A Daring Venture (Empire State #2) - Elizabeth Camden

This is the second book in the series.  The first one was called A Dangerous Legacy.

Rosalind had a rough past.  After dealing with her parents’ death from cholera, moving to Germany and then having to leave in disgrace, she wants nothing more than to conduct her research in peace.  She believes putting a small amount of chlorine in the city’s water supply could help prevent people from dying of waterborne diseases, but not everyone agrees.  A lawsuit puts her in a place where she has to choose between her life’s work and her newfound attraction for a witness on the other side: Nicholas Drake.

When Nick meets Rosalind, he wishes they were on the same side.  She’s pretty as a moonbeam, but he believes she wants to poison everyone with chlorine.  She offers him research to back up what she says, but he’s skeptical and just wants the court case over with so he can court her in earnest.  He’s also dealing with feelings of regret about a part of the family and wants to mend fences with someone who has hated him in the past.

I didn’t like the first book in this series, but Nick was my favorite character, so I was more than willing to read this one.  I ended up liking this one SO much better.  Both Nick and Rosalind were likable characters, and I could appreciate the struggles they faced.  I also liked the little historical note at the end.  Those always seem to appeal to me.

I’m wondering if the next book will be about Eloise, Nick and Lucy’s cousin, but I’ll have to wait and see.  As is it, I enjoyed this book and devoured it in just a few days.  Good Book!

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

More Than Meets the Eye (Patchwork Family #1) - Karen Witemeyer

I grew up in the 80s, so this title makes the Transformers cartoon theme to get stuck in my head, but don’t worry, there’s no transforming robots in this book.  It’s the start of a new series by Karen Witemeyer!  She’s one of my favorite authors, so I was excited to read this book.

It starts out pretty sad, so have a hanky ready.  Four children on an orphan train.  One rebel, a sickly boy and two siblings.  Evangeline has two different color eyes, and that makes everyone reject her.  Her brother loves her, so he refuses to let them be split up.  A train crash is what separates the siblings, but the rebel and the other boy become her new family.

Years later, Evangeline feels like she can only be herself when she’s home.  People are still suspicious of her unusual eyes.  One day, she meets a man who sparks an attraction in her.  He’s something of a mystery, and she’s determined to find out more about him.

Logan has come for one purpose: to regain the land that was cheated from his father.  He initially uses Evangeline as a way to get information about her brother, the one who stole everything from him.  As time passes, he sees her as more than a mine of information.  He also finds out that her brother isn’t as fiendish as he’d imagined.  But he can’t turn back now, can he?

I liked this book a lot and read it in two days.  I love the way Witemeyer writes her characters.  I think my favorite was Evangeline with her quirky attitude and soft heart.  After that, it has to be her brother, Zach.  He’s her opposite with a gruff manner and the walls around his heart.  I look forward to hearing more about this family.  Good Book!

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

Hidden Currents (Lantern Beach #1) - Christy Barritt

This is the first book I've read by this author.  I was looking for a new author and saw that I could borrow this from Amazon for free.  This series is four books at the time I'm writing this review, but the book summary says it's going to be six total.  So far there's Hidden Currents, Flood Watch, Storm Surge, and Dangerous Waters.

Cassidy's cover has been blown.  She's taken out the head of a gang in Seattle, but now she's in hiding on the other side of the country.  With a bounty of a million dollars on her head, she has to stay out of the spotlight.

Easier said than done.  She's supposed to be selling ice cream to the tourists (since none of the local will buy from her), but she soon gets bored.  A murdered man on the beach has her detective instincts tingling, and no matter how many times she tells herself to keep her nose out of things, she finds herself involved.

There's also some romantic tension going on between Cassidy and her neighbor, Ty.  They definitely get off on the wrong foot, but the more they learn about each other, the more they want to know.  But Cassidy's got a man waiting for her when she comes out of hiding, and she tells herself she can't be interested.

We read from both Ty and Cassidy's point of view, and I liked that.   I was also able to connect with both characters, especially Cassidy.  My only gripe was the two chapters that took the story out of the present and put it into the past.  These two chapters could've easily been incorporated into the flow of the story as a memory or flashback.  I'm not a fan of skipping around time-wise in novels, but it was only twice, so I'll give that a pass.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book and look forward to more.  This one ended a bit abruptly, and potential readers be warned that Cassidy is still in hiding at the end of the book.  You're going to want to keep going, and I have the feeling you may want to read these in order.  I can't wait to read about the continuing relationship between Ty and Cassidy.  Good Book!

The Weaver's Daughter - Sarah E. Ladd

Kate is torn between two worlds.  Her brother works at a mill while her father is a weaver.  Loyalty is important to her father, and she doesn’t dare upset him.  He won’t allow Kate to have much say in the business, even though she feels like it will be hers one day.

Henry has come back from the war, and his homecoming isn’t quite what he was hoping for.  Arguments with his grandfather and an intriguing woman he can never have bring him down.  When tragedy strikes, the gap between them grows.  And it continues to grow as things in town get worse.

This is very North and South (Richard Armitage and Daniela Denby-ashe) meets Romeo and Juliet.  The warring families, the mill owners under attack – it all felt familiar to me.  Fortunately, it doesn’t end as tragically as Romeo and Juliet.

At the time of this review, I didn’t see this book linked to a series, but I hope to see more from this world.  I’d like to find out what happens to Charles or Mollie.  Even Frederica.  All in all, a good book that I enjoyed.  Now I’m off to watch North and South – it’s one of my favorites!

*I received a complimentary copy of this book from Thomas Nelson through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Gathering Shadows (Finding Sanctuary #1) - Nancy Mehl

This is the first book in a three-book series.  The other books are called Deadly Echoes and Rising Darkness.  This is the first book I have read by this author.

Wynter is using her job at the news station to investigate a lead in her brother's disappearance.  He's been gone for years, and her parents have accepted that he's dead.  Wynter refuses to believe it.  She sees him in her dreams, and he's calling for her to find him.

She ends up in the quiet town of Sanctuary, a place where people are suspicious of her and will do anything to keep their secrets safe.  Her photographer, Zac, suspects there's more to their visit to the town and ends up wanting to help her

The mayor, Reuben, makes her feel welcome.  Someone wants her to leave, and mysterious things keep happening.  She's hoping to find out if the young man from the picture is her brother, but she's not going to be able to figure it out on her own. 

I really enjoyed the relationship between Zac and Wynter, almost more than I did the romantic relationship that was supposed to be blooming between Wynter and Reuben.  Once they get past their initial dislike of each other, Zac isn't afraid to confront Wynter with the realities she needs to hear at times. I just liked the comfortable relationship they ended up having.

My eyes won't thank me tonight, but I read this in one day.  It was a great read and well worth it.  I'll definitely be on the lookout for the other two books in the series.  The main characters in the next book are introduced in this book, but in such a way that I believe these will be okay to read alone or out of order.  Even though I was disappointed not to see Zac as a main character in the other books, I'll hold out hope that he still shows up.  Fingers crossed!  Good Book!

The Pirate Bride (Daughters of the Mayflower #2) - Kathleen Y'Barbo

This is the second book in the Daughters of the Mayflower series.  It is made up of 6 books written by six different authors.  From what I saw, it will look like this:

The Mayflower Bride by Kimberley Woodhouse – set 1620 Atlantic Ocean (February 2018)

The Pirate Bride by Kathleen Y’Barbo – set 1725 New Orleans (April 2018)

The Captured Bride by Michelle Griep – set 1760 during the French and Indian War (June 2018)

The Patriot Bride by Kimberley Woodhouse – set 1774 Philadelphia (August 2018)?

The Cumberland Bride by Shannon McNear – set 1794 on the Wilderness Road (October 2018)

The Liberty Bride by MaryLu Tyndall – set 1814 Baltimore (December 2018)

Maribel is a 12-year-old girl who has been told her mother and grandfather are dead.  She’s now with her father on her way to Cuba to make a new life for herself.  On the way, their ship is overtaken by a privateer with a vendetta.  Maribel’s father was responsible for the death of Jean’s mother and brother.  After a fight, Maribel ends up on the privateer’s ship asking for a job.  The captain isn’t keen on the idea of having a child on his ship, but he finds out that Maribel can talk her way into anything.  Later, a battle at sea separates them, and they each have no idea if the other is alive or dead.

I had some issues with this book.  First, Maribel is 12 and Jean is 24 when they meet.  At that point, he compares her to his young sister.  He then describes how she’ll grow to be a great beauty.  I have a 13-year-old daughter, and if a 24-year-old man uttered “Oh, but those eyes,” I would want to do some serious damage to that man (to be clear, he doesn't say the words out loud, but he thinks them).  It reminded me of the first Pirates of the Caribbean movie where they show Norrington with Elizabeth on her crossing as a child, and she’s supposed to consider him as a suitor later.  Just creepy.  The age difference wouldn’t be as big of a deal if Maribel hadn’t been a child for about half the book and then continue to act like a child when she’s 23.

The way the romance pops up close to the end also bothered me.  Maribel and Jean don’t even meet back up until there was about 20% left in the book.  After that, there was the matter of Maribel being in danger to cope with and all the little mysteries get wrapped up in a very rushed way.

If less time had been spent on Maribel’s childhood and more time on Jean and Maribel toward the end, it might have worked better.  As it is, I’ve enjoyed this author in the past, but sadly this one is a major pass for me.

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

A Chance at Forever (Teaville Moral Society #3) - Melissa Jagears

This is the third book in the series.  First there's a novella, Engaging the Competition.  Then there's the first two novels, A Heart Most Certain and A Love So True.  For some reason I missed reading the second book.  Not sure what happened there.

Mercy might only have one arm, but she fought for her position on the school board.  When her childhood tormentor shows up trying to get a teaching position, she has to decide whether or not to reveal who he is.  She also works at the orphanage with her brother and sister-in-law, but she wonders if they're the right people for the job.

Aaron may be going by a different name, but Mercy sees right through him.  He's been trying to make amends for being a heartless bully, and Mercy was one of the people he was the most horrid to.  She agrees to keep his identity secret for now, but he still wants to earn her forgiveness.

There's a particularly trying young man at the orphanage, and though both of them try to get through to him, it's rough going.  Mercy and Aaron work together to earn his trust, but they don't make much headway.  There's more going on than meets the eye and finding out what's really going on will be dangerous.

While there's mention of the characters from the previous books, you can read these alone or out of order and not be lostl.  I liked the characters and enjoyed the book.  Forgiving a bully isn't easy, but I enjoyed reading Mercy's journey.  Good Book!

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