This OR That Giveaway № 126 ~ The Sunday Potluck Club by Melissa Storm OR The Year Everything Changed by Georgia Bockoven #TheSundayPotluckClub #TheYearEverythingChanged

  

I have sooooo many books!

The This or That Giveaway! feature that I post every Saturday is a way for me to cull my collection and to share some of the many books I have. I get to clear off some of my shelves to make room for more books and give someone else the chance to enjoy these treasures.

Good luck and be sure to stop back next week!

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The Sunday Potluck Club

by Melissa Storm

Paperback ~ Published March 2020

New friends can be found in unexpected places. For Bridget and Amy, that place was the cancer ward of an Anchorage hospital. Now, as each struggles to overcome loss, they lean on each other for support—sharing suppers, laughter and tears.

Bridget and Amy aren’t about to let hardship knock them down—Bridget plans to return to her veterinarian school studies, Amy to her position as a second-grade teacher—but neither feels quite ready. And so the Sunday Potluck Club is born, a way for Bridget, Amy, and other women who have lost a loved one to find solace and understanding. Savoring favorite dishes while sharing memories and the comfort of connection, the members of the Sunday Potluck Club nourish body and soul.

As weeks go by and the group grows in unforeseen ways, both Bridget and Amy are inspired to find greater purpose. Amy reaches out to a student whose father bravely faces his own struggle. Bridget volunteers at the local animal shelter, rehabilitating dogs whose unconditional love will bring others a chance to heal. And with the help of a very special man, Amy is realizing that there’s always room at the table for love and rekindled joy.

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The Year Everything Changed

by Georgia Bockoven

Paperback ~ Published August 2011

“Bockoven is magic.”—Catherine Coulter 

Four sisters who never knew their father—or each other—come together around his deathbed and learn what it means to be a family in The Year Everything Changed , a magnificent novel brimming with heart and feeling from author Georgia Bockoven. The bestselling, award-winning writer who enthralled readers with The Beach House and Another Summer returns with a masterful work of contemporary women’s fiction that fans of Jodi Picoult and Marian Keyes will read, share, and remember for years to come.

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Drop your answer in the comments and enter the rafflecopter giveaway!

What is your Food "Birthstone" and how do you feel about it?

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This OR That #Giveaway № 77 ~ The Beach House by Georgia Bockoven OR The Weird Sisters by Eleanor Brown #TheBeachHouse #TheWeirdSisters

 

I have sooooo many books!

The This or That Giveaway! feature that I post every Saturday is a way for me to cull my collection and to share some of the many books I have. I get to clear off some of my shelves to make room for more books and give someone else the chance to enjoy these treasures.

Good luck and be sure to stop back next week!

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The Beach House

(The Beach House #1)

by Georgia Bockoven

Mass Market Paperback ~ Published July 1997

The beach house is a peaceful haven, a place to escape everyday problems. Here, three families find their feelings intensified and their lives transformed each summer.

When thirty-year-old Julia, mourning the death of her husband, decides to sell the Santa Cruz beach house they owned together, she sets in motion a final summer that will change the lives of all the families who rent it year after year. Teenaged Chris discovers the bittersweet joy of first love. Maggie and Joe, married sixty-five years, courageously face a separation that even their devotion cannot prevent. The married woman Peter yearns for suddenly comes within his reach. And Julia ultimately finds the strength to rebuild her life—something she once thought impossible.

With equal measures of heartbreak and happiness, bestselling author Georgia Bockoven's unforgettable novel tells of the beauty of life and the power of love, and speaks to every woman who has ever clung to a child or loved a man. 

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The Weird Sisters

by Eleanor Brown

Paperback ~ Published February 2012

There is no problem that a library card can't solve. [Love this first line!]

The Andreas family is one of readers. Their father, a renowned Shakespeare professor who speaks almost entirely in verse, has named his three daughters after famous Shakespearean women. When the sisters return to their childhood home, ostensibly to care for their ailing mother, but really to lick their wounds and bury their secrets, they are horrified to find the others there. See, we love each other. We just don't happen to like each other very much. 

But the sisters soon discover that everything they've been running from-one another, their small hometown, and themselves-might offer more than they ever expected. 

Read my thoughts here

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This OR That #Giveaway № 63 ~ The Cottage at Firefly Lake by Jen Gilroy OR The Beach House by Georgia Bockoven #TheCottageAtFireflyLake #TheBeachHouse

 

I have sooooo many books!

The This or That Giveaway! feature that I post every Saturday is a way for me to cull my collection and to share some of the many books I have. I get to clear off some of my shelves to make room for more books and give someone else the chance to enjoy these treasures.

Good luck and be sure to stop back next week!

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The Cottage at Firefly Lake

(Firefly Lake #1)

by Jen Gilroy

Mass Market Paperback ~ Published January 2017

Some mistakes can never be fixed and some secrets never forgiven . . . but some loves can never be forgotten.

Charlotte Gibbs wants nothing more than to put the past behind her, once and for all. But now that she's back at Firefly Lake to sell her mother's cottage, the overwhelming flood of memories reminds her of what she's been missing. Sun-drenched days. Late-night kisses that still shake her to the core. The gentle breeze off the lake, the scent of pine in the air, and the promise of Sean's touch on her skin . . . True, she got her dream job traveling the world. But at what cost?

Sean Carmichael still doesn't know why Charlie disappeared that summer, but after eighteen years, a divorce, and a teenage son he loves more than anything in the world, he's still not over her. All this time and her body still fits against his like a glove. She walked away once when he needed her the most. How can he convince her to stay now?

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The Beach House

(The Beach House #1)

by Georgia Bockoven

Mass Market Paperback ~ Published July 1997

The beach house is a peaceful haven, a place to escape everyday problems. Here, three families find their feelings intensified and their lives transformed each summer.

When thirty-year-old Julia, mourning the death of her husband, decides to sell the Santa Cruz beach house they owned together, she sets in motion a final summer that will change the lives of all the families who rent it year after year. Teenaged Chris discovers the bittersweet joy of first love. Maggie and Joe, married sixty-five years, courageously face a separation that even their devotion cannot prevent. The married woman Peter yearns for suddenly comes within his reach. And Julia ultimately finds the strength to rebuild her life—something she once thought impossible.

With equal measures of heartbreak and happiness, bestselling author Georgia Bockoven's unforgettable novel tells of the beauty of life and the power of love, and speaks to every woman who has ever clung to a child or loved a man. 

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Book Spotlight Giveaway! The Beach House: Coming Home by Georgia Bockoven #TheBeachHouseComingHome

I have sooooo many books! The Book Spotlight Giveaway feature that I post every Saturday is a way for me to clear my shelves and to share some of the many books I have. This feature is a way for my to cull my collection and to give someone else the opportunity to enjoy these treasures.

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This week I have an copy of a great beach read. I read it when it came out in 2017. Read my thoughts here. This is book #4 in The Beach House series. I've read one other one and want to read the rest.  

Good luck and be sure to stop back next week!

The Beach House: Coming Home

The Beach House: Coming Home by Georgia Bockoven
Paperback, 334 pages
Published May 16th 2017 by William Morrow Paperbacks

Bestselling author Georgia Bockoven is at her powerful and emotional peak in this novel perfect for fans of Nancy Thayer and Elin Hilderbrand.

Unlock the door to the beach house…a place where life slows down, people come together, and love is the strongest force of all.

After you’ve given your baby to strangers, what do you say when someone asks if you have children?

Fourteen years ago, Melinda Campbell was fifteen and a half, pregnant and terrified. Desperate to protect her baby from a malicious grandfather and needed at home to take care of her own critically ill father, Melinda makes the most generous, heart-wrenching choice of all: adoption. Now she’s living the successful life her father struggled to give her, but missing her daughter with a longing that shadows every joy.

Jeremy Richmond knows the beach house the way a painter knows his canvas, intimately and focused on detail. His life revolves around his adopted daughter, Shiloh, the girl who’s owned his heart from the moment he first held her as an infant. They were a picture-perfect family until Shiloh was diagnosed with pediatric lupus and Jeremy’s wife walked away.

When Shiloh tells her father she’s tired of fighting her illness and wants to meet her biological mother before it’s too late, Jeremy agrees to find a woman he has no desire to meet.

From the moment Melinda and Jeremy come face-to-face, they realize their worlds will never be the same. Will the beach house that has harbored troubled hearts for decades prove to be the balm they need to heal…?

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On Tour: The Beach House: Coming Home by Georgia Bockoven #TLCBookTours #TheBeachHouseComingHome

The Beach House

The Beach House: Coming Home by Georgia Bockoven
Paperback, 352 pages
Published May 16th 2017 by William Morrow Paperbacks

Bestselling author Georgia Bockoven is at her powerful and emotional peak in this novel perfect for fans of Nancy Thayer and Elin Hilderbrand.

Unlock the door to the beach house…a place where life slows down, people come together, and love is the strongest force of all.

After you’ve given your baby to strangers, what do you say when someone asks if you have children?

Fourteen years ago, Melinda Campbell was fifteen and a half, pregnant and terrified. Desperate to protect her baby from a malicious grandfather and needed at home to take care of her own critically ill father, Melinda makes the most generous, heart-wrenching choice of all: adoption. Now she’s living the successful life her father struggled to give her, but missing her daughter with a longing that shadows every joy.

Jeremy Richmond knows the beach house the way a painter knows his canvas, intimately and focused on detail. His life revolves around his adopted daughter, Shiloh, the girl who’s owned his heart from the moment he first held her as an infant. They were a picture-perfect family until Shiloh was diagnosed with pediatric lupus and Jeremy’s wife walked away.

When Shiloh tells her father she’s tired of fighting her illness and wants to meet her biological mother before it’s too late, Jeremy agrees to find a woman he has no desire to meet.

From the moment Melinda and Jeremy come face-to-face, they realize their worlds will never be the same. Will the beach house that has harbored troubled hearts for decades prove to be the balm they need to heal…?

Purchase Links

HarperCollins | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

(I love to note the first lines of the books I'm reading. First lines can really grab a reader's attention and I love seeing where the author takes the reader after their first lines.)

First line—"El Niño teased the California coast, promising weeks of rain, but delivering enough to keep hope alive."

I love this time of year when all the new beach reads start coming out. I just can't get enough of them. It's like I am taking a vacation myself and the stories are always fabulous!

The Beach House: Coming Home is the perfect beach read this year. It has the requisite beach house, as well as plenty of conflict and emotions. Melinda, Jeremy, and Shiloh have each gone through their own problems and heartache. Can these three wounded, broken people figure out how to make amends and find happiness?

I loved the strength of Melinda as she carries on after losing the love of her life and her baby. She is determined to not lose again. Jeremy has the innate love of a father, doing what he has to, to protect his beloved daughter. And Shiloh is a strong young girl who knows that she wants to meet her mother before it's too late. All three of these characters bring so much to the story and I was rooting for all of them to find happiness.

Gloria Bockoven writes wonderful stories and I know when I start one that I will be carried away on a touching, emotional journey. The Beach House: Coming Home is a book that should definitely be added to your summer TBR list.

I received an ARC copy of The Beach House: Coming Home for the TLC Book Tours in exchange for my honest opinion.

About the author

Georgia was a Army child, who after a successful career as a freelance photo journalist before she turned to fiction writing. Published since 1983, she is an award-winning author whose books have sold more than four million copies worldwide. Her romance novel, A Marriage of Convenience, became a CBS movie in October of 1998 starring Jane Seymour and James Brolin.

Married with John Bockoven, she is the mother of two, and resides in Northern California. When her husband retired from the fire department, she decided to take a break from writing and spend more time together. The result was a nature photography business that is both challenging and filled with creative energy.

Connect with Georgia

Website | Facebook | Goodreads | Amazon

Visit other stops on the tour. 

Tour schedule

Tuesday, May 16th: A Chick Who Reads
Tuesday, May 16th: The Book Bag
Wednesday, May 17th: Time 2 Read
Thursday, May 18th: Into the Hall of Books
Friday, May 19th: Bibliotica
Monday, May 22nd: Diary of a Stay at Home Mom
Tuesday, May 23rd: Back Porchervations
Wednesday, May 24th: Jathan & Heather
Thursday, May 25th: Library of Clean Reads
Monday, May 29th: Kritters Ramblings
Tuesday, May 30th: Dreams, Etc.
Wednesday, May 31st: alyssarossblog
Thursday, June 1st: Tina Says…

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On Tour: Return to the Beach House by Georgia Bockoven and a Giveaway!

Return to the Beach House

Return to the Beach House by Georgia Bockoven

A Beach House novel

Paperback, 384 pages

Published May 13th 2014 by William Morrow Paperbacks

Over the course of one year, in a charming cottage by the sea, eight people will discover love and remembrance, reconciliation and reunion, beginnings and endings in this unforgettable sequel to Georgia Bockoven's The Beach House and Another Summer.

Alison arrives at the beach house in June to spend a month with her restless grandson before he leaves for his first year of college. More than a decade earlier, Alison lost her beloved husband, and has faced life alone ever since. Now she discovers a new life and a possible new love.

August brings together four college friends facing a milestone. During summer's final days, they share laughter, tears, and love—revealing long-held secrets and creating new and even more powerful bonds.

World-class wildlife photographer Matthew and award-winning war photographer Lindsey arrive at the beach house in January, each harboring the very real fear that it will mark the end of their decade-long love affair. Alone in the house's warm peace, they are forced to truly look at who they are and what they want, discovering surprising truths that will change their lives forever.

My thoughts about Return to the Beach House ~~

I just love reading beach stories so when I saw this book, I knew I had to read it. I had no idea it was book #3 of a series. But you know what, it doesn't matter that I didn't read the first 2 books. I enjoyed the stories and my trip to the beach house anyway. It just made me want to go back and read the first books.

Return to the Beach House is really 3 stories involving 8 people during the span of one year. The owner of the beach house rents it out and we get to peek in on the various people who come to spend time at the beach. I love the way the stories are interconnected and how the previous owners are integrated into the story-line.

Georgia writes very well and I felt like I was living at the beach and was totally immersed in everyone's lives. As soon as I was done reading this book, I immediately ordered the first 2 books so that I can go back and really learn the back-story of the beach house and to better understand the characters in this one.

I look forward to any future stories about the beach house that Georgia may write. I would love to go back for a visit with the new tenets who decide to vacation there.

Visit other stops on the tour here.

About the author

Georgia was a Army child, who after a successful career as a freelance photo journalist before she turned to fiction writing. Published since 1983, she is an award-winning author whose books have sold more than four million copies worldwide. Her romance novel, A Marriage of Convenience, became a CBS movie in October of 1998 starring Jane Seymour and James Brolin.

Married with John Bockoven, she is the mother of two, and resides in Northern California. When her husband retired from the fire department, she decided to take a break from writing and spend more time together. The result was a nature photography business that is both challenging and filled with creative energy.

Connect with Georgia

Website | Facebook | Goodreads

Visit other stops on the tour here.

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Be sure to check the sidebar for my current giveaways!