Review: The Hearts We Mend

The Hearts We Mend by Kathryn Springer

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

For young widow Evie Bennett, moving forward will mean deciding what to leave behind . . . and what to keep.

Widowed at the age of twenty-five when her firefighter husband was killed in the line of duty, Evie Bennett has spent the last thirteen years raising their son, Cody, in the close-knit community of Banister Falls. As the women’s ministry director of her church, Evie encourages women to boldly pursue God’s plan for their future . . . while she is content with her memories of the past. But Evie’s well-ordered life begins to change when she meets Jack Vale.

As Evie gets drawn into Jack’s world—a world that isn’t as safe and predictable as the one she’s worked so hard to create—he challenges her to open her eyes to the problems in the community . . . but will Evie open her heart to love again?

Because even though Jack isn’t anything like her late husband, he just might be everything she needs.

I enjoyed this sweet romance about single mom Evie and Jack, the temporary church custodian who shakes up her world.   She's lived a sheltered life and he's lived a hard one.  They couldn't be more different.  But something about this handsome genuine man who reaches out to the poor and needy draws Evie into a whole other way of living.  I love her generous heart and willingness to grow and change.  I also love Jack's commitment to his family and his way of helping others.  The secondary characters added a lot to the story and were fun to read about.  All in all a well written book worth reading!

*Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley 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.*

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Review: Autumn Brides: A Year of Weddings Novella Collection

Autumn Brides: A Year of Weddings Novella Collection by Kathryn Springer

Katie Ganshert, & Beth K. Vogt

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Happily ever after begins today. The honor of your presence is requested at three autumn weddings.…

A September Bride by Kathryn Springer
When Annie moves to Red Leaf, she’s ready to call the little town home. Deputy Jesse Kent can’t believe his mother has handed the keys to her bookshop over to a woman she met on the internet. Jesse has seen his mother taken advantage of before, and he decides to keep a close eye on this Annie Price. But when a close eye turns into a historical wedding reenactment with Jesse and Annie as the couple, make-believe nuptials quickly give way to real-life emotions.

When Deputy Jesse Kent comes home after a three week training course, he's appalled to learn that his mother has handed over the keys and management of her bookshop to Annie, a woman she met on an online book club. Determined to keep a close eye on Annie, he finds himself pulled into a historical wedding reenactment with Jessie and Annie as the couple. As they spend time together, Jesse is quickly won over by this friendly, loving, somewhat absent minded lady. I loved this sweet story about a girl who had a difficult life who gets the chance at a happily ever after.



An October Bride by Katie Ganshert
No one but Jake and Emma know the true reason they’re getting married — so Emma’s dying father can walk her down the aisle. While Jake and Emma plan an autumn wedding together, it becomes clear that their agreement has a few complications—the biggest being their true feelings for each other.

Emma Tate has a problem - she's seen her Dad's bucket list and it includes walking her down the aisle. The problem is her dad has cancer and doesn't have much time to make that happen AND Emma isn't engaged or even seeing someone! When she runs into her lifelong friend Jake Sawyer they hatch a plan to become engaged and get married in order to make her Dad's wish come true. The problem is the more time they spend together planning this wedding the more they struggle with their deception and with their true feelings for each other. I enjoyed this short novella in the Year of Weddings series. It's a fun, sweet, small hometown story with fun and quirky family and friends as supporting characters.



A November Bride by Beth K. Vogt
Having celebrated the big 3-0 by ending a relationship, Sadie is tired of romantic relationships-by-text. The only man she knows willing to put down his iPhone and have face-to-face conversations with her is Erik. It’s time to put a 21st-century twist on the Sadie Hawkins’ tradition of a woman going after her man. But when he realizes he’s fallen for her, can Erik convince Sadie his just-for-fun dates were the prelude to “‘til death do us part”?

Erik and Sadie have been best friends since high school. When Sadie gets dumped by text on her 30th birthday, she turns to the only man who has been constant in her life, her best friend Erik. Erik has commitment issues and only dates for 3-4 months before breaking up with, but remaining friends with, his girlfriends. When Sadie faces a choice in her career that could be life-changing, Erik decides that he is going to risk their friendship in order to show Sadie that he's the man for her. I loved this sweet romantic novella. It was fun to see these two connect romantically after being friends for so long. I also liked how both characters had friends who helped them get over their fears.


*Thanks to 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.*

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Review: Picture Perfect Love - A June Wedding Story

Picture Perfect Love: A June Wedding Story by Melissa McClone

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Meet the people who make it all happen - the planners, the photographers, the musicians who have helped orchestrate the perfect day for countless couples as they find their own happy endings in the second Year of Weddings novella collection. When image becomes everything, it's up to love to refocus the heart.

Photographer Jenna Harrison wants every bride and groom to look picture perfect on their special day, putting her heart into every wedding to give the couple memorable images of their love. But her own heart is still broken, the unworn wedding dress hanging in her closet a reminder that relationships aren't always as perfect as they look through her camera lens. But Jenna has faith that she will find true love. Until then, she must be patient and trust in God's plan and His perfect timing.

Attorney Ashton Vance is the one that got away. When an embarrassing Photoshopped picture of put an end to his political aspirations, he blamed Jenna. So what if the photo led to his being offered a dream job and changing his life for the better? Jenna betrayed his trust, and two years later, Ashton's heart still hasn't recovered.

It was me. His younger sister's three words turn Ashton's world upside down. He must ask Jenna's forgiveness, but can he risk his heart a second time? Even if Jenna can forgive him, dare he hope for a second chance at her love?

I wasn't crazy about this story.  I liked the character of Jenna.   She overcame the hurt of being jilted by finding her way back to a relationship with God with the help of the pastor and friends she makes at the church she starts attending.  She becomes stronger instead of letting it destroy her.   However, this story just didn't flow for me.  I didn't like the way Ash comes back into her life and definitely didn't think that Amber did enough to show any kind of remorse over what she had done.

A nice novella about forgiveness and a second chance at love.

*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.*

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About the Author:

Melissa McClone has always been a fan of fairy tales and "happily ever afters." She holds a degree in mechanical engineering from Stanford University but eventually decided to follow her dream and write full-time. She lives in Washington with her real-life hero husband, two daughters, indoor cats, and a forty-eight-pound Norwegian Elkhound who thinks she's a lap dog. She also loves to ski, rock climb and read. Visit her online at www.melissamcclone.com. Twitter: @melissamcclone Facebook: Melissa McClone

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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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Review: An Uncertain Choice by Jody Hedlund

An Uncertain Choice by Jody Hedlund

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

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Synopsis

The first book in a new YA historical fiction series from bestselling author Jody Hedlund.

Due to her parents' promise at her birth, Lady Rosemarie has been prepared to become a nun on the day she turns eighteen. Then, a month before her birthday, a friend of her father's enters the kingdom and proclaims her parents' will left a second choice-if Rosemarie can marry before the eve of her eighteenth year, she will be exempt from the ancient vow.

Before long, Rosemarie is presented with the three most handsome and brave knights in the land. But when the competition for her heart seemingly results in a knight playing foul, she begins to wonder if the cloister is the best place after all. If only one of the knights-the one who appears the most guilty-had not already captured her heart.

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Summary

As we learn in the companion novella The Vow, Rosemarie is in the first bloom of womanhood and love when her world falls apart.  A plague sweeps her land and she is rushed to the convent to protect her from the disease.  When everything settles down she returns to find her father and mother, who have selflessly served their plagued kingdom, dying of the disease.  Upon their death she learns that, at her birth, her parents pledged her to become a nun on the day she turns eighteen.  Now, four years later and just one month shy of her 18th birthday, she is told that if she marries before the eve of that day, she will be exempt from the ancient vow.  She is presented with the three most handsome and brave knights in the land.  As she struggles with this change in her everyday life, she tries to discern what choice she should make and who she should be listening to.  And as the day draws near it becomes clear that someone doesn't want her to take her rightful place as ruler.   Who can she trust and who will she give her heart to?

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Review

I enjoyed this YA medieval romance.  It was an easy read that was well written and flowed smoothly.  There was intrigue, romance, danger, honor, betrayal, suspense, and a sweet heartfelt ending.  :)  Rosemarie had great character and I admired her dedication to her people and doing what was right for them.  The shortness of the time-span that she had to choose a life mate was a little alarming but the danger at the time served to show the true worth of the people around her.

*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.*

Review: How to Catch a Prince

How to Catch a Prince by Rachel Hauck

My rating: 3 of 5 stars



Corina Del Ray is an American heiress whose family has fallen apart after the death of her twin brother in Afghanistan. Unbeknownst to anyone but her, her secret marriage to Prince Stephen of the Brighton Kingdom also fell apart due to her brother's death. Now, 5 years later, Prince Stephen learns that the marriage was never annulled. Because he is still suffering from the effects of the war that killed his friend and his wife's brother, he seeks out Corina to get the papers signed to finalize the annulment. The survivor's guilt he feels that caused him to break up with her in the first place still plagues him and he assumes Corina has moved on. When Corina finds out that she is still married to the man she will always love she decides to fight for him and their marriage.

This book definitely has some deeper subject matters and is not as lighthearted as the first two. The author did a good job of addressing things like PTSD, the loss of a loved one, survivor's guilt and questioning God. Stephan and Corina both have to learn to let go of the past in order to learn to love again. I loved the chemistry between them and the story of their whirlwind courtship and marriage. But there were also parts of the story that seemed to be choppy and didn't flow well for me.

(MAY BE A SPOILER) I also didn't care for the whole mystery building thing. I don't mind having angelic beings helping someone (in fact I loved the two in this book) but to have Corina staying in a building that's not even there was a little over the top in my opinion. (END SPOILER)

*Thanks to Zondervan and NetGalley for providing me with a free e-book copy in exchange for my honest opinion & review.*





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