Review & Giveaway: The Promise of Rayne by Nicole Deese

*Free with Kindle Unlimited!*

My rating: 5 stars / It was amazing

Synopsis

Rayne Shelby has spent her entire life trying to earn the approval of her high-powered family, with the hope of one day managing her late grandfather’s prestigious Idaho lodge. But when she makes a mistake that puts her future in jeopardy, she faces an impossible choice: defy her family or deny her dream. The only way to fix the mess she’s created is to enlist the help of her neighbor, Levi, the apprentice of her family’s greatest enemy. And if Rayne gets caught crossing the divided property lines, the consequences will be irreparable.

Levi Harding has never forgotten the August night he shared with Rayne when they were teens—or the way she later rejected him. Despite his warring instincts, he can’t ignore her plea for help or the spark that’s ignited between them. But now, as wildfires bear down on their town and family secrets are revealed, their newfound alliance might just go up in smoke.

My Review

The tale of star-crossed lovers Rayne and Levi reflects themes of family loyalty, trust, and the unconditional love of the Savior. Rayne has never made it a secret that her priorities lie with running the lodge that is her beloved grandfather's legacy. Dealing with difficult relatives makes it both hard and easy to turn to Levi when he offers friendship. I admired her compassionate and open nature, but was frustrated that she was cowed by her domineering uncle and father. The family dynamics and mysterious secrets are a huge part of what gets in the way of Rayne and Levi's relationship. I loved the fun they had as they opened up to each other despite working for "enemy" camps, and the way Levi encourages her to be herself and supports her dreams is endearing. The chemistry between them is crackling hot and the tension builds as they grow closer together yet keep their romance under wraps. The family secrets are alluded to throughout the book so I could hardly wait until they were finally revealed to Rayne so she could see everyone for who they truly were. A wonderful clean contemporary romance!

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

Giveaway

Go to author Nicole Deese's website to enter her giveaway celebrating the release of The Promise of Rayne!

E-book sale: Timeless Romance Anthology: Old West Collection by Carla Kelly, Sarah M. Eden, Liz Adair, Heather B. Moore, Annette Lyon, Marsha Ward

Synopsis

Six Award-Winning Authors have contributed new stories to A Timeless Romance Anthology: Old West Collection. Readers will love this collection of six historical western novellas, all with one thing in common: Romance.

In BREAK A LEG, a charming story by two-time Rita Award winner Carla Kelly, hospital steward Colm Callahan is ready to move away from army life at Fort Laramie. His only regret is leaving behind exotic Ozzie Washington, easily the prettiest woman on the post. As a maid to the lieutenant colonel's wife, Ozzie is no wilting flower when it comes to hard work. When the post surgeon leaves for an extended week, Colm must handle several medical emergencies on his own. He pleads for Ozzie's help at the hospital. While they spend long days and nights working together, Colm, a shy man, realizes he can't hide the truth of his feelings for Ozzie. He needs a little help, though. Enter from stage left, Lysander Locke, Shakespeare tragedian on his way to Deadwood.

THE SOLDIER'S HEART, an enchanting novella by Sarah M. Eden, follows Gregory Reeves has fallen in love with a woman he’s never met. Her brother’s dying wish is that Gregory checks on his family, and after the war, Gregory is only too happy to meet the woman he’s been dreaming about. Helene mistakes him for a hired hand and sets him to work immediately. As time passes, Gregory finds it more and more difficult to reveal his true connection to her family, fearing that a woman who loathes liars will turn her disapproval on him.

HIDDEN SPRING is an enthralling novella by Liz Adair, in which Susannah Brown is just getting her life back together after becoming a widow. She still misses Wesley with a fierce longing, but when she meets his half-brother, Douglas, she learns her heart is not completely dormant. Over the next several weeks, Douglas helps Susannah with repairs on her small ranch in exchange for supper. The exchange becomes more and more meaningful as Susannah realizes that Douglas might be the one to finally heal her heart.

THE SILVER MINE BACHELOR, by Heather B. Moore, is a sweet romance between an unlikely pair. Lydia Stone has a checklist for men who qualify as the eligible bachelors in the mining town of Leadville, Colorado. Her new boss, Mr. Erik Dawson, is about to be struck off the list when she sees him coming out of the town brothel. Lydia doesn’t know that Erik Dawson’s sister has been living the brothel lifestyle for years, and he’s set on redeeming her soul. When Lydia discovers Erik’s secrets, she learns that life is not as black and white as she thinks.

In Annette Lyon’s delightful story, THE SWEETEST TASTE, Della Stafford hates being a farm girl in the tiny town of Shelley, Idaho. She’ll do anything to live in a big city and experience real city life. Her only regret is that she’d have to leave Joseph behind, the young man who makes her heart flutter. But she's convinced that moving away is for the best; her dreams and Joseph's dreams are too dissimilar. Then Della takes a job as a maid in Los Angeles and must face the truth that what she thought would make her happy and what really will are totally different things.

In the captivating novella, FAITH AND THE FOREMAN by Marsha Ward, Faith Bannister is forced to travel west to earn a living as a school mistress in Arizona Territory. Faith soon learns that living the frontier lifestyle of a single woman has many harsh challenges. But when she meets Slim McHenry, she discovers that life doesn’t have to be so lonely. Unfortunately the dangerous Rance Hunter stands between her and Slim, and she must act with courage before everything is lost.

Spotlight & Giveaway: Love's Broken Road by Julie Coulter Bellon

I'll be reviewing Love's Broken Road later this month, but in the meantime I wanted to spread the news about the release and tour giveaway!

 

Synopsis

After surviving an abusive marriage, Victoria Newel needs a clean slate for herself and her son. Taking a job as a math teacher, she moves across the country to the small town of Lincoln, Utah, where no one knows her and she can start over. However, her new colleague, Drew Dalton, offers her friendship and maybe something more. But has her heart healed enough that she could trust again?

Drew Dalton lost his wife to cancer years ago and he locked his heart away, throwing himself into his teaching job. But when Victoria Newel starts working at the high school, she awakens something in him that he never thought he’d feel again. Her gentle nature and quiet strength draws him to her, but it’s obvious she’s hiding something in her past from him. Can he open his heart to a woman who harbors so many secrets of her own?

About the Author

Julie Coulter Bellon is the author of more than a dozen romantic suspense novels. Her book All Fall Down won the RONE award for Best Suspense and Pocket Full of Posies won a RONE Honorable Mention for Best Suspense.

Julie loves to travel and her favorite cities she's visited so far are probably Athens, Paris, Ottawa, and London. She loves to read, write, teach, watch Castle, Hawaii Five-O, and eat Canadian chocolate. Not necessarily in that order.

Julie offers writing and publishing tips as well as her take on life on her blog ldswritermom.blogspot.com. You can also find out about all her upcoming projects at her website juliebellon.com.

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Review: Walk of Infamy by Sheralyn Pratt

My rating: 5 stars / It was amazing

Synopsis

Rhea Jensen has a date with destiny. A powerful, multi-national group calling itself The Fours considers her a threat. She doesn’t know why The Fours think this, only that they will destroy her life and the lives of everyone she loves if she doesn’t do as she’s asked.

Rhea knows where to be, when to be there, and that the odds are not in her favor for a happy ending. That’s it. What she’s about to learn is that the past seven years of her life were not what they seemed, and there is a 99.9% chance she will not live to see another day. Her date with destiny is rigged to become a date with infamy.

The question Rhea must ask herself is: Is she going to die on her terms, or on The Fours terms?

Her life, and the end thereof, has just become a game for the rich and powerful to watch play out live, and they’ve played this game many times before with other people more skilled than Rhea. The rules are designed so that the House wins every time. Rhea knows she can’t win—not without a miracle. But if she’s not going to get what she wants, well then, neither are The Fours. The clock is running, though, so whatever Rhea’s going to do, she needs to do it quick.

My Review

As with every Sheralyn Pratt novel, my first thought upon finishing was "wow." Walk of Infamy is a non-stop intense roller coaster ride of suspense, action, and emotion. This would make a brilliant movie giving Jason Bourne a run for his money, but how could a script even hope to include the thoughts and feelings of Rhea as she's pursued in a high stakes cat and mouse game with thousands of lives at stake, not just her own. I haven't read the previous books in the Rhea Jensen series, but was told that this final book could stand alone, and boy did it deliver! It definitely made me want to go find the book where she falls in love with her husband, who is a definite motivating factor for Rhea as she is forced to make difficult, impossible decisions. From what I understand, this book turned her story on its head and threw everything up in the air. I know that sounds chaotic, but the plot is seamlessly executed with a quick pace and like all books by Sheralyn Pratt I've read... I simply could not put it down. Rhea is pushed to her limits and beyond in the twists and turns as she fights tooth and nail to stay alive and pray that she has placed her trust and loyalties in the right hands. I admired that she allowed herself to follow her instincts and guidance from the Spirit when her choices seemed too crazy to handle. I especially loved the subtle tie-in to another book by the author, Pimpernel, and as soon as I finished Walk of Infamy (at 12:30 am) I re-read Pimpernel until 4 in the morning. Even though I was exhausted the next day, I was filled with the satisfaction of having read two supremely excellent books back-to-back ;) HIGHLY recommend, especially to suspense fans!

(Thank you to the publisher for a copy of the book; this is my honest review)