The Convenient Groom by Denise Hunter

My Review:
 5++ STARS

Why did I let this book sit on my shelf for 2 weeks? That is the question that I ask myself now.  I loved this book!

An established marriage counselor that just released a new book How to find Mr. Right gets stood up on her wedding day.  Her friend/enemy Lucas steps up to help her and become her husband so that nobody ever has to know that she got stood up! You can imagine all the craziness that happens in this story!

This is the second book by Denise Hunter that I've read and I think I've found a new favorite Christian Romance author! Her stories are so amazing.  The characters are so realistic and gripping that you are instantly invested in their lives.  The plot is unpredictable and always unique.

The characters were all very genuine.  Kate was such an easy character to connect to; she was dealing with the loss of her mom, her parents’ divorce, her failed relationship and her new found friendship with Lucas all while trying to figure out what God wanted of her life.  Lucas was dreamy; he is manly man, who was sloppy and unpredictable but oh so romantic-by far my favorite character!

The story line was unlike any of heard before. I loved that this book showed what can happen if we don't follow God's plans for our lives but instead try to control our lives with our plans! God always has bigger blessings in store for us than we have for ourselves and this book proved that again and again. The spiritual threads were subtle yet very necessary to the story line. 

Oh boy was the romance was delicious! I am big fan of love/hate tension going on in a romance and there was that.  The kissing scenes were so passionate!

I highly recommend this Christian Romance book to any fans of Christian romance, historical or contemporary. I am not a big fan of contemporary romances so that is probably why I won this book a couple months ago but let it sit on my shelf for so long, but Denise is changing my mind on contemporary romances, she makes them so desirable! I can't wait to read more of her books!

Book Blurb:

She wrote the book--literally--on finding the right mate. But does she really understand what love's about?
Five hours before her Nantucket beach wedding--and on the eve of her big book launch--celebrity marriage counselor Kate Lawrence has everything in place.
Everything, that is, but the groom. She might not have a career, either, when her nationwide audience finds out their marriage guru has been left at the altar.
Enter Lucas Wright, who offers to stand in for the missing husband-to-be and marry her. Kate's desperate enough to agree--although she's sure this Mr. Wright is completely wrong for her. But can they pull it off? And why would Lucas marry her in the first place?
Could it be that "Dr. Kate" doesn't know the first thing about love?
An inspiring tale of enduring love set in romantic Nantucket.
Each Romance For Good™ novel offers a story of hope and love that positively portrays the eternal impact of relationships.

About the Author:

Denise Hunter is the award-winning author of eight novels, including Surrender Bay and Convenient Groom.

Denise lives in Indiana with her husband Kevin and their three sons. In 1996, Denise began her first book, a Christian romance novel, writing while her children napped. Two years later it was published, and she's been writing ever since. Her books often contain a strong romantic element, and her husband Kevin says he provides all her romantic material, but Denise insists a good imagination helps too. 

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The Eternal Sea by Angie Frazier

My Review:
5 STARS

Wow, what an unexpected sequel to Everlasting!  Here I thought things couldn't get any more dangerous or confusing and I was wrong.  In The Eternal Sea the danger takes on a whole new level and so does the romance. Now that Camille has Oscar back she thinks her destiny with the stones is over but that is not the case at all.  Oscar is not the same anymore and her adventure with the stones is far from over.  Not only that but Randall shows up to help and the reunion is unlike anything expected.

The Eternal Sea was just as adventurous and dangerous as Everlasting, if not more.  This book was also a bit more dark and gloomy than book one.  There is never a dull moment. There was times where I thought; "will this ever get better", not the book, but the story line. I just felt the characters needed a break, some joy in their crazy lives.

The characters are all just as great as in book one; they're realistic in their emotions as they deal with this new adventure at hand.  I loved watching Camille struggle with guilt and growth; she is so easy to relate to because she is not perfect! My favorite character would have to be Randall though, watching him really come alive as a character in this book was great, there was so much more depth and compassion with him then we got to see in Everlasting. At times I was thinking of how much I hated Randall, and then other times I loved him.  I felt the same way about Oscar; it was definitely a love/hate relationship going on.

The ending is surprising and full of suspense. Again, just like in Everlasting, once I started reading The Eternal Sea I simply couldn't put it down, I had to see what adventure Camille was going on now! I again highly recommend this book for those YA readers that love magic, adventure, and fantasy books. 

I won this ARC copy from Goodreads First Reads and gave it my honest and personal opinion.  I would not recommend this book if I didn't believe it to be a great book!




About the book:

Romance and adventure are just around the corner . . .
After the thrilling journey that led Camille through the dangerous discovery of love, secrets, and a magical stone that grants immortality, Camille has everything she wants. She's escaped the men who wanted her dead, and now she is ready to build a new life with Oscar, her one true love. But things are not to be so simple. Oscar is acting strangely, and before they can even board a ship from Australia back home, to San Francisco, Camille learns that the journey is not over. If she does not follow the magic of the curse of Umandu, her life and Ocar's could be in grave danger.

About the Author:

Angie Frazier is a writer and mom, a good cook, and a horrible housekeeper. Angie’s debut novel, Everlasting, published by Scholastic Press, is a mixture of everything she loves in a good book: history, mystery, adventure, romance, and fantasy. Her middle grade novel, The Midnight Tunnel: A Suzanna Snow Mystery is a Spring 2011 Kids' Indie Next Pick, and Kirkus has called it "a likely and likable Edwardian Nancy Drew." She lives in southern New Hampshire with her husband and their three daughters. 

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Everlasting by Angie Frazier

My Review:
5 STARS

Oh was I ever surprised by Everlasting!! I was very skeptical of what this story would produce, I thought it would be a typical historical or fantasy but Everlasting was anything but typical to me.  There is a young-girl who loves to sail the seas with her father William and his handsome and distracting first-mate Oscar.  She embarks on her last voyage on the sea before she gets married to Randall and that trip changes her life forever.

Angie Frazier has completely peaked my interest in YA Fantasy novels like this.  I haven't read any novels that are similar to this one or ones that had so much adventure in it that I actually enjoyed.  Usually I'm not big on adventures but I was hooked from chapter 1.  There is magic, adventure, an enchanted map, danger, and delicious romance that makes this series a must read!  It's hard to categorize this as paranormal romance, historical or fantasy - it had the best of all genres.

The characters are genuine and likeable; Camille is so determined, caring and adventurous plus her issues of the heart are so realistic. I connected with Camille instantly and she tugged on my heart with all the struggles she faced.  Then there is Oscar, he is sarcastic, manly, protective and very supportive of Camille which made him a strong hero that grabbed you in to the story. The secondary characters are all great too, Ira was so humorous and I loved how he called Camille "love" all the time.

The adventure is so unique, I really wasn't sure what was going to happen next and I was surprised every step of the way.  Once I picked up Everlasting, I couldn't put it down, even at the times where I wanted to cry and give up I just couldn't.

The romance is so sweet and enchanting yet it doesn't take away from the adventure at all.  The romance is clean and the language is clean and I would highly recommend this book to YA readers! I will be grabbing book 2 here soon!

About the book:
Sailing aboard her father’s trade ship is all seventeen-year-old Camille Rowen has ever wanted. But as a girl of society in 1855 San Francisco, her future is set: marry a man she doesn’t love, or condemn herself and her father to poverty.

On her final voyage before the wedding, the stormy arms of the Tasman Sea claim her father, and a terrible family secret is revealed. A secret intertwined with a fabled map, the mother Camille has long believed dead, and an ancient stone that wields a dangerous—and alluring—magic.

The only person Camille can depend on is Oscar, a handsome young sailor whom she is undeniably drawn to. Torn between trusting her instincts and keeping her promises to her father, Camille embarks on a perilous quest into the Australian wilderness to find the enchanted stone. As she and Oscar elude murderous bushrangers and unravel Camille’s father’s lies, they come closer to making the ultimate decision of who—and what—matters most.


About the Author:

Angie Frazier is a writer and mom, a good cook, and a horrible housekeeper. Angie’s debut novel, Everlasting, published by Scholastic Press, is a mixture of everything she loves in a good book: history, mystery, adventure, romance, and fantasy. Her middle grade novel, The Midnight Tunnel: A Suzanna Snow Mystery is a Spring 2011 Kids' Indie Next Pick, and Kirkus has called it "a likely and likable Edwardian Nancy Drew." She lives in southern New Hampshire with her husband and their three daughters. 

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Too Rich for a Bride by Mona Hodgson

About the book:
With a head more suited to bookkeeping than a bridal veil, Ida’s dreams include big business- not beaus.

Ida Sinclair has joined her sisters, Kat and Nell, in the untamed mining town of Cripple Creek, Colorado for one reason: to work for the infamous but undeniably successful businesswoman, Mollie O’Bryan. Ida’s sisters may be interested in making a match for their determined older sister, but Ida only wants to build her career.

Under Mollie's tutelage, Ida learns how to play the stock market and revels in her promising accomplishments. Fighting for respect in a man's world, her ambition leaves little room for distractions. She ignores her family's reservations about Mollie O'Bryan's business practices, but no matter how she tries, she can't ignore the two men pursuing her affections—Colin Wagner, the dashing lawyer, and Tucker Raines, the traveling preacher.

Ida wants a career more than anything else, so she shrugs off the suitors and pointed “suggestions” that young ladies don’t belong in business. Will it take unexpected love—or unexpected danger—for Ida to realize where her priorities truly lie?

My Review:
4 STARS

This is the second book in The Sinclair Sisters of Cripple Creek series. I read the first one but I think that this one can be read as a stand-alone book as well.  Ida is the oldest of the Sinclair sisters and she finally sets out to move to Colorado to be with sisters Nell and Kat.  Unlike Nell and Kat, Ida isn't searching for a husband in Colorado but she is searching for success.  She wants to be a businesswoman despite all the people opposed to that.  She finds lots of opportunities in Cripple Creek to test her knowledge and to test her heart!

There are lots of the things to love about this book.  It was nice to catch up with the sisters Nell and Kat from book one and to hear how their lives are going.  The secondary characters are in this book as well and they are still just as quirky and delightful as before, I especially like Hattie, the old matchmaker and off-key singer!

Ida is a great character as well; I love how she is determined to make it in a man's world, yet she doesn't let anyone push her around, she stands up for her values. She is just as stubborn as the other two Sinclair sisters.

Now, what I don't like about this book is the lack of development.  I felt the characters could have been more developed, especially Tucker.  I knew him and like him but I wanted to LOVE him.  There just was a lack of connection for me.  I didn't connect with the story that much and overall didn't really feel that moved! Another pet-peeve of mine is that there was romance, but not that much of it and no kissing...none! This of course is my personal opinion but I feel that a good romance has to have a lot of romantic developments and some kissing...cleanly done of course.

Overall, I do think that was an easy, simple and enjoyable read and I think the majority of Christian romance readers would enjoy this even though I didn't quite connect with the story. There is still a lot to like and therefore I do recommend it!

I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this honest review.



About the Author:

MONA HODGSON is the author of TWO BRIDES TOO MANY and TOO RICH FOR A BRIDE, the first two books in The Sinclair Sisters of Cripple Creek Series published by WaterBrook Press. Her writing credits also include nearly thirty children’s books, contributions to eleven books for adults, and hundreds of short stories, articles, and poems in newspapers and magazines. One of Mona’s favorite things to do (besides writing or eating dark chocolate) is to serve as a speaker for schools, and for women’s, librarians, and writers’ conferences throughout the United States and Canada. Mona lives in Arizona with her husband, Bob. Check out www.monahodgson.com to learn more. You can also follow Mona at www.twitter.com and http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Mona-Ho...

A Cowboy's Touch by Denise Hunter

About the book:

Wade's ranch home needs a woman's touch. Abigail's life needs a cowboy's touch.
Four years ago, rodeo celebrity Wade Ryan gave up his identity to protect his daughter. Now, settled on a ranch in Big Sky Country, he lives in obscurity, his heart guarded by a high, thick fence.
Abigail Jones isn't sure how she went from big-city columnist to small-town nanny, but her new charge is growing on her, to say nothing of her ruggedly handsome boss. Love blossoms between Abigail and Wade--despite her better judgment. Will the secrets she brought with her to Moose Creek, Montana separate her from the cowboy who finally captured her heart?

My Review:
5 STARS

"A Cowboy's Touch" was so exciting and romantic!! Abby takes a leave of absence from her job, mostly because her Dr sister and her worried mother force her to, and she heads out to her Aunt’s house in Montana to get some much needed rest. Once she is there though she ends up meeting a little girl and her charming widow cowboy daddy! The little girl Maddy needs a nanny and Abby needs something to fill her time she accepts the position. One thing she probably didn't expect was the way Wade, Maddy's dad, would be tempting her beyond belief.

This story was probably one of my favorite contemporary Christian fictions. Most of the time when you read about cowboys they are historical so I was a bit skeptical but wow was I proven wrong. Denise made the idea of current cowboys sound delicious! Wade was such an amazing character that you just wanted to trade places with Abby and be the one in his embrace!

The romance was dazzling. Denise painted some enchanting kissing scenes that made your toes curl. I loved the way both Abby and Wade had issues to deal with in their lives before they could realize what God had in store for their futures.

The spiritual tone was uplifting and encouraging! There was a lot of talk about how to get re-connected with God when you've put Him on the side burner, dealing with undeserved guilt and forgiveness.

I think all fans of Christian cowboys will love this story, and if you didn't think you'd enjoy a book with a widowed cowboy in it, once you read this story you will desire more!

This review is my honest opinion. Thanks to the publishers through NetGalley for my copy to review.

About the Author:

Denise Hunter is the award-winning author of eight novels, including Surrender Bay and Convenient Groom.

Denise lives in Indiana with her husband Kevin and their three sons. In 1996, Denise began her first book, a Christian romance novel, writing while her children napped. Two years later it was published, and she's been writing ever since. Her books often contain a strong romantic element, and her husband Kevin says he provides all her romantic material, but Denise insists a good imagination helps too!


Her Website: 

http://www.denisehunterbooks.com/ 

 

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Fair Maiden by Cheri Schmidt

My Review:
4 STARS (ok...more like 4.5)

What if you woke up in a bed in a castle you didn't recognize and couldn't even remember who you were? Then you find out, you're not even alive. The story of Tessa (aka Ghost Girl) is very unique. She finds out she is ghost in a castle from the Victorian Era and when she finally sees the Earl of the Krestly Castle, Lord Christian, she thinks nothing would be more entertaining than to haunt the handsome man. When he can see her it comes to a complete shock to him and to her because nobody else can. Together Christian and Tessa try to figure out how she died, who she is, and what is going on!

If I could give this book more like 4.5 stars I would! This is such a unique story line that I had no idea where it was heading. Completely unpredictable and very entertaining. From the moment you start reading Fair Maiden you get sucked in to this young woman’s life and wish you could help her. Tessa is a lovable character, she is so innocent and sweet and a tad emotional, but I guess anyone would be in her predicament. The Lord of Krestly Castle, Christian is a remarkable character also, he is manly yet sweet and very protective of his lovely ghost girl. I loved his terms of endearment for Tessa and I also loved the way he struggled with his feelings and desires for her!

There was so many twists and turns in this book it is hard to really describe what you are going to read about without giving away some of the juicy details but I found this to be a very fun, magical and romantic read. The ending is a surprise but very delightful. YA readers, fantasy and historical fantasy lovers will enjoy this book that I highly recommend!

My only complaint of this book is that sometimes the story would change gears so quickly that you weren't really sure what was going on, I only noticed this problem once or twice but it didn't deter me from the story at all. The other complaint is that I wish the story continued on longer. There was so much unique goodness to Fair Maiden that I truly didn't want it to end!

I received a copy of this book to read and review from the author. My review is not biased by the fact that I was given this book. I HONESTLY read and review any book whether bought or given to me. If I did not like the book I would definitely not give a rave review or recommend it. 

About the book:

It's the Victorian era in England, but Tessa is from the medieval past. She awakens within a castle she has never seen before. Knowledge of her name also evades her. However, even worse than not knowing who or where she is, she cannot recall how she died or why she is dressed as a bride.

Along with Christian, the earl of the castle she haunts, Tessa tries to discover who she is and break the spell holding her in a prison of death. They never imagined the curse keeping them apart is the only thing protecting her, until it's too late. 

About the Author:

Cheri is a mother of four beautiful girls, a wife to a loving computer geek, a writer, an artist, a photographer, a lover of words, and a lover of reading books.

Cheri went to Brigham Young University in 1988 where she majored in photography and design. She has worked as a portrait photographer and artist for twenty years. She has only recently realized that she can share the stories constantly playing through her thoughts, and added writing to her list of creative endeavors. She always did well in English, but never realized she could write as her other talents seemed to overshadow that hidden skill.

She has always had an interest in fairies, mermaids, vampires, witches, and, in truth, just about any type of fantasy or myth. She started out in elementary school drawing mermaids, fairies, and witches, and has since sold paintings of them on eBay. As computer technology advanced, she began digitally enhancing photographs into those magical creatures as well.

When stories of these beings continued to entertain her thoughts, to the point of almost haunting her, she decided it was time to start writing them down. FATEFUL is her first finished work, though other stories had come to her before that. She has seven other books in the plans, including: some on vampires, some on fairies, and all of them with a romantic twist.  

Her website: http://www.cherischmidt.net/index.html 

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Two Brides Too Many by Mona Hodgson

My review:
4 STARS (more like 3.5)

Two young sisters travel to Colorado as mail-order brides, but when they get there their intendeds are nowhere to be found.  They leave behind 2 sisters in Maine and a father that leaves for a new job in Paris so there is no turning back, they must stay in Colorado and figure out where their fiancés' went.  Nell is a romantic dreamer and insists that her fiancé' is going to show up and sweep her off her feet, while the more serious sister Kat is worried that her man is good-for-nothing loser and she'll need to figure out her life without a husband.

This is a very unique twist to a mail-order bride story.  Once the girls get to Colorado a whole new slew of problems await them and there are lots of twists and turns that are surprising.  The love stories in this book were sweet but I really thought they should have been more developed. I wish there was a whole lot more to the romantic relationships, it seemed like nothing romantic really started happening until the last 50 pages of the book which just wasn't good enough for me.  If it is going to take that long for it develop there at least needs to be some teasing/flirting going to build up the suspense.

The story line to me was a bit unbelievable at times and predictable at other times.  I found it almost impossible to believe a single dad of this time period would lose his job and then move to a new job in Paris leaving behind his 4 daughters. That part is hard to believe.  And from the moment Morgan entered the story you could predict how that was going to turn out which also frustrated me.  Too simple of a story line that didn't have me hooked to what was happening.  The side characters were really interesting too; I thought Hattie and Boney were delightful additions to the story.

I would have given this 3 stars but I do think that the writing was great even though I didn't connect to the story like I wanted.  I did get involved enough to want to know what happens with all the Sinclair sisters but I just didn't love this story. I think there are a lot of readers that would enjoy this sweet and simple romance.

Please Rate my review:

About the book:

Kat and Nell Sinclair are headed west—away from the manicured lawns of Maine to the boisterous, booming mining town of Cripple Creek, Colorado to start new lives for themselves as mail-order brides.

Aboard the train, romantic dreamer Nell carries a photo of her intended close to her heart and imagines an exciting and love-filled future, while her pragmatic older sister Kat resigns herself to marriage as a duty, not a delight.

But when the ladies disembark at the train depot, neither fiancé Patrick Maloney or Judson Archer awaits them with open arms. The well-bred Sinclair sisters find themselves unexpectedly alone in the wild, frontier town—a place where fire threatens to reduce the buildings to rubble, the working women strut the streets, rogues will gamble for the shoes on one’s feet, and God’s grace is found amongst the most unlikely of folks.

Two sisters,
Two missing misters,
A shocking welcome to the wild west that leaves both Kat and Nell Sinclair questioning their dreams­and the hope for true love.

About the Author:

MONA HODGSON is the author of TWO BRIDES TOO MANY and TOO RICH FOR A BRIDE, the first two books in The Sinclair Sisters of Cripple Creek Series published by WaterBrook Press. Her writing credits also include nearly thirty children’s books, contributions to eleven books for adults, and hundreds of short stories, articles, and poems in newspapers and magazines. One of Mona’s favorite things to do (besides writing or eating dark chocolate) is to serve as a speaker for schools, and for women’s, librarians, and writers’ conferences throughout the United States and Canada. Mona lives in Arizona with her husband, Bob. Check out www.monahodgson.com to learn more. You can also follow Mona at www.twitter.com and http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Mona-Ho...

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