Category: Reviews-Sourcebook(2009)

PUB DATE: May 2009

Thank you to Danielle at Source Books for sending me this book to read and review. I jumped at the chance to read the book for two reasons, one is I have never read anything by Michael Malone before and two because the book sounded really good.

This is Michael’s twelfth book in fiction. He has written two non fiction books and a collection of short stories.

I have never read anything by Michael before. I have to say that it was a slow start for me but once I got about half way into the book I really started to enjoy it. I enjoyed the book it was like a cat and mouse chase throughout the book.

The book is about Annie Peregrine Goode. The first six years of her life she is on the run with her father Jack who is a con man. There is never a dull moment on the run with Jack. When Annie turns seven Jack realizes that life on the run isn’t good for Annie that she needs a stable life and its too dangerous for her to be with Jack. So on her seventh birthday he drives her to Pilgrim’s Rest in Emerald North Carolina. He leaves her with his sister Sam and her friend Clarke. Just before he leaves Annie he tells her, her birthday present is in the barn its a old Piper Warrior plane called the King of the Sky. Then he takes off and Annie doesn’t see him again for many years.

Annie gets on with her life and Sam tried to give her a normal upbringing as best as she can. Sam and Clarke legally adopt Annie since Jack is never around and they can’t get in touch with him. When she gets older she learns to fly the plane. She has a love for flying and speed with this love she enrolls into the Navy. While in the Navy she impulsively marries another Navy pilot, Brad. Their marriage is short lived when she catches Brad in bed with another man’s wife. She lives Brad telling him she is divorcing him. Although Brad will try to convince Annie he still wants her to stay married to him.

Almost divorced, almost 26 years old, and ace flyer and an instructor in the Navy, Annie heads to Pilgrim’s Rest to celebrate her birthday. On the way there she gets a phone call from a Miami Police Sergeant Daniel Hart and he is looking for her father. She informs him she has no idea where he is. Apparently Jack stole a statue called The Queen of the Sea many years ago and the authorities want it back. He is also wanted on number of felonies and outstanding warrants.

When Annie gets to Pilgrim’s Rest she discovers that Jack is dying and he needs her help. At first she is unsure knowing that Jack has pulled that con before, then agrees to help him on one condition and that is he has to tell her who her real mother is and not some mad up story. The only thing she knows about her mother is that she didn’t want to have kids then. So Jack put Claudette Colbert as her mother cause she had told her parents that they shouldn’t get rid of her. Claudette was a famous movie star.

So she rushes off to help Jack swearing she will do anything to protect and help him cause even though he abandoned her when she was a kid she still loves him.

Is Jack really dying or is this another one of his cons? Will Annie finally get the answers she is looking for? What will the future hold for Annie?

The Four Corners of the Sky was featured in People’s Magazine this past weekend. They gave the book 4 stars. It was chosen as the People’s Pick. You can read the articlein People’s Magazine here.

I have to apologize for the late delay in posting my review for this book. I am only getting back into reviewing books since I had burned my hand a few weeks ago.

I have to admit that I have never heard of Jill Mansell until Danielle at Source Books emailed me to ask if I would be interested in reading An Offer You Can’t Refuse. She is dubbed as the next Sophie Kinsella. Hearing that made me want to read this book. I am a huge Sophie Kinsella fan. I have read all her books and love them.

Jill Mansell is really big in the UK and she is finally making her debut in the US. I think she will be a huge success here. Needless to say I am really excited to read more by her and I am hoping that Sourcebooks will be putting out more of her books here. Coming this summer is Miranda’s Big Mistake.

As you can see I loved the book. Its a great chick lit book which I love.

An Offer You Can’t Refuse is about a seventeen year old girl named Lola Malone and she is madly in love with Dougie Tennant. The problem is Dougie’s mother, Adele. She doesn’t like Lola and she wants her out of Dougie’s life. She offers Lola 10,000 pounds to break up with Dougie and stay out of his life forever. Lola is horrified that his mother would make an offer like that. She goes home upset and discovers her step father is packing up and planning on leaving cause he has a huge gambling debt and doesn’t want her or her mother to suffer but they would if he leaves so Lola calls Adele and accepts the offer but instead of 10,000 pounds its twelve and a half pounds and Dougie is not to know. So that her step father will stay.

Fast forward ten years and Lola is back in Britain. She has gone into Kingsley’s bookstore to look around. I just loved this part of the book. Loved the descriptions.

“She craved a proper bookshop like an addict craves a fix. There wasn’t much that could beat that gorgeous new-book smell, touching the covers and turning the pages of a book whose pages had, just possibly, never been turned before.” Does anyone else get like this? I just love the smell of new books.

“So many books, so little time.” I can relate with that quote. As I am sure you all can relate to that quote too?

While she is in Kingsley’s she is mistaken for a “working girl” and is asked to leave but Lola refuses to go and continues to pick up books to buy. When she gets to the counter to complain to the manager about what had happened, the manager offers her apologies. Lola asks about the job that is being offered and is hired.

I think Jill did a great job on choosing the right job for Lola to have. I was laughing at all the customers she had to deal with. This struck a cord with me because I can totally relate to the book at this point. I use to work in a bookstore and I swear I had customers just like the ones in the book. Its nice to know that it happens in other parts of the world and not just here.

One night while Lola is out with friends she decides to head home. On the way she interrupts a mugging that is happening with no idea who the woman is she just wants to help out. Both women end up in the hospital and the husband comes to invite Lola to a party. It is only at this party that she finds out who the woman is. Its no other then Adele. Adele is not happy with seeing Lola again. Then Lola suddenly meets Dougie again at this party and discovers upon seeing him that she is still madly attracted to him, she hopes that maybe, just maybe….it could possibly work this time around. But then Dougie over hears about the payoff and he wants nothing to do with her. She promised to never reveal the reason she needed the money, but how is she going to win Dougie back when he thinks she is nothing but money hungry?

When a man comes into the store playing a customer looking for book sugggestions from Lola, what will happen when Lola’s finds out that its her real dad and he has shown up after twenty something years?