jc miller

Dr. William Koval is a 40 year old widower. He loves his microscope and petri dishes, his life being pretty uncomplicated. However, a shadow glooms his life up a bit, his wife, Kathleen, having been killed by a mentally unstable man three years earlier. Now work forces him to take a vacation and he decides on a whim to sign up for an English walking tour, something him and his wife were planning to do before her untimely death. The walking tour brings him some closure and perhaps a new chance at happiness.

I have to say this isn’t my normal cup of tea but I was intrigued by the English walking tour and a still-grieving widower trying to say goodbye to his deceased wife and the life they had together. I really enjoyed the first half of this book. The English walking tour has some bumps and burrs to it and that made it interesting. I was hoping for a touch more here and there. In fact, if the book had all been set in this English country walk, with rich history and some cultural tidbits tossed in, then I would have been very happy with the book. There were plenty of fun & interesting characters on the tour as well but we had to say goodbye to almost all of them when the tour ended.

Alas, the second half of the book is back in the states and is a pretty standard contemporary romance. Should he call her? Will she call him back? Can he get over his past? Will she forgive him? Can they come together over a shared travesty? Quite frankly, it was pretty boring to me. The first half is exciting and different and more than a simple romance. It had complexity. The second half lacked these traits.

The main characters themselves were interesting. William is a doctor, but not a people person nor does he seek glory in complicated surgeries or being a leading expert in some minute field of interest. He’s a practical, quiet man. Deciding to go off to England on a whim was so out of his norm and yet I could clearly see it was him trying to breath life back into this stagnant existence he was stuck in.

Annie Logan is a history buff and also hails from the Seattle area (same as William) and it’s one of those odd quirks that they meet in England. I liked that she was generally soft spoken but would hold her ground, politely but firmly, when she decided enough was enough. She had this trait not only in England but also back home on Vashon Island.

It turns out that Kathleen had a secret, one that William starts to put together on the English walking tour. Kathleen’s best friend, Liz, is now William’s best friend. It’s a friendship that has given them each much comfort, especially when William comes over for a homecooked meal with Liz’s family. I really liked how comfortable they were with each other and how their friendship kept the good parts of Kathleen’s memory alive.

So all told, this story had a solid start with a complex William in an unusual situation. The second half wasn’t my normal fare and while it bored me a bit, I had to know how things turned out for Annie and William. If contemporary romance is your thing, then I highly recommend this book. It has depth.

I received a free copy of this book.

Narration: Curt Simmons was most excellent in this performance. I am truly impressed by his range of not only male & female voices but also his ability to capture nuanced emotions. He had the perfect voice for William, sounding as mild as milk initially and growing in complexity as learn more about William. His female voices were spot on. Each character was distinct and there were several accents for the English walking tour half of the book (Australian, French, British, etc.). He was a pleasure to listen to.… (más)

Heliotrope is a compelling coming of age story that transports the reader back to 1975 where they follow college senior Kit Hilliard as she embarks on a emotional journey of self discovery.

Set in Arcata, California, author JC Miller weaves a thought provoking tale of a young woman as she comes of age in 1975, yearning to find her place in the world, while learning hard life lessons when a crush on her professor is unrequited, turning her life upside down and on a destructive path.

Heliotrope is an intriguing tale that features two complex characters: Kit, the college senior who is yearning to find her place in the world, while developing a unrequited love for her professor, Jonathan Wakefield. Jonathan is a one-time best selling author turned professor, who has his own internal conflicts and isn't who he appears to be. Their story is full of drama, internal personal conflicts, angst, romance, betrayal, life lessons, and emotional trials and tribulations that easily keeps the reader engaged and turning the pages.

The author does a wonderful job of transporting the reader back to 1975 with rich descriptions and references of the easy going, free to be time period, don't you just love the book cover! This complex story flows smoothly as Kit and Jon's story unfolds in a dramatic and tumultuous style. I couldn't help but find myself captivated by Kit and Jon's story, it is a delightful story that even took me on a walk down memory lane of my own college years! Heliotrope is a realistic coming of age story that captures the essence of college and of life's struggles and choices in a more hipper and simpler time.

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

http://jerseygirlbookreviews.blogspot.com/2016/01/heliotrope-by-jc-miller-author...… (más)

Is Ginny Cooper running her life, or is her life running her?

Ginny Cooper wears many hats in her life: a wife, mother, daughter, friend, and librarian. Her daily to-do list is never ending, and somewhere along the way she has lost the sense of who she was, while becoming everything to everyone in her family. Between Snicker bars and Arbys, failed diets, struggling with her weight, and dysfunctional family drama, Ginny wants to escape her life, so she embarks on a personal journey of rediscovering herself and taking back control of her life!

In The To-Do List, author JC Miller weaves a realistic tale mixed with humor, wit, and sassiness that captures the true essence of one woman's life that many women can relate to. The reader follows Ginny's story as she struggles to be everything to everyone in her family and career, until she finally realizes that somewhere along the way she has lost herself, and decides to embark on a journey to take back control of her life.

As I followed Ginny's story, I found myself connecting with her on so many levels, especially my love of Snickers, Arby's roast beef sandwiches, making lists, and dealing with the never ending and unappreciated daily trials and tribulations ... damn JC, did you peek into my life? lol Ginny's story can be anyone's story, you'll find yourself shaking your head in recognition of some part of your life in her story, and you can't help but cheer Ginny on as her inspirational personal journey leads her back to her true self.

Disclaimer: I received a copy of the book from the author / publisher 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/2015/03/the-to-do-list-by-jc-miller-bo...… (más)

Vacation is a wonderful story that follows a grief-stricken man's journey of self-discovery while on a English countryside walking tour.

Dr. William Koval lost his wife Kathleen three years ago when she walked into a robbery in progress at a local Seattle 7-11 store. Three years later, Dr. Koval still hasn't adjusted to life without his wife, he has tried to forget the painful past by withdrawing from the world, seeking solace through delving into his work as the head of the pathology department doing clinical research and biomedical analysis at Seattle's Northwest Hospital. When the hospital HR department informs him that he has to use his accrued vacation time or lose it, he begrudgingly agrees to take a two-week vacation that is his first vacation in ten years. He considers a staycation to complete a number of household projects, but decides to embark on an English walking tour vacation that Kathleen had planned for them before her murder. William's vacation in the English countryside will be a journey of self-discovery that will force him to confront the painful past, and open his eyes to the present world around him, so that he can move forward with his life.

Author JC Miller weaves an enjoyable story of love, loss, acceptance, forgiveness, hope, friendship, and redemption. You can't help but get drawn into Dr. Koval's journey as he learns to transition from living in the painful past, and overcome the obstacles that have prevented him from moving forward. Dr. Koval's story unfolds with emotional flashbacks to his marriage to Kathleen, interwoven with intriguing, challenging, and enlightening circumstances and events that occur while he is on the English countryside walking tour. I really enjoyed following Dr. Koval and the quirky travelers that made up the walking tour group, their adventures in the English countryside was exciting, and had a touch of drama and humor in the mix. The author's rich descriptions of the various locales of the lush green English countryside landscape easily transports the reader into the story, so that it makes you feel like you are joining in the walking tour group's adventures. As Dr. Koval's vacation ends, you can't help but smile at the outcome that comes from his journey.

Vacation is an inspirational story of one man's vacation in the English countryside, that unexpectedly turns into a journey of self-discovery that will change the way he lives his life.

Disclaimer: I received a copy of the book from the author / publisher 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/2014/11/vacation-by-jc-miller-book-rev...… (más)