Review: The Theory of Happily Ever After by Kristin Billerbeck

About the book:

According to Dr. Maggie Maguire, happiness is serious--serious science, that is. But science can't always account for life's anomalies, like why her fiancé dumped her for a silk-scarf acrobat and how the breakup sent Maggie spiraling into an extended ice cream-fueled chick flick binge.

Concerned that she might never pull herself out of this nosedive, Maggie's friends book her as a speaker on a "New Year, New You" cruise in the Gulf of Mexico. Maggie wonders if she's qualified to teach others about happiness when she can't muster up any for herself. But when a handsome stranger on board insists that smart women can't ever be happy, Maggie sets out to prove him wrong. Along the way she may discover that happiness has far less to do with the head than with the heart.

Filled with unforgettable characters, snappy dialogue, and touching romance, The Theory of Happily Ever After shows that the search for happiness may be futile--because sometimes happiness is already out there searching for you.

My rating:

4 stars
(View my rating system)

My thoughts:

Review: Catching Christmas by Terri Blackstock

About the book:

The first Christmas story from New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling author Terri Blackstock.

“The feel-good Christmas book of the year. Blackstock’s tale of love and redemption wrapped in a holiday bow will leave you smiling. Don’t miss Catching Christmas.” —New York Times bestselling author Rachel Hauck

This Year, Christmas Comes Just in Time

As a first-year law associate, Sydney Batson knows she will be updating her resume by New Year’s if she loses her current court case. So when her grandmother gets inexplicably ill while she’s in court, Sydney arranges for a cab to get her to the clinic.

The last thing cab driver Finn Parrish wants is to be saddled with a wheelchair-bound old lady with dementia. But because Miss Callie reminds him of his own mother, whom he failed miserably in her last days, he can’t say no when she keeps calling him for rides. Once a successful gourmet chef, Finn’s biggest concern now is making his rent, but half the time Callie doesn’t remember to pay him. And as she starts to feel better, she leads him on wild goose chases to find a Christmas date for her granddaughter.

When Finn meets Sydney, he’s quite sure that she’s never needed help finding a date. Does Miss Callie have an ulterior motive, or is this just a mission driven by delusions? He’s willing to do whatever he can to help fulfill Callie’s Christmas wish. He just never expected to be a vital part of it.

My rating:
4.5 stars
(View my rating system)

My thoughts:

Enchanting Nicholette by Dawn Crandall (Spotlight & Excerpt)

Welcome to the Blog Tour & Giveaway for Enchanting Nicholette by Dawn Crandall, hosted by JustRead Publicity Tours.

I'm very excited to share an excerpt from Enchanting Nicholette by Dawn Crandall with you today. I hope you enjoy reading it and be sure to check out the giveaway below. :)

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Excerpt:

Saturday, June 3, 1893

Boston, Massachusetts

“I suppose you have a new wardrobe ordered from Paris, oui?”

I glanced at the girl sitting across from me in my carriage as we drove up the street toward Brittle Brattle Books, wondering, for the life of me, how I’d come to the point of being so terribly desperate for company.

My carriage companion, Sylvie Boutilier, was the youngest daughter of my father-in-law’s second wife, whom he’d married the previous summer. Because we were of a similar age, I ended up being the one who had the privilege of keeping her with me on almost a daily basis.

Not that she was annoying, just so very naive. And fanciful.

In truth, she was unlike me in every way.

She continued, regardless of my silence. “Has it been delivered yet?”

“Yes, it’s been delivered.” Though I couldn’t fathom feeling the same wearing my normal, colorful gowns as I had before William had died. The big day was quickly approaching; the cards announcing my reentrance to society were all enveloped, stamped, and ready to send in the mail. Everything had been done weeks before, which gave me the feeling that my mourning period had been as difficult for my mother as it had been for me—though I had a feeling she quite enjoyed traveling through Europe for the last two years.

“I’m so pleased that you’re back now, for it seems there aren’t many young people my age in my stepfather’s circle anymore. Monsieur Garrett Summercourt and his wife are très merveilleux, but they are married. And his brothers, Monsieur Alex and Monsieur Clyde…one is a snob and one is affianced.” Sylvie touched my arm with her gloved fingertips. “At least I have you. We will help each other find husbands, non?”

I didn’t answer. I wondered if Sylvie knew how my marriage had ended—too soon, my husband ripped away with one horrifically mistaken gunshot. I doubted it, but I couldn’t bring myself to ask. My whole life had fallen apart two years ago, and I didn’t know how to put it back together. Nor did I know how to request anyone’s help in doing so.

ABOUT THE BOOK

Title: Enchanting Nicholette  
Series: The Everstone Chronicles #5  
Author: Dawn Crandall  
Publisher: Whitaker House  
Release Date: October 9, 2018  
Genre: Historical Romance

In this captivating novella by Dawn Crandall, Nicholette Everstone is already a widow at the age of twenty-two: her husband was murdered on their wedding day. She has just returned to Boston after two years of mourning in Europe. Although her husband was loving, the marriage was an arranged one, and Nicholette would like to wed again–this time for love...and to someone safe.

As she acclimates to life in Back Bay again, Nicholette meets someone she can͛t help but fall for. But when she learns of the danger and sacrifices Cal Hawthorne takes on for the safety of others, will her heart be strong enough to keep her fears of ͞what if͟ at bay?

LINKS: Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository | BAM! | Christian Book

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Dawn Crandall͚s debut Gilded Age Victorian romance, ͞The Hesitant Heiress,͟ was a 2015 ACFW Carol award finalist in the debut category and received the 2015 Gayle Wilson Award of Excellence, the 2015 Write Touch Reader͛s Choice Award and the 2015 Romancing the Novel Reader͛s Choice Award. Her follow-up novel, ͞The Bound Heart,͟ received the 2016 Laurel Award from Clash of the Titles. Dawn earned a BA in Christian Education from Taylor University. She͛s been balancing books and babies lately as her two sons were both born as the four books of her Everstone Chronicles series were being released from Whitaker House from 2014 to 2016. Dawn lives with her husband and two young sons on a hobby farm in her hometown in northeast Indiana.

 CONNECT WITH DAWN CRANDALL: Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram

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TOUR GIVEAWAY

(1) Winner will win:

• A print copy of Enchanting Nicholette
• A library card zipper bag
• Two pairs of Jane Austen socks
• Two hand poured candles
• A historically accurate soap from Austen͛s time
• A Jane Austen set of playing cards
• A set of Jane Austen notecards
• 6 magnets with Jane Austen quotes

(US Mailing Addresses Only)  

Enter via the Rafflecopter giveaway below. Giveaway will begin at midnight October 29, 2018 and lasts through 11:59pm November 12, 2018. Void where prohibited by law. US addresses only. Winners will be notified within a week of close of the giveaway and given 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen.

Giveaway is subject to the policies found here.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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Follow along at JustRead for a full list of stops!

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Review: Storm Front bySusan May Warren

About the book:

Life and love hang in the balance during a deadly summer of storms.

A tornado has destroyed a small Minnesota community, and among the missing are not only a group of students but also PEAK Rescue team leader Chet King. Ty Remington will stop at nothing to rescue his mentor, not even when the girl he loved--and lost--walks back into his life. But Brette needs his help more than he knows, despite her stubborn determination to push him away. And when he gets a second chance, loving her just might cost him more than he can imagine.

A blogger for Vortex Storm Chasers, Brette Arnold didn't expect her adventures to land her in the same place as Ty, the guy who she walked--no, ran--from over a year ago. She had her reasons--good ones. The kind that tell her that falling for him again would only lead to heartache. But Ty isn't the kind of man to give up--not on the missing students or on her.

My rating:
3 stars
(View my rating system)

My thoughts:

Review: A Sparkle of Silver by Liz Johnson

About the book:

Uncovering the past can lead to an unexpected future . . . 

Millie Sullivan plays a 1920s-era guest during tours of a palatial estate on the shore of St. Simons Island, Georgia, where her great-grandmother was a real guest ninety years ago. When Millie learns of a lost diary that may contain the location of a hidden treasure on the estate and reveal the identity of her great-grandfather, she sets out to find the truth of her heritage--and the fortune she desperately needs. But it won't be easy.

When security guard Ben Thornton discovers her snooping in the estate's private library, he threatens to have her fired. Still, her story seems too ludicrous to be fiction, and her offer to split the treasure is too tempting to pass up.

Get ready for a romantic escapade through dark halls and dusty corners that will have you holding your breath and sighing with delight.

My rating:
4 stars
(View my rating system)

My thoughts:

Review: Flirtation Walk by Siri Mitchell

About the book:

At West Point, Only True Love Should Lead You to Flirtation Walk

Lucinda Pennyworth, the daughter of a con man, is trying her best to leave her father's sordid past behind her. When he dies unexpectedly, she takes the opportunity to move to West Point to live with her aunt, ready to take on a new life and determined to marry a respectable man, a West Point cadet, to impress her relatives.
                                                                                                             
Seth Westcott, a cadet at the academy, is proud to be at the top of his senior class. But when his mother dies and his sister loses their inheritance to a swindler, Seth wants nothing more than to head west to track down the con man. But the army will only send the cadets at the bottom of the class to the frontier . . . which leaves Seth with some tough choices.

When a woman trying her best to be good meets a man determined to be anything but, can there be hope for love, or will two lonely hearts be condemned to casual flirtation?

My rating:

4 stars
(View my rating system)

My thoughts:

Review: Heart on the Line by Karen Witemeyer

About the book:

When Danger Arrives, It's More Than Just Her Heart on the Line

Grace Mallory is tired of hiding. She hungers for a normal life, perhaps even a suitor like two of her friends in Harper's Station have found. But when the man she believes responsible for her father's death discovers her whereabouts, survival takes priority.

Amos Bledsoe prefers bicycles to horses and private conversations over the telegraph wire to social gatherings with young ladies who see him as nothing more than an oddity. His fellow telegrapher, the mysterious Miss G, has been the ideal companion. For months, their friendship--dare he believe, courtship?--over the wire has fed his hope that he has finally found the woman God intends for him. However, when he intercepts an ominous message and discovers her life is in peril, Amos must shed the cocoon of his quiet nature to become the hero Grace requires.

My rating:
5 stars
(View my rating system)

My thoughts:

2018 ARCtober Reading Challenge: Weeks One & Two Update

Goal:
My goal for ARCtober is to read 8 ARCs (review books).

Weeks One & Two Wrap-Up:

Review: Breaking the Fear Cycle: How to Find Peace for Your Anxious Heart by Maria Furlough

About the book:

Overcome fear for good

The Bible calls us to "fear not" on many occasions. But just how do we accomplish that when every news item seems designed to get us wringing our hands? Using her own story as a catalyst, Maria Furlough discusses how to overcome fear for good. With practicality and passion, she shows us the steps we can take to bring those fears to God rather than act on them and to trust God with the future.

When we give God full control over our lives, choosing his sovereignty over our own ability, we can break the cycle of fear, grow through suffering, and trust God to fulfill his promises of protection and peace. If you are filled with anxiety about your personal circumstances, the state of the world today, or even your fear-clogged social media feeds, you'll welcome this hands-on journey from fear to freedom.

My rating:
3 stars
(View my rating system)

My thoughts:

Review: Grave Peril by Mary Alford

About the book:

Mountain Ambush

Reunions can be deadly

Jamie Hendricks always believed her late father was innocent of murder…and now her uncle claims to have proof. But when she arrives in her hometown, her uncle has vanished—and someone wants her dead. Jamie’s ex-boyfriend, CIA agent Gavin Dalton, is the only person she trusts…even if he believes her dad killed his father. But can he help her uncover a deadly conspiracy that goes deeper than anyone expected?

My rating:
4 stars
(View my rating system)

My thoughts:

Review: The Rose of Winslow Street by Elizabeth Camden

About the book:

In the small town of Colden, Massachusetts, Libby Sawyer leads a quiet, predictable life. Yet beneath the surface, she is haunted by a secret.

Newly arrived on American shores, Michael Dobrescu is far from predictable, and his arrival in Colden is anything but quiet. Michael's shocking claim to be the rightful owner of Libby's father's house immediately alienates him from the appalled citizens of Colden.

Despite her own outrage, Libby is unwittingly fascinated by this enigmatic man who seems equally intrigued by her. As the court's decision about the house looms and the layers of mystery surrounding Michael's past are unveiled, Libby's loyalties are tested in ways she never imagined.

My rating:
4.5 stars
(View my rating system)

My thoughts:

Guest Post & Giveaway: Eternity Between Us by Stephenia H. McGee (Blog Tour)

About the Book:

An unnatural thunder rumbled through the air, carrying with it not thoughts of rain but of smoke and trepidation...

After being forced to use a pistol against invaders, Evelyn Mapleton is no longer the timid girl her extended family expects. The more her aunt and cousin resent her new independence, the more Evelyn is determined she'll make her missing father proud by taking up his cause and aiding Confederate soldiers--even if she has to outmaneuver the Yankees guarding her home to do it.

Samuel Flynn's life is consumed with two priorities: learning to become a proper guardian for the young orphans he's adopted and obtaining his physicians license. When his final testing sends him to a Federal Army field hospital, the last thing he expects is to be entranced by a mysterious woman. But when Evelyn's misguided exploits put her life in danger, will he risk everything he's worked for to save a woman he thinks is his enemy?

Based on first-hand accounts from the Civil War and with a strong romantic thread, this is a tale of faith, espionage, hope, and courage historical fiction fans won't want to miss.

Review: The Tales of Faith Books 1 & 2 by Amanda Tero

About the book:

#1

Belle has returned unannounced to the castle to restore her relationship with the king, her father. Her hopes are dashed with the devastating message: "The king refuses to see you." Convinced that God has led her home, she is unwilling to return to Lord and Lady Kiralyn. Time is running out for the decision that will change her life. When tragedy strikes, will she and her father be pulled further apart or knit together? Could she stay at the castle even if she will never see her father again?

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#2

Being a cripple is only the beginning of Lia’s troubles. It seems as if Bioti’s goal in life is to make Lia as miserable as possible. If Lia’s purpose is to be a slave, then why did God make her a cripple? How can He make something beautiful out of her deformity? Raoul never questioned the death of his daughter until someone reports her whereabouts. If Ellia is still alive, how has she survived these ten years with her deformity? When Raoul doesn’t know who to trust, can he trust God to keep Ellia safe when evidence reveals Bioti’s dangerous character? As time brings more hindrances, will Raoul find Ellia, or will she forever be lost to the father she doesn't even know is searching for her?

My rating:
4 stars
(View my rating system)

My thoughts: