Review: Ordinary Snowflakes by Jennifer Rodewald

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Genre: Adult, Christian, Contemporary, Fiction, Romance, Novella
Publisher: Rooted Publishing
Publication date: November 7, 2016
Number of pages: 118

Someone has noticed me. A secret admirer? A man with a good heart, who sees how much I actually need help, even though I never admit it? Maybe this is the beginning of a beautiful story—a romance full of hope and second chances and love. 

Maybe…

A secret Santa gift left on Kale Brennan’s front porch opens up a fresh view of her ordinary life, and perhaps of God. Maybe she does matter. Maybe God sees her—as does a new-to-town music teacher who has her seven-year-old daughter gushing and her own knees buckling with his killer smile. But as Kale embraces new possibilities, a staple in her life—a man who is kind and steady, not to mention necessary for her injured daughter’s recovery—also snatches her attention in an unexpected way. Will the one pursuing her with his secret gift and kind gestures be the one her heart longs for in the end?

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Jennifer Rodewald is passionate about the Word of God and the powerful vehicle of story. The draw to fiction has tugged hard on her heart since childhood, and when she began pursuing writing she set on stories that reveal the grace of God.
Jen lives and writes in a lovely speck of a town where she watches with amazement while her children grow up way too fast, gardens, and marvels at God’s mighty hand in everyday life. Four kids and her own personal superman make her home in southwestern Nebraska delightfully chaotic.
She would love to hear from you! Please visit her at https://www.authorjenrodewald.com or on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/authorjenrodewald or email her at write2edify@gmail.com.

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1. What inspired the idea for the novella Ordinary Snowflakes?  What do you want readers to take away from reading your novella?
Honestly, after I finished writing Red Rose Bouquet, which was a heavier book, I needed a break. I prayed for something lighter, fun, and something that would remind me of the joy of writing (not that RRB wasn’t a joy, but like I said, it was heavy, and it was a hard book to write). Ordinary Snowflakes was God’s answer to that prayer. I didn’t expect to be served a lesson in it, but God did, and I am so delighted. I hope my readers find what I found—that God sees. He loves. He smiles down on us, even though our lives may seem painfully ordinary. We are crafted and loved by an extraordinary God.

Blog Tour & Giveaway: The Honeybee Sisters Cookbook

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The Honeybee Sisters Cookbook by Jennifer Beckstrand

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

 A collection of delicious honey recipes from the Honeybee Sisters book series, featuring quotes and recipes from Sweet as Honey, A Bee in her Bonnet, and Like a Bee to Honey–Amish romances by Jennifer Beckstrand.

Lily, Poppy, and Rose Christner, known as the Honeybee Sisters in their Amish community, are smart, inseparable, and all grown up. Orphaned when they were very young, the girls were raised by their eccentric Aunt Bitsy, who doesn’t behave like a proper Amish spinster. The Honeybee Sisters have blossomed into rare beauties, and the boys in the community have begun to take notice. But Aunt Bitsy is determined to scare off all comers with her brusque manner and her handy shotgun. None but the most worthy will make it past Bitsy’s defenses. It’s going to be a rowdy and romantic summer–harvesting honey from their many beehives and fighting off the boys right and left.

Note from Aunt Bitsy: When my girls told me they wanted to write a cookbook, I wasn’t too keen on the idea. Food attracts boys like honey attracts bees. I warned them that if they didn’t want the boys hanging around the house, they shouldn’t make the cakes and pies and cookies that are sure to bring them running. My nieces didn’t seem to be alarmed about the prospect of boys all over the place, so I suppose they’ll have to learn the hard way.

My problem is that smart, feisty, pretty girls attract boys even better than honey does. So even if my girls stopped cooking altogether, I have a sneaking suspicion that the boys would still find excuses to come over.

Some of the recipes in this book, like Honey Glazed Pretzels and Whole Wheat Bread, are very traditional Amish dishes. Others, like Salmon Tacos and Coconut Lime Chicken, are less traditional but still wunderbarr. I lived as an Englischer for twenty years before coming back to the Amish to raise my three nieces, and as a dental hygienist, I collected a lot of recipes.

Here’s my final warning: Boys are like stray cats. If you feed them, they’ll keep coming back. Buy this cookbook at your own risk.

I knew once I'd read the Honeybee Sisters books that I wanted to get some of the recipes they mentioned.   After all, all three of the boys were enthralled with their cooking.  :D   So I was delighted when I saw the offer to review the Honeybee Sisters Cookbook!

Blog Tour Review & Giveaway: The Honeybee Sisters Series by Jennifer Beckstrand

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Sweet as Honey:

Smart, kind, and good-hearted, the three Christner girls are affectionately known as The Honeybee Sisters in the beloved Wisconsin Amish community where, under the care of their aunt, they’ve grown into skilled beekeepers–and lovely, sought-after young women. . .

Though she has blossomed into a beauty, Lily Christner doesn’t really believe it. Deep down, she still feels like a lonely, gawky teenager. Maybe that’s why she’s all but promised herself to Paul Glick, the one boy who never teased her in her awkward girlhood–unlike Dan Kanagy, whose creative name-calling left her in tears many a time. Now he’s back in town after two years away–and being surprisingly sweet, suspiciously attentive–and making Lily unsettlingly yet deliciously nervous. It seems Dan wants Lily’s forgiveness–and her heart. But can he convince her–not to mention her protective schwesters and aendi–that despite the past, her future lies with him?…



A Bee in Her Bonnet:

Lively, determined, and independent, Poppy Christner isn’t about to let some vandal keep making mischief on her family’s farm. She’s been outrunning boys and standing up for picked-on children ever since she was a girl–no matter how much her prideful, arrogant schoolmate Luke Bontrager insulted her. So Poppy certainly doesn’t need his interference now, especially since he’s made it plain he prefers demure, ladylike companions. In fact, if Luke doesn’t stop helping her find the culprit–and growing humble and remorseful–she’ll be forced to notice how handsome his change-of-heart is making him. And that could mean falling in love–maybe for a lifetime…







Like a Bee to Honey:

Shy, skittish Rose Christner is more comfortable tending to the beehives on the family farm and keeping her aunt’s unruly cats in line than attending social gatherings with the rest of the die youngie. A childhood trauma and secret shame keep her heart under lock and key, and Rose just can’t accept the sweet attention she’s receiving from a handsome neighbor. But the more she shies away from Josiah Yoder, the more their families sneakily plot to bring them together. And when a vandal who’s been plaguing the Honeybee Farm starts targeting Rose, Josiah’s steadfast protection—and patience—just may lead her into his waiting arms…

Blog Tour Review & Giveaway: The Thorn Keeper by Pepper D. Basham

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Genre:  Fiction, Historical, Romance, Christian
Publisher: Vinspire Publishing
Publication Date: February 28, 2015
Number of pages: 402



With her past in shambles, how can she fashion a future of hope?

Catherine Dougall’s past of manipulation has left her future in threads. With a new faith, she longs to take the remnants of her life and make something beautiful, but shame, societies’ judgments, and the natural consequences of an unplanned pregnancy test her newfound hope. Dr. David Ross doesn’t help either. His kindness, sacrifice, and tenderness tempt her to impossible dreams. A fallen woman doesn’t merit a fairytale.
David Ross has made every effort to keep his life above reproach. His passion for the sick pump fresh purpose through his choices, but without financial support to maintain his war hospital, all is lost. When his notorious aunt offers an easy solution, David is tempted to give in to her demands, but his growing affection for the reformed flirt, Catherine Dougall, unwinds the careful wall around his heart and offers an unexpected choice.

​When the worst of war tears them apart, can love renew the memory of what was lost or will tragedy steal away their hope forever.

From the beautiful Derbyshire countryside to the trenches of World War One, Catherine and David must learn to trust in a God who designs a masterpiece out of brokenness and fashions hope in the most unlikely places.

Available to purchase on
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Pepper D. Basham has a way of writing that grabs at your heartstrings.  Although not quite as intense as the first book, the story of Catherine still has a depth of emotions that will keep you enthralled page after page.

So, the disliked Catherine of the first book has found her way to brokenness and repentance and is striving to be what God is calling her to be.   She is facing the consequences of her sins and has many obstacles to overcome in her battle to be a better person.  As much as you might dislike her in the first book, you'll come to admire & love her in this book.  She's a strong character and once she surrenders to God and repents and asks forgiveness of those she's hurt, she stays strong but in much better ways.

David and Catherine's love story has many ups and downs and is beautiful and heart-wrenching at the same time.  The pull of David's dream and the scheming of his aunt makes it hard for him to surrender to the pull of loving Catherine.   And Catherine's past causes her to be wary of forming any attachment to any man.   You'll cry and then sigh in delight at the romance between these two.

The themes of grace, forgiveness, hope, healing, and reconciliation continue in this book.  Again, just like the first book, The Thorn Bearer, I was pulled into and captivated by the story of these two sisters.  You won't forget this story!

*Thanks to SLB Tours 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.*

View all my reviews

Pepper Basham is an award-winning author who writes romance peppered with grace and humor. She currently resides in the lovely mountains of Asheville, NC where she is the mom of 5 great kids, speech-pathologist to about fifty more, lover of chocolate, jazz, and Jesus, and proud AlleyCat over at a group writing blog, The Writer’s Alley. Her debut historical romance novel, The Thorn Bearer, released in May 2015, with the second arriving in February 2016. Her first contemporary romance debuts in spring 2016.

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​David stopped in the shadows as Catherine caught up with a young woman on the threshold of a dilapidated building. The girl looked unwell, with the frame of an advanced pregnancy and the pallor of hunger. Her tattered dress barely offered any barrier from the early autumn chill. David couldn’t understand the exchange, but Catherine’s intentions became clear.
She set the basket of food down at the woman’s feet and slipped off her fashionable coat. Despite the obvious objections of the girl, Catherine wrapped the coat about the girl’s shoulders, brooking no refusal. David’s grin started slow and spread across his face.
Catherine wasn’t consorting with people from her past.
She was living graciously in her present.
His chest expanded with a warm rush of relief…and something else less definable.
Catherine turned back toward his direction. He waited for her to step into the alleyway before emerging from his hiding place.
“Miss Dougall?”
“Dav—” She snapped her rose lips closed around his name and blinked those large sapphire eyes at him. “What on earth are you doing here?”
“I was wondering the same about you.”
She pressed her palm to her chest and drew in a deep breath.  “I…I was completing an errand.”
“That took you all the way to Old Rutland?”
She opened her mouth to answer but then stopped. The twinkle in her eyes should have provided fair warning before she unleashed her disarming smile, but it unfurled with unsteadying potency, leaving him a bit mesmerized. She unwittingly wielded it like a weapon, but oh, what a dangerous tool if she ever used it with purpose.
“You have the most impeccable timing, Dr. Ross.”
Her sudden change in topic took him off-guard. “Do I?”
She tossed a look over her shoulder as she walked back toward Main Street. “Providential, you might even say.”
The pixie glint teased his own smile alive. “Oh really?”
Her gaze took a subtle pleading turn. “Would you happen to have an extra pound? Or several shillings at the very least.”
He covered his growing smile by looking away. After witnessing her exchange with the poor woman on the street, he knew very well why she needed the additional funds. “Didn’t I give you enough for the supplies this morning?”
“Yes…well, I procured a few additional items.” She rubbed her palms against her arms in an attempt to warm herself against the morning breeze, deliberately keeping her gaze from his. “Unforeseen, you understand.”
David unbuttoned his coat. “And you lost your coat?”
“Yes, about that.” She looked down at her gown as if realizing her loss. Her words formed slowly, and he could almost see the frantic search for an excuse evolving in her pretty head. “I must have left it somewhere.”
He wrapped his coat around her shoulders, and a few loose strands of her ebony curls tickled his knuckles. He paused, fastened in place by sapphire eyes, the scent of lavender, and a growing tenderness. “How very careless of you.” His words worked out through a whisper.
Catherine pinched the coat against her throat and stepped back, breaking whatever spell held him in place. “I’m afraid it is a rather unlovely character trait, my dear doctor. Yet another flaw to add to my needed reforms.” Her smile returned with a little too much brightness. “But about those extra funds?”
He’d give her persistence, as well as a few other distracting descriptions. Their friendship was an odd one, but authentic in ways he’d never experienced. He knew her past and had witnessed her transformation. Somehow, the knowledge inspired an inexplicable protectiveness and exquisite freedom. No games. No social dance. Beautiful authenticity.
“Miss Dougall, you are aware that we have a strict budget during these war times?"
She fidgeted with the edge of her gloves and finally released a sigh. “I… I reallocated some of the money.”
“You reallocated it?” He punched his lips tight against his burgeoning smile.
“For the best possible reasons.”
“Well, if it is for the best reasons.” He took off his hat and dusted the brim. “I suppose we can cut rations for the wounded to make up the difference.”
She whimpered, eyes rounding like a wounded animal’s. "Over an extra pound?"
She must have recognized his teasing because she narrowed those feline eyes and jammed one hand on her hip. "You enjoy that, don’t you?”
“What? Cutting rations?”
“Not once do you torment my sister with your teasing, and certainly not my mother, but me?” She wagged her finger at him, unleashing his smile. “You practically torture me with it."
“No one else is quite so entertaining."
“Indeed.” She waved a hand in the air. “I assume then, you know exactly why I need the extra money?”
“And how you lost your coat.”
“Yes, that.” Her gaze lingered in his for a second longer, tightening the inexplicable bond he had with her. She looked away. “All because of your ridiculous aunt.”
“My aunt?”
Catherine resumed her walk with a quicker step, a habit he’d noticed when she was particularly annoyed or thinking. He rushed to keep up.
“The way she pushes people around in this town is ridiculous. The weak. The strong. She doesn’t care who they are as long as she holds them under her wrinkled old thumb. How can she be so unfeeling?” Catherine paused to send a scorching glare. “She is such a…such a—”
“Buzzard? Snake?”
Her brows rose. “To name a few.”
He shoved his hands into his trouser pockets. “What about viper, or perhaps tyrant, or—”
“Wait.” She stopped him with a raised hand. “Why are you helping me come up with insults for her? Aren’t you supposed to keep me on the straight and narrow?”
“Admittedly.” He looked up to the sky, making a poor attempt at keeping his expression thoughtful. He preferred a lighthearted turn in the conversation, untainted by his aunt’s reputation. “But I can only imagine the choices I offered were of a kinder nature than the ones rolling around in that head of yours.”
Catherine opened her mouth as if to object and then stopped, clearly revisiting a few unnamed insults. She offered a repentant sigh. “You’re right.”
“And which of those horrible attributes of my aunt’s has inflamed your cause for justice today?
“This time?” Catherine stepped onto Main Street and slid him a glare. “She’s in danger of becoming a murderer.”

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February 29--Singing Librarian Books

March 1--Toni Shiloh Prayerfully-Lifted Romance | Smiling Book Reviews

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March 5--Reading Is My SuperPower

Blog Tour Review: Not Always Happenstance

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Not Always Happenstance by Rachael Anderson

Lani has lived in Hana, Hawaii for five years. She’s learned to surf, fish, dive, and manage her grandmother’s bed and breakfast. She’s also learned to take one day at a time the way it should be taken—relaxed and unrushed, savoring every moment.

But, like a large wave on the brink of breaking, her life is about to crash out of control. A proposal of marriage, a conniving grandmother, a cryptic Asian woman, and a handsome guest, and suddenly everything calm begins to churn, everything clear becomes confused, and all that was normal segues into peculiar.

As Lani struggles against the current to hold her ground, she realizes that she can either continue to fight and eventually lose, or take a take a leap of faith, hold her breath, and ride the wave wherever it takes her.

***This book is part of the Power of the Matchmaker series that features one recurring character—the match maker—but it is a STAND-ALONE novel.***

Another hit by Rachael Anderson!  I love her books.  They are well written and are a sweet romantic escape to another world.  In this instance - Hawaii!  One day I'd love to visit there.

Lani came to Hawaii five years ago to help the grandmother she barely knew with her B&B.  She has since fallen in love with her grandmother and Hawaii!  When the man she has been dating long distance for five years wants her to move back to California and marry him, Lani struggles with the decision.   Then Easton (and Pearl!) enters the picture.  I really didn't like him at first because you are told up front that he is a womanizer who travels the world with no goodbyes and no attachments.  And Lani was too sweet and good and loyal to have her heart broken like that!  In spite of his determination to not fall in love, Easton is drawn to Lani more than anyone he's ever met.  And in spite of herself, Lani is also drawn to Easton.   With the help of her grandmother, the mysterious new guest, Pearl, and few mystical nudges, Easton and Lani gradually get to know one another.  Then they have to decide if what they are feeling is big enough to make some changes and commit to a lifetime of love.

I loved the camaraderie between Lani and the Hawaiians she has come to know and love.   These secondary characters and her grandmother added a sweet note to the story.   I also enjoyed the mentions of Easton's family and his closeness with them in spite of his travels.  It gives one hope that his character isn't so bad.  :)

*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.*

Author Rachael Anderson

A USA Today bestselling author, Rachael Anderson is the mother of four and is pretty good at breaking up fights, or at least sending guilty parties to their rooms. She can't sing, doesn't dance, and despises tragedies. But she recently figured out how yeast works and can now make homemade bread, which she is really good at eating.

Website

Blog Tour $50 Giveaway

$50 Amazon Gift Card or Paypal Cash

Ends 2/29/16

Open only to those who can legally enter, receive and use an Amazon.com Gift Code or Paypal Cash. Winning Entry will be verified prior to prize being awarded. No purchase necessary. You must be 18 or older to enter or have your parent enter for you. The winner will be chosen by rafflecopter and announced here as well as emailed and will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen. This giveaway is in no way associated with Facebook, Twitter, Rafflecopter or any other entity unless otherwise specified. The number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning. Giveaway was organized by Kathy from I Am A Reader and sponsored by the author. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW.

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Review and Giveaway Blog Tour: Isle of Hope by Julie Lessman

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She stole his heart.
He stole her peace.
Can hope steal their pain?

At the age of eighteen, Lacey Carmichael was a wild girl bent on fun, promised to Jack Carmichael, a straight-and-narrow pastor’s kid bent on the seminary. When her father kicks her out of the house, she runs away from Isle of Hope, turning her back on everything she loves. Now, eight years later, she’s back as a woman of faith, hoping to make amends to the father she defied, the boyfriend she deserted, and the best friend she denied. Only the bridges she’s burned are still smoldering, kindled by an adulterous affair by Jack’s pastor father that damaged his son’s faith. But can a turning of tables—and hearts—lead the way back to “hope” for them all?

Available to purchase on:

~AMAZON~

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“Come on, Jack, I dare you.”
She’d shot up out of the river like a tow-headed sea nymph, water sluicing down gentle curves of her T-shirt that tempted way more than they should. Her chuckle had been husky and low as she paddled in place off his dock, the sultry sound floating toward him like the mist on the water—hazing his mind, clouding his will. “This is our last night before you leave for that stuffy seminary,” she’d said with a toss of her head, “so let’s make a memory to keep us warm while you’re gone.” With a scrunch of her nose, she’d wiggled in the water and shot him a pixie grin that came off devil may care.

Devil may care. Jack grunted. That certainly nailed it to the wall. The edge of his mouth jagged up. With a freakin’ nail gun. He cocked a hip and sighed, tunneling fingers through his hair as the memory lapped against his mind like the warm, salty waters of the Skidaway River. Against his will, he shook his head, fighting the seed of a smile. Lacey Anne Carmichael had to be the biggest little brat on the Isle of Hope and absolutely everything Jack had ever wanted. Intelligent, warm, and brimming with life and fun and adventure, the perfect complement to his serious and sensible self. Half tomboy, half vamp, she was an adorable little girl in a woman’s body whose heart had always beat in time with his own. A best friend as deep as the rolling river who sparkled and shined on the surface with a sense of humor that made him laugh.

Until the summer that everything changed. The summer of her senior year after her cousin Nicki moved from California to Isle of Hope, tainting the girl to whom he was promised. He’d arrived home from college, and suddenly Lacey was different—wilder, crazier, as if hungry for a lifestyle forbidden by a strict father with whom she’d never seen eye-to-eye. From honor-roll choirgirl to temptress in the blink of a semester. Sure, Jack knew she’d always had a streak of the rebel—she’d been his next-door neighbor and sisters’ best friend forever, after all. But he just assumed graduation and turning eighteen would soften the edges. Help her settle down and become what he always hoped she would be—a pastor’s wife.

His.

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This book was very well written and deals with some serious subjects with a real depth.  It's gritter than most of the books I read with several characters dealing with adultery, betrayal, divorce, lies, and bitterness.  But there was also the awesome threads of healing, mercy, forgiveness, redemption, second chance love and friendships regained.

The relationship between Jack and Lacey's families has been torn apart by adultery, betrayal, and divorce leaving more than one member of their families still angry, bitter, and lost.  When Lacey returns to help with her cousin's wedding, she hopes to bring reconciliation between the two families. 

I liked how Lacey has changed and in spite of her fears is seeking reconciliation with her past.  I also liked that Jack's mom is so accepting of her and how she aids in her quest.  I especially liked how Jack's mom breaks through to Lacey's dad - there were some funny moments along the way! 

Although Jack and Lacey reconcile, they still have A LOT of issues to work through, one of which is the fact that Jack has allowed the hurt and betrayal of his dad's infidelity and Lacey's abandonment to turn him away from God.  It takes him awhile to soften up and find his way back to a relationship with God and his dad.

This story is more than just a romance.   It's a powerful real life tale of two families forever changed by the consequences of the sin of adultery.  It's a story of forgiveness, healing, and hope for a better tomorrow.  You'll laugh and cry with each family member as they find their way back to God and each other.

*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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Julie Lessman, award-winning author of The Daughters of Boston, Winds of Change, and Heart of San Francisco series, was named American Christian Fiction Writers 2009 Debut Author of the Year and voted #1 Romance Author of the year in Family Fiction magazine’s 2012 and 2011 Readers Choice Awards. Julie has garnered 17 RWA and other awards and made Booklist’s 2010 Top 10 Inspirational Fiction. Her latest novel, Surprised by Love, appeared on Family Fiction magazine’s list of Top Ten Novels of 2014. Her indie book A Light in the Window is an International Digital Awards winner, a 2013 Readers' Crown Award winner, and a 2013 Book Buyers Best Award winner.  You can contact Julie and read excerpts from her books at www.julielessman.com, or through:

Facebook ~ Twitter ~ Google Plus ~ Pinterest

Also check out Julie’s group blog, The Seekers, Writers Digest 2013, 2014, and 2015 “Best 101 Websites for Writers,” and Julie’s own personal blog, Journal Jots, which was voted blog of the month in the Readers’ Choice poll of Book Fun Magazine.

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November 1--Singing Librarian Books

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November 4--Faith, Fiction, and Fun

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If you are interested in becoming a Singing Librarian Books tour participant, apply HERE.

Blog Tour Review: Autumn Masquerade

Autumn Masquerade by Josi S. Kilpack,

 Donna Hatch & Nancy Campbell Allen

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Timeless Regency Collection: Three Brand New Novellas from Bestselling Regency Romance Authors...

A MERRY DANCE by Josi S. Kilpack. When Lila overhears her uncle talking about a man coming to look for property in the county, she doesn’t think twice, until her uncle says he hopes Lila will find enough interest to marry the man. How can she marry someone named Mortimer Luthford, not to mention that his advanced age of thirty-three, and especially since she’s already in love with her absent cousin Neville? But when Mortimer arrives, Lila has to try every trick known to women to act not interested in the rather fascinating man, which proves a very difficult façade to maintain.

I enjoyed this story about Lila and Mortimer. There were several times I had to laugh out loud at Lila's antics in trying to appear unsuitable to Mortimer. Her nature is so curious that she's practically bursting to engage in a meaningful conversation with this interesting man. A sweet fun story that will warm your heart.

UNMASKING THE DUKE by Donna Hatch. The last thing Hannah Palmer wants to do is flirt with men in a crowded ballroom, but when her sister throws a Masquerade Ball, Hannah can’t say no to the invitation and takes comfort behind a mask. She dances with a charming masked man, matching him wit for wit. When the glorious evening culminates in a kiss, and the two remove their masks, Hannah is horrified to discover the man she’s been flirting with all night is her most despised neighbor, the Duke of Suttenberg. No matter how charming the duke was at the ball, and how wonderful the kiss, he is the last man she’d ever accept.

I really enjoyed this novella. Hannah is on the shy side and wants nothing to do with crowds and the ton. She especially doesn't want to have anything to do with the Duke of Suttenberg, who has met her more than once but never deigns to remember her. I enjoyed the way Hannah was able to come out of her shell and become a confident person while at the masked ball. And I loved the passion with which the Duke falls in love with her. But I never really understood his reasoning for not noticing her or remembering her after having met her multiple times. Definitely a character flaw on his part. As the story progresses though, you do get to see him in a better light. A passionate story that will keep you turning pages.

WHAT’S IN A NAME by Nancy Campbell Allen. Penelope Timely has a terrible secret. She’s been writing letters to the Duke of Wilmington, pretending to be her ever-proper twin sister, Persephone. Now, the duke has written that he’ll be coming for the Autumn Masquerade Ball and Festival. Penelope will have to continue the charade while the duke is in town in order to protect her sister. The Duke of Wilmington isn’t fooled for a moment, but instead of confessing that he knows about the deception, he finds himself utterly charmed by Penelope and jumps into the game of deception to see how far the twin sisters will take it.

I really enjoyed this novella as well. I love that it's about twins although I felt like the character of Persephone was a conflict. How could she be so unaware of how her sister is being treated and unconcerned with her feelings and yet at the same time not be too good for the town doctor? A little bit of a disconnect there. But I enjoyed the fact that the Duke saw right through the act and was still charmed by Penelope. A delightful story that will make you want more.

This is the start of a new line of clean romances called Timeless Regency Collection and I really enjoyed it. I'm looking forward to the next book!

*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.*

View all my reviews

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Other Timeless Regency Collections:

A Midwinter Ball (Coming December 2015)

Spring in Hyde Park (Coming March 2016)

Summer House Party (Coming June 2016)

A Country Christmas (Coming October 2016)

Timeless Regency Collection series on Goodreads
Timeless Romance Anthologies on Facebook

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