A Convenient Engagement ~ Review

A Convenient Engagement
Brides of Brighton #1
By Ashtyn Newton

Miss Amelia Buxton longs to see Brighton. Her life in Nottingham is so dreary and the suitors her father is determined to see her wed to are even more dreary. What's a lady to do when her deepest desire is to be a spinster. But to Brighton, she'll never go if her father cannot be convinced otherwise. In a moment of desperation, Amelia agrees that she will become engaged while in Brighton or agree to an engagement with Mr. Clinton, an old graying bore who used a cane and has to be twice her age!

In Brighton, Adam Claridge is desperate his sister is missing and he can find no sign of her anywhere. Worse his father's fragile health seems to be declining further with Eleanor's disappearance. Convinced that Eleanor's disappearance is the result of nefarious deeds because she would never willingly leave their father in his current state Adam is no closer to the truth than the day she disappeared. When a charming visitor offers her help Adam is forced to admit a woman's perspective may help him in his search.

But helping Adam will hinder Amelia's own search - one that her Aunt Margaret unfortunately reveals. With an offer to help Amelia obtain the engagement her father demands in exchange for her assistance, Amelia soon finds herself in a most uncomfortable situation entertaining the unwanted attentions of a gentleman who may be linked to Eleanor's disappearance.

What follows is a series of emotional ups and downs as Amelia, Adam, and Aunt Margaret enjoy the delights of Brighton that are not too delightful. And then there is that pesky engagement that Amelia must secure within three months - will Adam's plan allow her to satisfy her father's demand while allowing her to live the life she's long desired? Only time will tell.

Ashtyn Newbold has done it again with this first book in her new series. The characters are a delight to become acquainted with. And fans of her previous works will enjoy revisiting the Regency period once again. Amelia and Adam are well suited and it is interesting observing them fight against losing their hearts in their most convenient engagement. And then there is Aunt Margaret who one can only hope will someday meet a man worthy of her.

Find a cozy corner and get ready to visit Brighton for a day or two!


About the Book:

A false engagement. 

A mysterious coast. 

Two reluctant hearts. 

Much to her father’s dismay, Miss Amelia Buxton aspires to become a spinster, just like her eccentric aunt. Growing up with parents who married for every reason but love, she has never seen a joyful marriage. When Amelia requests a summer trip to the legendary waters of Brighton, her father allows her the excursion, but with one requirement: she must return engaged or agree to the proposal of the man of his choosing. 

Crawling with tourists, Brighton is not the town Adam Claridge once loved. When his sister Eleanor disappears without warning, Adam is desperate to bring her home. In his search, he happens upon Miss Amelia Buxton, a young tourist that proves vital in his search for Eleanor. But Amelia is conducting a search of her own—a search for a husband—and Adam has little choice but to offer a fair trade: he will play the role of Amelia’s betrothed in exchange for her assistance in finding Eleanor.

Convenient at first, Amelia and Adam’s arrangement quickly plummets into disarray. Falling in love had not been part of their bargain. 

A Convenient Engagement is a sweet and clean regency romance novel. 

The Light Before Day ~ Review

The Light Before Day
Nantucket Legacy #3
By Suzanne Woods Fisher

The Light Before Day is the third book in the Nantucket Legacy series. In this book, Henry and Hitty Macy are grown up and their grandmother Lillian has died. Lillian Coffin has left her vast wealth to Henry and Hitty with strings attached. The money is not to leave the Island and there are conditions on whom they can marry and they both must marry within a specified time frame. And Lillian's daughter Daphne nary a kind word was left to her.

Henry and Hitty knew that this gift was their Grandmother's last attempt at controlling their lives, but Henry has a plan to thwart her machinations while fulfilling the mandates of the will. But as the existence that Henry and Hitty have always known shifts so too is Nantucket shifting. The rights of Blacks and women has become a catalyst of contention that could very well divide the Island permanently.

The Light Before Day is an enjoyable addition to the Nantucket Legacy series. I really like how Great Mary's, aka Mary Coffin Starbuck, journal entries are scattered throughout the books and how the person to whom the journal is aided by her words of wisdom. Mary's journal also details her own path to "Finding the Light" (becoming a Quaker), after her stance against allowing a church, or religious affiliation, to be linked to Nantucket. And that treasure of Spanish gold that was discovered in the first book and used in the second, well it is again referenced by Mary in her journal and put to good use.

The historical notes at the end of the book are a welcome addition as the reader is allowed a chance at further study. This would be an excellent book club selection. And though these books should be read together it is not absolutely necessary but it allows the reader a foundation on which each story builds. But to get Mary's entire story you'll need to read all three books.

I was provided a complimentary copy of this book by Revell with no expectations except that I offer my honest opinion ~ all thoughts shared are my own.


About the Book:

"Henry, this . . . fortune, this 

sudden wealth . . . I fear it will 

change our lives. And I don't 

want my life to change."

After three years on a whaling voyage, Henry Macy returns to Nantucket to news that his grandmother has passed, bequeathing her vast fortune to him and his sister, Hitty. And it was truly vast. But Lillian Coffin was no fool. The inheritance comes with a steep cost, including when each should marry and whom--a Quaker in good standing, of course. But if they relinquish the inheritance, it all goes to Tristram Macy, their father's thieving business partner.

As Hitty and Henry seek a way to satisfy the will's conditions, they'll be faced with obstacles on every side--and it may be that Lillian Coffin will have the last word after all.

Things Left Unsaid ~ Release Day Blast

About the Book:

An emotional novel of family, friendship and forgiveness from Courtney Walsh, the New York Times bestselling author of Hometown Girl.

Lyndie St. James is thrilled that her best friend, Elle, is getting married but unprepared for the emotional storm of the wedding week and returning to her childhood summer home of Sweethaven. The idyllic cottage community harbors some of her best—and worst—memories. It’s not only the tragic death of her childhood friend Cassie that has haunted her for ten years, it’s the other secrets she’s buried that have kept her from moving on.

But Lyndie isn’t the only one with secrets.

Cassie’s mother, father and brother, still struggling with the loss, have been drifting further and further apart. And Elle herself, the last to see Cassie alive, carries an impossible burden of guilt. Now reunited, each of them has a choice: to reveal the truths of that night or continue to live in its shadow. That means embarking on a personal journey of the heart—to escape the darkness and all its regrets and to finally come to terms with the past and, especially, with each other.

GOODREADS | AMAZON

About the Author:

Courtney Walsh is a novelist, artist, theater director, and playwright. Change of Heart is her fifth novel and is set in the same town as Paper Hearts. Her debut novel, A Sweethaven Summer, hit the New York Times and USA Today e-book bestseller lists and was a Carol Award finalist in the debut author category. She has written two additional books in the Sweethaven series, as well as two craft books and several full-length musicals. Courtney lives in Illinois where she and her husband own a performing and visual arts studio. They have three children.

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Order your copy HERE.

The Nutcracker and Christmas Anticipation

Christmas is a time of anticipation. The planning and expectations. My favorite Christmas present was a China doll that was dressed in a Scandinavian dress. She had a strawberry blond hair and was peeking out of my Christmas stocking. I was totally overwhelmed with excitement seeing that I had a special doll just waiting for me that morning. 

Christmas is also a time of special once-a-year treats which are as fun making as enjoying on Christmas. Krumkaka, a thin batter that is poured onto a small griddle and then rolled after cooking before it is cooled, it is then filled with a sweet cream filling. Which though totally delicious is not quick or easy to make and unfortunately require special tools to make.

Ruspaballs are a family favorite that is anticipated all year. Not sure what these are? I'll share the recipe which is fairly easy. 

Prepare mash potatoes and cool so that you can handle them without getting burned. 

Fill a large pot with water and bring to a boil

Add flour to the mash potatoes and mix in. 

Add flour by the half cup, adding more until the dough doesn't stick to your hands. 

You will then form the dough into balls the size of a large orange. 

Place the potato balls into the boiling water. 

Balls will sink down and when they rise to the water surface you will know that they are done. 

Lift from the water and allow to drain.

After the balls have cooled they can be refrigerated for a couple of days (or frozen).

The balls are then sliced about 1/4" thick and fried till lightly browned (or spray with oil and bake in a pan flipping so that they cook evenly on both sides. 

Serve this way or with a little butter.

The Nutcracker is something that many look forward to enjoying each Christmas and this year we have a new Nutcracker to anticipate - The Nutcracker and the Four Realms. And if you are a book lover this has been turned into a book too (which I might add I've checked out from my library and hope to review shortly).

About the Movie:  

All Clara (Mackenzie Foy) wants is a key – a one-of-a-kind key that will unlock a box that holds a priceless gift. A golden thread, presented to her at godfather Drosselmeyer’s (Morgan Freeman) annual holiday party, leads her to the coveted key—which promptly disappears into a strange and mysterious parallel world. It’s there that Clara encounters a soldier named Phillip (Jayden Fowora-Knight), a gang of mice and the regents who preside over three Realms: Land of Snowflakes, Land of Flowers and Land of Sweets. Clara and Phillip must brave the ominous Fourth Realm, home to the tyrant Mother Ginger (Helen Mirren), to retrieve Clara’s key and hopefully return harmony to the unstable world. Starring Keira Knightley as the Sugar Plum Fairy, Disney’s new holiday feature film “The Nutcracker and the Four Realms” is directed by Lasse Hallström and Joe Johnston, and inspired by E.T.A. Hoffmann’s classic tale.

Journey to the Four Realms featurette:

Fall on Me music video:

THE NUTCRACKER AND THE FOUR REALMS: starring Kiera Knightley, Helen Mirren, Matthew Macfadyen, Morgan Freeman and Mackenzie Foy as “Clara.” 

For more information, please go to:  https://movies.disney.com/the-nutcracker-and-the-four-realms

A Christmas Prayer ~ Review

A Christmas Prayer
By Wanda E. Brunstetter

Cynthia Cooper and her mother Mable find themselves leaving behind the ease of city life when their financial circumstances find them heading West with Cynthia's intended. Walter Prentice is more than ten years older than her and his looks are so-so but he offers a future of security for both Cynthia and her mother. But he is just so bland, especially when compared to the others in their wagon train of three.

Having missed the much larger train that they were to go with Cynthia, Mable, and Walter join with two other wagons that had also arrived a day or two late. One wagon belongs to Jack Simpson, who along with his young children Alan and Amelia, is heading to California to take up cattle ranching. The final wagon is owned by Cole Edwards and his sister Ginny.

As various delays slow their already slow pace reaching California before the weather turns bad is seeming less likely. And when the worst happens and they find themselves stranded a chance discovery finds them able to take shelter in something better than a tent or their wagons. Cynthia is also allowed a chance to truly get to know the man she is about to pledge herself to and Walter is not whom she thought him to be but she made a promise and she'll keep it.

A Christmas Prayer is a sweet story that is a quick read that ends in a most satisfying way. Wanda Brunstetter is known for her Amish fiction which this is not. This is a historical fiction with a dash of romance added along with a pinch of holiday charm. Take a break from your hectic schedule and take a short trip to 1850 from the comfort of your favorite corner.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Barbour Publishing and was under no obligation to post a review. All opinions expressed are my own.


About the Book:

Will Love Be Found While Trapped 

in the Sierra Nevada Mountains?

       Only the brave-or foolhardy-would attempt a cross-country journey late in the season. Three wagons meet up in Independence, Missouri, in April 1850, and their owners decide to keep forging ahead despite many setbacks and delays. December finds them in the Sierra Nevada Mountains when a sudden snowstorm traps them, obscuring the trail. 

       Cynthia Cooper is traveling with her mother and the man she has promised to marry. But as Christmas is upon them and they are hunkered down in a small cabin, she is forced to reevaluate her reasons for planning to marry fellow-traveler Walter Prentice. 

        When a widowed father heading to California and a gold prospector both show interest in Cynthia, she weighs her dreams for marriage alongside her responsibility to care for her mother. Can love win over her timid heart?

Shelter of the Most High ~ Review

Shelter of the Most High
Cities of Refuge #2
By Connilyn Cossette

Sofea loves the sea and this very love is what finds her far from the land of her birth and her people. It is this very love that finds her in a distant land with no way to communicate with the people who have taken her into their home. What is she expect? Is she now a slave to be punished at the whim of a cruel master and mistress? All these thoughts fill her very being as she tries to protect and care for her cousin.

When strangers take Sofea and Prezi to the walled city of Kedesh, they little realize that it is a city of refuge - a place of sanctuary for those who are guilty of crimes. Crimes that Sofea's own father would have had them put to death for.

Eitan has called Kedesh home for eleven years, the mistake he made during his childhood has marked him though few know the reason he never leaves the safety of the city. Eitan longs for the day he can leave the city but the threat to his life and the lives of those he holds most dear is ever present, waiting to claim vengeance.

Shelter of the Most High is the second book in the Cities of Refuge series but it can easily be read on its own. It is really quite interesting to learn about the cities of refuge that were established by God. This is a part of the Old Testament that was never dwelt upon in any classes or sermons that I've ever been blessed to hear or take part in. I don't think I ever truly realized that the cities of refuge were to protect someone after they killed another not in anger but by accident.

The characters are engaging and the story is well-written so that the reader is easily caught up in the story. I like how the perspective is told mainly from Sofea and Eitan's viewpoint as it offers a more rounded story. This is first and foremost Biblical fiction but there is a touch suspense as Eitan and Sofea get caught up in a plot that, if it succeeds, could free all who must stay within the city. This book is one that you could read on your own or would lend itself well to a book club setting.

I was provided a copy of this book by the publisher Bethany House with no expectations but that I give my honest opinion. All opinions expressed are my own. 


About the Book:

The daughter of a pagan high priest, Sofea finds solace from her troubles in the freedom of the ocean. But when marauders attack her village on the island of Sicily, she and her cousin are taken across the sea to the shores of Canaan.

Eitan has lived in Kedesh, a city of refuge, for the last eleven years, haunted by a tragedy in his childhood, yet chafing at the boundaries placed on him. He is immediately captivated by Sofea, but revealing his most guarded secret could mean drawing her into the danger of his past.

As threats from outside the walls loom and traitors are uncovered within, Sofea and Eitan are plunged into the midst of a murder plot. Can they uncover the betrayal in time to save their lives and the lives of those they love?

Seek-and-Circle Bible Battles ~ Review

Seek-and-Circle Bible Battles
By Alyssa Jones

From the BH Kids Editorial Staff

This is an activity book to help teach children about the armor of God and stories taken from the Old Testament. So get a dry erase marker and get ready to have a fun time while learning from the Bible. The Scripture references for this book come from Ephesians 6:10-19 (The Armor of God), Joshua 6 (The Battle of Jericho), Israel vs. the Five Kings (Joshua 10:1-15), Deborah, Barak, and Jael (Judges 4), Gideon vs. the Midianites (Judges 6-8), David and Goliath (1 Samual 17), and Judah Taken Captive (2 Chronicles 36). 

Now the Scripture is just referenced so you will need to have a Bible nearby so that you can read this before the search for the listed objects commences. Each story is pictured on nearly 2 pages with a list of items to look for. One of the items to be searched for is a piece of the Armor of God. There is a Christ Connection for each story showing how the Old Testament past of Israel was a glimpse of what Christ would be for the whole world. 

I'll admit it is fun trying to find all the objects and this would be a really fun family activity, maybe have different colored markers for each person to use and take turns finding the objects. However you decide to use this book it will be an enjoyable and educational time for all involved. Though I will admit some of the objects may be difficult to identify which is why reading the Scripture first is important as it offers descriptions of the people that may be helpful.

I was provided a complimentary copy of this book by the publisher with no expectations but that I offer my honest opinion. All opinions expressed are my own.

About the Book:

Seek, circle, 

and learn!

Maybe you’ve heard about the battle of Jericho and David’s battle against Goliath, but what about the day the sun stood still? Inside this book, explore six of the major battles from the Bible, filled with dozens of items for you to seek and circle! Every battle scene also has something to tell us about God’s plan for His people through His Son, Jesus.

For an added challenge, look for the six pieces of the armor of God as you explore each battle.

Use a wipe-on, wipe-off marker to seek-and-circle over and over again!

This BH Kids book includes a Parent Connection, an easy tool to help moms and dads (or anyone else who loves kids) discuss the book’s message with their child. We’re all about connecting parents and kids to each other and to God’s Word.