Leather and Lace (Texas Legacy #1) - DiAnn Mills

I picked this one up a while back.  Never read this author before, but it looked like the type of book I normally enjoy reading and since I've been trying to get some books off my To Be Read list, this one was on the shorter side, so it was the next one read.

Casey has been running with the Jenkins gang for seven years.  It hasn't been her choice and she never wanted to hurt anyone.  The reason she's stayed is because of her brother, but she now has abandoned the idea that he will change and leave the gang so she plans her own escape.

Morgan has been tracking down the gang for a while now.  He wants to make each and every member of that gang pay, but he is especially after the leader, Davis Jenkins. When he sees that Casey has run away, he has plans to use her for bait to bring Jenkins out into the open.  Things don't go quite as planned and Morgan ends up injured.  Casey refuses to let him die and brings him to a doctor.  Morgan starts to wonder if there is more to her than a ruthless outlaw.

Casey is determined to start over.  She knows that there's a price on her head and now Jenkins is after her as well.  Fearing that she will be putting the Doc and Morgan in more danger, she heads out on her own.  Morgan and Casey know that something is growing between them, but Casey needs to put the past behind her before considering a relationship and Morgan needs to deal with his hatred.

I read the whole book, but I was never really invested in the characters.  I'm not sure what exactly it was about this book that turned me off, but a lot of the interactions didn't seem plausible to me.  Casey's journey around the south to find places to stay became tedious to me.  The rehashing of her feelings was repetitive as well.  I had the second book in the series, Lanterns and Lace, but removed it from my Kindle.  There is also another book, Lightning and Lace and also one called A Texas Legacy Christmas.  I don't think that the book was bad, I just think that it wasn't for me.  It's a pass for me.

Baroness (Daughters of Fortune #2) - Susan May Warren

A few weeks ago I finished book 1 of this series, Heiress.  I had already purchased this second book, but since Heiress had been a little darker than what I normally read, I decided to take a little break in between readings.

This book is the story of Rosie and Lilly.  We start out in Paris where the two girls are supposed to be doing things together and looking out for each other, but the plan goes awry and they both end up getting into trouble.  Lilly ends up trying to run away and Rosie betrays her trust.

Back in America, Lilly returns to find out that her mother, Esme, is dying.  Her stepfather, Oliver, tells Lilly that her dream of returning to Montana isn't a possibility.  She takes matters into her own hands and runs away, ending up joining a flying circus.  She thinks she belongs in the air and wants to be a wing walker.

Rosie wants to see her name in lights.  To accomplish that goal, she cozies up to a mob man that promises her a star role.  She also ends up being on his arm all the time.  A baseball player catches her eye, but she knows that she can't just run away from the mob man.

As with the last book, this one is pretty heavy on the reality.  Death, domestic abuse, manipulation: it's all in there.  The third book in the series, Duchess, was on my watch list, but I have removed it after a lot of thought.  I am a "happily ever after" person.  I need that happy ending at the end of books I read.  With these, I have to question whether or not it's a happy ending.  If I wanted to read more realistic stories, I would read more nonfiction.

The last book is about Rosie's story.  She was probably my least favorite character anyway.  I believe that it's important to read these in order.  There is enough back story retold in the second book to help you know what's going on, but the story is more complete having read the first book.

In closing, I want to clarify that this book was a good read.  The story was well written and the author talented.  I couldn't put it down.  It's just that personally I am a happy ending person.  I read for the happy endings, the stories where everything is wrapped in a neat little bow.  And yes, I realize that life is not like that - that's why it's called fiction.  Beside not being completely content at the end of the book, I will grant this book a Good Book! review because it really was well written.

Charity's Gold Rush - Cynthia Hickey

I have to admit something.  When I get overwhelmed with the number of books waiting to be read on my Kindle, I look at the length of the books.  I'll pick one that is on the shorter side so that I feel like I'll be catching up faster.  It's not sound reasoning, but it was the reason for my decision to read this book now.

Charity has been washing other people's clothing for a while and longs for love and a family.  When she accepts a marriage proposal from a stranger with the understanding that it is a temporary arrangement, she changes her plans to hunting for gold so that she won't be dependent on anyone ever again.

Gabriel's temporary lack of judgment has landed him in a bit of a mess.  He has a bet that if he doesn't have a fully functional house built by the spring, he will lose his land and everything he possesses.  Desperate to keep what he has, he needs a wife to keep track of his children while he hurries to finish the house.  As he works toward his goal, things begin to happen.  His cows are missing and seem to end up in the same spot all the time. Things escalate and people start to get hurt.

Charity quickly falls in love with Gabriel and decides that she needs to find gold to make herself seem vital to his home.  She tries her best to keep her husband safe, but his stubborn desire to make sure that his family is safe on his own aggravates her, and she just doesn't know what to do with him.  She's not the submissive wife that he used to have and that fact takes some getting used to.

This was a pretty good book.  There were a lot of typos and words that weren't really in the right order, but I was still able to read it and enjoy it.  I just wish someone has read through it before publishing it in that state.  According to what I could find, this is the first in a series called (Strike It Rich in Montana).  I couldn't find any evidence of others, but she has released a book this year that has nothing to do with the Montana series.  The author does have out some other books, mostly the $2.99 and under variety.  The other books she has published don't really look like something I would really read, so I'll give this one my Good Book! review and leave it at that.

Love's Stormy Gale - Lynette Sowell

This Heartsong book popped up for free.  I call these "diet" books, as I know that they will be a fairly quick read and something I can fall back on when I don't want something extremely heavy or thought-provoking.  That isn't to say that the writing is bad or the story simply thrown together, but more that I don't have to take notes to make sure I know what's going on and I can be assured of my happy ending.

Olivia left two years ago to flee from the memories and pain her hometown brings on. When her fiance, Robby, dies at sea, Olivia simply runs away.  Now that she's back, she's having to face her fears and learn to trust God with everything.  Olivia and her fiance had made up two of the Three Musketeers.  The third member, Jonathan, was the only survivor from that fateful night and she resents him for it somewhat.

Jonathan fights with his demons as well.  He has loved Olivia since before she got engaged to Robby and now that she's back, they have to get past the awkwardness.  He feels that he only brings back the memories that he should have died that night instead of Robby.  As they rebuild their friendship, Olivia comes to find out that things weren't the way they seemed.  She is determined to fight her feelings.  She refuses to fall in love with a fisherman again.

This was a good book and flowed well.  I had trouble putting it down.  It didn't follow the common method of people not knowing that they were falling in love.  Rather, they knew they were in love, but Olivia is scared to trust God to take care of things.  The lesson in this book is that no matter what you think, you are not in control.  When I looked up this author to see what else she had written, I found that she is a contributor in many of the compilation books and has written a few of these shorter Harlequin books.  If I saw something else up by her for free, I would certainly pick it up.  Good Book!

A Wedding Transpires on Mackinac Island - Cara C. Putnam

I picked up this book when the price dropped a while back.  I normally don't actively track books from this type of series, the all around America ones, but this one caught my eye.  I have visited Mackinac Island many times and wanted to reminisce about the island.

Alanna left the island eleven years ago after a tragedy affected her family.  Her brother was blamed for a horrible accident and she fled from the memories.  She also fled from the only man she really loved.  Her father's health has persuaded her to come back to the island to help run her parents' art gallery until they can return.  Coming back to the island is the last thing she wants to do.

Jonathan wondered why Alanna left all those years ago without any explanation or goodbye.  He thinks that he's moved on, but when she pops back up on the island, he questions his current relationship and his feelings for Alanna.

Alanna decides that she needs to put the past behind her and to do that she needs to find out what really happened the night of the horrible accident.  The more she digs into the mystery, the more bad things seem to happen.  When one of the residents of the island is murdered, Alanna comes under suspicion and her quest for the truth takes an ominous turn.  With Jonathan's help, can Alanna finally put the past to rest and clear her name?

I enjoyed the book.  It was a light read and had a good story.  It had the required happy ending and lots of little details from Mackinac Island that really brought back some memories.  I took a quick peek at the author's other books and saw that most of them are the Heartsong type and Romancing America.  I currently don't have any of her books on my watch list, but if I see one of hers pop up for free or greatly reduced, I would pick it up. Good Book!

Heiress (Daughters of Fortune #1) - Susan May Warren

I read Happily Ever After and thought it was a decent book.  When this book popped up for free, I decided it sounded like something I might read and picked it up.  I thought that I had read more from this author, but I think I confused her with someone else.  Regardless, the summary hooked me and I started reading.

This book follows the two daughters of August Price, the publisher of the New York Chronicle.  These two sisters are as different as they can be.  Esme wants to be a journalist and run her father's paper while Jinx wants to take her place in society.

Esme is being pushed to marry Foster Worth, a society man, but Esme has a secret.  She has been sending articles to her father's paper.  He has been publishing them, not knowing who has written them.  Esme's partner in crime, Oliver, has been by her side and supporting her efforts.  Esme is scared of what would happen should she reveal her secret, place her faith in God, and see what the future brings.  When she decides that she might be able to follow her heart, the option is taken away from her and she moves west to make a name for herself.

Jinx can't understand why Esme won't just cooperate and help secure the family's name. She wants to avoid a scandal.  Spending time with Foster, Jinx believes herself in love with him, and with her mother's help, Esme escapes and Jinx takes her place as Foster's bride. The issue is that once they are married, Foster isn't the man Jinx believed him to be and Jinx becomes lonely.  A chance encounter one night brings Bennett, Foster's brother, into her life and it will never be the same after that.

This book ended up being a lot heavier than I was expecting.  Abuse, neglect, lies, poverty, and death are all very present in this book and it ended up not being the light-hearted read that I am used to.  It was a well written book and I admit having issues putting it down.  I kept reading, waiting and watching for the happy ending.  When it came, it was a bittersweet ending, but the story doesn't end there.  Baroness is the second book in the series, following Esme's and Jinx's daughters.  Duchess just came out last month and it looks like a continuation of Baroness.  I'm not usually a fan of the series where you have to read all three to finish the story, and had I known that ahead of time, I most likely wouldn't have picked them up.  While the story of Esme and Jinx is pretty well finished at the end of Heiress, you have a sense that the story isn't over and look for that sequel.  I have Baroness, but I'm going to hold off reading it for a while and do some light reading in between.  Good Book!

The Mermaid in the Basement (Lady Trent Mysteries #1) - Gilbert Morris

I actually got this book from PaperbackSwap.  I saw it pop up on my recommendations and the title intrigued me.  Gilbert Morris is a big name in Christian fiction.  He has written many books, over 80 according to one article, but I had never given him a chance.  After reading the summary, I thought it might be worth giving it a chance and ordered it.

Serafina has a young son and a bad view on marriage. Her husband really ruined her and she vows to never trust a man or get married again.  When her brother is accused of murder, Serafina believes that he is innocent.  Even with overwhelming evidence, she pursues the truth.  A woman raised to believe only what she can prove with science and facts, this is a change for her.

Dylan became friends with Serafina's brother at the theater.  Her brother was pursuing a man-hating actress and when she is murdered, all fingers point to the brother.  Dylan and Serafina make an unlikely pair, but work well together to gather evidence and decide who to trust.  His devout faith pushes Serafina away at first, but after a while she is intrigued by the handsome man who seems willing to do anything to help her.

I actually liked this book.  If I sound surprised, I was somewhat.  I normally don't read other people's reviews too much when trying a new author, I don't like to be influenced. When I did read some of them, some people were complaining of historical inaccuracies and the book being too preachy.  I didn't catch the historical bits, but I did think that the amount of "preaching" in the book could be a little much for some.  I personally didn't have any issues with it.

I think the main thing to take away from this is that: 1. The book has nothing to do with a mermaid and 2. It also has nothing to do with a basement.  I was drawn to the idea that it might be an unusual and unique murder mystery, but it was pretty basic.  It took me a while to figure out who it was, but it was more about how to prove the brother's innocence. I have ordered the second book in the series, A Conspiracy of Ravens, from PBS and plan on reading it and donating it to the church library.  I still prefer the digital books for ease of reading and ability to highlight a word if I'm unsure what it means. There's also a third book in this series called Sonnet to a Dead Contessa.  I may end up ordering that one as well if I enjoy the second one as well.  Good Book!