Review: The Trouble with Patience by Maggie Brendan

The Trouble with Patience

The Trouble with Patience is Maggie Brendan’s latest romance story that takes place in the old west.  During 1866 in Nevada City in the Montana Territory we meet Patience Cavanaugh who owns the boarding house and Jedediah Jones the town marshal.  At first meeting, sparks fly between the both of them.  As they begin to work together to make their town a home for all living there a mixture of feelings starts to develop between the both of them.  With several secondary characters, cattle thieves making life problematic, and a mystery to solve, Patience and Jedediah’s love story doesn’t seem to have a chance to bloom.  Then life gets even more interesting for the both of them when Patience finds out about Jedediah’s past.  I enjoyed this trip back in time to a booming mine town and of the time of vigilantes.   The cover really grabbed my attention as Patience is looking back and her town is in the foreground, as if she’s saying she has a story I really want to hear.   This is the first in a new series titled Virtues and Vices of the Old West which I look forward to continue reading.  I received my copy for an honest review from Revell and the opinions are my own.

Review: Sword of Forgiveness by Debbie Lynne Costello



Sword of Forgiveness

I am pleased to have had an opportunity to read Debbie Lynn Costello’s medieval story Sword of Forgiveness.  I have been a follower of Ms. Costello’s blog for a few years now and I was really excited that she was having her story published.  I very much enjoy medieval stories and there is not a lot out there for the inspirational market.  It is my favorite of all time periods to read.  And what a story it was.  In a time period where women were considered chattel, our heroine Brithwin was determined to take care of her cruel late father’s castle and estate.  However, during the feudal times, the king was not going to allow that.  The king gives her to Royce, the Lord of Rosen Craig, to be his bride.  Unbeknownst to her, her new husband is not pleased with the marriage either as he blames her for the brutal murder of his parents.   And so their lives begin together with animosity and suspicion of each other.  I really enjoyed this romantic tale of danger and intrigue and I look forward to more by Ms. Costello.  Especially in this series and I highly recommend it.   I was given a copy for an honest review and the opinions are my own.



Review: A Most Inconvenient Marriage by Regina Jennings

A Most Inconvenient Marriage

A Most Inconvenient Marriage by Regina Jennings was such a fun read, I read it in less than 24 hours.  I could not put this book down.  Taking place right after the Civil War, Nurse Abigail Stuart gives in to a dying soldiers request and marries him.  Jeremiah Calhoun was her late husband’s name and his main concern was for his sister Rachel to be taken care of.  In the bargain Abigail would receive the rights to his farm.  Being driven from her own family, Abigail quickly makes her way to the Ozark farm and sets up house with her mother-in-law and Rachel, her sister-in-law.  Just to make things interesting, she must also confront Jeremiah’s fiancé, Laurel, and let her know that he loved Laurel till the end.  But marrying Abigail was for the best for his ailing sister.  Their lives begin to settle into a new pattern until the real Jeremiah Calhoun shows up back home.  Injured himself, he is bound and determined not to let this woman into his life and he wants to pick things back up with his fiancé Laurel.  This story delivers a delightful tale of antics, a slow burn love, danger, and the companionship of friends and neighbors.  Not to mention the mystery of whom Abigail actually married if it was not Jeremiah Calhoun.  I highly recommend this one by Regina Jennings and it is going on my keeper shelf.  I received my copy from The Book Club Network, Inc. for an honest review and the opinions are my own.

Review: The Crimson Cord by Jill Eileen Smith

The Crimson Cord

The Crimson Cord by Jill Eileen Smith is a fictional account based on Rahab’s story in the Bible.  Rahab, a prostitute, helps the Israelite spies and she and those within her home are saved from the destruction of the city of Jericho.  Putting her faith in the God of Israel, she places a red cord out her window and she and her loved ones are sheltered in her home as the city walls come tumbling down (Hebrews 11:31). This book explores the events before Rahab meets the spies, the destruction of Jericho, and after.  I have always wondered if God sent those two spies specifically to save Rahab and I was always curious about more of her story.  Ms. Smith gives us her imaginings of how Rahab may have been placed in prostitution and how she was crying out to any god to save her before the events in the story unfolded and she became Rahab the prostitute.  I really did enjoy this story as the characters asked many of the same questions as we do today, especially in regards to the mercy and grace of God and yet His perfect judgement on mankind as well.   Forgiveness, salvation, and faith are themes in this story and they are interwoven throughout.  There is a romantic thread between Rahab and Salmon, one of the two spies, and it was interesting to see how that played out.  In the Bible Rahab becomes the mother of Boaz, firmly placing her in the genealogical line of Jesus (Mathew 1:5).   I liked how Ms. Smith wove the story around the Biblical accounts located in Joshua chapters 4-9.  I look forward to the next in this series, Daughters of the Promised Land.  I have received my copy from Revell Publishers for an honest review and the opinions are my own.

Diamond Rings are Deadly Things Blog Tour and Review

Tour Schedule and Giveaway

Diamond Rings are Deadly Things by Rachelle J. Christensen

Adrielle Pyper knows how to plan a wedding, and she is especially good at pleasing bridezillas. But when her biggest client and best friend is murdered just three days before the wedding, Adri’s world falls apart. She moves to the resort town of Sun Valley, Idaho, and starts from scratch. Thanks to Adri’s impeccable taste and unique style, she lands two celebrity clients, and her business seems headed for success–that is, until someone vandalizes the specialty wedding dresses she imported from overseas. The race is on to uncover a secret hidden within the yards of satin and lace before Adri becomes the next victim. With a delightful blend of mystery, toe-curling kisses, humor, and spine-tingling thrills, Diamond Rings are Deadly Things is a romantic suspense novel that will keep you turning pages long into the night.

My Review:

Diamond Rings are Deadly Things was my first read by author Rachelle J. Christensen.  It follows the life of Adrielle Pyper and her business of being a wedding planner.  All is going well until she and her business partner and friend, Lorea, receive a shipment of high end wedding dresses from China.  That first order is not going as planned as one of the dresses is missing and one is damaged.  Trying their best to fix those mistakes and make their clients happy, especially two very famous ones, starts to become more than they bargained for, especially when a series of misfortunes and unexplained disturbances begin to happen.  Enter a couple of interesting guys for love interests for Adrielle, a big secret she is keeping, and a past tragedy and you have the making of a great mystery.  This book is at times lighthearted and others creepy as along with Adrielle you are never sure who to trust.  At the beginning of each chapter there are some really cute ideas and tips from making bridal showers and weddings memorable to such tips on stain removal and storing your dress.  I really liked that added craftiness on the author’s part.  This story had me reading late into the night with plenty of surprises on the way.  I was not able to guess who the real culprit was until that person(s) was revealed.  I look forward to more of Ms. Christensen stories.  I received this book for review and the opinions are my own. 

 

Author Rachelle J. Christensen

Rachelle J. Christensen was born and raised in a small farming town in Idaho. She graduated cum laude from Utah State University with a degree in psychology.

She enjoys singing and songwriting, playing the piano, running, motivational speaking, and of course reading. Rachelle has an amazing husband, five cute kids, three cats, and five chickens.

 
 

 

Review: A Mom's Prayers for Her Son by Rob & Joanna Teigen

A Mom's Prayers for Her Son

Following along the same lines as the previous book, A Dad’s Prayers for His Daughter, A Mom’s Prayers for Her Son is a mom’s prayer guide for praying for her son’s or sons’ lives.  There are 77 sections in this book and each section starts off with a Bible verse or verses, a prayer (really helpful for when you can’t find the words), and sometimes another mother’s story.  What I really liked about the prayers was that not only are we praying for our sons, but also ourselves and how we can better communicate, be an example, etc. and apply that to our own lives.  This is a great book for moms with boys and would be great to use as part of a mother’s devotional as each section is short enough to quickly read and not add to her already busy life.  It is a keeper for my shelf and reread of many more times through the years.  I received this book from The Book Club Network, Inc. and the opinions expressed are my own.

A Retro Review: (A review I had written before I started my blog.)

A Dad's Prayers for His Daughter

A Dad’s Prayer for His Daughter is a book I would recommend to fathers who have daughters.  Prayer is so powerful, even more so than we think.  This book has 88 sections.  It starts off with what type of prayer to pray for like: When she needs comfort, or when she starts dating.  There is than a Bible verse or two and a specific prayer.  Throughout the book is sprinkled Dad’s stories, where other fathers share from the heart their experiences.  This book is not just prayers but is also a teaching book for fathers that could be used as a devotional as well.  The cover of the book says it all: Praying for every part of her life.  And it does just that.  This would make a very good father’s day gift as a supplement to a dad’s prayer life.  I have passed this on to my husband and he is enjoying it.  I received my copy from The Book Club Network, Inc., however the opinions are my own.

Review: To Everything a Season by Lauraine Snelling

To Everything a Season

To Everything a Season by Lauraine Snelling is the first in her Song of Blessing series.  At first I was a bit thrown off by this story as even though it is the start of a new series, it really was more of a continuation of her previous series dealing with the town of Blessing and the Red River Valley.  We don’t even meet the main characters of this book till much later.  I have not read the previous series by Ms. Snelling and that being said this book still ended up being an enjoyable read for me.  After I had become acquainted with the characters in the town of Blessing (she has a very nice, exhaustive family tree in the beginning) I really could see what a great story teller she is and why she continues in her Red River Valley series.  So if you are already a Lauraine Snelling fan or this is your first time reading something of hers, I think this is a good book to pick up.  The fans will enjoy meeting up with favorite characters and new fans will want to go back and read about the families from the beginning.  I received this book from The Book Club Network, Inc. and the opinions stated are my own.

Review: Where Rivers Part by Kellie Coates Gilbert

Where Rivers Part

 

 

Where Rivers Part is Kellie Coates Gilbert’s second book in her A Texas Gold Novel series.  I do not think they follow each other in anyway as each story is about a woman who is going through some pretty serious circumstances.  In this second novel we meet Dr. Juliet Ryan, who is focusing her career on providing safe drinking bottled water for millions of people through the company she was recently hired.   Working for Larimar Springs provides her an opportunity to climb the corporate ladder and to show her estranged scientist father that she can make a difference in providing corporations with a way to make food and safety more important than the bottom line.  However, when people start getting sick and dying from a pathogen in Texas, all fingers begin pointing at some unsafe food product.   Everyone, including Juliet and her father, are put on high alert and Juliet realizes more than ever how alone she really is.

I really enjoyed this second book in the series, I think even more than the first.  It was interesting to see the behind the scenes and workings of a corporate business.  Not only that, but there was an air of mystery as Juliet begins to uncover some shady business dealings and in her own personal life learning to forgive.  I look forward to the next novel in this series.  I was provided this book for review by Revell and the opinions are my own.



Review: Whatever it Takes by Emma Keating

Whatever it Takes

Whatever It Takes, by Emma Keating was a wonderful World War II nurse novel. It introduces you to the feisty tomboy, Virginia Beverly- or Beaver as she is better known- and follows her from her hometown, through her training, and then on the battlefield- even to behind enemy lines. I must warn you, though, that the ending will keep you on your toes until the last page. This book is full of quirky characters, thrilling adventures, and surprises. The only flaw is some grammar errors, but with a good dose of laughter, a sprinkling of thought-provoking themes, and a touch of romance, it makes up for it all. Most of all, this book is a coming of age story as a small town girl fights for her country and cares for its soldiers- whatever it takes.

Reviewed by Jes