Monday, September 3, 2012

Book Review: War Brides

I know, it looks like I read a zillion books in like 2 days - in reality, I was too lazy to post them all while I was on sabbatical. The next book is "War Brides" by Helen Bryan.This book was a top seller that I tried on a whim... A very rewarding whim!
Synopsis: (from amazon.com)

With war threatening to spread from Europe to England, the sleepy village of Crowmarsh Priors settles into a new sort of normal: Evacuees from London are billeted in local homes. Nightly air raids become grimly mundane. The tightening vice of rationing curtails every comfort. Men leave to fight and die. And five women forge an unlikely bond of friendship that will change their lives forever.

Alice Osbourne, the stolid daughter of the late vicar, is reeling from the news that Richard Fairfax broke their engagement to marry Evangeline Fontaine, an American girl from the Deep South. Evangeline’s arrival causes a stir in the village—but not the chaos that would ensue if they knew her motives for being there. Scrappy Elsie Pigeon is among the poor of London who see the evacuations as a chance to escape a life of destitution. Another new arrival is Tanni Zayman, a young Jewish girl who fled the horrors of Europe and now waits with her newborn son, certain that the rest of her family is safe and bound to show up any day. And then there’s Frances Falconleigh, a madcap, fearless debutante whose father is determined to keep her in the countryside and out of the papers.

As the war and its relentless hardships intensify around them, the same struggles that threaten to rip apart their lives also bring the five closer together. They draw strength from one another to defeat formidable enemies—hunger, falling bombs, the looming threat of a Nazi invasion, and a traitor in their midst—and find remarkable strength within themselves to help their friends. Theirs is a war-forged loyalty that will outlast the fiercest battle and endure years and distance.
 
When four of the women return to Crowmarsh Priors for a VE Day celebration fifty years later, television cameras focus on the heartwarming story of these old women as war brides of a bygone age, but miss the more newsworthy angle. The women’s mission is not to commemorate or remember—they’ve returned to settle a score and avenge one of their own.
 
I loved the story. The more you read, the more you fell in love with each woman, with her different quirky characteristics. I absolutely loved how the book ended... it is and isn't what you would think. Definitely a two thumbs up for this one!

Sunday, September 2, 2012

Book Review: Blue Violet

Recently a good friend of mine published a book. How awesome is that?! Even more amazingly, she is self publishing, meaning that she is basically in charge of the whole process from start to finish, including design, format, price, distribution, marketing, and PR. All on top of writing the book itself! The day it came out on Kindle, I bought it and started reading! The book is called "Blue Violet" by Abigail Owen (that's my friend's pen name).

Synopsis: (from amazon.com)
When Ellie Aubrey leaves her only remaining family and moves to Colorado, she knows she's risking her life. But she can't ignore the possibility of what she might find there. What she didn't expect to encounter was a bewildering connection to one smolderingly sexy Alex Jenner. But when Ellie's worst nightmare comes true and threatens to destroy everything she holds dear, she must fight to save those she loves most. Even if it means sacrificing herself by revealing a terrible truth... sometimes not all monsters are make believe.
 
 Like I said above, I finished the book in 3 days... that means it's good! I loved her character development (you really start to like these people) and how the storyline grew. This book draws you in with a mix of magic, romance, and adventure. The ending left me wanting more, but in the good way... the first thing I did when I got back to work was march over to her desk and ask when she's going to be done with book #2 (early 2013 for those of you asking)!

If you have the chance, head over to Amazon.com to buy this book - it's priced at $0.99, which is a steal! When you finish, leave a review... she would love the feedback!

Saturday, September 1, 2012

All Good Things Must Come To An End

Or so they say. Yup, my eight week sabbatical is over! Thursday was my first day back at work, and true to Intel tradition, my cube was "decorated". I walked in to find the whole thing saran wrapped - as well as everything in it. They also loaded it up with 60 balloons and four boxes of Cheez-It's! I really do have an awesome team!
My Cube!

Sabbatical was really wonderful - I went back to work so relaxed and refreshed! I can't believe how much I did on sabbatical - the trip to Europe, house boating with the girls, cleaning and reorganizing the whole house, and lots of reading and relaxing. It was amazing! I really do live the most wonderful life!

I did get a little bored at the end (my husband wasn't home for the entire last month), so it was nice to go back to work and actually be around people! It really was the perfect amount of time off!