another easy to read title and slowly some of those threads are starting to come together and it's becoming pretty clear to see how this series is going to end. I adore Mabel and I was so glad to see a bit of Daphne's best friend back in this book. She was very much missed in book two.

The Bad: Again, no identification that this is book #___ in a series. I really think that's important so that people know when the pick up the book. I will say that the author needs to watch for inconsistencies like who knows what, what houses are for sale/rent, and what people's names are. Both her
The Summary: If you've made it this far, you need to read this book as well, if only for Mabel's sake. Time is ticking...what's going to happen to Daphne, Mabel, Lucy, and Ethel?





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Daphne Ballinger has learned to accept her deceased, eccentric aunt’s strange request that she marry in order to inherit her estate, along with taking over her aunt’s hometown paper’s advice column.

But knowing and accepting that God’s will be done becomes harder when a new neighbor, a divorced socialite, learns of Daphne’s predicament and takes on the task of finding her the perfect man, even if it includes speed dating. When God does open Daphne’s heart, it is instead to take in a young girl left parentless and in the care of her dying grandmother. It may be a temporary arrangement until the girl’s uncle returns from the Marines, but God uses Daphne to speak His heavenly love and protection into the life of the child -- whom Daphne soon discovers has a very handsome and single uncle.

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Once I discovered that the story wasn't done in book 1, I realized that I had books 2 and 3 already on my shelf and could dive right in...just like we're about to do with the review!

The Good: I loved the addition of Sabrina in this book. She was a dose of "interesting air" on what was starting to feel like a sad neighborhood. Add in that little girl and her story and I was smitten. I could very much relate to parts of this book and what some of the characters were going through.

The Bad: I really missed Daphne's best friend in this book. It very much felt as if she had been forgotten. Of course, there's also the fact that again, this book is part of a series and in no way does it say book 2 on it. The only thing that may tip you off is where it says that it's another Dear Daphne story. That doesn't scream part of a series where you have to have read the previous books to me.

The Summary: Another easy, throw in your tote bag and laze in the hammock kind of book. If you don't mind cliffhanger series, go ahead and add this one to your to read pile.


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With high hopes, Daphne Ballinger lands her dream job at The New York Times. But it's not long until writing about weddings becomes a painful reminder of her own failed romance, and her love of the city slowly sours as well. Is it time to give up the Big Apple for her small hometown of Appleton?

When her eccentric Aunt Dee passes away and leaves a sizeable estate to Daphne, going back home is an easy choice. What isn’t easy is coming to terms with the downright odd clauses written into the will.

Daphne only stands to inherit the estate if she agrees to her aunt's very specific posthumous terms -- personal and professional. And if she fails to comply, the sprawling old Victorian house shall be bequeathed to . . . Aunt Dee’s cats.

And if Daphne thinks that’s odd, wait until she finds out an array of secrets about Aunt Dee's life, and how imperfect circumstances can sometimes lead to God's perfect timing.

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This cover has been staring at me from my bookshelf and so I finally gave in and grabbed it. I have zero regrets. Let's get into the review!

The Good : The characters in this book are hard not to love. I found myself wishing that I'd had an Aunt Dee when I was growing up and I really could connect with Daphne as she struggles to find herself. The book moves smoothly and was perfect for a lazy afternoon along the river.

The Bad: The book ends rather abruptly without any of the plot threads being tied off. Luckily, a quick Amazon search showed me that this was book 1 of 4 in a series. Nowhere on the book does it actually say that.

The Summary: A fun, light read that will pull you in and keep you there to the end.


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After years abroad, Garrison Brown returns home to Vancouver to build a new life. When his beloved grandmother passes away a few weeks before Christmas, Garrison goes to her house to sort out her belongings, including six cats who need new homes. While Garrison hopes to dispense with the task quickly, his grandmother's instructions don't allow for speed. She has left Garrison with some challenging requirements for the future homes of her furry friends--plus a sizeable monetary gift for the new owners. Garrison's job is to match the cats with the right owners without disclosing the surprise gift. Along the way, he may just meet someone who can make him stay.

Humorous and heartwarming, this latest Christmas story from bestselling author Melody Carlson is the perfect gift for pet lovers and anyone in whose heart Christmas holds a special place.

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As a cat lover, I couldn't turn down the chance to review this book and I'm so glad I didn't. This short tome had me smiling and giving my own cats some extra scritches. Poor Garrison with his allergies had me chuckling. I felt like he was the neighbor down the street, someone I knew and those cats, each with their own personality, made me smile because I know just how different each cat can be. As I'm writing this, my little diva is grumbling that one of the other cats dared come near her. After him being here for four years, she still grumbles at him. That's just how she is and each of the cats that Garrison must find homes for had their own personalities. If you'd like a short, holiday read, then this book is a must for your stacks. In fact, I think it'd made an awesome stocking stuffer for the cat lover in anyone's life.




I received a copy of this book for the purpose of this review.  All thoughts, comments and opinions are my own.
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Back in fifth grade, Micah Knight got an Amish pen pal, and over the years, they've exchanged many letters--and many secrets. At age seventeen, Micah finally has the chance to meet her pen pal face-to-face. The only problem is that because of confusion about her name when the pen pals were assigned, her pen pal was a boy, Zack Miller. And all this time, Micah's never told Zack that she's actually a girl! While she wants nothing more than to experience life on Zack's Amish farm, she's afraid he'll hate her for deceiving him all these years. But she makes up her mind to face the music--and that's where the fun really begins.
Bestselling author Melody Carlson brings young adults another fascinating tale of worlds colliding, secrets being revealed, and friendships forming. Teens will love this story of miscommunication and mishaps along the way to the truth.
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More young adult fiction! I wish that I could say that I enjoyed this one as much as the others that I've reviewed recently, but I just can't. While the story itself is good and kept me reading, this wasn't a book that I had a hard time putting down when I needed to go and do something else. Also, I really felt that it wasn't always entirely accurate in its portrayals of the Amish community. I'd say more, but then I'd be dipping into spoilers territory so I really don't want to do that. Overall, I'd say the story is cute and perfect for the young adult/tween set, but just not totally my cup of tea.



I received a copy of this book for the purpose of this review. All thoughts, comments and opinions are my own.
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