Version:1.0 StartHTML:000000211 EndHTML:000025744 StartFragment:000023394 EndFragment:000025682 StartSelection:000023646 EndSelection:000025682 SourceURL:https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2047378037 Goodreads | Arlena Dean (Broken Arrow, OK)’s review of Until Ray: Book 1 of the Until Ray Trilogy // <![CDATA[ var ue_t0=window.ue_t0||+new Date(); // ]]> // <![CDATA[ (function(e){var c=e;var a=c.ue||{};a.main_scope="mainscopecsm";a.q=[];a.t0=c.ue_t0||+new Date();a.d=g;function g(h){return +new Date()-(h?0:a.t0)}function d(h){return function(){a.q.push({n:h,a:arguments,t:a.d()})}}function b(m,l,h,j,i){var k={m:m,f:l,l:h,c:""+j,err:i,fromOnError:1,args:arguments};c.ueLogError(k);return false}b.skipTrace=1;e.onerror=b;function f(){c.uex("ld")}if(e.addEventListener){e.addEventListener("load",f,false)}else{if(e.attachEvent){e.attachEvent("onload",f)}}a.tag=d("tag");a.log=d("log");a.reset=d("rst");c.ue_csm=c;c.ue=a;c.ueLogError=d("err");c.ues=d("ues");c.uet=d("uet");c.uex=d("uex");c.uet("ue")})(window);(function(e,d){var a=e.ue||{};function c(g){if(!g){return}var f=d.head||d.getElementsByTagName("head")[0]||d.documentElement,h=d.createElement("script");h.async="async";h.src=g;f.insertBefore(h,f.firstChild)}function b(){var k=e.ue_cdn||"z-ecx.images-amazon.com",g=e.ue_cdns||"images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com",j="/images/G/01/csminstrumentation/",h=e.ue_file||"ue-full-11e51f253e8ad9d145f4ed644b40f692._V1_.js",f,i;if(h.indexOf("NSTRUMENTATION_FIL")>=0){return}if("ue_https" in e){f=e.ue_https}else{f=e.location&&e.location.protocol=="https:"?1:0}i=f?"https://":"http://";i+=f?g:k;i+=j;i+=h;c(i)}if(!e.ue_inline){if(a.loadUEFull){a.loadUEFull()}else{b()}}a.uels=c;e.ue=a})(window,document); if (window.ue && window.ue.tag) { window.ue.tag('review:show:signed_in', ue.main_scope);window.ue.tag('review:show:signed_in:desktop', ue.main_scope); } // ]]> // <![CDATA[ if (window.Mobvious === undefined) { window.Mobvious = {}; } window.Mobvious.device_type = 'desktop'; // ]]> // <![CDATA[ WebFont.load({ classes: false, custom: { families: ["Lato:n4,n7,i4", "Merriweather:n4,n7,i4"], urls: ["https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/gr/fonts-e256f84093cc13b27f5b82343398031a.css"] } }); // ]]> <!-- [if lte IE 9]> <![endif]--> <!-- [if lt IE 9]> <![endif]--> <!-- [if lt IE 8]> <![endif]--> <!-- [if gte IE 8]><!--> <!--<![endif]--> // <![CDATA[ var googletag = googletag || {}; googletag.cmd = googletag.cmd || []; (function() { var gads = document.createElement("script"); gads.async = true; gads.type = "text/javascript"; var useSSL = "https:" == document.location.protocol; gads.src = (useSSL ? 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Title: The Help

Author: Kathryn Stockett

Original Published Date: 2009

Pages: 403

Edition Language: Danish

Format: Hardback

Category: Historical Fiction, Cultural, Book Club,

Summary: (from Goodreads) Aibileen is a black maid in 1962 Jackson, Mississippi, who's always taken orders quietly, but lately she's unable to hold her bitterness back. Her friend Minny has never held her tongue but now must somehow keep secrets about her employer that leave her speechless. White socialite Skeeter just graduated college. She's full of ambition, but without a husband, she's considered a failure. Together, these seemingly different women join together to write a tell-all book about work as a black maid in the South, that could forever alter their destinies and the life of a small town...

Review: We've all tried it. There is being a big fuss about a book - everyone recommends it to you, but of some unknown reason you really don't want to read it. When you finally read it you can either A) for some unknown reason be right about your intuition and hate it. Or B) Have your mind blown away because... Oh... MY GOD!

Guess which option I had? Yes, option B! Oh my God that was a good book. Not a favorite, which recalls I know I want to reread it again a lot - no, this is a book you read one time and maybe another after 10 years, but do not believe it makes it any less good!

Some books are just some you only read once, but have all the qualities the favorites have except the need to read it again.

The Help was one of the most exciting, well-worked, charismatic, realistic, heart-warming, well-written book I have read.

Aibileen, Minny and Miss Skeeter are all wonderful main characters and have all very different personalities. Minny being the stereotype of a sassy Afro-american woman. Aibileen being down-to-earth and wise. And then there is Miss Skeeter. Unlike Aibileen and Minny she is white. Unlike the other white women she is single, educated and rebellious. As a contrast to Miss Skeeter we have Miss Hilly - the antagonist in this book. She is a typical stereotype of a Southern white woman - in the bad way. 

I loved every character, even Miss Hilly because she is so annoying and awful in a great way. I love hating her! My favorite character are Aibileen. I believe she has the biggest heart in the whole book. And I love what is going on her mind. She is one of those characters who have no fault and it is not annoying, because at the same time she is not perfect. She isn't a saint! 

All characters are great, the writing style is simple but great and the plot is great!

I hate not knowing things. I am biiig on spoilers. But this time I forced myself to endure it. And holy moly there are many hints of secrets! There's the secret of what happened to Constantine, Minny's Terrible Awful and the secret of miss Celia. God they annoyed me from not knowing! But that just made it more exciting and the surprises there were throughout the story - brilliant! 

It is a dark topic, but I do not see the book as being dark. On the contrary I found it heart-warming and sad some times (I cried three times!). 

What I really liked was that it wasn't easy for miss Skeeter to write the book. It wasn't like "alright after a month of despair we finally find a way and the book is written within three months! Hallelujah!" It actually took time a realistic amount of time and it took really long time before it started to get smooth and then it didn't anyway. I like that. And I like that things like president Kennedy's death, Martin Luther King's speech and the Space Commander invention (the first wireless remote control) are mentioned in the book, so it feels more real. 

It is rarely I can't pinpoint some bad qualities of a book, but I can't. I had one, but Stockett took care of my problem further in the book. I was like "wauw-great-service". 

Really liked it and loved it. I would recommend it to everyone! I almost wanted to hit my head for not follow others recommendation of it. I feel so stupid now.

Title: Last Chance At Love
Author: Gwynne Forster
Publisher: Harlequin Kimani Arabesque
Reviewed By: Arlena Dean
Rating: 5
Review:

How Much Will She Risk For Love?

"Fired from her prestigious job, journalist Allison Wakefield is now working for a tabloid newspaper, and she's desperate to find a way to get her career back on track. Her new assignment, an explosive story involving mysterious bestselling author Jacob Covington, could be the answer. When Allison first encounters the author while visiting her aunt's home on Idlewild Lake in Michigan, she realizes that Jacob is one subject she wouldn't mind getting to know more intimately….

But as they work side by side during Jacob's book tour, Allison finds herself falling in love—and in a dilemma about what to do. The exposé is her ticket to success, but revealing the truth about Jacob's past as a State Department undercover operative could jeopardize his career—and destroy a summer romance that holds the promise of a lifetime of happiness."


What I liked from this read...


This was a wonderful beautiful read that once you start you will find it hard to put down until he very end. The two main characters Allison Wakefield and Jacob Covington were quite a interesting
pair and being put together whether it was wanted or not was really fascinating to read.
Allison had a job that meant that she had to do what she had to do to get the story and not let no one, not very Jacob Covington stop her from getting what she needed for this story about which was about 'him.' Jacob on the other hand was a very private person that was determined that there were some things in his life he wanted kept that way. With Allison having been fired earlier from a prestigious journalist job due to the fact she hadn't done her job well she was determine that that would not be the case in this job even if that meant that she had to become a under cover sleuth to find more out about Jacob. It was really intriguing when Allison had to make a decision that could cost her happiness. What will she decide to do? How will this dilemma play out? To find these answers pick up "Last Chance at Love" to see how this author will bring it all out to the reader. I found "Last Chance at Love" a wonderful entertaining love story that will give you some food for thought in this well written novel by a wonderful author. Would I recommend? YES!

Title:  Till You Come Back To Me

Author:  Chicki Brown

Publisher:  C.B.

Series:  The Stafford Brothers Series Book 2

Reviewed By:  Arlena Dean

Rating: 5

Review:

"Till You Come Back To Me" by Chicki Brown...

What was this novel about?

"Atlanta plastic surgeon Charles Stafford is giving up his successful practice to volunteer his services in Nigeria with a medical organization. Even though he’s excited about this major career move, he has no idea how much his life is about to change.

Nurse Adanna Okoro is one of the six medical professionals working at a small village hospital thirty minutes outside of Lagos, Nigeria. She loves her job and is devoted to the people she serves. When the hospital is notified that it has been chosen to host a team of foreign doctors, Adanna meets the man she has always dreamed of."

What I like about this novel...

This novel was a sweet romance featuring Charles Stafford and Nurse Adanna Okoro. This was the second one of the Stafford brothers and I did found the read definitely somewhat different from the first series. It was interesting in seeing some of the family drama that did go on in  each of the families of Charles and Adanna and seeing how they go through it all  is really amazing by the end of the story.  Charles is finding is professional fulfillment after he starts working in Africa and meeting Adanna who was a nurse .  This author really presents us a well written story of bringing these two together and I will stop here and say you must pick up the good read to see for yourself how it all comes out.

What I also loved about this read.....

The author really presented  to the reader some excellent knowledge of the Nigerian culture and their politics.  I loved the interest  taken with baby Chichi.  This Doctors Without Borders was quite interesting group of Doctors. 

Overall impression....

"Till You Come Back To Me" was a very easy nice pace read  that was very understandable, along with it being entertaining that will keep your attention.  It  was a good follow up from the first series  featuring a  Stafford brother Marc... with this series being of Charles.  That only leaves me to say  I will be waiting  for the next series featuring Greg Stafford in 'Don't Stop Till You Get Enough.'