Dauntless (Valiant Hearts #1) - Dina Sleiman

This is the first book in the series.  The other two books are called Chivalrous and Courageous.

Merry's family has been murdered by King John.  Now she has taken the other children from her village and hidden in the woods.  They live there, occasionally stealing what they need.  Merry misses her old life but won't let herself think of it.  She needs to focus on protecting the children.  Their band has labeled the Ghosts of Farthingale Forest, but in reality, they're just struggling to survive.

Rumors of the ghosts in the woods have reached the ears of a nearby earl.  Working for him is a young man named Timothy.  The earl asks him to capture the ghosts to prove himself and when Timothy finds out that Merry is with them, his heart is torn.  He thought she was dead, and knowing she's not, he wants to do everything he can to make sure she's safe.  If the king finds out, he'll probably demand her death.

Merry is slow to trust, but Timothy works hard for it.  Woven through the story is also the perspective of a man named John.  He hates Timothy, and is planning on destroying him. You don't get to figure out who he is exactly until close to the end, but there's a level of tension there as you hope the villain won't succeed.

Technically, this is labeled as a teen book, but I enjoyed it as an adult.  The story was engaging and the characters nicely written.  The second book in the series, Chivalrous, has Allen in it.  He was a pretty major character in this one, so I was glad to see his story was going to continue.  Good Book!

The Warden - Anthony Trollope

For my classic this year, I picked up the first book in the Chronicles of Barsetshire series. The reason I picked this is because I watched an adaptation of the third book, Doctor Thorne, on amazon Prime.  I enjoyed it and realized I'd watched other adaptation of his work: The Way We Live Now and He Knew He Was Right.

This is the story of the warden of a hospital that takes care of a dozen older gentlemen.  When it comes to the attention of a young man that these men are being robbed of some money due them, he decides to pursue the matter in the courts.  It's a hard decision, because the warden is someone he considers to be a friend, and he's in love with the warden's daughter.

Things become more complicated when the case gains attention and damaging things end up in the newspaper.  The men living in the hospital become divided in their loyalty and the warden's personal views on the matter become confused.  He also has his friends' opinions and daughter's future to consider, and while she wants to give up her true love out of loyalty to her father, he encourages her to follow her heart.

The writing style of Trollope will bore many modern readers.  He has a tendency to ramble and focus on great amounts of detail.  But if you consider when the book was written, you have to expect this kind of thing and accept it.  I was able to become attached to the characters, the warden in particular, and this romantic found herself more involved in his story than the relationship between his daughter and her love.  That's saying something for me.

This was a good tale that I didn't find myself muddling through.  When I watched Doctor Thorne, there were intros by Julian Fellowes (who made the adaptation).  One thing he said that stuck with me was Trollope's characters were never all good or all bad.  That intrigued me and I paid attention to the way he wrote his characters.  The one character that came across as the villain in this one, the archdeacon, Trollope made sure to spend some time remarking on how the man seemed all bad in this story, but he wasn't.  I thought it was interesting the way he did that.  All in all, I enjoyed my classic for the year. Good Book!

The Progeny (Descendants of the House of Bathory #1) - Tosca Lee

Emily has woken up to a world she doesn’t recognize.  She’s had a procedure that wiped out her memory, and now she’s unsure of so many things.  What could have been so awful that she needed to go to such extremes to forget?

Unfortunately, forgetting her past isn’t the safe haven she thought it would be.  Her past isn’t done with her, and her tranquil life in Maine is left behind as she runs for her life.  Not knowing who to trust, who she can turn to, she has to make decisions on the spur of the moment and hope for the best.  Not all her choices are going to work out well, and lives will be on the line.

This story is complex and things change so often, I can’t really say too much about the plot without giving away some of the surprises.  What I can tell you is that there’s an element of the supernatural in there, with a group of people who have the power to “persuade” others, and a group of people hunting them.

I think one of the more important things to note is that this is NOT a complete story.  You’re left with a major cliffhanger at the end, so if you start this one, make sure you’re willing to be in it for the long haul.  The story is well written and you’re reading from Emily’s point of view, so you’re going to be as confused as she is.  But, she also has a hurried and complex thought process that can be a little confusing at times.

Overall, this was a great story.  It wasn’t quite what I was expecting, but I ended up being pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed it.  I look forward to the next book!  Good Book!

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

Here to Stay (Where Love Begins #2) - Melissa Tagg

This is the second book in the series.  The first book is called Made to Last.

Blake has come back home after being uncovered as a fraud by posing as the pretend husband of a popular TV star (Made to Last).  He's also bearing the weight of guilt he feels for the death of his brother.  When he comes home, he tries to throw himself into the town's Christmas festival, but he'll need the help of Autumn.

Autumn's family hasn't gotten along with Blake's for years.  It got even worse when Blake's brother died.  Autumn blamed Blake, along with the rest of her family.  Now, he's trading repairs on her failing inn for help with the festival.  She has to fight her feelings for him, because a relationship between her and someone from his family would never work. Besides, her lifetime dream has come true, and she doesn't want the complications before she moves halfway across the world.

As things start coming together then falling apart, both Autumn and Blake see sides to each other that they hadn't imagined existed.  They get along well, but when Autumn's sister pops up, things get even more complicated.

I liked this book, it was a nice read.  Nothing too extraordinary in there, just a straightforward Christian romance with sweet characters and an enjoyable story line. Good Book!

Chateau of Secrets - Melanie Dobson

This book switches back and forth between the past and the present.  You're following the story of Chloe, who is engaged to a politician, and the story of her grandmother, who lived in France during WWII.

Chloe has broken her engagement and fled to France.  Her parents have asked her to meet with a man creating a documentary and wants to interview her about the family's castle.  Her grandmother seems to be lost in the past and begs Chloe to find out what happened to Adeline.  The secrets she's about to uncover will turn her world upside down.

Chloe's grandmother, Gisele, is the other main character.  During the occupation of France, the Germans take over her family home, and Gisele fights back the only way she knows how.  She stays to protect the child of a friend who was taken, and her brother, who is part of the resistance.

The past gets woven into the present when Chloe tries to talk to one of her grandmother's old friends.  She knows the older woman has some of the answers she's unable to get from her grandmother, but the woman seems unwilling to talk to Chloe.  There's also more to the man making the documentary than she first thinks, and she's forced to look at things a different way.

While I liked this book, I didn't like the way it dealt with the different stories.  Every chapter you get torn out of the story you're in and plunged into the other story line.  I personally am not a fan of this type of back and forth writing, because I feel like it disrupts the flow of the story.  If I put aside that personal preference, I did like the story.  I think the ending was well done, and I applaud the author for doing her homework.

I'm overall torn about how I feel about this one.  I liked the individual stories, but with the way they were presented, I found myself annoyed with each switch.  If I'd known it was one of the books that did the back and forth past/present, I doubt I would have picked it up.  I'll just put it this way: if you don't mind getting jarred out of the story every chapter, this is a good book.  For me, it ends up just being decent.

The Beautiful Pretender (Medieval Fairy Tale #2) - Melanie Dickerson

This is the second book in the series.  The first book is called The Huntress of Thornbeck Forest.

Avelina is a humble maidservant being sent on an impossible mission.  She’s been commanded to pretend to be the daughter of an earl and gain the favor of the margrave of Thornbeck.  She isn’t supposed to make him fall in love with her, the earl is just looking to strengthen the alliance so if he is attacked, the margrave will come to his rescue.  If she fails, her livelihood and most likely the lives of her family and those in her town will be in danger.

Reinhart has been asked by the king to find a wife.  Jorgen and Odette, the chancellor and his wife, have come up with a plan for the margrave to pick a suitable wife.  Reinhart thinks the whole idea absurd but goes along with it.  When he questions the pretender, he doesn’t approve of her answers but finds himself intrigued with her anyway.

Avelina determines that her new friend would be the perfect match for the margrave and tries to redirect Reinhart’s attentions away from her and onto her friend.  The more she tries, the more she seems to fall in love with him.  Knowing a marriage between them to be impossible, she tries to bury her feelings.

This was a great love story.  There’s references to Princess and the Pea in there, but there were also times that reminded me of Disney’s version of Beauty and the Beast, mostly the grouchy lord of the manor and the wolves.  I can’t decide whether I liked Avelina or Reinhart more, they were both great characters!

While Jorgen and Odette from book 1 appear in this book, I think you can safely read this one even if you haven’t read the first one.  Mentions are made of their history, but you won’t feel lost.  Look forward to reading more from this author.  Good Book!

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

Dawn at Emberwilde (Treasures of Surrey #2) - Sarah E. Ladd

This is the second book in the Treasures of Surrey series.  The first title was The Curiosity Keeper.

Isabel’s life is changing in a big way.  When she is whisked away from her humble school to the grand Emberwilde estate, she finds herself surrounded by luxuries she’s only been able to dream about.  Her aunt has ideas for getting Isabel and her sister settled, plans that don’t seem to take Isabel’s wishes into consideration.

Colin has land of his own, but manages Emberwilde.  He’s also the magistrate for the area and is investigating smuggling in the supposedly haunted forest surrounding the estate.  He becomes intrigued by Isabel, but her aunt doesn’t like him and tries to keep them away from each other.

This book had it all: rags to riches, smuggling, a haunted forest…I loved it.  It has just the right balance of mystery and romance.  The mystery and intrigue were done in a great way, and the characters were likeable.  Isabel’s sister, Lizzie, was also a treat with her spunky personality.

There are no references to the characters from The Curiosity Keeper, so these can be read alone or out of order.  I look forward to more from this author.  Good Book!

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

The Boden Birthright (The Cimmaron Legacy novella) - Mary Connealy

This is an introduction to No Way Up, the first in a new series by Mary Connealy.

Chance was lost in grief that he wasn't aware of the extent his in-laws had gone to trying to change his four-year-old son into a proper little man.  One day, he comes around long enough to hear that his son is wearing lace and decides it's time to leave.  The problem is, he knows the in-laws aren't going to let go of their grandson without a fight, so he whisks him away and they head west.

When they reach the New Mexico territory, Chance spots a beautiful stretch of land with a fancy house and decides it's where he wants to settle down.  He waltzes up, knocks on the door of the landowner and asks about available land in the area.  The wealthy rancher also has a beautiful daughter, Veronica, that catches his eye.  When the rancher is fatally attacked, his final wish is to secure the land by having Chance and Veronica marry.

There was something strange about this story.  The characters didn't have much depth to them, and the story itself was unsatisfying.  So much was made of the grandparent threat, but then it turned out to be irrelevant to the story.  Then we had the murder of Veronica's father that doesn't really get any resolution.  Both issues are barely mentioned in passing in the epilogue, which happens years later than the story.  I guess the point of the story was to get Chance and Veronica together, but I was hoping for more.

I was really looking forward to this story and sadly, I was disappointed.  No Way Up is scheduled to come out early July and involves Sadie, Chance's daughter.  It's a pass for me.

Summer of Dreams (A From This Moment Novella) - Elizabeth Camden

This novella is a prequel to From This Moment, due out early June.

Clyde is something of a bad boy at West Point and has a ton of demerits to work off if he wants to graduate and have a chance at the Corps of Engineers.  To work off some of these demerits, he's agreed to install a pump in a birdcage for the daughter of the general.

Evelyn and her cousin, Romulus, aren't building a birdhouse, but a beautiful greenhouse. When Clyde joins their team, their dreams run wild of what can be accomplished.  Clyde and Evelyn are drawn to each other, but Evelyn has vowed to never choose the life of an army wife.  Since she was a child, she'd been shuttled from one house to another, never being able to settle.

These two are going to have to take a chance on love if they want to be together, but it won't be easy.  I thought this story was well written, and I loved the camaraderie between Romulus, Evelyn and Clyde.

The novella takes up about 67% of the book with a sneak peek at the main novel at the end.  I've had the pleasure of reading From This Moment, which is the story of Romulus, but Clyde and Evelyn's story continues as well.  Since Clyde and Evelyn were my favorite part of the novel, this was a good read.  Recommended.  From This Moment is due for release June 7.  Good Novella!

Sins of the Past - Dee Henderson, Dani Pettrey and Lynette Eason

This is a collection of three novellas by popular authors Dee Henderson, Dani Pettrey and Lynette Eason.

First up is Missing by Dee Henderson.  John is back in Chicago because his mother is missing.  Sharon is the investigator in charge and brings him in on the case.  Will they find his mother safe?

This one started out somewhat slow for me.  Overly descriptive moments of police procedure bogged down the beginning, but the story picked up in the second half.  I have to admit I had the culprit figured out before the cops did, which was a bit disappointing.  At the end, it was a decent story.  3.5 stars.

Next is Shadowed by Dani Pettrey.  July – 1979.  Fans of the Alaskan Courage series will return to Yancey, Alaska with the parents of the McKenna clan.  Ben and Libby find the body of a competitive swimmer, Kat, in a strange place.  In the past, Kat had told Libby she wanted to defect from Russia, but Libby hadn’t believed her.  Now Libby wonders if Kat had been telling the truth.  Now it seems the killers are after Libby, and Ben is determined to keep her safe.

GREAT story!  The action is from beginning to end making it hard to put this one down.  The characters are well developed, and even the minor characters are likeable.  Seeing Agnes is a bittersweet reminder for those readers who have read Submerged, the first in the Alaskan Courage series.  The ending to this one was super, super cute!  5 stars.

Last up is Blackout by Lynette Eason.  Macey is regaining her memory of a tragic event that happened years ago.  Regaining her memory has put her life in danger.  Someone believes she knows where the loot is from a burglary, but she can’t remember.  That person is willing to kill to get the information from her.  Confiding in her neighbor, Chad, is hard, but she trusts him and believes he can help her.

This is another great story.  As Macey puts more pieces together of what happened that night, the more the danger increases.  This was a hard story to put down, and I basically read it in one sitting.  5 stars.

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

Barefoot Summer (Chapel Springs Romance #1) - Denise Hunter

I've read a few books by this author and looked forward to another good story.  This is the first book in a 4-book series.  The others are Dancing with Fireflies, The Wishing Season and Married 'til Monday.  The series tells the love stories of 4 siblings.

Madison has been having problems getting over the death of her twin.  She's struggled with nightmares and now she has a plan to put the past behind her.  Her brother's goal was to win a sailing regatta by his 27th birthday, and she's going to fulfill that dream for him.  In order to do that, she's going to have to learn to swim and sail.  Learning to do those things is going to take the help of the man who she suspects broke her sister's heart.

Beckett grew up with a tough home life that doesn't seem to get better.  His mom left, his dad is an alcoholic, and his grandfather is in the grip of dementia.  He works his way through Madison's defenses, but he feels like he's not good enough for her.  When they start to get serious, he has to evaluate what he wants.  He also has a terrible secret that could change everything.

This story was pretty predictable, and there was something that nagged me about it.  It might be that I seemed to read the same scene over and over, just written a bit differently. Madison grated on my nerves somewhat, but I can't really pinpoint what it was about her that bothered me.  There were also too many "preachy" moments in there where the characters would give a speech.  They just didn't sound like anything people would actually say.

I found myself skimming a lot, even toward the end.  I wanted to like it, I've liked the other things I've read by this author.  I just don't know what happened with this book.