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I really enjoyed it.It's a classic story of learning to let go of the past to embrace new beginnings and possibilities, but at the same time it was just so...different. I really loved the New Mexico setting - reading about the place makes me want to go there :-)
3.5 stars
This was such a fantastic read! Loved each and every character, very realistic scenarios. Every now and then i stumble upon a book that not only touches me but is able to teach me something as well. This is certainly one of those that i will be thinking about for some time.Update:Six years later and this book taught me some lessons I had forgotten. Even if you're scared to be hurt again, don't hide away. Try to the things you've been putting off; so years later you don't lament about wasted year...
I picked up this book on a sale table in Johannesburg. I liked the picture on the front of the girl staring at the faraway mountains. The synopsis sounded good. I have read this book several times now and I'm amazed by it. I'm not actually sure why. The story is good, the setting seems lovely. So different from where I am and I enjoy reading about different places. But there is something about the characters in this book that is real. Not easy lives; not the best choices. Alcoholism, broken fami...
I really liked this book a lot. It is full of love and as I read parts of it I could seeethe colors as they are described by Luna. Almost smell the food as she talked about it, I love the closeness of the family. I felt the pull of loneliness as Luna suffered in her past. I felt sorrow when Abuelita saw her house burn down. Built something so good came from her losing her house. Within this beautiful book are so many stories as they come together you will go through emotions with the characters
This story set in Taos, NM, is about Luna McGraw (and her family) as well as her new relationship with Thomas Coyote (who comes with baggage of his own). This is a realistic tale about life with all of its ups & downs with a theme of second chances. I liked that the author appeals to an "active" reader who can delve into each character.Thanks to the Inner Circle for the copy of this book.
A heartfelt and realistic story about griefEverybody makes mistakes in their lives. I think this story shows how bad the mistakes can be, but also that no matter how bad they are you can get over them and move on with your life love story is a little bit too schmaltzy for me, as far as the descriptions of how they feel about one another. But the feeling this schmaltzy descriptions convey is that new love can be overpowering and frightening but also infinitely peaceful because two people can find...
Luna is a recovering alcoholic with 4 years sobriety. After a house fire, her carefully crafted life begins to change. Her daughter come to live with her. Luna stands up to her ex-husband in a way she was never able to do before. She also meets someone she thinks she could love. This is a book that people in recovery could benefit from reading IF they were willing to absorb the lessons that Luna realizes in the book. That is not to say that this is a preachy 'get sober and don't do drugs' story....
I read this under the nom de plume Barbara O'Neal and I'm a huge fan of her work. This book did not disappoint. I identified so much with the characters and I just loved them. Luna's house is also a character in the book with its colorful and artistic decorations. The story between Luna and her mother, and Luna and her daughter, and Luna and her sister were particularly fascinating although I didn't mind the sex scenes either between Luna and Coyote (I know but really it was fun).
Love restoredThis is a beautiful story rich in real relationships and emotions. Linda's life is finally changing her teenage daughter Joy comes back and they begin to work things out. She meets her new love and each struggles with past problems but love wins out. With a rich cast of characters, food, friends and family this is a story with warmth and love.
It is a no-brainer that when you read one of Ms. Samuel's romances, you will find the characters are common folk with all of the appearances, personalities and problems that many of us face today. If you don't already know, I have a soft spot for imperfect characters as long as there are no TSTL moments. That said, if you insist on the most gorgeous heroine and the handsomest hero without angst, then be warned and stay far, far away from this author. ~Just a note: initially she wrote under the n...
When Luna notices her neighbor's New Mexico house burning, she rushes over and saves a very elderly woman the neighborhood kids think is a witch. The old lady has to move in with her grandson who lives nearby. Thomas, like Luna, is middle-aged and has been kicked around a whole bunch, too. Luna is wary, but Thomas falls hard. Their love story develops as Luna learns to trust herself again. She's a family therapist who no longer practices, instead is happily underemployed at a floral department a...
A beautiful book about love and family and life. If you like character driven over plot driven novels you’ll love this one.
First let me say that Barbara Samuel places most of her books in the same part of the country as this - New Mexico or Colorado and it is evident that she knows the area and the different ethnic groups native to the area very well. She is able to bring a distinct voice to each group of very distinct people that inhabit this area in a way that brings the people and the region alive.The plot of this novel, an alcoholic mother who lost her marriage, her child and her career and is slowly rebuilding
I admit that it took me awhile to fall in love with this book, to get fully absorbed, but by the end, I was, indeed in love, and fully satisfied in a very meaningful and deep down way. The book lingered with me for a couple weeks afterward. I kept thinking about it. I agree with what Library Journal said about it in its review, "Samuel has created truly three-dimensional characters, filled with flaws, strengths, and idiosyncrasies. (The reader will never look at Barbie dolls the same way again.)...
This is my third book by Barbara O'Neal, and probably my last. (I also read "The Art of Inheriting Secrets" and "No Place Like Home".) She is a talented writer and writes stories with good characters and substance, but there is just too much sex! Thus, I am now convinced that her books are in that category of lusty romance (or loin burners, as my friend used to say). It's too bad because her plot lines are strong enough to stand on their own, even if she dialed back the lust. I appreciate a good...
Luna McGraw was wounded as a child when her much-loved father left home one day and never returned. She and her younger sister were raised by a loving mother who struggled to provide the material things for her daughters--but the love she provided was deep and constant.An over-achiever, Luna wanted to leave her New Mexico hometown and not look back. She meets an ambitious young man in college, marries him after graduate school and finds herself living in Georgia where social-climbing is importan...
This is a lovely read with a reminder of some life lessons. Set in New Mexico amid vibrant cultural sights,aromas and sounds, a woman struggles with her past mistakes and current struggles with trust and self esteem and forgiveness. Her mother,sister and daughter play large roles in her struggles. The female family dynamic was engaging along with interesting secondary characters.Truly a contemporary romance amid imperfect people.
This is the second of books by this author that I have read. I liked the first one better but this was good. It was 300 pages and took me a couple of days. Parts were slow to get through but it was a good story. About a mother who was a recovering alcoholic, had lost her daughter, but got her back when she was 15 and the rebuilding of their relationship, allowing herself to let a new man in her life. Basically second chances all around. All in all I did enjoy it.
Going to the library today to find another book by Barbara Samuel. She is amazing. Her characters are all so multi-dimensional and real. I loved this book on so many levels. It's a story of relationships, hurts, healings, love lost and found, and lessons learned. I could just read this book over again right now! I fell so in love with the characters and how 'real' they were.