Claim (The Homeward Trilogy #3) - Lisa T. Bergren

I read book 2 of this series in February.  Both Moira and Dominic's stories are still unresolved in Sing, so I needed to read this one to finish out the series.  I read book 1, Breathe, before I started my blog.

The story this time is balanced between Moira and Dominic, called Nic.  To demonstrate the amount of balance, the book ends with Moira and the epilogue covers Nic.  Moira is having issues with Daniel and considers heading to New York for a taste of her former life and a possible connection with the parents of her unborn baby's father.  Daniel has unresolved issues from his past that interfere with his present and could destroy his future with Moira.

Nic isn't sure what he's in for when he agrees to mine with a stranger.  What he ends up with is being neighbors with a beautiful woman and a young boy to care for.  He just wanted to make something of himself before heading further west to visit with Odessa, but now he has a lot more to deal with.  It seems that circumstances are forcing him into a corner.  He has no desire to be a miner, but sees little choice considering the boy needs a future.

Sabine is an independent woman who had a very bad marriage.  Now that she's on her own. she'd like to keep it that way, but she can't ignore the feelings she has for Nic.  When they are faced with possibly selling their land to a mining company, they form an alliance and hope for the best deal.  When the company doesn't want to deal with Sabine fairly and the offer is refused, Nic and Sabine learn what lengths the mining company is willing to go to in order to get what they want.

While I enjoyed the book, I can't really stress enough that these need to be read in order. My main issue was that I had a significant gap between reading each of the books in this series.  While there are clues in there to refresh your memory, I still had times when I felt like I had totally missed something.  My recommendation is to collect all three and then read them as close together as possible.  It was a nice series and I was glad I read it. Good Book!

Trouble in Store - Carol Cox

After reading Love in Disguise, I was glad when I got the opportunity to read this new book by Carol Cox.

Melanie has lost her job as a governess and is hoping that she can get a job working in her cousin's mercantile in Arizona.  He died a while ago, but she's hoping that his partner will help her out.  Once she gets there, not only does she find that her cousin's partner is dead, there's a man there proclaiming that the store is solely his.  Melanie is sure that her cousin intended for her to own half the store and presses her case.  He's determined to get Melanie out of there, even if he has to come up with a plan on his own to try and marry her off.

Caleb has run the store since his uncle died.  He's moved away from the place of his wife's death and is hoping the store will support him and his son as the boy grows.  Melanie's presence is something of a tornado in his world.  She has plans to rearrange the whole store and pretty much tells him that he's running it wrong.

When problems start happening, the townspeople look at Caleb and Melanie and wonder if they have anything to do with the mysteries in the town.  I found their reasoning to be a little odd, since it didn't make any sense with the timeline of the deaths to blame them on Melanie and Caleb.

The story overall was a little fractured for me.  I didn't understand why Melanie didn't seem to have any curiosity about Caleb's wife.  Maybe it was mentioned and I missed it, but it seemed like she didn't have any questions whatsoever and I found that a bit odd.  Also their mutual omission of the problems plaguing the store.  The notes for instance.  Melanie confronts Caleb about the notes and then vows not to take his silence for an answer.  Yet, she doesn't really ask him about them later on.  There were a few moments like that where it seemed like I had missed something.

Overall, it was a good read.  I felt like there could have been more interaction between Caleb and Melanie to display their attraction.  They didn't seem to have much of a connection throughout the story.  It gets my Decent Book! review.

*I received a copy of this book from the publisher through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

The Lightkeeper's Bride (Mercy Falls #2) - Colleen Coble

I'd been watching for this book to drop in price for quite a while before I was able to pick it up for $3.99.  As I write this review, it's actually down to $3.03.  A good price for such a great book.  I've already reviewed the third book in the series, The Lightkeeper's Ball.  I read the first one in the series, The Lightkeeper's Daughter, quite a while ago before I had begun reviewing books online.

Katie is working for the telephone company, but her family wants better for her.  They are pushing her to accept the advances of Bart, who is in her social circle, but Katie isn't sure that she can fall in love with him even though her parents want her to.  When Katie overhears a conversation over the phone, what she hears gets her involved in a mystery that will turn her world upside down and put her life in danger.

Will is taking care of the lighthouse, but his passion lies with weather forecasting.  His brother is in town investigating piracy in the waters near the lighthouse.  When his brother asks for help, Will is so accustomed to bailing his brother out that it isn't hard for his brother to talk Will into questioning a woman his brother knew in the past.  Finding an abandoned baby isn't quite what he expected, but neither is Katie.

Katie is suspicious of Will at first, but his motives become clear through his actions.  I really liked Katie's character and the way she worked through her issues.  Her parentage is her main secret, but even she isn't fully aware of the extent of the secret.  The parentage of the baby is also in question, and even though both Katie and Will love the child, they aren't sure they will be able to figure out who her real father is.  Working to discover who's behind the acts of piracy throws them together and they come to care for each other.

As usual, Coble delivers a solid story full of romance and mystery.  It's a great book and a nice addition to the series.  The characters from the first book are there in a minimal sense and you can read these out of order with no issues.  I recommend this book.  Good Book!

Kindle Daily Deal - Tamera Alexander

Thought  I would give readers a heads-up that Tamera Alexander's novel, To Whisper Her Name is one of the Kindle Daily Deals on amazon and is on sale for $1.99.  Snatch is up now, while the price is right - it's a great book and this price won't last!

Link to my review of To Whisper Her Name.  I read it back in November.

Giveaway in honor of the release of A Bride for All Seasons - Robin Lee Hatcher

I got an email from Robin Lee Hatcher about the release of A Bride of All Seasons which is written by Robin Lee Hatcher, Margaret Brownley, Mary Connealy, and Debra Clopton.  It was just released on June 18 and the giveaway ends in 10 days.  Your prize is a $30 bookstore gift card (amazon,B&N, CBD, or iTunes).  There are four ways to enter: you can post on Facebook, pin it on Pinterest, subscribe to Robin Lee Hatcher's blog posts by email and/or write a review.  I didn't manage to enter all four ways, but I got two in there. Good Luck!

LINK to the entry form on Hatcher's website.

Showdown at Barncastle Inn (Celebrate Any Time Series) - Janelle Mowery

I came across this title while checking for any new freebies that would catch my eye.  Based on the price, I was expecting a novella, and I was right.  I believe this book is about 100 pages.  I've read a series by Janelle Mowery in the past, the Colorado Runaway series, and picked this up.

Kelsey is headed to Vermont to Barncastle Inn since her parents are renewing their vows.  She really doesn't want to be there since she has a very fractured relationship with her father.  She plans on doing her best to avoid him and just get through the week.  His betrayal has made her bitter and unforgiving even though everyone around her is trying to tell her that he's changed.

Nick grew up with Kelsey and has loved her for a long time.  The night before she left for college, their final conversation went wrong and they have lost touch.  Kelsey had no idea that Nick would be at Barncastle Inn as well, but quickly recovers and they mend their friendship.

The Old West is the theme at the Barncastle Inn and during their activities, Nick not only mends his friendship with Kelsey, but also encourages her to mend the relationship with her father.

I liked this quick, easy read.  This novella seems to be part of a series revolving around Barncastle Inn.  There is a collaboration book called Christmas at Barncastle Inn and is written by Susan Page Davis, Darlene Franklin, Janelle Mowery and Lynette Sowell.  To go along with it, it appears they have written these novellas as well, calling them the Celebrate Any Time Series.  Revolution at Barncastle Inn is Susan Page Davis's contribution.  Barncastle Memorial is the name of the novella by Darlene Franklin, and Spring Comes to Barncastle Inn is by Lynette Sowell.  I think I'll keep an eye out for these others, so if you have a few hours and want a good read, pick this up!  Good Book!

Jasmine (Song of the River #3) - Diane T. Ashley & Aaron McCarver

Jasmine is the third book in the Song of the River series.  I enjoyed Lily and Camellia and was anxious to read Jasmine.  This title will be available for purchase on July 1.

Jasmine is the youngest of the three sisters and is struggling with the fact that her sisters can’t seem to accept that she is a grown woman and not a child anymore.  She wants to become an actress and feels like her sisters are holding her back.

David is the boy who Lily and Blake saved back in book 1.  His biological family now gone, he feels like no one understands him and he feels alone.  He’s loved Jasmine for many years but doesn’t really believe that he could be good enough for her.  She treats him like an annoyance, which only reinforces his views that he will never have her heart.

This story is a classic case of “you don’t know what you’ve got until it’s gone.”  Jasmine wants to live the dream of being an actress without knowing the reality of what that life is really like.  When she gets the chance to find out, she neglects her relationship with God.  The story lines of all three sisters are wrapped up nicely and the happy ending that I love was present.

As I mentioned in my review of Camellia, this series is a continuous story surrounding the lives of Lily, Camellia and Jasmine.  While this book is mainly about Jasmine and David, there are enough interactions with the characters from the previous novels that I believe it is important to read them in order.  Diane T. Ashley and Aaron McCarver have also worked together on a Heartsong series called Truly Yours.  These books are available on amazon and are all under $5.  I look forward to reading more from these authors in the future.  Good Book!

*I received a copy of this book from the publisher through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.