A Note Yet Unsung (Belmont Mansion #3) - Tamera Alexander

This is the third, and final, book of the Belmont Mansion series.  The first two books are called A Lasting Impression and A Beauty So Rare.

Rebekah has come home from Vienna because her grandmother has passed away.  She’s been gone for years, and doesn’t relish coming back to the home her mother shares with her stepfather.  Wishing to avoid the man, Rebekah decides she’s going to try out for the orchestra.  She pretends that she’s applying for an assistant’s job, but the stuffy maestro refuses to allow a woman in his orchestra.

Tate is under time constraints to finish his own masterpiece, a symphony for the upcoming opening of the new opera house.  He’s pulled in a few different directions, and his current “assistant,” a patron’s daughter, isn’t helping matters with her flirting and lack of knowledge.  Tate ends up on Rebekah’s bad side, but she ends up being his other assistant.

Time passes, and these two learn that they’re more alike than they first thought.  Feeling start to emerge, but Rebekah sees hope for her career in New York, and Tate has secrets that he feels would definitely pull them apart.

I liked this book for the most part, but there were some instances where it dragged on a bit too much.  I deducted a star for those moments, the ending being one of them.  There are a few glimpses of the characters from the first two books, but you can read this as a stand-alone and not be lost.

All in all, it’s not my favorite of the series, but a decent read on its own.

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

Still Life (Chesapeake Valor #2) - Dani Pettrey

This is the second book in the series.  The first book is Cold Shot, and the third book, Blind Spot, will be released fall 2017.

Avery attends a photography show and notices that even though her friend isn’t there, a disturbing picture of her is.  She saves the picture and begins to look for her friend.  She calls her Parker, even though she walked away from him to save her heart.  She loves him, but he’s in love with the memory of his first love.

Parker wants to help Avery find her friend, but hopes aren’t high of finding the young woman alive, especially after they examine the photograph closely.  They begin their search for the photographer, but things aren’t going to be easy.

They’re working with others of the Charm City Investigations team, including Declan, a federal agent.  A murder aboard a merchant ship alerts him to the fact that a terrorist has come to America and is now loose in the city.  He asks Tanner, a feisty woman who intrigues and scares him at the same time, to help with the refugees.

There’s a lot going on, and it’s a bit chaotic trying to keep up sometimes.  The whole “Still Life” aspect was pretty freaky, and I found myself frowning when I read about it throughout the book.  And reading about Parker and Avery’s romance at the same time was difficult.  It just didn’t seem like a good time to start a relationship.

This was a good book, and I liked it overall, but I’m not sure it was one of my favorites.  Most of the time, when I pick up one of Pettrey’s books, I don’t put it down.  This time, I think the subject matter distracted me enough that I didn’t enjoy it as much as I normally do.  It’s still a good book, and I’m still looking forward to Blind Spot in the fall.  Good Book!

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

Rescue Me (Montana Rescue #2) - Susan May Warren

This is the second book in the series.  The first story was a novella, If Ever I Would Leave You, followed by the first novel, Wild Montana Skies.

Willow has been interested in Sam for a long time, but he’s dating her sister, Sierra.  And that’s the way it should be, according to Willow.  After all, Willow has a horrible track record in the responsibility department.  Last book, she led the youth group trip that got stranded on the mountain.  Now, she’s been passed over for the youth leader position, and a kid has been hired in her place.  She’s not willing to give up on the kids, though, so she organizes another hike.  This one is a disaster as well.

Sam and Sierra aren’t seeming to click in the romance department.  After an argument, Sam accidentally kisses Willow, and everything gets weird.  Now, Sam is starting to see that Willow might actually need him, while Sierra seems to look on him as second best (her heart still belongs to Ian, whether she likes it or not).  When he gets suckered into accompanying Willow’s youth group hike, things go wrong, and he is drawn to her more and more.

I’d say in this book, we’re following two couples.  First, you have Sam and Willow.  Then there’s Sam’s brother, Pete, and another member of the team, Jess, who has her own secrets that she’d like to keep hidden.  The main focus is Sam and Willow.

This is a good book that I thoroughly enjoyed.  There was a few parts where I was confused during the action, but I got past them and found myself cheering the characters on.  There’s a lot of action in this one that keeps the pages turning, and I read through it quickly.  Ben and Kacey from book one show up from time to time, but you’ll be okay reading this one if you haven’t read Wild Montana Skies.

The story line with Ian and Sierra isn’t mentioned much in this book, and I appreciated that.  Sierra is still in there, since her sister is one of the main characters.  You still get a cliffhanger moment at the end with Ian, Sierra, and the whole Esme situation.  The third book in the series, A Matter of Trust, is about…Gage.  Sigh.  Maybe the whole Ian/Sierra thing will get resolved as well – I hope.  Anyway, A Matter of Trust is due out July 2017.  Good Book!

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

Conductor of Light (Herringford and Watts novella) - Rachel McMillan

This novella is part of the Herringford and Watts series.  This series works a bit different than most, and if you want to see a breakdown of where everything belongs, you can read the beginning of my review on A Lesson in Love and Murder.

Since this is so short, I'll keep it brief.  Jasper is out for a night at the vaudeville, and Ray is there covering a story.  It wasn't supposed to end in murder.  Luckily, Merinda and Jem are nearby, so they can solve the mystery.

As usual, the author does a great job writing a solid story, even with it being short.  There are references to the other stories here and there, but it's all there in a way that you don't feel lost at all.  I love the women's style and the way they work together.  I'm still sympathetic to Jasper and hope for more of him in the upcoming book, The White Feather Murders, due out in May.

This was a great story, and I highly recommend it.  Good Novella!

Because You're Mine - Colleen Coble

Alanna’s life is in turmoil.  Her husband is dead after an explosion, her in-laws are threatening to take custody of her unborn child, and her band’s future is uncertain.  The answer to everything seems to be accepting the marriage proposal of the band’s manager, Barry.  He can help secure her baby and take care of her.

Once the vows are said, Alanna is taken to a creepy plantation that reads like something out of a gothic novel.  The house is run down, the grounds are dangerous, and she has to deal with snakes and gators.  On top of that, the person that survived the explosion, Jesse, has tried out to take her husband’s place in the band.  Alanna sees similarities between her late husband and Jesse and is torn between hating him and being drawn to him.

Jesse lost his memory in the explosion and is searching for memories and clues to who he was before the blast.  The more he finds out, the less he likes what he’s finding.  He’s also having strange thoughts, as if Alanna’s husband’s soul has somehow possessed him.  He struggles with it but can’t seem to figure out what it means.

This was a great story with lots of twists and turns.  I couldn’t wait to read more and finished it in two days.  The action goes all the way up to the end, which was great.  This is one of my favorites from this author.  One of her best!  Great book!

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

At Your Request (Apart From the Crowd novella) - Jen Turano

This little gem is the lead-in to the author's new series, Apart From the Crowd.  The first book, Behind the Scenes, will be released in April.

Wilhelmina used to be popular in New York's society, but since her father lost his fortune, she's been demoted to the wallflower section.  She's at a ball when she catches a glimpse of her childhood friend, Edgar.  She regrets the way she reacted to his proposal of marriage years ago, but she's not ready to face him.  The consequences of her "hiding" don't wok out quite the way she intended, and Edgar doesn't just find her, he finds her in an amusing predicament.

These two spend a little time together.  Edgar also has regrets about the proposal, but now he wants to make things right with Wilhelmina before pursuing marriage.

I'm not saying much else, it is a novella.  As always, Turano writes some quirky but lovable characters.  The story is sweet and had me smiling more than once.  This story is free and includes a peek at the upcoming novel.  So if this interests you at all, I recommend you pick it up.  If you've never read Turano's writing style before, it's a great way to see if it's something you'll enjoy.  I personally am always looking forward to what she writes next.

We do meet Permilia and Asher, the main characters in Behind the Scenes, and watch them immediately butt heads.  That interaction was so cute, that I'm anxiously anticipating Behind the Scenes.  Good novella!

2017 Reading Challenge

I haven't been reading much the past couple weeks, since I've been spending time with the kids while they're off for Christmas break.  There's been lots of board games and me failing horribly at Xbox, but it's been fun.  They're back to school this week, and I'll be getting back to reading.  So anyway, here's my post about my 2016/2017 reading challenges.

I completed all my goals for last year.  Here's the categories I had:
Read books by 5 new authors:

The Vicar's Daughter - Margaret Bennett

Dying to Read - Lorena McCourtney

Second Opinion - Hannah Alexander

The Choosing - Rachelle Dekker 

Paper Hearts - Courtney Walsh

Read a book I loved and haven't read for years:

Blink of an Eye - Ted Dekker

Read a book that takes place in my state:

Critical Reaction - Todd M. Johnson

Read a book recommended by my kids:

Stick Dog Wants a Hot Dog - Tom Watson

Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Old School - Jeff Kinney

Read a nonfiction book:

The Forgotten Way Meditations - Ted Dekker

Read a classic:

The Warden - Anthony Trollope

Overall, my goals this year are pretty much the same, except for one thing: I took out the "Read a book that takes place in my state" category, because the past few years I've done it, I feel like I'm choosing books for the wrong reasons. It's hard enough to find books that will interest me, but it's harder to pin down where they take place before I even pick them up.  Also, I don't want to choose a book I know I'm not going to like just because it takes place in Washington.  It's not fair to the author that spent so much time writing it, and it ends up being a waste of time for me.  So here's the list for 2017:

Read books by 5 new authors

Read a book I loved and haven't read for years

Read a book recommended by my kids

Read a nonfiction book

Read a classic

Looking forward to reading some great books this year.  Happy New Year!

My Valentine - Tracie Peterson/Little Shoes and Mistletoe - Sally Laity

This book contains two stories, each about the same length.  These are both what I would call “diet” books, and I enjoyed one a LOT more than the other.

My Valentine – Tracie Peterson - 1839

Darlene is a Jewess living in New York City with her father.  Together, they run a tailor shop.  One of their clients has been discussing Christianity with her father, and Darlene is worried about the consequences.

Pierce has had enough of society life, but his father and aunt want him to get married and settle down.  When he meets Darlene, he’s instantly attracted to her, but he won’t unequally yoke himself to a woman of a different faith.

I wasn’t fond of this story for the most part.  The first half of it felt like a lesson on the Jewish faith, and the second half was the story of Darlene’s conversion.  Every once in a while there was mention of Pierce coming around the shop, but the encounters weren’t written out.  It was more a conversion story than a love story, in my opinion, since more time was spent on the spiritual side of the story than the romantic side.

I’ve read books by Peterson that I really love, and then there’s others that just don’t move me the same way.  Sadly, this one wasn’t up my alley.  The last few pages were the best part, but there was so little of Pierce and Darlene’s relationship that it felt like the expected ending rather than a natural one.  2 stars.

Little Shoes and Mistletoe – Sally Laity – 1898

Eliza has come to live with her aunt to escape the scandal of being jilted.  She’s immediately drawn to a man who works trying to help the poor, but she’s also friends with his fiancé, and she’s determined not to make the same mistake her own friend made.

Micah has been engaged to his childhood friend for years, but she doesn’t seem to understand his calling to help the poor.  He wishes she had a more sympathetic ear and tries to stop himself from making comparisons between his fiancé and Eliza.

The characters in this story were very well developed.  Everyone seemed to grab my heart, from Micah and Eliza to her aunt, all the way to the small children that needed help.  This is the first story I’ve read from this author, and I was impressed with her style.

This story is set around Christmas, and would be a great read around that time of year.  This story alone would rank 5 stars, and I kind of wish it would have been on its own.

And here’s my problem: I liked one story in this “book” and didn’t like the other.  I’m not quite sure why these two were paired together, they don’t seem to have any real connections beyond their setting of New York.  I personally don’t put Valentine’s Day and Christmas in the same category.  Overall, I hate to drag down the score of the story I really liked, so I’ll give this an overall score of 4.

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