Firefly Summer by Kathleen Y’Barbo

June 24, 2015

Firefly Summer by Kathleen Y’Barbo was a great book. I loved this book from the start right up until the end of this book. I love when books have meaning and things that you can learn from while you are reading and this book does that. I loved watching the characters grow throughout this story and see how they grew. This was a super easy book to read and one that I recommend to everyone this summer. It was a sweet story and a very easy read. If you read this book please let me know what you think of it.

About The Book

Artist Sessa Chambers may never recover from losing her prodigal son. Even as she grieves the tragic decisions that led to his death, and left her with a toddler to raise, she’s asked to work on her dream project—restoring carousel horses for the Smithsonian. But she can’t do it on her own…

Dr. Trey Brown can’t pick up a scalpel again. Yes, he acted in self-defense, but the events of that awful night haunt him. He was trained to save lives, not take them. When he goes to the young man’s widowed mother to apologize, she’s not at all what he expected. For one thing, she’s not as alone as he thought—not with the fearsome ladies of the Pies, Books, and Jesus Book Club in her corner. For another, she’s beautiful, and being in her presence is more jolting than any eight-second bronco ride from his former rodeo days. Before he knows it, she’s captured his heart as easily as they capture the fireflies gracing Sessa’s Texas ranch.

How can they overcome their past to embrace a future together?

About The Author

While wearing her publicist’s hat, Kathleen has secured interviews with radio, television, and print media for clients at NavPress, Hatchette, Integrity, Barbour Publishing, and Broadman & Holman, to name a few. She also brings her own unique blend of Southern charm and witty prose to the more than 350,000 award-winning novels and novellas currently in print. Her novels have been nominated for American Christian Fiction Writers Book of the Year in 2002, 2003, 2004, and 2006; and 2007 will see the release of her 25th book.

Kathleen is a tenth-generation Texan and a mother of three grown sons and a teenage daughter. She is a graduate of Texas A&M University. Kathleen is a former treasurer for the American Christian Fiction Writers, and is a member of the Author’s Guild, Inspirational Writers Alive, Words for the Journey Christian Writers Guild, and the Fellowship of Christian Authors. In addition, she is a sought-after speaker, and her kids think she’s a pretty cool mom, too…most of the time, anyway.

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Mireille by Molly Cochran

June 22, 2015

Mireille by Molly Cochran was a great book. The first thing I want to let you know about this book is that it is a long one so be ready for a big book but I really did enjoy the book. It took me awhile to get through it because I have had major headaches. I liked that the writing in the book isn’t super small so I don’t have to strain my eyes as much. At the start of the book I wasn’t a huge fan of Mireille and to be honest I am not sure why. I did feel bad for her throughout parts of the book because of what she went through. I hated Oliver from the first time he showed up right up until the end. I would recommend this book to anyone who love historical fiction and/or books that take place during WWII.

About The Book

Paperback

Publisher: Lake Union Publishing (June 9, 2015)

Near the end of World War II, seventeen-year-old Mireille de Jouarre flees the home of her stepfather, a Nazi collaborator and abusive drunk. She finds shelter with her childhood friend Stefan, and the two fall deeply in love. But as the fighting escalates, Mireille must escape alone to Paris, where she discovers she’s pregnant and lacking a way to provide for her child.

So begins her new life as l’Ange—the Angel. After an unlikely meeting with a wealthy aristocrat in a Parisian hotel—and her acceptance of his solicitation—Mireille becomes the most celebrated poule in all of France, eliciting huge fees and invitations to exclusive parties. At one of these events, Mireille meets Oliver Jordan, an American womanizer and film producer, and is soon launching a promising film career. As her star rises, Mireille is determined to bury her past. But her success isn’t as carefree and glittery as it seems, and when her daughter’s future is threatened, Mireille must make a deadly decision in a desperate attempt to finally choose her own path.

About The Author

Molly Cochran is the author of more than twenty novels and nonfiction books, including the New York Times bestseller Grandmaster, The Forever King, The Broken Sword, and The Temple Dogs, all cowritten with Warren Murphy. She is also the author of The Third Magic, and she cowrote the nonfiction bestseller Dressing Thin with Dale Goday. Cochran has received numerous awards, including the Mystery Writers of America’s Edgar Award, the Romance Writers of America’s “Best Thriller” award, and an “Outstanding” classification by the New York Public Library. Recently she published a series of young adult novels, Legacy, Poison, and Seduction, and two novellas, Wishes and Revels. Legacy won a 2013 Westchester Fiction Award.

Visit Molly at her website, mollycochran.com.

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A Heart’s Betrayal by Colleen Coble

June 18, 2015

A Heart’s Betrayal by Colleen Coble was another great book in this story. This is the fourth book in this series and you do have to read these books in order because it is one book that was split into 6 different books. If you missed the first 3 reviews you can click here, here, and here to check out the reviews on those books. In this book you get to know Emmie and Isaac even though you did get to know Isaac a little bit in the second & third books. I felt so bad for Emmie throughout this book because of what her late husband did to her. I am not sure what I would do if it were done to me. I can’t wait to see what happens in the next book. I am sad that I don’t have the book already so I can’t read it this weekend. The review for the 5th book will be up in July.

About The Book

A Heart’s Betrayal (Thomas Nelson, June 2015)

Emmie finds shelter in the arms of a soldier, but her secret could drive them apart.

When Emmie Croftner answered the door to her late husband’s home, she discovered an awful truth: her deceased husband was a bigamist. And what’s more, the home she thought she inherited never belonged to her at all.
Suddenly displaced, powerless, and ashamed, Emmie can’t stay in Wabash, Indiana. She makes a hopeful start for Fort Laramie, Wyoming, to find her friend Sarah Montgomery and a new beginning. But when she arrives, she discovers she’s pregnant—and without a husband. The new start she’d hoped for slips from her fingers.

But then she meets Isaac Liddle, a handsome soldier with a kind heart. When he begins to court her, Emmie wonders whether she could ever really be his—and whether she dares to tell him she is carrying another man’s baby.

About The Author

Colleen Coble has sold over 2 million novels worldwide.Seagrass Pier, the third installment in her acclaimed Hope Beach series, marks a new highpoint for emotion and complexity in Coble’s addictive brand of romantic suspense.

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Hearts Made Whole by Jody Hedlund

June 3, 2015

Hearts Made Whole by Jody Hedlund was a great historical fiction book. This book takes place in Michigan and I love Michigan so I knew I would at least love the setting of the book even if I didn’t end up liking the characters or the plot of the story. From the first time you hear from Ryan I felt bad for him and had a soft spot for everything he had to have gone through. I also really liked Caroline but at times she would get on my nerves. I did feel bad for her and her siblings after their father died and they basically had nowhere to go when Ryan showed up to take over the lighthouse. While I was reading this book I felt so bad for Ryan and just hoped that he would end up okay and that Caroline would be able to help him through what he was going through. By the end of the book I ended up hoping that Ryan & Caroline would end up together but I am not going to say if they did or not. If you love historical fiction than I would for sure check this book out.

About The Book

After her father’s death, Caroline Taylor has grown confident running the Windmill Point Lighthouse. But in 1865 Michigan, women aren’t supposed to have such roles, so it’s only a matter of time before the lighthouse inspector appoints a new keeper–even though Caroline has nowhere else to go and no other job available to her.

Ryan Chambers is a Civil War veteran still haunted by the horrors of battle. He’s been given the post as lighthouse keeper, and the isolation where he can drown in drink and hide from his past is appealing. He’s not expecting the current keeper to be a feisty and beautiful woman who’s none-too-pleased to be giving up her position. They both quickly realize he’s in no shape to run the lighthouse, but Ryan’s unwilling to let anyone close, ravaged by memories and guilt. Caroline’s drawn to this wounded soul, but with both of them relying on that single position, can they look past their loss to a future filled with hope…and possibly love?

About The Author

Jody Hedlund is an award-winning and bestselling author of inspirational historical romances including books for adults and youth. She currently makes her home in central Michigan with her husband and their five busy children.

As a busy mama-writer, she has the wonderful privilege of teaching her crew of 5 children at home. In between grading math papers and giving spelling tests, she occasionally does a load of laundry and washes dishes. When she’s not busy being a mama, you can find her in front of her laptop working on another of her page-turning stories.

She loves reading almost as much as she loves writing, especially when it also involves chocolate and coffee.

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A Hearts Danger by Colleen Coble

May 29, 2015

A Hearts Danger by Colleen Coble was another great book in this series. I have read and review book one and book two so you can click on them if you missed the reviews on them. There are 6 books in this series and this is another series where you have to read the books in order so that you know what is going on. I have to say that I am getting tired of how short theses books are because I want to know what happens and how the story ends. I really enjoyed this book because it doesn’t really leave you hanging and it does wrap up a few loose ends that have been left open in the other books. I am now curious as to what is going to happen in the next 3 books since the series could end with this book. I literally am so glad that I have the next book at home because I can’t wait to read it so that is going to be the book I read this coming weekend. If you love historical romance that you need to check out this series.

About The Book

A Heart’s Danger (Thomas Nelson, May 2015)

On the brink of war with the Sioux, Sarah risks everything to expose the betrayal threatening the man she loves.

Christmas is coming, and the air at Fort Laramie has turned cold . . . but relations with the Sioux have turned colder. As tensions between soldiers and natives approach a tipping point, a trap has been set for Rand Campbell.
Rand’s new fiancée wants to keep him from returning to Sarah Montgomery . . . for whom his heart clearly still yearns.

Sarah just wants to move on with her life at Fort Laramie, but doing so under the watchful eyes of both Campbell—the man whose love she craves—and Croftner—the man whose lies have cost her everything.

Will Rand fall victim to the conspiracy and go through with his wedding? Or will he declare his love for Sarah and make good on the promises that brought her into the rugged western territories?

About The Author

Colleen Coble has sold over 2 million novels worldwide.Seagrass Pier, the third installment in her acclaimed Hope Beach series, marks a new highpoint for emotion and complexity in Coble’s addictive brand of romantic suspense.

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Odin’s Shadow by Erin S. Riley

May 6, 2015

About The Book

Historical Romance

Date Published: April 2, 2015

Obsession. Treachery. Revenge. Redemption. Certain themes resonate across the centuries.

Selia is a girl on the verge of womanhood, frustrated by the confines of her gender and resentful of the freedom her brother boasts of. Intelligent and resourceful in a time when neither is valued in a female, she longs for an escape from her sheltered existence. Fascinated by the tales of Viking raids told by her maidservant, her hunger for independence is fed through the stories of heathen ferocity she hears at the woman’s knee.

A decision to sneak to the city’s harbor to view the Viking longships leads to an encounter with Alrik Ragnarson, a charismatic Viking warlord whose outward beauty masks a dark and tortured mind. With the knowledge that her father is about to announce her betrothal to a man she doesn’t love, Selia marries Alrik and within a day is on the longship bound for Norway and a new life.

While Selia’s relationship with her new husband grows, her friendship with his brother Ulfrik grows as well. And as Alrik’s character flaws come to light and tension mounts between the two brothers, Selia begins to have misgivings about her hasty marriage . . . especially when a secret from the past is revealed, one that threatens to destroy them all.

About The Author

Erin S. Riley has an undergraduate degree in psychology and a graduate degree in clinical counseling. She is also a board certified lactation consultant and has had extensive training in maternal-child health. Since Erin was a child, she has been fascinated with human nature and what motivates behavior. She enjoys writing stories that reflect real life: Erin’s books feature complicated, imperfect characters who love deeply, make reckless decisions, and try again until they get it right.

A lifelong lover of books, Erin taught herself to read at the age of four and hasn’t been without a book since. She is an equal-opportunity reader of fiction and non-fiction, and her shelves are filled with books on psychology, archaeology, anthropology, and general history. The social history of women and their place in society across the ages is a favorite reading topic of Erin’s.

Erin is drawn to any creative pursuit, from making hand-stitched quilts to producing mini-movies for family and friends from home videos. But writing has always been her passion. When Erin isn’t writing, she enjoys spending time with her two wonderful children, reading anything she can get her hands on, watching football, and renovating her house with her husband of 17 years who just happens to look like a Viking!

Website: erinsriley.wordpress.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/erinsrileyromance?ref=hl

Twitter:@erinsriley1

Blog: erinsriley.wordpress.com

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/20527200-odin-s-shadow