An Inconvenient Truth by Kristi Ann Hunter

Love, love, love this book. I have read all of Kristi Ann Hunter's books and they are all excellent. As soon as my teenage daughter saw this book in the mail, she screamed with excitement and told me to hurry up so she could read it next. Yes, they are that good. This final book in the series (say it ain't so!) finally tells the story of the Duke of Riverton and his quest for a wife. Now that all of his siblings and ward are married, he has decided that it is time for him to settle down. He is the most eligible catch in the area, so there are plenty of ladies who would be flattered, but he is a more sensible and logical guy and has his sights on one particular lady. Needless to say, the lady's cousin catches his attentions but she is not the type of girl he thinks he needs. Isabella Breckenridge is the most beautiful lady of the London season, but she is not there to find a husband, but to save her family. The way this story unfolds in lovely and makes you truly think about trusting God in everything and learning to have less control. Trust me you will fall in love with all of the characters in this story. I strongly recommend starting at the beginning of the Hawthorne House series. While you can read this book separately, you will have a greater fondness for the Dukes of Riverton's family members if you read their stories as well. Thank you to the publisher for this free copy.

Behind the Scenes by Jen Turano

I decided to review a book from an author I had never read before. This book was just "okay." While I am sure some may laugh out loud at the main character and her silly personality, I had a hard time picturing her behavior in the setting of this book. While I realize she is supposed to be a wallflower who doesn't know how to behave correctly or always seems to have a public accident happen to her, I just thought she was a little "too much." A little over the top. There is a mystery type plot to the story, but it is not too difficult to connect the dots. This was a fairly simple read with a predictable ending. Thank you to the publisher for a free copy to review.

Wings of the Wind by Connilyn Cossette

My absolute favorite fiction to read is biblical fiction. This story was a joy to read. I was enthralled from the very first chapter and could not wait to see what was going to happen. You could feel the tension between the characters and then, as the story unfolds, the tension releases and you could feel the forgiveness between them. This story is about a Canaanite who does not believe in the one true God and through the people she comes in contact with and her life experiences, she begins to see the love of God. I think there were many lessons for us to glean from the story of Alanah. This book comes with discussion questions in the back. I highly recommend them. There are many twist and turns to the story so you never get board and the story is not predictable. Thank you to the publisher for a free copy of this book.

A Note Yet Unsung by Tamera Alexander

Another great Belmont Mansion novel! This book intrigued me because I have read many of Tamera Alexander's books and because I live in a house with violinist. I fell in love with the two main characters, Rebekah and Nathaniel, and delighted in their interactions. Alexander does an excellent job of "painting the picture," so you can feel the emotions of the characters. She also does a supreme job describing the mansion. You feel as if you are walking through the house and can sense the grandeur. I do think that the story line was mostly predictable. My favorite part of the book is the situation with Nathaniel's family and how it effects Rebekah and Nathaniel's relationship. I also enjoyed going to Alexander's website and listening to the music written about in the book while I was reading. Delightful! Thank you to the publisher for a free copy of this book.

The Innkeeper of Ivy Hill by Julie Klassen

I am always excited when a new book by Julie Klassen is published. Her style of writing along with her story line always engages me and I am thoroughly hooked to every word. This book intrigued me from the very beginning because I have read many historical fiction books, but I have never read about a coaching inn. The main character of this story, Jane Bell, becomes the landlady to a coaching inn after the devastating death of her husband. She has no desire to run the inn and no know-how, but debt and the fear of the town's demise ultimately drags her out of her mourning state and into the business world. She learns how to deal with her mother-in-law, who returns to "help", owning a business as a woman in the early 19th century, her husband's suspicious death, and competition. Through all of this she learns how resilient she really is and that there is hope for the future. I highly recommend this book by Klassen. Thank you to the publisher for the free copy.

A Lady Unrivaled by Roseanna M. White

This is the final book in the Ladies of the Manor series by Roseanna White and the final story about the fire eyes. I have enjoyed all of the books in this series. I found A Lady Unrivaled to be a heart warming story about a girl who wants to protect her family from the dangers of cursed rare diamonds and about a man who needs redemption from a troubled past. I enjoyed the fun banter between these two characters. I also enjoy the authors scene and setting descriptions. She does an excellent job of helping you visualize everything without going too far and losing you, which always causes me to scan ahead. This book would be difficult to read without knowing what happens in the previous two books, so I also recommend The Lost Heiress and The Reluctant Duchess. Thank you to the publisher for the opportunity to review this book.

An Elegant Facade by Kristi Ann Hunter

This book was excellent. I started off by reading the author's note and decided that even though Kristi Ann says that you can read this book without reading A Noble Masquerade, I decided that I better start at the beginning. While you could read this book without the other stories, I prefer to start at the beginning. I'm real glad I did. I started with A Lady of Esteem, Kristi Ann's e-novella before reading the next two books. All three were fantastic. The e-novella sets the stage for the Hawthorne House Regency series and A Noble Masquerade and An Elegant Facade continue the story. What I liked best about this book is that the setting is during the same time frame as the previous book. Each book is about a sister and her debut season. Their stories intertwine, so you get some of the same scenes but the perspective is completely different. Her characters are interesting and the story lines keep you wanting to continue reading. I highly recommend reading all three of Kristi Ann Hunter's books. Thank you to the publisher for the free copy.

Where Hope Prevails by Jannette Oke and Laurel Oke Logan

A fantastic sequel! This book is the third in the series "Return to the Canadian West", and picks up shortly after the previous book. As a reader you are instantly drawn to the main character, Beth, and her quiet, compassionate, and kind demeanor. Though small in stature, Beth's faith is strong, and the book details her relatable struggles and triumphs as a Christian. With God's help she discovers how to respond to a fellow teacher who does not share her beliefs, as well as place her full faith and trust in the Lord for her future, hopes, and dreams. Overall, "Where Hope Prevails" is an excellent continuation of the series. Thank you to the publisher for this review.

From This Moment by Elizabeth Camden

Loved this book! Elizabeth Camden does such a great job of creating intriguing characters and laying out a vivid scene. She grabs your attention from the very beginning of the book and you are hooked throughout. My teenage daughter even read this book and could not put it down. She had to buy a copy for her cousin! The main character, Stella West, is so determined to figure out what happened to her sister and she throws all caution to the wind even if it means her safety, propriety and burning bridges. Romulus White is a self professed bachelor and part owner of struggling magazine, but upon meeting Stella, whom he desperately needs to work for him, he starts to rethink his bachelor status. The relationship between these two was charming and well written. You could envision them walking down the street together. Before you purchase this book, you must read a novella by Elizabeth Camden called, Summer Dreams. This book is a short story which includes Romulus and two other important characters. It is a great read as well. I highly recommend both books. Thank you to the publisher for a free copy.

The Reluctant Duchess by Roseanna M. White

Roseanna White is an excellent story teller. I thoroughly enjoy her books! This is a large almost 400 page book and I guarantee that you will struggle to stop reading. I devoured this book. Lady Rowena character is so sweet, timid and broken that you can't help but love her and hope the best for her. The Duke of Nottingham is a flirt and the most eligible bachelor in the area but his faith is extremely strong and you can't help but admire all he goes through and his faith in God. The story has many unexpected twists and turns which leave you wanting more. I wrote in a previous review about White's first book in this series and the difficulty with keeping track of all the different characters and their different formal names. This book was easier to read. Either because I had read the first one and remembered everyone or because there seemed to be fewer characters and less names to keep track of. Either way, I strongly recommend reading this book. Thank you to the publisher for the chance to review this copy.

The Painter's Daughter by Julie Klassen

Another great Klassen book! I have enjoyed many of Klassen's books and this one does not disappoint. There are many twist and turns in the conflict of this story which left me thinking about what will happen next while I was forced to put the book down. I will admit there were a few sleepless nights when I decided to sacrifice sleep for the greater good of reading more of this book. You feel sorry for Sophie as she is struggling with the choices she made and at the same hoping that she will be joyful in the end. I highly recommend this book. Thank you to the publisher for a copy of this book to review.

Streams of Mercy by Lauraine Snelling

I have purchased and reviewed Lauraine Snelling's books for many years. I usually like to read her books, hence why I keep purchasing, but these last two have not been my favorite. I wrote in a previous review that the book preceding this one was not a story line I enjoyed. Since I usually like Snelling's books, I decided to review this book and hope for a good read. That did not happen. Honestly, I tried. I could not get into the story line. I stopped reading it, read another book to review and tried to come back to this story, but I could not finish it. The story just didn't seem to be going anywhere. The characters were boring and there wasn't any rising action hoping to get to a climax. I read over half of the book, but sadly could not finish it. Thank you to the publisher for the chance to review this book.

The Lost Heiress by Roseanna M. White

I enjoy Roseanna White's style of writing. She spends just the right amount of time describing the setting, without forcing you to scan ahead to skip the boring description, has interesting characters, and a gripping story which keeps you interested all the way to the end of the book. As a matter of fact, I was bummed when this story was over. I would be excited for a sequel. My only complaint about the book was that there were many, many characters. I had to flip to the front of the book to the character list until about the middle of the book when I could finally keep everyone straight. The difficulty being White decided to have several names for many of the characters, so it made it a challenge at times to figure out which character she was writing about. Once you get all the characters straightened out, you will enjoy this beautiful story about a young lady seeking her station in life and seeking love with a twist in the story which brings a thrilling mystery plot to round out a great book. Thank you to the publisher for this copy to review.

Until Harvest by Sarah Loudin Thomas

Sarah Loudin Thomas is a new author for me. I decided to go a little out of my comfort zone and review something I would not normally read and I'm glad I did. I really enjoyed this book. I adored the story and her writing was easy to read. I was pleased with her description of the places and people because she was clear and concise. The two main characters, Margaret and Henry, are young and dealing with personal tragedies in their lives and the unknown of what the future holds for them, but the care and love of their family and friends help guide them to a better understanding of God's love and healing. There were no crazy twist and turns in this book. Just a good solid story line with a sweet ending. I recommend this book. Thank you to the publisher for the free review.

A Harvest of Hope by Lauraine Snelling

I enjoyed this book. I read the first one in this series and I wasn't too impressed but this book was much more enjoyable. What I love most about this book are the stories of faith through hardship. There are deaths, physical healing, a town tragedy, and serious town drama, but through it all, the characters of this book show faith in God's mercy and incredible strength. They seek to do what is right no matter the cost and encourage each other along the way. The synopsis of the book is focused on Miriam and Trygve's struggles and relationship. This story line is a good portion of the book, but there are a few other stories within that theme which really bring depth and goodness to this book. I recommend this book. Thank you to the publisher for the free copy.

Where Trust Lies by Janette Oke and Laurel Oke Logan

I usually enjoy books by Oke, but this book was hard to read. I found myself skipping large areas and skimming. To me the book was more about the scenery and the Canadian cities than it was about the characters and their stories. The story line kept dragging on with the story line not going anywhere except to different city ports and the same similar conversations happening between characters. The book became interesting around the last quarter of it. I really can't recommend this book. Thank you to the publisher for the free copy.

Beyond All Dreams by Elizabeth Camden

Truly enjoyable book! Everything from the description of the setting, to the strong characters, to the captivating story line, and you are locked into an excellent read. Camden's female character, Anna O'Brien, is a sweet girl who has a stable job at the Library of Congress, but she is unsettled about the events which led to her father's death. An intriguing Congressman, Luke Callahan, offers to help Anna connect all the missing pieces to her mystery, but trouble seems to be following them and neither one is sure it will be worth all they have worked for and protected. I highly recommend this book. You will never want to put it down! Thank you to the publisher for the free copy.

The Secret of Pempbrooke Park by Julie Klassen

When I received this book in the mail, I was a little worried about the length of it. My first thought was, "This better be good!" Well, it was. I was reading this book every moment I had and late into the night. There is nothing better than great characters, a beautiful setting, love stories, and mystery. Abigail Foster is a dutiful older daughter and loving sister. When the family runs into money problems, she takes the lead and secures the family an estate to rent which belongs to a distant relative. From the moment she arrives, there is much mystery in the condition of the house, the secrets and the hush, hush and warnings of the neighboring community. All of these things intrigue Abigail and her curiosity can not be squelched. Along with figuring out the mystery of the estate, Abigail is also dealing with her personal life. Desperately trying to come to the realization that she is well over traditional marrying age and watching in the shadow of her younger sister as she has no problem catching the eye of every eligible young man. I love how Klassen intertwines old love interests with new love interests and the powerful friendship of women. I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Thank you to the publisher for the free copy.

To Everything a Season by Lauraine Snelling

I was excited to get a chance to review this book because I have read all of Snelling's books about the town of Blessing and the Bjorkand family. Overall I enjoyed the book, but what I found somewhat disappointing and strange was that the write up about the book and the summary on the cover was only what the last quarter of the book was about. It really was mostly about familiarizing the reader with the characters of Blessing, crime moving into the town and about the matron of the Bjorkland family and her trials during this chapter of her life. Trygve and Miriam's story entails a small portion of the book with a cliff hanger at the end which leads me to believe that her next book will be about their story. I do enjoy Snelling's writing so I will be anxiously awaiting the next book in the series. Thank you the Bethany House for the pleasure of reviewing this book.

The River by Beverly Lewis

I am big fan of Beverly Lewis. I'm pretty sure I have read every one of her books. I enjoy them because I love the Amish and her books are delightful stories. This book is a wonderful story about a family dealing with tragedy and forgiveness. When tragedy happens in a family, it can be very destructive to a family, and sisters Tilly and Ruth are no strangers to a broken and hurting family. These two Amish raised sisters both decide to leave the Amish and live in the English world. They each had different reasons for leaving, but their heartache is the same. After many years, they return home for a celebration and find themselves dragged back into the troubled past. I found this book by Lewis to have a slow start. I had some difficulty enjoying the story line and it took a while for me to be interested in the lives of the characters. In the end, I enjoyed the message the book relayed and the happy ending. Thank you to the publisher for this book to review.