Paper Hearts (Paper Hearts #1) - Courtney Walsh

Abigail's life in a romance town is hard.  Being single and the descendant of the ultimate love story is something she wishes she could separate herself from.  Since her failed romance, she's found her identity in her book store.  When the building gets sold from under her, she sees her dreams coming to an end, but she doesn't want to see it go.

Jacob is in Loves Park to start over.  The death of his wife turned his life upside down and left him with a heartbroken little girl.  As a doctor, he blames himself for failing when it really mattered but has been persuaded to open up a new practice.  His business manager was a friend of his late wife's, but as time goes by, he begins to wonder if he's made the wrong choice.

Jacob buys the building where Abigail's shop is, and the war is on.  It was very reminiscent of You've Got Mail in that respect, and the bit with the paper hearts only reinforced that.  The story is sweet and I liked the way it went.  You really need to be in the mood for a straight-up romance when reading this one, it was borderline cheesy a couple times, but I did like it.  The characters were well developed, and I liked the author's writing style.

There's another book in the series called Change of Heart.  It revolves around a minor character in this book, so it might be okay to read these alone or out of order.  I plan on putting Change of Heart on my watch list and hope to get it for one of those times when I just need to read a romance.  Good Book!

A Woman's Place - Carol Cox

Amelia helps run her family's ranch.  She's also not afraid to voice her opinions, which has made her something of a laughing stock among the ranchers in the community.  No one wants to listen to her ideas, but one of these days, she'll find someone to listen to her.

Jake is a Texas Ranger who has been called to investigate cattle rustling in the area. Amelia's father has asked him to stay, and Jake has to deal with cattle rustlers and a woman who isn't his idea of womanly perfection.  When he's injured, he forms a tentative friendship with her, but will he be able to accept her for who she really is?

I have to admit, I devoured this novella.  It is short, so it doesn't take a lot of time to read, but the characters are well developed.  I'm kind of a stickler for character development in novellas, but the author did a great job.  I loved Amelia's unconventional spirit and her ability to fluster Jake's ideas of a woman's place.  If I had one complaint, it would have to be the cover.  It looks like a contemporary story when it actually takes place in 1870. Other than that, it was a great read I wouldn't hesitate to recommend.

I got to read this for free with Kindle Unlimited, but I wouldn't have been disappointed if I'd paid the $.99 list price.  Good novella!

The Choosing (Seer #1) - Rachelle Dekker

I started this book last week but then spent the rest of the week fighting off headaches.  I was finally able finish it today.

It's the year 2257.  A cure that was supposed to save the world almost ended the human race.  The ones that are left come together and gather inside a city where everyone has a place, not necessarily a voice.  It's the world Carrington lives in, and the one thing she lives for is The Choosing.  It's basically a marriage market, and she only gets one shot.  If she's not chosen, it's her fault, and she's destined to spend the rest of her days in service.

Carrington is not chosen and has issues adjusting to her new role.  She makes a new friend and meets a guard, Remko, who catches her heart, but she has no chance since neither of them are allowed to marry.  Circumstances change and Carrington gets a second chance to be chosen, but things don't end up going the way she imagines.

This story was pretty dark.  There's a brief glimmer of light at the end, but most of the book is about Carrington's disappointment at not being chosen, the cruelty of the Authority, Carrington's fears about her fate, a serial killer and bad things happening to her "friends."

Overall, I suppose you could read this one alone, but there is a continuation of the story in The Calling.  It was well written and I liked Remko's character a lot.  If you like dystopian stories, you might like this one.  For me, it was too dark, and I'm just going to make up my own happily ever after in my head.

Dancing into Battle (Belgravia #1) - Julian Fellowes

This was originally part of a serial, but you can actually buy the whole book now.  Julian Fellowes is known for his brilliance in writing Downton Abbey, and I thought I'd give this a chance.

This installment is pretty short.  A merchant known as the Magician has climbed his way into society and gotten invitations to the Duchess' ball.  While there, the merchant's wife is concerned about her daughter's attachment to a man far above their station.  Napoleon escapes Elba and things change.

Knowing Fellowes is a screenplay writer made me understand his approach a little more, but I had to pay too much attention to what was going on.  Point of view would change from one person to another and then back with no warning or transition.  I don't like books that make me work to keep track of what's going on.  This didn't draw me in, and I didn't sympathize with the characters.

If you're interested in Belgravia, I recommend reading this first.  It's short and that way you can try out the author's writing style to see if it's something you'll enjoy.  I wanted to like this, but I couldn't get into it.

Journey's End (Gilded Promises) - Renee Ryan

I got this one for free from Kindle Unlimited.  It's also available through Kindle Unlimited.  I read one of the author's "diet" books, The Lawman Claims His Bride and decided to pick this one up.

Caroline has waited until her mother's death to come to New York and exact revenge on her grandfather, who abandoned his daughter to the mean streets of London.  Caroline uses her talents to gather the money needed but doesn't really have a plan in place.  She initially lives in one of the tenement houses with a woman she met on the ship where she meets Jackson, who is throttling the man he placed in charge of the homes.

Jackson is punishing the man for stealing the money meant for repairs, but he notices Caroline right away.  He meets her again later, in a more opulent part of town, where she gives a different name.  He suspects her motives and decides to get to the bottom of it. When the truth comes out, another mystery needs to be solved, and he finds himself teaming up with her.  He doesn't want to give in to his feelings for her, he's seen first hand how selfishness can ruin someone's life, and he doesn't want to put his reputation in jeopardy.

There were a few things I didn't really understand about this book.  Once Caroline's identity is revealed, I wondered what the rest of the book would be about.  I wish the "mysterious identity" aspect had been more developed and resolved later in the book.  After that, I found I didn't care as much what happened to Caroline and Jackson.  Also, sometimes the way the characters spoke to each other seemed a little unrealistic.

I think it had potential, but I don't think it got there.  Things were repeated numerous times, such as Caroline's motives for finding her grandfather.  It seemed like every time she was with her grandfather, it was mentioned.  I wish there had been more at the end regarding Mary and cousin Elizabeth.  Poor Mary, who was such a good friend at the beginning, kind of faded away.  She popped up briefly at the end, but it didn't sound like Caroline had done anything to help Mary at all, even though she'd been so determined to do something earlier in the book.  Sadly, I just ended up being a little disappointed overall.

A Beauty Refined (Saphhire Brides #2) - Tracie Peterson

This is the second book in the Sapphire Brides series.  The first book was called A Treasure Concealed, and the third book, due out in September, is called A Love Transformed.  All three books are about different characters, so you can read them alone or out of order.

Phoebe has come to Montana with her father as he buys sapphires for his client, a duchess.  As she explores the hotel, she finds none other than her mother, a woman she was told was dead.  After she hears her mother’s tale, she has to take all this new information and decide what she believes about her father.

Ian is a man who crafts raw sapphires into the beautiful stones that end up in jewelry.  He meets Phoebe and begins to question his vow to never give his heart to another woman.  He’s been wounded by lies and persuades Phoebe’s mother to meet with her estranged husband to try and work things out.  Neither Ian nor Phoebe realize what the man is capable of at first, but they soon learn he’s much more dangerous than they first thought.

All in all, this was a good book.  It didn’t end up being one of my favorites by this author, but it still had enough high points that I didn’t have any issues getting through it.  The relationship between Phoebe and her mother drew me in, and Kenny was a cute character.  I wish there had been more meaningful interactions between Ian and Phoebe.  3.5 stars.  Good Book!

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