Review: Stranded by Dani Pettrey

My rating: 4 stars

Synopsis from Goodreads.com

When her friend vanishes from a cruise ship, reporter Darcy St. James isn't satisfied with their explanation that she simply left her job of her own accord. Something isn't lining up, and Darcy believes the only way to find the truth is to put herself in Abby's position. Within days, Darcy learns her friend wasn't the only person to disappear mysteriously. Last summer, a woman vanished under almost identical circumstances.
 
Gage McKenna has taken a summer-long stint leading adventure excursions for the passengers of various cruise lines that dock for a few days of sightseeing. He's surprised to find Darcy working aboard one of the ships, investigating a troubling report. Something sinister is going on and the deeper they dig the more Gage fears they've only discovered the tip of the iceberg.

My Review

This is the third book in the Alaskan Courage series and continues providing a strong plot and plenty of suspense. It can be read as a stand-alone novel, however I highly recommend reading them in order from a romance standpoint, since the relationship of the main characters of books two and three begin in the previous book as a subplot. Darcy and Gage don't really expect to see each other again, but are thrown together in a high adventure undercover investigation. The pacing slowed for me while Darcy was trying unsuccessfully to figure out the reason for the disappearances. The progress in her case wasn't consistent- it seemed like she did a lot of floundering for clues and questioned anyone and everyone, but suspected nobody. Once Gage's family and friends (whom you get to know in the first two books) got more involved in aiding her investigation, things started moving along swiftly. 

(ARC provided via Netgalley for unbiased review) 

Alaskan Courage Series

Book One - 5 stars!

Book Two - 5 stars!

Balanced Challenge Day One: Family Priorities

I'm currently reading Balanced: Finding Center as a Work-at-Home Mom by Tricia Goyer and will be participating in the blog tour when I review the book. In the meantime, I'm taking part in her Balanced eleven-day challenge! 

Family Priorities (Chapter One)
Determine what your priorities as a family are. Ask yourself a few questions: What do we want to achieve as a family? What will matter five years from now—ten years from now? What will mold our children into God-serving adults? What will bring peace—not stress—to our home?

In ten years our oldest daughter will be seventeen! It's hard to comprehend that fact. Of course the first thing I think is that I want to be in our own house by then :) I know we'd love to adopt another couple of children in that time. My husband will be continuing with his teaching career, perhaps moving into administration. I imagine that as we add more children to our family I'll phase out the infant daycare, but I'm sure I'll still be photographing families on the side.

Our spiritual goals for our family are based on consistent family dinners and weekly family home evening lessons together, as well as daily scripture study and involvement in our church, especially through service. These are the years that are so dynamic and exciting, and making sure the most important things are top priority will help provide a solid foundation for our children and shape our family.

This post is part of the Balanced challenge with Tricia Goyer—and you can join, too!

Download the e-book at Amazon for only $2.99 

Get Balanced!

Review: Gunpowder Tea by Margaret Brownley

My rating: 4 stars

Synopsis from Goodreads.com

In a case that could change her career, Miranda uncovers a love that will change her life.

When Miranda Hunt sees the classified ad for an heiress to the legendary Last Chance Ranch, she knows assuming the identity of Annie Beckman is the perfect cover. As one of the finest agents for the Pinkerton Detective Agency, Miranda has been tasked with apprehending the Phantom – an elusive and notorious train robber thought to be hiding on the sprawling ranch.

But she isn’t the only one there with something to hide. Wells Fargo detective Jeremy Taggert is working the scene undercover as well. And although their true identities are a secret, it is impossible for Jeremy and Miranda to hide the spark that flares between them.

But neither is about to let romance interfere with such a huge case. Besides, Miranda hasn’t removed Jeremy from her list of suspects yet. The closer they come to uncovering the identity of the Phantom, the more dangerous he gets – and no one on the ranch is safe.

But neither are their hearts – the longer Miranda and Jeremy spends working together, the harder it becomes to keep their feelings in check. Their careers – and their lives – depend on solving this case. Love will have to wait.

My Review

This was a fun book to read! It is hilarious how Miranda and Jeremy suspect each other as accomplices to the criminal and eventually discover each other's undercover status. There are many subtle details incorporated into the story that enhance the setting rather than detract from the action. I admit that I don't like trying to predict the outcome to the mysteries I read since I like being surprised, but there really aren't many hints given about the identity of the Phantom throughout the novel, so I enjoyed the ending and the reveal.

(ARC provided via Netgalley for unbiased review)

Review: The Guest Book by Marybeth Whalen

My rating: 3 stars

Synopsis from Goodreads.com

When Macy Dillon was five years old her father encouraged her to draw a picture in the guestbook of a Carolina beach house. The next year, Macy returned to discover a drawing by an unidentified little boy on the facing page. Over the next eleven years the children continue to exchange drawings ... until tragedy ends visits to the beach house altogether. During her final trip to Sunset, Macy asks her anonymous friend to draw her one last picture and tells him where to hide the guest book in hopes that one day she will return to find it---and him. Twenty-five years after that first picture, Macy is back at Sunset Beach---this time toting a broken family and a hurting heart. One night, alone by the ocean, Macy asks God to help her find the boy she never forgot, the one whose beautiful pictures touched something deep inside of her. Will she ever find him? And if she does, will the guestbook unite them or merely be the relic of a lost childhood?

My Review

This was a bit of a messy all-over-the-place book for me. Macy was dealing with (or avoiding dealing with) several issues, including grief over her father's death, her relationship with her mother, disapproval over her mother's way of dealing with grief, her brother's partying, being a single mother, dealing with her ex who had abandoned her with a newborn coming back to town after five years... and that's just the first few chapters. As the novel progresses, add on four men who are pursuing her each of which she is strongly attracted to in some way. The scenes jump from one guy to the next, and each help her move on in an important way, including turning back to God. The ending was just as messy, however all the chaos, lack of communication, and uncertainty felt very realistic and eventually it all came together.

 (ARC provided via Netgalley for unbiased review)

Review: Wishing on Buttercups by Miralee Ferrell

My rating: 4 stars

Synopsis from Goodreads.com

Can Love Survive When Secrets Collide? She’d kept her secrets safely hidden—those from her past, and those in the present. Some things, Beth Roberts knows, a lady simply doesn’t share, even in the 1880’s West. The townspeople would never understand. No one ever has. Jeffery Tucker, a handsome young writer, has kept his own secrets. He doesn’t have a right to pry into Beth’s affairs but finds himself strangely drawn to her and intrigued by the whiff of mystery surrounding her. Beth knows that one day someone will unravel the threads of her past. And when two men from her past arrive, the truth might just hurt . . . Beth’s future and her heart. As shadowy memories surface, Beth sketches the scenes she sees and is shocked by what—and who—her illustrations reveal. Dare she risk her heart again?

My Review

This is the sequel to Blowing on Dandelions. I'm glad I read them in order since the characters from this book are introduced in the first, but it could be read as a stand-alone as well. I enjoyed reading about characters living in a boardinghouse, since it put everyone in closer proximity. The drawing talent of Beth added an interesting element to her personality, as well as the mystery surrounding her childhood. I was surprised when there were two "villains" introduced, but each had a separate role to play. Jeffery and Beth's friendship suffered from lack of communication at times, but the ending was sweet.

(ARC provided via Netgalley for unbiased review)

Review: Made to Last by Melissa Tagg

My rating: 4 stars

Synopsis from Goodreads.com

Miranda Woodruff, star of the homebuilding show "From the Ground Up," will do anything to keep the job she loves. Due to a painful broken engagement and a faith she's mostly forgotten, she's let her entire identity become wrapped up in the Miranda everyone sees onscreen. So when she receives news that the network might cancel her program, she must do the very thing she fears most: let the spotlight shine on her closely guarded personal life. The only problem? She's been living a lie--letting viewers believe she's married--and now she's called upon to play wife to a sweet, if a bit goofy, pretend husband to boost ratings.

Desperate to help his family and prove he's not a total failure, reporter Matthew Knox is looking for a breakout story. When he's offered the opportunity to do an online serial feature on Miranda Woodruff, he jumps at the chance, even if celebrity reporting isn't really his thing. But as soon as he meets Miranda, he knows she's keeping secrets.

When Miranda's former fiance suddenly appears on the scene again, she doubts her life could get more complicated. Juggling three guys, an on-the-rocks television show, and the potential exposure of her deception is way more than she bargained for. Can the woman who makes things look so good onscreen admit it's time to tell the truth about who she is? And if she does, will the life Miranda's built come crashing down just as she's finally found a love to last?

My Review 

The entire time I was reading this book I kept thinking, "How on earth is she going to get herself out of this?!" It's one doozy of a pickle. The dialogue throughout the book is great, as well as the developing relationship between Miranda and Matthew. The main thing that bothered me was how lightly she treated her moral decisions- living with her past boyfriend and lying about her pretend husband. She acknowledges that they are wrong, but doesn't let that stop her from doing what she wants to get what she wants. The story is well-written, and eventually Miranda faces her regrets and makes things right.

(ARC provided via Netgalley for unbiased review)

$1.99 e-book sale for An Amish Kitchen

An Amish Kitchen e-book is on sale for $1.99! I enjoyed this compilation of three novellas- you can read my review here. Grab it on Amazon before the price changes!

Review: An Untamed Heart by Lauraine Snelling

My rating: 4 stars

Synopsis from Goodreads.com

The Long-Awaited Prequel to the RED RIVER OF THE NORTH Series
Twenty-year-old Ingeborg Strand is certain she is destined to be an old maid. She's had several suitors but none she deemed worthy of spending her life with. That is, until she meets a university student from Oslo, and feelings stronger than friendship begin to develop between them. But tragedy strikes, and the future begins to look bleaker than ever.
Grief settles heavily over Ingeborg, and her mother suggests that she leave Norway and start afresh in America, as so many others have done before her. But how will she accomplish that with little money and no one to accompany her?
It isn't long before she meets Roald Bjorklund, a widower who has been planning to go to America for some time, lured by the promise of free land. He's a good man, a hard-working man--and he has a young son who desperately needs a mother. He's clearly interested in Ingeborg, but is he the answer to her prayers? And what about love? This isn't how she's always imagined it.
Ingeborg Strand has a heartrending decision to make...

My Review

I didn't read the synopsis before I read this book, so I had no hint or warning about the tragedy. I also didn't realize it was a prequel to an already published series, so when the story ended, I was happily surprised to discover that I don't have to wait to start the next book! I even had the first book in the series already on my kindle since it is a freebie on Amazon :) 
So, I love the character of Ingeborg. She is strong, industrious, compassionate, and thoughtful. There is much description of the farm, its chores, and tasks. It started out somewhat slowly since it is told from both Ingeborg and Nils' perspectives, but they don't meet until about halfway through the book. I enjoyed her interactions with her siblings and cousins. What an amazing thing that the children of the family take the flocks into the mountains and live there all summer with no adult supervision other than Ingeborg and her best friend/cousin who are in their very early twenties. There is some excitement in the story, but overall I'd say this is a descriptive and introspective novel to be read at leisure. 

(ARC provided via Netgalley for unbiased review)

Review: Rebellious Heart by Jody Hedlund

My rating: 5 stars

Synopsis from Goodreads.com

Because she's a woman, higher learning was always closed to Susanna Smith. But her quick mind and quicker tongue never back down from a challenge. And she's determined to marry well, so she'll be able to continue her work with the less fortunate.

Growing up with little to his name, poor country lawyer Benjamin Ross dreams of impacting the world for the better. When introduced to the Smiths he's taken by Susanna's intelligence and independent spirit, but her parents refuse to see him as a suitor for their daughter.

When the life of a runaway indentured servant is threatened, Susanna is forced to choose between justice and mercy, and Ben becomes her unlikely advisor. But drawing closer to this man of principle and intellect lands her in a dangerous, secret world of rebellion and revolution against everything she once held dear.

My Review

What a fabulous book that is rich in historical detail, compelling characters, suspense and romance! The emotions of the characters were portrayed in a way that made it easy to connect with them and their struggles, and I loved that Susanna and Ben brought out the best in each other. Susanna was facing dilemmas on several fronts- her relationship with her mother, political controversies, sacrificing love for wealth, law versus compassion, and the undeniable chemistry she has with Ben. The mystery of the murdered young women adds an element of suspense that kept me reading straight through until I was done. It was satisfying to see Susanna's perspectives and opinions develop as her eyes are opened up to the world outside her household and her discovery that making the right choice doesn't always have easy consequences, but it is worth it. I'm looking forward to reading more by the author!

(ARC provided via Netgalley for unbiased review)

Review: A Home for My Heart by Anne Mateer

My rating: 3 stars

Synopsis from Goodreads.com

Sadie Sillsby works as the assistant to the matron at the Raystown Home for Orphan and Friendless Children and dreams of the day she'll marry her beau, Blaine. But when the matron surprises everyone by announcing her own engagement, Sadie is suddenly next in line for the job. For a young woman who was once an orphan herself, a shot at such an esteemed position is a wish come true.

But the matron of the Home cannot be married. Is Sadie willing to give up her dreams of a life with Blaine and a family of her own? Is she prepared to forgo daily involvement with the children as she instead manages the financial, legal, and logistical aspects of the orphanage? And when it's revealed that the Home is spending a lot more money than it's taking in, can Sadie turn things around before the place is forced to close forever?

My Review

I enjoyed the behind-the-scenes look at running an orphanage and the constant struggle to bring in donations and funding. Sadie was far from perfect, but her vulnerabilities made her easy to relate to. She took on a big job that she thought she was prepared for, but had her eyes opened to how an administrative job has different challenges. I felt that the romantic chemistry was lacking with her and Blaine. I would have liked to see more background about how their relationship developed in order to have a deeper understanding of their present behavior and choices. The author focused much more on some of Sadie's personal and work-related obstacles. Her character development by the end of the novel was gratifying and led to a sweet ending.

(ARC provided via Netgalley for unbiased review)