Kissed By A Cowboy by Debra Clopton

February 10, 2016

Kissed By A Cowboy by Debra Clopton was an excellent book. This is the third book in the series, and you can just read this one if it is the only one that interests you. I do want to say that if you wish to read the entire series start at the beginning because this book will give things away if you start with it. I think Jarrod is my favorite character from this series because he seemed like he was the most relatable to me and someone I could see myself getting along with in the real world. I felt sorry for Cassidy and everything that she had gone through while growing up and even the things she went through as an adult. I think this book is the most relatable and one that most people will love. I can’t say enough great things about this series and this author writing. I think that most people would enjoy this book and series.

About The Book

Cassidy was looking for a home and a place to belong . . . not for a cowboy to steal her heart.

Having lived through her parents’ endless string of “matrimonial bliss gone wrong,” Cassidy Starr knows when the odds are not in her favor. Divorced and humiliated, her faith on rocky ground, Cassidy is through with love. She’s been bucked off that horse far too many times. Instead, she returns to Wishing Springs, Texas, and the rundown farm she’s inherited from her great aunt Roxie. She’ll reopen the strawberry farm and a bed & breakfast and follow in her aunt’s footsteps, remaining forever-independent, happy . . . and single.

Rancher Jarrod Monahan’s hands are full running the ranch, looking after his ailing grandfather, and chasing down a group of rustlers on the loose. He’s pushed his longing for a family to the bottom of his list of priorities. Besides, he was in love once but ran scared and lost his shot at happiness. But suddenly, the biggest regret of his life has moved in next door with a wounded heart, determined to become a spinster . . . and that’s a challenge that Jarrod can’t pass up.

Jarrod sets his mind to breaking down the walls around Cassidy’s stubborn heart. How can he show her that a cowboy’s kiss lasts forever? For the good folks of Wishing Springs, falling in love has never been so much fun to witness.

About The Author

Debra Clopton is a multi-award winning novelist and has written more than 22 novels. Along with writing, Debra helps her husband teach the youth at their local Cowboy Church. Debra’s goal is to shine a light toward God while she entertains readers with her words.

Find Debra online:website, Facebook, Twitter

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A Sudden Crush by Camilla Isley

February 9, 2016

A Sudden Crush by Camilla Isley was kind of predictable but I still actually enjoyed the story and the authors style of writing. I do like to read books like this from time to time because I enjoy the humor in this type of books. I tend to gravitate towards these books when I have read books that have heavier subject matters. This book reminded me of the movie Cast Away, which I liked because I love watching that movie. I couldn’t help but smile when Joanna adopts a pet monkey within hours of waking up on the island with Connor because I could see myself doing something like that. Like I said before even though I found this book to be predictable I still really enjoyed it and I am for sure going to check out some of her other books. If you love romance and comedy books than I know you will love this book as much as I did.

About The Book

Joanna Price is a city girl with the perfect life. She loves her job as a book editor, she just married Liam, high profile bestselling author and the man of her dreams, and she’s headed to the Caribbean to enjoy two weeks of paradise for her luxurious honeymoon.
Connor Duffield is a gruff, grumpy rancher from the Midwest. He is a country boy who has a no-nonsense approach to life, more scars than he’d like to admit, and he hates city girls.

So it’s just a misfortune they have to sit next to each other for a six hour plane ride. Even more so when their flight is caught in the perfect storm and Joanna wakes up stranded on a desert island with Connor, the very man she hoped she would never have to see again.

Why are they alone on this forsaken island? What happened to Joanna’s husband?

When her dream honeymoon turns into a hilarious tropical nightmare, Joanna’s first thought is survival. However, she and Connor will quickly discover just how boring paradise can be. As the days turn to weeks, and then months, this mismatched pair will have to learn how to coexist and how to resist the sparkles of an attraction they weren’t prepared to feel.

When they are finally rescued will Joanna’s marriage be saved as well, or will the life she knew and loved be in ruins?

About The Author

Hi! I’m a writer of romantic comedy, cat’s lover, coffee addict, and shoes hoarder.
Besides writing, I love reading (surprise, surprise), cooking—and eating—especially pasta, going to the movies and obviously ordering a gigantic bowl of popcorn, and watching too much bad TV.
I understand that mosquitoes play a role in the ecosystem as a part of other animals’ diet, and I don’t want to starve all those frog princes out there, but I could really live without them.

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Heliotrope by JC Miller

February 3, 2016

Heliotrope by JC Miller was another great book by this author. I have read several books by this author, and I have yet to read one that I haven’t loved by her. I liked Kit from the start, and I wasn’t a huge fan of Jonathan, and I wondered if I would end up liking him and as it turns out I still didn’t like him when the book was over. It is funny how sometimes you do end up liking characters by the end of the book and other times you still hate them as much as you did from the start. Let’s get back to this book. I loved that this book takes place 1970’s because it was a fun change from books I have been reading lately. I liked that this book took back to a slower pace, but it was crazy because I had to remind myself of the year because I wondered why they didn’t call a cell phone and email her paper in when she was sick. I did enjoy this book, and I can’t wait to see what the author is going to write next.

About The Book

Buckle up your Birkenstocks and travel back to 1975. Discover (or relive) the pre-digital age in Arcata, a remote Bohemian college town on the northern edge of California. Meet Kit, a hard-working, bookish senior, on track for graduation—that is, until she falls for Jonathan, one-time bestselling author, now her stand-in professor. Jonathan, a master in the art of deception, isn’t who he appears to be. As their bond grows, Kit’s desire blinds her to the truth— a shocking discovery shatters her faith and ultimately tests her integrity.

From the first blush of fall quarter to the final breath of spring, hard lessons will be learned. To “graduate” into an uncertain future, Jonathan and Kit must first embrace the present—including the injustices, ambiguities and absolute beauty of their lives. Beneath the ever-changing Humboldt skies they forge ahead; they stumble and sometimes fall.

Heliotrope, a coming-of age story for the ages.

About The Author

JC (Jeanne) Miller, M.A., is an educator and founding member of JAM, an editorial-consultation team. An avid reader, aspiring traveler and table tennis enthusiast, she resides in Northern California.

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Beyond The Silence by Tracie Peterson and Kimberley Woodhouse

January 29, 2016

Beyond The Silence by Tracie Peterson and Kimberley Woodhouse was an excellent book. The one bad thing I can say about this book is the fact that I did find a typo which bugged me. I am used to finding them from time to time because I do read a bunch or ARC or “advanced reader copies” where you see them because they haven’t been edited yet when we get those types. I shocked with this on because as far as I know it is the final copy that will be sold. It wasn’t a huge mistake it just made me read the sentence a few times to make sure that I wasn’t just reading it wrong.

Anyway, let’s get on with the review of this book. I liked Lillian from the first page right through the end of the book, but I was an even bigger fan of Woody because I felt so sorry for him and his son Jimmy. I saw a lot of the town I grew up in Angels Camp so I felt like I really could understand how hard it had to be on Woody to live in a town where people hate you for something you didn’t do or even who they assume you are. You can learn so much from this book while you are reading that I would recommend it to everyone. Not only did I learn things I actually enjoyed the story. This book was an excellent escape from real like for me.

About The Book

Lillian Porter has always wanted to fulfill her mother’s dream of going west, so when she hears about a nanny position in Angels Camp, California, she defies her grandfather and takes a chance on a new future. But she quickly wonders if she made the right choice. There are rumors in town that her new employer, Woodward Colton, caused the death of his wife. This accusation doesn’t match the man Lillian comes to know–and Mrs. Goodman, Woody’s long-time housekeeper, is decisively on Woody’s side–but many in town stay far away from Lillian because of her association with the Colton family.

Lillian’s six-year-old charge, Jimmy, was there when his mother died, and he hasn’t spoken a word since. Gently, Lillian tries to coax him out of his shell, hoping he’ll one day feel safe enough to tell her the truth about what happened. But the Colton olive farm is no longer a safe place. Lillian encounters suspicious characters on their land and mysterious damage done to the farm. Will Mrs. Goodman and Jimmy be able to speak what they know in time to save Lillian from tragedy?

About The Authors

Tracie Peterson is the bestselling, award-winning author of more than 100 novels. Tracie also teaches writing workshops at a variety of conferences on subjects such as inspirational romance and historical research. She and her family live in Montana.

Kimberley Woodhouse is a multipublished author of fiction and nonfiction. A popular speaker/teacher, she’s shared her theme of Joy Through Trials with over 150,000 people at more than a thousand venues across the country. She lives, writes, and homeschools with her husband of twenty-plus years and their two awesome teens live in Colorado.

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A Son’s Vow by Shelley Shepard Gray

January 28, 2016

A Sons Vow by Shelley Shepard Gray was another great book. I love all of the books about the Amish that Shelley has written, but if I am honest, this book has to be one of my favorites. I like Darla from the start and even though I didn’t like some of the things that Aaron did I had a soft spot for him because felt he was more relatable than some other characters. I am a huge fan of these books because I love that I don’t have to worry about what will be in the books, and they always are such sweet stories. I would recommend this genre to anyone who is looking for a change in what they are reading because I don’t think that anyone would hate these books. They are always easy reading and great stories. I love that I always feel good after I finish one of the books, and I know you will probably love it as well.

About The Book

Shelley Shepard Gray’s first book in her Charmed Amish Life series is set in the quaint Amish village of Charm, Ohio, and tells the stories of the Kinsinger siblings who are each struggling to find both forgiveness and love in the face of tragedy.

Three months ago, everything changed for Darla Kurtz and her family. Darla’s father was responsible for a terrible fire at Charm’s lumber mill which killed five Amish men. And though he, too, lost his life, the town of Charm hasn’t looked at her family the same since. Even Lukas Kinsinger—with whom Darla used to have a close friendship.

Now her brother’s anger at the town is spilling over onto Darla, and she has the bruises to prove it. The accident already cost five lives, but if something doesn’t change soon, Darla fears it will cost her—and her family—even more.

Lukas Kinsinger wants to mourn the loss of his father, but he can hardly find the time to breathe. Suddenly the head of his father’s lumber mill and responsible for taking care of his three siblings, he’s feeling the pressure. He has also never felt more alone—especially with the new tension between he and Darla. But when he learns of her troubles at home, Lukas knows he can’t simply stand by and watch. Someone has to help her before another tragedy occurs.

As Lukas and Darla attempt to repair their families, they discover something deeper than friendship growing between them. But will Lukas and Darla’s love be accepted after so much loss? Or will the pain of the past overcome any chance of future happiness?

About The Author

Shelley Gray is the author of The Heart of a Hero series. Her Amish novel (written as Shelley Shepard Gray), The Protector, recently made the New York Times best seller list. A native of Texas, she earned her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Colorado and taught school for ten years. She and her husband have two children and live in Southern Ohio.

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The Divorce Papers by Susan Rieger

January 26, 2016

The Divorce Papers by Susan Rieger was such a strange book for me. It was an interesting book but it was strange in the fact that it was all just emails, memo’s and things like that back and forth between all the characters in the book. I have never before read a book like this before but it was interesting after I was about 20 pages into the book. It did take awhile for me to get into it but once I was I didn’t want to put it down. There are parts that I don’t know if they were meant to be funny but they did make me laugh because I could see things like this really being said. It is a book that I would tell you to give a chance because it is a great book it just takes time to get going. I liked that there aren’t any really chapters in this book so I could just read a page or two and be able to stop. I think anyone would like this book and I would recommend this one to everyone.

About The Book

Witty and wonderful, sparkling and sophisticated, this debut romantic comedy brilliantly tells the story of one very messy, very high-profile divorce, and the endearingly cynical young lawyer dragooned into handling it.

Twenty-nine-year-old Sophie Diehl is happy toiling away as a criminal law associate at an old line New England firm where she very much appreciates that most of her clients are behind bars. Everyone at Traynor, Hand knows she abhors face-to-face contact, but one weekend, with all the big partners away, Sophie must handle the intake interview for the daughter of the firm’s most important client. After eighteen years of marriage, Mayflower descendant Mia Meiklejohn Durkheim has just been served divorce papers in a humiliating scene at the popular local restaurant, Golightly’s. She is locked and loaded to fight her eminent and ambitious husband, Dr. Daniel Durkheim, Chief of the Department of Pediatric Oncology, for custody of their ten-year-old daughter Jane–and she also burns to take him down a peg. Sophie warns Mia that she’s never handled a divorce case before, but Mia can’t be put off. As she so disarmingly puts it: It’s her first divorce, too.

Debut novelist Susan Rieger doesn’t leave a word out of place in this hilarious and expertly crafted debut that shines with the power and pleasure of storytelling. Told through personal correspondence, office memos, emails, articles, and legal papers, this playful reinvention of the epistolary form races along with humor and heartache, exploring the complicated family dynamic that results when marriage fails. For Sophie, the whole affair sparks a hard look at her own relationships–not only with her parents, but with colleagues, friends, lovers, and most importantly, herself. Much like “Where’d You Go, Bernadette,” “The Divorce Papers “will have you laughing aloud and thanking the literature gods for this incredible, fresh new voice in fiction.

About The Author

Susan Rieger is a graduate of Columbia University Law School. She is also a former Associate Provost for Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action at Columbia University.The Divorce Papers is her debut novel.