The Kissing Tree

 Oak Springs, Texas is home to a huge oak tree with initials of couples who have fallen in love and marked the occasion on the tree.  Beginning in the post-Civil War era and moving forward to modern days, each novella details the love story of a special couple in Oak Springs.  

My favorite novella is the one by Amanda Dykes, in the World War II era and tells the story of Hannah and Luke.  Hannah's brother was killed in Europe and asked Luke to continue writing to his sister before he died.  Luke also sent sketches of buildings that had been damaged in the bombings.  When he arrives in Oak Springs to bring one more thing to Hannah, he finds that she has taken his drawings and combined them into one cottage.  He finds himself so intrigued with Hannah that he spends much of his time in Oak Springs helping her build the cottage.

These novellas are fun to read and to while away an afternoon or so.  I didn't find this compilation as compelling as others I've read, but it is a good time filler.  Four Stars. 

Bethany House and NetGalley.com provided the copy I read for this review. All opinions expressed are my own. 

A Haven for Her Heart

 

Olivia's fiance has gone to war, and she's pregnant from one night of passion before he was deployed.  Her father has her arrested, her baby is taken away from her and after she's released from the reformatory, she finds herself ill with no place to go, and in need of a friend.   Ruth Bennett finds Olivia sitting in the back of the church and takes her home.  After Olivia is given time to recover from her illness, she seeks to help others who are in a similar situation.  Ruth has been seeking a purpose for her life and with Olivia's idea of a maternity home, Ruth feels she's found her niche.  

Darius Reed works for a developer who wants the Bennett house to build a skyscraper and rent out office spaces.  Darius has been set with the task of convincing Ruth to sell.  When he is unsuccessful, his boss is not above fighting dirty.  During Darius' visits to the home, he becomes attracted to Olivia, in spite of himself.  He is almost affianced to the daughter of a client and knows he should not really spend so much time in her company. 

Susan Anne Mason has written a heart-warming, heart-wrenching, and completely stirring novel that is engaging and compelling from the opening lines to the very end.  This is a five star book, with two thumbs up, and total redemption. 

Bethany House and NetGalley.com provided the copy I read for this review.  All opinions expressed are my own. 

Her Secret Song

 Today, on Facebook in a group I belong to, someone asked for people to post the location of the last book you read to see if people could guess the book.  It's not hard to miss Bucksnort, Colorado, for a location.  If anyone has read any part of the series Brides of Hope Mountain by Mary Connealy, that person will know about Bucksnort.  Her Secret Song is the final book in this series, and the story of Ursula's finding a husband.  Ursula, Jo, and Ilsa all have their back-woods talents:  Ursula is deadly with an axe, Jo can shoot with her bow and arrow with uncanny accuracy, and Ilsa is more than proficient with a knife.  All three of them can walk through the woods in utter silence and notice things before most other people could.  The three girls have lived all of their lives on Hope Mountain, never going down the mountain into town because of the fear their grandmother held about the diseases others would bring to their mountain.  Ursula is the last to overcome her fear and after a winter alone decides to go down the mountain only to have her trek interrupted by finding the wounded body of Wax Mosby.  She carries him back to her cabin to nurse his wounds.  

This is the book that pulls all the loose threads in the other two and binds them up in a nice, neat package. It was such a satisfying conclusion to the series.  In many ways, this book reminded me of the movie, "The Cowboys," with John Wayne.  In the movie, the boys set out to take the cattle back from the rustlers who killed their leader.  They use sneakiness and ingenuity to overcome their enemies.  The girls and their husbands, or boyfriend in Ursula's case, work together to overcome a common enemy and his minions and to restore the Circle Dash Ranch back to the Wardens.  All of the minions of Canton, the land-grabber, are wanted men and have prices on their heads.  That makes the mission of capturing them all the more important.  Definitely a Five Star Book, with two thumbs up, and a reclaimed ranch. 

Bethany House Publishing and NetGalley.com provided the copy I read for this review.  All opinions expressed are my own. 

What You Said to Me

 I am rather disappointed with Olivia Newport's final book in her Tree of Life Series.  There were too many loose branches that were left hanging.  I think she needs to write one more book to let us know if Tisha's father ever decided to meet her, whether Drew and Jill get married, and if Tisha finds Morclavia's twin. 

The book itself is engaging from the very beginning to the end.  The plot moves at a fair clip, and the history of Tisha's family intrigues the reader. Olivia's writing style is appealing to me and her romantic inclusions are not smarmy, but well thought-out and realistic.  This really is a good book, but the loose ends made it a bit disappointing for me.  Four Solid Stars. 

Barbour Publishing and NetGalley.com provided the copy I read for this review.  All opinions expressed are my own. 

Softly Blows the Bugle

Jan Drexler writes historical Amish fiction, which puts her in a class by herself.  She has done her research well for her third book in this series The Amish of Weaver's Creek.  The time era is post Civil War, when the men are coming home and life should be returning to normal--as much as it can. 

When Katie sees her fiance, Jonas, coming home, she runs to greet him.  He's brought with him a friend he met while being a medic at a prisoner of war hospital.  Aaron Zook has lost his leg and doesn't know where he wants to go from Weaver's Creek because all of his family is gone.  

Jonas has a sister, Elizabeth, who is widowed and really not looking to marry again.  Aaron is not looking for a relationship, but somehow,  . . . 

Jan has included some suspense, some impostors, and some tenderness in this book and has really engaged the reader from beginning to end.  It's worthy of five stars, two thumbs up, and a farm ready to plow. 

Revell and NetGalley.com provided the copy I read for this review.  All opinions expressed are my own. 

Nothing Short of Wondrous

Regina Scott is releasing her second book in her American Wonders Collection.  What is nice about this collection is that each one stands alone, but the connections to America's greatest treasures make them worth reading, in any order.  

Nothing Short of Wondrous takes place in Yellowstone National Park, soon after the National Park system was enacted into law.  Kate Tremaine runs the Gateway Inn, within the park.  She provides rooms, meals, and some tours for people coming to enjoy the Park's particular beauty.  She also protects her area of the park as well as the people who come to her Inn. 

The Army is providing protection for the wildlife and the people, as well as rounding up poachers.  However, the Army is not provided with guides to help them navigate the dangers of the park.  Lt. William Prescott prevails upon Kate to help him get to know the landscape and the areas of the park she knows best.  In return, he and some of his men will provide some much needed repairs to her Inn.  

This book offers intrigue, romance, and incredible descriptions of natural beauty--something for nearly every reader.  Five Stars, Two Thumbs Up, and a personal guide through the wonders of Yellowstone. 

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

The Love Note

I found The Love Note by Joanna Davidson Politano to be a fascinating book.  Willa Duvall wants a career in medicine, but her father wants her married off.  While sitting at a secretary desk in her home, she finds a love note hidden in a crevice. Willa remembers where the secretary came from and decides to make a bargain with her father to be a long term nurse and if she's successful, she will be able to pursue medicine.  She goes to Crestwicke Manor to nurse the dowager there.  One of the maids finds the note and believes it was written to her.  How this note found its way around the Manor into various hands, each reader believing that the note was written to her.  But the note was written to the dowager of the estate, and with caring and patience, Willa hears the story behind the note and all the history that went along with it.  

Like I said, this is a fascinating read that keeps the reader engaged from beginning to end.  It is definitely a five star book, with two thumbs up, and a most definite love requited. 

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