Mixed Blessings By Danielle Steel

In her 30th novel, Danielle Steel weaves a powerful tale of three couples who face decisions about having children that will test, in unexpected ways, the ties that bind them as lovers, partners, and friends.  Their lives, their goals, their feelings about families, are on the line, as the word "infertility" begins to unravel their dreams.

Diana Goode and Andrew Douglas are a California couple who seem to have it all: glamorous careers, good looks, good times, and lives full of friends and family.  After their wedding, Diana teases that she will make a baby on their honeymoon.  But long afterward, she is still not pregnant.  Diana enviously watches her sisters effortlessly conceive as she shuttles between doctors' offices and Andrew struggles to find a solution to their problem in order to hold on to his wife.  As they wait out each month with great anticipation only to be bitterly disappointed, they are forced to question just how much they are willing to go through to have a baby...and at what cost to their marriage.  Unknown to Diana, damaged and scarred by an IUD when she was in college, she must face what this means to her.  Diana and Andy reach out to surrogates, adoption, and lead a life of quiet desperation until they find the solutions that work for them.

The beaming groom at the Mason-Winwood wedding is Charlie Winwood.  Having grown up an orphan, he dreams of a house filled with children, and a happy family.  His bride, fun-seeking actress Barbie Mason, has other ideas.  She thrives on excitement and dreams not of the joys of motherhood, but of seeing her name up in lights.  Their marriage is strained, but Charlie is convinced that a baby will solve it all.  But when his plan proves unsuccessful and he discovers that he is sterile, Charlie has to rethink his deepest values -- and his marriage to a woman who shares none of his dreams.

Pilar Graham, a prominent Santa Barbara attorney, astonishes her friends by marrying Judge Brad Coleman -- after living with him for eighteen years.  Brad, in his early sixties and the father of two grown children, and Pilar, in her early forties, are happy with their comfortable life together, just the two of them.  That is until Pilar begins to wonder if someday she will regret not having a baby with Brad.  Are they crazy to begin now -- with Brad about to become a grandfather?  It will not be an easy road for Pilar and Brad as they encounter the world of high-tech medicine and the bittersweet rewards it brings them.

Through the lives of these couples, Danielle Steel shows us the mixed blessings we face as we make our modern families.  But despite hardship and heartache, she reminds us again of the triumphant spirit of love.

~My thoughts on this book~
I became a fan of Danielle Steel as a teenager sharing my Mom's reading materials.  I have not read all of her books as of yet, but I am working on it.  This book grabbed my attention because of it's focus on the difficulty some couples have in conceiving children.  I was adopted after my parents had tried unsuccessfully to have their own childres, and then three years later they had two of their own children.  Adoption is a wonderful option for adults and children.

Annie By Ron Mahaffey

Cody Miller's lifelong desire to serve and protect the country he loves is a reality now, thanks to the Vietnam War.  He has served honorably and well, and he's about to be sent back to the States...along with the woman he loves.  But just as his dreams are about to come true, a tragedy strikes, giving him the opportunity to protect an angel of mercy...but at great cost to himself.

Cody wakes up in a veteran's hospital believing that he has nothing left to live for.  With a cold and angry heart, his only wish is to ride into the Colorado wilderness, never to be seen again.  But Cody doesn't know that destiny is following him in a way he doesn't expect.  Will it reach him in time?  Annie is a deftly plotted, richly characterized novel that illuminates the physical and emotional realities of war with vividness and compassion to create a deeply satisfying story.

~My thoughts~
This book was a quick read being only 144 pages long.  It quickly caught my attention because my significant other is retired military and suffers from survivor's guilt.  I'm a sucker for any kind of love story so it was a double whammy for me.  If you are looking for a book to pass the time, something short and sweet, I would recommend this book.  Good news for people with e-readers, it's available as an ebook also.

The Fugitive Grandma By Dmitri Ragano

At once a crime thriller, black comedy and family drama wrapped into one poignant and satirical novel.

Deep in the heart of California's dysfunctional, strip-mall suburbs, the city of Santa Ramona is besieged by a pair of unlikely bandits.  Johnny Valentine is a lonely boy who dreams of becoming a hero, just like the masked avengers of his comic books.  His feisty grandmother Stella is a retired supermarket clerk and cancer survivor with a fierce sense of justice.  Running out of time, money and options, the old lady is driven to make one last, great contribution to the world.

Together the boy and his grandma devise a Robin-Hood style scheme to rob a ruthless retail conglomerate, stealing cash and medicine for the sick and needy.  As their crime spree continues, the citizens of Santa Ramona wonder how to judge the crazy, young boy and his fugitive grandma.  Are Johnny and Stella Valentine a menace to society?  Or are they the only ones trying to save it?

~ My thoughts~

I really enjoyed this book.  The premise is something that could happen in any neighborhood at any time.  Here is a normal, dysfunctional family where a young boys father spends more time trying to make money than trying to be a dad to his son.  The grandmother takes up the slack because there is no mother in the picture since she divorced the Dad for another man with more money.  The father has financial problems, his mother has trusted him with her finances since she is recovering from cancer, and he dips into her money to try to pay off his own debts.  I don't want to give away any juicy parts of the book, so go and get yourself a copy and rest assured that you will enjoy every page.

The Corner Window By Darrel Rachel

A coming of age story filled with mystery and intrigue!

Frank Baldwin, a bitter and disillusioned young man, accepts a temporary job on a remote section of the California coast where he hopes to get his life in order.  There he meets Sylvia, a beautiful young woman with a mysterious family.  Before his stay on the beach is over, Frank will experience for the first time, true love, a love that will bring him face-to-face with the shocking past of Sylvia's family.

~My thoughts~
This book was a quick read for me.  The ending has me hoping for a sequel.

http://youtu.be/ZeGiwiFT0wo

Absence of Grace By Ann Warner

The memory of an act committed when she was nineteen has woven a dark thread through Clen McClendon's life.  It is a darkness Clen ignores until the discovery of her husband's infidelity propels her into a quest for redemption and forgiveness.

Leaving her old life, she begins a search for a place to call home and a new way to live.  Her journeying provides few answers and peace remains elusive, even during the time she spends in an abbey.  Clen then makes the decision that is both desperate and random to go to Wrangell, Alaska.

But choices are never truly random and they always have consequences.

~My thoughts~
I just finished reading this book and I loved it.  I got it free for my Kindle, but would gladly have bought it in a bookstore.  I empathized with Clen feeling the loss of her younger brother to cancer, as I lost a younger sister to the same disease.  I also empathized with her finding out her husband was cheating on her, been there done that, but I didn't find out until after the divorce.

Through this heart wrenching, heart warming story, the author shows us that no matter how bad things can get in our lives, there is always good waiting for us when we least expect it.

Remember Me By Brian L. MacLearn

While mowing his lawn, Andrew Johnson is pulled back through time by a strange storm that leaves a black hole in its wake.  Andrew leaves behind his new wife and the life he always dreamed of, and with no way back, he tries to create a life in the year 1985.  The technology in his cell phone promises to make him rich beyond his wildest dreams, but a brief encounter with his ex-wife causes a ripple effect that erases his daughter from existence.

Now Andrew must try and survive the next 25 years in the hopes the black hole will reappear so he can travel back once more and save his daughter -- and himself.  But making it 25 years is starting to seem less likely as he is plagued by bad luck.  Is bad luck all it is?  Or is time trying to punish him for meddling in the past?

~ My thoughts~
This book is a great read.  The premise is alot like the movie Back to the Future, but with a twist.  Andrew is alot older than Marty McFly was, and he tries to prevent some of the bad things that happened in his past from happening (i.e. - the Challenger tragedy and 9/11).  He also uses his knowledge of sports to make bets on games that win him lots of money.  He enlists the help of his parents and his sister until he is able to make it on his own, and then he leaves his parents to live their lives in relative normalcy while his sister assists him in building a business that brings the technology of his cell phone into play earlier than it had in his past.  I would really like to see this book made into a movie.  The only thing that I could find to complain about is the fact that there are quite a few grammatical errors throughout the book.  This book will definitely remain in my personal library and I know I will read it again.  I have already underlined some parts of it that touched me, and I will share it with friends and family.

The Breastplate: A Civil War Adventure By Shirley McCracken

The Civil War brought them together and it would tear them apart!  Beautiful Kitty Claiborne, the pampered daughter of a wealthy senator, fell deeply in love with Lt. William Benson, attache to President Lincoln.  However, she had no idea her life would change so dramatically after they were married.  Could her love endure the hardships of life in a remote cabin when, during the war, Will was given an assignment in East Tennessee?  And why didn't her husband tell her his mission when he left her alone for weeks at a time?  Was he one of the mysterious Phantom Warriors everyone was talking about?  When he was carried home, badly wounded, by a group of strangers, would she be able to smuggle them all through enemy checkpoints to safety?  And why did she bury her husband's breastplate, from his uniform, deep in the soil on their little farm?  The Breastplate is the story of the lives and families torn apart by the Civil War, and the courage of one woman as she struggles to keep her love and family intact during such turbulent times.

This book is Historical Fiction available in paperback and e-book at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and at Outskirts Press.

Shirley McCracken is a freelance writer and poet.  Always interested in the Civil War, she was intrigued when her husband found a relic from the war on their farm.  The relic, a Union breastplate, lay undisturbed for years, but when the 150th anniversary of the war approached, she decided to write its story.  She is a registered nurse, a wife, mother of two sons, and has two young grandsons who call her "Purple."   She enjoys being outdoors and had hiked, rafted, swam, scuba-dived, cross-country skied, even dog sledded.  A horseman since her youth, she has ridden many miles on her Tennessee walking horses, Jazz and Jubilee.

~My thoughts~
I have always been interested in reading about the Civil War, fact or fiction.  This book kept me interested in the lives of the families being written about.  There were a few grammatical errors in the book, but it did not take anything away from the book itself.

Blues in the Wind-ReVisited By Whitney J. LeBlanc

Whitney J. LeBlanc has written the saga of a Creole family from Estilette Louisiana, against the backdrop of the birth of the blues.  In the 1930s, Phillip Fergerson's marriage to Martha, the beautiful Creole woman of his dreams turns into nightmares.  Instead of becoming the doctor he promised to be, he becomes a high school teacher, and events of murder, lynching, voodoo and sexual abuse by a priest, set in motion the disintegration of the family.  Martha's brother, Lightfoot, performs blues music in the juke-joints as he witnesses the beginning of the blues as an art form.  We follow the early blues legends from Robert Johnson, to Bessie Smith to Leadbelly to Lightnin' Hopkins and BB King as they sing their way through the Delta.  Martha, a proud and devoted Catholic, looks on in horror as one by one of her family falls under the influence of the devil's gut-bucket music.  With his marriage falling apart, Phillip finds himself in the arms of a woman from his past.  Each of the four children go their separate ways and Martha blames it all on the influence of the sinful music.  She takes her revenge.  It is a story filled with love, lust, murder, voodoo and adventure.

This is a historical fiction book available in Ebook edition, paperback and hardback.  It is a revision.  According to the author, in the front of this book he explains, "This novel...is the result of what is called an unfortunate, or rather fortunate, decision by the publisher, who in 2011 decided not to do a second printing of my novel Blues in the Wind and subsequently returned all rights to me, the author"

"I decided to begin this saga during the birth of the blues that took place in the 1930s.  All of the action in the lives of my characters was influenced by the actual historical events of the time in which they lived.  All of the blues makers mentioned actually toured that part of the country during the time period they are mentioned in the story....I restructured the story as the "prequel" for the novels Shadows of the Blues and Bodacious Blues."

~My thoughts~
I enjoyed this book.  The characters were realistic and the story line was interesting.  This book confirmed my suspicions that every race has some kind of prejudice towards the poor of the same race they are.  It is a sad fact of life that not everyone accepts others just the way they are. 

The Puppet's Secret By Alex Samms

A story of a middle-aged woman finding that reality and insanity border on a fine line.

A tale of a romance that never was and the consequences one must pay for the choices one makes.  What happens is unexpected and keeps you wanting more.

~My thoughts~
This book was a quick read, it is a novelette with only 48 pages of story but it did keep me on the edge of my seat.  The book is written from the point of view of a middle aged female who believes that her beauty is fading and her life is in a rut. She and her family take a trip to the beach one day, she spots a handsome man walking down the same beach with a beautiful woman on his arm, and the rest...well, the rest is what this book is all about.  It is a fiction/romance/thriller in paperback.  The author was able to make me empathize with the character, and I was surprised by the ending.  This is a great book, and I look forward to more from this author.

The Appeal of Stalking By Stan Talbot

In 21st Century Society, "Stalking" connotes a myriad of imagery and numerous definitions.  Ask any female adult and she has either directly been a "victim" of "stalking," or she has a friend who has been a victim.  Stalkers are no longer simply the lurkers in the shadows from the "Stalking" films of the 20th Century.  Stalkers come in all shapes and sizes and socio-economic backgrounds.  In addition to preying on their victims, stalkers can be apprehended for "following" in other ways including e-mail communication, texting, and even inappropriate posts on Facebook.

In The Appeal of Stalking, Billy Freeman is accused of stalking his ex-wife, Diane Downer, after Downer attempts to take custody of their six year-old grandson, Trystan.  Trystan's mother, Faith Freeman, enters a "family-friendly" alcohol rehab facility, but with the help of Trystan's illegal alien  father, Erasmo, Downer seizes Trystan and places him into the first grade, rather than kindergarten where he was destined to be placed under his mother's care.  Downer's animosity toward her daugther stems from an earlier incident when Faith was stalked by her mother's dream man: television star, Matthew Fox.

~My thoughts~

This book was difficult for me to get through.  I couldn't stay interested in the story.  I did admire Billy for fighting his ex-wife's false allegations in court.  The book does show how some women use the system, they claim the male is stalking them when in reality they are stalking the men and just trying to get the men into trouble. 

To My Senses By Alexandrea Weis

Sometimes love is the inspiration that can awaken you to your destiny.

For Nicci Beauvoir, a disillusioned New Orleans debutante, life is about practicalities until she meets a secretive struggling artist and part-time gigolo named David Alexander.  In his arms she learns of passion and he finds his artistic muse.  But jealous rivals and intrigues conspire against them and a broken hearted Nicci turns to the cold and manipulative Dr. Michael Fagles for comfort.  Soon fate and family intervene to save Nicci from a life without love.  But her salvation comes with a tragic price that changes the course of her life forever.

~My thoughts~

As anyone who has read any of my past reviews knows by now, Ms. Weis is one of my favorite authors.  I was introduced to her writing when I reviewed her book "Sacrifice" and got hooked into the story line involving Nicci Beauvoir.  I have now read all three books in the trilogy, and they will forever be in my personal library. 

The story line has romance and intrigue that keeps you hooked until the end.  I felt the heartache Nicci went through when David walked, or should I say ran out of her life.  I agreed with her Dad and her Uncle when they told her she was making a mistake by agreeing to marry Dr. Michael Fagles.  I held my breath in wonder when David showed up at her engagement party and professed his love for her.  I could go on and on, but I don't want to spoil the ending.  You need to get this book and then read the other two in the trilogy.  These books are great.

http://youtu.be/E4Ft_8_vehc

Diary of a One-Night Stand By Alexandrea Weis

Resilient and practical, Kara Barton has continually strived to live a respectable life.  She went to college, embarked on a promising career as an attorney, married a great guy, and always appeared to be the perfect wife and mother.  But all is not what it seems, and the troubling past Kara has been running from her entire life is about to catch up with her.  Urged on by her insecurities about growing older, and desperately wanting to feel one more night of passion, Kara agrees to share a tryst in a hotel room with a sexy business associate, Scott Ellsworth.  But Scott wants more than one night together, and Kara quickly discovers it is impossible to resist him.  Soon Kara finds herself transformed into the kind of woman she vowed never to become, and the secure world she has struggled all her life to build begins to fall apart.  Kara Barton is about to find out how a one-night stand can change everything.

~My thoughts~

I really loved this book.  Ms. Weis has become one of my favorite authors in the short time I have been doing book reviews.  All of her books that I have read have landmarks from New Orleans that I am familiar with and have had great stories to tell.  This one may actually be my favorite of them all.

Kara is married to Cal and has a daughter, Simone, that she dearly loves.  She and Cal are both lawyers who have let work and his bad health drive a wedge between them.  Cal gets into a fight with Kara's new male client, goes to punch him and hits Kara on accident when she tries to break up the fight.  The fight makes Kara realize she is tired of trying to work things out with Cal, and she packs up Simone and moves in with the new client, Scott, who she has also slept with.  You need to read the book to find out what else happens, but I promise you won't be disappointed.  I read this book in five hours, couldn't put it down!!!

The Siren's Call By Matthew S. Urdan

Throughout our lives, we all come into contact with some amazing people. Some of them come, some of them go, and some of them even stay for awhile. At its heart, The Siren's Call is the story of the love between friends -- what we do to sustain our friendships, and, sadly, what we do to destroy them. Hopefully in that process somewhere lies a bit of redemption.

Steven Perry and Kenneth Pierson are best friends and trusted partners in the successful Detroit law firm they co-founded. They are handsome, young, bright, and at the top of their game with the world at their feet -- that is until Steven's fiancee is killed by a drunk driver. Consumed by grief, Steve can't sleep. So in the middle of the night Steve impulsively drives to Kip's northern Lake Michigan retreat in an attempt to escape and begins to hear voices in his head.

Concerned for his friends sanity, Kip convinces Steve to join him in Hawaii for a much needed extended vacation -- spring break style. Fun in the sun, hilarious hijinks, surfing lessons, remembered dreams and unexpected meetings with friends from home all ensue. But while Steve struggles to deal with his own grief and potentially gestating madness, he begins to suspect Kip is wrestling with his own demons that Kip refuses to reveal -- stressing their relationship to the breaking point. But as Kip's best friend, Steve cannot imagine neither the depth of Kip's deception nor the terrible secret he is hiding.

Filled with raw emotional power and vivid images of the surrounding landscapes, The Siren's Call is an unforgettable story of two friends trying to cope with profound grief the best way they know how and make sense of a senseless personal tragedy. The sirens are calling. Read this book.

http://youtu.be/G0P5rPxXGp4

Across The River: A Mystery By C. Solimini

Andie Rinaldi has just lost her job at the country's most respected newspaper, her big-city apartment is going condo, her long-distance romance is suffering from travel fatigue, and her twin sister is threatening a relapse of her "impulse control problem." Worse yet, Andie's new employer - the country's least respected celebrity tabloid - has ordered her to cross the river to her tiny hometown and report on a shocking, as-yet-unsolved murder that involves childhood friends...and enemies.

Caught between a rock (the New Jersey Palisades) and a hard place (New York City), Andie finds herself becoming part of the sensational story, while confronting her own past, present, and future.

My thoughts....This book took me a couple of days to read. It barely kept my interest, even though I was wondering "who done it?" by the end (and I guessed incorrectly). The author surprised me and that doesn't happen very often. I give this book two stars **.

Across Eternity: A Novel By Aris Whittaker

Born a genius; education, wealth, and prestige came easy to Logan Richards. Actually, there wasn't much that Logan couldn't learn or acquire. However, he knew there was more to life than money and power. Logan was determined to find the woman he'd dreamed of his entire life and know what it was like to love her before he died.

Amber Lewis, a waitress for a five-star restaurant in Dana Point, California, was overworked, stressed, and wary of life since her sister, Heather, had passed away. Then, one evening while working she fell hopelessly in love with Logan Richards, a chivalrous man who felt deeply familiar.

For Amber, it was the beginning of a voyage of self-discovery and renewal. For Logan, it was the completion of life. For each of them it was the deepest of love.

My thoughts....I really liked this book. Once again, it was a free Kindle download, and one that I would highly recommend. I give it Five Stars *****

Idiotville By Robert Kral

Life is like a box of chocolates. Except only an idiot doesn't read the ingredients in fine print before eating one.

The beginning of what will turn out to be the most historic period in Idiotville's existence is innocent enough. The mayor, in need of having insect-infested trees marked with yellow x's removed from the grounds, hires his brother-in-law Charlie, a drunk whose first chance to work for the mayor should have been his last. But with a soft spot for Charlie (or in his own head), the mayor hires him to rid the town of the infected trees -- at the same time as the Tie-a-Yellow-Ribbon-to-Support-the-War program begins. Soon enough, the treeless town finds itself careening from one disaster to the next.

From the Church of Bob to a really poor use of a time machine, from the economy and entertainment to politics and energy, the daily lives of the town's inhabitants are examined in not-so-great detail, sparing no one and noting as it examines the goings-on in a typical American town. For reasons that no one -- not even the mayor -- can figure out, things just seem to go from bad to worse until a re-booting of the town's nuclear reactor just might lead to the greatest triumph the town has ever seen.

A raucus, riotous, and altogether politically incorrect sojourn from the absurd to the ridiculous, Idiotville is a indictment of the idiot in all of us, teaching that burying your head in the sand only leads to suffocation.

My thoughts....I'm sorry to say that I just could not get interested in this book. I have to give it only One Star *.

The Secret Brokers By Alexandrea Weis

Head of an organization of elite spies, Dallas August is asked to uncover what secrets a reclusive woman, Gwen Marsh, is hiding about a mafia kingpin's death. Dallas must pose as a bodyguard in order to get close to Gwen, but the stubborn woman wants nothing to do with her cool and contentious protector. Dallas soon learns that others are interested in Gwen when he stumbles upon the FBI monitoring her every move. Intrigued by the challenge of her analytical mind and aloof demeanor, Dallas has found his equal in Gwen. But with the FBI and the Mafia vying for the woman's information, he can't afford to lose his objectivity. The sexual tension grows between them until Gwen finally lowers her defenses and confides in Dallas. His job done, Dallas returns to his organization in New York. But an unexpected turn of events leads Dallas back to Gwen's doorstep, where he discovers the Gwen Marsh he thought he was protecting, wasn't Gwen Marsh at all. Determined to find out who betrayed him, Dallas must put his life on the line to search for answers about a woman he thought he knew. Dallas August is about to find out how dangerous life can be as one of....The Secret Brokers.

My thoughts....Another great book from one of my favorite authors! Ms. Weis, you have done it again. I read this book in a little over a day, hated putting it down, can't wait for the next installment of the Dallas August series of books. I definitely give this one Five Stars *****!!

The Witness By Nora Roberts

Elizabeth Fitch's short-lived teenage rebellion began with L'Oreal Pure Black, a pair of scissors, and a fake ID.  It ended in blood . . . .

Daughter of a cold, controlling mother and an anonymous donor, studious, obedient Elizabeth finally let loose one night, drinking too much at a nightclub and allowing a strange man's seductive Russian accent to lure her to a house on Lake Shore Drive.  The events that followed changed her life forever.

Twelve years later, the woman now known as Abigail Lowery lives alone on the outskirts of a small town in the Ozarks.  A freelance programmer, she works at home designing sophisticated security systems.  Her own security is supplemented by a fierce dog and an assortment of firearms.  She keeps to herself, saying little, revealing nothing.

Unfortunately, that seems to be the quickest way to get attention in a tiny southern town.

The mystery of Abigail Lowery intrigues local police chief Brooks Gleason, on both a personal and a professional level.  Her sharp, logical mind, her secretive nature, her unromantic viewpoints leave him fascinated but frustrated.  He suspects that Abigail needs protection from something, even if he doesn't know what -- and that her elaborate defenses hide a story that must be revealed.

Accustomed to two-bit troublemakers, Gleason is about to walk into the sights of very powerful and dangerous men.  And Abigail Lowery, who has built a life based on security and self-control, is at risk of losing both.

My thoughts....I am a big Nora Roberts fan and this book did not disappoint.  Abigail is a woman who is used to taking care of herself, who has come to believe that she can't trust anyone but herself.  Brooks is just the man to show her that she is wrong.  I just love a good love story.  I give this one Five Stars *****!!

No Dice By Mar Preston

A real whodunit confronts Santa Monica police detective Dave Mason. A city councilwoman in murdered on the eve of a vote allowing a casino consortium to build on the shore of this upscale Los Angeles beachside city. The attractive leader of the coalition opposing the casino now lives with the threat of the killer who fears she could identify him. Mason must stop the killer before he strikes through the flimsy curtain of protection surrounding this scared activist and cop hater.

Mason's investigation lands on the money people: real estate developers, PR flacks, the hotels, the politicians, and their dark shenanigans. The story unravels how casinos penetrate new markets by funding Indian tribes' quest for federal status, as well as peddling influence with local officials to sway public opinion. Billions of dollars in profit, and an explosive secret emerging from Santa Monica's seamy past, turn the nicest people ugly.

~My thoughts~
It took awhile for me to warm up to this book; I almost stopped reading it a time or two, but decided to give it a chance. It ended up catching my attention by the middle, and I was interested in finding out who the murderer was by the end of the book.

Broken Wings By Alexandrea Weis

As a wildlife rehabilitator in southeast Louisiana, Pamela Wells has dealt with her fair share of wild animals, but her reclusive live is forever changed when she meets an elusive former soldier named Daniel Phillips. Sent to Pamela's wildlife sanctuary as part of his parole requirements, Daniel and Pamela quickly clash until Daniel's troubles past unexpectedly comes to light. After serving in Iraq, Daniel suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder. Pamela tries to help ease his condition by introducing him to the healing power of animals. Daniel begins to find peace, and an unexpected kindred spirit in Pamela. Fearing one day she will be forced to give up her beloved sanctuary, Pamela confides in Daniel about her debilitating health. United by their misfortunes, the relationship turns romantic.

Just when Pamela has found someone to love and share her burdens, Daniel skips town, crushing her heart. Suddenly Pamela finds herself alone and in a desperate situation. She has no choice but to turn to a ruthless Louisiana attorney, Bob Patrick, for help. Bob promises Pamela financial security in exchange for a life as his obedient wife. When Daniel unexpectedly returns, Bob is not willing to give Pamela up. Like an ensnared bird, Pam struggles to free herself of her cruel capture. The fight may prove deadly, but Daniel is willing to do anything to save her. Can two broken souls eventually find happiness or, like the broken wings of a dove, will they be forever kept from reaching the heights of heaven.

~My thoughts on this book~

This is the third book of Ms. Weis' that I have read. I love this author's work. I am an animal lover myself, so the plot of this book touched me in more ways than one. I could empathize with the heroine in this book on so many levels. I rejoiced in her finding love with a good hearted man and hurt along with her when he left without a goodbye. I silently hoped she would give him a second chance when he came back into her life, and was elated when she did. There was a point at the end of the book when I started to cry because I was afraid it would end in a way that broke my heart, but I was pleasantly surprised how the author turned it around. Great job, Ms. Weis, I look forward to your next book!!!