Second Chance at Sunshine Inn

I have liked the books that Amy Clipston has written because they are not too heavy for the reader.  Her books are great entertainment for a mental escape. 

Everleigh has inherited half of a B&B with a handyman her godmother had hired to do odd jobs around the Inn.  Everleigh wants to sell it and start a non-profit to help parents with critically ill babies.  Cade, the handyman, wants to keep the B&B and run it.  He comes to a compromise with Everleigh that if she can sell it to someone who will run it as a B&B instead of tearing it down and developing it he will consider selling it. She cannot use a realtor, nor sell it to a developer, and he has ultimate veto power on which offer she accepts.  AND there is a time limit on the sale. There are shady folks who make offers or ingratiate themselves to Everleigh as a way to get past her defenses. The people she thinks are friends are actually sheep in wolves' clothing.  The more Everleigh and Cade work together, the closer they become.  

This is a feel-good book once you get past all of the villains who wish to destroy what Everleigh's godmother has built up.  A gamut of emotions rolls through the book and reels the reader in from the beginning to the end.  A strong Four Star book.

Thomas Nelson Publishing provided the copy I read for this review.  All opinions expressed are solely my own.

 

The Collector of Burned Books

 Corrine Bastien lives in the building next to the library of books that Germany has the books consigned to be burned by Hitler.  Christian Bauer has been sent by Goebbels to oversee the library and secure the books that are missing from the shelves. While Christian does not adhere to Hitler's beliefs, he is still somewhat a person to be feared in Corrine's eyes.  

Roseanna M White has cobbled together a group of characters who add small sparks of life here and there, but the book still falls a bit flat for me.  The plot moved a bit too slowly for me and it wasn't until the last quarter of the book that the pacing finally hit its mark.  Some of the characters were easy to dislike--maybe, even hate. Some of the characters were so very likable, and some were just space fillers while others were there just to bully people around. Corrine did develop depth throughout the book, which I appreciated.  Christian had a heart from the beginning but didn't show it until later on in the book. 

This wasn't my favorite book but it did give a glimpse into life in Paris under German rule during World War II. This is something we need to be reminded of so that we don't repeat history.   Four Stars.

Tyndale House provided the copy I read for this review.  All opinions expressed are solely my own.  

The Perfect Rom-Com

 Bryony wants to be published. She meets Jack, an agent who has a proposition for her, to ghost-write for Amelia Benedict.  The more she writes, the more she hones her craft. She has a novel of her own she wants published under her own name, but no one will touch it. It's too long and it doesn't really say anything.  She takes Jack's offer on the basis that he will find her a publisher for her book. 

Amelia is hard to like, caught up in herself, and publishes her novels because her uncle owns the publishing house.  She has a tour bus to rival any band.  Because of Bryony's contract, she has to tour with Amelia for two weeks.  It's the hardest two weeks of Bryony's professional career.  

While this book is not the Perfect Rom-Com, it is a great read.  Melissa Ferguson has written a unique story that really hits the readers in all of the feels.  The relationship between Bryony and Jack kind of sneaks up on the readers and takes them completely by surprise.  This is not a typical rom-com, but it is a good novel for romance lovers. The funniest part of the novel is Amelia's come-uppance.  It is humorously gratifying.  

This is a four-star book.  

Thomas Nelson provided the copy I read for this review.  All opinions expressed are solely my own.  

Midnight on the Scottish Shore

When I first started reading this book, I really liked Cilla. She was smart, savvy, and she knew how things were coming down.  She did have a bit of selfishness in looking for a way of escape for herself first. As the plot moved on, she became rather superficial and silly, to a degree.  Usually I like the protagonists in Sarah Sundin's novels, but I found it hard to like Cilla.  Lachlan, on the other hand, was completely likable and personable.  

Normally Sarah's books strike a chord with me and they are easy to get into.  This one just didn't hit the mark for me.  Lachlan didn't trust Cilla at first and it took a while for her to build trust with Lachlan.  She was guarded by two WRENS and an army officer while living in a lighthouse. She is utilized as a spy feeding false information to the Germans.  

The setting is one of the saving graces of the book.  It's a rugged, seashore area that would have been susceptible to German attacks but because of the armaments, stayed relatively safe.  

This is a three-star book, simply because of Cilla's flibberty-gibbet personality. 

Revell Publishing provided the copy I read for this review.  All opinions expressed are solely my own. 

 

The Nature of Love

This is the final book in the three-book series Love in the Spotlight.  Chris Gamble is the last of his friends to find a partner. He works at a nature preserve and sometimes takes in wounded animals to rehab and then either release or rehome. Erykah Kennedy has found a wounded dog and brought it to Chris to check over.  The puppy only needed to be cleaned up and fed.  Erykah took the dog home, but she needed to have a place for the puppy to go during the day while she was at work.  Chris offered to keep the puppy at work with him and allow him to have the activity he needs instead of being cooped up in a condo all day.  Chris and Erykah became friends through the days of handing the puppy back and forth.  They were about to go to dinner when the local police come to the door to tell Erykah that her sister and husband had been killed in a car crash. She was named the guardian for her two nieces.

Chris helps Erykah bring the girls from Kentucky to Colorado.  In the process Erykah meets Chris's friends, Tuck and Piper. Back in Colorado, Chris allows Erykah to move into his basement and helps her with her nieces. Throughout the whole process they become closer and closer. 

Toni Shiloh has taken a tough life situation and handled it with care and aplomb.  She openly discusses the grief in losing close family members and the grief that children experience. It's a beautiful novel that takes on difficult life situations and opens the readers' minds to be not so judgmental.  

Strong Four Star Book 

Bethany House Publishers provided the copy I read for this review.  All opinions expressed are solely.

An Overdue Match

 This was a quirky book that had a few laughs, a few tears, and a couple of misadventures.  The premise is that Evangeline, a librarian, was playing match-maker based on the check out history of various patrons.  While this backfired spectacularly, she had to rethink her original plans.  The spanner thrown into the works was Tai, the cousin of Evangeline's coworker, Hayley.  Tai was set up with Evangeline as a joke, but it didn't turn out to be the joke Hayley thought it would be.  

Sarah Monzon writes entertaining novels that engage the reader from the beginning to the end.  The small-town atmosphere that Sarah has built only adds to the enchantment of the story.  The people in Evangeline's life either love and support her as she is, or they make butts of themselves in the way they treat her--especially her ex, Brett. This is a book I'd love to read again.  Sarah has delved into the world of alopecia and the perceived stigma people have toward the disease.  She really brought light to a condition that people truly don't understand but look down upon it just the same.  I appreciated her treatment of the situation in Evangeline's life.

This is a strong Four Star Book.

Bethany House Publishers provided the copy I read for this review.  All opinions expressed are solely my own.   

Heart of the Glen

This is an interesting book that fulfills the reader's desire for a compelling story.  Saoirse is basically homeless but finds a friend in Aileen McCready.  For a few days, Aileen hid Saoirse from her brother, Owen.    When he found her, he offered to let her stay until she could find another job.  When Owen is injured in a fight with a man who tries to steal his sheep, Saoirse learned his weaving and works hard to fulfill the orders he has for his tweed.  

This is a seriously rewarding novel to read. The townspeople readily accept Saoirse and she slowly works her way into Owen's good graces.  Jennifer Deibel writes with a true talent for the craft.  I love reading her books and this one just added an extra oomph to my reading.  My only criticism is that the bad guys never get caught or even pursued for the most part of the book. Other than that, it's a really good book.  The romance in the book is not overt or smarmy.  It's a day to day look at the life of someone down on her luck who happens to land on her feet.   

One of my friends told me I just like books with happy endings and my friend is not wrong.  This is the best kind of book to fit that bill.  

Four Strong Stars. 

Revell Publishing provided the copy I read for this review.  All opinions expressed are solely my own.