Cute Story! 'Sweet Melody' - A Seabrook Romance - by Heidi McCahan

About the book:

When a struggling bakery owner is rescued by a wannabe songwriter with hidden culinary talents, they discover they can make sweet harmony … if they can only learn to work together.

Rhett Foster longs to change the world with his music, yet he can’t even finish writing one song. Battered by a string of failures and disillusioned, he returns home to Portland, Oregon. While he desperately wants to create a chart-topping hit, his dad mandates a new mission: move to coastal vacation hotspot Seabrook, Washington and expand the family’s successful restaurant chain.
In danger of destroying her late parents’ legacy if she doesn’t diversify her menu, Lindsay Carmichael will try anything to save her bakery. But with a tiny budget and an injured employee who can’t work, she has no choice but to sink the last of her savings into buying a dilapidated food truck and hiring Rhett as a part-time barista. What she doesn’t know is that the handsome songwriter has a secret … one that could destroy her business and her heart.

My review:

I enjoyed this story about a determined young woman who's had her heart broken once and the songwriter who feels he can never make his dad proud.  I liked Lindsay's perseverance but did feel like she bit off more than she could chew with buying the food truck.  There was quite a bit of shop talk as she tried out different recipes and worried about her business failing.  She was also angry at the family who had ruined her parents' business and was pretty bitter toward them.  Rhett sounded like a good guy who just needed a break but who should have been honest with her sooner.  He struggled to forgive his dad for how he'd been treated.  He also wasn't sure if he should give up songwriting, which was his passion, to work for his dad's business.  Lindsay's best friend was a strong Christian and a good witness to Lindsay about who God is.  Neither Lindsay nor Rhett were Christians.  There was some sweet romance.  There's also another couple who are total opposites that seemed to be interested in each other and I hope the next book is about them!  I thought the narrator did a good job but I definitely had to listen to it at at least one and a half speed.  I would recommend this story if you like romance, especially centered around coffee and food!

I received a free audiobook download of this book from the author.  I was not compensated for this review.  All opinions are my own.

Wonderful Sequel! 'Louisa: A Modern Faith Story' - Modern Faith 2 - by Beth Troy

About the book:

What happens after salvation – when you’ve changed, but others don’t see it? Author Beth Troy addresses this question from the first page, which finds Lu Sokolowski – the engaging and relatable heroine from Troy’s redemptive debut novel, Lu – back in her hometown with her expectations of a new life, dashed.

Lu has returned to Dunlap’s Creek with a hope to stay, but she struggles to right the wrongs she’d left behind, build a career outside of writing, and move on from the man who has moved on from her.

Louisa is a modern faith story of life after salvation that openly explores:
• The disconnect between who we are and how others perceive us
• The struggle in speaking up for our beliefs
• The question of when to let go and when to fight
• The journey in claiming a new identity

In turns captivating and pointed, Louisa is a novel of a woman coming into the fullness of life God has for her. It’s for women who have experienced this for themselves and for women who doubt whether such a life exists. It’s for women who understand that a life of faith isn’t without struggle or mistakes. Louisa is about restoration – in its grit and glory.

My review:

This was a wonderful sequel and I was rooting for Lu all the way as she came back to Dunlap's Creek with such high hopes.  It was a bit painful to watch Jackson with someone else and it was almost worse that she seemed like a wonderful woman, too.  I felt for him as he felt torn between them but thought nothing had changed for her regarding her lack of faith so he knew he couldn't be with her.  I loved that we see the story from both Lu and Jackson's points of view.  I liked seeing Lu discover a new career and also take on a big history project for the church.  She's lost at the beginning in so many ways and it's wonderful to see her find her footing.  She also discovered so much about her deceased grandma's past and also made an unlikely friend.  She's brave and honest and funny and I just love her.  I loved the honest faith conversations, even in her own head.  There was a bit of romance.  This novel's a bit grittier than most Christian fiction as there's a swear word or two and there's mention of a secondary character who gets drunk and sleeps around, along with mention of prior mistakes Lu made, though it's not graphic at all.  I definitely recommend you read the first book, Lu, before this one as this continues right where it left off and it will make so much more sense, not to mention it was incredible.  I highly recommend this book!

I received a free pdf of this book from the author.  I was not compensated for this review.  All opinions are my own.

What an Adventure! 'An Appalachian Summer' - by Ann H. Gabhart

About the book:

Discover what happens when one intrepid young woman steps away from the past into a beautiful, wide-open future
In 1933 Louisville, Kentucky, even the ongoing economic depression cannot keep Piper Danson's parents from insisting on a debut party. After all, their fortune came through the market crash intact, and they've picked out the perfect suitor for their daughter. Braxton Crandall can give her the kind of life she's used to. The only problem? This is not the man--or the life--she really wants.

When Piper gets the opportunity to volunteer as a horseback Frontier Nursing courier in the Appalachian Mountains for the summer, she jumps at the chance to be something other than a dutiful daughter or a kept wife in a loveless marriage. The work is taxing, the scenery is jaw-droppingly gorgeous, and the people she meets along the way open a whole new world to her. The longer she stays, the more an advantageous marriage slips from her grasp. But something much more precious--true love--is drawing ever closer.

My review:

This was a charming story about a society girl wanting to do something different and make a difference in the world, even if just for a summer.  It was interesting seeing all of the tasks Piper took on as she helped the nurses in their duties.  I really admired her fortitude and perseverance, especially considering what an easy life she normally led.  There were some interesting, quirky people in the mountains, from the nurses to the mountain folk.  Her aunt, Truda, was a wonderful, independent woman she took after and I liked that we got her story, too, as she came to visit and see about a lost opportunity.  Jamie was a wonderful character, too, but a little frustrating as I wanted him to be a little bolder.  Piper started to question what her faith meant to her and if she knew what God's will was for her but it seemed like she never really came to a conclusion.  There were a few conversations from different people about their faith.  There was some romance and a lot of adventure!  I would recommend this story if you like historical fiction.

I received this book free from Revell.  I was not compensated for this review.  All opinions are my own.

           The Author

1. 

   © Memories by Chris

   Ann H. Gabhart

   Ann H. Gabhart is the bestselling author of several Shaker novels--The Refuge, The Outsider, The Believer, The Seeker, The Blessed, and The Gifted--as well as other historical novels, including Angel Sister,...
   

   Continue reading about Ann H. Gabhart 

Desert Willow - by Patricia Beal

About the book:

After a failed engagement, Captain Andrew Lee James has focused on building a career in the Army he loves. That commitment includes helping a feisty, out-of-work ballerina whose devotion to her grandmother’s dying wish immediately grabs his heart. She’s the one, but will he be able to win the heart of a woman who has vowed to never be involved with a soldier?

College graduate Clara Malone swore to never love anyone in the military again but when her dying grandmother asks her to deliver a love letter to the general who broke her heart decades ago, she agrees and finds herself escorted by a handsome Army captain whose kindness challenges her beliefs. Surrounded by desert willows that shower her path with pretty pink flowers and sing with the buzzing of hummingbirds, Clara enjoys the wild beauty of El Paso—and her time with Andrew—more than expected.

Can she deliver her grandmother’s last love letter without losing her heart to a man who represents everything she fears?

My review:

This was an interesting story, if a bit slow, for my taste.  I liked Andrew and how he had such a strong faith in God, yet I question why he almost married a woman who doesn't sound like she was a Christian.  I also felt like he got involved too quickly with Clara as she had turned away from her faith years ago.  I was annoyed that Andrew and Clara both were considering their exes again, especially after what they each had done to them.  I also felt like Clara somewhat excuses herself for the situation with her ex before even though she knew it was wrong.  I did like the discussions about their faith and that they prayed and attended church.  I thought the mystery of the letter was intriguing and also what she ended up finding out.  There was some sweet romance.  There's a strong theme of not judging and forgiving yourself and others.  The narrator was fine as I listened to it on Audible though I did have to listen at 1.5 - 2.5 speed, otherwise way too slow.  You might like it if you like stories about second chances, military or ballerinas.

I received a free Audible version of this story from the author.  I was not compensated for this review.  All opinions are my own.

A Reckless Love - The Daughtry House Series 3 - by Beth White

About the book:

These two may have met their match--in each other.
In the fine tradition established by her Southern grandmama, Aurora Daughtry has recently orchestrated the marriage of her eldest sister and facilitated her middle sister's engagement. Just when it seems there is nothing left to absorb her considerable talent for managing people, in walks federal deputy marshal Zane Sager.

But Zane is not at Daughtry House for a vacation. He's tracking a killer and collecting two key witnesses to a federal judge's murder.

Aurora takes it upon herself to disabuse the cynical lawman of his conviction that the world is out to get him. But just as she's on the verge of cracking Zane's defenses, the man he is after reminds him that no one he loves is safe. Ever.

My review:

This was an exciting story about a feisty Southern belle finding her way after the Civil War.  Aurora was a force to behold, only nineteen yet full of plans.  Very strong-willed, a little crazy and reckless, I shook my head a lot at her, sometimes laughing, sometimes in disbelief.  I hadn't read the first two books so it was fun getting to know her sisters as well and can't wait to read their stories.  This worked pretty well as a stand-alone but I wanted to know the backstories better.  I liked how the sisters wanted to be useful, both during a tragedy and with helping the former black slaves make a life for themselves after the Civil War ended.  One sister was helping them with their education and they had employed some of them as well.  They had worshiped and ate with them.  It was interesting learning more about the violence and unrest happening in the South during this period, a lot of it caused by the Klu Klux Klan, and how marshals and other lawmen were trying to arrest the perpetrators and bring them to justice.  There was a lot of action, some romance which seemed a bit quick to me, some humor and faith as both Zane and Aurora were believers, along with most of her family.  Her grandmother gets a special mention for also being a quirky and incredibly strong woman.  I recommend this story if you like historical fiction.

I received this book free from Revell.  I was not compensated for this review.  All opinions are my own.

           The Author

1. 

   Susannah Jones

   Beth White

   Beth White's day job is teaching music at an inner-city high school in historic Mobile, Alabama. A native Mississippian, she writes historical romance with a Southern drawl and is the author of A Rebel Heart and A Reluctant Belle, as well as the...
   

   Continue reading about Beth White 

No Filter - The Barks & Beans Cafe Mystery Series 1 - by Heather Day Gilbert

About the book:

Welcome to the Barks & Beans Cafe, a quaint place where folks pet shelter dogs while enjoying a cup of java...and where murder sometimes pays a visit.

Fed up with her go-nowhere job, newly single Macy Hatfield moves back to her small hometown in West Virginia. She joins forces with her brother Bo in his crazy new venture—the Barks & Beans Cafe, which caters to dog lovers and coffee drinkers alike.

When a golf instructor is murdered at the nearby spiritual center, Macy winds up adopting his Great Dane. Just after Macy finds a mysterious message sewn under the dog's collar, her Dane is dognapped. She launches into a relentless search for her newfound canine friend, but along the way, she digs up a cruel and confident killer.

Join siblings Macy and Bo Hatfield as they sniff out crimes in their hometown...with plenty of dogs along for the ride! The Barks & Beans Cafe cozy mystery series features a small town, an amateur sleuth, and no swearing or graphic scenes.

My review:

I enjoyed this mystery, especially because of it's focus on dogs and adoption.  I liked Macy, even though sometimes she did some stupid things when she should have been more careful!  She loved dogs, was curious and liked to investigate.  Her and her brother had gone through some hard things in their lives and both of them had been recently dumped.  Her brother was a great guy, hardworking and protective of her.  He also cooked!  This was a clean read, no language or sex.  There were some love interests for both of them but just the beginning of interest, not really romance.  They mention going to church and Bo prayed before a meal but there's also a spiritual center featured where New Age experiences are taught, which I didn't like to see.  Macy does lie a few times, too.  I thought the mystery was interesting and I am curious to see how their love lives develop.  I just hope there isn't New Age material in her next books.  

I received a free kindle copy of this book from JustRead Tours.  I was not compensated for this review.  All opinions are my own.