The Rancher's Surprise Triplets

The Rancher's Surprise Triplets

Linda Ford

Bo, a rancher, is helping out at the town fair when he finds three little babies who have been abandoned. Trying to find the triplets mother is fruitless and he enlists the help of Louisa, the doctor's daughter. Louisa has spent most of her life helping take care of her mother and sister who are sickly. While she waits on them to arrive at their new home, she agrees to watch over the triplets until their family can be found or an adoptive family comes forward. She doesn't expect to have a family of her own since she is needed to care for her mother and sister. So when Bo starts paying attention to her, she's torn.

This was an interesting story idea. The characters were well fleshed out, the descriptions gave me a great visual for the town and people. The author wove some light faith threads into the story. The plot was a little slow in places and I didn't understand the emotions or reactions of some of the characters on occasion. Also the ending felt a little rushed. But overall, it was an enjoyable story that readers of Christian fiction and historical romance will enjoy.

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

The Heart of a Texas Cowboy

The Heart of a Texas Cowboy

Linda Broday

Houston's bride was murdered at the alter. But what he learned after her death broke his heart even more. So he's decided never to trust his heart to a woman again. Lara was attacked by a ranch hand and left with a sweet baby girl. When Houston and Lara are forced to marry they decide to make the best of their marriage for the sake of Gracie, their little girl. Neither of them expect to actually like each other, or that their affection will be put to the ultimate test.

This book wasn't what I was expecting at all. But I really enjoyed it. The plot was definitely different. The characters were unique and well defined, especially a couple of the secondary characters. The author did a great job of creating suspense and tension in the plot, while also weaving together a sweet romance between the couple. While there were hints to a previous story, I think the book worked well as a stand alone. Although it did made me want to go back and read the first book. Overall, this was an entertaining book that I think fans of western fiction and romance will enjoy.

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

Light & Laughter Coloring Book

Light & Laughter Coloring Book

Suzy Toronto

 

The artist who designed this book is a self-proclaimed “wacky” person and revels in her uniqueness.  This book is all about humor, but you can definitely see the author’s quirkiness coming through in the coloring pages. The book begins with some thoughts from the author, a few of the pages she’s colored herself, and some instructions on how to make each page your own. She shares full color pages of how she colored each page. The coloring pages begin with the left side almost completely blank. There is a quote in light print and a few small lines should you want to write something. The right side is the color page.

I love the uniqueness of this book. It’s not like most of the adult coloring books out there and that is a good thing. I also really liked the quotes on every page and the space for writing should the mood strike. This book would make an excellent gift, but be sure to get yourself a copy as well.

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

Bible Journaling

The Complete Guide to Bible Journaling

Creative Techniques to Express Your Faith

Joanne Fink and Regina Yoder

Bible Journaling is extremely popular right now. I have a planner and a Bible that I use for this type of thing and thought I'd check out the book and see if it could be any help since I'm not an artist. I opened the cover (more on that at the bottom) and fell in love. The book begins with information about what Bible journaling is and how to get started. There are then multiple pages of instructions on drawing, tracing, patterns, painting, markers, pencils, etc. The next section is all about eleven well known Bible journaling artists. The profiles talk about the artist and her style of journaling. The last section is all about styles, themes, and resources. At the back are multiple pages of designs, stickers, and vellum designs. The book is extremely colorful with tons of photographs. The information was very helpful for a person who doesn't consider themselves an artist. This is a book that I will keep and reference often.

My only complaint was an issue with the front and back covers. It was on backwards and upside down.

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

True to You

True to You

Becky Wade

Nora considers herself the smart sister. Her older sister Willow is the beauty, her younger sister Britt is the creative one. But Nora has wrapped herself up in her identity as a librarian even more since her fiance dumped her for another woman three years ago. She's sworn off dating and spends time working on her passion of genealogy. 

John, a former Navy SEAL is wanting to find his birth mother. So when he meets Nora at a training session put on by his company, he decides to enlist her services. He has a girlfriend, so Nora isn't an option and they both know it. But perhaps God has another plan for them.

I've really been looking forward to this book since I read the prequel. It was everything I was expecting and a whole lot more. The characters are brought alive with the author's talented writing. I felt like I was living the story along side them. I lived on the west coast many years ago and I think the author did a great job of portraying the scenery and locations. There is humor, strong families, faith, and beauty in this story. But there is also heartache, pain, and brokenness. They were woven together so seamlessly that I thoroughly enjoyed the story as I rushed to read the ending, but after I put the book down I couldn't stop thinking about different aspects of it. The other sisters have major roles in this book that will make it easy to tie in to the next book in the series. If you love strong stories, with amazing characters who are flawed, but endearing then you need to read this book.

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

Crossword Puzzles

4^th Grade Vocabulary Building Crossword Puzzles

Todd Elzey

 

1008 4^th grade vocabulary words to improve reading comprehension and spelling skills. This book is comprised of 36 crossword puzzles that use vocabulary words appropriate for a child in the fourth grade. The answers to the puzzles are in the back of the book. But the author also provided online pdfs with the words used in the book so that they can be printed out, should the child need additional help. The author has an introduction where he explains where he got the words to use, what they are intended for, and also an explanation for some of the words used.

My daughter is reading at a 4^th grade level, but sometimes struggles with comprehension. So I thought this would be a fun way to boost her vocabulary and practice her comprehension. She really enjoyed the puzzles and asked for more once she’d completed the book. I would definitely recommend this book if you are a teacher, home school parent, or just want to boost your child’s vocabulary.

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

The Bad Luck Bride

The Bad Luck Bride
The Cavensham Heiress #1

Janna MacGregor
 

Claire is on her fourth fiance when she gets the startling news that he's backing out too. Now she's in a horrible spot. Alex is standing there when she receives the bad news and steps in as her new fiance to help her save her reputation. But there are secrets that both of them are keeping and these secrets could ruin their marriage. 

This was a fun historical novel. The author did a great job of capturing the feel of the time period. The characters were well defined and I loved the connection between the two main characters. The romance was sweet, but had some drama and tension as well. While this is definitely a romantic story, it also had some extra mystery, drama, and details added to the plot to make it well rounded and enjoyable to read. The secondary characters added a lot of depth to the story and created interest in the next book in the series. If I'm not mistaken, this was the author's first book and I'm really impressed. Can't wait to read her next book.

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