Clarissa's Conflict

My Heart Belongs in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania

Clarissa's Conflict

Murray Pura

Clarissa lives the life of a respectable daughter in historical Gettysburg. But at night she helps lead people through a section of the underground railroad. During her travels she meets a man named Liberty who wears a hood to conceal his identity. During the day she courts the attention of a scholar named Kyle that her parents approve of for their only child. 

I was so excited to get this book to review. I love reading historical fiction, especially stories about the underground railroad. I've really enjoyed the other books in this series. The story was well written, flowed well, and really highlighted some of the intense moments during that time period. The heroine though was enough to make me want to quit reading. She was spoiled, way too forward for the time period, and hateful. The seemingly two sides of her personality didn't mesh well at all. She professed to be a Christian, but repeatedly flew off into a temper, was extremely judgmental and was always jumping to erroneous conclusions, she was loose with her affections, repeatedly disobeyed her parents, and wasn't very kind. I read a lot of historical fiction and just didn't feel like she was a true representation of a female for that time period. I have no idea why a guy would even be interested. Because of this, I found the main male character to be weak and spineless, even when you find out his "secret" that wasn't so secret. I would have been ok if she had ever come to realize her flaws and actively worked to correct them.  But she blamed it all on her red hair and constantly made excuses for her behavior. Even when she did apologize, she didn't seem sincere. As a parent, I found her in serious need of discipline.

In conclusion, good story base, but not no endearing or redeeming main characters.

I received a copy of this book from Barbour Publishing. All thoughts expressed are my own.

The Christmas Heirloom

The Christmas Heirloom

Kristi Hunter, Karen Witemeyer, Sarah Loudin Thomas, Becky Wade

The story begins with a broach that will be passed down to the next female in the family. The broach is considered to be of some value, but will can be sold due to the sentimental value that each woman places on it. As each woman navigates love, marriage, parenting, and trials that life brings, she holds on to the stories and lessons that are passed down from each previous generation.

I love novellas. And I love collections that tie together while written by different authors. So when I saw the author lineup (some of my favorite authors), I knew I had to read this book. It definitely didn't disappoint. Each author took the story of a broach and told how it was passed down to a female in the next generation. The authors told the part of the story that fit the time period they most often write about. Each story carries on from the last one, but is written in the authors own style. These are some big names in Christian fiction and to have them all collaborate on a beautiful Christmas story was amazing. If you haven't read some of these authors, this book will give you a glimpse into the time period they typically write in and their writing style. Loved this book and will be snagging a paper copy so I can reread it in the future.

I received a copy of this book. All thoughts expressed are my own.

Romancing the Bride

Romancing the Bride

Melissa Jagears

Annie needs to keep the ranch in the family. But after her husband passed away, she's been struggling to manage. Her son and daughter are helping, but they are just kids. She needs to keep the ranch to pass on to her children, but she's also tied to the ranch because of the little graveyard that holds her babies and late husband. She can't lose that connection with them. So she proposes a crazy idea to the local sheriff, Jacob. Marry her for her land. Jacob is torn. He plans to buy a farm or ranch, but all of the good ones are gone. But marry a woman he doesn't know just for her land?

This isn't just a sweet romance that's over in a couple of hours. It has depth, suspense, drama, and a love story that goes beyond just the two main characters. The author did a great job of setting up the plot so the reader was engaged and the characters had depth. I think my favorite character was actually one of the secondary characters, so I look forward to hopefully seeing her in another book. If you enjoy historical fiction that has sustenance and makes you think, then you'll love this book. 

Code of Valor

Code of Valor

Blue Justice #3

Lynette Eason

Brady, a detective, is in serious need of a vacation. So he heads to a friend's cabin to spend some relaxing time at the lake. But when he hears a woman scream and sees an accident occur, he can't help, but rush to her rescue. What follows is definitely not relaxing or vacation like. But Brady St. John can't turn away from a person in need. 

The book started off with a huge bang and didn't let up the entire time. The characters were relatable, engaging, and had depth. The chemistry between the two main characters was great and fit well with the situation. I appreciated how the author wove subtle spiritual thoughts through the book without it becoming too strong or disturbing the flow of the plot. Somehow I missed getting my hands on the first two books of this series and so was a little worried that I would be lost coming into the middle. But that wasn't the case at all. While it was clear that there was a backstory to some of the secondary characters, it only added interest and depth, instead of losing me or distracting me. I've enjoyed everything I've read by this author and I think her books get better the more she writes. If you enjoy suspense, drama, and a little bit of clean romance then make sure you grab this book. But make sure you get the others in the series as well. 

I received a copy of this book from Revell Reads. All thoughts expressed are my own.

I'm back. . .Sorta!

Hello Everyone!

Not sure if I still even have blog followers left. I've been gone for almost a year. This last year I became sick and was diagnosed with a chronic illness. I had to eliminate quite a few things from my life while I struggled with being sick and being a wife and mom. Unfortunately reading was at a minimum. I read less than half the usual amount of books per year. It saddened me and I really missed blogging, books, and the publishing world.

But while the illness is chronic and I definitely won't be able to return to the volume that I previously read or blogged about, I am back to reading and blogging - hopefully. I will be trying to play catch up with some books I was able to read this last year, as well as add more current books.

So hello again!!