Beyond the Tides // Book Review

Hi friends! I know, I know, I'm supposed to be taking a hiatus at the moment, but I wanted to pop on real quick and share a book review! 

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About the book: 

"When Meg Whitaker's father decides to sell the family's lobster-fishing business to her high school nemesis, she sets out to prove she should inherit it instead. Though she's never had any interest in running the small fleet--or even getting on a boat due to her persistent seasickness--she can't stand to see Oliver Ross take over. Not when he ruined her dreams for a science scholarship and an Ivy League education ten years ago.

Oliver isn't proud of what he did back then. Angry and broken by his father walking out on his family, he lashed out at Meg--an innocent bystander. But owning a respected fishing fleet on Prince Edward Island is the opportunity of a lifetime, and he's not about to walk away just because Meg wants him to.

Meg's father has the perfect solution: Oliver and Meg must work the business together, and at the end of the season, he'll decide who gets it. Along the way, they may discover that their stories are more similar than they thought . . . and their dreams aren't what they expected.

Bestselling author Liz Johnson invites you back to Prince Edward Island for a brand-new series about family, forgiveness, and the kind of love that heals all wounds."

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My Review: 

⭑⭑⭑⭒⭒

After reading Prince Edward Island Dreams when I was younger and loving the trilogy, I was looking forward to another book by Liz Johnson. However, I may have set my expectations just a little too high. Despite some reasons for docking the star rating... this book was a light, fun, and a charming story about leaving the past in the past and savoring each moment as if it were your last.

On a side note: I thought it was super cute that the author dedicated the book to her father. Meg's father in the book played an important roll and he may have been one of my favorite characters in this book. So naturally, I thought it was sweet for the author to dedicate the book to her dad. 

Okay, back to the review. The setting was fun, I love learning about new places and lobster fishing was a career I'd never read about in fiction before! I also really like the cover (all the blue!!!) Basically, this book felt like I was watching a Hallmark... this is a good thing and a bad thing. For contemporary fiction, I find it's hard to pull in the deep themes and descriptive writing style that I'm drawn to in historical fiction. That being said, this book had a good message but I just couldn't get into it very well. I think it's one of those books that would be great for a beach vacation, something to read when you're in the mood for a lighter story. 

Meg Whitaker. From the very first chapter, she wasn't my cup of tea. It's hard when you can't relate with the main characters and there was something about Meg that had me shaking my head. I wish her character would have grown towards the end. Her behavior was immature and her stubbornness made her come across as less intelligent than she was. I did appreciate it when she took some time to spend with her mom and that was sweet. As a reader, I could see she really wanted to do the right thing, but she got hung up on the slightest details and a silly high school dramafied past that she easily missed what really mattered (and what was right in front of her!) 

Oliver Ross. I really wanted to like this guy. His story had a lot more depth to it and I was interested to see how things turned out for his family. Also, middle kids unite! However, the more I saw how he carried himself, the more he lost my respect. Their romance was over the top and eye roll worthy at moments (hehe, back to the Hallmark vibe). It was just annoying to be honest. 

Side Characters. I liked the side characters in this book way more than the main characters! I loved how quirky Kyle was and how wise Meg's dad was. I also thought Mama Potts needed more of a spotlight cause her character rocked! And Violet was also a sweet character (that teaser chapter at the back got me excited about her own book!)

Final thoughts: Other than the fact that the characters rubbed me the wrong way, and the plot was almost nonexistent, I did find this book to be a fun summer-y read and I could almost feel the salt water and hear the seagulls! I'd recommend this book if you are the type of reader to enjoy a contemporary romance with a fun tourist setting. 

*All thoughts are my own. Thank you Revell Reads for a complementary copy! 

What's a summer-y book that you've read this year? 

Comment below with your favorite Christian contemporary book! 

Many Blessings, 

Brooklyne Elysse

---Hiatus Notice---

 

To my blog readers, 

Summer is almost over and I feel myself getting wrapped up in the excitement of new seasons & adventures. I'm learning to live in the moment and I've made so many awesome memories so far this summer. Math class has kept me busy this summer but I’ve also been learning new skills like how to do digital art. I’ve also been trying to find time to write a piece of nonfiction that's close to my heart, and spending time with my family! 

Blogging is always a fun outlet for me, but unfortunately, I've had so many other projects going on that I haven't had much time to devote to actually writing content for y'all. So, it's time for me to step back for a couple weeks. I'm hoping to start blogging again end of September... maybe early October. 

Until then, know that you're all in my thoughts and prayers. I hope you have an awesome rest of your summer. 

(Want some advice? Go eat some ice cream & take a trip to the beach!)

Life is a grand adventure, I hope you enjoy the ride! <3 

P.S. I will be interrupting this hiatus for an occasional book review so keep your eye out for that! I’m really loving being apart of Revell reads blogger review team! XD

Many Blessings, 

Brooklyne Elysse

The Chase // Book Review

It's time for another book review! This is my fourth book that I've gotten through the Revell Reads blogger reviewer program! 

Back of the book blurb:

US Marshal Madison James may not be sure who shot her three months ago, but she does know one thing--it's time to get back out into the field. When her partner, Jonas Quinn, receives a message that a federal warrant just came in on a man connected to a string of bank robberies, Madison jumps at the chance to get back to work. What she and Jonas find is a bank robbery in progress that's gone wrong--and things are about to get worse.

For these bank robbers, it's never been just about the money. It's about taking risks and adrenaline rushes, and getting caught is not part of the game. When the suspects escape, Madison and Jonas must hunt them down and bring them to justice before someone else--someone close to them--gets hurt . . . or worse.

From Seattle to the San Juan Islands, bestselling author Lisa Harris takes you on a nonstop chase where feelings are complicated and failure isn't an option. 

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My Review: 

3.5 star! 

The Chase was a suspenseful guessing-game read that was full of exciting plot twists and characters that continued to grow in their personal walks. 

I liked the plot for the fugitives on book two better than I liked the storyline for the fugitive in book one but I also found that book one had more fast-paced moments. The Chase had more heart-to-heart conversations and the partners did a lot of checking in with each other to see how they were doing. I loved continuing their story (and even the side storyline with Madison's family!) 

One thing that kind of bothered me was the fact that the book took place over a very short time span. I'm pretty sure it was 3 days. The first day of her back on the job after recovering from the cliffhanger of book 1, lasted throughout the first half of the book. One day. And so much happened... 

Jonas Quinn. He's a pretty solid guy and one that is supposed to be well qualified for the job. Yet somehow he gets himself in situations where being the hero doesn't really work out for him. At least he was able to be the "superhero" once (which was pretty heroic!) As much as he was a good character, with a backstory more so in this book, the book series has a main focus on Madison. And the true mystery is solving her husbands murder. 

Madison James. I really like her character. She's funny here and there and she doesn't let her guard down even if she's got a lot going on. She's not perfect though, and the readers get glimpses into a more vulnerable character. She's also quick on her feet and the two US Marshals make a great team because they each think for themselves. She wasn't afraid to voice her opinions even if they differed from his (and vise versa.) Madison is also a nice one to have around if you ever crave pancakes while deserted on a island! XD 

The bank robbery plot was done well but I would have liked to see more of a "wow" ending for that particular plot line. However, like the first book, the cat-and-mouse chase that took up most of the book ends more abruptly than you'd think and the real mystery is Luke's death.

Overall, this book gave me more and more clues for the "big" mystery and I can't wait to read book 3 in this series when it releases next year! 

What is your current read? Do you ever venture into the suspense genre? If so, what was the last book that kept you at the edge of your seat? Comment below!

Many Blessings, 

Brooklyne Elysse 

Impromptu Bookstore Photo Shoot

*inserts pretty blog graphic* I really wanted to make a nice graphic for this blog post, but my internet wasn't cooperating so... 

^^Here's a makeshift graphic that will have to work in a pinch!

For today's post, I'll be sharing some epic & awesome photos from early July when REBEKAH came to visit!!! We had a absolute blast together and one of my highlights was spending 3 hours in a super grand bookstore! While we were there, we took a impromptu photo shoot that was so fun and had us laughing (and people staring)! Hope you enjoy seeing some of the picture we took together! 

^^ My book haul!

^^ We cute.

^^So many books to carry around when we were semi lost... XD

^^Selfie time

^^You can't buy happiness, but you CAN buy books! *winks* 

^^Twins! (also, sadly this was the only Sarah Sundin book we could find!)

^^Two story bookstore, talk abt #goals!!

^^A fun one. 

^^A cool one. *sunglasses* 

^^*waits for 10 seconds* Self timer camera!

^^Bookish besties!

^^"What am I doing with my leg?" ;)

^^Bookworms dream!

^^Too many choices! 

^^We could have pulled a all nighter here!

^^For those of you who think that introverts are boring, maybe you just haven't seen us get all giddy in a two story bookstore with a iPhone camera at out disposal! 

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Things I learned: 

Don't forget to stop for lunch, time literally flies when you're having so much fun. 

CHECK your receipt BEFORE you leave the store. 

Just don't even try to budget... sometimes you have to take advantage of the deals! 

Shopping with a fellow bookworm is way better than having your fam wait around while you ooh and ahh over book covers. 

Lastly, step outside of your comfort zone and you'll surprise yourself with how much fun it can be!

Have you ever done a bookstore photo shoot??? 100% recommend it, so much FUNNN! 

Many Blessings, 

Brooklyne Elysse