Now and Forever ~ Review

Now and Forever
Wild at Heart #2
By Mary Connealy

Shannon Wilde has a soft spot for animals and she babies her sheep carrying into and out of the barn if necessary.  But when she and Mathew Tucker end up on the wrong side of a protective mamma grizzly they end up on the wrong side of a cliff in a river no one has been known to survive.  But surviving a deadly river is just the beginning of the troubles they find themselves in.

Shannon may be the second Wilde sister to fall to the bonds of matrimony.  But marriage to a mountain man is not something she wants.  Nor is leaving her sheep and homestead behind.

Matt Tucker has no plans to marry.  He enjoys the life he has and can't see any woman agreeing to live up in the mountains with him.  And he isn't willing to to leave any woman behind like his pa did.  To his way of thinking a solitary life is his one and only option.  But then an unexpected trip over a cliff wasn't an option in his opinion either.

But civilization and a certain preacher have a different opinion about what is best for Tucker and Shannon after their fall.  Pa is sure to be riled if Shannon gets married, giving possession of her claim to a man. What's a girl to do?  If you're one of the Wilde sisters you prove to be stubborn with carefully hidden secrets that just might scare off most men.

But when someone becomes determined to run Shannon off her claim it might not be a bad thing to have a man around to help her protect what is hers.  But just how desperate is the coward who only attacks in the dark of night?  And just how far will he go to get Shannon's claim?

If you up for a humorous and intense story that features some seemingly impossible escapes you need to check-out the second book in the Wild at Heart series.  This historical fiction is set shortly after the Civil War during the 1860's land rush in the Dakota / Idaho Territory border region.  If you want to escape into the pages of a book give this one a try. 

I was provided a copy of this book by the publisher in exchange for my honest review.


About the Book:
Saddle up for romance and adventure with the Wilde sisters!

Shannon Wilde is the middle sister--and the one who loves animals. She's established her own homestead and is raising sheep for their wool. Things are going fine...until Shannon gets swept over a cliff by Matthew Tucker!

Tucker seizes every opportunity to get away from civilization, but one particular walk in the woods ends with him sprinting away from an angry grizzly and plunging into a raging river, accidentally taking Shannon Wilde with him. Their adventure in the wilderness results in the solitary mountain man finding himself hitched to a young woman with a passel of relatives, a homestead, and a flock of sheep to care for.

As Tucker and Shannon learn to live with each other, strange things begin to happen on Shannon's land. Someone clearly wants to drive her off, but whoever it is apparently didn't count on Tucker. Trying to scare Matthew Tucker just makes him mad--and trying to hurt the woman he's falling in love with sets off something even he never expected.

Merry Christmas

Wishing everyone 

a joyous Christmas...

Paralyzed ~ Review

Paralyzed
A Kennedy Stern Christian Suspense Novel
By Alana Terry

Kennedy Stern feels that she is being followed.  Since she was kidnapped she can't find the peace, the feeling of safety she once had.

Is this feeling of being followed, of being watch all in her head?  Or is she really in danger?  Those who read Unplanned will know what happened to Kennedy and Paralyzed is the after effect.

Kennedy is just trying to get past her memories.  But until people stop recognizing her she knows she'll never be able to forget the fear and the helplessness she felt.

But when Kennedy's fears become reality just as Christmas break starts she is about to experience a Christmas she may not survive. One of kidnappers - Vinny - is still at large and until he is apprehended Kennedy is in danger.  But is Vinny the only one Kennedy needs to be on the look-out for?

Can fear truly be powerful enough to paralyze someone?  Is it so strong as to shake the very foundations of one's most firmly held beliefs?

This is Kennedy's continuing story as she learns to cope with life in America, life as a pre-med college student, and as a survivor.  We are taken through Kennedy's emotional battle as she tries to return to her new normal.

This is a exciting and thrilling read that will definitely keep one in suspense as to what is going to happen next.  Believe me you will want to read Unplanned first to full appreciate what Kennedy is going through.  I highly recommend this book if you like fiction suspense.

I was provided an advanced copy of this book in exchange my honest review.



About the Book:
Kennedy Stern has returned to campus after surviving an abduction, but old scars cut deep.  Vivid flashbacks and terrifying dreams paralyze her, threatening to ruin her academic career and any chance she has at peace or happiness. This mental anguish, however, constitutes only a small fraction of her post-traumatic nightmare.

A partner in Kennedy’s kidnapping remains at large and will not stop until he has silenced her witness permanently. His violent resolve risks not only her life, but the safety of anyone who tries to help.

Kennedy must engage in a deadly battle of the mind as she struggles to stay alive. While fighting on two fronts — one psychological and one physical — the question isn’t whether she’ll come out of the war stronger in the end.

The question is whether she’ll come out of it at all.

The newest release from inspirational suspense author, Alana Terry, whose Christian Fiction has won awards from Women of Faith, Grace Awards, Readers' Favorite, and several others.

In Good Company ~ Review

In Good Company
A Class of Their Own #2
By Jen Turano

Millie Longfellow has a string of disappointments in her life - she just can't seem to hold a position for very long.  Her latest job fiasco finds her yet again on the steps of the employment agency in want of another job.  Millie has run through ever available place of employment but one - Everett Mulberry again finds himself in need of a nanny.

Having been named guardian of three children, who have scared off every nanny within mere hours of meeting them, Everett is desperate to find someone.  He's willing to hire anyone, except Millie. But the employment agency is adamant its Millie or nobody.

Everett's attitude convinces Millie she could never work for such a man.  But when she meets Elizabeth, Thaddeus, and Rose Millie changes her mind - for these three hurting and misunderstood children she would become a nanny in Everett Mulberry's home.

Millie's management of the children is soon at odds with Everett's expectations and her suggestions of his spending time with his wards at odds with societal norms.  But Millie has little use for the expectations of society and is determined that healing these children should be her first duty.

But when Abigail Hunt is your champion and self-proclaimed chaperon match-making mischief is on the horizon.  And Millie is next on Abigail's match-making list after getting Harriet Peabody and Oliver Addleshaw matched.  Newport may never recover after be subjected to the ideas of Millie Longfellow and Abigail Hunt for the summer.  Ideas about society and class are about to be dealt a shocking blow.

Harriet and Oliver are not in this book but Lucetta Plum and Reverend Gilmore are so those who read After a Fashion can enjoy mote from these two.  Lucetta's a voice of reason as Millie experiences ups-and-downs in her relationship with Everett both as the nanny and as a friend.  Can Millie and Everett discover what is truly in their hearts or will the demands of society and snobbery rule the day?  Does wealth and social standing take precedence over personal character when determining the company one keeps?  This is the heart of the story.

I was provided a copy of this book by Bethany House through their blogger program in exchange for my honest review.


About the Book:
After growing up as an orphan, Millie Longfellow is determined to become the best nanny the East Coast has ever seen. Unfortunately, her playfulness and enthusiasm aren't always well-received and she finds herself dismissed from yet another position. 

Everett Mulberry has quite unexpectedly become guardian to three children that scare off every nanny he hires. About to depart for Newport, Rhode Island, for the summer, he's desperate for competent childcare.

At wit's end with both Millie and Everett, the employment agency gives them one last chance--with each other. As Millie falls in love with her mischievous charges, Everett focuses on achieving the coveted societal status of the upper echelons. But as he investigates the suspicious circumstances surrounding the death of the children's parents, will it take the loss of those he loves to learn whose company he truly wants for the rest of his life?

The Shock of Night ~ Review

The Shock of Night
The Darkwater Saga #1
By Patrick W. Carr

Darkness lurks within the Darkwater Forest.  No one who has ever entered the forest has survived it. At least that is what everyone has believed.  But Lord Willet Dura once entered the forest.  Since then he has night-walked, but only on the nights when someone has been murdered.

Having become the least noble within the court of King Lairdir after protecting the crown from treason, Willet has made an enemy of most of the court while befriending the king.

Following the brutal murder of an elderly priest and his guard Dura begins experiencing something unusual.  He begins to see the memories of those he touches.  Has he become cursed or has he been gifted with an unknown gift?

Suddenly Willet Dura is of importance to not only the king but all four orders of the church.  Could the murder of a priest and his guard be so important to warrant such notice and added danger?

Lord Willet Dura has a darkness locked up within him.  A darkness that hides the memories of his time within Darkwater.  But these memories may hold an important key - one that may save the kingdom from an encroaching evil.  For centuries this evil has been waiting - hiding in the darkness - but it is about to strike.  Can it be stopped?

The Shock of Night is the first full length book in the Darkwater Saga series.  Not unlike his previous series (The Staff and The Sword) Patrick Carr has brought to life a damaged hero - Willet Dura.  He isn't prone to baser evils but he does have issues with anger.  He doesn't easily trust anyone.  He has few true friends.  The life he wanted was lost to him because of his service during the war. And then there is his mind.

Overall I think this is excellent book.  Though the murder is solved, in no way is the mystery resolved.  I think that Willet Dura maybe in for some interesting conclusions before he or his new "friends" truly understand what is happening within the Darkwater Forest.  The loses that Willet has endured and even now faces make him a character one can empathize with.  How one faces such difficulties speak to one's inner character and strengths.  I, for one, am looking forward to book 2.

I was provided a copy of this book by Bethany House through their blogger program in exchange for my honest review.

Read an Excerpt click here

About the Book:
When a brutal attack leaves one man dead and a priest mortally wounded, Willet Dura, reeve to the king of Bunard, is called to investigate. As he begins to question the dying priest, the man pulls Willet close, screams in a foreign tongue—then dies.

After this strange encounter, Willet finds the clues to this crime only lead to more questions, and his senses are oddly skewed. It’s as though he can see their very thoughts. In a world divided between gifted and common, Willet must pursue the murderer still on the loose even as he’s pulled into an epic conflict that threatens not only his city, but his entire world.

By Divine Right ~ Review

By Divine Right
The Darkwater Saga: An Introductory Novella
By Patrick W. Carr

Willet Dura is a reeve in the city of Bunard.  When he discovers a murder of a musician he is determined to discover who killed this man to steal his gift.  What he discovered is even more disturbing than what he was expecting.

Someone is murdering the gifted within the kingdom and stealing their gift.  There can be but one purpose for this gathering of gifts.  And this crime is proof that King Laidir and the Kingdom of Collum are in danger.  But Dura's life is in danger as his efforts may have been observed by the perpetrator.

Can Dura find the proof he needs before it is too late?  Or will he fall to the very person he is trying to stop?

This is an introductory novella to the Darkwater Saga series.  At 119 pages this is a quick read and provides valuable insight into Willet Dura someone who plays a major role in the first novel of this series.

About the Book:

Willet Dura ekes out a living as an assistant reeve in the city of Bunard, the royal city, investigating minor and not-so-minor crimes in the poor quarter. Ever since a terrible battle, Willet's been drawn to the dead, and has an uncanny ability not only to solve their crimes, but even to know when one has been committed.

When a gifted singer is found dead in the merchants' quarter of the city, everyone assumes by the signs that the old man simply died of a stroke, but Willet's intuition tells him better. When he learns that this is the second death within the last month of one of the gifted, those with a rare inherited ability, he begins to suspect that something more is afoot, and he soon finds himself chasing a mystery that could bring down the very kingdom of Collum.

The Abbess of Whitby ~ Review

The Abbess of Whitby
A Novel of Hild Northumbria
By Jill Dalladay

Seventh century Britain is a land that is in turmoil the old ways are in conflict with the new ways that are moving in.  This is the world in which Hild finds herself.

A father never known murdered at her birth.  A king's niece, brought up to be the price of allegiance.  A servant of the goddess Eostre.  Wife.  Mother.  All those describe Hild but these only touch the surface of who she was.

Caught between the warring of kings and princes at the time of Edwin, Penda, Cadwallon, Oswald, and Oswy Hild's life offers a glimpse of this world from the eyes of a woman.  In the midst of the chaos wrought by war, priests for an unknown God bring a message of peace.

This message of peace is exactly what Hild will need as she loses all she holds dear.  One traveling priest had a profound impact on Hild's life.  Aidan's teachings helped Hild come to understand this Christ who was starting to have an influence across Britain.  This influence would lead Hild to become both a servant and a teacher transforming the nation by helping to setup missions throughout. Her influence would help guide the hearts of the nation through her intelligence and understanding of the gospel message.

The nation was ready to listen and Hild was seeking a purpose for her life to provide meaning after the loss of her family.  The history of Northumbria is fascinating and The Abbess of Whitby is the newest book to open another window into this world.  Those who have read and enjoyed Edoardo Albert's Edwin High King of Britain and Oswald: Return of the King will find this book an intriguing addition to their Northumbrian reading library.

I was provided a copy of this book by Kregel in exchange for my honest review and tour participation.

About the book:

Chosen as Eostre's handmaid, Hild will serve the fertility goddess for a year before being wed. Her future is predictable--until King Edwin claims her as kin and she learns that her father was murdered.

Her first love is given a command in Edwin's forces and vanishes from her life, wed to her sister. The court is baptized, ending the old religion and Hild's role. Life looks bleak. She can't stop wondering who killed her father.

Suspecting Edwin, she challenges him, only to be married off to safeguard his northern frontier. Struggling in a loveless marriage, she is intrigued by the Iona priests making pilgrimages to spread Christ's love. When home and family are lost in Oswy's sack of Edinburgh, she finds herself in enemy hands, but meets the charismatic Aidan.

Inspired and guided by him, she builds communities to live and teach Christ's love. She attracts followers. Even her old enemy, King Oswy, entrusts his child to her, gives her Whitby, and seeks her help to reconcile divisions in his kingdom.

She never ceases battling against old superstitions resurrected by storm, plague, and solar eclipse, but at last she receives a bishop's blessing--from a man she trained herself.