Second Chance Brides by Vickie McDonough

Second Chance Brides by Vickie McDonough

Published:2010

Publisher:Barbour Books

Series: Texas Boardinghouse Brides(book 2)

Goodreads Summery: Fans of The Anonymous Bride, will feel for Shannon O’Neil and Leah Bennett who are stranded in Lookout, Texas, without husbands or future plans. Thankfully, the marshal has ordered the rascally Corbett brothers to pay for the women’s lodging at the boardinghouse, but will the brothers’ idea of hosting Saturday socials really bring these women the kind of loves they long for? Will Shannon choose to marry just for security? Will Leah reject love when the challenges mount?

This book starts up at Luke and Rachel’s wedding. The book is told through the eyes of Leah and Shannon the left over mail order brides. Luke has told his cousin’s that they have to pay room and board for the ladies until they either find a job or get married. In an attempt to speed the process up the brothers organize a Saturday night social so all the bachelors can meet the ladies and hopefully marry them.

The thing Mark did not expect was to start to fall for Shannon. Will he over come his past pain to find love? Leah finds herself drawn to the livery owner. But will her promise to never have kids keep her from finding true love?

I will be honest I tend to hold my breath a little when it comes to the middle book of a series. I have found from past experience that it tends to be the one I end up liking the least. I was hoping it would not be the case for this book but in the end it was. It was a good book and I enjoyed seeing Leah and Shannon find there match. But for me I was more interested in Jack, Rachel’s daughter. She is still young but the author is laying the ground work for the 3rd book which will be her story and I found myself caring more about her then the two main characters in this book.

Since we are reading about both Leah and Shannon I felt the character of Leah was not developed as much as Shannon. We did get to hear from Mark but we did not get to hear from Leah’s love interest Dan which for me made it harder to get into that part of the story. I honestly would rather have seen this series in 4 books with Leah and Shannon each having a more developed story.

Shannon was my favorite of the two ladies. She starts out so timid and by the end of the book she is starting to see her self worth and her character really starts to shine. Mark finally comes out of his brothers shadow and starts to live the life he wants. I enjoyed watching these two fall in love!

I was disappointed with Leah. I felt her character could have been expanded more but with two story’s in this book hers got a little less attention. I also would have loved to gotten to know Dan better. I so wanted to know what he was thinking at times! Also the climax of this story held so much promise but again it was hurried a long and felt kind of flat. I really think it could have been its own book! I did enjoy these two just wished they would have been given a little more page time.

Over all it was a good book. I love series like this where the characters  intertwine through out the series. I love stepping into a new book and already knowing some of the charters as well as the setting. I highly recommend reading the first book before this one so you know the back story.

Book Rating

Steamy Rating

DISCLOSURE: I was provided a free copy of this ebook from the publisher through NetGalley to review it. I was not required to write a positive review and the opinions I have expressed are my own.

May Cooler Heads Prevail by Teri Dunnegan

May Cooler Heads Prevail by Teri Dunnegan

Published: 2010

Publisher:Barbour Publishing

Series: None

Goodreads Summery:

The last time Dixie’s Aunt Connie saw her fiancé was the night before their wedding.

Now, forty years later, he’s wrapped in pink cellophane and lying in Connie’s flower cooler…

Psychologist Dixie Tanner has been recruited by her uncle to help prove her aunt’s innocence in the murder of Aaron Scott. But when Dixie arrives home in Kenna Springs, she finds her loyal-but-whacky relatives have taken matters into their own hands and are determined to find the killer before anyone misses the victim. There are just two little problems. . .that pesky body in pink and the real murderer—who soon decides that Dixie and her aunts and uncle know too much for his own good.

Dixie Tanner is a therapist and one night she gets a call from her uncle that her aunt is in trouble and they need her to come home to Kenna Springs right away. At first she blows her uncle off but once she find out there has been a murder she packs her bags and heads home. You soon meet her family and find out her aunts ex fiancée is dead and they are working to figure out who did it before the sheriff figures out what is going on. Also throw into the mix is a young man who lives in the same building as Dixie’s aunt. He is soon helping them to solve the mystery.  Will they figure out who done it before they end up six feet under as well?

This book has a lot of humor in it and in my option made it a book I could read. This book is only told from Dixie’s view point and I really don’t enjoy a book that is only told by one character. It also seemed a bit far fetched. I kept thinking to myself how do they keep getting away with this stuff? I did enjoy the love of this family and how they stuck together and worked together to figure out who killed the guy.

There was a very small romance story between Dixie and her aunts neighbor. Being a fan of romance novels I was hoping for a little more of a story there but the ending was happy at least.

Over all if you like a funny quick reading mystery novel then I think you will enjoy this book.

Book Rating

Steamy rating

Does not apply no one even kissed in this book!

DISCLOSURE: I was provided a free copy of this ebook from the publisher through NetGalley to review it. I was not required to write a positive review and the opinions I have expressed are my own.

Love on a Dime by Cara Lynn James

Love on a Dime by Cara Lynn James

Published: 2010

Publisher: Thomas Nelson 

Series: Ladies of Summerhill(Book1)

Goodreads Summery:

In age of elegance and excess, Lilly Westbrook longs for a love both true and eternal.

Newport, Rhode Island, 1899, is a place of shimmering waves, sleek yachts, and ladies of leisure. Of opulent mansions that serve as summer cottages for the rich and famous. Home of railroad magnates and banking tycoons--dashing young men and the women who aspire to marry them.

But it's not the place for lady novelists. Especially not those who pen disreputable dime novels. This poses a problem for Lilly Westbrook, because that's exactly what she does.

No one in Lilly's social set knows she pens fiction under the nom de plume Fannie Cole. Not her family or the wealthy young man about to propose to her. And especially not Jackson Grail, the long-lost beau who just bought her publishing company...and who stirs her heart more than she cares to admit.

But Lilly must put aside her feelings and follow the path that will maintain her family's social stature and provide the financial security that everyone is depending on.

Now Lilly faces a double dilemma. Can she continue to protect her secret identity? And will she have the courage to choose the man who will risk it all just to win her heart?

Lilly and Jackson fell in love and planned to marry when they where young adults but Jackson ended up breaking the engagement off and leaving Lilly with a broken heart. Six years later Jackson returns to win Lilly back but is it to late?

The story line of this book sounded interesting to me. Lilly writes dime novels that have a bad reputation among the upper class that she is a part of. So she writes in secret. The difference is her books have a good message with Christian principles. She feels God is calling her to spread his good news through her books and she also helps supports a Christian ran woman’s home with her books income.

Jackson has spent the last six years trying to make enough money so that he can come back and finally ask Lilly to be his wife. The problem is when he shows up she is almost pledged to be married to another. To make matters more interesting he also purchases the publishing house that sells Lilly's books.

The story line was interesting but for me I started to have trouble staying focused about half way through it just seemed to drag on some. Lilly had to deal with her pen name and whether to tell her family and Jackson. Jackson seemed to already know so when she finally told him it seemed almost like a mute point. Also her engagement to another guy was a really week story line. One minute her family was so excited and then they seemed indifferent when it was over.

Over all I did enjoy reading it and look forward to reading the 2nd book in the series.

Book Rating

Steamy Rating

Source: I got this book as a Kindle freebie from Amazon.com.

The Journey by Wanda E. Brunstetter

The Journey by Wanda E. Brunstetter

Goodreads Summery: Discover along with Titus Fisher how life can begin anew in Christian County, Kentucky. Moving from Pennsylvania, finding rewarding work, and leaving a broken romance behind is the best decision Titus ever made. But is he ready to consider love again when he meets two women: one who seems perfectly suited for any Amish man and one who challenges long held ideas of the woman’s role. Who will Titus chose, and will it be the right choice?

Titus has been in love with Phoebe since he was 13. Phoebe though is not ready to settle down and breaks Titus's heart. She heads off to California and Titus takes a new job in Kentucky to try and forget about Phoebe. Suzanne is the granddaughter of the man Titus is going to be working for. At first Suzanne reminds Titus of Phoebe so they don’t get alone. Esther is is a good friend of Suzanne and she takes an interest in Titus as well. Will Phoebe come back? Will Titus see past the resemblance he see’s in Suzanne and see her in a new way or will Esther win his heart?

I started out really liking this book. I found the story interesting. As the book went on I had trouble with how many characters where telling the story and how often we jumped from Kentucky,Pennsylvania to California. I found it hard to get to know Suzanne and Titus. The book is well written though and I enjoyed reading this book I just felt a little overwhelmed with the different characters. Suzanne was my favorite and I liked how she did a lot of growing in the book. She over comes her lack of cooking skills which was a fun side story of the book. If you like Amish fiction I am sure you will like this book.

This book will be released April 1st 2011!

Book Rating

Steamy Rating

DISCLOSURE: I was provided a free copy of this ebook from the publisher through NetGalley to review it. I was not required to write a positive review and the opinions I have expressed are my own.

Two Tickets to the Christmas Ball by Donita K. Paul

Two Tickets to the Christmas Ball by Donita K. Paul

Goodreads Summery:

Can mysterious matchmaking booksellers bring two lonely hearts together in time for Christmas?
In a sleepy, snow-covered city, Cora Crowder is busy preparing for the holiday season. Searching for a perfect gift, a fortuitous trip to Warner, Werner, and Wizbotterdad's (a most unusual bookshop) leads to an unexpected encounter with co-worker Simon Derrick and the surprise discovery of a ticket for a truly one-of-a-kind Christmas Ball.
Every year, the matchmaking booksellers of the Sage Street bookshop host an enchanting, old-fashioned Christmas Ball for the romantic matches they've decided to bring together.
This year, will Simon and Cora discover a perfect chemistry in their opposite personalities and shared faith? Or will the matchmakers' best laid plans end up ruining everything this holiday?

Cora Crowder is a hard working young woman who needs order in her life. She grew up in an abusive family. While she was at college she became a Christian and got a job far away from her family. She tries to like Christmas but seems to miss its true meaning.

Simon Derrick is Cora’s bosses boss. He is a hard worker and love his family. He is the bread winner and lives with his Granddad, Grandma, Mom and younger sister. He has always felt like a loser when it came to dating and also worried someone he dated would not love and except his family. One snowy night both Cora and Simon end up at this used bookstore that has a interesting feel to it. Both receive a ticket to a Christmas ball but very few people have ever heard of it! Some magical things begin to happen(the virgin cat anyone?) that work to bring these two people together. Can Cora over come her past to move forward with her future?

This book was okay. The magical quality of the book was fun but I felt there where so many questions about how this was happening that I had trouble focusing on the story. I enjoyed the story though. I thought Simon’s sister Sandy was a great character and she made me smile many times. I loved how Simon loved his family. I will say the ending was a little of a let down for me.  It again left me with more questions than answers.  Over all it was a fun read.

Book Rating

Steamy Rating

DISCLOSURE: I was provided a free copy of this book from the Blogging for Books program from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishers, to review it. I was not required to write a positive review and the opinions I have expressed are my own.

A Case for Love (Brides of Bonneterre #3) by Kaye Dacus

A Case for Love by Kaye Dacus
Goodreads Summery: TV society reporter Alaine Delacroix feels like David facing Goliath when she takes on the biggest corporation in town to keep them from putting her parents’ garden center out of business. Lawyer Forbes Guidry wants nothing more than to stand up for the endangered local-business owners—but it will mean risking his job and crossing his powerful parents. Can Alaine and Forbes make A Case for Love?


This is the 3rd book of the Brides of Bonneterre Series. I have not read the other two books in the series so you might want to check them out as well.


Forbes is the older brother of Meredith from book 2 and cousin to Anne from book one.  Alaine is a good friend of Merediths. She is a reporter and host of her own news show. She wants to climb the ladder and become a big time news anchor. 


Alaine finds out that her family’s businesses are in jeopardy of being shut down so that a new development can come in.  She soon finds out the how this is happening is shady at best and works to find a lawyer to help her family and friends.
Forbes is a lawyer and sometimes takes pro bono cases on the side and circumstances lead him to be the lawyer for Alaine’s family. The problem is its Forbes family business who is behind the take over.  Will God help Forbes make the right choice with out losing his family and the women he loves?


This book almost became a DNF. I had a hard time getting into it at first. I also found the plot some what predictable. But I kept reading and once I got about 50% in I started to enjoy it more.  The ending was okay and I admit to tearing up at the happy ending but the ending felt rushed and maybe a little unbelievable. The characters where well developed and I enjoyed getting to know them. I also wanted to learn more about Anne and Meredith. I felt the author does a good job of incorporating the other two book characters with out over powering the story at hand. But in the end this was just a so so book for me. I don’t see myself picking up the first two books unless they are on sale or free at some point.
Book Rating

Steamy Rating


I received this Ebook for free through NetGalley for this review. The options are my own.

Surrender Bay (Nantucket #1) by Denise Hunter

Surrender Bay by Denise Hunter

Goodreads Summery:

When Samantha Owen's estranged stepfather dies, she inherits his cottage in Nantucket--a place she left years ago, never planning to return. As a single mom, Sam can't afford to pass up on a financial windfall like ocean-front property. So she travels home to fix up the house and sell it . . . never suspecting that Landon Reed still lives two doors down. As their long-dormant romance begins to bud again, Sam must face the fact that Landon still doesn't know why she left the island. Will the secrets she's hidden all these years tear them apart . . . or is Landon's love really as unconditional as he claims?
Denise Hunter weaves a heart-tugging tale of shattered trust and enduring love . . . all in a romantic seaside setting.

I read the first few pages of this book in the store and thought it seemed like a good read so I bought it for my Kindle when I got home. Samantha has many secrets and is living with her teenage daughter working two jobs to make ends meet. Her daughter has nothing but attitude and Samantha is worried about the friends she is running around with. She gets word that her stepdad who she hates has died and she inherits his cottage which is worth quite a bit of money. So she sets off for Nantuket to fit it up so she can sell it.

Once she arrives she finds her first and only love Reed still lives on the Island. He still loves her and sets out to prove to her she needs him. Will love win out in the end?

I have to say I was disappointed in this book. I had trouble finishing it. I was interested enough to push through though. The climax was somewhat predictable. I liked Samantha but I also felt like I never got to know her. I found myself more interested in Reed. The story line was deep and I could see how the author was connecting how God loves us with the story of Samantha and Reed and her daughter. I also felt Samantha was a bit self centered and could not see past the end of her nose. Her daughter was not much better. I did like Reed though he showed what true love is all about and he never gave up even when Samantha gave him some troubling news and did some crazy things.

 

The Steamy level is 1.

I also bought the 2nd book of this series The Convenient Groom and I am hopeful I will enjoy it more.

The Perfect Christmas by Debbie Macomber

The Perfect Christmas by Debbie Macomber
Goodread’s Synopsis:
What would make your Christmas perfect? For Cassie Beaumont, it's meeting her perfect match. Cassie, at thirty-three, wants a husband and kids, and so far, nothing's worked. Not blind dates, not the Internet and certainly not leaving love to chance.
What's left? A professional matchmaker. He's Simon Dodson, and he's very choosy about the clients he takes on. Cassie finds Simon a difficult, acerbic know-it-all, and she's astonished when he accepts her as a client.
Claiming he has her perfect mate in mind, Simon assigns her three tasks to complete before she meets him. Three tasks that are all about Christmas: being a charity bell ringer, dressing up as Santa's elf at a children's party and preparing a traditional turkey dinner for her neighbors (whom she happens to dislike). Despite a number of comical mishaps, Cassie does it all and she's finally ready to meet her match. But just like the perfect Christmas gift, he turns out to be a wonderful surprise!
 
This is the first book I have read by Debbie Macomber. The first thing I will say was it was a short book almost a short story. Also this book was only told through the eyes of the female love interest Cassie. I kept getting frustrated because I wanted to know what Simon was thinking. Because the book was so short I never felt like I got to know the characters very well. I did enjoy the plot though. It was fun to read as the climax of the book took place and I enjoyed the side romance of Cassie’s brother and Cassie’s friend but again it was just so short.  If your looking for a quick read this is a great choice. I am looking forward to reading more of her books.
I give this book a rating of 3.5 stars   

I just felt it was over to quick and the book could have been so much more.
On the steamy scale(1-5) I give it a 1. There was kissing and that was it.