Author: remaininhislove

About

The British Army has taken control of Michilimackinac Island and its fort, forcing the Americans to swear an oath of loyalty to the crown in order to retain their land. Pierre Durant is a fur trader who returns after being away from the island for years, only to find the family farm a shambles and those he cares about starving and at the mercy of British invaders.

Torn between the adventurous life of fur trading and guilt over neglecting his defenseless mother, Pierre is drawn deeper into the fight against the British–and into a relationship with Angelique MacKenzie, a childhood friend who’s grown into a beautiful woman. She now finds herself trapped by the circumstances of war and poverty, and the cruelty of her guardian, Ebenezer Whiley.

As tensions mount and the violence rages on, Pierre and Angelique must decide where their loyalties rest and how much they’ll risk for love.

Review

Jody Hedlund has become a frontrunner for writing  historical romance novels. My thoughts:

What I liked:

The setting. I liked that we’re presented with a different place and time for the American Revolutionary War. I was not familiar with this island in Michigan or this British military fort.

Angelique. Though there were times she made me a bit frustrated, I liked that she wasn’t your ordinary heroine. A lot of heroines claim to be tomboys, but Angelique really is, and becomes rather trustworthy when it comes to survival.

Pierre. I liked Pierre because he isn’t exactly like most heroes. He kind of only cared about himself. Sometimes this made me wonder about this guy, but it was realistic and very true to who he was.

The romance. I thought Pierre and Angelique managed to have a lot of chemistry. I’m not sure why, but I was definitely turning to the pages in this book.

Spiritually, the theme is trusting in God and not in your own devices. Both Pierre and Angelique try to make things happen without relying on God and learn that they get lost that way.

What I didn’t like

There is a love triangle that adds to the novel is an unflattering way. A couple times it threw a wrench in the story that just didn’t make any sense to me.

Romantic Scale: 8.9

Overall, a very easy, fast read that’s very cute and though it wasn’t my favorite Jody Hedlund, her writing is so amazing you’ll still be pulled in and want to stay.

**I received this novel from BethanyHouse. My opinion was not affected in anyway.**

About

Destitute,
grief-stricken, and unwanted by the people of God, Ruth arrives in Israel with
nothing to recommend her but Naomi’s, love. Her loftiest hope is to provide
enough food to save Naomi and herself from starvation. But
God has other plans for her life.

While
everyone considers Ruth an outcast, she is astounded to find one of the most honored men of Judah showing her favor.  Long since a
widower and determined to stay that way, Boaz is irresistibly drawn to the foreign
woman with the haunted eyes. He tells himself he is only being kind to his
Cousin Naomi’s chosen daughter when he goes out of his way to protect her from
harm, but his heart knows better.
 
Based on
the biblical account of Ruth, In the Field of Grace is the story of a love that
ultimately changes the course of Israel’s destiny and the future of the whole
world.

Review

I will admit that though Ruth is a phenomenal woman to read about in the Bible, her story is often retold and has since lost some of its luster. Here are my thoughts on Ms. Afshar’s version:

What I liked:

The best parts of the novel to me, were the parts that were of Afshar’s invention. Everything that was created outside of the Bible story, I found to be fascinating, particularly Boaz’s back story.

The fine details. The details of this book is what separates it from other retellings because it manages to bring Bethlehem and Moab to life, allowing the reader to really see what life must have been like in those times. With every Afshar novel, I find myself learning more and more unique things about the Jewish culture than I had not known.

The chemistry between Boaz and Ruth. It was so nicely done. You could see them falling for each other slowly, and also see what felt like, obstacles in their way.

I also liked the way that Ruth begins to win over the hearts of the Israelites, almost one day at a time.

Spiritually, Boaz has to learn to let go of his fear and place his trust in God and Ruth comes to know God in a real way.

What I didn’t like:

A lot of moments felt like they were almost verbatim from the Bible. And while that’s not a bad thing, I just found myself more or less drawn to the creative and unique tidbits of the novel that enhanced the Biblical narrative rather than the parts that were the Biblical narrative itself.  

Romantic Scale: 8

Overall, though not my favorite novel by Ms. Afshar, still a beautiful retelling.

**I received this novel from Netgalley. My opinion was not affected in anyway.**

Prince Stephen came to America to escape responsibility. But what he found complicates his life more than ever.

Corina Del Rey is happy with her life in Melbourne, Florida. She spends her days engrossed in her career as a journalist and has her sights set on climbing the corporate ladder if for no other reason, to distract herself from her dissolving family. But when she is confronted with the past she fought so hard to put behind her, she struggles to make sense of her future.

Prince Stephen of Brighton Kingdom has moved on since the tragic death of his buddies in Afghanistan. A star professional rugby player, he has no intention of looking over his shoulder at what could ve been.

But when a notice arrives in the mail requiring his and his wife s appearance before the courts to dissolve their marriage, he must deal with the questions rumbling around in his heart. He thought his marriage had been annulled long ago, but his memories of Corina Del Rey remain close. Does he still love her? Can he even find her? Above all, can he tell her the truth about that fateful night in Afghanistan seven years ago? If he does, he might really lose her forever.”

Place an unpolished lawman named Nicholas Brentwood as guardian over a spoiled, pompous beauty named Emily Payne and what do you get? More trouble than Brentwood bargains for. She is determined to find a husband this season. He just wants the large fee her father will pay him to help his ailing sister. After a series of dire mishaps, both their desires are thwarted, but each discovers that no matter what, God is in charge

A twenty-first-century doctor travels back in time to third-century Carthage to rescue her husband, but the arrival of a deadly epidemic forces her to make an impossible choice in this fast-paced second novel in The Carthage Chronicles series.
Dr. Lisbeth Hastings salvaged two things from her accidental trip to the third century: her mother’s stethoscope and her child. Making a life for her daughter Maggie back in the present is difficult, but returning to ancient Carthage is impossible. However, when Lisbeth learns her husband is slated to die a martyr’s death, she must find a way around the impossible to save him.
Cyprian Thascius returns from political exile a broken man. He’s lost his faith, the love of his life, and his purpose. When Ruth, an old friend, proposes he marry her to restore his position and protect his estate, the disgraced nobleman accepts. But when Cyprian’s true love suddenly reappears, his heart becomes as imperiled as the fledgling church.
As Lisbeth and Cyprian reunite to battle a new epidemic and save the oppressed community of Christians, the chasm between the two of them seems too wide to bridge. But when Maggie contracts typhoid, Lisbeth must choose: stay and save the man she loves, or return home and save her daughter?
Filled with gripping action and raw emotion, this incredibly compelling adventure of star-crossed lovers will keep you engrossed with every turn of the page.

A gifted rider in a world where ladies never race, Maggie Linden is determined that her horse will become a champion. But the one man who can help her has vowed to stay away from thoroughbred racing for good.

An Irish-born son far from home, Cullen McGrath left a once prosperous life in England because of a horse racing scandal that nearly ruined him. He’s come to Nashville for a fresh start, hoping to buy land and start a farm, all while determined to stay as far away from thoroughbred racing as possible. But starting over proves harder than he’d wagered, especially when Maggie Linden’s father makes him an offer he shouldn’t accept yet cannot possibly refuse.

Maggie is certain that her mare, Bourbon Belle, can take the top purse in the annual Drayton Stakes at Nashville’s racetrack––the richest race run in America. Maggie only needs the chance to prove it. To give her that chance, and to save Linden Downs from being sold to the highest bidder, Maggie’s father––aging, yet wily as ever––makes a barter. His agreement includes one tiny, troublesome detail––Maggie must marry a man she’s never met. A man she never would have chosen for herself.

Cullen and Maggie need each other in order to achieve their dreams. But their stubborn, wounded hearts––and the escalating violence from a “secret society” responsible for lynchings and midnight raids––may prove too much for even two determined souls.

Lots to look forward to!

About
A mysterious painting breathes hope and beauty into the darkest
corners of Auschwitz—and the loneliest hearts of Manhattan.

Manhattan art dealer Sera James watched her world crumble at the
altar two years ago, and her heart is still fragile. Her desire for distraction
reignites a passion for a mysterious portrait she first saw as a young girl—a
painting of a young violinist with piercing blue eyes.

In her search for the painting, Sera crosses paths with William
Hanover, the grandson of a wealthy California real estate mogul, who may be the
key to uncovering the hidden masterpiece. Together, Sera and William slowly
unravel the story behind the painting’s subject: Austrian violinist Adele Von
Bron.

A darling of the Austrian aristocracy, talented violinist, and
daughter to a high-ranking member of the Third Reich, Adele risks everything
when she begins smuggling Jews out of Vienna. In a heartbeat, her life of
prosperity and privilege dissolves into a world of starvation and barbed wire.

As Sera untangles the secrets behind the painting, she finds
beauty in the most unlikely of places: in the grim camps of Auschwitz and in
the inner recesses of her own troubled heart.

Review
WWII seems to be a time period that is picking up now and I for one love to hear stories about the brave men and women of that time. So here’s my thoughts:

What I liked:

The premise. I love a backwards mysteries, where the main characters start with the end and have to unravel things to get back to the beginning. I particularly liked the idea of starting with a painting, it manages to give the novel this haunting feel to it.

The history. I love history and I love it more when I feel like I’ve learned something I never have before. And I learned a couple things about Auschwitz that I hadn’t ever heard of.

Spiritually, there is the beautiful theme of hope and the plans that God has for your lives, even when outside circumstances come along and try to derail those plans.

What I didn’t like:

The romance. Because you have two stories running side by side, generally, I have found that the romance can suffer. For me, that was the case, but only because some things happened so quickly. I just wasn’t as invested, I think, as the author wanted me to be.

Adele’s story. I’m no expert on Nazi Austria, but I was really curious if they would have treated someone with Adele’s stature the way they treated Adele. And also, Adele manages to maintain her innocence and naivete as she goes through and sees some horrendous things. Some people might consider that refreshing. I found it unusual. At some point I felt that she should have toughened up.

Romantic Scale: 7.5

Overall, another beautiful look at WWII history. It’s not exactly fun to read (due to the serious content), but it is a fascinating read.

**I received this book from Netgalley. My opinion was not affected in anyway.**

About

“Don’t you know? Animals like you have no soul.”

Could God ever love a half-blood all of society looks upon with such fear and disdain? Jace once believed so, but when a tragic loss shatters the only peace he’s ever known, his faith crumbles as the nagging doubts he’s tried to put behind him descend on his grieving heart. With them come the haunting memories of the bloodstained past he longs to forget, but can never escape.

Taken from home at a young age and raised to serve the emperor, Kyrin Altair lives every day under a dangerous pretense of loyalty. After her unique observation skills and perfect memory place her into direct service to the emperor, Kyrin finds herself in further jeopardy as it becomes increasingly difficult to hide her belief in Elôm, the one true God.

Following the emperor’s declaration to enforce the worship of false gods under the penalty of death, many lives are endangered. But there are those willing to risk everything to take a stand and offer aid to the persecuted. With their lives traveling paths they never could have imagined, Jace and Kyrin must fight to overcome their own fears and conflicts with society as they become part of the resistance.

Review

This book was blowing up my Twitter feed some weeks ago, so I went ahead and downloaded it on my kindle to see if it was worth all the hype. It was! My thoughts:

What I liked:

Amazing world building. I love it when fantasy authors build layers upon layers of a world filled with different languages, different people, mixed with different likes and prejudices. It really brings novels like this to life.

The problem. What you have here is a kingdom that is trying to stamp out faith in the true God and it’s done in such a way that is completely believable and has shades of reality in it.

It’s long, and yet it feels like the pages fly by. A fantasy novel, in my opinion, loses its credibility if its under 300 pages (some people like short books, I adore long novels). And yet, I wasn’t ready for it to end.

The characters. They stay with you. I found myself thinking about them even after I had finished the book:

       Kyrin and her brother. Loved them. I love how committed they are to each other and the sacrifices they are willing to make on each others behalf. I was very involved in their relationship and very concerned that one or the other might not make it out of this book alive. And Kyrin is a great heroine. She’s strong, she can fight, she’s gifted, but she sticks to her faith and she doesn’t waver and so she becomes a heroine I can trust.

     Jace is a very interesting character. He has this heritage that is really doing him no favors, and yet he’s the one you want around in a fight. I liked Jace. You can’t help but like Jace. I will say, though, that at times I did wish he was proud of something about himself.

    The secondary characters are amazing and will have you on pins and needles.

The romance. It’s not quite developed in this book. In fact, Kyrin and Jace don’t meet until around 70% of the novel. But surprisingly enough, though I was anxious for them to meet, I never felt the need to skim to get there. I was very involved in what they were occupied with. But when they do meet, I really like how their relationship begins to unfold. And I’m eager to see more between them.

Spiritually, I love the idea of standing up for your faith, even if it means death. The novel beautifully portrays what faith looks like.

What I didn’t like:

   I think we have to wait a whole year for the next book. 😦

Romantic Scale: 5

Overall, a wonderful fantasy novel that will completely pull you in.

 

 

About

Caroline Ashley is a journalist on the rise at The Washington Post until the sudden death of her father brings her back to Thorny Hollow to care for her mentally fragile mother and their aging antebellum home. The only respite from the eternal rotation of bridge club meetings and garden parties is her longtime friend, Brooks Elliott. A professor of journalism, Brooks is the voice of sanity and reason in the land of pink lemonade and triple layer coconut cakes. But when she meets a fascinating, charismatic young man on the cusp of a brand new industry, she ignores Brooks’s misgivings and throws herself into the project. 

Brooks struggles to reconcile his parents’ very bitter marriage with his father’s devastating grief at the recent loss of his wife. Caroline is the only bright spot in the emotional wreckage of his family life. She’s a friend and he’s perfectly happy to keep her safely in that category. Marriage isn’t for men like Brooks and they both know it… until a handsome newcomer wins her heart. Brooks discovers Caroline is much more than a friend, and always has been, but is it too late to win her back? 

Featuring a colorful cast of southern belles, Civil War re-enactors, and good Christian women with spunk to spare, Emma, Mr. Knightley, and Chili-Slaw Dogs brings the modern American South to light in a way only a contemporary Jane Austen could have imagined.

Review

Though I enjoyed the first book in this series, I was hesitant to read the second one because Emma and Mr. Knightley are my favorite Jane Austen couple. But I really enjoyed this book. My thoughts:

What I liked:

Ms. Hathaway manages to capture the essence of the novel Emma. Clearly there are some differences (which I greatly appreciated), but Caroline reads as Emma and Brooks as Knightley.

Caroline. She’s got that rich, bored, let me invest in other people’s lives thing going the same as Emma. You can tell that she genuinely wants to help and be needed. She wants to be modern, but is still so very much tied to the old way of doing things. She is both very much likeable and sometimes annoying, but only in the way that Emma is. 

Brooks is Knightley. He is also wealthy, but quiet and smart. He watches out and takes care of Caroline and is never afraid of correcting her when she’s wrong. 

The romance. Obviously Brooks and Caroline are friends first. Really good friends who sacrifice for each other and only desire that the other be happy and make good decisions…even if that means they have disagreements. I loved watching them slowly fall in love and rarely do I comment on such a thing, but the kiss in this book was awesome. I had to go back and read that thing again.

The inclusion of the Civil War. Do people really take reenactments that seriously? If so, that’s kind of weird… and funny.

The secondary characters. It wasn’t exactly like Emma (again I’m very glad it was not), but I enjoyed that they secondary characters managed to encapsulate the same ideas as others in the Austen novel. 

Spiritually, it’s kind of light, and I’m not sure that there is a theme. We are just aware that Caroline and Brooks are Christians and often turn to God in prayer. 

What I didn’t like:

Sometimes I wanted to sit Caroline and Brooks down and make them communicate. Lack of communication can really throw off a book, and it didn’t here, but it is a minor annoyance. 

Romantic Scale: 9

Overall, so much fun to read and very cute!

**I received this book from Netgalley. My opinion was not affected in anyway.**

About

Hawaii was the last place Grace Christiansen ever imagined she’d vacation, much less fall in love. But when her family surprises her with a cooking retreat in paradise, she is pulled—or maybe yanked—away from her predictable, safe life and thrown headfirst into the adventure of a lifetime.

Max Sharpe may make his living on the ice as a pro hockey player, but he feels most at home in the kitchen. Which is why he lives for the three-week culinary vacation he takes each year in Hawaii. Upon being paired with Grace for a cooking competition, Max finds himself drawn to her passion, confidence, and perseverance. But just when Grace dares to dream of a future beyond her hometown, Max pulls away.

Wrestling with personal demons, Max fights against opening his heart to a love he knows he should never hope for. And as his secrets unfold, Grace is torn between the safe path in front of her and what her heart truly desires. If love means sacrificing her ideal happily ever after, Grace’s faith will face its toughest test yet.

Review
This book created in me some really unsettling feelings. On the one hand, I love Susan May Warren and the Christiansen Family. I loved her characterization. I feel like I know each member (and their respective loves) so well. And this book, like so many of her other books was written so well, I was flipping the pages. However, there were two really big things that just bothered me, and so I’m going to do my review a bit differently today. Instead of listing what I did and didn’t like, I’m going to go down the list of the characters:
 
Max and Grace. Their romance was beyond cute. I loved the way they got to know each other over food  (and Hello! A cooking show like Chopped? Completely pulled me in) and Hawaii. It was romantic, and sweet, and so much fun. I will say Grace was at moments annoyingly insecure, but it’s easy to get past it, and she’s got an otherwise great personality. Max is such an intriguing character. He’s both serious and fun, a hockey player and a chef. I loved the dichotomy that was Max. BUT, when I opened the first page of his narrative I knew where this story was going, and I was hoping to be wrong. I was not.  I am about to rant about something and maybe get a little spoilery here (though you find out right away) please feel free to jump to the next paragraph. **Max is dealing with the possibility of a debilitating disease. And while I know that not everyone believes that Jesus still heals or that He’s a miracle worker, I do. And so it bothered me, that he had such a great faith in his own imminent demise and no faith in Jesus’ healing power. He believed that he was going to get sick deep down to the core of his being and while the spiritual message that Warren had was not wrong, (and I agree with it essentially) I’m sorry folks, I just couldn’t get with it. I understood his hesitance and his caution and even his fear. Nevertheless, I wanted more faith from Max.**
 
Owen. He was annoying in the last book. He gets worse in this one. Seriously, dude is a big pain in the butt. And if Susan May Warren writes him his own novel, it is either going to be the best one in the series or fall real short. He’s got a lot to make up for.
 
Raina. Sigh. I hoped, really hoped her story wasn’t going where I thought it was going to go. And then it did go there. And then it got worse. It was like a train wreck, you wanted to look away, but you just couldn’t. And I’m just worried that Susan May Warren is going to write a romance story with her and a certain guy and she’s going to put a bandaid on the situation and try to make me believe that it all worked out just fine. But honestly, in real life, Raina’s situation just might not be fixable (I’m not saying people wouldn’t forgive, and love and heal, but certain boundaries in life shouldn’t be crossed and when they are, most people would just throw in the towel and move on).Raina blew it, not necessarily because of her mistake, but because the mistake involved two people who are family members, and now her situation is going to color the rest of the series. Ugh.
 
Secondary characters: Eden, Jace, Ingrid, John, Darek, Ivy, Tiger, Amelia. Loved them. Loved seeing them in this book and finding out more about their lives.
 
So, I said all this to say, I didn’t hate this book. I couldn’t put it down. I found it highly entertaining. I also found it highly unsettling. I wanted more faith from Max, and Raina’s situation kind of broke my heart. Life isn’t pretty, in fact, sometimes it’s a huge mess. But I guess what I wanted were happier circumstances for this family.