THE SECOND TIME WE MET by Leila Cobo
Published by Grand Central Publishing
Division of The Hachette Book Group
ISBN-13: 9780446519380
At the request of The Hachette Book Group, a TPB was sent, at no cost to me, for my honest opinion.

  Synopsis (from publisher): Asher Stone grew up in an idyllic California family. His mother Linda made sure of that. She never wanted her son to feel different from other kids, just because he was adopted. She was a loving, devoted mother, and Asher a happy, healthy boy. So when a life-changin accident causes Asher to question his identity, he suddenly announces that he needs to learn about his roots, Linda is caught off guard. Asher doesn’t want to hurt his mother, but something inside him is driving him to find out exactly where he came from. And so he takes off on a journey to Colombia in search of his birth mother.

Interspersed throughout Asher’s story is that of his mother’s, Rita. Moving back in time we watch as a young Rita begins a clandestine affair with a revolutionary soldier–a guerilla warrior who loved her deeply but couldn’t leave the cause to care for her, not if he wanted to keep her safe. Rita is left alone and pregnant, with no support from her family. And though it breaks her heart, she makes the agonizing decision to give up her baby.

How can Asher, a young man who has never known hardship understand her decision? Can they have any kind of relationship–and where does that leave Linda if they do?

My Thoughts and Opinion: Musing, a word that this debut author penned many times in this story. Ironically, when the last word was read and the book placed in my finished pile, I was left with several thought provoking musings of my own.

As I mentioned, this was Ms. Cobo’s debut novel, which surprised me in the manner of her writing style.   Especially since it alternated between the times of 1989 to present and then in between but it all flowed smoothly.   She had a flair to bring the characters to life, to feel their emotions, to root for some, to not like others.   To feel their frustrations, expectations, fears, anxiety, guilt and so much more.   Even though the story line was predictable, the lives of the characters, their actions, and decisions they made,  kept me turning the pages.   An impressive and poignant read.

Hosted by An Island Life

We all enjoy eating, right?   But there is something I just don’t understand and today that is my question.

Do you enjoy eating very hot, spicy food?   If yes, isn’t your mouth in pain?   How is that enjoyable?

http://btt2.wordpress.com

This week’s question:
A while ago, I interviewed my readers for a change, and my final question was, “What question have I NOT asked at BTT that you’d love me to ask?” I got some great responses and will be picking out some of the questions from time to time to ask the rest of you. Like now.
Ted asks:
Have you ever fallen in love with a fictional character? Who and what about them did you love?
My answer:
When I first read the question my first reaction was no, but that there are many fictional people, both male and female,  that I could see myself becoming and/or wanting to be friends with.  But the more I thought about the question, there might have been a couple.  Since I mainly read mystery and suspense, there might be some of the “good guys” that I have overlooked because I was too in tuned into the story line.

But the more I sat and thought about the question and went through the catalogue in my mind, there have been characters that I have “fallen in love” with.   They are the male characters in Michael Baron’s books.  I think the fact that the main male characters are created by a male author makes them even more appealing.  These “men” are sensitive, loving, emotional,  loyal, wearing their heart on their sleeves, romantic and tender not only with the woman in their life but with their children and family, which makes them even more attractive.  So yes, after giving today’s question more thought, I have “fallen in love” with a few male fictional characters.

What about you?  Has a character stolen your heart?

I don’t know who to personally thank for this one, but I surely needed an extra day to get caught up on some things!!!!   Twenty-four extra hours, WooHoo!!  Fantastic!!  Isn’t this wonderful news???!!!  lol  What are you going to do with your bonus day?

Hosted by Miz B at Should Be Reading

What are you currently reading?

What did you recently finish reading?

What do you think you’ll read next?

Hosted by Miz B at Should Be Reading

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:
*Grab your current read
*Open to a random page
*Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
*BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
*Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

He held the phone to his ear hating how Anita cared about him like he was good. He told her he had to go. He said he was sorry.

Kindle  9%

PLEASE TAKE THE TIME TO WATCH THIS INFORMATIVE VIDEO

*USE THE RAFFLECOPTER FORM BELOW
IN ORDER TO BE INCLUDED IN THE GIVEAWAY*
BE SURE TO INCLUDE YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS

IN THE RAFFLECOPTER FORM
SO THAT I CAN CONTACT YOU IF YOU WIN
*LEAVE COMMENT: ARE YOU DIABETIC AND/OR

DOES DIABETES  RUN IN YOUR FAMILY?*

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*NO P.O. BOXES*

**PER PUBLISHER**
ONE WINNING BOOK PER HOUSEHOLD
PLEASE NOTIFY ME IF YOU HAVE
WON THIS BOOK FROM ANOTHER
SITE, SO THAT SOMEONE ELSE MAY
HAVE THE CHANCE TO WIN
AND READ THIS BOOK.
THANK YOU.

*GIVEAWAY ENDS MARCH 12th AT 6PM EST*

WINNER WILL BE CHOSEN BY RAFFLECOPTER AND NOTIFIED
VIA EMAIL AND WILL HAVE 48 HOURS TO RESPOND
OR ANOTHER NAME WILL BE CHOSEN

YOUR JAVA SCRIPT MAY NEED TO BE UPDATED
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Continue reading “GIVEAWAY ENTRY PAGE “THE BLOOD SUGAR SOLUTION” by Mark Hyman, M.D. ENDED“ →

Hosted by Miz B at Should Be Reading 

Today’s question:
• Do you read books that are part of a series?
• Do you collect all the books in the series before starting? What if the series is brand new, and the only book that’s been published so far is Book one? As subsequent books in the series are published, do you go back and re-read the preceding books?

My answer:
In the past, I have read some books that have been part of a series.  The first that comes to mind is The Left Behind Series,  which consisted of 13 books.    My bff  had the complete set so I was able to start with the first book and she would give me 3-5 books at a time.     My sons would tease me and ask if either they were all the same  or how many were there, was it like an encyclopedia?   I have to tell you,  those 13 books were read in a matter of 2-3 weeks.   By far, my overall best read books in my lifetime.

I have read other books that were part of a series and always have to start with the first one unless it can also be read as a stand alone novel.  This year, I signed up for a challenge of just this type.  I have some books on my TBR shelves that are “series” books that I have won plus,  my friend, Gina from Hott Books enjoys J.D. Robb, so I thought I would also try that series.  I would never buy the whole series prior to reading one just in case, it turned out that it was something that I did’t enjoy.

What about you?  Do you read series?  Any favorites?

February is being hosted by Metro Reader

Mailbox Monday was created by Marcia of A girl and her books and is now on tour.  According to Marcia, “Mailbox Monday is the gathering place for readers to share the books that came into their house last week. Warning: Mailbox Monday can lead to envy, toppling TBR piles and humongous wish lists.”

                                        Author                The Hachette Book Group

SCROLL DOWN FOR DAILY POSTINGS.
This is a sticky post for Read-A-Thon progress.

Book:  The Second Time We Met by Leila Cobo
02/24  Friday  Pages Read:    127/361
*Musing–I am reading/reviewing this book for The Hachette Book Group. Once my review is posted, Brianne from Hachette has kindly offered for me to host a 3 book giveaway. For a debut novel, it is well written and holding my attention.

02/25 Saturday Pages Read:  182
                                           Subtotal:  308/361
*Musing—ohh so close to finishing the book but sleep won.
 

02/26 Sunday Pages Read:  53
                                       Subtotal:   361/361
*Musing–Finished The Second Time We Met by Leila Cobo.  Will be writing my review today and starting another book
Didn’t get much reading in.  Between doing things around the house and computer to-dos the day flew by.

Started Book The Ninth Step by Barbara Taylor Sissel
02/27 Monday Pages Read: Kindle 9%
Subtotal:  1 book/ 9% 2nd book
Musing:  Going to be hard keeping track of pages read since Kindle does it by %s, one of the negatives I have with owning a Kindle.

02/28 Tuesday Pages Read:  Kindle : another 9%
                                           Subtotal:  Kindle:  18%
Musing: not too much time spent reading.  Errands, doctor appointment (and wouldn’t you know it) I thought great, I’ll be able to get some reading done in waiting room..was taken right on time lol.  I still haven’t learned all the gadgets w/the Kindle..is there a way to find out page numbers instead of the % read?

02/29 Wednesday Pages Read:  0%
Musing:  Unfortunately I didn’t even open a book.  Due to RL commitments, which I knew ahead of time, I knew that I would probably not get much reading in.  

03/01 Thursday Pages Read:  32%
                                                    Total:  50%

Wrap Up:  Finished The Second Time We Met by Leila Cobo
1/2 through- The Ninth Step by Barbara Taylor Sissel
I was hoping to get at least 2 books read and started on a third during this read-a-thon, however, I also knew  when, I signed up that I had obligations that were going to interfere.   But knowing that I was participating, was an incentive to try and pick up my book as often as I could.

Thank you Stephanie from Once Upon a Chapter for hosting.