At Love's Command (Hanger's Horsemen #1) - Karen Witemeyer

I was sifting through my favorite publishers on NetGalley and was surprised to see a book by Karen Witemeyer that had already come out. How had I missed that? I signed up for it immediately and started reading.

I finished it a few days ago, and I've thought about it a lot since then. I'm going to keep my thoughts on the story short, because the romance/drama isn't what stuck out to me.

Josephine is a old west doctor (think Dr. Quinn if you remember that show), and Matt used to be in the cavalry. When one of his men is hurt, his paths cross with the doctor. Then, when she receives word that her brother is being held for ransom, she asks for Matt's help.

I liked the book overall. The romance is difficult to swallow at times since these two aren't together a LOT in the book. It seemed weird that Josephine was worried to death about her brother while staring at and obsessing over Matt's muscles.

Normally, I'd probably stop the review here. I might say more about the characters, but the review would be essentially over. But something different happened to me. This time, I was laser focused on one aspect of the book: the internal conflict of Matt. He doesn't want to open up his heart again in case he'd get hurt. He doesn't trust God with the people he loves, and he feels he's been justified in that.

This topic has been plaguing my summer. With two teenagers in driver's ed at the same time (one of them now a senior in high school), I've had the fact that things are out of my control thrown into my face. I felt sympathy with Matt's character, but I didn't care about his love life. I wanted to know how he was going to learn to trust God again and to leave the care of the people he cared about in God's hands. There's a paragraph toward the end of the book talking about control being an illusion. I highlighted it and have read over it a few times. I've always known that control is an illusion, but it doesn't stop me from trying to control what I can.

I feel like I read this at the right time. I'm not completely better, but had I seen this book posted on NetGalley at the time it was released, it probably wouldn't have affected me the same way. It's a timing thing that I can only attribute to God. I've had a few other things brought to my attention lately, and I'd like to think I'm starting to find a bit of peace. It's going to be a long road, but I'm glad that this book was a stop along the way.

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

The Jewel of His Heart (Heart of the West #2) - Maggie Brendan - DTB

With everything going on, I decided to search my bookshelves for something to read. A lot of the books I have on my shelves, I can tell someone exactly why it's there and what stuck out to me. This one was a bit different. I read the back of it, but I couldn't remember it.

Juliana is having a tough time. Her life seems to be going the wrong way, and she's forced to take charity. She's determined to take care of herself and gets a job.

Josh is a shepherd, but he's found some sapphires on his property. With the opportunity to make money as a miner, he has to consider what he wants to do with his life. He's also lonely, and he wants a wife. Juliana may be young, but he can't stop thinking about her.

This book was okay, but something about it didn't grab my attention. It took me a long time to get through it, and I skimmed a lot of the end. I think there wasn't enough conflict for me. I liked the writing style, and I really liked some of the characters. The problem is, my favorite characters were minor characters. Juliana and Josh were fine, but I liked characters like Andy, Nellie, Wes and Marion more. Wes is in the third book for sure, so there's more of him.

I guess, in the end, I don't know why it's on my shelf. It was a nice story, but my tastes have moved in a different direction since I read this the first time. The good thing is, I'm the church librarian, and the book has found a new home.

The Peasant's Dream - Melanie Dickerson

This is the final book in the Hagenheim fairy tale series.  I've kept track of the connections, and you can see them HERE.

Adela feels like everyone sees her as spoiled, but she just wants to be seen for who she is. She sneaks to the market one day and meets Frederick, a commoner with artistic dreams like hers.

Frederick comes from a tough life. His father beats him, and he isn't allowed to pursue his dream of being a woodcarver. He meets Adela and thinks she's just like him.

The book started out slow for me. The middle was interesting, and then the end confused me. It wasn't the plot that confused me, it was the choices some of the characters made. I felt like the end was written more to nod at the fairy tale and ignored logic too much. I had the same issues with this book as I did with The Warrior Maiden. Not enough action, too many emotions.

The series overall has been a good one, and I've enjoyed most of the books. You can read them out of order or alone and you won't be lost. The writing is good, and I count Dickerson as one of my favorite authors. This one just happened to be a miss for me.

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