Alice Wisler

Dear Readers,

I have thought about this review for a while now.  I so want to do A Wedding Invitation by Alice Wisler justice, but am having a hard time not just babbling on about the book.  I have almost gotten to the point of saying "just read it, it is a really good book."  but that does not make a good review. :-)

Samantha has some really fond memories of working in the refugee camp in the Philippines and some not so good memories.  The amazing thing is both set of memories involve the same people.  Carson was the guy she worked closely with and thought she was in love with, until he broke her heart.  Lien was a young Amerasian girl that wanted to be liked and loved, but was a little rough around the edges. 

When Sam gets invited to the wedding of a college friend, she is excited to go, but it leads to a very strange weekend.  First, the wedding is the wrong person, and second, it leads to an encounter with Carson that she would rather have never had.  Now she wonders if she will be able to put the past behind her and move forward in love.

I have really enjoy Alice's books.  They don't neatly fit into any one mold.  They are romances and yet that is really not the focus of the book.  They are contemporaries, but are very much an issue driven book.  I also believe that Alice writes with the 20 somethings in mind, but I know that they appeal to many ages. (I am not in the 20 something category  and love them)  So maybe that is why I like them, they are just a bit different.

They do make a wonderful read and I look forward to Alice's next one, which will be out soon

Happy Reading

Alice J. Wisler

Dear Readers,

Sometimes you go on a vacation and you just want to go back to visit all the time. The Outer Banks in North Carolina are like that for me. I have only been there once and yet I want to go back again. It is just one of those places where even though there are lots of houses and people it seems just a bit wild. The ocean was never still while we were there and there were many places that were made for walking and just wandering around in.

Hatteras Girls by Alice J. Wisler is set on the Outer Banks and that in and of itself made for a good read for me. Jackie has two dreams, one is to find a good man and the other is to become the owner of a beloved bed and breakfast that she and her sister used to visit when they were younger.

The Bailey Place is a local landmark, but since the owners moved and then passed away the house has fallen into disrepair. When Jackie meets the grandson and current owner of the Bailey Place she is sure God has started to answer her prayers as the grandson is also single. Maybe both prayers will be answered by one person.
I have liked all of Alice's books that I have read. This is her third one and she is finding her niche in the fiction world. She writes delightful stories that are just nice to read. She is very good about making you want to visit the places she writes about. You will want to meet the characters and become friends. They make for great summer reads all year around.
Happy Reading

Alice Wisler

Dear Readers,

Alice Wisler is very good at writing characters who are very believable. In How Sweet it Is, she writes characters that I could relate to very well. I have never had a car accident as serious as the main character, but the moving and starting over thing... yes.

Deena needs to get out of town. Atlanta is a big city, but the risk of running into Lucas and his new girlfriend is too high.

A grandfather she hardly knows gives her the chance. He leaves his house in Bryson City, NC to her. She sees it as a way to start over and to leave the old behind. There is a catch to the house, she has to teach cooking to middle schoolers. She doesn't want to teach, she wants to hide out and sell cakes. She doesn't want to get involved with anyone and she surely doesn't want to let anyone into her heart again.

This book is about forgiveness, moving on, and letting go. All things that are really easy to tell others to do, but not so easy for ourselves. Deena doesn't find it any easier than we would. She struggles with forgiving Lucas, she is bitter and determined that those unruly kids are not going to wiggle their way into her heart. But mostly she is NOT going to let the social worker, Zack, try to make them a couple.

I really enjoyed this book. It was an easy weekend read. It is light and funny, with a very good message. It is a grand book to read while sitting on the deck enjoying the warm sunshine.

Happy Reading
Chris

Alice J. Wisler

Dear Readers,
A new author is always exciting. I also must say that one that picks out such great covers, well all the better. Rain Song by Alice J. Wiser, is a gentle story of Nicole Michelin finding herself and her mother.

Nicole and her dad flew back from Japan when Nicole is 2 and her mother had been killed in a fire. That is all the information that Nicole knows and her father refuses to tell her more. Nicole has lived with this little bit of knowledge all her life. That one experience of flying, being sick the whole way home, makes her never want to fly again. She has her teaching, her Koi, and her doll that her mother gave her when she was just a baby.

That is why when her life is turned upside down by someone she meets on the internet. He lives in Japan and it turns out he knew her and her family when they lived there. Does Nicole continue to pursure this relationship or does she cut it off before it leads to something she doesn't want to continue? Does she want to know more about her mom? What if her dad kept a secret about her mom she doesn't really want to know? What if...? Is it worth the risk?

This is again a look at family secrets. It is a different in that the secrets didn't really need to be kept. I know there are certian things you can't tell you kids, but why would you not tell your daughter about her mother? I was to say the least a bit frustrated by Nicole's father. I think that is part of Nicole's problems and of course the wacky/normal family adds to the problems.

I did like this book a lot. I found it a story that any of us could live. The characters are normal, lovable and very annoying when they need to be. It is a good story that is fun to read.

Happy Reading