Trinity (A Breed Apart #1) - Ronie Kendig

I haven't read a lot of this author's books, but what I've read I've been impressed with.  A few years back, I read Dead Reckoning and recently I read the third book in this series, Beowulf.  I was happy to get price drops on the first two in this series so I could get caught up.

Heath was injured on a mission.  Now he suffers from blackouts and headaches.  He wants to get back in the game, but it seems like God is shutting every door.  Then he gets the opportunity to go to Afghanistan and encourage the troops with his former war dog, Trinity. The dog is Heath's entire world and he's not looking for romance.  But then he meets Darci.

Darci can't believe that she's run across Trinity again.  The memory of why she was around the dog last time haunts her.  She's a spy and doesn't have the luxury of being able to get close to Heath, but her heart isn't paying attention to her head.  While on a mission, things go south and it's going to be up to Heath to help save her.

With this author, I've come to expect a story with great detail and action.  It is obvious that the author does a great deal of research before she writes and it makes for a more realistic story.  I appreciate that.  This was a great story of trust and faith.

When I reviewed Beowulf, I mentioned that it would be okay to read these out of order.  I still think the story is complete enough that you can read them out of order, but I'm not sure I still recommend it.  I can't shake the feeling that I would have enjoyed this one a little more had I read them in order.   I'm not quite sure why.  Talon is the next book in the series and I plan on reading it in the near future.

I believe that the best books are the ones where you care about the characters even after the story is over.  This author is a master at that and I have no problems giving this a Good Book! review.

A Bride for All Seasons - Margaret Brownley, Debra Clopton, Robin Lee Hatcher, Mary Connealy

This is a novella collection made up of four stories.  They are connected through their interactions with the Hitching Post Mail-Order Bride Catalogue.  Mr. Hitchcock is changing ads, changing letters and changing lives.

And Then Came Spring - Margaret Brownley - Mary Jo arrives to find that not only is her fiance dead, he has a son that she didn't know about.  Her fiance's brother is having a hard time handling the boy and Mary Jo can't leave without making sure they are okay. Since she is superstitious, she believes that she is unlucky and doesn't want to open her heart up to love.  Will she leave without giving it a chance?

An Ever After Summer - Debra Clopton - Mathew specifically placed in his ad that he didn't want any Bible thumpers applying, so he's shocked when Ellie exits the train hugging a Bible like it's her best friend.  He simply wants a mother for his child.  He has no desire to be a husband, but Ellie's stubborn streak might just eventually wear down his protests.

Autumn's Angel - Robin Lee Hatcher - Luvena has sacrificed a great deal and is raising her nephew and nieces.  Unfortunately, Clay was positive he said in his ad that widows with children need not apply.  When it's discovered that not only was fare sent to bring Luvena but also the children, they know something's amiss.  He's got a secret that is preventing him from opening up his heart fully to them, but he gets Luvena to help open his opera house.  Can he put his inner demons to rest before losing Luvena?

Winter Wedding Bells - Mary Connealy - David is dying.  Megan refuses to believe him. She wasn't aware that he was dying when she married him, and they are both surprised when they discover that a whole page of David's letter was never sent.  Megan is determined to honor her vows, and she sees life in David's eyes.  He wants to make sure everything is order for his death.

These stories were a quick, fun read for me.  I loved the little changes that Mr. Hitchcock made and enjoyed each of the stories.  They weren't connected in any way beyond using the Hitching Post.  Each story was set in a different location.  They still felt like they were all part of the same overall story.  Good Book!

Born of Persuasion (Price of Privilege #1) - Jessica Dotta

I had this one on my Kindle for a while.  I have so many books to read right now, some of them end up sitting on there for a while.  I dusted this one off and read it during Spring Break.  This is the first book I've read by this author.

Julia's world has been turned upside down.  Now that her mother is dead, she discovers that she has a mysterious guardian who plans on sending her to Scotland.  In the meantime, she lives at her friend's house and hopes to look to her fiance, Edward, for help.  Instead, she finds out that he has taken orders and become a vicar, even though he knows that she doesn't believe in God.  Her father was an outspoken atheist and Julia feels betrayed.

Her new plan is to find herself a husband.  She meets a woman who claims to be able to help and ends up in a strange situation where she's not sure whom she can trust.  Even her friends seems to have turned their backs on her.  She treats Edward horribly when she meets him and looks to others to solve her problems.

I wasn't pleased with this book for a number of reasons.  Most importantly, I really disliked Julia's character.  She was a spoiled, self-centered woman who cared little for others and had no compassion for anyone other than herself.  Since the book is all first person, all we read is Julia's thoughts, making her more irritating.  The book is supposed to be Christian fiction, but other than a few comments by Edward, I didn't see any difference between this book and a secular novel.  I looked it up a few times to make sure I wasn't mistaken thinking the book was published by a Christian publisher.

This book is part of a series and the story is continuous.  At the end of this book, we don't have any closure or anything resembling a happy ending.  While the book was well written and descriptive, I just didn't like Julia at all, making this series a pass for me.  In case you're interested, the next book in the series is called Mark of Distinction and comes out May 1, 2014.

A Lady Like Sarah (Rocky Creek Romance #1) - Margaret Brownley

It wasn't long ago that I read the third book in this series, A Vision of Lucy.  I really liked that one, so when the price dropped on this one, I picked it up.

Justin is on his way to Texas to accept his new position as pastor to a church in Rocky Creek.  He was forced to leave his previous church and now questions his path.  On his way to Texas, he comes upon a strange sight.  A lawman has been shot and he's still handcuffed to his prisoner.  Justin is shocked when he discovers that it's a woman.

Sarah is an outlaw.  Her father's name tainted her family and now they rob stages.  Justin has promised the lawman that he will see Sarah turned in, but as he gets to know her, and love her, he finds his promise hard to keep.  He wants Sarah to trust God to make sure she doesn't hang, but Sarah is confident if she turns herself in and tries to go straight, she will hang for sure.  If she stays on the run forever, she'll never have the kind of life she desires, but she's scared of the consequences.

This was a pretty good book.  The story was unique and I appreciate that.  There were times I was wondering if I was going to get that happy ending.  I just didn't see how it was going to happen, but all turned out well.  It was a nice read and I look forward to reading the second book in the series, A Suitor for Jenny.  Good Book!

Made to Last (Where Love Begins #1) - Melissa Tagg

For spring break this year, we headed to Hawaii.  Had a great time and got some reading in.  I was actually able to finish 3 complete books and got a quarter of the way through a fourth. Over the next couple of days, I'll be posting my reviews of these books.

This appears to be the first book out by this author and she's off to a great start!  I'm not usually a reader of contemporary fiction, but I decided to give this book a shot.

Miranda is the star of her own home improvement show.  While most of her life revolves around a lie, she measures her worth by the popularity of her show and what people think of her.  Now that her show seems to be in trouble, she is convinced she needs to reveal the mysterious husband she talks about on the show all the time.  The problem is, he doesn't exist. Miranda gets wrapped up in a web of lies and can't see a way out.

Matthew is a reporter who takes the assignment to write about Miranda.  He's doing it because he wants to be able to help pay for a vital surgery to restore his niece's hearing, but when it comes down to choosing whether to write tabloid trash or hang on to his morals, he has a hard choice.

I really did enjoy this book.  I'm a little surprised, because most of the time, contemporary romances are not up my alley, but I did enjoy this one.  The characters were really interesting and I especially liked Blaze.  He has his own secrets, and he's the focus of the second book in the series, Here to Stay.  It comes out April  29, 2014.  I've put it on my watch list and look forward to reading it in the future.  Good Book!

The Quarryman's Bride (Land of Shining Water #2) - Tracie Peterson

Tracie Peterson is a great author.  I've read many of her novels.  If I listed them all out here, it would take up too much of the post!  In this series, I've had the opportunity to read The Icecutter's Daughter.  I have the third book in the series, The Miner's Lady, waiting for me on my Kindle.

A tragedy has struck Emmy's family.  Now, her upcoming marriage has been cancelled so that she can take care of her parents.  It's traditional for the youngest daughter to devote her life to taking care of the aging parents.

Tavin feels a deep sense of betrayal.  He asked Emmy to elope with him, but feels like she chose her family over him.  He runs away from home and his feelings.  Eleven years later, he finds himself back home and Emmy's family has moved back as well.  The only way they can be together is if Emmy's father changes his mind.  And it will take an act of God to make that happen.

I really enjoyed this book.  It's definitely a stand alone.  I didn't see the characters from the first book at all, making it okay to read these alone or out of order.  I was a little disappointed when I saw there wasn't any connection between this book and the next one as I wished there had been some closure for the doctor.

All things said, I did enjoy this book, despite the sadness I read at times.  I really liked the characters and read it in two days.  I look forward to reading the third one.  Good Book!

Submerged (Alaskan Courage #1) - Dani Pettrey

This is a new author for me.  I saw this book come up for sale a few weeks ago and I was intrigued.  Romantic suspense is one of my favorite genres and I was a little surprised I'd never heard of this author before.

Bailey has vowed to never return to Yancey, Alaska.  In her high school years, she made some horrible decisions and pushed away the only person who really cared about her and loved her for who she was.  When her aunt dies suddenly, she doesn't have a choice anymore.  She wants to avoid her past, but it's a small town and there's no escaping who you are.

Cole laid his heart out there for Bailey before and she stomped on it in return.  Seeing her now and how she's changed, he's in danger of losing his heart to her all over again. When someone starts killing in his town, links to Bailey's aunt and a couple of strangers, Cole becomes protective of Bailey.  When there is a connection to Russian history, Bailey gets sucked into the investigation and pushed into Cole's company.

I read this book quick.  The writing reminded me a great deal of Dee Henderson in the O'Malley series.  There's a great balance of the suspense and romance.  The characters are well developed without hitting you over the head with information.

So far, in this series, there are four books.  The next book in the series is Shattered and it's about Landon and Piper.  The foundation for their relationship is established in this book, so I'm not 100% positive about reading these out of order.  Book 3 is Stranded and book 4 is coming out May 1, 2014 and is called Silenced.  This series revolves around Cole and his siblings.  All the remaining books are on my watch list.  I'm happy to say I've found a new author!  Good Book!

Plots and Pans - Kelly Eileen Hake

“It’s important to let people know they’re wanted.”

This is my favorite quote from Kelly Eileen Hake’s new book, Plots and Pans.  In the past, I have read her series, Husbands For Hire.  I enjoyed all three of those and it was an easy choice to read this book.

When Jessalyn was young, her mother died and her father shipped her overseas to attend school.  For a time, Jess decided to try and convince her father that she needed to be home, but as time passed, she came to the conclusion her father didn’t want her at home.  The schools she attended couldn’t mold her into what they wanted to and Jess stops trying.  When the opportunity arises for her to get home, she snatches it and throws propriety to the wind.

Tucker is foreman on the ranch, and now he’s also part owner.  When Jess shows up on his doorstep dressed as a man, he assumes it’s a roamer looking for work and later learns who he was dealing with.  Jess is headstrong and wanting to prove that she belongs on the ranch.  Unfortunately, Tucker wants to protect Jess, but she’s got an independent spirit and is fond of throwing caution to the wind.

The characters in this book are likeable and made me smile a few times.  Especially Jessalyn.  She’s spunky and quick-witted.  Reading her arguments with Tucker made me jealous that she was able to come up with quick comebacks to Tucker’s protests.  I’m not that quick!  The attraction between these two starts out with adversity and it takes them a while to recognize what’s going on.

I wasn’t able to find out if this book was part of a series, but I hope that it is.  The books in the Husbands for Hire series ended up being dependent on each other, and I can see some potential for this to be a series.  If you’re interested in that series, book one is Rugged and Relentless.  Book two is Tall, Dark and Determined, and book three is Strong andStubborn.  As it is, Plots and Pans is a great stand-alone, and I highly recommend it.  Good Book!

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