Archive for the 'Romance' Category


Smitten by Colleen Coble, Kristin Billerback, Diann Hunt, and Denise Hunter

Monday, January 16th, 2012

 

Welcome to Smitten, Vermont.

With the help of four friends, it’s about to become the most romantic town in America.

The proposed closing of the lumber mill comes as unwelcome news for the citizens of Smitten. How will the town survive without its main employer? A close-knit group of women think they’ve got just the plan to save Smitten. They’ll capitalize on its name and turn it into a tourist destination for lovers-complete with sweet shops, a high-end spa, romantic music on the square, and cabins outfitted with fireplaces and hot tubs.

But is this manly town ready for an influx of romantically-minded guests?

Country music sensation Sawyer Smitten, the town’s hometown hero, wants to help by holding his own wedding there on Valentine’s Day. And little Mia’s lavender wreaths hang all over town as a reminder that faith can work miracles. Along the way, four women spearheading the town’s transformation-energetic Natalie, sophisticated Julia, graceful Shelby, and athletic Reese-get in the spirit by reviving their own love lives.

Join best-selling inspirational romance authors (and real-life BFFs) Colleen Coble, Kristin Billerbeck, Diann Hunt, and Denise Hunter for an inspiring stay at the (soon-to-be) most romantic town on the eastern seaboard.

One visit . . . and you’ll be smitten too.

My Comments: This is a quick sweet read.  The premise of the book is a little hard to swallow – making a town famous for love – but my husband and I honeymooned in Vermont and it IS a romantic state overall!  Snow, skiing, cold biting weather (and we went in April!), and quaint little towns.  Four women from the town of Smitten share their love stories.  Each is different according to the personality of the author.  They share other aspects of their lives as well such as making a go of a new business, and fighting people who don’t agree with their idea of making Smitten a town for love (because of it’s name).  This book would be great to read for Valentine’s Day!  I would overall give it a 3.5 out of 5.

Thank you NetGalley!  This book is already pubished and ready to order.

 

 

Lonestar Angel by Colleen Coble

Thursday, November 10th, 2011

Eden’s hope is rekindled when Clay delivers astounding news: their daughter has been found.

Five years ago Eden and Clay Larson’s baby was stolen and never found. Eden blamed herself, Clay lost himself in work. Their young and rocky marriage ended. Or so Eden thought.

Now  Eden’s moved to a new town. She’s found faith and is trying to rebuild her life. She’s even dating again-a sweet guy who plans to marry her someday. But then Clay arrives out of the blue and delivers shocking news: they’re still married. What’s more, Clay has been searching for Brianna all this time. And he believes he’s found her: their daughter is in Bluebird, Texas, at a youth ranch.

To uncover the truth, Eden and Clay sign on as counselors at Bluebird Ranch. Working together, they rediscover their love for each other. But danger is closing in-Eden, Clay, and their young charges are in jeopardy. As they fight to save their family, Eden realizes that God has been fighting for them all along. And His plans are for a more abundant life than they’ve dared to hope.

My Comments:

I always enjoy Colleen Coble’s novels and this one is no exception.  I read it in just a couple of days and was very curious about the outcome.  The story was engaging, the characters interesting and likeable.  The story had both romance and mystery, so it met all of my criteria of great women’s fiction.  The Christian elements were believable without being preachy.  I think someone who was not of the Christian faith would also enjoy reading this book.  I wonder if a sequel will be coming…

Listen to part of the book now.

 

The Lightkeeper’s Ball by Colleen Coble

Saturday, March 26th, 2011

Olivia seems to have it all, but her heart yearns for more.Olivia Stewart’s family is one of the Four Hundred-the highest echelon of society in 1910. When her sister dies under mysterious circumstances, Olivia leaves their New York City home for Mercy Falls, California, to determine what befell Eleanor. She suspects Harrison Bennett, the man Eleanor planned to marry. But the more Olivia gets to know him, the more she doubts his guilt-and the more she is drawn to him herself. When several attempts are made on her life, Olivia turns to Harrison for help. He takes her on a ride in his aeroplane, but then crashes, and they’re forced to spend two days alone together. With her reputation hanging by a thread, Harrison offers to marry her to make the situation right. As a charity ball to rebuild the Mercy Falls lighthouse draws near, she realizes she wants more than a sham engagement-she wants Harrison in her life forever. But her enemy plans to shatter the happiness she is ready to grasp. If Olivia dares to drop her masquerade, she just might see the path to true happiness.

My comments: I always enjoy books by Colleen Coble and when I saw she had a series based somewhat on lighthouses I got excited!  This book has everything I enjoy: mystery, romance, and suspense.  The characters are likable, understandable, and I can relate to them.  Because it is Christian fiction I didn’t have to deal with censoring scenes in the book that I view inappropriate for my own personal reading.

I thought I had figured out the ending, but wound up being surprised.  I enjoy and appreciate that in a book!

This is the third in a series, and because I enjoyed this book so much I ordered the first book, The Lightkeeper’s Daughter and look forward to reading it.

This book will be published mid-April by Thomas Nelson.  I received an e-copy to review from NetGalley.  Thank you!

Lilly’s Wedding Quilt by Kelly Long

Saturday, March 19th, 2011

Handsome, headstrong Jacob offers Lilly his hand in marriage, but his heart belongs to someone else.

While Lilly Lapp has loved Jacob for years, she wouldn’t compete with Sarah King, the woman Jacob was determined to marry. But when Sarah marries another, Jacob spontaneously agrees to wed Lilly.

Lilly divides her time between teaching the local Amish children and caring for her widowed mother who suffers from depression. Lilly’s faith comforts her, but her heart still longs to be the sole object of Jacob’s affection.

As the days slip by, Lilly decides that hoping is too risky and vows to protect her heart. But God is subtly as work, and as winter turns to spring, their hearts awaken.

The furthest thing from Lilly’s mind is her Amish wedding quilt, a traditional gift for new brides. And the person she’d least suspect is the one making it. Like stray pieces of fabric quilted into a new design, Jacob and Lilly’s marriage begins to bind them together in ways neither expected.

My Comments: Why oh why do I love these Amish books so much?  I think it is because they are sweet, romantic, and CLEAN.  Again, I cried and I loved reading this book!  Again, it hits different issues and makes me long for a simpler life.  This is the second or third time I’ve read a book by Kelly Long and each story gets better.  Having gone through a major depression myself, I love the way Kelly handles this in her story.  Christians, especially need education about depression, and to do that in a story format is a great way to reach people with the truth.  Interesting to know that depressionis a problem also in the Amish community, but then again depression is no respecter of persons!

Also, the teaching aspect hooks me.  I can’t even begin to imaging teaching all grades.  The children must be well behaved!  Kelly touches on autism in a sweet way.  Of course, the characters are almost perfect, but I love the escape!

Please  leave a comment share with me the name of your favorite Amish book, or clean romance.  I know there must be other readers out there like me!

I obtained this book for my Nook on NetGalley (thank you very much).  It is set to be published by Thomas Nelson the end of March.

The Knitting Diaries by Debbie Macomber, Susan Mallery, and Christina Skye

Saturday, March 5th, 2011


About the book:

The Twenty-First Wish by Debbie Macomber

Anne Marie Roche and her adopted daughter, ten-year-old Ellen, have each written a list of twenty wishes—on which they included learning to knit. But Ellen has quietly added a twenty-first wish: that her mom will fall in love with Tim, Ellen’s birth father, who’s recently entered their lives….

Coming Unraveled by Susan Mallery

When Robyn Mulligan’s dreams of becoming a Broadway star give way to longing for her childhood home, she returns to Texas, running her grandmother’s knitting store. But the handsome, hot-tempered T. J. Passman isn’t making it easy on her. If he can learn to trust Robyn, and overcome his tragic past, they just might discover a passion like no other.

Return to Summer Island by Christina Skye

After a devastating car accident, Caro McNeal is welcomed by a community of knitters on Oregon’s sleepy Summer Island. She also finds meaning and purpose in the letters she exchanges with a marine serving in Afghanistan. But when life takes another unexpected turn, will Caro pick up the threads of hope, opening her heart to wherever it takes her?

My comments: The Knitting Diaries is a great read!  I especially enjoyed Debbie Macomber’s story because it takes off after her book “Twenty Wishes.”  The middle story, Coming Unraveled, was a little sexually graphic for me.  It pushed my comfort zone, but I was totally comfortable with the first and last story.  They were sweet.  You can enjoy these stories whether or not you knit, because take it from me, when it comes to knitting – I have two left hands!  The stories are warm, cozy, and romantic.  The Knitting Diaries is a great escape read – leaves one with a good feeling.  I recommend this book highly – just watch the middle story if you do not prefer stories with more graphic sex.

Seasons of Sugarcreek – Winter’s Awakening, Spring’s Renewal, and Automumn’s Promise by Shelley Shepard Gray

Saturday, January 29th, 2011

As the coldest winter on record blows into Sugarcreek, will three hearts have the courage to discover the life that God wants for them?

In the small Amish town of Sugarcreek, Ohio, Joshua knows what’s expected of him: to work at the family store and to finally marry Gretta, whom he’s courted for years. But when a new English family moves in next door—and their teenage daughter catches his eye—Joshua wonders if his future plans are too firmly set in stone.

Gretta is shocked by the sudden change in Joshua. Their arguments followed by tense silences feel too much like the frosty atmosphere at home between her parents. When Roland begins to take an interest in her, she considers what her life might be like with Joshua out of the picture. With Roland, Gretta would have steady, kind companionship…although she knows she could never love him.

When Lilly moved to Sugarcreek, she never imagined she’d be enamored with the Amish way of life—and especially with her handsome new neighbor, Joshua. But she guards a secret that will surely drive him away, one that compelled her family to leave their old home and move to Sugarcreek in the first place: Lilly is pregnant.

My Comments: Loved this book – I could honestly relate to the characters and I enjoyed them.  Even the “English” neighbors were sweet and a good family.  I love a book that makes me cry!  Because I’m not naturally a crier, I find this a release.  I cried through the last part of this book.

Tim Graber arrives in Sugarcreek to help his aunt and uncle with spring planting. At first, Tim does’t fit in with his many cousins and their crowded lifestyle. But when he meets Clara Slabaugh, the local school teacher, he understands why the Lord brought him to Sugarcreek. Clara is shy and quiet. Scarred from a fire when she was small, Clara has resigned herself to living alone and caring for her mother, who tells her that no man will ever see past her scars, and that Clara needs to keep teaching in order to make ends meet. Her father passed away years ago, and her mother depends on her. But the scars mean nothing to Tim. He appreciates her quiet nature and her wonderful, loving way with children. Yet Tim has a sweetheart back home in Indiana. As these two hearts struggle to determine their path, tragedy strikes, and every other worry seems insignificant in comparison. Though they now face a life they never imagined, will Tim and Clara have the faith to step out and risk everything for a chance at true love?

My Comments: This is a great book – it gives the kind of feeling you want to have escaping into a good book.  The characters grow and change quite a bit, and Clara, the main character is quite admirable and someone I would like to have been like.  I especially would have loved her as a friend and as a teacher.  I would have liked to teach WITH her!  Tim grows up quite a bit and learns to understand himself and his feelings.  Many emotions rose to the surface while reading.  This is the first book of the series I read and I had to get the others!

Some promises are meant to be broken. . . .

Until Robert Miller met Lilly Allen, his world had been dark. A widower after only two years of marriage, he’d been living in a haze, feeling that, at twenty-four, his life was already over. But thanks to his friendship with Lilly, he now has new reasons to wake up each day. He knows his connection to her doesn’t make sense. She’s only nineteen, with a past the whole town talks about. Even more, she’s not Amish, like Robert. A marriage between the two of them could never happen.

Lilly’s heart is drawn to Robert, not to his faith. No matter how much she admires his quiet strength and dependability, she doesn’t think she could ever give up her independence and reliance on the modern world. Is their love doomed before it even begins?

My Comments: I also enjoyed this book, however, not too sure of the realism of it.  I love the theme of true love conquers all, but I wonder if two people who truly love each other CAN overcome all their differences.  Marriage is difficult enough without beginning with two strikes against you.  However, that being said, the book kept me engaged.  I liked the characters.  I love the Amish community and the way they care for each other and worry about each other.  Both main characters went through a time of deep grieving and hurt; I think this is what drew them together more than anything else.  They wanted to be happy and feel like they belonged again.

My Comments about the series: Although I read this series out of order, I would not recommend that.  The books build.  I still enjoyed it even though I kind of knew what was going to happen from reading out of order :-)  I’m looking for more from this author.

Lydia’s Charm by Wanda Brunstetter

Saturday, June 19th, 2010

Widowed and jobless, Lydia King moves her son and herself to Charm, Ohio, to be close to her mother and help with her grandfather. Menno Troyer, a furniture store owner, is also recently widowed and the father of four energetic boys. Levi Stutzman, another newcomer to the area, is the only one in his family not handicapped by dwarfism and has dedicated his life to caring for them. As fall colors the countryside, will anonymous gifts left for Lydia bring her hope for a new life and romance, or will another tragedy flood her with infinite despair?

My Review: I always love reading books about the Amish.  I think the simple and hard-working life appeals to me, even though I would never want to live that way myself.  Wanda Brunstetter does a great job writing about the Amish lifestyle, and in each book she seems to hit an issue.  In this book, dwarfism is the issue.  People who are “tall” don’t really consider what little people deal with on a daily basis. We are always curious about people who have different challenges than we do.  Wanda Brunstetter in “Lydia’s Charm” puts this challenge within the context of the Amish. The book also deals with death – the death of a husband, grandfather and child.  In my finite mind I think the characters work through their grief very quickly, but as of yet I have not lost a spouse nor a child, so I don’t have first-hand knowledge.  I read this book in one day.  It kept me totally engaged and my emotions ran all over the place from crying to laughing.  If you love reading about the Amish and/or different lifestyles; if you love reading books about people facing adversity, if you love reading books with happy endings; you will enjoy Wanda Brunstetter’s books.  I enjoyed this book as well as all of her others and I look forward to reading more from her.  I would recommend these books for girls age 13 and up.  Brunstetter’s books contain good, solid, Biblical principles and lessons.

Book will be available September 1, 2010.

Cry in the Night by Colleen Coble

Sunday, February 1st, 2009

Product Description
Bree Nichols gets the shock of her life when her husband-presumed dead-reappears.

Bree Nichols and her search and rescue dog Samson discover a crying infant in the densely forested woods outside of Rock Harbor, Michigan. Against objections from her husband, Kade, who knows she’ll become attached, Bree takes the baby in. Quickly she begins a search for the mother-presumably the woman reported missing just days earlier.

While teams scour the forests, Bree ferrets out clues about the missing woman. But she soon discovers something more shocking: Bree’s former husband-long presumed dead in a plane crash-resurfaces. Is he really who he says he is? And should she trust him again after all these years?

An engaging, romantic suspense novel from critically-acclaimed author Colleen Coble.

My Review:  All I can say is that I am glad this is a three-day weekend because I devoured this book in a day and a half.  I love books about dogs and families.  Throw in a little suspense and romance and I’m hooked.  I have read all of the books in this series.  This book has been added to the Rock Harbor series after quite a break in time, but it picks up where the others left off.  The setting of fictional small town Rock Harbor in the Upper Peninsula in Michigan just adds to the suspense – cold, snowy, icy weather.  This setting brings back great memories of living in northern Iowa and COLD winter weather.  Samson the rescue dog is just plain lovable and a real hero!  The main character Bree Matthews is very easy to relate to and has a lot of impossibly difficult decisions to make.  A few surprises are thrown in as well.  If you enjoy mystery, suspense, romance, small town living, and main characters oozing of integrity, you will enjoy this book.

Review: The Lucky One by Nicholas Sparks

Saturday, January 10th, 2009

Product Description: In his 14th book, bestselling author Nicholas Sparks tells the unforgettable story of a man whose brushes with death lead him to the love of his life.

Is there really such thing as a lucky charm? The hero of Nicholas Sparks’s new novel believes he’s found one in the form of a photograph of a smiling woman he’s never met, but who he comes to believe holds the key to his destiny. The chain of events that leads to him possessing the photograph and finding the woman pictured in it is the stuff of love stories only a master such as Sparks can write.

My Review: I always find Nicholas Sparks’ books rather surreal, and this one was no exception.  I will say it was the first one I have finished since Night in Rodanthe (I have all the ones in between as well).  He is a great writer and the story was riveting, just not at all true to life.  The characters are likeable (except the one you are not supposed to like), the setting was great (a dog kennel in rural North Carolina), and the story which was quite romantic was also very engaging. I read it in two days.  I have a problem with the dichotomy of a couple going to a Baptist church also sleeping together.  I don’t know why this is always necessary.  However, I liked this book and recommend it if you are looking for a great and entertaining escape.  I wonder if this one will become a movie?

At His Command by Brenda Coulter

Friday, August 29th, 2008

About the Book: In one short month, cheerful army nurse Madeline Bright has become the darling of Prairie Springs, Texas. And if ex-pilot Jake Hopkins isn’t careful, she might just conquer his heart. She’s young, pretty and blithe-spirited…he’s older and jaded. But being around Maddie brings back too many painful memories. Jake still feels guilty about failing to save Maddie’s brother in an army helicopter crash years ago. So no matter how much Maddie wants to be in his life, for her own good, Jake can’t allow that. He’ll never have a normal, stable life.
And sweet Madeline deserves nothing less.

My Review: First of all, if you like clean romance, sweet romance I recommend Steeple Hill’s Love Inspired line. These are generally shorter books that are perfect for tucking into your purse or spending a few hours reading.
I enjoy reading these books, (I really do read every genre!) and Brenda Coulter’s At His Command is one I recommend! The story is very sweet, the prose is strong, and the characters are likeable. Plus, it’s interesting to read a love story with such a huge age difference! There are certainly some different things that come into play there.
At His Command is available now in stores, but if you can’t find it, you can order it on Amazon.