The Sister

"I did something terrible Grace. I hope you can forgive me ..."

Grace hasn't been the same since the death of her best friend Charlie. She is haunted by Charlie's words, the last time she saw her, and in a bid for answers, opens an old memory box of Charlie's. It soon becomes clear there was a lot she didn't know about her best friend.

When Grace starts a campaign to find Charlie's father, Anna, a girl claiming to be Charlie's sister steps forward. For Grace, finding Anna is like finding a new family, and soon Anna has made herself very comfortable in Grace and boyfriend Dan's home.

But something isn't right. Things disappear, Dan's acting strangely and Grace is sure that someone is following her. Is it all in Grace's mind? Or as she gets closer to discovering the truth about both Charlie   and   Anna,  is  Grace  in  terrible   danger?     There was

                                                        nothing she could have done to save Charlie ...or was there? 

A debut novel that definitely packed a punch!  While at times things seemed predictable, all the pieces weren't there to make a complete picture. This kept me guessing and wondering the whole novel, which is exactly what I look for in a book like this.  I never knew which characters were trustworthy and I loved it!  If you enjoy a good book that plays mind games with you, pick this up - it will not disappoint! 

          * I received this book from the author/publisher in exchange for an honest review *

 

The Tulip Factory

Before they exchange even a single word, Corrine knows that James will change everything. And sure enough, their serendipitous meeting in a North Carolina coffee shop sets off a whirlwind of desire and possibilities for the two.

Timing, however, isn’t on the couple’s side. After their relationship ends, Corrine finds that years of putting her career and passions on hold for love have led to a stalled life. She once saw her receptionist job as temporary but got too comfortable and, before she knew it, lost sight of her dream of becoming a writer.

Now, as Corrine makes her way into her late twenties, she’s on a quest to find herself. As she struggles to figure out what she really wants, she’ll discover that sometimes you have to take happiness into your own hands and that a fulfilling life is built on opportunities—even the missed ones.

I was very intrigued by the description of this title and I was delighted with the chance to review.  However, that is where the delight ended for me.  This book was predictable and just went nowhere.  The characters drank way too much, but never saw this as a cause of their problems.  I just felt like there was really no point in the story.  The characters were flat and predictable.  And the ending was just so bizarre in my opinion.  I will say that the author's writing style was easy to read and went quickly.  I tried hard to see the positive in this book but it just wasn't the book for me.  

         * I received this book from the author/publisher in exchange for an honest review *

None Like Him

 

Human beings were created to reflect the image of God--but only to a limited extent. Although we share important attributes with God (love, mercy, compassion, etc.), there are other qualities that only God possesses, such as unlimited power, knowledge, and authority. At the root of all sin is our rebellious desire to be like God in such ways--a desire that first manifested itself in the garden of Eden. In None Like Him, Jen Wilkin leads us on a journey to discover ten ways God is different from us--and why that's a good thing. In the process, she highlights the joy of seeing our limited selves in relation to a limitless God, and how such a realization frees us from striving to be more than we were created to be.

This book packed quite a punch!  I was positive that it was going to be just like other books I have read, but was I ever wrong.  It just gave me so many AHA moments I was sad when the book ended.  I used it as my daily devotional and I honestly learned so much about the characteristics of God I was in awe and plan to reread soon.  My only disappointment was the fact that my copy was an e-book and I couldn't write in the margins and highlight!  I can't recommend this book enough!  I will be picking up another Jen Wilkin title in the near future.    

           * I received this book from the author/publisher in exchange for an honest review *

People Who Knew Me

Emily Morris got her happily-ever-after earlier than most. Married at a young age to a man she loved passionately, she was building the life she always wanted. But when enormous stress threatened her marriage, Emily made some rash decisions. That’s when she fell in love with someone else. That’s when she got pregnant.

Resolved to tell her husband of the affair and to leave him for the father of her child, Emily’s plans are thwarted when the world is suddenly split open on 9/11. It’s amid terrible tragedy that she finds her freedom, as she leaves New York City to start a new life. It’s not easy, but Emily---now Connie Prynne—forges a new happily-ever-after in California. But when a life-threatening diagnosis upends her life, she is forced to rethink her life for the good of her thirteen-year-old daughter.
A riveting debut in which a woman must confront her own past in 

                                                        order to secure the future of her daughter, Kim Hooper's People  

                                                        Who Knew Me asks: “What would you do?”

  

This book was fascinating!  In part because I completely understood why she did what she did and then I was totally clueless as to why she did it.  I would get so frustrated with her at times, but still felt sympathy for other times.  It truly was a study of how much a person can take before they break and to what lengths they will go to survive.  While I personally would not have handled it like she did, I was intrigued by her decisions none the less.  If you enjoy a character driven story with a marriage/family focused plot that reads quickly, this is a great book to pick up starting on May 24th, 2016!

 * I received this book from the author/publisher in exchange for an honest review *

  

Dewey's 24-hour Readathon Complete

Totals for Dewey's 24-hour Readathon:

 

3 hours 15 minutes total reading time 

308 pages 

1 completed book

 

I was disappointed in my reading choices, so I know I will plan this better next time. I also unfortunately started suffering from a cold or allergies and it just wiped me out. But still happy with my totals considering everything. I enjoyed participating in several of the mini challenges and I won an hourly prize which was really exciting!! Thanks so much to all the volunteers at Dewey’s for such a great day- looking forward to October! #Readathon

Dewey's 24-hour Readathon!

 

I am minutes away from starting in my first ever Dewey's 24-hour Readathon and I can't wait!  Since this is my first time I will probably only be updating here at the end with totals.  I will mainly be posting updates in the File section of the Facebook Group under the file name Whitney's (Must Read Soon) Reading Log or posting under the name Whitney Severns Werling and my twitter account @MustReadSoon.  My TBR is not set in stone, but I did pick a few books so we shall see.  I also need to knock out some NetGalley's I have as well.  I am home alone today with my 2 boys so I know I won't be reading all day, but hoping I can get them excited enough to read some too!See you back here for the wrap-up!

The Midnight Watch

As the Titanic and her passengers sank slowly into the Atlantic Ocean after striking an iceberg late in the evening of April 14, 1912, a nearby ship looked on. Second Officer Herbert Stone, in charge of the midnight watch on the SS Californian sitting idly a few miles north, saw the distress rockets that the Titanic fired. He alerted the captain, Stanley Lord, who was sleeping in the chartroom below, but Lord did not come to the bridge. Eight rockets were fired during the dark hours of the midnight watch, and eight rockets were ignored. The next morning, the Titanic was at the bottom of the sea and more than 1,500 people were dead. When they learned of the extent of the tragedy, Lord and Stone did everything they could to hide their role in the disaster, but pursued by newspapermen, lawyers, and political leaders in America and England, their terrible secret was eventually revealed. The Midnight Watch is a fictional telling of what may have occurred that night on the SS Californian, and the resulting desperation of Officer Stone and Captain Lord in the aftermath of their inaction.

Told not only from the perspective of the SS Californian crew, but also through the eyes of a family of third-class passengers who perished in the disaster, the narrative is drawn together by Steadman, a tenacious Boston journalist who does not rest until the truth is found. The Midnight Watch is a powerful and dramatic debut novel--the result of many years of research in Liverpool, London, New York, and Boston, and informed by the author's own experiences as a ship's officer and a lawyer.

The Titanic has always been fascinating to me.  So many lost lives, so must potential never realized. So when I was given the opportunity to review this title I was intrigued to read a fictional account based on historical facts.  The author was so well researched that while it read like a fictional novel, it provided so much knowledgeable information.  I feel in love with some "characters" and tried desperately to understand why others didn't respond to the distress signals.  I found myself looking up more information outside of the book just because I wanted to know more!  The only reason I gave this a 4 star rating instead of 5 was at times the characters were hard to differentiate, but this could have easily been because I don't have an in-depth understand of maritime ranks.  I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys historical fiction based on actual events.  I will be on the lookout for more novels by this author in the future!

* I received this book from the author/publisher in exchange for an honest review *