Out of the Flames by Cheryl Wyatt is a novella about whether a relationship will develop between the two protagonists, Lilah Rose McLaughlin and Scott Cohen. Lilah runs a marine animal rescue and rehabilitation centre right next door to the Coast Guard watch station at Haven Bay, Florida. Scott is a Chief Coastguardsman who has just transferred into his position from Chicago. The two first meet at the Soggy Sandwich Diner where Lilah is enjoying lunch out with close friends who want to help her find love. When Scotty enters the diner, they lock eyes...and the rest doesn't quite immediately become history. It's a mystery to Lilah's friends, Memaw, Tilly, and Monique, who make up three generations of the Audet Family who have adopted Lilah as an honourary granddaughter, daughter and sister. This is because everyone in the diner noticed how Scotty's gaze stopped and lingered on Lilah. However, their first encounter ends with Scott blowing her off, averting his gaze and slighting her. Lilah knows that this isn't her imagination; her friends noticed Scott's behaviour too. It hurts because it reminds her too much of her failed relationship with her ex-fiancé.
Scott can't walk away quickly enough from Lilah. He is instantly attracted to her, but sees the hurt in Lilah's soul when he looks into her eyes. He doesn't have time for a relationship with a woman right now because of the Coast Guard fire squad safety program that he is in charge of organizing and putting together. Getting this program off the ground is something that he is driven to do because of his past. Scotty can't allow himself to get distracted by Lilah. He feels that if he gets into a relationship with her, it will keep him from achieving his goals with the program. He feels guilty about slighting her, and decides that if he sees her again, he will apologize.
However, the Audet Family closes rank around Lilah to protect her. This includes Tilly's husband, Roy, who is Scotty's supervisor, who tells Scotty that he won't apologize to Lilah on Scotty's behalf; Scotty will need to do it himself. Ron then prays for Scotty's and Lilah's paths to cross again...and they do. Scotty can't help but be drawn to Lilah, but he blows hot and cold towards her. His behaviour confuses and hurts Lilah who keeps remembering how her ex-fiancé said that she wasn't good enough.
Will Scotty be able to come to terms with his past and let go of it so that he can move on to a future with Lilah? Will Lilah work through her insecurities so that she can be the friend that Scotty needs while he works through the guilt that he feels from his past?
I liked Scotty. He is a good guy, although he seems to be unable to keep from hurting Lilah with his ambivalent behaviour while he is working through his issues. Lilah seemed to be a tad bit oversensitive about rejection, but that is explained by the hurt inflicted upon her by her fiancé. She is strong enough to take a risk in being there for Scotty while he is struggling with his guilt even though he has hurt her. The author makes a note about Lilah's character in her acknowledgements: that if people ever feel invisible or meaningless like Lilah, they should know that they are loved by God and matter to Him.
I especially liked the character of Memaw Audet. She's the grandma who you wish had a sensor for her mouth to keep her from saying embarrassing things, but who you can't help but love, quirks and all. It was funny reading about the scuffle that she got into with another senior lady over the affections of an eligible man of suitable age. Actually, the woman has outrageous behaviour toward eligible men regardless of their age. She even told Scotty to his face that, "...I could sit here and look at you allll day." In fact, her first reference about him was, "A hot man!" while the Audets and Lilah were sitting in the diner. I like Memaw; she's hilarious.
Out of the Flames is a fairly quick read at eight chapters. This story touches on the issues of grief and survivor's guilt, and on self worth. If you enjoy reading about characters in the Coast Guard, this may be the novella for you.
Showing posts with label novella. Show all posts
Showing posts with label novella. Show all posts
Tuesday, 1 December 2015
Tuesday, 7 April 2015
Review: Hurricane Allie by Rachel Hauck
Hurricane Allie, a cute romantic novella by Rachel Hauck, seems to be a title that reveals a bit of a pun where the story is concerned. There is an actual hurricane named Allie, which appears in the book, and there is our female protagonist, Allie Seton, who turns into a bit of a furious hurricane herself when unexpected obstacles such as the genuine Hurricane Allie pop up and threaten to scuttle her wedding.
The story is set in Florida, which faces the seasonal threat of hurricanes. Allie and Kyle, her groom, wait with baited breath to find out whether the hurricane's path will bring it towards their location, or if it will head elsewhere, but no plans are made to postpone the wedding to a later date. On top of that, Kyle's architectural office is offered a big break; a firm in New York is interested in Kyle's designs for a development, and it wants Kyle to fly up to New York to represent his company. Unfortunately, this trip is to take place on the week before the wedding.
Disaster strikes and Hurricane Allie (the storm) becomes a very real threat in keeping the wedding from taking place. As people in Florida begin to take measures to take shelter or flee from its path, our heroine loses access to her dress, the caterers and the venue. Allie is confronted with the situation of letting go of the wedding that she had carefully planned for. In addition to losing the trappings of the wedding celebration, havoc in flight schedules results with grounded, redirected, and delayed flights. Will Kyle be able to fly back to Florida in time for the wedding?
The question that runs through the story is whether Allie simply wants the wedding of her dreams, or if she wants to be married to Kyle himself. He is determined to return to Florida by the date of the wedding, but will there be a wedding taking place at all?
I found it interesting to read of Allie's struggles in accepting the situation that was unfolding before her eyes. I could imagine how difficult it was for her to let go of all the hard work that she did in putting together her dream. I also could also feel her distress in trying to figure out whether she really wanted to get married or if she really wanted to marry Kyle. On Kyle's part, he is dying to know if Allie truly wants him, or just the wedding, since all he can hear from her is that they might lose the vendors and the venue because of Hurricane Allie.
I liked that the characters prayed. I also enjoyed reading about how one of the characters felt the pleasure of the Lord after a decision was made in accepting a gift from someone who wanted to help in this wedding disaster. The story reminded me of Proverbs 16:9 which says, "In his heart a man plans his course, but the Lord determines his steps." This was certainly the case for Allie Seton in Hurricane Allie.
The story is set in Florida, which faces the seasonal threat of hurricanes. Allie and Kyle, her groom, wait with baited breath to find out whether the hurricane's path will bring it towards their location, or if it will head elsewhere, but no plans are made to postpone the wedding to a later date. On top of that, Kyle's architectural office is offered a big break; a firm in New York is interested in Kyle's designs for a development, and it wants Kyle to fly up to New York to represent his company. Unfortunately, this trip is to take place on the week before the wedding.
Disaster strikes and Hurricane Allie (the storm) becomes a very real threat in keeping the wedding from taking place. As people in Florida begin to take measures to take shelter or flee from its path, our heroine loses access to her dress, the caterers and the venue. Allie is confronted with the situation of letting go of the wedding that she had carefully planned for. In addition to losing the trappings of the wedding celebration, havoc in flight schedules results with grounded, redirected, and delayed flights. Will Kyle be able to fly back to Florida in time for the wedding?
The question that runs through the story is whether Allie simply wants the wedding of her dreams, or if she wants to be married to Kyle himself. He is determined to return to Florida by the date of the wedding, but will there be a wedding taking place at all?
I found it interesting to read of Allie's struggles in accepting the situation that was unfolding before her eyes. I could imagine how difficult it was for her to let go of all the hard work that she did in putting together her dream. I also could also feel her distress in trying to figure out whether she really wanted to get married or if she really wanted to marry Kyle. On Kyle's part, he is dying to know if Allie truly wants him, or just the wedding, since all he can hear from her is that they might lose the vendors and the venue because of Hurricane Allie.
I liked that the characters prayed. I also enjoyed reading about how one of the characters felt the pleasure of the Lord after a decision was made in accepting a gift from someone who wanted to help in this wedding disaster. The story reminded me of Proverbs 16:9 which says, "In his heart a man plans his course, but the Lord determines his steps." This was certainly the case for Allie Seton in Hurricane Allie.
Wednesday, 11 March 2015
Review: Secretly Yours by Valerie Comer
Secretly Yours, a novella by Valerie Comer is the story of Lindsey Solberg, a chef who has returned to her hometown of Riverbend after spending a decade away from home. She has returned home to be a support to her teenaged sister, Madison, after the passing of their mother. Madison still lives with her father, Lindsey's stepfather, whom Lindsey considers to be a less than ideal parent. Madison somehow railroads a reluctant Lindsey into catering the fundraising banquet that the local church youth group is hosting.
Participating in the fundraising efforts becomes more awkward for Lindsey when she realizes that she will need to work with the youth pastor, Nick Harrison, a guy who Lindsey had a crush on during their high school days, but who had hurt her deeply in the days before he became a believer. In the time that Lindsey and Nick have been apart, Nick has come to own a saving faith in the Lord, but has never forgotten about her or the humiliation that he put her through when they were younger. Now, Lindsey won't give him the time of day; she is skeptical of whether he has truly changed, even though he has become a brother in Christ. Nick decides to embark on a campaign of being her Secret Admirer, hoping to win her over anonymously at first with notes and gifts, and then eventually revealing himself to her.
On first glance, the story seems to be about Lindsay's need to forgive Nick, and Nick's need for Lindsay's forgiveness. However, as the plot unfolds, we find out that Lindsey has issues with seeing herself as she is: a person who is deeply loved by God. Now that Nick is trying to court her, she becomes aware that he has surpassed her in his walk with the Lord, while her own faith has become unsteady. Nick, on the other hand, must hold back his desire for a romantic relationship with Lindsey until things are right between her and the Lord.
It was interesting to read about Lindsey's struggles in her faith and her difficulties in seeing herself in the way that the Lord does. It gave the novella a little more heft in its content. I liked the character of Nick. I'm a sucker for men with characters of strength and patience who have had long standing crushes, as long as they don't act like out of control Neanderthals when it appears that they might possibly win the objects of their affections.
I found it a bit amusing to read the brief author notes at the beginning and end of the story where she supplies trivia unique to British Columbia and Canada, the province and country in which the novella is set. It's true that knitted stocking caps are referred to as "tuques" (this may be familiar to people who are acquainted with Bob and Doug McKenzie of the Great White North comedy segments that used to air on SCTV). British Columbia does have a graduated driver's licensing program. I'm still trying to figure out which existing towns and cities that exist in British Columbia that Ms. Comer used as possible models for Riverbend and Castlebrook, the fictional towns mentioned in the story. It was a novel experience for me to read something that is set in an area that I am familiar with. This was a nice story and I enjoyed reading it.
Participating in the fundraising efforts becomes more awkward for Lindsey when she realizes that she will need to work with the youth pastor, Nick Harrison, a guy who Lindsey had a crush on during their high school days, but who had hurt her deeply in the days before he became a believer. In the time that Lindsey and Nick have been apart, Nick has come to own a saving faith in the Lord, but has never forgotten about her or the humiliation that he put her through when they were younger. Now, Lindsey won't give him the time of day; she is skeptical of whether he has truly changed, even though he has become a brother in Christ. Nick decides to embark on a campaign of being her Secret Admirer, hoping to win her over anonymously at first with notes and gifts, and then eventually revealing himself to her.
On first glance, the story seems to be about Lindsay's need to forgive Nick, and Nick's need for Lindsay's forgiveness. However, as the plot unfolds, we find out that Lindsey has issues with seeing herself as she is: a person who is deeply loved by God. Now that Nick is trying to court her, she becomes aware that he has surpassed her in his walk with the Lord, while her own faith has become unsteady. Nick, on the other hand, must hold back his desire for a romantic relationship with Lindsey until things are right between her and the Lord.
It was interesting to read about Lindsey's struggles in her faith and her difficulties in seeing herself in the way that the Lord does. It gave the novella a little more heft in its content. I liked the character of Nick. I'm a sucker for men with characters of strength and patience who have had long standing crushes, as long as they don't act like out of control Neanderthals when it appears that they might possibly win the objects of their affections.
I found it a bit amusing to read the brief author notes at the beginning and end of the story where she supplies trivia unique to British Columbia and Canada, the province and country in which the novella is set. It's true that knitted stocking caps are referred to as "tuques" (this may be familiar to people who are acquainted with Bob and Doug McKenzie of the Great White North comedy segments that used to air on SCTV). British Columbia does have a graduated driver's licensing program. I'm still trying to figure out which existing towns and cities that exist in British Columbia that Ms. Comer used as possible models for Riverbend and Castlebrook, the fictional towns mentioned in the story. It was a novel experience for me to read something that is set in an area that I am familiar with. This was a nice story and I enjoyed reading it.
Sunday, 27 July 2014
Review: Sealed With a Kiss: Inspy Kisses Collection #2 by various authors (Tronstad, Daley, Tang, Williams)
Sealed With a Kiss: Inspy Kisses Collection #2 is an anthology which has an author line up of Janet Tronstad, Margaret Daley, Camy Tang, and Lacy Williams. This collection of romantic novellas is released by Aspendawn Books, with one historical western, two contemporary suspense stories, and one contemporary story.
1) Mail Order Sunshine Bride by Janet Tronstad
This historical western is set in Miles City, Montana Territory, in 1886. Eleanor (Nellie) O'Reilly has come by rail with her four year old son, Danny, in tow. Widowed at the age of 24, she seeks a fresh start as a mail order bride. Instead of meeting her future husband at the station, she is welcomed to Miles City by the local sheriff, Patrick MacDonald. Because Patrick doesn't immediately reveal why he's there to meet her at the station, Nellie guesses that Elias, her intended has died, but Patrick reassures her that Elias is very much alive, however, the sheriff needs to escort her and her son to the jail. By the end of the first chapter, we find out that Patrick didn't really want to take up this duty, but did so to handle the quarrel between Elias and a mountain man, Sawtooth Jim. Elias gambled away Nellie to Sawtooth Jim in a poker game.
Nellie no longer wishes to marry Elias, but wants to repay the train fare which is an astronomical sum to reimburse. Patrick, upon meeting Nellie and spending time with her, feels protective towards his two new charges, and would be willing to give up money for his own dream of owning cattle for his ranch so that she would be free of her debt. However, Nellie will not take any charity, not even from Mrs. Lilly, a former soiled dove who gives Nellie an idea on how to repay Elias through respectable means. Even if Nellie frees herself from Elias, would Patrick be able to win Nellie's heart? She's dead set against a man who uses a gun, but Patrick is the sheriff and a gun is vital and necessary equipment for his line of work.
I enjoyed the dry humour in this novella and I liked Nellie and Patrick. You get an inkling that Nellie is attracted to Patrick from the first time she sees him; she perceives him to be dangerous and forceful, and is quite unsettled by him. Elias is sufficiently weasel-like, and Sawtooth Jim, from what little we see of him, is quite a character. I haven't always been able to get into Janet Tronstad's work in the past, but I found Mail Order Sunshine Bride to be an enjoyable story to read.
2) Deadly Intent by Margaret Daley
This contemporary romantic suspense novella reunites Sarah Osborn, a Texas Ranger, and Ian O'Leary, a former FBI agent who has returned home to continue running the family ranch after his father had passed on. Sarah is investigating a series of cattle rustling and is assigned to check out the theft of Ian's prize stallion to see if this has any connection to her case. Interacting with Ian is awkward for Sarah because of their past; they had been sweethearts while in their teens, but Ian broke up with Sarah rather suddenly. Fifteen years previously, Ian left Sarah to avenge a friend who had died in a terrorist attack, and threw away a future with Sarah in order to pursue terrorists through his work with the FBI.
As Sarah's investigation progresses, more threats against Ian and his ranch occur. These seem to indicate that the culprit(s) may not necessarily be the cattle rustlers that Sarah is trying to arrest. As danger and threats increase against Ian and Sarah, it becomes apparent that they need to investigate all the possible enemies that Ian has made as an FBI agent. They begin to fall in love with each other again as they face the challenges that unfold in the mystery of who is threatening Ian.
I thought that Margaret Daley had the story plotted out well. There was a flashback that was described in Chapter 1 that gave a hint of foreshadowing where the story was going to go. Things are revealed quite logically and I thought that all the facets and threads of the story were tied together quite nicely by the time the novella reached its conclusion.
3) Unshakable Pursuit by Camy Tang
The title really matches up with the story. There was definitely a lot of pursuing in this novella. The protagonists are Dr. Geoffrey Whelan, whose faith in God has been shaken from his time serving in medical missions aid in Japan after the tsunami, and Nurse Maylin Kinley, who has been hurt emotionally by her family and her ex-boyfriend. They are warned to run for their lives by a mysterious woman who promptly disappears after she visits them at the medical clinic they both work at. Shortly after, Geoff and Maylin are threatened by two Asian hitmen who try to abduct them. Our intrepid twosome have no idea who is pursuing them or the reason why they are being hunted down. Their only clue is video footage from the clinic's cameras that reveal some hints about the woman's identity.
There is a rather frantic pace to the story. While Geoff and Maylin need to take precautions to keep the hitmen from pursuing them, they themselves are also in pursuit of their mysterious angel of mercy who has also gone into hiding because she also fears being hunted down by the same people looking for Geoff and Maylin. The reader finds out information at the same time our hero and heroine do, and there are a lot of suspenseful moments and situations thrown their way in such a small window of time. The relationship between our protagonists develop quite quickly too under such intense pressure. Geoff is forced to examine where his relationship with God has gone and is challenged to simply trust Him to keep him and Maylin safe. Maylin realizes that she had been disappointed in the past by people who claimed to be Christians, but finds herself drawn to the love for God that Geoff and his family demonstrate in their lives.
There were moments when the pace and situations of this story had my head spinning over what was happening to our protagonists. However, I liked that this story touched on the struggles that these characters were having in their faith and how they overcome these challenges in this story. I liked Necessary Proof better, another novella written by Camy Tang that appears in First Kisses: Inspy Kisses Collection #1 (reviewed previously on February 27th, 2014), but Unshakable Pursuit was still pretty good.
4) With Love, Cowboy by Lacy Williams
Ryan Michaels has loved Ashley Reynolds since they were teens. She has returned home to Redbud Trails, Oklahoma, after being discharged from serving as a marine because of injuries which resulted in her arm being amputated. She has struggled with her identity for years; after graduating from high school, she discovered that she had been adopted and questioned who she was. Now with the loss of her arm, she is no longer military and needs to find herself again and figure out what to do with her future. She's just not certain that she wants to find out those things with Ryan.
Ryan has his work cut out for him. Ashley has no idea of all the things that he has done to help her parents while she was serving in the military. He had assumed the position of store manager in order to help keep her parents' business afloat since Ashley's dad developed Alzheimer's. He cooks meals for her parents' twice a week using the excuse that he needs someone to test his recipes. He helps her mother in her recovery from a heart attack by transporting her to medical appointments, etc.. He had been writing letters to her since she started with the marines, informing her of all that he had done, but she did not read any of his letters. As a result, she is under the impression that he is an irresponsible flake and college drop out who is still in a dead end job that he had started when he was in high school.
In spite of all the good that Ryan has done, Ashley is still suspicious of him, especially when she finds out that he had been the lessee of her parents' farmland and notices that he had been altering information on timecards. Has Ryan been taking advantage of her parents? Will she ever read his letters to find out what kind of man he is? Will she ever accept his love for her and love him in return?
With Love, Cowboy was a nice story. Ryan is a sweetheart. How could Ashley not accept Ryan? On the other hand, Ryan might be trying a little bit too hard to win Ashley's affection and Ashley is a gal who is still a bit mixed up. I almost wanted to throttle her for not seeing what a great guy Ryan is. I still enjoyed reading it, though.
Disclaimer: I was provided with a free e-copy of Sealed With a Kiss from NetGalley in exchange for a review. All opinions stated in this review are mine.
1) Mail Order Sunshine Bride by Janet Tronstad
This historical western is set in Miles City, Montana Territory, in 1886. Eleanor (Nellie) O'Reilly has come by rail with her four year old son, Danny, in tow. Widowed at the age of 24, she seeks a fresh start as a mail order bride. Instead of meeting her future husband at the station, she is welcomed to Miles City by the local sheriff, Patrick MacDonald. Because Patrick doesn't immediately reveal why he's there to meet her at the station, Nellie guesses that Elias, her intended has died, but Patrick reassures her that Elias is very much alive, however, the sheriff needs to escort her and her son to the jail. By the end of the first chapter, we find out that Patrick didn't really want to take up this duty, but did so to handle the quarrel between Elias and a mountain man, Sawtooth Jim. Elias gambled away Nellie to Sawtooth Jim in a poker game.
Nellie no longer wishes to marry Elias, but wants to repay the train fare which is an astronomical sum to reimburse. Patrick, upon meeting Nellie and spending time with her, feels protective towards his two new charges, and would be willing to give up money for his own dream of owning cattle for his ranch so that she would be free of her debt. However, Nellie will not take any charity, not even from Mrs. Lilly, a former soiled dove who gives Nellie an idea on how to repay Elias through respectable means. Even if Nellie frees herself from Elias, would Patrick be able to win Nellie's heart? She's dead set against a man who uses a gun, but Patrick is the sheriff and a gun is vital and necessary equipment for his line of work.
I enjoyed the dry humour in this novella and I liked Nellie and Patrick. You get an inkling that Nellie is attracted to Patrick from the first time she sees him; she perceives him to be dangerous and forceful, and is quite unsettled by him. Elias is sufficiently weasel-like, and Sawtooth Jim, from what little we see of him, is quite a character. I haven't always been able to get into Janet Tronstad's work in the past, but I found Mail Order Sunshine Bride to be an enjoyable story to read.
2) Deadly Intent by Margaret Daley
This contemporary romantic suspense novella reunites Sarah Osborn, a Texas Ranger, and Ian O'Leary, a former FBI agent who has returned home to continue running the family ranch after his father had passed on. Sarah is investigating a series of cattle rustling and is assigned to check out the theft of Ian's prize stallion to see if this has any connection to her case. Interacting with Ian is awkward for Sarah because of their past; they had been sweethearts while in their teens, but Ian broke up with Sarah rather suddenly. Fifteen years previously, Ian left Sarah to avenge a friend who had died in a terrorist attack, and threw away a future with Sarah in order to pursue terrorists through his work with the FBI.
As Sarah's investigation progresses, more threats against Ian and his ranch occur. These seem to indicate that the culprit(s) may not necessarily be the cattle rustlers that Sarah is trying to arrest. As danger and threats increase against Ian and Sarah, it becomes apparent that they need to investigate all the possible enemies that Ian has made as an FBI agent. They begin to fall in love with each other again as they face the challenges that unfold in the mystery of who is threatening Ian.
I thought that Margaret Daley had the story plotted out well. There was a flashback that was described in Chapter 1 that gave a hint of foreshadowing where the story was going to go. Things are revealed quite logically and I thought that all the facets and threads of the story were tied together quite nicely by the time the novella reached its conclusion.
3) Unshakable Pursuit by Camy Tang
The title really matches up with the story. There was definitely a lot of pursuing in this novella. The protagonists are Dr. Geoffrey Whelan, whose faith in God has been shaken from his time serving in medical missions aid in Japan after the tsunami, and Nurse Maylin Kinley, who has been hurt emotionally by her family and her ex-boyfriend. They are warned to run for their lives by a mysterious woman who promptly disappears after she visits them at the medical clinic they both work at. Shortly after, Geoff and Maylin are threatened by two Asian hitmen who try to abduct them. Our intrepid twosome have no idea who is pursuing them or the reason why they are being hunted down. Their only clue is video footage from the clinic's cameras that reveal some hints about the woman's identity.
There is a rather frantic pace to the story. While Geoff and Maylin need to take precautions to keep the hitmen from pursuing them, they themselves are also in pursuit of their mysterious angel of mercy who has also gone into hiding because she also fears being hunted down by the same people looking for Geoff and Maylin. The reader finds out information at the same time our hero and heroine do, and there are a lot of suspenseful moments and situations thrown their way in such a small window of time. The relationship between our protagonists develop quite quickly too under such intense pressure. Geoff is forced to examine where his relationship with God has gone and is challenged to simply trust Him to keep him and Maylin safe. Maylin realizes that she had been disappointed in the past by people who claimed to be Christians, but finds herself drawn to the love for God that Geoff and his family demonstrate in their lives.
There were moments when the pace and situations of this story had my head spinning over what was happening to our protagonists. However, I liked that this story touched on the struggles that these characters were having in their faith and how they overcome these challenges in this story. I liked Necessary Proof better, another novella written by Camy Tang that appears in First Kisses: Inspy Kisses Collection #1 (reviewed previously on February 27th, 2014), but Unshakable Pursuit was still pretty good.
4) With Love, Cowboy by Lacy Williams
Ryan Michaels has loved Ashley Reynolds since they were teens. She has returned home to Redbud Trails, Oklahoma, after being discharged from serving as a marine because of injuries which resulted in her arm being amputated. She has struggled with her identity for years; after graduating from high school, she discovered that she had been adopted and questioned who she was. Now with the loss of her arm, she is no longer military and needs to find herself again and figure out what to do with her future. She's just not certain that she wants to find out those things with Ryan.
Ryan has his work cut out for him. Ashley has no idea of all the things that he has done to help her parents while she was serving in the military. He had assumed the position of store manager in order to help keep her parents' business afloat since Ashley's dad developed Alzheimer's. He cooks meals for her parents' twice a week using the excuse that he needs someone to test his recipes. He helps her mother in her recovery from a heart attack by transporting her to medical appointments, etc.. He had been writing letters to her since she started with the marines, informing her of all that he had done, but she did not read any of his letters. As a result, she is under the impression that he is an irresponsible flake and college drop out who is still in a dead end job that he had started when he was in high school.
In spite of all the good that Ryan has done, Ashley is still suspicious of him, especially when she finds out that he had been the lessee of her parents' farmland and notices that he had been altering information on timecards. Has Ryan been taking advantage of her parents? Will she ever read his letters to find out what kind of man he is? Will she ever accept his love for her and love him in return?
With Love, Cowboy was a nice story. Ryan is a sweetheart. How could Ashley not accept Ryan? On the other hand, Ryan might be trying a little bit too hard to win Ashley's affection and Ashley is a gal who is still a bit mixed up. I almost wanted to throttle her for not seeing what a great guy Ryan is. I still enjoyed reading it, though.
Disclaimer: I was provided with a free e-copy of Sealed With a Kiss from NetGalley in exchange for a review. All opinions stated in this review are mine.
Thursday, 27 February 2014
Review: First Kisses: Inspy Kisses Collection #1 by various authors (Goodnight, Tronstad, Clopton, Daley, Tang, Williams)
As soon as I saw who was on the roster for First Kisses: Inspy Kisses Collection #1 published by Aspendawn, the book sailed to the top of my reading list: Linda Goodnight, Janet Tronstad, Debra Clopton, Margaret Daley, Camy Tang, and Lacy Williams. All of these authors have already been published with Harlequin's Love Inspired line. Debra Clopton and Margaret Daley are usually a guarantee to me of a great read.
The book is a collection of six novellas/short stories which are tied together by first kisses, which occur quite early for some, and for others, at the end of the story.
1) The Rambler's Bride by Linda Goodnight.
This is a western historical set in the 1800's. Jericho North has come to see Esther North, his brother's widow, a woman who Jericho considers to be a harlot because Silas, his brother, met her at the local saloon. Theodore Perkins, Esther's cousin-in-law, and mayor of the nearest town wants Esther to sell the farm to him supposedly so that he can magnanimously offer her a better price than what the coming railroad would give to her. However, neither Esther nor Theodore know that Jericho is the actual owner since Silas willed the farm to Jericho.
Jericho is determined to kick Esther off his land, but he discovers quite quickly that he's attracted to his brother's widow, and that she isn't what he thought she was. He also finds out that there was a lot that had happened to Silas that his brother had not informed Jericho about.
This story was six chapters long, but I thought that it was quite a complete story. There are a number of revelations that are revealed to the reader as Jericho discovers them. By the end I was rooting for the protagonists. This is the first historical that I've read by Linda Goodnight; most of her work that I've read before has been contemporary romances. I give this a thumbs up!
2) Lovebirds at the Heartbreak Cafe by Janet Tronstad.
If you love Ms. Tronstad's Dry Creek series, we revisit a nearby town, Webster's Crossing, in 1958. Buddy Hamilton is an ex-serviceman who is working as a flatbed trucker. He often stops by the Heartbreak Cafe for a meal when he passes through town. There, he meets Penny Rose, a widow with six children to care for. Penny is desperate to find a job to support her family. She had been renting some farmland nearby but was unable to continue to work the land due to a lack of finances. She left with her family to find work elsewhere, but returned to Webster's Crossing after a fruitless search for a job. Buddy and other kind souls at Webster's Crossing band together to help the family out. As Buddy spends more time with Penny and the children, he discovers how a young girl like Penny ended up with six children to support. He plots to find a way to restore to Penny the life that she had sacrificed in order to care for her family, not realizing that he might be the prince that she and children are looking for.
I'm not really a big fan of the Dry Creek Series. I've read a few books from the series in the past, but never really got into them as an avid follower. I did enjoy this novella, though. I found myself laughing upon reading the moment when Buddy first laid eyes on the children piled in Penny's car after hearing that she was a widow. This one is worth a read.
3) Her Mule Hollow Cowboy by Debra Clopton.
This is a contemporary story set in Mule Hollow, my favourite fictional Texan town. The couple involved are Cliff Masterson and Maddie Rose (no relation to Penny Rose from the Dry Creek story above, unless this was a deliberate collaboration that Janet Tronstad and Debra Clopton made like their previously released Small Town Brides which is composed of two novellas about two female cousins who met their matches in Dry Creek and Mule Hollow respectively). Cliff is a bull rider who is looking to retire from the circuit. He wants to buy his own ranch so that he can raise rodeo stock. Maddie co-owns a ranch with four other men, one of whom is Cliff's twin brother, Rafe. This connection results in Maddie's and Cliff's initial meeting as he rescues her from being stomped on by an ornery bull.
The sparks fly between Maddie and Cliff, but Maddie is afraid of getting close to Cliff because of her past. She is also fiercely independent, acting in this way to overcome her feelings of insecurity and inadequacy. Cliff has some issues to deal with too, having come to realize that his bull riding career may have been his own way of dealing with his own past, but he knows a good thing when he sees it, and that is a future with Maddie. Maddie shares things that she has never shared before about her past with Cliff and is falling in love with him.
Although Cliff is looking for property so that he can retire bull riding, his sponsors rope him back into the circuit. Maddie is fearful that he will abandon her. Will this couple make it?
I think that this story is sigh worthy, but I'm biased; I love Mule Hollow and its characters. App, Stanley, Sam, Hailey Bell Sutton, and of course, the Mule Hollow Matchmaking Posse, composed of Esther Mae, Norma Sue, and Adela, show up in the novella. And boy! The ladies of the Posse were *bad* this time round! However, how Cliff responded was very sweet. In fact, I liked how he conducted himself throughout the whole story. Yes, Maddie, he's a keeper!
And Ms. Clopton...if you ever read this, I would love, love, love to read about Rafe's story. There's enough of a hint that he has had some disappointment in love, and I would love for that cowboy to have his own happy ending. In fact, I would also love to read Ty's, Chase's, and Dalton's stories too.
4) Deadly Hunt by Margaret Daley.
Tess Miller, a bodyguard who specializes in protecting children, is on vacation at her uncle's isolated cabin in the Arizona mountains. She is trying to unwind from her last assignment when an injured man, without any identification, shows up at the cabin, bleeding from a gunshot wound. Shane Burkhart claims to be the owner of a high tech company, but has no idea why he had been shot; was it an accidental shooting by a hunter or is there someone trying to kill him? Will Shane survive his injuries? Is he really who he says he is? If the shooting was not accidental, who is trying to kill him, and why? What will Tess do about the attraction that she feels towards this stranger who is injured in her uncle's cabin?
I thought that this suspense story was quite well written. For the most part, the reader discovers details about who Shane is and the threat against his life as Tess learns about them. Unlike some stories, I had no idea who the bad guys were until they were revealed. For a while there, I was even uncertain about the male protagonist. The story unfolded well, and as I mentioned before, I usually find that Margaret Daley delivers a satisfying read.
5) Necessary Proof by Camy Tang.
Alex Villa, a police informant, and Jane Lawton, an IT/software specialist, are on the run from a Filipino gang that wants to recover the laptop that Alex had swiped after tailing a gang member to one of their drug labs. Alex had previously given information to the police about another drug lab belonging to the gang which led to an officer being ambushed and killed by gang members when the police tried to raid it. Alex needs Jane's expertise to retrieve any data that could prove his innocence and show that the gang is trying to frame him.
The pair barely keep one step ahead of their pursuers and are chased all over Sonoma. However, being on the lam forces Jane to face issues that have been plaguing her for the past year in which she has grown to be distrustful of men after being wounded and betrayed by most of the males in her life. All of this has also resulted in an estranged relationship with God. Alex, who had been previously interested in Jane, finds himself increasingly attracted to her again, but cannot act on this attraction until he can resolve the dangerous situation that he has brought upon Jane and himself.
This story was a bit more frantic than the previous one, because the pursuit takes place for most of the story. I'm not a technologically inclined person, but the descriptions of what Jane needed to do with the computer in order to help Alex were good enough for me to follow and not get lost. Finally, this was the story in this collection that I thought had the most incorporation of faith in God into the storyline. I enjoyed reading it.
6) Kissed by a Cowboy by Lacy Williams.
At the time of this blog entry, this particular short story is also available at Smashwords. In fact, that is where I first read this before I received a copy of First Kisses.
Maddox Michaels was the man who Haley Carston had hoped would fall in love with her and want to marry before Maddox's sister and Haley's best friend, Katie, died. Then, he was full of confidence about his life and future, with the possibility of being noticed by professional scouts for the NFL. Now, Maddox is a different man; he is barely keeping his family together, having assumed the responsibility for caring for his orphaned niece, Olivia, and for a younger brother, Justin, who was injured in a bull riding accident. He has long shouldered the position of being the man of the family as both his parents have passed on. Maddox is also trying to keep the family farm financially afloat, traveling for a few days at a time doing additional work to earn extra income.
Haley and Maddox are reunited when Haley returns to Redbud Trails to care for her Aunt Matilda who is dying of cancer. Haley runs into Olivia, a precocious 11 year old who wants to start up a gourmet ice cream business but requires start up money that Maddox can barely spare. When Haley offers to help fund Olivia's business because she is determined to give her best friend's daughter a chance to realize her dreams, Maddox reluctantly agrees to Haley's scheme.
The more time Maddox spends with Haley, he realizes that he's falling for her, but he wrestles with fears that he has nothing to offer her when his own life is a mess. Meanwhile, Haley is also falling for Maddox but can't figure out how to overcome his reservations about starting a relationship and his increasingly distant attitude.
I liked this story. Out of all the stories in this collection, I found this one to be the most plausible, believable, and possible that could happen in real life. It is one that I could relate to also because it is set in a contemporary time and didn't require me to imagine being in another era or for me to imagine being involved in a situation where my life would be endangered through espionage or criminal activity. The only quibble that I have is that I wouldn't classify this story as a Christian inspirational; I'd probably group it under the "sweet" and "clean" categories. Even though there is mention about church and people from church, I didn't see much mention about God or about drawing strength from a relationship with Him.
However, as I mentioned before, I enjoyed this story. This is the first work that I've read by Lacy Williams. I'd be interested in reading more of her work in the future.
In short:
This is a nice collection of short stories that includes the historical, suspense, and contemporary genres. Each story is a fairly light read. I believe that this is a great sampler for the authors included in this book if one hasn't read any of their work before.
Disclaimer: I was provided with a free e-copy of First Kisses from Net Galley in exchange for a review. All opinions stated in this review are mine.
The book is a collection of six novellas/short stories which are tied together by first kisses, which occur quite early for some, and for others, at the end of the story.
1) The Rambler's Bride by Linda Goodnight.
This is a western historical set in the 1800's. Jericho North has come to see Esther North, his brother's widow, a woman who Jericho considers to be a harlot because Silas, his brother, met her at the local saloon. Theodore Perkins, Esther's cousin-in-law, and mayor of the nearest town wants Esther to sell the farm to him supposedly so that he can magnanimously offer her a better price than what the coming railroad would give to her. However, neither Esther nor Theodore know that Jericho is the actual owner since Silas willed the farm to Jericho.
Jericho is determined to kick Esther off his land, but he discovers quite quickly that he's attracted to his brother's widow, and that she isn't what he thought she was. He also finds out that there was a lot that had happened to Silas that his brother had not informed Jericho about.
This story was six chapters long, but I thought that it was quite a complete story. There are a number of revelations that are revealed to the reader as Jericho discovers them. By the end I was rooting for the protagonists. This is the first historical that I've read by Linda Goodnight; most of her work that I've read before has been contemporary romances. I give this a thumbs up!
2) Lovebirds at the Heartbreak Cafe by Janet Tronstad.
If you love Ms. Tronstad's Dry Creek series, we revisit a nearby town, Webster's Crossing, in 1958. Buddy Hamilton is an ex-serviceman who is working as a flatbed trucker. He often stops by the Heartbreak Cafe for a meal when he passes through town. There, he meets Penny Rose, a widow with six children to care for. Penny is desperate to find a job to support her family. She had been renting some farmland nearby but was unable to continue to work the land due to a lack of finances. She left with her family to find work elsewhere, but returned to Webster's Crossing after a fruitless search for a job. Buddy and other kind souls at Webster's Crossing band together to help the family out. As Buddy spends more time with Penny and the children, he discovers how a young girl like Penny ended up with six children to support. He plots to find a way to restore to Penny the life that she had sacrificed in order to care for her family, not realizing that he might be the prince that she and children are looking for.
I'm not really a big fan of the Dry Creek Series. I've read a few books from the series in the past, but never really got into them as an avid follower. I did enjoy this novella, though. I found myself laughing upon reading the moment when Buddy first laid eyes on the children piled in Penny's car after hearing that she was a widow. This one is worth a read.
3) Her Mule Hollow Cowboy by Debra Clopton.
This is a contemporary story set in Mule Hollow, my favourite fictional Texan town. The couple involved are Cliff Masterson and Maddie Rose (no relation to Penny Rose from the Dry Creek story above, unless this was a deliberate collaboration that Janet Tronstad and Debra Clopton made like their previously released Small Town Brides which is composed of two novellas about two female cousins who met their matches in Dry Creek and Mule Hollow respectively). Cliff is a bull rider who is looking to retire from the circuit. He wants to buy his own ranch so that he can raise rodeo stock. Maddie co-owns a ranch with four other men, one of whom is Cliff's twin brother, Rafe. This connection results in Maddie's and Cliff's initial meeting as he rescues her from being stomped on by an ornery bull.
The sparks fly between Maddie and Cliff, but Maddie is afraid of getting close to Cliff because of her past. She is also fiercely independent, acting in this way to overcome her feelings of insecurity and inadequacy. Cliff has some issues to deal with too, having come to realize that his bull riding career may have been his own way of dealing with his own past, but he knows a good thing when he sees it, and that is a future with Maddie. Maddie shares things that she has never shared before about her past with Cliff and is falling in love with him.
Although Cliff is looking for property so that he can retire bull riding, his sponsors rope him back into the circuit. Maddie is fearful that he will abandon her. Will this couple make it?
I think that this story is sigh worthy, but I'm biased; I love Mule Hollow and its characters. App, Stanley, Sam, Hailey Bell Sutton, and of course, the Mule Hollow Matchmaking Posse, composed of Esther Mae, Norma Sue, and Adela, show up in the novella. And boy! The ladies of the Posse were *bad* this time round! However, how Cliff responded was very sweet. In fact, I liked how he conducted himself throughout the whole story. Yes, Maddie, he's a keeper!
And Ms. Clopton...if you ever read this, I would love, love, love to read about Rafe's story. There's enough of a hint that he has had some disappointment in love, and I would love for that cowboy to have his own happy ending. In fact, I would also love to read Ty's, Chase's, and Dalton's stories too.
4) Deadly Hunt by Margaret Daley.
Tess Miller, a bodyguard who specializes in protecting children, is on vacation at her uncle's isolated cabin in the Arizona mountains. She is trying to unwind from her last assignment when an injured man, without any identification, shows up at the cabin, bleeding from a gunshot wound. Shane Burkhart claims to be the owner of a high tech company, but has no idea why he had been shot; was it an accidental shooting by a hunter or is there someone trying to kill him? Will Shane survive his injuries? Is he really who he says he is? If the shooting was not accidental, who is trying to kill him, and why? What will Tess do about the attraction that she feels towards this stranger who is injured in her uncle's cabin?
I thought that this suspense story was quite well written. For the most part, the reader discovers details about who Shane is and the threat against his life as Tess learns about them. Unlike some stories, I had no idea who the bad guys were until they were revealed. For a while there, I was even uncertain about the male protagonist. The story unfolded well, and as I mentioned before, I usually find that Margaret Daley delivers a satisfying read.
5) Necessary Proof by Camy Tang.
Alex Villa, a police informant, and Jane Lawton, an IT/software specialist, are on the run from a Filipino gang that wants to recover the laptop that Alex had swiped after tailing a gang member to one of their drug labs. Alex had previously given information to the police about another drug lab belonging to the gang which led to an officer being ambushed and killed by gang members when the police tried to raid it. Alex needs Jane's expertise to retrieve any data that could prove his innocence and show that the gang is trying to frame him.
The pair barely keep one step ahead of their pursuers and are chased all over Sonoma. However, being on the lam forces Jane to face issues that have been plaguing her for the past year in which she has grown to be distrustful of men after being wounded and betrayed by most of the males in her life. All of this has also resulted in an estranged relationship with God. Alex, who had been previously interested in Jane, finds himself increasingly attracted to her again, but cannot act on this attraction until he can resolve the dangerous situation that he has brought upon Jane and himself.
This story was a bit more frantic than the previous one, because the pursuit takes place for most of the story. I'm not a technologically inclined person, but the descriptions of what Jane needed to do with the computer in order to help Alex were good enough for me to follow and not get lost. Finally, this was the story in this collection that I thought had the most incorporation of faith in God into the storyline. I enjoyed reading it.
6) Kissed by a Cowboy by Lacy Williams.
At the time of this blog entry, this particular short story is also available at Smashwords. In fact, that is where I first read this before I received a copy of First Kisses.
Maddox Michaels was the man who Haley Carston had hoped would fall in love with her and want to marry before Maddox's sister and Haley's best friend, Katie, died. Then, he was full of confidence about his life and future, with the possibility of being noticed by professional scouts for the NFL. Now, Maddox is a different man; he is barely keeping his family together, having assumed the responsibility for caring for his orphaned niece, Olivia, and for a younger brother, Justin, who was injured in a bull riding accident. He has long shouldered the position of being the man of the family as both his parents have passed on. Maddox is also trying to keep the family farm financially afloat, traveling for a few days at a time doing additional work to earn extra income.
Haley and Maddox are reunited when Haley returns to Redbud Trails to care for her Aunt Matilda who is dying of cancer. Haley runs into Olivia, a precocious 11 year old who wants to start up a gourmet ice cream business but requires start up money that Maddox can barely spare. When Haley offers to help fund Olivia's business because she is determined to give her best friend's daughter a chance to realize her dreams, Maddox reluctantly agrees to Haley's scheme.
The more time Maddox spends with Haley, he realizes that he's falling for her, but he wrestles with fears that he has nothing to offer her when his own life is a mess. Meanwhile, Haley is also falling for Maddox but can't figure out how to overcome his reservations about starting a relationship and his increasingly distant attitude.
I liked this story. Out of all the stories in this collection, I found this one to be the most plausible, believable, and possible that could happen in real life. It is one that I could relate to also because it is set in a contemporary time and didn't require me to imagine being in another era or for me to imagine being involved in a situation where my life would be endangered through espionage or criminal activity. The only quibble that I have is that I wouldn't classify this story as a Christian inspirational; I'd probably group it under the "sweet" and "clean" categories. Even though there is mention about church and people from church, I didn't see much mention about God or about drawing strength from a relationship with Him.
However, as I mentioned before, I enjoyed this story. This is the first work that I've read by Lacy Williams. I'd be interested in reading more of her work in the future.
In short:
This is a nice collection of short stories that includes the historical, suspense, and contemporary genres. Each story is a fairly light read. I believe that this is a great sampler for the authors included in this book if one hasn't read any of their work before.
Disclaimer: I was provided with a free e-copy of First Kisses from Net Galley in exchange for a review. All opinions stated in this review are mine.
Thursday, 23 January 2014
Review: A May Bride by Meg Moseley
"A May Bride," by Meg Moseley is the sixth release from Zondervan/HarperCollins' novella series, "A Year of Weddings." I've not read any of the author's work before and I took a quick glance at her website. One of the byline descriptors that appears on her site says the following about her novels: "Realism, Faith, and a Funny Streak." I read part of a sample of her writing for her novel, "Gone South," and it sounds intriguing enough to me that I'd consider reading it at a later date.
I'd like to say that this novella does have realism in it. Who hasn't had overbearing, opinionated, and stubborn relatives who are embarrassing to acknowledge as one's own? Who hasn't dealt with people who are difficult and near impossible to please? Who hasn't met people who are unreasonably judgmental? In the novella, all these people are represented in the character of Ellie Martin's mother. She's one scary woman. It's no wonder Ellie doesn't want Gray Whitby, the new man in her life, to meet her mom.
There is definitely humor in "A May Bride," too. Parts of the novella are written in a chick-lit style. We first meet Ellie while she is acting as a guerrilla gardener, secretly weeding a flower bed for a church she doesn't belong to. This is how Gray officially meets her too; they recognize each other from previous run-ins at a local coffee shop, but are still essentially strangers to each other. He is a participant in a guerrilla wedding that is taking place in the church garden. Gray wants to make sure that Ellie doesn't rat out his friends for using the property without making any formal arrangements through the church. They agree to hold each other's secrets and go on their separate ways.
Gray soon seeks Ellie out to ask her on a date. The man is charming. He's funny. He's impulsive. He's impetuous. And he's definitely chasing Ellie.
Ellie's mom, however, had made poor choices for herself where men are concerned and is forever cautioning Ellie and her younger sister, Alexa, to watch out for fast moving, fast-talking charmers that will lead girls astray every time. Obviously, in her mother's eyes, Gray fits that description and their first meeting is less than stellar, especially when her mom's cold behavior towards him is contrasted against her welcoming warmth towards Alexa's fiancé, Eric. Mom approves of Eric because he is known to her and is a family friend. She is paying for Alexa's and Eric's wedding, and thus has been running a lot of interference in her younger daughter's life.
Gray and Ellie get secretly engaged within 3-4 months of their official introduction. Ellie doesn't want to tell her mother yet because she knows that her mom will think that they are moving too fast and are headed for disaster. She is thankful that she has a wedding fund saved so that she would have freedom to choose what kind of wedding she will have with Gray, instead of dealing with the issues that Alexa has with her wedding.
Finally, there is faith in this story. A falling out occurs between Ellie's mom and Alexa, which spirals out, affecting Ellie and Gray too. The situation smacks deeply of realism. I don't think that I can reveal any more about the plot, because it will be too much of a spoiler, but I will say one word: grace.
I have to admit that on the first time that I read this, by the middle and towards the end of the book, I did not like Ellie or Gray very much. I was a bit put off by Gray's attitudes and actions as he responded to Ellie's mom and sister; he felt that he was taking a lower priority in Ellie's life than what he thought he deserved. Perhaps he believed that he was justified to feel so, as it is quite clear that he's interested in marrying Ellie fairly early in the story. I was also raising my eyebrows at the speed at which he was pushing marriage. I was also put off by Ellie's attitude to her mom because it felt at times that she wanted to really stick it to her mother about standing up against her.
I had to reread the story over a second time to appreciate it more. After all, Gray's attitudes and actions can be explained away by his impulsiveness, impetuosity, and his desire for Ellie to become his wife. As for Ellie, I suppose that it is not surprising that she should respond in a snarky way towards her mother if she feels too overwhelmed by her mother's own smothering, judgmental attitude. I'm glad to have taken a second look at the characters in this light, because after the first time, I didn't really want to pick up the book again and would have missed the greater impact of the book, which is its message about grace, forgiveness and making a fresh start in light of that.
The story is quite well plotted out. The history and relationships that all these people have with each other, and the parallel threads of Ellie's and Alexa's stories are tied together quite neatly in the end. Perhaps there might be a happy ending for their mother in some other story that Meg Moseley might write.
Disclaimer: A e-copy of "A May Bride" was provided by NetGalley in exchange for a review. All opinions stated in this review are mine.
I'd like to say that this novella does have realism in it. Who hasn't had overbearing, opinionated, and stubborn relatives who are embarrassing to acknowledge as one's own? Who hasn't dealt with people who are difficult and near impossible to please? Who hasn't met people who are unreasonably judgmental? In the novella, all these people are represented in the character of Ellie Martin's mother. She's one scary woman. It's no wonder Ellie doesn't want Gray Whitby, the new man in her life, to meet her mom.
There is definitely humor in "A May Bride," too. Parts of the novella are written in a chick-lit style. We first meet Ellie while she is acting as a guerrilla gardener, secretly weeding a flower bed for a church she doesn't belong to. This is how Gray officially meets her too; they recognize each other from previous run-ins at a local coffee shop, but are still essentially strangers to each other. He is a participant in a guerrilla wedding that is taking place in the church garden. Gray wants to make sure that Ellie doesn't rat out his friends for using the property without making any formal arrangements through the church. They agree to hold each other's secrets and go on their separate ways.
Gray soon seeks Ellie out to ask her on a date. The man is charming. He's funny. He's impulsive. He's impetuous. And he's definitely chasing Ellie.
Ellie's mom, however, had made poor choices for herself where men are concerned and is forever cautioning Ellie and her younger sister, Alexa, to watch out for fast moving, fast-talking charmers that will lead girls astray every time. Obviously, in her mother's eyes, Gray fits that description and their first meeting is less than stellar, especially when her mom's cold behavior towards him is contrasted against her welcoming warmth towards Alexa's fiancé, Eric. Mom approves of Eric because he is known to her and is a family friend. She is paying for Alexa's and Eric's wedding, and thus has been running a lot of interference in her younger daughter's life.
Gray and Ellie get secretly engaged within 3-4 months of their official introduction. Ellie doesn't want to tell her mother yet because she knows that her mom will think that they are moving too fast and are headed for disaster. She is thankful that she has a wedding fund saved so that she would have freedom to choose what kind of wedding she will have with Gray, instead of dealing with the issues that Alexa has with her wedding.
Finally, there is faith in this story. A falling out occurs between Ellie's mom and Alexa, which spirals out, affecting Ellie and Gray too. The situation smacks deeply of realism. I don't think that I can reveal any more about the plot, because it will be too much of a spoiler, but I will say one word: grace.
I have to admit that on the first time that I read this, by the middle and towards the end of the book, I did not like Ellie or Gray very much. I was a bit put off by Gray's attitudes and actions as he responded to Ellie's mom and sister; he felt that he was taking a lower priority in Ellie's life than what he thought he deserved. Perhaps he believed that he was justified to feel so, as it is quite clear that he's interested in marrying Ellie fairly early in the story. I was also raising my eyebrows at the speed at which he was pushing marriage. I was also put off by Ellie's attitude to her mom because it felt at times that she wanted to really stick it to her mother about standing up against her.
I had to reread the story over a second time to appreciate it more. After all, Gray's attitudes and actions can be explained away by his impulsiveness, impetuosity, and his desire for Ellie to become his wife. As for Ellie, I suppose that it is not surprising that she should respond in a snarky way towards her mother if she feels too overwhelmed by her mother's own smothering, judgmental attitude. I'm glad to have taken a second look at the characters in this light, because after the first time, I didn't really want to pick up the book again and would have missed the greater impact of the book, which is its message about grace, forgiveness and making a fresh start in light of that.
The story is quite well plotted out. The history and relationships that all these people have with each other, and the parallel threads of Ellie's and Alexa's stories are tied together quite neatly in the end. Perhaps there might be a happy ending for their mother in some other story that Meg Moseley might write.
Disclaimer: A e-copy of "A May Bride" was provided by NetGalley in exchange for a review. All opinions stated in this review are mine.
Review: An April Bride by Lenora Worth
"An April Bride" by Lenora Worth is the fifth installment of Zondervan/HarperCollins' "A Year of Weddings." Stella Carson and Marshall Henderson have known each other since childhood and are high school sweethearts. He is a wounded soldier who has been recovering in Maryland for about two months after reviving from a coma. Stella has been waiting for Marshall to return to Louisiana so that they can marry in four weeks.
Stella is feeling anxious about their reunion. Marshall had asked her to stay away while he was recovering in Maryland and he seemed distant during their phone conversations. She is concerned that Marshall has been greatly changed by his military experiences and injuries. Stella is worried that she will need to cancel the wedding if Marshall does not feel the same way about her as he used to.
When she finally sees Marshall again, she discovers that Marshall has amnesia and he does not remember her or their wedding plans. All that he knows about her is information given to him through his parents, and through his conversations with Stella. He does have some vague fleeting memories but is struggling to remember his past life before his injury.
Marshall does not wish to postpone the wedding, and neither does Stella. However, as the days pass by, both come to realize that Marshall's memory is not returning as quickly as they would like, and that they will need to consider calling the wedding off.
The spiritual conflict that Stella needs to face is to trust God and let go of the Marshall that she had known, so that he has time to heal...if he will ever heal. For Marshall, his challenge is to trust God so that he can draw strength and courage to face darkness and fears surrounding his injury. He knows that having Stella in his life is a good thing, and he needs to face his fear that may be preventing him from remembering her.
I found the story to be...okay. I enjoyed reading it and I wanted to find out if Stella and Marshall ended up with each other, but I don't think that this is a story that I'm really hankering to read over and over again. However, I think that some others might feel differently and this could be a favourite read and that they would love to revisit this couple repeatedly, especially if they enjoy reading a romance involving a character who is in the military. Marshall did do some romantic things that were rather sweet!
Disclaimer: A copy of "An April Bride" was provided by NetGalley in exchange for a review. All opinions stated in this review are mine.
Stella is feeling anxious about their reunion. Marshall had asked her to stay away while he was recovering in Maryland and he seemed distant during their phone conversations. She is concerned that Marshall has been greatly changed by his military experiences and injuries. Stella is worried that she will need to cancel the wedding if Marshall does not feel the same way about her as he used to.
When she finally sees Marshall again, she discovers that Marshall has amnesia and he does not remember her or their wedding plans. All that he knows about her is information given to him through his parents, and through his conversations with Stella. He does have some vague fleeting memories but is struggling to remember his past life before his injury.
Marshall does not wish to postpone the wedding, and neither does Stella. However, as the days pass by, both come to realize that Marshall's memory is not returning as quickly as they would like, and that they will need to consider calling the wedding off.
The spiritual conflict that Stella needs to face is to trust God and let go of the Marshall that she had known, so that he has time to heal...if he will ever heal. For Marshall, his challenge is to trust God so that he can draw strength and courage to face darkness and fears surrounding his injury. He knows that having Stella in his life is a good thing, and he needs to face his fear that may be preventing him from remembering her.
I found the story to be...okay. I enjoyed reading it and I wanted to find out if Stella and Marshall ended up with each other, but I don't think that this is a story that I'm really hankering to read over and over again. However, I think that some others might feel differently and this could be a favourite read and that they would love to revisit this couple repeatedly, especially if they enjoy reading a romance involving a character who is in the military. Marshall did do some romantic things that were rather sweet!
Disclaimer: A copy of "An April Bride" was provided by NetGalley in exchange for a review. All opinions stated in this review are mine.
Tuesday, 14 January 2014
Review: A March Bride by Rachel Hauck
When I first read about the novella series, "A Year of Weddings," which is released by Zondervan/Harper Collins, I glanced through the blurbs provided for each novella to see what the hubbub was about. The description for, "A March Bride," was the one that caught my eye. I have not read anything by Rachel Hauck before, but a Christian story, and a description about a king who takes an ordinary woman to be his bride automatically made me think about Christ and His Bride, the church.
The novella is actually a short sequel to "Once Upon a Prince," which is Book 1 of the Royal Wedding Series. That novel, which was published in 2013, was about how Susanna Truitt came together with the then-Prince Nathaniel. In "A March Bride," the story is about their wedding and whether it will actually happen or not.
Susanna is having doubts about her upcoming marriage to Nathaniel, who is now king of Brighton. Most of her extended family and dear friends cannot attend the wedding in Brighton, and she feels awkward with Nathaniel's inner circle of friends. Nathaniel has been distant with her for the past couple of months and she is concerned that he no longer loves her. She is feeling the strain from giving up her life in America and becoming a transplant in Brighton; in other words, she is deeply homesick.
Through a phone call home to her family, Susanna finds out that her grandmother, and her best friend/maid of honour, are not able to attend the wedding because of health concerns. The final blow that drives her over the edge is that Nathaniel's political enemies are demanding that she give up her American citizenship before the wedding to satisfy the laws of Brighton.
Susanna's turmoil over her identity rises to the forefront and she cannot handle the pressure and disappointment that have been foisted upon her. She informs Nathaniel that she needs to return to the States to think over matters. Nathaniel is fearful that if Susanna returns to America, she will never return to marry him. His fears are justified; one of his staff discovers Susanna's engagement ring by her bedside after she has left for the States. Will there be a royal wedding?
I enjoyed the Scriptural allusions to Queen Esther, to the Bride of Christ, and about how Christ gave up His heavenly citizenship so that He could identify with humankind. I also appreciated the ideas about how believers in Christ are also citizens of heaven and of the Kingdom of God, in addition to being citizens of the country that God has planted them.
I also enjoyed the message that one of the characters gives to Susanna which can also be directed to a believing reader: "He's (referring to Christ) entrusting you to be a Christian example to people around the world. For such a time as this."
You don't need to read "Once Upon a Prince," to follow the story in, "A March Bride." It can be read as a stand alone book. I haven't read, "Once Upon a Prince," but I'm probably going to keep my eye out for that book and also for "Princess Ever After," which is being released in February, 2014.
Disclaimer: An e-copy of "A March Bride" was provided by NetGalley in exchange for a review. All opinions stated in this review are mine.
The novella is actually a short sequel to "Once Upon a Prince," which is Book 1 of the Royal Wedding Series. That novel, which was published in 2013, was about how Susanna Truitt came together with the then-Prince Nathaniel. In "A March Bride," the story is about their wedding and whether it will actually happen or not.
Susanna is having doubts about her upcoming marriage to Nathaniel, who is now king of Brighton. Most of her extended family and dear friends cannot attend the wedding in Brighton, and she feels awkward with Nathaniel's inner circle of friends. Nathaniel has been distant with her for the past couple of months and she is concerned that he no longer loves her. She is feeling the strain from giving up her life in America and becoming a transplant in Brighton; in other words, she is deeply homesick.
Through a phone call home to her family, Susanna finds out that her grandmother, and her best friend/maid of honour, are not able to attend the wedding because of health concerns. The final blow that drives her over the edge is that Nathaniel's political enemies are demanding that she give up her American citizenship before the wedding to satisfy the laws of Brighton.
Susanna's turmoil over her identity rises to the forefront and she cannot handle the pressure and disappointment that have been foisted upon her. She informs Nathaniel that she needs to return to the States to think over matters. Nathaniel is fearful that if Susanna returns to America, she will never return to marry him. His fears are justified; one of his staff discovers Susanna's engagement ring by her bedside after she has left for the States. Will there be a royal wedding?
I enjoyed the Scriptural allusions to Queen Esther, to the Bride of Christ, and about how Christ gave up His heavenly citizenship so that He could identify with humankind. I also appreciated the ideas about how believers in Christ are also citizens of heaven and of the Kingdom of God, in addition to being citizens of the country that God has planted them.
I also enjoyed the message that one of the characters gives to Susanna which can also be directed to a believing reader: "He's (referring to Christ) entrusting you to be a Christian example to people around the world. For such a time as this."
You don't need to read "Once Upon a Prince," to follow the story in, "A March Bride." It can be read as a stand alone book. I haven't read, "Once Upon a Prince," but I'm probably going to keep my eye out for that book and also for "Princess Ever After," which is being released in February, 2014.
Disclaimer: An e-copy of "A March Bride" was provided by NetGalley in exchange for a review. All opinions stated in this review are mine.
Sunday, 5 January 2014
Review: A February Bride by Betsy St. Amant
The third installment of a Year of Weddings by Zondervan/Harper Collins is, "A February Bride," by Betsy St. Amant. It has been a few years since I've read any of her work, but I have previously read her novel, "Rodeo Sweetheart."
In "A February Bride," Allie Andrews is a runaway bride. Just moments before she makes her vows, a tear appears in her wedding gown and sets off a cascade of doubts that results in her running away from Marcus Hall, her groom. The gown represents generational sins existing in her family that have resulted in broken relationships. No female in her family, including her mother, aunt, and grandmother has been able to make a marriage last longer than three years, and Allie loved Marcus too much to subject him to that sort of marital doom.
Four months after the big disaster at the church, Hannah, Allie's best friend, asks her to become her maid of honour. Allie agrees to do this, because she owes this favour to Hannah; however, the complication is that Hannah is also Marcus' sister! How is she going to be able to face him after everything that had happened?
Marcus has no idea why Allie walked out on him and abandoned him at the altar, and even after four months, he is still in love with her. Every event related to Hannah's wedding brings Allie back into his orbit and he can't seem to walk away from her. He needs to decide if he can stay in the same town at Allie with his unresolved feelings, or move away and make a fresh start in Texas.
This story improved for me upon a second reading. This novella was quite similar to, "A December Bride," in which that bride also had a poor self concept and tried to cope with her flawed self perception. Of course, Allie's coping strategy did spur a lot of running away from a man who loved her deeply but who is also clueless as to why she did what she did. The verse, 2 Corinthians 5:17, which says, "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone; the new has come!" holds a key idea in this story, and it is a concept that Allie needs to grapple with in the novella.
The story unfolded at a good pace, and I really liked Marcus and Allie. If they were real people, I would have loved to have known them personally.
Disclaimer: I received an e-book copy of, "A February Bride," from NetGalley in exchange for a review. Any opinions stated in this review are mine.
In "A February Bride," Allie Andrews is a runaway bride. Just moments before she makes her vows, a tear appears in her wedding gown and sets off a cascade of doubts that results in her running away from Marcus Hall, her groom. The gown represents generational sins existing in her family that have resulted in broken relationships. No female in her family, including her mother, aunt, and grandmother has been able to make a marriage last longer than three years, and Allie loved Marcus too much to subject him to that sort of marital doom.
Four months after the big disaster at the church, Hannah, Allie's best friend, asks her to become her maid of honour. Allie agrees to do this, because she owes this favour to Hannah; however, the complication is that Hannah is also Marcus' sister! How is she going to be able to face him after everything that had happened?
Marcus has no idea why Allie walked out on him and abandoned him at the altar, and even after four months, he is still in love with her. Every event related to Hannah's wedding brings Allie back into his orbit and he can't seem to walk away from her. He needs to decide if he can stay in the same town at Allie with his unresolved feelings, or move away and make a fresh start in Texas.
This story improved for me upon a second reading. This novella was quite similar to, "A December Bride," in which that bride also had a poor self concept and tried to cope with her flawed self perception. Of course, Allie's coping strategy did spur a lot of running away from a man who loved her deeply but who is also clueless as to why she did what she did. The verse, 2 Corinthians 5:17, which says, "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone; the new has come!" holds a key idea in this story, and it is a concept that Allie needs to grapple with in the novella.
The story unfolded at a good pace, and I really liked Marcus and Allie. If they were real people, I would have loved to have known them personally.
Disclaimer: I received an e-book copy of, "A February Bride," from NetGalley in exchange for a review. Any opinions stated in this review are mine.
Friday, 3 January 2014
Review: A December Bride by Denise Hunter
There are some minor spoilers in this review.
"A December Bride" was the first release of "A Year of Weddings", a collection of novellas being released by Zondervan/Harper Collins. I have not read anything by Denise Hunter before, so this was a good opportunity to sample one of her stories.
Layla and Seth are brought together because she doesn't want to go to her ex-fiance's wedding without a plus one. Why is she going to her ex-fiance's wedding? It is because her cousin is the bride and she just can't get out of attending. Fortunately for Seth, he has had his eye on Layla for the longest time, and he can't pass up on the chance to go as Layla's date, even though he is basically her last choice. She blames him for not giving her warning that her cousin was poaching her ex-fiance from her. Layla can't find anyone to go with her except for Seth, so even though she despises him, she agrees to attend with him, trying to convince herself that it was better to show up with Seth than showing up alone.
At the wedding, Layla and Seth experience circumstances that conspire to get them to define themselves as couple...as an engaged couple. Layla feels trapped; she is appalled that she and Seth are lying to everyone about their relationship, but needs Seth to continue the charade for professional and personal reasons for a few more weeks until the dust settles in all areas of her life. Seth has only that amount of time to convince Layla to make their engagement a real thing. Will he be able to accomplish that and make Layla his December bride?
Seth did act in a thrilling alpha male way in parts of the story. He was definitely a keeper, and I enjoyed reading about his pursuit after Layla. However, for a Christian romance, I found it a bit strange that the couple carried out a big deception and seemingly got away with it. I can understand why the characters made the decisions that they made, but I cringed when I thought about their situation and choices.
I liked the conversation that Seth had with Layla when he tried to address her insecurities and reminded her that she was special because God made her special and that her identity was not based on her address or parents.
"A December Bride" is a sweet romance, and I'm glad that I had the opportunity to read some of Denise Hunter's work.
Disclaimer: An e-book copy of "A December Bride" was provided by NetGalley for a review. All opinions stated in this review are mine.
"A December Bride" was the first release of "A Year of Weddings", a collection of novellas being released by Zondervan/Harper Collins. I have not read anything by Denise Hunter before, so this was a good opportunity to sample one of her stories.
Layla and Seth are brought together because she doesn't want to go to her ex-fiance's wedding without a plus one. Why is she going to her ex-fiance's wedding? It is because her cousin is the bride and she just can't get out of attending. Fortunately for Seth, he has had his eye on Layla for the longest time, and he can't pass up on the chance to go as Layla's date, even though he is basically her last choice. She blames him for not giving her warning that her cousin was poaching her ex-fiance from her. Layla can't find anyone to go with her except for Seth, so even though she despises him, she agrees to attend with him, trying to convince herself that it was better to show up with Seth than showing up alone.
At the wedding, Layla and Seth experience circumstances that conspire to get them to define themselves as couple...as an engaged couple. Layla feels trapped; she is appalled that she and Seth are lying to everyone about their relationship, but needs Seth to continue the charade for professional and personal reasons for a few more weeks until the dust settles in all areas of her life. Seth has only that amount of time to convince Layla to make their engagement a real thing. Will he be able to accomplish that and make Layla his December bride?
Seth did act in a thrilling alpha male way in parts of the story. He was definitely a keeper, and I enjoyed reading about his pursuit after Layla. However, for a Christian romance, I found it a bit strange that the couple carried out a big deception and seemingly got away with it. I can understand why the characters made the decisions that they made, but I cringed when I thought about their situation and choices.
I liked the conversation that Seth had with Layla when he tried to address her insecurities and reminded her that she was special because God made her special and that her identity was not based on her address or parents.
"A December Bride" is a sweet romance, and I'm glad that I had the opportunity to read some of Denise Hunter's work.
Disclaimer: An e-book copy of "A December Bride" was provided by NetGalley for a review. All opinions stated in this review are mine.
Thursday, 2 January 2014
Review: A January Bride by Deborah Raney
Zondervan/Harper Collins is releasing a series of novellas this year under the title of "A Year of Weddings." One of the titles in the collection is, "A January Bride," by Deborah Raney. I had previously read, "Above All Things," which was also written by Ms. Raney. I had found that book to be quite thought provoking and was looking forward to reading this novella.
In "A January Bride," Maddie Houser is under a great deal of stress. She needs to meet an increasingly looming deadline to complete her novel; however, the house that she is living in is in dire need of repair as there are plumbing and electrical problems. These disruptive conditions are not conducive to writing a novel so Maddie's neighbour, Ginny, suggests that the thirty-something novelist use a room at a bed-and-breakfast inn that a friend, Arthur (Art) Tyler, owns. He is a university professor who keeps saying that he is going to retire but does not actually get around to doing that.
Maddie and Art begin a correspondence by leaving notes for each other; they do not actually meet for quite some time as Art is usually away at work when Maddie comes to the inn to write her novel during the day. She usually has gone to her own home by the time he returns to his home. They come to know and admire each other through their notes. However, there are still some very important things that they do not know about each other which could be cleared up if they would actually get around to meeting face to face!
I was quite satisfied with the character development and the unfolding of the plot for a shortened story. The mistaken assumptions that the heroine, Maddie, and the hero, Art, make about each other, the revelation of the truth of their situations, and how they dealt with and accepted the changes that this revelation brought about all seemed plausible to me. I really enjoyed reading this and am looking forward to reading more stories by Ms. Raney.
Disclaimer: I was given an e-book copy of "A January Bride," from NetGalley in exchange for a review. The opinions given in this blog are my own.
In "A January Bride," Maddie Houser is under a great deal of stress. She needs to meet an increasingly looming deadline to complete her novel; however, the house that she is living in is in dire need of repair as there are plumbing and electrical problems. These disruptive conditions are not conducive to writing a novel so Maddie's neighbour, Ginny, suggests that the thirty-something novelist use a room at a bed-and-breakfast inn that a friend, Arthur (Art) Tyler, owns. He is a university professor who keeps saying that he is going to retire but does not actually get around to doing that.
Maddie and Art begin a correspondence by leaving notes for each other; they do not actually meet for quite some time as Art is usually away at work when Maddie comes to the inn to write her novel during the day. She usually has gone to her own home by the time he returns to his home. They come to know and admire each other through their notes. However, there are still some very important things that they do not know about each other which could be cleared up if they would actually get around to meeting face to face!
I was quite satisfied with the character development and the unfolding of the plot for a shortened story. The mistaken assumptions that the heroine, Maddie, and the hero, Art, make about each other, the revelation of the truth of their situations, and how they dealt with and accepted the changes that this revelation brought about all seemed plausible to me. I really enjoyed reading this and am looking forward to reading more stories by Ms. Raney.
Disclaimer: I was given an e-book copy of "A January Bride," from NetGalley in exchange for a review. The opinions given in this blog are my own.
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