Review & Giveaway: To Win a Lady's Heart by Sian Ann Bessey

My rating: 5 stars / It was amazing

Synopsis

For eighteen years, Lord Gilbert has been tortured over a grievous lapse in judgment. Bitterness has tainted his interactions with the people of Moreland and his relationship with his only daughter, Lady Joanna. With a wolfhound guarding her around the clock and no freedom to leave the castle grounds unattended, the only time Lady Joanna can be alone is when she sneaks out through an old castle tunnel to visit the healer Agnes in her cottage by the sea. One morning as Lady Joanna approaches the cliffs, she discovers an injured man. She immediately goes to Agnes for help. The wounded stranger is Sir Lukas, and while he recovers, he makes plans to identify his attackers and their motive. Upon learning that Moreland’s wool has been stolen, Sir Lukas comes to believe that the crimes are related and point to a much more sinister plot. When Lord Gilbert announces an archery tournament, the prize being Lady Joanna’s hand in marriage, it attracts noblemen from across the land, and suddenly Sir Lukas’s pursuit of the villains takes a different turn. As Lady Joanna’s and Sir Lukas’s feelings for each other grow, the stakes soar, and only Sir Lukas’s skill with a longbow can save them.

My Review

A wonderful cast of characters give heart to this medieval tale of loyalty and betrayal. I loved Lady Joanna's compassion for the peasants in her father's land, and her determination to champion their cause since they couldn't for themselves. Her secret relationship with Agnes and the two young men Agnes cares for proves to be beneficial when they come to her aid as the kingdom seems to be falling apart. The arrival of Lukas was timely as he helps solve the mystery of the stolen wool and reveal the culprits who are behind the plot to rob Joanna's father of everything. His goodness shines through in his kindness and devotion to Joanna, and I was rooting for him to win the tournament and her heart. Lord Gilbert's loyal knight Sir Edwyn was a steadying influence in Joanna's life as a father figure and his connection to Lukas brought the story full circle. This is a book that will be enjoyed by fans of Melanie Dickerson and I highly recommend it for both young adults and adults.

(I was provided a copy of the book by the publisher; all opinions in this review are my own)

Tour Schedule: 

Nov. 14th
 My Book a Day
Bookworm Lisa
Rockin' Book Reviews

Nov. 15th
Heidi Reads...
Joy in the Moments
Just Commonly

Nov. 16th
Fire and Ice Reads
Bonnie Gets a Say

Nov. 17th
Katie's Clean Book Collection
The Things I Love Most
Literary Time Out

Nov. 18th
Wishful Endings
Getting Your Read On
Singing Librarian Books
I Love to Read and Review Books

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Gratitude Giveaway Hop! Enter to win The Ringmaster's Wife by Kristy Cambron!

Happy Thanksgiving! I am grateful for the opportunity to read so many wonderful books and share my thoughts with you. Thank you for the support you give when you follow my blog! This is an easy giveaway to enter- just leave a comment with a book you are grateful to have read recently and a way that you follow Heidi Reads... (And be sure to submit your entry in the Giveaway Tools widget below) 

I'm giving away a copy of an amazing book I read and loved this year, The Ringmaster's Wife by Kristy Cambron. Read my 5 star review here...

Synopsis

What is revealed when you draw back the curtain of the Greatest Show on Earth?

Rosamund Easling is no stranger to opulence. As the daughter of an earl, she’s grown up with every comfort money can buy. But when hard times befall the family’s Yorkshire estate in the aftermath of the Great War, Rosamund’s father sells her beloved horse, setting the stage for a series of events that would extend beyond even her wildest dreams.

Though expected to marry for a title instead of love, Rosamund feels called to a different life – one of adventure outside the confines of a ladies’ parlor. She abandons all she’s known and follows in pursuit as her horse is shipped to the new owner – an American entertainer by the name of John Ringling. Once introduced to the Ringling Brothers’ circus and knowing she has much to learn, Rosamund agrees to a bareback riding apprenticeship in the shadow of the Ringlings’ winter home—Ca’D’Zan. It is at that mansion, in what would become the last days of the enigmatic Mable Ringling’s life, that Rosamund finds a deeper sense of purpose in the life she’s been given, and the awakening of faith in her heart.

With a supporting cast of characters as mysterious and dazzling as the Ringlings’ big-top world, Rosamund’s journey takes her from the tradition of the English countryside to the last days of America’s Roaring ‘20s—a journey that forever changes what one life might have been.

Entry-Form

Pre-order Taste of Home by Annette Lyon!

I loved this sweet romantic novella, it's perfect for holiday reading!

Synopsis

From USA TODAY bestselling author Annette Lyon comes an enchanting Christmas novella: Claire Jennings is headed home to spend Christmas with her family, riding the train with Will Rhodes, who grew up across the street. He may be twenty-one now, but she can’t forget his torturous teasing from their school years. At the rail station, Claire learns that her home is under quarantine because her little brother has measles. She’s stuck in town, away from her family, on her favorite holiday. Will stays behind with her, and as Christmas Day approaches and her homesickness deepens, she discovers that perhaps he has changed in more ways than one.

A TASTE OF HOME was first published in the SILVER BELLS COLLECTION from TIMELESS ROMANCE ANTHOLOGIES.

Review: The Secret Life of Daydreams by Lucinda Whitney

My rating: 4 stars / I really liked it

*The Secret Life of Daydreams is free for Kindle Unlimited subscribers!*

Synopsis

Sometimes the dream you never planned for is the one you can’t live without.

Six years after a painful divorce, Josh Conrad is happy traveling the world as a photographer. When he arrives in Portugal, he plans to complete the assignment as quickly as possible. What he doesn’t plan for is Sofia, the girl he baptized eleven years earlier on an LDS mission, and soon he’s making excuses to prolong his trip.

Sofia Monteiro leads a structured life in Braga, Portugal, teaching high school by day and caring for her mother by night. After she reconnects with Josh through mutual friends, the memory of a failed relationship and her new graduate program are enough reasons to stay away from him.

As they collaborate on a project, Josh is wary of repeating his old mistakes and Sofia hesitates to spend time with an American who’s only passing through.

Can two people with wounded hearts bring themselves to trust their dreams to each other?

The Secret Life of Daydreams is a clean and wholesome contemporary LDS romance set in Portugal.

My Review

What a lovely setting! I enjoyed "traveling" to Portugal and experiencing the culture of the region through Sofia and Josh. They are unexpectedly reunited and the time they spend working together makes them never want to be apart, even though there are obstacles to having a long-term relationship. Josh comes to her rescue several times and she helps him open his heart back up. Sofia has some heavy burdens and trials, but her faith and the support of her friends helps her stay strong. Josh is floundering and wallowing in his life's disappointments, yet still reaches out to others and serves with compassion. The plot seemed to drag on in the middle when there wasn't any progress in their relationship or Josh's issues. I felt like he was a stone wall not only to Sofia but also to the reader since any details about his past and spiritual choices were saved for the very end of the book as a sort of reveal. It prevented me from understanding his situation or fully connecting with his character and I definitely felt Sofia's frustration with him. However, the ending wrapped things up nicely and I was happy to see everyone happy again :)

(I was provided a copy of this book by the publisher; all opinions in this review are my own)