Category Archives: Fiction

204 Rosewood Lane – Cedar Cove Book #2

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204 Rosewood Lane PODCAST

This blog post is sponsored by Divine Desserts Publishing LLC. If you enjoy sweet chaste novels such as 204 Rosewood Lane then you must read Rocky Road Dreams by Cecelia Dowdy. Rocky Road Dreams is about Kyle, a lawyer who is an alcoholic who recently fell off the wagon. He’s now back on the wagon, wanting to straighten out his messed up life. He rents a beach house for Christmas – right across the street from Melanie, a woman he’s known since he was a child. When he and Melanie were kids, he had a big crush on her – but Melanie was always smitten with Kyle’s identical twin brother Keith.

Can a Christmas road trip, some homemade candy, and some soul searching bring these two young lovebirds together? Rocky Road Dreams has a hint of mystery, too. This story will become a Christmas favorite that you’ll want to read each year for the holidays. Tell your friends by sharing this blog post or my clicking on the link at the end. Now, let’s discuss 204 Rosewood Lane.

204 Rosewood Lane – This is book #2 in Debbie Macomber’s Cedar Cove Series.

Have you ever had a friend or loved one to be missing? What happened? Was he/she ever found?

This was a quick, fun read with an interesting cast of characters. The story of Grace Sherman is continued in this novel. Grace’s husband, Dan, has gone missing, after 35 years of marriage. Grace is convinced that Dan is having an affair – all of the evidence points to that fact. She wants to divorce him. However, she’s still legally married, and still emotionally attached to her husband. When Cliff, Grace’s new love interest, wants to date Grace, she hesitates, not sure if she’s ready to date.

To top it all off, her daughter Kelly is a new mom and her daughter Mary Ellen has been secretly dating. Mary Ellen’s quiet, single life is soon shattered when she meets a man to whom she’s attracted – Jon Bowman. Jon is a master chef and a great photographer.

You’ll also see Olivia, the judge from book one, and her love-interest, Jack. You’ll also get a glimpse of the lives of Olivia’s children. Plus, Olivia’s ex-husband is in the picture, too.

I enjoyed this book, but, it reads more like a script instead of a novel. There are a lot of characters, but, I had no problem keeping them straight in my mind.

Have you ever had a friend or loved one to be missing? What happened? Was he/she ever found?

The events in 204 Rosewood Lane are featured on The Hallmark Series Cedar Cove.

This blog post is sponsored by Divine Desserts Publishing LLC. If you enjoy sweet chaste novels such as 204 Rosewood Lane then you must read Rocky Road Dreams by Cecelia Dowdy. Rocky Road Dreams is about Kyle, a lawyer who is an alcoholic who recently fell off the wagon. He’s now back on the wagon, wanting to straighten out his messed up life. He rents a beach house for Christmas – right across the street from Melanie, a woman he’s known since he was a child. When he and Melanie were kids, he had a big crush on her – but Melanie was always smitten with Kyle’s identical twin brother Keith.

Can a Christmas road trip, some homemade candy, and some soul searching bring these two young lovebirds together? Rocky Road Dreams has a hint of mystery, too. This story will become a Christmas favorite that you’ll want to read each year for the holidays. Tell your friends by sharing this blog post or my clicking on the link at the end.

16 Lighthouse Road by Debbie Macomber – Book #1 – Cedar Cove Series

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16 Lighthouse Road by Debbie Macomber

Do you/have you had a loved one in the military? How has the military affected your life?

16 Lighthouse Road is book #1 in the famous Cedar Cove series. Cedar Cove series is a secular series, and I chose to read these books because so many people have been gushing about how wonderful the Cedar Cove series is on the Hallmark Channel. I have not seen the TV series, though.

Cecilia and Ian Randall have not even been married for a year. During that time, they’ve been mostly separated because of Ian’s Navy duties. Cecilia gave birth their baby daughter, who died, and Ian was not there to help her through her grief. Due to no fault of his own, Ian didn’t know about the premature birth and death of their baby, but Cecilia blames him for not supporting her. Now, Cecilia wants to divorce him.

Judge Olivia Lockhart has been divorced for fifteen years, and she’s falling for Jack, the new newspaper editor. He’s funny and thoughtful, but, she finds that Jack is somewhat secretive. Olivia has a son who drowned several years ago and she still thinks about his all the time. She’s also worried about her 28-year-old daughter, Justine, who is dating a rich man who is ten years her senior.

There’s also Charlotte, Olivia’s mother. Charlotte is active in the senior citizen’s group and she befriends a kind, mysterious man named Tom. Tom has some shocking secrets about his past.

There’s Grace, Olivia’s best friend. Grace and her husband, Dan, are having marital problems. Why is Dan so distant? Does he no longer love her?

This was an interesting book with a large cast of characters. I noticed the military played a big role in the story. Military duties greatly affected Cecilia and Ian’s lives, making you wonder if the commanders in the military are fit to make familial decisions for their subordinates.

I enjoyed reading about all of the characters and I can understand why this was made into a series. The story was told by at least six points of view, which made it interesting. The few times I’ve read novels with this many POVs, I usually had a hard time keeping the people straight. But, I didn’t have that problem with this novel.

I enjoyed the Cedar Cove setting because it was refreshing. Cedar Cove is a small waterfront town and many of the inhabitants know one another. I enjoy reading small town stories where people care about one another.

Do you/have you had a loved one in the military? How has the military affected your life?

Like Cedar Cove? Read The Candy Beach Series! Fresh, chaste, emotional romance novels that you will always remember. On Kindle & KU!

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~Cecelia Dowdy~

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Breaking All The Rules by Rhonda McKnight!

Breaking All The Rules by Rhonda McKnight – Book 1 in the Second Chances Series

Wow! I loved this book! It was so sweet and delicious that I didn’t want it to end! I can honestly say that this is one of the best romances I’ve read in 2013! 

Could you plan the wedding for your sibling – if your sibling was marrying your ex?

Wedding planner Deniece Malcolm returns to her hometown to plan her baby sister’s (Janette’s) wedding. This is a hard wedding for Deniece to plan because Janette is marrying Deniece’s ex-boyfriend (Terrance Wright), plus, Janette is pregnant with Terrance’s baby. Years ago, Deniece thought she’d marry Terrance, but, their wedding was not meant to be. Stunned and emotionally upset, Deniece tries to deal with her feelings as she plans the nuptials. Handsome international former soccer player, Ethan Wright (Terrance’s cousin) helps Deniece to deal with her feelings, and against her better judgement, Deniece finds herself drawn to Ethan. Ethan claims he’s always had a crush on Deniece.

But, Ethan is younger than Deniece, and she doesn’t want to break her rule of not dating a younger man. But, how can she resist, Deniece is hurting and Ethan is sexy and lovable. Both Deniece and Ethan have dealt with a lot of emotional pain in their past. This is a book of how they deal with their issues while they face their mutual attraction.

I was really drawn to both characters – I was especially drawn to Ethan. You really feel an emotional bond with these two people as they deal with their past issues. I also loved that this was a sweet, endearing romance. It was sweet but it was so good too!

You need to download this book and read it today! I guarantee you won’t be disappointed! I also love the cover to this book! Isn’t it awesome?

So, could you plan the wedding for your sibling – if your sibling was marrying your ex?

Leave a comment!

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My romance collection is on sale for 99 cents each.

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~Cecelia Dowdy~

 

 

 

 

Three Of My Novels – Only 99 cents each! :-)

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My novels, John’s Quest, Milk Money, and Bittersweet Memories are on sale for only 99 cents each!

John’s Quest:

John French, a science professor, is an agnostic–he’s unsure if God exists. When he’s hired to tutor a blind seven-year-old child, Scotty, he finds himself falling for the child’s beautiful aunt/guardian, Monica Crawford. Monica’s life changes drastically when her irresponsible younger sister abandons her handicapped son on her doorstep. As John helps Monica to educate her nephew, he falls in love with her. However, problems arise when Monica, a devout Christian, finds herself drawn to Scotty’s handsome and intelligent tutor. Monica finds herself in a bind because she knows it’s a sin to be unequally yoked with a non-believer. How in the world can these two lovebirds overcome the huge problems that stand in the way of their relationship?

Milk Money:

Franklin Reese is appalled at the lack of interest the Cooper women have in the financial end of their livelihood, but he dives in, determined to help them learn. The further he looks into Mr. Cooper’s dealings, however, the more uncomfortable he becomes.
Can he uncover the truth of the situation and still earn the love of the amazing Emily Cooper? Will Franklin’s addiction to alcohol keep them apart, even after the farm is taken care of? Only God can heal hurting hearts and repair broken lives. Will these two let Him in?
Bittersweet Memories:
Karen Brown is angry at God, and at herself, for falling in love with Lionel Adams, her ex-fiancé. When her beloved suddenly disappears, along with thousands of dollars stolen from their mega-church, she re-locates back to her hometown in Annapolis Maryland to live with her mother. She’s stunned to discover handsome plumber Keith Baxter living next door.  Keith is smitten with Karen, but wonders if she’s still in love with Lionel. He wants Karen to accept him into her life, but he doesn’t know if he’d be a good match for her due to his troubled past. Can Karen forgive Lionel, and let the Lord back into her heart?

 

The Christmas Basket by Debbie Macomber

The Christmas Basket by Debbie Macomber

Have you ever had a long-term feud with your best friend?

If so, how long were you mad at each other? What was the feud about? Did the two of you ever make up?

When Sarah McDowell visits the exclusive women’s country club in town, she has a mission. She must reserve the club for her daughter, Kristin’s, wedding. She’s hoping she doesn’t run into her worst enemy for the last 20 years, Mary Sutton. Long ago, Sarah was a real estate agent. She borrowed her best friend’s, Mary’s, family heirloom tea set to supposedly display at a house she was showing. However, Sarah lies to Mary, the silver tea set was not used for Sarah’s showing, but, for a showing for one of Sarah’s co-workers. The tea set is stolen, and Mary has never forgiven Sarah for lying to her and mishandling her tea set.

Sarah has high hopes for her daughter’s wedding, but, when she’s told that she can’t use the country club, unless she does community service with Mary, making Christmas baskets for the needy, she gets highly upset!!

Sarah’s daughter, Noelle, was Mary’s son (Thom’s) high school sweetheart. Part of the reason Thom and Noelle broke up was because of the family feud between their mothers. Now, about ten years after that nasty breakup, Noelle is back in Rose (her hometown). It was too painful for her to return to Rose after Thom stood her up the night they were supposed to elope.

It’s Christmas, and Noelle is finally going to be spending the holiday with her family…the only problem is, the first person she runs into is Thom. Can they work through the past and heal from their pain? Thom was hurt, too, that awful night and he finds it hard to forgive Noelle for all that’s happened.

This story was extremely light Christmas reading. It was sort of pleasant, but, very predictable. I found it hard to read about the hostile animosity between Mary and Sarah. The two women were so immature that they acted like children. Acting like that for twenty years would wear me down…I’d think I’d get tired of it after awhile. I’d probably end up moving away (to avoid my enemy), or, risk having a heart attack!

I enjoyed reading the story, and I also loved the nice, whimsical Christmas atmosphere.

Many thanks to Harlequin MIRA for providing me a free review copy through Net Galley.

So, have you ever had a long-term feud with your best friend?

If so, how long were you mad at each other? What was the feud about? Did the two of you ever make up?

I feel that lots of relationships – friendships and family relationships – are ruined because of money.

What kinds of things do you think ruins friendships and relationships?

Traces Of Mercy by Michael Landon Jr. and Cindy Kelley

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Traces of Mercy by Michael Landon Jr. and Cindy Kelley

Has a nun ever impacted your life?

When a young, beautiful woman awakens in a doctor’s office, she’s stunned and confused. Suffering from amnesia, she can’t remember her name, where she’s from, or what she looks like. She spends time with the kind doctor until he finds a home for her with a group of nuns. The nuns grant her the name Mercy because of the Mercy medallion she wears around her neck.

Although Mercy stays with the nuns, she wonders about her background. When she meets Rand Prescott, her life changes. However, how can she move forward with her life when she knows nothing about her past?

Rand is smitten with beautiful Mercy. Since she suffers from amnesia, he wonders if she’s married, perhaps a family is around, searching for her.

Mercy gains knowledge of a deep, dark secret about herself. It’s hard to accept this knowledge about her life….what will Rand think when he finds out the truth about her past?

I really enjoyed this book! It’s a great historical novel and the unusual storyline really drew me in. I really wanted to see what happened to Mercy since she didn’t know about her past. She writes in a journal, hoping that by doing so, it may be a catalyst to help her to remember her past. This journal turns out to be a major catalyst in the novel.

I also enjoyed reading about Mercy’s time with the nuns. I’ve never known a nun personally. Everything I know about nuns is what’s portrayed in books and movies.

Many thanks to publisher David C. Cook and NetGalley for providing me with a free review copy.

So, has a nun ever impacted your life? If so, tell me more about it. How old were you when you when a nun played a part in your life?

Stand-In Wife by Debbie Macomber

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Stand-In Wife – book 2 of The Manning Brides Series by Debbie Macomber

If your sibling died, could you marry his/her spouse?

In Stand-In Wife, Leah Baker’s sister, Diane, dies. Diane leaves behind her husband, Paul, and three small children. Paul struggles to care for his family while working full-time. Leah steps in, helping whenever she can. Leah finally decides to quit her job and move in with Paul and his family. She wants to do this because she wants to care for her sister’s children. Since their mother is gone, they are struggling to adjust to their lives without their mom.

However, Leah and Paul are attracted to one another. Is it wrong for them to feel this way? After all, Paul was Diane’s husband, and Paul loved Diane. As a matter of fact, everybody loved Diane. Diane was a beautiful outgoing woman and Leah recalled that Diane was always favored by their mother. Plain, intelligent Leah always took a backseat to her beautiful, vivacious sister. Could Paul realistically love Leah, when he was also in love with Leah’s beautiful sister, Diane?

I really enjoyed this book. This story showed how people can struggle with romantic feelings which inadvertently result from the death of a spouse. Also, I really felt for Leah – it’s so sad for a woman to grow up, playing second fiddle to their sibling. Growing up like that would certainly create emotional scars, and Leah struggled with how Diane had been favored by their mom.

Like most of Macomber’s books, this is a clean, sweet romance and I found it to be highly appealing and realistic. I loved seeing the bond developing between Leah and the children.

So, if your brother or sister died, could you imagine yourself marrying his/her spouse? Would you feel guilty for having romantic feelings toward your deceased sibling’s husband/wife?

Hazardous Duty by Christy Barritt

Hazardous Duty by Christy Barritt

Have you ever worked as a cleaner/housekeeper (either domestic or commercial)? If so, did anything unusual ever happen on the job?

Gabby St. Claire had to quit college during her senior year to take care of her alcoholic father. She’d been going to school to be a forensic psychologist. The closest job she can find for her dream career is being a crime scene cleaner. She cleans up crime scenes after the police are done collecting their evidence. When she’s cleaning the house of a high-powered politician – a politician who may have killed his wife – she finds evidence that the police missed. Can she prove that the politician killed his wife instead of the scapegoat they have in custody?

Somebody is trying to kill Gabby. Parker, a police detective, is trying to assist in the case. Gabby is convinced that the supposed-politician-wife-killer is after her life too. After all, she did uncover the evidence, and the police have not told the public about her findings.

Since the police are so lazy about finding the real killer, Gabby takes it upon herself to find the killer. When they arrest her co-worker for a related crime, Gabby is doubly interested in finding the killer/arsonist. After all, she needs to prove that her co-worker is innocent.

Gabby attempts to solve the crime while an assortment of zany characters assist her. There’s Sierra, her animal-loving/animal-rights neighbor, Riley, a handsome mysterious man who lives across the hall. Why is Riley so secretive about his life? There’s also Parker (a Brad Pitt look alike) who is the detective on the case. Why does he continue to ignore Gabby’s evidence findings?

I thought this book was a humorous, delightful read. The story moves quickly and the chapters are written in a way that’ll make you want to keep reading. Overall, it was a good mystery.

So, have you ever worked as a cleaner/housekeeper (either domestic or commercial)? Did anything unusual ever happen on the job?

Call Me Mrs. Miracle by Debbie Macomber

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Call Me Mrs. Miracle by Debbie Macomber

Which toy did you want the most for Christmas? Did you ever receive your most-desired toy?

This is a classic Christmas story that’ll warm your heart during the holiday season. Holly Larson has temporary custody of her nephew, Gabe, since Gabe’s father is stationed overseas. She’s financially strapped since she has extra expenses from caring for her nephew. She’s also not used to being a mother. On top of her new motherly duties, she has to work for a strict, Scrooge-like boss. Her boss is a famous designer named Lindy Lee.

When Holly doesn’t have the money to pay for her coffee at the coffee shop, Jake Finley saves the day, paying for her cup of brew. Afterwards, Holly runs into Jake frequently. Jake and his father have not celebrated Christmas since his mother and sister were killed in a freak accident more than 2 decades ago. Jake manages the toy section for Finley’s (his father’s department store). A strange, elderly seasonal employee is hired to work with Jake – Mrs. Miracle.

Gabe wants an expensive toy robot from Jake’s store for Christmas. Holly doesn’t know if she can afford to buy the robot for Gabe. Is she a bad mother if she can’t purchase the toy for her nephew?

I really felt for Holly, temporarily raising her nephew. Being single, and then suddenly having a child to care for, is not easy. Also, I really felt for Jake and his dad.

A toy robot, Mrs. Miracle, Gabe, Holly and Jake are important players in this loving Christmas tale. I loved this heartwarming story because the characters were so vivid and realistic. I could imagine people reading this book every year during the holiday season.

Many thanks to Harlequin MIRA for providing me with a free review copy.

Tell me, which toy did you want the most for Christmas? Did you ever receive your most-desired toy?

 

Starry Night by Debbie Macomber

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Starry Night by Debbie Macomber
Have you ever done something aggressive/out-of-the-ordinary to get ahead in the corporate world? If so, what did you do?

Carrie Slayton is a society page columnist for a major newspaper. Although she’s grateful to have a job at this prestigious newspaper, she finds her work unfulfilling and boring. Dressing up to cover stories about the rich and famous, wining and dining at social and charitable events, is not what she wants to do with her life.

Carrie approaches her boss. Can’t he allow her to write more meaningful  stories? Her boss gives her an impossible task – do an exclusive interview with author Finn Dalton – if she’s successful writing this story, then she can write more meaningful stories for the newspaper.

Carrie is floored. Finn Dalton is a world-famous novelist – his book, Alone, has been on the best-seller list for months. However, nobody has been able to find the elusive Finn Dalton. Nobody has even seen a picture of him! Reporters trying to find Finn always reach a dead end. Carrie is determined to find him – this story could make or break her career.

Finn enjoys his hermit-like life in the Alaskan wild. The only companionship he needs is from his big pet dog, Hennessey. He loves living alone, surviving in his secluded log cabin. Besides, he doesn’t trust women – all women are out to manipulate men to get what they want. His mother abandoned him when he was a child, and he’s never gotten over that heartache.

This book was great! It’s a sweet, heartwarming, emotional read. Like most of Debbie Macomber’s books, it’s a novel that most Christians can read and not get offended. I especially loved the characters. Finn is so stubborn, not willing to admit his feelings for Carrie. Carrie loved her career, but, her feelings for Finn are totally unexpected. There’s just something about a big, strong, rugged, handsome man living alone in the wilderness…living off the land…the whole concept is intriguing and sexy!

I also loved reading about Alaska. It’s a place I’d like to visit one day and by reading this book, you’ll get a good taste of what life in Alaska is like. This is a romance that you need to read. It’ll be sure to light up your holiday season!

Thanks so much to Ballantine Books/Random House LLC for providing me with a free review copy!

Have you ever done something aggressive to get ahead in the corporate world? If so, what did you do?

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