Happy Hour (Kindle Freebie)- Bookish Thoughts #31

What Happy Hour is about:
Every woman has that group of friends in her life ~ her "go to girls" The friends that she can turn to who "get it." The ones who are there for you no matter what. The ones who laugh with you and cry with you. The ones that will always be there. These are the women of Napa Valley.

I was pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed this book. I think I suffer from some misconception that the "free" books are not always the highest caliber of writing or story. I can honestly say that I've been proven wrong! The author wrote a very readable story with a great plot, depth, and characters that you could really identify with and root for during their tough moments in life. I was lucky to have been able to read and discuss this with a group of women who are just as varied as the four women in this novel. We all felt some type of connection to one or more of the characters and could easily empathize with their heartaches! The best part of this book was that the women came together every Sunday to eat, drink wine, and share. I really liked that type of bonding and friendship!!

Recommend? Absolutely! Especially to those that love books that are about women, friendship,  love, heartache, and realizing life-long dreams. And it's a steal for $2.99!!

Source: Free Book for my Kindle

Bookish Thoughts #31

© 2012, Staci of Life in the Thumb. All Rights Reserved. If you reading this on a site other than, Life in the Thumb or Staci's feed, be aware that this post has been stolen and is used without permission.

The Wolf Who Loved Me

What The Wolf Who Loved Me is about:


Lady Madeline has money problems...specifically she has so much of it that she's dogged by fortune hunters, including her bewildering attractive, penniless neighbor, with his wild nature and uncouth manners.
Weston Hadley has an identity crises....specifically, he's just turned into a wolf while Madeline was watching. Now it's up to the regal lady to tame the wild beast...if she can...

When Lydia Dare (writing team of Tammy Falkner and Ava Stone) released her newest creation, I knew that I had to read it because I loved the Regency Vampyre Trilogy so much!! I was not disappointed one bit with this story and gobbled it up in just a few days! I love the characters that this duo brings to the pages and I honestly can say that it was very easy for me to conjure up specific images of them in my mind while reading about their fantastic adventures!! The male leads are always these strong and virile men, but they also have that hint of vulnerability that makes you immediately fall in love with them!! Madeline is sassy and starts to really come into her own during the book and I love her innocence when she and Weston finally become "married"!

Recommend? If you're looking for a fun paranormal regency romance then look no further than Lydia Dare's entire booklist!! Even though this was number five in the Westfield Wolves series, I really feel that it can be a stand-alone without having to start at the beginning! (I know..I never read out-of-order! and truth be told, I had no idea this was number 5 until I was done!!).

Author: Lydia Dare
Source: review copy from Sourcebooks Casablanca
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Pages: e-book
Published:  April 2012
*Uncorrected eARC via NetGalley


Disclaimer:Thank you toSourcebooks Casablanca/NetGalley for sending me a review copy. I was not compensated for my review. My thoughts on this book were in no way influenced by the author or publicist.They are my personal reflections based solely on MY experience while reading this novel.

Review Book #14
© 2011, Staci of Life in the Thumb. All Rights Reserved. If you reading this on a site other than, Life in the Thumb or Staci's feed, be aware that this post has been stolen and is used without permission. 

'1105 Yakima Street (Cedar Cover #11) 'by Debbie Macomber

Dear Reader,

You don't know me yet, but in a few hours that's going to change. I'm inviting you to my town of Cedar Cove because I want you to meet my family, friends and neighbors. Come hear their stories--maybe even their secrets!  Cedar Cove--people love it and sometimes they leave it, but they never forget it! 

First thoughts after finishing this book: "Wow, that was like a daytime soap opera!"

I have been reading Debbie Macomber's books, most especially The Blossom Street Series, over the past couple of years but I've never read her Cedar Cove series. I think I made a huge mistake by reading this book out-of-order. I had a hard time getting all of the characters together in my head and the number of people involved in this book was a bit overwhelming. I'm not going to blame Debbie for any of that. I should have done my homework and passed on the NetGalley review copy and started with book one.

Recommend? Overall, it was a fun read but I did feel a bit overwhelmed with all of the different story lines. I found myself wishing several times that I had started at the beginning!

Rating: 7/10


Author: Debbie Macomber
Published: October 18, 2011
Publisher: Atria Books
Genre: Fiction
Source: NetGalley/MIRA


Disclaimer:Thank you to NetGalley and MIRA for sending me a review copy. I was not compensated for my review. My thoughts on this book were in no way influenced by the author or publicist.They are my personal reflections based solely on MYexperience while reading this novel.

© 2011, Staci of Life in the Thumb. All Rights Reserved. If you reading this on a site other than, Life in the Thumb or Staci's feed, be aware that this post has been stolen and is used without permission.

'The Twisted Thread' by Charlotte Bacon

Teaser Synopsis:

When beautiful but aloof Claire Harkness is found dead in her dorm room one spring morning, prestigious Armitage Academy is shaken to its core. Everyone connected to school, and to Claire, finds their lives upended, from the local police detective who has a personal history with the academy, to the various faculty and staff whose lives are immersed in the daily rituals associated with it.

First Thoughts after finishing book: hmmm.....not sure what to think of this one.

What I liked about this book:

• The setting...I like the idea of a twisted love story, murder, and cover-up that takes place on a boarding school campus. Don't know why...I must be twisted!
• The cop who actually went to the boarding school there on a scholarship. I thought his inside knowledge of how the school ticked made the story interesting.
• The secret society behind the title of the book. Sinister and just a tad creepy..helped add that extra factor to the story.
• The cover! It is pretty cool!! That's part of the reason I chose this book. Yes, I'm shallow like that!!

What I didn't like about this book:

• Too many characters!!!!!!!!!!! I felt like I needed a cast list so that I could refer back to it every other page!!
• Not connecting with one person in this entire story! That frustrated me and really left me with that so-so attitude once I finished the book. 
• Privileged brats!! I don't think I could handle being the 'scholarship' kid at a school like this. Too many of them had no respect for others, and a huge sense of entitlement. 

Recommend? I'm not really sure. I guess if someone gave you the book or you were able to get it as a free download to your eReader. But would I recommend you spending good money on this one....no. It just wasn't sinister enough and there were just way too many characters. I think in order to do creepy well you must make some sort of connection with at least one character...that didn't happen for me.

Rating: 6.5/10

Check out these reviews by fellow book bloggers who enjoyed this title:

Reviews by Lola- " I was enthralled for the majority of the book, and found it insatiably readable. Add to that the setting of a prestigious boarding school, and you’ve got a real winner. "

The Sunday Book Review- "The writing is simple and quick – though I do feel as if urgency would have done wonders for this story – and it will make an afternoon go by quickly."

Author: Charlotte Bacon

Published: June 14, 2011 eBook

Publisher: Voice

Genre: Mystery

Source: NetGalley

ISNB: 9781401341503

 

Disclaimer: I was not compensated for my review. My thoughts on this book were in no way influenced by the author or publicist.They are my personal reflections based solely on MY experience while reading this novel

© 2011, Staci of Life in the Thumb. All Rights Reserved. If you reading this on a site other than, Life in the Thumb or Staci's feed, be aware that this post has been stolen and is used without permission.

'The Apothecary's Daughter' by Julie Klassen

She pushed open the shop door, barely hearing the familiar bell. The usual rush of voices and aromas greeted her. Treasures from distant lands and nearby meadows, dried, crushed, and distilled filled the air with powerful, exotic appeal.
[location 140-43 Kindle]






 Brief Synopsis:
While working in her father’s apothecary shop in the small village of Bedsley Priors, Lilly Haswell dreams of one day traveling the world, perhaps even finding her mother, who had left her family three years before and has never been heard from since. When the chance to live with her maternal aunt and uncle is unexpectedly offered to her, Lilly sees the opportunity for a new life. Once in London, she indulges in a bit of romantic flirtation with several different men while also learning more about her mother’s mysterious disappearance. Then, when a crisis forces Lilly to return to Bedsley Priors, she faces the difficult challenge of giving up her fabulous independent life in order to help out the family she has always loved.

My Thoughts:
I really enjoyed this book about the role apothecaries had in Regency England during the mid 1800's. It was also very enlightening to know that women weren't allowed to dispense medicine. I loved Lilly, the main character. The reader gets to see her grow from a young teen to a woman. She has worked in her father's shop since she can remember and knows the mixtures without ever having to look anything up. She's resourceful and smart, probably why I liked her so much. One of my favorite parts of the book was trying to figure out who she would end up with romantically. Just when I thought I had it all figured out the author would take me in another direction. And I was totally blind sighted at the end of the book...never saw a shocking development coming until it smacked me in the face!! I love when that happens!!

Recommend? Absolutely, especially for those that enjoy historical fiction that takes place in England. My favorite part of the book was learning about the roles of the apothecary and how instrumental and crucial they were to the townspeople. Many of the villagers trusted these men more than their local doctors. And with the haughty demeanor of doctors I could totally understand why a person would take the advice of their apothecary over the doctor any day.

Rating: 8/10

Author: Julie Klassen

Published: January 2009

Publisher: Bethany House

Genre: Gentle Reads Historical Fiction

Source: Kindle ebook (free download via Amazon.com)

ASIN: B001LDJIQM 

 

Disclaimer: I was not compensated for my review. My thoughts on this book were in no way influenced by the author or publicist.They are my personal reflections based solely on MY experience while reading this novel

© 2011, Staci of Life in the Thumb. All Rights Reserved. If you reading this on a site other than, Life in the Thumb or Staci's feed, be aware that this post has been stolen and is used without permission.