Review & Giveaway! The Reluctant Duchess by Roseanna M. White

My rating: 5 stars / It was amazing

Synopsis

Will Fleeing the Scottish Highlands Only Leave Her in More Danger?

Lady Rowena Kinnaird may be the heiress to a Highland earldom, but she’s never felt good enough–not for her father, not for the man she thought she’d marry, not for God. But after a shocking attack, she’s willing to be forever an outcast if it means escaping those threatening her life.

Brice Myerston, the Duke of Nottingham, has never been one to shy away from manor-born ladies, yet the last thing he needs is the distraction of the newly introduced Lady Rowena. He has enough on his plate having recently come into possession of a rare treasure for which many would kill, yet those around him seem intent on pairing him with this desperate but beguiling girl.

Rowena is reluctant to marry this notorious flirt. And when she learns that Brice is mixed up in some kind of questionable business with a stolen treasure, she fears she’ll end up in more danger than she fled.

My Review

There are so many things I enjoyed about this book! Rowena's consistent Scottish burr was a delight to imagine in my head as her voice. It made her character distinctive and unique from the others in the story. Her brokenness of spirit creates empathy and her strength of will, admiration. The way she learns to recognize God's blessings in her life and turn to Him is a subtle and inspiring theme. The intrigue of the plot is one continued from the previous book in the Ladies of the Manor series, The Lost Heiress. Once again I read the second book before the first, but I felt like the author did a good job of catching the reader up (without being obvious or info dumping) so this book can be read as a stand alone. Brice's friends who starred in the first book make a significant appearance in this book so it made me anxious to read The Lost Heiress and not only read their love story but see the origins of the diamonds entering and disrupting their lives. Brice is a great hero- charming and friendly, yet fiercely protective of Rowena and a spiritual leader to both her and their friends. I appreciated that he also had a journey of self-realization and turned to the Lord for grace in overcoming his weaknesses. The dangers faced by Rowena and Brice kept the story moving forward, yet there was a definite focus on their relationship and efforts to learn to trust and love.

(Thank you to Celebrate Lit Publicity for a copy of the book in exchange for my honest review)

Enter the Tour Giveaway!

To celebrate the release of her book, Roseanna is giving away a few of Rowena's favorite things...

http://roseannamwhite.blogspot.com/p/rowenas-comforts-giveaway.html

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Book Spotlight & Giveaway: Change of Heart by Jennifer Moore

 
Change of Heart by Jennifer Moore

This summer, Nathaniel Cavanaugh vacations in Lobster Cove to spend quality time with his kids after his estranged wife’s tragic death. Successful and well-connected, he is on the fast-track to the highest legal positions in the country, but his family life suffers. After an accident throws Val nearly into his lap and costs her a job opportunity, Nathaniel surprises himself by overlooking her outlandish appearance and lack of qualifications to offer her a job as his nanny for the summer. Valdosta McKinley wishes for an internship at a Paris Art Institute to use her newly acquired art-history skills. She knows Nathaniel could never develop feelings for a girl from a trailer in a rural West Virginia holler—a lesson she learned the hard way years earlier. Will pursuit of their professional goals require Nathaniel and Val to give up the dream of being a family?

     

Author Jennifer Moore Jennifer Moore is a passionate reader and writer of all things romance due to the need to balance the rest of her world that includes a perpetually traveling husband and four active sons, who create heaps of laundry that is anything but romantic. She suffers from an unhealthy addiction to 18th and 19th century military history and literature. Jennifer has a B.A. in Linguistics from the University of Utah and is a Guitar Hero champion. She lives in northern Utah with her family, but most of the time wishes she was on board a frigate during the Age of Sail.

Website * Twitter * Facebook

 

Blog Tour Giveaway $25 Amazon Gift Card or Paypal Cash Ends 5/1/16 Open only to those who can legally enter, receive and use an Amazon.com Gift Code or Paypal Cash. Winning Entry will be verified prior to prize being awarded. No purchase necessary. You must be 18 or older to enter or have your parent enter for you. The winner will be chosen by rafflecopter and announced here as well as emailed and will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen. This giveaway is in no way associated with Facebook, Twitter, Rafflecopter or any other entity unless otherwise specified. The number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning. Giveaway was organized by Kathy from I Am A Reader and sponsored by the author. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW.  

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Blog Tour Schedule 

April 18th  
I Am A Reader - Spotlight
Julie Coulter Bellon - Review
Literary Time Out - Review
Cuzinlogic - Spotlight
Literary Chanteuse - Spotlight
Susan Heim on Writing - Spotlight
April 19th  
Getting Your Read On - Review
Tifferz and her Sisterz - Review
Heidi Reads... - Spotlight
Why Not? Because I Said So! - Spotlight
beck valley books - Spotlight
Coffee Books & Art - Spotlight
April 20th  
My Book a Day - Review
Reading List - Review
Katie's Clean Book Collection - Review
Bunny's Review - Spotlight
LeahSay's Views - Spotlight
April 21st  
Wishful Endings - Review
Simple Wyrdings - Review
Kindle and Me - Spotlight
My Creatively Random Life - Spotlight
Queen Of All She Reads - Spotlight
April 22nd  
Books Are Sanity!!! - Review
Bookworm Lisa - Spotlight
Hearts & Scribbles - Spotlight
Mel's Shelves - Spotlight
BookHounds - Spotlight
April 26th  
Singing Librarian Books - Review
Rockin' Book Reviews - Spotlight
Min Reads and Reviews - Spotlight
Rebecca Belliston - Spotlight
Diana's Book Reviews - Spotlight

Review: Like Never Before by Melissa Tagg

My rating: 3 stars / I liked it

Synopsis

Maple Valley became Amelia Bentley's haven after her heart and her dreams of a family were shattered. But her new life as a newspaper editor is shaken when the small-town paper is in danger of closing. Her one hope: A lead on an intriguing story that just might impress the new publisher... if only she knew who he was.

After his biggest campaign success yet, widowed speechwriter Logan Walker now has the chance of a lifetime- a spot on a presidential campaign. But his plans are interrupted when he finds out he's inherited his hometown newspaper. He travels home intent on selling the paper and spending some much-needed time with his young daughter before making the leap into national politics.

But instead of a quick sale and peaceful break from his hectic career, Logan finds himself helping Amelia chase her story. She's scrappy, but wounded. He's dependable, but lost. They may butt heads more than expected, but a series of leads on Maple Valley's quirky unsolved mystery is just the start of the sparks that fly in the office and in their hearts.

My Review

Once again I was happy to be back in Maple Valley with the lovable Walker family, but found myself missing a connection with the main characters and their romance. The plot of the story moves along nicely and I enjoyed getting to know Amelia's tenacious personality and more members of the tight-knit community. She and Logan have a solid friendship and fun banter, but when it came to chemistry, I felt it was lacking that tension and emotion- kind of like watching an interesting movie without the musical soundtrack that really gets you feeling. I'm still looking forward to reading more in the series, especially about Walker siblings Reagan and Beckett.

(Thank you to Bethany House Publishing for a copy of the book in exchange for my honest review)

Review: From the Start by Melissa Tagg

My rating: 3 stars / I liked it

Synopsis

Kate Walker used to believe in true love and happily ever after. While her own love life may have left her brokenhearted, it hasn't kept her from churning out made-for-TV romance movie screenplays...until a major career slump and a longing to do something meaningful send her running back to her hometown of Maple Valley.

Permanently sidelined by an injury, former NFL quarterback Colton Greene is temporarily hiding out in a friend's hometown to avoid the media and the reminders of all he's lost. Maple Valley seems like the perfect place to learn how to adjust to normal life. The only trouble is he's never really done normal before.

While Kate plays things safe and Colton is all about big risks and grand gestures, they both get what it's like to desperately need direction in life. An unexpected project gives them both a chance to jumpstart their new lives, but old wounds and new dreams are hard to ignore. Starting over wasn't part of the plan, but could it be the best thing that's ever happened to them?

My Review

I enjoyed getting to know the family we were introduced to in the free prequel novella to start off the Walker Family series, Three Little Words. The strong family theme in a contemporary setting is one of my favorite trends in a series. The small town community is easy to envision and provides a great secondary cast of characters. Each member of the family plays a role in subtly influencing Colton and Kate while they are temporarily staying in Maple Valley to help in the wake of a natural disaster. The circumstances that they find themselves in and their opportunity to re-imagine their futures are the focus of the novel, and I was disappointed to find that while reading I always felt aloof from the romantic emotions of the characters- it was more observing rather than feeling along with them. The light-hearted nature of the writing might have played a part in that, it made the story fun but didn't delve deeper. Kate and Colton did friendship so well and I loved their banter, but missed the romantic tension and chemistry. Overall this was a pleasant reading experience and I look forward to reading more of the series.

(Thank you to Bethany House Publishing for a copy of the book in exchange for my honest review)