What Once Was Lost - Kim Vogel Sawyer

This book doesn't seem to belong to any particular series, but it does have a prequel, The Grace That Leads Us Home.  It also has an "extra" which takes place after the novel.  The extra is called Just As I Am.

Christina runs the poor farm, but when a fire breaks out in the kitchen, her ability to run the farm is questioned.  Since she's a single female, the charity that supports the poor house wants to take it from her, and the fire gives them the perfect excuse.  Not only does Christina find temporary shelter for all her tenants, but she's also trying to save her way of life.

Christina easily finds a home for everyone but Tommy.  He's a blind boy and no one wants to take him on.  Her last chance is the reclusive lumber mill owner, Levi.  He doesn't want the boy either but ends up with him anyway.  Levi also doesn't want to become attached to the boy, but he can't help it.  He teaches Tommy to be independent and earns his trust.

We have a few different things going on here.  We have Christina and Levi's story, then we read from Tommy's point of view about how he feels about certain things and instances where he's threatened.  There's also parts of the story from Cora's point of view.  She's someone from the poor house who's staying with Christina in town.  No one at the poor house knows Cora's in the family way, but she won't be able to hide it forever.

This was a pretty good story, and it is a Christian romance.  There are stories that incorporate the spiritual message subtly, some that weave it seamlessly into the story in a natural way, and then there's the ones that bash you over the head with it.  This one bashes you on the head, with multiple characters giving sermons at different times.  That aspect of it doesn't bother me, it just didn't seem realistic.

The other thing was Levi's "poetic" moments at the end of the book.  Those seemed totally out of character with his personality thus far.  Another thing the author did touches on one of my pet peeves.  During the "proposal" scene, she refers to him as the "mill owner."  I never think about my husband as the "IT guy," so why would Christina be labeling the man she loves by his job?  Who does that?!  Every time I read that in a book, I cringe.

Anyway, this was a decent read.  The short stories are 50-60 pages and are $.99 each. With the characters mentioned, they seem to loosely connect to this novel, but I don't feel compelled to read them.  I just didn't like this one as much as some of the other things I've read from Sawyer.

Collision of the Heart - Laurie Alice Eakes

This was my Kindle Unlimited title for the month.  I like this author and purposely waited to "check out" my book until the one released.  This book was previously released as The Professor's Heart and includes some changes.

Mia is on her way back to Hillsdale, a place she swore she'd never return to.  A year and a half ago, her heart was broken by a man who didn't love her enough to leave.  She's back on assignment as a writer and has no intentions of staying.  A train collision wrecks her plans, and she comes face to face with Ayden.

Ayden works at the college as a professor.  A year and a half ago, Mia broke his heart by choosing her profession over her love for him.  Now, he's courting a serene girl, one who will be the helpmate he thinks he wants.  Seeing Mia again stirs up old feelings, but he knows she won't leave Boston for him, and he doesn't want to leave a place where he's sure of his future.

In addition to the emotions, there's the mystery of an abandoned little boy.  Mia saves him from the wreck, but they can't find who he belongs to.  Mia and Ayden team up to uncover the truth.  The more time they spend together, the more they both fight the feelings they have for each other.

This was a sweet romance, with great characters.  The length is something I term a "diet" book, coming in at around 200 pages.  It's short and sweet, a great story for the romantic in us all.  I ate this one up, reading it in two days.  Loved the story, highly recommend! Good Book!

If Ever I Would Leave You (Montana Rescue prequel) - Susan May Warren

This is a novella related to the author's upcoming release, Wild Montana Skies, due out October 16, 2016.

Sierra enjoys working for Ian, even if he does seem to have a death wish.  She tells herself this is the best job she'll ever have and she needs to keep her feelings hidden, unaware that he feels the same for her.  As his assistant, she also deals with his niece, Esme, who has a big decision to make about her future.  When Sierra is put in the middle of a situation that involves choosing sides between Ian and Esme, she comes up with a plan to stay out of it, but will it end up making things worse?

The characters in this were developed well, and I liked them both, even if they were a bit dense as to what was going on.  The story, in my opinion, is incomplete.  The potential relationship is carried over into the first book.  The thread about the niece is also unresolved.  Basically, nothing is resolved in this story, and I was surprised when I hit the end.  It was a "that's the end?" moment for me.

I don't see this one up on amazon, but if you want to read it, I suggest heading over to Susan May Warren's Facebook page.  There's instructions there on how to get a copy. It's a good story, but I wish the ending hadn't been so abrupt.  I may keep my eye out for Wild Montana Skies, if only to finish the story I started here.  This isn't a straightforward cliffhanger, but it's somewhat unsatisfying to spend time reading an incomplete story.

The Bachelor Girl's Guide to Murder (Herringford and Watts #1) - Rachel McMillan

This is the first book in the series.  The first story is a novella, A Singular and Whimsical Problem, which I haven't read.  Then after this book, there's another little novella, A Dubious and Questionable Memory.  Then there's the second book, A Lesson in Love and Murder.  These stories are in early 1900s Toronto.

Jem has been disowned by her family for pursuing a friendship with the outrageous Merinda Herringford.  Now, Jem is traipsing around town in trousers and getting into trouble.  Merinda thinks she's a male Sherlock Holmes and opens up business as a detective.

Ray works for a local paper.  He's an immigrant from Italy, and is trying to protect his sister and nephew from his brother-in-law, who is in trouble more than he's out of it.  Ray meets Jem in unusual circumstances, but he knows he wouldn't be any good for her.  With Merinda and Jem intent on pursuing a killer, he tries to keep an eye on them.

The writing style of this book was light and fun.  Merinda's lack of concern for Jasper (their policeman friend) had me a bit peeved with her, but I enjoyed Ray and Jem.  From the looks of things, the next story picks up where this one left off, so I don't know about reading them out of order.

I picked this up because I'm a fan of Murdoch Mysteries (or The Artful Detective).  While researching the books the TV show is based on, I saw someone recommending these stories.

The novels are on the short side, just over 200 pages.  I got this one on sale, so I'm good. The novellas, showing at just over 50 pages, are listed in price at $2.51.  There's no way I'd pay that much for something that short.  I might keep an eye on the second book and see what happens, since I really did enjoy the author's style, but I won't pick up the novellas unless they're free.  Good Book!

Blink of an Eye - Ted Dekker

For my "loved it but haven't read it for years" part of my challenge this year, I picked Blink of an Eye.  When I read it the first time, it was just called Blink.  I wasn't aware this was an altered version that was more in line with a movie that was being made.

Seth is a genius who thinks he's just proven that there is no God.  But he's about to be tested.  He starts to see the future or possibilities of what the future will be.  It causes him to cross paths with Miriam, a woman running from marriage to a man she despises.

With his gift, Seth has a real advantage over the people who would capture them.  His weakness is that he can only see so far out and if he sleeps, he's blind.  There's more at stake than just Miriam's marriage.  That marriage would ensure the successful coup that's being planned in Saudi Arabia.

This book is basically nonstop intensity.  These two are always trying to stay one step ahead of what's chasing them, and I felt tired by the end.  I also felt like I was missing some of the things that really made me love it the first time.  I think the obvious spirituality of the story was softened some, maybe for the movie's sake, but for me, I missed it.

Don't get me wrong, this was still a great story.  If I hadn't read the original version, I might not feel the slight disappointment I do right now.  It was this book and Three that really made me fans of Dekker's, but I just have the urge to find me a DTB copy of Blink right now and place it on my bookshelf.  Still gets a Good Book! review.

When Death Draws Near (Gwen Marcey #3) - Carrie Stuart Parks

This is the third book in the Gwen Marcey series.  The first two are A Cry from the Dust and The Bones Will Speak.

Gwen’s life is a mess – still.  She’s still got money issues, her cancer may have come back, and her ex is still a moron.  She gets a much-needed job in Kentucky, but all is not what it seems.

At first, Gwen is tasked with creating a sketch of a rapist.  Now that he’s escalated to murder, her drawing could capture him and end his torture.  Immediately after she gets into town, she starts getting harassing phone calls and a snake is put in her bed!

Once she’s shown her skills a bit, she’s asked to participate in another case.  A snake-handling religion is hiding out in the woods, and Gwen is asked to infiltrate the group and bring back portraits of the members.  They’re a dangerous lot who make children drink poison and handle snakes, so Gwen agrees to find out what’s going on.  With her daughter’s safety in the balance, every decision is important and lives are at stake.

This book was great.  The plot is well done, and I was completely surprised at the reveal!  That’s become something of a feat with me these days.  I seem to figure things out earlier than I want to, but this one had me page-turning to figure out what would happen next.

You can read this one alone, but all three are excellent.  The author has done her homework and writes a good tale.  I know most series these days are three books, but I truly hope there are more Gwen Marcey books.  They’re stories I look forward to.  Great Book!

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

A Heart Most Certain (Teaville Moral Society #1) - Melissa Jagears

This is the first book in the Teaville Moral Society.  There’s also a novella, Engaging the Competition, that appears in the novella collection With This Ring? along with three other stories.

Lydia is practically engaged to a man who can make sure her money troubles are nonexistent.  He can get her away from her gambling father and care for her ailing mother.  All she needs to do is prove herself to his mother by squeezing some money out of the town’s most notorious miser.

Nicholas doesn’t mind being labeled a miser, he actually encourages it.  He can’t stand the hypocritical nature of many in the church and prefers to help people his own way.  Lydia isn’t giving up, so he presents her with a proposition.  They team up to grant three wishes that she chooses, and he tries to teach her to open her eyes to what’s around her.

Nicholas has a tendency to take Lydia’s wishes and twist them on her so she’s taken out of her comfort zone for just about every one.  As she spends time with Nicholas, she comes to see the people around her, and herself, in a different way.

This book was pretty good.  It focuses on the topic of prostitution and what it did to women in the late 1800 and early 1900s.  It also mentions the children that suffered as a result.  That particular aspect of it didn’t bother me, I just found myself occasionally annoyed with Lydia’s character.  She seemed overly whiny at times, and the ending seemed a little strange.

Brief mention is made of Charlie from the novella, but if you haven’t read it, you won’t be lost at all.  This was a pretty good book that I enjoyed.  Good Book!

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