Words Spoken True - Ann H. Gabhart

I believe that more than one of this author's books has been up for free before, but this is the first one that appealed to me.  The topic of most of this author's books seems to be more about people that live the simple life like the Amish and Shakers, and I personally don't read those types of books.  Reading the summary to this book, I was interested and picked it up.

Adriane loves to help publish her father's newspaper in Louisville.  At this time, there are many political issues floating around that cause Adriane to stop and evaluate what her father is supporting.  She isn't allowed to write about anything except the social events in the area, but she gets past that by sending letters to the paper under a false name.

Blake is the editor of a rival paper.  He notices that Adriane's father seems to be leaning a particular way and starts a war of words between the two editors.  Blake is also trying to bring attention to a serial killer that is targeting Irish women.  At this particular time, most of the people of the city don't appreciate the Irish and German immigrants and are trying to take away their rights.  Blake feels that they are equals and tries to share that sentiment.

Adriane is engaged to be married to Stanley, the son of the man Adriane's father owes a great deal of money to.  She's not in love with him, and when she sees Blake at a social function, she feels a connection to him.  Blake feels the same way.  He may be the enemy, but he has no plans on ignoring how Adriane makes him feel.

I read through this book pretty quickly once I got into it.  It was interesting and unique.  Not an entirely happy book, there is some sadness involved.  There were a few tastefully handled sex scenes, but it was nothing detailed. 

I was a little surprised that I enjoyed this book as much as I did.  Most of the new authors I have tried recently have been somewhat disappointing, so I didn't hold out much hope when I started it.  I was pleasantly surprised.  I liked the characters of Blake, Adriane and Beck a great deal.

Ann Gabhart has written quite a few books, but as I said, most of the subject matter is not quite up my alley.  I'll keep an eye out for her offerings in the future, but as of now, I don't see anything else of hers that would appeal to me and that's a shame.  She's a great author.  Good Book!

Whirlwind (Only in Gooding #3) - Cathy Marie Hake

This is one of the books that popped up on my watch list a while back and I was excited to read it.  In the past, I have read Letter Perfect, which is the first book in her California Historical Series, and I've also read Forevermore, which is the second book in the Only in Gooding! series.  Whirlwind is the 3rd book in the series.

Millicent, her sister and husband are travelling to America to start up a clothing store.  Millie's former employer decided that it was time for his children to go off to school and now Millie wants to guard her heart from becoming so attached to someone else's children again.

Daniel is on the same ship, except that the nanny for his 18 month old son has gotten cold feet and abandoned his son before the ship leaves port.  He finds the boy locked in his room.  Having sold his business in England, Daniel is well off enough that he's in the better part of the ship and now has the task of finding someone to care for his child on the trip.  He is looking for someone that will keep order and be "homely" so they don't attract gossip.

Of the candidates that he interviews, Millie is the most qualified, but also the most beautiful.  Daniel decides to hire her for the sake of his boy, but he also decides to stay out of the way as much as possible.  Problems arise on the ship that cause things to take a different turn.  Daniel asks Millie's brother-in-law to help him in his business and Millie can continue to nanny his son.  Millie is worried about getting too close to the boy but she already cares more than she cares to admit.

Upon arrival in New York, it's not just a matter of walking through the lines and being welcomed to America.  The men are detained as the women worry about the cause.  A tragedy causes them to rethink their plans once again.  I don't want to give away any more of the plot, so I'll stop there.

I really enjoyed this book and read it in two days.  The plot was original and the characters well written.  The characters from Forevermore were in there, but I don't believe that it's necessary to read the books in order.  There aren't really any lists that I could find that list these books in order, but according to their publication dates, it seems that they are in the following order: Fancy Pants, Forevermore, Whirlwind & That Certain Spark.  I have both the ones that I haven't read on my watch list.  This author has been a real treat for me this far, and I hope to read more of her in the future.  Good Book!

Seeds of Summer (Seasons of the Tallgrass #2) - Deborah Vogts

This was a freebie that popped up and it was a new author for me.  The book is a contemporary romance and I am normally more drawn to historical romances but decided I would give it a chance.

Natalie lives in Kansas where she has had to take control of her father's ranch after his tragic death.  Her dreams have been put on hold to care for her two younger siblings and they are a little rebellious.  A former beauty queen, Natalie's sister feels like she's had the easy life and has gotten everything she ever wanted.  Her brother has taken to disappearing without telling her where he is going.

Jared meets Natalie's brother while he is fishing.  Her brother didn't tell her that he was going fishing and so she's not in the best of moods when she discovers him and Jared.  Jared is drawn to her and offers to help out the family around the ranch.

Once Natalie finds out that Jared is a pastor, she becomes wary and wants to back away.  She abandoned God when her mother died and figures that she doesn't need Him.  She just needs to rely on herself.  When things start to spiral out of control, Natalie has to face the fact that she can't control her life and needs to look elsewhere for help.

Jared is faced with falling in love with someone who doesn't share his faith.  He tries to understand and keep his distance, but eventually everything works out for the best. I had issues with him at times, just for the simple fact that he never lost his temper.  It just didn't seem realistic.

I found this to be a quick, fun read and liked it pretty well.  The additional struggles with Natalie's stepmother who is back from the grave was an interesting twist, as was the whole beauty queen aspect.  Even though this was a contemporary romance, I liked it pretty well. 

As far as I can tell, there was only one other book in the series, Snow Melts in Spring.  The two books do not appear to be connected.  I wonder if the author originally planned on all four seasons.  Maybe in the future fall and winter will be written.  If Snow Melts in Spring pops up for free, I'll pick it up.  Good Book!

Cut, Crop & Die - Joanna Campbell Slan

This one popped up for free and I picked it right up.  In the past, I had read Paper, Scissors, Death and liked it pretty well.  I'm not really a fan of scrapbooking, so that wasn't the draw for me.  It seems to be an expensive hobby, and from what I have heard from friends, it is.

Anyway, Kiki is back again, this time she's trying to solve the murder of a fellow scrapper.  The woman was hardly well liked, but she keeled over at an event that was organized by the store that Kiki works for.  A rival store owner is using the event as an opportunity to push her business to the front.

We've also got Detweiler back.  He's trying to be there for her, but Kiki wonders what is holding him back in regards to their relationship.  Once she makes a disturbing discovery about him, she decides that she needs to let him go, even though she is in love with him.  There's more to the story than that, but unfortunately we're left with a cliffhanger in that respect.

Kiki gets herself involved in the investigation again, much to the despair of Detweiler.  She wages war on the new employee who she sees as a threat to her job.  Her mother-in-law also seems to be warming up to her, and her daughter is doing her best to turn into a teenager a little early.

There also seems to be a lot more depressing aspects to this book than I remember in the last one.  I don't recall there being that many in the other book, but I read it quite a while ago so I may just not remember.  There were hate crimes, "dead" dogs, cancer scares, unemployment and betrayal.  I also had to struggle to read through minute details of Kiki's trip to the spa that could have easily been shortened.

The length of this book causes me to classify it as a "diet" book.  It's an easy read and not too long.  The conversational tone of the writing makes it a fun read as well.  I'm not a die-hard fan of mysteries, so there has to be another element to the book to make it engaging for me.  In this series, the element was Detweiler.  Unfortunately, I did a little research and it seems like their relationship is a cliffhanger for at least two more books.  I personally do not enjoy books like this.  It reminds me of the trilogies where nothing is resolved until the last book.

All in all, it was a good read and a nice little mystery.  For me, I think that the journey with Kiki and Detweiler is over.  I get frustrated having to wait through multiple books to find out what happens and the mystery aspect of the books is just not enough for an old romantic like me.  If you like scrapbooking and mysteries, I truly believe that you would love these books.  There are little tips and tricks for scrapping in there that enhance the story for people that enjoy that.  I won't be picking up any more of these.

The Rose of Winslow Street - Elizabeth Camden

This one was on my watch list and I was glad that it popped up for free.  I had really enjoyed The Lady of Bolton Hill, and looked forward to this one as well.

Libby is considered an illiterate spinster by those around her, mainly her father.  He has tried to force her to learn to read, but something is wrong and she just can't understand the letters.  Always feeling the lesser sibling, she uses her drawing skills to assist him by creating the schematics for his inventions.  While they are away from home, a family from Romania breaks into the house and decides that it is their house.  They have no plans on leaving.

Michael feels that he has a legitimate claim to the house.  He has the last will of the man who owned the house before Libby's father and feels his claim to be more valid than the fact that the other man has lived there over 20 years.  Michael is incredibly blunt in his speech and fierce to protect his family, especially his sister, Mirela.

Libby is intrigued by the man and his family.  She enjoys bringing jam to the children and getting to know Michael.  He has seen her artwork and truly thinks that it is amazing.  Libby wants to hide from him that she can't read, she feels that he will think less of her knowing her faults.

Regardless of what her father thinks, Libby is determined to befriend and help the family.  The townspeople are shunning them, and when the main adults in the house become sick, it is up to Libby to step in and help out.

As the court case approaches, Michael and Libby struggle to remain friends when both sides are wanting the same thing.  Libby's father can't understand what Michael could see in her, except for the house.  Libby's heart is lost, but she's not sure how the situation can turn out so that everyone is happy.

I read this book in two days because I thought it was great!  I'm going to have to make sure that I don't read today, because I read WAY too much yesterday.  The characters in the book were interesting and the story unique.  I really appreciate that this author is able to take a romance and make it into a story that is new and different.  She has another book coming out in October, Against the Tide.  Once it has an ASIN number, I'll be putting it on my track list.  Great author, Good Book!!

False Pretenses (Secrets of Roux River Bayou #1) - Kathy Herman

This book was up for free a little while ago and I have read this author before.  Back in the day before I had my Kindle, I read the first two books in her Phantom Hollow series.  They were good reads, but they didn't compel me enough to get the third.

False Pretenses is mainly about the harm that lies can cause.  This theme isn't really clear in the beginning of the book and I had some issues getting into it.  The story, at that point, is split between two characters and I had problems figuring out if the story was mainly about one set of people or the other.  When it started to focus on Zoe, I was a little surprised.  I thought it was leaning more toward being about Vanessa and Ethan.  Anyway...

Zoe runs a popular diner in a small Cajun town.  The people that live in the area are very proud of their heritage and they're a close-knit community.  Zoe's husband, Pierce, means everything to her.  The only man she's ever loved, she starts getting notes that make her fear for that relationship.  The notes suggest that someone out there knows that her entire life is a lie and is ready and willing to expose her.

As a result, Zoe decides to try and get one step ahead of the culprit and resolve the major issue of the lies that she has been telling on her own.  It doesn't resolve the lies that she has told to her husband, but she thinks it will be enough to get her out of the jam that she's in.  Unfortunately, she has the wrong idea about which lie is causing the issue and ends up putting not only herself in danger, but also her husband and her neighbors as well.

Once I got into the book, it was a decent read.  The suspense took a while to get off the ground, as I didn't find the notes to be all that suspenseful.  "I know what you did" wasn't all that scary considering what she thought it was about.  I also was prepared for the story to be over sooner at the end.  I can say that I thought that the story was over 2 chapters before it actually was.  It seemed like a happy ending overkill.

The other books in the series are called Dangerous Mercy and Relentless Pursuit.  I don't think that I will track either.  It was a decent book, but just not quite enough to merit a Good Book label.  It was on the edge though.

A Lady of Hidden Intent (Ladies of Liberty #2) - Tracie Peterson

This is one of the books that I picked up that had popped up on my wish list.  Tracie Peterson is an author that I have read in the past and haven't really been disappointed.  In the past, I have read Embers of Love, Dawn's Prelude, A Lady of High Regard (book 1 in this series), and I also read her Alaskan Quest series in DTB form.  I even tried A Daughter's Inheritance, but it was a collaboration and I wasn't fond of it.  Overall, I consider Tracie Peterson to be an author I can count on for a good read.

Catherine is a well-to-do English lady who has been forced to flee the country.  Her father has been falsely accused of transporting slaves and has asked her to go to America so that she will be safe.  Once in America, she changes her name and takes a job working in a seamstress shop.  Her dresses are beautiful and her designs unique.  She soon draws the attention of the wealthy women in Philadelphia.

Carter's sister, Winifred, is having a gown made for the family's annual masquerade ball.  Winifred's overbearing mother walks all over her and Catherine tries to help the shy woman to feel more comfortable.  When Carter accompanies his sister to the shop, he notices something about Catherine that seems familiar, but she is determined to avoid him as much as possible.

Carter does what he can to be with her.  He pays the owner of the shop so Catherine can spend more time with his sister, and more importantly, him.  He decides that he is going to find out about her past, and once he does, he wants to do what he can to right the situation.  He also has to deal with issues within his family.  With Catherine's father in prison and Carter's family valuing wealth and standing more than anything else, these two have a lot to get resolved before they can be together.

I enjoyed this book a great deal.  The characters were likable and the story was original.  The third book in the series, A Lady of Secret Devotion, is still above my price range, but I hope that it will drop eventually.  It is not necessary to read this series in order.  This was definitely money well spent.  Good Book!

A Great Catch (Lake Manawa Summers #2) - Lorna Seilstad

This is one of the 11 books that the price dropped on and I picked up.  It was $4.00, and I had read the first book in the series, Making Waves.  I enjoyed that one and I was beginning to get a little frustrated with the number of romances I had been reading lately that I really didn't enjoy.  I was looking for something light and happy and I found it with A Great Catch.

Emily is a complete klutz.  She claims that she would be able to trip over a chalk line, and at times, it seems that it's completely possible.  She has a passion for the suffrage movement and thinks that men could have no place in her life.  She's too busy.  Her great aunts have a different opinion and decide that they should try to get her hooked up with a husband.

Carter runs into Emily at the roller rink - literally.  She hurts her wrist and Carter escorts her home.  He finds her different and wants to see more of her.  He's the pitcher for the Manawa Owls baseball team, even though his family thinks that he should be working at his father's bank.  He spends more and more time with Emily and falls in love with her.

Emily has come up with a great plan to raise awareness of the equality women deserve.  She has invited the Bloomer Girls baseball team to come and play the Owls.  Carter agrees on the condition that Emily play on the team for the Owls.  Emily is hesitant but steps up to the challenge.

She has a habit for putting herself down and believing that she can't do things because she's clumsy.  Her family tells her that all the time, and she has accepted it as fact.  Carter sees this and wants her to see herself as he sees her.  It's an uphill battle.  Trust issues come to light and Emily has to face some facts about how she spends her time and why she has been ignoring God.

I was so glad that I read this book.  I needed an uplifting, fun story to get me back on track.  The third book in the series, Ride of Her Life, was $4.00 on pre-order and I went ahead and got that one as well.  These two are currently $5.79 and Making Waves is $2.99.  If you're in the mood for a nice romance with character, I recommend starting with Making Waves.  Not because it's important to read them in order, but it's the cheaper of the 3 and I always like to start out cheaper when trying a new author.  Personal preference I suppose.  She's a great author, though, and I look forward to reading the third book.  Good Book!

Promise Me This - Cathy Gohlke

At the anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic, this book popped up for free.  I haven't ever read her before, but the premise looked interesting.  There's something about Titanic that captures the imagination.  A horrific tragedy, romanticized over and over again.  This book was a bit different.

The story follows 2 main characters: Annie and Michael.  In actuality, the Titanic portions of the book were a lot smaller than I thought they were going to be.  The descriptions were interesting and pull you in to the story.

The difference is that this story doesn't end with Titanic.  The remainder of the book follows the characters through the years between the sinking and the entirety of World War I.  Sometimes it's easy to forget that the two events were that close together.  I am not a fan of reading books that seem to have as much depression and tragedy as this book does, but let me add this.  The book is awesome.  I was both anxiety and hope as I neared the end and couldn't put the book down.

Michael has had an extremely hard childhood and has lost his only sister.  He is haunted by the memory of his sister getting taken away.  He meets Owen Allen, who teaches him about plants and gardens.  When Owen discovers Michael has stowed away aboard Titanic, he decides to teach him everything he knows and make him part of his family.  He makes Michael vow to bring his sister, Annie, to America at the first opportunity.  Losing Owen in the tragedy forces Michael to carry through on his promise on his own.

Annie is trapped and at the mercy of her cruel aunt.  Owen has saved up enough to send her to a school in the hopes that he will be able to send for her within a year.  Owen meant everything to Annie and losing him hurts her greatly.  She blames Michael for living and letting Owen die, even though she eventually comes to realize how wrong she is.  When war breaks out, everything changes.  Plans to travel to America are put on hold.  Annie and Michael start corresponding and come to be close.

The aunt has power and uses it to do cruel and unnecessary evils to people.  She has spent her life manipulating anyone that comes in her path, and when they resist, she does her best to destroy them.  Even after her death, she has a hold on Annie that is sad and unfair.

The end of this book is worth the read.  It is the first time I can remember tearing up at the end of a book.  I'm not saying that I never cry at the end of books, but it is very rare.  The book displays both the tragedies of life and also the closeness to God that can result from it.  It kept my attention throughout, and although I normally shy away from books like this, I am happy to give it a Good Book! review.