Review: Vow Unbroken by Caryl McAdoo

My rating: 2 stars / it was okay

Synopsis from goodreads.com

A spunky young widow hires a farmhand with a bad reputation to help her get her cotton to Jefferson to meet the wagon train, and sparks fly—but can she love a man who doesn’t love the Lord?

Susannah Abbot Baylor reluctantly hires Henry Buckmeyer to help her along the Jefferson Trace, the hard stretch of land between her Texas farm and the cotton market, where she is determined to get a fair price for her crop. It’s been a rough year, and she’s in danger of losing the land her husband left to her and the children, but she’ll need help getting both of her wagons to Jefferson safely. She knows Henry’s reputation as a layabout and is prepared for his insolence, but she is not expecting his irresistible good looks or his gentle manner. Soon they are entwined in a romantic relationship that only gets more complicated when Susannah learns that Henry doesn’t know God the way she does. Dangers arise on the road—but none as difficult as the trial her heart is going through.

Will Susannah and Henry’s love overcome their differences? And will she get her crop safely to the cotton market with enough money to save the farm? In this heartening and adventurous tale, a young woman’s fortitude, faith, and heart are put to the ultimate test.

My Review

I thought I would enjoy this book more than I did. The premise sounded interesting- two strong characters on an adventure... but something was off for me. I didn't care for the writing style- it didn't give me a good visual in my head of the setting, and there were long passages of dialogue interchange where I would lose track of who was saying what. The main character Susannah was prickly and judgemental of Henry, even after her prejudices and first impressions were proven false. Her thoughts often contradicted with her words and actions, which gave a hypocritical vibe, like when she was griping about taking a rest and meal at the home of a family Henry knew, but even after befriending the wife, she didn't admit that it was a positive choice. I guess her prideful personality just rubbed me the wrong way.

(ARC provided via Netgalley for unbiased review)

E-book sale: $1.99 for The Captive Maiden by Melanie Dickerson

Download The Captive Maiden by Melanie Dickerson for only $1.99 at Amazon!

(E-book deal is for a limited time, so check the price before ordering)

Synopsis from goodreads.com

Happily Ever After...Or Happily Nevermore?

Gisela's childhood was filled with laughter and visits from nobles such as the duke and his young son. But since her father's death, each day has been filled with nothing but servitude to her stepmother. So when Gisela meets the duke's son, Valten--the boy she has daydreamed about for years--and learns he is throwing a ball, she vows to attend, even if it's only for a taste of a life she'll never have. To her surprise, she catches Valten's eye. Though he is rough around the edges, Gisela finds Valten has completely captured her heart. But other forces are bent on keeping the two from falling further in love, putting Gisela in more danger than she ever imagined.

Free e-book: Critical Care by Candace Calvert

Download the first book in the Mercy Hospital series for free!

(E-book deal is for a limited time, so check the price before ordering)

Synopsis from goodreads.com

After her brother dies in a trauma room, nurse Claire Avery can no longer face the ER. She's determined to make a fresh start--new hospital, new career in nursing education--move forward, no turning back. But her plans fall apart when she's called to offer stress counseling for medical staff after a heartbreaking day care center explosion.

Worse, she's forced back to the ER, where she clashes with Logan Caldwell, a doctor who believes touchy-feely counseling is a waste of time. He demands his staff be as tough as he is. Yet he finds himself drawn to this nurse educator . . . who just might teach him the true meaning of healing.

Free e-book! Rekindled by Tamera Alexander

Download Rekindled by Tamera Alexander for free! It's the first book in the Fountain Creek Chronicles series. I enjoyed the author's newest release A Beauty So Rare (read my review here) and can't wait to read her earlier books!

(E-book deal is for a limited time, so check the price before ordering)

Synopsis from goodreads.com

At a different time, in a different place, under different circumstances... could two people fall in love once again?

Ten years ago Kathryn Jennings made a vow. For better or worse. And that promise still holds true, even though her marriage has not turned out as she expected. When her husband fails to return home one stormy winter night, she struggles to keep their ranch, but her efforts are blocked at every turn. After a shocking glimpse into her husband's past, Kathryn uncovers a hidden truth. What she wouldn't give to turn back time and be able to love her husband for the man that he was, not for the man she always wanted him to be.

Larson Jennings has spent his entire life running from a broken past, unable to trust, reluctant to try again. One fateful night, his life takes an unexpected twist, and soon he is forced to make a choice. Whatever he chooses, his decision may cost him his life.

E-book sale today only: Rosemary Cottage by Colleen Coble

Download Rosemary Cottage by Colleen Coble today only for $1.99!

(E-book deal is for a limited time, so check the price before ordering)

Synopsis from goodreads.com

The cottage by the sea offers Amy a refuge to mourn her brother’s death and perhaps even discover a new love. But what if Ben’s death was no accident?

Rosemary Cottage on the Outer Banks of North Carolina has been in Amy Lang’s family for generations and offers her a haven within its peaceful walls. There she hopes to discover what really happened to her brother, Ben, even as she tries to come to grips with his death in the ocean months before.

She hopes the Coast Guard team will help her find closure, but they are quick to dismiss her concerns of foul play. Everyone in Hope Beach regards the suspicious e-mail she received as a vicious prank. When it seems discovering what happened to Ben will take longer than she expected, Amy moves her midwifery practice to Hope Beach.

Coast Guard officer Curtis Ireland may hold the key to many of her questions, but he also hides a secret that will change her world forever. And her own secrets could tear apart the fragile love developing between them. Will Amy have the courage to put down her mask and let Curtis love her for who she is? And can they both weather the danger that threatens to destroy the most precious thing in their lives?

Free e-book! Forsaken Dreams by MaryLu Tyndall

Download Forsaken Dreams by MaryLu Tyndall for free! Several of my goodreads friends gave this book a five-star rating... get it while you can!

(E-book deal is for a limited time, so check the price before ordering)

Synopsis from goodreads.com

They left everything behind to build a new Southern utopia...

After witnessing the death and destruction caused by the Civil War, Colonel Blake Wallace is eager to leave his once precious Southern homeland for the pristine shores of Brazil and the prospect of a new utopian community. Widow Eliza Crawford seeks passage on Wallace’s ship harboring a dirty secret—and a blossoming hope for a fresh start. But once the voyage begins, troubles abound. Dangers at sea and enemies from within threaten to keep Blake and Eliza from the new life—and love—they long for.

E-book sale TODAY ONLY: Under a Blackberry Moon by Serena B. Miller

This is the third book in the Michigan Northwoods series, but can be read as a stand alone novel. The main character Moon Song appears in The Measure of Katie Calloway, which I absolutely loved and rated 5 stars. 

Download Under a Blackberry Moon by Serena B. Miller for only $1.99 today only!

(E-book deal is for a limited time, so check the price before ordering)

Synopsis from goodreads.com

Just a few days after she gave birth alone in the northwoods, a recently widowed young Chippewa woman stumbled into a nearby lumber camp in search of refuge from the winter snows. Come summer, it is clear that Moon Song cannot stay among the rough-and-tumble world of white lumbermen, and so the camp owner sends Skypilot, his most trusted friend, to accompany her on the long and treacherous journey back to her people.

But when tragedy strikes off the shore of Lake Superior, Moon Song and Skypilot must depend on each other for survival. With every step they take into the forbidding woods, they are drawn closer together, until it seems the unanswerable questions must be asked. Can she leave her culture to enter his? Can he leave his world to enter hers? Or will they simply walk away from a love that seems too complicated to last?

Get swept into a wild realm where beauty masks danger and only the truly courageous survive in a story that will grip your heart and your imagination.

Review: Tempest's Course by Lynette Sowell

My rating: 3 stars / I liked it

Synopsis from goodreads.com

Kelly Frost, a textiles conservator, is invited to the Massachusetts coastal city of New Bedford to restore a more than 150-year-old Mariner's Compass quilt. But there is one stipulation: she must live and work in Gray House, a former whaling captain's home, where the quilt is stored. There she meets Tom Silva, the caretaker of Gray House, whose heart seems as hard as the rocky Massachusetts coastline. Over the long-lit months as Kelly works to restore the quilt, she is drawn out of her self-imposed shell and embraces the family God has given her after her own family failed her. As Kelly reads stories in a journal penned by Mary Gray, she learns there is no transgression beyond God's forgiveness, but the real obstacle is forgiving herself. During her and Tom's journey to grace and love, an unknown force works to keep both of them from discovering a long-buried truth that will change their lives forever.

My Review

This was a nice story, but the pacing was s.l.o.w. The main characters were easy to like, and easy for them to like each other. The setting of the old Gray mansion was intriguing, and well-described. The information about restoring old textiles was interesting, but vague. In fact, much of the book was vague instead of detailed, from the relationship between Kelly and Tom to the mystery of the house and its history. There are journal entries from an old diary which added an extra dimension to the story, but Kelly's thoughts about the things she read there became judgmental. Towards the end there is more action, and things are all wrapped up neatly... but still vaguely.

(ARC provided via Netgalley for unbiased review)

Free e-book: Thorns in Eden and The Everlasting Mountains by Rita Gerlach

TODAY ONLY download Thorns in Eden and The Everlasting Mountains by Rita Gerlach for free!

(E-book deal is for a limited time, so check the price before ordering)

Synopsis from goodreads.com

John Nash, has built a new life in the Maryland frontier, and journeys back to England to see his father before the first shots of the Revolution are fired. Rebecah, a young woman who has known little more than the solitude of an isolated manor has lost her father and is now under the control of a domineering patriarch. As their romance unfolds, they become trapped in the schemes of her uncle and immersed in one of the most infamous Indian wars in Colonial history.

As the firebrands of Revolution grow hot, they marry and work together to build their estate, Laurel Hill. Facing a strange new world, Rebecah experiences the prejudice of being English, but finds friendship and acceptance in the wilds of the Maryland frontier. Joy reins at Laurel Hill when she announces she is carrying a child. Nash, known as Jack, is captain of a band of rangers who protect the frontier families from Indian attack. His friendship with Chief Logan has not prevented the Indian War from reaching their peaceful home along the lush hills of the last outpost.

Can he protect his wife from warring Indians and from a man who has no allegiance to any nation, tribe, or creed, wanted for robbery and murder, who has vowed vengeance? In Thorns in Eden and The Everlasting Mountains, love and faith are the sustaining forces that cannot be overtaken by the vines of adversity.

E-book sale! Nine highly rated novels for $1.99 each

Click on the book cover to download from Amazon!

(Sale ends Monday May 26) 

(E-book deal is for a limited time, so check the price before ordering)

$1.99

$1.99

$1.99

$1.99

$1.99

$1.99

$1.99 $1.99 $1.99