Fit to Be Tied (The Sisters of Bethlehem Springs #2) - Robin Lee Hatcher

I've read a few of this author's books now including the entire Coming to America series (Dear Lady, Patterns of Love, In His Arms and Promised to Me) and also two books of the books in the Where the Heart Lives series (Belonging, Betrayal - Beloved being the final book).  There was also a stand alone, Heart of Gold, that I've read.  The first book in this series, A Vote of Confidence, I read before I started my blog.

Cleo is a rancher.  She wrangles horses, wears jeans and doesn't mind hard work.  When her father tells her that an Englishman is coming to stay with them for a year, the last thing she wants to do is deal with a snooty, high society man.  Biased, she gives him menial tasks and ends up being surprised at his determination to do the work without complaining.

Sherwood "Woody" has been sent by his father to the ranch.  Not knowing what to expect, he hopes to escape his current path in life.  Wounds he got in the war are both physical and mental, but he'll never complain to a woman like Cleo.  As they start to get to know one another, their differences begin to fade, but will they discover they like each other enough that once his year in America is over, they'll find the common ground to stay together?

I did enjoy this book.  It was a fast, easy read and I loved Cleo's spunk and the way she treated Woody at first.  No special treatment for the son of a duke!  The first book in the series was about Gwen, Cleo's sister, and she shows up quite a bit in this book.  While you get a lot of the lives of Morgan and Gwen, you don't get much of the story of how they ended up together.  In my opinion, this makes it a safe series to read out of order.  The final book in the series, A Matter of Character, is about Daphne, Morgan's sister.  I'm on the lookout for it and hope to read it sometime in the future.  Good Book!

Butterfly Palace - Colleen Coble

Colleen Coble has been an author I've enjoyed reading for many years now.  I've read most of her books in one form or another.  Some of my favorite series I've read are written by her.

We begin the story with Lily and Andy meeting in the night.  A sudden fire kills both their fathers and after that, Andy disappears.  Four years later, we find that Lily has now lost her mother as well and needs to find a job and make her own way.

Drew is shocked when he sees Lily at his friend's house.  He's regretted leaving her, but he felt he had little choice if he wanted her to be safe.  Now that he's seen her again, he wants to make things right between them, but he's also going to have to protect her from a ruthless killer that has a liking for blonds.

I enjoyed this story.  It was an easy read and I loved the characters.  A specific death in there made me sad, but overall the story was a good one.  I liked reading the development of the character of Belle a great deal.  The suspense was also well written and I wasn't aware of the extent of the plot until the end.

As of now, the only other thing I see connected to this story is a novella called Bluebonnet Bride.  I'm making sure to keep an eye out for it, because we're not quite resolved on the issues surrounding the White family and they are the focus of that story.  Good Book!

A Beauty So Rare (A Belmont Mansion Novel #2) - Tamera Alexander

Tamera Alexander is one of my favorite authors.  I've almost read all of her books.  The only one I haven't read yet is Within My Heart.  It's waiting on my Kindle and I look forward to it.  I've reviewed The Inheritance, To Whisper Her Name and A Lasting Impression.

Eleanor has always known that she was plain.  Now that her father's mental health is failing, she accepts the help of her aunt, who is considered American Royalty.  Eleanor isn't used to that kind of life and has little use for it.  What she really wants to do is open up her own restaurant, but she needs the approval of her aunt.  Unfortunately, her aunt doesn't feel like that's a suitable vocation for a lady of her station, so Eleanor is on her own.

Marcus has left his home in Austria to come to America.  He's never been close to his family and is enjoying this new sense of freedom that he's experiencing.  He's intrigued by Eleanor, but his past and his true identity prevent him from declaring his feelings, sometimes even to himself.  Eventually he comes around and has to decide whether or not to find a way to make his life what he wants it to be.

I really enjoyed this book.  The characters were easily liked and the settings descriptive.  It was so good, I ended up finishing it in two days.  The historical elements were woven into the story in a great way and I was pleased to find the notes at the end to separate the facts from fiction.

This is the second book in the Belmont Mansion series.  The first book is A Lasting Impression.  The characters from that book make small appearances in this book, making it okay to read this series out of order.  I look forward to more from this author.  Good Book!

*I received a copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Water Walker (Outlaw Series) - Ted Dekker

If you've ever been on my blog before, you'll know that Ted Dekker is my favorite author.  His books are deep and meaningful at the same time.  This book is the third in the Outlaw Chronicles.  The first book, Eyes Wide Open, was spectacular and the second, Outlaw, was great as well.  I jumped at the chance to read this one.

Alice doesn't know who she is.  Her memory begins six months previous and she isn't sure what her life was like before then.  She seems to be very mature in some ways, but very childlike in her understanding of the world.  That world is turned upside down when her "father" abducts her and takes her to her birth mother.  Now she is Eden and the lamb that will cleanse the sins of her family.

Time passes and Eden has come to accept her fate.  She can't leave the swamp where she is basically a prisoner, and she has no freedom.  Fear of the swamps, dogs, lake and alligators prevent her from pushing back.  That all changes when she turns 18 and learns she has money coming to her.  A trip to town helps to change her perspective.  Add to that encounters with Outlaw, and Eden begins to learn more about herself.  Will she find the freedom she craves?

As with most Dekker books, this one has connections to other books.  In this case, obviously there are connections to the other Outlaw books, most specifically Eyes Wide Open.  There was also a connection to the Paradise series, which consists of Showdown, Saint and Sinner.  It isn't necessary to read these in order, but I recommend you read them.  I loved these books and found myself craving the encounters with Stephen/Outlaw, because the words he spoke were truths that are overlooked by many these days, including myself.

I found that book 4 of this series is scheduled to be out in June 2014 and is called Hacker.  This particular book had me nodding my head in agreement, tearing up at the pain and rejoicing in the revelations.  Recently, Dekker went on a church tour and I was unable to go.  I was able, however, to listen to a radio interview and was floored by the man.  If you get a chance, I encourage you to listen to this interview.  If you go to Chris Fabry’s website, the interview was on November 4, 2013.  It's the first hour of the show and totally worth the time.  Change your perspective; it'll change your life.  As for Water Walker, a great read by a great author.  Great Book!

*I received a copy of this title from Worthy Publishing through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

A Most Peculiar Circumstance (Ladies of Distinction #2) - Jen Turano

I'm happy to say that I'm all caught up with this series!  I've read the novella, Gentleman of Her Dreams, the first book, A Change of Fortune, and also the third book, A Talent for Trouble.  This particular book is the second in the series.

Arabella is devoted to the suffrage movement.  On her way back home, she encounters a distraught mother who begs Arabella to find her daughter and return her home.  Once the young woman is located, Arabella's troubles begin.

Theodore has been asked to track down Arabella and bring her home for a wedding. Even though he's too late for that, he's just in time to bail her out of jail.  She then proceeds to bury him with information on why he should change his medieval views on women and come around to her way of thinking.

At first glance, these two are the least likely match you'll find.  As they begin to understand one another, they seem to have more in common than they believed.  While Arabella is still in danger, Theodore is determined to try and keep her safe despite herself.

This was another winner by Turano.  I loved the characters and how they learned to compromise.  It wasn't a big deal that I had read them out of order and that's something I really enjoy in a series.  You get to see the personalities of all the characters, even the ones that appear in the previous books.  In my review of A Talent for Trouble, I mentioned that I hoped there was more because we haven't settled Agatha and Zayne's fate.  I'm happy to say that A Match of Wits, book 4, is due out in July and we'll get to read their story.  It's already on my watch list.  Good Book!

A Bride for Keeps (Unexpected Brides #1) - Melissa Jagears

After reading the novella, Love by the Letter, I looked forward to reading more from the author.

Julia is coming to see her friend Rachel, but she's also agreed to be a mail-order bride for Rachel's friend, Everett.  The strange thing is that Everett is very distant and seems to want nothing to do with her.  She has secrets in her past that she's running from, so she doesn't want to push him too hard.  She's just looking for protection.

Everett has had the worst luck with women.  Not much of it is his fault, but the town likes to tease him about it.  He is drawn to Julia, but fears that she'll just leave like all the others. They all left in different ways, but he's in pain and believes Julia is just the next one. When he finally comes to his senses, will Julia be able to trust him enough to make their marriage work?

I think most of this book can be summed up with the quote, "What we have here is a failure to communicate." (By the way, I use that phrase all the time but just looked up its source today - Cool Hand Luke, 1967)  Anyway!  These two wallow in their own sorrows for most of the first half of the book, making them both a bit irritating.  I kept reading, because I knew it had to get better.  I wasn't wrong!  This turned out to be a great book!

The next book in this series isn't due out for quite some time.  A Bride in Store is due out in September.  From the summary, it's about Axel, a very minor character in this book.  If you haven't read Dex and Rachel's story (they show up a lot in this book), make sure to read Love by the Letter.  As of today, it's still free.  You're not going to feel lost if you don't read it, so it's okay to read these alone.  I look forward to the next one.  Good Book!

A Vision of Lucy (Rocky Creek Romance #3) - Margaret Brownley

This is my first read with this author.  This book is part of a series with A Lady Like Sarah being the first book and A Suitor for Jenny being the second.

Lucy's passion is taking photographs.  Her dream is to see her pictures printed in a newspaper.  In the beginning, we find Lucy up in a tree trying to find the legendary white mustang.  Instead, she witnesses a stagecoach robbery and her life is in danger.

David saves her and the stagecoach, but can't quite figure Lucy out.  She doesn't stop talking, so he uses his own methods to put her off balance.  While he is attracted to her, he tries to push those feelings aside.  Since he's half-white, half-Indian, prejudice has kept him from being an accepted member of society.  David is in town to find something that was taken from him years ago. When a man disappears and David is suspected, both their lives get more complicated than they thought.

I finished this book in a day.  Honestly, I had a feeling I was going to love it when I saw the first quote in the book, "Never climb higher to take a photograph than you can afford to fall."  It was an unusual opening and immediately caught my curiosity.  At the beginning of every chapter is a quote from Miss Gertrude Hasslebrink.  I found them to be interesting, but I'm not quite sure if they are from a real book or not.

I really enjoyed this book.  I haven't read the first two in the series, which are about Sarah and Jenny.  These characters made appearances in this book, but I didn't feel like I was missing vital information.  I'm watching the other two and look forward to reading more from this author.  Good Book!

Mail Order Millie - Katie Crabapple

This is the first time I've read something from this author.  I have to admit that I was drawn to the length of the book.  I have oodles of books on my Kindle to read and I picked this one to read so that I could feel a sense of progress in that ever-growing pile of books.  It's listed as 62 pages and I knew I could read it quickly.

Millie is turning 18 and will not be allowed to stay at the orphanage.  She is given a stack of letters and told to choose a man to marry.  She lies about her age and ends up at the house of George, a recent widower with four children that need caring.  Millie does her best to get settled in, but she finds George to be distant and demanding.

I think that this story had potential, but there were some issues that bothered me.  For the most part, we're in Millie's head, but there are strange moments here and there where we get a brief glimpse into George's thoughts and once in his daughter's.  No warning and you're immediately back to Millie.  There were some errors that could have been caught, like where the baby's name changes from Grace to Hope and then back to Grace again.

I understand that this is a short story, but I feel like the characters could have been developed more.  Instead of telling me about Millie's choices for dinner, maybe some time could have been spent developing the character's personalities.  At the end, I felt like I didn't know George at all and the ending didn't quite seem believable.  I also didn't see what the goal of the story was.  Was I reading to watch George and Millie fall in love?  Was I watching Millie discover what it means to be a Christian?  I wanted to like this story, but it's ultimately a pass for me.

Every Perfect Gift (Hickory Ridge Romance #3) - Dorothy Love

This is the third and final book in this series.  The first two books are Beyond All Measure and Beauty for Ashes.  I enjoyed those and looked forward to finishing out the series.

A few years have passed since book two, and we find that little Sophie Caldwell has grown up.  She's skittish about coming back to Hickory Ridge after the way the town treated her as a child at the orphanage, but she is determined to come back and open up the local newspaper.  Her goal is to make the newspaper a success and have something of her own.

Ethan has avoided everything from his childhood and refuses to even discuss it.  When he meets Sophie, he is entranced by her, even though she prints things at odds with his work at the Blue Smoke resort.  Once they get on the same page, Sophie withdraws a little because she believes that her unknown lineage will push Ethan away.

I have to admit that this one was a little more dependent on the first two books than I thought it would be.  After reading the first two, I thought it would be okay to read them out of order and not be lost.  Even though time has passed and the author has some reminders in there, I can see how someone who hasn't read the previous two might be lost.

Overall, this was a pretty interesting book, but there were a few little things I noticed that seemed a bit out of place.  As far as I could tell, at the resort Sophie asks one person about the fighting but then writes about it without getting the other side of the story or even fact checking.  Seemed a bit off.  Some of her reactions to Ethan seemed odd as well.  When she sees him arguing with a man, she immediately assumes he looks down on the man because of his parentage.

All things considered, this was a good series.  I still believe that you are okay to read the first two alone, but this one is more fulfilling if you have read the previous novels.  I feel comfortable giving this one a Good Book! review.

Lonestar Series on sale today! - Colleen Coble

Amazon has all four of the books in the Lonestar series on sale today for $1.99!  I've been tracking one of these for over two years waiting for a price drop!  Coble is a great author and if you haven't read anything by her, this is the perfect time to give her a chance!  I read these books before I started my blog, so I don't have any reviews for them, but I remember liking them.  Even though I'm more of a historical fiction girl, Coble is one of the authors I make an exception for.  I just hope I can get caught up on my reading one of these days!  Check out the sale: the series includes Lonestar Sanctuary, Lonestar Secrets, Lonestar Homecoming and Lonestar Angel.

Tide and Tempest (Edge of Freedom #3) - Elizabeth Ludwig

After reading the first two books in this series, No Safe Harbor and Dark Road Home, I just had to find out how it all ended.  This is one of those series that is best read in order.

Morgan has just discovered that Tillie, a woman who was on board his ship years ago, may be in danger.  Since he feels it is his responsibility to take care of the situation, he positions himself to keep an eye on her.

Tillie doesn't quite understand what it is that draws her to the captain, but she doesn't feel like she deserves to have that kind of happiness.  When someone tries to take her life, she finds herself depending on him much more than she feels she should.

I enjoyed this book.  I didn't feel that it was as much of a continuation as the first two, so you could almost read this one alone, but I recommend reading them in order to get the complete story.  They're all great books with believable characters and lots of action.  The only thing I was missing was a wrap-up for the characters from the first two books.  I would have liked to read about Cara and Ana, if only in an epilogue.  Regardless, it was a nicely written series.  Just make sure to read them in order!  Good Book!

*I received a copy of this book through NetGalley from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.