Fraying at the Edge - A Book Review

When it comes to Amish fiction Cindy Woodsmall is my favorite author.  I have read all of her books and she never disappoints!  Her newest series,The Amish of Summer Grove, is my favorite yet. I have been patiently waiting for Fraying at the Edge ever since I finished Ties That Bind last September.  I was so happy to get it and I was not disappointed. The only negative thing I have to say about it is that here I am waiting again for the next book!

If you love Amish fiction I cannot recommend this series enough!  Actually all of Cindy Woodsmalls novels.  They are all great! 

The Old Order Amish life Ariana Brenneman loved vanished virtually overnight with the discovery that she was switched at birth twenty years ago. Now she’s immersed in the Englischer world, getting to know her mother and under the authority of her biological father, an atheist intellectual with resolute plans to expand Ariana’s worldview. Only Quill Schlabach, a childhood friend living Englisch, can help steady Ariana’s tilting ground between the two worlds, but can she trust him after so many betrayals?
 
At the same time, Skylar Nash is forced to choose rehab or spend several months with her true relatives, the large Brenneman family and their seemingly backward life—no electricity, no technology, no fun. What the young woman can’t leave behind is her addiction to illegal prescription drugs and deep emptiness from the belief that she doesn’t belong in either family.
 
New ties are binding Ariana and Skylar to the lives they were meant to have. Can they find the wisdom and strength they’ll need to follow God’s threads into unexpected futures?
***This book was provided to me by bloggingforbooks.com in exchange for my honest review.

To Follow Her Heart - A Book Review

To Follow Her Heart by Rebecca DeMarino is the third book in The Southold Chronicles series.  I did not read the previous books and I think it is a fine stand alone book, however, I think that it would give you a better connection with some of the characters if you read the series in order.  I enjoyed the book enough to go back and read the other ones in the series.

I really enjoy historical fiction and this book is a reminder as to why.  So beautifully written, full of history and romance, all my favorites.  It is set in the 1600's and this is a time period that I have not read a lot of stories from and I enjoyed that most of all.

It is 1661 and Patience Terry is devastated to learn that captain Jeremy Horton's ship has been shipwrecked off the coast of Barbados.  There were no survivors.  She had hoped that Jeremy would someday give up the sea and settle down with her in Southold, Long Island.

Unaware his memorial service is being planned, Jeremy sails aboard a British warship with secret orders to attack New Amsterdam and claim it for the British Crown.  When he make his surprise return to Southold and to an overjoyed Patience it's not quite the happily ever after his beloved and hoped for.

***Thanks to Revell Reads for providing me a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

No Way Up by Mary Connealy

Mary Connealy is an author that continuously keep my eye out for.  I instantly became a fan of hers when I first read the Kinkaid Brides Series and I have read all of her books since.  No Way Up is the first book in a new series call The Cimarron Legacy.

If you have read any of Mary Connealy's books you know that she has a witty writing style and will keep you laughing throughout the whole book.  She also knows how to write a good western love story.  I had a little bit of a hard time at first getting into the story and connecting with the characters, but once I did I was enjoying myself the rest of the way through.  There is plenty of action, love, romance and mystery and of course the humor.

One thing I like about this book and most of this authors novels is that you don't have to think.  They are easy and quick, entertaining reads.  I like to call them feel good novels.  If you are needing a book to fill your day this summer this is a good one to start with.

THE FIGHT FOR THE CIMARRON RANCH HAS JUST BEGUN!

When Cimarron ranch patriarch Chance Boden is caught in an avalanche, only the quick actions of hired hand Heath Kincaid can save him.  Before leaving by train to receive treatment to save his leg and possible his life, Chance demands that Heath read the patriarch's will and see its conditions enforced immediately.  If Chance's three bickering adult children, Justin, Sadie and Cole don't live and work at the ranch for an entire year, ownership of the ranch will pass to a despised distant relative.

Before long, however, Heath discovers that the avalanche may have been intentionally set and that more danger lurks.  Finding his own future and a desired future with Sadie locked up in saving Cimarron Ranch, Heath and the Boden siblings must work together against outside forces that threaten them all.

***Thanks to Bethany House publishing for providing me a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Honor Redeemed - A Book Review

If you read very many of my book reviews you already know that I am a huge fan of historical fiction.  It is my favorite genre to read.  Honor Redeemed by Christine Johnson met all my expectations of what a great historical fiction novel should be.  You can really tell when an author has done their "homework" and studied out a specific time period and it is very evident in this book.

One thing I enjoy is when the author includes and Author's Note sharing if there was anything true to life in the book and where they got some of the information.  This gives just a little bit more insight into the writing and preparations that went into the novel.

Honor Redeemed is the second book in the Keys of Promise series and although I did not read the first book I will definitely be going back and reading it now.

Two years ago, Prosperity Jones waved farewell to her beloved David as the army sent him to faraway Key West.  Now with her parents gone, she has but one prospect for the future; make the dangerous journey from Nantucket to key West to reunite with David and secure a happier life.

But when Prosperity arrives penniless in the South, she is dismayed to find David has not been eagerly awaiting their reunion.  In fact, he is married to someone else.  scrambling to survive and nursing a broken heart, Prosperity gains the friendship and the affection of a kind doctor.  Could he be the answer to her loneliness?  Or will her life be upended by circumstance yet again?

***Thanks to Revell Reads for providing me a copy of Honor Redeemed in exchange for my honest review.

What Matters Most - A Book Review

Just when she can't take it anymore, Leta finally catches a break. But when things seem too good to be true they often are.

Finding her dream job went right out the window when Leta Breckenridge had to quit school to help care for her mother suffering from dementia.  When a delinquent account may force her mother into a less desirable facility, Leta is thrilled to land a high-paying job at an Austin public relations firm.  but her seemingly idea job turns into a nightmare when she learns the firm is a front for a political opposition organization-and that the research she's been collecting will be used against Nathan Emerson, the handsome senator she's swiftly falling in love with.

Nathan is a rising political star being pressured to run a bid to unseat the current governor of Texas.  He's already in a relationship with a woman much better suited to be a politician's wife, but he's never met anyone like Leta.  Could this feisty woman hold the key to his heart and his future?

I was a little hesitant to read What Matters Most.  It's not my normal genre. I'm not big on modern day dramas, but I am glad I took the chance on this one.  There is so much going on in the world right now, in our own lives.  We stay busy with this and that and sometimes we fail to take time for the things that matter most.  This book was a timely reminder for me to stop and take time for the people in my life that I love the most.

This book is the fourth book in the Texas Gold Collection and I have not read the other three that came before it.  It is a great stand alone book and I think it will touch the heart of anyone that reads it.

***Thanks to Revell Reads for providing me a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Missing - A Book Review

Missing is the second book in The Nikki Boyd Files series.  After I read the first book, Vendetta, I was anxious for the release of the second book and I was not disappointed.  Lisa Harris is quickly becoming one of my favorite authors in the suspense genre.  She has a fast-paced, gripping writing style that keeps me turning pages and enthralled until the very ended.  Not to mention that I am kept guessing!  Every time I think I have it figured out, there is a new twist and turn that keeps me on my toes!

If you like suspense novels that are also inspirational this is a great series for you!  I used to stay away from suspense novels, but it is books like this that has me hooked!

Two people are missing and two people are dead.  Nikki Boyd isn't usually called in on homicides; her forte is missing persons, but when a case where there are two of each pops up, she is ready to start the investigation and find missing homeowners Mac and Lucy Hudson.  When the first clues lead her to the boat of her friend Tyler, and another dead body, Nikki must untangle what ties Tyler to the Hudsons.  The clues pull her into a deadly maze of counterfeit drugs and a killer who will stop at nothing to silence anyone who threatens his business - including Nikki.

***Thanks to Revell Reads for providing me a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

To Capture Her Heart - A Book Review

To Capture Her Heart is the second book in The Southold Chronicles series.  You do not need to read the first book before this one.  It is a great stand alone book.

The book is set in the mid 1600's and Heather Flower, an Indian princess is celebrating her wedding feast, but before the actual wedding takes place her tribe is attacked.  Her groom is killed and Heather Flower and several of the Indian woman are kidnapped.  Heather Flower is tied up and left to die.  Lieutenant Dirk Van Buren rescues Heather Flower and forms a strong bond with her.

Heather Flower is dealing with her grief and her dear friends, the Hortons, are helping her out in her time of need.  Ben Horton has strong feelings for Heather Flower and hopes that they can have a relationship together, but Heather Flower's heart is leading her towards Lieutenant Buren.  She must choose between staying loyal to her friend or following her heart.

Historical romance is my favorite genre and I love when an author intertwines a fictional story with historical events.  I found it very interesting that the land in this story is what eventually became Long Island, New York!

I have to say I struggled a little in the beginning of this book.  I had a hard time getting into it, but I stuck with it and it wasn't long before I found myself thoroughly enjoying this tale!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Rebecca DeMarino is the author of A Place in His Heart, book one of The Southold Chronicles, a series inspired by her ninth great-grandparents, Barnabas and Mary Horton. She inherited her love of baking and gardening from her mother; a love of horses, reading, and writing from her dad; and the wanderlust gene from both parents. Rebecca lives in the Pacific Northwest with her husband, Tom. Learn more at www.rebeccademarino.com

***This book was provided to me by the publisher in exchange for my honest review.