Showing posts with label Carla Laureano. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Carla Laureano. Show all posts

Friday, February 8, 2019

Supper Club #2

Baker and pastry chef Melody Johansson has always believed in finding the positive in every situation, but seven years after she moved to Denver, she can’t deny that she’s stuck in a rut. One relationship after another has ended in disaster, and her classical French training is being wasted on her night job in a mediocre chain bakery. Then the charming and handsome private pilot Justin Keller lands on the doorstep of her workplace in a snowstorm, and Melody feels like it’s a sign that her luck is finally turning around.
Justin is intrigued by the lively bohemian baker, but the last thing he’s looking for is a relationship. His own romantic failures have proven that the demands of his job are incompatible with meaningful connections, and he’s already pledged his life savings to a new business venture across the country—an island air charter in Florida with his sister and brother-in-law.
Against their better judgment, Melody and Justin find themselves drawn together by their unconventional career choices and shared love of adventure. But when an unexpected windfall provides Melody with the chance to open her dream bakery-café in Denver with her best friend, chef Rachel Bishop, she’s faced with an impossible choice: stay and put down roots with the people and place she’s come to call home . . . or give it all up for the man she loves.


Expected publication: February 5th 2019 
by Tyndale House Publishers
Meet the Author:
Carla Laureano is the RITA Award-winning author of contemporary inspirational romance and Celtic fantasy (as C.E. Laureano). A graduate of Pepperdine University, she worked as a sales and marketing executive for nearly a decade before leaving corporate life behind to write fiction full-time. She currently lives in Denver with her husband and two sons, where she writes during the day and cooks things at night.
Connect Online:

My Thoughts:

Oh my, what a wonderful book.  
Carla Laureano is a new author for me and how I have missed her books is beyond me.  So now I'm on a journey to read all her books.lol  Some books you read and enjoy, but others will touch your heart and soul.  Well, this booked did that for me.  I was hooked from the first page and didn't want to put it down. 
This book is the second installment from the author in the Supper Club series.  Having never read the first book in the series, I can easily say this book is a stand alone, but I encourage you to also read the first book to get the full feel of the series.  
This book centers around Melody Johannson:

When I opened this book I was intrigued by Melody. She's a French trained baker and works in a chain bakery to prepare baked goods for the following day. She has no chance to use her own recipes or talent to bring a little bit of Paris to Denver. A cold, snowy night and a chance meeting Justin, a pilot, and the next thing you know her life is no longer the predicable life she knew. 
Melody is a character that feels deeply and acts on her feelings. She was basically raised by her grandmother who was a professor and introduced her to works of literature that she loved. In fact she spent her college years persuing an education in literature, but while working at a bakery in school she found her one true love: baking. At present Melody is not anywhere close to where she thought she would be in her life. I think we all have had these same feeling at one time or another. I think her doubts and disappointments is what makes this character feel real to life for me. She has a vulnerability that most can relate to, but she is also a strong character. Melody would love to open her own place and when the opportunity comes available she talks to her friend, Rachel, who's a chef about a partnership that would make both their dreams come true. 
This book has elements of romance, grief, disappointments, adventure of falling in love, heartbreak and most of all faith. Oh, I don't want to forget to mention the delicious food. I am a big fan of the British Baking Show and it was almost like watching another episode with Paul and Mary.lol  
This captivating and heartwarming story is one I would recommend to anyone.
** I received this book from the publisher via the author. I was not required to write a positive review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.




Friday, January 11, 2019

February Releases Part 1

  Have you ever has a favorite author or maybe a series you're reading and wonder how long do I have to wait for the next book?  Well, I do all the time.  Then I will see a review and think how did I miss this one.  Today I'm going to post about books that will be released from some publishing houses that I'm looking forward to reading or at least buying to put in my TBR pile.  Remember some of these books come with gifts if you pre-order them.  I know Never Let Go has a link to it, so let me know if you would like it. 
As most who follow my blog know I love suspense, but I also enjoy many other genres.  I love reading, but I want a good, clean read.  I want to be drawn into the story.  Many authors I review do this with ease by just weaving words together that bring both character and setting to life.  Occasionally I will read a book blurb and become interested to only find while reading the author sometimes adds explicit scenes. While I don't particularly like this, by no way does it come into play when I'm writing a review.
 Here are just a few that will be released in February and next Friday I will bring more being released in February.  Can you guess I am going to need a new bookshelf.lol

Okay, here we go.......


When an Open-and-Shut Murder Case Gets Complicated,
Can She Overcome Her Need for Justice?
Corporate litigator Mia Shaw suffers the shock of her life when she finds her colleague and friend brutally murdered. Grief-stricken and furious, Mia vows that she will do anything to make the killer pay.

The man accused of the murder is a friend of security tech guru Noah Ramirez, but the evidence just doesn't add up. To save his former ATF partner, Noah needs to convince Mia that the real killer is still on the loose.

Mia soon has more to worry about than the criminal prosecution. She is tasked with taking over her friend's last case and learns he was hiding dark secrets about his client. She thinks she may have stumbled upon corporate espionage that has turned deadly, but she has no idea of the danger involved. Her only ally is Noah, despite their difference of opinion about the killer's identity. Can Noah win Mia over to his side and protect her from ever-growing threats?

Expected publication: February 5th 2019 by Bethany House Publishers 


She Has Always Moved Between Worlds,

But Now She Must Choose a Side

The daughter of a Mohawk mother and French father in 1759 Montreal, Catherine Duval would rather remain neutral in a world tearing itself apart. Content to trade with both the French and the British, Catherine is pulled into the Seven Years' War against her wishes when her British ex-fiancé, Samuel Crane, is taken prisoner by her father. Samuel claims he has information that could help end the war, and he asks Catherine to help him escape.


Peace appeals to Catherine, even if helping the man who broke her heart does not. But New France is starving, and she and her loved ones may not survive another winter of conflict-induced famine. When the dangers of war arrive on her doorstep, Catherine and Samuel flee by river toward the epicenter of the battle between England and France. She and Samuel may impact history, but she fears the ultimate cost will be higher than she can bear.


Expected publication: February 5th 2019 by Bethany House Publishers  


Daphne Blakemoor was content living in her own secluded world for the last twelve years. She had everything she needed--loved ones, a true home, and time to indulge her imagination. But when ownership of the estate where she works as a housekeeper passes to a new marquis with an undeniable connection to her past, everything she's come to rely upon is threatened.
William, Marquis of Chemsford's main goal in life is to be the exact opposite of his father. Starting a new life in the peace and quiet of the country sounds perfect . . . until his housekeeper turns his life upside down. 
Both Daphne and William have spent their lives hiding from the past. Can they find the courage to face their deepest wounds and, perhaps, forge a new path for the future together?

Expected publication: February 5th 2019 by Bethany House Publishers  



Baker and pastry chef Melody Johansson has always believed in finding the positive in every situation, but seven years after she moved to Denver, she can’t deny that she’s stuck in a rut. One relationship after another has ended in disaster, and her classical French training is being wasted on her night job in a mediocre chain bakery. Then the charming and handsome private pilot Justin Keller lands on the doorstep of her workplace in a snowstorm, and Melody feels like it’s a sign that her luck is finally turning around.

Justin is intrigued by the lively bohemian baker, but the last thing he’s looking for is a relationship. His own romantic failures have proven that the demands of his job are incompatible with meaningful connections, and he’s already pledged his life savings to a new business venture across the country—an island air charter in Florida with his sister and brother-in-law.

Against their better judgment, Melody and Justin find themselves drawn together by their unconventional career choices and shared love of adventure. But when an unexpected windfall provides Melody with the chance to open her dream bakery-café in Denver with her best friend, chef Rachel Bishop, she’s faced with an impossible choice: stay and put down roots with the people and place she’s come to call home . . . or give it all up for the man she loves.

Expected publication: February 5th 2019 by Tyndale House Publishers



Only God can heal our heartsLife is full of twists and turns. Relationships falter, careers fizzle, health fades. We may be faced with choices we never wanted to make or have situations pushed upon us we never expected. Yet in all of it, God is at our side--even when He feels far away.

Drawing on her extensive research into women of the Old Testament, novelist Jill Eileen Smith turns her pen to what we can learn about trusting God from women like Eve, Noah's wife, Sarai, Hagar, Lot's wife, Rebekah, Rachel, and more. You'll discover what these ancient women did right--and what they did wrong--when faced with dashed expectations and deferred dreams. And you'll come away with the confidence that God loves you and is forming you through your trials into the woman He longs for you to be.

Expected publication: February 19th 2019 by Fleming H. Revell Company



The case may be cold, but things are about to heat up
Forensic genealogist Willow Anderson is following in her late grandfather's footsteps in her quest for answers about a baby abducted from a hospital more than twenty years ago. When someone makes an attempt on Willow's life to keep her from discovering the truth, help will come from an unexpected source.

Ex-FBI agent--and Willow's ex-flame--Austin McKade readily offers to protect the woman he never should have let get away. Together they'll follow where the clues lead them, even if it means Austin must face the past he's spent much of his life trying to forget--and put Willow's tender heart at risk.

Expected publication: February 5th 2019 by Fleming H. Revell Company



Every saint has a past. Every sinner has a future.
Luke Schrock is a new and improved man after a stint in rehab, though everyone in Stoney Ridge only remembers the old Luke. They might have forgiven him, but nobody trusts him. He has been allowed to live at Windmill Farm under two conditions. First, he must make a sincere apology to each person he's hurt. Second, he must ask each victim of mischief to describe the damage he caused. 
Simple, Luke thinks. Offering apologies is easy. But discovering the lasting effects his careless actions have caused isn't so simple. It's gut-wrenching. 
And his list keeps growing. Izzy Miller, beautiful and frustratingly aloof, also boards at Windmill Farm, and Luke's clumsy efforts to befriend her only insult and annoy her. Eager to impress, Luke sets out to prove himself to her by locating her mother. When he does, her identity sends shock waves through Stoney Ridge. 

Expected publication: February 5th 2019 by Fleming H. Revell Company



Numbed by grief and harboring shameful secrets, Lt. Adler Paxton ships to England with the US 357th Fighter Group in 1943. Determined to become an ace pilot, Adler battles the German Luftwaffe in treacherous dogfights in the skies over France as the Allies struggle for control of the air before the D-day invasion.
Violet Lindstrom wanted to be a missionary, but for now she serves in the American Red Cross, where she arranges entertainment for the men of the 357th in the Aeroclub on base and sets up programs for local children. Drawn to the mysterious Adler, she enlists his help with her work and urges him to reconnect with his family after a long estrangement.
Despite himself, Adler finds his defenses crumbling when it comes to Violet. But D-day draws near. And secrets can't stay buried forever.

Expected publication: February 5th 2019 by Fleming H. Revell Company