Lady Maybe - Julie Klassen

Hannah has been in a terrible accident.  The lady she was companion to was swept out to sea, and at first, Hannah forgets who she is.  The doctor wrongly identifies her as a proper lady, and in her confusion, believes him.  When she regains her memory, she wants to set the record straight, but there's the matter of her child.  She goes along with the ruse, using the illness of her employer's husband, Sir John, to retrieve her son and then return to his home.  Sir John is still unconscious, so Hannah decides to continue playing her part until she's fully recovered.

Sir John's solicitor, James, comes to the house, and things get complicated.  There's a chemistry between them, but Hannah isn't sure what to do.  When Sir John wakes up, he asks Hannah not to reveal her secret just yet.  She goes along with it for quite a while, all while letting her friends and father believe she's dead.  She keeps saying she should leave but finds plenty of reasons to stay.

Everyone's got oodles of secrets and you're still discovering them at the end of the book. I wasn't sure what attracted these men to Hannah, she seemed to keep herself distant and self-absorbed much of the time.  There have been mentions in other reviews of sexual content.  It was more on the PG side in my opinion, but I normally skim the passionate kisses in books anyway, so I can't say for certain.

Klassen is normally one of my go-to authors for a good read.  I'm not sure what happened with this book, but it wasn't good.  I didn't like the characters and the tug-of-war with the two men was discouraging.  I didn't even like the ending.

It's not realistic that I like every book from a particular author, I don't like every title from my very favorite author in the world.  I'm not giving up on Klassen and look forward to reading her next release and hoping for a better story.  I'm sorry to say, I just didn't like this one.

Wild Montana Skies (Montana Rescue #1) - Susan May Warren

I got the chance to read the prequel to this series, If Ever I Would Leave You, and while it was a good story, it was incomplete, so I wanted to read more to see what happened to Ian and Sierra.  What I discovered was if you want to know what happens to those two, you’re going to have to read all three books (I’m hoping the third book is about them).

Kacey’s come back to her hometown with a bronze star for her service and a broken spirit.  The last person she wants to see is Ben, who abandoned her 13 years ago and never looked back.  He’s come back to care for his father and feels like Kacey’s moved on and doesn’t need him anymore.  There’s just the small matter of the daughter Ben doesn’t know about.  Finding out about her makes Ben question what he wants for the future, but if Kacey won’t let him in, what’s he going to do?

While I really loved the story of Kacey and Ben, I was disappointed that everything related to Ian, Sierra and Esme is STILL unresolved.  I looked forward to the characters in the next book, and that one’s more about Sam and Willow, characters that you meet in the prequel and this first book, but I’m sure there’s plenty of Ian and Sierra in there to keep you interested in them.

The story of Kacey and Ben gets 5 stars, but I want to give it 4 just because I’m irritated about the continued cliffhanger of Ian and Sierra.  I feel like I got tricked into getting involved in a series where I’m going to have to get all the books and read them in order to find out what happens.  Normally I wouldn’t have started the series had I known that.  On the other hand, Warren has a good style and kudos to her for creating characters I care about enough to bend my rules.  I’ll be keeping my eyes open for the second book, Rescue Me, due out January 2017, and hoping the author puts me out of my misery with the third book.  All in all, 4.5 stars.  Good Book!

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

Great sale today on Melanie Dickerson's Fairy Tale series!

I saw that today that you can get Melanie Dickerson's Fairy Tale series, which includes The Healer's Apprentice, The Merchant's Daughter, The Fairest Beauty, The Captive Maiden and The Princess Spy is available for $1.99.  That's $1.99 for all 5 books, not each.

Click HERE to get them.   Great price for a great series!

The Baby on the Back Porch (Short Story) - Lucia N. Davis

I've fallen into something of a bad habit lately.  I've been going to eReaderIQ each day and scrolling through the day's freebies in genres that appeal to me.  The problem is, I keep snatching up these smaller stories and new authors, lengthening my TBR pile. Then, I feel the need to read these smaller ones to lower the number of books I have to read, but then also end up picking up more titles as I go!  Anyway, I picked this one up when I noticed it took place in the Cascades - I've been up there and it's beautiful!

Sara has come to the remote cabin in the mountains to write and get away from all the emotions that were surrounding her in the city.  She's hoping the change of scenery will give her some peace, but then she starts seeing a bear and having disturbing dreams. The man who owns the cabin, David, assures her there shouldn't be a grizzly anywhere in the area and does his best to assure her.  Sara knows what she's seen and wants to get to the bottom of it.

This was a pretty good story that I enjoyed for the most part.  The characters are susceptible to speeches, making some of the dialogue seem strange.  The ending was bogged down a bit with these speeches and felt rushed.  Overall, it was a nice little story. I just wish the end hadn't felt so rushed.  Decent story.

Exile (The Oneness Cycle #1) - Rachel Starr Thomson

This is the first book I've read by this author.  I saw an ad mentioning that if I like Ted Dekker or Frank Peretti, I'd enjoy this one.  Both those authors are seriously good writers, so I wanted to see if the book lived up to the hype.

This is the first book in a five-book series.  The other four are Hive, Attack, Renegade and Rise.

Reese has been exiled from the Oneness, a group that is somehow related to angels and demons.  Tyler and Chris are not part of the Oneness, and finding Reese opens their eyes to a new world where demons fly through windows and possess animals and people. They want to help Reese and team up with other Oneness members, Mary and Richard, who are worried about their friend, April, who has disappeared.  There's a lot going on, and not everything is as it seems.

I did like this book.  It's on the shorter side, coming in at 230 pages.  The author does a great job handling multiple characters and points of view.  I also found her descriptions to be well done.  There's a lot of supernatural in there with members of the Oneness blessed with the gift of sight and the ability to fight off demons with magical swords.

Everything does not get tied up in a neat little bow, but I was glad to read that someone finally went and got April.  I won't say too much, but by the end, I kept wondering if anyone was going to remember to physically go get her.

You have a semi-conclusion where it seems like the battle is over but the war is just beginning.  Even though I'm not a fan of the continuous series where you have to read every book to get a complete story, this one was good enough that I wasn't bothered by it. I guess I kinda had a feeling it was going to be like that when I started, so I wasn't surprised.  If you don't mind being tied to the whole series, I wouldn't hesitate to recommend it.  I don't know if it was up there with Peretti and Dekker, but it was still a good outing by the author.  I won't be going further with the series, but for great writing and a decent story, it'll still get my Good Book! review.

The River Girl's Song (Texas Women of Spirit #1) - Angela Castillo

Another diet book read.  I picked this one up when I saw it listed as a freebie on the eReaderIQ website.  I haven't read anything by this author before, so it was a new one for me.

This book is the first of four in the series.  The other three are called The Comanche Girl's Prayer, The Saloon Girl's Journey, and The River Girl's Christmas.

Zillia's life is a complete disaster.  Her mother dies in childbirth, and she's left with her terrible stepfather until he leaves and take everything not nailed down with him.  Things go from bad to worse and Zillia just has to fight to survive.  Without the help of her friends, she isn't sure that she could.  Wylder is one of those friends, and as the years go by, Zillia starts to see him in a somewhat different light.

This was a pretty good book, even though the first third of it is pretty depressing.  Things just keep getting worse for Zillia, but the rest of the book was when things started getting better.  This is basically Zillia's story, so don't expect a full romance.  The element is there, it just isn't as present as it usually is in a traditional romance story.  Personally, I wish there had been a few more interactions between Zillia and Wylder, but it's a well-balanced book that I enjoyed.

The second book is about Soonie, a character that shows up a lot in this story.  The main character for the third book wasn't in this one.  The third book looks like it comes full circle and talks about Zillia and Soonie coming back together after a separation.  This was a real treat.  Good Book!

The Warrior's Seal (Tox Files novella) - Ronie Kendig

This is the intro to the upcoming series, The Tox Files.  The first book will be out December 2016.  It's called Conspiracy of Silence.  The title for the second book is Crown of Souls.

Tox has been given the mission to get back the president of the United States who has been abducted.  Even though Tox hates politics, and his brother is running against the man, it's not going to affect his judgment.  There's also the matter of people getting sick and no one knows why.

Tzivia is trying to find a missing mace that supposedly has supernatural powers.  Her brother is on the team with Tox, and she's soon on the same mission.

I don't want to say much more, I don't want to give too much away!  It didn't take long to read, first because it's not that long, and second because I couldn't put it down!  The end isn't the happiest thing I've ever read, but now I can't wait for Conspiracy of Silence!

This little gem is free.  I recommend picking it up, you're not risking anything except a bit of your time.  This author has a great style, and I've never been disappointed!  Great Novella!

Shadow Bones (Great Lakes Legends #2) - Colleen Coble

This is the second book in the series.  The first one is called Windigo Twilight and the third is Stormcatcher.  This title was my Kindle Unlimited pick for the month.

In this book, Jake Baxter is on Turtle Island looking for dinosaur eggs.  He's got permission, but the owner's daughter, Skye, isn't happy about Jake digging on her mountain.  She runs a mine and any finds could shut her down.  She's determined to find diamonds in there, believing that if she does, her father will come back.

When there's multiple attempts on both Jake and Skye's lives, the motives are unclear. Are the incidents separate or are they connected?  They're going to have to work together to find out.  These two are drawn to each other, but Jake doesn't want to stay on the island, and Skye doesn't plan on ever leaving.

This was a nicely written tale that I enjoyed.  It's on the smaller side, what I term a "diet book."  While Jake's sisters show up, it wouldn't hurt to read these alone or out of order. Book 3 is about Wynne, the last of the Baxter clan.  I look forward to reading it.  Good Book!

Land of Promise (Arizona Territory Brides #1) - Carol Cox

This is the first in a series of previously released Heartsong books published about 10 years ago.  The author is making the "Arizona Series" available digitally.  The other 3 in the series are Refining Fire (out October 18, 2016), Road to Forgiveness, and Copper Sunrise.

Elizabeth is an independent woman who is very outspoken.  More than once, her opinions have gotten her into trouble.  She wants to get away from the society life in Philadelphia and start her own business in the developing territory of Arizona.  She sees a way to get out there by offering to help a former acquaintance recover from an injury.  The people she's staying with seem to think she's on the lookout for a spouse, no matter what she tells them.

Michael is the unknowing counterpart to the marriage scheme.  His father wants him married to a woman who can hold her own in society, even though Michael has told his father more than once that politics isn't his thing.  He's drawn to Elizabeth's spunk and strength but neither is aware of the secret that could tear them apart.

I enjoyed this book.  The characters are well done, and the story flowed well.  It was interesting to read about Elizabeth's plans and how they never quite turned out the way she planned, but it all fell into place.

This is what I call a "diet book," coming in at under 200 pages, and the rest of the series will probably be the same.  The second book in the series is about Jenny, a character you can't help but love in this story.  The main characters in the other two books were not in this one, so it might be okay to read them alone/out of order.  I've already pre-ordered the second one and will be on the lookout for the other two.  Good Book!

*This book is available NOW for $.99, and you can order the second book, Refining Fire for the same price.  This deal is available until October 4, so snatch them up while you can!