Review: A Homecoming Mantra (The Sood Family, #4) by Sapna Srinivasan

 

He’s a great single dad, but his family decides he needs a new wife…immediately.

No one in the Sood family has divorced—ever. But when successful mystery writer Shaan Sood’s wife cheats, he files. After his ex cuts ties with both him and their daughter, he leaves India to return to his Washington hometown and raise Misha closer to family. Shaan focuses on building a stable and loving home for Misha, but his peace is shattered by his loving family’s insistence that Misha needs a mother. Shaan is done with love, but he’d be lying if he didn’t admit he can’t stop thinking about his beautiful new neighbor.

Riding instructor Claire Wellington is everything Shaan should avoid. She’s kind, intelligent, and interested in helping Misha rebuild her confidence through riding lessons. Misha falls in love with the captivating and adventurous Claire, and Shaan’s heart isn’t far behind.

But Claire has secrets, and Shaan is a man who’s built a career solving mysteries. Can he risk his and his daughter’s hearts once again?

 

My Review:

A sweet heartfelt story.

I have loved the previous books in the Sood Family series and couldn’t wait to get my hands on this one.  As with the other books, there is lots of fun and laughs with the family, but also some more serious issues.  This time we meet best-selling author, Shaan and his daughter, Misha, who have left India and returned to Washington after Shaan and his wife divorce.  Washington is where Shaan was raised and his family live there.  Shaan wanted Misha to know the love of family and learn about their culture from them.  

When Misha’s teacher suggests Shaan find some sort of outlet, for Misha, to help her underlaying issues about her mother, Shaan finds Claire, one of his neighbors who has horses.  Claire agrees to teach Misha how to ride, even though she no longer teaches riding because of something that she recently went through.   Along with teaching Misha to ride, Shaan and Claire form a bond that leads to love.  But when Shaan keeps a secret from Claire, it could ruin their relationship, which would not only break each of their hearts, but it could effect Misha as well.  Shaan will do anything to convince Claire to take him back. Will Shaan, Claire and Misha become the happy family they all want?

 

 

Review: Kiss Me Under the Irish Sky by Karen Foley

 

She’s ready for an enchanting summer on the Irish coast.

Chicago graduate student Rachel Woods is determined to complete her degree and take her place in the family textile business. But when she learns her late father once spent a summer at a traditional weaving mill in Ireland, she decides to follow in his footsteps. Rachel’s a city girl at heart, but soon finds herself falling under the spell of the Emerald Isle—and the charming man who saves her.

Conall McDermott knows all about following your dreams. He left medicine to pursue his love of running and turned that passion into a nationwide retail business. When his local trail leads him to a beautiful American woman trapped in a bog, Conall rescues her and is smitten. She wants to learn about Donegal tweed, and since his family owns the local woolen mill, he happily introduces her to the local weavers, culture, and community.

When the opportunity of a lifetime arises sooner than expected, can Rachel ignore the powerful attraction she and Conall share, or will she let him—and Ireland—weave their magic around her heart?

 

My Review:

Home is where the heart is.

When Rachel Woods traveled to Ireland for an internship at McDermott Mills, she never imagined she would find the man she wanted to spend her life with, Conall McDermott.  Rachel was supposed to be focusing on her goal, to learn all she could about manufacturing tweed and luxury textiles, and then go back to Chicago to work as a designer for her uncle’s company.  Rachel and Conall fell hard for each other in the short time Rachel was there.  Will they be able to continue their relationship, or with they end up heartbroken, when it is time for Rachel to go back home. 

This is such a beautiful and hopeful story.  I loved seeing Rachel and Conall fall in love.  I also enjoyed the setting of the story.  The author wrote with such detail, I felt like I just took a little trip to Ireland along with Rachel.  This is the first in a new book series and I am already anxious to read the next book.

 

Review: The Perfectly Simple Complicated Life of Maggie Halloran by Trish Morey

Maggie Halloran’s life is finally perfect.

For recently retired Maggie Halloran, life in her renovated two-bedroom St. Ives fisherman’s cottage is picture perfect. With her daughter in London and her mother in Penzance, Maggie is free to enjoy the odd sleepover with her boyfriend, Nigel, visit galleries, or do her beloved sudoku.

When Maggie’s reserved mother falls giddily in love, Maggie takes it in stride. At the wedding, Maggie’s daughter, Alice, announces she’s pregnant and needs somewhere to live. Oh, and she has a new puppy, too…

Alice and Maggie have never been close, and Nigel’s allergic to dogs, but blood is thicker than your average Saturday night sleepover. Suddenly Maggie’s humouring her demanding daughter, fielding visits from her nostalgic ex-husband, and accommodating Alice’s baby daddy. And then Maggie’s mother arrives on the doorstep in tears, suitcase in hand, because she’s left her new husband. The only one keeping Maggie sane is Mitch, the builder converting the loft into another bedroom.

Maggie’s three-level terrace is now home to three generations—soon to be four—and her perfectly quiet, drama-free life is gone. The question is…does she want it back?

 

My Review:

I loved everything about this book.

Just when Maggie was enjoying retirement and living a quiet stress-free life in her cottage by the sea, her life suddenly upended.  First, her demanding, single, unemployed, pregnant daughter moves home along with her new puppy.  Then, Maggie’s mother leaves her husband and moves in.  What was once Maggie’s solitude became an overcrowded, noisy place and Maggie was no longer happy there.  Everyone expected Maggie to do everything for them and Maggie was at the end of her rope.  The only saving grace was Mitch, the handyman that Maggie used for renovations for her cottage when she first bought it.  If Maggie can find happiness with Mitch, surely there is a way to find happiness with her family even with the madness going on in her house. 

There is a lot going on in this story, but it didn’t bother me like some books do with a situation like this.  I found the story easy to follow.  I felt sorry for Maggie, but at the same time, I was also cheering her along, especially when she started to put herself first, even if it annoyed her family.  I can’t wait to read the next book in this series.  Hopefully there will be some updates on Maggie, Alice and Daphne.