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.

Singer Ginny Marshall is one signature away from the recording contract of her dreams—a deal that would guarantee success for the former foster child, who still struggles to bury the memories of her painful childhood. But Ginny needs advice from the one person who will look out for her best interests—her former fiancé, Brett Miller. She travels to the remote town of Glacier Bay, Alaska, where the town’s colorful characters and stunning scenery provide respite from LA’s pressures.
 
In Glacier Bay, Ginny discovers a box of old letters and is swept up in the love story between Clay, an early missionary to Alaska Territory, and Ellie, the woman who traveled there to be his children’s governess. When Ginny is reunited with Brett in Glacier Bay, will she discover—as Ellie did—that healing and love are sometimes found in the most unexpected places?

This is my second book by Ms. Goyer and my first the three books co-written with Ms. Fleiss. By the Light of the Silvery Moon was my favorite book of 2012.

The authors do a fabulous job of putting us in Glacier Bay [I’m planning my vacation ;)]. The places, the people, all somewhere I can’t wait to visit!

This is a bit different from your typical romance. It’s two romances told side-by-side. Ginny and Brett in present day and Ellie and Clay through letters written by them – and others – decades earlier.

I thoroughly enjoyed Ellie and Clay’s story. I would have loved to see it as a fully fleshed out historical novel, but there’s enough here for me to sink my teeth into. I felt for Ellie as she struggled to acclimate to the Alaskan wilderness. For Clay as he fought against feelings for another woman after the death of his beloved wife. For Clay’s oldest son as he struggled with Ellie’s place in their lives.

I also enjoyed Ginny and Brett’s story. By my completely unscientific scanning of the book [meaning fanning through it to see what’s in italics [the letters] and what’s not [Ginny/Brett]], they took up more than half the book.

This is mostly Ginny’s story. Brett’s already done most of his growing up/finding God/whathaveyou, but he still has things to learn. But mostly Ginny – in her quest for stardom – has forgotten the truths found in the Bible and that God is always waiting for her, with open arms.

Goyer and Fleiss weave the two stories together in a way that you’re eager for both parts of the story to come to their climax. It’s a romance, so the outcome – for Ginny and Brett at least – is pretty much a given, but the story with Ellie and Clay – notsomuch. Plus there’s a surprise relationship between the past and present.

This was a quick, easy read – perfect for a week when the kids were on break. But the truths were deep and timeless.

Overall rating: 8.5 out of 10 stars*

In honor of this release – and the new year – I’m giving away my copy of Love Finds You in Glacier Bay, Alaska! To enter, leave a comment below. For additional entries, “like” Tricia’s Facebook Page and Ocieanna’s Facebook Page. Be sure to let me know which pages you like/d and leave your email address [but like myname at gmail dot com to fool the bots], with a minimum of ten unique entrants.

Special thanks to Tricia and Ocieanna for including me in their launch team and to them and the publisher for a copy of the book in exchange for my review.

*For those new to my site, I’m pretty stingy with my stars. Anything over an 8 is really good. To get a 9 or better, it’s gotta be among my all-time favorites. 8.5 is quite good :D.

 

So Jordyn Redwood over at Redwood’s Medical Edge asked if I wanted to do this.

So sure. Why not?! Except I have to pick which WIP…

We’ll go with the one in creation not revision ;).

I just wish it was going to be the NEXT BIG THING :D. This is what I’m told the title of the blog hop is so there we go!

1. What is the working title of your book? The Teacher’s Unwilling Groom

2. Where did the idea come from for the book? It’s the sequel to another one I wrote. I knew the best friend and the [sort of] jilted gal needed their own book together. Here we are.

3. What genre does your book fall under? Historical Category Romance [like Love Inspired Historical]

4. What’s the synopsis of your book? Um… I’ll have to come up with one… [This is totally random off the top of my head and probably not very good… ;)]

Myra Jefferson is unmarriable. Because of an innocent incident in her past, her fiance left her at the altar. She moved to start over but her past followed her. When two little girls are orphaned in her new town, she wants nothing more than to take care of them, but the judge threatens to take them away.

Jim Youngblood hadn’t planned to marry, but mail-order brides keep showing up planning to marry him. The first one married his best friend. The second one died not long after her arrival. Feeling an obligation to her little girls, he offers to marry Myra and take care of all three of them.

Will Myra and Jim be able to convince the judge they’re the best parents for the girls? Or will the Teacher’s Unwilling Groom tie himself down for nothing?

5. Will you book be self-published or represented by an agency? I’m hoping to have an agent and submit this one to LIH.

6. How long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript? Well, I’m only at about 4500 words, but I’m hoping to have the rough draft done by March 1, 2013.

7. What other books would you compare this story to within your genre? Maybe something along the lines of Short Straw Bride [don’t I wish?!] or the second in Mary Connealy’s Kincaid brothers but I don’t remember the title right now. The one with Rafe that I read while I was on narcotics for my nose earlier last year. But they’re full length and this one is shorter.

8. What else about your book might pique a reader’s interest? It’s set in a real place in the Missouri Ozarks, nearish Springfield. Some of the secondary characters are based on real people from the area in the 1870s.

The Glenbrooke Series

Jessica ran from her past…but can she hide from love?

Jessica Morgan wants desperately to forget the past and begin a new life. She chooses a small, peaceful town tucked away in Oregon’s Willamette Valley as the place to start over—Glenbrooke. Once there, Jessica conceals her identity from the intriguing personalities she meets—including the compassionate paramedic who desires to protect her and the jealous woman who wants nothing more than to destroy her. 

Will Jessica’s deceit ruin all hope for the future? Or will she find a deeper peace that allows her to stop hiding the truth from those who love her most of all? 

This heartwarming bestseller, book one in the Glenbrooke series, introduces the fascinating people of Glenbrooke in a compelling tale of romance and spiritual truth.

I’m a bit conflicted about this book. When I ordered it from Waterbrook-Multnomah’s Blogging For Books program, I didn’t realize it was a rerelease of a book first published in the mid-90s. I don’t know that I would have not chosen to review it, but I felt a bit… mislead or something. I’m not really sure.

Everything seemed a bit… off because I didn’t realize that. The car accident at the beginning? Where’s her cell phone? And so on.

Overall, the story was fine. I read it quickly, as I do with most books. It’s only if I’m not enjoying a book that it takes me forever to finish [well, usually anyway]. But, Jessica is presented as having this huge secret that threatens everything. I’m not sure what I was expecting but it turned out to be a huge let-down. If I could overlook that side of things, then I enjoyed the book – the romance, Kyle’s history, etc. – but it did bring down my rating a bit.

Originally, I looked forward to the next in the Glenbrooke Series being released, but now… /shrug/ I’m kind of ambivalent. If the opportunity to read one presents itself when I don’t have another book pressing on me to read, I likely will, but I don’t see me seeking it out. That said, it’s highly unlikely it will be my last book by Gunn – I’ll just stick with more current fare.

The Biblical truths hold up no matter the decade and I can see why Gunn has had a long career in Christian fiction.

Overall rating: 7.5 out of 10 stars

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

Because that’s such an original title for a blog post today ;).

I do want to do a bit of a recap on last year’s goals, but to be honest, I don’t feel like looking for the blog post ;).

So off the top of my head – here’s my writing world in the last year:

1. Finished 4 manuscripts. 1 was nearly done already. 3 were start to finish [though I’m still working on the final drafts of all three].

2. Attended ACFW again. Loved it. Met people. Got requests. Got rejections [but good ones from those requests ;)].

3. Full manuscript requested from an agent and an editor. That’s all still in the works. We’ll see what comes of it.

4. Category coordinator for ACFW’s First Impressions.

5. “Went public” with my Facebook page. A lot of my non-writer friends knew I write, but they didn’t know about my “fan” page. With 30 needed to reach my goal of 300 by the end of the year, I posted about it last Thursday night. In about two hours, I’d surpassed the mark. I’m currently at 329.

Moral: My friends ROCK!

Other Moral: If you’ve not already “liked” it, there’s a link on the right of this page. Or here: Carol Moncado Books

6. Be a guest blogger on Seekerville. ‘Nough said.

7. Find critters. Not the creepy crawly or furry outside kind, but critique partners. I’m part of one crit group that includes three dear friends and am partnering with another dear friend. They’re all still in the beginning stages and it’s possible we may decide it’s just not going to work, but so far it’s going well :).

8. Read. A lot. I’ve done this. You can tell by all the reviews ;). There’s more coming the rest of this week and on New Year’s Day? It’s laundry and reading day :D.

9. Did well in contests. I finaled in three contests. Semi-finaled in Genesis [which is almost like finaling in most other contests – top 20 out of 86 or so – most contests don’t have nearly that many]. Won one of those contests. And finaled in Seekerville’s “Read Me”.

10. Made new writerly friends. God has brought some of the most amazing people into my life through the writing world. Seriously. Some of them I knew before last year started. Some I didn’t. But I know some really awesome people.

More later this week or early next about my plans/goals/etc for 2013…

But I did come up with my word for the year [okay – I stole it from Tricia Goyer]:

DISCIPLINE

At age seventeen, Joy Christianson is the life of the party. That is, until her best friend commits suicide. Joy’s already wavering faith slips completely out of her reach. Afraid of letting the depression and evil take root, she decides to seek help in the haven of Diamond Estates—and try to reclaim the Joy she once knew.

 

 

 

This is my third book by Nicole O’Dell. All are part of the Diamond Estates series – and I hope this isn’t the last of them.

All three deal with issues teenagers today face and how God’s grace and love can overcome all of it.

This book left me feeling more than a bit uncomfortable, which is probably a good thing. It deals with what happens when teens [or adults] dabble in the occult, even if they don’t realize that’s what they’re doing.

Joy’s best friend commits suicide and Joy feels at least partly responsible. Sure, they had problems [including a big blow up earlier that day], but nothing they couldn’t have worked through. Eventually.

Instead, her friend left.

Joy’s left struggling with depression, questions, failing faith, and no one she feels she can turn to for answers.

Filling the void is a friend who’s done more than dabble in the occult and Joy believes she’s finding the answers she seeks. The further and further in she gets, the more she believes she’s dealing with truth. All lies – the best lies – have an element of truth to them after all.

After a life threatening incident with Joy’s cousin – a girl about her age but with Down’s Syndrome and a keen eye for all things spiritual – Joy puts her cousin and her cousin’s needs and safety above the demonic forces surrounding her, putting her in danger but protecting her cousin at all costs. Afterward, Joy’s forced to make a decision and she moves to Diamond Estates to try to sort out her life and break free of the chains that bind her.

Once there, things both improve and slide into free fall, leaving Joy to wonder which is the more powerful force – good or evil.

With Shadowed Onyx, O’Dell gives something I wish more single title YA’s did, and that was give a glimpse of the “happily ever after” waiting for the girls at the end. I know it’s not always realistic and I completely understand why it’s often not there, but I was very glad to see it in this one.

I don’t know if this is the last in the Diamond Estates series or not, but I sure hope it isn’t.

Overall rating: 8.25 out of 10 stars

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

It’s 1846 in Ireland. When her family’s small farm is struck by famine, Clare Hanley and her younger brother, Seamus, set out across the ocean to the Promised Land of America.

Five years prior, Clare’s older sister Margaret and her Uncle Tomas emigrated in similar fashion and were not to be heard from again. But Clare must face her fears as she lands in the coming-of-age city of New York. There she discovers love, adventure, tragedy, and a terrible secret which threatens to destroy her family and all she believes.

Flight of the Earls is the first book in a historical novel trilogy based on Irish immigration in the 1840s.

I had the privilege of meeting Michael at the ACFW conference earlier this year and of “watching” him work in the #1K1HR group on Facebook. He’s a super nice guy and I jumped at the chance to read his debut novel.

The book is told, mostly, from Clare’s point-of-view. There’s a few others in there, but we see virtually everything through her eyes.

Life is hard in Ireland with the potato crops failing regularly and all. Clare, her brother and a friend are all sent to America to make their way and send their wages back to Ireland to help the rest of the family.

The passage is difficult, more so than most, I’d imagine, but they make it. Once there, their lives take a series of unexpected twists and turns. We’re never told quite everything that happens to Seamus and their friend, Pierce.

As an avid reader, I thoroughly enjoyed Flight. As an avid reader of mostly romance, I wished for a bit more of that side of the story, and, was conflicted at first over the ultimate romantic partner for Clare. There were several possibilities throughout the book. The romantic – and romance author – in me wanted one choice, but for many reasons the one she ultimately ends up with is the best choice.

This is book 1 in the series. I’m not sure who books 2 and 3 follow, but I know who I hope it is. Seamus perhaps? The non-final love interest? Both of those, and a couple of others, would be good.

Nevertheless, Michael kept me “turning pages” way into the wee hours of Boxing Day [aka: the day after Christmas], way past my bedtime. Twists and turns abound and the ending is, ultimately, quite satisfying. Real life intrudes at times – the realities of the potato famine, corrupt officials, etc. are harsh and, mostly, unforgiving. As much as I wish everything would turn up roses, it doesn’t in real life, and it doesn’t in Flight. But enough does to keep the reader smiling by the end.

I did come to tears a couple of times – the first being a few chapters in with the hair incident. As someone who cried over more than one haircut, I can relate to Clare’s feelings and I do wish Michael would have come back to it a bit more at the end.

I’m keeping on eye on NetGalley for the next one already :). And on Michael’s Facebook page for updates.

And for Michael at conference next year. Because he had chocolate.

Overall rating: 8.5 out of 10 stars

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

[I’m getting caught up on reviews – so look for a bunch to come in the next few days :).]

Journey along with the four Gerhard sisters as they head to Wyoming Territory in search of husbands and discover that happy endings are not ready-made. Evelyn arrives in Wyoming with a secret and a grudge, only to find her prospective groom holds a secret, too. Jane vies for the attention of her workaholic husband who is bent on saving his ranch even if it means losing love. Gwendolyn’s would-be husband dies, leaving her to the will of another man. And Emmeline’s knight-in-shining-armor herds sheep instead of cattle. Will love prevail, or will their journeys have not so happy endings?

As soon as I finished this book – a set of four novellas – I expressed my displeasure to Erica.

Why?

Because they were NOVELLAS!!!!

Yes, I knew this going in but the more of them I read, the more I wished there was… MORE!

While I would have loved it if all four of the stories were full length novels, there was plenty here to sink your teeth into as it were. All four stories were fully fleshed out with an angst filled beginning, tumultuous middle and satisfying ending.

After the death of their father, the sisters were forced to vacate their home – provided for them by the school where he taught. Desperate for somewhere – anywhere – to go, they found four men out West in Wyoming willing to marry them. One of their stipulations was that they be “close” to each other.

Of course, close in Wyoming is a far cry from close in the city…

I’d be hard pressed to pick a favorite, but I think it would likely be sister #2. For “Lady in Waiting” from the cover:

Jane longs for the love and attention of her new husband but is stuck with Harrison Garvey – a man obsessed with making his ranch a success and proving his father wrong…even if it means forsaking love along the way.

I loved all four of the sisters, but this one story I wished more than the others was full-length. Jane feels plain next to her beautiful sisters – something many of us struggle with  – but, as it turns out, Garvey like the way she looks, much better than he liked the way her sisters looked [imagine that ;)] but it’s a good reminder for us that beauty is in the eye of the beholder and, more importantly, that we need to rely on God for our worth.

[But it’s awfully nice when it comes from external sources as well ;).]

From the cover for “Knight and Day”:

Evelyn travels to Sagebrush with a secret and a grudge, only to find her prospective groom holds a secret, too. Now she must face Gareth Kittrick and his mischievous daughter and try to make these strangers a family.

From the cover for “Shining Armor”:

Shocked Gwendolyn arrives in Sagebrush to discover that her would-be husband has died. Suddenly she finds herself left to the care of the late man’s grandson, Matthew Parker, and the center of an unexpected scheme.

From the cover for “On A White Charger”:

Emmeline’s visions of her knight-in-shining-armor come crashing down when she meets her new husband…a sheep herder. As Joseph Barrett struggles to show Emmeline the reality of the West, events occur that threaten more than their love.

All four are quick, easy reads and well worth the time.

Overall rating: 8.25 out of 10 stars

Thanks to NetGalley and Barbour for a free ecopy of the book [though I also bought my own hard copy] in exchange for my unbiased review.

Combat doctor Ian Shupe returns home from overseas with his most important mission: to raise his little girl. But Ian’s a single dad, and working at Eagle Point’s trauma center means having to find child care. When bighearted, struggling lodge owner Bri Landis offers babysitting in exchange for construction work, Ian accepts. He vows to keep his emotional distance from Bri, yet can’t deny that his daughter is blossoming under her tender care. But is he ready to believe that his heart’s deepest prayer may finally be answered?

Cheryl is one of the most amazing people you’ll ever meet. She’s a sweet friend and I thank God for her on a regular basis. At the ACFW conference, she took time out of her busy schedule to give me a big hug and pray over me when I needed it most [well, almost most – the second “downest” time I had at conference… but she wasn’t around the first one or I’m sure she would have then too :D].

So… the book.

I LOVED Tia – Ian’s little girl – and hated how her biological mother treated her. I respected Ian [mostly] for how he dealt with it and how he did his best to take care of both Tia and Bri. Bri is strong and stubborn with a bit too much pride and has a hard time accepting help from others but in the end she realizes that sometimes being strong means knowing your own limitations and asking others for help.

The towns of Eagle Point and Refuge are wonderful places I wish were real so I could go visit someday, but alas, it’s not to be.

Both Ian and Bri have issues to work through before they can be together, but they are, of course, able to do so in a [mostly*] timely manner. Little Tia is cute as can be and doesn’t hesitate to play matchmaker when she thinks the time calls for it.

Through one struggle after another, Ian and Bri learn to turn to the Lord for the help they need – help that often comes in the form of friends, family and each other. We also got a hint of what’s going on with Lauren and Mitch from The Doctor’s Devotion.

The sweet romance is no surprise to fans of Cheryl and they won’t be disappointed with this offering.

Be sure to pick it up soon as it’s a Love Inspired release and only on the shelves for a month [but on Amazon, etc. after that, of course ;)]. This is one you want to make sure you pic up sooner than later.

Overall Rating: 8.5 out of 10 stars

*I say mostly because I always want smoochies earlier 😉

Thanks to Cheryl for a free copy of this book in exchange for my review.

Picking up from yesterday, my two older kids are at the car [or supposed to be]. Me and the two younger kids have our backs to the tree [and thorns from some sort of plant poking through the leg of my jeans].

A different brown horse came from my left, sort of poking at me, poking near my feet where those two bags of food were.

The big horse? He moved closer to us. Went nose to nose with the new guy and finally sort of butted the other horse in the nose. The other horse backed off and [eventually] walked away.

I came to realize [much earlier than this – before my older girls walked away really] that this big horse was watching out for us. Protecting us.

He stayed nearby, prevented other horses from getting too close and just basically stood guard.

It’s weird, I’m sure, but that’s how I felt. That’s what I told the kids [while praying I was right and that he wasn’t just waiting for his shot at all the carrots ;)].

I never doubted this horse, who I’d never met, was looking out for me and the kids.

Eventually, it was just the big brown guy and another white horse. The brown horse walked away [maybe he knew we were safe with the white/gray one?] and eventually, the other one followed. Once they were far enough away, the little two kids and I gathered our things [out of the thorny plant at the base of the tree – pricked right through my jeans], and walked to the van.

Once I got to the fence, the kids changed their tune :p.

“Mom, can you see if the horses will come here so we can feed them over the fence?”

Fine.

I walked back up the hill and spent about ten minutes trying to get their attention and get them to come my way while trying to stay close enough to get back to the fence without getting overtaken.

My focus was on one horse who seemed to be thinking about it. All of the sudden, about ten of them came around a stand of trees [I’d been keeping an eye on it but hadn’t seen movement]. I didn’t dawdle, but made it over the fence with plenty of time to spare. We got the carrots and apples back out, but by then all of the horses were crowding the gate area and after a couple minutes, I decided it was time to cut our losses and just leave.

So we did. I’ll likely take the rest of the carrots and apples over tomorrow and drop them off for a horse or two to find. From the time we climbed the fence until the time we were back in the van was a bit over an hour. No wonder I’m sore! Most of it was spent trying to get two little kids to be calm and quiet ;).

God took care of us. He sent us a four-legged angel with hooves to keep an eye on us. None of us were ever truly scared. None of us were ever really in danger, despite tons more horseflesh than we’re used to.

The whole time I thought of my sweet friend Candace Calvert and this picture.

It makes me smile. It made me smile as the big angel horse got near us.

We got to pet a couple horses on the nose and feed apples to a few of them.

And I got a story to tell ;).