The Pretend Wife by Bridget Asher

I LOVED THIS BOOK! Okay, now that that is out of the way - Bridget Asher's book The Pretend Wife was just the kind of book I like. I found Asher's writing style to be very witty & relaxed - and I loved her main characters a great deal. I really cared about what was going to happen to them - which is very important for me in book choices!

Gwen Merchant is happily married (at least in her understanding of a marriage she is) to Peter. After unexpectedly encountering her old college boyfriend Elliot Hull, she & her husband accept a very unusual proposition from Hull. Elliot's mother is dying & he told her a little white lie saying that he was married & she shouldn't worry about him. One problem - he isn't really married! After being invited to a party by Peter, Elliot asks Gwen to pretend to be his wife so that he can introduce her to his mother! Shockingly, Gwen's husband Peter is okay with this idea (really?! - yes that was my exact response when I read it!). And that is when I was pulled in - what does this say about Peter & Gwen's marriage? Why would Elliot choose Gwen? How is Gwen going to handle this predicament? Yet, something deeper in the story is the turmoil in Gwen's life of dealing with the loss of her mother at a young age & how that seems to have had an overall effect on her life's choices & relationships. Oh boy! Once you hit the climax of this story, you are already in way too deep!

~Submitted by Samantha

Congratulations to our third Fun in the Sun raffle prize winner, Carol McCurdy! She is the winner of a $25 Mobil Gas Card! Now she can re-fill her gas tank, on us!, & continue coming to the library for more good reads!

You too can be a winner of great prizes just like this - the fourth AND final drawing will be on Tuesday September 8th - when the Fun in the Sun Grand Prize will be announced!

Below Zero by C.J. Box

Could the thought-to-be deceased foster daughter of Wyoming's Game warden, Joe Pickett, really be alive? In the newest chapter of the Joe Pickett series, Below Zero, Pickett's 17 year old daughter, Sheridan, begins receiving disturbing text messages from someone claiming to be her dead sister; and Pickett's entire family is forced to relive the tragedy. Even worse, whoever is sending these messages is traveling cross country with a suspected serial killer who is targeting people whose carbon footprint is too high. Joe's effort to fly under the radar is foiled again when the case goes high profile and involve his long time nemesis, FBI's Portenson.

~Submitted by Sue

Love Walked In by Marisa de los Santos

As promised, here's my review of Love Walked In. It's actually a prequel to Belong to Me, though I don't remember it mentioned that way on the Belong to Me jacket. If I had, I'm sure I would have read them in order and enjoyed Belong to Me much more.

In Love Walked In you meet Cornelia Brown who is romantic and looks at life and people through classic movies, such as The Philadelphia Story. A point which I, not being a movie buff, found distracting. However, midway through the book the movie references seem to fade and I found myself enjoying Cornelia's story of how she meets her young friend Clare who transforms Cornelia's world. Of course, you also meet Cornelia's friend Teo and learn how he fits into her life. Love Walks In is a tale of Cornelia's growth and self-discovery.

My recommendation is definitely read Love Walked In first before picking up Belong to Me. You'll get to know, like and understand what make Cornelia and Teo tick before venturing with them to their life in the suburbs. I think you'll enjoy what you find.

~Submitted by Lisa

Congratulations to our second Fun in the Sun raffle prize winner, Jen Vessio! She is the winner of a $25 Red Robin Gift Card! After reading a good book, she'll be able to enjoy a nice burger & bottomless basket of fries with a chocolate milkshake! Yum!

A Coldness in the Blood by Fred Saberhagen

This is the first book I've read by this author. As far as vampire fiction goes, this book was good but a little lacking in the suspense department! I would read others in this series but was a little disappointed in the weak plot line. Supposedly legendary Vlad Dracula is in today's world & has distant family ties to a human family, the Southerlands. They assist each other in a mystery concerning a philosopher's stone, keeping its magical power away from some evil characters. I find it laughable that the original Dracula would be in need of human assistance & willing to keep ties with human relatives. Despite that, I still recommend this book.

~Submitted by Rachel

The Summerhouse by Jude Deveraux

The opening tag line of this book is : Have you ever wanted to rewrite your past?

While that intrigued me, I picked this book up because the 3 friends the book is based around are celebrating their 40th birthdays, as I will be later this year. Leslie, Madison and Ellie are offered the opportunity to go back in time to any 3 week period of their lives and see how the course of their existences could have been different if they had simply made different choices. They travel back in time with the understanding that they can choose to return to their current lives after the 3 weeks with or without the memories of the changes they'd made or continue living the lives that were predicated on their altered choices.

At first, I'll admit, I was skeptical about the whole time travel aspect of The Summerhouse. I tend to like my books entirely based in reality. However, Jude Deveraux writes in a way that makes the entire story believable. She also creates characters that are people you care about and find yourself rooting for. So, if you're not immediately hooked because you've often wondered what your life would be like if you'd made other choices, the characters will draw you in. This was an enjoyable read.

~Submitted by Lisa

Congratulations to our first Fun in the Sun raffle prize winner, Christine Lent! She is the winner of a $25 Regal Cinemas Gift Card! After reading a good book, she's off to an evening @ the movies!

Belong to Me by Marisa de los Santos

Marisa de los Santos shows that just as you shouldn't judge a book by its cover, you shouldn't judge the people you meet until you've had the opportunity to really get to know them. Chances are you'll be surprised with what you find.

Belong to Me tells the story of Cornelia Brown and the people she meets as she and her husband, Teo, move to the suburbs. Some she clicks with right away, others prove more elusive. However, their lives are much more intertwined than they first appear.

Belong to Me was an enjoyable read but not one I'd say would be a favorite. Stay tuned, though. De los Santos' Love Walked In is at the top of my "to read" pile. I'll let you know how that one goes.

~Submitted by Lisa