Thursday, November 29, 2018

Claire's Christmas Dance


Claire's Christmas Dance: A Victorian Christmas Novelette by [Christensen, Rachelle J.]

Ms. Christensen has written an enchanting Christmas read that is the perfect length to squeeze in a sweet romance while sipping cocoa with a fluffy blanket during a much needed break from all the holiday madness.


The characters are well created and the romance delightful.

Sink into a comfy chair by the fire and read it from beginning to end in one lovely sitting.

Amazon

Claire has always dreamed of dancing at the Fielding House Christmas Ball, but she never dreamed she might dance into the arms of a gentleman not of her class. 


The Fielding House Christmas Ball is for everyone, including servants. This Christmas Eve a lady’s maid, Claire Walden, plans to attend for the first time, but when Mrs. Fielding’s grandson shows up unexpectedly the dance may take a different turn. Edmund is a gentleman of the upper class, but with a questionable background. When he shows an interest in Claire, she doesn’t want to risk her heart, but over time, Claire comes to know Edmund. As the Christmas Eve ball approaches, Claire wonders if love might be able to cross the lines of servants and high society. If she saves a dance for Edmund, will he steal her heart forever?

Thursday, November 22, 2018

The Tannenbaum Tailors and the Secret Snowball

This is my first read by J.B. Michaels.
The Tannenbaum Tailors and the Secret Snowball by [Michaels, JB]

I picked this up because I thought it would be a fun read for my fourth grader but I never got around to having him read it because I was having so much fun reading it myself. 

It's an Indiana Jones meets the North Pole adventure! A mystery, a villainous group bent on destroying Christmas, and an elf who must save it all! 

A thoroughly enjoyable read with twists, turns, and high flying elves. And there's at least one more adventure book in this series. Hooray. 


***READERS' FAVORITE GOLD MEDAL WINNER 2017***

They are the Tannenbaum Tailors: elves charged with maintaining Christmas trees in homes around the world.

Without the Tailors’ efforts, families might lose their Christmas spirit. And this year, one team of Tailors will be tested like never before.

With the North Pole itself under attack, newly promoted Captain Brendan is assigned a special mission: conceal the source of Santa’s power within a Christmas tree in Chicago. On Christmas Eve, Santa will pick it up.
The job would be simple, but the Tailors find themselves facing a serious threat”"the thieving Spiritless elves, already responsible for sabotaging the North Pole Home Tree, will do anything to gain control of the very thing that makes Christmas possible.

˃˃˃ Equally bad, Christmas spirit is at an all-time low in the Chicago home where Brendan’s assigned.

The family’s mother even wants to take the tree down before Christmas Eve! To save Christmas, Captain Brendan and his Tailors will have to use every spirit-raising trick they know”"and possibly even bend a few rules to pull it off.

˃˃˃ Combining holiday cheer with action and thrills,

The Tannenbaum Tailors and the Secret Snowball reads like Raiders of the Lost Ark in a Christmas tree.

Thursday, November 15, 2018

Secondhand Hearts


Secondhand Hearts (Peak City Romance Book 1) by [Noelle, Jo]

It looks like Jo Noelle is embarking on a new series and I can't wait to meet more of the people in Peak City.

This is a quick read but there's nice development and conflict between the characters to get enough of the experience of a full length novel.

I really liked Elena and Chase. They seemed like people I'd like to hang out with.

My only bit of disappointment was due to the abrupt ending. I wanted just a few pages more to satisfy me, but the author knows best how to write their book.

Really like the cover.

Amazon

He's a country star trying to lay low. She's a pawn shop owner struggling to get by. Can their relationship last when she learns his secret? 



As a member of a top country-western band, Chase has the money and fame he's always wanted. When he meets the beautiful woman who owns Treasure Mountain Pawn, he has to hide both of those things from the one person he wants to know everything about him. 

When Elena sees Chase for the first time, his turquoise eyes and tousled brown hair convince her that she might believe in insta-love. Just in time, her brain takes over, reminding her that her business is in trouble, making her future uncertain—not a good time for love. 

But being with Chase is as easy as following her heart, until she finds he has a secret big enough to break it.

Thursday, November 8, 2018

Dangerous Favor


Dangerous Favor: Poitevin Hearts Book 3 by [DiPastena, Joyce]

Ms. DiPastena's third installment of this series takes no prisoners. In her beautiful medieval style she plunks your mind and heart into the era and tangles you up in the love and intrigues relative to marriage and honor.

The characters and tale are well crafted and bid you to continuously turn the page to see how she will untangle the web of deceit and innocence to a sigh worthy romantic and life threatening conclusion.

My only wish was that I'd read the previous books to remember better certain familial connections as it had been years between readings. This story may be read as a stand alone, but when the writing is at such a lofty level, why would you?

Amazon
Mathilde needs a champion.

Her father has been accused of stealing from the king, an allegation that has reduced her family to poverty. She has one chance to find and marry a man who can help her prove her father's innocence. Lord Therri, heir to a rich barony, has the wealth and connections Mathilde needs to delve into the mysteries of her father's past. Furthermore, Therri embodies all her romantic dreams.

Etienne, the younger son of a disgraced family, has neither wealth nor connections, but is smitten with Mathilde at a glance. She finds the knight intriguing, but believes he is only out to seduce her. While she seeks for a way to win Therri's attention, Etienne tricks her into granting him her favor, an embroidered white ribbon, for a tournament, setting in motion a dangerous chain reaction of events. Can Etienne save Mathilde from a nightmare from her past and prove himself the true hero of her dreams?

Poitevin Hearts, Book 3: Men and women living and loving amidst the political intrigues of medieval Poitou (a region of France once ruled by the Kings of England)

Dangerous Favor is a PG rated historical romance.

The Poitevin Hearts romance series is linked together by recurring characters, but each title is written as a stand-alone novel. They can therefore be read and enjoyed in any order.

Additionally, some characters in this series appear in titles not listed as a Poitevin Hearts romance. If you wish to read about the characters chronologically, the titles in order would be as follows:

Loyalty’s Web (Poitevin Hearts, Book 1)
Illuminations of the Heart (Poitevin Hearts, Book 2)
Loving Lucianna (Hearts in Autumn, Book 1)
Dangerous Favor (Poitevin Hearts, Book 3)
The Lady and the Minstrel

Thursday, November 1, 2018

Seeking Mr. Dependable


Seeking Mr. Dependable: The Jane Austen Pact by [Checketts, Cami]

A Jane Austen pact book...how could I resist?

I've enjoyed other books in this series and was equally delighted with Ms. Checketts work.

There's quite a bit of high emotion and suspense to this tale so be sure and take your heart medication first. There's depth to the characters, clean writing, fast pacing, and heart thudding kisses to keep the romance reader happily entertained. There are marvelous obstacles in their way, some from outside sources and some of their own creation.

A read now novel.

Amazon

A broken-hearted Romeo. A wrongly-accused woman. Can he keep her safe if she puts her life in his hands? 
Brooke Isaacson's ex-fiancé pulls a gun on her and she has no choice but to run. When she runs straight to Wyoming and into the arms of Ryker Redland, she's not sure if she's found her Mr. Dependable or found the biggest heartbreak of her life.
A deserted cabin and a territorial grizzly tracking them will either bring them together or be their death sentence.