Short-Straw Bride

Short-Straw Bride by Karen Witemeyer
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

If you want to read a light, wholesome, historical romance - then this is the perfect novel. Set in the 1880s, Texan Meredith Hayes is determined not to marry ambitious Roy Mitchell and when she overhears him plotting to burn the barn of her childhood hero Travis Archer - she lights out for the reclusive Archer farm to warn him and his three brothers. But as she gets caught up in the fight to save the barn, Meri is seriously hurt and ends up staying for days, compromising her reputation. Under threat from Meri's uncle, the Archer brothers draw straws to determine who will marry the feisty gal and to her delight Travis is left holding the short straw. The only woman now on the land, Meri sets out to teach the Archers a new kind of love and courage.

Also written by Karen Witemeyer:
A Tailor-Made Bride
Head in the Clouds
To Win Her Heart


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Sea Change

Sea Change by Karen White
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Ava never felt like she belonged to her family - youngest sister of four brothers, who could be identified as funeral directors, just like her father. She had always deeply yearned for a sister. When Ava suddenly announced she was marrying Matthew and leaving landlocked Antioch, GA for the seashores of St. Simons Island, her mother Gloria took to her bed. Oddly enough as she left, her grandma Mimi, who had lived with Mimi forever, reminded her that some endings are really beginnings. As they draw closer to the island what Matthew doesn't know is that Ava, a professional midwife, has a very deep rooted fear of the water. Matthew has a few secrets of his own - some that when come to light, threaten their new marriage. As Ava settles in her home, she has a feeling of really coming home - it seems the house holds many secrets of its own and it's up to Ava to unlock them.

This is one of the best books I have read in awhile - it contains beautiful descriptions of the lush island and of earlier times so that it feels as if you are in that time period. Told with the voices and thoughts of three women, history and modern times entangle themselves into a story that is just so hard to put down.

As a gardener myself I love these two phrases:
"Ava and I had always known that sticking our fingers in the dirt was a lot like holding the past and the present in your hands, understanding that decaying plants nourished the soil for new seedlings" and "being a mother is like being a gardener of souls."

...and one more:
"Because sometimes we have to be a hero and do the right thing, even if it's just for one person and even if nobody else notices."

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The Christmas Pony

The Christmas Pony by Melody Carlson
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A sweet little Christmas story to fall in love with - it's 1937 and 8 year old Lucy wants a pony for Christmas, but times are hard, and her mama - a young widow - has to take in boarders to barely make ends meet. Grandma helps with the cooking and Lucy does a lot of chores on the neglected farm. When she walks into town to do the weekly shopping, Lucy comes across two stranded motorists. Asking them to stay at her farmhouse and fill the rooms while their car is repaired, Lucy falls in love with the exotic woman and George, her handsome companion. With one prayer answered for paying boarders, Lucy gives up her wish for a pony and prays instead for her Mama's smile to come back.

I love Melody's little Christmas books - this gem is told from Lucy's perspective and is so heartwarming and hopeful. Read with a snuggly blanket and a hot cup of tea!

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One Mountain Away

One Mountain Away by Emilie Richards
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A story of pain and forgiveness, attrition and healing..Charlotte Hale is fighting cancer but fighting it alone. Charlotte is estranged from her ex-husband and daughter, definitely not a favorite at her church or the business she built from the ground up. Friends - none. Charlotte swore when she left the mountain the day after graduation that she would never be poor or looked down upon ever again - to be in total control has made her enemies and lost her family. But when she receives the diagnosis of cancer and sees a "nurse" in the hospital that others have never seen, Charlotte begins to make amends for poor treatment of others. But forgiveness from her ex and daughter, who now has a small daughter of her own, seems to be out of reach.

Quote: "The way we nurture and protect our memories of people who lived before us. The good they did? Like those seeds of your grandmother's, it doesn't die. It's passed from person to person. It lives on in other forms, in other places, but the essence of what it was at the beginning never changes."

Have a box of tissues nearby!

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An Irish Christmas

An Irish Christmas by Melody Carlson
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Colleen and her grown-up son, Jamie, have kept secrets from each other, not little secrets - but blow it out of the water secrets, secrets that could tear apart their fragile relationship. While Jamie was in college, his Dad/Colleen's husband passed away from a heart condition. Now alone and adrift, Colleen sells the flourishing shoe business that Jamie does not want to run and is seriously considering downsizing her beautiful but much too large home. When Jamie comes home from college and with a sudden decision, but really a cover-up announces his plan to join the military - Colleen makes a sudden decision as well. A trip to Ireland at Christmas will be where she tells Jamie the secret only her and her late husband hid.

Rather predictable, sometimes downright unbelievable, but with beautiful descriptions of Ireland, the pubs, and a small Irish island named Inishbofin, Carlson writes a sweet little inspirational with a nice surprise ending.

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Tidewater Inn

Tidewater Inn by Colleen Coble
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Libby Holladay loves to save old buildings and renovate them; her partner Nicole convinces the property owners to entrust them to Libby's care. While talking with Nicole by way of a live cam and a laptop, Libby actually views Nicole's kidnapping by two men at Hope Beach, where her friend has been exploring an old life-saving station for possible renovation. After calling 911 Libby races to Hope Island to help find her friend but is actually viewed with much suspicion by the local police. Now, this read is already turning into a mystery, but Libby finds out (on page 3) that her late father who died when she was five, was very much alive until just a month ago. To top that off, Libby discovers that she now has two half siblings and an aunt living on that same Hope Island. Mystery after mystery is solved as Libby is determined to find Nicole.



Inspirational, mystery, and throw in a light romance, Tidewater Inn is very good read.



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