Re-reading books

I recall re-reading my favorite books when I was young.  I got "Gone With The Wind" for my fifteenth birthday and read it over the course of two days, that thousand page sweeping romantic drama stole my heart even more than the movie. The movie is still one of my all-time favorites, but the book is delicious. The story and the emotions it simmered inside of me brought happiness into my life when at times I was unhappy. When I didn't have time for a 1000-page engrossing page turner but wanted to recreate those feelings, I would re-read the last 50 pages or so, and the story would flood in.

So escaping into the book became a regular occurrence during my teen years. On Saturdays, we had to clean the house top to bottom. My room was usually a mess, so I would have a legitimate reason to be in there for hours, but I became really good at shoving my open book under my pillow and racing to look like I was cleaning when my mom came down the hall. Then I would do a little more cleaning and get right back to my book. I wasn't the stereotypical bookworm shown in movie or books, despite my deep love and affection for stories, I was very social.  Years later as an enlightened adult, I realize I'm split between an introvert and an extrovert. In school, I was social and had a group of friends that I spent lots of time with, but then the weekend came, and I loved spending all weekend at home without my friends. I got to recharge. It worried my older motherly sister that I wanted to spend Friday nights in front of the tv watching a movie or reading a book, but I just knew I needed to be by myself.

Now, with five children in my house and an extrovert husband, I need to escape. So sometimes when I don't want to search for a new book to read, I will go back to my favorites. This week I needed an escape from the election aftermath, so I re-read Shatter Me series by Tahereh Mafi, a YA dystopian romance. This is actually the third time to read it since I discovered it in June.  Want to know what I'm reading and what I want to read, then check out my Goodreads account.

Do you have books that you like to re-read?  I realize that many times it's because of the love interest is yummy, the dialog, the hilarity or other things bring me back to these books. Sometimes, like in Outlander, I know the story so well, and I don't care for all the descriptions and other stuff that make it an enormous book I will skip to the sections that just have the dialog or parts with Jaime and Claire.

Books (off the top of my head) that I've read more than twice:

1. Gone With The Wind
2. Pride and Prejudice
3. Emma
4. Shopaholic Series
5. Jane Eyre
6. Villette
7. Outlander
8. Almost all Susan Elizabeth Phillip's books
9. Some of Jill Shalvis' books
10. All of Sophie Kinsella's books (author of Shopaholic and more)
11. Divergent Series
12. Big Girl Panties
13. The Selection Series
14. Shatter Me Series

15. The Swallow (of course but mostly due to editing, though I do love this story)
16. Fifty Shades of Grey Series

Happy reading!

Isabelle

"The Swallow" Reviewed by Sheri Hoyte for Reader Views (09/16)

The Swallow
Isabelle Joshua
CreateSpace (2016)
ISBN 9781530520275
Reviewed by Sheri Hoyte for Reader Views (09/16)

“The Swallow” is the first book in the Caged Beauty Series, and the debut novel by author Isabelle Joshua.

Special Agent Kathryn Bryant was tricked and coerced into working for the NSA by her ex-boyfriend, Evan, who is now her boss. Espionage isn’t all it’s cracked up to be, and after one too many missions extracting sensitive data from disgusting lowlifes, Kathryn vows to make an escape, and begins careful deliberation of her secret exit to her new life. One more mission, that’s what she keeps telling herself, but her latest target, Alex, is unlike any she has ever known. After spending a week with Alex, Kathryn realizes that he is the perfect person to help her escape, but how can she convince him, and will she sacrifice the mission in the process?

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Thoroughly. A bit of espionage, a bit of intrigue, a bit of romance – what’s not to like? The writing is straightforward, deliberate, and often brash, pulling the reader deeply into the story, either through a glimpse into Kathryn’s innermost thoughts or through the witty dialogue between the characters.

Ranking closely second to the writing style, are the delightful characters created by Ms. Joshua. Kathryn is a strong female lead, confident and sexy, down to earth and playful, but also mean, and sometimes nasty, especially in the second half of the book. Alex is every woman’s dream guy – thoughtful, caring, gorgeous, sensitive, strong, manly, and forgiving, almost to a fault - I could go on, but you get the idea. I felt like a fly on the wall watching their relationship develop, and the sex scenes – the perfect mix of romance and steam - sultry, inviting, and hot, without being sappy, insulting, or slutty. The supporting characters are genuine and create a nice balance, aiding the protagonists through a steadily moving plot.

I don’t usually do this, as I believe in the old adage of not judging a book by its cover and all, but I have to add that in addition to a fantastic story, the book cover is quite exquisite – simple, yet beautiful, clean and enticing.

“The Swallow” by Isabelle Joshua is a creative, intriguing story, and sets a solid foundation for a spectacular series, a bit different from anything currently on the market. That said, I was disappointed to learn that there is only one more book in the series, scheduled for production in 2017. Overall, I highly recommend this book and look forward to the upcoming conclusion, “The Bluebird.” One can always hope Joshua’s fans can change her mind by urging her to continue this incredible series!

To purchase "The Swallow" click here.

Reviews of THE SWALLOW

Advanced Reader's comments:
"While Isabelle Joshua is a new author to me, The Swallow, was a delightful, refreshing and passionate novel, which weaved us through spy intrigue, lies, deceit, and intimacy of immediate and lasting love with unexpected twists. Isabelle has a real gift to encourage the reader to continue reading with vivid descriptions of places, physical appearances, and feelings of sorrow, frustrations, and deep love. This is quite an achievement for a new author and one who I will be following in the future."

"I loved the story and the characters. You had me swooning over Alex and sympathizing with Kathryn. It was an exciting story and you pulled me in right away.... It was a thrilling rollercoaster ride - a great balance of thrills, humor, romance, and drama. I can't believe this is your first novel! There were times I was like, 'oh wait, I'm reading Isabelle's story and not a book I downloaded from Amazon!"
"I thought this was a great book. Nice, quick read. I enjoyed the characters and the way the author told a very interesting love story mixed with intrigue. Very good read and I recommend it." See Goodreads Review.
"I really liked it! I thought your dialogue was especially good (very witty and fun). And what's more is I wanted to know what happened next."

"Suspenseful, intriguing love story."

"Loved it." and gave five stars on Goodreads.

"Just finished it and loved it."
Pre-order today at http://amzn.com/B01BW2N0XI

Read Chapter One of The Swallow free!

Click to read Chapter One: The Swallow

"Suspenseful, intriguing love story."

The Swallow

Caged Beauty Series, Book 1

Isabelle Joshua

NOW Available at Amazon for Pre-order 

This item will be released on March 7, 2016.

  

More is uncovered than the terrorist plans when NSA Special Agent spends the week with her target.

Forced to work for the NSA, sexy Special Agent Kathryn Bryant has one last mission before she escapes. This mission unlike any other she's done. She has to spend the week with the gorgeous target, Alex Reed, without arousing suspicion. She has to get close to him to gain access to the intelligence files. The intel will disclose the network his company developed for major Terrorist groups, but he in the process Alex may be getting too close to her heart.

Coming Soon!

The Swallow

Trying to decide on a cover for the new book...

Please comment with your favorite...

 1

 2

 3

 4

 5

 6

 7

Getting Hot for Your Husband

Need to add a little spice to your sex life with your husband. 

Get the gift of pleasure, a small booklet of tips to rev up your desire.

Available Now!

Amazon.com