Goodreads Challenge, Part Nine

The busier I get, the more I enjoy reading. Thanks to all my devices, I can pretty much read anywhere. So while waiting in doctor’s offices, ignoring football games, and avoiding my laundry I managed to read these five books. Hopefully you’ll find something that interests you!

On the Surface by Margo Hoornstra
Margo was my guest here a few weeks ago. I read the first of her Brothers in Blue series and posted this review on Amazon and Goodreads:
There is so much action in this story I kept reading far later than I should. Brad and Jenny’s story is a wonderful opener to this series, and we get a glimpse of the heroes in the upcoming installments. Set in Michigan, we’re shown the contrast between the tough streets of Detroit and the peacefulness of the rural areas to the north. I’m looking forward to digging into Book Two! Margo does a wonderful job of creating the sense of danger and urgency, and there were times I’d find myself shaking as I turned the pages!

The Island Patriot by Julia Keanini
Heathcliff Family Romances, Book Eight
Cooking shows are quite popular at our house, so the setting for this book was one I could identify with. The behind-the-scenes romance brewing between two of the contestants is well-done, as it is in all Julia Keanini’s stories. It seems a bit shorter than other Heathcliff Family romances, but is equally enjoyable. Sophie, as one of the wealthy Heathcliff family, works in the Maui resort with her brothers and cousins, but she also runs a YouTube cooking channel and has snagged a spot on a contest show in which she’s paired up with a football player with whom she’s had a disagreeable experience. Marcus had his reasons for his behavior that day, and eventually they sort out their differences and work together toward their goal of winning the contest – and hopefully a happily-ever-after.

The Social Tutor by Sally Britton
Branches of Love, Book One
I had so much fun reading the monthly selection from the Sweet Reads Lounge Facebook group, I decided to download and read this month’s book as well.

Christine is eager for her London season, but knows she needs to learn more about interacting with the social set in order to succeed in making a match that will please her father. Since she’d lost her mother, she asks her neighbor Thomas for help. As payment for his tutelage, she offers the stud services of her horses, which will go a long way toward  getting his horse farm profitable.

This was a delightful read. Though Christine seems quite naive, her actions and motivations are understandable, and I enjoyed seeing her mature through the book. Thomas is a wonderful hero, principled and true to his beliefs. I enjoyed his family, and hope they appear in other books in this series.

Memories on Muslin: 1934 Athelstan Quilt Blogs & Depression-Era Quilting by Trisha Faye
I downloaded this book after reading Trisha’s feature a week and a half ago. Since I enjoy quilting, I loved reading about the 30 Sunbonnet Sue and Overall Bill quilt squares found at a yard sale in Southern California. After a description of how the author found and purchased the squares, the author describes the research she undertook to discover information about the people whose names are embroidered on them. Next, we are shown pictures of 29 of the squares. The author explains that the person named on the 30^th block still lives (at the time of publication) and did not want to be mentioned. The rest of the book includes a variety of information about the Athelstan, Iowa area, a snapshot of prices, popular movies and foods, and news headlines in 1934. There’s a section with information about Depression Era quilting, and then the decline and disincorporation of Athelstan.

One mystery that is unanswered is how the squares got from Iowa to California! Unfortunately, although I love reading mysteries, my writer’s mind won’t quite come up with a story to explain that one. This truly was enjoyable reading on a rainy day.

The Kissing Game by Julia Keanini
Kiss Academy, Book One
Since I’m a member of Julia’s review team, I was able to get an advance copy of the first in her new YA romance series. Kiss is short for Kissinger Academy, where children of the rich and famous attend, along with a few scholarship students like Marley. She really doesn’t fit in, but she tries not to let that bother her, because she knows that the school will prepare her for future success at a top university. She’s also focused on getting good grades and playing soccer, and not on the handsome movie-star brother of her best friend. But it’s getting more and more difficult when Nash seems to turn up everywhere she goes. This is a cute book and the setting and situations remind me of the movie Clueless. This is the first of a three-book (so far) series, and I’m looking forward to reading the rest of the stories about Kiss Academy.