July 29, 2017

The Promise of Breeze Hill







Pam Hillman's latest book is entitled The Promise of Breeze Hill.  On the opening pages, you are introduced to Connor O'Shea as he is putting himself on the auction block.  In an attempt to gain passage from Ireland for his three younger brothers, he plans to indenture himself as a carpenter.  Conner cannot believe it when the person, who puts down money for him, turns out to be Isabella Bartholomew, a beautiful young woman!

After Connor manages to help Isabella safely return to her home, he learns that after her father was badly burned in the fire, that has left the property damaged as well, the management of the plantation has fallen on Isabella's shoulders.  Once Conner starts working on restoring their home, he soon realizes that the situation at Breeze Hill is more complicated than anyone realized!

Men from the neighborhood have their eye on Isabella as a potential wife.  You wonder if it is for her benefit or for their own selfish reasons.  Hold on as you watch Isabella and Connor attempt to discover who they can trust and who is out to enrich their own pocket!

I received this book from Tyndale Fiction in exchange for my unbiased review.

July 25, 2017

Playing with Fire








Playing With Fire, the second book in Susan May Warren's Montana Fire series, opens with Liza Beaumont on a remote trail in western Montana trying to locate Esther Rogers.  Liza, a camp counselor, had talked to Esther about meeting at the overlook to capture some of the beauty of the morning.  There is no sign of Esther; instead, Liza crosses paths with a ferocious grizzly bear!

The author immediately takes you back to three years previous, when Liza,living in Deep Haven, Minneapolis, meets Conner Young, a smoke jumper, who is in the area to help fight an out of control fire.  As Conner helps fight the fire, you will see a friendship begin to grow between Conner and Liza.  When the fire is finally extinguished and Conner moves on to the next fire, you wonder what will happen to this new, growing friendship!

As the author takes you back to the scene with the grizzly bear, you will see another step in the relationship between Liza and Conner.  Liza definitely senses a deepening in her friendship with Conner.  Hang on while you walk with Liza and Conner, as they continue to hunt for Esther in the great and dangerous outdoors.  As Liza begins to pin-point Esther's location, you will soon learn that the fierce grizzly bear is not far away!


July 21, 2017

A Name Unknown







The latest from Roseanna M. White, entitled A Name Unknown, is set again in England.  The year is 1919, just before the start of World War I.  Rosemary Gresham grew up on the streets of London, learning how to pick pockets as a means to survive. Now in her twenties, she has moved on to larger fish.  Rosemary's latest prize, 1000 pounds, is hers, if she is able to determine whether Peter Holstein is a true Englishman or actually a spy from Germany!

Rosemary is able to gain entry into Peter's home by presenting herself as Rosemary Gresham, Librarian.  Peter is in need of someone to organize his "out of control" library and Rosemary fits the bill!  As you watch Rosemary begin to organize the library, you will see that she is also looking for evidence concerning Peter's loyalty.  Soon you will realize that something is growing between Peter and Rosemary.  You wonder if it will be merely friendship or something more!

Follow this tale to the final page, as you wait to see if Peter will learn that Rosemary is actually a thief, and if Rosemary will learn that Peter is a well-known author!


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

July 9, 2017

Beneath Copper Falls





Beneath Copper Falls is Colleen Coble's latest addition to her Rock Harbor Series.  You know from the first page that this tale will be filled with suspense.  You find Renee Carter hiding in her garden from the man she is to marry the next day.  Before you know it, she is grabbed by her groom-to-be. Suddenly he is holding her head under water.  Renee's final thoughts are of her brother, Boone!

As you move forward two years, you find Boone Carter back in his hometown of Rock Harbor in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan.  He is currently managing a group of cabins that he built himself, providing visitors with a place to stay while they take advantage of the great outdoors.  You are soon introduced to Dana Newell, who looking for a safe place to live, plans to move back home to Rock Harbor and live with her brother Chris.  Dana is running away from an abusive relationship with her fiance, Garret Waterman.  She meets Boone as soon as she arrives at her brother's house.  Her brother is currently out of town on a business trip, but he has asked his friend Boone to stop by and make her feel welcome.  Dana is uneasy when he stops by with groceries for her and the atmosphere becomes even more awkward when she is caught staring at the burns on his face!

Dana soon learns that Boone was burned during his time working as a smoke-jumper in Arizona.  As Dana begins to get to know Boone better and their friendship begins to grow, she learns more of the details about his sister Renee's death. The details are way too similar to the way Garret had treated her.  When she suddenly sees Garret driving through town, she knows her worst fear has come true.  He has found her sanctuary!

Hang on as this tale will lead you to an ending you would never imagine!


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


July 5, 2017

With You Always








Jody Hedlund's latest novel, With You Always, is part of her Orphan Train series.  Elise Neumann and her sisters have been relocated to the safety of the Seventh Street Mission by Miss Pendleton.  The only problem for Elise is that the women in the sewing workroom are acting out in jealousy about the preferential treatment that the Neumann family seems to be receiving from their benefactor, Miss Pendleton!

To avoid further fighting in the workroom, the supervisor, Mrs. Watson, sends Elise out on an errand to buy additional thread for her co-workers.  As Elise is walking down the streets of New York, her quiet world soon erupts into chaos as gangs bring looting and violence onto the streets.  A stranger to Elise, Thornton Quincy, soon assists her as she is swept into the craziness all around her.  Thornton had not been expecting such a scene when he came to New York to simply hire workers for his project; however, now he seems to be in the thick of it!

When life in New York City finally begins to calm down, a new problem arises.  Jobs for anyone working in the sewing industry seem to have dried up.  Elise discovers that to find work she must look to the West.  She soon finds herself on a train heading to a small town in Illinois.  You do not know what to expect next when Elise runs into Thornton Quincy on the train.  You will soon see how God is at work in both of their lives!


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