Wednesday, April 24, 2013

Review: Jennifer by Dee Henderson


Jennifer
(An O'Malley Love Story)
 by Dee Henderson
Pub Date   May 1 2013
Description:
After finding God and falling in love, life is good for Dr. Jennifer O'Malley. But can her faith--and her family--survive the challenges ahead?


My review:
Jennifer by Dee Henderson is love as it should be.  I have read all the other O'Malley family books more than once and will also read this again.  I was happy to finally read the beginning of Jennifer's love story.  I highly recommend this book and all the others in the O'Malley series. They are all filled with romance, suspense and so much more.  I give this book a 5 out of 5 stars  for being the start of an A+ series.

I received this book from Net Galley and Bethany House for my honest opinion. 

You can learn more about Dee and her books here:

You can find the book at the below links:

Tuesday, April 23, 2013

Review: Unrivaled by Siri Mitchell

Unrivaled
by 
Siri Mitchell

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:
Unrivaled by Siri Mitchell wa a very enjoyable read. I enjoyed being taken into the world of candy making, which was a totally unique plot line. This is a book about love and forgiveness. I found myself not being very forgiving of Charlie's father, who left his family when Charlie was only seven, which left Charlie with old wounds to heal with his father.  Lucy was a very headstrong young women that I admired.  This was the first Siri Mitchell book I have read and it will not be the last. I give Unrivaled  a 4 out of 5 stars.

I received this book from Net Galley and Baker Publishing for my honest review.


You can purchase Unrivaled at these links:
B/N
Amazon
Christianbook
Baker Publishing

 About the author:
 Siri Mitchell is the author of nearly a dozen novels, among them the critically acclaimed Christy Award finalists Chateau of Echoes and The Cubicle Next Door. A graduate of the University of Washington with a degree in business, she has worked in many different levels of government. As a military spouse, she has lived in places as varied as Tokyo and Paris. Siri currently lives in the DC-metro area.



Review: Swept Away by Mary Connealy

Swept Away
Trouble In Texas ~ Book #1
by Mary Connealy

About

When a cowboy focused on revenge encounters a woman determined to distract him, there's going to be trouble in Texas!

Swept away when her wagon train attempts a difficult river crossing, Ruthy MacNeil isn't terribly upset at being separated from the family who raised her. All they've ever done is work her to the bone. Alive but disoriented, she's rescued by Luke Stone...so unfortunately, there are more chances to die in her immediate future.
Luke is on a mission to reclaim the ranch stolen from his family. But the men currently on the property won't let it go without a fight. Luke plans to meet up with friends who will help him take back the land, and since he can't just leave Ruthy in the middle of nowhere, she’s going to have to go with him.
But the more time Luke spends around the hardworking young woman, the more he finds himself thinking of things besides revenge. Will Ruthy convince him to give up his destructive path and be swept away by love?

My Review:
I have never read a book I did not love by Mary Connealy and her new Trouble In Texas: Book #1,
Swept Away is no exception.  Ruthy and Luke are the perfect hero and heroine.  Mary takes us on a delightful adventure that is sure to continue throughout this series.  I love that we are "introduced" to the characters that will be in future books.  Ruthy was most certainly "Swept Away" in more ways that one.  I look forward to the other books in the series.  Thank you, Mary for the many smiles on my face as I was "swept away" by Swept Away.

I received this book from Net Galley(ebook) and Bethany House  (paperback) for my honest review.




Mary Connealy writes fun and lively "romantic comedy with cowboys" for the inspirational market. She is the author of the successful Lassoed in Texas, Montana Marriages, and Sophie's Daughters series, and her novel Calico Canyon was nominated...


You can purchase Swept Away by Mary Connealy at these sites:

Review: Forsaken Dreams by MaryLu Tyndall

Forsaken Dreams 
 Escape to Paradise Series #1
by 
MaryLu Tyndall


Description:
They left everything behind to build a new Southern utopia. . .
Colonel Blake Wallace has seen enough death to last a lifetime. Weary and disillusioned, he slumps beneath the weight of defeat and loss. With his entire family murdered by the North and his name appearing on a list of officers wanted for war crimes, Blake organizes a shipload of southerners who, like him, long to escape the horrors of war and start a new life in a verdant land called Brazil.
Eliza Crawford can barely remember the days of her youth spent in opulence and comfort at her Georgian home. She can’t help but wonder how different her life would be had she not met her late husband, Stanton Watts, a general in the Northern army. Now a war widow, Eliza is rejected by both North and South. Desperate to keep her marriage a secret and escape her past and pain, she hopes to start over again in Brazil.
But once the voyage begins, troubles abound. Dangers at sea and enemies from within threaten to keep Blake and Eliza from the new life—and love—they long for.

My Review:
Forsaken Dreams the first book in the Escape to Paradiese Series by MaryLu Tyndall is a book that has it all.  It gave me a look at the mindsets of the people from the north and south and how they related to one another after the war was over.  The families that were affected by the Civil War were not soon to forgive. Forsaken Dreams is a book that allows us to see God working in the characters lives as He causes them to be more forgiving of others. We plainly see that it is the internal character that matters and not the external. The book also gives us a look at the spiritual warfare that abounds on the ship and the strong faith of those who recognize it. I give Forsaken Dreams 5 out of 5 stars.

I received this book from Net Galley and  Barbour Publishing for my honest review. I was not paid in any way for this review.


You may purchase Forsaken Dreams at the below links:
B/N
Amazon
Christianbook


About the author:
Many other miracles have happened in my family since I gave my life
to Jesus, and all I can say is I truly look forward to every day.
MaryLu Tyndall, a Christy Award Finalist, and best-selling author of the Legacy of the King's Pirates series is known for her adventurous historical romances filled with deep spiritual themes. She holds a degree in Math and worked as a software engineer for fifteen years before testing the waters as a writer. MaryLu currently writes full time and makes her home on the California coast with her husband, six kids, and four cats. Her passion is to write page-turning, romantic adventures that not only entertain but open people's eyes to their God-given potential. MaryLu is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers and Romance Writers of America. For more information on MaryLu and her upcoming releases, please visit her website.


Wednesday, April 17, 2013

Review: Ring of Secrets by Roseanna M. White

Ring of Secrets
Roseanna M. White
Harvest House Publishing

Description:
This exciting romantic spy novel from Roseanna M. White combines fascinating cloak-and-dagger secrets with a tale of love and intrigue during the Revolutionary War.
Winter Reeves is an aristocratic Patriot forced to hide her heart amid the Loyalists of the City of New York. She has learned to keep her ears open so she can pass information on British movements to Robbie Townsend, her childhood friend, and his spy ring. If she's caught, if she's hung for espionage…well, she won't be. Robbie has taught her the tools of the trade: the wonders of invisible ink, drop locations and, most importantly, a good cover.
Bennet Lane returns to New York from his Yale professorship with one goal: to find General Washington’s spy hidden among the ranks of the elite. Searching for a wife was supposed to be nothing more than a convenient cover story for his mission, but when he meets Winter, with her too-intelligent eyes in her too-blank face, he finds a mystery that can’t be ignored.
Both believers…and both committed to a separate cause. Will their faith in God lead them to a shared destiny or lives lived apart?

My review:
My praise goes out to Ring of Secrets by Roseanna M. White, which is set during the Revolutionary War. I was quickly drawn into the book by the main characters,  Miss Winter Reeves and Mr. Bennett Lane.  Winter is forced to live with her grandparents in New York City after her mother dies and
her father goes off to fight for the Patriots. She pretends to be a "flighty" young women with no opinions or beliefs of her own. She soon meets Mr. Bennett Lane who becomes clumsy and tongue tied in the company of young women. When he meets Winter he is drawn to her and not that way at all.  He very quickly realizes that Winter is not what she appears to be even though she has others
fooled.
I enjoyed the history, intrigue, humor and romance in Ring of Secrets and look forward to the next
book in the Culper Ring series.  This book deserves 5 out of 5 star.

I received this book from Net Galley and Harvest House Publishing for my honest review.  I was 
not paid in any way for my review.

You can buy this book at:


About the author:
Roseanna M. White is the author of several novels, as well as the senior reviewer at the Christian Review of Books, which she and her husband founded, and the senior editor at WhiteFire

Friday, April 12, 2013

Review: Shattered by Dani Pettrey

Shattered 
(Alaskan Courage Book #2) 
by
Dani Pettrey

With All the Evidence Against Him, Only a Sister's Trust Can Save Him Now

When her prodigal brother Reef’s return to Yancey, Alaska, is shattered by his arrest for murder, Piper McKenna is determined to protect him. 

Deputy Landon Grainger loves the McKennas like family, but he's also sworn to find the truth. And he knows those closest to you have the power to deceive you the most. With his sheriff pushing for a quick conviction, some unexpected leads complicate the investigation, and pursuing the truth puts Landon's career in jeopardy.

When Piper launches her own investigation, Landon realizes he must protect her from herself--and whatever complications await as the two follow clues deep into Canada's rugged backcountry. Not only does their long friendship seem to be turning into something more, but this dangerous case is becoming deadlier with each step. 



My review:
Go buy this series!! I have read Submerged (book #1) in the Alaskan Courage Series by Dani Pettrey
and was super excited to be able to review a copy of Shattered (book #2).  Both books are amazing and Dani Pettrey is a new author whom the Christian book market will be watching in the future.
I loved how you meet the characters in the previous books and then they each have there own love story in the preceding books.  Submerged and Shattered have everything I could want in a book; a love story, mystery, murder and adventure. I'll be waiting for the next books in the series, as I am sure they will just just as much fun as the first two.
This book gets a 5+ of of 5.  Way to go,  Dani!! Keep them coming!

I received this book from Bethany House Publishers and Net Galley for my honest review.


About the author:
Dani Pettrey is a wife, homeschooling mom and author. She feels blessed to write inspirational romantic suspense because it incorporates so many things she loves–the thrill of adventure, nail-biting suspense, the deepening of one’s faith and plenty of romance. She’s a huge fan of dark chocolate, is always in search of the best iced mocha and her dream is to one day own a little cottage on a remote stretch of beach. She and her husband reside in Maryland with their two teenage daughters.

Meet the characters of Shattered & Submerged