Review: Sunrise Point by Robyn Carr

Sunrise Point by Robyn Carr
Publisher: MIRA
Pages: 400
Genre: Adult Romance
Pub Date: May 2012
Format: ARC-Kindle

A special Thank you to Harlequin and NetGalley for sending me this book to review.

Former marine Tom Cavanaugh’s come home to Virgin River, ready to take over his family’s apple orchard and settle down. He knows just what the perfect woman will be like: sweet, decent, maybe a little naive. The marrying kind.

Nothing like Nora Crane. So why can’t he keep his eyes off the striking single mother?

Nora may not have finished college, but she graduated with honors from the school of hard knocks. She’s been through tough times and she’ll do whatever it takes to support her family, including helping with harvest time at the Cavanaughs’ orchard. She’s always kept a single-minded focus on staying afloat…but suddenly her thoughts keep drifting back to rugged, opinionated Tom Cavanaugh.

Both Nora and Tom have their own ideas of what family means. But they’re about to prove each other completely wrong…

Review:

I am so in love with The Virgin River Series. I just can not get enough! I think this one has to be my favorite yet. I just love love love it!

I love the setting! This isn't just Virgin River this time. This takes place on an apple orchard. A lovely farm house, orchards of apples, and a good looking wholesome man. Oh, he's rich too. What is not to like my friends?! I was all over this! There are wonderful descriptions and I truly felt like I was tasting the sour apple cider and getting blisters on my hands from all the apple picking. I felt like a part of the orchard. 

I always seem to choose a character in the book that I want to be. I felt like Maxie, Tom's grandmother. There were points when I wished I was her and could slap Tom around a bit and tell him to get with Nora already! I did love that Tom and Nora were friends first. That's how it should be. Those are my favorite kinds of love stories. When they are friends first. 

This was a great story. I was hooked and I literally couldn't put the book down.  I am a fan of Virgin River! 

Top Ten Tuesday: Books on My Spring TBR List

Top Ten Tuesday is an original meme at The Broke and the Bookish.

I am so excited about the books being released this spring! It feels like I've been waiting forever! I'm excited to end a series, get into several more, and read some new to me authors. See what I'll be reading this Spring! 

Insurgent by Veronica Roth (May 1, 2012)

Destined by Aprilynne Pike (April 26, 2012)

City of Lost Souls by Cassandra Clare (May 8, 2012)

The Selection by Kiera Cass (April 24, 2012)
Knee Deep by Jolene Perry (May 1, 2012)
Flirting in Italian by Lauren Henderson (June 12, 2012)

Twitterpated by Melanie Jacobson (March 2012)
Sunrise Point by Robyn Carr (April 24, 2012)

I've Got Your Number by Sophie Kinsella (Feb 2012)

The Enchanted April by Elizabeth von Arnim (1922)

The Newstand {14}

The Newstand is an original feature here at The Sweet Bookshelf. It was started almost 2 yrs ago and took a hiatus for awhile. It's back! Here we dish on news, up and coming books, Kindle deals, tidbits,  and important things bookies should know. Check out what you can glean from this week.


News

• Check out what Veronica Roth--author of Divergent--has to say about those who get an early copy of Insurgent.
• 84th Academy Award Winners. Lots of the nominee's/winner's were books first! Just sayin'. 
• Who's on the New York Times Best Seller List this week? 
• JK Rowling announces new book for adults! Best. News. Ever. 
• I hate this article! I Love Books but I Loathe E-Readers.
• Self published ebook author become's Amazon's top seller. 
• Check out this experiment on giving FREE books! Let me know if you take part.
• Whoa! Plagiarist caught! This is crazy!! 

Fun Bookish Things

• Roald Dahl stamps!
• Design your own bookends. Super cute! I need 'em!
• This is THE CUTEST BOOKMARK I've ever seen! Bwahaha! 
• I love this DecalSkin for the Kindle!

Join the Discussion

• Do You Donate your books?
• Top Ten Favorite Covers
• Check out the previous The Newstand {13}
• Top Ten Historical Romance Books

Review Re-Cap

Pure by Julianna Baggott

Unscripted by Aaron & Schwartz

Amy and Roger's Epic Detour by Morgan Matson

The Way We Fall by Megan Crewe

The Unbearable Book Club for Unsinkable Girls by Julie Schumacher

AudioBook: Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by JK Rowling

Christy's Review: Pure by Julianna Baggott

Pure by Julianna Baggott
Publisher: Headline
Pages: 448
Genre: Adult Sci/Fi
Format: ARC Kindle and Paperback

A special Thank you to Headline for sending me this book to review.

Synopsis:

We know you are here, our brothers and sisters . . .

Pressia barely remembers the Detonations or much about life during the Before. In her sleeping cabinet behind the rubble of an old barbershop where she lives with her grandfather, she thinks about what is lost-how the world went from amusement parks, movie theaters, birthday parties, fathers and mothers . . . to ash and dust, scars, permanent burns, and fused, damaged bodies. And now, at an age when everyone is required to turn themselves over to the militia to either be trained as a soldier or, if they are too damaged and weak, to be used as live targets, Pressia can no longer pretend to be small. Pressia is on the run.

Burn a Pure and Breathe the Ash . . .

There are those who escaped the apocalypse unmarked. Pures. They are tucked safely inside the Dome that protects their healthy, superior bodies. Yet Partridge, whose father is one of the most influential men in the Dome, feels isolated and lonely. Different. He thinks about loss-maybe just because his family is broken; his father is emotionally distant; his brother killed himself; and his mother never made it inside their shelter. Or maybe it's his claustrophobia: his feeling that this Dome has become a swaddling of intensely rigid order. So when a slipped phrase suggests his mother might still be alive, Partridge risks his life to leave the Dome to find her.

When Pressia meets Partridge, their worlds shatter all over again.

Christy's Review:
I'm going to keep this short and sweet. Get this book!

(Maybe not that short.)

I was so impressed with this book! What a fantastic dystopian. Seriously. Convincing to the last page, brilliantly structured and so well researched and thought out. This book is a serious accomplishment. If we'd read this book in school instead of Lord of the Flies I would have been infinitely happier with my assignment! The cover art, while pretty, doesn't really seem fitting (to me) for the content of this novel. But that's really not an issue. At all. Check this book out. You'll be missing out if you don't.

Guest Review: Unscripted by Aaron and Schwartz

Unscripted by Natalie Aaron and Marla Schwartz
Publisher: Carina Press
Genre: Adult Chic-Lit Romance
Format: Kindle

A special Thank you to my friend Catriona for taking the time to review this book for us!

As a producer on a reality dating show, Abby Edwards knows that true love is a myth. Her career and her friends are all she needs. Right?

When her screenwriter ex makes a hit movie based on their relationship, Abby's faults are projected on screens across the country. Suddenly the fact that her job depends on orchestrating hot tub hook-ups doesn't seem so impressive.

Her friends rally to help. Zoë thinks she needs to meet a guy. Stephanie suggests an attitude adjustment. Nancy wants her to get in touch with her inner Goddess. Abby knows they mean well, but she prefers to focus on her work. Unfortunately, she's already embarrassed herself in front of her new boss, Will Harper, who she would find totally crush-worthy if he weren't so irritating.

Abby's about to be reminded that life doesn't follow a script—and good things happen when you least expect it...

Review:

This book had my attention captured right from the first page with its mix of fast paced plot and likeable characters. The story is told by Abby, who works freelance in reality TV, and takes you through her various jobs and the trials and tribulations that are involved in freelance work and, more specifically, work in reality TV. This is interspersed with scenes involving nights out with friends and the relationship with her best friend who is also her roommate.  

Even if you are not into reality TV, the parts of the book that deal with Abby’s job and what’s going g on in the particular show are highly entertaining and full of chick-lit style capers and dilemmas and I really enjoyed this aspect of the story, like a little TV break every couple of chapters! Abby’s personal life, her living and financial situations also include the kinds of trials and tribulations that usually accompany the heroines of this genre. She is highly relatable as a character and the personal dramas that she goes through, I found myself identifying with and could sympathise emphatically with some of the “social gatherings” her friends drag her along to. 

Although the story is quite lengthy, in retrospect, the narrative never drags and I think that this is due to the witty personalities of the characters and the realistic nature of the story-line. This is definitely the kind of book that most chick-lit lovers will enjoy as much as I did.