A Refuge at Highland Hall (Edwardian Brides #3) - Carrie Turansky

This is the third book in the series.  The first two are The Governess of Highland Hall and The Daughter of Highland Hall.

Penny is guarding a broken heart, but Alex gives her hope.  He's a pilot and will be heading back to war once he's recovered from a crash, but Penny decides she's going to write to him.  Letters go back and forth, and their feelings grow.  Later, a tragedy occurs and their relationship is threatened, but Penny refuses to give up.  But will Alex open his heart to her again?

In this book, we're reading about a few different things.  War has pushed some of the family away from London, and the main characters from the first two books come together and everyone's at Highland Hall.  Add in the budding romance between one of the staff and a German internment camp prisoner, and there's a lot to keep track of.  I was worried there was going to be too much going on, but I had no issues.

I give the author credit, this book was even better than I was expecting.  Separating the main characters in a romance is a pet peeve of mine, but this was well done.  It wasn't for the whole book, and when they were separated, they were still connected in other ways (thoughts, letters, etc.).  The end was also well done.  It wasn't rushed and everything was wrapped up in a neat little bow.  You can read these out of order, but there are little gems in there if you've read the other two.  You'll read the continuation of William and Julia's story, and also Jon and Kate's.

It had been a while since I'd read the first two, so I was a little lost at the beginning, but I was back up to speed pretty quickly.  The cast of characters at the beginning was helpful, and I referenced it a few times.  I have to say, out of the three, this one was my favorite.  Great Book!

An Honest Heart (The Great Exhibition #2) - Kaye Dacus DTB

Being the church librarian, I see a lot of strange stuff get donated.  Old books that are falling apart, moldy books, journals that people should've looked at before donating (since they've filled them out), I've seen it all.

Every once in a while, I see a book that I myself wouldn't mind reading.  This is one of those.  The cover is gorgeous, and I'm interested in the Great Exhibition.  I've actually been struggling my way through a biography on Prince Albert (I struggle because nonfiction is hard for me to get through), and found the Great Exhibition to be one of the more interesting parts of his life.

I'd thought this was the first book I'd read by this author, but looking back, I was wrong.  I started this blog a little over 6 years ago, and shortly after that, I posted a review on Ransome's Crossing.  I didn't like that book, but apparently I'd also read Ransome's Honor and enjoyed it.

The first book in the series is Follow the Heart.  I recognized the names of the characters, but this definitely wasn't their story.  It's okay to read these separately, although you will learn more about Kate and what happens to her by reading this one.

Caddy has the attention of two men: the tall, secretive doctor and the confident gentleman.  Neal is hiding something from her, but Caddy is drawn to his heart and has the patience to wait for him to trust her.  She's wary of the attentions of Oliver, and she has every reason to be.  He's a cad and trying to gain her attention to win a bet.

It's clear who the reader is supposed to be rooting for from the beginning, so there isn't really any suspense about what's going to happen.  My main complaint is that the end was so abrupt.  Things just kind of ended, and when I looked, I was sad to see there weren't more books in the series.

On to the good.  I liked most of the characters and liked the way things turned out.  Even though it was predictable, I didn't mind it as much as I thought I would.  This was a sweet, clean romance that I enjoyed.  I picked up the first one, since I'd like to read more from this author.  Good Book!

Taming the Wind (Land of the Lone Star #3) - Tracie Peterson

This is the third book in the series.  The first book is Chasing the Sun, and the second is Touching the Sky.

Both Tyler and Carissa showed up in Touching the Sun, which was something I didn't realize when I started this book.  Carissa is Laura's sister.  Carissa is trying to lead a quiet life living on her sister's ranch.  Her past has made her wary of men, and she's determined not to be taken for a fool ever again.  But Tyler Atherton might be different.

Tyler is fighting to get his family's ranch back, but since he fought for the Confederacy, his chances are slim to none.  He's been intrigued by Carissa for a long time, but he knows she's been hurt and decides to be patient.  A cattle drive will take them apart for a while, but he's hoping to create a life with her when he gets back.

The main issue I had with this one was the utter lack of interaction between Tyler and Carissa.  They have some moments together at the beginning and then they are separated for most of the rest of the book.  They literally don't see each other again until right at the end.  I was okay with it for a while, they thought about each other a lot and I was waiting for them to meet back up, but it just wasn't happening.

Can you have a romance novel where the main characters are rarely together?  Maybe the author was counting on me remembering a relationship that began in Touching the Sky.  The problem is, I read that book almost 5 years ago and didn't remember any of it.  If you're going to read this one, make sure you read it soon after Touching the Sky or the relationship between Carissa and Tyler won't make much sense.  Even Hannah's past comes back to haunt her (Chasing the Sun), but remembering that one didn't seem as important.

I was able to put this one down at a crucial time and didn't really look forward to picking it back up.  That, for me, tells me how much I was invested in the characters.  I've enjoyed many of Peterson's books, but this one was a major pass for me.

Fighter: 5 Keys to Conquering Fear & Reaching Your Dreams - Chris Greenwood (Manafest)

Anyone who knows me knows that I love rock.  I listen to Manafest from time to time, some of it's got a bit too much rap for my taste, but I love some of his songs.  I saw this book advertised and picked it up.

This book gives you an overview of the author's journey and how he became who he is today.  It's been a bumpy journey, but Chris has been dedicated to his dream through the ups and downs.  He reveals what kept him going when things got tough and shares advice on how the reader can follow their own dreams.

I normally don't read these types of books, I have issues reading nonfiction in general.  This book was short and to the point, it wasn't repetitive, and it was interesting to read.  I appreciated the author's honesty and came away feeling inspired to stick with my dreams and develop the discipline to succeed.

If I had one complaint, it's the pictures.  They don't translate well to the Kindle and when there were multiples, they were just too small to see.  Other than that, it was very motivational, and I liked it.  Recommended!

Out of the Ordinary (Apart from the Crowd #2) - Jen Turano

This is the second book in the series.  There’s a novella, At Your Request, and then the first book, Behind the Scenes.

Gertrude is trying to locate her quirky employer.  Mrs. Davenport has sticky fingers, and now she’s missing while on board Harrison’s ship.  Since Gertrude has become good friends with Harrison, she doesn’t want her employer messing that up. But since Mrs. Davenport has used a birdcage to create part of her outfit, and now Gertrude is stuck.

Harrison has an unusual sense of style that everyone seems to take issue with.  It appears he has color blindness, so his outfits are somewhat outlandish.  He’s surrounded by sisters but reading their romance novels has given him a skewed vision of what women are looking for.  He’s drawn to Gertrude, but when suspicions are thrown her way, will they be able to get past them?

I enjoyed this book, the characters were what I’ve come to expect from this author: quirky, deep and well developed.  You’ll come across Asher and Permilia from the first book, but you don’t need to read that book to follow what’s going on here.  I look forward to the next book, Caught by Surprise, due out July 2018.  I can’t wait to read about Temperance and Gilbert!  Good Book!

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