The Lucky One by Nicholas Sparks

About the book: When U.S. Marine Logan Thibault finds a photograph of a smiling young woman half-buried in the dirt during his third tour of duty in Iraq, his first instinct is to toss it aside. Instead, he brings it back to the base for someone to claim, but when no one does, he finds himself always carrying the photo in his pocket. Soon Thibault experiences a sudden streak of luck—winning poker games and even surviving deadly combat that kills two of his closest buddies. Only his best friend, Victor, seems to have an explanation for his good fortune: the photograph—his lucky charm.

Back home in Colorado, Thibault can’t seem to get the photo—and the woman in it—out of his mind. Believing that she somehow holds the key to his destiny, he sets out on a journey across the country to find her, never expecting the strong but vulnerable woman he encounters in Hampton, North Carolina—Elizabeth, a divorced mother with a young son—to be the girl he’s been waiting his whole life to meet. Caught off guard by the attraction he feels, Thibault keeps the story of the photo, and his luck, a secret. As he and Elizabeth embark upon a passionate and all-consuming love affair, the secret he is keeping will soon threaten to tear them apart—destroying not only their love, but also their lives.

First line: Deputy Keith Clayton hadn't heard them approach,and up close, he didn't like the looks of them any more than he had the first time he'd seen them.

My Thoughts: I liked Safe Haven so much that I jumped right into another Nicholas Sparks book. This one was The Lucky One. I'd say that I'm the lucky one to finally be reading this author's books! I'll have to say it was a little slow to begin with but I liked it. It gave a mysterious feel to the story. This book takes you, from chapter to chapter, through the thoughts of each character as it moves back and forth between the past and the present. This back and forth was handled well, there was no confusion. Many subjects were touched upon including: luck, destiny, war, love, obsession, parenting, life in a small town.....

I saw parallels between this one and the first one I read. The ex was bad, the new guy was good and the girl was beautiful and sweet. There was some nice suspense, romantic romance, very little sex and no bad language. These are all pluses in my book. I am a big fan of the happy ending and I wasn't disappointed. As you may or may not know, I'm a sucker for an animal and I just loved the dog, Zeus, in this book. I recommend it! It's a great beach read or "rainy-day" book.

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Quote: "She was struck by the simple truth that sometimes the most ordinary things could be made extraordinary, simply by doing them with the right people..."

Safe Haven by Nicholas Sparks

Description: When a mysterious young woman named Katie appears in the small North Carolina town of Southport, her sudden arrival raises questions about her past. Beautiful yet self-effacing, Katie seems determined to avoid forming personal ties until a series of events draws her into two reluctant relationships: one with Alex, a widowed store owner with a kind heart and two young children; and another with her plainspoken single neighbor, Jo. Despite her reservations, Katie slowly begins to let down her guard, putting down roots in the close-knit community and becoming increasingly attached to Alex and his family.

But even as Katie begins to fall in love, she struggles with the dark secret that still haunts and terrifies her . . . a past that set her on a fearful, shattering journey across the country, to the sheltered oasis of Southport. With Jo’s empathic and stubborn support, Katie eventually realizes that she must choose between a life of transient safety and one of riskier rewards . . . and that in the darkest hour, love is the only true safe haven.

First line: As Katie wound her way among the tables, a breeze from the Atlantic rippled through her hair.

My Thoughts: This was my first Nicholas Sparks book and I must say I really liked it! It was different than I expected. I liked the mix of danger and love. The love story was sweet and safe, with no graphic sex scenes. The suspense built nicely. I liked the look into the mind of her ex, the psycho control freak, it was amazing to hear the way he rationalized his actions and strange to hear him repeat how much he loved her. The characters were well developed and I cared what happened to them. There was an unexpected spooky twist at the end which I loved. I will be reading more by this author. It was a fun, absorbing and I think you would enjoy this book too!

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Quote: She liked it here. Southport was different from Boston or Philadelphia or Atlantic City, with their endless sounds of traffic and smells of people rushing along the sidewalks, and it was the first time in her life that she had a place to call her own.

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Nicholas Sparks