Library of Clean Reads

Thursday, May 12, 2022

Every Summer After by Carley Fortune (Review)

If you love stories of first love, missed opportunities, second chances, and redemption with an atmospheric summer setting, this one is sure to please.

Book Details:

Title: Every Summer After by Carley Fortune
Category: Adult Fiction, 320 pages
Genre: Women's Fiction, Contemporary Romance
Publisher: Berkley
Release date: May 10, 2022
Content rating: R for explicit sex scenes and language

Book Description:

"A radiant debut."—Emily Henry,#1 New York Times bestselling author of People We Meet on Vacation

ONE OF THE MOST ANTICIPATED BOOKS OF 2022 —PopSugar

Six summers to fall in love. One moment to fall apart. A weekend to get it right.

They say you can never go home again, and for Persephone Fraser, ever since she made the biggest mistake of her life a decade ago, that has felt too true. Instead of glittering summers on the lakeshore of her childhood, she spends them in a stylish apartment in the city, going out with friends, and keeping everyone a safe distance from her heart.

Until she receives the call that sends her racing back to Barry’s Bay and into the orbit of Sam Florek—the man she never thought she’d have to live without.

For six summers, through hazy afternoons on the water and warm summer nights working in his family’s restaurant and curling up together with books—medical textbooks for him and work-in-progress horror short stories for her—Percy and Sam had been inseparable. Eventually, that friendship turned into something breathtakingly more, before it fell spectacularly apart.

When Percy returns to the lake for Sam’s mother’s funeral, their connection is as undeniable as it had always been. But until Percy can confront the decisions she made and the years she’s spent punishing herself for them, they’ll never know whether their love might be bigger than the biggest mistakes of their past.

Told over the course of six years and one weekend, Every Summer After is a big, sweeping nostalgic story of love and the people and choices that mark us forever.

My Review:

Reviewed by Laura Fabiani

It's been a while since I read a coming-of-age story that was so emotional, nostalgic, and full of love angst. Every Summer After is a great beach read. I read it in the sun, sitting on my porch, with summer just around the corner and it made me long for hot summer days. The summer cottage setting had me reminiscing of summer days spent at rented summer cottages next to Quebec lakes.

Percy Fraser finally returns to Barry's Bay where she used to spend her teenage summers at the cottage by the lake next door to Sam and his brother Charlie. Sam and Percy had been best friends; they grew up together, swimming and frolicking in the lake, watching scary movies, and sharing each other's dreams. They ended up falling in love, but eventually, distance, school, and life insecurities got the better of them. More devastating, though, was that Percy makes a life-altering mistake that keeps her away from Sam for twelve long years.

The story is told from Percy's point of view and it alternates between her teen years at the summer cottage and her life in the present at age 30. This is well done as the stories from the past meet up to finally merge with the present and help us to understand the emotional baggage both Percy and Sam carry. Stories of first love, missed opportunities, second chances and redemption always appeal to me. I had a hard time putting this book down. I was so caught up in their story!

Percy was a great character because we saw her through her own narrative as she grew up, experiencing true friendship, the first flush of love, accomplishing her swimming feats, discovering her writing talent, and navigating her insecurities. She was relatable. I have to admit my heart ached for Sam and Percy for their missed years together. One mistake can cost years of pain.

It's hard to believe this is Fortune's debut novel. The book's pacing was spot on without any dull moments, and she succeeds in creating believable and memorable characters. Regarding content, there are a few explicit sex scenes and some f-bombs. These happened three quarters into the book when I was heavily invested in the book.

If you like small-town coming-of-age stories set during hot summer days with a good romance story, you won't want to miss this one.

Disclosure: Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for sending me this book for review. I was not compensated in any other way, nor told how to rate or review this product.

Buy the Book:

Amazon.ca ~ Chapters Indigo ~ Amazon.com

Add to Goodreads

About the Author:

Photo: © Jenna Marie Wakani

Carley Fortune is an award-winning Canadian journalist who’s worked as an editor for Refinery29, The Globe and Mail, Chatelaine, and Toronto Life. She lives in Toronto with her husband and two sons. Every Summer After is her first novel. Connect with her: https://www.carleyfortune.com/

Thursday, May 5, 2022

Shadows in the Mind's Eye by Janyre Tromp (Review and Giveaway!)

Janyre Tromp has written an atmospheric, suspenseful novel set in the 1940s in the town of Hot Springs in the Ouachita Mountains of Arkansas.

Book Details:

Title: Shadows in the Mind's Eye by Janyre Tromp

Category: Adult Fiction, 288 pages
Genre: Historical Fiction
Publisher: Kregel Publications
Release date: April 19, 2022
Content rating: PG + M (Crime mobs and mature themes of PTSD, war)

Book Description:

Charlotte Anne Mattas longs to turn back the clock. Before her husband, Sam, went to serve his country in the war, he was the man everyone could rely on—responsible, intelligent, and loving. But the person who’s come back to their family farm is very different from the protector Annie remembers. Sam’s experience in the Pacific theater has left him broken in ways no one can understand—but that everyone is learning to fear.

Tongues start wagging after Sam nearly kills his own brother. Now when he claims to have seen men on the mountain when no one else has seen them, Annie isn’t the only one questioning his sanity and her safety. If there were criminals haunting the hills, there should be evidence beyond his claims. Is he really seeing what he says, or is his war-tortured mind conjuring ghosts?

Annie desperately wants to believe her husband. But between his irrational choices and his nightmares leaking into the daytime, she’s terrified he’s going mad. Can she trust God to heal Sam’s mental wounds—or will sticking by him mean keeping her marriage at the cost of her own life?

Debut novelist Janyre Tromp delivers a deliciously eerie, Hitchcockian story filled with love and suspense. Readers of psychological thrillers and historical fiction by Jaime Jo Wright and Sarah Sundin will add Tromp to their favorite authors' list.

To read an excerpt of Shadows in the Mind’s Eye, click here.

My Review:

Reviewed by Laura Fabiani

Janyre Tromp has written an atmospheric, suspenseful novel set in the 1940s, in the town of Hot Springs in the Ouachita Mountains of Arkansas. From the very first scene of Sam riding on a bus toward home, returning from the war after three years of being away, bone-tired, and battling with horrific memories of his life as a navy soldier, the story quickly caught my attention.

Once home, we become acquainted with his wife Annie and his sweet little girl Rosie who is a little over two years old. His best friend Doc and his brother Peter, along with his mother Dovie May have all worked along with Annie to keep the farm alive and to make ends meet. Sam is broken and does not know where he fits in this new version of his family. With backstory, we get to see that Annie too has a harrowing past, with a father in the Mob, and that all the characters are battling their own weaknesses and trials.

This book had a great premise and a good cast of characters, but I wouldn't have labeled it a psychological thriller nor an eerie Hitchcockian story. It was a story about a family working together to heal and adapt to change, post-war and with a backdrop of mob crime. It touched on mental illness, which I applaud the author for taking on since this is not an easy topic to write about. I feel that the book description, though, is not quite accurate. In my opinion, Annie seemed more broken than Sam, and I couldn't understand why after experiencing post-war reactions from Peter and her father-in-law, she still seemed naive about what to expect from Sam. She kept wanting Sam to be her hero, and her damsel-in-distress, hot and cold reactions were frustrating to read.

Annie kept making references to devils coming for her and initially I thought she may have experienced occult practices, but then it slowly became clear that this was her perception of how she experienced traumatic memories. It was off-putting for me. I think the word devil appeared more than references to God in this book.

I really liked Doc's character and I felt he was under-developed. His weakness was brushed off even as he performs a great act of redemption at the end that is barely acknowledged. My favorite character was Dovie May and her wise sayings.

Overall, this was a strong debut for Janyre Tromp. It had several good themes threaded throughout the narrative with interesting characters and post-war tension. If you enjoy mystery, suspense, and a Southern setting, this one makes for good reading.

Buy the Book:

Amazon

Add to Goodreads

About the Author:

Janyre Tromp (pronounced Jan-ear) is a historical suspense novelist who loves spinning tales that, at their core, hunt for beauty, even when it isn’t pretty. She’s the author of Shadows in the Mind’s Eye and coauthor of It’s a Wonderful Christmas.

A firm believer in the power of an entertaining story, Tromp is also a book editor and published children’s book author. She lives in Grand Rapids, Michigan with her husband, two kids, two crazy cats, and a slightly eccentric Shetland Sheepdog.

You can find her on Facebook (@JanyreTromp), Instagram (@JaynreTromp), Twitter (@JanyreTromp), and her website, www.JanyreTromp.com where you can download a free copy of her novella, Wide Open.

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Thursday, April 28, 2022

Secrets of Rosenli Manor by Heidi Eljarbo (Review and Giveaway!)

A warm and light-hearted story with a little bit of mystery, intrigue, and just a smidgen of romance.

Book Details:

Title: Secrets of Rosenli Manor by Heidi Eljarbo
Series: Mysteries of the Modern Ladies’ Society #1
Category: Adult Fiction, 212 pages
Genre: Historical Fiction
Publisher: Independently published
Release date: March 29, 2022
Content rating: G

Book Description:

Betrayal and trust go hand in hand in the first book of Heidi Eljarbo’s new turn-of-the-century series.

It’s 1898, and Lilly has spent most of her life motherless and living with a father who never looks for a silver lining. When her great-aunt Agatha passes, Lilly’s existence takes a drastic turn. She packs her few belongings and moves into the old lady’s magnificent estate, Rosenli Manor.

In the days that follow, Lilly tries to understand who Agatha really was, and hidden secrets slowly rise to the surface. Her great-aunt’s glamorous legacy is not quite what Lilly had imagined. She must trust in newly forged friendships, and to her surprise, she discovers what it means to truly fall in love. But not everyone is happy about the new mistress of Rosenli.

Intrigue, mystery, and a touch of romance in the Norwegian countryside fill the pages of Secrets of Rosenli Manor.

My Review:

Reviewed by Laura Fabiani

Lilly is a young woman who is a feminist at heart. She is an accountant in an era when women were not considered to be capable of entering the workforce reserved primarily for men. Much to her surprise and that of all the other family members, Lilly is the sole heiress of her great-aunt's beautiful estate and logging business. But along with the property, Lilly gains her aunt's friends as she accepts her position and discovers secrets of her aunt Agatha's past.

This is a warm and light-hearted read with a little bit of mystery, intrigue, and just a smidgen of romance. It's the first book in a series and it introduces the characters and how the Modern Ladies’ Society begins. I like that it is historical fiction set in Norway.

I liked Lilly as a character. She is smart, kind, and courageous. Some of the characters were a little too villainous without the balance of other traits. It seemed characters fell into two characters: good or bad.

Apart from this, Secrets of Rosenli Manor is entertaining and a pleasure to read. However, I did not find it as exciting as Of Darkness and Light, a book by the same author. You can read my review of that book here.

Buy the Book:

Amazon ~ Goodreads

About the Author

Heidi Eljarbo writes historical fiction. She grew up in a home filled with books and artwork and she never truly imagined she would do anything other than write and paint. She studied art, languages, and history, all of which have come in handy when working as a freelance writer, magazine journalist, and painter.

After living in Canada, six US states, Japan, Switzerland, and Austria, Heidi now calls Norway home. She and her husband have a total of nine children, thirteen grandchildren—so far—in addition to a bouncy Wheaten Terrier.

Their favorite retreat is a mountain cabin, where they hike in the summertime and ski the vast, white terrain during winter.

Heidi’s favorites are family, God’s beautiful nature, and the word whimsical.

If you would like to know more, please visit Heidi’s website. You can also follow her on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and Goodreads.

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Ends April 29, 2022

Monday, April 18, 2022

Shadow of Murder: A Mac Faraday Mystery by Lauren Carr

If you're a Lauren Carr fan this is another good addition to her series, with a theme not previously explored in any of the past books I've read by her.

Book Details:

Title: Shadow of Murder: A Mac Faraday Mystery by Lauren Carr
Category: Adult Fiction, 496 pages
Genre: Murder mystery
Publisher: Acorn Book Services
Release date: March 30, 2022
Content rating: PG-13 For murder scenes and occult themes. There is no graphic violence or explicit sex. There is some very mild language (hell or damn, very few and far between) No F-Bombs!

Book Description:

You can't move to the next chapter of your life, without tying up loose ends in the previous.

True crime blogger, Erica Hart starts a new chapter in her life with a bang when a dark shadow darts into the mountain road to send her SUV off a cliff and to the bottom of Deep Creek Lake. Spencer’s newest addition to the police force, Dusty O’Meara assumes it was a bear. Erica is not so sure.

Soon afterward, contractors discover Konnor Langston’s body at the bottom of an abandoned swimming pool at the new summer home of Mac Faraday’s son.

With Police Chief David O’Callaghan away on paternity leave, Deputy Chief Dusty O’Meara must lead the investigation in his first murder case since moving to Spencer. Not only does Dusty have to work under the shadow of the legendary Mac Faraday, but he also has to match his wits with Erica, who is determined to find justice for Konnor, her childhood friend.

Mac isn’t so difficult. Even Gnarly, the town’s canine mayor, is manageable if his authority is well-respected and he is kept entertained.

Erica Hart, Dusty finds, is more of a challenge. It wouldn’t be so difficult if she wasn’t so irresistible.

My Review:

Reviewed by Laura

I'm a fan of Lauren Carr's mysteries and I've loved all her series. Shadow of Murder is the 14th volume in the Mac Faraday series and I was excited to read it. All Lauren Carr's books are stand-alone novels and she includes a character list at the front of the book. This one took a turn into the unexpected, and at first, I wasn't sure how I felt about the paranormal element.

But let me start with what gets me turning the pages of Carr's murder mysteries every time: her fun memorable characters and her skill at creating intricate plot twists that are all neatly solved by the end. I love Gnarly, Mac's German Shepherd and mayor of Spencer town in this series. Yep! They voted a dog for mayor which cracked me up in Candidate for Murder. And he is back in this book. It took a while to get the story moving along as Carr sets up all the new characters and the clues that make the reader have aha moments as the mystery becomes clearer. Dusty and Erica played central roles in this book so I'm wondering if Carr will end up creating a new series with this new couple?

I had a bit of a hard time following all the characters because there are many! Thank goodness for that list at the beginning of the book. It took a while for me to warm up to some of the new characters, but Carr always includes a senior character that I love, and in this book, it turned out to be Gramps. I think for some characters a better intro was needed so that I would not have to be checking the list so often. Or perhaps having fewer characters and more of Mac and Gnarly since this is their series...

In this story, Carr incorporated witchcraft and demonology into her plot. I usually don't read books with paranormal elements, so this was unexpected, although it's not uncommon for these themes to come up in crime fiction. Of course, none of Carr's "good" characters practice the occult. Thank goodness or I would have dropped this book like a hot potato. Rather, this became very much a story about how good conquers evil, not only in the human world but also in the spiritual realm. Gnarly is as funny as ever, and he provides comedic relief. The other beloved pets in the story also add to the narrative, as is characteristic of Carr's stories.

If you're a Lauren Carr fan this is another good addition to her series, with a theme not previously explored in any of the past books I've read by her. If you're new to this series, I suggest you also read It's Murder My Son, the first book in the series.

Disclosure: Thanks to the author for sending me this book for review. I was not compensated in any other way, nor told how to rate or review this product.

BUY THE BOOK:

Amazon

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Meet the Author:

Lauren Carr is the international best-selling author of the Mac Faraday, Lovers in Crime, Thorny Rose, Chris Matheson Cold Case Mysteries, and Nikki Bryant Cozy Mysteries—over twenty-five titles across five fast-paced mystery series filled with twists and turns!

Book reviewers and readers alike rave about how Lauren Carr seamlessly crosses genres to include mystery, suspense, crime fiction, police procedurals, romance, and humor.

The owner of Acorn Book Services, Lauren is also a publishing manager, consultant, and virtual book tour coordinator for independent authors.

Lauren is a popular speaker who has made appearances at schools, youth groups, and on author panels at conventions.

She lives with her husband, and two spoiled rotten German shepherds on a mountain in Harpers Ferry, WV.

Connect with the author:

website ~ facebook ~ instagram ~ pinterest ~ bookbub ~ goodreads

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Ends July 1, 2022

Tuesday, April 12, 2022

The No-Show by Beth O'Leary (Review)

If you're looking for a different kind of romantic read, with a good twist ending, this one could be it!

Book Details:

Title: The No-Show by Beth O'Leary
Category: Adult Fiction, 352 pages
Genre: Contemporary romance
Publisher: Berkley
Release date: April 12, 2022
Content rating: PG-13 (sexual content, language)

Book Description:

Three women who seemingly have nothing in common find that they're involved with the same man in this smart new rom-com by Beth O'Leary, bestselling author of The Flatshare.

Siobhan is a quick-tempered life coach with way too much on her plate. Miranda is a tree surgeon used to being treated as just one of the guys on the job. Jane is a soft-spoken volunteer for the local charity shop with zero sense of self-worth.

These three women are strangers who have only one thing in common: they’ve all been stood up on the same day, the very worst day to be stood up—Valentine’s Day. And, unbeknownst to them, they’ve all been stood up by the same man.

Once they've each forgiven him for standing them up, they are all in serious danger of falling in love with a man who may have not just one or two but three women on the go....

Is there more to him than meets the eye? Where was he on Valentine’s Day? And will they each untangle the truth before they all get their hearts broken?

My Review:

Reviewed by Laura Fabiani

So far I've read all of O'Leary's books and I wondered what interesting situation she would come up with next. So when I saw her latest, I knew I wanted to read it, however, I was a little hesitant about the subject: one man dating three women... But, having read her other books where her male main characters have never been two-timers, but men worthy of their heroines, I decided to put my reservations aside and gave this one a go.

Well, this book turned out to be quite a surprise, deeply affecting and with some good unexpected twists. If you're basing the plot on the book description, it's not what it seems even though it's accurate. The plot is quite brilliant and O'Leary pulls it off. It kept me turning the pages because I wanted to solve the mystery of Joseph and his three women. But I won't discuss the plot because it's one of those books where you have to savor the Oh! moment as you are reading it.

I liked Joseph from the very beginning even if I was trying to figure out if he was a cheater. The three women, Siobhan, Miranda, and Jane are all different and unique. They each learn about themselves and grow in character through their relationship with Joseph. Character development is strong, a trademark of O'Leary's books. However, I wouldn't categorize this as a rom-com. It reads more like contemporary romance or women's fiction. As in all of O'Leary's books, she tackles mental health issues, toxic relationships, and strong friendships.

There are many swoony romantic scenes in this book, not too explicit. And there is some language (some f-bombs) but not as many as in her last book The Road Trip (thank goodness). If you're looking for a different kind of romantic read, with a good twist ending, this one could be it.

Buy the Book:

Amazon.ca ~ Chapters Indigo

Add to Goodreads

About the Author:

Beth O'Leary is a Sunday Times bestselling author whose novels have been translated into more than thirty languages. Her debut, The Flatshare, sold over half a million copies and changed her life completely. Her second novel, The Switch, has been optioned for film by Amblin Partners, Steven Spielberg's production company. Beth writes her books in the English countryside with a very badly behaved golden retriever for company. If she's not at her desk, you'll usually find her curled up somewhere with a book, a cup of tea, and several woolly jumpers (whatever the weather)

Connect with her here: https://www.betholearyauthor.com/

Wednesday, April 6, 2022

Her Country Gentleman (Audiobook Review)

A historical romance collection featuring three novellas that are fun, quick to read (or listen to) and clean. The audiobook version is very entertaining and I highly recommend it!

Audiobook Details:

Narrated by Kim Bretton

Length: 7 hours 31 minutes

Book Description:

Her Country Gentleman is the first book in the Timeless Georgian Collection, a new anthology series from Mirror Press. The book features three novellas from bestselling historical romance authors whose stories reveal that not all love is found in London...

Spring at Tribbley Hall by Sian Ann Bessey

When Charlotte's grandmother invites her to accompany her to Norfolk, Charlotte jumps at the chance to visit the sea and escape the fuss surrounding her sister's wedding preparations in London. Lord William Cheston, on the other hand, is most unhappy when his mother informs him that her old friend and a granddaughter are coming to stay. Not only is it lambing season, but he's also dealing with the mysterious loss of several sheep. The last thing he needs is a child underfoot. When Charlotte and William first meet, he does not realize that the lovely young lady is the granddaughter in question, and she assumes that the man dressed in work clothes in the barn is a servant. Soon afterward, however, Charlotte stumbles upon a clue to William's sheep's disappearance, and when her life is placed in jeopardy, William is forced to choose between saving his unwanted houseguest and catching the thief.

Love of My Heart by Sarah M. Eden

Cordelia Wakefield has never lived anywhere but London and is not overly happy when her family is forced to retrench to a small estate near Teviotbrae, Scotland. An ill-fated game of battledore and shuttlecock brings her face-to-racquet with Sebastian, who runs the home farm at nearby Teviot Castle. What begins as a clash of personalities, expectations, and preferences, soon leads to a friendship neither had expected. As the magic of Teviotbrae weaves its spell, the possibility of something more than friendship begins to blossom. But what future is there for a lowly farmer and a London lady?

Miss Smith Goes to Wiltshire by Rebecca Connolly

Martha Smith wants to marry for love, and will not be persuaded otherwise. She is highly sought after in Society for her beauty and status but refuses to consider any suitor whose only claim is that his prospects meet with her mother's approval. Her widowed mother has had enough of Martha's romantic sensibilities and is sending her to stay with unfortunate cousins in Wiltshire to show her that marrying for love is a risk that is too great. Benjamin Steele, Lord Hillier, is working on his new and dilapidated estate when he first catches sight of the striking Martha Smith. Becoming Lord Hillier has only brought him a house that needs significant repairs, tenant farms that had been abandoned, and only the money he'd already possessed. He wants meaning in his life, and he's more than willing to work for it. Though worlds apart in all else, on this point they can agree: a life of meaning would change everything.

My Review:

Reviewed by Laura Fabiani

The three novellas in Her Country Gentleman were a delight to listen to. I enjoyed all three stories. Although short, each had well-developed characters, a good plot, and an enjoyable storyline that featured heroines who each became enamored with a country gentleman.

Spring at Tribbley Hall by Sian Ann Bessey features Charlotte, a spunky heroine who escapes with her grandmother to the country and has a heart-pounding adventure when a sheep thief goes a little too far. Love of My Heart by Sarah M. Eden features Cordelia, forced to relocate with her family to the country where she discovers lovely vistas that inspire her artistic soul and draw her to a kind gentleman farmer. And finally, Miss Smith Goes to Wiltshire by Rebecca Connolly features a young woman who wishes to marry for love, and so is temporarily banished by her mother to the country to visit her aunt. Martha is charmed by the country life and a certain gentleman, and the reader is regaled with humorous scenes between the two.

The narrator Kim Bretton does an excellent job with all the character accents and she brings each story to life, with its lovely heroines and comedic scenes. Very entertaining. I thoroughly enjoyed listening to this first collection book and I eagerly look forward to the next one.

PURCHASE LINKS

AMAZON | BOOKBUB | GOODREADS

Audible.com ~ Audible.ca

AUTHOR BIOS

Sian Ann Bessey

Born in Cambridge, England, but grew up on the island of Anglesey off the coast of North Wales, Sian left her homeland to attend university in the U.S. and earned a bachelor's degree in communications with a minor in English.

She began her writing career as a student, publishing several magazine articles while still in college. Since then, she has published historical romance and romantic suspense novels, along with a variety of children's books. She is a USA Today bestselling author, a Foreward Reviews Book of the Year finalist, and a Whitney Award finalist.

She loves to travel and experience other cultures, but when she's home, her favorite activities are spending time with her family, cooking, and reading.

WEBSITE | FACEBOOK | INSTAGRAM | BOOKBUB | GOODREADS

Sarah M. Eden

Sarah M. Eden is a USA Today bestselling author of multiple historical romances, including AML's "2013 Novel of the Year" and Foreword Review’s 2013 “IndieFab Book of the Year” gold medal winner for Best Romance, Longing for Home, and the Whitney Award's "2014 Novel of the Year," Longing for Home: Hope Springs.

Combining her obsession with history and affinity for tender love stories, Sarah loves crafting witty characters and heartfelt romances set against rich historical backdrops. She holds a bachelor’s degree in research and happily spends hours perusing the reference shelves of her local library. Sarah lives with her husband, kids, and mischievous dog in the shadow of a snow-capped mountain she has never attempted to ski.

WEBSITE | FACEBOOK | INSTAGRAM | BOOKBUB | GOODREADS

Rebecca Connolly

Rebecca Connolly is the author of more than two dozen novels. She calls herself a Midwest girl, having lived in Ohio and Indiana. She's always been a bookworm, and her grandma would send her books almost every month so she would never run out. Book Fairs were her carnival, and libraries are her happy place.

She has been creating stories since childhood, and there are home videos to prove it! She received a master's degree from West Virginia University, spends every spare moment away from her day job absorbed in her writing, and is a hot cocoa addict.

Friday, March 25, 2022

Counterfeit Love by Crystal Caudill (Review and Giveaway!)

Crystal Caudill's debut novel is filled with non-stop action, intrigue, romance, and mystery.

Book Details:

Title: Counterfeit Love by Crystal Caudill
Category: Adult Fiction, 336 pages
Genre: Historical Romance
Publisher: Kregel Publications
Release date: March 15, 2022
Content rating: PG-13 (violence related to a gang of thieves and counterfeiters)

Book Description:

Can this undercover agent save the woman he loves--or is her heart as counterfeit as the money he's been sent to track down?

After all that Grandfather has sacrificed to raise her, Theresa Plane owes it to him to save the family name--and that means clearing their debt with creditors before she marries Edward Greystone. But when one of the creditors' threats leads her to stumble across a midnight meeting, she discovers that the money he owes isn't all Grandfather was hiding. And the secrets he kept have now trapped Theresa in a life-threatening fight for her home--and the truth.

After months of undercover work, Secret Service operative Broderick Cosgrove is finally about to uncover the identity of the leader of a notorious counterfeiting ring. That moment of triumph turns to horror, however, when he finds undeniable proof that his former fiancé is connected. Can he really believe the woman he loved is a willing participant? Protecting Theresa and proving her innocence may destroy his career--but that's better than failing her twice in one lifetime.

They must form a partnership, tentative though it is. But there's no question they're both still keeping secrets--and that lack of trust, along with the dangerous criminals out for their blood, threatens their hearts, their faith, and their very survival.

To read an excerpt of Counterfeit Love click here.

My Review:

Reviewed by Laura Fabiani

Crystal Caudill's debut novel is filled with non-stop action, intrigue, romance, and mystery. I enjoyed it for the most part but I did have some issues with it. Theresa Plane is an orphan who lives with her curmudgeon grandfather. She is engaged to Edward Greystone but it becomes clear she does not love him when Broderick Cosgrove comes back to town and gets her heart pounding again after six years of not seeing each other. There is backstory here, but it's not clear what exactly happened between the two of them because the author only reveals bits and pieces of it throughout the story, and this made the beginning somewhat hard to follow.

Broderick Cosgrove is an operative in the Secret Service and he is working undercover to try to uncover the leader of a counterfeiting ring. Unfortunately, Theresa's grandfather is involved and this puts Theresa in danger and she becomes a suspect for the Secret Service. There are twists and turns, a slew of characters, and enough action to almost label this a thriller, rather than a Christian historical romance. Not a bad thing. However, the amount of action came at the cost of underdeveloped characters, such as that of Edward and Nathaniel. The pacing was great though, and it kept me turning the pages.

Theresa is strong-willed and fiercely independent but she threw herself into dangerous situations that made her seem foolish and naive. I had a hard time liking her when she was engaged to one man but pining over another. I also have a hard time with books whose characters do illegal things and questionable activities in the name of service to their country and expect God to listen to their prayers even while they disregard His moral standards.

Apart from this, fans of historical fiction will enjoy the added historical notes from the author at the end of the book that gives more details on the history of the Secret Service, counterfeit bills, route ciphers, and the devastating flood of 1884.

Disclosure: Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for giving me this book for review. I was not compensated in any other way, nor told how to rate or review this product.

Buy the Book:

Amazon ~ Barnes & Noble ~ Christianbook

Add to Goodreads

About the Author:

Crystal Caudill is the author of "dangerously good historical romance," with her work garnering awards from Romance Writers of America and ACFW.

She is a stay-at-home mom and caregiver, and when she isn’t writing, Caudill can be found playing board games with her family, drinking hot tea, or reading other great books at her home outside Cincinnati, Ohio.

Learn more at crystalcaudill.com. You can also find her on Facebook and Instagram.

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Wednesday, March 16, 2022

Her Country Gentleman Series: Timeless Georgian Collection (Book 1)

Today I'm spotlighting a historical romance collection. It features three novellas that are fun, quick to read and clean. I'm currently listening to the audiobook version and enjoying it immensely!

Book Details:

Title: Her Country Gentleman
Series: Timeless Georgian Collection (Book 1)
Authors: Sian Ann Bessey, Sarah M. Eden, & Rebecca Connolly
Genre: Historical Romance, Georgian Romance, Inspirational Fiction
Publisher: Mirror Press (March 8, 2022)
Length: (300) pages
Format: Trade paperback, eBook, audiobook
Tour Dates: March 7-20, 2022

Book Description:

Spring at Tribbley Hall by Sian Ann Bessey

PURCHASE LINKS

AMAZON | BOOKBUB | GOODREADS

AUTHOR BIOS

Sian Ann Bessey

She loves to travel and experience other cultures, but when she's home, her favorite activities are spending time with her family, cooking, and reading.

WEBSITE | FACEBOOK | INSTAGRAM | BOOKBUB | GOODREADS

Sarah M. Eden

WEBSITE | FACEBOOK | INSTAGRAM | BOOKBUB | GOODREADS

Rebecca Connolly