Beyond the Rising Tide

Kai met Avery only once--in the moment he died saving her life. Now when he's not using his new healing powers to help people, he watches helplessly as Avery's life is unraveled by his death. To help her, he risks everything by breaking the rules, dangerously blurring the barriers between life and death.


My thoughts: When I received this book, I wasn't sure what to make of it. The premise sounded interesting, but it would take a special author to pull something like that off. Well, Sarah Beard is a special author and did a great job of telling the story of Kai, a young man who felt rejected by the world until he gave his life saving another, and Avery, the girl who can't get past his sacrifice in order to truly live. When Kai can no longer take seeing her pain from the other side, he breaks all the rules in order to help her discover that life is worth living.
I love the characters in this one! Their sorrows and joys are easy to relate to. I enjoyed the story immensely and highly recommend it for an interesting summer read.
I received this book from Cedar Fort in exchange for my honest review.

All Summer Long

Tia Gets a Second Chance at Love When an Old Crush Suddenly Reappears
Though it means giving up the chef's job at her uncle's small town Italian restaurant in Washington, Tia D'Amico is thrilled to move to San Francisco to help her aunt with a new business venture: transforming an old luxury yacht into an upscale floating restaurant. The icing on the cake is that Leo Parker, Tia's crush from a long-ago sailing camp, has been hired as the yacht's captain. The only problem is that he's engaged to someone else.
Tia hides her feelings and rolls up her sleeves as she sets out to make her aunt's dream a reality. But as the tide turns on Leo's relationship, does Tia dare hope he might set a course for her heart?
All the romance of a summer in San Francisco is captured in this delightful story from an author who has made a career of tugging our heartstrings.

My thoughts: Melody Carlson's stories are generally fun and light hearted, which this one was, making them perfect summer reads. I enjoyed that the main character is a chef in this one, who is helping to restore a boat to start a floating restaurant. The characters are fun and I like that there is a fair bit going on, though I have to say that I didn't care for the romance in this one as much, since the story needed more development. That said, I still enjoyed it and look forward to the next book in the series!
I received this book from Revell in exchange for my honest review.

Laugh Out Loud Pocket Doodles for Girls

Q: What's the worst thing to leave home without?

A: This book!

Stuck in the car on a long trip? Bored out of your mind in a waiting room? Have a few minutes before bedtime? Then you have enough time to let your imagination run wild!

Laugh-Out-Loud Pocket Doodles for Girls lets you

· tell jokes that will have people laughing out loud
· complete hilarious doodles
· entertain everyone around you!

More than one million copies of the Laugh-Out-Loud joke books have been sold. Grab your pens, pencils, crayons, or markers and see what all the fuss is about!

My thoughts: This is such a fun little book! With it being the time for summer vacations and road trips, this book would be the perfect addition to those trips, since it provides hours of entertainment for the little artist (and, the whole family!) to come up with finishing the pictures on each page. I like that each picture has a joke with it.;)
Even though my daughter is young (and I won't let her color in this just yet), she loves to look through the book. It's a cute little size that she thinks is perfect for her.;)
I received this book from Revell in exchange for my honest review.

Once Upon a Summertime

Managing the Value Lodge in her hometown was not what Anna Gordon had in mind when she set out in the hospitality industry. But it's a safe choice for a woman whose childhood was anything but stable. Out of the blue, she gets a once-in-a-lifetime chance to reinvent herself by moving to New York City, where she hopes for a management position at a stylish new boutique hotel. The big city is full of surprises--not the least of which is Sean O'Neil. Her childhood crush has applied for the very same position!

My thoughts: I generally enjoy Melody's stories, since they are a nice, sweet read. Once Upon a Summertime is a fun story about a young woman who gets the opportunity to leave her small world behind for the big city, which is a fun story to read. I liked getting to know Anna and the other characters. Though, I did feel like the ending was a bit rushed. I would of liked a little more development in the story. That said though, I still enjoyed it and seeing how Anna fared with all the changes that happened during the course of the story. If you are looking for a nice, light summer read, then this is the book for you!
I received this book from Revell in exchange for my honest review.