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Love, Sam by Linda Rettstatt

Trish Garrity has to find a way to go on after the tragic loss of Samantha Preston, her partner of six years. Facing death, Sam writes twelve letters—one to be opened on the first of each of the twelve months following her death—intended to help Trish become more self-accepting and to guide her through grief.

Sam's plans for Trish, including a pre-paid trip to Arizona to visit a native Hopi friend of Sam's, push Trish to not only come to terms with Sam's death, but to come to terms with herself and to embrace the future.

Trish is suffering with the a deep sense of loss after Sam dies and she refuses to let go and move on with her life. Her character is exactly how I would feel after the loss of a loved one. With Sam's letters to Trish, she's forced to start living, even if to just say that she did the things Sam wanted her to do. Sam's character knew what a hard time Trish would have and in a last selfless act, wrote 12 letters. One letter for each month, in hopes that Trish would move on knowing that Sam would always be with her. Trish's character is taken on a whirlwind of self discovery. With believable characters and very real emotions, I actually found myself crying and smiling simultaneously. I was absolutely absorbed in the book and was flipping the pages just as fast as I could. With a very emotional beginning, this is a book that explores every emotion there is. There is nothing I can say that will do justice to this book. The reader will feel love, anger, loss, peace, and betrayal just to name a few. Dealing with death is always a draining experience and Love, Sam gives the reader a small glimpse into a world filled with the process of grieving.

Linda Rettstatt has done an exceptional job in bringing forth the emotions evoked in Love, Sam. I enjoyed the twist in the book. You sure won't see it coming and it gives you that Aha moment where everything makes sense. I love the writing style in this book, in particular, Ms. Rettstatt had me looking forward to reading the letters each month from Sam. I look forward to reading more of Ms. Rettsatt's work. If you are looking for a deeply emotional read that will let you escape for a while, then Love, Sam is the book for you. When you finish reading this book, it will leave you grateful for the people you have in your life. Amazing book!

Charade of Hearts by Sharon A. Donovan

Jewel of the Night Series

While scuba diving off the coast of Diamond Head with her diving partner on a quest to find a family heirloom, underwater photographer Dominique St. John witnesses his brutal murder and photographs it, ensnaring her in a deadly jewel ring. Then when the investigating officer turns out to be her partner’s identical twin, a man she knew nothing about, her life becomes a Charade of Hearts.

Welcome to the world of greed, intrigue, deception and murder. At its core is a blue diamond worth millions.

Dominique's character was very engaging and I couldn't help but fall in love with her. To a point, she was naive when it came to Roberto but she was also very determined to get a part of her mother back. In the beginning I wanted to believe that Roberto did no wrong. He was charming, sexy and driven to help Dominique find the her mother's necklace. As the story unfolds, I saw just how wrong that assumption was and just how opposite his twin, Oliver really was. I've never read a story about the main character being an underwater photographer and I found it to be a refreshing change. I love being taken places I've never been and shown occupations I've never experienced. The imagery was outstanding. My heart felt heavy when Dominique was underwater imagining all that her mother must have gone through when she died. Oliver's character was the perfect kind of hero. Sexy with issues to overcome, extremely smart, and fiercely protective of Dominique, Oliver is the good twin that is easy to fall in love with.

I love to read Sharon A. Donovan's work for two reasons. First, I know it's going to be a solid piece of work and second, with each new book, it's even better than the last. I enjoy watching an author grow in their work and Ms. Donovan is definitely perfecting her craft. Charade of Hearts is a fast paced, edge of your seat romance laced with twists and turns along the way. The action scenes throughout this book will literally find you catching your breath. Ms. Donovan has a gift when it comes to writing a very descriptive novel which pulls me in every time. I get lost in her work and look forward to each new book. As for Charade of Hearts, you don't want to miss this book. Ms. Donovan has written a tantalizing read that will keep you on your toes. If you love tropical locations, good vs. evil and a sweet romantic suspense, Charade of Hearts is the book for you.

Buy Charade of Hearts here