Love is Come by Heather B. Moore

Love is Come
by Heather B. Moore

Find out more about this book and author:
Amazon
Goodreads
Website
Blog
Twitter @heatherbmoore

Just released: April 1, 2016
Publisher: Mirror Press
Genre: Historical, Romance (clean)
ebook
Rating: 5

First sentence(s):
"You must come with me to the races tomorrow," Dottie whispered to Nelle behind her black lace fan, "before all the eligible men take a summer holiday in Europe. They'll surely be at the races, placing their bets."

Nelle Thompson lives a life of privilege during the turn of the century New York City. When her parents are killed in a terrible accident, she’s forced to live with her aunt’s family in a small town in Connecticut, and treated as a poor relation with no financial independence. Broken hearted and riddled with insomnia, Nelle’s health begins a downward spiral. When a locked part of her heart blossoms around her cousin’s fiancé Matthew Janson, Nelle doesn’t know if she can endure one more heartbreak. Miss Pearl, owner of the local apothecary shop, becomes a mother figure to Nelle, but a fateful summer day has Nelle questioning everything she’s ever believed and wondering if she’ll ever love again.

My two-bits:

I liked reading this one from the start. While the main characters and romance were gentle yet steady, there were some interesting light twists in the story.

I liked how the characters did not have that wishy washy attitude. The couple allowed themselves the feelings they had for each other and tried to go the "right" route. But of course that route suppressed and restrained their relationship before they could surrender to their hearts in the end.

The main character of the Matchmaker series, Pearl, makes her appearance to help move things along in a subtle but effective way. I am liking how she pops up in the various books of this series. It is comforting to see her. And fun to see her in action in regards to her matchmaking antics.

Loved the descriptions of social etiquette and doings of the time period. I was especially treated to some poetry, music and letter writing.

About the author:

Heather B. Moore is a USA Today bestselling author, with a dozen historical thrillers written under the pen name H.B. Moore. Latest is Finding Sheba (will be re-released Feb 2015 through Thomas & Mercer). Under Heather B. Moore she writes romance and women’s fiction and inspirational non-fiction, latest is The Fortune Cafe. Her various author names can be confusing so her kids just call her Mom.

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* courtesy of eBooks for Review -get free ebooks to review (here) -Thanks!

* part of POWER OF THE MATCHMAKER SERIES (here)

Thirsty Thursday and Hungry Hearts - 5.5.16

Thirsty Thursday and Hungry Hearts
hosted by (un)Conventional Bookviews (details)
A meme to share some food and/or drink quotes found in current reads.

Love is Come
by Heather B. Moore
-Romance
Amazon | Goodreads
From the Power of the Matchmaker series: LOVE IS COME
Nelle Thompson lives a life of privilege during the turn of the century New York City. When her parents are killed in a terrible accident, she’s forced to live with her aunt’s family in a small town in Connecticut, and treated as a poor relation with no financial independence. Broken hearted and riddled with insomnia, Nelle’s health begins a downward spiral. When a locked part of her heart blossoms around her cousin’s fiancé Mathew Janson, Nelle doesn’t know if she can endure one more heartbreak. Miss Pearl, owner of the local apothecary shop, becomes a mother figure to Nelle, but a fateful summer day has Nelle questioning everything she's ever believed and wondering if she’ll ever love again.

Quote:
With great ceremony, his mother opened the envelope that was no longer sealed and took out the neatly lettered card, reading it aloud, "You are cordially invited to tea on Friday to celebrate the return of Alice and to meet our niece, Nelle Thompson, who will be staying with us for a short time."
-chapter 9

=====> Victorian romances are bound to have a tea social of some sort. And, I am always up for tea ;-)

Lovejoy's
1351 Church St
San Francisco, CA 94114
website
=====> IF you are in San Francisco, Lovejoy's is a wonderful cozy place to have tea and all its goodies. I love the scones and devonshire cream!

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* image source: tea and goodies

Stacking the Shelves - 4.16.16

Stacking the Shelves
hosted by Tynga's Reviews (details)
Stacking The Shelves is all about sharing the books you are adding to your shelves, may it be physical or virtual. This means you can include books you buy in physical store or online, books you borrow from friends or the library, review books, gifts and of course ebooks!

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Bought:

River of Flesh and Other Stories:
The Prostituted Woman in Indian Short Fiction
by Ruchira Gupta
-Short stories, Women's Studies
Amazon | Goodreads

=====> Book Passage, Corte Madera, hosted an event with Ruchira Gupta, author of River of Flesh. The audience was also treated to introductions from authors, Alice Walker and Jean Shinoda Bolen.

A Year in the World:
Journeys of a Passionate Traveller
by Frances Mayes
-Memoir, Travel
Amazon | Goodreads
=====> I joined a face-to-face book club that reads travel related books. This is the April book. I figured this would be a great way to feed the travel bug within until I can actually DO IT.

In Patagonia
by Bruce Chatwin
-Memoir, Travel
Amazon | Goodreads
=====> The MAY book for the travel book club.


For Review:

Friday Evening, Eight O’Clock
by Nino Gugunishvili
-Women's Fiction
courtesy of tour by I Heart All the Books - Thanks!
Amazon | Goodreads

The Double
by Alison Brodie
-Mystery, Thriller, Women's Fiction
courtesy of tour by I Heart All the Books - Thanks!
Amazon | Goodreads

Love is Come
by Heather B. Moore
-Romance
courtesy of eBooks for Review
Amazon | Goodreads
OTHER things on my shelf: kinda book-related

Out of Print
The Book Necklace
by pulp~ink studio
=====> This was a gift from fellow book lovers! Thanks T & D :-)

Field Notes
special edition for the Tournament of Books 2016
also included were a pencil and sticker
=====> Got this as a memento for this year's event in which I attempted to read the short list (here). There are a couple I still plan to read before year's end -- including the winner, The Sellout by Paul Beatty.

AND watched: on DVD

Cloverfield (2008)
Director: Matt Reeves
Screenplay: Drew Goddard
Starring: Mike Vogel, Jessica Lucas, Lizzy Caplan
-Action, Adventure, Horror | imdb | my rating: 5
A group of friends venture deep into the streets of New York on a rescue mission during a rampaging monster attack.

=====> Ended up watching this after 10 Cloverfield Lane which turned out alright because while there is a something that ties the two together you do not have to watch this for any back stories. Enjoyed it for the monster movie it turned out to be.

Super 8 (2011)
Director/Writer: J.J. Abrams
Starring: Elle Fanning, AJ Michalka, Kyle Chandler
-Action, Mystery, Sci-Fi | imdb | my rating: 5
During the summer of 1979, a group of friends witness a train crash and investigate subsequent unexplained events in their small town.

=====> I picked this up on a whim. It was one I was wanting to watch for awhile. Coincidentally, it has a connection with the Cloverfield series. What a treat to watch!

The Scorch Trials (2015)
Director: Wes Ball
Screenplay: T.S. Nowlin
Based on book by: James Dashner
Starring: Dylan O'Brien, Kaya Scodelario, Ki Hong Lee, Thomas Brodie-Sangster
-Action, SciFi, Thriller | imdb | my rating: 4
After having escaped the Maze, the Gladers now face a new set of challenges on the open roads of a desolate landscape filled with unimaginable obstacles.

=====> No doubt, I had to continue this series. Lots of stuff thrown into this one. The end left me with questions. And, wondering the fate of Minho.

Thunderball (1965)
Director: Terence Young
Screenplay: Richard Maibaum, John Hopkins, Jack Whittingham
Original story: Kevin McClory, Jack Whittingham
Based on book by: Ian Fleming
Starring: Sean Connery, Claudine Auger, Adolfo Celi
-Action, Adventure, Thriller | imdb | list | my rating: 4
James Bond heads to The Bahamas to recover two nuclear warheads stolen by SPECTRE agent Emilio Largo in an international extortion scheme.

=====> Watching the James Bond series continues with this 3rd entry (here). Got some SPECTRE action. I found underwater fight scenes kinda boring. It was hard to tell who was who. The water just slows things down. Bond was sure handy with his knife though - probably the best weapon of choice for underwater fighting.

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* comment and TELL me what you have acquired for your shelves recently

Currently reading:

Steampunk Soldiers: The American Frontier
by Philip Smith & Joseph A. McCullough
Amazon | Goodreads

Power of the Matchmaker series

Power of the Matchmaker
60-page novella - prequel to series
by Heather B. Moore

Find out more about this book and author:
Amazon
Goodreads

Just released: November 3, 2015
Publisher: Mirror Press
Genre: Novella, China, Historical, Romance
ebook
Rating: 5

First sentence(s):
The inky sky outside Mae Li's bedchamber window changed to swallow gray then violet. Today the matchmaker, Song Ren, would come.

A prequel novella to the POWER OF THE MATCHMAKER Series
Mystical . . . Beautiful . . . Romantic . . .

Read the matchmaker’s story to find out where it all starts . . .

Mae Li has been in love with Chen Zhu for years, and he with her. But when the matchmaker arrives at the Zhu family home, she recommends another village girl for Chen.

Heartbroken, Mae Li watches as Chen does his duty by marrying another. Mae flees her village with the clothes on her back and her only possession—a pearl embedded comb, given to her as a goodbye gift from Chen Zhu.

Upon Mae’s arrival in Shanghai, she quickly learns that she’ll starve within days unless she sells her prized comb or joins a courtesan house. She goes to the Huangpu River and promises the River God that she’ll always be selfless if he will save her from becoming a prostitute . . . Her wish is granted when Ms. Tan, the matchmaker of Shanghai, finds Mae. But Mae must completely change her future and her name if she is to become the next matchmaker.

My two-bits:

Sweet but sad romance tale. However, an uplifting tale for the romantics as heart. Ah, love.

It was interesting to learn a little about the Chinese matchmaking process of the past. Got me wanting to read more history and nitty-gritty details of the matchmaking. Also, made me think of the matchmaking efforts (internet-wise) of the present day and if they actually work.

Loved how the main character forged her own way through life despite the limited choices available to her. She handled her own love and romance realistically for her time.

This prequel is a great way to kick off this upcoming romance series as I like knowing a bit of backstory and history of characters before getting into the main story.

BTW: The Mae Li character will be featured in the below stories next year. Looking forward to see how the stories play out and tie-in.

POWER OF THE MATCHMAKER SERIES
12 novels by 12 bestselling authors

Released once a month in 2016:

Broken Things to Mend by Karey White (Jan 2016) - my review
Not Always Happenstance by Rachael Anderson (Feb 2016) - my review
If We Were a Movie by Kelly Oram (March 2016)
Love is Come by Heather B. Moore (April 2016) - my review
Four Chambers by Julie Wright (May 2016) - my review
O’er the River Liffey by Heidi Ashworth (June 2016)
Chasing Fireflies by Taylor Dean (July 2016) -my review
Between Earth and Heaven by Michele Paige Holmes (Aug 2016)
How I Met Your Brother by Janette Rallison (Sept 2016)
To Move the World by Regina Sirois (Oct 2016)
King of the Friend Zone by Sheralyn Pratt (Nov 2016)
The Reformer by Jaima Fixsen (Dec 2016) -my review

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* I am counting this as a personal reading ebook challenge.

* review copy courtesy of book tour sponsored by I Am A Reader Not A Writer