The Tutor’s Daughter by Julie Klassen

January 22, 2013

About The Book

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.

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?

About the Author

Julie Klassen loves all things Jane–Jane Eyre and Jane Austen. A graduate of the University of Illinois, Julie worked in publishing for sixteen years and now writes full time. She has won the Christy Award: Historical Romance for The Silent Governess (2010) and The Girl in the Gatehouse (2011) which also won the 2010 Midwest Book Award for Genre Fiction. Julie and her husband have two sons and live in a suburb of St. Paul, Minnesota.

My Review

It took me awhile to get into this book but once I did I couldn’t put it down. I had to know who was causing all the problems and why they were doing them. I wasn’t shocked to find out who the bad people were but I was shocked to find out how and why they were doing the things they did. I knew who Emma would end up falling in love with but once again I was shocked at how things ended there as well. The author does a great job to describing the scenes and at times I felt like I was really there with the characters.

FTC: I received this book free of charge in exchange for my honest review. The opinions expressed in this review are 100% mine.

The Lesson by Suzanne Woods Fisher

January 14, 2013

About The Book

Centered on one of Suzanne Woods Fisher’s most loved characters, this is the story fans have eagerly anticipated. The precocious M.K. is all grown up (well, almost) and ready to take on the world-with surprising results. Fisher’s trademark plot twists and turns are as unexpected and satisfying as ever in this third book in the Stoney Ridge Seasons series.
In her wildest dreams, spunky and impulsive nineteen-year-old Mary Kate Lapp never imagined herself behind a schoolteacher’s desk. A run-in (literally) with the schoolteacher compels her to act as a substitute teacher, just as her restless desire to see the world compels her to apply for a passport . . . just in case. The only thing of interest to M.K. in the sleepy Amish community of Stoney Ridge is the unexplained death of a sheep farmer that coincided with the arrival of a mysterious young man into the community. Frustrated that no one takes the crime seriously, she takes matters into her own hands. Unfortunately, as tends to be the case for M.K., she jumps headlong into trouble.

About The Author

Suzanne Woods Fisher is the bestselling author of the Lancaster County Secrets series and the Stoney Ridge Seasons series, as well as nonfiction books about the Amish, including Amish Peace. She is also the coauthor of a new Amish children’s series, The Adventures of Lily Lapp. Her interest in the Anabaptist cultures can be directly traced to her grandfather, who was raised in the Old Order German Baptist Brethren Church in Franklin County, Pennsylvania. Suzanne is a Carol Award winner and a Christy Award finalist. She is the host of internet radio show Amish Wisdom and a columnist for Christian Post and Cooking & Such magazines. She lives in California. For more information, please visithttp://www.suzannewoodsfisher.com and connect with her on Twitter @suzannewfisher. Get Amish proverbs delivered right to your iphone or ipad! Download the Free App!

My Review

This book was so cute! From the moment I started reading it I didn’t want to put it down. The author does a great job of explaining things and she keeps the story flowing along. I did find that I could predict some of the things that happened but all it all it was a good book and I am going to check out more of her books!

FTC: I recieved a free copy of this book in exchange for my review. The opinions expressed in this review are 100% honest and my own.

No Safe Harbor by Elizabeth Ludwig

November 16, 2012

About

She came to America searching for her brother. Instead all she’s found is a web of danger.
Cara Hamilton had thought her brother to be dead. Now, clutching his letter, she leaves Ireland for America, desperate to find him. Her search leads her to a houseful of curious strangers, and one man who claims to be a friend–Rourke Walsh. Despite her brother’s warning, Cara trusts Rourke, revealing her purpose in coming to New York.
She’s then thrust into a world of subterfuge, veiled threats, and attempted murder, including political revolutionaries from the homeland out for revenge. Her questions guide her ever nearer to locating her brother–but they also bring her closer to destruction as those who want to kill him track her footsteps.
With her faith in tatters, all hope flees. Will her brother finally surface? Can he save Cara from the truth about Rourke… a man she’s grown to love?

My Review

I loved this book. Once I started reading it I couldn’t put it down. I fell in love with Cara and hoped through the whole book that she would find her brother. I knew once she trusted Rourke that everything would get more complicated but I hoped that in the end things would work out for her. On a side note I have recently started listening to a group of singers called Celtic Thunder and I imagine Rourke to be one of the singers from that group so I always liked him. Anyway, back to the review I have to say I liked the ending in once sense but on the other hand it made me sad as well. I wish that everything would have worked out for her but the way it is left it could still work out and I hope that it does.

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FTC: I received a free copy of “No Safe Harbor” by Elizabeth Ludwig in exchange for my review. The opinions expressed in this review are 100% my own.

You Don’t Know Me

October 20, 2012

About

A Deep Haven Novel

Sometimes the secrets we keep to protect ourselves can be our undoing.

To all who know her, Annalise Decker is a model wife and mother. She’s a permanent member of the PTA, never misses a sporting event, and is constantly campaigning for her husband’s mayoral race.

No one knows that Annalise was once Deidre O’Reilly, a troubled young woman whose testimony put a dangerous criminal behind bars. Relocated through the Witness Security Program to the quaint harbor town of Deep Haven, Deidre received a new identity and a fresh start, which began when she fell in love with local real estate agent Nathan Decker.

Twenty years later, Annalise couldn’t be more unprepared for her past to catch up with her. When Agent Frank Harrison arrives with news that the man she testified against is out on parole and out for revenge, Annalise is forced to face the consequences of her secrets. Will she run again, or will she finally find the courage to trust those she loves most with both her past and her future?

My Review

I love reading books by this author but I have to admit that this book wasn’t my favorite. It is a good book and definitely worth reading but it isn’t one that I would pick up on my own and just start reading. You find out shortly into the book that Annalise the main character in the book is in the witness protection program and that her husband who doesn’t know about her past is running for mayor. The first thing that I thought when I found out all this is that who ever she is hiding from is going to find her and she is either going to have to run or face him. The writing is great and her writing does keep you interested but I couldn’t get to into the book because I saw where it was going to go. I am for sure going to read more of her books because like I said she is an amazing writer and I have loved the other books of hers that I have read.

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FTC: I received a free copy of “You Don’t Know Me” By Susan May Warren in exchange for my review. The opinions expressed in this review are 100% my own.

The Memory Jar by Tricia Goyer

October 18, 2012

About

Book One in the Seven Brides for Seven Bachelors series.

Every year, 30-40 young Amish men descend on the cozy little town of West Kootenai, Montana, arriving in the spring to live there for six months and receive ‘resident’ status for the hunting season in the fall. They arrive as bachelors, but go home with brides! Sarah Shelter has lived in West Kootenai for the last ten years and wonders if she will ever fall in love. Since the tragic death of her best friend, she carries her memories in a jar along with the small items connected to them. For just as long, she’s also been carrying around her emotions instead of allowing them to penetrate deep into her heart. Now she’s met a kind and gentle man who may be able to break down the wall. But can Sarah risk her heart to finally achieve her dreams?

My Review

From the moment I start this book I fell in love with the characters. It was refreshing to read a book where the characters are just good people and trying to do the right things. This is the first book I have read where the characters are Amish and I am for sure going to read more because they are good books to read and they give me a break from some of the other crazy books I tend to read. Anyways lets get back to this book. Through the whole book I hoped that Sarah and Jathan would end up falling in love and be together when the book ended. I have to say the author does a great job describing things because when I would read about Sarah baking I would always end up wanting to eat whatever the author described. This is super sweet love story that almost anyone would enjoy!

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FTC: I received a free copy of “The Memory Jar” by Tricia Goyer in exchange for my review. The opinions expressed in this review are 100% my own.

With Every Letter by Sara Sundin

September 24, 2012

FTC:I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

About

Lt. Mellie Blake is looking forward to beginning her training as a flight nurse. She is not looking forward to writing a letter to a man she’s never met–even if it is anonymous and part of a morale-building program. Lt. Tom MacGilliver, an officer stationed in North Africa, welcomes the idea of an anonymous correspondence–he’s been trying to escape his infamous name for years.
As their letters crisscross the Atlantic, Tom and Mellie develop a unique friendship despite not knowing the other’s true identity. When both are transferred to Algeria, the two are poised to meet face-to-face for the first time. Will they overcome their fears and reveal who they are, or will their future be held hostage by their pasts?
Combining a flair for romance with excellent research and attention to detail, Sarah Sundin vividly brings to life the perilous challenges of WWII aviation, nursing–and true love.

My Review

I loved everything about this book. When I first started reading it I didn’t think I was going to like it but I ended up falling in love with the book. I spent most of the book wondering hoping that it would all work out in the end and it did. I saw a lot of myself in the main character so I could relate and I think that it made the book for me. The author doesn’t get bogged down in the details and puts just enough details to keep you interested but not so may that you get lost. This is such a sweet love story. I know that everyone would love to read it.