Carol Moncado

Lady Eliza Sumner is on a mission. Her fortune was the last thing she had left after losing her father, her fiance, and her faith. Now, masquerading as Miss Eliza Sumner governess-at-large, she’s determined to find the man who ran off with her fortune, reclaim the money, and head straight back to London. 

Mr. Hamilton Beckett, much to his chagrin, is the catch of the season, and all the eyes of New York society–all the female ones, at least–are on him. He has no plans to marry again, especially since his hands are full keeping his business afloat while raising his two children alone.

Eliza’s hapless attempts to regain her fortune unexpectedly put her right in Hamilton’s path. The discovery of a common nemesis causes them to join forces and, before she knows it, Eliza has a whole retinue of people helping her. Eliza’s determination not to trust anyone weakens when everyone’s antics and bumbling efforts to assist her make her wonder if there might be more important things than her fortune and independence.

When all of Hamilton’s and Eliza’s best-laid plans fall by the wayside, it will take a riot of complications for them to realize that God just might have had a better plan in mind all along.

I went into this novel with a bit of trepidation. I’d heard some mixed reviews from friends and wasn’t quite sure what I was getting myself into. Of course, this was after I’d requested it. :p

Despite my fears, I did enjoy Change of Fortune. Mostly. The characters were fun, the dialog quirky and the plot believable.

Where I had my… problems was near the end where it seemed everyone was involved in the final showdown with the bad guy. I had a hard time keeping everyone – and everything they were doing straight. :/ I muddled through [muddled is a bit strong – it wasn’t that hard to get through] and am glad I did. Despite my confusion at times, I enjoyed the overall story and the characters.

I loved Eliza and Hamilton and his children as well as the secondary characters. I hope to read more from Ms. Turano in the future.

Overall rating: 7.75 out of 10 stars

Thanks to the publisher for a free copy in exchange for my honest review.

After the loss of her husband and the birth of her baby, Charlotte has had a long, hard year. But when a notorious robber believes she knows the location of a long-lost treasure, she flees to Cheyenne and opens a dressmaker’s shop to lie low and make a living. When wealthy cattle baron and political hopeful Barrett Landry enters the shop to visit her best customer, Charlotte feels drawn to him.

If Barrett is to be a senator of the soon-to-be state of Wyoming, he must make a sensible match, and Miriam has all the right connections. Yet he can’t shake the feeling that Charlotte holds the key to his heart and his future.

Soon the past comes to call, and Barrett’s plans crumble around him. Will Charlotte and Barrett find the courage to look love in the face? Or will their fears blot out any chance for happiness?

Last year, I had the chance to review Summer of Promise and have been looking forward to Waiting for Spring ever since.

I loved Charlotte from the first book and was so glad to see her story carried forward here. Ms. Cabot does an excellent job of pulling the reader into Charlotte’s world of fabrics and dress-making. Motherhood. And trying desperately to keep from falling for Barrett – a man she’s afraid is just like her late husband.

Barrett believes he’s found the woman he’s going to marry. But then he meets Charlotte.

I loved the characters – both the two main characters and the secondary ones. Gwen, Charlotte’s nanny, is wonderful. I was a bit surprised that some of the storylines carried over from book 1 finished up in book 2 rather than book 3, but I’m looking forward to it and to meeting the third sister in the family!

Overall rating: 8.25 out of 10 stars

Thanks to the author and publisher for a free copy in exchange for my review.

“I made a promise to protect you.”

But pregnant Ali Silver’s husband broke his vow and walked away from her. After being injured in combat, Jericho has finally come home to Bitterroot Valley to make peace with his father and regain Ali’s trust. But the single mom’s keeping secrets of her own. And someone’s killing off Ali’s cattle and sabotaging her horse therapy business. Jericho will do whatever it takes to protect his wife and be a real father to his son. Because when it comes to love and second chances, he’s one determined cowboy.

Anyone who’s read very many of my reviews knows that I’m personally acquainted with a lot of authors. That said, I do my very best to give honest reviews [with the disclaimer that I don’t offer to review books I don’t expect to enjoy].

To be completely up front about it… Jessica Keller is an exceptionally dear friend of mine. She’s my NovelSista and one of those people I hold extremely close in my heart. She [and Kristy – my other NovelSista] were among the first to know about my skin cancer last year, long before it was public knowledge. In the last eighteen months, we’ve walked through the cancer and Bell’s Palsy, two pregnancies, rejections, acceptances, more rejections, contest wins, losses, job stress, financial stress, a cancelled NovelSista retreat weekend at Jess’s house, and so on.

In fact, I was in complete tears before I even got to the first page of the novel because, there in the dedication were the following words:

…Carol and Kristy, my beloved NovelSisters, your prayers made this book a reality…

So this book is much nearer and dearer to my heart than most.

That said, I honestly, truly would not have written a review of it if I didn’t enjoy it. I had the privilege of reading the original [longer] version of it and, while there were bits of that version I missed, overall this is the stronger version and well worth the read.

Jericho is a to-die-for, swoonworthy cowboy hero. And everyone knows how much I love a good cowboy hero. He made a mistake when he was younger – leaving his pregnant wife. To be fair, he didn’t know she was pregnant, but still. He left for the right reasons, though I won’t give those away, but he still left.

Ali has struggled during those years as a single mom trying to keep her ranch from going under and start a non-profit program providing special needs kids with riding therapy.

Chase is a darling boy – wants to be a cowboy just like his new buddy Jericho. He wants nothing more than a dad.

Jessica does a great job of drawing us into the Bitterroot Valley. The people are the neighbors next door, but mostly the story circles around Jericho, Ali, Chase, and the people on their ranch – including Tripp who is vying for Ali’s attentions.

There’s a bit of suspense and Jessica keeps you guessing as to the “bad guy” and the motivation behind it. There’s other revelations along the way to keep anyone smiling and sighing – and crying when things look grim all around.

She tugs on heartstrings and I absolutely cannot wait to read her next offering!!!! [And, I gotta say, I kinda hope I get to be a first reader and read them early as well ;). I know some of the stuff she’s working on and this gal is gonna take the writing world by storm.]

Overall rating: 8.25 out of 10 stars

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an ecopy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

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.

Hillman’s sophomore offering is better than her first. I enjoyed Stealing Jake immensely, but this one, set on a ranch in the west, was a cut above. Easily the best book I’ve read this year [which I know isn’t necessarily saying a ton since it’s early January as I read this], Claiming Mariah should be on your “must buy” list.

I laughed, I cried. I loved Slade. He’s near the top of my list for all-time favorite heroes. He wants nothing more than to take back what was stolen from his father and help his mother and sisters. Have grown-up on the wrong side of the tracks, and on the bottom end of that totem pole to boot, he just wants to make it to his mother who worked long hours for little pay to feed them.

Slade tries to come off as a heartless rancher taking over what he’s owed, but his soft side begins to show through almost immediately when he lets Mariah and her grandmother continue living in the house until his mother and sisters arrive a month or two down the road. They have nowhere else to go.

His kindheartness grows when he meets a little boy and girl growing up much as he did. Their names are completely escaping me at the moment, but I loved the children and how they interacted with both Slade and Mariah.

Slade’s brother comes with him when he rides onto the Lazy M. I would absolutely LOVE it if Ms. Hillman’s next release featured him as the hero [perhaps with Mariah’s sister as the heroine], but I’m not sure what she has in the works.

The only downside to Claiming Mariah is that it is only available as an ecopy. I would love a paperback to hold in my hands, but since that’s not possible, my Kindle will have to do.

Whatever her next work is, I’ll be one of the first in line to grab a copy.

Overall rating: 9.5 out of 10 stars

Thanks to the author and Tyndale Blog Network for an ecopy in exchange for my honest review.

A Compelling Pioneer Story From Bestselling Author Kim Vogel Sawyer

Fed up with the poor quality of life in 1880 New York, Tarsie Raines encourages her friends Joss and Mary Brubacher to move with their two children to Drayton Valley, Kansas, a booming town hailed in the guidebook as the land of opportunity. She offers to help with expenses and to care for Mary and the children as they travel west by wagon train. But when tragedy strikes on the trip across the prairie, Tarsie is thrown into an arrangement with Joss that leaves both of them questioning God and their dreams for the future. As their funds dwindle and nothing goes as planned, will Tarsie and Joss give up and go their separate ways, or will God use their time in Drayton Valley to turn their hearts toward him?

One of Kim’s crit partners is a friend of mine. She said this is Kim’s best book yet. Since it’s my first of Kim’s novels, I can’t attest to that, but I can say that I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Tarsie and Joss are real, believable characters, saved only through the grace of God – just like all of us.

Kim does a wonderful job portraying the difficulties the characters face as they head west and, if possible, moreso once they arrive.

Joss and Tarsie have obstacles galore to overcome and Kim does a fabulous job showing how they do so.

Overall rating: 8.5 out of 10 stars

Thanks to the publisher for a copy of the book in exchange for my honest review.

Sometimes it takes a stranger to see you as you really are.

Under Texas Stars, #2

Born and raised on sprawling Texas land, Margaret O’Brien prides herself on her competence as a rancher. But her father believes she’s made for more than just dawn-to-dusk work. He wants her to have the love of a good man, to raise children, to build a life. But Margaret gave up such dreams years ago. She’s convinced no man would have her, that the ranch is her life now.

So when Margaret’s father hires Daniel Cutler as a new foreman, she’s frustrated and suspicious. Then an overheard conversation links him with a gang of bank robbers, and she’s downright worried. Daniel swears he’s not involved, but Margaret’s not convinced. She knows the man still has secrets. But would a criminal be so kind and talk so convincingly of his faith? As a series of tragic “accidents” threatens all she holds dear, Margaret must decide what to trust: her own ears, her best judgment . . . or what her heart keeps telling her.

Those who read Blue Moon Promise will recognize Margaret as Nate’s next door neighbor – the girl everyone thought he’d marry, just because their ranches were next to each other, they could tolerate each other and it made sense. Love aside, of course.

Nate found love in Blue Moon Promise but Margaret is still looking.

As in the previous book, Coble does a fabulous job weaving the story. There’s enough intrigue to satisfy all but the most hard core lovers of suspense. There’s enough romance for pretty much everyone. It’s a foregone conclusion that Daniel and Margaret will end up together because it is, after all, a romance. But how they end up together will keep you guessing until Coble reveals it. I’m usually pretty good at guessing who the bad guy is or what the twist is, etc., but she kept me guessing.

There were many sighable moments. Near tears moments. Big smile moments. Giggle moments.

Blue Moon Promise was one of the best reads of 2012 [top 10] and I have no doubt Safe in His Arms will end up near the top of the list for 2013.

Though I read the ecopy provided by NetGalley, I’ve already picked up a hard copy to loan out.

Overall rating: 9.25 out of 10 stars

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an ecopy in exchange for my honest review.

Today, we bring youShattered Silence
by Margaret Daley. Replete with murder and racial tension, at
its core this is a story exploring something everybody can relate with–bullying. And Margaret is here to tell us in her own words exactly why she wrote this.

Shattered Silence by Margaret Daley:

A serial killer is targeting illegal aliens in southern Texas. Texas Ranger Cody Jackson is paired with a local police officer, Liliana Rodriguez, to investigate the murders.

While the case brings Cody and Liliana ever closer, the tension between Americans and Mexican Americans heightens. As Cody and Liliana race to discover who is behind the murders and bring peace to the area, what they uncover isn’t what they expected. Will Cody and Liliana’s faith and love be strong enough to survive the storm of violence?

Why I Wrote Shattered Silence

By Margaret Daley

I taught middle and high school for twenty-seven years, and I consoled many kids over those years that were being bullied. It broke my heart. The students I taught were children with special needs. Other kids sometimes made fun of them or had them do things then laugh at them. I do not tolerate bullying then and now. That’s why I wrote Shattered Silence.

As an aside, I started a peer-tutoring program at the high school where I taught. Over the years I had a lot of popular kids take the class (top academic teens, cheerleaders, football players) and help out students who needed a peer tutor. One of those students went on to play pro football and another one became Miss Oklahoma. What was a wonderful benefit for my students with special needs was they developed friendships with their peer tutors. Those same peer tutors were the ones who stepped in and stopped other kids from making fun of my students.

I wanted to show different situations where a person was bullied (abused) by another. One storyline is centered around a high school student. The two other subplots concern the workplace and an abusive marriage. When someone is bullied, it leaves a lasting mark on that person. I’ve talked with many adults who can distinctively remember the circumstances around a bullying incident they were in the middle of.

It isn’t always the outcasts or overweight kid or geek that are bullied. I have a friend whose daughter is beautiful and smart and was a cheerleader for her high school. Her last semester of high school was done at home through online courses because there were girls at the school that bullied her and made her life miserable. She became physically ill.

For her and the thousands of people who are bullied all over the world I wrote Shattered Silence. I didn’t just present the situation of being bullied but offered a few suggestions for improving the situation.

Spread the word: Stop bullies. There are three groups involved in a bullying situation: the bully (or bullies), the person bullied and the spectators. The spectators are the ones in the triangle that can step in and change the situation. Speak up.

Margaret Daley, an award-winning author
of eighty-three books, has been married for over forty years and is a
firm believer in romance and love. When she isn’t traveling, she’s
writing love stories, often with a suspense thread and corralling her
three cats that think they rule her household. To find out more about
Margaret visit her website at http://www.margaretdaley.com.

Buy the book!

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*guest post by Michelle Massaro

Revised and updated from the original, Christy-award finalist Shadow of Colossus.

Enslaved in a World of Money and Power, Tessa Dares to be Free.

Raised as courtesan to wealthy and powerful men, Tessa of Delos serves at the whim of her current patron, the politician Glaucus. After ten years with him, Tessa has abandoned all desire for freedom or love, choosing instead to lock her heart away.

But when Glaucus meets a violent death in his own home, Tessa grasps at a fragile hope. Only she knows of his death. If she can keep it a secret long enough, she can escape.

Tessa throws herself on the mercy of the Greek god Helios, but finds instead unlikely allies in Nikos, a Greek slave, and Simeon, Glaucus’s Jewish head servant. As Simeon introduces her to a God unlike any she has ever known and Nikos begins to stir feelings she had thought long dead, Tessa fights to keep her heart protected.

As an assassination plot comes to light, Tessa must battle for her own freedom—and for those to whom she has begun to open her heart—as forces collide that shatter the island’s peace.

Ms. Higley immerses the reader in ancient Greece, complete with intrigue, murder plots and the saving power of the one true God.

The characters were well formed – flawed, real, heroic – while the plot was well-thought out. Twist and turns catch the reader off-guard [in a good way] and the ultimate climax to the plot is foregone in some ways but a surprise in other.

That said, I’m not quite sure why I wasn’t completely drawn into this world. I wanted to be. I should have been. It’s the kind of book I would normally be completely sucked into. But for some reason, I wasn’t. This is the first book of Ms. Higley’s that I have read. I’ll likely read another one, if offered for review, but I don’t know that I would search it out.

Overall Rating: 7.75 out of 10 stars

Thanks to BookSneeze for an ecopy in exchange for my honest review.

Journey to Pennsylvania backcountry during the French and Indian War. Indentured servant Lily Harwood has always thought of herself as a good Christian lass. . .until she is struck with a deeper, more profound plight than the war that rages around her. When her mistress’s husband returns home on a short furlough, Lily finds herself falling in love with him. As Lily is caught between passion and sorrow in harrowing times, can she find hope in the promises of God?

This was a bit of a departure for me. I’ve not read any books [that I can recall] set during the French and Indian War. It turns out this is the third book in the series and while I wish I had read the other two first, I didn’t know they existed and found they weren’t necessary to enjoying this one.

The history major in me was enthralled by the tales of war on the frontier. The romantic in me was enthralled by the developing relationship with Lily and the eventually-widowed owner of her indenture papers.

As a romance, the result was a given, but how were they to get there? He’s married to her dearest friend – plus he’s her boss, but even more than that given the time period and her indenture. Even before the imminent death of his wife, Lily struggles with her feelings for John. John remains ever faithful, but does notice that Lily is no longer the fourteen-year-old who had come to live with them. He’s not too crazy about her suitors but in a semi-relational role at first [much like an older brother] but later because of his own growing feelings.

Both of them are tested time and again as they learn to trust God in all aspects of their lives, including their love life.

My biggest… complaint is the ending. My inner literary voyeur ALWAYS wants a bit more and I think this book would have been a perfect time for a couple of chapters after the “I dos” or at least an epilogue [and since it’s book 3, it’s unlikely there’s going to be a book 4, especially since they’re out of sisters]. That knocks it down at least a quarter point.

Overall, I’d recommend this series [first two books unread by me], but that ending did disappoint me some. It seemed to be set up for a bit more and then didn’t deliver.

Overall rating: 8 out of 10 stars

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an ecopy in exchange for my honest review.