BLOGWORDS – Tuesday 25 August 2020 – TUESDAY REVIEWS-DAY – BOOK REVIEW – TO LOVE A PRINCE by RACHEL HAUCK

TUESDAY REVIEWS-DAY – BOOK REVIEW – TO LOVE A PRINCE by RACHEL HAUCK

 

THE BLURB

Daffodil Caron is not a princess, even though she once dreamed of being one. After all, she grew up as a playmate to royal princes, running through the halls of Perrigwynn Palace in the North Sea’s Lauchtenland. But the day she stumbled upon a royal secret, everything changed.
Flash forward eighteen years, and Daffy’s living a sweet, non-royal life. A skilled art curator for the Royal Trust, she has friends, a flat in the heart of the capital city, and a handsome, successful boyfriend. The last person on her mind is Gus, the prince she once called her best mate.
HRH Prince Augustus is no longer “Prince Pudgy,” as caricatured by the press—he’s charming and gorgeous, possessing a world-famous smile. But after he’s jilted at the altar, then dumped by his second fianceé, the spare heir to Lauchtenland’s ancient House of Blue finds solace on a Florida beach.
A year as a regular bloke allows him to rethink his purpose. He’s half decided his calling is to pour pints at a tiki bar rather than serve his country and the Family.
But a wild Frisbee toss down the beach changes his destiny.
Despite his long hair and beard, Daffy recognizes her prince. She reminds Gus of his heritage and assures him that he’s needed in Lauchtenland.
When Daffy and Gus find themselves on assignment at Hadsby Castle in preparation for his brother’s wedding ball, their friendship blooms into affection.
Then secrets are exposed, and Gus must choose between his past hurts and his future hope. And Daffy must trust her heart to forever love a prince.

THE AUTHOR

Rachel Hauck is the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and USA TODAY bestselling author of The Wedding Dress, which was also named Inspirational Novel of the Year by Romantic Times and was a RITA finalist. Rachel lives in central Florida with her husband and pet and writes from her ivory tower. Visit her online at RachelHauck.com; Facebook: RachelHauck; Twitter: @RachelHauck; Instagram: @rachelhauck.

 

MY REVIEW

Ms. Hauck’s writing is magical, her stories beautiful, her characters real.

Daffy Caron has a charmed life. Except she’s in love with the wrong man. A man she can’t have.

Prince Augustus had led a not-so-charmed life, with two broken engagements and a vow to never love again. Until the one woman he loves steals his heart all over again.

Ms. Hauck puts them through the wringer, as they both fight against, and then fight for, each other. Still, Daffy knows a secret and she’s sure she’ll not be accepted into the royal family.

In the midst of a host of fascinating characters—Ernst, Leslie Ann, Thomas, the Queen, poor Hemstead—two mysterious characters walk into the story and change everything.

Sometimes God intervenes, the “supernatural breaking into the natural,” to bring about His best plan. And Ms. Hauck has woven this into her story as naturally as ocean waves breaking on the shore, reminding us that angels do indeed walk among us.

 

ROBIN’S FEATHERS

ALL | THE | FEATHERS!

 

 

I received a complimentary copy of this book, but was under no obligation to read the book or to post a review. I offer my review of my own free will. The opinions expressed in my review are my honest thoughts and reaction to this book.

 

#Blogwords, Tuesday Reviews-Day, #TRD, Book Review, To Love a Prince, Rachel Hauck

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BLOGWORDS – Tuesday 18 May 2020 – TUESDAY REVIEWS-DAY – BOOK REVIEW – ICED OVER by HEATHER DAY GILBERT

TUESDAY REVIEWS-DAY – BOOK REVIEW – ICED OVER by HEATHER DAY GILBERT

 

THE BLURB

Welcome to the Barks & Beans Cafe, a quaint place where folks pet shelter dogs while enjoying a cup of java…and where murder sometimes pays a visit.

Black Friday turns fatal when an armored security truck hits an icy patch and runs over an embankment near the cafe. With one driver dead and the other in a coma, police are baffled by the discovery that $500,000 is missing from the truck’s cache.

When strangers show up at Barks & Beans asking nosy questions about a young cafe employee, Macy’s mama bear instincts kick in. She can’t ignore what her gut is telling her—that things aren’t all they seem on the surface—and with a little help from her brother, Bo, and her Great Dane, Coal, Macy follows up on a few leads of her own. But if the ruthless thief beats her to the stash, the thin ice she’s been skating on might just crack.

 

Join siblings Macy and Bo Hatfield as they sniff out crimes in their hometown…with plenty of dogs along for the ride! The Barks & Beans Cafe cozy mystery series features a small town, an amateur sleuth, and no swearing or graphic scenes.

THE AUTHOR

HEATHER DAY GILBERT, an ECPA Christy award finalist and Grace award winner, writes contemporary mysteries and Viking historicals. Her novels feature small towns, family relationships, and women who aren’t afraid to protect those they love. Publisher’s Weekly gave Heather’s Viking historical Forest Child a starred review, saying it is “an engaging story depicting timeless human struggles with faith, love, loyalty, and leadership.”

Find Heather on Pinterest (heatherdgilbert), Instagram (@heatherdaygilbert), Twitter (@heatherdgilbert), and Facebook (heatherdaygilbert). You can find all her books at heatherdaygilbert.com

MY REVIEW

I just love Macy Hatfield! Adorable and cute and so clever and quirky. Sometimes, though, ya just wanna knock some sense into her! Then again, ya gotta admire her tenacity! And the girl got some serious observation skills, noticing random and obscure details. Details that end up being vital clues in solving cases.

And I just love Ms. Gilbert’s writing style! She grabs the reader and welcomes them to the story, and plunges them right into the bedlam.

Not only has Ms. Gilbert has created a memorable and loveable character in Macy, she blends disparate personalities to make a robust story-brew. The interactions between the characters are real and relatable, the reactions and personality quirks authentic. And the dialogue is as snappy and quirky as the characters.

The twist and turns and layers in this story are compelling and page-turning. Just when I thought I (might have) figured out whodunnit, Ms. Gilbert hits the reader with another twist, shining the spotlight on a different suspect. Truly, she keeps the reader wondering until the end.

Then, just when ya think the story’s all wrapped up, there’s a surprise twist at the end!

 

ROBIN’S FEATHERS

ALL | THE | FEATHERS!

 

 

I received a complimentary copy of this book, but was under no obligation to read the book or to post a review. I offer my review of my own free will. The opinions expressed in my review are my honest thoughts and reaction to this book.

 

#Blogwords, Tuesday Reviews-Day, #TRD, Book Review, Iced Over, Heather Day Gilbert

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BLOGWORDS – Tuesday 11 August 2020 – TUESDAY REVIEWS-DAY – BOOK REVIEW – TETHERED by ELEANOR BERTIN

TUESDAY REVIEWS-DAY – BOOK REVIEW – TETHERED by ELEANOR BERTIN

 

THE BLURB

Perfectionistic librarian Jacqui Penn is ripped up by the roots when she’s dumped by her longtime boyfriend. Rootless and on the run, she is drawn two thousand miles west across Canada to the last place she ever thought could offer stability—the old homestead where her father grew up.
Renovating the derelict house soon becomes a personal battle as it stubbornly resists her efforts. While Jacqui struggles to renew the home, she spends time with the family Pops bitterly resented. Her hunger for roots grows stronger as she fights to discover the long-buried reasons her father fled the house as a beleaguered teen. But will she ever find the belonging she craves?

THE AUTHOR

In a fit of optimism at age eleven, Eleanor Bertin began her first novel by numbering a stack of 100 pages. Two of them got filled.
Eleanor holds a college diploma in Communications and worked in agriculture journalism until the birth of her first child. The family eventually grew to include seven children, all girls except six. Writing was crowded out by homeschooling a houseful for 25 years until Lifelines, her first completed novel, was shortlisted in the 2015 Word Alive Free Publishing Contest.
Eleanor and her husband live with their youngest son, who has Down syndrome, amidst the ongoing renovation of a century home in central Alberta. She blogs about a sometimes elusive contentment at jewelofcontentment.wordpress.com.

 

MY REVIEW

Haven’t we all thought about it, wished it, idly planned it at one time or another in our lives? Running away? Daily life becomes mundane, heartbreak unbearable, betrayal unforgiveable?

For most of us, reality ties us in place and the notion of running away gets tucked on the shelf for another day.

For Jacqui Penn, though, reality was turned inside out, and while she could have stayed put and maintained the status quo, her heart wouldn’t let her.

Ms. Bertin digs deep into Jacqui’s heart, the human tug to belong—and to believe. As Father God does per Romans 8:28, Ms. Bertin wove strands of her story to bring good into Jacqui’s life. Even the hurtful and damaging factors. Jacqui faces each challenge head-on, relying first on her own strength and ability, then little by little, day by day, grows to accept and trust those around her. As she discovers her roots, she also discovers herself. And her future.

A deep and profound story of truth and self-discovery, a journey that could belong to any one of us. A story that drew me in, as though I were part of Jacqui’s journey, and kept me turning pages so I, too, could rejoice in her discovery of Truth.

 

ROBIN’S FEATHERS

ALL | THE | FEATHERS!

 

 

I received a complimentary copy of this book, but was under no obligation to read the book or to post a review. I offer my review of my own free will. The opinions expressed in my review are my honest thoughts and reaction to this book.

 

#Blogwords, Tuesday Reviews-Day, #TRD, Book Review, Tethered, Eleanor Bertin, Mosaic Collection, JustRead Publicity Tours

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BLOGWORDS – Tuesday 04 August 2020 – TUESDAY REVIEWS-DAY – BOOK REVIEW – KATHERINE’S ARRANGEMENT by BLOSSOM TURNER

TUESDAY REVIEWS-DAY – BOOK REVIEW – KATHERINE’S ARRANGEMENT by BLOSSOM TURNER

 

THE BLURB

Marrying him is her only choice to save her family, but Josiah Richardson isn’t at all the man she expected.

Katherine Williams’s family was left destitute when their home was burned to the ground by Yankee soldiers, so the ready solution presented by the prominent Mr. Josiah Richardson seems almost too good to believe. He’ll provide a home, work for her pa, and a new beginning for her family…if only Katherine will accept his proposal. A marriage of convenience is the last thing she wants, but there doesn’t seem to be a better option for her family or herself. Setting aside her dreams of love, Katherine agrees to the arrangement.

The gentleman in Josiah Richardson can no more force his frightened bride into his bed, than he can force her into loving him, so he sets out to gently woo her. He works hard to befriend her, to earn her trust and win her love.

Katherine is pleasantly surprised to find herself drawn to the man she thought she would never love, until an unexpected friendship tears apart all they’ve worked for. Where once the promise of love had budded between Josiah and Katherine, now they wonder what to do with their so-called marriage. Is love strong enough to weave its healing power through two broken hearts?

 

THE AUTHOR

Blossom Turner is a free-lance writer published in Chicken Soup and Kernels of Hope anthologies, former newspaper columnist on health and fitness, an avid blogger, and published novelist. Her authentic understanding of the power of forgiveness through life experience has inspired this compelling novel, Anna’s Secret, where failure, God’s love, and romance collide. She and her husband, David, have two grown children and live in beautiful British Columbia, Canada. Read more at blossomturner.com.

 

MY REVIEW

The realities of war escape most of us. Certainly the up close and personal cruelties of Yankee soldiers and the total and utter loss of everything familiar.

Add to that, the ancient practice of an arranged marriage left Katherine feeling like a pawn in some grim game.

The premise of this story offers much with the veiled similarity to the Biblical story of Ruth. But sadly I found I could not connect with the characters. At first, I felt Katherine’s dismay, but when it turned to bitterness she lost me. Josiah was a delight at first, his morals and honor the badge of a gentleman. But the repeated mention of his physical desire for Katherine and his struggle to control himself got old fast.

The make-it-or-break-it for this reviewer, the dialogue, did not ring true to the era.

Ms. Blossom builds the tension, then eases it, then jerks it taut again as Katherine and Josiah dance around their situation and their marriage. And not only did she toss in one secret, but two—one of them with a surprise twist—with hints smattered throughout the pages until each secret was revealed.

The Spiritual struggle, though, was evident. Unbelievers surrounded with praying folk—and resenting any mention of the Bible of prayer. And yet, each of them felt the stirring, burning within, the longing for God, even if they didn’t recognize He was their answer.

 

ROBIN’S FEATHERS

THREE FEATHERS

 

 

I received a complimentary copy of this book, but was under no obligation to read the book or to post a review. I offer my review of my own free will. The opinions expressed in my review are my honest thoughts and reaction to this book.

 

 

#Blogwords, Tuesday Reviews-Day, #TRD, Book Review, Katherine’s Arrangement, Blossom Turner

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BLOGWORDS – Saturday 1 August 2020 – TUESDAY REVIEWS-DAY-on-SATURDAY – BOOK REVIEW – FALLING FOR GRACE by JANET FERGUSON

TUESDAY REVIEWS-DAY-on-SATURDAY – BOOK REVIEW – FALLING FOR GRACE by JANET FERGUSON

 

THE BLURB

Grace Logan has taken a lot of tumbles in life, but she works hard to bounce right back. Dreams shattered and hope for reconciliation gone, Grace needs a place where she can pick herself up now that her ex is marrying her former best friend. Her boss’s beach house in Santa Rosa seems like the perfect getaway, but stumbling into the attractive-but-damaged handyman next door isn’t part of the plan.

After losing his infant son—and his marriage—Seth Gibbs is left with smothering grief and guilt. Bad memories make it difficult to find a new normal, so he escapes to his family’s vacation home. Three years later, he’s still in Santa Rosa with no plans to leave. That is…until Grace falls into his life.

THE AUTHOR

Janet W. Ferguson is a Grace Award winner and a Christy Award finalist. She grew up in Mississippi and received a degree in Banking and Finance from the University of Mississippi. She has served as a children’s minister and a church youth volunteer. An avid reader, she worked as a librarian at a large public high school. She writes humorous inspirational fiction for people with real lives and real problems. Janet and her husband have two grown children, one really smart dog, and a cat that allows them to share the space.

 

MY REVIEW

Sometimes it takes the broken in us to see the broken in others.

I’ve come to know that when I read a story by Ms. Ferguson, I will fall in love with her characters. Grace Loga and Seth Gibbs are no exception.

Her trying to escape a broken heart, him hiding from his, and they keep bumping into each other. And as stone sharpens stone, Grace and Seth’s encounters begin to strip away the sting and broken edges.

Ms. Ferguson digs into deep heart issues—grief, unforgiveness, betrayal—and roots them out, exposing them for the damage they create. She takes Grace and Seth through a steep learning curve, both individually and together. I appreciate her understanding of human nature, and the beauty of her stories that tell on us all so well.

 

ROBIN’S FEATHERS

FOUR FEATHERS

 

 

This book was given to me as a gift. I offer my review of my own free will, and the opinions expressed in my review are my own honest thoughts and reaction to this book.

 

#Blogwords, Tuesday Reviews-Day-on-Saturday, #TRD, Book Review, Falling for Grace, Janet Ferguson, Coastal Hearts

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