Bitter River

Bitter River by Julia Keller
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I usually do not read crime fiction, but this one caught my eye. Not only is the cover and title appealing, it takes place in a fictional town in the Appalachian mountains of nearby West Virginia. Several pages into Bitter River I realized that, darn, this is Julia Keller's second book set in Acker's Gap about prosecuting attorney, Bell Elkins. By that point, I was already involved with the story and couldn't put it down. Bell is deeply invested in the area and many of the townspeople are her personal friends or related. When a murder involving a popular and well-liked teen happens, the town is turned upside down with sadness, but yet there is more sorrow to come. Is the perp a local or an outsider? Bell has her hands full trying to track down the murderer.

I will be tracking down the first book - A Killing in the Hills.

View all my reviews

A Home for My Heart

A Home for My Heart by Anne Mateer
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Historical fiction that tugs at your heart - Miss Sadie Sillsby helps run the Raystown Home for Orphan and Friendless Children, caring for the orphans on a daily basis and assisting the Matron and dear friend, Hazel. But when Hazel offers her the position of Matron, as she herself is marrying soon, Sadie will have to set aside her own marriage plans to Blaine. A matron can not be married and must attend to the many duties of running the orphanage, including keeping the finances straight and acquiring needed donations. Sadie accepts the position without consulting Blaine and forges ahead with her new career, even though she is sorely lacking math skills. The home continues to operate in the red and her records don't match the bank figures. On top of these problems, Sadie realizes she may soon lose Blaine to someone else. Sadie must take a hard look at herself and ask some very difficult questions...

View all my reviews

Fired Up

Fired Up by Mary Connealy
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Book two in the Trouble in Texas series starts off fast. Glynna and her two children are smack dab in the middle of moving from the ranch that her ex-husband had stolen from Luke Stone. As she and Luke's Regulator friends travel through the narrow cut, boulders avalanche down from the hill, narrowly missing them but Doc Dare Riker suffers from a deep gash to his back. When they finally arrive in town, Glynna decides to open a diner in one of the empty storefronts and surprising does an amazing business, even if she can't cook and burns everything she makes. Dare in the meantime has healed from the rockslide incident but encounters more things that threaten his life - his home is torched while he's sleeping and Dare is leery of Glynna's cooking although it sends many men with upset stomachs to his doctoring business. The tension is strong between Glynna and Dare, as she and her children do not want another man in their life that could possibly hurt them again but she can't help being drawn to the honest, heroic doctor.

Themes are forgiveness, faith in what God has called you to do, honesty, and loyalty. You'll giggle at some of the antics including Glynna's cooking skills. The third book in the series will involve Regulator/lawyer, Vince Yates and new-to-town Tina Cahill, Jonas's sister.

View all my reviews

The Tutor's Daughter

The Tutor's Daughter by Julie Klassen
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Emma Smallwood enjoys assisting her father with his small boarding school. But, things have fallen away since the death of his wife and Emma's mother two years before. Attendance has dropped and finances are becoming tight. Emma has written to former graduates Phillip and Henry Weston's father, a baronet in Cornwall, to inquire of the two younger sons. Mr. Weston is more interested in the Smallwoods joining him at his estate on the coast and teaching the boys onsite. When Emma and her father arrive in the nearby village, no one is there to meet them so a young boy and cart are hired to take them to Ebbington Manor, where unfortunately not only had their arrival slipped Sir Giles mind but his wife, Lady Weston had not even been informed of the teaching position being filled. The rude beginning gets worse, when the younger sons, twins, do not like being taught and mystery and suspicion surround the Manor - especially at night, when howling can be heard.

Written along the lines of Jane Eyre, readers of historical and Regency romance will enjoy this novel.

View all my reviews

An Untamed Heart

An Untamed Heart by Lauraine Snelling
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

After reading Lauraine Snelling's Red River of the North series, I've often wondered what Ingeborg Bjorklund's, the main character, life was like in Norway before she traveled to America with her husband and his small son. This book will connect the dots and Snelling, an expert at historical fiction, will draw you in with fine, descriptive details about Ingeborg's large family, how each member shares in the daily workload, and how important the bible and God's word are in their home life. You will share in Ingeborg's desire to learn how to be a healer and be saddened when her loss seems monumental. Snelling's latest writing, a prequel, did not let me down.

View all my reviews

The Dogs of Christmas

The Dogs of Christmas by W. Bruce Cameron
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This book made me giggle out loud - hahaaa, some of the situations that Josh finds himself in - babysitting a pregnant dog, dealing with abandoned puppies, and falling into crazy, silly love with a woman from the animal shelter, Kerri, just will crack you up! Josh designs websites for a living, had abandonment issues, and never owned a dog in his life. So, when he is confronted with poor prego Lucy, Josh freaks out but as he gets over his fear, he slowly begins to fall in love this four-legged creature. A wonderful, little, quick Christmas read!

View all my reviews

A Simple Christmas Wish

A Simple Christmas Wish by Melody Carlson
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

When the unthinkable happens, city girl Rachel Milligan must take her adorable seven-year-old niece to live with her Amish relatives in Ohio. But, Rachel can't bear to leave Holly with her new family who won't allow Holly to bring her toys and doll into their home. Fortunately a snow storm keeps her stranded at the Miller's farm, much to Holly's delight. Can Rachel turn away, leave the little girl, and head back to Chicago and her city ways?

View all my reviews

The Longest Ride

The Longest Ride by Nicholas Sparks
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

We can't get enough stories on love and relationships from super writer Nicholas Sparks. In his latest novel, two couples' courtships - one nearing its ending, one just beginning - are the love stories that Sparks explores. Ira, a widower, had one last mission to complete before joining Ruth, his beloved wife, forever, but fails when the car he is driving plunges over the side of a hill. Ira begins to see visions of Ruth, encouraging him to stay alive, and as he slips in and out of consciousness, Ira reviews their tender relationship over the previous decades. At the same time a young couple, Sophia, a college student and Luke, a bull rider and rancher, are being drawn into a relationship and suffer from expectations and immaturity. As the story nears its conclusion and both love stories unfold, the connection is finally revealed.

Written from different viewpoints, the characters' vulnerability and passion show through across a span of over 90 years.

Soon to made into a movie....

View all my reviews

Lost Cat

Lost Cat by Roger Mader
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Slippers is the name of the adorable cat that graces the pages of this children's fiction. She lives the good life with Mrs. Fluffy Slippers but when the old lady decides to move in with her daughter - amidst all the hustle and bustle of packing and moving, poor Slippers is left behind. Follow the trail of Slippers as she attempts to find a new person to adopt. Beautiful pastels pop off the page and you'll be glad to know that Slippers has a happy, ever-after ending.

View all my reviews

The Lemon Orchard

The Lemon Orchard by Luanne Rice
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Grief and heartache bring people together as in the unexpected romance between two unlikely people. One - an immigrant that has crossed the USA/Mexican border illegally, at the cost of his young daughter, Rosa, and the other, an anthropologist who lost both her husband and 16 year old daughter in a car accident. They meet in a seaside, lush lemon orchard in the beautiful Santa Monica mountains owned by Julia's aunt and uncle. Julia is there to house-sit with her beloved Bonnie Blue, a seven-year-old border collie when she meets Roberto, manager and caretaker of the orchard whose quiet, strong ways reach across Julia's barriers and draw her in. As Julia learns more of Roberto's past, she feels the need to redeem her loss by solving the clues that surround the missing Rosa.

View all my reviews

Swept Away

Swept Away by Mary Connealy
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Mary Connealy is known for writing her female characters full of grit and determination - definite factors needed in the Old West and pioneering days. In Swept Away, Ruthy MacNeil is that strong personality that can handle a gun and a horse, quite easily at that! Used to working hard from sunup to sundown, when she falls in with rancher and ex-regulator Luke Stone, who is bent on recovering his ranch, Ruthy doesn't even blink. I'm looking forward to the second book in the series, Trouble in Texas to continue this engaging, sometimes-hilarious, historical romance.

View all my reviews

Small Town Girl

Small Town Girl by Ann H. Gabhart
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Small Town Girl continues the story of Angel Sister with the same beloved characters but introduces a newcomer, Jay Tanner. Jay, a bit of a roamer and ladies' man, comes to town to be his best and only friend Pastor Mike Champion's best man at his wedding and ends up staying and liking the small town of Rosey Corner. Jay also has his eye on Mike's sister-in-law, independent Kate Merritt but is afraid to commit to a relationship because of his background.

Set on the verge of World War II, Small Town Girl is a sweet, historical and inspirational novel whose vulnerable characters wrap themselves around your heart and won't let go...

View all my reviews

The Why of Things

The Why of Things: A Novel by Elizabeth Hartley Winthrop
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Winthrop pens a well written fictional story of a daughter's suicide and her family's loss, grief, and return to hope centered around their summer home and a nearby deep, dark quarry. Like the quarry, a gaping hole has been left in the Jacobs' family and each member has their own way of dealing with the heart-wrenching aftermath and the sometimes non-answer of why bad things happen.

View all my reviews

The Cottage at Glass Beach

The Cottage At Glass Beach by Heather Barbieri
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Nora Cunningham is taking refuge on Burke's Island, a small remote strip of land off the Maine coast and settled by the Irish centuries before. Her famous husband and his affair have been splashed over tabloids so Nora and her two girls, Annie, 7 and Ella, 12 going on 21 are hiding out. Nora's earliest memories are of Burke's, being able to swim like a fish, and her beautiful mother that disappeared when she was only small. Nora's elderly Aunt Maire lives in the old homeplace nearby and who summoned her with a letter still believes in the magical legends of the island including selkies - a mythical creature. As the island begins to heal Nora, she is drawn towards a quiet fisherman who guards his own secrets but Ella blames her parent's breakup only on her mother, causing her to say and do things that put her and her sister into danger.

Beautifully written and full of mystery, The Cottage at Glass Beach, makes a good anytime read.

View all my reviews