"It Happened at the Fair" almost seems like an unworthy title to portray the story behind this cover! This book was so lively, so full of action and twists and turns.
Della Wentworth is an advocate for deaf children, teaching them at a school in the Chicago World's Fair of 1893. She teaches her students to lip-read, instead of sign language, because she doesn't want her students to feel so 'different' from everyone else.
Cullen McNamara is a farmer allergic to cotton. Ever since his mother died in a fire, he has been determined to invent something to put out fires. He came up with an automatic sprinkler system, which his dad insists he show at the World's Fair. Cullen is against the idea, knowing his family doesn't have enough money for it, but his dad insists. Cullen tells his almost-lifelong friend, Wanda, whom everyone thinks he will get married to, about going to the World's Fair. She doesn't see the same reasoning and potential that Cullen's dad sees in him and begs him not to go, to set a wedding date for them, anything.
Cullen makes it to the World's Fair, but because of a partial loss of hearing in one of his ears, plus the intense noise surrounding his booth, he realizes that he needs help. He can't hear his clients, causing most of them to walk on to his neighboring booth, which sells a manual sprinkler system. Cullen isn't selling any sprinklers, and he knows his family needs the money, so out of desperation and a recommendation of a friend, he goes to take lip-reading classes from a teacher at the fairgrounds. Even with the lessons though, things are hard for Cullen. Mainly so because he can't concentrate; he's keeps getting distracted staring at his teacher, Della's, lips.
I thought this book was excellent; the chemistry from the characters, the heat of the plot, and the historical aspect of the setting kept me hooked for the entire ride!
Thank you so much to Net Galley and Howard books for letting me read and review this book.
WOW. What more can I say but "WOW"? This book was so well written, historically accurate as far as I could tell, perfectly romantic, and had lots of suspense! This is, for sure, going to my "Top Ten" book list for 2012/beginning of 2013!
"Swept Away" is published by Baker Publishing Group and written (very well!) by Mary Connealy. I have never read anything by this author before, but I love stories set in the "wild west", so I thought that I would give this one a try. Once I started it, I could not put it down! The suspense keeps you hanging on the edge of your seat. The romance keeps you hoping for a "happily ever after". The only bad part was, I finished it! I could have stayed in Texas all week :).
So here's the low-down: male character, Luke Stone; female character, Ruthy. Of course, there are more characters, but these are the main two.
Luke lived on a ranch in Texas as a kid and left to fight in the Civil War. His father's deed left Luke the ranch. However, while Luke is gone, a man named Flint Greer had Luke's dad killed and stole the ranch. When Luke comes back he finds this out, and starts working with his friends that he made at Andersonville prison camp during the war to stop Greer. Luke is on his way back from gathering paperwork, as far as I could tell, when he comes across Ruthy.
Ruthy's parent got the flu when it swept through the school and town, and died. Ruthy was taken in by another family, who abused her and made her basically their slave, and hit/slapped her when she stalled or upset them. They had a son named Virgil whom they wanted Ruthy to marry, yet Ruthy wanted nothing to do with him. She began sleeping with a knife because of his "attraction" to her. On a wagon train with this family going west, Ruthy tries to lead the team across a river with the others when it flash floods and wipes everyone out. Miraculously, she survives but is unconscious in the river.
That's where Luke comes across Ruthy. Unfortunately, he cannot turn around and take her to the nearest town because Greer framed him for a robbery and Luke is on the run. Yet, he cannot leave her there either-how rude would that be! So, he picks her up and takes her with him.
Ruthy and Luke must fight to regain Luke's land. What will become of them? Will they survive to nurture their growing relationship?
Thank you so much to Baker Publishing group and Net Galley for letting me read and review this book; it was excellent and well-written. I look forward to reading more from this author in the future!
"Grave Consequences" by Lisa T. Bergren
Oh, I don't even know where to begin in reviewing this book. One thing for sure, if you have not read the prequel to this book, "Glamorous Illusions", then you must read it first. This trilogy, the third book in which is entitled "Glittering Promises", is rather complex in its plot, characters, and ever-changing setting. Please see my review on "Glamorous Illusions" to help: http://mybookthoughts.over-blog.com/article-glamorous-illusions-102790920.html
Now, I will continue as if you have already read and are familiar with the plot and characters of the first book, because going back over all of it is a review within itself (see link above).
Cora Diehl Kensington and her siblings decide to continue on their Grand Tour of Europe, even with known kidnappers trailing them. They move on from Pierre's house and onto his sister's, which if I remember correctly was in Italy. (There are so many places to remember that they went to!) In her time away from Pierre and threats in Italy, Cora's feelings for Will grow.
Will and his uncle continue leading the Grand Tour for the Kensingtons and Morgans. With every twist and turn, Will finds himself growing closer to Cora, yet he knows that he must remain her guide and nothing more....because her father would ruin both of them.
When the kidnappers and a supposed friend turn on them, what will Cora do? Who will she lean on to stand, when Pierre comes back in the picture? What will her father think of her courters?
I believe I can truly say I've never read a more heart-and-gut-wrenching series. When I was about 90 percent of the way through the book, I stopped reading it for about two weeks out of sheer terror of the ending! However, I can say the ending isn't nearly as, shall we say, cruel, as the first book. Whew. Still, be prepared for a ride! You may want to clear your schedule because this will keep you on the edge of your seat.
Thank you so much to Net Galley and David C. Cook publishers for letting me read and review this book. The setting, plot, and characters are so realistic they remain with me long after I finish reading!
"To Honor and Trust" by Tracie Peterson and Judith Miller was given to me by Bethany House publishers on the condition that I honestly review this book. All opinions are my own.
Callie Deboyer is a governess who travels to Bridal Veil Island to work for the Bridgeport family over the winter. She helps the family greatly with the children's studies as well as hiring a new nanny.
Wes Townsend moves with his family to Bridal Veil Island, where they continue to pester him about finding a wife as well as working for the family business. Wes desires to do neither, and especially doesn't want to attend the welcoming party being held in his family's honor.
Callie, as well, is expected to attend this party, even though she would rather send the new nanny and stay at home with the children. But when her employer and the children's nanny tell her to go, what will she do? Will Wes have decided to attend as well? Will they meet each other and what will happen between them?
With deceit and plot twists, pulling of the heart and calling of God, this made for a fairly good book. This book was pretty slow moving at the start, but then I became more interested in the plot as well as the characters, and continued reading. It made for a nice read, overall.
As I said before, thank you to Bethany House publishers for letting me read and review this book.
"Undeniably Yours" by Becky Wade
I had high expectations for this book because I had absolutely loved Becky Wade's first book, "My Stubborn Heart". This book met and exceeded my expectations, but in a different way than I was expecting.
This book is set in modern-day Texas, where Meg Cole has recently inherited her father's multi-million dollar oil business. She doesn't know how or look forward to running this, and in her first couple of weeks she fires several people. However, there is one man who refuses to be fired.
Bo Porter runs a Thoroughbred farm, and refuses to close it when his boss, Meg Cole, insists he shut it down. He is a cowboy through and through and decides to do whatever he can to change Meg's mind.
In addition to this crisis, a woman hurt by Meg's ex-husband comes into Meg's life, and Meg reconsiders everything she is using her father's money for, to find her true purpose in life.
Once Meg and Bo finally have some understanding between them, and even a little attraction, will an evil force from Meg's past tear them and their trust of each other apart?
Thank you so much to Bethany House and Net Galley for letting me read and review this book! I thoroughly enjoyed it because the plot was so intense and unpredictable!
"The Tutor's Daughter" by Julie Klassen is an excellent book! I have read several of Julie Klassen's books before and had high expectations on this book. These expectations were exceeded! A book of fine quality and obvious research, this book was accurate, historically, as far as I could tell, and had an interesting plot that will hook you from the start.
Emma Smallwood and her father run a small, private school. When all their students have left, and Emma senses her father getting somewhat depressed, she contacts the father of two of her previous students, knowing he has two more sons, and asking whether or not he is interested in having them attend the Smallwood school. She receives a letter back inviting the Smallwoods to his (the Weston) estate, and Emma and her father pack their bags.
Phillip and Henry Weston remember their childhood teacher and his daughter, and are pleased, for the most part, to see the Smallwoods again. Both find that they think of Emma fondly.
Not only does Emma have to deal with seeing the elder Weston sons again, one whom she was great friends with and the other who always played practical jokes on her, but there are several mysterious noises at the Weston estate. She senses that the Westons are hiding things from her, and is suspicious. Beyond that, Emma keeps hearing someone in her bedroom at night. Will she figure out what is going on, as well as which brother to trust with her heart?
Thank you so much to Net Galley and Bethany House publishers for providing me with a copy of this book to read and review. This was one of the best books I have read in a while, because of not only the mystery but the depth of the characters and the plot.
***"Rush to the Altar" by Jamie Carie is, at the time of this post, only $4.99 at the Kindle Store. Clicking on the picture above will redirect you there.***
I have pretty much read all of Mrs. Carie's works, and they have been ok, but sometimes a bit 'intense' in some cases. This book was over-the-top in these areas. Let me explain the characters, and then I will get to the pros and cons.
Maddie Goode is a single-mom with a two-year-old son named Max. Her husband, Brandon, was killed in a car accident six months before. She is out of work. Maddie's friend Sasha wins a radio contest that gets them tickets to the next basketball game in town. Maddie isn't a huge basketball fan, but her friend convinces her to take the night out. (Maddie and her son are currently living with her parents.) Through a series of extremely unlikely events, Maddie lands a high-position job for the basketball team. The whole events leading up to her landing this job were so unrealistic it was comical. Suffice it to say, she gets the job and runs into the "hot" basketball players on the team.
Jake Hart is one of those players. He runs into Maddie holding his underwear for a job interview (don't ask). That is pretty much how they meet, and seeing how this is a romance novel, you can probably guess the rest of the story. However, there are several huge plots twists that come along, so don't just take my review for it.
Now, for the pros and cons:
Pros:
This was a cute story.
Cons:
Swear words were used twice throughout the book. And not just "So-and-so swore under his breath"; no, the actual word was printed in the book.
Drinking heavily to the point of insulting Maddie was in the book, but only once. However, characters are shown-er, written- as drinking several different alcoholic drinks for different reasons through the book. (I.e. in anger, at a party, in celebration, etc.)
Kissing was heavy in this book and made it appear less "sacred" than I believe it to be. Sometimes things got a bit too passionate for my taste.
Sex was shown as something done just, well, because so-and-so was a couple, even when they weren't married. Now, I realize that some people may not share my same opinions on this, and how far is "too far", but for this to have been written by a self-proclaimed Christian, this was too much, a stumbling block, if you will. (Note: the actual act is not written about, just referred to)
SPOILER: Maddie and Jake get married on a whim without consulting or even telling their parents (or Max).
SPOILER: Maddie's first husband had a mistress.........while he was married to Maddie.
In addition to those "personal" cons, there were also several noticeable grammatical errors, and more than just "a few" mistakes.
As for character development, I personally didn't think it was all that great. Only the two main characters were really focused on, leaving you to wonder what was happening with the others, including Maddie's son.
All in all, I realize this was Mrs. Carie's first try at something other than historical romance, but I really didn't like it. It's not one I would read again or recommend. However, this book is marketed for general contemporary romance, not inspiration/Christian romance. This apparently changes the standards of the content.
Thank you so much to Mrs. Carie for providing me with a copy of "Rush to the Altar" to review.
I'm jumping for joy because there is another great book on Kindle that's free!! Mary Connealy is an excellent and funny romance author. I've reviewed one of her books already and read three of them (including this one), the one I reviewed being "Swept Away" (yes, the review is on this blog). Please download this book for your Kindle, Nook, etc.; I hope you enjoy it as much as I did! And yes, just click on the picture above and you should be redirected to amazon to download it :).
Catch a Falling Star is written by Beth Vogt and published by Howard Books. Beth Vogt wrote one of my favorite books, "Wish You Were Here", so I had high expectations for this book.
And boy oh boy, did it ever measure up! This is a sweet romance book that has some unexpected mystery in it. Dr. Kendall Haynes is family doctor in her thirties, unmarried, and still holding out for "Mr. Right". She does not think that she will get married, judging by how all her fellow girlfriends are engaged or already married, as well as her own younger sister, who is engaged. However, Kendall keeps a smile on her face and devotes herself to helping kids with asthma and allergies.
Griffin Walker is an ex-pilot in the Air Force, due to a case of vertigo that he can't rid himself of. When his parents die, they put him in charge of his adopted younger brother Ian, who is sixteen. Ian has severe allergies that Griffin does know about.
Heath Parker takes up an interest in Kendall, and is quite flattering to her. Kendall thinks she's finally found the man of her dreams. But after her dates with him, her heart fills her head with thoughts of another. Add to that the pressure that Kendall's sister is adding to her about wanting a family heirloom, and Kendall is a wreck. Who will her heart choose, and will it be God's will for her life?
Thank you so much to Net Galley and Howard publishers for letting me read and review this book. I have really enjoyed this author's works in the past, and this one was no different. I would totally recommend this!
Check out my other blog here: link