Monday, January 7, 2019

Five Days in Skye

GIVEAWAY

RANDOM RETRO READ DAY!
LAUREANO, CARLA
FIVE DAYS IN SKYE

Hospitality consultant Andrea Sullivan has one last chance to snag a high-profile client or she'll have to kiss her dreams of promotion goodbye. When she's sent to meet Scottish celebrity chef MacDonald on the Isle of Skye, she just wants to finish her work as efficiently as possible. Yet her client is not the opportunistic womanizer he portrays himself to be, and her attraction to him soon dredges up memories she'd rather leaave buried.

For James, renovating the family hotel is a fulfillment of his late father's dreams. When his hired consultant turns out to be beautiful, intelligent, and completely unimpressed by his public persona, he makes it his mission to win her over. He just never expects to fall under her spell.

Soon, both Andrea and James must face the reality that God may have a far different purpose for their lives -- and that five days in Skye will forever change their outlook on life and love.

My Review:

published in 2013
My thanks to my public library for providing me with another amazing retro read!

Whooossshhhh! That's the sound of my pent-up breath releasing in a swoony sigh of satisfaction! I don't think my toes are ever going to uncurl! That Jamie....just thinking about him gives me heart palpitations. So please excuse this romantically-addle-brained review, but once you meet this hero, you'll totally understand. And then we can lounge on our fainting couches and commiserate with each other because Andrea gets the man. :-)

And I'm totally enamored over the setting! I mean, hello, it's Scotland!!!! And the way Laureano writes it has me yearning to hop on a plane and discover it all for myself. Especially a certain celebrity chef of the MacDonald variety. Wistful sigh. Speaking of which -- the first time Andrea and James meet -- sqqquuueaaallll --- snort - guffaw!!!!!! Cutting dialogue. A flirty Scotsman. A 'wickedly sharp tongued' Yank. Talk about the perfect set up for a romance!  (Rats, I'm back to hyperventilating over James again.)

Concentrate, Kav, concentrate. There are other elements that make this novel a fantabulous read! Like...um...Ian, James' brother. "Being in the same room with the MacDonald men was like standing in a demilitarized zone. It seemed safe and cordial until someone got trigger-happy and started sniping."   Sheesh, I just mentioned James again, didn't I? One might think I'm a bit obsessed...and they'd be right!

Love the way the author slowly reveals bits and pieces of back story for both hero and heroine. I fell deeper and deeper into their story as I discovered how past hurts and failures dictated present day actions. My heart broke for Andrea, though the slow reveal of all the particulars sent me into a frenzied rabid-reading snit! So much vulnerability hidden behind the professional businesswoman facade that James is so determined to chip away at. And -- insert euphoric tizzying shiver of delight -- he is so tenderly relentless in his pursuit. Thud....and we're back to talking about James. Again.

I'm trying to figure out a way to talk about the inspirational thread without mentioning you-know-who but since James is the one who gently shares his faith with Andrea, I'm afraid that even this paragraph is going to be about him! "We're all broken. We're only human. Some wounds only God can mend."  There's a beautiful redemption story here which makes this my favourite kind of romance.

My apologies for this exceedingly James-centric review...but if you're in the market for a new 'book boyfriend', Five Days in Skye is a great place to look.

GIVEAWAY OPPORTUNITY:

If you would like a chance to win a copy of Five Days in Skye, leave a comment below or email me at kavluvstoreadATyahooDOTca.  If you add your email to a comment, remember to use AT and DOT instead of @ and . in order to protect yourself from spammers. If you enter the draw via email, please add the title to the subject line so it's easy to spot your entry. Draw will be held and winner announced on Saturday January 12 2019. Offer open to International Readers. Good luck!

53 comments:

  1. LOL! What a wonderfully amusing & well-written review, Kav! You have us all crushing over James and we've never even met him yet. �� I DO have him waiting for me on my Kindle, however, so I guess I need to go introduce myself ASAP. I'll be sure to put in a good word to him about this certain charming Canadian I know. ;-)

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    1. Thanks, Diana! Dust off your fainting couch before you start in on this one....and, goodness, what are you waiting for?!

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    2. Going down my TBR (to be reviewed) IMMEDIATELY list. Will soon be caught up. I AM caught up on my NetGalley reviews...so yay me!! Got a brand new couch BTW so no need to dust! lol

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    3. Such a satisfying feeling -- the catching up of urgent reading!

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  2. Laughing at all your Jamie love, lots of us fall into that group...but then there's Ian! He may have edged James out, you'll just have to read it and compare swoony notes ;)
    So I'm putting on my intrepid reporter hat and giving you the scoop, I first read Five Days in Skye in 2014, then read London Tides in 2015, both published by David C. Cook. The third book, Under Scottish Stars, sister Serena's story was supposed to be published in 2016. I still have it on my amazon book list from way back when. However, Carla changed publishers and went with Tyndale who bought the McDonald trilogy. Really great for her to go with her dream publisher, but not so much for the readers who were anxiously awaiting the final story. I asked on Carla's blog somewhere along the way, she said they are repackaging the series and rereleasing them one a year. So, I have now been waiting since reading Ian's story in 2015 for Serena's story and I don't think Tyndale is publishing it until next year, so a total of FIVE years wait for the third story!

    So how's that for tracking a series? Any other McDonald series lovers out there, waiting and waiting to catch a glimpse of James, Ian and Serena?!I am loyal to a fault to my book families :)

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    1. My apologies to the MacDonald family, I have been misspelling their name for years, lol

      I case you'd like a teaser of London Tides, here's my review from four years ago.
      https://www.amazon.com/gp/customer-reviews/R12QH7K48XR3UM/ref=cm_cr_getr_d_rvw_ttl?ie=UTF8&ASIN=B07KMK3Q3T

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    2. Gasp...Ian edging out James? That isn't possible, is it? Your review has me already nursing some angst for the potential at heartache. (Kav rushes off to check her library and heaves a huge sigh of relief to note that it also carries London Tides. Click hold. Happy dancing.)

      That's interesting intrepid reporting, Tracey. I find it really amazing that another publisher bought the rights to the series and is going to republish so quickly since the originals are still available. Can't comprehend the business sense in that but I'm thrilled to hear Serena gets a story as well!

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    3. Well they signed Carla back in 2016, but didn't republish Five Days until 2018 so there was a bit of a waiting period on the rerelease of book one, the one you'll get at the Library will be David C Cook's version. I can't wait to see what you think of Ian!

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  3. Sounds good, nice review. cheetahthecat1986ATgmailDOTcom

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  4. Oh, such a great book. This was my introduction to Carla Laureano’s fabulous writing. Would love to add this to my home library.
    mindyhoungATmsnDOTcom

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    1. What a fabulous introduction! And yes, you definitely need a copy in your home library. Good luck, Mindy!

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  5. News flash: I had preordered Brunch at Bittersweet Café, book two in the Saturday Night Supper Club series by Carla, for $4.99, it dropped to $3.82 today! If you're a kindle reader that's a super deal for a book that doesn't release until Feb 5th!

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    1. Another piecee of stellar investigative work, Tracey! Thanks for sharing!

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  6. This book sounds great! I've not read anything by Carla Laureano yet, but I've heard good things about her books!

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    1. She's an awesome author, Melissa! Good luck!

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  7. Wonderful review, KAV! The cover is gorgeous!

    psalm103and138atgmaildotcom

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  8. This story sounds so fun with a great cast & setting. Count me in, please!
    turtle6422 at gmail dot com

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  9. As always, a great review! Looking forward to this!
    pbclark(at)netins(dot)net

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  10. Hi Kav, I read this book when it first came out & loved it! It’s definitely on my list of favorite books. Wonderful review! Makes me want to read it again! Someone’s in for a wonderful treat.

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    1. It's definitely the kind of book that begs to be read again!

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  11. Oh I would love to try this one! lattebooks@hotmail.com

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  12. Based on the summary, I would love to read this book. Thanks for the chance!

    bernice-kennedy(at)sbcglobal(dot)net

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  13. This is a terrific review of a book I enjoyed very much. James is included on several book bloggers' "book boyfriend" lists so that is what made me determined to read the book. James will not disappoint!

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    1. Rats -- more people I have to share James with. I thought my only competition was Andrea. :-)

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  14. Hard for us to get to all the books we want to read! Good luck, Kate!

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  15. WOW! After reading your review who would not want to win a copy of this book, not me, I definitely want to win, thank you for the review and the chance to win a copy.

    wfnren at aol dot com

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    1. lol -- I'm kinda of a James MacDonald fan, in case you didn't notice. :-) Good luck, Wendy!

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  16. Sounds like a dream! Love to get my hands on this one! KelliedickesATyahooDOTcom

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    1. Yes -- a dream of a book! Good luck, Kellie!

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  17. OK, Kav, you’ve done it again. These three are going on my TBR. Now the wait to see when they publish the third one! Count me in!
    paulams49ATsbcglobalDOTnet

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    1. Isn't it exciting to discover a new must-read series?! Good luck, Paula!

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  18. Hey! Would love to win! Thank you!
    douglas(dot) emilee(at) yahoo(dot) com

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  19. Oh thanks for the reminder that I have this on my bookshelf! Need to move it up a mite more :-)

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    1. Bwahahahaha!! I'm kinda swooning over the reading potential of your unread bookshelves, Trixi!

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  20. I've always wanted to go to Scotland but due to health issues my traveling days are limited to the States and Canada. Thanks for giving me the chance to go there without having to leave my "easy chair".
    Janet E.
    von1janet(at)gmail(com)

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    1. I love armchair traveling too, Janet! Good luck!

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  21. LOL 😆 I want to meet James too
    Thanks for sharing this book with us
    😍❤😍 iamabho AT gmail DOT com 😍💖😍

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  22. This sounds intriguing. Count me in!

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  23. Wonderful review.
    leliamae54(At)aol(dot)com

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  24. Thanks for the giveaway!

    ladysnowangelphotos(at)gmail(dot)com

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