#TFBRC Life Changer

Staying within the clean romance genre, the book that changed my life the most is Edenbrooke by Julianne Donaldson! The hero and heroine are my ideals and the romantic tension and emotion the author so skillfully implements in the writing is something I'm always on the look for in other books since reading it. It's my favorite to re-read and fantasize about when I have a hard time falling asleep. So sweet, so lovely, and so fun. Highly recommend!!!

Synopsis

Marianne Daventry will do anything to escape the boredom of Bath and the amorous attentions of an unwanted suitor. So when an invitation arrives from her twin sister, Cecily, to join her at a sprawling country estate, she jumps at the chance. Thinking she'll be able to relax and enjoy her beloved English countryside while her sister snags the handsome heir of Edenbrooke, Marianne finds that even the best laid plans can go awry.

From a terrifying run-in with a highwayman to a seemingly harmless flirtation, Marianne finds herself embroiled in an unexpected adventure filled with enough romance and intrigue to keep her mind racing. Will Marianne be able to rein in her traitorous heart, or will a mysterious stranger sweep her off her feet? Fate had something other than a relaxing summer in mind when it sent Marianne to Edenbrooke.

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#TFBRC Best Title

Book Four in the Brothers Maledetti series

My rating: 5 stars / It was amazing

Synopsis

Tennyson D'Angelo . . .

Darkness lives within each of us. Shadows. We are each capable of great goodness and unbelievable evil. It is the duality of being human.
I want to live in the light. I don't enjoy the shadows. But I'm not sure I've been given a choice in the matter. The shadows own me. They dance at my edges and tangle in my light. They torment my days and make my nights an anguished hell.
I simply want to be free. One way . . . or another.

They call him the Prophet.
Tennyson D'Angelo, the man who can foretell the future. A modern-day oracle. And Olivia Hawking desperately needs his help. She tracks him down in Italy, begging for his assistance. She has a life-or-death problem that only a bonafide psychic can solve. But Tennyson is slowly fracturing from within, the weight of the D'Angelo curse destroying him. 

Olivia and Tennyson join forces, each searching for answers. But their understanding of the D'Angelo curse keeps changing, and Time is not on their side. Even as they fall in love, Tennyson and Olivia realize they are in a race against the clock. Will they find answers in time to save themselves?

My Review

WOW. I've been immensely curious about Tennyson's GUT (Grossly Unusual Talent) and how the author would write his perspective. I didn't anticipate Olivia and how she fits into the mysterious puzzle of this genetic curse the brothers share. She is an unusual character, feeling awkward and like she doesn't belong in the world of the "hot people." I loved her funny perspective and how she brings light and laughter to Tennyson's life, as well as some crackling chemistry. It was good to see more of Judith, the mother of the D'Angelo siblings, since I just read the prequel novella of how she met and fell in love with Cesare. The intensity of the paranormal activity is increasing as Tennyson and Olivia both feel closer to being consumed by the darkness, and the strong bond between Dante, Branwell, Chiara, Jack, and Tennyson is evident as they work together to solve the mystery and find a solution. I was so happy and excited and appreciative that all the questions get answered, piece by piece, and I was astounded at how it all dramatically resolved. Best. Ending. Ever.

(I received a complimentary copy of the book; all opinions in this review are my own)

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#TFBRH Fall Colors

This book not only features fall colors on its cover, it is also has an autumn setting and the author does such a great job bringing the season to life through subtle descriptions.

My rating: 5 stars / It was amazing

Synopsis

Felicity Miner is not normally an anxious person, and she’s been on her own since high school. But after a shoplifter steals from her bookshop, she calls the cops. When Officer Leo Russo shows up, Felicity has to tell herself that just because the romance novel she’s been reading has a hero police officer doesn’t mean she needs to project her imagination onto the real man. Yes, Officer Russo is unexpectedly generous, and he helps make Felicity’s home more secure when her worries won’t settle down. But the more Felicity is around Officer Russo, the more she imagines a future between them. Is he merely doing his duty, protecting and serving the citizens of Pine Valley, or is there potential for something more?

My Review

The cover of this book may seem unassuming, but it is chock full of memorable characters with quirky and likeable mannerisms and personalities! As much as I enjoyed the other books in the Pine Valley series, I do believe this one is my favorite. Bookstores, bikes, hot chocolate, and autumn! What I loved most about Leo and Felicity is how genuine they are. As themselves, and with each other. They accepted one another for who they are- quirks, flaws, and everything. The flirting and banter was cute without being cheesy or cliche, and so fun to read. Leo and Felicity both have things they are struggling with, and come from very different families. I think that helped them give each other a new perspective when supporting and encouraging through the other's issues. I really connected to their emotions and it brought depth to the story and made the romance one full of anticipation and delight. This is one that I plan to read again for sure! Highly recommend!

(I received a complimentary copy of the book; all opinions in this review are my own)

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#TFBRC Heartbreaker

I loved all the beautiful angst and longing and frustration and anticipation in this lovely and unique book! Highly recommend!

Synopsis

Kate Worthington knows her heart and she knows she will never marry. Her plan is to travel to India instead—if only to find peace for her restless spirit and to escape the family she abhors. But Kate’s meddlesome mother has other plans. She makes a bargain with Kate: India, yes, but only after Kate has secured—and rejected—three marriage proposals.

Kate journeys to the stately manor of Blackmoore determined to fulfill her end of the bargain and enlists the help of her dearest childhood friend, Henry Delafield. But when it comes to matters of love, bargains are meaningless and plans are changeable. There on the wild lands of Blackmoore, Kate must face the truth that has kept her heart captive. Will the proposal she is determined to reject actually be the one thing that will set her heart free?

Set in Northern England in 1820, Blackmoore is a Regency romance that tells the story of a young woman struggling to learn how to follow her heart. It is Wuthering Heights meets Little Women with a delicious must-read twist.

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#TFBRC DNF

One book that I did not finish was Pride and Prejudice and Zombies. I'm not a fan of zombies, but I am a huge Jane Austen fan, so I thought I'd give it a try because it sounded fun and interesting. I found it boring because I felt like the author didn't make it his own, but rather simply interjected zombie scenes in the original text. Maybe I didn't get far enough to get to the interesting parts. There was some humor but it felt at odds with the more traditional tone it attempted to keep. Someday I'll try watching the movie. Maybe.

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#TFBRC Classics

Some of my favorite classics are by Gene Stratton-Porter. I love the descriptions of nature and the obvious love and devotion the naturalist author had for the wilderness. The wholesome romance is in the style of the early 1900's which I find sweet. It's interesting to note how different times were back then! 

Synopsis

The scene is laid in the same country as that of “Freckles”, which appeared a few years before. A number of the characters in "Freckles" are introduced here, and Elnora, the chief character, has the same deep love for the woods that possessed the boy Freckles. She has also become the proud owner of all his books on birds, insects, etc., and has tried to preserve the wonderful room he had made on the edge of the swamp. Elnora is a strong character, and although she has many things to contend with, she accomplishes what she has set out to do—namely, win for herself the education she craved. Through the money she received from the Bird Woman for the specimens she gathered and carried to the city she is able to pay her way through the High School and eventually is able to accept the position of Lecturer on Natural History in the city schools.

Synopsis

The Harvester is set in Gene Stratton Porter's Limberlost Swamp series. David Langston lives a simple life harvesting medicinal herbs to sell in the city. He believes that he has all that he needs in life, that is until he meets Ruth and everything changes. A gentle love story that changes everyone who reads it.

Synopsis

In this book a homeless waif finds his deliverance in the primeval Limberlost swamp. Maimed and abandoned as an infant, Freckles seeks a chance to prove his worth. He is given that opportunity as the guard of the precious timber of the Limberlost. In his stewardship of the woods, he finds happiness in the companionship of the birds and other wild creatures and in the love of the beautiful Swamp Angel. This moving story of courage and virtue will warm the hearts of young and old.

Synopsis

Set in the author's adopted home of California in the 1920s, this is Gene Stratton-Porter's last novel, a story filled with wisdom, a love of nature, and her own abiding optimism. In it a Master Bee Keeper, his bees, and the natural beauty of California restore a wounded World War I veteran to health.

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