Highland Sanctuary - Jennifer Hudson Taylor

It took me a while to read this one and through no fault of its own.  Every few years I get a cold that knocks me on my butt for a few days.  Well, this was the year and it hit me the end of last week.  At that point I was into the book, but my eyes wouldn't let me read.  It was frustrating!  Regardless of my personal issues, I finally started getting better and finished the book.  This is most definitely a sequel to Highland Blessings, although there is no series tag on it.  There is also room to make it a trilogy, as there is still another brother unaccounted for in the love department, but I couldn't find any evidence of a book being written for him.  I have seen both Highland Blessings and Highland Sanctuary up for free multiple times.  Highland Sanctuary is actually up for free as I write this.

At the beginning, we read about Serena and her mother.  When Serena is born, she has a seizure, and her father has her declared evil.  He wants to take her away and deal with her, but her mother takes her away to a remote village where she feels they will be safe.

Gavin is at the castle to help with repairs and deal with some security issues.  On their way to the castle, they come upon Serena and her mother.  Serena has had one of her fits and fallen off the wagon.  To protect her, her mother tells Gavin that she just fell off the wagon and hit her head.

As time goes by, they most definitely fall in love.  Serena knows that Gavin is next in line to be the leader of his clan and feels that her condition will drag him down and hurt not only him, but his family.  He offers to give up everything for her, but she won't let him make that sacrifice.

Eventually, Serena's secret comes out.  Although Gavin is the honorable man we all hope him to be, there are dire consequences to the revelation. 

I really enjoyed this book, even though there were some not so happy parts to the happy ending.  It was a great story and I liked the connection to the first book, even though I had read it some time ago, I really enjoyed that one as well.  In that book, we follow Akira, Gavin's sister.  I recommend that one as well.  I'm hoping that the author will write another book in the future to tell us what happened to Leith.  Both Highland Blessings and Highland Sanctuary get my Good Book review!

Always the Wedding Planner, Never the Bride (Emma Rae #2) - Sandra Bricker

This is the second book in the Emma Rae Creation series.  Always the Baker, Never the Bride was the first and I really enjoyed it.

Sherilyn has known Emma since college. When she gets engaged, her fiance gets a job in Atlanta and they decide to relocate there.  Emma immediately thinks that Sherilyn would be perfect for the job of wedding planner since Jackson's sister is giving up the position.

As time goes by, Sherilyn and Andy start to come to the realization that they haven't honestly known each other very long.  Apparently he proposed to her on the 10th date and now they wonder if they are making the right decision.  Two lost wedding dresses, mysterious allergies, old flames appearing, differences of opinion on things like dogs start to make Sherilyn think that her wedding is cursed.

I thought this book was a little depressing at times, but overall I did like it.  The reason that Sherilyn thinks that she is cursed does not come out until late in the book and it wasn't what I expected at all.  I like how the author gave a little link to the next book in there.  The character of Russell, the eccentric Australian actor, was a bit annoying and I didn't like learning all the Australian slang.  I already don't remember any of it!

The next book in the series, Always the Designer, Never the Bride, comes out in April.  As of right now, there isn't an ASIN number (used on eReaderIQ for watching) for it.  I hope that it pops up for free, but I won't hold my breath.  If I remember, I might put it on my watch list.  Regardless of whether my journey with Emma Rae ends here or not, I'll say that this one deserves a Good Book tag!

Violet Dawn - Bradilyn Collins

This book had so much dust on it, I sneezed when I brought it up on my Kindle!  I finally broke down and gave it a try.

It's hard to summarize what I read.  I ended up quitting at about 20% and I still wasn't sure what exactly some of it was about.  The main story seemed to be about Paige, a woman who is scared to report the dead body in her hot tub.  I just can't get over the fact that she not only touches the body numerous times, but she also covers her hand with her mouth after she touched it.  And all without washing her hands or a scalding shower or anything.  It bothered me!

There were also snippets of other folks that lived in the town in there as well.  I wasn't sure if they were just background, but it seemed that almost every other chapter was about a new character.  They were hardly happy insights into small town life.  After a while, there were just too many characters "floating" around for me.

Overall, I just decided that this kind of book was not for me.  The in depth descriptions, while well written, didn't really add enough to make me want to keep reading.  There are 4 total books in the series: Coral Moon, Crimson Eve, & Amber Morn.  I won't be looking for them anytime soon. Just not up my alley.

A Texan's Promise (The Heart of a Hero #1) - Shelley Grey

I picked this one up when it was free recently and was hopeful for a good cowboy tale.

Vanessa has been attacked by her stepfather.  She heads out to the barn to get away.  There she runs into Clayton, who has promised to protect Vanessa.  She reveals that her stepfather has attacked her, but she leaves out the fact that he has also raped her.  Clayton makes an immediate decision to take her away from the ranch because he knows that the man will not leave her alone and she won't be safe there.

Clayton is in love with Vanessa, but he feels that his vow to her father did not include falling in love with her.  He tends to her wounds, gathers up some of her important belongings and they set out for the ranch where Clayton's sister lives.

Along the way, they run into an old friend of Clayton's who insists that Vanessa needs the protection of Clayton's name to insure that she will not have to return to the abuse.  They agree, but Clayton promises to leave her alone until she is ready.

I'm not quite sure how I feel about this book.  I didn't have any problems picking it up to read it, but the interactions between the characters seemed unnatural at times.  I think that my real issue with the book lies in the rape.  I don't like books with this event in them and it really affects my enjoyment of the book overall.  It wasn't a bad book, I liked it well enough, but I won't be reading it again.  For the sake of being thorough, book 2 is due out in March 2012 and is called A Texan's Honor.  It won't be on my watch list, though.

Smitten - Colleen Coble, Kristin Billerbeck, Diann Hunt, Denise Hunter

This book was on my watch list.  I haven't read a book yet by Colleen Coble that I didn't like, so it was an easy choice for me to watch it.  I didn't realize at the time that it was a collection.

Smitten is a town that is in danger of losing its identity and becoming a ghost town.  The mill has shut down and the workers are struggling to find income.  Enter four women who plan to turn the town into a honeymoon destination complete with downtown ambiance and specialty stores.  Not everyone is on board though...

Natalie is first up (by Colleen Coble) and she is fighting against Carson Smitten.  He really doesn't want "his" town all girly.  Natalie is also not overly fond of Carson due to the fact that she believes that he is the father of her sister's child. 

Julia (Kristin Billerbeck) is next with her city ways and hopes to bring a fancy spa to the little town.  Zak has promised her brother that he will take care of her, but she feels like she can take care of herself.  So when Zak offers up part of his grimy, smelly grill, Julia is not fond of the idea.

Shelby (Diann Hunt) is the creative one of the bunch with her sewing projects and gussied up dog.  When she starts to have feeling for her best friend, his ex-wife dies and he gets custody of his 12 year old daughter.  Shelby is determined to make sure that these two have a better relationship than she does with her father, which causes some rifts in the relationship she hopes to have.

Poor Reese (Denise Hunter) is the last one to find love.  The sporty type, she finds that her high school basketball buddy, Griffen, has grown into quite an attractive man.   Reese wants to convince Griffen that he feels the same way she does.  He needs to see her as a woman, not his buddy.  Little does she know that he already feels the same way.

Overall, I liked the book.  It didn't quite flow nicely the whole way through.  There were enough connections to make it work, but I have to say that an epilogue in the middle of the book kind of shatters the illusion of one story.  There's also a ton of conversation formatting that bugged me.  It was almost as if after a character said one sentence, they would start a new paragraph whether the person was done talking or not.  Some of it seemed a little cheesy, but I'll give it a Good Book review.

Fuse of Armageddon - Sigmund Brouwer & Hank Hanegraaff

This was one of the books that I have had for so long, I'm not quite sure why I picked it up in the first place.  Must have been back in the day when I was picking up books just because they were free.  I made it to about 15% before I quit.

The part that I read was following mainly three situations.  The first involved a group of radical Christians on a mission to let the terrorists know that they meant business.  Another man was part of a ransom exchange, and the third was at the scene of a crime at the Hoover Dam.

The radical Christians believe they are on a mission from God.  Their families believe that they have been killed in a roadside bomb, but really they are vigilantes trying to use scare tactics and terror to stop the terrorists.  One part I read had them killing some terrorists that they had rounded up with a single bullet and others were going to be beheaded and their heads would be sewn into pig carcasses (to prevent them from entering paradise).  Eww.

At the ransom exchange, Quinn has been lured there by the kidnapping of a woman and child.  There is a specific terrorist that is after Quinn specifically and knew that the kidnapping of these 2 people would remind him of his wife and child.  As a result, we find Quinn tacked to the table with a knife through his hand and the threat of death by the sword.  He escapes with the help of an unsavory character that the terrorists had betrayed and takes a corpse with him back to his base.  Double eww.

The Hoover Dam is the scene for a gruesome and unusual crime scene.  A cube van holds a dead man who is hanging upside down with a cross on his back and an American flag sticking out of the wound.  Kate has a phone number that she is supposed to call when she gets there and becomes involved in something beyond her usual day.

The part of this book that I read wasn't boring.  I quit because I don't like reading these types of books anymore.  There are just too many elements that can and do actually happen in these days of war and strife that I just have problems reading it.  I wanted to like the book, but it was more depressing and brutal than I wanted to invest in.  It just wasn't my kind of book.

The Healer's Apprentice - Melanie Dickerson

This was one of those books that had been on my Kindle for quite some time.  Since I struck out yet again this month on my watch list, be on the lookout for more reviews from my Kindle cleaning!

This tale was inspired by the story of Sleeping Beauty.  It asks the question, what if the prince fell in love with someone else while he was betrothed to the princess?  It's a Bible story version of the story complete with demons and the purging of them in the name of Jesus.

Wilhelm has been chasing after a malicious sorcerer for years.  The sorcerer has vowed to get revenge on a duke's family for having him banished from the land.  He is trying to find the princess to curse her so that she will be tormented by demons and be driven mad.  Wilhelm meets Rose, the healer's apprentice, after he has been gored by a wild boar.  They instantly feel a connection, though both of them know that it is impossible for them to be together.

Rose is attracted to Wilhelm, but his brother, Rupert, comes to fall in "love" with her and both Wilhelm and Rose feel that it would be better for Rose to try to return Rupert's feelings.  When Rupert shows himself for the truly selfish person that he is, Wilhelm has to rethink his plans.

I really enjoyed this book.  I didn't see the connection to Sleeping Beauty until I read the little blurb at the end by the author.  It was a medieval romance worthy of my time and I was glad that I read it.  I was a little surprised that this was listed as a children's book, it is most likely meant as a teen book since it was just as long as most of the other books that I have read.

Melanie Dickerson has another book out, The Merchant's Daughter, that was released in November last year.  It, as well as The Healer's Apprentice for those of you that missed it when it was free, is only $2.99.  The Merchant's Daughter is a twist of Beauty and the Beast.  I'm going to go ahead and pick it up.

The Healer's Apprentice is definitely going in my Good Book category.

Megan's Hero (Callahans of Texas #3) - Sharon Gillenwater

I paid for this book, but I had read the first two Jenna's Cowboy (#1) and Emily's Chance (#2) and had enjoyed them both.  This one still popped up under my $5 limit, so I didn't feel bad picking it up.

In this book, we finally get to find out what happens with Will.  He feels like a fifth wheel since both his brother and sister have found love.  Cripes, even his friend, Dalton, is getting ready to get married!  He hasn't had much luck with the girls in town.  He had his eye on Emily until he found out that his brother Chance had decided she would eventually be his wife.

Enter Megan Smith.  She's poor, homeless and pregnant.  On her way to Austin, she encounters a tornado and is saved by a small ditch.  Coming from a family of criminals, she figures that this is God's work and decides that she's going to do whatever it takes to find out what He wants from her.

Soon after the tornado, Will drives near the touchdown to check on the cattle and fences.  Finding Megan trudging up the road to find help for an injured trucker, Will is instantly drawn to Megan.  Her past prevents her from trusting or becoming attached to people, even good people like the Callahans who give her lodging and a job.  She tries to conceal her past because she thinks that she'll be kicked out if she were discovered.

Overall, I thought this book had a little more fluff to it than the others.  It was still a good book, but the story wasn't as engaging as some of the others.  Long explanations of shopping trips and baking took away from some of the other important moments.  I did appreciate the epilogue at the end that checked in on everyone about six years later.  I'm going to have to say that my favorite book in the series was Jenna's Cowboy.  I just want to comment and say that the covers of these books were not really appealing to me.  Good thing I didn't judge the books by their covers!  All things considered, a good series, not one of my very favorites, but worth the read.  Good Book!

The Lady of Bolton Hill - Elizabeth Camden

This is a new author for me, but Bethany House Publishers is a Christian publisher, so I figured I would be safe from the sex and other things that have been turning me off from books lately.

The prologue begins in the characters' past where Clara and Daniel are best friends.  He's 19 and she's 16 and they are well on their way to becoming each other's entire worlds.  Once we begin Chapter 1, we find Clara in jail in England.  She's a journalist and her views have gotten her in some major trouble.  Fortunately an unknown benefactor has funded a good lawyer for her so that she is simply banished from England.

Returning to America is a little bit different for Clara.  Her friend Daniel has risen from the ashes of his poverty and become a successful businessman with the railroads.  He also has quite the reputation for his vengeful agenda against a competitor, who he blames for the death of his father.  Neither man is willing to budge or compromise and the workers end up paying the price.

Social unrest is what Clara writes about.  She feels that God wants her to expose the injustices around her and Daniel becomes something of a target.  He isn't a believer and doesn't plan on becoming one.  Clara is trying to show him what he can be if he lets go of the need for revenge.

I really enjoyed this book.  It lived up to the expectations that I had for it.  I liked the adventure aspect towards the end and the added character that we discover the fate of in the epilogue.  Elizabeth Camden has out another book, The Rose of Winslow Street, and I liked this one so much that I added the other one to my watch list on eReaderIQ.  Good Book!

Emily's Chance (The Callahans of Texas #2) - Sharon Gillenwater

After reading the first one in this series, Jenna's Cowboy, I purchased this one since it was under my $5.00 limit.  I also put the third one, Megan's Hero, on my watch list.  A couple days ago, I got my email that it had dropped to $4.99, so now I have the third one in this series as well.

Emily is in town to set up the town's museum.  After the town gets hit by a terrible fire, the fate of the museum is unknown.  Chance, who determined that he was going to marry Emily from the first time he saw her, helps her out and makes his intentions known early on.

Emily's parents are hardly hands-on, and she is always trying to earn their approval.  They have never approved of her following her dreams because they want her to join their world of the rich and fabulous.  Emily ends up telling herself that she will only be friends with Chance so that she will be free to pursue her ultimate goal of being the director of a large museum.

This one was a little bit different.  There wasn't much that would be termed suspenseful in there, it just seemed to be a straight up romance and the journey of two people finding each other and following God's parth.  I liked the book and am looking forward to finishing out the series.  Good Book!

Broken Promise (The Brotherhood Series #2) - Laura Landon

I want to just take a moment and vent a little bit about the 100 books for $3.99 and less from amazon.  For the second month in a row, I have had absolutely NO hits on my watch list.  There wasn't even anything that caught my eye in the ones that were offered.  I guess I'll just have to wait and cross my fingers again for next month...

Broken Promise is the second and final book in The Brotherhood Series.  I read the first one, When Love is Enough, not too long ago.  It was borderline for my tastes, but I was interested in what happened to Austin, who was a pretty prominent character in the first book.

Austin is fighting his demons from the war in Crimea.  After returning home, he has witnessed such horrible things, one in particular haunts him night and day, that he takes jobs that place him in danger.  As a result of the death that he witnessed, he feels an obligation to a certain family and is sent to track down the man's daughter-in-law.

Sarah is posing as the daughter-in-law and protecting the son that she believes to be in danger from the very man that sent Austin to find her.  She is eventually exposed as being merely the maid that attended the deceased parents, but she is still adamant about not giving up the infant.

There were a few spots of mild language in there.  Not a lot, tolerable for me to skip over.  I had made it to about 85% and was hopeful about not reading any sex.  Alas, about that time, the vicar's daughter presents herself to Austin for one night of joy before they have to part forever.  I find it a little sad that both these books contained this element.  I would have enjoyed the book just as well had it not had this scene.

Overall, I am on the fence with this series.  The author may have plans to end the series with Harrison, the third member of the family, but since this book was released in October 2011, I have no idea what she plans.  I could have done without the language and sex.  Even though it was just one scene of that and the language wasn't awful, I went ahead and deleted them from my Kindle.  I won't read them again and probably won't pick up any more by her.  I was just disappointed because the stories were well thought out, but to me the other aspects took away from my enjoyment.  I am going to withhold judgment, because the enjoyment of the book depends on the tolerance of the reader.