Review: The Shack by Wm. Paul Young

Mackenzie Allen Philips' youngest daughter, Missy, has been abducted during a family vacation and evidence that she may have been brutally murdered is found in an abandoned shack deep in the Oregon wilderness. Four years later in the midst of his Great Sadness, Mack receives a suspicious note, apparently from God, inviting him back to that shack for a weekend. Against his better judgment he arrives at the shack on a wintry afternoon and walks back into his darkest nightmare. What he finds there will change Mack's world forever. 

My Thoughts 
Such an enlightening story.  I'm still not sure what to think and am trying to process this story and all aspects that it threw at me.  From an amazing family unit that laughed together, live life to the fullest and enjoy each others time to the worst fears come to life.

A nightmare takes over their lives and will they overcome it?  Will they survive or will they parish as well from the depression and horror of death.

There are so many questions that need to be answered - can one move on after tragedy?  Is forgiveness an option?  Can you learn to love again?  Is god really there to protect and stop evil from happening? 

This story has so many twists and turns and will really have you thinking about everything from your belief in a higher being to learning to forgive. 

Drink Selection
I would recommend a delicious glass (or two) of Three Brothers Winery 2015 Second Degree of Riesling.  You will fall in love!

Rating
This book had me thinking from beginning to end.  I will admit that there were a few parts that had me slightly lost and confused instead of thinking deeply.  I would recommend this book to everyone, you will fall in LOVE with the cast!  The Shack would rate 4 wine glasses in my eyes. (I can't wait to see the movie!)

Review - The Silent Sister by Diane Chamberlain

In The Silent Sister, Riley MacPherson has spent her entire life believing that her older sister Lisa committed suicide as a teenager. Now, over twenty years later, her father has passed away and she's in New Bern, North Carolina cleaning out his house when she finds evidence to the contrary. Lisa is alive. Alive and living under a new identity. But why exactly was she on the run all those years ago, and what secrets are being kept now? As Riley works to uncover the truth, her discoveries will put into question everything she thought she knew about her family. 

My Thoughts 

What a thought provoking story of tragedy, family, love, heartbreak, deception and so much more. The story begins by Riley coming home after many years to settle her deceased fathers estate. It was very difficult walking back into the home knowing how much her father and the rest of the family has suffered after her older sister Lisa had committed suicide. Riley was just two when it happened, and still didn't know much about what had took place  except that her sister had passed away many years prior. 

An interesting cast of characters pop in and out - what is a girl to do with all this craziness. She just wants to sell the property and belongings and move on with her life. 

Then things begin to happen - people begin to talk - is there truth in what they are saying? Could it be? Or is Riley losing her mind? 

So many twists and turns in this dual story line of the past and present - you will be surprised and shocked by what you learn. 

Drink Selection 

I will be going with my favorite wine selection as of late - a delicious Roscato red wine! 

I rate this page turner a 4 wine glasses! Pick up your copy today! You will not be disappointed! 

Review - After You by Jojo Moyes

“You’re going to feel uncomfortable in your new world for a bit. But I hope you feel a bit exhilarated too. Live boldly. Push yourself. Don’t settle. Just live well. Just live. Love, Will.”
 
How do you move on after losing the person you loved? How do you build a life worth living?

Louisa Clark is no longer just an ordinary girl living an ordinary life. After the transformative six months spent with Will Traynor, she is struggling without him. When an extraordinary accident forces Lou to return home to her family, she can’t help but feel she’s right back where she started.

Her body heals, but Lou herself knows that she needs to be kick-started back to life. Which is how she ends up in a church basement with the members of the Moving On support group, who share insights, laughter, frustrations, and terrible cookies. They will also lead her to the strong, capable Sam Fielding—the paramedic, whose business is life and death, and the one man who might be able to understand her. Then a figure from Will’s past appears and hijacks all her plans, propelling her into a very different future. . . .

For Lou Clark, life after Will Traynor means learning to fall in love again, with all the risks that brings. But here Jojo Moyes gives us two families, as real as our own, whose joys and sorrows will touch you deeply, and where both changes and surprises await.


My Thoughts
This touching story will have you loving learning more about Louisa Clark and Will Traynor.  Me Before You (Book 1) was amazing and terribly sad all in one.  The movie solidified my love for Louisa and Will and I wanted nothing more for him to decide to live at then end, that Louisa was enough.  We know that did not happen, but a girl could hope right?
Now, we move on to life after Will, and Louisa seems to be just going through the emotions, getting from one day to the next, one hour at a time.
She hasn't quite figured out how to move on.  She is using the money that Will left for her in the ways in which he requested, but is it time to move on?  Create a life of her own without Will and his influence?
Throughout this journey Louisa meets many interesting characters and has many life experiences.  She goes from being a shut in to living her life and creating new adventures for herself.
One very important person comes into her life and turns it around for the better, I will not say much more than that.  (I don't want to ruin the story for those who haven't read it yet, go get it today!).
Louisa learns more about herself post will then she ever thought possible but she can't thank him enough for getting her to where she is today.
It all begins when she attends a support group called Moving On, who assist members in life after the loved one that passed.  There are many ups and downs but the journey was worth it in the end.

Drink Selection
To remain in touch with this amazing tale of growing up and moving on, I would suggest a cup or two of Earl Grey Tea.


Rating
My love for Louisa and Will runs deep, 5 wine glasses all the way!

Review: The Way We Were by Sinead Moriarty

She thought he had died.  She made a new life.  Then he came back...
     Alice and Ben. A couple like any other.  Bound together by love, work, children, familiarity, a shared sense of purpose.
     Arguing about the usual things too - in-laws, whose career is more important, which of them is a soft touch with the children, who hates change and who craves it.
     But when Ben takes a step into the unknown, and brings devastation on the family, it forces them to look at everything in a whole new way.  Because, as far as they know, this is the end of the line for their family.
     So what will happen if they get a second chance? Can they - should they - go back to the way they were?

My thoughts 
What a story...It will tug at your heartstrings all the way till the end!
Alice and Ben are your picture perfect couple.  They have everything that anyone could ask for - amazing jobs as doctors, great friends, the house they have always wanted and worked for and last but not least they have each other and their two amazing daughters.  At least that's what Alice thought...Ben had been getting very sidetracked lately.  He's edgy, away from home a lot and looking for the next best opportunity.

Is it a midlife crisis? Has he met someone else?  Alice is really starting to feel like a single mom.  She works a full time job as a general practitioner in her own practice, takes care of all the kids needs and takes care of the home.  Ben works long hours and takes even longer bike rides when not at work.

Then Ben gets a call to go abroad and assist in an important surgery.  This is what he has been looking for.  Adventure - traveling, meeting new people and getting away.  He wants more.

And then devastation strikes...their worlds will never be the same.  What will happen to Alice, Ben, Jools, and Holly?  Will their family survive?  Grab this book and dive in today!

Drink Selection
The perfect wine selection would be a African wine - Golden Kaan - I am going with a Merlot.  Delish!

Rating
You will not be able to put down The Way We Were, it will suck you in and tug at your emotions!  5 wine glasses all the way!

Review: All the Breaking Waves by Kerry Lonsdale

After a harrowing accident tore her family apart, Molly Brennan fled from the man she loved and the tragic mistake she made.

Twelve years later, Molly has created a new life for herself and her eight-year-old daughter, Cassie. The art history professor crafts jewelry as unique and weathered as the surf-tumbled sea glass she collects, while raising her daughter in a safe and loving environment—something Molly never had. But when Cassie is plagued by horrific visions and debilitating nightmares, Molly is forced to return to the one place she swore she’d never move back to—home to Pacific Grove.

A riveting exploration of love, secrets, and motherhood, All the Breaking Waves is the poignant story of a woman who discovers she must confront her past, let go of her guilt, and summon everything in her power to save her daughter.

 

My Thoughts

Such an amazing story of love, family and a bond between a mother and daughter that can never be broken, or can it?  This story will capture you from page one and you will fall in love with this waterside tale.

Molly Brennan had run away from her past, and never looked back until now.  Her daughter Cassie is more like her than she would ever have imagine and she needs her help.  Molly has a successful teaching career but realizes that she has no choice but to return to her little shore town of Pacific Grove and her grandmother whom she hasn't seen in years.

Molly knows that by returning she is going to have to revisit her past fears - her parents tragic ending, the love of her life that she pushed away and the feel of her powers that she has tried to ignore for quite some time.

But Cassie's happiness and well-being surpass Molly's fears and she heads home but only for a few weeks. 

What will she find when she arrives?  Will her fears drown her and take her last breathe?  Will Cassie's fears and images of her mother's pending death be her end?

This book is amazing from page 1 and you will not be able to put it down. 



Drink Selection

The perfect beach drink to go with this amazing tale - The Beach House - yum!  Grab a bottle today!  You will LOVE it!

 

Rating

I can't say enough amazing things about this book, 5 wine glasses all the way!

 

 

Release Day Blitz and Giveaway - Mixing It Up by Tracie Banister

Born with a silver spoon in her mouth, Manhattan upper-cruster Cecily Sinclair now uses that pricey utensil to dish up fancy French fare on her cooking show, Serving Romance. When there’s an executive shake-up at the network, she’s not worried. Not much anyway. Her show’s a hit after all. Why would the new CEO want to mess with success?
The driving force behind several buzzed-about networks, Devlin Hayes is considered to be a wunderkind in the television industry. Although his plans to rebrand CuisineTV and make Serving Romance more Millennial-friendly don’t thrill Cecily, her charming, blue-eyed boss is a hard man to say “no” to and she really wants to keep her job—even if that means sharing screen time with a loathsome blast from her past.  
Mercurial Italian chef Dante Marchetti a.k.a. “Il Duce” was once Cecily’s boss, and she has the PTSD to prove it. Now the owner of one of the hottest restaurants in town, Dante’s egomania knows no bounds and his constant attempts to provoke and upstage Cecily make her want to conk him on the head with a sauté pan. She thinks they’re toxic together, but viewers love their chemistry and clamor for more.
As Cecily battles to maintain the integrity of her show, she finds herself scheming and manipulating right along with Dante and Devlin. Is she fighting a lost cause? Does she really belong on TV, or would her culinary talent be better served elsewhere? And could one of the men who makes Cecily’s blood boil ignite a passion in her for something other than food?

LINK TO PURCHASE

myBook.to/MixingItUp

 

 ABOUT TRACIE
An avid reader and writer, Tracie Banister has been scribbling stories since she was a child, most of them featuring feisty heroines with complicated love lives like her favorite fictional protagonist Scarlett O'Hara. Her work was first seen on the stage of her elementary school, where her 4th grade class performed an original holiday play she penned. (Like all good divas-in-the-making, she also starred in and tried to direct the production.)
Tracie’s dreams of authorial success were put on the backburner when she reached adulthood and discovered that she needed a "real" job in order to pay her bills. Her career as personal assistant to a local entrepreneur lasted for 12 years. When it ended, she decided to follow her bliss and dedicate herself to writing full-time. Mixing It Up is her fourth Chick Lit release, and in it Tracie finally got to live out her fantasy of being a Cordon Bleu-trained chef.   

CONNECT WITH TRACIE
Author Newsletter – The Banister Buzz Newsletter
Blog http://traciebanister.blogspot.com/
Twitter https://twitter.com/traciebanister
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/tracie.banister
Instagram https://www.instagram.com/traciebanister/
Goodreads https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5448518.Tracie_Banister

RELEASE WEEK GIVEAWAY
Purchase a copy of Mixing It Up between October 19th, 2016 and October 25th, 2016 and you could win this fantastic prize pack inspired by the book’s heroine and her love of French food!

 This prize pack includes:
Garnier-Thiebaut Oh, La La, Chéri French-themed 4-piece Kitchen Linens Set
(Apron, kitchen towel, pot holder, and oven mitt.)

Kate Spade Deco Dot Recipe Box with 8 tabbed dividers and 40 recipe cards

The French Women Don’t Get Fat Cookbook by Mireille Guiliano

To enter this giveaway, simply e-mail the author at traciebanister@gmail.com with your proof of purchase. Entries will be accepted until midnight on October 26th, 2016 when a winner will be selected via random drawing. This is an international giveaway, so anyone who buys Mixing It Up within the allotted time frame is eligible to win. Good luck!

Review and Giveway - Fractured by Catherine McKenzie US Only

Welcome, neighbor!
Julie Prentice and her family move across the country to the idyllic Mount Adams district of Cincinnati, hoping to evade the stalker who’s been terrorizing them ever since the publication of her bestselling novel, The Murder Game. Since Julie doesn’t know anyone in her new town, when she meets her neighbor John Dunbar, their instant connection brings measured hope for a new beginning. But she never imagines that a simple, benign conversation with him could set her life spinning so far off course.
We know where you live…
After a series of misunderstandings, Julie and her family become the target of increasingly unsettling harassment. Has Julie’s stalker found her, or are her neighbors out to get her, too? As tension in the neighborhood rises, new friends turn into enemies, and the results are deadly.
  
My Thoughts
What a suspenseful book!  I seriously thought I had it all figured out and then my mind changed like 5 times!  I couldn't put this book down!  I was reading at college, work (shhhh don't tell!), before bed and even every morning!
Julie and her family have had a nightmare of a year and want to make a fresh start.  They pick a quiet neighborhood and hope to blend in and have a normal existence.  Little did they know that they moved into the neighborhood from hell!  Between the nosy neighborhood watch and the alcohol free block parties - they are starting to wonder if this decision was best for their family.
Then Julie meets her neighbor John one day while out for a run and they get along rather well and decide to become running buddies.They start to get a little too close and then it happens...

Just when Julie thinks she has left her crazy stalker behind across the country, crazy things appear around her house...could it be Heather?
Little by little the neighborhood begins to turn on them and they don't know who they can trust, if anyone.  You will have to read it to believe it!

Drink Selection
I was on the edge of my seat with this and I decided I would pair it with a bottle of Bregonzo Amarone della Valpolicella from Italy! Delish flavor!

Rating 

I couldn't put this book down and I think you will agree - 5 wine glasses all the way!

Giveaway  (US ONLY)
a Rafflecopter giveaway