Tag: Delacorte Press

Guest Review: Rushing Waters by Danielle Steel

Posted December 20, 2016 by Tina R in Reviews | 3 Comments

Guest Review: Rushing Waters by Danielle SteelReviewer: Tina
Rushing Waters by Danielle Steel
Publisher: Delacorte Press
Publication Date: August 30, 2016
Add It: Goodreads
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | The Ripped Bodice | Google Play Books
five-stars

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • Danielle Steel fearlessly tackles a catastrophe and its aftermath with characters who are joined together by accident, then share their vulnerabilities, regrets, losses, and hopes.

Hurricane Ophelia is bearing down on New York City. And in a matter of hours, six people, along with their families, friends, and millions of other New Yorkers living around them, will be caught up in the horrific flooding it unleashes.

Ellen Wharton has flown into New York from London, regardless of the weather and her husband’s worry. The successful interior designer is intent on seeing her lively architect mother and has an important personal appointment to keep. But despite Ellen’s urging, when the storm hits, seventy-four-year-old Grace Madison refuses to leave her Tribeca apartment in the midst of the evacuation zone, and they must eventually wade through chest-high water to the police boats outside.

British investment banker Charles Williams is traveling on business but is also eager to see his young daughters, who live with his beautiful, estranged ex-wife in SoHo. Desperate to find them, he checks the shelters where thousands have taken refuge and runs into Ellen and her mother.

Juliette Dubois, a dedicated ER doctor, fights to save lives when the generators at her hospital fail.

NYU students Peter Holbrook and Ben Weiss, living in a shabby downtown walkup, are excited by the adventure of the approaching hurricane, refuse to evacuate, and settle in with junk food and beer until their building threatens to collapse. Should they swim for it or not?

A day of chaos takes its toll. Lives, belongings, and loved ones are swept away. Heroes are revealed as the city and New Yorkers struggle to face a natural disaster of epic proportions. And then the real challenge begins, as the survivors face their futures, with damage to repair and scars to heal.

Keenly observed and brilliantly told, this is an unforgettable story that proves that while life can change in an instant, even the darkest storm can bring forth courage, resilience, unexpected joy, and new life. And it reminds us all that nature, at its fiercest, is a powerful force nothing and no one can resist.

I have to say that I honestly do not believe that I have ever read a book by Danielle Steel that I didn’t absolutely love! Every single book that I have read by her has been fantastic! Whenever you pick up a book by Danielle you can be sure that you are getting your money’s worth. The characters are always so well thought-out that you are immediately captivated by them. There are some I remember because I totally loved them and there are some that I really disliked, but either way, I remember them, and this is because they have been created so magnificently with great depth and exquisite detail. I love Danielle Steel’s books for this reason. She always gives 100% with her writing.

Rushing Waters is a very powerful story. Since our country has just experienced Hurricane Hermine in September, this book really hit home for a lot of people. As I read the book, it made me realize just what people must have went through as they were experiencing the real thing. The description of the destruction was so detailed that I felt anxious as I was reading. There were many people in the book that didn’t take it serious when the newscasts were saying to evacuate and when the hurricane finally arrived, many were unprepared. Then in the aftermath of the disaster, we see how people had to pull together and support each other through the horrible tragedy.

Rushing Waters does tell the story of a disaster, but it is also a story of new beginnings as well. It shows just how much strength people actually have when they think they have none. It made me want to hug all the people I care about.

I highly recommend this book to anyone that appreciates a well -written story. Danielle Steele proves once again why her books are always on the bestseller list!

five-stars

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Review: Gimme a Call by Sarah Mlynowski.

Posted January 9, 2013 by Rowena in Reviews | 4 Comments

Rowena’s review of Gimme a Call by Sarah Mlynowski.

Main Character: Devi
Love Interest: Bryan (or is it?)
Series: None
Author: Facebook|Twitter|Goodreads

A new life is just a phone call away!

Devi’s life isn’t turning out at all like she wanted. She wasted the past three years going out with Bryan—cute, adorable, break-your-heart Bryan. Devi let her friendships fade, blew off studying, didn’t join any clubs . . . and now that Bryan has broken up with her, she has nothing left.

Not even her stupid cell phone—she dropped it in the mall fountain. Now it only calls one number . . . hers. At age fourteen, three years ago!

Once Devi gets over the shock—and convinces her younger self that she isn’t some wacko—she realizes that she’s been given an awesome gift. She can tell herself all the right things to do . . . because she’s already done all the wrong ones! Who better to take advice from than your future self?

Except . . .what if getting what you think you want changes everything?

Fans of Sarah Mlynowski’s Magic in Manhattan series will love this hilarious new novel with a high-concept premise.

I’ve been wanting to read this book for a while now and haven’t gotten around to it until now.  I haven’t read too many books by Mlynowski but after reading this one, I’m definitely curious for more.

Imagine you’re a senior in high school and you just broke up with your boyfriend, the boy you’ve been with since you were a freshman in high school and you’re hurting.  To top things off, you drop your cell phone into the fountain at the mall and it works but you can only call yourself…three years ago.  If you can imagine that, then you’ll jump right into the thick of things with this book.

Devi is a senior, just broke up with her boyfriend and wishes that she never met him so that she wouldn’t know how much it’d hurt to lose him the way that she has.  When her cell phone starts acting wonky and starts calling her own cell phone from three years ago (before she met Bryan), she thinks that this is her chance to change things so that she’ll have a better senior year so she gives Freshman Devi a whole lot of work to do.

It was funny because Senior Devi kept waking up to some new life because Freshman Devi was making a whole lot of different choices and it made me laugh.

This isn’t a book that takes itself too seriously and I really liked that about this one.  It was fun, it was cute and even though Senior Devi got on my nerves because she was so hot damn bossy, I still liked this one.  There were many times when I wanted to strangle Senior Devi for making Freshman Devi work so hard and when Freshman Devi stands up for herself, I grinned like a crazy person because I kept thinking, “FINALLY!”

Overall, this book was good.  I would definitely recommend this book to people looking for a fun, quirky read with great characters.  This one fits that bill.

…and that’s your scoop!

This book is available from Delacorte. I bought this book and these are my honest thoughts on the book.
Buy the book: B&N|Amazon|Book Depository
Book cover and blurb credit: http://barnesandnoble.com

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Review: Meant to Be by Lauren Morrill

Posted October 17, 2012 by Rowena in Reviews | 5 Comments

Review: Meant to Be by Lauren MorrillReviewer: Rowena
Meant to Be by Lauren Morrill
Publisher: Delacorte Books for Young Readers
Publication Date: November 13th 2012
Genres: Young Adult
Pages: 292
Add It: Goodreads
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | The Ripped Bodice | Google Play Books

It's one thing to fall head over heels into a puddle of hazelnut coffee, and quote another to fall for the - gasp - wrong guy. Straight-A junior Julia may be accident prone, but she's the queen of following rules and being prepared. That's why she keeps a pencil sharpener in her purse and a pocket Shakespeare in her...well, pocket. Julia also believes in fate, and that Mark, her childhood crush, is her MTB - her meant-to-be.

But this spring break, Julia's rules are about to get defenestrated (SAT word: thrown from a window) when she's partnered with her personal nemesis, class clown Jason, on a school trip to London. After one wild party, Julia starts receiving romantic texts...from an unknown number! Jason promises to help discover the identity of her mysterious new suitor if she agrees to live a little along the way. And this begins a wild-goose chase through London, leading Julia closer and closer to the biggest surprise of all: true love.

Because sometimes the things you least expect are the most meant to be.

I’m all about the contemporary story. Whether it’s a romance novel about a couple’s journey to finding their ways to each other or a contemporary YA about a young protagonist learning her way through life, I’m all about it. I love reading contemporaries that center around the characters between the pages and that was a huge reason I wanted to read this book in the first place.

Julia is in London for spring break with her classmates from school. She’s a type A personality who follows the rules and gets good grades. She’s got plans for her future and she’s working her way toward that and because she’s so driven to succeed, she’s got the usual nerdy girl reputation. The kind of reputation that doesn’t involve anything fun. When she’s partnered with the guy that she doesn’t like, adventure is around every corner…if only she’d let loose a little and allow Jason into her life. Jason isn’t her meant to be, Mark is but the longer she’s in London and in Jason’s company, the more she’s beginning to think she’s got it all wrong.

I though this book was such a cute story. Spring break away from home, away from the parents and loads of adventure waits in the wings. Julia is many things. She’s a swimmer, a rule keeper and according to Jason, a book licker too. Haha, he totally calls her this in the book and instead of coming off as an asshole, I found it completely endearing and I adored Jason. I really thought that this was a cute story. I loved seeing Julia come into her own throughout the book because when we first meet her, she’s this closed off and reserved teenager who never let herself let loose. As such a young person, I loved when she stopped letting the future control her present and I really enjoyed the journey she went through in the book.

Jason was perfect for her and I loved the way that he just moved his way into her life and kind of planted himself there and wouldn’t let her get rid of him (not that she could ditch him since he was her partner for the trip). I thought everything about him was adorable and my heart sighed when I closed this book so I think Morrill did a really good job of entertaining me with this story. It was cute, I wanted to cuddle with it and it was perfect for a lazy weekend in the house. If you’re in the mood for something light and cute then I think this book will definitely fit the bill for you.

This book is available from Delacorte. This book was received from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
Buy the book: B&N|Amazon|Book Depository
Book cover and blurb credit: http://barnesandnoble.com

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Review: Red Heart Tattoo by Lurlene McDaniels.

Posted July 11, 2012 by Rowena in Reviews | 0 Comments


Rowena’s review of Red Heart Tattoo by Lurlene McDaniels.

WARNING: This review will contain spoilers so if you haven’t read the book and don’t want to spoiled, don’t worry…I’m hiding my review so if you have read the book and want to read the reviews, highlight my post and you’ll be able to read it that way.
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Main Character: Morgan
Love Interest: Roth
Series: None
Author: Facebook|Twitter|Goodreads

At 7:45 a.m. on the day before Thanksgiving break, a bomb goes off at Edison High. Nine people die instantly. Fifteen are critically injured. Twenty-two suffer less severe injuries. And one is blinded. Those who survive, struggle to cope with the loss and destruction. All must find new meaning for their lives as a result of something they may never understand.

Lurlene McDaniel’s signature expertise and finesse in dealing with issues of violence, death, and physical as well as emotional trauma in the lives of teens is immediate and heartrending.

When I first read the blurb for this book, I knew that I was going to read it. Whether I was in the mood for something as serious as a school bombing or not, I knew that I was going to read this book. When I finally picked this book up to read, I couldn’t put it down. I didn’t want to put it down because McDaniels did a great job of sucking me right into the story and while the book was gripping and most things good, there were a few things that I dimmed my enjoyment of this one.

Morgan is an over-achiever who has the total hots for her boyfriend, Trent. They’re a great couple. He’s good to her, she’s happy with him but she can’t help but feel goosebumpy all over when this other guy named Roth stares at her. The intense-ness (yeah, that’s probably not a word but you know what I mean) of his stares make her weak in the knee and her curiosity where he’s concerned confuses her because if she’s so happy with Trent, why is she thinking about Roth?

On the day before Thanksgiving break, a bomb goes off at their school and it kills nine people (students and teachers), injures a handful of people and rocks the entire community off its axis. Everyone wants to know who did it and why it happened…and the police suspect Roth. Roth has always had it bad for Morgan and with this year being their senior year, it’s his last chance to make it happen so he’s going to go for it, whether Trent approves or not…and then the bombing happens and Roth rushes in to save Morgan’s life.

The events of that horrific day forge a bond between Roth and Morgan. Morgan is thankful to Roth and Roth is just happy that Morgan is alive. It’s weird how things can change so quickly and so devastatingly. One minute, you’re having breakfast out in the quad at school with your friends, laughing before class starts and the next, you’re rushed to emergency, fighting for your life. This book made me realize just how much I take my everyday life for granted. Bad things happen in life everyday and good people get hurt and bad people walk away with nary a scratch but that’s life and that’s all brought up in this book. The dark side of life and the bonds that are forged from bad things.

As engaging as this story was (and it totally was), there were a few things that bothered me over the course of the book. One of those things was the way I felt Roth and Morgan didn’t wait very long to get together. I felt that in respect to Trent, they should have waited a bit before becoming a couple and I didn’t think that Morgan really grieved much over that loss. I wish she would have taken more time to deal with losing Trent before moving on to Roth. Don’t get me wrong, I really wanted Roth and Morgan to end up together but I didn’t want them to rush into it, so soon after Trent died.

The other thing that I was disappointed with was the development of Kelli and Mark’s storyline. It felt a little forced since both Kelli and Mark’s characters weren’t as fleshed out as Roth and Morgan’s characters were. It felt more of a filler storyline than an actual part of the story and then there was Liza’s character as well. I wish we could have gotten more from Liza in this story. She’s in love with Roth but Roth only cares about Morgan and she hates Morgan because of that. Her character felt one dimensional and while I thought she could have added more to the story (then just being a background character who was thrown in to make sense of things in the end), I’ll admit that she was an interesting character.

The way that this story ended left my romance novel loving heart at odds because the story spent a lot of time on Morgan and Roth and then the ending ends like…that? I would have been happier if Liza had moved on from her feelings for Roth, growing stronger as a person without Roth than a person who changed a lot but her change felt like she changed for him and not for herself…if that makes any sense.

Overall, this book was good. I couldn’t put it down but even though I couldn’t put it down, the story wasn’t without its flaws but the flaws didn’t take too much away from the story as a whole so I’d still recommend it. I’m glad that I read this book and I will definitely be reading more books by McDaniels.

…and that’s your scoop!

This book is available from Delacorte.
Buy the book: B&N|Amazon|Book Depository
Book cover and blurb credit: http://goodreads.com

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Review: Wanderlove by Kirsten Hubbard.

Posted March 14, 2012 by Rowena in Reviews | 1 Comment


Rowena’s review of Wanderlove by Kirsten Hubbard.

Main Character: Bria
Love Interest: Rowan
Series: None
Author: Facebook|Twitter|Goodreads

It all begins with a stupid question:

Are you a Global Vagabond?

No, but 18-year-old Bria Sandoval wants to be. In a quest for independence, her neglected art, and no-strings-attached hookups, she signs up for a guided tour of Central America—the wrong one. Middle-aged tourists with fanny packs are hardly the key to self-rediscovery. When Bria meets Rowan, devoted backpacker and dive instructor, and his outspokenly humanitarian sister Starling, she seizes the chance to ditch her group and join them off the beaten path.

Bria’s a good girl trying to go bad. Rowan’s a bad boy trying to stay good. As they travel across a panorama of Mayan villages, remote Belizean islands, and hostels plagued with jungle beasties, they discover what they’ve got in common: both seek to leave behind the old versions of themselves. And the secret to escaping the past, Rowan’s found, is to keep moving forward.

But Bria comes to realize she can’t run forever, no matter what Rowan says. If she ever wants the courage to fall for someone worthwhile, she has to start looking back.

Kirsten Hubbard lends her artistry to this ultimate backpacker novel, weaving her drawings into the text. Her career as a travel writer and her experiences as a real-life vagabond backpacking Central America are deeply seeded in this inspiring story.

What a fabulous read this book turned out to be for me. I mean, I had a feeling that I would enjoy this book a lot more than I expected and I’m glad that I wasn’t wrong because this book was such a delightful treat. I mean from the way that it was written to the illustrations that were included in the book, this was just so full of awesome.

It was an entertaining read from beginning to end. Bria was an interesting character that I wanted to be friends with and she was definitely the person that I wanted by my side whenever I traveled to far away places. Her thoughts and her voice was so engaging that I ate this book up in no time. She wasn’t the most perfect of protagonists but I was okay with that. She jumped to conclusions, she didn’t trust Rowan enough but I didn’t blame her for any of that stuff because she didn’t know Rowan very well and what I liked most about Bria was that she was just so…real. She thought real thoughts, she suffered from real problems and she reacted the way a real person would. I enjoyed getting to know her and I enjoyed reading about her journey through life in this book.

Aside from Bria, I enjoyed the other characters in the book as well. From Rowan to Starling and even Glenna. They were all enjoyable additions to the book and I was glad. They added a bit of color to an already colorful story and it was a fun way to spend a few hours before bed. I enjoyed this book almost as much as if it was a road trip book (and you guys all know how I feel about road trip books).

I hated Toby throughout the book and even though I wished that Bria would have gotten over him a bit sooner than she actually did, I understood why she couldn’t shake her feelings and I really liked that she was frustrated with herself for still thinking about him. I liked that she wanted to get over him and I really enjoyed seeing her get over Toby and go after the things she loved before he ruined them for her. When she finally calls her parents to tell them where she was, I loved their reaction. I liked that they knew and were pissed to high heaven at her for not calling sooner. I really liked that they were worried and I was glad that by the time she did call them, she had finally gotten all of her crap under control.

Overall, this book was a treat. I’m oh so glad that I read it and while it wasn’t the most perfect of reads, it was an enjoyable story with characters that leaped right off the pages and into my heart. This book gets a high B so kudos to Kirsten Hubbard on a job well done writing this story.

..and that’s your scoop!

This book is available from Delacorte.
Buy the book: Amazon
Book cover and blurb credit: http://barnesandnoble.com

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