Aftershocks by Kristine Cayne—When Seattle is struck by a
devastating earthquake, technical rescue firefighter Jamie Caldwell must save
his estranged wife and daughter from the wreckage of a collapsed building. He's
defied the odds hundreds of times, but will his luck finally run out for good? (24, 000 words) Title: Romance in the Rain (A Seattle
Anthology)
Authors: Kristine
Cayne, Dawn Kravagna, Charlotte Russell, Sherri Shaw, Clare Tisdale, Marianne
Stillings
Publisher:
Kristine Cayne
Release Date:
October 15, 2012
Pages: 360
Blurb:
From the pioneer days of Seattle through the smoke-filled clouds of WWII and into
the present, Romance in The Rain takes readers on a journey with four
generations of the strong-willed and passionate Caldwell family. The anthology of six
novellas is a collaboration of the Seattle-based Rainy Day Writers group.
Find more information (including the giveaway) here.
1. The Shell Seekers, by Rosamunde Pilcher I love Pilcher’s descriptions of Cornwall and Scotland, her heartfelt depictions of family relationships, and the feeling of nostalgia that pervades her work. Her books take me away to another time and place.
2. The Three Junes, by Julia Glass National Book Award winner Julia Glass creates wonderfully real characters, complex and full of human imperfection. One of the few books that have made me cry as an adult.
3. The Fault in Our Stars, by John Green There are so many fantastic young adult books being published these days that I had to put one on my list. Green’s subject matter—two teens with terminal illnesses who fall in love–could easily turn maudlin and sentimental in a less skillful writer’s hands. But Green manages to create a story that is as surprisingly funny as it is heartbreaking.
4. I Don’t Know How She Does It: The Life of Kate Reddy, Working Mother, by Allison Pearson This is one of those books that came along at exactly the right time in my life, when I was a young mother struggling with the work-life balance, feeling guilty, overwhelmed, and in need of a good read. Pearson tackles the topic with a light touch, but her observations are spot-on.
5. Atonement, by Ian McEwan McEwan is such a master prose stylist I’d be happy just to read his shopping lists. He also possesses a brilliant satirical eye and fashions tightly structured plots that take the reader in unusual directions.
6. Brideshead Revisited, by Evelyn Waugh A poignant coming-of-age story set in an England of tightly drawn class lines, country manor houses and public school boys that no longer exists. Waugh is generally knows as a satirist, but this book reveals the poet at his core.
7. Teachings on Love, by Thich Naht Hanh Hanh, a Vietnamese Buddhist monk, poet and author, is one of the truly holy men of our age. His words transcend religious and philosophical differences and speak directly to the heart. His deceptively simple teachings provide concrete ways to practice mindfulness and being-in-the-moment during the course of daily life.
8. The Regeneration Trilogy, by Pat Barker This WWI trilogy, a work of fiction, brings the horrors of war to life—not on the battleground so much as in the minds of the soldiers and the psychiatrist, Dr. William Rivers, who treats them. A fascinating trilogy that delves deftly into dark subject matter, providing much food for thought as well as an illuminating history lesson on WWI.
9. Suite Francaise, by Irene Nemirovsky. Set in Paris on the eve of the Nazi occupation during WWII, Nemirovsky’s book opened my eyes to the devastating impact of ordinary people's indifference and ignorance. No less fascinating that her book is Nemirovsky’s own tragic story: A Russian Jew, she fled to France during the Russian Revolution of 1917. In 1942, at the height of a successful writing career and only months after completing this novel, she was deported to the Auschwitz concentration camp, where she died. 10. Freedom, by Jonathan Franzen Franzen ventures into the messy psychological quagmire of the 21st century family with a clear-eyed yet compassionate gaze. He reveals our foibles and weaknesses, splitting open the nuclear family like a ripe fruit to expose the secrets within.
Dawn Kravagna’s Top Ten List of Favorite Authors/Books
I've read a lot of good books in my lifetime, but these are the ones I read more than once.
1. 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea by Jules Verne
2. The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas
3. Seabiscuit by Laura Hillenbrand (Best written nonfiction book I've ever read.)
4. Persuasion by Jane Austen
5. Brimstone by Douglas Preston & Lincoln Child
6. John Carter of Mars by Edgar Rice Burroughs
7. Save The Cat! by Blake Snyder
8. How To Write Killer Fiction by Carolyn Wheat
9. Why Grace Changes Everything by Chuck Smith
10. Christian Liberty by Martin Luther Kristine
Cayne’s Top Ten List of Favorite Authors
1. Cherry Adair – Cherry’s T-FLAC books were the first I read in the romantic suspense genre. From the very first, Kiss & Tell, I was hooked, and I’ve never looked back.
2. Diana Gabaldon – Without a doubt, the Outlander series is my favorite. I’ve reread most of them several times. Her hero, Jamie Fraser, will forever remain a model for my own heroes.
3. J.R. Ward – Who doesn’t love the Warden? I picked up Dark Lover more than four years ago, not expecting to be sucked into the world of The Black Dagger Brotherhood so completely. Like many others, I anxiously await the release of each new book in the series.
4. Sherrilyn Kenyon – I discovered Sherrilyn’s Dark-Hunter books at about the same time as the Warden’s Black DaggerBrother hood books. This is the time when I fell in love with Acheron and the entire paranormal romance genre.
5. Suzanne Brockmann – Suzanne’s Troubleshooter romantic suspense series is another that drew me in. I loved that she explored relationships that crossed boundaries many other authors were/are afraid to pass. Robin and Jules are two of my all-time favorite characters and I hope to write a great M/M romance like theirs someday.
6. Christine Feehan – Christine’s genetically enhanced Ghostwalker series blurred the line between romantic suspense and paranormal romance which opened the door to the new paranormal romantic suspense sub-genre.
7. J.K. Rowling – My oldest son learned to read using books from the Harry Potter series. Needless to say, it became a household staple. We anticipated each new book, and dove into it as soon as it was released. These books gave my son a love of reading and the great prose taught him what good writing is. And for me, they were a lot more fun to read than any other children or YA books we’d come across at the time. I loved every word.
8. Larissa Ione – I love everything Larissa writes, but the series that cinched it for me is her Demonica series. What more could you want out of a paranormal romance than a grand adventure with a rare breed of sex demons?!
9. Lisa Kleypas – Suddenly You and Stranger in My Arms are two of the only historical romance books (besides the Outlander books) that I’ve read more than once. In Suddenly You, I loved the stereotype reversal. The heroine (who is a writer!) is turning thirty and knows she’s now firmly on the shelf. Seeking to hire a man to rid her of her virgin status, she consults a Madam, who unknown to the heroine, sets her up with a publisher friend. Mistaken identities and romance ensues. The twist? The hero is five years younger than the heroine.
10. Delilah Marvelle – Have you read Delilah’s Scandal series? It’s truly ground-breaking in terms of historical romance. Each hero in this series suffers from some sexual dysfunction. The books are sometimes dark as they delve into the causes of the dysfunctions. But they are also heartwarming love stories, where the heroes meet the women who accept them as they are. And when the men desire it, the women help them work through their issues.
There will hopefully be a review of this later on today. I am still reading it.
Update--my review is now posted. Read it here.
I have got to read this!! Thanks for review Ruth!
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for hosting us today. Good luck to everyone who enters the giveaways!
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