Secrets (The Michelli Family Series #1) - Kristen Heitzmann

It has been quite a while since I have read one of this author's books.  Quite a few years ago, I read Freefall.  I remember that book was pretty long, but it wasn't too bad.  This one sounded interesting so I gave it a try.

Rese is good at hiding any and all emotions.  If she happens to show one, she berates herself and determines to try again.  She doesn't want help with anything and accepting it is really hard for her.  She is good with wood and is restoring an old house to make it into a bed and breakfast.

Lance is on a mission from his Nonna.  She has had a stroke and has given him a mission to find out something about the family.  I never really understood what he was trying to find out.  After traveling to Italy, he ends up at the house that Rese is restoring.  To his surprise, there is a position available at the old family home as a chef and maid.  He takes both positions and proceeds to try and snoop a little here and there.

I only made it to about 16% before I gave up. I don't doubt that the story was probably good, but there was so much description and mystery that I just didn't want to keep going.  It was definitely on its way to being a long book.  There was a lot of the "eluding to an inner struggle" with Rese, but there wasn't really any explanations as to why she was acting the way she was.  In the end (or beginning) there was just too much verbiage for me.

When Love is Enough (The Brotherhood Series #1) - Laura Landon

This book has been on my Kindle for quite a while.  Dusted it off and read it through.

Lydia and Gabe are perfect for each other.  He is on the verge of asking for her hand in marriage when her family gets blackmailed and Gabe has to let her go.  Claiming that he was only interested in her dowry, he breaks her heart and then heads off to war.  There he takes risky missions and doesn't care whether he lives or dies.  When he is critically wounded, Lydia's brother brings him back to the family home where Lydia still lives.

Her mourning time is almost up.  Her father promised her hand to a marquess and she will one day be a duchess.  Lydia can't forget Gabe and his coming back adds to her hurt.  She still loves him but she wants to make him pay for the pain that he has caused her.  Not knowing the full situation, she treats him as coldly as she can, trying to convince him and also herself that she no longer cares for him.

Gabe wishes that things could have been different.  He needs her to stay away from him or he loses control.  Unfortunately for that plan, Lydia's brother gets captured by the French and the only way to rescue him is to bring her along. 

The book has a smidgeon of language in it.  There were quite a few "bloody hells" in there.  There was also a little sex in there (and premarital at that).  I of course skimmed and blushed my way through it.  There were 2 scenes that I would consider sexual in there.  By the time that came into play, I was caught up in the story and needed to know what happened.  There were also a few misspelled words in there and a whole page seemed to be missing.

I did enjoy the story in this book.  I kept waiting for Lydia to learn the truth and for a way to develop for her and Gabe to be together.  Other than having to skim the sex parts, I was pleasantly surprised at the book.  I also have Broken Promises, which is also from this same series.  It is about Austin, Lydia's brother that was captured, and is the only other book in the series.  I will probably end up reading it and hope that I don't end up skimming too much.  Good Book!

The Healing Tree (The Healing Trilogy) - Amy De Trempe

This was a more recent freebie that came up and I decided it was time to give this new author (to me) a try.

Lilian is abused by her father.  Sometimes physical, most of his abuse is verbal and is terribly hurtful.  Her father has decided to marry her off to someone with particular attributes, someone who will give up his own family name and take his own.  He wants an heir since Lily has been such a disappointment to him.

Max is determined to stay away from Lilian just because he is at the top of the list.  Not knowing about the stipulation regarding his name, Max becomes intrigued and decides to solve the puzzle that is Lilian.  She is just as determined that she never marry and certainly never care for any man.  Unfortunately, Max loses his heart early on, and even though Lily loses hers as well, she has been beat down so often by her father that she believes that she could never make anyone, especially the man she loves.

I liked this book.  Max was patient and dealt with Lily in a gentle manner.  She is a nonbeliever and has issues believing in something that she cannot see.  Circumstances later on bring her to a crisis of faith.  The interactions between Max and Lily were really well thought out and her issues were sad.  Never fear though!  This one, as do all books that have my Good Book approval, has a happy ending.  It had me guessing about certain parts for quite a while.

As far as I could tell, this book came out in 2011, but I could not find a sequel.  Perhaps it hasn't come out yet, or I just didn't see it.  One is as likely as the other.  Regardless if the story ends here or not, I graciously give it my Good Book approval!

A Lasting Impression (A Belmont Mansion Novel #1) - Tamera Alexander

I've read most of this author's books and what I don't have, I'm watching.  I've finished her Fountain Creek Chronicles and have read book 1 of the Timber Ridge Reflections series.  I have also read and reviewed The Inheritance.  I have never been disappointed in reading one of her books, so this one was an easy sell for me, even though I paid a smidgeon over my $5.00 limit.

A Lasting Impression is set in Nashville not long after the Civil War.  There are elements of New Orleans and France in there.  The Belmont Mansion is a real place and the inspiration for the author's novel.

Claire hasn't really had it easy.  She forges paintings for her father against her will and better judgment.  She began forging the paintings to try and get medicine and medical care for her mother.  After she dies, Claire does it more for her father and his approval, which she never really gets.  After his sudden death, Claire is on the run from her past and has to try and find her own way in the world.  An unusual set of circumstances places her as personal liaison to Mrs. Acklen, a high society woman.

Sutton, or Willister, is Mrs. Acklen's personal attorney.  He is fighting the guilt of his father's death and his own dreams.  He is a good attorney but his real passion lies with horses.  He has a tentative understanding with a young lady which keeps him from really admitting his feelings for Claire.  Eventually Sutton and Claire come to care for one another, but there is still Claire's past to contend with.

As usual, I really did enjoy another of Tamera Alexander's books.  She has all the elements that make one of my favorite books: romance, suspense, faith.  For some odd reason, the print on this book was kind of small.  I tried to make it bigger, but then it would get really large and some of the words would be missing off the page.  I'm not quite sure what the issue was, but it hardly will prevent me from giving this one my Good Book review!  I can't wait for her next one (to come on sale!).

Jenna's Cowboy (The Callahans of Texas #1) - Sharon Gillenwater

This was a recent freebie that looked to be my kind of book.  Snatched it up and read through it like it was going to disappear tomorrow.  I'm not going to go into the details of the book too much, I think it would ruin the story.

Nate is a returning war hero.  Spending time in Iraq and Afghanistan, he is returning home after being awarded the Silver Star.  Unfortunately he is also suffering from a bad case of PTSD.  He comes across Jenna, who he has loved since his school.  She now has a small child, result of her failed marriage.  His feelings haven't changed and taking a job on her family's ranch throws them together a lot.  Jenna realizes that she cares deeply about Nate as well.

This isn't the usual romance that I read.  I found it intriguing that the author chose PTSD to be the mountain the couple has to overcome to be together.  I was pulled in by Nate's struggles and wanted the best for him (and yes I know he's a fictional character).  I think the best books are the ones that I read and actually care about what happens to the characters.  Not obsessively or anything.

I really enjoyed this book.  There are two more in this series, Emily's Chance & Megan's Hero.  These two are about Jenna's brothers.  At the moment the second one is under my $5 limit so I am considering buying it.  On the other hand, it's almost the end of the month and I'm hoping for a better result for the 100 discounted books at the beginning of the month.  I'm seriously considering Emily's Chance because Jenna's Cowboy gets my Good Book review!

Happily Ever After (Deep Haven Series #1) - Susan May Warren

This book was another one that needed dusting off.  As I sit here watching the snow fall, I wonder why it is that I get books on my Kindle and know that I want to read them but put it off for so long.  Oh well, since we're having this wonderful winter storm, I should have more reading time in the next few days.

Happily Ever After is the story of Mona and Joe.  Mona is trying to make her dreams come true.  She wants to turn a Victorian house into a bookstore/coffee shop/pottery store with the help of her friend, Liza.  Unfortunately she has bought a lemon and now needs some serious help to get the store ready in the next six weeks.

Here comes Joe.  Handyman extraordinaire, his "I can fix anything" attitude is just what Mona needs.  She's just not sure that it's what she wants.  Her ideal man is fictional and she is convinced that he doesn't exist in real life.  Joe, on the other hand, is a man that never stays anywhere very long and doesn't want to get attached.  Guess what?  He gets attached.

Someone doesn't want The Footstep of Heaven shop to open.  Various accidents around the place make Mona second guess her dream and her handyman.  Mona is also hiding a secret about her past that makes her feel that she doesn't deserve anything from God.  Joe as well has some major secrets he's hiding and the way he guards them puts a wedge between him and Mona.

This one had a few twists and unexpected turns.  I like being let in on a secret early on, that way I can anticipate when the other characters will actually find out.  Some of the secrets in this one really frustrated me because I had to wait for them.  Not a big deal.  I did enjoy this book.  There are more in the series: Tying the Knot, The Perfect Match, My Foolish Heart and The Shadow of Your Smile.  If they came up free, I would probably pick them up.  They won't be going on my watch list though.  Decent book!

Fire Dance - Delle Jacobs

I finished The Mudlark about a week ago and so I was looking forward to reading this one as well.  The first one was pretty clean.  This one was a bit different.

Melisande's cruel father has just died.  There are Normans at her doorstep and she willingly gives the land over to them by telling the knights to surrender without a fight.  She is fighting her own demons and has her own secrets, so she hides herself away from Alain, who is supposed to marry her to cement his claim to the area.

Melisande decides to pose as a servant, but Alain eventually figures that out.  She also has horrible nightmares where she ends up "walking" and then has no idea what has happened when she wakes up in the morning.  There's also the issue of the arsenic-lined cloak of doom.  That seemed too weird for me.  Apparently it is indestructible as well.

I really was planning on finishing this one.  I skimmed over the sex part and also the part where she wonders if something is wrong with him because he hasn't taken his husbandly duties to her knowledge.  In response, he has her grab his "stuff."  There seemed to also be a touch of rape in there.  Overall, there was just something about the book that bothered me.  It wasn't at all like The Mudlark and maybe my expectations prevented me from liking it more than I could have.  I gave up at 70%.  That's something for me because I normally would never get that far into a book and not at least finish it out of curiosity for the ending.  I'll probably skip this author in the future if I see more of her books up.

Summer at Willow Lake - Susan Wiggs

This was another one of the books that I dusted off from the bottom of my Kindle.  I made it to 30% before I gave up.

Olivia has an awful track record with men.  After her third major relationship falls through, she takes a job from her grandmother to make over the summer camp property that her family owns.  The camp has been closed for 9 years and is going to take a lot of work.  Olivia didn't have that great of a childhood and really doesn't want to return, but the break up of her latest relationship convinces her.

The camp needs some work done and the only firm in the area is run by the boy who broke her heart when she was a teenager.  She gets stuck up a pole when he gets there and then he doesn't remember who she is.

And this is about where I stopped.  There was a lot of time travel in this one and it just got confusing.  We went back in time with Olivia a few times.  Then we went back with her father.  Oh yeah and we went back in time with Connor (the heartbreaker) as well.  There was some language in there, but it wasn't too much.  There were just too many time warps for me and after a while I just wanted to read what was going on now instead of what had happened in the past.  I didn't think the characters were developed enough for the flashbacks.  Just because Olivia found a cuff link in a trophy didn't mean that I wanted to read a whole chapter about how it got there.

I was almost forcing myself to get to 30%.  I just kept hoping that the author would just get on with the story.  Didn't happen and I just gave up.  Not up my alley.

The Mudlark - Delle Jacobs

Ok, so this one was a freebie from the last century I think.  I've had it around for quite some time and finally broke down and read it.  I had to admit that I was pleasantly surprised.

Izzy (Isolde) and Tristan are being pushed into a marriage with each other by their respective fathers.  Both against their wishes.  The first time Tristan sees Izzy, she has just returned home after rescuing a kitten from a frozen river and was very muddy and wet.  This didn't make the best impression on Tristan, who believes that his Patricia would NEVER be seen in such a state.

Izzy feels that her Donald is meant for her.  A parson, she has known him since childhood and feels that he would be the most prudent match for her.  Since neither Tristan or Izzy want to marry the other, the two hatch a plan that will get them a marriage to the person that they feel they need.

Problem is, Izzy makes Tristan feel again.  He tends to keep things to himself and brood.  Badly wounded in the war, he still has some lingering physical issues that he becomes unable to hide from Izzy.  The two are thrown together in all sorts of ways and start to realize that what they need is not what they thought they wanted.  They need each other.

This one was no mystery.  You knew that Tristan and Isolde would end up together, it was just the journey there that was the adventure.  It was clean enough, which is always a plus for me.  I have another one from this author on my Kindle and I'll get to it soon enough.  This one gets a Good Book review from me!

Ruby (Dakotah Treasures #1) - Lauraine Snelling

This is a second try for this author.  I wasn't real impressed with A Measure of Mercy but wanted to give her another chance.  I only made it to 30% before I gave up.

Ruby and her little sister, Opal, have left their comfortable home where they work for a caring, wealthy family.  Their father, who has been gone for a long time, has written and finally requested that they come and see him.  After their mother's death, they were dropped off at their grandmother's while he went to seek a fortune for them.

In his letter, he says that he is dying.  Opal doesn't remember him at all, so they endure a long, tiring trip to get out to Little Missouri and see him before he passes on.  And they get there just in time.  Their "inheritance" is a saloon/brothel, so Ruby has to deal with that.  She promises to take care of "the girls" before she realizes what they do, and then she wants to leave in a bad way.

She decides that she needs to turn the saloon into a hotel and wants to put her plans in motion and then sell the place.  She has to deal with Belle, the lady that was closest to her father and thinks that the Dove House should be hers.

This book was odd.  I didn't like the premise of it and there wasn't even a smidgeon of romance in there.  I don't mind books that don't have any in it, but usually with books like these, there is some in there and I guess that the expectation was just too much to overcome.  I just didn't like it.  I don't think I will be picking up any more of this author.

Invisible (Ivy Malone Series #1) - Lorena McCourtney

Well, I was feeling a little bummed on January 1 because I have about a zillion books on my watch list and had NO hits this month.  No watched books went to freebie OR even dropped in price.  Thus, I have decided that this is a good time to try and finally catch up with all the books that I've had forever and decide how good I think they are.  This is one that I picked up over a year ago...

Ivy is like a Miss Marple type.  She's elderly and has her friend, Thea, to keep her going.  After her friend dies, Ivy realizes that she seems to be invisible to most people.  She decides to use her "super powers" for good.  There are vandals in the local cemetery and she decides to dress in camouflage and try to catch the license plate of the whippersnappers.

This is where I left off.  I was 20% into the book and thought "Why do I have this on my Kindle?"  When I get to this part, it's time to let it go and try something else.  Most of the ones that I have left on my Kindle are super old, so who knows if I'll be able to find anything good.  Back then, I was clicking on books just because they were free.  This one should have been a pass.

More - Heidi Marshall

This one was up for free a little while ago.  It's more contemporary than I usually read, but I thought I would give it a chance.

Kate is single and alone.  She wants a family badly and this book is her journey to finding that love.  She has some really bad luck with men: ones that don't want what she wants, betrayers and men that end up more like brothers than boyfriends.

Jacob is across the country and is a landscape architect for Kate's mother.  Kate ends up at her mother's house twice during the book, giving Jacob and Kate little interaction throughout the book, but you know where it's going to end up.

A few minor issues with the book.  They weren't bad enough to make me stop reading, but they were annoying.  There were more of the random/wrong words intermingled in there.  I've seen it before.  I'm not sure if it's a result of the book being changed over to Kindle format or bad editing.  Spell check does not fix all.  The other issue was that there were flashbacks in there with no warning.  I would be reading a section and realize that it was a memory.

All in all, it was a pleasant read.  I'll go ahead and give it my Good Book stamp of approval. 

Measure of Mercy (Home to Blessing #1) - Lauraine Snelling

I don't think that I've read this author before.  This one popped up free, so I decided to give it a shot.

Astrid has been working with her sister-in-law learning to be a doctor.  She is being encouraged to go to Chicago to take surgery training.  She's been praying about it for a while and when she has almost decided, she loses a patient and begins to doubt her purpose.  Then right before she is to leave, she loses a baby and gets angry and confused all over again.  Add to that a man has come into her life and she is unsure if she wants to leave him.

Another important scene in the book is where she's at church and there is a missionary from Africa visiting.  During his sermon, he mentions how badly they need medically trained people there and Astrid feels like the missionary is talking to her.  She starts getting upset because she feels that God is calling her there because the guy looked at her.  She's having fits because she doesn't want to go to Africa.  While in Chicago, the guy writes her letters, so she feels like this is more calling.

The man waiting for her back in North Dakota is a real mystery as well.  He's come back after being away for some time and wants to marry Astrid.  The problem with this whole "romance" is that I don't see any of it in the book. They have a few encounters and then she's off.  Most of the book changes views between Astrid, the man and Astrid's family.

Astrid's interpretations of God's calling were getting a little confusing.  She would read into things like other people (which I don't deny can be sent by God) but just that she puts more faith in what other people tell her than her own reflections and feelings bothered me.  She also ignores the fact that she no longer really likes doctoring (which might be temporary I grant you) but those feelings are ignored because she is expected to go to Chicago and train.  She doesn't write to the man waiting for her, and since he's not that great at writing to her, she decides to head off for two years of missionary training because he didn't inform her of his visit to Iowa over Christmas.

I knew when I was nearing the end that this was going to be one of those trilogies where nothing is settled at the end.  I avoid those for the most part.  I didn't like this book for numerous reasons.  The romance was nonexistent, she didn't make sense, and nothing was settled at the end.  For goodness sakes, she was heading off for missionary training although she was barely okay with the whole idea.  Not getting my good rating.

Forbidden (The Books of Mortals #1) - Ted Dekker & Tosca Lee

Sometimes I wonder what would happen if I didn't know Ted Dekker wrote this book.  Would I have read it?  Probably not.  It's a world of fantasy that I'm usually not a big fan of.  I know what to expect when I pick up a Ted Dekker.  I'm going to get a deep, thought-inspiring book that makes me rethink aspects of my life.  He's just that good.  There's a short story that goes along with this book, The Keeper, which I recommend reading if you are thinking about trying out this book.

This is a new series, The Book of Mortals, that starts us out 480 years after the release of the virus named Legion.  The virus was genetically coded to attack and eliminate all emotions except for fear.  Everyone follows the Order, which has created a world of peace. 

Rom is a young man who approached by an old man.  Naming Rom's father to get his attention, the old man gives him a vial of blood and a piece of vellum.  The old man is then murdered and Rom flees.  Putting everyone who knows him in danger, he is pusued by a man named Saric, who has tasted power and wants more.  He has only tasted the baser emotions, as he is being used as a pawn by the Alchemists.

Saric wants to control the world.  His sister, Feyn, is shortly to take the throne, but Saric murders his father and takes control for only a few days until the time she is scheduled to take over.  In that time, he pretends to care about his sister and his father but changes the law so that if the current leader dies before the time the next is to take power, the one who ruled before is to take over rule, thereby setting himself up to rule after he murders his sister when she takes power.

There is one hope.  The blood Rom has been given brings back emotion, not permanently, but for a time.  Rom and his friends get overwhelmed by emotions and realize that feeling only fear has made them dead.  There is a legend of a boy who can take power and thwart Saric's plan.  He also has emotions without the blood.  He is the hope for the world.  It's now up to Rom and his friends to prevent a tyrant from taking the throne.

I devoured this book.  I think I got eye strain from reading so much over Christmas, but I knew with Ted Dekker that this would happen.  I don't know how people can write short reviews for his novels.  There aren't a few sentences that can summarize his stories.  They're too complex.  I know that I have failed to make the story sound as interesting and intense as it is, but I did feel that this series reminded me of The Circle Series.  Not due to the story line itself, just that I am going to have to read this series all the way through.  The next book is due out in June 2012.  I'll be waiting!  Great Book!