Deanna Lynn SlettenCríticas

Maggie does what many women have dreamed about but few have ever had the courage to actually do. After being in a marriage for more than twenty years and taking care of everyone Maggie reaches a point of utter frustration. Her husband and kids take her for granted on a daily basis. After dropping her teenage daughter off at middle school, Maggie heads back home. At the stop light she can either turn and go home or go straight and have some time to herself. She chooses adventure and time to herself. What begins as a side trip turns into a trip of discovery and awakening.

Back at home, her husband Andrew, realizes how much she does for him and the kids on a daily basis. He also discovers how little he knows about how to run the household, the children’s friends and his wife. Maggie and Andrew attempt to work through anger and bitterness and broken dreams. Secrets are revealed and freedom gained and the family learns the true meaning of the word.

This book was a wonderful read. I found the characters believable and the story entertaining. Definately a 5 star read. I received this book free from NetGalley

Great story, easy and interesting to read, light romance. Made me wonder about the real lives of Butch, Sundance and Etta.

Maggie does what many women have dreamed about but few have ever had the courage to actually do. After being in a marriage for more than twenty years and taking care of everyone Maggie reaches a point of utter frustration. Her husband and kids take her for granted on a daily basis. After dropping her teenage daughter off at middle school, Maggie heads back home. At the stop light she can either turn and go home or go straight and have some time to herself. She chooses adventure and time to herself. What begins as a side trip turns into a trip of discovery and awakening.

Back at home, her husband Andrew, realizes how much she does for him and the kids on a daily basis. He also discovers how little he knows about how to run the household, the children’s friends and his wife. Maggie and Andrew attempt to work through anger and bitterness and broken dreams. Secrets are revealed and freedom gained and the family learns the true meaning of the word.

This book was a wonderful read. I found the characters believable and the story entertaining. Definitely a 5 star read.

Sara's Promise by Deanna Lynn Sletten

William and Sara have a good life with their children until Sara's unexpected death. Years pass, William still grieving his beloved wife. Until He meets Annie, something about her feels familiar.

Annie grew up without parents, watching her Father die of a broken heart after her Mother's death. Then she meets William, something about him feels right, the man of her dreams.

They seem to be destined for one another. Together (they) must do some soul searching and believe in the power of love if they can move on with a happy ever after.

A heartfelt story of family, love, loss and acceptance. Likable characters, going through life after death. Events will have you wondering if Soulmates are sent from love after death.

Sara's Promise has all the feels, a love story like no other. A good read.

Interesting book. Easy read.

Really not my thing. I admire the author wanting to tackle the subject of a 20 year old marriage ending with the husband getting involved with a younger woman but it is really not enough.
The husband seems to be only coming back cos he has realized the grass is not greener as his new model is asking too much materially.
There is not enough redemption and the hurt he has caused does not seem to have brought him to his knees like it should to be worthy of a second chance from her.

Quite an emotional story. The daughters response to the father's absence is realistic and clever.

I am new to this author, I have read a couple of book but after reading this I have decided not to read anything else from her.
It's such a depressing book.

Finding Libbie is a story about unconditional love and mental illness. Jack and Libbie were high school sweethearts from the opposite side of the tracks, but they seemed to rise above the criticism and start out blissfully happy in their young marriage. This story mostly takes place in the early 1970s. At this time, marriage roles were very different and not as much was known about mental illnesses that could cause the erratic mood swings that Libbie dealt with. The happy couple soon faces many highs and lows and poor Jack works very hard to give them a happy life while not understanding what is wrong with Libbie and having her well-to-do family push him around and play off Libbie as just being overly sensitive and fragile.

This is a sad story and it is written very straight forward without sugar coating anything. There are no real surprises or plot twists. While I didn't dislike the book, I can't say that I loved it either. I would not have a problem recommending the book to people who enjoy this type of story.

This book takes place during the Vietnam war. Char wrote to Joe when he was deployed, and he was drawn to her and her hometown when he came home from the war after being injured. He grew up in the Bronx and was not part of a close knit family. When Joe shows up, Char doesn't know what to think at first because she has a boyfriend who happens to be a vocal protester of the war. As the book progresses, we learn how the characters process their feelings about Vietnam and how the world around them was changing because of it.

This story was easy to read and the characters were interesting. I think I would have enjoyed a little more at the beginning of the story, perhaps some of the letters or more about their correspondence. I appreciated the epilogue and the updates about the characters.

I recently met this author at a book signing and was drawn to this book. I like second chance romances and this one was a good one. Clay has returned to his wife Jess and two daughters after a two year absence. The only complication is that his wife has had an accident and is in a coma. Clay and Jess' story is told through flash backs. What I appreciated most about this story was that the adults related to the children with complete honesty. Clay was very forthright with his daughters and it was not easy for him. I also appreciated that his road back to a good relationship with them was not all smooth sailing. I would recommend this book.

A story that fuels the wanderlust in all of us. *I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review* Full review to come.

Author's guest post at my blog:
https://bookfare.blogspot.com/2018/09/foodfic-please-welcome-deanna-sletten.html

Excruciatingly predictable

This wasn't a bad book but it held not a single solitary surprise or revelation. Pleasant but nothing special. The kind of book I will forget I ever read within a year.

This is an excellent novel that depicts life in a small town during the late 1960s. The United States was in chaos with the anti-war movement but life in small towns was still untouched. This novel is about love but it's also about a town that is forced to join the chaos going on in the US.

Charlotte lives in a small town in Illinois. Her brother was killed in Vietnam two years earlier and she isn't sure at this point how she feels about the war. As she starts college (still in her small town), the feelings against the war are growing on campus - mostly led by her boyfriend Deke. When she first sees Joe in her English class, she realizes that he is former military. He walks using a cane and wears fatigue jackets. After the tumult of his days in Vietnam, Joe just wants to find a perfect little town and start his life over again and hopefully find peace. As Charlotte and Joe get to know each other better, their romance is in direct contrast to the anit war movement going on in the town. Joe is looking for peace and Deke is trying to start conflict. Will Joe and Char be able to find love during this time of chaos?

As someone who grew up in the same period as the people in this novel, I want to commend the author on the fantastic job she did of depicting what it was like in American during this time. The love story between Char and Joe is perfectly played out during this time period.

Thanks to the author for a copy of this book to read and review. All opinions are my own.

Marriage is a topic that has been covered extensively in books, from self-help books to romance novels to literary fiction to mysteries and thrillers. Today’s column reviews two novels with the theme of marriage, albeit with a slightly different take.

In Dennis Lehane’s newest novel “Since We Fell”, Rachel Childs is a local TV reporter sent to cover Haiti after a disaster. Her reporting earns her a chance at a network TV assignment, but when she has an on-air breakdown, she loses her opportunity and her husband leaves her.

She becomes a recluse, rarely leaving her apartment. She reconnects with Brian, a man she knew as a private investigator while looking for information about her birth father. Brian rescues her from a man in a bar, and they begin to date.

Brian is patient and loving with Rachel, and soon they marry. One day Rachel sees Brian coming out of hotel in Boston when he was supposed to be in London, and she begins to question if he is the man she believes him to be.

The beginning of this fast-paced novel hooks you right away. “On a Tuesday in May, in her thirty-seventh year, Rachel shot her husband dead. He stumbled backward with an odd look of confirmation on his face, as if some part of him had always known she’d do it.” How can you not read on?

“Since We Fell” packs so much in this fast-paced novel. At first it’s about a young woman looking for her father. Then the story moves to cover Rachel’s breakdown and her subsequent marriage to a seemingly wonderful man. The last third of the book is a straight-out thriller, as Rachel uncovers the truth about her husband and fights to stay alive.

Fans of “The Girl On The Train” and “In A Dark, Dark Wood” will love “Since We Fell”, and I liked it better than those; Lehane is a superb writer who knows how to write terrific characters while ratcheting up the tension.

Maggie puts her family's needs before her own, until one day, spur of the moment, she leaves town. So begins her quest. She meets new people and has a lot of fun along the way. She rediscovers an old passion. And wonders whether or not her marriage is salvageable.

Maggie's self-absorbed husband Andrew is furious that Maggie left him alone to look after their two teenagers and the household. He's never bought groceries, cooked, done laundry, fed the pets. And he hasn't spent time with his kids in years. The longer Maggie is away the more he understands what drove her away. He also realizes he loves his family and will do anything to keep them together, but is it too late?

I actually enjoyed this more than I thought I would. It's predictable and Maggie's husband is infuriating, but it was a quick and easy read.

Title: Finding Libbie
Author: Deanna Lynn Sletten
Publisher: Lake Union Publishing
Reviewed By: Arlena Dean
Rating: Five
Review:

"Finding Libbie" by Deanna Lynn Sletten

My Thoughts....

"Finding Libbie was a well written story [part 1 and part 2] that will keep your attention all the way to the end. I liked the shift of the read staring 'at present day...shifting to the late 60's, to Jack and Libby's story...and then back to the present day.'

What would you do or think if you found out that your father was previously married and you had no idea of this? This was a story also about 'mental illness,' which presented quite a roller coaster ride and even to having a second chance at love. Libbie is Jack's previous wife before he met Emily's mother & married her,

The reader will be captivated in finding out the truth about this young couple [Libbie and Jack's] struggles in this very emotional love story. Be ready for quite a heartbreaking read full of 'memories, sorrow, heartache, and love.' This was definitely a tear grabber. Now, why was that? Why couldn't Emily get this story out of her mind..."It's just that dad and Lobbies' story is so sad, I feel a need to find out if Libbie is okay, wherever she is.' This is where I say you will have to pick this read up to see how this author will bring it all out to the reader. This is definitely a good love story that will break your heart as it deals with addictions and mental illness with some 'well drawn characters, in a Minnesota setting during the Vietnam War.' This read definitely left me saying Wow what a good read!

ARC Provided by the Publisher and NetGalley.

I received a copy from NetGalley for an honest review. This was such a heart-wrenching story of love, loss, and the how illness can destroy relationships. Libbie finds her true love in Jack but her addictions conspire to destroy their happiness. Jack is forced to live his own life but fate in the form of his daughter allows them to find each other again. The author was excellent in narrating the decline of Libbie and Jack's relationship and then provide the reader with such a beautiful ending.

For ten years, Amanda was Ryan’s wife, life, and soul partner, until three years ago, when Amanda suddenly passed away. For Ryan, besides his tech sales job, his life since then has been the suburban home with Amanda’s preserved office in a backyard cottage, several photographs of Ryan and Amanda carefully placed in every room of the main home, two frisky cats, Punkin and Spice, and a gentle female golden retriever named Sam. However, friends and co-workers are pressing him to move on, and Ryan knows that changes are coming when his longtime next-door neighbors put their home up for sale. Maybe that is why he lets one of his co-workers convince him to go to a bar on a Friday night and gets him to connect with a young woman for the night. For nurse Kristen, buying the suburban home helped her assuage the remaining hurt of her earlier divorce and cheating ex-husband, although she did notice the young woman leaving her handsome new neighbor’s home as she was moving in, reinforcing her sense of male unreliability and making her feel comfortable with her current safe relationship with an older well-off doctor. Yet, leave it to Sam to bring Ryan and Kristen together and get them to know each other on shared walks with Sam. Will it be enough to help them get past their histories and insecurities? Yes, the story framework is classic Hallmark Channel movie romance where the reader knows where the tale will end up between these two, but it is well written and craftily structured to let the reader understand the insecurities that create the light assumptions the main characters form about each other preventing them from completing the connection we know will have to eventually happen – and there is a strong body of readers and viewers who enjoy and find comfort in a well-crafted HEA romance.

I was intrigued by the premise of Deanna Lynn Sletten's novel, Finding Libbie. Emily is helping her grandmother pack up the family farm when she finds a hatbox filled with old photos of her father as young man. Her grandmother tells Emily that they are photos of Emily's father Jack with his first wife Libbie.

His first wife? Emily had no idea that her father was married before. Her own mother died last year, and Emily knew how much her parents loved each other and how devastated her father was when she died.

The story of Libbie, a beautiful young woman from one of the town's most prominent families, and Jack, the hardworking son of a cabinet maker who lived on a farm, is related through flashbacks. Jack was head-over-heels in love with Libbie when he swept her off her feet in high school.

Libbie's mother was openly hostile to Jack and Libbie's relationship, looking down on Jack as just a lowly mechanic, someone who couldn't possibly make her daughter happy. But Libbie was in love, and Jack's family treated with kindness and respect, unlike her mother and older sister Gwen.

We see how Jack wooed Libbie with romantic gestures, and was thrilled when she agreed to marry him, over her mother's strenuous objections. They lived in a little cottage on a small lake, and Jack worked as a mechanic. Life was good.

Libbie tried hard to be a good wife, keeping house and cooking meals she learned from Jack's mother, but she soon grew bored. She began to drink, and her moods swung wildly. She feared that she was becoming more like her mother, who increasingly began to spend her entire day in her dark bedroom, drunk and taking pills.

Jack was distraught; he did everything he could to help make life easier for Libbie, but when her father bought them a big house, Jack had to work more hours just to keep up with the bills, and so he spent more time away from home. The isolation that Libbie felt only made matters worse.

Eventually we discover what happened to Libbie and Jack, and Emily sets out to try and find Libbie. In her journey to find Libbie, Emily discovers some things about her own life. She has been living with and supporting her boyfriend while he goes to school, and she has to decide if this is the life she is willing to settle for.

I loved Finding Libbie, and it's not the genre of book I usually enjoy. I found myself so caught up in Jack and Libbie's story, and Emily's journey too. I read it in two sittings, and it even kept me on the treadmill longer, the sign of a truly good book.

Sletten handled the topic of addiction and mental illness with sensitivity, and I daresay that anyone who has experienced that for themselves will probably appreciate this beautiful story even more deeply. Since the story takes place in the late 1960's/early 1970's, people didn't understand as much about these issues as we do now, and so didn't know how to handle them.

Everything in this story- the well-drawn characters, the plot and the Minnesota setting during the Vietnam War-worked for me. I admit to tearing up at the end of the story, and if you liked Nicholas Sparks' The Notebook, this book is for you. I liked it even better than The Notebook. I highly recommend Finding Libbie.

I have finished reading a contemporary novel called Maggie’s Turn by Deanna Lynn Sletten. Maggie Harrison has been married for twenty-three years. Andrew, her husband, has become very self-absorbed. He expects to be able to go and do his job and that Maggie will take care of everything. They have two children. Kyle is nineteen, going to college (and not doing well), and has a job working on motorcycles (which he loves). Kaia is fourteen, stubborn, and a typical teenager. Maggie is tired of taking care of everyone and needs a break. She is forgetting who she is and her dreams. One day Maggie drops off Kaia at school (the kid does not have to take the bus) and keeps on driving. She has her camera, laptop, phone, and credit cards. Maggie starts driving west from Woodroe, Minnesota with no destination in mind.

When Andrew arrives home, there is no dinner cooking. He has a meeting that evening and reminded Maggie that he needed to eat on time. Andrew has been working hard at work as well as serving on various committees around town. He wants to project a certain image because he is thinking of running for mayor. There is not note and Maggie is not answering her phone. Andrew leaves Kaia at home and goes off to his meeting. He is sure that he will hear from Maggie soon (he is wrong). Andrew is in for a long couple of weeks.

Maggie feels free for the first time in many years and is enjoying taking photographs. She has always loved photography and wanted to open a small gallery/shop in town to sell her own work and the artwork of others. Maggie is on a journey of self-discovery. Along the way she will encounter three people who will help her and guide her.

Andrew is going to find out how to get along without Maggie taking care of all the things Andrew has taken for granted. He has not had to shop, take the kids to school, do laundry, cook, take care of the dog, or any of these other details for many, many years. If Andrew wants to save his marriage, he needs to re-evaluate his life, his choices, and his priorities. This will also give him a chance to reconnect with his children (and see what great kids he has).

Maggie’s Turn was an interesting story, but it is very similar to another book I recently read (though not as good). I give Maggie’s Turn 3 out of 5 stars. The book is easy to read with a nice writing style. I was just not wowed by the book. Though I can certainly understand Maggie wanting to just get away from everything and all her responsibilities. Any woman with children will be able to relate to Maggie in Maggie’s Turn.

I received a complimentary copy of Maggie’s Turn from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. The review and opinions expressed are my own.

Claire spent most of her adult life loving James and when he left with no explanation as to why, she felt like she had been bull dozed over. Now four years later she has her hands full with her boutique, daughter's wedding, and the decision of whether or not to marry or boyfriend of two years. She isn't looking forward to spending any time with her ex-husband and the she-witch he married but she will to make her daughter happy. Too bad her boyfriend isn't attending the wedding.

James made the biggest mistake of his life leaving Claire for a younger woman that he is now divorcing. Thankfully he has his daughter's wedding to look forward to with added benefit of seeing Claire. Too bad she will never forgive him for his betrayal.

This book could use a little more editing but other than that I thought it was a well thought out book with a lot of spot on emotional moments to keep me engaged in the book. I really liked both the main characters and how they struggled with their situation and the joys of their daughter's wedding; it made a good emotional roller coaster ride for everyone in the family. My only real complaint besides the editing was the end, I know the author was trying to add a twist but to be honest it was pretty obvious who Claire would pick in the end and there was just know way to make a surprise ending out of that. Still in all a pretty readable book that you will feel compelled to finish.

To see the other ratings visit http://lauralusbookreviews.blogspot.com/2015/06/destination-wedding-by-deanna-ly...

Life is full of surprises ... especially when you get a second chance at love ...

In Destination Wedding, author Deanna Lynn Sletten weaves a wonderful story of romance, forgiveness, love, and second chances.

Set in the tropical paradise of the Bahamas, divorced couple Claire and James Martin try to set aside their differences and come together for a week long vacation at their daughter Mandy's beach wedding destination. With plenty of family and relationship drama, miscommunications, humor, and a richly descriptive setting of a heavenly tropical island paradise, what more could a reader want than to follow two middle-aged people discover that the grass isn't always greener on the other side, put their past behind and forgive each other, and get a second chance at love?

In true Deanna Lynn Sletten style, Destination Wedding is a delightful and heartwarming mature romance story that wraps its arms around the reader and engages them to follow the journey of a couple who unexpectedly rediscover their love for each other.

If you are looking for an entertaining romance to wile away a lazy summer afternoon, then look no further, Destination Wedding is that book, it will give you a warm fuzzy feeling and leave a smile on your face.

Disclaimer: I received a copy of the book from the author in exchange for my honest review and participation in a virtual book tour event hosted by Chick Lit Plus Blog Tours.

http://jerseygirlbookreviews.blogspot.com/2014/07/destination-wedding-by-deanna-...

Sixteen-year-old Ali Jenson, who was raised by her single mother in Southern California and is now dealing with the sudden death of her mother, is being forced to move away from her friends and former life to Northern Minnesota to live with her grandfather, a man she has never met nor was told anything about by her mother. Ben Jenson, still dealing with the loss of his dear wife four years ago and the estrangement of his daughter at the time she became pregnant with Ali, is determined to connect with the granddaughter that he has never met by having her live in his generator-powered home isolated from Internet and cell service next to a small lakeside resort. Over the course of a summer, it is through the help of and interaction with the resort owner, Jo, and her handsome and diligent seventeen-year-old son, Chase, that grandfather and granddaughter can find self-redemption and reconcile a fractured relationship and a broken family past. This well-written, well-edited story fits quite nicely into an earnest Hallmark Hall of Fame-style television movie. Adept readers will no doubt figure out secrets before the characters reveal them, but this is why many readers find comfort in this style of family drama and readily empathize with these characters. I have no problem with a tale where all is assured to end happily as long as the story is told well, like this one.