Promised to Me (Coming to America #4) - Robin Lee Hatcher

The last in the Coming to America series, Promised to Me was a book that I approached warily.  I had enjoyed two out of the three previous books, but I was curious who this was about, since the first three novels thoroughly covered the original three friends that came to America together.

There was barely a connection to be had in this book.  In the prologue, we meet Jakob, a man who came to America on the same ship as the three original characters.  He had noticed the friends throughout the journey and that is where the connection ends.  The actual story begins over 10 years later.

Jakob has sent for his childhood sweetheart, Karola, to come and be his wife.  She is thrilled, as Jakob was promised to her before he came to America.  He promised to send for her, and she put her life on hold as she waited for him.  Enduring the ridicule of people around her, Karola was surprised to hear from Jakob after so long.

As Karola steps off the train, she is surprised to see Jakob, but even more so his children.  He claims to have sent a letter warning her of the death of his wife and the fact that he has three children.  Karola is shocked and a little angry that he didn't wait for her.  At the wedding, Karola realizes that she cannot go through with the sham marriage and refuses Jakob.  He is still in need of a caregiver for his children through the harvest, so he asks her to be a housemaid, staying in a nearby cabin.  He tells her that she owes him since he spent a lot of money bringing her to America.

As she spends time with the family, Karola falls in love with the children and with Jakob all over again.  Jakob doesn't really have any interest in falling in love again, but Karola becomes part of his family in such a way that he begins to wonder what they will do without her.

The end to the series is a good one.  I'm not quite sure that this one fits in with the other three.  Those first three had a common thread to them that worked and this one seems like the black sheep in terms of being relative to the others.  Still, it was a nice story that I enjoyed reading.  Good Book!

A Match Made in Heaven - Colleen Coble

This was one of those novellas that I bought for $0.99 and spent a few hours reading.  As I have mentioned in the past, this has to be one of my favorite authors and she's releasing her older novels and novellas digitally.

Nick is an architect and he has an important meeting with a client who insists that he brings a date.  Being new to the area, Nick doesn't know many people and definitely has no interest in a relationship.  He calls an older woman that he met at church and asks for her help.  Grandma sets Nick up with her granddaughter, Callie.

Callie is an interior designer that is about as thrilled to be going on this blind date as Nick is.  They met briefly in a parking lot and it wasn't exactly love at first sight.  At the dinner, Callie shines and ends up getting hired to design the house with Nick.  Unfortunately, Nick thinks that she has just used him to further her career.

Misunderstandings abound in this short book.  Nick and Callie both feel a mutual attraction, but they both also have trust issues.  They enjoy spending time together, but they seem to go to war when working on the house.

It was a great read and a refreshing little novella.  Good Book!

In His Arms (Coming to America #3) - Robin Lee Hatcher

After finishing Patterns of Love, I decided that I needed a break from this series.  The adversity in that book had been depressing.  Dear Lady was the first in the series and I did enjoy that one, so I opened up this third book and gave it a shot.

Mary is the last of the three women that came to America together.  It has been over a year since they arrived and Mary is working as a housemaid.  The lecherous man of the house tries to take liberties with Mary and she bashes him over the head with a silver cigar box and runs away, thinking that she has murdered him.

A woman on the train west senses that Mary and her young son are in trouble, and she has had her share of that.  She is gravely ill and starting to re-evaluate her life.  Not usually a giving woman, she offers Mary a position in her saloon as her bookkeeper on a whim.  Mary has very little choice and decides to trust the woman.

Carson is the sheriff and the last person that Mary wants to fall in love with.  She is a thief and a murderess and if he discovered what she had done, he would be obligated to take her to jail, leaving her son without a mother.  She can't let that happen.

The mining town in Idaho that they live in is having issues of its own.  The mismanagement is creating unrest among the miners and an accident may end up causing riots.  Mary is searching for her miner brother, who came to America years ago.  She's not even sure that he's still in Idaho, but she needs to find him and get away from Carson and her growing feelings for him.

The wealthy man that Mary thinks she killed needs that cigar box and will do whatever it takes to get it back.  His search for her would reveal her past and destroy her chance at happiness.

I was glad to read that this book wasn't as depressing as the previous book.  The obstacles are not near as bad and it was a great story.  I'm currently finishing up the series and enjoying the read.  Good Book!

Where Leads the Heart (Wyoming #1) - Colleen Coble

Colleen Coble has to be one of my favorite Christian romance authors.  When I saw the recommendation for this book, I was a little surprised that it was only $2.99.  This author's new books rarely drop in price and I seem to anxiously await a price drop in vain.  I was thrilled to pick this up for the price and read the whole thing in one day.  It seems that the author is releasing her out of print books in digital form and they seem to be coming out at a reasonable price.  So far, I've picked up two novellas and 2 books from her Wyoming series.

Sarah is mourning the loss of her childhood love, Rand.  He has been killed in the Civil War and it seems like most everyone around her wants her to move on.  She is getting a lot of pressure from her family to marry a prominent man in town.  Sarah has decided to cave in to their wishes.  She will never love anyone the way she loved Rand, so she figures it matters little that she will never be happy with Ben.

Rand has been thought dead everyone who loves him.  His letters didn't seem to reach the family, so everyone is amazed when he shows up on their doorstep.  Ben was supposed to tell Rand's family that he was recovering and he did not.  He also has involved his brother, who works at the post office, to intercept Rand's letters home.  His shock turns to a feeling of betrayal when he hears about Sarah's impending marriage.  He ends up heading west to escape.

Sarah is crushed.  She wants to be with Rand, but her father is ailing and she feels unable to leave him, even for the man she loves.  Rand sees it as further evidence that Sarah doesn't love him as much as he thought and when her father dies, Sarah decides that she has to follow Rand west.  She has to prove her love to him, but is she too late?

I loved this book.  The characters were well written and I can't really express how much I love this author's books.  The story continues in Plains of Promise.  I was able to pick that one up for $2.99 as well and look forward to reading more about Isaac, a minor character in this book.  I fear for my Kindle book budget with these out of print books coming out digitally, but I am overall pleased.  Good Book!!

Heat Rises - Richard Castle

I haven't been able to read quite as much as I usually do since I have been battling some pretty bad headaches, but I finally have some medicine that helps and decided to read this book.  I have been enjoying watching Castle on TV, and thought it appropriate to read this since the season premiere is on tonight.  I actually read Heat Wave in the past and thought it was pretty good.  I picked this one up for $1.99.

If you don't watch Castle, this book is based on the TV show that is on ABC Monday nights.  A witty novel writer, Richard Castle, starts out being involved in a case where a man is recreating murders from his novels.  He becomes interested in one of the detectives, Kate Beckett.  He uses his connection with the mayor to become a part of the team.  After a while, he is considered part of the team and they solve crimes together.

These books are by "Richard Castle," the author from the show.  I remember that I liked the first one, but I couldn't get through this one.  The subject matter was a little too much for me.  A priest is found dead at a dominatrix house and theories range from an experience gone bad to foul play.

The book has language, sex and all sorts of stuff that I normally stay away from.  I think that if I sit back and consider what I like about the show itself, it is more about the interactions between the two main characters. Nathan Fillion is also one of my favorite actors, as he has a great character to play and pulls it off well.  It reminds me of his character in Firefly/Serenity: Mal Reynolds.

In all, I quit about 30% in.  Basically without Nathan Fillion, the book was just another murder mystery.  I have taken the others off my watch list and will stick to the TV show for now.

When the Smoke Clears (Deadly Reunions #1) - Lynette Eason

This is the third book that I have read by this author.  I have read 2 of her books from the Women of Justice series (Don't Look Back being the one that I have reviewed) and pretty much knew what kind of book I was in for.  This one popped up for free and has sat on my Kindle since April.

Sabotage has forced Alexia on leave from her job as a firefighter in Washington and come home only to be greeting by a dead body in her mother's basement.  Not only does she see the killer, she has a chance to try and save the victim, her ex-boyfriend from high school.

Hunter is a detective and arrives on the scene.  He was interested in Alexia in high school, but she was a few years younger than he was and never gave him a passing glance.  Now he has to try and solve not only this murder, but it seems that the killer isn't done yet.

Alexia is also dealing with feelings of low self worth, a mother in the hospital, guilt over a house fire, regret over her brother, disbelief that her mother can change and now someone trying to kidnap and harass her.  Let's just say that she has a lot on her plate.

The bad guy is after information to find Jillian, a best friend of Alexia's from high school. On graduation night, she witnessed something and has disappeared.  Now the guy is getting notes that suggest that Jillian is back.  He may not be able to locate her, but he can come after her friends and try to find her though them.

I didn't have any issues finishing this book, but I'm on the fence as to how much I like this type of book.  I was a little unsure after Don't Look Back, but thought maybe circumstances had affected my opinion.  Now I'm not so sure.  The amount of crime and attempted murder, etc. that happens to these people in such a short period of time is just exhausting.  It's kind of like watching Criminal Minds, but it's not over in an hour.

The next book in this series, When a Heart Stops, comes out in October and follows the story of Serena, a classmate of Alexia's, and Dominic, Alexia's brother.  The man behind the crimes is still on the loose and Serena is next on his list to pump for information.  I really want to like these books, but I think that I'm done with them.  There's too much out there for me to read to keep a book for 5 months because I'm not sure that I'm going to be glad I read it in the end.

A Love Forbidden (Heart of the Rockies #2) - Kathleen Morgan

I have tried this author a few times in the past.  Sometimes I like it, other times I'm not as sure.  I enjoyed the first book in this series, A Heart Divided and decided to track the next one.  When it hit $2.99 I snatched it up.

Shiloh has taken a job helping to try and teach Ute Indians in Colorado.  Unfortunately, they don't really seem to want her there.  Add to that, her childhood friend is there, but he seems to have no interest in renewing their friendship.  Shiloh lost part of her heart when he rode away from her family's ranch a long time ago.

Jesse doesn't know where he belongs.  His father was white and his mother was an Indian, making fitting in somewhat of a challenge.  The only person that never seemed to care was Shiloh.  He has to protect his heart from allowing himself to fall for her.  Problem is, they keep getting thrown together and his feelings only grow.

Tensions are rising between the Ute and the whites and Jesse fears that Shiloh will be caught in the middle when it all falls apart.  He's afraid that he's going to have to choose between Shiloh and the people that have finally accepted him.

I enjoyed the action in this one, but it had elements of the depressing in there as well, a little more than in a Heart Divided.  I didn't have any issues getting through it, it was just that sometimes the depressing moments just seem to overwhelm the book.  I liked the character of Shiloh, Jesse irritated me at times with his rude attempts to push Shiloh away.  We do encounter Cord and Sarah, from book 1, but it doesn't really reveal anything from the first book.  I don't think that it wouldn't matter if you read these out of order.

At this time, I couldn't find another book for this series, but I'm not sure that I want to keep going anyway.  I did like this book, it just seems that overcoming a lot of adversity is a common theme for this author, and I don't like to be drowned in sorrow.  Like I said, this was a pretty good book, but I'm not sure that I'll pick up anymore by this author.  Good Book!

Chasing the Sun (Land of the Lone Star #1) - Tracie Peterson

I've been trying to be really careful with this author's books.  Many times, she writes trilogies that are all connected in such a way as you have to read all three books to finish the story.  I read the synopsis for this book and the other 2 in the series, and felt pretty confident that I wouldn't be disappointed at the end with unresolved issues.  I picked this book up for $2.99.

Hannah is living on a ranch in Texas that her father acquired by helping the Confederacy. The previous owners apparently left the ranch to travel north and fight for the Union.  When word comes that Hannah's grandmother is very ill, Hannah's father travels to see to either her recovery or her burial.  When times passes and he is missing, Hannah begins to wonder what she will do.  Her father's business partner, who is almost as old as her father, insists that she needs to leave the ranch and bring her two young siblings to town and marry him.

Will never wanted to be in the war in the first place, and now that his father and his brother have been killed, Will is happy to return to the home he loves.  Unfortunately, he finds Hannah and her family living there claiming that it's her land.  He refuses to give up that easily but vows that he won't throw them out in the streets if he gets possession back. While he waits to hear what will happen, he'll stay on at the ranch and help out.  He ends up being more of a help to Hannah and her siblings than she ever thought possible.

The main problem with these two is their opposite sides of the war.  In the battle at Vicksburg, Hannah lost her grandfather and her brother.  When the business partner reveals to her that Will was at Vicksburg, Hannah tries to pull away, but Will has proven himself over and over to be a good and honorable man.  Eventually, they are both going to have to make peace with the demons of the past and move forward.

I really enjoyed this book and wanted to jump for joy when the story was resolved at the end of the book.  Book 2 is called Touching the Sky.  Book 3, which came out in September, is called Taming the Wind.  I recognized one of the character names in book 3, but other than that, it seems that this might just be my kind of trilogy.  I am tracking the rest of the series and hope to get the opportunity to read them.  Good book!

The Widow of Larkspur Inn (Gresham Chronicles) - Lawana Blackwell

This is a new author for me and I was wavering on whether or not to pick this one up, but it was free and I knew I could trust Bethany House Publishers.

Julia has discovered that the death of her husband is also going to mean that she has to leave the home that she loves.  Now she has to travel with her two children to a rural area and try to earn enough money for her family to live on.

Fortunately for her, one of the servants actually cares about her and decides to travel with Julia and the children.  They work hard to try to establish the Larkspur Inn as a lodging house on an old carriage route.  Since the railroad was established, the town has lost that business and Julia is going to have to work hard to make ends meet.

I made it to about 30% and decided to quit.  At that point, the love interest hadn't even arrived in town yet.  I had wrongly deduced that this was a romance novel and had expected it as such.  The book is told from different points of view: Julia, the housekeeper Fiona, and Julia's son Phillip.

I just wasn't as interested as I thought I would be.  I had hoped to at least meet the romantic interest character by 30% in, but it was not to be.  Just not the book for me.

Patterns of Love (Coming to America #2) - Robin Lee Hatcher

Today I'm reviewing Patterns of Love, book 2 in the Coming to America series.  I enjoyed Dear Lady and was hoping for more of the same.

Inga lives in rural Iowa with her father and sisters.  She doesn't feel as beautiful as her sisters and everyone believes that she will never marry and stay home to help her father for the rest of her life.  Then Dirk Bridger arrives and needs help with his ill mother and orphan nieces.  Inga offers to go help the family and brings more life to them than they have seen in quite a long time.

Inga falls for Dirk quickly, but he has dreams of travelling all over the world once he has raised the girls.   When Dirk's mother passes away, it becomes improper for Inga to stay at the house and Dirk realizes that he needs her help, one way or another.  Thus, he goes to her and asks for her hand in marriage.  Not because he loves her, but because he really needs the help.  He even gives her a way out of the marriage for when he leaves.

Inga could think of nothing better than to be married to Dirk and tries to be happy with what she has, but she always seems to want more.  Will they discover that what they have is special before it's too late?

I found this book to be much more depressing than the first.  Inga goes through quite a lot and has a serious bout of depression in there.  She retreats into herself so much that Dirk ends up bringing her back to her father's house for a time.  Very sad.  The reason for her depression is sad.  The misunderstandings are sad.

Overall, it was a decent book, but I liked the first one better.  There are two more in the series that are on my Kindle to read.  I might take a break before tackling the next one, In His Arms, that tells the story of Mary, the last of the three women that traveled to America together.  The fourth in the series, Promised to Me, appears to be about someone that I haven't read about yet.  Not sure how she fits in, but I suppose I'll find out!

My Stubborn Heart - Becky Wade

If you've read any of my contemporary fiction posts in the past, I'm not a fan of them at all. This one seemed to have aspects that interested me, so I decided to pick it up and give it a shot.  I made it to 6% and just had to quit.  Normally, I would go to at least 10% to say I'd given it more of a chance, but I just couldn't make it.

Kate is headed to Pennsylvania to help her grandmother renovate her house that basically got preserved in the 50s.  She arrives and they meet Matt, the man who is going to help out as well.

The writing itself was what stopped me reading this one.  The woman is supposed to be 30 and in the 6% I'd read, they'd used the word 'hunk' 3 times and also described Matt as hot looking and "in-your-face, big-screen, major-league handsome."  I also had issues thinking that men would have thoughts like sleeping in a room would be like sleeping in a purple carnation and referring to a color of pink resembling chewed bubble gum.

In addition to the general way that it was written, I thought it weird that one night she is so overwhelmed by his handsomeness she can't speak and the next she's a chatterbox that doesn't shut up.  I'm sure that there are lots of people out there that would enjoy this type of writing, I'm just not a fan.  Too bad, it seemed like it would be a nice story.

The Pursuit of Lucy Banning - Olivia Newport

This author was a new one for me, but the summary looked to be something that interests me, so I picked it up for free.

Lucy is an independent woman who wants to be more than just a wife to her childhood friend, Daniel.  She attends university and helps out at an orphanage.  Attending school is a secret from her family that she covers up by telling them that she is at the orphanage instead.

Will is a good friend of Lucy's brother.  The Banning parents are very big on breeding and appearances.  At first, Will is presented as a friend of the brother from Princeton, not because he attended, but that is where they met.  Will is attracted to Lucy and they get along well.

Lucy has known for some time that she won't be able to marry Daniel.  As Will enters the picture, Daniel begins to act erratically and show up at odd times to frighten Lucy.  Will begins to see that they come from different worlds and wonders if he should just disappear.

There is also a subplot of Charlotte, a young maid that is hiding a deep secret.  Once she brings Lucy into her confidence, the two become close and share their secrets with each other.

I found that when I finished this book, I wondered what exactly had happened.  Daniel's situation puzzled me since Lucy seemed to be the only person that even noticed something was wrong, and by that time, he was acting pretty abnormally.  Lucy and Will's interactions puzzled me even more.  I felt like there were instances where they could have interacted and we could read more of why they were attracted to each other.  The end was probably the biggest letdown of all, where the proposal is simply left out.

Overall, I think that the story had too many unrealistic moments and there were a lot of things that I felt could have come across better.  It felt like a puzzle that was missing pieces.  You still get a picture at the end, but it's just not the same.  Unfortunately, this book was just not for me.

Surrender the Night (Surrender to Destiny #2) - MaryLu Tyndall

This was one of my watch list books and it popped up for $3.99.  In fact, it's still $3.99 at the moment.  In the past, I have read Surrender the Heart and was impressed with it.  It's during British/American conflicts, but I find that I don't mind that fact as much as I normally would.

Rose is living in Baltimore with her aunt and uncle after many disasters have taken both her parents and her honor.  The British have been attacking and plundering in the area and Rose comes face to face with someone who wants to violate her once again.

Alex is in the Navy to try and make up for his past and be able to go home to England again.  Disgusted by what his countrymen are doing to innocent families in this war, he comes to the aid of Rose and is shot in the leg while saving her.  She is faced with the option of letting the Englishman die or helping a person in need who just saved her.

On the road to recovery, Alex and Rose start to have feelings for each other, but it really couldn't come at a worse time.  Rose also has to deal with thoughts of betraying the memory of her parents by loving Alex.  There's a prominent man in town that is also wanting to court Rose, but she knows that he's more interested in her land than he is in her.

Circumstances land Alex in the role of servant, something he silently chuckles about, thinking that his status is much higher than these simple Americans.  As time goes by, though, he sees a better example of family and religion than he knew could be possible.  A run in with people from his past could be the undoing of his safety.  He needs to go back to his ship, but thoughts of leaving Rose alone prevents him from leaving too soon.

I liked this book.  It didn't really rely on the first book, but there were moments when you're encountering main characters from book 1.  While I don't think it's vital, I would recommend reading book 1 first.  Colonial Era is not really anything that I normally read and I certainly usually don't enjoy it, but this author could change my mind.  I really look forward to reading the third one.  I hope that it will drop in price someday.  Good Book!