A little bit about what you'll find reviewed here

A little bit about what you'll find reviewed on this blog: I believe the best books involve characters you wish you could read more about long after the book is finished. Recently, I've been searching for hidden gems from the past. I read mostly fiction, and I'm a bit of a prude. I don't normally enjoy books with sex or excessive language.

Who I am:
I raised two wonderful girls, and I'm super proud of them. I enjoy reading (of course), sewing, cross stitching, photography and writing. I live in the high desert portion of Washington (which I didn't know existed until my husband and I decided to move here) and have really enjoyed my time out here. I am excited to see what God has next in store for my life!

Tuesday, December 29, 2015

With This Ring? - Karen Witemeyer, Regina Jennings, Mary Connealy & Melissa Jagears

My disclaimer: A lot of times, these novella collections will tie in the characters with a series the author has already written.  I tried to make the connections where I could, but if I miss one, I apologize in advance.

The Husband Maneuver by Karen Witemeyer

Marietta is in love with Daniel, has been for years now.  He’s under an oath not to do anything resembling courting as long as he works for her father.  Now that he has his own spread, her time is running out to convince him she’d make him the perfect wife.

Fans of A Worthy Pursuit will be happy to know that Dead-Eye Dan is back.  If you haven’t read A Worthy Pursuit, you won’t be lost, though.  Dan’s character was one that I loved when reading the novel, so I was happy to read his story.  In this novella, you’re actually getting two stories in one.  You’re reading about Dead-Eye Dan, dime novel style, and Dan the real person.  I’m pretty critical of novellas, since there’s so little time to tell a good story, but Witemeyer pulls it off brilliantly.  She not only creates depth in her loveable characters, she basically tells two complete stories.  Great job! 5 stars

Her Dearly Unintended by Regina Jennings

Katie Ellen is watching over her home while her parents are away.  A storm washes out the bridge and she’s trapped with the one person she doesn’t want to see: Josiah.  She was rejected by him and wants to send him on his way, but a stranger causes the plans to change.  Josiah is now posing as her husband until they can figure out what the stranger is after.

I wasn’t fond of the first part of this one.  Katie Ellen fights openly with Josiah in front of the stranger while they’re posing as a married couple.  Since they’re unaware of the man’s intentions or if he’s dangerous, it would have made more sense for her to be a little more cautious, at least at first.  Once the bickering stopped, the story took off and ended up being a pretty cute story.  This is a story teaching that things aren’t always as they seem.  4 stars

Runaway Bride by Mary Connealy

Carrie is on the run from the man her father is marrying her off to as resolution of a gambling debt.  She’s bringing her brother with her, and the first thing they do is run into Big John Conroy.  He’s been sent by Carrie’s sister, Audra, to bring her safely to Colorado.  Being a Texas Ranger, he knows what to do, and he’s going to need his skills to keep Carrie away from the man who will surely track her down.  When they’re spotted by one of the man’s hired men, their destination changes as John seeks help from old friends.

This was a cute story, but there are oodles of characters.  They appear to have ties to part of the Trouble in Texas and Kincaid Brides series.  I haven’t personally read either of those, so trying to keep track of all the characters was a challenge.  There were almost too many for such a short story.  John’s change of heart with the marriage idea threw me for a loop, and I wished there had been some sort of explanation of what changed his mind.  Overall, a decent read, 3.5 stars

Engaging the Competition by Melissa Jagears

Harrison has been asked to talk to an old friend about her upcoming marriage.  He’s been avoiding Charlotte (Charlie) ever since she humiliated him with his own gun.  But since her father has died, he feels a responsibility to make sure she knows what she’s doing.  A storm leaves Harrison without his glasses and it’s going to take some time to get new ones.  Charlie feels like she needs to help him, since he tried to help her during the storm and agrees to assist him in his teaching job.  As they work together, they come to discover that their feelings for each other are the same, but Charlie has her mother to think about, so marrying Harrison doesn’t seem like an option.

This story was really cute and I enjoyed it.  I sympathized with Harrison a great deal, because I would probably be as helpless without my glasses as he was.  Charlie was a lovable character with her dedication to her mother.  When she was able to see herself through Harrison’s eyes, she came to realize her own worth and the story had a great ending. 5 stars

Overall, this was a good collection of four stories with unusual proposals.  I did enjoy a few more than the others, but I didn’t have one that I didn’t like at all.  I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend this to any hopeless romantics out there!  Good Book!


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



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