FAR FROM HERE by Nicole Baart

This story is about flying, Alaska, live and hurt.

Dani and Etsell were high school sweethearts in their little Iowa town of  Blackhawk.
Etsell loves flying planes and teaches people to fly, but his dream is to be a bush pilot.  Dani is terrified to fly and wants to stay in their hometown.  The day after he turns 27 Etsell leaves to fly to Alaska to help out a friend, he is only to be gone three weeks.  They had been married for seven years and together for ten at this point.  Just before he is to leave to come home, his plane goes missing.  Dani and Ells surrogate mother fly to Alaska to aid in the search.  Nothing is found of the plane or Ell, but they did find out he was with a woman Samantha.  And, she knows nothing abut Ells whereabouts.  Dani and Hazel head home to try to put their lives back together.  A few months later Sam visits Dani with surprising news.

I couldn't stay focused on the story, but did finish the book

AMAZON - Far from Here

SANDY SAYS 2/3 STARS

COTTAGE BY THE SEA by Robin Jones Gunn

A quick an easy read.  With Irish sayings at the beginning of each chapter.

Erin and her friend Sharlene have just opened their business, The Happiest Day; a wedding planning company.  Erin gets word that her dad has had a stroke.  Her dad and his second wife have left California and moved to the Oregon coast.  Erin has never gotten on well with her step mother.  She decides to fly to Oregon to check on her dad.  Her has some issues from the stroke, but overall seems to be on the road to recovery.  So, after staying a while and with a promise to return; she heads home.
She quickly gets back not work.  She doesn't make it back to visit her dad in the fall.  Her son, the oldest of three sons; comes home for Thanksgiving with his girlfriend.  Even though she thought of inviting her dad and stepmom, decides not to.  She intends on having them for Christmas, but doesn't.   Then her son becomes engaged and with her business and the wedding time gets away from her.  She becomes angry when her dad and stepmom do not show up for the wedding.  Only to find out the following day he has had another stroke.  She and her husband Mike leave to check on him.  Erin ends up staying and begins the long journey of saying goodby and righting wrongs.

AMAZON - Cottage by the Sea

SANDY SAYS 3/3 STARS

A BEND IN THE ROAD by Nicholas Sparks

Another great story by Sparks.

Miles Ryan is  a deputy sheriff.  He is a widower with a small son, Jonah.  Missy Ryan his wife was hit and killed while out for a jog and the driver was never found.
Sarah Andrews is Jonah's  teacher.  She soon discovers that Jonah is behind in everything.  She has heard some of the story about his mother and it appears that the other teachers gave him a pass because of it.   Sarah wants to help, she and Miles have a meeting where they make the decision that Jonah will stay after school for extra help three days a week.  Miles will handle the other two days at home.
Miles thinks a resident that he does not get along with killed Missy.  One day he learns of a conversation that seems to agree with that.  So, he heads right out and arrests Otis.  Things get out of hand and Miles is suspended.
But, did Otis really kill Missy?

AMAZON - A Bend in the Road

SANDY SAYS 3/3 STARS

AT FIRST SIGHT by Nicholas Sparks

This is the sequel to True Believer.

Jeremy and Lexie decide to get married after Lexie becomes pregnant.  Jeremy had been told it was almost impossible for him to father a child and that is the reason his first marriage fell apart.  He also decides to move from New York City to Boone Creek, NC.  This is a very small town and he has some adjustments to overcome.  He doesn't have access to the theatre, movies and even restaurant choices he had in New York.  Add to that he has writers block and only has so many columns already done to use.  They have a wedding to plan, a house to buy and renovate.  Then devastating news, Lexie has Amniotic band syndrome;  which could attach to the baby causes birth defects.

AMAZON - At First Sight

SANSY SAYS 3/3 STARS

TRUE BELIEVER by Nicholas Sparks

Another hit by Nicholas.

Jeremy Marsh is a reporter for a science magazine.  He goes to Boone Creek, NC a small town to check into the reports of ghosts at a local cemetery.  He grew up and lives in New York City.  Lexie lives in Boone Creek and is the local librarian.  Her grandmother owns a local restaurant and is the one that contacted Jeremy about the ghost.  

Doris, Lexie's grandmother has "powers," she can accurately predict the sex of an unborn child and she is a diviner.  

Now, Jeremy is there to figure out the truth about the appearances.  Lexie was orphaned and raised by her grandparents.  She has been burned a couple of times by men and is reluctant to get involved again.  Jeremy was married and divorced for a reason he has shared with no one, until Lexie.  

Can they make a go of a long distance relationship?  Will he figure out what is causing the lights/the ghosts?

AMAZON - True Believer

SANDY SAYS 3/3 STARS

BIKINI SEASON by Shelia Roberts

This is a story of four friends and their families.  Erin is about to be married.  Angela is married with two small daughters, Megan is a lawyer and single and Kizzy is married.  They are in a monthly cooking club that Kizzy started.  One problem is that Kizzy's Dr has told her she has to lose weight.   So, she sets out to disband the club.  She finds out that the others want to lose weight as well.  Erin no longer fits not her wedding dress, Angela thinks her husband is having an affair with a skinny girl at work and Megan is dealing with the skinny lawyers at the group she works for.  The story takes you along on their dieting ups and downs.

This story was hard to stay with for me.


AMAZON - Bikini Season

SANDY SAYS 2/3 STARS

CHRISTMAS AT BARNCASTLE INN-a Romancing America Story by Susan Page Davis, Darlene Franklin, Janelle Mowery and Lynette Sowell

Another set of four stories that are linked, this time by different families spending Christmas at Barncastle Inn and taking part in Christmas Any Time.
The stories all are religious stories.

Jayne Barncastle's parents own an inn in a small Vermont town.  It looks like a castle and is on a lake.   Jaynes parents decide they want to retire and hope that Jayne will take over the inn.   In trying to help her parents bring in more business and make the decision to stay on, she comes up with a marketing plan.  You can rent the Inn over Christmas and the Inn will make it a theme holiday.  The first group are the Dillard's, they want to have a medieval theme.  However, their grandson is still shy and anxious since his mother passed away.  The Dillard's send their son in law and grandson to the Inn for a weekend to check it out.

The second story has a couple of sisters wanting to reenact White Christmas and post World War II, in the one of getting their grandparents back together.  Their grandfather had moved out and was staying with one of the physician assistants from the VA.  He brings him along on the holiday without telling anyone.

The third story brings a family wanting a pirate theme.  It turns out their nanny used to be engaged to Jaynes cousin.   What Stephanie does not know is he is back in town, now working for Jayne and her husband as their carpenter for the themed events.  And, the brother of her employer shows up.  He has been trying to when her love.

Then, we have Waverly;  she is back in town and working at her fathers veterinarian office.  Her father sold the business to his assistant and he offers her a job.  Which is good as she is a single mother if a two month old daughter and needs the job.  The babies father took off when he heard the news.  Together she and the vet are in charge of the animals for the First Christmas theme.

AMAZON - Christmas At Barncastle Inn

SANDY SAYS 3/3 STARS