Foreclosed by Tonya Thomas

Foreclosed by Tonya Thomas is a short story published by Four Winds, February 2012

All her life, Carrie Burton longed for the house of her dreams. After her new real estate agent assures her that the dream is a real possibility, Carrie and her family are ecstatic to move into what seems to them like a palatial mansion. But money is tight, and all their resources go to keeping up with the Joneses…and soon Carrie’s life is one of constant conflict as her child runs wild and her marriage falls apart. There can only be one outcome.

Carrie thought she found the perfect home until reality set in and with her family life spiraling out of control; she had to do the unthinkable. This was a good read.

The Hoarder’s Daughter by Tonya Thomas

The Hoarder’s Daughter by Tonya Thomas is a short story published by Four Winds, February 2012.

After the death of her father, Dana Morrison noticed that her mother’s house was becoming cluttered. First she saved grocery bags, then newspapers, and empty boxes. In no time flat, her house was filled with junk, junk, and more junk! Dana made the mistake of cleaning house, but that just made matters worse when her mother decided that her trash was more valuable to her than her daughter.

A daughter’s love is tested when she tries to unclutter her mother’s home. This was a good read that highlights the effect of hoarding on a family.

Carpe Bead ‘Em by Tonya Kappes

Carpe Bead ‘Em by Tonya Kappes. Publisher: Tonya Kappes, May 2011

Orphaned at a young age, Hallie Mediate was raised by her (slightly) crazy Great Aunt Grace on the wrong side of the tracks in Cincinnati. Hallie dreamed of escaping her hometown and never looking back. After putting herself through college, landing her dream job in Chicago, and starting a romance with her handsome running partner Bo Pompillio, life is finally exactly as she wants it.

That is, until she’s transferred back to the hometown. Not wanting her past to cross paths with her future, Hallie puts her relationship with Bo on hold.

When she arrives in town, Hallie finds crazy Aunt Grace rummaging through a dumpster looking for the “perfect” welcome home gift for her niece. That’s just the beginning. After that, Aunt Grace stays busy by dying her stolen poodle’s hair pink and leaving the dog on her apartment roof to pee, throwing bricks out the window at passing neighbors, and climbing every flag pole to kiss the ornamental eagle.

Hallie finds some sanity at a local jewelry-making class where she uncovers a hidden talent for beading. When her talent is discovered by a major department store jewelry buyer, Hallie realizes that what she had in Chicago might not have been her dream life after all.

When faced with the choice of moving back to Chicago and Bo or taking a leap of faith to start her own jewelry company (with Aunt Grace in tow), Hallie has to make a decision. Will she let her past and her future collide, or will she or keep searching for the happiness she may already have found?

The words can’t describe how much I LOVE this book They say you can never go back home, but Hallie does and something wonderful happened; she discovered her meaning in life and embraced it from her friendships, her career-path to her crazy Aunt Grace. There are several laugh-out-loud moments that will tickle your funny bone as well as some tender moments, that had me grabbing a box of tissues. This is an endearing story that will capture your heart.

Flat-Out Love by Jessica Park

Flat-Out Love by Jessica Park. Publisher: Jessica Park, April 2011

Something is seriously off in the Watkins home. And Julie Seagle, college freshman, small-town Ohio transplant, and the newest resident of this Boston house, is determined to get to the bottom of it.

When Julie’s off-campus housing falls through, her mother’s old college roommate, Erin Watkins, invites her to move in. The parents, Erin and Roger, are welcoming, but emotionally distant and academically driven to eccentric extremes. The middle child, Matt, is an MIT tech geek with a sweet side … and the social skills of a spool of USB cable. The youngest, Celeste, is a frighteningly bright but freakishly fastidious 13-year-old who hauls around a life-sized cardboard cutout of her oldest brother almost everywhere she goes.

And there’s that oldest brother, Finn: funny, gorgeous, smart, sensitive, almost emotionally available. Geographically? Definitely unavailable. That’s because Finn is traveling the world and surfacing only for random Facebook chats, e-mails, and status updates. Before long, through late-night exchanges of disembodied text, he begins to stir something tender and silly and maybe even a little bit sexy in Julie’s suddenly lonesome soul.

To Julie, the emotionally scrambled members of the Watkins family add up to something that … well … doesn’t quite add up. Not until she forces a buried secret to the surface, eliciting a dramatic confrontation that threatens to tear the fragile Watkins family apart, does she get her answer.

Julie’s presence with a dysfunctional family, that has had their share of loss and sorrow, begins to repair. With patience and understanding, Julie shows that love goes a long way in healing and she becomes the glue that brings the family back together. This is a great read that tugs at your heart.

Life On The Perpetual Diet by Tonya Thomas

Life On The Perpetual Diet by Tonya Thomas. Publisher: Tonya Thomas, April 2011

Emily as always had a problem with her weight. Yo-yo dieting was something she’d accepted as part of her life. But when an opportunity arrives to expand her horizons, she leaps at the chance. That brings her a new income source and a chance at love. But when her new significant other plots to keep her fat–and unattractive to other men–she objects. And then she meets a man with the ability to sweep her off her feet. Will she give up everything she thought she wanted or will she cling to the vows she made when she said “I do”?

Emily’s continuing problem with her weight controlled her loneliness until she decided she wanted more out of her life. With the steps she took, Emily’s confidence soared and everything in her life blossomed. Feeling a bit insecure in her marriage, Emily felt attracted to another man but at that critical moment, Emily realized what she has is what she wants and sets about putting their marriage back on track. I could so relate to this heartwarming short story about self-esteem, love and being true to oneself. A quick and easy read, this was very enjoyable.

*new-to-me author

FTC Full Disclosure – The author sent me a copy of this book

Are You Lonely Tonight by Lorraine Bartlett

Are You Lonely Tonight by Lorraine Bartlett. Publisher: Lorraine Bartlett, March 2011

A Valentine’s Day Short story.

It’s the most romantic night of the year and Diana Mason is alone. She broke up with her boyfriend because he wanted a playmate not a soul mate, but it’s someone else who haunts her thoughts on the most romantic of holidays. Is there a chance he’s thinking of her, too?

Lorraine Bartlett is the New York Times Bestselling author of the Booktown Mystery series (under the name Lorna Barrett) and also writes the Victoria Square Mysteries. She got her professional start writing short stories for magazines and finaled in the St. Martin’s Press/Malice Domestic writing contest before being published in novel length.

This was a warm and tender story of how a simple friendship between two people grew to something more, one of understanding and love.

Whatever It Takes by Deb Baker

Whatever It Takes by Deb Baker. Publisher: Deb Baker, January 2011

Two women meet for the first time on a bench in a university courtyard. One survived a tragic hazing in the past. The others future is spinning out of control. Two different generations, one common thread. Their lives will be changed forever. The outcome is astonishing.

Two women meet and hold a long and enduring friendship that they both needed. This was a good and tender story.

Sweet Dreams by Heather Webber

Sweet Dreams by Heather Webber. Publisher: Blue Dandelion Press, January 2011

Mariella suspects someone has been watching her, following her, and possibly even sneaking into her apartment when she’s not there. When she turns to an upstairs neighbor—the man of her dreams—for help, they soon discover just how nightmarish the situation truly is.

Not knowing who is after her and fearing for her safety, Mariella seeks help from her handsome neighbor. This was a quick and enjoyable short story that satisfied my reading pleasure by giving me both a mystery to solve and a little bit of romance. My rating: 5 stars

Available as an e-book

Dying Embers

Dying Embers by Leann Sweeney is a short story. Published in September 2010

One unhappy Christmas … then one little miracle.

A dysfunctional family and a holiday setting makes you believe that Christmas miracle does exist. This heart-wrenching story gives us all faith. My rating: 5 stars

Available as an e-book

My Nest Isn’t Empty, It Just Has More Closet Space by Lisa Scottoline

My Nest Isn’t Empty, It Just Has More Closet Space by Lisa Scottoline. Publisher: St. Martin’s Press, October 2010

Critics and readers loved Lisa Scottoline’s first collection of true-life stories, which only encouraged her—now she’s back with these all-new, exciting adventures. She’s farther down the road now, and the scenery has changed—ex-husbands Thing One and Thing Two are in her rear-view mirror, daughter Francesca has moved into an apartment, and Lisa’s finding the silver lining in her empty nest, which has lots more room for her shoes. And some things have stayed the same—Mother Mary is still the feistiest octogenarian on the planet, who won’t part with her recipe for tomato sauce or her thirty-year old bra.

In this book Lisa and Francesca spill all their family secrets—which sound a lot like yours, if you understand that three generations of women is the formula for spontaneous combustion.

Inspired by her weekly column entitled, “Chick Wit” for The Philadelphia Inquirer, this is a book you’ll have to put down—just to stop laughing.

This was another hilarious romp through the antics with Lisa and her family. My rating: 4 stars