Smitten Book Club

Smitten Book Club

Colleen Coble, Kristin Billerbeck, Diann Hunt & Denise Hunter

Four book club friends join together to find a treasure after discovering clues in an old book written by a town citizen from long ago. The book appears to be about how to get and keep a man. But it is filled with clues about a gold treasure. Each woman reads the book to find more clues, but ends up falling in love as well.

While technically four novellas, the story flows well enough that it felt like one novel written from four different points of view. The authors did a great job of making the transitions seamless and the characters true to form in each story. I enjoyed the romance, tiny bit of suspense, and history about the town. It was a fun read, and made me want to go back and catch the Smitten book I'd somehow missed reading.

I received this book free of charge from Booklook Bloggers in exchange for my honest review.

A December Bride

A December Bride

Denise Hunter

Layla desperately needs a date to her cousin and ex-fiance's wedding. But her ex-fiance's friend, Seth, isn't exactly who she had in mind. At the wedding some things are said and Seth and Layla find themselves accidentally engaged. When Layla realizes it will help her business she begs Seth to let the engagement stand for just a few days. But days can turn into weeks.

The author did a great job of making the story seem whole, even though it's a novella. The characters are fun and likeable. The story was charming and Christmasy. If you haven't read anything by this author, check out this little novella and get a taste for her sweet romantic stories. One thing that was left out of this story that is prevalent in the author's other books is the Christian element. I didn't really feel like I was reading a Christian fiction. Everything was clean, but their faith was left out of the story. Still a great story and when writing a romantic novella, only so much can be put in before the books becomes full length. 

I received this book free of charge from Booksneeze in exchange for my honest review.

Dear Mr. Knightley

Dear Mr. Knightley

Katherine Reay

Sam, a foster child, has been in the system for years. Before she entered the system, she lived with her abusive and dysfunctional family. As a result, she has retreated into the classics. She can't seem to figure out how to relate to the world, so she uses quotes from books to portray how she feels. Her strange and aloof behavior alienate any potential friends and eventuate the loss of her job. Her mentor at the foster home tells her about a grant to further her education. The only requirement is that she write anonymous letters to the benefactor. And this begins her journey into the real world.

The author used Daddy Long Legs as her muse for this book. Since I've read DLL, I knew what was going to happen. But somehow this didn't lessen my enjoyment. I've read all of the negative reviews for this book. And while I could probably agree with a lot of what they say, somehow that didn't matter with this book. I loved it. I loved the throw back to an old childhood favorite. I'm a huge Jane Austen fan so I loved the quotes thrown around throughout the book. I'm a runner, so that part resonated with me. The story has light, unbelievable parts and deep, heart wrenching bits. This is a book that will keep bouncing around in my head for quite some time. It's romantic, convicting, heartwarming, dramatic, and full of fantasy. It has everything and somehow it touched me. I can't wait to see what this author comes up with next.

I received this book free of charge from Booksneeze in exchange for my honest review.

Stones for Bread

Stones for Bread

Christa Parrish

Liesl owns a bread shop in a small town in Vermont. She, along with her eclectic crew, make bread and soup every day for the restaurant. Liesl gets her passion for bread from her mother who passed away when she was a young girl. But before she died, she passed on her knowledge and a starter that had been passed down for generations. Liesl feels safe in her cozy little bakery kneading bread. But life butts in and rearranges everything she thought she knew. Liesl must put the pieces back together and decide if she has room for faith and love.

The story was such a mixed bag for me. The writing was wholesome and filling. But at the same time it was dry in sections. The author wove theology, bread history, and recipes amongst the story and it really felt disjointed to me. I enjoyed the romance and the life lessons woven throughout the story, but I never felt a connection to any of the characters. I really had to work hard to get through the story. It's a different style of writing that will definitely appeal to some readers. Unfortunately though, I wasn't one of them.

I received this book free of charge from Booksneeze in exchange for my honest review.

Beloved

Beloved

Where the Heart Lives

Robin Lee Hatcher

Diana's life has been a strange mix of ups and downs. She was orphaned at six years old and sent on the orphan train. Loving parents adopted her and gave her a new life. While still a teenager Diana fell in love with Tyson Applegate, the son of a very wealthy and influential man. But it isn't long before Diana finds out that Tyson married her to make his father angry and gain control of his inheritance. She is soon abandoned as Tyson leaves with no intention of returning. Years later, thinking he is dead, she agrees to marry another man. Tyson shows up at her engagement party wanting to reconcile. Diana isn't really ready to give Tyson another chance, but finds herself with very little choices.

I really enjoyed this book. The author did a great job of telling a love story and weaving God's love for us throughout. There were romantic, suspenseful, and spiritual aspects to this book. The humorous elements were a bonus. It all added up to make a very enjoyable read. I will definitely be checking out other books by this author.

I received this book free of charge from Booksneeze in exchange for my honest review.

Snow on the Tulips

Snow on the Tulips

Liz Tolsma

The Nazis are trampling through the Netherlands and  Cornelia is trying to survive until they leave. She has already been dealt a tragic blow and just wants to coast until the war is over. But one night she hears a firing squad and her brother shows up at her door with a severely wounded man. She's already hiding her brother Johan. She can't hide Gerrit or she runs the risk of dying. Can she find the courage to hide two men and lie to the Nazis.

I was a little skeptical when I picked up this book. It takes a special talent to write about such a dark time in history, without the book being dark and depressing itself. But Tolsma accomplished this wonderfully. There were definitely some dark parts, it was a war story after all. But the theme of hope and survival seemed to overshadow this for me. The story is part love story, and part drama. But it's also a story of faith and redemption.

I received this book free of charge from Booksneeze in exchange for my honest review.

A Bride for All Seasons

A Bride for All Seasons

The Mail Order Bride Collection

Margaret Brownley, Robin Lee Hatcher, Mary Connealy, and Debra Clopton 

 Four different brides from four different places and walks in life all answer an ad in the newspaper to become a mail order bride. But the letters must be mailed to the newspaper and then sent on to the prospective groom. And an interfering newspaper editor decides to take love into his own hands and change just a few things. So each bride and groom meet each other with a calamity of misunderstanding and confusion. 

When dealing with novellas I take into consideration that the stories are short and thus don't have much time to create an engaging plot and wrap things up. That being said, I enjoyed this book. The stories were funny and sweet. While I could have cheerfully strangled the newspaper man, the stories all ended with love and there were some very amusing parts. While I definitely had my favorite among the four, I enjoyed all of them.

I received this book free of charge from Booksneeze in exchange for my honest review.

Barefoot Summer

Barefoot Summer

Dennis Hunter

Years ago tragedy stuck the small town that Madison and Beckett lived in. Madison lost her twin brother and Beckett feels responsible.  Madison bottled up her feeling and it is now affecting her sleep and her job as a veterinarian. She hopes winning the sailing regatta, her brother's dream, will help her heal. But she needs Beckett, or she'll never reach her goal. Can Madison, with her grief, and Beckett, with his tainted past reach a compromise or is their relationship set up for failure?

The characters were fun and realistic. The author did a great job of making the situations heartwarming and sincere. While there were a couple of places that felt contrived, for the most part this was a enjoyable and romantic story. The drama was perfect for the plot and the romance was sweet. The Christian elements were written thoughtfully and were well placed. It didn't feel preachy or overdone. I really enjoyed this story and look forward to the next book in the series.

I received this book free of charge from Booksneeze in exchange for my honest review.

Once Upon A Prince

Once Upon A Prince

Rachel Hauck

When Susanna's fiance breaks up with her after years of dating and planning she realizes her plan for the future is not only going to fail, it doesn't even come close to reality. She meets Nate after a particularly bad day that includes a flat tire. She doesn't realize he's a prince, he doesn't realize he'll fall in love. It's the classic rich prince and poor girl next door story.

I was really looking forward to this story. The plot is a perfect set up for romantic story. But it somehow fell a tiny bit flat for me. I enjoyed it. What romance lover wouldn't. But I didn't love it. The main female character was a bit whiny and her lack of trust was frustrating. The male character was a defeatist. The ending was cheesy and predictable. But for some reason, perhaps it was the romantic aspects, I still enjoyed the story. I will check out some more books by this author in hopes that the story lines are more romantic and the characters more likeable.

I received this book free of charge from Booksneeze in exchange for my honest review.

Waiting for Morning

Waiting for Morning

The Brides of Last Chance Ranch Book 2

Margaret Brownley

Molly feels responsible for her brother's spinal injury and will do anything to keep him safe and provided for. She accepts a position as an heiress to a cattle ranch in hopes that it provides some security in their lives and gives them the home they've always wanted.

I've read the previous book in this series (see review) and enjoyed the premise so much that I thought I'd try this one as well. It didn't disappoint. The characters are still fun and enjoyable. The plot is a great one and leads to some hilarious situations. My favorite character was the doctor and the stories of his practice. I wouldn't mind a spin off with the doctor and his wife after their marriage.

I am definitely looking forward to the next book in the series.

I received this book free of charge from Booksneeze in exchange for my honest review.

An Amish Kitchen

An Amish Kitchen

Beth Wiseman

Kelly Long

Amy Clipston

Three stories set in a close-knit Amish community. All three stories center around love and the heart of the home, the kitchen.

Story 1 - Fern heals with herbs, but doesn't have a remedy for the love she longs to share with a husband. But when a handsome man knocks on her door needing help she isn't quite sure what to do.

Story 2 - Hannah runs a bed and breakfast for her parents. A lifelong crush has recently shown an interest in her, but a tenant holds more appeal. Will she be able to choose wisely?

Story 3 - Eve's home is being repaired after a storm. Moving back in with her parents after years of marriage isn't exactly a picnic. But copying down her mother's recipes brings them closer than she had ever experienced.

All three stories were sweet and heartwarming. They all tie together in a very small way, but all three can stand alone. Several reviews mentioned predictable plots. Yes, like most novellas, the plot was easy to predict. But the stories were short and were nice to read in one sitting. There wasn't a lot of drama or conflict, just a small amount that goes into any typical novella.

At the end of the book there are discussion questions for each story, natural herbal remedies, and 45 Amish recipes from the stories.

I received this book free of charge from Booksneeze in exchange for my honest review.

Every Perfect Gift

Every Perfect Gift

A Hickory Ridge Romance

Dorothy Love

Sophie returns to Hickory Ridge to resurrect the old newspaper. But her previous stay in Hickory Ridge was spent in the local orphanage. Unsure of her parentage and her reception from the citizens is cause for stress in this historical novel.

I somehow completely missed that this book was part of a trilogy until I was almost finished reading. Earlier this year I read the second book and didn't care for it. So I'm thankful that I didn't remember that or might have gone into this book with a bit of a bias. Other than some confusion at times with feeling like I was missing pieces of the story, I enjoyed this book. The characters were fun and this book seemed to wrap everyone's stories up well. The history that was brought into the story helped too.  Since I didn't read the first book and it has been almost a year since reading the second I might have missed a few things, but as a stand alone book I still enjoyed it.

I received this book free of charge from Booksneeze in exchange for my honest review.

Starring Me

Starring Me

Krista McGee

Kara has always wanted to act. She's been in a few plays and on one reality show, but when the opportunity to have her own show comes up she jumps at the chance.

She will be co-hosting with an unknown celebrity and the auditions are for an entire month.

Her friends are Christian and she arrives at the audition home to find the home mother is also Christian. It almost feels like God is chasing her.

I'd already reviewed the first book in this series so I wanted to check this one out as well. I think I like this one even better. It's definitely a book geared towards teens, but is still entertaining and fun for adults. The Christian message, particularly the message of salvation, are very prominent in this book. This is something that I appreciated, but I can see secular readers not liking it. 

Definitely a book I would let my daughter read.

I received this book free of charge from Booksneeze in exchange for my honest review.

The Trouble with Cowboys

The Trouble with Cowboys

A Big Sky Romance

Denise Hunter

Annie has been burned by cowboys in her past. So she refuses to fall in love with one. But Dylan needs her help with his horse and she needs the money. It should be easy to do the job and leave without becoming involved with the cowboy. But taking care of her sister and nephew adds complications to the story and before she knows it, Annie is fighting her attraction to a cowboy named Dylan.

I really enjoyed this story. It had elements of drama, romance and comedy. The characters were real and the believable. I've read one of the other books in the Big Sky Romance series and this one is the better of the two. I will definitely be going back to read the book that I missed.

I received this book free of charge from Booksneeze in exchange for my honest review.

Prayers of a Stranger

Prayers of a Stranger

A Christmas Journey

Davis Bunn

Amanda is suffering after the loss of her child. When a neighbor offers her the opportunity to travel to Israel, her husband urges her to accept. The trip opens her eyes to things she'd been missing for a very long time. She learns that sometimes stepping out of our own grief to answer the prayer of another grieving person is just the thing we need to begin our own healing.

The story is set around Christmas time. But it can be read any time of the year, because it is a story about forgiveness, healing, and unselfish giving. Simply and beautifully written in a way that captures your heart. I really enjoyed this book even though some of the subject matter was a bit heavy. I will definitely be keeping my eyes out for more of his books.

I received this book free of charge from Booksneeze in exchange for my honest review.

This Scarlet Cord

This Scarlet Cord

The Love Story of Rahab

Joan Wolf

Rahab meets Sala, an Israelite boy when she is a young girl. But their families don’t intermingle and she is soon in Jericho while her father tries to find her the perfect husband. Perfect to her father means wealthy and important. But perfect to Rahab means someone she can relate to and who loves her. But that isn’t looking likely; especially when she is noticed by the king.

In the notes by the author she mentions her intrigue with the story and how it came about. She created a story around why Rahab was a believer and how she came to be part of Christ’s lineage.

I think she did a beautiful job. The story flows well and while plot driven, also engaged me with it’s well defined characters. It was a beautifully written historical fiction.

I received this book free of charge from Booksneeze in exchange for my honest review.

The Covenant Child

The Covenant Child

Terri Blackstock

This book was difficult to write a review for. I finished the book several days ago and just can’t seem to put my thoughts into words.

The story is about a woman who marries the man of her dreams. He has twin daughters and she falls in love with them too. But months after the marriage the man dies and her daughters are ripped from her arms to live with their grandparents who didn’t acknowledge them before the death of the wealthy father. Fifteen years later the girls are old enough to inherit their father’s fortune. But they don’t remember their step-mother and are suspicious of why she wants to give them a fortune with no strings attached.

The story was beautiful. I enjoy Teri Blackstock’s writing so I enjoyed the story. My only problem was separating the story from the allegory. The story was obviously an allegory of the plan of salvation and I think I would have enjoyed the story more if it was one or the other.  My thinking about how each part fit into the allegory disturbed the flow of the story for me. Since I also knew what would happen I read the story differently than I would had I been anticipating the end or climax of the story. While I really enjoyed this story, I don’t think it’s one I’ll re-read.

It is a book club (or study) book complete with an interview with the author and discussion questions at the end.

I received this book free of charge from Booksneeze in exchange for my honest review.

Brush of Angel's Wings

Brush of Angel's Wings

A heaven On Earth Novel

Ruth Reid

Rachel has accepted the fact that she is just too strange to ever find a husband. She's going to ask the bishop if she can teach school.

Jordan's mother is dead. Her last request was that he return to her Amish home that she left when she was shunned. He agrees to her request, but has no plans to become Amish. But despite his reservations he's intrigued with Rachel. She's different.

This story was sweet and romantic. It showcased the Amish lifestyle well. I enjoyed reading it, for the most part, and it flowed smoothly. One of my complaints, if you can call it that, would be the angel dialogues. I'm not sure why, but those made me dislike the story. Writers are allowed creative license when writing fiction. But I think the fact that it was not really based on the Bible was a bit disturbing to me. Most readers will probably not find this a problem, but I certainly did. It definitely hindered my loving the book. It also seemed to have a bit of negativity towards anyone not Amish. It was very slight, but I noticed it and was a bit surprised. It would seem that the author would try not to be negative towards her target audience.

All in all, it was a good book, I just didn't love it.

I received this book free of charge from Booksneeze in exchange for my honest review.

Dawn Comes Early

Dawn Comes Early
The Brides of Last Chance Ranch Book 1

Margaret Brownley

Kate is a dime novelist and has written something too racy for the the Boston community to handle. So she flees her hometown in disgrace. She sees an ad advertising for a young unmarried woman to become an heiress to a cattle ranch. She sees this as the perfect opportunity and heads to Arizona. The small catch is that she has no ranch experience and she must remain unmarried for the rest of her life in order to inherit the ranch.

The book started out a bit slow in the beginning, but picked up towards the middle. I really enjoyed the ranch hands that Kate worked with each day. They, and the aunts, were my favorite characters. I had to laugh several times at the predicaments that Luke's aunts kept getting themselves into. The story flowed well for the most part and was a sweet romance. It did seem a little light on the Christian aspect and the romance seemed a bit sparse. But the descriptions of the country and character depth of most of the characters made up for this. I look forward to seeing what the author does with the series.

I received this book free of charge from Booksneeze in exchange for my honest review.

Beauty for Ashes

Beauty for Ashes

Dorothy Love

Carrie is a widow with an understanding between her and the local bookseller. When she's ready to marry him she'll set a date. She's been living with her brother since her husband died. The book begins with her brother getting married and a new man coming to town.

I had a hard time getting into this book. It felt like I had read it before. I could predict how the issues with her brother were going to work out, I knew which man she would choose and what would happen to the other one. I could even see what was going to happen during the horse race. It was so like some other books that I've already read that I had to check to see if it was really a new release.

It wasn't a bad book. It was just a bland story. It's the second in the series and if you haven't read the first book, it can get a little confusing. I liked Carrie, but was frustrated with other people in the plot. Both of the men in the story seemed weak and cowardly, I wanted her to get rid of her family and some of the women were annoying. My favorite character was the preacher's wife; probably not the character I was supposed to like the most.

This is the type of book I would recommend if you enjoy historical fiction and want a quick, easy read. It won't inspire you or make you run for the next book, but it will be a pleasant read.

I received this book free of charge from BookSneeze in exchange for my honest review.