Author: Linda Laughlin (Page 7 of 11)

Linda Laughlin spent her early childhood in Eastern Oklahoma and most of her adult life in historical Fort Smith, Arkansas. Her first career consisted of raising two fantastic children and her second was in banking. In addition to having published two novels to date, she recently started writing a biweekly column on regional authors for the Fort Smith, Arkansas newspaper, the Times Record. She loves hearing from her readers.

Review of “An Unlikely Match” by Barbara Dunlop

July 27, 2016 / / 0 Comments

Fun on BookBub

I have found a new site. When I am not writing, I have been reading books from BookBub. This site has introduced me to authors I have never read before and I am having a lot of fun. If you are a book junkie like me, they will help satisfy your addiction for books. Calling all readers to come join me! 

One author I am reading

  Barbara Dunlop,  a Canadian author, starts the book with four matchmaking retirees. They have condos in Sunny Autumn Seniors Community in Florida. This foursome decides to find a woman for JW’s grandson, and you won’t believe the results.

An adventure in matchmaking

Barbara Dunlop - An Unlikely MatchIn An Unlikely Match, we are introduced to four retirees. JW Sterling never knew he had a child, much less a grandchild. He retired from the service and as a former Green Beret, he was totally unprepared for a grown grandson. It started with Dolly saying that Morgan was gay. That was ridiculous, Sterling men were not gay. Hannah insisted that just because he is a little awkward, it didn’t mean he is gay. Sam, a retired scientist and computer genius, agrees with JW; the boy is a little nerdy, but definitely not gay.

The group decides that what Morgan needs is a girl. Sam is sure that he can design a better program than those dating services, so they set about finding the prefect woman for Morgan. After entering information on Morgan, they include information on all their female relatives of the right age. Everyone is surprised when the computer chooses Hannah’s niece Amelia.  After all, Morgan is a genius and Amelia, while beautiful, is a airhead. Could the computer have made a mistake? Not possible, states Sam. 

Come join the fun.

Happy reading, Linda

 

 

    

 

Book Review of From Kiss to Queen by Janet Chapman

July 20, 2016 / / 0 Comments

I am a big fan!

Janet Chapman is a great story teller!  I have always enjoyed reading her books but she knocked it out of the ball park with her new one. I had so much fun, and simply could not put it down! 

From Kiss to Queen - Janet ChapmanA modern day Cinderella Story!

Jane Abbott is hunting in the Maine woods when she notices a plane coming in low. Suddenly, she hears gun fire and sees the plane going down. Jane finds the float plane upside down in a pond and without thinking, jumps in to save the pilot. He is trapped and she gives him a life saving kiss. Thus begins From Kiss to Queen. Jane has to cut the harness trapping the pilot inside before pulling him from the plane. She gets the pilot to dry land just about the time a second plane comes in with machine guns blazing. Much to the pilot’s surprise, Jane shoots back.

 

 And so begins the adventure. 

The rescued pilot is a prince of a small emerging country!

  Markov Lakeland’s family is royalty and he is the eldest son. His father is about to step down and Mark will soon be King. He was visiting the United States to look for a bride when his plane was shot down  After insisting Jane is in danger he spirits her away, forcibly dragging her onboard a submarine and then an air craft carrier to Shelikova, his family’s kingdom. 

A princess in waiting? Not in a million years!

Jane Doe Abbott was left on the steps of a hospital soon after she was born. She had a crushed ankle and had to endure several operations. Even with a brace, she still walks with a limp. Raised by nuns, she is stubborn and independent. Not knowing who her parents are has left her with low self-esteem, not princess material at all. 

Determined Prince meets Stubborn Angel!

The battle of wills begins! Mark falls for Jane and decides that he must have her as his bride. For a prince who’s used to giving orders and getting his own way, Jane is a challenge. Soon, the whole Lakeland Family has fallen for the spunky unpredictable Jane. Now, all Mark has to do is convince her  that she is good enough to be a Queen, his Queen! 

Don’t miss this fun book, you won’t be able to put it down until you read the last page. 

Happy reading, Linda

 

   

    

Review of New Book “The Obsession” by Nora Roberts

July 10, 2016 / / 0 Comments

I love Nora Roberts!

 This is an outstanding author. She writes so many different story lines, it is impossible to put her into a category. I fell in love with her latest book. If someone asked me to rate it on a scale of one to five, it would have to be at least an eight. Nora Roberts writes an outstanding mystery!

Nora Roberts - The ObsessionThe Obsession grabs your interest from the first page!

  Naomi sees something no young girl should ever see. It is a hot night in rural America, in a time when a lot of people had never heard of air conditioning. The coming storm and the heat woke Naomi and she sees her father leaving the house in the wee hours of the night. Was he going to the creek for a swim? Naomi sneaks out to follow him, never suspecting she is walking into a nightmare. Thomas David Bowes kidnaps young girls to rape and torture and that night, Naomi saves a young woman’s life and sees her father for the monster he is. 

Naomi is a beautiful shy young woman, afraid to trust.

All her life Naomi has been afraid to stay in one place. Her uncle has rescued her and her younger brother, changing their last names to try to protect them, but each time someone finds out who her father is and the trouble starts. Naomi never settles in one place for long, but all that changes when she finds herself in a small town with a run down house that calls to her. Next, she finds a man that understands her. Without wanting to, Naomi finds herself opening up to him as well as a half starved dog she picks up on the side of the road. There, is a darkness is waiting. Someone who wants to be like her father finds himself obsessed by Naomi. If you like a mystery don’t miss The Obsession! It is outstanding writing by my favorite author, Nora Roberts.

Happy reading, Linda   

Review of “The Wedding Trap” by Adrienne Bell

June 30, 2016 / / 0 Comments

Something for us less than perfect people!

This book is fast paced and written for less than perfect people like me. Adrienne Bell captured the perfect heroine, a little overweight and insecure, with a mother she loves but doesn’t get along with. This is a fun read!

A fun read!

The Wedding Trap - Adrienne Bell  In “The Wedding Trap”, Beth Bradley is backed into a corner, or so she thinks. Her best friend is getting married and she is to be her Maid of Honor. Beth couldn’t be happier for Isobel, except her ex-boyfriend is the best man. Who wants to show up at the wedding without a date when their ex is involved? So, she brings out her make believe boy friend, Charlie. No one believes Charlie really exists, so she has to find a man to play Charlie and the trouble and fun begins. 

Is he using her or is she using him?

She suspects he is a car thief, but oh what a car thief, with the perfect body wrapped in an expensive Italian suit. He is CIA, sent to investigate a mobster who just happens to be related to the bride. What better cover than to be the boyfriend of the Maid of Honor? 

There is one mishap after another and you will laugh as you fall in love with Beth and Charlie (aka Alex). The nice thing is that Alex, in spite of Beth’s ability to stumble into trouble, has fallen madly in love with her. 

  A great love story with a little mystery thrown in! I highly recommend this book. Happy Reading, Linda 

 

 

New book, “Fight For Your Life!”

June 20, 2016 / / 0 Comments

Coming soon!paperback&typewriter

  I just finished my second book. “Fight For Your Life!” has been sent to my editor, who will then send it back for rewrites, so hopefully it will be in print in the next month or two or three. I finished the story of Steve and Leah that I started in the first novel and told the story of a much more mature Darrin, Great Grandpa Burke’s mine and Darrin’s first love. To add some drama Jefferson Randall has to make an appearance and try one more time to kill Leah. I have to stop there so I won’t give away anymore secrets! Stay tuned for book number two and a chance to get book one for free! 

Thank you!

I love all of you who have taken the time to read my book! I have heard from so many of you how much you liked “Run For Your Life!” and you don’t know how much that means to a first time author. More than once I have heard how you didn’t want to put the book down and that was music to my ears. Thank you, again, stay tuned for the release of “Fight For Your Life!”  and as always happy reading, Linda 

Let’s go to the movies!

June 14, 2016 / / 0 Comments

Movie,”Me Before You” by Jojo Moyes

“Me Before You” from the book by Jojo Moyes was a fantastic movie. This story gives you a lot to think about when a young man who has it all, suddenly finds himself paralyzed and confined to a wheel chair. The film deals with life as a quadriplegic, a love that develops against all odds and a mans who doesn’t want life, if he can’t live it on his own terms. “Do you believe you should have the right to end your life?”

Very sad and moving! I highly recommend, Me Before You.

Happy reading, Linda

Review of “Timber Rose” by J.L. Oakley

June 6, 2016 / / 0 Comments

Take a step back in time!

This author takes you on a trip back in time. J.L. Oakley’s book was a pleasant surprise. This book tells of a time when a woman wasn’t allowed to vote, and was limited on written information about their own bodies. A book on marriage told how to give a party, but skipped the chapter on sex and childbirth. In “Timber Rose”, Caroline eloped and then found herself estranged from her family, so there was no one to explain the personal side of married life. She finds herself blessed with an enlighten friend that is willing to explained what her mother should have told her.

Hiking in a skirt?

Timber Rose - J. L. OakleyThe book, Timber Rose tells the story of a woman from the privileged class who, against her parents wishes, belongs to a mountaineering club. The book is set in the American Northwest in the 1840’s where a woman hiking and mountain climbing was not considered a proper activity. Timber Rose gives you a look into the first women climbers who dressed in long skirts, loggers’ boots, and if you were really brave, knickerbockers (A loose man’s pants with full legs.) to see the world from a mountain peak. 

She considered herself a new woman.

Caroline tried to be the proper daughter. but parties did not interest her. She liked nothing better then hiking into the wilderness, and that is how she found herself on a boat crossing a lake where she and a friend were scheduled to climb Mount Rainier. How was she to know she would meet a man who would change her life? 

Not the proper man!

Bob Alford’s family was not a pillar of society and did not have money, but he was the one who caught Caroline’s attention. At first they met casually, then with the help of Caroline’s cousin they would sneak off to spend time together. Alford had been a logger but he wanted more, he learned about the plant life in the Northwest and he had been accepted as one of the first members of the newly formed Forest Service. The job came with a house, so the next thing to do was propose to Caroline and write her father for permission to marry his daughter. They belonged together and no one could separate them. .

Love, family, marriage and friendship.

His family is loving and excepting while hers disowns her. They begin their life with her family sending thugs to bring her home and they leave Bob bruised and beaten. They are married and no one can keep them apart. In this book you learn about small town life, friendships and a love that continues to grow stronger in spite of the hardships that come their way. 

Very entertaining! I highly recommend this book!

Happy Reading, Linda

 

 

    

 

    

Review of the book “The Charm Bracelet” by Viola Shipman

May 25, 2016 / / 0 Comments

A grandmother’s treasure. 

Once long ago all little girls had charm bracelets. Someone would give them a charm for all the monumental occasions in their life. By the time that little girl became a grandmother, she had a bracelet so full you wondered how she could possibly find the space for another charm. 

She is a guy!

Viola Shipman is a pen name for Wade Rouse, who writes regularly for People and Coastal Living. Mr. Rouse decided to take the name of his Ozark grandmother, the woman whose charm bracelet and family stories inspired him to write the book, “The Charm Bracelet”.

The Charm Bracelet - Viola ShipmanThree generations of family tied together by a bracelet!

   Arden Lindsey has run away from life in small town America. A life where everyone knows and remembers your every mistake! She married and had a beautiful daughter, Lauren. Lauren’s father leaves and refuses to play a part in her life, offering little help, even financially. 

This is the story of three generations of women. Lauren a talented artist who sees her mother give up her dream as a novelist, to work as a magazine editor in order to support them.  Arden who is working so hard to give her daughter a stable life that she has no life of her own. Lolly with her positive outlook and her inability to find a way to convince Arden that she needs to stop and smell the roses, or in this case the peony. 

Three generations of women tied together by love and three charm bracelets. Charms that have a story to tell about each of them, of Lolly at a time of her life when she needs family more then ever. Can each of them help the other find the path to happiness? 

  This is a charming story filled with love and family. I highly recommend it.

Happy reading, Linda  

Book Review of “Dream Eyes” by Jayne Ann Krentz

May 14, 2016 / / 0 Comments

About the Author: 

This is a Dark Legacy Novel by Jayne Ann Krentz. Miss Krentz is a  master of the suspense novel, throw in a little romance and you have a fun read. Whether you are reading her as Jayne Ann Krentz or Jane Castle you are in for a treat! 

About the book:

In “Dream Eyes” Gwen Frazier has a unique gift, she see ghosts. They appear in pools of water, mirrors, any reflective surface. She gets a message from her friend Evelyn Ballinger, but when she tries to return her call there is no answer. Gwen isn’t happy to be going back to the small town of Wilby, Oregon.The last time she was there two people died and one commuted suicide, but she must find out what happened to Evelyn. She arrives to find her friend dead and her ghost a little on the testy side, after all she is having a bad day, getting killed will do that to you! 

Enter Judson Coppersmith – he and Gwen had met at the engagement party of her best friend Abby and Judson’s brother, Sam. To say that sparks flew would be an understatement, but Gwen had ruined it all by offering to help Judson with his desturbing dreams. Judson has trust issues and you have to trust a person to let her into your dreams.  Bad dreams or not Judson can’t refuse to help Gwen when she contacts his family. 

“Dream Eyes” draws you into the world of a psychic counselor and a family that not only believes in the paranormal but have family members with psychic talent. Watch as Judson learns to trust his special “Dream Eyes” and see them pool their abilities to catch a killer. 

You may not believe in the paranormal but you can believe that Miss Krentz writes a sizzling story full of mystery and romance.

Happy reading, Linda 

Book Review: The Summerhouse and Return to Summerhouse by Jude Deveraux

May 4, 2016 / / 0 Comments

The Author

  I went to a used book sale and found a fantastic read. I have read Jude Deveraux over the years and have always enjoyed her books, but this book seemed to call to a special place in my soul. When I found that there was a second book, I immediately ordered a copy from Amazon. These books were published in 2001 and 2008 so you will probably not find them in your local bookstore. I consider it well worth the effort to secure a copy.

The Summerhouse

  Jude Deveraux - The Summerhouse  In The Summerhouse three lost souls are offer the use of a summer house in Maine. All three had met in New York City at the Department of Motor Vehicles 19 years earlier. They were drawn together that long ago day because of mistakes on their driver’s licenses that had to be corrected. While they waited, they discovered that they all shared a birthday. Now, three broken women meet in a charming cottage on the Maine coast. 

  Leslie, married to her high school sweetheart, suspects he is having an affair and decides to get away where she can think things through. Madison had been in New York to try for a modeling career and went home to nurse her high school boyfriend after a car accident. Ellie had become a famous novelist and in trying to boost her husbands sense of self esteem had lost her own. None of their lives had turned out like they had envisioned on that distant twenty first birthday. 

When Leslie, Madison and Ellie reunite at Summerhouse, they come across a business card. Madame Zoya has an unusual gift, she can send them back in time to relive any three weeks of the past. Will each woman take a different path and follow her dream?  

Return To Summerhouse

Jude Deveraux - Return to Summerhouse In Return To Summerhouse therapist Jeanne Hightower has purchased the summerhouse in Maine and offers it to three of her patients. Amy thought she had the perfect life, until she suffered a miscarriage. Yes, she was having a hard time getting over the loss of her child, but did Stephen have to send her away to some strange place? Zoe is an artist who, after a car accident, found herself unable to remember why her hometown hates her.  Faith, a widow, lost her husband and after the funeral attacked her mother-in-law in front of the entire town. Amy is wondering why she ended up as a member of Jeanne’s crazies. If she isn’t like them, why is she the only one to receive  Madame Zoya’s card? Amy finds the house and is invited in for tea by Primrose, sister to Madame Zoya. Together, they decide that while Amy has the perfect life, maybe she is meant to help her husband Stephen. Stephen’s father owns a trucking company and because his brothers refuse to take any responsibility, Stephen is forced to run a business he has little love for. Amy begs Madame Zoya to allow her to take Zoe and Faith with her to eighteenth-century England to change Stephen’s future. Will stepping back in time show each woman how to achieve the happy ending they all seek? 

Together, these are two outstanding books!

Happy reading, Linda

 

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