Review of This Heart of Mine - Brenda Novak

This Heart of Mine 

Summary

Phoenix Fuller has had the most difficult life that any one person could have. She was born the child of a hoarder & part of a family that wasn't very supportive. If that hadn't been the worst part of her life she was wrongly accused of second degree murder of high school classmate and sentenced to jail time and forced to give her baby son to his father. Fast forward many years later and Phoenix is finally released and ready to start her life and get to spend time with her son. 

Riley Stinson's life has not always been what he thought it was going to be but he wouldn't change the years he had with son Jacob for anything. However, now Phoenix his high school fling is released and wanting to be in their son's life even though he doesn't want her to be. But as he gets to spend more time with her and see what his son see's in her he feels that he might have been mistaken. 

Will Riley and Phoenix learn to work together for their son? Can time really heal all wounds? Can love maybe find its way back into both of their lives?

My Review

I am an avid reader of Brenda Novak's contemporary and historical romance books so when I was given the opportunity to read her new novel I jumped at the chance. I think Brenda does a great job of really developing the characters and giving you the background on them so you can really feel like you know them. I really connected with these characters too because I felt they were two people that could have known when I was in high school. 

Brenda also did a great job of making the storyline realistic. She didn't sugar coat what life was going to be like for Phoenix once she was out of jail, especially in a small little town. In addition, she also showed the type of struggles that Phoenix would have with her son and baby's father. 

Lastly, I liked that just like the previous books of the Whiskey Creek's series I was able to catch up on previous characters to see what they were up to. 

I am very excited to see what Brenda has in store for the next novel and I was very happy with how she chose to write Riley and Phoenix's love story! Thanks Brenda for giving me the opportunity to Advance Read this Book I loved it!

Review of Teardrop Lane by Emily March

Teardrop Lane

by Emily March

Rose Anderson has always concentrated on her career and making plans for the future. She as come to the conclusion that her future may not including find the man she is to marry or having kids. However, that all changes when her path crosses with Hunt Cicero in the emergency room one snowy night.

Hunt Cicero has gone through the most difficult time in the last year that most people never experience in their whole life. From his sister getting cancer & passing away to his nephews/nieces taking part in is his life more. Due to these changes in his life he is forced to leave the island he has always been accustom to that he finds artistic inspiration, to a town called Eternity Springs. However, there is positives on Hunt's horizons for instance when he meets Rose in the emergency room with his nephew.

Can Hunt open his heart to let Rose in or will he remain closed off like he has done so many times before in the past. Can Rose allow her self to trust again or will she close herself off like she with her last fiancé.


My Review:

This was by far the best that I have read of Emily March's. As she has done with the previous books I though she did a great job of developing the back story and making you feel like you were really in the small town of Eternity Springs.

My favorite part in the book came when she had the relationships continue to grow between Hunt and Rose as well as their connections with Hunts nephews and nieces. I think she really showed how the children would ultimately react to the loss they endured. Out of all the characters that we were introduced to in the book my favorite by far was Rose. I really felt like Rose was someone that I could almost be friends with in real life.

Lastly, I connected with the art that I read about of Cicero's. Just from the way it was described it sounded absolutely beautiful and something that I might possibly buy in real life.

Can't wait to read more books in this series.

Review of Dreamweaver Trail by Emily March

Dreamweaver Trail 
by Emily March 


Summary:

Gabi Romano is on journey to find out what she really wants to do for the rest of her life and takes another job dog sitting in the beautiful Caribbean. Little does Gabi know that right next door to her dog sitters house is a dreamy "caretaker by the name of Flynn Brogan. Much to Gabi's surprise she starts to have feelings for Flynn. Little does Gabi know that Flynn will have many surprises in store for her both good and bad. 

Flynn Brogan left the hustle and bustle of his old life in hopes that he would find peace and quiet on the Caribbean island. However, things don't go as planned when Flynn meets Gabi  and starts falling for her. Things don't go smoothly though for the two as their lives are put in danger when they are attacked by pirates. 

Will Flynn and Gabi find their way back to each other? Can Gabi open up her heart and trust again after her friend betrays her? Can Flynn tell Gabi the whole truth about his past? 


My Review: 

This is the second story that I have read in the Eternity Springs series by Emily March. I found that this book was vastly different from the first one that I read. I think that the reason that it was so different is because Emily went in more deeply about the two characters being attacked and the aftermath of it. In addition, I felt it took a little longer to get to he main point of story. Some one would say that it was the right time in the book to have their the story really begin but i felt that it could have happened earlier.

I really did like how well written Flynn and Gabi's characters were. I really felt like I was there in the book feeling everything that they felt. I think she also did a great job of describing the scenery of both the Caribbean Island and Eternity Springs.

In addition, I really like how she ended the book as it made you want to read the next book in the series. I would say the reason that I gave it 4 out of 5 starts would be because it took longer to get to what the real meaning of the book and those main characters. I am very interested to see where she takes these characters in the future.

I think this book is a great read for both the romance and fiction readers.

Review of Midwinter's Magic by Erica Ridley

Midwinter's Magic 

by Erica Ridley 

Jack Morgan has lived the life of luxury as big time CEO/President for a major corporation so when a congressional hearing leaves him dumb founded he decides to give it all up and do charity work. So he hops on a plane to Bolivia in hopes of making one little village have a very merry christmas. However, things don't seem to be going his way as flights are canceled and some of his luggage is lost in transit. But to his surprise he does have something happen and that is when out of now where a beautiful woman by the name of Sarah appears. 

Sarah Phimm has been Jack's guardian angel at his side since the day he was born. She has been at his birth, his high school graduation and even the death of his father, however, she has always remained invisible. This changes though when Sarah reveals herself in hopes of talking Jack out of risking his life once again. However, rather than being able to convince Jack to return home he talks her into joining his quest in giving the village a christmas they will never forget. Will Sarah be able to keep her relationship with Jack purely professional? Can she protect him from getting her? Will her secret remain a secret or will the truth of her being his guardian come out? 

My Review:

This is the second book that I have read in the Nether-Netherland's series by Erica Ridley. I enjoyed the first book by Erica and this one did not disappoint. I actually liked this book better than the first. I think that Erica created a very simplistic story that had you hooked from beginning until the very end. 

Erica did a great job of making the story as realistic as she could but also gave you the fairytale romance that readers like. The ending surprised me a little but in many ways was what I predicted would happen.

I think that this is a great book to read on an airplane ride or the beach. Romance readers and supernatural fans will also like at is has both romance and magic in it.  It is a fairly quick to read and will make you laugh and smile! Can't wait to read more in this series by Erica. 

Review of Steadfast Heart by Tracie Peterson

Steadfast Heart
by Tracie Peterson

Summary by Goodreads:

"Lenore Fulcher isn't pretentious despite her spoiled upbringing. Her deepest desire at the age of twenty is to find true love. However, her father believes she's wasted enough time searching for a suitable husband, and he wants to marry her off to one of his business partners--thirty-seven-year-old James Rybus. But the idea of marriage to a man so much older is out of the question for Lenore.

Kolbein Booth, a lawyer from Chicago, arrives in Seattle looking for his headstrong sister who he believes may have answered an advertisement for mail-order brides. Sick with worry, he storms the Madison Bridal School, demanding to see his sister, only to learn she isn't there. But Lenore Fulcher is, and something about her captures his attention.

Is this the man Lenore has been searching for? She may not have long to find out"

My Review:

I received a free copy of Steadfast Heart by Tracie Peterson from Bethany House and Netgalley for an honest and non biased review. This was the first book in Tracie Peterson's new series of Brides of Seattle and I was very excited to read it as I am a big fan of her books. As always Tracie did a great job setting the scene for the book and making you feel that you were in that time period with the main characters.

However,  after that initial first chapter or two it took me to half way throughout the book to finally learn more about the supposed main character Lenore and what role she would play in the book. I felt like Tracie developed and spent more time on Abrianna's character, that I almost felt like that is who this book should have been about. In addition, I think that she at times has Abrianna's character connecting more with Kolbein then Lenore's. I just felt at times confused about what direction this story was going to take. In the end I was I not really happy about the ending with Lenore and Kolbein because I never really felt like I read much about their story. I felt as I read that a lot of stories were left hanging and not one was really finished.

I think all in all Tracie started out with a good story but loses you throughout the book when she has Lenore's character leave for a trip with her family and then concentrates on Abrianna's family and life. I am interested to read the second book as I am interested to see where Tracie takes the characters.

All in all I would give this book two out of five stars as I was not happy with the book as a whole and the way it ended. 

Review of Christmas at Angel Lake by Edie Ramer

Christmas at Angel Lake 

Summary courtesy of Goodreads.com:

A kitten saved her…

Broke, pregnant and deserted by her boyfriend, Maddie Barrymore swerves to avoid a kitten while driving in a Wisconsin blizzard—and her life takes another turn. Like Puss in Boots, she stays in an empty house. She has the baby, the kitten, gets a job and a degree…yet every day she’s ready to flee if the real owner shows up.

Five years later, he does…

Dumped by the woman he loves, film producer Logan MacLeesh’s heart is as dark as one of his movies. He plans to hole up in his grandmother’s old mansion and throw himself into his work…until he discovers the sexy squatter and her four-year-old son. Before he can call the sheriff, Maddie’s tale of how she ended up there entertains him. They make a deal that as long as she tells him a story every night, she and her son can stay. Even the cat, though Logan’s always been a dog person.

A dog in need of saving…

Far away in another state, a homeless dog lifts his head, sniffs…and smells him. The human who’s meant for him. As he heads through the snow toward the scent, his journey seems impossible, even though it’s Christmas, a time when miracles happen. 

My Review: 

I received this book courtesy of Netgalley. This is the second book of Edie Ramer's that I have read. The first one I really liked so when I saw that this one was available I jumped on the chance to read this book when it came out. 

I think that the book started out good with Edie giving you the back story of Maddie and how she  got to  the house. In addition, Edie did a great job of bringing in the second character and describing the part that he would take in the story. However, after the first couple chapters the book started to get dull and felt like it was dragging on. I gave it up to 50% percent into the book before I gave up. 

My downfall was that they took too long on getting to the climax of the story. Edie kept on having the two main characters having interactions but nothing out standing that would make the story stand out. In addition, one of the things that I liked about the previous book was the animals and how they played a decent part in the story. It again took 50% to even really hear about the dog and it had yet to explain what part he would have in the story. 

I think that Edie is a good author and that she had a great idea for this book but it didn't work for me. 

Review of The House on Main Street by Shirlee McCoy

The House on Main Street 
by Shirlee McCoy 

Tessa McKenzie has spent most of her adult life building a life as a professional interior designer. However, her life changes distractedly when she is forced to come back to her home town of Apple Valley, Washington to care for her nephew after her sister and brother-in-law die. Tessa is hoping she can clean & pack up her childhood home and leave her town behind. Unfortunately, things don't go as planned when she is forced to quit her job and stay in Apple Valley to care for Alex her nephew and her Aunt Gertrude. But family isn't the only that she has to do deal with, she also has to deal with the local sheriff/high school crush butting into her problems.

Cade Cunningham has always seen Tessa McKenzie as his high school girlfriends kid sister. However, things change his thinking when he sees her again after the death of her sister and brother in law. Now he can't take his eyes off her.

Will Tessa be able to make her childhood home feel like home again and repair her relationship with her nephew Alex and Aunt Gertrude? Can Cade convince her that he truly cares for her and not just because she is Emily's sister?

My Review: 

I received this book for free from Netgalley and the publisher for an honest non bias review.

This is the first book that I have read of Shirlee McCoy's so I had no expectations on how the book was going to be. I think that she did a great job of developing the characters and setting the scene of the book. However, I felt at times the book drug on and took a long time to get to the climax of the story. But on the other hand once I got to the climax of the story I was hooked to read until the end.

I think that Shirlee definitely had a good plot for her story I just don't think it was executed out to the best that it could. I am still interested in reading more of her books and more in this series but this was not my favorite book that I have read.