Annie's Stories (Ellis Island #2) - Cindy Thomson

This is the second book in the series.  The first book is Grace's Pictures.

Annie has had a rough past and wants more for her life.  She dreams of opening a library in honor of her father, but she's determined to do it herself.  Her life at the Hawkins House starts getting complicated when her cousin is set to arrive and a boarder at the house has problems with her new life in America.  Even with her troubles, she still has the stories her father left her and they're important to her.

Stephen is the postman who delivers the mail.  He's had money troubles for quite some time now and knows he needs to get his affairs in order if he wants to be able to provide for Annie.  He learns of the problems affecting the ladies at the Hawkins House and vows to do what he can to help.  His landlord operates a publishing house, and Stephen sees the chance to help Annie realize her dream.

I REALLY wanted to like this book.  I enjoyed reading the first book in the series, but was sorely disappointed with this story.  I disliked Annie's character.  She was so self-absorbed and stuck in her past that I was irritated with her the entire time.  It seemed like every few pages, she was flashing back to her time at the laundry.  Even when she was "helping" Kirsten, she was more focused on her own past rather than paying attention to the person in front of her.

The interaction with Stephen bothered me as well.  I'm not sure what woman, when she's attracted to someone, would think of them by their profession.  She thinks of him as "the postman" and not Stephen more times than I care to admit.  Also, she gets peeved at him for trying to do things for her, but then asks him to set up a meeting for her.  I think more time and attention to detail was spent on The Wonderful Wizard of Oz than on the story line between those two.  I never understood what Stephen actually saw in Annie.

I made it to the end of this book, but I never lost my dislike for Annie's character.  I was so disappointed that I didn't like this story, but I can't give it a good review if I didn't like it.  I'm so sorry that I can't recommend this book.  The contract for this series was canceled by the publisher, but the author is planning to publish the third book, Sofia's Tune, on her own.  I commend her for her perseverance and wish her the best.

Love Finds You in Mackinac Island, Michigan - Melanie Dobson

This book intrigued me for the sole purpose that I've been to Mackinac Island many times growing up.  I added it to my watch list and snatched it up when it dropped in price.

Elena is trapped and all she wants is to be free.  Her family is having financial worries and since she's an only child, the responsibility falls to her to save the family by marrying well. Her mother even has the perfect candidate picked out.  Elena wants nothing to do with him, especially after she meets an intriguing young man while taking refuge in her favorite place: an old lighthouse.  What she doesn't realize is that the man her mother picked out and the man she met while looking at the stars are one and the same.

Chase knows ahead of time that he's going to have young ladies thrown in his path all summer, but he hears about one in particular and wishes to avoid her.  His family obligations stifle his real desire: to see more of the mysterious woman from the lighthouse. He wants to find someone who will love him for who he is, not for his money.  So he conceals his identity.

There are lots of near misses with these two, and you know eventually they're going to figure out who the other one is.  You know that Chase is going to be suspicious of every minute he's spent with Elena, and with each near miss, you're left on the edge of your seat.  I wasn't very happy with the way Chase treated Elena for a while, but it was understandable considering his past encounters with women after his fortune.  You're just hoping for that happy ending.

This book was a great little read.  It reminded me of the Hallmark movies where you have a cute little story with problems and obstacles, but in the end, love prevails.  I personally have had a rocky time reading books by this author, but lately, I've been enjoying what I'm reading.  It's always kind of fun to read about a place you know so well.  At the time of this review, the title is only $0.99, so I recommend picking it up if you want a happy ending and a sweet story.  Loved this book!

On Distant Shores (Wings of the Nightingale #2) - Sarah Sundin

This book has been on my Kindle for well over a year.  Not because I didn't want to read it, but because it's over 400 pages and when I have oodles of books waiting for me, I tend to shy away from the longer titles.  Also, I know this author's writing will have me wrapped up in a great tale and unable to put the book down.  It's hazardous to my eyes!

This is the second book in the series.  The first book is With Every Letter.  The characters from that book appear in this one, but On Distant Shores is a complete tale you can read alone.

Georgie's heart isn't in flight nursing.  She's got a great fiance back home and a family that cares for her and misses her.  She's always had people make her decisions for her, and it never bothered her until she meets John "Hutch" Hutchinson.  He causes her to question who she is and what she can be.

Hutch is trying to gain respect by becoming part of the Pharmacy Corp.  Unfortunately, it seems like a long shot, and he'll never get the respect he feels he deserves.  He's also got a fiance back home, but he starts to question his love for her after meeting Georgie. Hutch is engaged to someone just like him, content with a quiet life, and Georgie is engaged to someone who will make all her decisions for her.  But who's there to balance them out?

Once they determine they're bound to the wrong people, changes need to be made and both end up free.  One of them ends up free in a really sad way, but they're better off in the end.  Tragedy occurs and both of these characters have to re-evaluate their choices and what they want out of life.  But with the war going on, will they be able to get past their differences and be together?

This was a great book and well written.  I enjoyed the way these two characters balanced each other out.  Lucia was a great little character and added a super cute element.  I read this book in about 3 days.

Next up is In Perfect Time, the story of Kay.  She's present in both the other books, but she's very private and not much about her is revealed.  I look forward to reading it soon. Good Book!

A Stranger's Secret (Cliffs of Cornwall #2) - Laurie Alice Eakes

I've read a few of this author's books in the past and enjoyed them.  I was happy to have the opportunity to read this one.  This particular book is the second one in the Cliffs of Cornwall series.  The first one is called A Lady's Honor and deals with Elizabeth Trelawny, Morwenna's cousin.  Elizabeth doesn't show up in this book (although she is mentioned) so you can read this one without having read A Lady's Honor.  Unfortunately, I haven't read A Lady's Honor yet, but I hope to have the chance one day soon.

Morwenna finds an unconscious man on her beach after wreckers have caused another shipwreck.  She finds a medallion around his neck that later disappears, but she wonders why this stranger would have it in his possession.  It bears her family's crest and she wants answers.  To do that, she intends to keep the man close until he reveals his secrets.

David is seeking answers for why his father disappeared with the family's money and then turned up dead in a place he wasn't meant to be.  Finding out the missing medallion belongs to someone in Morwenna's family, he has his own suspicions.  Add to that the fact that he keeps getting drugged and poisoned and he feels he has every reason to doubt Morwenna's innocence.  Aside from the fact he's falling in love with her, that is.

This book was a page turner.  From the beginning pages, you're guessing who's behind the bad things going on around Morwenna's home.  She's determined to climb out of the poverty her dead husband left her in, and her past has her doubting whether she should love David when everyone she loves seems to leave her.

All the way up the end, you're getting a good story.  The mystery is solved toward the very end, so you don't have a ton of senseless pages to wrap up the story.  I really enjoyed this one and will be on the lookout for more from this author.  Good Book!

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

Sonnet to a Dead Contessa (Lady Trent #3) - Gilbert Morris

This is the third book in the Lady Trent Mysteries.  The first two were The Mermaid in the Basement and A Conspiracy of Ravens.

A killer known as The Slasher is terrorizing the gentry and baffling police by leaving numerous misleading clues at the crime scenes.  The clues point to all sorts of people, and the police end up wasting a lot of time pursuing dead ends.  Serafina is more than willing to help, especially when one of her friends ends up becoming a victim.

Serafina is almost to the point where she'll have to admit that the feelings she has for Dylan are real when an old friend of his shows up with her child and a tale of woe.  Dylan isn't sure what to make of Meredith, but she seems pretty eager to get close to Dylan. Her husband is dead and she's hoping Dylan will step in and be the man to take care of her. She also loves that he's an actor and even wants to start acting herself.

Dylan knows that Meredith is the wiser choice, since Serafina is a lady and a future between them is unlikely, but his heart isn't ready to give up.  They still have a killer to catch, and Serafina's life hangs in the balance.

I liked this book a lot.  I thought the murderer's motive was unconventional, but isn't that what you really want when you read a mystery?  I found Meredith's character especially irritating and the truth about her was unexpected.

While it's safe to read this book alone for the sake of the mystery itself, you really get more understanding of Serafina's journey toward God if you read the first two as well. Although I don't really read much Gilbert Morris, this series was very interesting and I liked it a lot!  Good Book!

With Autumn's Return (Westward Winds #3) - Amanda Cabot

This is the third, and final, book in the Westward Winds trilogy.  The first one was called Summer of Promise and the second one was Waiting for Spring.  This series tells the stories of three sisters who end up calling Wyoming their home.

Elizabeth is fulfilling her dream and opening up her medical practice in Cheyenne.  Feeling that she'll have a better chance in the west, she's optimistic about being accepted by the town.  Jason has his law practice next door to Elizabeth and after a particularly rough day, he goes to say hello to the new doctor.  He just wasn't expecting it to be a woman.  Some words are exchanged and these two are off to a rough start.

With Elizabeth's talent for words, these two become friends pretty fast.  They both know that nothing more will come of it, because Elizabeth has no plans to marry, and Jason is adamant about his ideal wife being a full-time mother.  When Jason gets sick, Elizabeth cares for him as any doctor would, but when rumors start swirling, he'll do anything to protect her.

This was a good read.  Both Jason and Elizabeth's characters are well written and likable. Even if Jason was a little abrasive at first, it was understandable and he quickly grew on me after that.  The plot was a little predictable, but still worth reading.  Even though this series revolves around the three sisters, the other two are absent from the story until the epilogue, so you can read these out of order and be okay.  Good Book!

The Inn at Ocean's Edge (Sunset Cove #1) - Colleen Coble

Colleen Coble is one of my all-time favorite authors.  All my favorite books by her have a great balance of suspense and romance.  It's not too sappy and it's not too dark.  This is the first book in a new series from her, Sunset Cove.

Claire has come to Maine to close a merger, but the first thing that happens is she experiences a panic attack.  Rushing away from the hotel, she meets Luke, who is in the process of saving a baby orca.  Who wouldn't love a guy like that, right?  Anyway, Claire soon witnesses a murder, but she's attacked too and when she awakens, the body is gone and she finds herself under suspicion by the local sheriff.  Digging into her past, it's discovered that she's a little girl who disappeared on her fourth birthday and discovered a year later near the very hotel she's staying at.  Claire doesn't remember anything about it and is determined to find the truth.

Luke's mother disappeared the same night little Claire was taken and her body was never found.  Luke feels that there has to be a connection and pushes Claire to try and remember what happened.  He feels that solving the mystery of where Claire was for that year will also bring him answers about what happened to his mother.

The more Claire digs, the closer she's getting to the truth.  There's someone out there that doesn't want her to discover that truth and she's not safe.  She won't give up, and when the dam breaks, the secrets may end up drowning her.

I really enjoyed this book.  I read it in two days and appreciated the complexity of the story.  I must admit, I had the plot figured out before the end, but I'll chalk that up to watching too many episodes of Bones and Castle.  I believe that the twists and turns are complex enough to keep you guessing to the end, and I recommend this book.  Next up is Mermaid Moon due out January 2016.  Good Book!

*I received a copy of this book from Thomas Nelson through NetGalley in exchange for an honest opinion.

Deja Dead (Temperance Brennan #1) - Kathy Reichs

I picked this book up because I like the show Bones.  In the credits, you always see Kathy Reichs' name, and I decided it was time to give a book of hers a chance.  I didn't start reading with the expectation that the book was going to be exactly like the show, I read enough about her to know that much.

Temperance works in Canada and is called to scenes to evaluate remains.  She ends up at the scene of a gory murder and sees a connection with another case.  She can't get the police on board with her theory, but she's not giving up easily.

I can't really tell you much more about this book, because I only got about 20% into it and not too much had happened other than some murders and some pretty gory details.  I've been reading Christian fiction almost exclusively for quite a few years now and knew to expect some cussing and gore, but not to the level I read in the first part of this book.  The details in this book were way over the top, whether the author was describing the scenery or where the killer decided to shove a statue in his victim.

I'm sure there are tons of people out there who can appreciate a book like this, but I certainly wasn't one of them.  As far as I could tell, there were NO real similarities to the show that I actually liked, and I was happy to put the book down.  If you're into the show Bones and want to read something similar that doesn't have that level of gore and random details, I recommend reading A Cry from the Dust by Carrie Stuart Parks.  For me, Deja Dead is the first and last book I'll be reading by this author.

A Sparrow in Terezin (Hidden Masterpiece #2) - Kristy Cambron

After reading the first book in this series, The Butterfly and theViolin, I was happy to see another book coming out under the same series.

Again, we're following two stories.  We're continuing on with Sera and William, but our view of the past has shifted somewhat.  We're reading about a refugee from Prague and her plight.

Sera and William's wedding ends with William in handcuffs.  Sera decides that to get to the truth, she's going to have to confront William's father in England.  William isn't fond of the idea, but when Sera discovers that she's pregnant, she's even more determined to get to the bottom of things.

In the past, Kaja is working at the newspaper office as a secretary when the bombings start in London.  After a life-threatening hit and a horrifying news report, she feels compelled to return to Prague and get her parents out.  She's made a friend in Liam, and he promises to help her.  They fall in love, but they both have their jobs to do during this war and they just hope to find each other later on.  When Kaja is sent to a concentration camp, she knows that she'll miss her rendezvous with Liam, and worse, she may never see him again.

I have to say, this one had me on the edge of my seat up until the end.  I was thinking that I wasn't going to read anything resembling a happy ending, but I was relieved at the end, even if parts of it were bittersweet.  Since we are dealing with the atrocities of the Holocaust, there are many moments of darkness, but it's not overwhelming to the point where you don't want to read any more.

While the story of Sera and William is more of a continuation, I feel that you could read this alone.  I heartily recommend you read The Butterfly and the Violin, though.  A major character from the past in the first book plays a role in this one, and you'll get to read the story of Sera and William getting together.  There's also mentions here and there of events from the first book, but they don't make the reader feel lost.

I loved both story lines.  In the first book, I felt more invested in the past than I did with Sera and William.  This time, I loved both stories.  I think the worst part had to be reading the author's note at the end.  Have your hankies ready.  I'm not sure what's up next, but this author has a spectacular way with words and weaves an amazing tale.  I hope to read more in the future!  Great Story!

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

Windigo Twilight (Great Lakes Legends #1) - Colleen Coble

This is one of those older books by this author that she's dusted off and made available for Kindle.  It's part of a series called Great Lakes Legends.  The other two are called Storm Catcher and Shadow Bones.  The end of this book lists Storm Catcher as book 2, but the order of them is reversed with the print books.

Becca's parents died a few months ago in a tragic boating accident while visiting her estranged grandmother.  The problems is, Becca doesn't believe it was an accident.  She contacts her late cousin's husband asking for a job as a research assistant.  Since she hasn't been to the island in years, she hopes the years have given her the advantage of not being recognized.  The only person she really needs to worry about is her grandmother and she's out of the country.

Max didn't have a happy marriage and the events surrounding his wife's death have made him an object of suspicion.  He senses that Becca isn't what she seems, and he's determined to protect the family from an outsider with questionable motives.

Attempts are made on Becca's life and she has to suspect Max, even though she doesn't really want to.  He suspects that she's trying to weasel her way into the family for money purposes, so there's plenty of distrust around.  Not everyone on Eagle Island is what they seem.

This was a great story.  It's on the short side, 197 pages, making it a light, diet read.  I found it a little amusing that Becca would get so angry when Max suspected her of something when she suspected him of being a murderer numerous times.  The other two books in this series are about Becca's brother, Jake, and sister, Wynne.  I believe that these are stand alone stories.  They're not out on Kindle just yet, but I'll be keeping my eyes open for them.  Good Book!