Wednesday, June 6, 2018

Can't Wait for Heart Land

Can't-Wait Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Wishful Endings to spotlight and talk about the books we're excited about that we have yet to read. Generally they're books that have yet to be released as well. It's based on Waiting on Wednesday, hosted by the fabulous Jill at Breaking the Spine. Find out more here.

Heart Land

By: Kimberly Stuart

Expected Publication: July 17th 2018 by Howard Books

320 pages

Genre: Adult, Contemporary

( Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository )

*Note: The above links to Amazon and Book Depository are affiliate links. Affiliate links support giveaways for Somewhere Only We Know readers.

Goodreads description--A story of reconnection, lost love, and the power of faith, Heart Land follows a struggling fashion designer back to her small Iowa hometown as she tries to follow her dreams of success and finding true love.

Grace Klaren has finally made her dream of living in the Big Apple and working in the fashion industry a reality. But when she’s unexpectedly fired and can’t afford the next month’s rent, Grace does something she never thought she’d do: she moves back home.

Back in Silver Creek, Iowa, Grace is determined to hate it. She rails against the quiet of her small town, where everything closes early, where there’s no nightlife, where everyone knows each other. She’s saving her pennies and plotting her return to New York when she almost runs over a man who’s not paying attention at a crosswalk. It turns out to be Tucker, her high school sweetheart whose heart she broke when she left ten years ago. They reconnect, and Grace remembers why she fell for him in the first place.

And her career begins to turn around when she finds a gorgeous but tattered vintage dress at a flea market. She buys it, rips it apart seam by seam, and re-creates it with new fabric, updating the look with some of her own design ideas. She snaps a picture and lists the dress online, and within a day, it sells for nearly $200. Suddenly, Grace has her ticket out of here.

But Grace can’t fight her growing feelings for Tucker. Sometimes when they’re together, Tucker paints a picture of what their future could be like, and it feels so real. And when she finally gains the funding to move her new business back to New York, Grace must decide where home really is—will she chase her long-held New York dream, or find a new dream here in the heartland?

What are you guys waiting on this week? Let me know!

Monday, June 4, 2018

A Defense of Honor - Review

A Defense of Honor (Haven Manor, # 1)

By: Kristi Ann Hunter

Expected Publication: June 5th 2018 by Bethany House Publishers

352 pages

Genre: Historical Fiction, Christian Fiction, Regency

Source: Publisher via NetGalley (Thank you!!)

( Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository )

*Note: The above links to Amazon and Book Depository are affiliate links. Affiliate links support giveaways for Somewhere Only We Know readers.

Goodreads description--Forced to run for her life, Kit FitzGilbert finds herself in the very place she swore never to return to--a London ballroom. There she encounters Lord Graham Wharton, who believes Kit holds the key to a mystery he's trying to solve. As much as she wishes that she could tell him everything, she can't reveal the truth without endangering those she loves.

I really enjoyed Kristi Ann Hunter's Hawthorne House series. I knew I wanted to read A Defense of Honor as soon as I found out about it. One of the things I loved about the Hawthorne House series is that Kristi Ann Hunter takes what I'm used to expecting from this time period and genre and throws in aspects that aren't typical. And she does exactly that with A Defense of Honor. To be truthful, I'm not sure how much I can say about this book without spoilers.

Graham is bored. He's set to be Earl after his father dies, but his dad is in quite good health. He's tired of the same old, same old found in the typical London ballroom and drawing room. A chance meeting introduces him to Kit. She isn't anything he's used to, but he doesn't have time to get to know her there. As fortune would have it, Graham goes on a mission with his friend Oliver in a hunt to find his missing sister. Graham stumbles upon Kit and what else he finds changes his life and his perspective forever.

Kit is quite jaded and angry. She was mistreated and wrongly accused of something. However her actions caused a friend to be put in a tricky situation. This resulted in her being outcast from society. However, she and her friends have turned their privacy into a mission to help others. Graham is a complication that could expose the group and secrecy is of the upmost importance for the girls to keep helping others.

I really liked Graham and Kit. Both had things to work through before they were ready to begin a relationship. Trust has to be built and rebuilt. Pasts have to be overcome. A future has to have possibilities.

Favorite quotes:

-"You are trusting me more than you trust God.”

-“The most precious gems are forged from pressure. God brings beauty from adversity, when you let Him.”

A Defense of Honor was everything I've come to expect of Kristi Ann Hunter. A relationship I can root for. A twist on what I expect from this time period. And a great moral and message without feeling preached at. A Defense of Honor gets 4 Stars. Have you read A Defense of Honor? What did you think? Let me know.

Sunday, June 3, 2018

Sunday Post & Stacking the Shelves - 6/03/18

The Sunday Post is a weekly meme hosted by Kimba @ The Caffeinated Book Reviewer ~this meme was inspired in part by ~ In My Mailbox~ It's a chance to share News. A post to recap the past week, showcase books and things we have received and share news about what is coming up for the week on our blog.

Husband was off work on Monday for Memorial Day. It rained almost all week here. Our power was off and on which was annoying, but it truly always reminds me to be thankful. Being stuck inside all week has given us a bit of cabin fever. Baby Boy turned 7 months old Wednesday. Thursday he and I had chiropractor appointments. Little Girl hung out with Grammy. Then I swapped Baby Boy with Grammy for Little Girl and ran her to the pediatrician to check out a rash that wasn't clearing up. My mom and nephew came for a few hours on Friday. They'd just gotten back from a trip to Tennessee. Saturday was a normal day with grocery shopping and finally being able to go for a walk. My time to read has been cut a little this week because Husband and I started a new show, and we've been watched that before bed. I've really been raking in (for me) the review books over the last few weeks. And while this is always exciting and I've done well to stay on top of them so far this year, I'm starting to get nervous about getting them all read.

THIS PAST WEEK:

Monday: Memorial Day (US) - No blog posts
Wednesday: Can't Wait for Save the Date by Morgan Matson
Thursday: May 2018 EOM Wrap Up

UPCOMING THIS WEEK:

Monday: Review of A Defense of Honor (Haven Manor, # 1) by Kristi Ann Hunter
Tuesday: Top Ten Tuesday?
Wednesday: Can't Wait for Wednesday

Don’t forget to link up for the 2018 Series Enders Reading Challenge! You have until December 15th, 2018 to sing up. Each month there will be a giveaway for those participating with an end of the year giveaway too! Click on the picture below or the link above to find out more!

Stacking the Shelves is hosted by Tynga's Reviews.

When We Were Young

By: Anna Benoit

Expected Publication: May 30th 2017 by Anna Benoit

300 pages

Genre: Young Adult

Source: Publisher via NetGalley (Thank you!!)

( Goodreads | Amazon )

*Note: The above link to Amazon is an affiliate link. Affiliate links support giveaways for Somewhere Only We Know readers.

Goodreads description--Livvy and Jack are nothing alike. Livvy is the courteous, studious daughter of two jet-setting professors; Jack is an angry transplant with a criminal record.

But Livvy’s life isn’t as easy as it seems. Unbeknownst to most, Livvy spends most of her time avoiding Luke—her overbearing, manipulative boyfriend of six years. Even though she knows she needs a change, she’s terrified to make it, so she resigns herself to a miserable senior year of high school.

Jack is new to town. Originally from Philadelphia, he is ordered to live with his biological father, David, after committing a heinous crime. Having only met David a handful of times, Jack is furious about the move… until he meets Delia, a rebellious bombshell who instantly attracts him with her risky lifestyle.

When David decides to take in Livvy after her parents surprise her with a permanent move, Jack is forced to befriend her. Quickly, the two discover they have more in common than they originally thought.

As the year erupts with heartbreak and tragedy, Livvy and Jack must find a way to keep their delicate bond from being swept away into the turmoil.

Defiant Joy: Taking Hold of Hope, Beauty, and Life in a Hurting World

By: Stasi Eldredge

Expected Publication: October 16th 2018 by Thomas Nelson

256 pages

Genre: Non-Fiction, Christian, Self-Help

Source: Publisher via Edelweiss (Thank you!!)

( Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository )

*Note: The above links to Amazon and Book Depository are affiliate links. Affiliate links support giveaways for Somewhere Only We Know readers.

Goodreads description--Bestselling author Stasi Eldredge shows readers how to choose a joy that stands against the tides of life's real and often overwhelming pain.

Walking in joy often feels crazy and like a denial of actual life. Yet Christians are called to "be joyful always" (1 Thess. 5:16). What does this mean, and how is it even possible?

In her new book, Stasi Eldredge meets readers in their painful realities and offers an invitation to a joy that is defiant in the face of this broken world. This joy does not Pollyannaish-ly ignore life's heartache; rather, it insists that sorrow and loss do not have the final say. This kind of joy is present to both goodness and grief and interprets them in the light of heaven. With deep vulnerability about her own chronic pain, surprising diagnoses, and relational struggles and loss, Stasi demonstrates how to maintain a posture of holy defiance that neither denies nor diminishes the pain, but instead leans fully into the experience of knowing God's presence and promise in the middle of whatever life may bring

The Resolutions

By: Mia Garcia

Expected Publication: November 13th 2018 by HarperCollins/Katherine Tegen Books

416 pages

Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary

Source: Publisher via Edelweiss (Thank you!!)

( Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository )

*Note: The above links to Amazon and Book Depository are affiliate links. Affiliate links support giveaways for Somewhere Only We Know readers.

Goodreads description--New Years are for fresh starts, but Jess just wants everything to go back to the way it was.

From hiking trips, to four-person birthday parties, to never-ending group texts, Jess, Lee, Ryan, and Nora have always been inseparable—and unstoppable. But now, with senior year on the horizon, they’ve been splintering off and growing apart. And so, as always, Jess makes a plan.

Reinstating their usual tradition of making resolutions together on New Year’s Eve, Jess adds a new twist: instead of making their own resolutions, the four friends assign them for each other—dares like kiss someone you know is wrong for you, show your paintings, learn Spanish, say yes to everything.

But not even the best laid plans can take into account the uncertainties of life. As the year unfolds, Jess, Ryan, Nora, and Lee each test the bonds that hold them together. And amid first loves, heart breaks, and life-changing decisions, beginning again is never as simple as it seems.

That's it for my shelves and recaps of my past and upcoming week. What did you add to your shelves this week? Any bookish news you want to talk about? Let me know!

Thursday, May 31, 2018

Wednesday, May 30, 2018

Can't Wait for Save the Date

Can't-Wait Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Wishful Endings to spotlight and talk about the books we're excited about that we have yet to read. Generally they're books that have yet to be released as well. It's based on Waiting on Wednesday, hosted by the fabulous Jill at Breaking the Spine. Find out more here.

Save the Date

By: Morgan Matson

Expected Publication: June 5th 2018 by Simon Schuster Books for Young Readers

432 pages

Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary

( Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository )

*Note: The above links to Amazon and Book Depository are affiliate links. Affiliate links support giveaways for Somewhere Only We Know readers.

Goodreads description--Charlie Grant’s older sister is getting married this weekend at their family home, and Charlie can’t wait—for the first time in years, all four of her older siblings will be under one roof. Charlie is desperate for one last perfect weekend, before the house is sold and everything changes. The house will be filled with jokes and games and laughs again. Making decisions about things like what college to attend and reuniting with longstanding crush Jesse Foster—all that can wait. She wants to focus on making the weekend perfect.

The only problem? The weekend is shaping up to be an absolute disaster.

There’s the unexpected dog with a penchant for howling, house alarm that won’t stop going off, and a papergirl with a grudge.

There are the relatives who aren’t speaking, the (awful) girl her favorite brother brought home unannounced, and a missing tuxedo.

Not to mention the neighbor who seems to be bent on sabotage and a storm that is bent on drenching everything. The justice of the peace is missing. The band will only play covers. The guests are all crazy. And the wedding planner’s nephew is unexpectedly, distractingly…cute.

Over the course of three ridiculously chaotic days, Charlie will learn more than she ever expected about the family she thought she knew by heart. And she’ll realize that sometimes, trying to keep everything like it was in the past means missing out on the future.

What are you guys waiting on this week? Let me know!