Tuesday, July 2, 2013

My Review of Five Days in Skye

Here's a description of the book from David C Cook:

"Hospitality consultant Andrea Sullivan has one last chance to snag a high-profile client or she'll have to kiss her dreams of promotion good-bye. When she's sent to meet Scottish celebrity chef James 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 leave 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 Rating

Spring

My Review

This story about a vacation that never happened that led to the vacation Andrea never wanted is a wonderful vacation read! *wink* Andrea Sullivan's hopes of taking a trip to Tahiti vanish in the mist when a client pushes her too far and causes her to push (or punch) him right back. So she's stuck trying to win over a new client on a trip to Skye. Trouble is, both the client (James MacDonald) and Skye are not what she expects them to be.

I really enjoyed experiencing five days in Skye with Andrea and James. The descriptions of the island - from the landscape to the architecture of the buildings to the weather - all make for a delightful escape read. The plot is unhurried, meandering along jogging trails and through old ruins and along the notes of classical piano music. But there is enough drama in the emerging back stories and interpersonal tensions to keep the story slightly suspenseful and engaging.

James' understanding and the romance that blossoms between him and Andrea are very sweet. The ending felt a little rushed and a little too neat in some ways compared to the rest of the story, but this book is overall a lovely, satisfying read just right for the summer months. Love that a short trip can sometimes help you find long-term perspective!

*With thanks to David C Cook and NetGalley for providing me with a temporary e-ARC of the book in exchange for my honest opinion.*

Now available on Amazon.com!

Another Waterfall...

I couldn't resist sharing some more pictures to go along with the lovely waterfall on the cover of Five Days in Skye. My mom and I went to see Multnomah Falls in Oregon last week, and while the traffic getting there was horrendous (Portland, *sigh*), the site itself was lovely.  Want to see?





Hope you all are having a beautiful start to the new month!
Happy July!

8 comments:

Tales of Whimsy said...

Sounds good and those pictures. Wow. How awesome.

Amber Holcomb said...

Juju,

It is! A nice summer read. :)

And isn't Multnomah Falls beautiful?? I'm grateful we persevered through the traffic to see it. :)

~Amber

Library Lady said...

I too have been to Multnomah Falls and looking forward to going back again this summer.
Thanks for sharing your pictures and the review of the book, "Five Days in Skye".
Janet E.
von1janet(at)gmail(dot)com

Amber Holcomb said...

Janet,

Oh, awesome! How fun that you'll be visiting there soon, too. :) I just love Oregon - so glad I got to go to college there (in Salem)!

Glad you enjoyed the review and pictures, and thank you for stopping by!

~Amber

Ganise C said...

Oh those pics are so lovely, Amber. Waterfalls are my favorites! So Five Days in a nice read, eh? I purchased it yesterday when I heard it was free on Kindle. Gotta finish some other books first then we'll see about this one...

Thanks for sharing your thoughts!

Rissi said...

Thanks for another informative, great, easy-to-read review, Amber. Appreciate it - as always!

Been curious about this one for a while now given how much you and Rel both recommended it. It's nice to see it put into a formal review. Sounds as if you would recommend it. :)

I did snag it on Amazon Kindle today, but still may "risk" the print copy since I hope it'll be a good read. :)

Amber Holcomb said...

Ganise,

Glad you enjoyed them! Waterfalls are really neat to see, aren't they? Love the serenity of the scene but also the focused energy. :)

Yes, I liked the book! Like I noted in the review, it's a nice vacation read, with some depth and a great setting. :) Glad you were able to snag it for free! Happy reading!

~Amber

Amber Holcomb said...

Rissi,

Aww, my pleasure!

Yes, I would recommend it, especially if you're looking for a "quiet" sort of read that meanders through a lovely setting. :) There aren't huge fireworks, per se, but there is some drama and it's a sweet love story, overall. Hope you enjoy it, and will be interested in hearing your thoughts!

~Amber