Her Only Wish Book Review

 I was excited to get to read the next book in this series after having the chance to read the first.  The cover was again set in beautiful Pinecraft but it showed a different character so I was excited to find out who this book was going to follow.  I love all of the books that I have read by Shelley Shepard Gray especially the first book in the Season in Pinecraft series.

 

Return to Pinecraft, Florida, for a Sweet Amish Romance

Sheltered yet adventurous, Betsy Detweiler is on a mission to get out of Kentucky and experience new things in life. She's got a list--a life list. What better place to start than with her friends in beautiful Pinecraft, Florida?

From the moment Betsy walks into the Snow Bird Golf Course to sign up for lessons, August Troyer is mesmerized. Betsy is a mass of contradictions--beautiful yet awkward, outgoing yet unsure, joyful yet hesitant. She's like no one he's ever met before, and as the only child of missionary parents, he's met a lot of people.

As Betsy and August embark on a month of enjoying life to the fullest, they'll encounter several reasons to back off and play it safe. But playing it safe has its own consequences. This tender romance reminds us that life--and love--requires a fair amount of risk.

I was excited to see Betsy return in this book to have another vacation from her small town in Kentucky to stay with her friend Mary Margaret in Pinecraft. Betsy is working on changing her life because she has lived with lifelong medical problems. Betsy has set up a life list of things that she wants to accomplish. She has decided that the first thing that she going to try is learning to play golf.  She has no athletic ability but has decided that she has decided she is determined to learn.  Betsy meets August Troyer who works at the golf course. She was set that during the month in Pinecraft she is going to finish her list but what she learns is even more valuable because she makes many lifelong friends. Betsy is learning a lot along the way but in addition to her list, she is learning more about herself then she ever thought as well as to be independent.  I hope that you check out this book and enjoy it as much as I did but I do highly suggest starting with the first book in the series first.  This was a great follow up book to tell Betsy's story.  I can't even wait to read the next book in the series to follow our last friend through her life changing process.

**I was provided a copy of the book for my review but the review was not required to be positive.

 

Her Heart's Desires Book Review

 I was excited to read another great series by Shelley Shepard Gray.  I thought it looked like a great book just from the lovely cover and I love everything that I have read by this author. I was excited to start another series following different characters in each book as many of her series do. My favorite is to start at the beginning of the series like this which is the first book in the A Season in Pinecraft series.  I have enjoyed reading other Amish fiction that were also set in Pinecraft so I was excited to read this new series.

 

 

 

Mary Margaret Miller needs an escape from her small Amish community. She boards a bus, all alone, for a vacation in Pinecraft, Florida. Meeting Betsy and Lilly on the way, she’s amazed to find two kindred spirits. They become fast friends and determine to have the best two weeks of their lives. For Mary, it starts when she meets Jayson Raber, a handsome and charming carpenter.

Jayson is taken with Mary from the get-go, but he has responsibilities back home in Kentucky—including a girl he’s supposed to marry. And when someone from Mary’s past shows up in Pinecraft, it seems like her perfect vacation is ruined. But that’s nothing compared to what’s coming when she realizes what Jayson has been hiding …

Mary Margaret wants to go on a vacation and get away from her normal life in her small Amish community. She is traveling to Pinecraft, Florida to enjoy the warm weather and a break from her normal life. During the trip, there is a weather delay and she gets to meet Betsy and Lilly during the trip and delay where they have to stay overnight in a hotel. They decide that night that they are all going to change their lives by living their best life while on vacation and leaving their pasts behind them. MAry Margaret meets Jayson while he is in Pinecraft and they become quick friends even though they haven't known each other for very long. Jayson is struggling with the life that he needs to live at home and his responsibility to his sister.  I though that the fight that they have when Mary Margaret discovers the truth.  The end is a surprise and I hope that you read all the way to the end and figure out what is going to happen.  I hope that you enjoy this book and check it out for yourself. The characters were fun and I was really interested to see who would be featured in the next book in the series. Stay turned and you will also find out!!

**I was provided a copy of this book for my review but no positive review was required.

 

Second Time Around Book Review

 I thought that this cover and title sounded very intriguing even before I got to the summary of the book.  I have also read a bunch of different books by this author and I have enjoyed them all.  I can't relate to having an empty nest yet but but I totally think that being overwhelmed by the move and construction is something that I can totally relate to. I tend to prefer the books when I can find something I sympathize with or relate to in the main character. Mallory Farrell was starting over in a new life with what her grandmother left her in her will.

 

 

 

When empty nester Mallory Farrell inherits her grandmother's run-down tourist shop in Seaport, Oregon, it seems the only sensible thing to do is to sell it. But when her former secret crush, Grayson Matthews, wants to buy the property in order to complete his plans to redevelop the funky town's business district into a soulless, cookie-cutter outdoor mall, Mallory digs in her heels and decides to renovate the property herself.

With a lot of hard work and a little bit of help, Mallory makes incredible progress turning the store into an eclectic home décor shop called Romancing the Home--all while trying to ignore the depressing and decrepit apartment she's living in on the second floor. When the shop catches the eye of a popular renovation TV show producer, Mallory is thrilled--until it becomes clear that her apartment is to be part of the segment as well.

She's tempted to abandon her dreams and the town under a cloud of shame. But perhaps there's more to Grayson than meets the eye. Can he swallow his pride, change his plans, and help Mallory romance her own home--and possibly her life?

The story jumped directly into the middle of the big life decision where Mallory was dealing with her grandmothers estate and traveling back to the small town she spent summers at as a child.  I thought it was really interesting to see how Mallory avoided dealing with Grayson based on their history together when she was a child. But she quickly decides to give up her career and house and move to the small town because she has decided that this was exactly what her empty nest life needed.  I am not sure what decision others would make in her place but I thought it was a great story. Mallory has to move all of the stuff out of the shop and quickly finds a great buyer to take all of the things in the shop and starts making big strides to renovate the shop to turn it into the home decor shop that she has envisioned.  All of the fun parts of the story where Mallory is connecting to others in the small town and making her new life is the best part of the story.  The only part that is hard to understand is that she so set on doing things herself and being miserable because things aren't going well.  Although I am sure we can all relate to wanting it to be independent, it is a great improved story when she starts to trust and rely on others. I hope that you check out this book for yourself and enjoy it as much as I did. It was a great story with great characters.

 

**I was provided a copy of the book for my review but I was not required to provide a positive review. 

A Quilt for Christmas Book Review

 I was excited to get a chance to read another Melody Carson Christmas book. A Quilt for Christmas by Melody Carlson was a great book to add to my Christmas reading pile. I have enjoyed a few of her books in the past and certainly can't turn down a good Christmas book or movie.  My favorite type of book to read because it really has the spirit of the season to get my in the mood for the holiday. I look forward to reading these great piece of the holiday spirit.

 

Christmas should be celebrated with family. But for Vera Swanson, that's not an option this year. Widowed and recently relocated, she is lonely in her condo-for-one—until little Fiona Albright knocks on her door needing help. With her mother seriously ill and her father out of town, Fiona enlists Vera's help, and when she finds out her new neighbor is a quilter, she has a special request—a Christmas quilt for Mama. 

Vera will have to get a ragtag group of women together in order to fulfill the request. Between free-spirited artist Tasha, chatty empty nester Beverly, retired therapist Eleanor, and herself, Vera has hopes that Christmas for the Albright family will be merry, after all—and she may find herself a new family of friends along the way. 

Bestselling and award-winning author Melody Carlson invites you to cuddle up this holiday season with this cozy story of giving, forgiving, and a little bit of romance.

I started off the story thinking that it was going to be sad and was a little worried but as always, there is a quick pick up of hope. I was instantly won over by Fiona Albright who was an adorable little girl that was coming to a neighbor that she didn't even know to ask for help for her mom.  Vera Swanson stepped up to take care of three neighbor children that she didn't even know because their mother was in the hospital and their father was working out of town.  Vera was brought back alive from the short few days with Fiona by starting a project to make her mom a Christmas quilt.  Vera put herself out into the neighborhood and gets to know some people who are interested in learning how to quilt and might be able to help her finish this big project by Christmas in order to bless this family who was new to the area.  It was a fast read that was an emotional story that had you hoping for all of the characters in the story. There were all the members of the Albright family, Vera Swanson and the Quilting ladies and their families.  It was a great mix of characters and all of the interactions brought more information to the surface.  The characters in the quilting group were all very different and they brought out qualities so that you could learn about everyone while making the Christmas quilt but you have to pick up the book for yourself to find out what happens. As with many shorter stories, I sometimes get to the end and wish there was a little more but that might be true with many books. I hope that you check out this book by Melody Carlson and a bunch of her other Christmas stories.

* I was given a copy of this book for my review but all opinions here are honest and my own.

Sunburst Book Review

I have loved all of the books by Susan May Warren that I have read so I was excited to read this one. Sunburst: Book 2 Sky King Ranch by Susan May Warren is the second book in the series and I was so excited to find out what brother this book was going to be about. After reading about Dodge in the first book, I was excited to read about the next brother. The cover looks amazing and seemed like it would be another good flying book. I was ready to get to know all the ins and outs of this interesting family even though the cover clearly isn't set in Alaska.

When former Navy SEAL and lifelong bachelor Ranger Kingston is called upon to take part in a rescue mission to save his brother Colt, who has been kidnapped by terrorists in Nigeria, he is shocked to find among the hostages a woman he knows and could never forget.

Noemi Sutton was attempting to return a young girl to her family in Boko Haram territory when she and the girl found themselves taken hostage, along with several others.

And while Ranger Kingston may be able to get the hostages away from their captors, he'll need Noemi's help if he ever hopes to get out of Nigeria alive.

Her solution? Pose as husband and wife. But when her uncle discovers the union, he insists on a traditional Nigerian wedding--binding Noemi to a man destined to break her heart. Worse, she's discovered the real reason she was kidnapped, and anyone around her is bound to be caught in the cross fire. Including her so-called new husband. She'll need to figure out a way to leave the man she loves if she wants to save his life.

This book is about Ranger who is one of the Kingston triplets.  It follows his career as a NAVY Seal. The amazing background story starts to pull you in and make you really want the best for this life long bachelor.  Ranger goes on a mission to save his brother in Nigeria and ends up saving the women that he had fallen for. Noemi Sutton was a mystery women that Ranger met at a hotel while in Seal training.  I was so excited as they got to know each other again even if it was while running away from terrorists who were trying to kill them.  It made it really hard to put down the book to do anything because there was always something happening from trying to get through a check point to getting married in traditional Nigerian wedding.  Through it all, I was hoping for Ranger and Noemi end up together but you have to pick up the book to find out what adventures they have and how it ended.  I thought it was a great story with even better characters. I hope that you check out this book and the rest of the series.  I know that you will enjoy it as much as I have.

*I received a complimentary copy of this book from Revell and was not required to write a positive review. All opinions expressed are mine.

Sunrise Book Review

 I have enjoyed all of the books by Susan May Warren and I was excited to get to start a new series.  The first book in the series was Sunrise by Susan May Warren. The cover alone looked really fun with the snow covered mountain and the plane.  This is the first book in the Sky King Ranch where you get to know the wonderful Alaska wilderness and the great Ranch where the story is set.

 

Pilot Dodge Kingston has always been the heir to Sky King Ranch. But after a terrible family fight, he left to become a pararescue jumper. A decade later, he's headed home to the destiny that awaits him. 

That's not all that's waiting for Dodge. His childhood best friend and former flame, Echo Yazzie, is a true Alaskan--a homesteader, dogsledder, and research guide for the DNR. Most of all, she's living a life Dodge knows could get her killed. One of these days she's going to get lost in the woods again, and his worst fear is that he won't be there to find her.
 
When one of Echo's fellow researchers goes missing, Echo sets out to find her, despite a blizzard, a rogue grizzly haunting the woods, and the biting cold. Plus, there's more than just the regular dangers of the Alaskan forests stalking her . . .

Will Dodge be able to find her in time? And if he does, is there still room for him in her heart?

I thought this was a great start to the series.  The book started right in the middle of the action and had you pulling for Dodge right away. Dodge was in the military after a family fight and left home for 10 years.  He only returned after he got a call that his father had an accident.  It was a tough choice to come home but he even decided that he would stay until his father got better and help run the family business.  Of course after returning home, we meet Echo who is the reason Dodge left home.  Echo lives in the wilderness of Alaska training sled dogs and taking care of her father. The beauty of Alaska is wonderful and it makes you feel like you are in the cold and snowy winter. You have to read the book for yourself to find out what happens but I promise that you will love this fast moving story where there is always something going on. It made me want to pick up the next book in the series immediately.  I hope that you check out this book and all the others in the series and enjoy them.

*I received a copy of the book for my review but all opinions here are my own and not positive reviews were required.

The Sweet Life Book Review

 I was excited to check out this new series by Suzanne Woods Fisher. I thought from the picture on the cover that it would be a light summer read so I was surprised by the beginning of the book.  It was about the break up of a relationship that was headed towards marriage and about getting over the death of a loved one.  This was a lot deeper then an ice cream cone on the cover suggested. I think that the lighter ice cream cover suggests a lot more because of the name of the Cape Cod Creamery.

Dawn Dixon can hardly believe she's on a groomless honeymoon on beautiful Cape Cod...with her mother. Sure, Marnie Dixon is good company, but Dawn was supposed to be here with Kevin, the love of her life (or so she thought). 

Marnie Dixon needs some time away from the absolute realness of life as much as her jilted daughter does, and she's not about to let her only child suffer alone - even if Marnie herself had been doing precisely that for the past month. Given the circumstances, maybe it was inevitable that Marnie would do something as rash as buy a run-down ice-cream shop in the town's tightly regulated historic district. After all, everything's better with ice cream. 

Her exasperated daughter knows that she's the one who will have to clean up this mess. Even when her mother's impulsive real estate purchase brings Kevin back into her life, Dawn doesn't get her hopes up. Everyone knows that broken romances stay broken...don't they?  Welcome to a summer of sweet surprises on Cape Cod - a place where dreams just might come true. 

I thought it was an interesting book that started out with a deep sadness.  It was hard to get started on the book because it was sad because Dawn lost her father and broke up with her fiance. Marnie lost her husband and got breast cancer. I knew that starting off on such a negative note meant that anything had to get better.  Both women decide to go on a vacation together (which happens to be the honeymoon that Dawn was supposed to go on). There is a lot of hurt and sadness and they spend most of their time apart doing things that make them both feel better like laying on the beach or walking around the small town they are staying in. Both Marnie and Dawn are on the very slow road to healing and the small Cape Cod town is helping them to do that. Although this isn't a light and uplifting book, it is still a book of hope and rebuilding after something bad happens in your life.  I know that many people use books as an escape from the things that are going on in our lives and if a heavy book is not what you are looking for, I totally understand.  However, I promise that you will want to keep on going to find out what happens in the lives of all those involved in the Cape Cod Creamery.  Marnie and Dawn bring a lot of people into their lives through this story and they all make the story great.  I know that there are a few surprises worth sticking around to find out.  I hope that you check out the book and see for yourself.

**I got a copy of the book for my review but all opinions here are my own. No positive comments were required.