Customer Comments

Ms. Parr character development was on par with the story-line. Martha’s character is strong and independence with deep faith, but she is also very firm in her own personal standards. I found myself at times wanting to shake her as she put off Thomas again and again. But she finds her way through prayer and her belief in God’s plan for her. Ms. Parr painted a picture with words of the struggle we go through with decisions and situations then through prayer and God’s guidance we reach the correct conclusions. Thomas was another strong character, independent, and firm in his faith. He could be almost unbending at times in his demands that Martha give up her God-given talent for marriage. Through his faith, prayer, and God’s guidance, he will grow throughout the story. The secondary characters in the book were wonderful and added so much depth to the book. This is a faith-based book, but Ms. Parr does not preach or push Christian beliefs on the reader, rather she skillfully introduces those beliefs into the story-line through the characters. This was a good finish to the series as it resolves all the issues introduced in the series and ends the series on a high note. Author Delia Parr created a clean, solid, well written book that is suitable for anyone. I received this book from Netgalley and the publisher in return for an honest book review.

Three children in Croatia, Anna, Elizabeta, and Josip, receive visitations from The Lords Mother, Mary. They continued to commune with her through adulthood. Anna, the only one to know the full details, is commanded to deliver 7 prophesies, to God's messenger, Father Mark McKenzie. Four childhood friends are in Vegas for a good time bachelorette party. They have all led different lives and have drifted apart in some ways. Their lives are about to take an unexpected turn, as are the lives of everyone in the world, as God's messages unfold. The first miracle message is a world-wide snow. CHARACTERS, PLOTTING, AND DEVELOPMENT The Daugther's characters are very believable and are portrayed as normal people. Each will have to come to terms with their life and decide which path to follow as the authors weave this wonderful tale. The character development was very good and the plotting and pacing was well done. What an ending, my mouth fell open; what an unexpected ending to this novel! RECOMMENDATION: I recommend this book to anyone that likes an intriguing story line with twists and turns. I received this book from Readingalley in return for an honest book review.

This collection of nine stories are unique in that the romance does not start until after the marriage takes place. Each is penned by a talented author and you will spend wonderful hours immersing yourself in this clean romance collection. Each is a unique story of love after marriage and the problems that each must solve to reach a solid firm foundation for their marriage. The authors had the plot, pacing and development of the characters spot on. This book will leave you wanting more.

Sara Lindqvisrt has corresponded with Amy Harris of Broken Wheel,Iowa for two years and ask Sara to visit. Ms. Bivald expertly created an insecure, out of step character in Sara. Sara accepts the invitation to visit only to find Amy has died. While staying at Amy’s house, Sarah discovers a library of books in Amy’s bedroom. This find was an inspiration for Sara and the setting for this wonderful story. Ms. Bivald created a town is full of characters with loving and giving hearts and her characters have the best of human traits, if a little flawed. She shows now a dying town can come together to recreate its self in a wonderful way. All have big hearts and stuck in their ways,there are still a few secrets in this small town. Ms. Bivald shows how one person can make a huge difference in the lives of the residents of Broken Wheel and inspire each one. Ms.Bivald has the ability to transport you into the story. Don't miss this book. Ms. Bivald’s character development was spot on and the pacing was perfect. I highly recommend this book to any lover of a wonderful story. I received this book from the publisher and Netgalley in return for an honest review.

This book has 5 novel of marriages contracted thru the mail to form solid, loving marriages. To say all is smooth sailing would be an untruth, as rocky roads and relationships are in store for all five of these early pioneers lives in the West. All contain a solid story with good plotting and character growth, mystery, evil people and relatives that leave a lot to be desired. The authors demonstrated how God’s plan will work to his good and the good of each person involved. Each is a clean wholesome story of love and adversity in a time period when life was harder than we can imagine and each character has a wonderful love of God. All will keep your interest from the first story to the last and leave you wanting more.

This is a story of war, family, pooling community resources and love.This is story of a family that goes through the fires of war and comes out stronger. It is also the story of country and community coming together to survive and doing it well. The author also addressed the subject of abuse. I received this book from the publisher and Netgalley in return for an honest review.

The 12 Brides of Christmas Collection by Various Authors: Mary Connealy, Margaret Brownley, Pam Hillman, Maureen Lang, Michele Ule, Amy Lillard, Miralee Ferrell, Susan Page Davis, Diana Lesire Brandmeyer, Amanda Cabot, Davalynn Spencer, and Vickie McDonough; Pub date: 10-1-15 This book is a collection of gentle, sweet, very clean Christian romantic tales. We have twelve brides in this collection that will find the love of their life at Christmas time. Each one is special in it’s owns way; all are historical Christian romances. They are not preachy or pushy in presenting Christian values and beliefs. The recipes were an added bonus. Barbour publishing has never failed me in publishing a wonderful story. These stories were a little too short to suit my taste, as I prefer more depth, but they are packed with the Christmas spirit and Christian values and are relaxing reads. These twelve authors are all acclaimed Christian authors and I have read most of them before. Christmas is time for compassion, loving spirits and nothing is better than sweet Christmas romance, in this book you have twelve such tales. I recommend this collection to anyone that loves Christmas, Christian historical romance and happy ever after. I received this book from the publisher and Netgalley in return for an honest review.

This book contains five stories of marriages of convenience that bring happiness, love, and joy to each marriage. Thanks to a Lonely Heart by Elaine Bonner Steven Barnes needs a wife to care for his 5 children he hasn’t seen in years; he left to seek work in Austin and never returned, he sent correspondence and money during these years. His children think he simply deserted them. His wife allowed all to believe he had deserted them and she has died as a martyr to Stevens supposed desertion; the county will take the children shortly. Emily Johnson is a widow and so very lonely she has a deep desire for a family; Steven proposed a marriage of convenience for the children; she would be a housekeeper and nanny but not a true wife; they travel two weeks back to his farm in Tyler. Ms. Bonner set this story up very well and plotted it skillfully. She paced the story just right and shows her skill of creating difficult situations and turning them into joy. She created a family from five resentful children, a lonely Christian woman, a man eaten with guilt, a community that sees Emily as the other woman, Christian friends that help them deal with the difficult situation, and a faith in God to know what is best and that he will heal the situation. The Christian principles and values are not preachy or pushy, but show how God can set things in motion and create a family from the most vicarious situation. This was a sweet love story that shows Gods love, forgiveness, healing, and redemption and that with God all things are possible. Ms. Bonner showed how good God is to us, and how he can heal any broken heart or spirit. I enjoyed this sweet inspirational story very much. A Bride’s Sweet Surprise in Sauers, Indiana by Ramona Cecil Regina Seitz’s father is determined to marry her off to a man of German descendent and to insure her husband is German he has sent to his former home in Venne, Hanover for Diedrich Rothhaus. Neither of them wants to marry the other. Regina has her eye on Eli Tanner a non-German and Deidrich’s eye is on the gold fields of California. They each have a plan to thwart the marriage plans of the fathers, as Deidrich’s father came with him to America; Deidrich and Regina join forces. Oh what a tangled web we weave when first we practice to deceive; they have a problem as they both feel an attraction. Ms Cecil’s plot and pacing was right on target as she leads these two towards love and security, God always has a plan regardless of what man thinks he wants and this love story is no different. Ms. Cecil added an extra element to this story; Eli Tanner is a mean, brutish, unprincipled young man; Ms. Cecil’s character development of him made my skin crawl. Regina’s mother and father have kept a huge secret from her; this secret will cause heartache, jealousy, hatred and discontent, but God is in control in this as always. Ms. Cecil was not pushy or preachy in her lessons of Gods love; the settlers that came to settle this vast land were by and large godly people and Ms. Cecil’s writing reflects this history. I enjoyed this story and Ms. Cecil writing style. Sonoran Secret by Nancy J. Farrier Diego Garcia owes Eduardo Villegas a debt; in return for absolving the debt, Garcia will give his daughter in marriage to Eduardo. Eduardo expected Teresa to appear from under the veil, but things did not go as planned. He is wed to Fealdad, which mean ugly; she has not talked since babyhood, can not read or write, is frightened to death of men, worked like a slave by her mother and father, and has been physically abused by them her entire life. Eduardo allows the marriage to stand and begins a life with Fealdad whom he renamed Chiquita, which means small. Their road is very rocky to happy ever after. Ms. Farrier infused this story with such emotion. I felt so sad reading of Chiquita life; I wanted to cry. She gave the handsome Eduardo a serious character flaw; although a Christian he has a bad temper that frightens Chiquita immensely. Ms. Farrier crafted a story of such deep emotions as she leads our characters through forging a solid marriage in spite of the flaws of each. This is a story of redemption, God’s love, insecurities, evil men, attempted murder, strong central characters and romance. She included fleeing from evil gunmen, flash floods, and the mystery of who is trying to kill Chiquita and why. Ms. Farrier presented the plan of Salvation so well in the story that it did not feel pushy or preachy. I enjoyed this story very much as Ms. Farrier brought Eduardo and Chiquita from the deepest despair to the highest of love for each other and for God. Ms. Farrier plotted this story very well from beginning to end, and added a surprise for Chiquita in the last chapters of the story; the pacing of the story was very good. I never lost interest nor did the story lag. This is a good clean solid story. Love’s Shining Hope by JoAnn A. Grote This is the story of rejection, misunderstandings, responsibility, doing what is right regardless of what you have to give up, faith in God’s will, Christian values, and romance between husband and wife. Pearl Wells has always loved Jason. Jason loves Miranda, and then she threw him over because he would not turn his back on his family and farm after his mom and dad died in a buggy accident. Jason has a responsibility to his siblings and gives up his architecture plans to farm; Pearl wants to help him with his family, the town gossips are busy spreading rumors, her adoptive parents are worried about the rumors and in middle of all Jason proposes to Pearl. Ms. Grote plotted this story and paced it very well, the different situation going on in this story keep the interest at a high peak as you are rooting for Pearl to attain her dream of love with Jason, booing Miranda and her better than thou ways, wanting to shake Jason’s brother Frank, wanting to shake Jason really hard several times during the story especially when he thought Pearl had another love interest, help Maggie in the teenage years, and heal sweet little Grace’s spirit. I wanted to cry at times, laugh at times, and sigh at times I became so involved with the characters; this is an emotional well-developed story. I loved the fact that Frank read the “The Progressive Farmer” from front to back as I grew up reading this farm magazine. Ms. Grote led our main characters through hoops before they admitted to the love they felt, but with God’s grace they will get their happy ever after. The Christian values presented in this story are not pushy or preachy, but add to the story greatly. Ms. Grote did a great job of uniting a family with Christian values and with love; this story will keep your interest from first page to last. Kiowa Husband by DiAnn Mills Sara Jane Benson and her family are traveling to Oregon with the wagon train. Tragedy strikes when Typhoid fever strikes her mother and mother. Painted Hands, a white man raised until his teenage years by the Kiowa Indians and going to Oregon to look for his brother, is forced to marry Sara Jane as her family is voted off the train. What follows is a hollowing journey for Sara Jane and Painted Hands; Sara Jane contracts the fever, and Painted Hands begins to care greatly for Sara Jane as he nurses her. They have a very rough road ahead spiritually as well as emotionally. Sara is steadfast in her commitment to Painted Hands and is a very religious person with a deep faith in God however her faith will be sorely tested during this journey. Painted Hands lost his family to fire and his hands were severely burned; he has found his brother survived is in Oregon. Painted Hands comes back to the Lord during the journey, then backslides as they are faced with hardships and desperate times; he is fighting many demons. Ms. Mills clearly showed the grace of God, his forgiveness, and redemption in this story as well as a wonderful story full of forgiveness, strength, and love. Painted Hands will have to reveal to Sara Jane his history and the fact he feels he is cursed. He will have to come to terms with his failings and faults. The pacing of the story was spot on, the development of the characters was done well, and the plotting was great. Ms. Mills shows in this book what a mighty God we have and if we rely on him, he will bring us through the fire. Painted Hands, aka Toby Carlson, has many fires to pass through before he will find peace. I loved watching Sara Jane and Painted Hands coming to terms with life and love. This is a wonderful faith-based story full of emotion. These are not short stories but fully developed faith based stories that anyone will enjoy. The combined page total is 720 pages. I received this book from Barbour Publishing and Netgalley in return for an honest review.

Morning Mountain by Peggy Darty This is the story of Luke Thomason, Suzanne Waters and the forever love they find in the old west. Luke has been lucky at the poker table, but luck was not on his side when he was shot and robbed of every penny he had to his name. Suzanne finds Luke barely hanging onto his saddle on her fathers ranch and nurses this fine figure of a man back to health. Luke is a man down on his luck and desperate emotionally; he is bitter and has turned his back on his faith. Suzanne works like man with her pa trying to keep up the ranch they were defrauded into buying, but things are really bad at this point, they are low on everything including money and her pa has been laid up from an injury. Suzanne keeps her faith that God has a plan and reason for everything. Ms Darty did a wonderful job of weaving the Christian faith into the book without over powering the story; the mystery of Lucas' past is a page-turner. He is fighting so hard against his emotions he appears gruff, hard and at times uncaring. Ms Dartys' character growth with Lucas and Suzanne was fascinating to watch. Suzanne wants to find love, security, and a home, but until Luke limped onto the ranch no one has caught her attention and the attraction is mutual. God has plans for Lucas and Suzanne. The road to love will have many rough spots before the end of the story, the plotting was spot on, the pacing was excellent, Ms. Darty pulled all the threads together to create a wonderful story; it never lagged and I never lost interest. This a great well-written love story. A Brides Rogue in Roma, Texas by Darlene Franklin Blanche Lamar meets Ike Gallagher at her mother’s funeral. He was dressed as a dandy and looked out of place in the simple country church. Devoted Christians, Blanche and her mother, Cordelia, lived a simple frugal life of giving and doing for others, striving to be better Christians, and unfortunately Blanche could never do well enough to suite her prim strict mother. Cordelia believed the Bible to the letter, strict uncompromising beliefs that at times made Blanche miserable. They dressed simply and with the cheapest cut of cloth Cordelia could sew, Blanche almost had old maid written across her face. Blanche will discover that the father she has never known, has left her an inheritance if she fulfills certain stipulations; whether her father is dead or alive is one of the mysteries in this story. Ike, as an ambassador for her father, tells Blanche that her father felt she would come to know him best by knowing his boat and all will be revealed at the end of her first riverboat trip. Ms. Franklin created a story full of emotions, twists, turns, and mystery; then she threw in Ike’s blind sister on the riverboat. She catches the reader from the first paragraph and then weaves all the twists, turns, and mysteries together; creates a character in Blanche that is a delight to watch grow into a mature strong woman with ambitions. Blanche will changes the lives of countless people on the riverboat with her simple strong Christian ethics, kindness of spirit, and determination to bring Christ to the employees and passengers of the riverboat. Her love for the mysterious riverboat pilot Old Obie was a joy to watch as he instills into her a love of piloting the riverboat. Blanche will find she has hidden talents. There are several plots in this story that will really surprise you when revealed. Of course the conflict of values, the growing attraction and love between Ike and Blanche, the growth of Ike from a good man with unchristian characteristics and principles to a great man of Christian character were written very well. Blanche is determined to stop the nightly gambling and I loved how Ms. Franklin wove the solutions into this story. Ms Franklin depicted faultlessly that Christian values do not have to be rammed down your throat in order to present the gospel. Her story never felt preachy or pushy, but masterfully depicted the love story between God and man, then man and woman. This is a well-written love story I enjoyed very much. Valiant Heart by Sally Laity This story begins with a wonderful prologue. It is not to be missed, it one that will make you sigh and maybe shed a tear. Amanda and Sara Jane Shelby on their way to the Oregon Trail have buried their father in Independence, Missouri. Low on funds, they must have a solution to their dilemma. Sara Jane, the younger sister, decides they should take the trip to Oregon with the wagon train that is leaving shortly. Seth Holloway, wagon train master, refuses to allow them alone on the train. Amanda and Sara decide to follow behind the train after it leaves. What follows from this decision is an adventure of a lifetime created by the pen of Ms. Laity. They have no concept of what they will face in the journey to Oregon; Indians, floods, raging rivers, insects, storms, impossible mountains, death, mud, you name it, it was on the route. Amanda and Sara are Christians and have faith God will lead and care for them. Ms. Laity’s descriptions of the territory and the journey were vivid, her Christian values shine throughout the story, and her sense of humor was awesome. I laughed and laughed when Sara sang to the Indians warrior party. Each woman will find within herself strength, faith and determination to complete this journey and the journey of life. Seth is amazed that Amanda had made it as far as she did without help, 2 women alone on the prairie. Sara Jane’s character growth was astounding, as she grows from an immature naive young girl to a mature woman. Only the strong could have made the journeys of the pioneers and not only survive but thrive in the untamed west. Seth is fighting his attraction to Amanda tooth and nail; Seth emotionally injured and faith lost, will learn to trust and love God again; you will have to read the book to see if he wins Amanda or is someone else on the tip of Ms. Laity’s pen for her? The pacing of the story was on target and it did not lag. I enjoyed this story of the early pioneers willing to face danger and death to tame a wild land, and form new family units with love of God and for each other in their hearts. Lessons In Love by Nancy Lavo This is an absolutely wondrous story of a man, Luke who has never been hugged, held, cared for, or loved, a half-breed man of honor and the woman, Deborah, that will be his downfall. That is if she ever looses the iron, prim, and oh so proper ways. Luke has no last name and no home other the one that Cyrus, Deborah's Uncle, had given him as a 14-year-old boy. Deborah had traveled from Louisiana to give her seven-year-old brother, Case a normal life, or as normal as it can be for a boy with a turned foot and twisted leg, to the same house Luke considered a place of rest. What a meeting in a dark hallway that was for Luke and Deborah! Deborah seems to be obsessed with Luke not touching her and all Luke could think was not a bet would he touch that dirty filthy woman that had never seen water. Deborah’s and Case’s life has been very hard, their home burn down, the rest of family dead and an Aunt took them in was very prejudiced against Case’s birth defect. Deborah had to find a home for Case to be normal. Case considers the run down filthy house the Promised Land. Case has a wonderful loving spirit; he loves Jesus, and is fascinated with his new Indian friend Luke. Oh, how Case needs a strong man to look up to and to teach him how to become a man. The gospel story told from the mouth of a child was wonderful to read as he told Luke how Jesus loved him. This small child was a wonderful witness for God love, forgiveness, and redemption. In good conscience Luke cannot leave the two of them out in the wilds of Texas alone; they don’t even have a gun. God will use a small boy, Case, with the love, feelings, and wisdom of an adult to change this oh so alone man, and he will drag Deborah along kicking and screaming the whole way. I laughed and laughed at these 3 and the things they did and said; and then on the next page I wanted to cry for all the injustice, evil, and prejudice in the world. I was running the gauntlet of emotions with this story. What a story Ms. Lavo created. She knows how to grab you and not let go. I was hooked from the first page and couldn’t put the book down. The plotting was perfect, the pacing couldn’t have been better, and the humor was a relief from the sadness, injustice and prejudice you will read in this story. But God is always in control and he had a reason to bring these three marvelous people together. Do not pass up this story as it will brighten your day, touch all your emotions, and leave you wanting more. To See His Way by Kathleen Paul Life has been tough for Tildie, first she her entire family dies from influenza, and then she finds her life with her beloved Aunt Matilda almost unbearable. Her Aunt had remarried an evil, lazy man, John Masters. He sold Tildie to a Frenchman at the fort on the Arkansas River. The family travels to make delivery and an accident occurred; when Tildie awoke she was in an Indian camp, her Aunt is dead, her Aunt’s three young children are fine, and John Masters is dying. Even though Tildie despises John Masters, she presents the Salvation Plan to him as he lay near death. Ms. Paul story is one of wrestling with the demons of hatred, the feelings that John Masters got away with all his evils way by accepting Christ at the last minute, that she resented God for allowing him his evil without punishment; she wrestles with her conscience for having these feelings and the feeling that God has left her. But God has a plan that will change everything for Tildie and the children for he has blessed them with a Christian Missionary, Jan Borjesson ministering to the territory and Indians. Jan knows that God has provided Tildie as his one and only love, his helpmate, and the children to love. The journey back to civilization is hard and long, they will face raging rivers, heavy snow, crippling injuries, bears, few supplies and the evil of men bent on murder and worse. Through all the tribulations, God is working to build a strong family. Ms. Paul infused this story with so much emotion, I could feel Tildie’s wrestling with her unchristian feelings, I could feel Jan’s tender care of her and with God’s guidance leading her back from the dark, I could feel Tildie’s insecurity that Jan could not possible love her and want her along with three children. This is a wonderful story of God’s love for all people whether they are Indian, white, evil or good and how God will work life to his plan. It is a wonderful love story of a mans healing love for a young woman and three children desperately in need of that love. I am very glad this story was included in this book. This is a wonderful collection of books; the stories are tender, sweet and clean. I applaud the authors and publisher for providing such an amazing collection. I received this book from the publisher, Barbour Books and Netgalley in return for an honest review.”

Ms. Marks has Martha Rose and her two best friends back in the thick of things again. This is the first of her books I have had the pleasure of reading; I found it delightful as only cozy mysteries can be. Martha is Jewish, her two friends, Lucy and Birdie, are not; this does not stop the intrepid trio from being fast and loyal friends, who respect each other, quilt together, and get in scraps together. I loved the fact that Ms. Marks explained a lot of the Jewish traditions especially in regard to the Sabbath and funerals. This added to the story and I loved the information she included, it was educational and interesting as well as adding to the depth of the story. In this book, Ms. Marks has Martha named as the executor of her old high school friend, Harriet Oliver’s estate. Martha hasn’t been in touch with Harriet for years. Harriet’s estate is worth millions and something seems fishy to Martha about the scene of her death. She was not found for 10 months after she died; it appears that Harriet led a sad and solitary life, her son drowned at five, her husband disappeared and was declared dead, and she had few friends. To make things even more interesting, Birdie is a walking talking CSI expert from watching television; she is up on all the latest “speak” in regard to criminal investigation. What follows are plot twists and turns, mysteries, murders, an entire list of suspects, antiques, a priceless quilt and other extremely valuable items are missing, greedy family members, and a body is found buried in Harriet’s garden. Things are really getting interesting in the quilting world. Martha also has new man, Crusher, in her life; will this be the real thing or does he have secrets? Is Martha’s luck about to change in regard to relationships and just why is Arlo Beavers sniffing around again? Sorry, I can’t spoil the story and tell you. There are quite a few plots going on in this story and Ms. Marks did a wonderful job of bringing all the threads together to form a complete and delightful story. You will not be bored with this book. Ms. Marks also included a small tutorial on quilting at the end of the book that I found fascinating. I would recommend this book to anyone that enjoys a solid cozy mystery with a lot of interesting elements, plots, twists, turns, and quilting. I received this book from the publisher and Netgalley in return for an honest review.

The book has 6 of the sweetest, wonderful, and clean, in some cases hilarious, romances I have ever read. The first book Here Cooks the Bride by Cathy Marie Hake takes place in 1879; a hilarious romance between a young woman Lacey, and the local blacksmith Jeff, in Cut Corners, a small town in Texas. She came to town to help her sick aunt, who is a miserable cook, with her diner. Between every swain in town wanting to marry her for her cooking, the 4 old men, retired Texas Rangers, that founded the town plotting to keep her in town to cook at the diner, and Jeff teaching her to make real Texas chili I laughed and laughed. This was a treat to read. Watching Jeff and Lacey fall in love was a joy. This was a clean Christian read with strong Christian values. The 2nd book A Christmas Chronicle by Pamela Griffin takes place in Cut Corners, Texas again in 1881. The four Meddin’ Old Men are at it again, this time trying to marry off Stone’s nephew Travis to Vivian who is clumsy and awkward. Travis is a photographer or Chronicler, and he is not looking for a wife, at least he didn’t think he was until he came to Cut Corners. It was fun to watch Vivian and Travis travel the road to love. Shy, clumsy, awkward Vivian reads the penny westerns and wants adventure; Travis wants to travel and photograph the country. They were made for us other, it just a while to bring it together. Good clean romance with Christian values. The 3rd book To Hear Angels Sing by Romana Cecil takes place in Pinewood, Texas in 1883. Seth Krueger has left God behind him as he felt God took his family away; a Quaker father and a Lutheran mother raised him. Violet Barton, a spinster schoolteacher, came to Pinewood to teach Indian children at the orphanage her friends started. Violet has a deep faith in God, and along with Gabe Noell, a carpenter and carver show Seth Gods love thru friendship and witnessing in everyday life. Romance blooms between Violet and Seth, and God has a wonderful surprise in store for Seth. A clean romance with Christian values. The fourth book, The Face of Mary by Darlene Franklin takes place in Breading, Texas in 1880. Polly Jessup was twelve when Joey Carpenter, her best friends brother told her he would have to come back and marry her one day as she loved the law of the Lord like the psalmist in the bible. Polly had held this in her heart for years, knowing it would never come true, but still it was hidden. Polly is a faithful Christian young woman; Joey is a new attorney with an eye towards connections in town to help his practice. Joey is also a talented painter. We also see Gabe Noell in this story as well, witnessing and dispersing the words of God and wisdom. I loved watching Joey realize Polly was the woman for him and how he helped Polly and her family as well as how this town pulled together for each other. Christian values are displayed throughout this story and a clean Christian romance. Book five, Charlsey’s Accountant by Lena Nelson Dooley takes place in Horsefly, Texas, in 1890. Harold Miller is a dandy from Boston, very citified and dressed to the nines by standards of the Boston. His father has purchased a ranch in Texas and sent him to the Ames to learn how to run a western ranch. Charlsey Ames is a strong independent woman; she helps her father run their large ranch along with her sisters. Charlsey can do most anything a man can on the ranch. Harold has a hard time accepting the fact that Charlie on the range is the same Charlsey in the parlor, and calls her indecent as she wears pants. Harold learns to be a cowboy and accept the western values. Needless to say the road to happy ever after is not smooth, but they do get there. A wonderful story of opposites that attract. A clean Christian romance. The sixth book, Plain Trouble by Kathleen Y’Barbo takes place in Horsefly in 1893. Texas Ranger Josef Mueller is after a killer and robber called the Pale Indian who has been tracked to Horsefly. Bessie Mae Ames has known Josef all her life, in fact, he called her Bessie Mae plain as day. Bessie was not pretty but this hurt her deeply and the name has stuck in her subconscious. She is the last Ames girl not married. Her father seems to be ready to wed again and this adds tension in the story. The romance road in this story is very rocky, but God and love will conquer everything and bring it right. The end of the story finally solves the mystery of the identity of the Pale Indian and a happy every after ending. Each story was unique in its own way and gives you the feeling of continuity in the stories. Each was a joy to read, and were clean Christian reads. I would recommend this book to anyone that loves strong stories, strong character, Christian values without being pushy or preachy, and clean happy ever after romance. I received this book from the publisher and Netgalley in exchange for an honest opinion.

Picture a cozy small seaside town on the coast of Maine filled with colorful characters and we have the setting of this suspenseful cozy murder mystery. This is the second book in the Mainely Needlepointers Series and I must say I greatly enjoyed the book. This can be read as a stand-alone. Lea Wait has our main character, Angie Curtis investigating the forty-five year old death of Jasmine Gardener. Jasmine was the daughter of the town’s rich family that owned the estate, Aurora. Each summer the family hosted an end of season party for the entire town prior to their return to New York, however at this last party tragedy occurred. Jasmine died and her mother insists she was murdered, and continued to insist until she died, which left Aurora empty and falling into disrepair. Suddenly the house is sold to an actress from California and things really begin to happen as the actress, Skye West and her son, Patrick, are in town to solve the mystery of Jasmine’s death and restore Aurora. The author did a wonderful job of filling this story with colorful characters; a murder mystery that someone does not want solved, attempted murder, arson, and secrets, long-held secrets. A part-time investigator, Angie is managing her grandmother’s Mainely Needlepointers, and partners with Sarah in restoring old needlepoint work to its original splendor. To top-off all Angie has on her plate, her Grandmother is marrying Reverend Tom in three weeks and they have a wedding and a bridal shower to organize; now she has a murder to solve and stop another murder from occurring. She cannot resist helping with Sky’s investigation into Jasmine’s murder, she is hooked and must solve the mystery as mysteries abound in this story. The plot was consistently interesting, and never lagged or bogged down. The suspense was kept at maximum peak throughout the book. The way Ms. Wait revealed the identity of the murderer was a stroke of genius. I thought I had it all worked out several times but found I was not correct. I loved the needlepoint sayings before each chapter; it added an extra element to the story. This is an easy read that anyone that enjoys cozy mysteries will love. I look forward to the next installment. I received this book from the publisher and Netgalley in return for an honest review.

When I opened this book I was not sure what I would find inside. Was I going to cry for the next few days or was just sadness waiting in the pages? I was wonderfully surprised at the content; witty, clever, humorous, yes, sad at times, eye-opening, irreverent, and tongue in check with quite a different formula for funerals that I found I quite liked. In the Southern Bible Belt a funeral is almost a religious experience; Ms. Meyers ideas of the send off were so different from we have, I found myself saying, yes, why not! What a wonderful idea to have all the things that person loved and valued placed at the funeral. I found this a wonderful idea. The portrayals of the ultra rich as pampered, spoiled, selfish, royalty were educational as I did not realize the rich expected so much to be done for and given to them as a course of life, a product of their privileges. As Ms. Meyers says in this book, death is the one thing that unites all of us, rich or poor. I enjoyed this book from the first paragraph to last sentence as Ms. Meyers and Ms Moscatello entertained and kept my interest as they documented Ms. Meyers travels from an ultra rich privileged spoiled party planning young woman grieving for her father to a savvy, professional, successive, business woman with a knack for fulfilling the humane need at the time of grief in her own unique way; I learned more about the mortuary business than I hope I will ever need to know. I will admit I have often wondered how they did this or that, and Ms. Meyers answered those questions and more in a most entertaining way. I think I fell a little into envy with Bill, the ultimate surgeon, beautician, makeup artist, and all on dead bodies. I hope the person that does me up is as talented as Bill. From the hilarity of missing brains, mourning the Cardinal, mob funerals, friends dying of OD’s, Ms. Meyers seeing spirits, inter-office bickering and jealousy at the premier Crawford Mortuary, or Ms. Meyers just helping someone thru the death of their loved one with genuine caring, the book is a gem! I am so glad I did not pass up this book. I would give this book 5 stars. Thank you Ms. Meyers and Ms. Moscatello for this entertaining and informative book. I loved reading every word, and I want my funeral to be a party/celebration. In the South we have a saying, “when someone’s dies, we immediately have the frying pan in one hand and the chicken in the other,”, I am going to ask for them to grab guitars, banjo’s, and BBQ grills, let’s have a party. I received this book from the publisher and Netgalley in return for an honest opinion.

Victoria works as the cook in a boarding house in St Louis, Missouri as the cook. She arrived with two small boys in tow claiming they were her brothers. That was not exactly the truth; she took the boys with her when she left a saloon in Abilene two years ago to save them from the orphanage. She needs a husband to help her care for the boys, provide a home, and a father figure. The boys keep asking for a Pa. She won’t consider a cowboy, as one had almost raped her; she had nothing but bad trouble with cowboys. She advertises for a husband out west and travels to Promise, Wyoming to farmer Chet Barlow; he was the only that did not make reference to her wifely duties. The writers were very explicit in what they expected whether they married her or not. Before leaving St Louis for Promise she served dinner to huge handsome cowboy, Colt McBride, from Wyoming in town checking on an inheritance left from his uncle. There’s trouble in Promise, Wyoming; Chet is farming in the middle of cattle country. Euan Wallace is as crooked as they come, mean as a snake, and thinks he is God; he wants Chet’s land for the water and everyone else’s land as well, by hook, crook, hired gunmen, or murder. Victoria, along with a stray dog she acquired along the trip, arrives in Promise, Wyoming to the news that Chet has died from a possible heart attack, and who gives her the news but the huge handsome cowboy, Colt McBride. What were the chances he lived next door to her intended? There are lots of ugly things going on and around Colts’ ranch; cattle killed and rustled, neighbors practically run off their land, and mysterious fires meant to burn them out. Colt’s can’t prove its Wallace, but everyone knows it’s him; Wallace has the Sheriff in his back pocket, so he has no help from that quarter. Colt has been alone a long time, his brothers left when Colt became so wrapped up in the ranch after their father’s death. Cole wants them to come home; he also wants to bring the man who caused his mother’s death to justice by his gun. Meanwhile, the attraction is beginning to heat up between Colt and Victoria. Wallace has decided he needs a wife to enhance his standing, and to dress up this life. Victoria has secrets, secrets that are sure to be exposed, deep secrets. Colt and Victoria will finally have a happy ever after but not before adversity and evil will impact their lives. This is a clean love story between two strong people fighting for their future in the west, where only the strong survive and evil at every turn. I look forward to the next book in this series. I recommend this book for any one that like a good solid clean love story. I received this book from the publisher and Netgalley in return for an honest opinion.

Christian Romance This is the 2nd book in the Brides of Seattle Series, however it can be read as stand alone. Militine is a very bitter young woman in 1889 Seattle Washington. She has turned her back on God. Her best friend Abrianna Cunningham is the adopted daughter of the prioress of the Madison Bridal School, very religious and zealous in her beliefs, to the point of being obnoxious at times. Both young women live at the Madison Bridal School of Seattle. Militine has a past that she is running from and what better place to hide than the Bride School. Abrianna is a little general and determined to open a food house (soup kitchen in our time) on the docks for the homeless, poor, and disenfranchised. She pulls in Militine and 2 young men that watch out for the women at the school, Thane and Wade. Thane is a voluntary fireman and boat repairman, he never talks about his violent past to anyone except Wade; Wade is a Christian and a carpenter by trade; he loves Abrianna. The food house is a resounding success. Ms. Peterson painted a vivid picture of how we fight spiritual battles with ourselves. Thane is fighting such a battle but his friend Wade is diligent in presenting the message of God, his forgiveness, and his love. Of course there is a villain, Priam Welby who is very sly in hiding his true nature from Abrianna whom he desires. The history of human traffic is long and our villain is in the illegal trade of foreign antiques and human trafficking. Ms. Peterson used this unsavory history in her story. Ms Peterson also portrayed Seattle’s history of water shortage due antiquated water and hydrant system to fight fires and the great Seattle fire. Ms. Peterson did a great job of showing the growth of our characters spiritually. We watch Militine and Thane become loving, forgiving, trusting people; they fail in love. The message of Gods love and forgiveness is throughout this story, but presented in such a way as to not be preachy or pushy. Ms Peterson gave Abrianna several hurdles to overcome, her fathers sudden appearance, a new Pastor that doesn’t like woman in positions of power and wants to subdue Abrianna, a villain that is courting her, and sweet Christian Wade that loves Abrianna. We have 2 very different personalities in Abrianna and Militine. Abrianna is an extrovert very forceful in her presentation of God and I felt Ms Peterson was showing how each of us can appear when we are in the mist of doing the jobs we feel God wants us to undertake. She is force to be reckoned with. We watch as she travels the snares of courting. Militine is an introvert. She is hiding her feelings and her past, terrified of being hurt again and the past rising its head. She believes God has abandoned her, and we get to watch her grow into a wonderful and loving person as she comes to know Gods love and the love of Thane. The story never lags, it kept me interested from the first chapter. It has a lot of action, the history in the story was fascinating, and a woman’s place in that time period was illuminating, especially as portrayed by the Pastor of her church. I found Abrianna refreshing as she would not fit in the woman’s mold as it was thought in 1889. The romance in the story is very clean. Ms. Peterson included mystery, faith, selfishness and unselfishness, forgiveness, guile, reunion,evil and love into a wonderful book anyone should enjoy. I would highly recommend this book. I received this book from the publisher and Netgalley in return for an honest review.