The Ritual Bath by Faye Kellerman

The Ritual Bath is a part mystery, part romance, and part police/crime novel. It follows the story of Rina Lazarus, who is a very strict Orthodox Jew and Peter Decker, a detective. There is a rapist on the loose in the small Jewish community and Lazarus and Decker try to piece the puzzle together to figure out who could be terrorizing their neighborhood.

Even though this book had a lot going on, it moved quickly and I didn't feel like any part of it was overlooked. The mystery of who was the rapist was compelling and it kept me interested. I kept trying to guess and was surprised by the result. There several possible suspects and Kellerman did a great job of not giving out too much information, but still dangling a carrot in front of me to keep me reading.

I also found the romance to be realistic. They moved at a slow but steady pace, and it felt like the two were truly taking the time to get to know one another instead of jumping into a whirlwind romance just after looking at each other. It was also refreshing to see Rina stick to her Jewish faith and values.

This book had the added bonus of teaching me a lot about the Jewish culture. I knew a little bit about it, but The Ritual Bath opened my eyes to a lot more. I like books where I can learn about cultures that I may have otherwise not gotten the chance to learn about.

The Ritual Bath is the first book in a series by Kellerman and I definitely look forward to reading more.

I give it 4 out of 5 stars.

Life From Scratch by Melissa Ford

Life From Scratch was available for free for my Kindle not too long ago, so I decided to download it and give it a try. I have to admit, I was pleasantly surprised.

Life From Scratch follows the story of Rachel Goldman who is trying to rediscover herself after her divorce. She starts a food blog and shares her thoughts and feelings with the world. We, as the reader, get to see her try her hand at cooking, baking, writing, and dating.

I really enjoyed the character of Rachel. She is one of those characters that leads with her heart and wears her emotions on her sleeve. She feels deeply and that can be both good and bad. I felt like I really connected with Rachel. I felt like I really got to know who she was...flaws and all.

Life From Scratch was a light, quick, fun read with a heart. This story has hilarious antics and some serious moments too. If you are looking for a nice read, then this is a good book for that. I absolutely enjoyed this book.

I give it 4 out of 5 stars.

Goodness Gracious Green by Judy Christie

I got Goodness Gracious Green by Judy Christie as a free book for my Kindle and finally got around to reading it. This is the second book in the series, but I didn't read the first book, Going to Green. While there were some statements that I didn't quite understand, I felt that Christie caught the reader up nicely and I didn't need the first book to enjoy this one.

Goodness Gracious Green was a quick read. However, it seemed to have trouble deciding what type of book it wanted to be. There was a bit of mystery and a bit of romance, but neither one were really ever fully explored. The mystery and the romance were both a bit boring and I think Christie should maybe focused on one or the other but not both.

Also, the characters were a bit too far unrealistic. The main character Lois seemed to be confused and incompetent. There was only one moment where she really took the bull by the horns, the rest of the time she left it up to her friends. Which would have been okay, but it felt like she was taking a backseat in her own story. I would have liked to have seen a stronger heroine.

This book is a Christian fiction and the Christian message is a bit heavy handed at times, but I've read worse. All in all, if you're looking for a light read, it's not too bad. I was very glad it was free though.

2.5 out of 5 stars.

Unbearable Lightness by Portia de Rossi

A book club that I am a part of decided to read Unbearable Lightness by Portia de Rossi. I knew very little about Portia de Rossi before this book. Really, all I knew was that she is Ellen's wife. This book gave me the chance to really get inside of her head and truly understand what it is like to be in the show business with an eating disorder.

Portia de Rossi is open and honest in this book. She tells of how she binged and then purged and how she justified it to herself. She wrote about what she saw when she looked in the mirror and how she constantly felt the pressure to be thinner and prettier than everyone around her. She was convinced that the only way to land roles was to be thinner than the next girl. That goal became an obsession for her, and the numbers on the scale dipped to a dangerously low number.

Even though Unbearable Lightness deals with a very tough subject, it was worth the read because it was eye-opening and raw. I felt like Portia de Rossi really let the readers into her head. There were some very dark periods in her life, and she chose to share those with the world. I am very appreciative of the fact that I had the chance to read this book. Even people without eating disorders can connect with Portia de Rossi as she struggles with her self-confidence.

I give this book 4 out of 5 stars.

Winter Garden by Kristin Hannah

I have heard a lot of good things about author Kristin Hannah, but until recently I had never gotten the chance to read her novels. It was recommended that I start with Winter Garden, and I have to say, all of the love for Kristin Hannah novels is not misplaced.

Winter Garden is the story of two completely different sisters who attempt to reconnect with each other and their emotionally absent mother after their dad's death. I found the characters to be completely real, with their own faults and flaws that they either had to overcome or learn to deal with. The sisters constantly struggle with who they are and what they want, which is something that a lot of people deal with. It made the characters really come to life.

I was hooked on this story from the very first page. It is filled with all different kinds of emotions, from happiness, to sorrow, to despair, with a little bit of anger and disbelief thrown in. By the time I reached the end, I was bawling like a baby because it was just so moving and so touching. I don't think I have read a novel this good in a very long time.

So, if you haven't read Kristin Hannah, I highly recommend that you do so. I know I'm going to read more of her novels.

5 out of 5 stars.

The Heretic's Daughter by Kathleen Kent

The Heretic's Daughter (also called Sarah's Lot) is the story of nine-year-old Sarah Carrier, whose mother was accused of being a witch in Salem, Massachusetts in the late 1600s. The story deals with the day-to-day life of the young girl and then the trial of her mother.

Even though the book was a biographical historical fiction, much of it was rooted in fact. Martha and Sarah Carrier really did exist and they are ancestors of Kathleen Kent. It is easy to tell from her writing that she has a passion for this subject and it really means a lot to her.

Kent writes descriptions very well, it is easy to get lost in the late 1600s and the bleak and dreary days. There is a kind of shadow over the whole book which gives off a sense of tension and dread. The book was good, but it was a bit depressing and there were no light points to take the edge off.

I also found Sarah to be a very believable troubled young woman. I really felt her emotions and thoughts come out of the pages and I had a huge amount of sympathy for her. The book makes the reader want to leap out and give her a hug and tell her everything is going to be okay.

All in all it was a great story, just very dark. I give it 4 out of 5 stars.

Elijah's Coin by Steve O'Brien

Elijah's Coin is a short book about a young man who is headed down the wrong path in life. While he is in the middle of committing a crime, a mysterious man who introduces himself as Elijah King catches him and promises simply not to turn him into the police if he meets with him three times and really takes his lessons to heart.

Even though I can appreciate the message that this book was trying to send, I feel like it went about it in the wrong way. First, the book was so short that I didn't really get to know any of the characters and I didn't really care what happened to Tom (the main character). Also, I felt the lesson was very in your face and it could have been handled in much subtler way. This book is a good attempt at a meaningful message and a heart but it just fell flat for me.

Also, this book is broken up into three parts. The first part is all about Tom figuring out what the lesson is, although the HOW of how he figures it out is somewhat confusing. He has this...epiphany and that's it. The second part of the book is about how he is applying this lesson. This part introduced a lot of new characters in rapid succession that, again, I really didn't feel like I got to really know any of them.

I give this book 2 out of 5 stars.

Return Engagement by Lynn Michaels

Return Engagement was the story of the reuniting on stage two child TV stars in a small town in Missouri. When Noah last saw Lindsey, he left her in a world of hurt and it follows the pair 15 years later as they try to sort out their feelings for one another.

I found Return Engagement to be a very cute, heartwarming story. I definitely enjoyed the antics of the two main characters as well as most of Lindsey's family. The only part I found a little "off" was the two villains: Lindsey's sister, Jolie and Lindsey's mother, Vivian (or Vivienne as she likes to be called). I know they were supposed to be mean and ruthless, but there was absolutely no redeeming qualities to them. After awhile it made me question why bother associating with them at all.

Aside from that minor detail, Return Engagement was a good book and worth the read. I enjoyed it very much.

3.5 out of 5 stars.

Exit the Actress by Priya Parmar

Exit the Actress is a historical novel that follows the life of Ellen Gwyn, a young woman that starts out as a oyster seller and becomes a principal actor in 16th century London. The book is written as a diary, with letters, announcements and playbills thrown in. At first, it took some getting used to, but it really is the best way to read this story.

Ellen is an amazing character. She's smart, observant, and witty. She has no qualms about telling people how the world is as she sees it, even though that gets her into trouble sometimes. She's a character that I fell in love with. Along the way she meets a wide variety of characters that are all very well written and have a lot of depth to them. There are some that I absolutely loved and some that I wanted to strangle.

All in all this was a very good book. I enjoyed reading it and was almost sad to reach the end. This is a book with a heart and it really comes through.

I give this book 4.5 out of 5 stars.

The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake by Aimee Bender

The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake is the story of a nine-year-old girl, Rose, who can taste the feelings of anyone who made her food. For example when she tastes her mom's baking she can taste the sadness and longing, and when she takes a bite of her brother's toast, she can taste the anger.

While the concept of The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake was good, the execution was off. First, after the first third of the book, the story shifts from Rose to her brother Joseph, who keeps mysteriously disappearing and reappearing. Also, Joseph is really angry and moody about something, but Bender never fully develops what he is so angry about. He chooses to shut himself off from in the world in a very unique way (which I will not spoil here) but Bender never says just why he needs to take such a drastic measure.

Also, even though Rose has this power, she doesn't really do a whole lot with it except tell a couple of people. The people she tells thinks it's a fascinating power, but still nothing else is done. After awhile her power is treated more like a magic trick than anything else.

So, while the idea of The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake was intriguing, the story ended up missing the mark.

2 out of 5 stars.

The Baker's Sweets by Angela Wray

*Note: This post is about a book that contains some adult content, reader discretion is advised*

The Baker’s Sweets is an erotic fiction about a young woman named Lily who ends up in a three-way relationship with Morgan and Ian, twin shape shifters who share just about everything, including their women. Lily struggles with being in this type of relationship, and the story chronicles her feelings and thoughts as she forms a relationship with not one, but two extremely hot men.

Wray writes sex very well. The sex scenes are steamy and really get the juices flowing. Each sex scene gets hotter than the last and it leaves the reader wanting to read more of it. Wray is not afraid to use the language that is necessary to really get an intimate feeling from the reader.

The story itself is also very interesting, and well worth the read, as Lily sorts out her feelings about the two men and the trials and tribulations they face to solidify how she feels. I really felt like I got to know Lily, Morgan, and Ian, and I really felt for them as the story progressed. It was also very easy to feel the love between the three of them.

However, there were a few drawbacks that detracted from the story. The first is that Wray got a bit wordy during the non-sex scenes. At one point she spent nearly an entire page telling exactly how Lily got ready for the day, and it just wasn’t necessary to go into that level of detail. The other is that The Baker’s Sweets still needed some minor editing, there were a few missing commas and quotation marks that I had to go back and re-read the passage a few times to understand exactly what was going on.

I give this book 3 out of 5 stars.

The Baker’s Sweets is available at http://www.bookstrand.com/the-bakers-sweets , starting March 9.

The author provided me a free copy of this book with the expectation of an honest review.

Crestmont by Holly Weiss

I won this book on a Goodreads Giveaway.

Crestmont started off a little slow, but by the third chapter things picked up and I was able to get into the story of Gracie, a young woman with dreams of a life on stage who ends up working at the beautiful Cresmont Inn to save some money.

While I liked the book, I didn't love it and there were a few things that detracted from the story for me. The first was Mrs. Woods (the owner of the Crestmont along with her husband) seemed to be a wild card of a character. Sometimes she would get mad at Gracie and hold a grudge, then the next day everything would suddenly be fine. Also, the book was slow in some parts but then glossed over what I thought would be big events.

The last thing that kind of detracted from the story is nitpicky on my part, but the math didn't add up. When Gracie left home in 1925 she was 22, she turned 23 in August of 1925, yet in 1927 she was still 23 and celebrated her 24th birthday. She should have been 24 going to 25 in 1927.

All in all though it was a good story and one that I enjoyed reading. 3.5 stars from me.