Picture Perfect Love by Melissa McClone

July 14, 2015

Picture Perfect Love by Melissa McClone was a sweet story. This is a novella so I was able to read it in a few hours which I am sure by now you all know that this is my favorite kind of book. That being said I did love these characters enough that I wished it had been longer but I still liked it this way. I loved watching how Jenna worked through her emotions having to deal with Ashton. I loved how she leaned on her new church as she got through everything she had to do as well. This is the first book I have read by this author and I have added her on my list of authors to check out more books by them.

About The Book

Picture Perfect Love (Zondervan, May 2015)

When image becomes everything, it’s up to love to refocus the heart.

Photographer Jenna Harrison wants every bride and groom to look picture perfect on their special day, putting her heart into every wedding to give the couple memorable images of their love. But her own heart is still broken, the unworn wedding dress hanging in her closet a reminder that relationships aren’t always as perfect as they look through her camera lens. But Jenna has faith that she will find true love. Until then, she must be patient and trust in God’s plan and His perfect timing.

Attorney Ashton Vance is the one that got away. When an embarrassing Photoshopped picture of put an end to his political aspirations, he blamed Jenna. So what if the photo led to his being offered a dream job and changing his life for the better? Jenna betrayed his trust, and two years later, Ashton’s heart still hasn’t recovered.

It was me. His younger sister’s three words turn Ashton’s world upside down. He must ask Jenna’s forgiveness, but can he risk his heart a second time? Even if Jenna can forgive him, dare he hope for a second chance at her love?

About The Author

Melissa McClone has published more than thirty novels with Harlequin and Tule Publishing Group. She has also been nominated for Romance Writers of America’s RITA® award. She lives in the Pacific Northwest with her husband, three school-aged children, two spoiled Norwegian Elkhounds and cats who think they rule the house.

Find Melissa online: website, Twitter, Facebook

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Shadows of Ladenbrooke Manor by Melanie Dobson

July 13, 2015

Shadows of Ladenbrooke Manor by Melanie Dobson was an amazing story. I was confused through the first part of the book but once I caught on to what was going on and who was who it was better. I was confused about who was who and how they were related to each other. Even though I was confused through part of the book I still didn’t want to put it down and because I loved the characters and the whole premise of this book was amazing. I loved Libby from the first time she appears right up until the end of the story. I think I loved her because she was so innocent and I loved that quality about her. I loved seeing the all the different generations and how they dealt with a lot of the same things that the older generations went through. I loved Maggie and how she tried to keep her daughters from going through the same things she went through and even though she tried her children dealt with the same things that she did. If you are looking for a book that makes you think than I know you will love this book as much as I do.

About The Book

Shadows of Ladenbrooke Manor (Howard, June 2015)

When Heather Toulson returns to her parents’ cottage in the English countryside, she uncovers long-hidden secrets about her family history and stumbles onto the truth about a sixty-year-old murder.

Libby, a free spirit who can’t be tamed by her parents, finds solace with her neighbor Oliver, the son of Lord Croft of Ladenbrooke Manor. Libby finds herself pregnant and alone when her father kicks her out and Oliver mysteriously drowns in a nearby river. Though theories spread across the English countryside, no one is ever held responsible for Oliver’s death.

Sixty years later, Heather Toulson, returning to her family’s cottage in the shadows of Ladenbrooke Manor, is filled with mixed emotions. She’s mourning her father’s passing but can’t let go of the anger and resentment over their strained relationship. Adding to her confusion, Heather has an uneasy reunion with her first love, all while sorting through her family’s belongings left behind in the cottage. What she uncovers will change everything she thought she knew about her family’s history.

Award-winning author Melanie Dobson seamlessly weaves the past and present together, fluidly unraveling the decades-old mystery and reveals how the characters are connected in shocking ways.

Set in a charming world of thatched cottages, lush gardens, and lovely summer evenings, this romantic and historical mystery brings to light the secrets and heartaches that have divided a family for generations.

About The Author

Melanie Dobson is the award-winning author of thirteen historical romance, suspense, and contemporary novels. Two of her novels won Carol Awards in 2011, and Love Finds You in Liberty, Indiana won Best Novel of Indiana in 2010. Melanie lives with her husband Jon and two daughters near Portland, Oregon.

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Blue Wide Sky by Inglath Cooper

July 1, 2015

Blue Wide Sky by Inglath Cooper was a great story. This was an easy read and I love how short the chapters were because it makes it easy for me to read. One of the things I loved most about this book was the fact that part of the story has to do with international adoption and I follow blogs that have adopted kids with special needs so it was something that I loved right from the start of the book. I liked all the characters in this book so that made reading it super easy and fun for me. I can’t wait to read other books in this series because the author does an amazing job of making you feel as if you are right there with the characters and I loved that. If you are looking for a sweet summer romance novel than I know you will love this story.

About The Book

Title: Blue Wide Sky

Author: Inglath Cooper

Genre: Contemporary Romance
First love. . . forever love.

Sixteen-year old Gabby Hayden wasn’t the kind of girl who gave a hoot about boys. She had a few real loves. Water-skiing, going out on Smith Mountain Lake with her dad and her dog. Anything else ranked a distant second. Until the summer smart, caring, gorgeous Sam Tatum gave her his heart. It had been the most wonderful time of her life, lazy days hanging out at the dock, skinny-dipping at midnight, staring up at the stars from the back of Sam’s truck.

They are planning their future together when Sam’s father is transferred to South Africa. Devastated, Gabby and Sam promise to wait for each other during the two years before he returns for college. But lonely and angry, Sam makes a mistake that will change the course of both their lives.

Years later, an unexpected diagnosis brings Sam home to his parents’ house on Smith Mountain Lake where he believes he can find peace and acceptance. What he finds, however, is the girl he once loved, now a woman unwilling to lose him again, a woman who will make him realize that both love and life are worth fighting for.

About The Author

RITA AWARD WINNING AUTHOR INGLATH COOPER writes books that aim to give her readers a mini-vacation. A stretch of time during which they can visit other places and other people’s lives. Her books have reached the top 100 Amazon Kindle Bestseller list, with Truths and Roses hitting #11.

Inglath Cooper’s Nashville series became a reality after she spent time in Music City, writing lyrics with other songwriters. She fell in love with the community and gets to revisit regularly through her characters.

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Her Sister’s Shoes by Ashley Farley

June 29, 2015

Her Sister’s Shoes by Ashley Farley was a great book & a great story. I loved getting to know the sisters and their backgrounds as well as seeing them change throughout the book. I felt so bad for Faith throughout most of the book because of what her husband has done to her. I wasn’t a huge fan of Sam’s son Jamie but I know that is just because he is a teenager and I dislike teenagers in really life as well. I did feel bad for him because of what he must have been through and he must feel because of what happened to him. I loved watching the sisters come together and help each other deal with the things in their own lives that was going on. If you love contemporary women’s novels than I know you will love this amazing story.

About The Book

Set in the South Carolina Lowcountry and packed with Southern charm and memorable characters, Her Sister’s Shoes is the story of three sisters—Samantha, Jackie, and Faith—who struggle to balance the demands of career and family while remaining true to themselves.

Samantha Sweeney has always been the glue that holds her family together, their go-to girl for love and support. When an ATV accident leaves her teenage son in a wheelchair, she loses her carefully constructed self-control.

In the after-gloom of her dreaded fiftieth birthday and the discovery of her husband’s infidelity, Jackie realizes she must reconnect with her former self to find the happiness she needs to move forward.

Faith lacks the courage to stand up to her abusive husband. She turns to her sisters for help, placing all their lives at risk.

In the midst of their individual challenges, the Sweeney sisters must cope with their mother’s mental decline. Is Lovie in the early stages of Alzheimer’s, or is her odd behavior normal for a woman her age? No one, including Lovie, understands her obsession with a rusty key she wears around her neck.

For fans of Elin Hildebrand, Her Sister’s Shoes is a contemporary women’s novel that explores and proves the healing power of family.

About The Author

Ashley Farley is a wife and mother of two college-aged children. She grew up in the salty marshes of South Carolina, but now lives in Richmond, Virginia, a city she loves for its history and traditions.

After her brother died in 1999 of an accidental overdose, she turned to writing as a way of releasing her pent-up emotions. She wrote SAVING BEN in honor of Neal, the boy she worshipped, the man she could not save. SAVING BEN is not a memoir, but a story about the special bond between siblings.

When she’s not working on her next novel, HER SISTER’S SHOES, scheduled for release in July of 2015, she can be found book blogging atwww.chroniclesofavidreaders.com

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The Dandelion Field by Kathryn Springer

January 30, 2015

The Dandelion Field by Kathryn Springer was such a sweet story. I knew from just reading the back of this book that I was going to love it and I wasn’t let down. I have never read anything by this author and I was so glad I received this one to read. I have found another author that I am going to add to my list of authors that I want to read other books by them. In this book Gin’s daughter Raine gets pregnant as a teenager and you get to follow along as they deal with the situation of an unplanned teenage pregnancy. I wasn’t a huge fan of Cody’s mom, Evie during most of the book but that is only because she see’s Raine as the only one who made a mistake and not her son as well. This was a well rounded story and one I am glad I got to review. I would recommend this book to anyone who loves to read contemporary fiction books.

About The Book

This handsome firefighter makes a living coming to the rescue, but Gin doesn’t need a man to fight her battles.After Raine’s dad walked out,Ginevieve Lightly never lived in one place too long, a rambling lifestyle that defined her daughter’s youth. When their car dies in Banister Falls, Wisconsin, Gin promises Raine they can stay until she finishes her senior year of high school. Gin will do anything to make sure her daughter has a bright future . . . a future that’s compromised when Raine reveals she’s pregnant.Dan Moretti has only ever called Banister Falls home. After losing his best friend in a tragic accident, Dan devoted himself to responding to fires, rescuing the helpless, and guiding Cody Bennett, his best friend’s son, through life. With Cody being the epitome of the good kid, it was an easy job. Until he says four little words: “The baby is mine.”Knowing gossip of Raine’s pregnancy will erupt sooner or later in the small town, Gin’s reflex is to grab the suitcase and escape to a new city, a new life. But with each passing day, Gin’s feet stay rooted in Banister Falls, and she falls a little more for this local firefighter who shows her not all men abandon women at the first sign of smoke.

As Gin and Dan do the best they can to guide the two teenagers through their early entry into adulthood, they discover together that romance can bloom in the rockiest of situations. And God can turn the pieces of a broken past into a beautiful new beginning.

About The Author

Kathryn Springer is a USA Today bestselling author. She grew up in northern Wisconsin, where her parents published a weekly newspaper. As a child she spent many hours sitting at her mother’s typewriter, plunking out stories, and credits her parents for instilling in her a love of books — which eventually turned into a desire to tell stories of her own. Kathryn has written nineteen books with close to two million copies sold. She lives with her husband and three children in Marinette, Wisconsin.

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Not This Time by Vicki Hinze

September 5, 2012

Not This Time by Vicki Hinze was interesting book to read. At times I got bogged down in all the details that she had in the book but other times I was glad that she had all the detail that she did. I loved all of the characters & the setting of this book and it made me want to check out the first two books in the series and see what happened in them. That being said I understood most of what was going on so you don’t have to read them in order but if are wanting to read all the books in the series than I would for sure suggest that you read them in order. This book is also fast paced which is nice because it keeps you reading even at the parts where there could be less details used. If you love suspense novels than I would for sure recommend this book to you.

About The Book

Small town scandal. International terrorist attack. Who among them is the traitor?
Sara and Beth have built a multi-million dollar business together, but their once solid friendship is now strained. Beth is leery of Sara’s husband, and when he is kidnapped, authorities consider Beth their prime suspect.
Then, their small town of Seagrove Village is rocked by an act of terrorism, and Beth doesn’t know who to trust. Someone she knows is linked to the attack, but who? Is there a connection to Crossroads Crisis Center? In the midst of the confusion and fear, Beth finds herself attracted to a man from her past. She knows she shouldn’t fall in love with him, but she can’t resist or even explain their bond. As her world unravels around her, she wonders, is it possible to be beyond redemption?

About The Author

Vicki is the award-winning author of 30 novels, 4 nonfiction books and hundreds of articles. She’s recognized as an author and as an educator by Who’s Who in America and Who’s Who in the World.

Vicki mentors writers through her Writers’ Zone program and has for well over a decade.

Currently she’s writing faith-affirming thrillers and inspirational romantic suspense. Her latest releases are SURVIVE THE NIGHT, Book #1 in her Lost, Inc. series, and NOT THIS TIME, Book #3 in her Crossroads Crisis Center series. Books 2 and 3 in Lost, Inc. will be released next.