Longing for Home Review

Katie Macauley has traveled far west to Wyoming after being hired as a housekeeper. She is a fighter and a survivor through hardship. She relies only on herself after being forced to be on her own since she was eight years old. She struggles with a past that she can't find peace with. She arrives in Wyoming hoping to save ultimately to return to Ireland to make amends with her past only to find a feud that she ultimately kindles.

Two men catch her attention. One is from her Irish blood and is a charming tease named Tavish. The other is her employer who tries to keep her at arms length because there would be no future for them together with the feud boiling to a point of violence. Katie must learn to find a way to earn her keep without trying to stir bad blood. No matter what she does, she finds that she is right in the middle of it. Each side is using her for a cause to fight. Katie faces the past and opens up to both men hoping to find some peace.

Sarah Eden has done a excellent job of showing the hatred of the Irish even in a small town in Wyoming. I was so amazed how deep the prejudice went. I could not believe that after the hardship of the Irish from the famine, that there would be such cruelty and harsh treatment of the Irish. I remember it from history just did not realize it went so far as to go even as far as Wyoming. I liked that Katie tried so hard to stay neutral from the hostile feud, but yet ended up being pulled into the middle of it. I have mixed emotions as to whom she chooses to be with, but I understand. I am eager to read the sequel to this to find out the outcome of this story. Katie pulled on my heart strings and I would recommend this book to anyone.

I received this free complementary book from Shadow Mountain Publishing for my honest opinion.

Blackmoore Book Review

I was so excited to get the opportunity to review this new novel of Julianne Donaldson. Kate at the ripe age of eighteen has secrets that she fights to protect from being known. She lives in a world where love is deceiving and hurtful. Where her soul seeks to find escape from the confinements put upon her by her family. She seeks to find peace in India and be in control of her own desires.

Before she can go to India, she must first make a trip to Blackmoore. There she must have three proposals in order to secure her freedom to India. She seeks the help from her childhood friend, Henry. Blackmoore is dark and surrounded in mystery. Kate finds that she feels a kinship to Blackmoore. She looks beneath the dark exterior to find beauty hidden Blackmoore. She strives to discover the secrets that Blackmoore hides. What she does not realize is that when Blackmoore's secrets are opened up to her so are her secrets opened up to Henry.

This tone of this story is a bit darker and mysterious. I was constantly trying to guess what Kate was hiding from Henry. I felt so sorry for Kate on her quest to find freedom. I felt her tears as she cried in sorrow and loss. I was enraptured with Henry. He was dreamy and masculine. I rooted for Kate and Henry to find the happiness they both wanted in life. I had to reread the end five times. I loved it. This book is one that will always be a favorite regency romance to read possibly on a stormy night.

I received a complimentary free copy of this book from Shadow Mountain publishing for my honest opinion.

Surgery

Our little boy is having surgery tomorrow. I hope it goes well. It's not a serious surgery but I still worry for him. Saying prayers for our little guy.

Emma: A Latter-Day Tale Review

This story follows the Jane Austen story line of Emma with a few subtle changes. These changes include names and a twist with the latter day values and morals. Emma is bent on matchmaking after successfully helping her Aunt Tanya marry. She finds Harri, short for Harriet, to be her first project for giving a makeover and a boost in finding her perfect soul mate. Like the Jane Austen version, the wrong man is picked and Emma spirals out of control on the decisions she makes in trying to influence for good, but rather makes more mistakes along the way.

Her best friend, Justin is there telling her constantly of her mistakes but she does not listen to him until the end when she realizes that she loves him and could possibly lose him.

I liked this Latter Day version of Emma. It held to the basic Jane Austen Story of Emma, but maintained a latter day perspective to it which I appreciated. I felt the author gave definition to the characters and I truly liked Justin. I could see him as a modern Mr. Knightley.

I felt that the story did drag just a bit waiting for certain things to happen but that could be because I knew the Jane Austen version of Emma and wanted to get to the next part of Emma. Also I wished there was a bit more romance between Emma and Justin. I felt the same with Jane Austen's version as well. You just love those two characters that you want more interaction between them through the story. Overall, this is a book that I will keep in my library to read again.

I was given a free complimentary copy from Cedar Fort, Inc for my honest opinion.

Follow the Heart Review

Follow the Heart is about a Kate, a woman considered to be a spinster, who is jilted and forced by her father to go to England to live with her mother's brother. She is escorted by her brother, Christopher and both are told to marry wealthy to save the family from financial ruin. Kate has not much experience being courted by men let alone English aristocrats. She feels a strong pull to follow the mandate given by her father until she meets Andrew Lawton, an English Landscaper who works for her uncle. Kate strives to follow the strict code of conduct and tame her heart just as Andrew tames his plants, but her heart longs to be wild and free to choose her own path to Andrew. At a point in the story she meets a crossroads where she must make the ultimate decision to sacrifice her love or her family.

I really liked this story about Kate and how she is overwhelmed with responsibility. I could feel as if I was with her at being torn between duty and love. I felt the love between her and Andrew seemed to grow and the fight they gave to prevent it from developing. I only wished the author had show more of the building of romance between them. I really liked Christopher. He was a good brother who looked after Kate and I liked his approach to living his life to be happy rather than conforming to his father's edict. I only wished I could have seen Edith get a taste of her own medicine by the Uncle. Overall it was a great read and one that I should read again.

I received this complementary copy of Follow the Heart from B&H Publishing Group for my honest and unbiased opinion.

Undeniably Yours Review

 
Meg inherits her father's estate though they were not close. She takes on the role of trying to step into his shoe for the Company he ran. Hesitant to follow in her father's footsteps completely, she strives to take on only the things she feels she has some interest in. The horse farm is not in her interest and she tries to close it down but meets the irresistible, handsome cowboy Bo, who will not let it close without a fight. Bo convinces Meg to give him more time with the horse farm and Meg agrees.

Meg is a woman who lacks confidence in herself and strives to try to fit into her father's world though she hates it. Bo is the confident, faith driven, cowboy who feels inadequate around Meg due to their difference in material wealth. Yet both are attracted to each other and can't help the feelings that grow between them.

I received this free complementary book from Bethany House publishers for my honest opinion. I felt this was a simple sweet clean romance. I liked Meg's character and the fact that though she was pretty, she felt those insecure feelings that most women do about themselves. She seemed more down to earth. I liked Bo's character as well and how the author brought the opposites attract theme into it.

As usual, there is a bad person in the story and I felt that he really was more of a distraction than an addition. I don't understand why he chose to go back to find Meg when he was so good at hiding his trail. It made no sense to me why he even cared to find her.

I still give it four stars because this would be a story that I would read again just for a bit of light romance on a rainy day for entertainment.

The Tudor's Daughter Review

Emma Smallwood is a dutiful daughter. She takes care of her father in every way from helping him teach at his school to worrying over their financial situation. She takes and chance and ends up on a journey that changes her life forever.

She follows her father to a Cliff top Manor to tudor two youngest sons of a Baron. She is hesitant to leave her well established life because she fears meeting the the oldest son, Henry because they were not friends. She hopes the second son, Phillip is there because he was her friend.

She finds that at her temporary residence at the Cliff Manor that all is not what it seems. Mystery and mischief lurk there. She finds herself wondering if a past nemesis is recreating mischief, but yet she finds herself drawn to a side she has never seen of him.

I found that Julie Klassen wrote another excellent story. I enjoyed the mystery that she weaved in this story. I was constantly guessing wrong conclusions as to who was behind the chaos at the Manor. I loved that Emma realized that people change and I found her romance to be sweetly written. I would definitely recommend this book as a favorite read and one I will read over and over.

I was given this complimentary book from Bethany House for my honest and unbiased opinion to share.