Review: One Enchanted Christmas by Melissa Tagg

5 Stars!!!

I have been following Melissa Tagg's books since shortly after the release of her very first, with which she promptly found a spot on my list of all time favorite authors. Each new story she writes completely reaffirms exactly why she has a permanent spot on said list. Her books are beyond AMAZING, I'm always sad to see the awesomeness end but thrilled because now I only have to wait (Insert X number of months here) until her next book! 

One Enchanted Eve was every bit as amazing as I knew it would be. After having met Colin last Christmas in the novella One Enchanted Christmas (And not liking him much at the time either, I might add!) I just knew even before I found out One Enchanted Eve was happening that there was so much more to Colin's story and I couldn't wait to read it! I LOVED everything about this story, it was just so completely awesome! One Enchanted Eve as well as the first book in the series One Enchanted Christmas are (At least in my opinion!) must-reads for the Christmas season (Though they are every bit as awesome at every other time of year too!) While these can both be read as standalones I would recommend reading One Enchanted Christmas before One Enchanted Eve as it does add to the reading experience! 

I know I'm in danger of gush overload write now (Pun most definitely intended!) so I will wrap up by saying that I absolutely adored One Enchanted Eve and can't wait to read Melissa's next book! 

I bought this book and read it purely for pleasure. No review required.

Review: Fatal Frost by Nancy Mehl

5 Stars! 

It's hard to believe that in my four and a half years of reviewing books I have only read one other book by Nancy Mehl (the first book in her Road to Kingdom series!) which I loved and have been wanting to read more of her books, but other books just kept taking priority. But when I heard about this new series, I knew I had to read it! And I am beyond thrilled to say that I loved this book from beginning to end! It did have a bit of a different feel to it than other romantic suspense books I've read but I loved that about it. I also loved that, while there was a romance it didn't seem (at least to me anyway) that it was the major focus of the book, which I found to be totally awesome and refreshing and a nice change of pace! The majority of the plot focused on the mystery and suspense and let me just say that with as many suspense books as I have read it is very difficult to surprise me but this book threw numerous curveballs at me that I totally didn't see coming! This book was just so good, I could see it playing out in my mind's-eye like a TV show or movie! 

I really liked that this story dropped us right into the action and then let us get to know the characters through their thoughts as well as their actions as the story progressed. 

I don't want to risk giving anything away so I will just say that I loved every minute of this book and hated to see it end! I cannot wait for the next book in the series! I highly recommend Fatal Frost to all fans of Christian romantic suspense. 

I received this book for free from Bethany House publishers. No review required. The above is my honest opinion, all thoughts and opinions are one hundred percent my own.

Review: A Royal Christmas Wedding by Rachel Hauck

5 Stars!

I have loved this series since I read the first page of Once Upon a Prince, though it has been quite a while since I was first introduced to the Truitt sisters and quite honestly I had completely forgotten about Avery and Colin, that is until I read the description of this book. I suddenly remembered how much I loved Avery and Colin and how much I'd wished for their story to be told at the time I read the first book in the series! Needless to say I knew this was a book that I HAD to read and I am thrilled to be able to say that I loved every minute of it! It was wonderful to see how much Avery and Colin have both grown and matured as characters since we first met them. They both had so many obstacles to overcome and I was cheering for them the entire time. I don't want to give anything so I will just say that I know I can always count on the spiritual message of Rachel's books to be very moving to read as well as drawing me closer to God, and this book was no different, the message nearly brought me to tears of joy several different times! 

Christmas in Brighton Kingdom is always so magical and I loved getting a chance to visit again! This book reminded me how much I love this series and filled me with the desire to re-read the whole series ASAP! 

I was so glad that this book had an epilogue, it was quite different from any that I have come across before but it was great and I loved it! It was sad to say goodbye to these characters that truly have become like dear friends, but I am very much looking forward to whatever Rachel Hauck writes next. Who knows, perhaps it will be about the next generation of Brighton Royals?!

I can't think of anything else to say except that this book was fabulous, I loved every minute of it and as with the rest of the Royal Wedding series I look forward to re-reading it many times in the future!

I highly recommend this book as well as the entire series, though I think you may want to read Once Upon a Prince before this one, but the entire series is so fabulous that if you haven't yet then you should totally read them all!

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher. No review was required. The above is my honest opinion, all thoughts and opinions are one hundred percent my own.

Review: Haunting Joy: Book 2 by Lena Goldfinch

4 Stars! 

I've read a few of this author's books including the first Haunting Joy book and enjoyed all of them. I don't generally read stories that feature ghosts but I was really surprised how much I enjoyed the first book so I was quite excited to be given the opportunity to read Haunting Joy book 2. I really liked this sequel to Haunting Joy. I liked the growth and maturity that we get to see in Joy's character, I felt like she had grown up in a lot of ways since the first book and it was really cool how she finally started to see herself the way other people see her! There were several pieces of the first book that were mentioned as Joy remembered them, which I thought was great because it had been a long time since I read the first book and there were a lot of things I had forgotten. I liked that we got to see Nick and Joy's relationship develop more, and that it felt really believable to me. 

I found it really interesting that this new ghost that is haunting Joy can't remember how he died so she has to help find out that information, I also liked how his influence sort of rubbed off on Joy a bit. And you probably wouldn't think so but I found reading about the ghost following Joy around and bantering with her to be very fun and even quite humorous at times. 

Overall, this was a really good read that I really enjoyed. I highly recommend it but think you may want to read Haunting Joy book 1 before this.

I received a copy of this book from the author, no review was required. The above is my honest opinion, all thoughts and opinions are one hundred percent my own.

Review: Where Two Hearts Meet by Liz Johnson

5 Stars! 

I really enjoyed the first book in this series when it released earlier this year, and I must admit that Caden was my favorite character in the first book and I was so looking forward to her story! 

And I am thrilled to say that it exceeded every single one of my expectations! I loved this book even more than the first one! I really wish that Caden was real because I would love to have her as a best friend! I related to Caden in so many ways. As a curvy, single, never been kissed, twenty something woman myself this book totally and completely touched my heart, I felt like it was written just for me! I also loved how Caden listened to show tunes while she was cooking! I have read literally a few hundred Christian romance novels over the past few years and I can only recall one other where the heroine was beautifully curvy, rather than a stick figure and super model glamorous. Thank you Liz Johnson for writing a book that featured a beautiful heroine with a healthy and realistic body type, it was such an inspiration to me personally and I really think that every woman should read this book!

I cannot begin to describe how completely I was swept away into this book. I didn't think it would be possible but I think I fell even deeper in love with PEI while reading this book!

I loved every single moment of it, as evidenced by the fact that I finished it in about 24 hours! 

I loved the romance in this book, it was so awesome that while there was definitely plenty of physical attraction between Caden and Adam, that was not the main focus of their relationship, I loved that their relationship was not rushed and that they became best friends long before they fell in love and shared their first kiss, and wow, what a kiss it was! :D

Where Two Hearts Meet was just total awesomeness on so many levels, I loved every single thing about it! It's definitely one that will have a permanent spot on my keeper shelf!

I received a copy of this book from Revell publishers. The above is my completely honest review, all thoughts and opinions are one hundred percent my own.

Review: Another Day, Another Dali by Sandra Orchard

4 Stars!

After really enjoying the first book in this series earlier this year, I was really looking forward to this book! I was definitely not disappointed, this was an incredibly fun book that I had a blast reading! I really did love everything about it, reading this book felt just like meeting up with old friends! I'm not usually a fan of love triangles but I am pleased that this one isn't really your typical love triangle and that Serena hasn't yet declared love for either of these guys (who are both equally amazing though I have to admit I'm still Team Tanner!) I can't wait for the third (and I believe final) novel to see who Serena ends up with! Once again the mystery was very good and all the twists and turns were great! I don't want to risk giving anything away so I will just say that I loved every moment of this book and highly recommend it and the first book A Fool and His Monet, while these books can be read as standalones I would suggest reading them in order as it does enhance the reading experience and they are both so awesome I don't think you'll want to miss a moment! 

I received a copy of this book from Revell publishers. The above is my completely honest review, all thoughts and opinions are one hundred percent my own.

Top Ten Characters I'd name a dog after!

Ten Characters I'd Name a Dog After.

Female characters:

1. Kayden from the Alaskan Courage Series by Dani Pettrey

2. Serena from the Deadly Reunions Series by Lynette Eason

3. Piper from the Alaskan Courage Series by Dani Pettrey

4. Eden from the Christiansen Family Series by Susan May Warren

5. Finley from Cold Shot by Dani Pettrey

Male Characters:

1. Archer from the Waves of Freedom Series by Sarah Sundin

2. Dakota from the Women of Justice Series by Lynette Eason

3. Griffin from Cold Shot by Dani Pettrey

4. Logan from the Walker Family Series by Melissa Tagg

5. Casper from the Christiansen Family Series by Susan May Warren

HONORABLE MENTIONS

Raegan from the Walker Family Series by Melissa Tagg or Reagan after the fabulous family from one of my favorite TV shows, Blue Bloods!

Kensi after Special Agent Kensi Blye from another of my favorite TV shows, NCIS: Los Angeles

Review: Wild Montana Skies by Susan May Warren

5 Stars!

Over the last three years or so I have become a hue fan of Susan May Warren's books. Needless to say I have been looking forward to this book since the moment I first heard about it! And I was most definitely not disappointed! For some reason I have long been fascinated by helicopters, so I loved that aspect of the story. I have discovered recently that I really enjoy reading second-chance love stories, and Kacey and Ben's story was so great. Kacey and Ben were both wonderful characters and it was an absolute joy to watch them overcome their past hurts and be able to move forward! I instantly fell in love with the town of Mercy Falls and can't wait to visit again in the next Montana Rescue novel! 

I don't want to risk giving anything away so I will just say that I adored every moment of this book and didn't want to see it end! I highly recommend Wild Montana Skies and I cannot wait for the next book in the series! 

I received a copy of this book from Revell publishers. The above is my completely honest review, all thoughts and opinions are one hundred percent my own.

Top Ten Tuesday (On Wednesday Night!)

Top Ten Books I loved that I Read Because of Recommendations

1. SEAL Under Siege by Liz Johnson

2. Out of Control by Mary Connealy

3. Fools Rush In by Janice Thompson

4. Made to Last by Melissa Tagg

5. Fatal Judgment by Irene Hannon

6. The Negotiator by Dee Henderson

7. Love's Reckoning by Laura Frantz

8. The Doctor's Lady by Jody Hedlund

9. The Pawn by Steven James

10. Submerged by Dani Pettrey

Top Ten Creepiest Book Villains!

Top Ten Creepiest book Villains

 The ten books that feature (In my opinion!) the creepiest villains.

1. Don't Look Back by Lynette Eason

2. Vanished by Irene Hannon

3. The Knight by Steven James*

4. The Queen by Steven James*

5. When a Heart Stops by Lynette Eason

6. Shadows of the Past by Patricia Bradley

7. Trapped by Irene Hannon

8. Danger in the Shadows by Dee Henderson

9. Silenced by Dani Pettrey

10. Cold Shot by Dani Pettrey

*Note: This list could easily be made up completely of the villains from all of Steven James' books, since every single one of them is off the charts when it comes to creepiness, but for the sake of listing a variety of authors I chose to just list these two novels of his!

Review: Tangled Webs by Irene Hannon

5 Stars!

Irene Hannon was the author that introduced me to Christian romantic suspense and I have been a huge fan of her books ever since I first read Fatal Judgment four years ago! I have read every single one of her suspense books to date and loved them all!

I was really looking forward to getting to know Finn (We had only briefly met him in the first two books.) and he turned out to be every bit the awesome hero that I knew he would be! Needles to say I was eagerly anticipating Tangled Webs and I was most definitely not disappointed. 

Finn was an awesome character (And in my opinion totally swoon worthy, he just may be my favorite of the three McGregor brothers!) and so was Dana, I really admired her bravery and determination (Without spoiling anything I will just say that her back story was one of the most unique ones that I have ever seen in a book!) and I thought it was really neat that she was a book editor. I loved that the setting of this book was a fairly isolated cabin on a lake and that the story bounced between there and the center of a small town, I especially loved Hazel at the Walleye diner and Lynette, the police department office manager!

The suspense was crazy and reminded me (As if I really needed to be reminded!) of why I love Irene Hannon's books so much! I couldn't put the book down, as evidenced by the fact that I finished it in under twenty four hours!

I don't want to risk spoiling anything but I do want to say that I found it super cool how Irene kind of turned her signature climax formula on its head a bit with this one, one of the things I love most about Irene's books are the climaxes and while every one of them is equally fantastic, it was surprising and awesome to see things done a bit differently than usual! 

Overall, this book was totally awesome, one of Irene's best yet! And I loved every minute I spent reading it! This is definitely yet another Irene Hannon book that will have a permanent spot on my keeper shelf and I definitely anticipate re-reading it in the future!

I highly recommend Tangled Webs and cannot wait to read the first book in Irene's next suspense series, Code of Honor when it releases next Fall!

I was honored to receive a review copy of this amazing book from Revell publishers in exchange for my honest review

Review: Keep Holding On by Melissa Tagg

5 Stars! 

If you know me at all then you probably know that I have been a huge fan of Melissa Tagg's since I read her first published book, Made to Last! There is just something about the Walker family, I have loved them ever since the prequel novella, and they are on my list of all time favorite fictional families! 

I have been so looking forward to reading Beckett's story and discovering why he hadn't been home in six years, so I loved finally finding out about his past! 

Beckett and Kit were both great characters and their story was so totally awesome! I found myself relating to Kit quite a lot. I knew that Melissa Tagg's books are always both tons of fun to read as well as incredibly inspiring and soul stirring, so I bought the Kindle version of this book because of how easy it is to highlight passages I want to re-read, and let me tell you, it was the right choice. I can't even begin to count how many moments of awesomeness I highlighted! I love this cover though so I definitely plan to include a paperback copy of this book on my Christmas wish list! 

The message in this book touched my heart so deeply that I plan to re-read several passages probably daily as a reminder to keep holding on to God and that He will never let go of me! Yet again God spoke to me through a work of fiction just when I needed it! 

Overall, I loved everything about this book and cannot wait to read Raegan and Bear's story, which I have been not so patiently waiting for ever since I first "met" them! 

All of Melissa's books are amazing, I can't recommend them highly enough, in my opinion everyone should read them! 

Top Ten Books on My Fall TBR!

Top Ten Books on My Fall TBR!

Several of these are new and upcoming releases but others are books that have been out for a while that I haven't had a chance to get to yet!

1. Keep Holding On by Melissa Tagg

2. Tangled Webs by Irene Hannon

3. Wild Montana Skies by Susan May Warren

4. Where Two Hearts Meet by Liz Johnson

5. Fatal Frost by Nancy Mehl

6. Talon by Ronie Kendig

7. Illusion by Frank Peretti

8. Love's Awakening by Laura Frantz

9. Threat of Exposure by Lynette Eason

10. The Black Sheep's Redemption by Lynette Eason

Tackle TBR Wrap Up!

I am thrilled that I was able to get 6 books read during this read-a-thon!

Here they are in the order I read them!

1. The Raven by Mike Nappa

2. Lone Star Protector by Lenora Worth

3. Duty to Protect by Roxanne Rustand

4. The Lady and The Lionheart by Joanne Bischof

5. The Merlin Prophecy by Meg Cabot

6. SEAL Under Siege by Liz Johnson

Tackle TBR Fall Challenge!

Review: The Raven by Mike Nappa

3.5 Stars.

I read and loved Annabel Lee earlier this year and so needless to say I was really looking forward to The Raven, and while it was good it unfortunately didn't quite meet my expectations, I realize that this was probably largely my fault because my expectations were probably unrealistically high. I just never really connected with and "got into" this story the way I did Annabel Lee, I'm not really sure why. It could be because I was in a bit of a reading slump when I started this book and the pace seemed slow to me, also for most of this book it didn't seem to me like there was as much action as I had expected. I did like that the story line really kept me guessing about what was going to happen. I also liked that this book progressed Trudi and Samuel's relationship, I look forward to seeing what happens in their lives next. 

Overall, this was a good read that I liked but I don't know that I will read it again, I do however plan to read the next book in the series! 

While this book wasn't really my cup of tea, please don't just take my word for it. If this book sounds interesting to you, I recommend that you give it a try.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Revell publishers in exchange for my honest review, my review was not required to be positive just my honest opinion.

The above is my honest review, all thoughts and opinions are one hundred percent my own.

Tackle TBR First Line Challenge!

"My daddy used to tell me that the best way to stay out of trouble was to think about tomorrow before you act today."

First line of The Raven by Mike Nappa

Tackle Your TBR Read-a-Thon Sign Up!

I participated in this read-a-thon a couple of years ago and it was really fun so I am looking forward to participating again!

Review: Just a Kiss by Denise Hunter

5 Stars!

Denise Hunter is one of my favorite contemporary romance authors, not only have I loved several of her books but I have loved the Summer Harbor series from the very beginning! Needless to say I have been eagerly anticipating this book, and let me just say that Riley and Paige's story was totally worth the wait, as was the conclusion to Aunt Trudy and Sheriff Colton's story! 

I really enjoyed getting a peek inside both Paige and Riley's heads for the first time, it was really cool to see what made each of them tick. I have found recently that I am a sucker for a best friends who have known each other since childhood and fall in love as adults storyline, and this one was fantastic, just as I knew it would be!

It was totally awesome that Eden & Beau and Lucy & Zac, the main characters of the first two books were in this one a lot, having read the whole series that was a sweet treat for me, but Just a Kiss totally stands alone so never fear if you haven't read the two previous books! Though if you read Just a Kiss I'm certain it will leave you wanting to read Falling Like Snowflakes and The Goodbye Bride as soon as possible! 

I have to say that the faith story in this book was one that greatly ministered to me with the reminders (which I need constantly) of who I am to God and that He loves me and will never leave me!

This book truly touched my heart and I definitely anticipate re-reading it in the future! 

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher through the Booklook bloggers review program, in exchange for an honest review. The above review is my honest opinion and all thoughts and opinions are one hundred percent my own.

Top Ten Favorite TV Shows!

Top Ten Favorite TV Shows!

Here are my top ten favorites in no particular order. Some of these are still running and I can't wait to watch the new season, others were canceled. 

1. Sue Thomas F.B.Eye-This show aired for three seasons in the early 2000's, but I only discovered it about three years ago! I own all the episodes and have watched them multiple times.

2. Blue Bloods-I've known about this series since it began but I only started watching it last year, funny enough it was something from the book world that caused me to give it a try, I read a blog post by Susan May Warren about the inspiration behind the parents of her Christiansen clan (Which in case you didn't know is a book series that I absolutely love!) in which she mentioned that she loved Blue Bloods and that family patriarch John Christiansen was partially inspired by Tom Selleck's character in Blue Bloods. I figured that since I loved Susan's series so much there was a good chance I would love Blue Bloods too, so I gave it a try and have been hooked on it ever since! Can't wait for the new season! 

3. Macgyver-I believe this show finished its run the year I was born but my brother and I have spent many an hour watching and enjoying reruns of this fabulous show! I'm not sure yet what to think about the remake coming this fall, I plan on watching the first episode and going from there.

4. Mcleod's Daughters-This is an awesome Australian show that I watched during my teen years, it's a fabulous girl power show! 

5. Scorpion-I have watched every episode of this show so far, and am really looking forward to the new season.

6. NCIS:Los Angeles-I know, I'm late to the party but I just recently started watching this one and I've gotta say I'm hooked! I love the characters, (Especially Hetty!) the setting (Their headquarters is such a beautiful and totally cool place!) and the undercover aspect! I can't wait for the new season! 

And that's all I can think of.

Review: The Wedding Shop by Rachel Hauck

5 Stars! 

I have read and loved several of this author's books and I have been really looking forward to this one, and I can say that it is totally fabulous! I know that on the surface this book may appear to some as a shallow piece of fluff, and yes this book does contain two wonderful romances, but just like Rachel Hauck's other books there is an incredible amount of depth to the story, as a matter of fact the faith stories are my favorite part of this author's books, I'm always blown away by how God uses her books to remind of something I really need to know and how the stories draw me closer to Him! The Wedding Shop was no exception! 

I really enjoyed all the characters. And it was so cool to get to go back to the town of Heart's Bend, Tennessee. I don't want to risk giving anything away so I will just say that this is a fabulous book that everyone should read! 

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher through the Booklook bloggers review program, in exchange for an honest review. The above review is my honest opinion and all thoughts and opinions are one hundred percent my own.

Bout of Books 17 Day One Update and Day Two Challenge!

Yesterday I read On The Fence by Kasie West from start to finish, it was fabulous, I loved it! And I read the first chapter of Everything Changes by Lauren Brooke, I could have read more but I got distracted because my mom and I watched the DVD of My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2, which was really good by the way! My plan for day two is to finish Everything Changes and start The Ringmaster's Wife by Kristy Cambron

Day Two Challenge

The Nickster hosted at Bout of Books -- Mix 'n Match (instructions right below!)

Pick out 10-15 books from your shelf, from your local library, or from a local bookstore. They can be any genre, any language, and any length. In each book, flip to a random page and pick the 1st word (articles such as "the", "and", "an", "or", etc. don't count as the 1st word). Use all these 1st words to try to create an actual sentence. If the books are in different languages, feel free to translate them to all one language or leave them as they are! also, you can add in some articles, such as "the", "and", "an", "or", etc., if you want to make the sentence flow better.

Here is my sentence, not the greatest but it did make me laugh!

Riley shrugged as she approached the shallow farmhouse, okay, the informant had something yellow.

Bout of Books 17 Day One Chellenge!

Favorite book to movie adaptation

(I have several other favorites but I went with this one since it is my most recent favorite!)

Least favorite book to movie adaptation

(I love the book, it is one of my favorites, but I really don't like the movie.)

Review: Kate's Innocence by Sarah Holman

4 Stars!

This was a very interesting, enjoyable read. I was absolutely fascinated by the story of a young woman who has been accused of a horrible crime helping a team of FBI agents to prove her innocence. I really enjoyed this story, it had a good pace and interesting characters though I have to admit that for awhile I felt that there were so many characters that it was a bit difficult for me to keep track of them all, I believe that the reason for that was simply because I was listening to the audiobook version, and so was unable to easily turn back a few pages to remind myself who the different characters were, not any fault of the author's writing. 

I liked all of the characters (except the villain of course!) but I think probably my favorite character was Logan, she was just so quirky and fun! 

I have to admit that I wasn't crazy about the narration, the narrator seemed to have a tendency to rush when it came to the dialogue of a number of different characters which unfortunately made it a bit hard for me to follow and understand all of what was being said at times, though perhaps it may not have seemed that way to me if this hadn't been my first experience with this story. 

By far my favorite thing about this book was the faith story, I was incredibly impressed by the sheer depth of the spiritual thread, it was definitely a reminder that I needed right now in my life! 

I think one of my favorite parts of this book was the ending, I loved it! It was just such a cool ending, and left me very curious as to what will happen next! I will most likely read the next book in the series! 

I always love to read/listen to the author's note if there is one at the end of a book, and I just have to say that as a huge Sue Thomas: F.B.Eye fan myself I was beyond excited to hear at the beginning of her author's note that Sarah Holman is as well, and that was one of the things that inspired her to write this series! Very cool! 

Overall, I really enjoyed listening to this book, and very much look forward to reading more of Sarah Holman's books in the future!

Recommended!

Thank you to the author for providing me with an audiobook copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

Review: The Homegrown Historian by Sarah Brazytis

5 Stars!

I am a huge lover of history so when I I heard about this book my first thought was "Wow, that sounds like a book I would really enjoy." I am absolutely delighted to say that I loved this book even more than I had expected to! It is so good! I particularly loved that Sarah chose to present lesser known bits of history, I can't even begin to list the number of things that I learned from this book! Before starting this book I had planned to read it one or two stories at a time over several days, but after finishing the first few, I was so fascinated and enthralled that I couldn't stop reading! It is impossible for me to say which story was my favorite but it may very well have been that of "Dr. Lister and the Doll."  I just have to say that story moved me to the point that I was nearly crying (happy tears) by the end! I can't say enough how fabulous this book is, I highly recommend it! I look forward to reading future releases by this author!

Thank you to the author for providing 

me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review

Review: Without Warning by Lynette Eason

5 Stars!!!

I am a huge fan of Lynette Eason's books, I've read all of her Revell titles to date and all but nine of her Love Inspired Suspense titles. After really enjoying the first book in the series, Always Watching, earlier this year it is putting it mildly to say that I was eagerly anticipating the release of this second book! And I was most definitely not disappointed, this book was phenomenal! 

Katie was my favorite character in Always Watching so I was so excited to get to read her story, my heart broke for all that had happened in her past. Being a hands-on renovation/construction guru myself I loved that Katie had a passion renovating her house! 

Daniel was a fantastic hero, I loved his protectiveness, kindness, and determination, he was just an all around amazing man. I also loved the fact that he was a pilot and had his own plane, even though I myself am absolutely terrified of flying I always find it fascinating to read about characters that love to fly! I also loved Daniel's niece Riley, she was just such an awesome character, she reminded me a lot of myself at her age! 

One of my favorite things about Lynette's books is the suspense in them, and the suspense in this one was beyond amazing! I love to play detective when I read one of Lynette's books to see if I can figure out who the villain(s) is/are before it is revealed in the story and with this one I am delighted to say that I pegged one of the villains from the first time they entered the story (Love it when that happens!) but the identity of the other villain was a total shock to me, I did not see it coming! 

Everything combined to make this a story that I absolutely loved and hated to put down, this book has a permanent spot on my keeper shelf and will go down as one of my all time favorite books by Lynette! 

I highly recommend this book and cannot wait for book three! 

I was honored to receive a free copy of this amazing book from the author and Revell publishers in exchange for helping to promote it! 

Bout of Books 17 Sign Up!

The Bout of Books read-a-thon is organized by Amanda @ On a Book Bender and Kelly @ Reading the Paranormal. It is a week long read-a-thon that begins 12:01am Monday, August 22nd and runs through Sunday, August 28th in whatever time zone you are in. Bout of Books is low-pressure. There are challenges, giveaways, and a grand prize, but all of these are completely optional. For all Bout of Books 17 information and updates, be sure to visit the Bout of Books blog. - From the Bout of Books team

Can't wait to participate in the read-a-thon again!

Review: A Heart Most Certain by Melissa Jagears

4 Stars!

After reading and loving the prequel novella, Engaging the Competition earlier this year I was eagerly anticipating this new book! And I am absolutely delighted to say that I was not disappointed, this is a fabulous book! The message touched my heart in so many ways, this is one novel that I won't soon forget! 

I have recently discovered that I tend to really enjoy stories of true love between a rich man and a poor girl, and Lydia and Nicholas' story was a beautiful example of loving someone for who they are rather than their money or lack thereof! I loved Lydia in the prequel and was really looking forward to her story, and it was a fantastic one! 

I can't say it enough, this is a phenomenal book that everyone should read!

The pace was slower than I had expected it to be but that actually worked out well as I was able to savor the awesomeness!

Overall, I loved this book and highly recommend it! By the way, Nicholas is one of swoon-worthiest heroes I've ever read about! I plan to reread this book and the prequel novella many times in the future! 

I was honored to receive a complimentary copy of this amazing book from the author and Bethany house publishers in exchange for helping to promote it! Thanks!

Review: Deadly Encounter by Diann Mills

4 Stars! 

This is the second of Ms. Mills' books that I've read and I really enjoyed it! 

This book first appeared on my radar screen a few months ago and the description sounded very intriguing to me. As a lifelong horse owner and rider I was absolutely fascinated by the volunteer airport Rangers, what they did was so interesting and finding out that they really exist, that are real men and women who give their time to serve their communities was absolutely amazing to learn! 

I liked the two main characters Stacy and Alex, but I think my favorite character was twelve year old genius Whitt. I absolutely adored him and I hope I get the chance to read more about him, maybe his love story as an adult! I liked that Stacy was a veterinarian and I admired how giving she was, even to the point of putting herself in jeopardy to help others! 

This book was totally unique, I've never read anything like it before and I love that! I will admit that I was a bit surprised and disappointed by the pace of this book (it seemed to me to have a pretty slow pace) which in my experience is very unusual for romantic suspense novels, so because of the pacing it didn't read quite the way I was expecting but I still really enjoyed it. 

My brother and I have had a lot of fun lately watching old detective shows like Starsky and Hutch, Charlie's Angels, etc! And in many ways this book kind of reminded me of those old shows, and the plot certainly played out like one in my imagination!

For most of the book I had no clue what the motive was behind all the evil things that were happening and for the longest time I had no idea who the guilty party was, but I decided on the villain's identity the first time that person was introduced in the story and I was really surprised and impressed with myself that my guess turned out to be correct! The villain was very well hidden! 

I own a yellow lab and so of course I adored Xena! 

Overall, I really enjoyed Deadly Encounter and highly recommend it! 

I look forward to the next book in the series!

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Tyndale House in exchange for my honest review, which I have done!

All thoughts and opinions are one hundred percent my own

Review: The Happiness Dare by Jennifer Dukes Lee

5 Stars!

Let me start by saying that I don't read much non-fiction, but there are some books that really jump out at me and I know I just have to read them, such was the case when I was offered the opportunity to review this book. My first thought was "That sounds like exactly what I need!" And I am delighted to say that it was exactly what I needed. I'm one of those people that really need permission to be happy and this book showed me how to give myself permission, one of the main questions this book answers is one that I have wondered about many times myself: does God really care about my happiness? The discovery I made was eye opening for me! 

Please allow me to veer off course for a minute here, I promise I will get to the point. As a twenty-something single woman who made a commitment to purity at the age of sixteen, I have read numerous books on the subject of purity and fulfillment in singleness, and they were very good but honestly I feel like The Happiness Dare has helped me to feel more fulfilled than all of those other books combined, I realize that this book is in no way connected to purity but the thing that I have found is that all of those purity books instructed me to "Delight in the Lord" for my worth and happiness both before I'm married and after, that was great and I highly agreed with it but what those books failed to mention was how to do that! I love Jesus and I take incredible pleasure in our relationship but I never knew how to know whether I was actually "Delighting" in Him, that is until I read The Happiness Dare, and now I finally know and understand how to delight in our amazing Lord! While of course I still want to get married someday, I'm now finding happiness in right where I am in life rather than wishing things were different! Thank you to the author for writing a book that had a huge effect on me personally, this book has changed my life in many ways! 

Another of the multitude of things I learned from and loved about this book was that I finally realized it's okay to be a Christian and find happiness in the good gifts that God has given us, including (for me) chocolate, my favorite TV shows, Christian romance novels, et cetera! Obviously not to excess and taking great care to prevent them from becoming idols, but I learned that every person has a unique happiness sweet spot where earthly pleasures (the good ones, not the sinful ones of course), heavenly joy and their own God-given wiring intersect, I found that the moments within my sweet spot are the happiest for me. I'm sorry if I'm giving too much away I just can't say enough about how profoundly this book has impacted my life! I highly recommend the Happiness Dare to anyone and everyone! And I plan to re-read it many times in the future! 

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Tyndale House in exchange for my honest review, which I have done!

All thoughts and opinions are one hundred percent my own