Book Review To Riches Again by Darlene Franklin

To Riches Again

by 

Darlene Franklin

• Publisher: Forget Me Not Romances, 
• a division of Winged Publications (March 19, 2017)
• Amazon link 

Book description:

A year ago, life was full of promise.
Elyssa Philbin partied with the rest of New York’s elite, not worrying about anything beyond her newest dress.
Ian and Bridget McDonnell, although part of a poverty-stricken family, lived secure in their parents’ love. Bill Ward looked forward to a prosperous crop, a new baby, and his loving wife.

Everything changed before the calendar turned to 1930. 

To Riches Again chronicles Elyssa and Bill’s return to wholeness after they have both lost everything, and gained much more—thanks in part to two orphan children.

My Review:

firstly thanks to the Author for my review copy.

I have to say I am really loving reading novella's at present and this is another really good read. I have read a few orphan train books with the ones that come to mind by Jane Peart. I find this whole subject fascinating as it's not something we hear much about unless I read a book with it in. Subjects like the Oregon trail etc are known about in Australia but the orphan trains are not known about.  The book features Elyssa who has fallen on hard times after the Wall street crash which takes her family away from her. She is bringing children across the country to Kansas and know families. She is also hoping to start a new life for herself there. 

Bill is a single but has been granted his request to adopt two children Ian and Bridget. I love the way Elyssa is with the children and fell in love with them. We also see how Bill falls in love with the children and Elyssa. I love the way this book flows and how we see how each of the main characters are wounded in different ways and what comes from that. 

A Wonderful read. 

Book Review Love's Glory by Darlene Franklin

Loves Glory

By

Darlene Franklin

• Publisher: Forget Me Not Romances, 
• a division of Winged Publications (June 2, 2015)
• Website

Book Description:

LIES AND DESERTION CHASE BETH FROM HER HOME TOWN.
It’s 1919. Everything is changing—cars are common and airplanes helped win the War to End All Wars. Even the German-Americans of New Brandenburg, Texas, renamed their town Old Glory to prove their patriotism.
None of that matters to Beth Smith. In 1917, her boyfriend Garan Schmidt enlisted in the Army—and left her pregnant. She left home and built a new life for herself and their daughter.
When Garan finds Beth and their daughter in May 1919, he is eager to make amends and start over. Beth is unsure if she is ready to tell the truth that will set them free.

My Review:

This book takes place after World War 1 has ended. We see Beth with her friend Agnes waiting for her Agnes's brother and Smitty to arrive home from the war. When they arrive Beth realises Smitty is Garan and he soon realises he is a father. Garan wants to do the right thing by marrying Beth as he has never stopped loving her. Both he and Beth feel guilty for giving in to temptation and accepting God's forgiveness. Beth didn't want to return home to Old Glory where everyone knows her as she is not sure how they will receive her. I won't say more as I don't want to tell the story.

I enjoyed the story and learning even more about this part of Texas also. 

Book Review Cowboy Creek Christmas by Cheryl St.John and Sherri Shackelford

Cowboy Creek Christmas

Love Inspired Historical

8 November 2016

Mistletoe Reunion by Cheryl St.John 
When Marlys Boyd moves West hoping to find acceptance for her doctoring skills, she's surprised to find her former fiancé, Sam Mason, running the local newspaper. And with the ladies in town determined to make a match of the doctor and the single father, she's not sure she can resist building the family they once dreamed of.

Mistletoe Bride by Sherri Shackelford 
Pregnant by a man who betrayed her trust, a mail-order marriage is Beatrix Haas's only hope. But when she arrives in Cowboy Creek and learns her intended groom has died, she needs a new daddy for the baby that's coming right away. Blacksmith Colton Werner offers the mother and child the protection of his name, but can their marriage of convenience ever lead to true love?




My Review.
This book is set in Cowboy Creek. It follows three books in a continuum all about mail order brides. These two novellas are stand alone stories but do include characters from previous books. Both novellas are written by authors who wrote in the original series. (I haven't read the previous three books yet but had no problem following the stories)

Mistletoe Reunion by Cheryl St John

This book is features Marlys who is a doctor of alternative medicine and a woman who has moved west hoping she will be accepted. Sam has also moved west to Cowboy creek to run the newspaper with his son. They knew each other previously where Marlys broke off an engagement. I enjoyed the story and how the characters interacted. Throw in a young son who is withdrawn and you have the making of a good story. In fact he stole the story at times. I enjoyed how the story was written and now want to read the first three books.

Mistletoe Bride by Sherri Shackleford

This story is about Beatrix who arrives from Austria heavily pregnant to meet her mail order groom only to find he has been killed and she is about to have her child. She is in a bad way and has trouble speaking English. Enter Colton who can speak German although slowly and is able to translate for her. He also offers to marry her when things are looking bad to give them both his name and protection. We learn Beatrix's story early on but Colton also has some issues he needs to deal with and has been dealing with. I can understand how he feels and why but at the same time wanted him to realise things were not all he thought they were. Sherri has done a good job showing how things that happen to us often affect our thinking and actions long after an incident happens.

If you enjoy Historical romance with a touch of Christmas these novellas are for you.

Book Review Mail Order Surprise by Lucy Thompson

Forget Me Not Romances, a division of Winged Publications (April 19, 2016)

 

Blurb

Colorado, 1881. Lydia Walsh is on the run. The quiet rancher she marries and expected to find safety and protection with turns out to have three siblings, next to nothing to live on, and is a crack shot who may or may not be one of the states best cattle rustlers.

Beau Harding wants to keep his family together and do the right thing by them. His mail order bride comes with her own set of baggage: two more mouths to feed and empty hearts begging him to fill. The job he took for some quick money gets him thrown in jail for rustling, and then to clear his name he takes on another job--and learns that his wife may have been the one plotting his family’s downfall all along.

Review

Firstly thanks to Lucy for my copy for an honest review.

I have to say wow what a great debut novel by Australian writer Lucy Thompson. I was hooked from the beginning. We start with Lydia and her two children running for a train trying to avoid someone following her. She is off to become a mail order bride in the hopes of safety and a new life. What happens when she arrives is interesting. She finds Beau has left a few things out of the letters he wrote her like siblings.

I love the different twist and turns in the book. I really felt for Lydia I could feel her pain and wanted to know what was going to happen as I was reading. There were times I just needed to keep reading to find out what was going to happen next. Lucy had me on the edge of my seat several times. This is an excellent debut noveI and if you like Mary Coneally's books you will enjoy this story. I eagerly await the next book in the series.

Book Review The Seafaring Women of the Vera B by Susan Page Davis and James S. Davis

Blurb from back of book.

1854–With the captain dead in Melbourne, Australia, Alice Packard thinks the worst has happened, until she learns the crew has deserted her husband’s ship in favor of the goldfields. Only one old man, Gypsy Deak, sticks by her, but Gypsy alone can’t raise a crew from the depleted population.

In desperation, Alice turns to the only source of plentiful workers: the women of Melbourne. In a bold move, she and Gypsy empty a brothel, promising the escaped women a new life. Her all-woman (save one) crew put their backs and hearts into the voyage, but Alice finds training her sailors much harder than she expected.

Her faith is tested to the limit. With a cargo to sell, angry brothel and tavern owners in pursuit, pirates to evade, and a mysterious stowaway, will the seafaring women of the Vera B. survive to tell the tale of this daring adventure?

My Review

Firstly thanks to Susan P Davis for my copy of this book for an honest review.

I was given this book to read due to it starting in Australia and for my opinion of the book. I was in intrigued by the premise and when I started the book I just wanted to keep reading. The book is set during the Australian Gold era and many sailors jumping ship to go gold mining. Which leads the Vera B lacking a crew to return to America. A new strike has taken place at St Arnard which I has memories for me as I remember Mum talking about how my brother took his first steps at a park there. 

Looking for crew Alice is finally desperate and takes on women as her crew. Here we have a a variety of women from women escaping life in a brothel and tavern to passengers returning to England after the death of there husband/father.  There is going to be tension between the women which we see play out. 

I enjoyed the book partly because I knew many of the places and also because the Australia references were accurate. This for an Australian impressed me that the authors went to the effort to make sure they had the right terms. 

I did however get confused at times with all the women and who was who. Some are easy to remember but a few I mixed up at times. 

I do need to give a warning there is some violence in the later part of the book due to the issue of pirates. I didn't find it graphic or over done but some people who don't want to read a book with any violence might find this book may find it more than than can handle.

This book is Historical Fiction with a hint of romance. 

Overall this is a really good book and I am eagerly awaiting book 2. 

Review of Heart of a Cowboy.

Hearts in Pursuit 
By Susan Page Davis 
Can Abby and Sam fight their way through the danger and violence and live long enough to find love? 
Texas, 1880. Abby and Sam pursue a band of raiders to rescue their younger siblings. Abby’s father is gravely injured, and she knows she can’t return home without her little sister. Sam’s father wants to thwart his powerful Mexican father-in-law and stop him from taking Pablo to live with him south of the border, but once he has Pablo back, will he continue the search for Abby’s sister? Abby and Sam feel it is up to them to keep the recovery mission on track. Though romance seems to have no place on the trail of danger and violence, can this journey draw them closer? 

Hearts Reunited 
By Miralee Ferrell 
Mercedes Taylor is determined to save her ranch after her father’s death, but she won’t let anyone help—especially not her old friend Jesse Townsend who deserted her so many years ago. The pain his family inflicted on hers goes too deep for her pride to forgive. 

After riding the trail for five years, Jesse Townsend returns to his family property to find the girl he’d once loved all grown up—and more prickly than he’s ever seen her. After his mare is seriously injured, he has no choice but to call on Mercedes—the local animal doctor—for help. 

Add the attractive banker’s daughter who Jesse seems smitten with, and trouble starts brewing. Can Mercedes and Jesse set aside the old family feud and find their way back to the love that had only started to blossom when Jesse left? 

Have Dress, Will Marry 
By Yvonne Lehman 

Julie Hayes must escape from Wildcat Mountain. Her mother died, leaving her with a step-father she doesn’t trust. 
James, who she thought would be her means of escape, is gone. Her only hope is to approach the cowboy, saddleback preacher Timothy Sullivan, when he makes his circuit into Wildcat Mountain. She asks, “Will you marry me?” He says, “Yes, of course,” expecting to perform a ceremony for her and James. 
Believing Julie is in danger, Timothy takes her to the Sullivan Ranch. Suspicions abound when she’s accused of stealing a horse and jewels. 
While Julie is trying to become the kind of woman a preacher would want to marry, Tim is trying to realize his ranching dreams, which don’t include being a circuit riding preacher. 

The Hand-Me-Down Husband 
By Vickie McDonough 

Ellen Stewart despises Lance Garrett. If not for him dashing into Isabelle’s life and stealing her heart and filling her head with his dreams, her little sister would still be alive and safe at home. When she receives Lance’s letter requesting help, Ellen rushes to Silver Springs, intent on taking charge of her young niece. A rugged ranch is no place for a motherless baby. But when she realizes the depth of Lance’s despair, she can’t leave him alone. Though everything within her wants to flee back to the big city, something makes her stay. Tessa needs her father, for one—and he needs her. Ellen knows what it’s like to lose all she’d dreamed of. When local church members make a stink about Ellen living at Lance’s ranch, they are forced to marry. Ellen didn’t want a hand-me-down husband, but could their marriage be God’s will for them both? 

My Review:
I was given this book free for an honest review.

This book contains 4 novella's each featuring cowboys. 
The first had me from the very beginning. In fact I could see it as a movie, a true western. Abby's younger sister Ellen and Sam's younger brother Pablo are taken by Mexican Raiders planning to take them to Mexico. I could see the story playing out as a movie and loved Abby's strength and courage. This story was a great start to the novella.

The second book features Mercedes and Jesse childhood friends who due to an incident led to the families becoming estranged. We see Jesse return to his ranch needing Mercedes help. We then see the struggle of being former friends with still having feelings for each other and how they deal with it.

Book Three features Julie and Timothy. Julie is stuck on living on a mountain with her step father and asks Brother Timothy to help her in an unconventional way. Timothy is the circuit pastor who wants to be a rancher. Julie learns what a real family is like when she meets Timothy's family but there are issues with trust and accusations by her step father.

Book four features Ellen and Lance. Ellen has gone to help Lance look after her niece after the death of her sister. She goes to help wanting to take her niece back to St. Louis with her but see the love Lance has for Tessa. I love how Ellen and her sister were so different and how she is able to help Lance and in turn learn more about herself and that she does have a purpose. 

All in all this is a good collection of novellas which I would highly recommend.

Introducing A Bride in Story by Melissa Jagears.

Please welcome Melissa Jagears to my blog today. Melissa's second book was released this week.

 

How does it feel to have your second book just released?

Relief. People keep asking me "where's more" and I feel so limited, I want to say, "I have a stack of books on my computer, I promise there's more, it's coming!"

What was your reaction the first time you saw a physical copy of your first book in store, did it make it feel more real?

I didn't really have a reaction to the physical copy, but the first time I saw the cover it felt like it was a fake, like one of those silly wooden cut-out things that lets you stick your face in the hole at amusement parks, it felt like the cover was for someone else and they just stuck my name in the cut-out hole.

Does this book have a theme?

The book series' theme is #1 - Trusting God and others with your past #2 your present and #3 your future. As I wrote A Bride in Store, a spiritual thread about selfishness popped up as well.

Your latest book, A Bride in Store, has just been released what do you hope readers take out of this book.

Mainly I hope they are entertained and get lost in the characters' story. If they get anything else, I'll be ecstatic.

In your research did you find any interesting titbits you would like to share?

Oh there was so much this time with the doctor research I had to do. One crazy thing I read about was that between 1870-1880, the Blue-Glass Cure Craze was going on. Many ailments were supposed to be cured if sunlight hit the affected areas/person through blue glass. So not only did they make eyeglasses out of blue glass, but also fitted windows of houses and horse-drawn cars with blue glass. Supposedly it could even cure a mule’s deafness! It didn’t last long though, here’s a newspaper editorial from 1877 starting to question whether staying at home to sit behind your blue glass was worth people’s time.

Can you tell us a little about the hero and heroine?

Eliza and Will are a flipped stereotype. The hero is the one sensitive to the needs of others and gives of himself so much he often gets taken advantage of, the heroine is more business-minded and a bit oblivious to the needs of others.

Have you got a fun titbit you can tell us about this book?

The boardinghouse owner is based on a real-life Baroness.

What will be happening next for Melissa Jagears?

The last book A Bride at Last will tell the story of Mr. Jonesey who has a subplot piece in A Bride in Store

Mail-order bride Eliza Cantrell is on her way to meet her intended groom and help him grow his general store business when her train is held up by robbers and she loses her dowry. She's further thwarted upon arriving in Salt Flatts only to find Axel, her groom, away on business.

Hoping a wife would push Axel to become a better business partner, William Stanton had encouraged him to seek a mail-order bride. With Axel gone, Will feels responsible for Eliza, so he finds her a place to stay and lets her help in the store.

Working together isn't what they'd expected, and when Axel is further delayed, neither can ignore the sparks that fly. But Eliza is meant for Axel and is set on a future with the store, while Will is biding time until he can afford medical school.

Their troubles are far from over when Axel returns to town, however, and soon both Will and Eliza must decide what they're willing to sacrifice to chase their dreams--or if God has a new dream in store for them both.

FOUR WEDDINGS AND A KISS – Win an iPad Mini & rip-roarin’ Facebook Party!

Four best-­selling romance novelists bring tales of feisty heroines, stubborn heroes, and unlikely love in the Wild West in Four Weddings and a Kiss. Don't miss the latest from the Western Brides Collection from Margaret Brownley, Robin Lee Hatcher, Mary Connealy, and Debra Clopton.

The authors are celebrating with a "Sweet on Love" iPad Mini Giveaway and rip-roarin' Facebook party.

 
  One winner will receive:

• An iPad Mini
• A Bride for All Seasons and Four Weddings and a Kiss 

Enter today by clicking one of the icons below. But hurry, the giveaway ends on July 8th. Winner will be announced at the Four Weddings and a Kiss Facebook Author Chat Party. Connect with Western Brides Collection authors Margaret Brownley, Robin Lee Hatcher, Mary Connealy, and Debra Clopton for an evening of fun book chat, western-themed trivia, and prizes. The authors will also be answering audience questions and giving an exclusive look at the next book in the collection!

So grab your copy of Four Weddings and a Kiss and join the authors on the evening of July 8th for a chance to connect and make some new friends. (If you haven't read the book, don't let that stop you from coming!)

Don't miss a moment of the fun; RSVP today. Tell your friends via FACEBOOK or TWITTER and increase your chances of winning. Hope to see you on the 8th!

 

 My Review:

I haven't been able to read much this year but this book I didn't want to put down. I really loved the book and the way this book flows with the different stories but all linked on one way. Each book has a strong heroine in different ways. They each had to fight for different things from being accepted to fighting for there lives. I loved the way each story flowed. From feisty Maisy who I just fell in love with the way she handled herself. To Katie who was dealing with some hard issues. Molly who wants to be an editor but has to try to prove herself and then Grace who finds herself in trouble and needing help. This is a good read and I fully recommend it. Most who know me know I love historical and that I use to read over 100 books a year this year due to illness this book made number 4 but was the fastest book I have read this year.

ACRBA Tour Captured by Moonlight by Christine Lindsay with Review

5 - 9 August

Australian Christian Readers Blog Alliance

is introducing 

Captured by Moonlight

(WhiteFire Publishing May 15, 2013)

by 

Christine Lindsay

About the Author:

Christine Lindsay writes historical inspirational novels with strong love stories, and she takes pride in her Irish roots. Her great grandfather and grandfather worked as riveters in the Belfast shipyard, one of those ships her ancestors helped build was the Titanic. On her mother’s side it was stories of ancestors who served in the British Cavalry in India that seeded Christine’s long-time fascination with the British Raj and became the stimulus for her Twilight of the British Raj series. 

The Pacific coast of Canada, about 200 miles north of Seattle, is Christine’s home where she lives with her husband, David, and they enjoy the visits from their adult children and grandchildren. Like a lot of authors, Christine’s chief editor is her cat.

About the Book

Prisoners to their own broken dreams…

After a daring rescue goes awry, the parched north of India grows too hot for nurse Laine Harkness and her friend Eshana. The women flee to the tropical south…and run headlong into their respective pasts.

Laine takes a new nursing position at a plantation in the jungle, only to discover that her former fiancé is the owner…and that Adam has no more to say to her now than he did when he crushed her years ago. Why, then, is she still drawn to him, and to the tiger cub he is raising?

Eshana, captured by her traditional uncle and forced once more into the harsh Hindu customs of mourning, doubts whether freedom will ever again be in her future, much less the forbidden love that had begun to whisper to her. Is faith enough to live on? Or is her Savior calling her home?

Amid cyclones and epidemics, clashing faiths and consequences of the war, will the love of the True Master give hope to these searching hearts?

My Review

Firstly thanks to Christine for my review copy. 

I loved this book. As many know I haven't been reading as many books this year and it has taken me awhile to finish a book. This book may just be the book that has broken the dam. I read it in about 5 days and wanted more. The book flows so well that it is easy to read and get transported back to India in the early 1920 where there was a lot of turmoil in the country. The book mentions two of my favourite things, cricket which is synonymous with India and a tiger which is mentioned prowling around in the country side. This book features both Eshana who is now a christian who was rescued in the first book from the life of a hindu widow and Laine a British nurse born in India. We learn more about the caste system and how widows are treated. Seeing the friendship between Eshana and Laine is interesting as it is a close bond. Also we meet Adam, Laine's former fiance and learn why he called of the engagement. There is a lot of different things happening in the book which kept me turning pages. This is one of my top reads for the year and I believe this book is better than the first book. The only thing I didn't like about the book is that it ended. I could have kept reading however the ending I found very satisfying.

ACRBA Tour An Heiress at Heart by Jennifer DeLamere

July 22 - 26

Australian Christian Readers Blog Alliance

Is Introducing

An Heiress at Heart

(Grand Central Publishing)

By 

Jennifer DeLamere
2013 Rita nominee 

About the Author:

The youngest child of a Navy pilot and a journalist, Jennifer acquired a love of adventure and an excitement for learning that continues to this day. She’s lived in three countries and traveled throughout the United States. An avid reader of classics and historical fiction, she also enjoys biographies and histories, which she mines for the vivid details to bring to life the characters and places in her books. Her debut novel An Heiress at Heart was chosen by Grand Central Publishing to be the first inspirational romance for their Forever imprint. She resides with her husband in the southeastern United States--where, when not writing or dreaming up romantic adventures for her characters, she can be found fantasizing about her next ski trip or international vacation.

Website: http://www.jenniferdelamere.com/

About the Book:

A youthful indiscretion has cost Lizzie Poole more than just her honor. After five years living in exile, she's finally returning home, but she's still living a secret life. Her best friend Ria's dying wish was for Lizzie to assume her identity, return to London, and make amends that Ria herself would never live to make. Bearing a striking resemblance to her friend, and harboring more secrets than ever before, Lizzie embarks on a journey that tempts her reckless heart once again . . .

A committed clergyman, Geoffrey Somerville's world is upended when he suddenly inherits the title of Lord Somerville. Now he's invited to every ball and sought after by the matchmaking mothers of London society. Yet the only woman to capture his heart is the one he cannot have: his brother's young widow, Ria. Duty demands he deny his feelings, but his heart longs for the mysterious beauty. With both their futures at stake, will Lizzie be able to keep up her façade? Or will she find the strength to share her secret and put her faith in true love?

My Review, I am still reading this book and enjoying it. When I finish it I will add the review.

Book Review Forsaken Dreams by MaryLu Tyndall

Description:

They left everything behind to build a new Southern utopia. . .

Colonel Blake Wallace has seen enough death to last a lifetime. Weary and disillusioned, he slumps beneath the weight of defeat and loss. With his entire family murdered by the North and his name appearing on a list of officers wanted for war crimes, Blake organizes a shipload of southerners who, like him, long to escape the horrors of war and start a new life in a verdant land called Brazil.

Eliza Crawford can barely remember the days of her youth spent in opulence and comfort at her Georgian home. She can’t help but wonder how different her life would be had she not met her late husband, Stanton Watts, a general in the Northern army. Now a war widow, Eliza is rejected by both North and South. Desperate to keep her marriage a secret and escape her past and pain, she hopes to start over again in Brazil.

But once the voyage begins, troubles abound. Dangers at sea and enemies from within threaten to keep Blake and Eliza from the new life—and love—they long for.

My Review:

Thanks to Barbour for my review copy.

Another good book by MaryLu. Again I learnt something about american history. I didn't know that many from the south left for Brazil after the civil war. I love books where I learn history. We see how the war has caused so much pain and hardship but we also see that there are things that haven't changed. We see Eliza who is trying to start a new life after being rejected by both sides and hoping she can go to Brazil with no one knowing her history. Blake is a war hero for the south and lost family due to the war and wanting a new life. There are other characters all looking for a new life and in many ways acceptance from the spoilt rich girl to the freed slaves. The trip is anything but smooth sailing with many obstacles to overcome. The book ends as a new chapter is about to start and left me wanting more and not wanting to wait till the end of the year for the next installment. A great read. 

Book Review Catherine's Pursuit by Lena Nelson Dooley

Book Description
The search for her sisters will become a spiritual journey for the entire family.Raised by her father, Catherine McKenna has never lacked for anything, surrounded by people to take care of her every need. On her eighteenth birthday she discovers that not only did her mother die when she was born, but she also has two identical sisters. Although her father vowed not to look for his daughters, Catherine made no such promise. Setting out on her own with one clue and her maid in tow, she's bound and determined to find her sisters. Collin Elliott has seen better days. After losing his ship to a violent and unexpected storm, he is trying to recover—physically and emotionally. When Angus McKenna sends him to find, follow, and protect his pampered daughter, he wants nothing more than to finish his task and return home. Can he help her find her sisters? And will the discoveries they make along the way teach them both what's most important in life?

My Review:
Thanks to Lena Nelson Dooley for my review copy.

I have enjoyed the series and book three is no different. This time we see Catherine's story. Catherine is the triplet that was first born and was raised by the triplets father. She learns she is a triplets and wants to find her sisters. Collin is a ship captain who recently lost his ship due to a violent storm. He is still recovering from injuries. We see Catherine searching for her siblings and Collin is sent to watch out for her. Collin sees her as a spoilt rich socialite who will do anything to get her way and the last thing he wants is to watch out for her. We see the story unfold of her search and we see who Catherine really is. The book shows how perceptions are not always right and how once we have an image of a person it can cloud our judgements of a person. Loved how the book unfolded and am sad the series is over. Great read.

Book Review Claiming Mariah by Pam Hillman

Product Description:
In light of her father’s death, Mariah Malone sends a letter that will forever alter the lives of her family. When Slade Donovan, strong willed and eager for vengeance, shows up on her front porch, Mariah is not ready to hear his truths: her father’s farm, the only home she’s ever known, was bought with stolen gold. With Slade ready to collect his father’s rightful claim and force Mariah and her family out on the streets, Mariah must turn to God for guidance. Though Mr. Frederick Cooper, a local landowner, promises to answer her financial woes if she agrees to be his bride, Mariah finds herself drawn instead to the angry young man demanding her home.

With the ranch now under Slade’s careful eye, he will unearth more than he ever imagined as a devious plot of thievery, betrayal and murder threatens more than the well-being of the ranch, endangering the lives of those who hold it dear. With days dwindling until the rest of the Donovan clan arrive to the Lazy M ranch, Mariah and Slade must rise above the resentment of their fathers and see their true feelings before greed alters their futures forever.

My Review:
Another really good book by Pam Hillman. This time we the story revolves around Mariah Malone who after her fathers death has decided to right a wrong. Slade Donovan is the son of the man her father wronged and is out to get what he believes should be his families. We see what happens due to something their fathers did and the fall out. Slade wants his family to have the home they always deserved and hasn't thought of what that will mean to Mariah and her family. I love the story and there are other characters like Slade's brother who threatens to steal the show at times. I was drawn to Mariah and her fighting spirit and also felt for Slade. There are a few misunderstandings due to assumptions which were interesting. Really loved the book and can't wait to read more books by Pam. 

Book Review A Duke's Promise by Jamie Carie

Book Description:

From the Land of Fire and Ice back to England’s shores, Alexandria Featherstone finds herself the new Duchess of St. Easton. Her husband has promised a wedding trip to take them to the place where her imperiled parents were last seen — Italy and the marble caves of Carrara — but a powerful Italian duke plots against Alex and her treasure-hunting parents.

Hoping to save them, Alex and Gabriel travel to Italy by balloon. Fraught with danger on all sides and pressured by Gabriel’s affliction to the breaking point, they must learn to work and fight together. The mysterious key is within their grasp, but they have yet to recognize it. This journey will require steadfast faith in God and each other — a risk that will win them everything they want or lose them everything they have.

My Review:

Firstly Thanks to Jamie for my copy. I won it last year to read for a book club. 

This is book three and I haven't read the first two books in the series but I was able to follow the story. Having read the first two would be a benefit but you can follow the story if you read this as a stand alone book. I enjoyed the book and the story. Found Alex a strong female and also quite resourceful and adventurous. Gabriel is also a strong hero but has an affliction which causes a few issues. It was good to see a hero with and affliction and how they work around it. I found the book edgy in some places and in saying this I am not saying it was a problem just a little edgier than some books but never crossing the line. (far from it). This was a good read.