Blog Tour Review: A Timeless Romance Anthology: Annette Lyon Collection

A Timeless Romance Anthology: Annette Lyon Collection by Annette Lyon

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

The ANNETTE LYON COLLECTION contains brand new contemporary romance novella OUR SONG, as well as five hand-picked readers’ and reviewers’ favorites of Annette’s popular Timeless Romance Anthology novellas. Readers will love this selection of three contemporary and three historical romance novellas.

OUR SONG -  Cassie and Matt have been dating for two years and things are, well, average.  When Cassie meets up with two college friends who are visiting, their love lives sound like fairy tales.  Cassie goes home feeling like she's missing out.  Maybe it's time to move on.  But then she discovers that her friends relationships aren't as rosy as she thought.  Now she can only hope it isn’t too late to show Matt how much she really cares.  A very sweet charming romance novella!

GOLDEN SUNRISE - Natalie flies to Vegas for her best friend's wedding.  Sierra and Jason, high-school sweethearts, are finally getting married.  Fortunately for Natalie, her old high-school flame, Adam, has a work commitment and can't be there as best man.  But when she arrives at the wedding rehearsal - late and ragged - Adam is there.  Will these two high-school sweethearts find a second chance at love or is the hurt of the past too much?  A sweet novella about second chance love!

FIRSTS AND LASTS, an enchanting novella, begins with Dani’s last week in New York. She’s failed in her dreams to catch a break as an actress and is now ready to return home and dust herself off. As she visits the places on her final to-see list, she meets Mark, another New York City transplant with big dreams. Except Mark hasn’t given up on his. As they spend the day together, Dani realizes that even though she hasn’t hit the “big time” she might be living her dream after all. Only problem: she has a one-way ticket back home.  I loved this novella about a chance meeting that turns into a dream romance!

WAR OF HEARTS - Anna, a journalist, is heartbroken and still in love with her now-former boyfriend Pete.  She is desperate to escape the magazine where he also works.  When Anna snags an assignment to cover the Winter War in Finland, she's grateful for the chance to get away.  She arrives at a snowy Finnish battlefront only to discover that Pete is already there - as her photographer.  She's determined to be professional about the situation until a battle breaks out in camp, putting her and Pete in harm's way and putting their love to the test.  A touching historical romance that will melt your heart!

BETWEEN THE LINES - Jane Martin is intelligent but extremely shy, especially around men.  When the Aid and Cultural Society proposes a letter-writing program, Jane signs up, hoping she can find true friendship.  When Thomas Allred is alerted to the fact that the letter-writing program is not going as smoothly as expected and that Jane will be the one, once again, that will be hurt by this, he takes Jane's name for the exchange.  Not expecting anything other than friendship, Thomas creates a secret persona for the letter writing.  Thomas has always known shy and quiet Jane, but reading her letters opens his eyes to what an amazing woman she is.  The only trouble is, Jane doesn't know that the man who she is falling in love with through letters is also Thomas, the man who is falling in love with her in person.  A charming and captivating novella that I really enjoyed!

A TASTE OF HOME - In this charming novella, we meet Clair Jennings, who's on her way to spend Christmas with her family.  As she rides the train with William Rhodes, who grew up across the street, memories of Christmas past flood her mind.  He may be twenty-one now, but she can't forget his torturous teasing from their school years.  At the rail station, Clair discovers that her home is under quarantine because her little brother has measles.  She's stuck in town. away from her family, on her favorite holiday.  William stays behind with her, and as Christmas Day approaches and her homesickness deepens, she discovers that perhaps he has changed in more ways than one.  I liked this sweet story about a boy who has to prove he's now a grown man willing to do anything to show his love.

*I received a complimentary copy of this book for review purposes.  I was not required to write a positive review and all opinions stated are my own.*

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About the author:

Annette Lyon is a Whitney Award winner, the recipient of Utah’s Best in State medal for fiction and the author of ten novels, a cookbook, and a grammar guide as well as over a hundred magazine articles. She’s part of the Timeless Romance Anthologies line of sweet romance stories, a senior editor at Precision Editing Group, and a cum laude graduate from BYU with a degree in English. When she’s not writing, editing, knitting, or eating chocolate, she can be found mothering and avoiding the spots on the kitchen floor.

Website ~ Twitter ~ Facebook 

Amazon Link: Annette Lyon Collection 

Goodreads: Annette Lyon Collection 

Annette's Author Goodreads page: Author Annette Lyon

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Follow the tour!

July 27th

Katie’s Clean Book Collection http://katiescleanbookcollection.blogspot.com/

Bookworm Lisa http://lisaisabookworm.blogspot.com/

I Love to Read and Review Books http://ilovetoreadandreviewbooks.blogspot.com/

July 28th 

Lindzee Armstrong http://www.lindzeearmstrong.com/

Literary Time Out http://literarytimeout.blogspot.com/

Rachel DeVaughn http://empowermoms.net/

July 29th

My Book a Day http://mybookaday.blogspot.com/

Mel’s Shelves http://www.melsshelves.blogspot.com/

July 30th

Wishful Endings http://www.wishfulendings.com/

Singing Librarian Books http://singinglibrarianbooks.weebly.com/

Bubble Bath Books http://www.bubblebath-books.com/

July 31st

Min Reads and Reviews http://www.minreadsandreviews.blogspot.com/

LDS Women's Book Review http://www.ldswomensbookreview.com/wordpress/

Fire and Ice http://fireandicereads.com/

Why Not? Because I Said So http://www.whynotbecauseisaidso.blogspot.com/

Smiling Book Reviews http://www.smilingbookreviews.blogspot.com/

Review: Stick in the Mud Meets Spontaneity

Stick in the Mud Meets Spontaneity by Rachael Anderson
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I was so excited when I saw this book was available for review! In my opinion, Rachael Anderson is the queen of clean mainstream romances!

I loved this 3rd book in the Meet Your Match series. It's so much fun to find out what happens to the teenager, Sam, that we met in the first book, Prejudice Meets Pride.  It can be read as a stand-alone.

Sam has grown up, gone to college and is now on her way to a coveted internship in NYC. She has the summer off and plans to spend it as she has previous summers - as a nanny to her practically family, favorite little neighbor girls. When she realizes that her charges have done some growing of their own and have a fully planned summer, she is relegated to playing chauffeur more than playmate. Instead of staying in the dumps about it, she writes out a bucket list. This leads to some laugh out loud moments, let me tell you...LOL! :D

Colten McCoy is genuine, hard-working cowboy who is as set in his ways as he is handsome. When he meets spontaneous Samantha Kinsey, he's immediately drawn to her sunny nature and lively spirit. They connect pretty quickly and slowly develop a relationship throughout the summer. Although he claims he doesn't need any spontaneity in his life, Sam's determined to help him find it.

I liked Colten & Sam's relationship. There was a mutual attraction and it progressed naturally with a surprise ending (good though) different from what I thought would happen. And I loved getting to know more about the other characters from the other books. This author handles the progression through the series very well.

Another winner from Rachael Anderson! A really good clean sweet cowboy romance!

*Thanks to eBooksForReview for a complimentary copy of this book for review purposes. I was not required to write a positive review and all opinions stated are my own.*

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SALE! The River of Time Series by Lisa T. Bergren

The River of Time Series

by Lisa T. Bergren

Amazon Kindle E-book links:

Waterfall: A Novel (River of Time Book 1)

Cascade: A Novel (River of Time Book 2)

Torrent: A Novel (River of Time Book 3

Bourne & Tributary (River of Time Book 4)

Deluge: A Novel (River of Time Book 5)

This series is one of my all time favorites. Apparently a lot of other people felt the same way because after the first three books, she wrote the two novellas and then another final with Deluge. I posted this today because right now the first three books are on sale on Amazon for .99c each, Bourne & Tributary is $2.99 and Deluge is $3.99. So for about $10 you can get the entire series on e-book. Awesome deal! (Always double check the price before you click to buy. I don't know how long this sale will last.)

Lisa T. Bergren writes with such depth of feeling that you can't help but get lost in the story and feel everything they go through. I've been reading her books since I was in my teens but this series is my favorite. It's got it all - time travel, medieval/historical romance, suspense and adventure. Don't miss this deal! You'll love these books!

Waterfall
Most American teenagers want a vacation in Italy, but the Bentarrini sisters have spent every summer of their lives with their parents, famed Etruscan scholars, among the romantic hills. In Book One of the River of Time series, Gabi and Lia are stuck among the rubble of medieval castles in rural Tuscany on yet another hot, boring, and dusty archeological site … until Gabi places her hand atop a handprint in an ancient tomb and finds herself in fourteenth-century Italy. And worse yet, in the middle of a fierce battle between knights of two opposing forces.

And thus she comes to be rescued by the knight-prince Marcello Falassi, who takes her back to his father’s castle—a castle Gabi has seen in ruins in another life. Suddenly Gabi’s summer in Italy is much, much more interesting. But what do you do when your knight in shining armor lives, literally, in a different world?

Cascade
Mom touched my underdress—a gown made six hundred years before—and her eyes widened as she rubbed the raw silk between thumb and forefinger. She turned and touched Lia’s gown. “Where did you get these clothes?”

In Cascade, the second book in the River of Time Series, Gabi knows she’s left her heart in the fourteenth century and she persuades Lia to help her to return, even though they know doing so will risk their very lives. When they arrive, weeks have passed and all of Siena longs to celebrate the heroines who turned the tide in the battle against Florence—while the Florentines will go to great lengths to see them dead.

But Marcello patiently awaits, and Gabi must decide if she’s willing to leave her family behind for good in order to give her heart to him forever.

Torrent
When Gabi and Lia finally learn to surf the river of time, they realize they must make hard choices about life and love in Torrent, the third and final book in the River of Time series.

Gabi and Lia Betarrini have learned to control their time travel, and they return from medieval Italy to save their father from his tragic death in modern times.

But love calls across the centuries, and the girls are determined to return forever—even though they know the Black Plague is advancing across Europe, claiming the lives of one-third of the population. In the suspenseful conclusion of the River of Time series, every decision is about life … and death.

Bourne & Tributary
BOURNE, a novella, picks up right where TORRENT left off...Find out what has happened to men returning from the battle, gravely wounded, to the Betarrinis, fighting for the men they love, and just who is hunting them next...

TRIBUTARY, a novella, picks up a year after BOURNE... Lia struggles to overcome the fear that constant battle has heaped upon her; Gabi and Marcello face an unexpected crisis; and Lord Greco just may be ready to leave the grief and loss of his past behind him, so that he might grab hold of the future...

Deluge
IT'S ONE THING TO BATTLE FOR LIFE...BUT WHAT DO YOU DO WHEN DEATH ITSELF COMES HUNTING?

The Bettarinis and Forellis have found rich fulfillment together in medieval Italia. But after fighting off countless enemies, they now must face the worst foe of all. As the Black Death closes in upon them, threatening everything and everyone they hold dear, Lia and Gabi–and the knights they love–must dig deep within to decide how they might remain safe…and if they need to risk it all in order to truly live as they’re called.

Lisa Tawn Bergren is the best-selling, award-winning author of over 40 books, with more than 2.5 million copies sold. Her most recent works includes a YA series called River of Time (Waterfall, Cascade, Torrent, Bourne & Tributary), God Gave Us Easter, a devotional called Upside-Down Prayers for Parents and the Grand Tour Series (Glamorous Illusions, Grave Consequences, and Glittering Promises). She’s currently at work on a new YA series called Remnants, coming out in 2014.
Lisa’s time is split between managing home base, writing, and working on ducks with her husband, Tim (RMrustic.com). Tim’s a worship leader, graphic designer and duck-sculptor. They have three kids–Olivia, Emma and Jack. The Bergrens make their home in Colorado Springs, Colorado.

WEBSITE: www.lisatawnbergren.com
TWITTER: @LisaTBergren
FACEBOOK: Lisa T. Bergren (just me) and Lisa Tawn Bergren (me, pretending to be a Famous Author; insider scoop on books, contests, etc). For fans of specific series, check out the Remnants Series and the River of Time Series pages.

Review: In Good Company

In Good Company by Jen Turano

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


After growing up as an orphan, Millie Longfellow is determined to become the best nanny the East Coast has ever seen. Unfortunately, her playfulness and enthusiasm aren't always well received and she finds herself dismissed from yet another position.

Everett Mulberry has quite unexpectedly become guardian to three children that scare off every nanny he hires. About to depart for Newport, Rhode Island, for the summer, he’s desperate for competent childcare.

At wit’s end with both Millie and Everett, the employment agency gives them one last chance–with each other. As Millie falls in love with her mischievous charges, Everett focuses on achieving the coveted societal status of the upper echelons. But as he investigates the suspicious circumstances surrounding the death of the children’s parents, will it take the loss of those he loves to learn whose company he truly wants for the rest of his life?

This is the second book in the series A Class of Their Own by Jen Turano and I'm loving following the stories of these three friends whose lives are being changed by love! :)

Millie appears somewhat ditzy but she's knows what she's talking about when it comes to her natural gift with children. The only problem is that she's unconventional with her methods and that causes her to lose more than one position. When Everett gets desperate enough to hire her and then desperate enough to keep her on even after the first fiasco ...well things just go downhill and uphill at the same time! LOL

I didn't immediately fall in love with these two just because Millie's character was a little different and Everett was so set on his social status. But that's not a bad thing because as I read the book I was able to see how they grew and changed. And in the end I loved them as a couple as much as I did Oliver & Harriet from the first book, After A Fashion.

This book wasn't as funny as the first book was but there were several times when I had to laugh at some of the stuff that happens with the three kids. And the secondary characters were great! I love Abigail and Rev. Gilmore! Abigail has taken on the three friends as her wards and uses all her resources to "interfere" and push them into finding true love. Rev. Gilmore prays urgently for each girl and then becomes Abigail's accomplice.

As always, another great book from Jen Turano! I can't wait for the third one! :)

*Thanks to Bethany House for the complimentary copy of this book for review purposes. All opinions stated are my own.*

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Jen Turano is a graduate of the University of Akron with a degree in Clothing and Textiles. She pursued a career in management for nine years before switching to full-time motherhood after the birth of her son. When she's not writing, Jen can be found watching her teenage son participate in various activities, taking long walks with her husband and dog, socializing with friends, or delving into a good book. She lives in suburban Denver, Colorado. Learn more at www.jenturano.com

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Review: Love Arrives In Pieces by Betsy St. Amant

Love Arrives in Pieces by Betsy St. Amant

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

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Summary

Former pageant queen Stella Varland doesn't trust beauty anymore.   With her heart stripped bare after her divorce, Stella is a much subdued version of her old self and is trying to discover who she really is.  She keeps her passion for her secret art to herself and focuses on her interior design work.  But if she doesn't get another job soon, she'll be stuck living with her parents.

Contractor Chase Taylor is determined to live a life of no regrets after losing his fiancee in a car crash.  Now he lives life at full speed, striving to see how much he can accomplish.  When he returns home to Bayou Bend to renovate the town's old theater, he is shocked to learn former flame Stella is the designer for the project.

Forced to work together, Chase and Stella battle their chemistry and their pasts as they struggle to compromise and come together on a vision for the theater.  Their wills clash as they attempt to hide their brokenness and their unresolved feelings for each other.  A near catastrophe, a fire, and a small-town gossip mill finally force both Stella and Chase to realize they have a choice - to hold on to the shards of their pasts, or surrender their fragmented pieces to the One who makes a beautiful masterpiece from the broken.

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Review

This was a wonderful story about two people who feel broken from choices and actions from their past and have to learn to let God take their brokenness and make a beautiful life masterpiece.

I liked how Chase and Stella reconnected over a project that they both had an invested interest in which forced them to work together.  I think it helped them to connect in ways they wouldn't have otherwise.  And I liked how Chase pushed and nudged Stella out of her self-imposed shell.

I felt for Stella as she struggles with anxiety and trying to put her life back together after her divorce.  She's trying to find out who she is other than the beauty queen she'd been for most of her life.   I like how, with Chase and her family's help, she grows more confident and secure.

The supporting characters in this book were great.   Chase and Stella both had families that helped them out.  Then there was  Dixie - loved her!  I also loved the analogy of the upside down umbrella and stomping in the rain puddles.  You'll understand once you read it.  :)

*Thanks to Zondervan and BookLook Bloggers for the complimentary copy of this book for review purposes. I was not required to write a positive review and all opinions stated are my own.*


http://booklookbloggers.com/blogger/resources/9780310338475

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About the Author

Betsy St. Amant lives in Louisiana with her young daughter and has a heart for sharing the amazing news of God's grace through her novels. A freelance journalist, Betsy is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers. When she’s not reading, writing, or singing along to a Disney soundtrack with her daughter, Betsy enjoys inspirational speaking and teaching on the craft of writing. Visit her website at www.betsystamant.com Facebook: Betsy St.Amant Twitter: @betsystamant



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