Review: Stealing the Preacher

Book Description:

A cowboy who wants to be a preacher. An outlaw's daughter who wants to change his mind.

On his way to interview for a position at a church in the Piney Woods of Texas, Crockett Archer can't believe it when he's forced off the train by an outlaw and presented to the man's daughter as the preacher she requested for her birthday. He's determined to escape--which would be much easier if he could stop thinking about Joanna Robbins and her unexpected request.

For months, Joanna had prayed for a minister. A man to breathe life back into the abandoned church at the heart of her community. A man to assist her in fulfilling a promise to her dying mother. But just when it seems her prayers have been answered, it turns out the parson is there against his will and has dreams of his own calling him elsewhere. Is there any way she can convince Crockett he ended up right where he was supposed to be?

With her signature blend of humor, history, and lively western romance, two-time RITA Award finalist and bestselling author Karen Witemeyer delivers a Texas love story sure to steal your heart.

 My Review: 

If you love "Short-Straw Bride" you must read this book! It was so nice to get a peak back in to the lives of the Archer family. 

The characters in this book were absolutely delightful, and I really enjoyed the light humor in the story. I also enjoyed the thread of faith that pulls the whole book together. 

If you haven't read the first book, don't worry this one will read just fine as a stand-alone. 

I must mention that I received a complimentary copy of this book from Bethany House in exchange for an honest review.

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Stealing the Preacher by Bethany House Publishers

Review: The Guardian by Beverly Lewis

Book Description:

When schoolteacher Jodi Winfield goes for a morning run, the last thing she expects is to find a disheveled little girl all alone on the side of the Pennsylvania road, clad only in her undergarments, her chubby cheeks streaked with tears. Jodi takes the preschooler home with her, intending to find out where she belongs. But Jodi is mystified when no one seems to know of a missing child, and the girl herself is no help, since she can't speak a word of English. It's as if the child appeared out of nowhere.

As the days pass, Jodi becomes increasingly attached to the mysterious girl, yet she is no closer to learning her identity. Then an unexpected opportunity brings Jodi to Hickory Hollow--and into the cloistered world of the Lancaster Old Order Amish. Might the answers lie there?

My Review:

I very much enjoyed this book. It was all that I have come to expect from Beverly Lewis and more.

I loved the way the seeming tragedy of a missing child (Sarah) brings together these two women, both struggling with grief, each in their own way. Though their lives are so very different, these unusual circumstances bring them together in a very unique friendship.

As always, the reader gets a nice taste of Amish life and theology, as well as visits with old Hickory Hollow friends like the Wise Woman.

Though part of a series, this book could very easily be read as a stand-alone too.

* I must mention that I received a complimentary review copy of this book from Bethany House.

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The Guardian by Bethany House Publishers

Review: Unrivaled

Book Description:

Lucy Kendall returns from a tour of the Continent, her luggage filled with the latest fashions and a mind fired by inspiration. After tasting Europe's best confections, she's sure she'll come up with a recipe that will save her father's struggling candy business and reverse their fortunes. But she soon discovers that their biggest competitor, the cheat who swindled her father out of his prize recipe, has now hired a promotions manager--a cocky, handsome out-of-towner who gets under Lucy’s skin.

Charlie Clarke's new role at Standard Manufacturing is the chance of a lifetime. He can put some rough times behind him and reconnect with the father he's never known. The one thing he never counted on, however, was tenacious Lucy Kendall. She's making his work life miserable...and making herself impossible for him to forget.

My Review:

Siri Mitchell is one of my favorite historical fiction authors, and I really expected to enjoy this book. While it was a decent story, it wasn't all that I have come to expect from Mitchell. This book lacked the rich detail and vivid descriptions that I've so enjoyed in her other books. Even with elegant balls in historic St Louis, there just wasn't enough detail to bring it to life. 

I also found it a bit difficult to relate to Lucy Kendall. For most of the book I actually found her to be beyond naive and annoying, and overall her character was just not very believable. She did not have the depth of character that I would have expected.

This is a book that had a lot of potential, but it just didn't really come together. That, being said I still won't hesitate to pick up Mitchell's next book.

*I must mention that I received a complimentary review copy of this book from Bethany House.

 

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Unrivaled by Bethany House Publishers

Review: Goodbye to Yesterday

Book Description

Release date: February 5, 2013 | Series: The Discovery - A Lancaster County Saga (Book 1)

Join Meredith and Luke Stoltzfus, an Amish couple who are faced with the greatest challenge of their young lives. Financial struggles. Arguments. A suspected pregnancy. A last-minute trip to Middlebury, Indiana. A deadly encounter at a Philadelphia bus station. Will their love and faith be enough to bring them back together again, against all odds?  Book 1 of the 6-part serial novel--The Discovery-A Lancaster County Saga.

*Source

My Review:

Filled with the classic newly-wed struggles, I found this novella to be both enjoyable to read and easy to relate to. 

The characters are very realistic and engaging right from the start. 

The story moves very fast and has more twists in the plot than I would expect in such a short book. It is also very emotionally engaging and it gripped me from the very beginning.

I read the story in one afternoon and I can't wait for the next book in the series to come out.

* I must mention that I received a complimentary review copy of this book from Handlebar.

Book Review: Waiting for Morning/Brides of Last Chance Ranch

Book Description

The Brides of Last Chance Ranch, #3

Molly Hatfield comes to Arizona Territory seeking stability and security. But living in Cactus Patch provides her with more than she ever dreamed.

There is nothing Molly wouldn’t do for her teenaged brother, Donny. Blaming herself for the accident that left him wheelchair bound, Molly has dedicated her life to his care. But in 1896, gainful employment for a woman is hard to come by. So when Molly learns that an eccentric rancher in Cactus Patch, Arizona, is looking for an heiress—someone to take over management of the ranch in exchange for future ownership—she jumps at the chance to provide a real home for her brother.

However, Molly didn’t bank on meeting Dr. Caleb Fairbanks, the town’s charming unmarried doctor. Caleb has a way with Molly that makes her nervous. But it’s how he is with her brother that really alarms her. Caleb sees past the wheelchair and genuinely likes Donny, but Molly fears he’s putting unrealistic ideas into her brother’s head. Falling in love with Caleb would threaten everything she’s worked for, even her brother’s future happiness. But it could be the very reason God brought her to Last Chance Ranch.

My Review:

This book is an adventure right from the first chapter. Beginning with a devastating fire that, the now-former dance hall girl sets out with her crippled brother to find a new life at Last Chance Ranch.

Always feeling like an outcast, Molly struggles to fit in at the Ranch, while wrestling with "fitting in" to the body of Christ as well. 

I loved the quirky and colorful characters in this book. They were funny yet sincere and always very lively. Having read the previous books in this serious, I loved the look back into the lives of the other characters, yet it would be fine to read this book as a stand-alone too.

What I most appreciated about this book was the strong message of faith - something that is often missing from Christian fiction today.

*I must mention I received a complimentary review copy of this book from the BookSneeze program.

Book Review: Firefly Island

Book Description

Publication Date: February 1, 2013

Lisa Wingate Is a Top Name in Inspirational Contemporary Romance

At thirty-four, congressional staffer Mallory Hale is about to embark on an adventure completely off the map. After a whirlwind romance, she is hopelessly in love with two men--fortunately, they're related. Daniel Everson and his little boy, Nick, are a package deal, and Mallory suddenly can't imagine her future without them.

Mallory couldn't be more shocked when Daniel asks her to marry him, move to Texas, and form a family with him and motherless Nick. The idea is both thrilling and terrifying.

Mallory takes a leap of faith and begins a sweet, mishap-filled journey into ranch living, Moses Lake society, and a marriage that at times reminds her of the mail-order-bride stories. But despite the wild adventure of her new life, she discovers secrets and questions beneath her rosy new life. Can she find answers on Firefly Island, a little chunk of property just off the lakeshore, where mysterious lights glisten at night?

My Review:

I loved this trip back to Moses Lake. From the light romance, to the funny yet true-to-life hiccups of the newlywed days this book was the perfect blend of humor and mystery.

I really enjoyed following the story of Mallory, as she goes through this season of life where she is stretched and molded while discovering who she truly is.

I also enjoyed the glimpse back into the lives of the other Moses Lake residents that long time readers of Wingate will know - like Len and Birdie, Doc, and the others.

Overall, this was everything I have come to expect from Wingate.

* I must mention that I received a complimentary review copy of this book from Bethany House.

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Firefly Island by Bethany House Publishers

Review: The Tutor's Daughter by Julie Klassen

 

 

Description

Emma Smallwood, determined to help her widowed father when his boarding school fails, accompanies him to the cliff-top manor of a baronet and his four sons. But soon after they arrive and begin teaching the two younger boys, mysterious things begin to happen. Who does Emma hear playing the pianoforte at night, only to find the music room empty? And who begins sneaking into her bedchamber, leaving behind strange mementoes?   The baronet's older sons, Phillip and Henry Weston, wrestle with problems--and secrets--of their own. They both remember the studious Miss Smallwood from their days at her father's academy. But now one of them finds himself unexpectedly drawn to her....   When suspicious acts escalate, can Emma figure out which brother to blame and which to trust with her heart?
  Filled with page-turning suspense, The Tutor's Daughter takes readers to the windswept Cornwall coast--a place infamous for shipwrecks and superstitions--where danger lurks, faith is tested, and romance awaits. 

My Review:

I very much enjoyed this book. As always, Klassen has done an outstanding job bringing the story alive through vivid description, historically accurate detail, and interesting characters. With a thread of mystery winding through the plot, the reader is drawn through book. Unexpected twists in the plot keep it interesting - I could hardly put it down.

What I most liked was the look inside the 19th century English Manor House. From the tensions between the servants and the tutor, and the in between nature of his position (not family, but higher than a servant) to the look at the life of the maids, I found the detail quite interesting. 

I also enjoyed the glimpse of Cornwall history found in this book.

The only thing I didn't like was the  "Jane Eyre" part of the plot. I won't give any spoilers here, but it just seemed to me that one of the major plot lines was quite similar to Bronte's work.

Overall, I found it do be a good piece of historical fiction.

*I must mention that I received a complimentary review copy of this book from Bethany House in exchange for a honest opinion.

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The Tutors Daughter by Bethany House Publishers