Blog Tour Review of The Most Important Catch by Jaclyn M. Hawkes

 Posted by  Blog Tours, Book Reviews, Sheila's Reviews
May 172012
 

Product Details:

  • Title: The Most Important Catch
  • Author: Jaclyn M. Hawkes
  • Paperback: 318 pages
  • Publisher: Spirit Dance Books (March 16, 2012)
  • Genre: Romantic Fiction
  • ISBN-10: 0985164808
  • ISBN-13: 978-0985164805
  • FTC:FYI: I received a review copy of
  • this book.

 

 

 

 

Book Description:

Run or die! She knew too much, and she’d seen too much.
And the police refused to help. Knowing that she was to be the next
scheduled death, Kelly Campbell hid under head to toe black leather and a
tinted motorcycle helmet and ran for her life. When the weather turned
cold, she turned south. She ended up in North Carolina, home to one of
the most famed and eligible NFL football stars in the whole league; only
she didn’t know that. She thought he was a businessman. Not being a
huge fan, all she knew was that he was incredibly attractive, kind,
generous, and that she was safe with him. Or
was she? His brand of fame proved to be all but deadly, but his fame
wasn’t nearly as lethal as his attraction. He kept her safe and
protected. All except for her heart.

 

 

 

 

My Blog Tour Review:

This is the third book of Jaclyn’s that I have reviewed. This book also happens to be just as good as her previous books. The story of Kelly and Robby grabbed me from the start. At the beginning of the book, we meet Robby, whose life as an NFL football player isn’t as wonderful as you would think, especially as he is constantly being stalked by female admirers. Then we read about Kelly, and discover the reason why Kelly has to go on the run in order to save her own life. 

 

Robby and Kelly happen upon each other on a lonely, country road. They immediately keep secrets, about themselves, from each other,and they soon grow close to one another. It was fun to see how their relationship developed. I loved how it showed a relationship developing slowly, from friends to eventual boyfriend/girlfriend. It was a nice change of pace for me. So many times in fiction the man and women are thrown together and fall in love instantly. You have to be patient in this book, but it is such a sweet thing to see how and why this relationship develops. Always in the background you know that Kelly is still in danger and that the bad guys are still looking for her. I only wish that there would have been a little more action in the middle of the story.


There are so many things that worked for me in this novel, such as the strong character development, and the humor and banter between the main characters. You have a man and a woman who are so “perfect” in their looks, but they both have emotional and personality flaws. It made both characters likable and approachable. They are members of the LDS church and share a little about their beliefs, but nothing what I would call preachy. It just made them more well-rounded and wholesome. I truly liked how this was shown throughout the course of the story.

 

The Most Important Catch will be a great beginning to your “Summer To-Read” list. It will make you laugh and believe in love again. Make this novel your most important catch to read this Summer. 




Author bio:
Jaclyn M. Hawkes grew up in Utah with 6 sisters, 4
brothers and any number of pets.  (It was
never boring!)  She received a Bachelor’s
degree, had a career, and traveled extensively before settling down to her
life’s work of being the mother of four magnificent and sometimes challenging
children.  She loves shellfish, the outdoors, the youth, and hearing her children laugh.  She and her fine husband, their family, and
their sometimes very large pets, now live in a mountain valley in northern
Utah, where it smells like heaven and kids still move sprinkler pipe.


Social Networking Links

Purchase Links



Book Tour Review of The Outer Edge of Heaven by Jaclyn M. Hawkes

 Posted by  Book Reviews, Sheila's Reviews
Oct 212011
 

Title: The Outer Edge of Heaven                     

Author: Jaclyn M. Hawkes

Publisher: Spirit Dance Books

Published: July 2011

Softcover: 269 pages

Genre: Romance

ISBN#0615517773

Reviewer: Sheila

 

Filled with colorful characters of all shapes, sizes and species, including an
orphaned baby pig, most of the Langston family put the fun in
dysfunctional, give or take a couple of black sheep. There’s one in
every family, isn’t there? Add to that glorious scenery, a horse of her
own, and one extremely attractive cousin rancher, Luke Langston, and it
makes for a summer Charlie will never forget. Which might not be a good
thing. She has the time of her life, but her heart may never recover

 

The cover of The Outer Edge of Heaven draws you into the book before you even read the first page. There is something so intriguing about the cowboy on the horse, with the beautiful sunset in the background.Having been in Montana several times before, the title of the book is fitting. On the back it says:

                                   “Montana truly is heavenly. Especially those handsome cowboys” 

I happen to agree with this statement and it is especially true of main character, Luke Langston. He is a true blue cowboy, stoic, tough, silent and polite. Luke was my favorite character in this modern-day, clean, LDS, romance. When Charlene, or Charlie as she is known throughout the whole story, first sees Luke, she is smitten. Charlie along with her best friend Fo (Forest) are in Montana working at Fo’s cousin’s ranch. Charlie is hiding away from her rich, powerful, parents who want to choose her occupation and her husband. There at the ranch she is hired to help take care of Luke’s half siblings who are in dire need of a “real” mother. Luke’s father, Richard,  is married to his third wife who is unfaithful to him.
At the ranch Charlie has many adventures with the darling children Jamie, Evie, and Elsa. Charlie gives the children stability and love. I loved how realistically Jaclyn wrote the children. They are very endearing, even when they make huge messes, like the waffle incident in the kitchen. Charlie teaches the children how to plant a garden, take care of piglets and takes them to swimming class and dance class. Though there are many fun and humorous things that happen in this story, there are also deep subjects too. There is an attempted assault, that is stopped quickly, an alcoholic wife, a fourteen year old experimenting with marijuana (this situation is handled very well and teaches the teenager a good lesson) and break-ins.   

Fo and Charlie’s friendship is such a wonderful part of this story. They are so loyal and supportive of one another. Every women needs a male friend as great as Fo. The romantic tension between Charlie and Luke is a big part of the storyline and is there for most of the story. I was so anxious to have the tension end sooner, rather than later, but that would have taken away from the excitement in the story. Let’s just say you will like the ending of the story. 

This book is a fast read and one that you really don’t want to put down. You will fall in love with the characters and not want the story to end. I enjoy Jaclyn’s writing and read and reviewed her first book, Journey of Honor and I  hope to read even more books from her. 
You can purchase The Outer Edge of Heaven here at Amazon.com

About the Author
Jaclyn M. Hawkes grew up in Utah with 6 sisters, 4 brothers and any
number of pets. (It was never boring!) She got a bachelor’s degree, had a
career and traveled extensively before settling down to her life’s work
of being the mother of four magnificent and sometimes challenging
children. She loves shellfish, the out of doors, the youth and hearing
her children laugh. She and her fine husband, their family, and their
sometimes very large pets, now live in a mountain valley in northern
Utah, where it smells like heaven and kids still move sprinkler pipe.

***I received my review copy of The Outer Edge of Heaven from the Author and participating in Tristi Pinkston’s Book Tour. In no way did this influence the review that was given.


Journey of Honor: A Love Story by Jaclyn M. Hawkes – Blog Tour

 Posted by  Blog Tours, Book Reviews, Sheila's Reviews, Special Features
Mar 042011
 

  • Paperback: 214 pages
  • Publisher: Granite Publishing & Distribution (August 3, 2010)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 1599360594
Disowned, she came to America anyway. Attacked and left pregnant by a vicious mob, she still pressed on. Finally, in spite of being accused of theft by the vilest of her attackers, Giselle tries to remain as upbeat and uncomplaining as a prairie wildflower as she travels on to Zion.Thoroughly disillusioned with the ugliness and cruelty of slavery in the South, Trace Grayson leaves his young medical career to go west, hoping to leave bigotry and hatred behind. He begins taking goods by teamster train to sell in the territories. However, this fourth time across, in July of 1848, he’s stuck in St. Joseph, Missouri, waiting for enough wagons to join the train so that they can leave.Knowing that if they don’t start west soon, they’ll be caught by snow in the mountains, Trace is thrilled when the final wagon signs on. Then, when the beautiful, young Dutch girl traveling with the last wagon is falsely accused of stealing and is detained, the whole trip is jeopardized. Thrown together by circumstance, Trace and Giselle team up to begin to figure out just how to make this epic journey across a continent a success.With a deep sense of honor and an equally strong sense of humor, together they learn to deal with everything except the one trial that neither of them can overcome.

This book is not your typical pioneer story. Even though this is a story based on pioneers heading to Zion and crossing the plains, the book deals more with the characters and their own personal struggles. There are many other facets included in this novel, along with a love story a little bit juicier than those published by the big LDS publishers. Though nothing is vulgar, there is more kissing and snuggling/spooning that a married couple share. There are also some scenes with violent situations.

With the struggles associated with pioneers and their journeys across the plains, there are deaths and struggles portrayed. Along with this, there are many uplifting spiritual experiences that the characters have along the way. LDS principles are discussed and those not familiar with them may be a little lost. I still recommend this book. I truly loved the two main characters Giselle, a member of the LDS church and Trace a non-member. Though they both are proud and don’t always discuss their feelings with each other, they do share a strong love. Both of them are very likable and this story mainly focuses on them and getting to know each other. I also loved Trace’s adopted brother Mose and Giselle’s Grandparents Josiah and Petja. There is a very humorous ongoing sub-story about a Native American brave who “wants” Giselle. I don’t want to tell you more for fear of ruining the plot here.

For those wanting a true historical novel of pioneer journeys may not like this book as much. I classify this book as a romance novel with an LDS historical background. So, you romance lovers will find a great read in Journey of Honor.

Here is the purchase link: http://www.amazon.com/Journey-Honor-Jaclyn-M-Hawkes/dp/1599360594/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1298932933&sr=8-2
I was given a review copy of this book by the publisher. In no way did this influence the review that was given.


Teaser Tuesday & Kick-Off Contest Winners

 Posted by  Contests, Special Features, Teaser Tuesdays
Mar 012011
 

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading.
Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

  • Grab your current read
  • Open to a random page
  • Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
  • BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
  • Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

Shanda’s Teaser:

Hannah leaned her head against the wall as if having heard a death sentence pronounced on her and Beatrice. She saw the young, blond doctor returning from his errands. As soon as he crossed the threshold, she pounced on him. ” Typhoid fever? Is it true?”

Twilight’s Last Gleaming by L.C. Lewis, page 64

Sheila’s Teaser:

She feared that she had fallen in love with him, which was senseless beyond belief, but try as she might, she didn’t seem to be able to tell her heart to keep it’s distance.

Journey of Honor by Jaclyn M. Hawkes, page 63

Mindy’s Teaser:

Sadie winced as she heard it land, all the items inside crashing into each other. Now, instead of a meticulously organized arrangement, her purse would be a mess. So far things were off to a fabulous start.

Key Lime Pie by Josi S. Kilpack, page 163

Does anyone else think it’s interesting that the page numbers we found our teaser quotes on were 64, 63, & 163?

Contest Winners!

So far, twenty people have joined the “Read ’em All” 2010 Finalists Challenge, which means four people who participated in our Kick-Off Contest will win a bookmark! The winners are:

  • Susan (Bloggin’ ‘Bout Books)
  • Karlene Browning
  • Evelyn (Better on a Budget)
  • Luann Staheli

Congratulations!

Send an email with your address and which bookmark you prefer in the picture below to ldswbr (at) gmail (dot) com. Thank you for participating in our Kick-Off Contest!