remaininhislove

I was reading a book yesterday and something about the premise got me excited, and when I discovered what it was, I realized something: I like rules in my books.

What does that mean?

I like books where there are certain social rules that must be followed. If they are not followed than there are dire ramifications.

What books are those?

Regency novels- I love regency novels, particularly if they deal with the Season.

Paranormal/Fantasy/Sci-Fi-these books almost always have social rules, you just have to learn them first as a reader. A really good author makes you more aware of them then the main character.

YA books: Teens have school and parents and the fact that they are teens in their way.

Historical: Let’s face it, social rules in the olden days are different than today.

Time-Travel: I love it when a person from the future must learn to comply with past customs or cultural customs.

If rules are followed, where’s the plot?

These kinds of books succeed based upon how well the main character follows the rules, or uses the rules to work for him/her. They can change things, but they must go about it using the customs of their time. It makes the main character feel genuine.

These books completely fail, if the heroine acts like she’s from the 21st century when she’s not; or the teen somehow has parents who gave them a house of their own, etc. I vastly dislike heroines who are pro women’s rights in a time where such a thing was not a thing (I am pro women’s rights btw). Or when an author presents a rule based society, but the main character breaks those rules and suffers no repercussions.

Thus, I’ve learned that there are certain books that just speak to me, and these are it for me (I do like contemporary. But I find I don’t read them as much).

What about you? Do you like rules? What speaks to you as a reader?

 

 

 

As elegant as the Sacramento residence she operates, Isabelle Labrie keeps her past concealed, like the treasure she hides under the Golden Hotel. It’s 1853, the heyday of the California Gold Rush. Isabelle is full of hope, staking her claim on the city’s refined clientele and her future on a sweetheart’s promise to marry her when he returns from the gold fields. Then, unexpected guests—fugitive slaves seeking safe passage to the North—force her to confront her past and reconsider her path.

While Isabelle learns to trust God’s provisions, a law student in Virginia must confront his father’s cruelty and rescue a young slave from his family’s tobacco plantation. As the two escape to freedom, and Isabelle risks everything to harbor runaway slaves, the past and present are set on an inevitable collision course—one that reveals hidden treasures of the heart.

Review

Melanie Dobson can tell a good story. I started this book and planned to just read the first chapter….and then a few hours later I was finished. My thoughts:

What I liked:

The time period. I love historical novels. I particularly love historical novels that deal with the issue of slavery. This novel definitely handles the ugliness of slavery from several points of view. Slavery can often be presented in…a very cheesy way (yes, it can). Especially as it relates to how white people view or treat slaves. However, I am happy to say that I thought Dobson did a really good job, particularly since she made the slaves in her book to be more than mammies and really good-close-to-the-family servants. They had thoughts, opinions and dreams that were separate from their owners (as you can see, this is important to me).

Diversity. I love when there are rich, diverse characters.

The plot. Some of it is predictable. However, it was still so good. Somehow you manage to learn about slavery, the Fugitive slave law, the California gold rush, and the American legal system without feeling like you’re learning about all of these things.

Spiritually, the novel has Christian characters who pray and stand up for what they believe in.

What I didn’t like:

I took off a mental star because of the romance. In some ways, this is not a romance book. It’s a historical novel with romance in it. However, I think if we could have really seen the romance develop, this would have been an even stronger novel. Maybe it’s not fair to judge this book by the romance, but I’m a romance reader *shrugs*.

Romantic scale: 7.5

Overall, a very good, quick read. It’s not exactly light reading, but I still flew through the pages and definitely recommend.

Update: My cover didn’t show up like I thought it did. So here it is for real this time!

Today I present you with the cover of my new book:

What do you think? It’s in the hands of my editor and should be out soon!

**Cover done by Roseanna M. White**

A miracle once saved her life ~ will another give her a future?

Cyprus was little more than a child when a fall left her paralyzed…and when the boy known as the wonder-worker healed her. Ever since, she has wondered why the Lord spared her, what he has in store for her. But her pagan father thinks she was spared solely so she could be introduced to the wealthy wonder-worker, Nikolaos.

Nikolaos has never questioned that his call in life is to dedicate himself to the church and to God. Never, that is, until he and his cousin Petros meet the compelling Cyprus Visibullis. For years he struggles with the feelings she inspires…and with the sure knowledge that Petros loves her too.

Petros knows he will never be good enough for Cyprus’s father to consider him as a match for his favorite daughter not as long as Nikolaos is there. But when tragedy strikes the Visibullis family, he will do anything to save his beloved. Unfortunately, his beloved is determined to do anything to save her sisters ~ even at the cost of herself.

As the festival of lights bathes their Greek city in beauty, Cyprus, Petros, and Nikolaos celebrate the miracle of their Savior s birth together one last time. And in remembrance of their Lord’s greatest gift, one of them will make the ultimate sacrifice for the others…and a centuries-long tradition will be born.

Review

I was hesitant to read this book because the premise screams ‘love triangle,’ but I picked it up anyway because White’s books mean trustworthy characters + drama+solid plot + deep faith in God=fun reading. This book was no different. My thoughts:

What I liked:

Spiritually, God is a main character in her books. There’s quite simply no other way to describe it. His presence is literally felt throughout the book. I’ve said it before and I will say it again, her books let you know she’s been with God and furthermore always make me want to spend some time with him myself.

Cyprus. She’s strong, fearless, and yet often vulnerable. She comes across as one of those heroines you can trust to do the right thing even if they make a wrong decision.

The romance. A part of the romance happens offscreen, in the sense that almost from the beginning the hero is in love with Cyprus due to his past interactions with her. We don’t get to see it much as a reader, but you certainly see the effects of it. As I’ve stated before, I was nervous about the love triangle thing, but it’s handled well. That said, Cyprus falls for her hero gradually. At times it did feel as though he was doing everything in the world to get her attention while she wasn’t doing much, but overall a solid romance built on a foundation of friendship.

The angst. It’s not a White book unless there’s drama. I was so nervous reading this book, but in a good way.

The ending. You will read the ending and then be like ‘Oh I get it.’ It’s a wonderful feeling and I learned something new.

What I didn’t like:

There was probably one plot point that had me confused. I don’t want to say too much, but, it all wraps up nicely in the end.

Romantic scale: 8

Overall, a very enjoyable book. Read it!

 

Rayne Shelby has spent her entire life trying to earn the approval of her high-powered family, with the hope of one day managing her late grandfather’s prestigious Idaho lodge. But when she makes a mistake that puts her future in jeopardy, she faces an impossible choice: defy her family or deny her dream. The only way to fix the mess she’s created is to enlist the help of her neighbor, Levi, the apprentice of her family’s greatest enemy. And if Rayne gets caught crossing the divided property lines, the consequences will be irreparable.

Levi Harding has never forgotten the August night he shared with Rayne when they were teens—or the way she later rejected him. Despite his warring instincts, he can’t ignore her plea for help or the spark that’s ignited between them. But now, as wildfires bear down on their town and family secrets are revealed, their newfound alliance might just go up in smoke.

Review

Let me admit that in spite of Nicole Deese’s prolific writing, this is the first novel of hers that I have read (I did read a novella that was part of a collection). I was hesitant at first, but I ended up really loving it. My thoughts:

What I liked:

Romeo and Juliet. You’ve got a classic case of two feuding families and somehow two of its younger members manage to meet and instantly like each other. Stress on the word like. There were no fast declaration of love (yeah). Though they are somewhat taken with each other, you really get to see a friendship form first, and then the feelings. It was very nicely done!

Fully fleshed characters. It’s easy in a kind of Romeo/Juliet setting to have minor characters on the wayside who are only their to further the plot. Here, I felt like a lot of the characters were more than caricatures. The ‘evil’ people definitely had their moments, but the author did such a nice job of fleshing out their character that you could understand them. They were very real on the pages.

Secrets and family drama. I totally figured out the secret from the get-go, but it didn’t make my enjoy the story any less to watch it all unfold.

Spiritually, both the main characters are already Christian, but there’s a beautiful theme of love and forgiveness interwoven throughout.

What I didn’t like:

If there was something that I didn’t like, it was that I thought it took Rayne took long to stand up for Levi. Levi was busy doing things for her left and right and she was still hesitant. But once she gets her act together, it was worth it.

Romantic Scale: 8.7

Overall, so good. I have hopes for a second couple being at the center of book two. Now I must go and download more Nicole Deese books!

 

She prayed for a fairy godmother and got a… karate instructor? Hard-working single mom Caroline Jameson wonders why her son is so unruly. Weren’t children with Down syndrome supposed to be cuddly and compliant? Her ex says the boy belongs in an institution. Caroline will do anything to prove him wrong, even sign her son up for karate classes with a know-it-all instructor.
Lee Marivaux is an expert at reading people. He knows his feisty new student will thrive with firm guidance – and he’s right. He pegs the boy’s mother as a clueless socialite who loafs at the country club – and he’s never been so wrong.
It’s a battle of wills and misperceptions – until Caroline’s abusive ex shows up, demanding custody. Can Lee and Caroline join forces to keep the boy safe? And in a town called Liberty, will love give them the freedom to braid themselves into a strong new family?

Review

I have enjoyed several of Catherine Richmond’s books before so I decided to try this one. So glad I did!

What I liked:

Caroline. It’s hard for me to like heroines. Most likely because they are usually the ones holding back the romance for some lame reason or the other. But Caroline was strong and she had a lot on her plate and if she had reasons to hold back, they were good ones. And yet, she wasn’t one to hold back. I liked her!

Lee Marivaux. Somehow I adored him. In real life, he would have driven me mad, but on the pages I adored everything about him. He’s kind and thoughtful and patient and loving, and yet slightly bossy. Totally worth meeting.

The romance. This story has been told before and yet, it felt so new. Caroline and Lee have a bit of a gender role reversal (as far as the romance genre is concerned): she’s educated, he’s not, she fixes cars, he doesn’t understand them; she’s plans for the future, Lee lives in the moment. And at first, I was like what’s the problem, this is so cool. And then I placed myself in Caroline’s shoes and I was like, yeah…I see the problem. Nevertheless, the situation worked for them (and me as a reader).

The presentation of down syndrome. It’s not like I often read books about down syndrome, but when I do, the character who has it is presented as this naturally good ‘other’ and so, basically I knew nothing about this disease prior to opening this book. Now, I feel like I have a handle on what down syndrome is and how it affects families. Richmond presented it in such a way as to make it real. She didn’t sugarcoat things and she somehow managed to make me want to research the condition on my own. I learned much and I’m grateful to her for it.

Spiritually, both characters are Christians (though only one is really serious about his faith). The book shows the characters living out their faith.

What I didn’t like:

Because one person was more spiritually grounded than the other, it felt a bit like missionary dating and I personally believe that people should be on the same page spiritually or close to before getting seriously romantic. However, this is just a pet peeve and not one that affected my enjoyment of the book.

Romantic scale: 8.5

Overall, such a good read. I didn’t want to put it down!

I didn’t mean to take a week off last week. I got busy…and then that thing called an election happened…and before I knew it the week was over. Then I fought a fever over the weekend. So, not the best week. That said, I’ve read books! And I have reviews! They are coming.

And did anyone catch Poldark on PBS??? I would be lying if I said I didn’t see it coming, I think we all saw it coming, but still..

I hope you all had a better week than I did and read many, many books. I am currently reading:

What are you reading?

Search and rescue pilot Kacey Fairing is home on leave in Mercy Falls, Montana, twelve years after she joined the military to escape the mistakes of her past. With a job waiting for her as the new lead pilot of Peak Rescue in Glacier National Park, Kacey hopes to reconnect with the now-teenage daughter she sees only between deployments. What she doesn’t realize is that someone else is also back in town.

Ben King has been building his country music career since the day Kacey shut him out of her life. Now all of that’s on hold when his injured father calls him home to help run Peak Rescue until he’s fully recovered. It doesn’t take long, though, to discover his father’s ulterior motives as Kacey Fairing walks into the house and back into his heart.

With Mercy Falls in a state of emergency due to flash floods, Kacey and Ben are forced to work together to save lives. But when floodwaters turn personal, can they put aside the past to save their future?

Review

Susan May Warren has started a new series! My thoughts:

What I liked:

Ms. Warren returned to her trademark of writing two romances in one. Usually one romance is the ‘lead’ while the other plays backup. Such is the case here. In fact, the second ‘romance’ if you want to call it that, has yet to be resolved. At first, I didn’t care for the switch too much, but eventually I found myself involved in both situations and I’m still curious as to how the second romance will come together.

There is a mystery in this book, but it is also a bit ongoing. Only a piece of it is resolved and I thought that was a cool way to write the series. I really want to know what happened.

After a romantic relationship, a parental relationship is my favorite kind to read. I love when children (and by children, I don’t necessarily mean kids) must get to know their parents. This theme is interwoven several times throughout the book with several people.

Spiritually, the novel deals with forgiveness and what that looks like, particularly for yourself.

What I didn’t like:

I’ll be honest and say that I enjoy plots where fathers don’t realize that they have children and must get to know them. However, I don’t enjoy it when the reason why they didn’t know they had children was lame (or the mother was just selfish). The reasoning here? Lame. It didn’t work for me. It wouldn’t have worked legally either. So that bothered me, big time.

Also, half the time I felt like the ‘problems’ in the romance could have been resolved in an hour…all that was needed was for the two protagonist to actually talk to each other without running from the scenes dramatically and refusing to open their mouths. I believe the story is weakened when you rely upon miscommunication or no communication.

Romantic scale: 7.5

Overall, a good start to a new series!

** I received a copy from Revell. My opinion was not affected in anyway.**

When a financial crisis in 1850s New York leaves three orphaned sisters nearly destitute, the oldest, Elise Neumann, knows she must take action. She’s had experience as a seamstress, and the New York Children’s Aid Society has established a special service: placing out seamstresses and trade girls. Even though Elise doesn’t want to leave her sisters for a job in Illinois, she realizes this may be their last chance.

The son of one of New York City’s wealthiest entrepreneurs, Thornton Quincy faces a dilemma. His father is dying, and in order to decide which of his sons will inherit everything, he is requiring them to do two things in six months: build a sustainable town along the Illinois Central Railroad, and get married. Thornton is tired of standing in his twin brother’s shadow and is determined to win his father’s challenge. He doesn’t plan on meeting a feisty young woman on his way west, though.

After a devastating heartbreak three years ago, genealogist and historical village owner Nora Bradford has decided that burying her nose in her work and her books is far safer than romance in the here and now.

Unlike Nora, former Navy SEAL and Medal of Honor recipient John Lawson is a modern-day man, usually 100 percent focused on the present. But when he’s diagnosed with an inherited condition, he’s forced to dig into the secrets of his past and his adoption as an infant, enlisting Nora to help him uncover the identity of his birth mother.

The more time they spend together, the more this pair of opposites suspects they just might be a perfect match. However, John’s already dating someone and Nora’s not sure she’s ready to trade her crushes on fictional heroes for the risks of a real relationship. Finding the answers they’re seeking will test the limits of their identity, their faith, and their devotion to one another.

On the day of a late spring storm, in Chicago, Autumn Manning boarded an “L” train. A bomb explodes, killing everyone in the train car except for Autumn—the sole survivor. A year has passed and Autumn suffocates under a blanket of what ifs and the pressing desire to bring the victims back to life, every day, if only for her. She doesn’t want their stories to be forgotten. She wants to undo what cannot be undone. An unexpected ally joins her efforts, also seeking answers and trying to find a way to stumble ahead.
But one victim’s husband, Paul Elliott, prays to let the dead—and their secrets—rest in peace, undisturbed and unable to hurt his loved ones.
Caught between loss and hope, these restless souls must release the past to embrace a sovereign God.

Grace Mallory is tired of running, of hiding. But when an old friend sends an after-hours telegraph transmission warning Grace that the man who has hunted her for nearly a year has discovered her location, she fears she has no choice. She can’t let the villain she believes responsible for her father’s death release his wrath in Harper’s Station, the town that has sheltered her and blessed her with the dearest friends she’s ever known.

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 telegraph companion, the mysterious Miss G, listens eagerly to his ramblings every night and delights him with tales all her own. For months, their friendship–dare he believe, courtship?–has fed his hope that he has finally found the woman God intended for him. Yet when he takes the next step to meet her in person, he discovers her life is in peril, and Amos must decide if he can shed the cocoon of his quiet nature to become the hero Grace requires.

Rosemary Gresham has no family beyond the band of former urchins that helped her survive as a girl in the mean streets of London. Grown now, they concentrate on stealing high-value items and have learned how to blend into upper-class society. But when Rosemary must determine whether a certain wealthy gentleman is loyal to Britain or to Germany, she is in for the challenge of a lifetime. How does one steal a family’s history, their very name?

Peter Holstein, given his family’s German blood, writes his popular series of adventure novels under a pen name. With European politics boiling and his own neighbors suspicious of him, Peter debates whether it might be best to change his name for good. When Rosemary shows up at his door pretending to be a historian and offering to help him trace his family history, his question might be answered.

But as the two work together and Rosemary sees his gracious reaction to his neighbors’ scornful attacks, she wonders if her assignment is going down the wrong path. Is it too late to help him prove that he’s more than his name?

There’s a lot to look forward to! Which one catches your eye?

After a disastrous Middle East mission ends his six-year Army Ranger career, Finn McGregor needs some downtime. A peaceful month in the woods sounds like the perfect way to decompress. But peace isn’t on the agenda once he crosses paths with publishing executive Dana Lewis, a neighbor who is nursing wounds of her own. Someone seems bent on disrupting her stay in the lakeside cabin she inherited from her grandfather. As Finn and Dana work together to discover who is behind the disquieting pranks, the incidents begin to take on a menacing tone. And when it becomes apparent Dana’s foe may have deadly intent, Finn finds himself back in the thick of the action–ready or not.

Review

I enjoy a good romance with a side of mystery and I knew Irene Hannon would deliver. My thoughts:

What I liked:

The romance. It wasn’t complicated and sometimes that’s nice. Finn and Dana each come to the table with their own issues and are forced to face them, but the story is weighed down by unnecessary drama.

The suspense. I found myself immediately drawn into the story from almost the first page. I will admit that the suspense dies down a bit as the story goes on, but I still found myself very much invested and seeing how things were going to play out.

Complicated villains. It’s easy to have a villain who is all bad. It’s harder to have a villain who is complex and here is where Hannon succeeded. The ‘bad guy’ (or ‘bad guys’) are bad, but they’re motivations are real and that adds an extra layer to the story.

What I didn’t like:

This is probably because I’ve read a lot of Irene Hannon’s books, but I just noticed that the hero and heroine in this book is kind of interchangeable with the heroes and heroines in the previous other books. This book just felt the same and I found myself skimming towards to the end.

Romantic scale: 7.5

Overall, it was a good read.

**I received a copy from Revell. My opinion was not affected in anyway.**