Jeremy Poldark (Poldark Saga #3) - Winston Graham

Now that Poldark (the PBS show) is over, I decided to dive into another one of Graham's books.  This is the last one I have at present, so it might be a while before I get another dose of Poldark.  In the meantime, I can always watch it on Amazon Prime, or I have the soundtrack.

This installment continues the story with familiar events and characters.  I'm not going to say too much, but I still enjoyed the writing style, and it felt like I was watching the show all over again.  There's some minor differences, which is to be expected, but I'm pretty impressed so far by the consistency between the books and the show.  To be clear, I'm not expecting them to be the same, and I keep my expectations low when I break the rule of "either read the book or watch the movie - don't do both!"

Anyway, all that to say, another great book, another good read.  I'm watching the others in the series and hope to read more soon!

Dangerous Illusions (Code of Honor #1) - Irene Hannon (DTB)

This is the first book in a series about three friends who have known each other since they were kids.  The other two titles are Hidden Peril and Dark Ambitions.  I've read a few of Hannon's books in the past, but I didn't specifically seek this one out.  I'm in charge of the library at my church, and it had been a while since I'd sifted through the donations.  We're having company for the holidays, so I thought it would be a good idea to clean up a bit.  This was one of the donations, and I decided to read it.

Trish has had her share of tragedy, but when her mother dies under mysterious circumstances, she wonders if it's her fault.  Colin is on the case, and he thinks there's more to the case than meets the eye and wants to clear Trish's name.  It doesn't take long for the danger to increase, and time is running out for Colin to solve the mystery. 

Hannon has a good writing style that I enjoyed.  I liked this book, and I'm curious about the rest of the Treehouse Gang.  The second book is about Kristen, and I liked her character.  Kristen wasn't in it that much, so I'm thinking you might be able to read these out of order.  It gives me the impression that it's one of those series where you can read it out of order, but you get more out of it reading them in order.  I plan on tracking this author and see what happens.  Good Book!

Carry Me Home (Blue Wren Shallows #1) - Dorothy Adamek

This is the first book in the series.  The second book just came out recently and is called Carry Me Away.  This is the first book I've read by this author, and I found her by participating in a scavenger hunt.  The summary of the story drew me in, and I was anxious to read it.

Finella leaves England with her father to marry a pastor in Australia.  What she doesn't anticipate is both men dying.  She finds purpose and a job taking care of Shadrach's sister.  Shadrach is the son of a convict, and she's not interested in staying at his muddy farm now that her fiance is dead.  She's waiting for her aunt to come fetch her, but will Shadrach be able to convince her to stay?

Finella doesn't start out as a very sympathetic character.  She comes across as one of those spoiled ladies who raises their nose in the air at dirt and dust.  Her "qualm" with mud was a bit strange, even with the explanation, but it wasn't super distracting.  Her hoity-toity attitude doesn't last long, and most of the book was happy enough.  It wasn't until the end that fell apart, and it did lower my rating a bit.

There's a few errors in there (mostly extra words that don't fit into sentences), but the writing style is pleasant.  The thing that has me hesitant to pick up the second book is the tragedy.  The second book is about a shipwreck, so I'm afraid the tragedy elements won't change much.  It's important to know that I think this is a good book, but it did have some major tragedy that was not only somewhat unexpected, but it also affected my overall enjoyment of the book.  I'm torn on this one, and I can't say for sure if I'll pursue the next one.  Most readers probably won't share my issues, but I love a happy ending, and this one was bittersweet.

Daisies are Forever - Liz Tolsma

I've read a few of this author's books in the past: Snow on the Tulips and Remember the Lilies.  They're set in various places around WWII, and this one is located in Germany.

Gisela is faced with the hard choice of leaving her grandfather and cousin behind as the Russians are approaching.  Gisela is eventually convinced that she needs to take her cousin's children and get them to safety.  Mere hours later, she's facing more hardships than she ever imagined.  She meets up with a couple of "German" officers, but she sees through their ruse immediately.  They're actually escaped prisoners of war, but Gisela finds herself wanting to help them.

I didn't make it too far.  The characters were okay, but the amount of depressing elements surrounding them made me not want to read more.

It's a matter of changing tastes, I think.  I enjoyed the other two books, even though they seemed to follow the same general idea - depressing elements through much of the book with a happy ending.  I can only say that I wasn't as interested in this book as the previous ones.  I was only about 25% in, and at least two of the characters I'd gravitated toward were dead or abandoned.  I'll take responsibility for not liking this.  The writing was good, but I just wasn't in the mood for it.

A Tailor-Made Bride - Karen Witemeyer

The last time I checked my "to be read" pile, I decided to do something a bit different.  None of the books I had waiting grabbed my attention, so I searched for a book I enjoyed in the past and reread it.  Once I finished this book, I didn't think I'd have to write a review for it.  Imagine my surprise when I discovered I actually read it before I started my blog, and thus, there is no review for me to reference!

This is the first book by one of my favorite authors, Karen Witemeyer.  

Hannah is a dressmaker who opens her own shop in Coventry, Texas.  She's met at the train station by a grouchy liveryman, J.T., and immediately goes about getting under his skin.  She's quick to apologize for any offense she gives, but J.T. seems determined to think the worst of her.

J.T. (Jericho) doesn't appreciate Hannah's presence.  She's interfered with his plans to help a widow and her children, and Hannah also represents something he despises: vanity and beauty.  He considers her to be setting stumbling blocks in the paths of the women of Coventry, including his little sister!  But there's also a side to her that he doesn't understand.  She truly cares for people, and he isn't sure what to make of her.

I remembered some of the plot, but I'd forgotten most of it.  The last 4% or 5% , everything seemed wrapped up, and I worried that the end would be filled with nonsense.  My fears were unnecessary, and I was glad to be wrong.  It's just the right length, and a sweet, clean romance.  Good Book - even the second time around!

The Murder on the Links (Hercule Poirot #2) - Agatha Christie

This is the second story featuring Hercule Poirot.

After a mysterious letter and a mysterious murder, it's up to Poirot to solve the strange death of a wealthy businessman.  There's more suspects than you can imagine, including the man's own son!  Add in a similar mystery from the past, more than one beautiful woman, an annoying inspector, and Hastings falling in love, and Poirot has his work cut out for him.  But nothing escapes his little gray cells!

While this was a pretty good story, it was also more confusing than the other books of hers I'd read.  After doing a bit of digging, it's possible that this particular version isn't the entire book.  Whether or not that's the case, it wasn't my favorite.  It was free so I won't complain too much.

Slumbering (Starlight Chronicles #1) - C.S. Johnson

This is the first book in a 7-book series.  It's also the first book I've read from this author.

Hamilton is a selfish 16-year-old popular kid who thinks he's better than everyone else.  Anyone that gets in his way is immediately thought of as inferior and only worthy of his disdain.  A meteorite hits his town, and his life is changed forever.  Suddenly, people in his town are coming down with strange illnesses and demon attacks are on the rise.  Hamilton gets involved when the girl he likes is in danger, but he eventually learns that there's much more to life than himself.

Other than saving the girl he's interested in a few times, Hamilton isn't a likable character.  In fact, I hated him for the entire book.  I kept reading on, waiting for some kind of growth or change in him, but he seemed to be the same horrible person that he was at the beginning.  Since this is a series, maybe he changes later on, but I'm not really interested in spending any more time on the series.

I enjoyed the writing style, but the story didn't appeal to me at all.  It had potential, but I needed more (any) transformation on the main character's part to care about his story.  Just not for me.

Diamond in the Rough (American Heiresses #2) - Jen Turano

This is the second book in the series.  The first book was Flights of Fancy, and I really enjoyed that one.

Poppy is supposed to be enjoying her first season, but so far, it's been a disaster.  Strange things keep happening to her, and her grandmother isn't happy.  She wants Poppy to become a 'diamond of the first water' and find a rich, titled husband.

Reginald is in town to help his cousin find a rich bride.  He's hiding the fact that he's actually the son of a duke, and somehow ends up teaching Poppy how to become successful in society.  Even with his lessons, Poppy seems to attract trouble, something Reginald isn't used to.  These two start out on the wrong foot, but soon come to appreciate each other's better qualities.

My favorite thing about Turano's books are her characters, and this one isn't different.  Each character has their own personality, and I felt invested in their stories.  My only minor complaint is the 'villain.'  I can't really get into my reasoning without giving spoilers, but something about that part of the book seemed odd.  It's a minor issue and didn't prevent me from enjoying the book overall.

As usual, there's links to other books, but you can read them out of order and not feel lost.  I'm hoping the third book will be about Beatrix, and I look forward to it.  Good Book!

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

Shine Like the Dawn - Carrie Turansky

Maggie's parents and older sister are dead.  She now lives with her younger sister in her grandmother's home.  They own a hat shop in town, but Maggie never seems able to escape her past.  When her younger sister is injured by a car, Maggie meets up with an old 'friend.'

Nate is pleased to see Maggie, but he's confused by her attitude toward him.  She's cool and distant and won't tell him why.  He wants to set things right, but it takes a while before she's willing to listen.

The hat shop burns down, and Maggie is without a home.  Nate takes her back to his house, but she still doesn't trust him.  She has suspicions that Nate's stepmother may have caused the death of her family, and she uses the opportunity to snoop.

This book was okay.  The beginning was depressing, and the end dragged on a bit too long.  I can get past those issues, but my major problem was Maggie.  I never really liked her very much, even at the end.  The way she treated Nate bothered me.  The story was overly preachy at times, and that interrupted the flow of the story.  I really enjoyed this author's Edwardian Bride series (The Governess of Highland Hall, The Daughter of Highland Hall and A Refuge at Highland Hall) and recommend those over this one.

Strands of Truth - Colleen Coble

Harper is working with mollusks when someone tries to abduct her.  Her mentor is also attacked, and his life is hanging by a thread.  She’s got other things on her mind, but Ridge seems to be around a lot, and she’s not sure she can ignore the attraction she feels for him.

Ridge resents Harper’s relationship with his father, but now that she’s in danger, he wonders if he’s misjudged her.  Finding out the truth of the abductions/attacks will take them down a road of DNA tests, half siblings, mermaids and flashbacks.  But will they learn the truth before it’s too late?

I liked the characters in this book.  Mostly Ridge, but Harper was interesting as well.  The one issue I had was the flashbacks.  They annoyed me.  Unnecessary flashbacks are a pet peeve of mine, and I truly believe this book would’ve been better without them.  They interrupt the flow of an engaging story and are jarring.  They also didn’t really add anything to the plot.

Overall, I still enjoyed this book and give it four stars.

I received a complimentary copy of this book.  Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

The Spice King (Hope and Glory #1) - Elizabeth Camden

This is the first book in a new series.

Annabelle is a naïve but caring soul from the farmlands of Kansas.  She’s in Washington with her sister and trying to make a life for herself.  She has a temporary assignment at the Smithsonian, but she’d do just about anything to make it a permanent position, even seek out the unapproachable Gray Delacroix.

Gray distrusts the government and swears that he’ll never give any of his precious plants to the Smithsonian.  Annabelle has the persistence and the charm to make her way into his heart, but it’s not going to be easy for them be together.

When Annabelle is forced into a no-win situation, you can tell that it’s all going to blow up in her face.  I won’t elaborate.  I don’t like giving spoilers.

Gray’s sister works for the first lady, Mrs. McKinley, and his brother, Luke, seems to be a dark horse.  Their characters show up just enough to make you more curious about who they are, but not enough to steal the spotlight from Gray and Annabelle.

I never thought I’d care so much about food labels, wheat, and vanilla.  It’s strange to type out that sentence, but it’s true.  I don’t know how the author does it, but she finds obscure things in history and makes them interesting.  I finished the book and went straight to the author note at the end.  I wanted to know what inspired her, and you can tell that she does her homework.  It would be easy to slog through technical details and historical information, but since the characters cared about this stuff, I ended up caring.

I think we’ll be reading more about Luke and Caroline in the future, and I can’t wait!  Good Book!

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

My Heart Belongs on Mackinac Island: Maude's Mooring - Carrie Fancett Pagels

I dabbled a bit into this "series" when I read My Heart Belongs in the Superstition Mountains: Carmela's Quandary back in 2017.  There are more books that have similar insane-length titles, but I didn't really have any desire to read them.  The books aren't connected by character cross-over, and they are all written by different authors.  They just have long titles and the same general cover.  It's...interesting.  I picked up the book because when I was a kid, we spent a week every summer in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan and visiting Mackinac Island was a treat I always looked forward to.  Anyway, about the book...

Maude lives on Mackinac Island and wants to prove that she's capable enough to run the inn, but her father is keeping things from her.  In an attempt to prove that she's capable, she takes a job as a maid at the Grand Hotel.  She's not really cut out for that kind of work, so it's a bit of a disaster, and she's trying to keep away from Friedrich, a man who is stealing her wounded heart.

Friedrich/Ben isn't what he appears to be.  He's a reporter working under the alias of Friedrich to get a story.  A big promotion is promised if he delivers, but it's the kind of story that could destroy lives, and he's not sure he can do it.  He's also interested in pursuing Maude, but his lies could make that impossible.

This was a good book, and I liked it.  Nothing extraordinary plot-wise, but it was nice to read about the places I visited as a kid.  It was like riding a horse down memory lane (because cars aren't allowed on Mackinac Island).  Something I appreciated about this book is that the author didn't add a bunch of nonsense to make it longer and hit the 320 page mark that seems to be so common among this genre.  It's on the shorter side (at 258 pages), so it's a nice, light read.  4 stars.

The Killing Tide (Coastal Guardians #1) - Dani Pettrey

This is the first book in the Coastal Guardians series.  I was excited to start a new series by one of my favorite authors.

Gabby is on the run.  A drug lord is trying to have her killed, and she ends up staying with the man whose heart she broke last time she was in town.  She chose her career over love, and now it’s like she’s getting put in the same situation.  When people are murdered, Finn’s team has to investigate the deaths, including a few of their own.  Two investigations are going on at the same time, and it seems like they will intersect at some point.  With Gabby disappearing to investigate on her own all the time, keeping her safe is a hard job.

Gabby disregards anyone who wants to protect her to the point of wandering off for coffee with a “friend.”  I put the word friend in quotation marks because she takes the woman for coffee to pursue an “angle” (her words) for a story.  The friend is 7 months pregnant and has just lost her husband to murder.  How low can Gabby go?  Pretty low.  I never understood what Finn saw in her.  She’s already chosen her career over him once before, and she’s clearly willing to do it again with no hesitation for most of the book.  She resents people trying to keep her safe and readily puts herself and OTHERS (including a pregnant woman and her sister) in dangerous situations with no regard for their safety.  She’s literally like that for almost the entire book, and I hated her character.

My final review is 2.5 stars.  If the story were only about Gabby and Finn, it would probably be lower.  The saving graces for the book are Noah and Rissi.  I ended up hating Gabby’s character so much that even when she has her “changing moment” at the very end, it didn’t affect my view of her.  I was also disappointed in the ending.  I don’t mind antagonists that act like Bond villains, but if they don’t hesitate to kill everyone in their way for most of the book, it doesn’t make sense later on if they suddenly change and put people in a rescuable situation.

This is the first book of Pettrey’s that I haven’t liked, and I’m sorry for it.  Her stories are normally so great that it hurts to say I don’t like it.

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

Demelza (Poldark Saga #2) - Winston Graham

This is the second of the 12-book series.  I really enjoyed the first book, Ross Poldark, and looked forward to reading this one.

If you've watched the TV series, expect to see familiar faces and relive familiar scenes from the show.  I'm not going to go through the entire plot, but you'll learn about Verity and Captain Blamey, the Carnmore Copper Company, and little Julia.  I will warn you that this doesn't end at a happy moment in the timeline, and it would be beneficial to have some tissues ready just in case.

As with the first book, I enjoyed the writing style of the author and getting to know beloved characters better than before.  I was patient and waited for this one to drop in price, but I already have the next book, Jeremy Poldark, waiting on my Kindle.  It might be a few weeks before I get to it, but I look forward to it.  Good Book!

Diamond Duo (Texas Fortunes #1) - Marcia Gruver

I actually have this as a trilogy on my Kindle, and it's been there for a long time.  I don't know why I can't find it in the Kindle store anymore, but it doesn't seem to be there.  The closest thing I saw was the stories listed individually with some of the creepiest covers I've ever seen, but nothing resembling what's currently on my Kindle. 

In this book, we're kind of keeping track of two women.  Sarah is struggling through her marriage to Henry, sometimes loving him and other times fed up.  The other woman is Bertha, a young woman who befriends a scandalous woman who's just shown up in town, Annie.  Bertha wants to figure out how to get the man she's sweet on, Thad, to notice her.  Unfortunately, Thad is getting ready to leave for college and is trying to find the right moment to tell her.

Bertha is sometimes selfish and other times sweet.  I don't know how I feel about the relationship between her and Thad.  It was strange, and I honestly would have been fine whether or not they ended up together.

Some of the characters in this story don't make sense.  They have these complete 180 degree changes to their personalities that aren't really explained in a believable way.  First is Darius, the crook.  He magically transforms for no reason.  The other one was Bertha's mother.  She also changes overnight, and the only reasoning given is that her husband "threw the Bible at her."  Meaning he pointed out the verses where wives were to submit, and husbands were to love their wives.  I don't doubt the power of the Scriptures, but people don't completely change that quick.

The other thing that bothered me was Annie.  The "resolution" of her story didn't involve any sense of justice or anything resembling the pursuit of justice.  "We all know what happened to her" doesn't give me a sense of closure.

This first story wasn't for me, and I'm not sure I'll read the other two.  The writing was fine, I just didn't feel any connection with the characters.  Anyway, I just wasn't fond of this one.

More Than Words Can Say (Patchwork Family #2) - Karen Witemeyer

The first book in the series was called More Than Meets the Eye.

Abigail is furious the town has decided she can’t own her own bakery.  She has to sell it or find a man to be on the deed.  Abby has no intention of giving control of her business to any man, so she comes up with her own plan: find a husband and enter into a business arrangement.

The town doesn’t have many choices, and her preferred choice initially turns her down.  Zach thinks the thing he wants most is freedom, but he won’t let Abby settle for someone who won’t be the protector her family needs.  They decide to lay everything out business-like, and that means he wants to make sure relations are addressed.  Abby isn’t completely on board with the idea, but she’s going to have to consider it if she wants the arrangement to work.

I loved Zach’s character in the last book, and he doesn’t disappoint.  There’s a bit of suspense around a woman harassing Abby about something that happened in the past, but the main “conflict” of the book is them trying to figure out if/when they’ll have relations.  It didn’t bother me much, but I did long for something more dangerous.

Even with that, I enjoyed this book.  I read it in two days because I wanted to see Zach happy.  There’s also a scene with Eva and Seth, so you get a glimpse of how they’re doing.  But you can read these separately without worrying about missing much.

Eva and Seth were taken care of in the first book and now Zach is happy.  So, unless there’s a third book that will be about Rosalind (Abby’s sister), I’m not sure this will be a three-book series.  Which ends up being a bit weird, because that’s what I’m used to these days.  Anyway, I’ve enjoyed these two.  Good Book!

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

Hunted (Everyday Heroes #1) - Margaret Daley

This is part of series titled Everyday Heroes.  There's four of them at present.  The other three are Obsessed, Trapped and Kidnapped.

Luke is camping when he sees two men throw a chained woman into the river.  He rescues her, and they have to find out why those men wanted her dead.  Megan can't seem to remember things, and she needs time to regain her memory.  Luke is determined to keep her safe until the culprits can be found.

I wasn't fond of this one.  The characters felt shallow, and the dialogue seemed stilted.  Both Luke and Megan would make speeches frequently, so it seemed like they were prone to babbling.  For example, Luke would speak to the dog and Megan in the same speech without any transition.  There were also some mistakes (wrong words, additional words that didn't make sense) that made it through the editing process.  I loved the working dog, Shep, but he wasn't enough to make me enjoy this book.

I was tracking this book, but I'm not sure why.  I read one other title from this author, Saving Hope, and I didn't like it.  Maybe I thought the addition of the dog would make things better.  Unfortunately, it didn't, but I did make it to the end.  It's a pass for me.

Death on the Nile (Hercule Poirot #17) - Agatha Christie

I've read a few Agatha Christie's lately and enjoyed them.  I also watched the Poirot series (starring David Suchet), and in this case it hurt me.

Poirot is in Egypt taking a break, but his vacation doesn't pass without a mystery.  When a scorned woman follows her former lover and his new wife everywhere they go, Poirot is worried for the woman's path.  He sees that she's on a dangerous one, but she disregards his advice.  The wife ends up dead, but it seems like the scorned woman and the husband both have the best motive but also the best alibi.

I do like the creativity and uniqueness that Christie put into her books.  With the exception of some vocabulary that hasn't aged as well, these books are still worth reading.  I'm going to have to wait and read more Poirot books until I forget the details.  This was a good book, but my memory of the "episode" ruined it a bit for me.  Still, Good Book!

GHOST (John Spector #1) - Wayne Thomas Batson

This is the first in a series.  The second book, called Minister of Fire, is supposed to come out around October 2019 (according to the author's blog post dated December 18, 2018).  It's significant to note that this book is recommended 16+.

Ghost is the name of an uncommon man who avenges injustice.  He carries around a silver case full of supernatural goodies and wages war against the forces of evil.  He comes across a camera of disturbing pictures and knows what his next mission is: stop the Smiling Jack killer.

He doesn't just have to fight against our world but elements of the supernatural as well.  Leads are hard to come by and working with a member of the FBI could threaten his secret identity.

It isn't uncommon for this author to have elements of the supernatural in his books, and it doesn't bother me that it's there.  What bothered me was the "bash-you-over-the-head" preaching in it.  The main character is so fanatically pro-life, it made me uncomfortable.  I feel the same way when Christian books get a little too preachy.  It was just too much.

I've read some of this author's fantasy before and really enjoyed it.  I got about halfway through this one and realized that reading it was more of a chore than enjoyment, and I abandoned it.  This book just wasn't for me.

Living in a Marvel house

It looks like I haven't been reading much, but that's not completely true.  I have been writing a lot (I'm trying to get my rough draft done before summer break), but I've also been reading a comic or two.  It's not something I've done a lot of, but it's becoming more normal around here.

The Marvel universe has invaded our house.  It's been growing for a while, and since my kids love it so much, now I'm hooked.  And it's not just the movies.  My older daughter loves reading the comics, and she's read so many that when I asked her which one was her favorite, she listed off at least four or five different series.  Two of her favorites are the Avengers series and Captain Marvel (the female version).  She's seen some of the movies, and she's off to see Endgame this weekend with some friends.

My younger daughter is by far the largest fan.  She reads about the universe online, watches interviews, anticipates new movies for months, and has a Marvel shirt for every school day of the week (and would like more).  Her favorite character is Hawkeye, and she can't get enough of him.   She's partial to Jeremy Renner as Hawkeye, but she's read some of the comics as well.

One of my younger daughter's favorites - with Hawkeye!

I never considered myself a "superhero" fan.  It took me a long time to get interested in this universe.  But with my kids loving it so much, I wanted to see what all the fuss was about.  I got on board around the time Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 came out (I watched Iron Man a long time ago, but I don't count that) and was pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed them.  My favorite is Doctor Strange, but Benedict Cumberbatch is one of my favorites actors, so that may have influenced me (it did).  I've loved all the other ones so much that I can't really pick a favorite.  The only one I didn't like was Ant-Man.  Nothing to do with the story, I just DESPISE ants, so a lot of the movie creeped me out.

I did read a few of the comics, but I'm not as keen on them.  They're interesting, and I appreciate the art, I just didn't get into them.  But something I do enjoy is the soundtracks.  There's a few of them available on Amazon Prime, and I listen to them often.  They have a distinct sound to them with the exception of Black Panther.  That one stands out in a few ways, and it's probably my favorite.  Great movie by the way.

It's been fun getting into this universe.  I've gotten to go watch a movie (Captain Marvel - another great movie) with just my husband for the first time in I-don't-know-how-long, and it was a blast!  It's also been common ground.  Having two teenagers, it's been harder to find that these days, but this has been something we can talk about without me sounding like an old codger.  And that's something I'm always excited about!  

Verity (The Sugar Baron's Daughters #2) - Lisa T. Bergren

This is the second book in this series about three sisters.  The first book was about Keturah, and the third will be about Selah.

In this book, we start out on with the plantation on the island of Nevis.  Verity has decided to leave the plantation and start up her own shop in town.  It's been a while since she's heard from her beau, Duncan, and she's wondering what happened to him.  When she discovers that he's dead, she's set on a path that brings her face to face with Ian, Duncan's brother.

Ian doesn't meet Verity in a very flattering way.  In jail for attacking English officers, Verity takes pity on him and gets him out of there for Duncan's sake.  Ian is also a captain, like his brother, and Verity asks him to transport the items she's taking back to Nevis for her shop.  They grow close, and fight against their feelings for a time out of respect for Duncan.

I really liked the first one, Keturah.  This one was a bit all over the place for me.  There was so much to remember.  With all that going on, there were still long descriptions of things I didn't care that much about (the scene where Verity is trying on hats and hairstyles). I also wasn't a big fan of the whole "switching to loving the brother" thing.  It happened a bit too quickly for me.

I had trouble getting into the story of this one.  I'd put it down, and I wasn't really looking forward to picking it back up.  There's also more than one cliffhanger at the end, and I'm not a big fan of that either.  The writing itself was good, but I liked the first one so much more.  At this point, I'm not sure I'll continue with the series.

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

The Artful Match (London Beginnings #3) - Jennifer Delamere

This is the third book in the series.  It tells the stories of three sisters, and this one tells Cara's story.  The first book, The Captain's Daughter, is about Rosalyn, and the second, The Heart's Appeal, is Julia's story.

Cara is considered to be the most emotional of the sisters.  Not only is she the baby of the family, her sisters don't think she can take care of herself.  Due to an unfortunate mistake, she loses her job as governess and is out on the streets.  She tries to go to Julia, but her sister is away from home.  Not only that, but Cara is shocked to discover that Julia has gotten married and went to South America!  Cara feels betrayed and angry, and after a discovery at a pawn shop, she doesn't want to reach out to her other sister, Rosalyn, either.  She meets Langham, an artist, and realizes she wants to be an artist as well.  Langham is a bit of a mess, but she's confident his heart is in the right place.

Henry already knows that his brother is a bit of a mess, and he's come to London to track him down.  When Henry finds his brother drunk at a pub, he also meets Cara.  She immediately catches his eye, and he's curious as to what she's doing with people like his brother.  Henry doesn't understand the art world, but he's going to get acquainted with it.  The more time he spends with Cara, the more he likes her.  And when he sees how well she deals with his young ward, he likes her even more.  They both have secrets they keep close, but only the full truth will allow them to be together.

I enjoyed this one.  I liked almost all the characters.  I won't list them here, but they were well-written and easy to care about.  You'd be okay reading these out of order, but if you like this kind of book, you'll get more out of them reading them in order.  Good Book!

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

The Heart's Appeal (London Beginnings #2) - Jennifer Delamere

The Heart's Appeal is the second book in this series about three sisters.  The first one, The Captain's Daughter, was about Rosalyn, and book 3, The Artful Match, is about Cara.

This book is about Julia, the sister who strives to become a doctor.  She's lost her benefactor, but she trusts God to provide for her.  An accident on the Underground brings her together with Michael.  He's a barrister, and he's working on a case that might affect Julia's future.  He's also letting his sister set him up with a woman who would give them a higher social standing.

After Julia saves Michael's life, she appeals to his sense of honor and asks him to tutor her in her hardest subject: Latin.  He agrees, and they start spending more time together.  No one seems to approve, especially Michael's sister (and I felt super bad for her downtrodden husband).  It's a matter of whether these two can adjust their dreams to be together.

I liked this book, even though Julia seemed a bit too preachy at times.  Both Rosalyn and Cara show up, but you just get a sense of how close the sisters are.  The elusive father is an overarching story, but it doesn't affect my opinion of being able to read these alone/out of order.

Overall, I enjoyed this one and look forward to reading about Cara.  Good Book!

A Desperate Hope (Empire State Novel #3) - Elizabeth Camden

This is the third book in the Empire State Novel series.  The first book is called A Dangerous Legacy, and the second is A Daring Venture.

Eloise is headed back to Duval Springs, where she spent much of her childood, but it's the last place she wants to go.  Twelve years ago, she left because of her relationship with Alex Duval, and she hasn't looked back since.  She's made herself into a rule-abiding CPA and enjoys her structured life.

Alex is a dreamer, but he's never forgotten the spunky redhead who stole his heart.  He's been committed to saving the town, but he's lost.  Now, the town's scheduled to be destroyed to make way for a reservoir.  When Eloise shows up to help buy off the town's residents, Alex doesn't recognize the icy person in front of him.

These two are complete opposites, but they still have a spark.  Unfortunately for Alex, Eloise has no intentions of staying with Alex.  When they come up with a plan for the removal of the town, Eloise donates her time to the dream, but she still plans on returning to her structured life.  Unless Alex can convince her to trust him and be a bit daring.  There's also a snitch in town feeding information to the town's most hated man, and sabotage threatens Alex's plans.

I liked this book, and I liked the characters.  I like the way Alex's impulsiveness balanced out Eloise's straight-laced nature and vice versa.  I also appreciated the research the author did, because it shows.  Nick and Rosalind show up, but you don't have to be familiar with A Daring Venture to keep up with what's going on.

I'm glad that I stuck with this series, even though I wasn't a huge fan of the first book.  This book was entertaining, and I enjoyed reading it.

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

The Secret Adversary - Agatha Christie

Originally published in 1922, The Secret Adversary is the first adventure for Tommy and Tuppence.  These characters show up in a total of 4 novels and a collection of short stories.  I've personally read a few of Christie's novels.  My favorite up to now is And Then There Were None.

Tommy and Tuppence have been friends since childhood.  They've met back up and form their own business called the Young Adventurers to try and earn some money.  They end up searching for a missing woman and a paper that could threaten the British government.

I liked this book a lot.  I loved the way the mystery was paced.  When Tommy's in danger, the reader knows he's in danger, but ends up reading about Tuppence.  The whole time, the reader worries about what's happened to Tommy. 

Many times, with a novel this old, it reads dated and a bit boring.  I was really impressed with this one.  Other than some phrasing that's definitely out of date, it was a real page-turner!  I loved the characters, and every time I thought I had the identity of Mr. Brown figured out, something would happen to make me doubt myself.  And that's the best kind of mystery novel.

This is listed as an Illustrated edition.  What this actually means is that there are pictures at the end, mostly revolving around Agatha Christie and her life.  I found them to be pretty interesting.  Definitely gets a Good Book! review.

The Bride Blunder (Prairie Promises #3) - Kelly Eileen Hake

This is the third book in the series Prairie Promises.  The first two books are The Bride Bargain and The Bride Backfire.

Gavin has come from Baltimore to set up his mill.  Now that he's settled, he sends a "formal" letter to his sweetheart, hoping that she'll come to Buttonwood and agree to be his bride.  BUT, there's two young ladies with the formal name of Marguerite, and the one that hops off the stage is NOT the one he's expecting.  When he finds out the woman he sent for, Daisy, is engaged, he decides to settle on Marge.  But she's having none of that.  She refuses to be someone's second choice.

Also in this book is the story of Midge.  She's been a constant companion to the women in the first two books, and it's about time she found some romance of her own.  Amos is a face from her past, but she has no desire to let him get close enough to see the real Midge.  But when he persists, she decides that being herself is just the thing to get rid of Amos.

I enjoyed both the stories, but I lean toward Midge's more.  She's the one female lead that I didn't dislike at multiple points in the story.  I've had issues with the heroines in all three of these novels, and Midge was a breath of fresh air.  Marge, just like the heroines before her, refuses to see any worth in herself or take Gavin for what he does instead of guessing at his motives every single time he does something.

There's a few things that'll keep this collection at 4 stars.  First, I didn't like the way I'd sometimes read backward.  By that I mean that a scene would end, and the next one would begin with the same scene but told from another perspective.  This repeated parts of conversations and interrupted the flow.  Another thing that bothered me is the extended breaks in the middle of a conversation.  More than once, I had to go back to remember what the previous person had said.  Last, the typos.  Sometimes it would be the wrong word, a misplaced quotation mark or italics for dialogue instead of inner thought.  And it wasn't just once or twice.  Overall, I really liked the stories, but the execution of them makes me penalize the collection a star.  It still gets a Good Book! review.

The Bride Backfire (Prairie Promises #2) - Kelly Eileen Hake

This is book two of the series.  I liked the first book, The Bride Bargain, pretty well, so I was ready to keep going.

Adam Grogan is doing his best to keep the peace with the Speck family, but his brother seems intent on stirring it up.  While trying to prevent an all-out war, he ends up married to Opal Speck.  She was trying to save his life, and to do that, she felt the need to lie and say he's the father of her unborn child.  Problem is, she's not even pregnant!  She lets Adam believe she is, and he steps forward to say he'll claim the child as his own, but he won't make it a real marriage until she reveals the name of the father.

Opal thinks that once the marriage is consummated, she'll be able to tell Adam the truth and he won't be able to annul the marriage.  She's afraid if he finds out the truth, he'll annul the marriage and trigger a war between the two families.  As Opal tries to fit in on the Grogan farm, she discovers that her new mother-in-law will do anything to prevent her from staying.

I liked this one better than the first one.  I'll still go with 4 stars, maybe 4.5 if I'm getting picky.  Opal wasn't as bad as Clara (book 1), but she had her moments where I would frown and wonder what she was thinking.  For example, I was curious why she was so insistent about not telling Adam the truth about the "baby."  She knows he cares about keeping the peace at all costs (as much as she does), so why the automatic jump that he'd seek the annulment if she revealed the truth?

I read this in two days, so it clearly kept my interest.  I just had to see what happened, and I really liked Adam's character.  Midge was another favorite.

I think it's okay to read these out of order.  Anything you need to know from the first book is restated in this one, and the main characters for the third book are new.  I'm hoping there's more Midge in there - she needs a happy ending!  Good Book!

The Bride Bargain (Prairie Promises #1) - Kelly Eileen Hake

It's been almost 6 years since I picked up this complete series.  It's been sitting on my Kindle so long, not because I was afraid it wasn't any good, but something that long takes a certain amount of dedication to get through.  When I decided to read it, I wanted to make sure I would be able to read the whole thing.  I'm going to review the books separately, because I believe that one long review would be too much.

Clara is on the Oregon Trail with her aunt.  They're on their own, and the trail boss isn't happy with them.  Eventually, he leaves them behind, and the two women end up in Buttonwood.  They won't be able to make it to Oregon as they planned, but a friendly storekeeper has a plan for them.

Josiah's son, Saul, is coming from Baltimore and he wants his son to stay.  Clara wants a home and enters into a bargain to find Saul a wife.  That way she can provide for her aunt, and she's making friends in Buttonwood.

When Saul arrives, Clara parades the eligible ladies in front of him, never considering herself as a contender.  She's seen what can happen when women settle for marriage, and her priority is her aunt.  With Saul's plans to return to Boston and Clara's low opinion of herself, will they be able to find common ground?

I liked this book - I'd rate it at about 4 stars.  I liked Saul a bit better than Clara, she seemed a bit hypocritical at times.  She would accuse Saul of manipulating situations (once he understood what was going on), but she was doing the exact same thing.  There was just something about her that grated on my nerves at times, but I was still able to enjoy the book.  This one gets a Good Book review.

Daughters of the Night Sky - Aimie K. Runyan

The Kindle First program sounds wonderful in theory.  Amazon sends me an email the first of each month with 5 or 6 books to choose from, and I get one for free.  And then, once I get around to reading it, I'm disappointed.  I think there's been one book I've enjoyed.  Recently, I've cut back on choosing a book at all, but this one interested me.  It's the right time period, and I wanted to read about Russian pilots who were women.

I started reading about Katya's struggles to prove herself as a navigator.  Then, just partway in, she has a day out with a pilot who has been nice to her and then proceeds to go straight to a hotel to have sex.  I've come across these kinds of scenes before, and I normally skim them, but this was PAGES of skimming.  And so early on!

Other people won't be bothered by that scene, and I understand this is a personal preference issue.  I made it to less than 20% - that scene was a deal-breaker for me.  This book is off my Kindle and out of my library.  I'm a prude and I'll admit that.  The drawn-out sex scene made me put down the book and immediately delete it.  I think I'm done with the Kindle First program.  I'm just done...

The Innkeeper's Daughter (The Bow Street Runners #2) - Michelle Griep

This is the second part of the trilogy.  The first book is called Brentwood's Ward, and the third is called The Noble Guardian and scheduled to come out June 2019.  Personally, I haven't read the first book, and this is my first read by this author.

Alex is on assignment to find a traitor.  He takes a room at a run-down inn and meets Johanna.  She's trying to keep the place open by any means necessary, and it's going to get her into trouble.

As time passes, Alex's cover is making things difficult for him.  He's in love with one woman while trying to follow orders and court another.  He feels his loyalty should belong to his country, but it's getting harder to lie to Johanna with each day that passes.

I'll put this book in a category I'll call "just okay."  It's hard to point to a specific issue, which is unusual, but I just didn't feel invested with these characters.  I've read a lot of books this length, and I can get through one I really like in about 2 days.  The best way I can think of describing it was that it felt longer than 320 pages.  While I recognized the names of the main character in the other 2 books, I think you'd be okay reading these alone/out of order.

The Warrior Maiden - Melanie Dickerson

I’ll start off by saying it took me a long time to get through this book.  Not all of the fault lies with the book.  I’ve had some medical issues and then everyone was off for the holiday break.  I’ve also been spending a lot of time working on my own story, so I haven’t devoted as much time to reading in general.

This is part of Dickerson’s fairy tale series.  To see the full explanation of connections, you can read my post here.  I keep it updated every time a new book comes out.

Wolfgang and Steffan are on their way to fight against the Teutonic Knights who are terrorizing parts of Poland.  These two brothers have a falling out, and Steffan decides he wants to fight for the other side.  Wolfgang is upset but continues on to join the army of Duke Konrad.  It’s there he meets a skilled warrior in Mulan.

Mulan left home to make sure her mother could stay in their home.  She’s also running away from an arranged marriage to a horrible man.  She’s trying to hide the fact that she’s a man from the rest of the army, but eventually it’s going to become impossible.  At that point, Wolfgang starts to become more than a colleague and friend, but she knows he’s a duke’s son and thinks nothing can happen between them.

I was disappointed in Mulan’s character.  One minute she’s a strong warrior, and the next she’s acting like a teenager.  The thing that pushed me over the edge was when she got upset at Wolfgang because of the way he asked her to marry him (it’s a fairy tale, I don’t think it’s a spoiler to mention that).  He didn’t say it the way she wanted him to, so she gets angry and huffy.  I understand she’s supposed to be wary of men because of her father, but up to that point, she’d been building a trust in Wolfgang and appreciating that he wasn’t anything like her father.  Overall, I felt like both main characters thought about their emotions more than necessary.

I was intrigued by Steffan’s character, and he’s on the lookout for a princess to rescue.  I’ll be watching for that story and hope I like it better than this one.  It wasn’t terrible, but I didn’t like it near as much as some of the others.  I just wish there had been more action, and l didn’t have to read about so many emotions.

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

The Sky Above Us (Sunrise at Normandy #2) - Sarah Sundin

This is the second book in the series.  The first one is called The Sea Before Us, and book 3, The Land Beneath Us, is scheduled to come out in 2020.  The series follows the lives of three brothers who participate in D-Day.  This book is about Adler, the middle brother.

Adler’s been bottling up his pain for three years, since the night he ran away from home in disgrace.  Now, he’s a fighter pilot and determined to do his part in the war.  A chance meeting gives him a new friend in Violet, a worker for the Red Cross.  She thinks she’s on her way to work with children in England, but her role is a lot different than she imagined.

Adler and Violet end up in the same unit, but they resist giving in to their feelings.  Violet plans on becoming a missionary in Africa, and Adler just wants to start up a business.  Violet ends up being good for Adler, but he doesn’t want to let her too close.  In his eyes, when she knows everything, she’ll think very differently about him.

I usually like Sundin’s books, and this was no exception.  Part of it is the history (I’m drawn to the WWII era), and part is the characters.  The main characters were great, but I liked some of the supporting cast as well, namely Nick.  Sometimes the descriptions get a little too technical for me, but you can tell the author does her homework.  I liked the tiny bit of closure at the end, and I’m hoping for a great ending in the third book.  All 3 brothers, all together – preferably after the war!

The hardest part is going to be waiting until the third book comes out.  Poor Clay has reason to be angry with both his brothers, and I can’t wait to read his story.  Good Book!

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

The Line Between - Tosca Lee

Wynter has been kicked out of a cult.  She’s lived there since she was seven, and now she has to build a new life for herself.  Her sister and niece are still inside the Enclave, and Wynter wants to get them out.  But being outside the Enclave isn’t a safe place.  A disease that causes rapid onset dementia is spreading like wildfire.  Things around the entire country are falling apart, and stopping it will end up resting on Wynter’s shoulders.

I like Tosca Lee’s writing style, and this one doesn’t disappoint in that regard.  The descriptions are well done, and the tension is there.  My main complaint revolves around the time jumps.  The flashbacks come without warning and are jarring.  The ending also bothered me a bit.  After all the wonderful descriptions and immersive scenes, the end wrapped up too fast.  It made me feel a bit cheated.

I’ll take some of the responsibility for not liking this book.  It’s one of those times when liking an author doesn’t mean you like all their books.  The subject matter is chilling and something I wouldn’t normally read.  On the other hand, the way the flashbacks were handled and the rushed ending would have bothered me in any book.

Overall, it just wasn’t for me.

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

Secrets at Cedar Cabin (Lavender Tides #3) - Colleen Coble

This is the third book in the series.  It starts with a novella, Leaving Lavender Tides, and then the first two books: The View from Rainshadow Bay and The House at Saltwater Point.  Personally, I haven't read the novella, but I've been able to read both novels.

Bailey doesn't know it, but her mother has been lying for her entire life.  Now, her mother's dead, and someone's after Bailey.  She leaves Rock Harbor (Coble fans will recognize the location) and heads for a cabin in Lavender Tides.  Little does she realize the house will link her with a human trafficking ring.

Lance has been searching for his sister for years, but he feels close this time.  He starts off by trying to tell Bailey he's a neighbor while he checks out who she is.  When he realizes she's just wrapped up in something she doesn't understand, he wants to help her.

And she wants to help him.  Both Bailey and Lance have been hurt in the past, so getting past their wounds is going to take some time.  But Bailey's upfront about who she is, and that draws Lance even closer.

I appreciate the author wrapping up Jason and Mac's story, but the brief moments with just the two of them seemed to interrupt the flow of the main story at times.  I also felt that the end was a bit rushed, but these are minor criticisms. Overall,  I really enjoyed this story and the series as a whole.

The series is about the siblings coming together but with separate stories.  There's a few plot lines that overlap, and with the way you're reading about how their lives are progressing, I think you'll get the most out of the series by reading them in order.  There's a nice little epilogue at the end from Shauna's point of view wrapping it all up in a tidy little bow.  She's got her family back, and it was an enjoyable ride for me as a reader.  Good Book!

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

Flights of Fancy (American Heiresses #1) - Jen Turano

Isadora comes from a wealthy family.  Her mother is encouraging her to make an alliance with a duke, but the man is vulgar, and possibly a murderer.  Izzie decides to take the advice of some friends and hide until her father can get home and talk some sense into her mother.  To do that, she answers an ad for a housekeeper at a farm in a small town.  Unfortunately, being an heiress didn't prepare her for taking care of someone's home.

And that someone is Ian MacKenzie.  He spends a lot of his time in Pittsburgh, and he wants to make sure his Aunt Birdie and Uncle Amos are taken care of.  This isn't an ordinary farm, but Izzie isn't an ordinary woman.  She talks Ian into giving her a chance to prove herself, and even though he's normally a tough negotiator, he finds he can't refuse her.

As these two get closer, they come to realize that the plans they've had for their lives may not be the path they need to be on.  Izzie wants to trust them with her secret, but she's afraid Ian and the others will treat her differently.  She wants to be appreciated for who she is.  With all the strange things happening at the farm, there's more going on than meets the eye, but how long can she hide the truth?

As usual, Turano weaves a good tale, but in my opinion, her strength is her characters.  I cared about all of them, even Buttercup and Elmer (and they're barnyard animals!).  It's a nice, easy read, and just what I wanted.  Good Book!

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