A Noble Groom by Jody Hedlund

1880. That was the year everything changed.

Annalisa wasn’t really sorry when her husband, Hans, was found dead, burning in a brush pile, his face partially melted off. There was no love between the two of them; especially since he’d taken to stealing her hidden egg and butter money to feed his gambling habit. She’d spent so much time trying to save what she could for her and her daughter.

And now the saved money and her husband were gone.

Yet, Annalisa knew it could be worse. She could have a husband like her 17-year-old sister’s husband, who beat her.

The lingering question of accident or murder didn’t need to be addressed. Saving the farm was all that mattered.

Without a husband- well, probably WITH her deadbeat husband, too- she’d never be able to pay back the loan for their land, and she’d lose her home. There was no place for a husband-less woman with a two-year old to go, and she wouldn’t be a burden to her parents.

As was typical in the immigrant, tight-knit community, her Vater would find a solution. As was also typical, that solution came in the form of a cousin from the Old Country.

But the man who came in the interim was not her cousin, and his identity would be far more dangerous not just to himself, but to Annalisa’s heart. The German immigrant community of displaced miners forced to leave and move across the ocean to Michigan had a long memory, along with long grudges.

Carl wasn’t expecting the lifeline he was thrown. It was his only chance to save his head- literally. The one covertly freeing him was the same that sentenced him to death for a crime he didn’t commit- his father.

Carl also wasn’t expecting to stay long in the immigrant community of miners-turned-farmers. He was expecting to be relieved by his manservant’s son, Dirk, who was to marry the pregnant Annalisa and take on Han’s responsibility of farm and family.

Can Carl help save the farm- and his heart- before it’s too late?

~~~~~~~~~~~

This was a complex story that had me cheering “Go, Carl, go!” and giving other direction to the characters, like, “Just tell him already!” and other words of wisdom. :lol:

Seriously, though, the intricacies of this story where not overwhelming, and certain details were based on historical fact. Character development was fantastic, and the climax was one of the best I’ve read in a while.

You have probably figured out that this title was a slam dunk for me, and gets 5 out of 5 stars, no questions asked.

I don’t know that I’ve read any of Jody Hedlund’s other books, but I’m going to do some digging and see if I have, because I thoroughly enjoyed this title.

I received this book for free from Bethany House publishers (www.bethanyhouse.com) for this review.

Read Full Post »

Swept Away (Trouble in Texas) by Mary Connealy

Ruthy MacNeil would do near anything to get away from her adopted family; particularly her learing “brother,” Virgil, who Ma and Pa have planned to marry her off to. Ruthy had gotten pretty good at hiding and trying to protect herself from his advances. She’d be happy if she could survive the wagon train intact. Escaping was her plan, but she had to wait for the right time. 

Turns out, she didn’t need to worry about sneaking off. Nope, Pa’s stupidity took care of her ‘escape’ for her. Now, if she could manage to survive the swollen river that took the wagons and the family………….

Luke Stone had some reckoning to do. Pa Stone had been killed and his ranch had been stolen from him. Luke’s sister, Callie, had gone off to Colorado to track down her wayward husband. Last he knew, she was doin’ fine.

Someone had to set the ranch to rights, and that someone was him. If Flint Greer had his way, though, Luke would be well out of the way before he got close enough to be a threat.

But Luke had plans for Greer. And, he had friends. They were Regulators, bound together by surviving Andersonville.

Those plans didn’t include a woman. What was he to do? He couldn’t leave her sopped up on the wagon planks in the turbulent river! As driven as he was, he couldn’t leave a woman to die, especially when she was right on his path home.

Can Luke save his ranch? Can they save Flint’s wife and kids from his barbaric beatings? And what’s he going to do with Ruthy?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Author Mary Connealy picks right up where she left off, more or less, after the Kincaid brothers got their lives settled. In the final book of the Kincaid Brides series, we met up with Callie, Luke’s sister, as she went after her forgetful husband.

We jump back to Texas as Luke makes his plan to get his ranch back. This is the first book in the series, and I can’t wait to read the subsequent titles.

This book is classic Mary Connealy, through and through. She is one of my favorite authors, so it’s no surprise I’m giving this one 5 out of 5 stars. It has everything in it- a damsel in distress, wrongs to right, gun fights, and classic good vs. evil battles. If you’ve enjoyed her other titles, you’ll love this one!

You might also enjoy Mary Connealy’s website, that has all of her titles.

I received this book from Bethany House Publishers for this unbiased review.

 

Read Full Post »

Over the Edge by Mary Connealy

“Then the man turned.
It was Seth Kincaid.
Alive and well. He’d be better off dead.
She could arrange that.
She still had her gun.”

Callie had no choice but to leave her Texas home and go chase her wayward husband. He’d survived the Civil War, but she’s not sure his demons will allow his to remember her.

Out of options, she headed to Colorado with their baby in tow, in search of the Kincaid family ranch. Why had he discarded her? Why hadn’t he come for her already?

Hoping the parson had gotten enough time to go for help, she waited for rescue, blood pouring from her wound. She started to relax, as her rescuer came into sight.

And then he turned.

While dodging the bullets she was shooting at him, fingers of recognition wafted through Seth’s mind. “The memory conjured up a pleasant feeling in his chest. Which sure didn’t match with the threat and the gunfire.”

The stagecoach hold-up was not the first obstacle to deal with, but even after having gotten shot, it might well be the easiest, for all the good finding her husband had done.

Not knowing who she was was- but that he’d held her before, Seth scooped her up onto his horse and raced her to town; praying she wouldn’t die. Seth didn’t have time to be shocked at the revelation that she had sparked a prayer, after all those years ago when “he’d paid for survival with his soul.” That afternoon was the last time he’d prayed- until now.

Will she survive her injuries and if she does, will he let her come to the ranch? Will he ever remember her?

If you’ve read any of the other titles in The Kincaid Brides series, you’ll no doubt remember Seth’s struggles. Being burned in a cave as a child combined with the war have left him in a cycle of constantly fighting the demons in his mind.

It seemed to me I had reviewed the first book in the series, Out of Control, but I don’t see that I had. Our move has totally thrown my sense of timing off, because when I “found” this title unpacking, I immediately remembered the characters like I had just read the other book a very short time ago.

That is the sign of a good author- one that writes characters that stick with you despite the passage of significant time. Normally, I read titles in a series in sequence if I can, and if I miss one, I generally won’t go back to read the missing book. This series, however, has been so enjoyable that I probably will go back for the second book, even though I know the end result.

There are few authors that go onto my “must read” list, but Mary Connealy is one that goes onto that list without a second thought. I give this title 5 out of 5 stars.

Because this book was so much fun to read, I’m going to throw you the trailer.

You might also enjoy Mary Connealy’s website, that has all of her titles.

I received this book from Bethany House Publishers for this unbiased review.

Read Full Post »

Short-Straw Bride by Karen Witemeyer

“No one steps on Archer land.” This had been drilled into everyone in Anderson County, Texas- including the school children. When bully Hiram Ellis pitches 10 year-old Meridith Hayes’ lunch bucket onto Archer land, Meri has no choice but to disobey the edict and retrieve it. She’s not going to let Hiram get the best of her, even if it means taking her life into her own hands!

While Meri isn’t shot to pieces, she does end up with a leg caught in a metal trap. Hearing the hunting hound closing in on her followed by an Archer, Meri is resolved is to be brave in her final minutes. What happens next shapes the rest of her life.

After releasing the trap and seeing her home- leaving the Archer land for the first time since swearing an oath to his dying father- Travis knows he’ll never forget those startling blue eyes. Meredith knows that the tall tales about Travis aren’t true, and she holds on to a fantasy of being in love with him as she grows up.

Years later, Meredith has been passed on to live with her aunt and uncle after her own father’s death. As business owners, they see her as a pawn to gain power; her father’s land her only dowry. After all, her leg defect leaves her undesirable.

The match leaves her cold; her dreams of true love shattered. Meri struggles to comply. Right before her engagement is announced, Meri hears of a chilling plan to burn Archer property, forcing them to sell to her unscrupulous intended.

Meri has no choice but to warn the Archers. Her participation in attempting to put out the planned fire results in a head injury which keeps her on the ranch with the four single Archer guys- including Travis. He acknowledges remembering her; understanding that the trap that broke her leg resulted in a permanent limp, one leg being slightly shorter than the other. The responsibility of it all comes crashing down on him, and weighs him down.

Eventually, Meri’s uncle comes to the ranch, looking for her. Once he realizes she’s there, he demands one of the boys marry her, now that she’s been ‘compromised.’ And so, the Archers take to drawing straws………..

I absolutely loved this book. This was another title that had me reading it all in a single setting. It also left my copy dog-eared and giggling. Some of my favorite lines include, “Not even frilly-smelling laundry could tear them apart,” (stemming from the belief that all women smell flowery, and thus, they would too, since she was doing their laundry) and “Except for the handful of weeds he’d presented her that morning, he’d given her nothing but a scarred leg and a dented head.”

See what I mean? I absolutely LOVE books that make me laugh. This one had enough tension in to make you wonder what was going to happen next. There’s also the inevitable kidnapping (but not her) and the leering goon who makes sure she knows he’s going to have his way with her.

I don’t know that I’ve read anything else by Karen Witemeyer, but she goes on my list of authors to get more titles from. I give it 5 out of 5 stars. Click below to see the trailer!

I received this book from Bethany House Publishers for this unbiased review.

Read Full Post »

Submerged by Dani Pettrey

Bailey swore she’d never return to her small hometown of Yancey, Alaska. She is pretty sure there are some things you can never escape; never leave behind.

Going home for her aunt’s unexpected funeral, she realizes with dismay that’s she’s mostly right about that. “Easy Lay Bay” was a nickname given to her back in high school, and it seems that while time has passed and she’s changed, some other people never do. She can’t get out of there fast enough.

Life, however, has a way of conspiring against your plans.

The last person to see her aunt Agnes alive was Cole. Cole, whose heart she broke all those years ago. Cole, who rescued her aunt; submerged in the plane in the ocean 40 feet below the surface, yet amazingly clinging to live in the air pocket. How could he face her and tell her Agnes had been alive when found, only to die during the rescue when the plane shifted just as she launched for the opening which sent her crashing into a cabinet instead?

Before Bailey can make her escape back to her life, it become apparent that the investigation needs her help. She’s the only one around with a doctorate in Russian studies and who is an expert in Russian artifacts. And, since bodies keep turning up, they had no time to waste.

I really enjoyed this book. Even though the plot was a little out there (I’m still wondering how they could have gotten into the water that fast; 35 minutes since the crash seems nearly unrealistically fast to me, particularly in Alaska; and then there’s the whole Russian thing and missing island- It is hard for me to believe that an island can sink into the ocean and not have all the buildings submerged- is it possible for a building- a church in this case- to be underwater and have people having gone inside it and not flood it so that the contents are completely intact? Anyone know an actual answer for this?), I’m still giving it high marks because the writing was good.

If the plot had been more believable, I would definitely give this 5 stars. As it is now, I’m going to give 4.5 out of 5 stars, because this one teeters on the edge of believability. It’s not so far out there as to take your mind off the ‘how’s,’ which for me, results in a reduced rating.

Great fiction, for me personally, has to be plausible enough to actually happen. People can have fantastic luck, but unless it’s entirely fictitious (like sci-fi or witches or something else entirely fabricated), it’s hard for me not to think about the logistics of some of the things going on.

It is very well written, though, and I can see the possibility of a lot of sequels for the other characters. I will definitely put this author on my list of ‘get more books!’

I received this book for free from Bethany House publishers (www.bethanyhouse.com) for this review.

Read Full Post »

The Messenger by Siri Mitchell

No one asked for war, but here it is. As Quakers, Hannah Sunderland and her family don’t choose sides, refusing to get caught in the middle. War is easily ignored- until it comes to them. 

Showing up on their doorstep, the Queen’s Rangers show no mercy to their possessions- even the window shutters are fair game! As any good Quaker does, Hannah invites Colonel Beckwith to dinner.

She had no idea he’d take over their house and move in with them. Imagine!

When he takes a woman to his bed- in their house- knowing Hannah and her younger siblings could hear- the die was cast. Hannah’s father took his family into town, to stay with her aunt’s family.

The only one missing is Robert. Hannah’s twin brother, with whom she shares a special link, has chosen sides because of the rape of their housemaid by a British soldier and the subsequent dismissal by their father when her pregnancy begins to show.

Hannah is desperate. She has to get to see Robert in prison. As a Quaker, though, she’s forbidden.

Jeremiah Jones, the local tavern owner, has an entirely different problem. He needs a new spy. Apparently, the local tailor has gotten cold feet and refuses to pass any more messages across the lines to General Washington. Jeremiah can’t do it himself, since his second arm was shot off at Devil’s Hole when he was a colonial in Gage’s Light Infantry.

He has to get someone inside the prison with messages, so William Addison and the other newly transferred prisoners can coordinate an escape. A chance meeting between Jeremiah and Hannah occurs, and he hatches a plan to get her inside to see her brother, using his British military contacts. Can he do it? Will she do it?

From the get-go, this book had my interest. It looked familiar, and I wasn’t sure I hadn’t already read it. Within the first few pages, I was able to settle in, knowing it was a new one for me. Historical fiction (particularly colonial fiction) is my absolute favorite genre, and this title did not disappoint. (As it turns out, I just read another fantastic book by this author, which is why her name felt familiar to me, even though that title was not historical fiction.)

This book has it all- spies, war, conflict of morals and faith- it was all here. I have to give this 4.5 stars, though, because the ending was too unresolved for my liking. We know how one part works out, but the other bigger issues are never resolved. I was hoping there would be an indication of a sequel, but as far as I know there isn’t one.

Although the author’s writing style feels a little bit unfinished for my personal taste (because her other book could have resolved differently, too, imo) absolutely do not miss reading this (and other) book(s)! I definitely will be making a point to get her other titles, and she goes on my favorite author’s list.

I received this book for free from Bethany House publishers (www.bethanyhouse.com) for this review.

Read Full Post »