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If you are following me here please head over to my new blog and follow me there as well. I am working at moving all my posts from here to there but ran into a hiccup so its going to take me a little while to get them all moved but I have the last few months reviews already moved. Hope to see you over there! :)

Deep Trouble by Mary Connealy

Deep Trouble by Mary Connealy

Published: 2011

Publisher: Barbour Books 

Series: None

Goodreads Summery:

less and Wandering. . .

Gabe Lasley left his ranch in Wyoming because of his strong feelings for a married woman, wanting nothing other than to be left alone. Then he finds a treasure hunter stranded in a mountaintop cave and offers to help her.

Fearless and Fixated. . .

A determined Shannon Dysart is on a quest to prove her father’s research isn’t the work of a madman and that he really did find treasure in the Wild West. Then she finds herself stranded with an aimless wanderer her only way out.

Now the unlikely pair is out to find a city of gold. . .together. . .with trouble hot on their trail.

When a band of villains threatens to steal Shannon’s map, will she be able to see past the gold that colors her every decision, and will Gabe accept his surprising need to protect a woman who doesn’t seem to have a lick of common sense? Or will they discover that a true treasure rooted in love and faith has been within their reach all along?

Shannon is on the search for a city of gold that her father told her about with his dying breath. She wants to find it to prove that her father was not crazy like everyone thought. She hires a team to go with her but soon finds out they are not to be trusted and she is left to die high up on a mountain.

Gabe is heading to his brothers ranch and just happens to hear Shannon scream. He saves her from the mountain and soon finds himself along for the ride as she searches for the lost city. Gabe soon finds himself losing his heart to this woman. Will they find love deep in the grand canon?

This was a good book. I love how the author makes the characters interact in this book. I found myself laughing and smiling a lot as I read. The description of the grand canon made me want to be there and see it for myself. The mixture of romance and adventure with some suspense thrown in made for a fun read.

There where parts that got a little long like when they where riding at times through the canon when I just wanted it to hurry up and see what was going to happen next.

The book also tells the side story of Buck who was Shannon’s intended back in Saint Louis and Tyra who has plans to marry Gabe. I felt this side plot fit well into the main story line and did not take away from the book at all which always worries me when more then 2 characters are telling the story.

I did not love this book as much as some of her other books but it was a fun read.

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.

A Time to Heal by Barbara Cameron

A Time to Heal by Barbara Cameron

Published: 2011

Publisher: Abingdon Press

Series:Quilts of Lancaster County(Book 2)

Goodreads Summery:

Christopher Marshall is a weary and wounded ex-soldier who just wants some peace in his life.  He met Jenny in the hospital and later corresponds with her.  When he visits her and Matthew, he envies them their happiness.  Then he meets Matthew's sister, Hannah Bontrager, and there's a clash of cultures and values between the former career military man and the gentle, pacifist Amish woman.  Yet there also is a deep attraction between them, and they fall in love.
Born and raised on a Kansas farm, Christopher finally finds peace in this simple community helping Matthew with the crops. Christopher expects resistance to his presence from the Amish but is appalled when he and Hannah experience threats. He has no fear for himself.  But to protect Hannah, he resolves to leave everyone and everything he has come to love in this place he calls "God's country."  When he discovers who his enemy is, he realizes he must stay and reveal a secret that has sent him into a different world than he has ever known.

This book tells the story of Hannah, Matthew’s sister. She is now living with Jennie’s grandma. She really wants to find the right guy and settle down and have a family but the right man has just now shown up. She tries to be patience but she struggles with waiting on God’s timing. Then one day she finds a Englishman in the barn and she finds herself attracted to him. Could this be God’s plan for her or will she just have to keep waiting?

Christopher has come to talk to Jennie. After meeting her in the hospital many months ago he wants to ask her some questions that might help him heal from his past. He did not expect to meet a spirited Amish women who starts to steal his heart.

This was a good book I think I enjoyed the story line from this book a little better then the first in the series. I really liked Hannah and how she speakers her mind and does not back down from a argument. She definitely goes against the grain of what one would expect an Amish lady to behave.

Christopher is also very likeable. He feels a connection with the area and the people and seems to find a peace as the book goes on. This book is also dropping some hints to the 3rd book due out later this year.

My problem with this book is again same idea of the first book an Amish falls for an English person and everyone just seems fine with that. As much as I wanted to love this book because I so love the characters I just can’t get past the fairytale of it being so easy to become and Amish. I almost wish the subject had been different with this book having both books deal with the same basic story line was a little boring.

I love the writers style and am looking forward to the 3rd book which looks to deal with some other issues. A great series so far though and I am enjoying this author a lot!

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.

A Time to Love by Barbara Cameron

A Time to Love by Barbara Cameron

Published: 2010

Publisher: Abingdon Press

Series: Quilts of Lancaster County(Book 1)

Goodreads Summery: War correspondent Jennie King thinks she’s just a temporary guest in her grandmother’s Amish community while she recuperates from the devastating injuries sustained in a car bomb attack that changed her world. But when she meets Matthew Bontrager, the man she had a crush on as a teenager, she wonders if God has a new plan for her. Jennie has emotional and physical scars and though she feels she has come home to this man and this place, she's not sure she can bridge the difference between their worlds.

Jennie heads to her Amish Grandma’s house to heal after being overseas as a war correspondent where she was hit in a car bomb attack. She has not been back to her grandma’s house since she was a teenager. The last summer she had been there she had a crush on an Amish boy.

Matthew is all grown up and raising his three children alone since his wife died of cancer a few years ago. His sister Hannah has been living with him and helping him with the kids. As soon as he see’s Jennie the feelings of his youth returns and he is right there to help Jennie heal from her injury’s. Will the difference between these two keep them from finding true love or will love and faith over come all?

I have not read this author before and I enjoyed this book quite a bit. She does a great job explaining the beliefs of the Amish and this would make a great first time Amish fiction read since it explains things very well. I liked all the characters. Both Jennie and Matthew where well developed. I also enjoyed Matthew’s children and I felt they where well fitted in this book. Jennie’s grandma is also a great women and your given some hints in this book that she will play a bigger part in coming books of this series.

I have a few things about this book that made me take pause. I felt the idea of a English person turning Amish came across as way to easy. I have read other books that deal with this subject and this just did not seem as realistic as others I have read. I know Jennie’s grandma is Amish but I would think there would be more of an uproar over an Amish man falling for a English lady then happened in this book. I also felt Matthew did not seem to really think about that side of it very much which seemed a little odd.

Over all though a fun book which I enjoyed. I am looking forward to the other books in this series as well. The characters are so likeable you can’t help but to want to read more about them!

Book Rating

Steamy Rating

Disclosure: I got this book for free as a Kindle Freebie from Amazon.com

Lady in the Mist by Laurie Alice Eakes

Lady in the Mist by Laurie Alice Eakes

Published: 2011

Publisher: Revell 

Series: The Midwifes(Book 1)

Goodreads Summery: By virtue of her profession as a midwife, Tabitha Eckles is the keeper of many secrets: the names of fathers of illegitimate children, the level of love and harmony within many a marriage, and now the identity of a man who may have caused his wife's death. Dominick Cherrett is a man with his own secret to keep: namely, what he, a British nobleman, is doing on American soil working as a bondsman in the home of Mayor Kendall, a Southern gentleman with his eye on a higher office.

By chance one morning before the dawn has broken, Tabitha and Dominick cross paths on a misty beachhead, leading them on a twisted path through kidnappings, death threats, public disgrace, and . . . love? Can Tabitha trust Dominick? What might he be hiding? And can either of them find true love in a world that seems set against them?

With stirring writing that puts readers directly into the story, Lady in the Mist expertly explores themes of identity, misperception, and love's discovery.

This book is set in 1809 in Virginia. Tabitha is a midwife. Her grandma and her mom where midwives to before they died. Tabitha is still unmarried though which makes it a little harder for her. She wishes for love and dreams of passing down her talent to her own daughter some day. She had been engaged at one point but he left her right before they where to be married. She meets a strange man in the mist one morning after a bad lying in.

Dominick is a bondsman working for the mayor due to his own secrets from his past. He finds himself drawn to Tabitha even though he should stay away. Will these two be able to over come a lot of hurtles to find true love?

I enjoyed this book. I liked learning about midwifery of the early 1800’s. I found it interesting it was called a lying in and how a midwife was not very high in society. Tabitha was a fun character. She loves her job and even when she is threated she pushes forward. Her old boyfriend shows up and wants to win her back but she finds even though she wants to get married she is not sure he is the right one for her anymore. Plus he seems to be hiding something about his past from her. She finds herself drawn to Dominick but he is only going to be around for 4 years and then he will leave and go back to England and she does not want o have another broken heart.

Dominick finds himself falling for her but must deal with his past and his current orders. He at first befriends Tabitha to try and get information out of her but soon realizes his feeling are running deeper then he expected. He is also feeling like he has to redeem himself due to his past and through out the book he learns that God is the only one who can redeem him for his sins. It was a neat way to work it into the story.

There is plenty of mystery to go with the romance plot and I liked how well the author equally told the mystery side of the plot with out over shadowing the romance and vise versa. I felt like I was on the end of my seat towards the end of the book and that made it a fun read. There where a few places the book felt kind of slow but over all a good read.

Book Rating

 

Steamy Rating

Disclosure: I bought this book from Amazon.com 

A Cowboy's Touch by Denise Hunter

A Cowboy's Touch by Denise Hunter

Published: 2011

Publisher: Thomas Nelson 

Series: A Big Sky Romance(Book 1)

Goodreads Summery: Four years ago, rodeo celebrity Wade Ryan gave up his identity to protect his daughter. Now, settled on a ranch in Big Sky Country, he lives in obscurity, his heart guarded by a high, thick fence. Abigail Jones isn't sure how she went from big-city columnist to small-town nanny, but her new charge is growing on her, to say nothing of her ruggedly handsome boss. Love blossoms between Abigail and Wade--despite her better judgment. Will the secrets she brought with her to Moose Creek, Montana separate her from the cowboy who finally captured her heart?

Abigail is an investigating reporter and works for her moms magazine in Chicago. She is suffering from hypertension(high blood pressure) and so her mom sends her to Montana to visit her aunt for 3 months so she can rest and heal. She soon befriends a little girl named Maddy. Who she also finds out needs a nanny for the summer. With little to do she takes the job.

Wade was once a famous rodeo cowboy but after his wife’s death he left the spot light and moved to Montana with his daughter to run his ranch and raise his daughter. So far his past has not found him but will the new nanny expose his past or will he find love once again?

This was a sweet little romance story. I enjoyed reading it. I did find the story line to be a bit predictable though. The daughter Maddy was probably my favorite character. She was just such a sweet little girl and she brightened all the pages she was on. Wade was your typical cowboy with a past. He was still feeling some guilt about his late wife and so he planned to never marry again.

Abigail being the reporter she is soon figures out who Wade is and plans to write a story to save her moms magazine but starts to feel guilty about it as she falls for Wade.

This is a fun romance but for me it was very predictable which made it a little boring at times. This is a great book if you just want a light Christian romance. The book was well written and I look forward to reading the next book due out next year.

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.

Love Remains by Kaye Dacus

Love Remains by Kaye Dacus

Published: 2010

Publisher: Barbour Books

Series: Matchmakers(Book 1)

Goodreads Summery: Every grandmother wants to see her grandchildren happy, especially when it comes to their love lives. Join five active senior ladies—and one gentleman—who take a great interest in the lives and loves of their single grandchildren and become The Matchmakers. Zarah Mitchell and Bobby Patterson become the first focus of meddling grandmothers when he moves back to Nashville to work for the Tennessee Criminal Investigations Unit. Will Zarah be able to forgive the man who years ago chose a military career over her—especially when she learns he is investigating the historic preservation agency for which she works?

This is the first in a series that deal with 4 grandparents(Grandma’s) who want to see their grandchildren married. This story is about Zarah and Bobby. These two had a relationship 14 years ago that ended badly. Now Bobby has moved back home to Nashville and soon runs face to face into Zarah. It does not take long to figure out that the reason for the break up all those years ago are seen differently from both sides.

Zarah likes to blend into a crowd and see’s herself as a helper. Her father never treated her very well so her self esteem is low. Seeing Bobby again also brings back a lot of memories about her father.

Bobby has never forgotten Zarah or forgiven her for how she left him. He is also working on a case that requires him to do some investigating into Zarah’s life which soon revels things that make him question how the break up happened and also how Zarah is reacting to him now. Will these two find a happy ending or will the past be to much to over come?

I enjoyed this book. I always enjoy a romance when there is tension between the couple or when there has been a past relationship. This book deals with some issues such as self esteem and parental rejection. I really felt for Zarah because her father treated her so poorly. I wish the outcome on that front has ended a little better but it was a realistic story line and pulled at the heart strings. Zarah deals with a low self esteem due to her father. As her character grows in the book you start to see her become more sure of her self which I enjoyed. I like when a character grows in a book like that.

As Bobby gets to know Zarah again he becomes aware of her self esteem issues and pushes her to over come. He really did not have any thing himself to over come other then the break up from the past. I liked him but did not feel as connected to him as I did Zarah. I also enjoyed Zarah’s friends and look forward to the books about them.

Over all a good book and I am looking forward to the rest in the series. The story line did not grab me as much as I had hoped and there where times where I kept thinking it was taking to long for Bobby and Zarah to actually talk about the past. The mystery part of the story was good and well written along with the romance. A lot of books either focus on the romance or the mystery and I felt this book did a good job of balancing the two.

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.