Their Second Chance at Love

Erin wants to buy Aunt Betty's Victorian house, but it needs work.  At the same time, Erin needs work to earn the money to buy the house where she and her children are living.  She has been commissioned to make a wedding cake, and her dreams fall apart when the handyman, Logan, Aunt Betty has hired and Erin's son throw a football inside the house and topple the cake.  Erin falls on her own sword to right the wrong she is ultimately responsible for, but ultimately it costs her the money she needs to buy Aunt Betty's house.  

Logan has been gone from town for several years because he had unresolved feelings that came up when his best friend and Erin's husband died of cancer.  He couldn't come to terms with the feelings he was having, so he thought the better choice was to leave.  

Kayla Tirrell has woven together a novel that explains how God is at work even in the background of our lives.  She also shows what second chances are like in God's family.  Their Second Chance at Love is a bit of a light-hearted book with some depth to it.  It moves the heart in ways that are unexpected.  This is a strong four star book.   

Books Go Social provided the copy I read for this review.  All opinions expressed are solely my own.

 

Just for the Summer

Ginny has messed up big time.  She double booked the hotel's event room with an anniversary celebration and a wedding reception.  The fact that the bride's family is friends with Ginny's boss makes the situation even worse puts Ginny's job on the line.  So Ginny signs up for a job swap for the summer.  

Jacqueline is a fish out of water, running her grandfather's fishing lodge.  Needing a change of scenery, she signs up for the same job swap as Ginny, and the plans are made.  

Ginny hits the ground running making some changes here and there that enhance the ambiance of the lodge and entices more clientele to the lodge.  Jacqueline very nearly destroys the hotel and enrages the owner in a way that Ginny never did. So the owner cancels the contract for Jacqueline and sends her home with her tail between her legs.  

While at the lodge, Ginny has made inroads with Jacqueline's grandfather and his summer fishing guide, while Jacqueline has attempted the same with the hotel owner's son with not as stellar results.  

Melody Carlson has built a most enjoyable book with places I know and believable characters who are real in the sense that they have real strengths and weaknesses.  This gives them an honest touch in how they come across throughout the book.  There is the man who continually seeks what he cannot have and is unwilling to accept what is offered.  There is the couple who are falling in love without even realizing what is happening to them.  There is the woman who wants to come across as stronger than she really is. All of these characteristics are part of the charm of the book that makes it all the more readable. Four Strong Stars.  

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

 

The Divine Proverb of Streusel

Nikki's father left her mother, married within three months of the divorce being final, and now wants back into Nikki's life.  With all the upheaval in Nikki's life, she decided to leave town for a few days to get her thoughts in order and get her head on straight. The place she runs to is her uncle's house and finds refuge as well as meaning and purpose to her life.  She offers to help her uncle refurbish his old farmhouse that has been in the family for many generations and with the summer off from her teaching job, she's got the time to do the work to help her uncle out.  In working with him, she finds a notebook full of her great-grandmother's recipes, along with some words of wisdom great-grandmother found along the way.  In choosing recipes to try and reading the wisdom that each recipe holds, Nikki comes to find that forgiving is a great burden reliever and healer for her soul.  In learning this, she passes the wisdom on to her Uncle Wes.  

The romances in this story are secondary to the depth of spiritual knowledge included, and secondary to the plot development itself. Sara Brunsvold has woven a depth into this book that makes it hard to read, but that is not a bad thing,  Sometimes hard is exactly what is needed by the reader.  It is far more rewarding because there is so much more substance to this novel.  

This is a five star book with two thumbs up and a homemade streusel for dessert. 

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