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.

Stranger Things - Erin Healy

When this popped up in the donations for the church library, I was interested.  I'd read a bit of this author in the past, but it was a few of the books she wrote with Ted Dekker.  I wasn't as fond of those as I was when I read Dekker alone, so I wanted to read one of Erin Healy's books to see if I liked her better on her own.

Serena's life comes crashing down one day when she's accused of sexual misconduct with one of her students.  She tries to get away from the accusations only to end up witnessing a shooting.  After that, she ends up involved with human trafficking and there doesn't seem to be a way out.

This book does a good job connecting you to the characters, which is good and bad at the same time.  Getting connected to a character who ends up murdered was sad, but it wasn't as tough as reading the parts about the abused women.  Those were just rough.

While I would consider this a page-turner, it was a relief when I finished it.  The older I get, the more invested I seem to get in my fiction.  I understand that it's not real, but knowing the trafficking is a real problem colors my view of the book as a whole.  It had a "happy" ending, but this kind of story was so hard to read.

Healy has great style, and I appreciated the depth to the characters.  It was a well-written book, just not one I enjoyed.

Raven's Gate (The Gatekeepers #1) - Anthony Horowitz

Matt has been in trouble for years.  Up till now, it's been petty stuff, but one night changes everything.  Now, his aunt doesn't want him, so his options are jail or a new program called LEAF.  Matt decides to try LEAF, but little does he realize that the woman taking him in has chosen him and has plans for him.  Matt doesn't know what those plans are, but one thing he knows for sure: they're not good.  Anyone who tries to interfere with Mrs. Deverill's plans or help Matt ends up dead.

This one left me feeling...uncomfortable.  The black magic, the Lord's Prayer backwards, the upside-down cross - all these things made me cringe, but the main issue I had with it is that evil seems to have the upper hand for almost the entire book.  There never seems to be a victory for the good guys, and if there is one, it's a hollow victory that is soon taken back by evil.  Also, a fair number of people die in this book, all in horrible ways.  The descriptions of those deaths aren't what I would call graphic, they were more...grisly.

You're led into the next book, but this is a complete story.  Amazon has Raven's Gate listed as grades 5-8 (the book has ages 10+ on it), and I have to disagree on that.  I think it would be more appropriate for older kids, I'd say 15+.  Maybe it's the prude in me, but even though I made it to the end, I don't feel the need to go farther.  I've read books in the past where evil is conquered, but this was too dark for me.

The Sea Before Us (Sunrise at Normandy #1) - Sarah Sundin

This is the first book in a new series about three brothers: one in the Navy, one in the Army Air Corp and one a Ranger.  This first book is about Wyatt, who is part of the Navy.

Dorothy is part of the Women’s Royal Naval Service, helping prepare for D-day.  Her childhood crush walks back into her life, and she’s determined to be the woman she knows he wants.  Even though she’ll have to change just about everything about herself to be that person, she’s determined to do what it takes to win his affections.

Wyatt is an American on the run, from his past and his mistakes.  After a tragic accident, he disappeared from his family’s life and took his brother’s college money with him.  Feeling like he’ll never be forgiven, he throws himself into his work.  When he meets Dorothy, she convinces him that he should reach out to his family.

Both characters are dealing with home troubles.  Wyatt refuses to contact his family until he’s collected enough money to repay his brother, and Dorothy is worried about her father, even though the man doesn’t seem to notice, or appreciate, her presence.  Wyatt is truthful about his past and becomes a friend to Dorothy and her father, but Wyatt is attracted to her.  Unfortunately, she’s only got eyes for that childhood crush.

As usual, Sundin seamlessly adds well-researched details to an engaging story.  I read this in two days, it was so enjoyable.  And I have to say, I always love when there’s a shout out to the B-26 Marauder.  My grandfather flew one of those, and it seems to be an overlooked aircraft in most WWII novels I read.

On the horizon (literally), Adler’s story will be told in The Sky Above Us in 2019.  Then, Clay’s follows in The Land Beneath Us in 2020.  I can’t wait!  Great Book!

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

Keturah (Sugar Baron's Daughters #1) - Lisa T. Bergren

Keturah is a broken woman.  After her failed marriage to her abusive husband, she’s vowed never to be under the control of a man ever again.  She’s decided to travel from England to Nevis to turn around the family’s sugar cane plantation.  Her two sisters make the decision to travel with her, and they leave their old lives behind.

Once they arrive at Nevis, things are much harder than Ket anticipated.  She’s been offered help from her childhood friend, Gray, but she’s reluctant to let any man have any control in her life.  She’s also made an unexpected discovery at the plantation, and she doesn’t have enough slaves or even a foreman.

This book was a bit of a roller coaster for me.  It’s definitely a journey of healing for Keturah, but there’s some hard moments in there.  The treatment of the slaves and abuse of them, while accurate to the time period, are hard to read.  Also, there’s recollections of the abuse Ketrah suffered at the hands of her husband and some of the things the sisters have to deal with as females trying to run their own plantation can be troubling.  There’s beatings and attempted rape.  Just something to be aware of if those things bother you.

Overall, I enjoyed the book, but I had a problem with the pacing.  For the first third of the book, I was reading about Keturah’s journey on board the ship.  It just seemed like she’d never get off the ship.  The thing that redeems it for me is the characters.  I want to find out what happens to Verity and Selah, Keturah’s sisters.  I want to read more of this family and look forward to the next book.  Good Book!

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

The View from Rainshadow Bay (Lavender Tides #1) - Colleen Coble

This is the first in a new series.

Shauna lost her husband a year ago and is trying to put her life back together.  She wants nothing to do with Zach, the man she blames for her husband’s death.  Her young son needs a father figure for an upcoming nature hike, and as much as she hates the idea, she breaks down and asks Zach for help.

Zach lives with the guilt of what he’s done, but he’s also had to grieve alone.  When Shauna asks him for help, he readily agrees, hoping it will lead to a renewal of their friendship.  After a mutual friend is murdered, Zach fears for Shauna’s safety and asks her to move in with him for safety.  As the danger increases, Zach fears he won’t be able to keep Shauna and her son safe.

This was a good book, with plenty of little twists and turns in there.  I liked the characters, and the story line was interesting.  I didn’t enjoy it as much as some of Coble’s other works that I’ve read recently, but I can’t quite pinpoint why.  I was able to put this one down and I wasn’t anxious to get back to it.  Don’t get me wrong, I liked it a lot, it just wasn’t 5 stars to me.

I have a feeling the rest of the series may have something to do with Shauna’s long-lost siblings.  If it doesn’t, it will be somewhat disappointing, since I’m curious to know what happened to them.  I look forward to the next one.  Good Book!

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