Taking another chance on love

Safe Haven
Author: Nicholas Sparks

When a mysterious young woman named Katie appears in the small North Carolina town of Southport, her sudden arrival raises questions about her past. Beautiful yet self-effacing, Katie seems determined to avoid forming personal ties until a series of events draws her into two reluctant relationships: one with Alex, a widowed store owner with a kind heart and two young children; and another with her plainspoken single neighbour, Jo. Despite her reservations, Katie slowly begins to let down her guard, putting down roots in the close-knit community and becoming increasingly attached to Alex and his family.

But even as Katie begins to fall in love, she struggles with the dark secret that still haunts and terrifies her . . . a past that set her on a fearful, shattering journey across the country, to the sheltered oasis of Southport. With Jo’s empathic and stubborn support, Katie eventually realizes that she must choose between a life of transient safety and one of riskier rewards . . . and that in the darkest hour, love is the only true safe haven.

My Thoughts
I absolutely loved this book! Nicholas Sparks sure does know how to write a great book! The intensity of it was so striking, I couldn't stop reading! It tells a shocking, yet phenomenal story of one girl’s escape from her abusive husband to start a brand new life. While along the way, she falls in love all over again with a man by the name of Alex and his 2 children, Kristen and Josh. But while she is starting to get the feel of her new life, what she doesn’t know is that her husband, Kevin, is searching for her, and he won’t stop until he has her back in his life. The story has a good message, being able to trust in the ones that you love most. I highly recommend this book. I like how each chapter is either from Kevin’s point of view or Katie’s point of view. In Kevin’s point of view, he talks about how he feels about Katie deserting him and what he is doing to track her down so he can find her to bring her back home with him at once. While Katie’s point of view, she either talks about what is happening currently in her present life with Alex or its one of her flashbacks on her abusive life with Kevin, and the way she escaped from him. Once you start reading, you won’t be able to put it down, you will just be dying to find out what truly happens towards the ending. You will be blown away!

Friendship and a Touch of Mystery

Cocktails for Three
Author: Madeleine Wickham

At the first of every month, when the office has reached its pinnacle of hysteria, Maggie, Roxanne, and Candice meet at London's swankiest bar for an evening of cocktails and gossip. Here, they chat about what's new in their lives and what's new at The Londoner, the glossy fashion magazine where they all work.

But beneath the girl talk and the laughter, each of the three has something to hide: High-achiever Maggie is pregnant, and terrified at the prospect of becoming a mother; glamorous Roxanne is losing hope that her secret lover will leave his wife; and kind hearted Candice cannot escape the guilty secret that has pursued her since childhood.

When a chance encounter at the cocktail bar sets in motion an extraordinary chain of events, their lives quickly spin out of control and their friendship is stretched to the limit. Suddenly, Maggie, Roxanne, and Candice must face their fears and troubles alone, and it is only a matter of time before one of them snaps.

My Thoughts
Sophie Kinsella is one of my favourite authors, and the fact that she also writes as Madeleine Wickham is like double the fun. I really loved this book! I wish there was a rating between I really liked it and it was amazing. I felt like this book was different than the Kinsella books and I think that's a good thing. This book didn't really have a main character, but 3 main characters. It had sort of a Sex and the City feel but not so glamorized. I read it in a day and a half and it probably would have been sooner if I didn't have other things I had to do. I hated to put it down.



Private
Author: James Patterson & Maxine Paetro

In Private the lead character is Jack Morgan, owner/operator of a private investigation organization that goes by the name of "Private." Jack has a very successful business and it is staffed with excellent, handpicked persons. But even with all of his success, Jack is a troubled man. He has nightmares that relate back to his days as a Marine helicopter pilot. He saw combat and that is where his nightmares took root.

Jack is also conflicted in his love life. He is currently seeing his secretary Colleen, but he still has thoughts of Justine who is one of his investigators. They were once involved but she ended it because he would not/could not open up to her.

"Private" has three major cases pending. One involves the murder of Jack's best friend's wife. The second is possible game tampering in the national football league. His uncle Fred owns one of the teams. The third is a series of killings of young girls in the LA area. These are brutal murders that must be related but have no distinct connection.

My Thoughts
I never turn down the chance to read a James Patterson novel and I have always enjoyed them, and Private is no exception. This was a fun and enjoyable read and I was engaged in the story right from the beginning. The chapters were short, the reading was quick, character viewpoints were different in each chapter as they changed back and forth, and the events happened quickly. While some readers may object to this style of writing and prefer a more convoluted form of writing, I actually enjoy this every once in a while as the story does not get bogged down in overly long descriptions and explanations: the story is to the point, quick, telling it like it is. This does not mean that the plot is simple; although it does at times tend to be prescribed and predictable, there were enough twists and turns to make it very enjoyable with some surprises that did catch me unawares.