W… W… W… Wednesdays

This weekly meme, hosted by MizB, over at ‘Should Be Reading’, is a snapshot of where I am at in my reading schedule.

To play along, just answer the following three questions…

• What are you currently reading?
• What did you recently finish reading?
• What do you think you’ll read next?

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As I probably won’t be able to contribute every week, I have taken the liberty of adding in a couple more W…’s, which came to mind.

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What are you currently reading?

I have just started a sizzling contemporary romance titled ‘Until There Was You’, a book which was a competition win and a copy of which was sent to me as a Kindle download by its author, Jessica Scott.

A by-the-book captain with a West Point background, Captain Evan Loehr refuses to mix business with pleasure—except for an unguarded instance years ago when he succumbed to the deep sensuality of redheaded beauty Claire Montoya. From that moment on, though, Evan has been at odds with her, through two deployments to Iraq and back again. But when he is asked to train a team prepping for combat alongside Claire, battle-worn Evan is in for the fight of his life.

Strong, gutsy, and loyal, Captain Claire Montoya has worked hard to earn the rank on her chest. In Evan, Claire sees a rigid officer who puts the rules before everything else—including his people. When the mission forces them together, Claire soon discovers that there is more to Evan than meets the eye. He’s more than the rank on his chest; he’s a man with dark secrets and deep longings. For all their differences, Evan and Claire share two crucial passions: their country and each other.

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What did you recently finish reading?

My latest completed book, was a contemporary fiction novel, titled ‘The House On Willow Street’ , which was a publisher review request from publisher HarperCollins, on behalf of the author, Cathy Kelly. I thoroughly enjoyed this one and will definitely be seeking out more books written by this successful Irish author.

Welcome to Avalon: a quaint, sleepy town on the Irish coast. Nothing has changed here for generations – least of all  the huge mansion on Willow Street; the house in which sisters Tess and Suki Power grewup.

Now, years later, Tess is trying to save her marriage and protect her glamorous sister Suki who has come back home, dreams shattered. Similarly, Mara Wilson is seeking refuge from a broken heart at her Aunt Danae’s house. And Danae, the inscrutable postmistress, is hiding dark memories of her own.

Now that the big house is up for sale, change is blowing on the cold sea wind. But before they can look to the future, these four women must face up to the past …

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What do you think you’ll read next?

Next up is a literary fiction novel, ‘The Englishman And The Butterfly’, which is a review request and a copy of which was sent as a Kindle download, by its author, Ryan Asmussen.

Oxford fellow and John Milton expert, Professor Henry Fell, suffers from panic attacks and a gnawing fear that what he doubtfully refers to as his existence is much more out of his control than he realizes.

Newly arrived in Boston on an academic fellowship, Fell meets a variety of people who, in one way or another, expose him to true love, true death, and true poetry: the lovely and sharp-tongued Julia Collins, a Ph.D. candidate struggling to survive in a male-dominated world, fellow Brit Professor Geoffrey Hearne, one of the University’s most popular and colorful lecturers, and the rather less-than-popular, equally British, Professor Christopher Moberley, whose vast bulk contains the darkest of secrets.

A coming of middle-age story, a metaphysical parable, a glimpse into literature from the inside-out, ‘The Englishman and the Butterfly’, is a tragicomic look at the differences between imagining a life, performing one, and becoming enlightened to the possibility that there is more to life than meets a reader’s eye.

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What was the last book you reviewed?

My last published review, was a debut contemporary fiction novel, ‘Olive Branches Don’t Grow On Trees’, an author review request, with a gift copy being provided by its author Grace Mattioli.

You can read a guest post by the author here, and read the book review here.

Imagine you are asked to plan a gathering for a feuding family of six that has not been gathered together in over six years. Add to this the fact that the parents of this family are newly separated and that your own life is falling apart. This is the challenge that befalls twenty-three year old Silvia Greco when she is drafted into helping her mother plan a party for her younger brother’s high school graduation. She takes it on, and in doing so, must negotiate with each member of her family, appealing to their individual needs and interests, in order to get them to go. Through this process, she learns that peace is not something that is easily achieved or freely existing. It is something that needs to be created, cultivated and nurtured. In other words, she learns that “olive branches don’t grow on trees.” Her passion for reuniting her family grows when she realizes this gathering may save them all from devolving into the families that her parents come from- families in which siblings sue and despise one another. Her passion grows more when she realizes the connection between her own restlessness, and her growing up in a house in which peace is nonexistent and fighting is the norm.

This story is filled with insight, humor and lovable, quirky characters. Although they are Italian-American and from New Jersey, they are nothing like the cast of Jersey Shore or The Sopranos. The father, Frank, works as a judge in a local courthouse, and spends his spare time drinking, cooking food that no one eats and maintaining the most perfectly manicured yard in town. The mother, Donna, is a college professor, and is giving single life a go after spending almost all of her adult life with Frank. Angie, the eldest child, married rich and devastated her father by moving from south Jersey to north Jersey, which as far as Frank is concerned, might as well be another planet. Silvia’s older brother, Cosmo, is brilliant and great at everything he does, but is also a classic underachiever. Her younger brother, Vince, is bursting with energy and is on his way to save the world. And then there is Silvia: Energetic, idealistic, and young, striving to bring her family together, while also struggling to settle down and find a career in which she may utilize her artistic talents. She is extremely independent as she can drive across the country and move from place to place alone. She is highly adaptable and does whatever she has to do to get by, whether that be working as a nude model for art schools or a candy store manager at a mall. Last but not least is Grandma Tucci, who Silvia loves fiercely. She has passed away years ago, but remains with Silvia in spirit, almost as if guiding her through her adventures in the lessons of life, love and peace.

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What book review are you working on now?

I am currently polishing up the final draft ready for my review of ‘Blue Monday’ a Christian fiction book and an author review request by its author, M.Thomas Long.