January 24, 2016

Keeper of the Stars








Keeper of the Stars is the final book in Robin Lee Hatcher's latest series, A Kings Meadow Romance.  Penny Cartwright is having a hard time finding a reason to keep living after her younger brother, Brad, not yet twenty-three, unexpectedly dies in a car accident.  When Trevor Reynolds, one of Brad's band mates, shows up at the funeral, she cannot bring herself to actually shake his hand; instead, she plants a hard slap across his face!

When Trevor shows up at the Cartwright ranch two months later,  Penny is not a bit more inclined to accept his presence there.  Trevor Reynolds had traveled to Kings Meadow from his home in Nashville merely to fulfill the promise he made to a dying Brad Cartwright.  The only thing you do not know is whether God will work through Trevor to minister to Brad's family or if Trevor will be on the receiving end of God's grace and healing!

It was fun to see many of the characters from the previous books in this series on the pages of this final book.  Wait and see how God brings healing to both Penny and Trevor by the final pages of the tale!


I received this book from Thomas Nelson in exchange for my unbiased review



January 19, 2016

Mermaid Moon











Mermaid Mood is the latest addition to Colleen Coble's Sunset Cove series.  This book will not disappoint as it is filled with the same level of mystery and suspense that you have come expect from one of Colleen's tales!

Fifteen years ago, Mallory Davis had left her hometown of Folly Shoals Island, Maine because she felt that she was responsible for her mother's death.  Now she must return home again when she learns from her ex-boyfriend, Kevin O'Conner, that her father has been found dead!  As Mallory slowly is settling back into her father's cottage, her best friend, Carol and her daughter, Haylie arrive sharing that her home in Bangor had been attacked as well.  Mallory does not know which problem to focus on first!

With much awkwardness due to their past conflicts, Kevin begins to help Mallory attempt to discover who is behind her father's death.  Soon Mallory feels that she, herself, may be in the killer's cross-hairs as well!  You will discover secrets about Mallory's past as you journey with her in an attempt to discover who is after her family!  This is definitely a journey you do not want to miss!



I received this book from Thomas Nelson in exchange for my unbiased review



January 16, 2016

You're the One That I Want









It was fun to read the final book of the Christiansen family series in You're the One That I Want by Susan May Warren You finally pick up the trail of Owen Christensen in this latest novel.  Former NHL superstar, Owen, is in the last place you would ever imagine. On an Alaskan crabbing boat in the middle of the Bering Sea!


After Owen dives into the frigid waters to save his boss Scotty's life, he and Scotty find themselves fighting to stay alive in the cold, dark waters of the Bering Sea with no help in sight!  After twelve hours of trying to stay afloat, Scotty finally promises to marry Owen if they make it out alive. When the Coast Guard chopper is finally hovering above their raft, Scotty fears that Owen may not make it out alive!

After the Coast Guard staff are able to save Owen's life, both Scotty and Owen end up at a local hospital.  Imagine Scotty's surprise when Owen's brother, Casper suddenly shows up as she is waiting at Owen's bedside.  Before Scotty knows it, she finds herself heading to Minnesota at the side of both Owen and Casper!

You will not believe what happens next to both Scotty and Owen as well as to Casper and Raina on the final pages of this book.  It is a fun and interesting ride!

I am so sad to see this series ending!


I received this book from Tyndale House Publishers in exchange for my unbiased review



January 11, 2016

With THIS Ring?



With THIS Ring? is a book packed with novellas written by four well-known Christian authors.  Three of them are new to me, so this will be an insightful journey for me to discover which author I will be interested in returning to in the future!

The first novella, The Husband Maneuver is written by Karen Witemeyer. Marietta Hawkins has her eyes set on her father's foreman, Daniel Barrett.  Little does she know that her father had extracted a promise from his ranch-hands that they would stay clear of his daughter! After some tough moments, this tale finally comes to a smooth ending,


Next is Her Dearly Intended, by Regina Jennings.  After Katie Ellen Watson's parents leave her alone to keep an eye on their farm, Katie and her neighbor, Josiah Huckabee must pretend to be married when a stranger suddenly appears at her family's farmhouse!  You can imagine Katie and Josiah's surprise when they discover that he is not dangerous, but rather he is actually an itinerant preacher!

Runaway Bride, written by Mary Connealy, continues the Kincaid Brides series.  This is a fun action-packed tale that tells the story of Carrie Halsey who is running from an unwanted wedding with the help of a strong Texas Ranger, Big John Conroy, and his band of friends.  You will enjoy this tale until the final page when Carrie is finally reunited with her sister!

The final tale is Engaging the Competition written by Melissa Jagears.  You watch as Harrrison Gray and tomboy Charlotte (aka Charlie) Andrews become trapped in her storm cellar in the midst of a tornado.  Harrison has no idea that Charlie has been dreaming about him for as long as he has not been able to get the idea of her out of his mind.  Wait and see how they will come out of this dilemma and so much more in the end!

Both Melissa Jagear and Mary Connealy's novellas were easy and enjoyable reads; however, the other two novellas in this book were much harder to read.  I will stick with Melissa Jagear  and Mary Connealy's books in the future!


 I received this book from Bethany House in exchange for my unbiased review.





January 5, 2016

With Every Breath




With Every Breath, a novel written by Elizabeth Camden, tells the tale of a thirty-year-old widow, Kate Livingston, trying to find her way in the male dominated world of Washington D.C. in the 1890s.  When Kate receives an invitation to interview for the position of assistant to Dr. Kendall, a world-renowned doctor at Washington Memorial Hospital, she cannot believe the possibility she has been offered.  She is further surprised when she arrives at the hospital to find that Dr. Trevor Kendall is actually Trevor McDonough, the boy she had competed with all through high school!


Kate soon learns that Trevor is in midst of testing a new serum as he is trying to find a way to strengthen the blood of patients afflicted with tuberculosis.  Trevor is looking for someone fearless for this job dealing with infected patients and the only person he knew could fill this spot was his old high school rival Kate.  With some trepidation, Kate agrees to join Trevor in his work looking for a cure. Soon they are not only fighting to discover a cure, but they are fighting someone whose only desire is to destroy the doctor's project!

Wait and see if Kate will learn how to trust God in the midst of the uncertainty of this situation.  Many secrets come to life on the pages of this book that you will not believe! 



January 2, 2016

Lady Maybe





In Lady Maybe, a recent book by Julie Klassen, you meet the main characters on the opening pages of this tale.  Sir John Mayfield has had it with his wife's infidelity!  Lady Marianna has made it no secret that she has a lover, so John has made plans to move her as far from her lover's reach as he can.  As John travels with his wife and her companion, Hannah, toward one of his properties, Clifton House in Devonshire, their carriage is caught in the midst of a terrible storm and it crashes into the rocks!


A neighbor of Clifton House, Dr. Parrish, sees the accident and runs to assist the injured.  Sir John is found near death and a woman, assumed to be his wife, has a broken arm, as well as a head injury.  The woman floating downstream is believed to be the wife's companion.  As these two begin their slow recovery, the woman suddenly realizes that she is not the lady of the house, but rather the wife's companion, Hannah!

As you follow this tale to its conclusion, you will find an interesting end to this complicated storyline!


This is an interesting tale until about 200 pages in when the author takes a direct turn from her typically "clean " romantic tales and describes a very sensual scene between two of the main characters!   It was disappointing and definitely not a good selection for a young reader!