Daniel (Robin Merrill) Book Review

2017 Reading Challenge

16. Daniel by Robin Merrill

Synopsis:

Open Door Church has served as a homeless shelter for more than a decade, but when their pastor dies unexpectedly, those who remain struggle to take up the reins to keep the ministry going. And then there’s young Daniel, who seems to be working miracles in their midst, which of course, isn’t possible. Or is it?

My Review:

When a pastor started up a church, he also opened it up as a homeless shelter. Everything was going well for quite awhile, but it's thrown into disarray after the pastor dies suddenly and unexpectedly. Then it becomes a story of survival as there was no one left in charge in the event of his passing. I believe that those who took in the church for shelter had to attend the services, in addition to pitching in around the church as well. Since there was no protocol, they decide to sort of vote on who gets to lead them and it's someone who has been a crucial help to the church, although not homeless. While some good-hearted parishioners attempt to follow in the footsteps of the former pastor, there's a group of men who believe that they are supposed to be in charge and wants to ruin all the hard work put into the church and shelter by turning it into everything that it's not supposed to be.

At the heart of this novel (as it's aptly named after him) is Daniel, a little boy who can perform miracles by healing people. But only those he's supposed to heal. While his mom tries to keep it hidden, his secret comes out and all of a sudden he's supposed to heal everyone. Daniel doesn't know why he has this ability, but he also has a strong faith in God. Since he's only a kid, he can't put up with the pressure. And he's in further deep water when his taking about God and his faith gets them thrown out. Daniel was my favorite character because even though he has this special gift, he's just a sweet kid. He's one of the few people who believe that that church and shelter will go back to what it was supposed to be.

Daniel was definitely a page-turner. I enjoyed getting to know the families and parishioners of the church and shelter. There will be ones you love and ones you just love to hate. 

Happy Reading and Keep on Writing!

~Meg~

A Cat to Die For (Maria Grazia Swan) Book Review

2017 Reading Challenge

15. A Cat to Die For by Maria Grazia Swan
     Topic/Prompt: a book with a cat on the cover

Synopsis:

Mina Calvi's new Furry Friends Foundation is a dream come true for the formerly footloose young woman. Her no-kill shelter rescues and places dogs and cats into new forever homes, and it gives Mina a purpose in life.
But changes are looming on a perfect Sunday afternoon at the Dana Point Marina where she is minding the adoption booth.
A Greek heiress, young, petite and beautiful, shows up on the arm of the love of Mina's life, Diego Moran. And worse, she wants to adopt Mina's calico cat, Houdini. The spoiled woman will not take no for an answer. Why is she so insistent on getting Houdini when she already owns a look-alike cat?
When Houdini is cat-napped, the cat-sitter murdered, and the ransom demand sent to the heiress, Mina has to keep her wits about her to get her beloved cat home safely, and to keep her heart from getting broken again by Diego, who inexplicably pops up at every turn of the unfolding drama.

My Review:

This book is considered to be a cozy mystery, but it's slightly different from other cozy mysteries. 

Mina is an Italian American character, the first that I've really read. She puts her heart into everything she does. She does this moreso for cats and dogs with her no kill shelter for rescues. She goes by the philosophy that every cat and dog that are brought in to her foundation shelter deserves to be placed in a permanent home. However, trouble seems to follow her wherever she goes, no matter her intentions. Whether it's a former love of her life who she can't decide if she wants to risk heartbreak again or when her cat gets kidnapped and the sitter winds up getting murdered. 

The whole storyline or plot with Diego was annoying. With that, Mina just plain got on my nerves. However, the mystery plotline turned into something different than I have ever read before. The ending is one you may not have seen coming. It turns into something like a ploy or scheme.

While this book wasn't necessarily my cup of tea, it is ideal for cat lovers. I did appreciate how Maria stressed the importance of no kill animal shelters, as it needs to be talked about. I don't believe that animals should be put down for overcrowding or whatever reason in shelters.

Happy Reading and Keep on Writing!

~Meg~

The Not So Secret Emails of Coco Pinchard (Robert Bryndza) Book Review

2017 Reading Challenge

14. The Not So Secret Emails of Coco Pinchard by Robert Bryndza
      Topic/Prompt: book by an author from a country you've never visited (United Kingdom)

Synopsis:

Coco Pinchard always dreamed of being a successful writer, but then life got in the way. She married young, had a son, and put her dreams on hold. But now she's 40, and her first novel is about to be published! Her husband Daniel has greyed nicely into a silver fox, and her son Rosencrantz is all grown up. Shouldn't it be time to enjoy life?
That is, until the annual family Christmas when her hideous in-laws come to stay, and Coco opens her gift from Daniel. It's not the jewelry she chose, but an iPhone. This marks the start of Daniel's mid-life crisis and Coco catches him in bed with a younger woman.
The iPhone becomes a confessional, and as Coco's life unravels, she documents her seemingly endless (and often entertaining) run of bad luck through emails to loyal friends Christopher, an ageing trustafarian, and Marika, a slightly alcoholic schoolteacher.
Then Coco meets the hunky Adam and she's back in the world of dating as a single 40-something. Listen to the heart warming and often hilarious tale of Coco picking up the pieces, in this fun, feel-good romantic comedy.

My Review:
This story was told in a one sided email format. It does work once you get used to the style. It's also easier once you get to know the characters - because of the format, the characters aren't really introduced like normal as they are the recipients of the emails. It does take a little while to figure them out, but once you know who's who, it's much easier to follow along. There's one other thing that threw me for a loop and that would be the British humor. I am in no way knocking British humor; it is just that I am not accustomed to it. 

Coco tells all of her bad luck through a collection of emails to her friends and son. It's her way of venting about those times when life doesn't always go the way we want it to. No matter how her luck may be, she powers through with humor and the support of her friends. It may come off as whiny at first, but who doesn't complain like that when bad things happen to us. However, Coco becomes a prime example of how to handle whatever comes her way by complaining about it for a bit, but then moves on from it and fights her way through it. 

While I did like the email format, as I usually don't read this style, the story lacked the zest that I look for in a book. It was good, but not great. The best thing that I can say about this book is that it is like a romantic comedy without the predictable outcome.

Happy Reading and Keep on Writing!

~Meg~