Love by the Letter (An Unexpected Brides Novella) - Melissa Jagears

I saw this one pop up on the website where I check for free books.  I hadn't read anything by this author, but there was just something about the title that drew me in.  I also normally don't read novellas all that often, but again, this one sounded like it might end up being worth my time.

Dex has always had eyes for the smartest woman in town.  He's getting ready to leave for Kansas, but he needs a woman to help him.  His first choice is Rachel, but he's hidden the fact that he can't read and write.  He's written for a mail-order bride and the woman made it clear that his attempts were lacking.  With only days left before he leaves, he appeals to the one person he feels can help him: Rachel.

Rachel doesn't realize that Dex has held a torch for her all these years.  She figures his attempts to avoid her were based on the fact that he didn't think of her at all.  When she comes to the decision to put it all on the line, she risks her future happiness on his reactions.

This novella was a cute, easy read.  I really enjoyed it and was a little curious as to why it seemed to be reaching the end when I was at about 65%.  The reason being that the novella ends and the teaser for the author's first novel begins.  The first book in the series is called A Bride for Keeps and comes out the first of October.  It was an easy enough decision for me to place it on my wish list and hope for the best.  This novella is FREE and you've got nothing to lose.  I recommend it.  Good Novella!

A Hopeful Heart (Heart of the Prairie #5) - Kim Vogel Sawyer

In the past, I have read four of the other books in this series: Waiting for Summer's Return, A Promise for Spring, Courting Miss Amsel and Song of My Heart.  Some of this series hasn't quite been up my alley, but overall I've been enjoying the ones I've read.

Tressa has been sent to Aunt Hattie's school to have a second chance at a life.  With no dowry back east, she has little chance of getting married.  At Aunt Hattie's school, she will learn how to be a helpful wife to a Kansas rancher.  She's trying to hide her background so the other girls will accept her, but instead she seems standoffish and the other girls don't warm up to her quickly.

Abel has enough issues trying to keep his ranch.  Cows are disappearing and he's not sure he'll make it through the year.  He's been burned by a woman used to high living in the past and has no desire to go down that path again.  Even though he is drawn to Tressa, he is determined to fight against it once he figures out she's a learned woman from the east.

Overall, I liked this book.  The story was unusual regarding Hattie's school and I found her to be a lovable character.  It flowed well and was an easy read.  This series is great in that you can pick and choose which books you want to read and you don't miss anything. Most of them aren't related in any way.  Good Book!

 

On sale September 8 - books by Amanda Cabot and Maggie Brendan

I noticed that Summer of Promise, book 1 of the Westward Winds series by Amanda Cabot is up for free today.  I've been tracking the second book in this series, Waiting for Spring, for quite a while.  The third book, With Autumn's Return, is due out January 2014.  I'll be waiting for that one to drop as well.  This particular book has been up for free before, but if you've missed it in the past, I recommend you go ahead and pick it up.  What have you got to lose?

You can pick it up at amazon by clicking HERE.

Also, from September 8-10, Maggie Brendan's first book in her Blue Willow Brides series, Deeply Devoted, is on sale for $2.99.  I enjoyed that first book and have been waiting patiently for the second one, Twice Promised, to drop in price.  October 1, the third book will be released, Perfectly Matched.  Great author.  If you haven't read anything by her, this is a great opportunity to give her a chance.

You can pick that one up at amazon by clicking HERE.

The River of Time - Lisa Bergren

It's been about two years since I read the River of Time series.  Waterfall, Cascade and Torrent were such good books that I just had to pick them up.  I even paid more than my usual limit for two of them.  They also left me wanting more.  Fortunately, the author continued the story with two novellas, Bourne and Tributary.  These two novellas together are currently $3.99 and I've picked them up.  From the way it's listed on amazon, I'm not sure if this is the new price, but in the past it was $5.99.

If you haven't gotten into the story, Waterfall is currently FREE at amazon.  Cascade and Torrent are also at a reduced price of $3.99.  These may have been classified as YA books, but I really enjoy them and look forward to reading more of the characters I came to love reading about!  I highly recommend this series, but will warn you that it's the type of series where you need to read the whole thing.  I think it's worth it!

To pick up Bourne & Tributary, click HERE.
To check out Waterfall, book 1 of the series, click HERE.

Rescue Team (Grace Medical #2) - Candace Calvert

This one has been on my Kindle for a while.  I'm not sure why I hadn't read it yet, but I have so many books on my Kindle that it's been difficult to choose what books to read and so some things get pushed aside.  I enjoyed the first book in this series, Trauma Plan, and was glad to be able to pick this one up for $2.99.

Kate has stepped into the position of a much loved, but missing, ER director.  The woman seemed to be perfect, and by comparison, it is obvious to Kate that the staff thinks she's not.  When a young, desperate mother leaves a dead baby in the bathroom, it causes Kate to relive bad memories but also has the potential to hurt the hospital.

Wes has made it his goal to rescue as many people as possible.  He was abandoned in the woods when his mother drove her car into the water and drowned.  At first, he thinks Kate's prickly and unapproachable, but he soon realizes that there is much more to her than meets the eye.  When he gets close to her, he wants to know more, but Kate's secret could ruin their chances.

I felt like this book started a little slow, but it really picked up in the second half.  The story line was interesting and I look forward to the next book, Life Support, which comes out next March and tells Lauren's story.  She's Kate's best friend in this book and we get a little of her back story, but you can read these out of order and don't feel like you're missing something.  This is a prime example of my favorite kind of series - you can read them out of order and not miss anything, but there are threads of connection that reward the reader if you actually have read them.  Good Book!

September Deals

I was looking into what kind of deals amazon has up this month and wanted to share a couple:

Fearless
by Max Lucado
$2.99

I really enjoyed this book.  A link to my review of it is HERE.

Letter Perfect
by Cathy Marie Hake is $2.99 until the 14th of this month

I normally like this author's books.  My review of Letter Perfect gets into more depth on the story.

Some of this author's other books are $3.99 at present as well.  The titles I saw included Fancy Pants, Forevermore, Whirlwind and Serendipity (links go to my reviews).  I don't know how long they are on sale, so pick up the deals while you can!

With Every Letter (Wings of the Nightingale #1) - Sarah Sundin

Ever since I came across this author, I know that her books are something to look forward to.  I've had this one on my Kindle for some time, because I knew that once I started it, I wouldn't want to put it down.  Now that the kids are back in school, I was ready to dive into this book.  I've read her first series, Wings of Glory, in the past and really enjoyed them. That series included A Distant Melody, A Memory Between Us, and Blue Skies Tomorrow.

In this series, we're learning about the flight nurses in WWII.  Mellie is an outcast that has never learned how to make friends.  When she is convinced to join in a letter writing exchange, Mellie gets to be herself without having to worry about the man on the other end judging her by her looks or her awkwardness.  Mellie doesn't fit in with the other nurses and it puts her place on the squad in jeopardy.

Tom has been judged his entire life by the actions of his father.  His father was executed for murdering two people and there's even a children's rhyme that immortalizes the fact. To compensate for his father's past, Tom, an engineer, doesn't lead his men, he bribes them with rewards for getting their work done.  His leadership skills are coming into question because of his constant need to convince everyone that he is not his father.  He enjoys writing Mellie anonymously because he can be himself and not be judged.

A chance encounter causes Mellie to figure out who Tom is and she holds that information to herself.  She believes that if she tells him who she really is, he will reject her and he won't be able to be as open as he is in his letters.  As Tom struggles with his feeling between letter-Mellie and the real Mellie, he pushes to meet the letter writer and take his chances.  Mellie resists.

As with her other books, the author has obviously done her homework.  It is evident in the amount of detail you read in the scenes.  If you've read my review of A Distant Melody, you'll know that I am really interested in WWII history because of my grandfather.  I have to say that I was happy to see an honorable mention of the B-26 in the book, the plane my grandfather piloted, even though his service was a little later in the war than when this book is set.  I almost give myself eye strain reading Sundin's books.  There's a great balance of history and romance and I highly recommend them.  The second book in this series came out on August 1 and is called On Distant Shores.  It tells the story of Georgiana and I anxiously await a price drop! Remember to read these in order for the best read.  Great Book!