Sweet Christmas Romance! 'Meddling with Mistletoe: A Red Door Inn Christmas Romance' - Prince Edward Island Dreams - by Liz Johnson

 

About the book:

The recipe for romance is simple: sweets, treats, and mistletoe meets

Whitney Garrett is preparing to enter culinary school in the spring, but first she has to sell enough homemade pies at the local Christmas markets to pay her tuition. When her oven breaks, Whitney asks Marie Sloan, proprietor of the Red Door Inn, if she can use the inn's kitchen to keep up with her orders. Marie agrees, with a catch: Whitney has to watch the three Sloan children and cook breakfasts for the Red Door in return.

The inn is busy with holiday guests--including Aretha Franklin Sloan's perpetually single nephew Daniel and Ruby, a businesswoman in town to purchase Aretha's antiques store. Intent on making a Christmas match for the two, Aretha enlists Whitney's help in her schemes. But the deeper Whitney gets, the more she realizes that Ruby is not the right woman for Daniel--and the more she thinks that she just might be his perfect match.

My review:

This was a perfect Christmas romance about a grumpy numbers guy who avoids Christmas and is forced to spend time at the Red Door Inn with creative Whitney and the three adorable children she's watching.  He gets pulled into spending time with them and eating the delicious food she prepares and realizes what he's been missing.  His heart was broken by his fiance and he's focused on nothing but work since but he starts to hope that maybe his life can have more.  I liked that Daniel isn't the usual perfect hero as he seems to be a little bit autistic and has a hard time reading social cues. His ex-fiance made him doubt himself even more and it doesn't help that Whitney fights her feelings since she's supposed to be helping match him with Ruby, the businesswoman negotiating to buy his aunt's store.  She also needs the money for tuition that Aretha agreed to pay her for helping and she wants to prove to her parents that she can finish something as she's had trouble following through on things.  Which will win out, her feelings or her goal?  Will Daniel find out about the matchmaking plot?  There's a subtle faith message as Daniel attends a rehearsal for the Christmas pageant and is reminded of God's love and presence.  The romance was very sweet and it was great to catch up with prior characters in the series and meet their children!  I highly recommend this sweet Christmas story!

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

           The Author

1. 

   © Erin McFarland

   Liz Johnson

   Liz Johnson is the New York Times bestselling author of more than 20 novels, including Beyond the Tides, The Last Way Home, and Summer in the Spotlight, as well as the Georgia Coast Romance and Prince Edward Island Dreams series....

   Continue reading about Liz Johnson 

Wonderful Start to a New Series! 'A Thieving at Carlton House' - Of Cloaks & Daggers 1 - by Erica Vetsch

 

About the book:

The Home Office has asked Sir Bertrand Thorndike to head an investigation into stolen royal jewels. And as with everything concerning the Prince Regent, discretion is paramount.

It's the perfect chance for Bertie to step out of his brother's long shadow. Unfortunately, his superior, the Duke of Haverly, has a plan that makes him balk. In order to sell his cover, Bertie must play the part of a man looking for love, ready to reform his rakish ways.

Philippa Cashel escaped a life as one of society's best-known courtesans and now devotes her time to helping other women in dire straits. Her hope is that laboring hard enough at her charity work will allow her to feel worthy of God's forgiveness of her past. So when Sir Bertrand Thorndike approaches her about becoming an agent of the Crown, she is skeptical. Why her? She's focused on getting her school for underprivileged women up and running, not on cloak-and-dagger skullduggery.

But when two of Philippa's rescued girls become targets, Philippa risks partnering with Bertie to find the loot and stop a killer.

My review:

This was a wonderful start to a new series but also such fun to see characters from past books and get caught up on their lives.  The combination of romance and investigation and suspense in the Regency period was fun and interesting.  Bertrand and Philippa themselves were fascinating characters as  Philippa's past makes her pretty unique as the heroine of a Regency and then you have Bertrand's years of spying and his public persona, not to be confused with his real one.  I loved how tough Philippa was and how she stood up for the fallen women she was trying to help.  It was wonderful to see how Bertrand started to slowly change as he used to hold himself aloof from most people and situations but he started to care and get invested in helping.  Philippa struggled with feeling unworthy because even though she repented she still felt like so much more of a sinner than other people.  There were some good conversations both about that and her bitterness towards her father and the importance of forgiveness.  I can't wait to see where this series takes us as we get to know Philippa and Bertrand better and see how he handles his new mission and whether Philippa will join him in it!  I highly recommend this book!

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

Enjoyable Addition to Heritage! 'Here With Me' - Home to Heritage 2 - by Mandy Boerma, Tari Farris & Susan May Warren

 

About the book:

He’s helping her stay. She’s making sure he can leave. This second chance at love in a small town will tug at your heart and make you believe in love all over again.

Love ignites in a last-chance hardware store, but will their hearts, like the failing family business, require a rescue?

She just wants a fresh start…

Inheriting her best friend’s daughter and a store on the brink of collapse, Sadie Hoover is determined to provide Lottie a stable life and keep the family business afloat. But her resolve is tested when the past walks in, wearing a tool belt and a smile that still weakens her knees.

Is he back to break her heart?

David Williams, once the love of Sadie’s life, returns to Heritage not as the missionary he was, but as a man in search of healing and purpose. Tasked with community service, he’s thrown into the daily grind of nuts and bolts, unaware that the hardware store’s troubles—and Sadie’s struggles—are more than just loose hinges and unpaid bills.

What will it cost her to fall for him again?

As they grapple with financial peril and the echoes of a love once lost, David and Sadie are forced to confront what they truly want. The store’s impending foreclosure looms over them, a testament to their joint past and the future they must shape.
If the store fails, they lose not just a legacy, but the second chance life has offered them. Can they rekindle their love while saving the heart of Heritage, or will their dreams rust away like forgotten tools?

Can love be rebuilt from the ruins of their shared history, or will the fight for survival drive the final wedge between them?

My review:

This was an enjoyable addition to the Heritage sphere of characters as we get to revisit this wonderful small town and reacquaint ourselves with past characters while getting to know Sadie, David and Lottie.  This is a second chance romance as Sadie and David dated seriously a decade ago but a misunderstanding split them up.  Now David's back and trying to figure out if God's still called him to Costa Rica or is he to follow a new plan?  Sadie's a widow, taking on her family's hardware store but realizing too late how much trouble it's in, all while raising her step-daughter and going through the process of adopting her.  That's a lot for anyone and she's used to taking care of everything herself because she can't really trust anyone to help, including God.  She'll decide the plan and then ask God to bless it.  David feels like he knows the plan but for some reason it's not coming together like it should, so he needs to try harder.  They were both very stubborn people, which was frustrating at times, as it seemed like they should have learned by now.  David kept making the same mistakes and was sure he was meant to go back to Costa Rica but hadn't asked God about it. Sadie was too scared to trust him again and then when she started to, her worst fears seemed to be realized.  What they had was a failure to communicate!  David had a lot of good people in his life giving him great advice and it shows how important it is to listen to wise counsel.  Sadie, too, had her family in her corner and the story and this town of Heritage really shows the importance of community and supporting each other.  It also showed the importance of forgiveness and following God daily and being open to whatever His plans may be for you.  The romance was satisfyingly sweet and you should enjoy this story if you like romance.  

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

Another Enjoyable Addition to the Series! 'Firestorm' - Chasing Fire: Montana 4 - by Lisa Phillips & Susan May Warren

About the book:

He thought his life was over…and then she walked back in. Charlie Benning has always been a rescuer—first with the Last Chance County Fire and Rescue team, and now as a firefighter with the Jude County Hotshots. But this summer isn’t about saving lives—it’s about hiding his own terrible secret. A secret he’s keeping from his estranged daughter, Alexis. But fate is about to intervene. Will their secrets destroy their second chance? 

Jayne Price raised her son, Orion, on her own just fine, thank you. And now, she runs Wildlands Academy, a summer camp that teaches kids how to fight forest fires and confront their own teenage angst—kids like Alexis Price, who clearly has a chip on her shoulder about her semi-estranged, firefighter father. And Jayne has her own issues, like not wanting her only son to join the elite smoke jumping corps. It’s enough that he’s risking his life as a hotshot on the Jude County team. Then the wildfire turns its force onto the camp and suddenly the hotshots show up to help her fight it. Only problem…the last person she expects is for her former flame, Charlie Benning—the man she can’t forget—to show up working alongside her son. Rather, his son. Who he doesn’t know exists. And then Charlie discovers the secret she’s been keeping, and he’s torn between anger and the long-simmering love that refuses to die. And Jayne isn’t about to let go of the man she loves a second time. 

But if the blazing wildfire isn't enough, a dangerous and relentless killer is on the prowl in the woods…Now, with the camp cut off from the outside world and the fire closing in, it’s a race against time as Charlie, Jayne, Orion, and a team of courageous smokejumpers join forces to protect the campers against a merciless inferno and a murderer. But the biggest threat of all might be Charlie’s devastating secret that could destroy the happy ending they’ve waited for for so long.

My review:

I've been enjoying this whole series and this one was another winner!  Jayne had a strong faith but also a strong fear about her son going into smokejumping.  She and Charlie both know what it's like to make mistakes and regret them but she tried to live in the present instead of dwelling on the past.  I admired the life she carved out for herself and her determination to get where she was today.  I was a little more frustrated with Charlie as he was so stubborn about a decision he made and was continuing to make.  He was blind to his own worth and importance to people, at least at first.  It was nice to see people from previous books on Charlie's team and catch up with them.  There were some cute romantic moments and I liked the strong sense of community, from Jayne's students to the firefighters.  There was plenty of excitement, too, as a plot that's been ongoing about a killer shared the page with a gigantic fire that threatened the camp and everything else!  I would recommend this book if you like romantic suspense!  

I received this ebook free from the authors.  I was not compensated for this review.  All opinions are my own.

Wonderfully Written Wartime Compilation! 'Something Borrowed' - by Rachel Scott McDaniel, Allison Pittman & Susie Finkbeiner

 

About the book:

In this brand-new novella collection, three renowned Christian historical fiction authors trace generations of wartime romances through a special wedding dress with love sewn into its seams.

"A Heart in Disguise" by Rachel Scott McDaniel

Clara Westlake loves her job as a seamstress in the US "Camouflage Corps," sewing suits for snipers and contributing to the war effort. But when she overhears a threat against her beloved New York City, the Great War comes too close to home--except no one believes her forewarning. She must recruit Marcus Reeves, a childhood friend searching for his purpose after suffering a devastating war injury. As they search for answers together, they may also uncover a love that lasts.

"A Letter to Eli" by Allison Pittman

Bette and Alice are lifelong friends, trying to make a good life for themselves in New York City while World War II rages. It's never far away from their thoughts--not with Alice's fiance serving at sea, in danger every minute. That's a worry Bette doesn't envy. Then a secret letter reunites her with her soldier ex-boyfriend, now wounded and back in the States. But can the innocent love these two had before the war be rekindled in the face of tragedy?

"A Daffodil in the Dress" by Susie Finkbeiner

Kate Becker and Ike Finch have worked together at his family's bookstore since Kate's husband died in the early days of the Vietnam War. She has her daughter, Eloise, to take care of and bills to pay, and this job was a godsend. A second love is not in the cards, especially not with the world still teetering on the edge of insanity. But when Ike brings little Eloise special flowers one spring day, Kate begins to look at him as more than an employer. Is falling in love again worth the risk?

My review:

This was a well-written trilogy of romances that had such sweet moments but were also balanced out with some serious ones as they dealt with three different wars and their effects on these women and their country.  Each story had such a sense of place and time and I found myself looking up some of the events and songs and details mentioned in each era to picture it better or understand it more.  I love learning while I read so it was fun to have those details to make the stories even richer.  The romances in all three stories were so sweet but there were other wonderful relationships that deserve a mention, such as two best friends and how they supported one another or a mother-daughter relationship where the mother's larger than life personality almost stole the show!  The other family members were also a lot of fun and really added to the story.  There was some intrigue in the first story as Clara and Marcus try to uncover clues to a threat Clara overhears.  There was also some fun banter in the stories and laugh-out-loud moments as well as some that brought tears to my eyes.  Different characters were on different faith journeys, some realizing they needed God's help and couldn't do it all on their own while others prayed for guidance and others received comfort in their grief and hope for tomorrow.  I liked the dress connection though I wished for more of an explanation of how each woman came to own the dress.  This was a very well done trilogy and I highly recommend it!

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

A Suspenseful Read! 'Hunted by a Killer' - by Laurie Winter

 

About the book:

Is she the pursuer…

Or the pursued?

When a body was found at the edge of the bayou, police detective Charlotte Reid knew the serial killer who murdered her sister was back. And if she didn’t stop him, he’d kill again. FBI special agent Austin Walsh insisted Charlotte couldn’t do it on her own. But then the murderer gave Charlotte a deadly challenge—catch him, or she’d be his next victim…

My review:

I really enjoyed this suspenseful read about a serial killer killing again and the detective and FBI agent who would stop at nothing to bring him to justice this time.  I can't imagine feeling like you'd failed your sister after not catching her killer and then being taunted by him when he decides to start up again.  Charlotte was an incredibly strong person and I admired her determination.  Austin, too, was pretty impressive as he focuses on cases like this all of the time and yet felt this case had haunted him since they weren't able to find the killer.  I found the investigation interesting but was surprised at what they had seemed to miss before.  I did like how the story kept me guessing!  I liked the hint at a romantic past between them and the possibility for more, even though they both struggled against it.  They both had a strong faith, too, but had to deal with their questions to God about why evil exists and what they can do to stop it.  I would recommend this book if you like romantic suspense!

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

Into the Starlight - Secrets of Sweetwater Crossing 3 - by Amanda Cabot

 

About the book:

Neither of their lives has turned out the way they planned--and they certainly never planned on each other

After more than a year in Europe, Joanna Vaughn returns to Sweetwater Crossing, her dreams of becoming a concert pianist shattered. As if that wasn't enough, her husband, whom she married after a whirlwind courtship, has died. The only thing sustaining her on the journey back to Texas is the thought of her childhood home. But to Joanna's dismay, the place she once loved no longer feels like home.
 
When personal and professional crises throw his entire future into question, Dr. Burke Finley believes it's time for a change. A quick trip to Sweetwater Crossing with his almost-aunt Della Samuels turns into an extended stay to discover what happened to his uncle and her would-be husband. But the beautiful and musical Joanna makes it more than bearable.
 
As the two join forces to help Della, there is no denying the attraction felt on both sides. But ghosts from the past are coming to call--and threatening to destroy any chance at happily-ever-after.

My review:

This was a sweet story about second chances when life doesn't turn out the way you planned.  Joanna was an inspiring woman, to have gone through so much tragedy and heartbreak and still be standing and persevering through it.  Burke, too, had made what he thought was a fatal mistake in his career and then had his heart broken so leaped at the chance to leave town to escort his almost-aunt.  I liked how they both put other people before themselves, even when they were having such a hard time with grief.  They both wanted to find purpose and they found part of that in their investigation into Burke's uncle, Clive's, disappearance.  I liked the mystery element and their investigation and it ended up getting pretty suspenseful!  They both had a strong faith and I liked the musical element to the story and learning about classical music.  The romance was sweet and this book worked well as a stand-alone even though it's book three.  I would recommend this book if you like historical romance!

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

           The Author

1. 

   Photo by: Val Rothwell Photography

   Amanda Cabot

   Amanda Cabot is the bestselling author of After the Shadows and Against the Wind, as well as several historical and contemporary romance series, including Mesquite Springs, Cimarron Creek Trilogy, Texas Crossroads, Texas...

   Continue reading about Amanda Cabot