Review: The Search by Nora Roberts

Title: The Search
Author: Nora Roberts
Publisher: Penguin Group
Published: July 6, 2010
Format: Hardcover ($31.00)
Age Group: Adult
Series: No 
Copy: Provided by Penguin Group Canada




From the Publisher:


To most people, Fiona Bristow seems to have an idyllic life-a quaint house on an island off Seattle's coast, a thriving dog-training school, and a challenging volunteer job performing canine search and rescues. Not to mention her three intensely loyal Labs. But Fiona got to this point by surviving a nightmare... 


Several years ago, Fiona was the only survivor of the Red Scarf serial killer, who shot and killed Fiona's cop fiancA(c) and his K-9 partner. 

On Orcas Island, Fiona found the peace and solitude she needed to rebuild her life. But all that changes on the day Simon Doyle barrels up her drive, desperate for her help. He's the reluctant owner of an out-of-control puppy, foisted upon him by his mother. Jaws has eaten through Simon's house, and he's at his wit's end. 

To Fiona, Jaws is nothing she can't handle. Simon, however, is another matter. A newcomer to Orcas, he's a rugged and in-tensely private artist, known for the exquisite furniture he creates from wood. Simon never wanted a puppy-and he most definitely doesn't want a woman. Besides, the lanky redhead is not his type. But tell that to his hormones. 

As Fiona embarks on training Jaws, and Simon begins to appreciate both dog and trainer, the past tears back into Fiona's life. A copycat killer has emerged out of the shadows, a man whose bloodlust has been channeled by a master with one motive: to reclaim the woman who slipped out of his hands...


My Review:


Generally speaking Nora Roberts books are fairly predictable but I can always count on them to entertain. While I am not going to find life's hidden meaning within a Roberts book I will find a few hours of blissful escape where I can guarantee I will be whisked away on a fairy tale romance that never fails to give me a happily ever after ending. 


Each protagonist in a Roberts novel seems to have the perfect balance of imperfections (both physical and emotional) and positive attributes so as to make him or her a believable character.  In The Search  Fiona was an engaging and relatable character who's passion for dogs and people alike made her even more endearing. There was never any question about the direction the romance between Fiona and Simon was taking but nevertheless it was great to go along for the ride and read as the romance bloomed. 


As one of her serial killer thrillers Roberts didn't disappoint. The plot was moderately suspenseful with just enough details fed to you page by page to keep you guessing.  


I think what most fans of Nora Roberts novels would agree on is that Roberts has a talent for writing female protagonists who each woman can see a bit of herself in.  By writing relatable characters that women can make a personal connection with it gives them the ability to gets a taste of what it may just be like to captivate the often handsome, quirky, macho yet sensitive, "perfect" male protagonist of each novel.  


Overall The Search was a pleasurable and entertaining read that fans of Nora Roberts will happily add to their collection!

My Rating: 3.5/5

Review: The Clearing by: Heather Davis

Title: The Clearing
Author: Heather Davis
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Published: April 7, 2010
Format: Trade Paperback ($10.99 CDN)
Age Group: Young Adult
*Provided courtesy of Net Galley

From the Publisher: 

In this bittersweet romance, two teens living decades apart form a bond that will change their lives forever.

Amy is drawn to the misty, mysterious clearing behind her Aunt Mae''s place because it looks like the perfect place to hide from life. A place to block out the pain of her last relationship, to avoid the kids in her new town, to stop dwelling on what her future holds after high school.

Then, she meets a boy lurking in the mist-Henry. Henry is different from any other guy Amy has ever known. And after several meetings in the clearing, she''s starting to fall for him.


But Amy is stunned when she finds out just how different Henry really is. Because on his side of the clearing, it''s still 1944. By some miracle, Henry and his family are stuck in the past. Amy''s crossing over to Henry''s side brings him more happiness than he''s ever known-but her presence also threatens to destroy his safe existence.


The Clearing is a tender and poignant tale about falling in love, finding strength, and having the courage to make your own destiny

My Review: 

At 228 pages this short novel is the perfect rainy day read.  From the very first chapter I was engaged in the protagonist Amy's story and the mysterious plot.  The author Heather Davis takes us on a quick but satisfying journey of first love and self discovery.  What is only hinted at in the publishers synopsis but is included in the authors on her web site, is that Amy is a young woman who recently moved to a new town to escape an abusive relationship with her ex boyfriend.  While I don't want to give to much of the situation away I was incredibly impressed that when writing about how Amy eventually deals with the issue she allows Amy to deal with it on her terms.  Saying more would give to much away but I hope if you take the time to read this delightful book you will feel the same way.  Additionally I found the love story between Amy and Henry to be fresh, incredibly sweet, and very mature.  Although I'll let you read the story yourself to find out if it has a happy ending I will say it was unexpected in a good way but admittedly I was surprised when I turned the page and found that the story had ended.  Overall I highly recommend that you include this novel on your list of books to read this summer, perhaps over a cup of tea on a rainy day!

My Rating: 

Teaser Tuesday

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly meme that was started by MizB from Should Be Reading

If you would like to participate in Teaser Tuesday, all you have to do is take the book that you are currently reading and open it to any page. Then you choose any two (2) sentences from that page to share with the rest of us!

*Be careful not to include spoilers and make sure to include the book title and author

Title: Juliet
Author: Anne Fortier
Publisher: Harper Collins Canada
Release Date: August 17, 2010
ISBN - 10:1554684994
ISBN - 13:9781554684991



Teaser:

Romeo took her hand and forced it to open against his cheek. "I saw you, dear savage, before you saw me. Yet you heard me, before I heard you.  And such as we might have lived, our love separated by our senses, had not Fortuna, tonight, granted you eyes, and I ears."
        The girl frowned.  "Your poetry is mysterious.  Do you intend me to comprehend you, or are you hoping that I mistake my own dullness for your wisdom?"

From the Publisher:
"This book is a stunner. Elegantly written in exquisite, vibrant and witty prose that rides well with the clever use of quotes from Shakespeare, it interweaves an astonishing historic take on the tale of the star-crossed lovers with a fast-paced, modern thriller. Every sentence is a joy, every character lives, and medieval and modern Siena are brilliantly evoked. The theme is delightfully original - and the kind of thing you wish you had thought up yourself. The author is to be congratulated on a truly fabulous book that will surely be a resounding success! We will never see Romeo and Juliet in quite the same way again..."
-- Alison Weir, author of The Lady Elizabeth

If you check out my Thrifty Thursday post you will read about my lucky find.  I CAN NOT PUT THIS BOOK DOWN ITS SO FANTASTIC!  It's not always an edge-of-your-seat read but this book has its strings firmly wound around my mind and my book lovers heart.  This story is filled with love, tragedy, hope, mystery, history, and magic of a kind I am not used to reading about.

Happy reading!

Thrifty Thursday?

Having joined in on, "Teaser Tuesdays," and "Waiting on Wednesday," I wondered what happened on Thursdays until I happened to be at the right place ant the right time today.  I dub this particular Thursday, Thrifty Thursday (I truly hope I am not "dubbing" anything that has been "dubbed" before and if I have PLEASE tell me).  I had an hour and a half to spare between jobs today and decided to walk downtown to peruse the YA section of my local book store, Manticore, in hopes of finding something new.  I couldn't find anything to interest me but on my way out I noticed this book .  When I went up to the counter to purchase the book I was told I could have it for freeeee!  At first I though he was joking (what book store gives out free books?) until he told me that in fact he was not.  Turns out they had been sent a "special advanced reading uncorrected proof" and that if I wanted the book it was all mine.  I have been looking online to see what I can find about this book and the author. It turns out that there seems to be quite a bit of buzz about this book on the internet.   Publishers Weekly posted an article about the novel, Juliet and the Danish born author, Anne Fortier.  Both Harper Collins and Publishers weekly are comparing this book to, The Thirteenth Tale, The Birth Of Venus, and The Historian.  Free books are excellent but even before I knew I was getting this book for free I wanted it.   I'll get to the synopsis of the book in a moment but what really sucked me in was this,

"Full of delicious secrets, sleeping potions, 

medieval wedding rituals, curses, the glorious Italian countryside

and sibling rivalries, Juliet is at heart an epic romance that proves 

love is strong enough to conquer even death."

If your not interested yet I hope you will be after the synopsis.

Book: Juliet

Author: Anne Fortier

Release Date: August 17, 2010

Publisher Canada: Harper Collins $29.99

Publisher US: Ballantine Books $25.00

Page Count: 444

When Julie Jacobs inherits a key to a safety deposit box in Siena, Italy, she is told it will lead her to an old family treasure. Soon she is launched on a precarious journey into the true history of her ancestor Giulietta, whose legendary love for a young man named Romeo turned medieval Siena upside down. As Julie crosses paths with the descendants of the families involved in Shakespeare's unforgettable blood feud, she begins to realize that the notorious curse – "A plague on both your houses!" – is still at work, and that she is the next target. It seems the only one who can save her from her fate is Romeo… but where is he?

Most of the books I read and love are of the paranormal genre but I can't resist a good love story full of "Double, double, toil and trouble." 

The author, Anne Fortier grew up in Denmark and immigrated to the U.S in 2002 but now lives in Quebec, Canada!  I hope to have this novel finished soon at which point I'll post a review.  I hope to love this book!

Happy Reading!