Thursday, March 14, 2024

The Captain's Daughter by Jennifer Delamere (Review)

Series: London Beginnings #1
Genre: Historical Romance
Publisher: Bethany House
Released: June 6, 2017
333 pages
About the Book:

When a series of circumstances beyond her control leave Rosalyn Bernay alone and penniless in London, she chances upon a job backstage at a theater which is presenting the most popular show in London. A talented musician and singer, she feels immediately at home and soon becomes enthralled with the idea of pursuing a career on the stage.

An injury during a skirmish in India has forced Nate Moran out of the army until he recovers. Filling his time at a stable of horses for hire in London, he has also spent the past two months working nights as a stagehand, filling in for his injured brother. Although he’s glad he can help his family through a tough time, he is counting the days until he can rejoin his regiment. London holds bitter memories for him that he is anxious to escape. But then he meets the beautiful woman who has found a new lease on life in the very place Nate can’t wait to leave behind.

 

My Rating & Thoughts:    ⭐⭐⭐


Rosalind has been a lady's companion for a wealthy woman for the last 6 years, but then something happens with the new husband and Rosalind must leave. She ends up in London and after some harrowing events is penniless and alone. She ends up a theater where she meets some wonderful people. I especially loved Jessie and how she quickly befriended Rosalind and took her in. I wish she had been involved in more of the story. Nate and his family are others who befriend Rosalind. Nate's family was really entertaining as they spoke their mind and tried to encourage a relationship between Nate and Rosalind. The time spent at the theatre was interesting, I now want to know more about the play the HMS Pinafore. I have heard of it, but never seen it. I felt like Rosalind was a bit naive when it came to a particular character and his motivations, especially after the events with her previous employer and her first experience in London. I really enjoyed getting to know these characters and was rooting for a relationship to develop, however the ending disappointed me. I think it should have been fleshed out a bit more and felt wrapped up too quickly. I am interested in continuing the series and hope we will see some of these characters again.

(I purchased my copy of this book; opinions expressed 
in this review are my honest opinion and completely my own.)
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Wednesday, March 13, 2024

Turn to Me by Becky Wade (Review)

Series: Misty River #3
Genre: Contemporary Romance 
Publisher: Bethany House 
Released: May 3, 2022
410 pages

About the Book:

His promise will cost him far more than he imagined.

Guilt has defined Luke Dempsey's life, but it was self-destructiveness that landed him in prison. When his friend and fellow inmate lay dying shortly before Luke's release, the older man revealed he left a string of clues for his daughter, Finley, that will lead her to the treasure he's hidden. Worried that she won't be the only one pursuing the treasure, he gains Luke's promise to protect her until the end of her search.

Spunky and idealistic, Finley Sutherland is the owner of an animal rescue center and a defender of lost causes. She accepts Luke's help on the treasure hunt while secretly planning to help him in return--by coaxing him to embrace the forgiveness he's long denied himself.

As they draw closer to the final clue, their reasons for resisting each other begin to crumble, and Luke realizes his promise will push him to the limit in more ways than one. He'll do his best to shield Finley from unseen threats, but who's going to shield him from losing his heart?




My Rating & Thoughts:    ⭐⭐⭐⭐

I enjoyed getting to know Luke and Finlay through this story and their interactions were entertaining and sweet. I enjoyed how Finlay looked past Luke's ex-con status and his keeping people at arm's length and tried her best to befriend him and show him the benefit of letting people in. Luke has survivor's guilt after his brother passed away in the earthquake when they were young and has carried this burden for years. He has made some bad choices but is now trying to stick with a promise he made to Finlay's father without his heart getting involved. I was very interested to know more about Finlay's father and the treasure hunt he has set up for her. I liked following Luke and Finlay while they tried to piece the clues together. I loved seeing Ben again and the rest of the Miracle Five but I do wish we had been given more of Ben's story. I enjoyed the time spent with him and would have loved more. The banter he had with a particular female was really entertaining. The thing I did not enjoy about the story was that Finlay decided to pursue Luke for a dating relationship even after they talked about faith and knew he was not a Christian and she was. Luke does decide to return to his faith by the end, and we witness him making this decision. There was a fun mix of characters throughout the story and I enjoyed getting to know the new characters. The ending provided nice closer for characters we have followed throughout the series.

Favourite Quote: 

“Situations change. God's will for us changes. You have to give yourself permission to change.”
(I purchased my copy of this book; opinions expressed 
in this review are my honest opinion and completely my own.)

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Tuesday, March 12, 2024

Word of Honor by Terri Blackstock (Review)

Series: Newpointe 911 #3
Genre: Mystery/Suspense
Publisher: Zondervan 
Released: April 3, 1998
352 pages

About the Book:

What will it cost to keep a promise? Of the four people at the Newpointe post office when the bomb went off, three were killed instantly. The fourth, a five-year-old boy, lies comatose in the hospital and might not survive. Who would do such a thing? The answer comes in the form of a gunman crashing through the door of the hotel room where Jill Clark is staying. With a rifle barrel pointed at her temple, the young attorney suddenly finds herself the hostage of a desperate man whose actions hardly fit his claim that he's innocent of the bombing. Only later, when the suspect is behind bars, does Jill wonder whether he's as guilty as he appears. Prompted by a terrifying attempt on her life, Jill and old flame Dan Nichols dig deeper into the case. But standing in their way lies an obstacle Jill hasn't counted the power of a covenant. It could change her life. Or, with the clock ticking, it could seal her death.






My Rating & Thoughts:    ⭐⭐⭐⭐


Book begins with a bombing at the local post office, and the Jill is taken hostage. I was fully invested in the investigation. Can they catch the person or people responsible before anyone else gets hurt? I understood Jill's reactions to Jerry and wanted to know his backstory. I had been rooting for the relationship between Jill and Dan until I became frustrated with the way Dan reacted after a disagreement with Jill. I was glad when he took action to correct his error. The part about covenants was really interesting. I liked how Jill and Dan took the time to research God's Word for answers to the questions they were facing and the way they openly discussed it between them. There were a couple of things that happened that had me question if it was really possible for the bad guy/s to do that. It was great to see characters from previous books again. While the ending does provide a conclusion to this story, it also provides a hint to who the main characters of the next book are going to be.

(I purchased my copy of this book; opinions expressed 
in this review are my honest opinion and completely my own.)

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Monday, March 11, 2024

Bound by Duty by Valerie Hansen

Genre: Romantic Suspense
Publisher: Love Inspired 
Released: May 1, 2018
218 pages
About the Book:

Single Mom Surveillance

The Military K-9 Unit series continues

Her serial killer brother’s escaped—and it’s single mom Zoe Sullivan who’s under suspicion! Sgt. Linc Colson trusts two his instincts and his Rottweiler K-9 partner, Star—and certainly not the pretty face he’s assigned to monitor. He’s done everything to keep her from getting under his skin—now he must stop those who want to put her six feet under.







  

My Rating & Thoughts:    ⭐⭐


I struggled with the pacing and flow of this story. The first scene made me wonder what was going on, but as I got further into it, I felt like I was missing quite a bit of background info. Now this is book two of a series, so that's on me as I haven't read book one. However, nowhere on the cover (front or back) does it say it's book 2. In regards to the storyline, I found it difficult to follow the timeline of events. I am unsure how many days actually take place over the course of the story. At times, I believed it was only a few days, but then other things were referenced that made me wonder if it was more than that. I did not like how everyone on base assumed Zoe was guilty by association. It seemed like things were happening that we didn't see. The romance itself felt way too rushed. They went from being practically enemies to a lifelong relationship in what felt like a matter of days. Due to Zoe past relationship betrayal and the fact that she has a young kid, this felt uncharacteristic for her based on how her character is introduced at the beginning. Everything happened within a week or days. While Zoe's troubles are resolved, there is still another storyline going on that I assume will continue until the next book.

(I won this book in a giveaway; opinions expressed 
in this review are my honest opinion and completely my own.)
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