In Too Deep

In Too Deep by Mary Connealy

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Book 2 in the Kincade Bride series picks up right where one ended. Whereas book 1 focused on the sparring and lively exchange between Rafe Kincade and Julia Gulliland, book 2 moves on to the relationship between the always smiling middle brother, Ethan and the newly widowed Audra Gulliland (Julia's young stepmother) and her two children. Poor Ethan and Audra are railroaded into marriage by who of course, but Rafe, but both are determined to be good parents for the little ones. The youngest brother, Seth, is fleshed out more and you feel very deeply for what he has been through at such a young age. In the background still lurking are the dangerous, deep caves and the bad guys looking to recover their money from Audra's late husband. Some of the conversations and thoughts, especially by the brothers, are hilarious and the men, who are really heroes, must face their own deep-seated fears to protect their family.



Please read book 1, Out of Control, to really understand the characters. In Too Deep begins with a bang and without knowing a bit of the background could make it hard to get off on the right foot! A few new characters are also brought into the book.



Book 3, Over the Edge, is released in August and will focus on Seth, the youngest brother, who was so deeply hurt in the cave and wandered for years, before coming home.



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A Grown-Up Kind of Pretty

A Grown-Up Kind of Pretty: A Novel by Joshilyn Jackson

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


After what Ginny, nicknamed "Big" and her daughter Liz or "Little" went through years ago, both are determined to keep Mosely away from booze, drugs and boys, not necessarily in that order. Three generations of women, 15 years apart in age, it's that time in the family when something not so good happens. The wheels are set in motion when Big decides to have the big willow out in the backyard cut down to have space for a swimming pool and tiny bones are found in a familiar looking box under the willow's life giving roots.



Southern voices, flawed loveable, downright funny characters to root for, and a mystery to solve make this book hard to put down. Good summer read or anytime read!



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The Little Bride

The Little Bride by Anna Solomon

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


Minna, a mail-order Jewish bride, put all her 16 year old hopes and dreams into moving to America. Would her husband be young and wealthy? Living in Odessa and the Ukraine, suffering under the weight of the Russian army, being poor and forced to live with her war-crazed relative would all be forgotten soon. Barely alive after the ship docks in New York, Minna is met by not her betrothed, Max - but Max's younger son, Jacob, who then escorts her to a train and travels for days to South Dakota. To Minna's dismay, she finds out from Jacob that he is 14, his older brother, Samuel, is 18 and Max is 40 and the beautiful house she envisioned is only a soddy set in dry, desolate land. Brutally honest and brutally sad, Minna, a sometimes unlikeable main character, must find strength....



Not knowing anything about the Am Olam or the influx of Jewish immigrants eager to build a new Palestine or Jerusalem in America, this book, although fiction, was an eye opener for me. Most of the colonists had grown up in a city, and they found living off the land to be very difficult.



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Vegan Pie in the Sky: 75 Out-of-This-World Recipes for Pies, Tarts, Cobblers, Crumbles, and More by Isa Chandra Moskowitz

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Although so many of these looks absolutely yummy, I've narrowed it down to three that I'm definitely going to make - Chai-Spiced Rice Pudding, page 120; Apple Brown Betty on page 130 (my Mom always made the regular version of this)and French Toast Apple Cobbler, page 133. Hmmm, all apple! There are also great recipes for crusts (think vodka crust!)and doughs.



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Home Front

Home Front by Kristin Hannah

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Hannah has written another gripping, emotional, honest book - this time about a family on the edge of losing itself when mom/wife/National Guard chopper pilot, Jolene, is deployed to the the Iraqi war zone. Left at home, is dad/husband/defense attorney Michael, who finds himself fighting for a young soldier with PTSD, raising two upset, bewildered daughters without Jolene, the anchor of their home, and making an about right face in his perception of the war and his wife's feelings of duty and honor. Tragedy eventually strikes in Iraq and Michael has to learn to handle the multitude of changes that abruptly arise.

I learned an amazing amount of information about PTSD, how we need to provide more resources for our courageous men and women who come home from the front and their families, who are left to pick up the pieces.

Kristin Hannah - one of my top 10 authors.



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Things We Didn't Say

Things We Didn't Say by Kristina Riggle

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


A contemporary read about a blended American family and all its warts and blemishes. Casey is a recovering alcoholic with a not so happy past, but when she falls in love with Michael and his children, all that is covered up. Michael only knows the "new" Casey whose worst "fault" is smoking. When Casey moves in to their family home, things shift and change. As Casey draws closer to the two youngest, Dylan and Jewel, teenager Angel plots with her real Mom to get rid of Casey. Then Dylan runs away, all hell breaks loose and secrets are exposed, words are said in anger, and Michael sides wrongly with ex-wife. Casey is ready to walk.



Very real. Very now. Gritty and honest.



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Wildflower Bride

Wildflower Bride by Mary Connealy

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


Mary Connealy writes about feisty, stubborn women, romance, and suspense. Even though I didn't read the first two books in the series, I had no trouble picking this one up and understanding the characters. The feisty woman is Glowing Sun, raised by the Flathead Indians, after her white family died. That same small tribe is almost wiped out after a band of thieves and cattle rustlers invade the village. The romantic lead character, Wade Sawyers, who heard the gunfire and rushed to her aid, has fallen for this strong female. When Wade finds out that his estranged father is at death's door, he and Glowing Sun reluctantly return to the ranch only to discover that the outlaws are closer than he thinks.



The play between the two main characters are laugh-out-loud funny and you find yourself rooting for Wade as Glowing Sun, now known as her Christian name of Abby, pulls a knife on him multiple times.



Montana Marriages series:

1. Montana Rose

2. The Husband Tree

3. Wildflower Bride



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