~REVIEW of Nicholas Sparks': SAFE HAVEN~

~DARKER LESS SAPPY SPARKS= EXCELLENT~

Opening line:“As Katie wound her way among the tables, a breeze from the Atlantic rippled through her hair.

Wow, this is definitely one of the better Sparks books I’ve read, I sure hope he keeps going in this darker, less sappy direction with the next one too. I picked up SAFE HAVEN during a very busy time in my life and still found it unputdownable. Full of twists and turns, mystery and surprise and a HUGE suspense factor throughout. Of course we also get the romance (nicely done) and it again takes place in a small North Carolina town (write what you know) but this was way darker then anything of Sparks’ I’ve read before.

With a slowly and deliciously unravelling story, we don’t ever get a huge background dump with any of the characters multiple POV’s instead their lives, secrets and issues are gradually introduced, which I loved. And the bad guy here, jeez he was horrible, and I mean that in a good way. The kind of character that you love to hate, but I also really enjoyed getting into his head, as he slowly fell apart. Intriguing, creepy and well written. I highly recommended this one even for those non- Nicholas Sparks fans; I think you’ll be surprised.

The story here is somewhat reminiscent of A BEND IN THE ROAD but way better, it also reminded me very much of that older Julia Roberts movie Sleeping With The Enemy but again its better then that too. I won’t give away too much here with the synopsis, its well worth discovering on your own. Cheers.

Katie is on the run, but the good people of Southport don’t know that, they’re too busy wondering what the pretty new waitresses’ story is and why she keeps to herself so much, after all everyone here knows everybody else. For the first time in months Katie is allowing herself to breathe again, she’s found a good paying job, a secluded place to live, and avoiding any personal ties should allow her enough time here to save some real money before she has to move on again. What she hadn’t counted on however was being drawn into the lives of anyone in this small town. First it was her outspoken single neighbour Jo, who only made her realize how much she missed having friends and then it was Alex, the widowed shop owner and his two adorable children. Slowly Katie is letting her guard down, growing attached and falling in love, allowing herself to dream of a future with a man that won’t hurt her. But Kevin is good and he’s on her trail.

I’ve just learned that this is going to be made into a movie, can’t wait. I just got a chill

~REVIEW of Laura Whitcomb's A CERTAIN SLANT OF LIGHT~

Opening Line: "Someone was looking at me, a disturbing sensation if you're dead."

This is one of the best books that I've read in a long time. And although it's being touted as teen fiction this can absolutely be enjoyed by adults and as one I'll be recommending it to all my friends. It's just a beautiful story of fated romance no matter what your age.

 A CERTAIN SLANT OF LIGHT tells the story of a girl named Helen who's been dead for a 130 years. She is now a ghost or "light" as the author calls her existence. In order to keep from plunging into hell Helen must cling to a human host, never leaving their side. She has had many hosts over her years, her latest being Mr.Brown, an English teacher. It's in his classroom that she meets James, the first person able to see her since she died.

James was "light" until recently when he took over the body of his host during his drug overdose. Helen and James begin meeting and quickly fall in love. Eventually James convinces Helen that she should also inhabit a host so that they can both be human and together they choose Jenny. The only problem with Jenny is that her parents are religious fanatics and James's host Billy is a former drug addict with questionable friends. This makes living their hosts lives and maintaining a relationship kinda tricky.

The writing here is beautiful and the story original and interesting. The obstacles our lovers have to face as they try to find their HEA are incredible. This book had me up late at night and I will be thinking about it for a long time to come. Highly recommended for all ages. Cheers!