A Talent For Trouble by Jen Turano

Overview: For years, Miss Felicia Murdock's every thought and action have been in pursuit of becoming a minister's wife. When the minister she'd set her sights on has other ideas, she decides something in her life needs to change--and soon--before she wastes any more time pretending to be someone she's not. If that means spreading her wings and embracing a more lively way of life, who's to say nay?

Grayson Sumner, Lord Sefton, has had more than enough of spreading his wings and only hopes to settle into the life of a respectable New York gentleman. Prompted by some friends to lift the spirits of the disappointed-in-love Miss Murdock, he is surprised to encounter an adventurous young lady with an unfortunate knack for stumbling into troublesome situations.

Just as Grayson decides he's had quite enough of her antics, his past comes back to haunt him and his presence in Felicia's life endangers her. As they work together to extricate themselves from this latest complication, will Grayson and Felicia decide they want to spend the rest of their lives keeping one another out of trouble?

My Review: Jen Turano has written another fantastic story! With lovable characters, witty dialogue, and an interesting plot, this story has it all. The story was humorous. The mystery surrounding Grayson's past added excitement to the story.

I loved Felicia's character. A lot of people can relate to her story. She is a strong woman with a deep faith and a "talent for trouble." The circumstances she finds herself in are hysterical. Grayson adds mystery to the story. He is compassionate and gruff at the same time. The romance that blossoms between them is sweet. 

The message of the story is two-fold. Make sure you pray and listen for God's direction in your life. Second, God will forgive all sin, big or small. It's all equal in His eyes. If He forgives you, you can most certainly forgive yourself. 

Overall, I highly enjoyed this story and look forward to reading more!

• Learn more about Jen Turano 
• Follow Jen: Facebook 
• Read my review of A Change of Fortune 
• Read my review of A Most Peculiar Circumstance

The Colonel's Lady by Laura Frantz

As you all know, I've been participating in the Christian Fiction Bloggers "Book Cover Bingo" game on Goodreads. If you haven't joined Goodreads, I highly recommend it. I've connected with some many cool people in the various groups through Goodreads and learned about countless new authors. Anyway, I read The Colonel's Lady for the Book Cover Bingo locket cover. Here's my review!

Overview: Can love survive the secrets kept buried within a tormented heart?

Roxanna Rowan may be a genteel Virginia woman, but she is determined to brave the wilds of the untamed frontier to reach a remote Kentucky fort. Eager to reunite with her father, who serves under Colonel Cassius McLinn, Roxanna is devastated to find that her father has been killed on a campaign.

Penniless and out of options, Roxanna is forced to remain at the fort. As she spends more and more time with the fiery Colonel McLinn, the fort is abuzz with intrigue and innuendo. Can Roxanna truly know who the colonel is—and what he's done?

Immerse yourself in this powerful story of love, faith, and forgiveness set in the tumultuous world of the frontier in 1779.

My Review:  I have been waiting for a chance to read this book since I received in for Christmas two years ago. I have heard so many good things about this author's books, and I wasn't disappointed. Let me start off by saying I generally tend to stay away from books so closely related to war and war-like times for personal reasons, so I was a little hesitant when I started reading this book and realized it was set in the middle of a war. However, as I got further into the book, the war faded from my mind because the author does such a wonderful job of bringing her characters to life. The plot is set in Kentucky at Fort Endeavor. The author gives such a rich description of life on the remote Kentucky fort that I felt like I was living in that time! The picture she painted was bleak and depressing at times, as I'm sure it was for some of the soldiers who were sent to the remote forts with no settlements near. 

The main characters, Roxanna Rowan and Colonel Cassius McLinn, were very well developed in my opinion. Because the author does not focus too much on the secondary characters, even though they were important to the story, I feel like I really got to know Roxie and Cass and could feel their emotions and love, as they did. There were times when I could have shaken both of them silly because of their stubbornness and hard-headed ways. I loved watching their lives unfold individually and together.

For a Christian novel, I was surprised as the amount of drinking that was done in the book. However, it was vitally important to the story. For one, the remoteness of the fort caused soldier morale to slip very easily. Giving the soldiers something to numb their pain was probably one of the only ways to keep their morale up. Second, it allowed the reader to really connect with the changes in Cass throughout the book. The author, by no means, glamorized the drunken state of things. Instead, she effectively showed the reader that drinking does nothing but numb the pain for a short time. The only thing that Cass could rely on to take the pain away and ease his guilt was God. The author does a fantastic job of showing both Cass' and Roxie's spiritual development.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book. I would love to read more by this author!

• Learn more about Laura Frantz
• Follow Laura: Facebook | Pinterest
• Purchase The Colonel's Lady: B&N | Amazon | CBD

Forsaken Dreams by MaryLu Tyndall

Happy Wednesday everyone! I've been on a reading spree this past week (Wednesday to Wednesday) and have enjoyed every minute of it! I thought I'd share this book with you because I thoroughly enjoyed it. I picked this book for our Book Cover Bingo game for the "fog" category.

Overview: Embark on a seafaring adventure in a brand-new series from bestselling author MaryLu Tyndall.

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.

My Review: From the very first page of this book, I was hooked. I have never read a book by MaryLu Tyndall, so I wasn't sure what to expect. Eliza Crawford is a very impulsive young lady. All the choices she's made in her life have been made with little thought and have brought her to where she is today.  Blake Wallace is an ex-colonel who has decided to embark on a journey to Brazil.  Everyone aboard the New Hope is trying to escape the aftermath of the Civil War and they are all hiding secrets.  The cast of characters is captivating, but it's Eliza and Blake that capture my heart in this story.

The way the story is written can be a little confusing at times. The story jumps from one person to another, with little warning sometimes. If you aren't paying close attention to the story, you will get lost. However, the story was very interesting and at times I wanted to scream at the characters for their stubborn attitudes! Can everyone find the escape they so crave in Brazil?

The message was expertly weaved throughout the book. Eliza, who is already a Christian, shows grace and compassion in the midst of hatred and evil.  However, she has to learn to trust the One who knows all things. When we surrender to God's will, forsaking our own, we can have true peace. It was fascinating to watch the change in Eliza throughout the story.  I wish there would have been a little more development on Blake's part. His surrender to the Lord seemed kind of abrupt. Maybe he knew of the Lord before the war and had lost his faith after all he'd seen and done?

Overall, I found the story fascinating and will happily finish the Escape to Paradise series!

More fun! with links:

• Learn more about MaryLu Tyndall
• Connect with MaryLu: Facebook * Blog * Goodreads * Twitter
• Purchase Forsaken Dreams: B&N * Amazon * CBD

 

Week End Wrap-Up (Jan. 3)

 

Hello everyone! We have come to the end of another exciting week! This is the Weekend Wrap-Up, inspired by Melanie at Christian Bookshelf Review. This is where I will tell you what I've read in the past week, what I'm currently reading, and what I plan to read in the week ahead. I might also share some interesting events from the past week!

Well folks, it's the beginning of a new year! I'm so excited for this year because I'm getting married! September will be here before I know it, and I'm thrilled to start this new chapter in my life. I'm also looking forward to a mission trip to Belize at the end of March. Unfortunately, this means I won't be blogging for 2 weeks, but I look forward to my first mission trip none the less!

I'm also looking for suggestions from you! I am thinking about changing my domain and blog name. I would love hearing your ideas and suggestions. Also, if you have any suggestions for what you would like to see me do with my blog, I welcome those as well. Since I am no longer in school, I can devote more time to making my blog better for my faithful readers!

What I've Read: 

View my review here!

Book Cover Bingo: This is an exciting game hosted by the Goodreads group, Christian Fiction Bloggers and it's been fun reading the books for the covers that have been called. I have been slack about putting my reviews for those books on my blog, so here they are!
For Book:
When Calls the Heart by Janette Oke

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


This book was sweetly amazing. I loved the characters, the story line, and the way the story flowed. It was simple, sweet, and hard to put down. Janette Oke is a wonderful writer. I liked how the author wove the message of trust and placing your life in God's hand expertly throughout the story without being overwhelming. Overall, this book didn't have a lot of action or adventure, but it's a sweet story and I would definitely recommend it.
For Mask:
Daughter of Silk by Linda Lee Chaikin

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


This was a very dark, almost gothic style book. I loved the characters and the love story. I was very involved in Fabien and Rachelle's story. They are going to face major trials, from what the book hinted at. However, the plot was a little to dark for my tastes. I still enjoyed it and would like to read the other two books in the series at some point.
For Crown/Tiara:
A Kiss in Time by Alex Flinn

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


This book was a fun, easy read. I really enjoyed the characters and the fast pace of the book. This modern retelling of the classic fairytale Sleeping Beauty was very well written and entertaining. I loved the book!

What I'm Currently Reading:
This is also for Book Cover Bingo for Quilt :)

What I Plan on Reading:


That about wraps it up! Hope you enjoyed!

Week End Wrap-Up (Nov 1)

Hello everyone! We have come to the end of another exciting week! This is the 13th addition of the Weekend Wrap-Up, inspired by Melanie at Christian Bookshelf Review. This is where I will tell you what I've read in the past week, what I'm currently reading, and what I plan to read in the week ahead. I might also share some interesting events from the past week!

I feel like I have been neglecting everyone! I have been SO busy with studying for my life insurance license and then taking the actual exam (which I PASSED, by the way) that I have not even had time to read! It's been a VERY long couple of weeks!

Goodreads is a great website. If you haven't ever visited, you should! There are book "communities" you can join and interact with other book lovers. I've been introduced to so many new authors through the website! One of the groups I've joined, Christian Fiction Bloggers, is playing a game! It's called "Book Cover Bingo." Every other week, a category is called. Each group has to read a book with that category on the cover. Once the whole group has finished their chosen book, a stamp is requested. The first group to get a BINGO wins!

What I've Read: 
 

Reviews Posted: 
What Once Was Lost 
Book Cover Bingo: CANDLE 


Deadly Intent by Camy Tang

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


This is the first book I've read by Camy Tang and let me tell you, I was enthralled from the beginning! I was very sad that is was such a short story. The character development was quick, but didn't feel rushed. I understand that it had to be because of the length of the story. Still, I felt like I got to know Naomi and Devon in that short time!

The suspense and romance were very well-written! I had no idea what was going to happen or who was behind all the mayhem until Naomi figured it out. That, to me, is a very well done mystery! The romance was sweet. I like that Naomi and Devon had met before the beginning of the story, so the romance didn't feel rushed.

Overall, this was a great story and I will definitely be adding Camy Tang to my must-read author's list!

What I'm Currently Reading:





What I Plan On Reading Next:


October Wrap-Up:


That about wraps it up!