REVIEW WEDNESDAY - The Cowboy's Second Chance

 Good morning!

Another hot day in the Ozarks. May I reinterate, I'm so ready for fall.

This week's novella is The Cowboy's Second chance. The title caught my attention immediately because 'second chance' stories are my favorite to read and what I write.

AMAZON

BLURB:

Will the billionaire philanthropist get a second chance to win the lady of his heart?

He's a billionaire that's supposed to be dead.

She's the woman who chose his best friend over him.

They've forged a strong online friendship over two decades as she's raised her eight kids alone, and he kept the promise he made to her husband.

She doesn't know who he really is - the entire town of Sweet Water attended his memorial service.

When they finally meet, will the friendship they've forged be strong enough to weather the deception and the explosive secrets he's hiding?

I was not a fan of the blurb. Did you notice we aren't introduced to the characters by name? The blurb reads more like a 'will they - won't they' than using basic etiquette to introduce us. I do get this from the point of we don't have the hero's actual name in the beginning... just Oilman. That lends an air of mystery. However, this isn't a mystery. It's a small-town, sweet, contemporary romance between a couple in their possibly mid-to-late fifties forging a path to their forever.

I loved how the couple find their way back to one another. After twenty years of emails, they know one another pretty well, though Oilman knows a lot more about the younger version of Bonnie than he can let on. 

There are other books in this series - the Sweet Water Ranch Western Cowboy Romance-  and I hope one will bring Bonnie's errant son back to the fold. I get the feeling he was young when her husband past and being angry is a valid feeling for someone young who's lost a parent.

You'll find out more about Jessie Gussman and her books by following any of the links below. For a direct link to this story, you'll find that below the cover.

WEBSITE   FACEBOOK   INSTAGRAM   YOUTUBE

GOODREADS   NEWSLETTER

AMAZON AUTHOR PAGE

I'm giving The Cowboy's Second Chance...

All my best!

~ Angela

REVIEW WEDNESDAY - Christmas Cafe Complications

 Good morning, friends!

One last Christmas story for July. Where has this month gone? I've already chosen our end-of-summer reads for August. 

AMAZON

BLURB:

This small-town Christmas romance is full of festive surprises and unexpected moments of joy! When Amanda, the determined owner of a cafe in the struggling town of Snow Falls, discovers her long-time rival Eric is closing down his bookstore, she is determined to revive the town’s charm with a big Christmas festival fundraiser.

Despite their initial reluctance, Amanda and Eric are forced to co-organize the event. As Amanda and Eric clash over festival plans, their walls come down, and they realize they share a common goal. 

In a world that can be tough and unpredictable, this sweet romance will remind you of the power of love and leave you with a heart full of hope.

There was a lead-in to the blurb throwing in extra keywords and if you read similar authors then you will love this book.

The cover really set the scene and I loved the small town feel.

First off, when I read a blurb I don't want to know anything except what about this particular story makes me want to keep reading.  What I've shared above is what I want to know. Who the characters are, their conflicts and a hint at how they might make their story work.

While the author does create a beautiful, wintery Christmas setting, there are a couple of problems. The point of view mixes and mingles in very little fashion, often times even throwing in an omniscent point of view. For a story to flow smoothly, a reader doesn't want to be jarred around. You can have multiple points of view (though I don't recommend omniscent being one of them) but the transition from one character to the next should not leave me wondering what character I'm supposed to be in. The author started out fine but the further I got into the story, the more I had the feeling of being told a story, not pulled in to be a part of it. 

The mayor's character really irritated me. While I'm sure she is under great pressure to save the flailing town of Snowfall, that did not give her the right to be nasty to Amanda. I got the impression she was modeled after the mayor in The Good Witch, though that character was hauty, not mean.  Couple that with Eric throwing Amanda to the wolf to take the heat for weather none of them had any control over just rubbed me the wrong way.

Christmas Cafe Complications is Book 2 of a 17-book collaboration. 

I'm giving Christmas Cafe Complilcations...

.8

All my best!

~ Angela

REVIEW WEDNESDAY - The Mistletoe Puppy

 Good morning!

There's nothing like a good Christmas story to make a 101* day seem less miserable. We didn't stay that high very long and I spent most of the day watching storm trackers as tornado warnings were all around my daughter in Kentucky. Everyone is safe thanks to trackers like Chris Hall, Jordan Hall, and Ryan Hall (though not related, as far as I know)

AMAZON

BLURB:

Two wounded people, no longer able to risk love, plus one little girl and her puppy. Can she bring them together in time for Christmas?

Kate Larssen lives in Mistletoe Falls, a small, charming town in northern Minnesota, and runs a no-kill animal rescue, a cause dear to her warm and loving heart. After too many romantic disappointments, she has far more important things to focus on: The abandoned and abused animals she wants to save. And the return of an angry ex-con she helped send to prison.

Deputy Brad Bailey recently left big city life and moved to Mistletoe Falls with his six-year-old daughter. His wife died just before Christmas last year, and his only goal is to raise his grieving six-year-old daughter and help her heal. While on duty, he brings a stray dog and her puppies to the animal shelter, and meets Kate, the pretty manager. He hopes taking Janie to visit the puppies will lift her spirits, though soon realizes his mistake when she begs to adopt them all. Kate tries to help fill the void in Janie's life, though she's determined to keep things on a friendship-only basis.

When Kate's house is set on fire, Brad desperately tried to track down the arsonist before anything terrible happens to her. And suddenly, a friendship teeters on something more...

I found The Mistletoe Puppy to be a great read. Roxanne Rustand knows how to build the base of a sugar cookie, adding sprinkles of information when they are needed most. An example in this story is how we learn about Brad and Janie's story out when we need to know something specific about their pain and heartache. Kids may be resilient but nothing prepares them at any age for the loss of a parent. Even as adults we can't always comprehend why something had to happen. 

The setting for this family coming together is perfect. Bright colorful lights or the softer white lights all tell the story. Add fairytales from a little girl's perspective, a Princess puppy, and two people finding their way after relationship problems and you have the perfect sweet romance. But no romance is complete without stumbles along the way. A Hollywood actor once said "If the apple is on the table, there is a reason the apple is there." In this case, the 'apple' was represented in the carvings throughout Kate's home. Not only were they a sign of protection, but of the evil that lurks in her kingdom, and that a knight in shining armor (or badge) will protect her. 

Roxanne Rustand brought all the elements of a true fairytale together to form a heartwarming read in the confines of one hundred pages. That, my readers, is pure talent. 

The Mistletoe Puppy is Book 1 in a four-book series. I'm linking all of the books below, and when I take a break in December, I plan to curl up on the sofa enjoying the Christmas lights and reading every one. 

#1 The Mistletoe Puppy

#2 A Christmas in Montana

#3 An Irish ChristmasBlessing

#4 A London Christmas

#5 A Scottish Christmas

#6 Christmas in Paris

I'm giving, The Mistletoe Puppy...

All my best!

~ Angela

AUTHOR SPOTLIGHT - Roxanne Rustand

Good afternoon.

With storms the past couple of days, and again today, I've lost track of time. 

I've read Roxanne's books from her early publishing days. Here's a bit about her:

Roxanne is the USA Today Bestselling, award-winning author of forty romantic suspense, mystery, and heart-warming, emotional relationship novels in the clean & wholesome and inspirational romance genres. 

She got her first horse at the tender age of six, and grew up riding bareback with wild abandon throughout her small Minnesota town year around. It was like giving a child car keys! She has never been without a horse since. She showed horses for many years, and later, she and her husband raised quarter horses and thoroughbreds until their kids came along. 

She's living her childhood dream, living on an acreage in the country with her husband, three horses (all elderly pasture ornaments now), a golden retriever rescue, and six fluffy barn cats--a much smaller menagerie than when their three kids were still at home. Ranches, animals, and small-town life frequently find their way into her books.

While you're waiting for tomorrow's review of The Mistletoe Puppy, please check out the links below:

WEBSITE   FACEBOOK   IG   

GOODREADS   BOOKBUB  PINTEREST

AMAZON AUTHOR PAGE

All my best!

~Angela

 

REVIEW WEDNESDAY - Lavender & Quill

 Good morning, friends!

AMAZON - Box Set

Today's book is interesting in the way the stories are presented. Let's check out the blurb, first.

When life fell apart in Seattle, Ashley St. James never thought she’d find herself back in Hope Hill—the small town of lavender fields, quirky neighbors, and lingering family ties. But inheriting her late father’s beloved bookstore, Lavender & Quill, might just be the second chance she didn’t know she needed.

Determined to reopen the shop and start fresh, Ashley quickly discovers that peeling back the layers of her father’s legacy won’t be easy. A devastating storm, hidden letters from the past, and a wealthy newcomer determined to reshape the town threaten her plans at every turn.

Thankfully, help arrives in the form of Noah Callahan—the quiet, skilled craftsman with a protective streak and a daughter who adores books as much as Ashley does. But as the repairs unfold and buried secrets surface, Ashley must decide if she’s ready to risk her heart—and stand her ground against the charming but dangerous newcomer intent on buying her out. 

With the support of her sisters, a blossoming romance, and the mystery of Lavender & Quill pulling her deeper into Hope Hill’s history, Ashley might just find that some chapters are worth rewriting.

Normally, (in other box sets I've read), each book in the set is it's own story. If the series is collaborative with multiple authors, while each story is different, there is a running theme. In other sets where all of the books are by one author, each story is different but offer multiple characters from the initial story yet each have their own book. Think seven sisters with each sister having her own story while everything winds together in a well-written series. 

Lavender & Quill is different. I've never seen this done before, making the way May North writes her own special voice. 

There are five books in Lavender & Quill. Each book is a novella of around eighty-six pages. But here's the kicker. Each novella appears to be just a continuation from the novella prior. While I've not read the entire 367-page boxed set, I have the feeling the collection is Ashley & Noah's story broken up into individual quick reads, rather than sitting down with the whole tome. Interesting way of creating a story.

May North is great with description and a way with comparative words. I enjoyed Book 1 of Lavender & Quill. I may try to finish the series before turning back to KU. 

In the mean time, I'm giving Lavender & Quill...

.8

All my best!

~ Angela

REVIEW WEDNESDAY - May Flowers

 Good morning, readers.

If you're looking for a quick read during your coffee break, today's book is for you.

AMAZON

BLURB:

Love blooms after the rain…

Aria Garcia is a fifth-grade teacher in Vermont, who likes to keep her private life private. Her co-workers are curious as to who is sending her flowers almost every single day. Aria has never felt the way she does with Damian Rossi. He makes her feel safe and, most importantly, loved.

With each new bouquet of flowers from Damian, Aria falls deeper in love. After a month of sneaking around, Damian is ready to show off his love for Aria. Will Aria be able to find the courage she needs to let go of her fears?

Stories don't come any sweeter than this. Don't be deceived by the length. A lot is packed into the forty-seven pages! 

First, Aria Garcia is dealing with past emotional trauma, making her afraid to fully step into a relationship with a guy that seems beyond perfect.

Next we have Damian, who from what we see from Aria's point of view seems like the perfect guy. Maybe too perfect. 

When Damian puts the brakes on their private relationship, Aria is forced to confront her dad. Later, seeing Damian in his sister's flower shop and how she and her husband interact she realizes something important. 

I saw something in this story I wish a dear friend of mine would understand. We have to let go of whatever happened in our past if we're to truly live in the present. Most of the time we can't do anything about what lives in our brain like the boogey man, orchestrating our every decision in the present. Talk about the situation with whomever was involved. Resolution or not, only you can decide what your true future holds - the happiness you deserve.

The only thing that confused me in it's inclusion was the Cinco de Mayo situation with her class. I couldn't pull it together. Maybe I missed something. So, if you read this book (and I hope you will), please let me know in the comments what you saw.

I'm giving MAY FLOWERS...

. 8

Remember to check out Eden Larsen's Good Reads and Amazon Author Page.

All my best!

~ Angela

REVIEW WEDNESDAY - The Sweetheart Deal

 Good morning, friends!

This week, I'm reviewing a book by sweet romance author, Lenora Worth. I may have jumped the gun a bit yesterday as I'd just started the book. I'll share why when we get to the review. 

AMAZON

BLURB:

"One day I’m going to marry you..." Jake Harper had said those words to Vanessa Conroy since kindergarten, but after watching her parents’ bitter divorce and living with her mother’s devastation, Vanessa made a promise to herself—she’s never getting married. She’ll stay single and pursue her dream of being a ready-to-wear fashion designer. In high school, Vanessa dated and broke up with every bad boy in the book, while Jake remained her consistent buddy. He was her wingman, her best friend, her go-to person for special occasions, but she held him at a distance. Why ruin a wonderful friendship? On the night of their final prom, Jake takes a risk and kisses her. Stunned by how right it feels, Vanessa rashly blurts out a deal: if they’re still single at thirty, maybe she’ll marry him. Now, thirteen years later, they’re back in Sweetheart Bay to be part of her sister’s wedding. And they’re both still single at thirty. Vanessa begins to see Jake in a new, more romantic light, but Jake, a successful architect living in California, hasn’t said a word about their old pact. As family drama bubbles and old feelings resurface, Vanessa must face the one possibility she’s always run from: what if her true love has been standing beside her all along? Can she and Jake find their happily-ever-after back on Sweetheart Bay?

The very opening of the story, and subsequent levels of school in the early stages of the book, were great. Onery Jake taunting Vanessa that he was going to marry her. In turn, Vanessa was adamant she was not going to marry - EVER! So much fun in this back and forth between the two characters and a great way to introduce them. This worked well between the two right up until prom night when they made a deal.

When both return for her sister's wedding, things still go pretty smoothly as we watch them work things out. That's where the story fell off into the tide for me.

Lenora Worth had a great story going then she brought in other circumstances in trying to explain why Vanessa was never going to marry. By the last quarter of the book I was losing interest, and I think the author was too. Multiple typos and editing issues began to show. For me, this added to the distractions from the secondary (and third) characters. I know where she was going with them, but her road got bumpy along the way. 

That said, knowing what Lenora Worth was after doesn't make getting to the end of the story any easier. I'm giving, The Sweetheart Deal...

You can check out more about Lenora Worth by following the links below.

WEBSITE   FACEBOOK  INSTAGRAM   BLOG    PINTEREST

BOOK BUB   GOODREADS   AUDIBLE

AMAZON AUTHOR PAGE

All my best!

~ Angela

REVIEW WEDNESDAY - Love Is Patient

 Good afternoon, readers.

We went after the end tables  yesterday, requiring pretty much an all day trip. When most everything you do is at least an hour in either direction, to take care of as many things as you can while you're out. Bob treated me to dinner at Big Whiskey's. We've never been before. I'm more a Chinese Buffet kind of girl, but something different now and then isn't a bad thing either.

AMAZON

LOVE IS PATIENT is Book 1 in the Prairie Promise trilogy by K. P. Dawson.

Here's a bit about the book:

Promise...

"In her heart, Kathryn knew this was the place she was meant to be. And she couldn’t wait to prove it to her father, herself, and anyone else who might doubt it."

All her life, Kathryn has known she didn't belong in the city where she was raised. So when she is offered a teaching position in the small, frontier town of Promise, in the Dakota Territory, she doesn't hesitate to accept. When she arrives, she knows she's found the place she belongs.

However, she is faced with many obstacles as she proves to her family, and herself, that she is cut out for life out here. The biggest problem she comes up against is in the form of a man who is determined to prove she won't make it until snowfall.

"Miss Kathryn Reeves wouldn’t be here come the winter.

He guaranteed it."

Colt Hammond has no desire to deal with another spoiled city girl who thinks living on the frontier will be a fun little adventure. He did that once, and he won't make that mistake ever again.

Just because she's living on his property, and teaching at the little schoolhouse where his children will be going, doesn't mean he has time to look after her until she's ready to admit defeat and head back home.

What neither of them counts on though, is how strong the promise of love can be between two people who are destined to be together.

This story had a lot of things to love. For starters, the story is very well written with little things you might not notice that make a big impact.

For instance, Katherine standing up to her father and following her heart. Not for a man but for a dream she's held since a very young age. That takes a lot of courage. Remember, this was a time when women were supposed to get married and raise a family, not buck the 'system' and do something on their own. 

Then there's the nuance of giving the reader a sense of place by giving a character we are all familiar with a walk on part. The man most of us know from our own literary and television childhood is only there for a paragraph, but that small part gives us a clear picture of the time and place Promise exits in the vast Dakota Territory in history. 

I'm going to be reading the remaining 2 books in the series, and I hope you'll click on the Amazon link to read them as well.

I'm giving Love Is Patient:

You can find out more about K. P. Dawson and her books by following any of the links below:

WEBSITE   FACEBOOK   BOOK BUB   NEWSLETTER

AMAZON AUTHOR PAGE

All my best!

~ Angela

AUTHOR SPOTLIGHT - K. P. Dawson

 Good morning, readers!

This week I'm shining the spotlight on K. P. Dawson. She writes sweet contemporary romance, just my kind of stories. 

Here's a bit about, K. P.:

USA Today Bestselling Author, Kay P. Dawson writes sweet western romance - the kind that leaves out all of the juicy details and immerses you in a true, heartfelt love story. Growing up pretending she was Laura Ingalls, she’s always had a love for the old west and pioneer times. She believes in true love, and finding your happy ever after.

Happily married mom of two girls, Kay has always taught her children to follow their dreams. And, after a breast cancer diagnosis at the age of 39, she realized it was time to take her own advice. She had always wanted to write a book, and she decided that the someday she was waiting for was now.

She writes western historical, contemporary and time travel romance that all transport the reader to a time or place where true love always finds a way.

Tomorrow, I'll be reviewing Book 1 in a 3-book Prairie Promise series.

In the mean time, please pop by her links below to learn more about this author.

WEBSITE   FACEBOOK   BOOK BUB   NEWSLETTER

AMAZON AUTHOR PAGE

All my best!

~ Angela

AUTHOR SPOTLIGHT - Sophie-Leigh Robbins

 Good morning, readers!

I have a 'new to me' author to share with you today. Meet Sophie-Leigh Robbins.

BIO:

Sophie-Leigh Robbins writes feel-good Romantic Comedies. She grew up reading every book she could get her hands on, especially The Baby-Sitters Club. By the time she was 10 years old, she was having loads of fun writing her own stories.

I purchased Snowflakes & Sparks last year and never got around to reading the book. I'll be posting a review tomorrow. In the mean time, you can learn more about Sophie by following any of the links below.

WEBSITE   FACEBOOK   TWITTER-X   INSTAGRAM   YouTube

AMAZON AUTHOR PAGE

All My Best!

~ Angela