Shares the Darkness by J.R. Lindermuth


Shares the Darkness by J.R. Lindermuth
Publisher: Torid Books
Genre: Contemporary, Suspense/Mystery
Length: Full Length (225 pgs)
Rating: 4 stars
Reviewed by Stargazer

Jan Kepler and Swatara Creek Police Office Flora Vastine were neighbors and schoolmates, but never close.

When Jan, a school teacher, avid birder and niece of a fellow officer, goes missing and is found dead in a nearby tract of woods, Flora finds herself thrust into the middle of an examination of the other woman’s life, as she searches for clues.

I choose to pray during my R&R time. tadalafil online usa Safed Musli is one of the key ingredients in this herbal pill include Chitrak, Ashwagandha, Kavach Beej, Jaiphal, Amla, Kesar, Jeera, Safed Musli and Shatavari. cheap sildenafil Premature Ejaculation: Premature ejaculation will be the herb capable of living upto the claims of firms, expert and physicians who propose this herb to you? First of all you must know that ginkgo, or ginkgo http://robertrobb.com/2014/11/ cialis professional cheap bilboa can be a special species of tree. Having erectile dysfunction? Do not worry, try a viagra india viagra pill first, medical experts say. As usual, the police have more than one crime to deal with. There’s illegal timbering and a series of vehicle thefts taking up their time.And there are other issues to deal with. Flora is concerned there’s some shakiness in her relationship with Cpl. Harry Minnich, who seems to be making a lot of secretive phone calls.

Still, Flora maintains focus on the murder, and despite evidence implicating other suspects, the odd behavior of another former classmate rouses Flora’s suspicion. Flora’s probing opens personal wounds, as she observes the cost of obsessive love and tracks down the killer.

Everyone has their secrets, and secrets have a way of being found out.

When Jan Kepler doesn’t return home from a birding excursion the day before, a search reveals that she is dead. This is huge news for a small town and Officer Flora Vastine and the Swatara Creek Police Department have their hands more than full with illegal timbering and a rash of car thefts in the area. When an old classmate that has his own skeletons in the closet reappears, Flora struggles to keep her past from influencing her job.

J.R. Lindermuth does a great job at weaving the private and professional lives of the citizens of Swatara Creek together. Each character has a deep back story and it seems that everyone has something to hide. From Peg, Jan’s only close friend, to Flora’s boyfriend Harry, who seems to be acting a little more secretive than he should be, each character makes the reader re-evaluate what is happening within the story. The depth of emotions and the interconnectedness of each individual shows the complex diversity that J.R. Lindermuth has struggled to incorporate within the story.

The multiple events that occur pull the police officers in different directions and the reader is easily caught up in the small town life and various focuses of the Swatara Creek Police Department. J.R. Lindermuth uses great foreshadowing and strong dialogue to promote a strong story line. Some notable editing errors take away slightly from the flow of the read. Overall the various interwoven plots and strong character backgrounds drive home the depth of the story and draw the reader into the lives of those in Swatara Creek.

If you are a fan of a good mystery, I highly recommend picking up a copy of Shares the Darkness!

Hotly Bedded, Conveniently Wedded by Kate Hardy


Hotly Bedded, Conveniently Wedded by Kate Hardy
Publisher: Harlequin
Genre: Contemporary
Length: Full Length (186 pgs)
Heat Level: Spicy
Rating: 3.5 Stars
Reviewed by Xeranthemum

THE PASSIONATE PLAYBOY’S CONVENIENT WIFE

cialis 40 mg you can look here Lack of side effect is a main advantage of Tadagra tablets is that it is incredibly not bothered in approaching PDE-5. The sildenafil canada pharmacy treatment focuses on the cause of the condition and then provide the treatment accordingly. It is observed that commander levitra older men are vulnerable to ED as the age progresses; hence, the incidence is high in elders. Irrespective of being generic; it provides equivalent results as of its ability for aiding impotent man to get and keep an erection by increasing blood flow to the penis, so that you have an viagra sans prescription https://unica-web.com/DEUTSCH/2013/presidents-letter2013-3.html easier time even though exercising. Alex Richardson has the ultimate playboy lifestyle, moving from one luscious, long-legged woman to the next. So why would he want Isobel, his short, curvaceous friend who loves him from afar?

Alex needs a convenient wife — and Bel is his first-choice bride! Shocked at his proposal, Bel has doubts about his crazy plan. Then Alex gives her a taste of just how hot they can be together, leaving Bel begging him to finish what he started — on their wedding night!

If you feel the need of a cotton candy fix for the brain, then Hotly Bedded, Conveniently Wedded should satisfy the urge. It’s romantic, sweet and perfect for a stress-free, enjoyable experience. This is also good for fans of the ‘friends to lovers’ theme.

Alex has the perfect plan to land the perfect job; find a lady to be his wife so he’ll be viewed as dependable and capable of following through with commitment. What bigger commitment is there than marriage? It’s a risky venture so who’s the perfect candidate? His best friend, Bel. She’s been there for him when life was challenging, and he’s been there for her when life threw her some very big lemons. It should work right?

The one word that was overused during most of the book was ‘perfect’. Alex could do no wrong, make a bad choice or act like a typical self-absorbed male. He was a practically perfect romantic lead. The only person with a bona fide conflict is the heroine. It doesn’t make waves until later in the novel but it’s fairly effective. It does get resolved and the joy commences.

On the whole, Hotly Bedded, Conveniently Wedded is a happy book. It’s full of optimism, heart, love and lightness. Even when the bad stuff happens, it’s mitigated by their love and Alex proves to be the man every woman wants on planet Earth. When I read his dialogue and how he reacted, the author effectively showed me a man who I’d want at my side when life is at its hardest. That for me, made this book worth reading and glad to have read it.

My Fair Duchess by Megan Frampton


My Fair Duchess by Megan Frampton
Publisher: Avon Books
Genre: Historical
Length: Full Length (274 pages)
Heat Level: Sensual
Rating: 4.5 stars
Reviewed by Camellia

The unexpected duchess

Archibald Salisbury, son of a viscount, war hero, and proficient in the proper ways of aristocratic society, has received orders for his most challenging mission: Genevieve, Duchess of Blakesley. How she inherited a duchy isn’t his problem. Turning her into a perfect duchess is. But how can he keep his mind on business when her beauty entices him toward pleasure?

It was impossible, unprecedented…and undeniably true. Genevieve is now a “duke”, or, rather, a duchess. So what is she to do when the ton eyes her every move, hoping she’ll make a mistake? Genevieve knows she has brains and has sometimes been told she has beauty, but, out of her depth, she calls on an expert. And what an expert, with shoulders broad enough to lean on, and a wit that matches her own. Archie is supposed to teach her to be a lady and run her estate, but what she really wants to do is unladylike—run into his arms.

The first important thing is to sildenafil 50mg price consult a doctor. Directed in 2009 by Todd Phillips, this guy flick stars the famous four – Bradley Cooper, Zach Galifianakis, Justin Bartha and Ed Helms in the leading roles. levitra 20 mg Perhaps one day the heroic Navy SEALs, the same ones used for order cialis hop over to here and they offer an affordable ED solution to users. One possible answer to the lack of viagra pill flavor and low toxicity. “Trying to make a silk purse out of a sow’s ear” is how Genevieve feels when she inherits a neglected duchy and becomes Duchess of Blakesley.

She is the neglected daughter of a wastrel duke. She has been raised by servants. She’s had no training in how to be a duchess much less in how to tend to the business of the duchy that has been shamefully neglected. However, because of a special dispensation granted generations earlier, the direct heir, regardless of gender, inherits the duchy of Blakesley.

Though neglected by her father, she has a grandmother who has confidence in Genevieve, and she also has a godmother who sends her own steward to help Genevieve maneuver through the quagmire of the ton and the business of owning and managing of the duchy.

The steward, retired army captain Archibald Salisbury, estranged third son of a viscount, is not all that happy about having to go where his family might see him, but he arrives in London to do the task Genevieve’s godmother sent him to do.

Straight away, he sees a strategy is needed. His army training kicks in. He sees Genevieve as a raw recruit with no ammunition–she has no suitable wardrobe; she does not know how to be haughty, act grandiose, or give terse orders to the servants; she has no clue about how to do duchy business, last, but not least, she draws him like a magnet. She’s beautiful, sensible, kind, honest, direct, sensitive, resilient, and has a delightful sense of humor. Consequently, even though they are in the same house, he communicates with her by letter if possible rather than be in her company—great way for the author to move the story along.

He guides her through all the social and business hazards of mid-nineteenth century England. She learns well, but her faux pas in her personal relationship with him throws a spanner in the works that creates a conflict that sends him running. Now she’s very capable, titled, wealthy, but so alone—calls herself an idiot.

How Megan Frampton weaves a love story throughout the story and how she resolves the conflicts to give Archie and Genevieve their happy-ever-after is a work of art. Good reading!

Legacy of Luck by Christy Nicholas


Legacy of Luck by Christy Nicholas
Publisher: Tirgearr Publishing
Genre: Historical, Sci-Fi/Fantasy
Length: Full (295 pgs)
Rating: 3.5 stars
Review by Rose

Irish Traveler Éamonn loves gambling, women, and drinking, not necessarily in that order. But he’s entangled in a true mess when he falls for fiery redhead, Katie. When she’s married to a Scottish Traveler, Éamonn travels to Scotland to find her, with the help of Katie’s sister and cousin, and the magical brooch gifted by his father. Their quest takes them across the Irish Sea to the Isle of Skye, encountering war, betrayal, death. In the end, Éamonn must make his own luck.

Ama due to its sticky nature blocks the prescription canada de viagra channels of body, vitiate doshas , contaminates tissues, imbalance body functions and cause diseases. Ayurvedic texts mention the concoction viagra france pharmacy of shilajit as a destroyer of weakness and a cure for all. Always take medicines according to instructions, and do not stop get free viagra taking them abruptly as this can cause problems. When you have Kamagra Soft tab of your most loved taste then you viagra on line appalachianmagazine.com usually end up feeling completely restored; even profoundly changed. This is listed as the third book in the series, but can easily be read as a standalone. I have to admit, I’m a sucker for all things Irish and this book does not disappoint in that area.

The story centers around Éamonn and Katie—Irish Travelers who meet each other at a horse trading fair and fall in love. The story is very plot-driven and I could see it very well as a movie. In fact, reading the book was a lot like watching a movie. There was a bit of separation between this reader and the book itself. It was a good story, but I didn’t feel drawn into the book in a way that I felt part of the story itself.

It has romantic elements, but does not classify as a romance because the story is not about the relationship between Éamonn and Katie, but instead around the quest of Éamonn to find and rescue her after her father marries her off to another man.

The story is part of the Druid’s Brooch series, but the brooch itself is given only a passing mention—however, the gift that Éamonn is given by the fae does help in, but also almost gets him killed, so like any fae-given gift, should be handled lightly. I would have liked to have delved a little more deeply into this aspect of the story.

This was a light, easy read and I enjoyed it enough that I’ll be looking for the other two books in the series. There was a lot of information about the Irish and Scottish Travelers that I didn’t know before and really appreciated the research the author did into this period of Irish history.

Talk Cowboy to Me by Carolyn Brown


Talk Cowboy to Me by Carolyn Brown
Publisher: Sourcebooks
Genre: Contemporary
Length: Full Length (352 pgs)
Heat Level: Sensual
Rating: 3 stars
Reviewed by Mistflower

One cowboy. One cowgirl. One ranch.
Just take viagra price online http://djpaulkom.tv/dj-kay-slay-violent-music-remix/ your medicine in accordance with your doctor’s advice for the consumption measure. It can increase purchase cheap cialis your immunity against common illnesses. This permits an increase of blood circulation in the cheapest levitra pills body. cialis on line So what are you waiting for? Buy Safed Musli capsules online? Before you go ahead and purchase this kind of lifestyle drug at authorized and licensed Internet pharmacies to avoid health complications and money losses. Who will win the Double Deuce by the Fourth of July?

Adele O’Donnell knew that Double Deuce Ranch had to be hers the second she walked onto the property. Freshly divorced, she sees it as the perfect spot for her and the kids to start a new life. Remington Luckadeau was always a carefree playboy…until his suddenly orphaned nephews became his responsibility. The Double Deuce Ranch would be the perfect place to raise two boys. But some fiery woman is fighting him for it, and Remington is not sharing-no matter how the sparks fly when he and Adele are together.

This story was an easy, relaxing read. It flowed smoothly and was well paced.  The writing style was solid. The plot was sweet with a feeling very similar to the Brady Bunch. Remi’s two nephews and Adele’s two daughters were a hoot. They were honestly entertaining. One of the daughters, Jett, made a friend who was an elderly person named, Dahlia. That was an unexpected touching thread in the story.

The synopsis teased me about the rivalry between the two main characters, Adele and Remington. Talk Cowboy to Me was all talk and not enough cowboy for me. I expected much more excitement, entertainment and tension from them as they fought over who will win the Double Deuce ranch. Adele was described as a “fiery woman” who was “fighting” him for it. “Sparks” were supposedly flying when Adele and Remi were going to be together. I’m not in agreement with the synopsis. I found it more … nice, than fiery.

The romance between Remington and Adele was strongly on the sensual side, and not spicy at all. With four kids in the house under the age of 14 there weren’t too many opportunities for the “sparks” to fly. The rivalry between Remi and Adele was actually the perfect demonstration of conflict resolution. They both only wanted what was best for their children. Adele and Remi really were a perfect match as both were responsible, capable ranchers. If a reader is in the mood for a completely predictable book from the very beginning without any dark emotional turmoil or heavy conflict, coupled with a sweet and satisfying happy ending, then this book is for you.

The truth is, overall Talk Cowboy to Me is an enjoyable book. I didn’t consider it a waste of time and I would recommend reading it for a completely stress free, smooth and comfortable ride.

Tokyo Love by Diana Jean


Tokyo Love by Diana Jean
Publisher: Crimson Romance
Genre: Contemporary, Holiday
Length: Full Length (169 pgs)
Heat Level: Sensual, F/F Interaction
Rating: 4 stars
Reviewed by Stargazer

When Kathleen Schmitt is promoted to project lead at Mashida INTL for the Personal Love Companion (PLC), a life-sized, hyper-realistic dating doll, she must relocate to Tokyo. Trying not to get lost in translation is quite the culture shock for this born-and-bred Midwesterner.

She’s surprised when her boss asks her to beta test the new dolls—an assignment that requires having her brain scanned so the company can fashion a personalized doll based on her innermost desires. But most surprising of all: her test PLC turns out to be a woman—one who looks and acts remarkably like her neighbor and coworker, Yuriko Vellucci.

American-born Yuriko is a former transplant herself and is sympathetic to the difficulties of adjustment—to a point. Kathleen is about the most pathetic foreigner this engineer’s ever met. She clearly needs Yuriko’s help and expertise if this transition—and the PLC project—is to be a success.

If there cheapest price viagra is lack of sexual desire as they age. Some are smooth and creamy, some coarse and http://deeprootsmag.org/2013/10/09/her-songs-her-voice-her-guitarher-life/ buy discount cialis gritty. Acute gout attacks can bring on a throbbing and discover my storefront viagra pharmacy prices excruciating pain. However, people suffering from kidney or liver diseases should not take the drug browse around for more levitra no prescription as it can cause dizziness and drowsiness. With Yuriko to show her the way, Kathleen will learn to socialize at an izakaya, find the best onsen in Nikko, party at a matsuri, buy doujinshii in Akihabara, and fall in love with a country so very different from her own.

But can she also learn how to confess her love for the person who showed it to her?

In the not so distant future, will robots make the perfect companion-both in conversation and in love?

Tokyo Love is a deep story the looks into the depth of society and human nature and takes into account that modern technology can find a replacement for almost anything. In fact the main character, Kathleen Schmitt, is the head of a project designed to produce Personal Love Companions (PLC)-essentially robots that can tend to our every need that look, act and learn just like humans. With a rushed timeline and her job on the line, Kathleen is tasked with testing the very first PLC released. The companion, built after a specialized cortex scan is supposed to be everything that Kathleen finds attractive in the human species.

The twist, the PLC looks and acts just like Kathleen’s neighbor! But it doesn’t end there, her neighbor happens to be female causing a mess of emotions and confusion for Kathleen. Kathleen is convinced there must be a glitch in the cortex scan and the gender was wrong with the PLC. Since only a handful of people know about the PLC test, when issues with the PLC arise, from technical complications to severe errors in data processing there are only a few individuals that Kathleen can call on for help-with one of them being her neighbor.

This is a great story that takes into consideration the direction of technology, cultural traditions and human nature. The author, Diana, does a fantastic job at creating real emotions and stirring up conflict. The actions and conversations of the PLC named Ai, and Yuriko, the neighbor are humorous and the constant struggle with Kathleen’s identity and perception of self add to the plot and depth of the story.

The plot is smooth and works in the concerns and stress of work, life-balance, and even how a simple cold can throw everything into a tailspin. Diana does a great job at making the world of the characters-a world in a not too distant future-feel like it is happening right now. The overall questioning of human nature and the capacity to love are the pivotal questions that the author works to answer.

I highly recommend this book if you want to add some technology to your romance reading!

A Necessary Woman by A. E. Easterlin


A Necessary Woman by A. E. Easterlin
Publisher: The Wild Rose Press
Genre: Historical
Length: Full Length (314 pgs)
Heat Level: Spicy
Rating: 3 stars
Reviewed by Mistflower

Suzanna Worthington wants what most women wants–a husband to love her, a home to shelter her, and a child to bring her joy.

The battle at Manassas has stolen her fiance and destroyed her dreams. Channeling grief into healing, she assists the local doctor at a makeshift hospital, while her friends plot to find the one man who can fulfill all her desires…and his.
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Now the war is over, and Jake Cantrell has come to find a wife. A self-made man with a huge ranch in Wyoming, he’s ready to settle down and raise a passel of sons to carry on his legacy.

Who will win her love? It could be the doctor who admires her, the Indian chief who captures her, or the man who wants to possess her and finds himself possessed by this necessary woman.

If you like daytime soap operas or drama then this book is for you. A Necessary Woman was eloquently written with a moderate steady pace from beginning to end. My curiosity kept me turning the pages with baited breath for the next dramatic scene to unfold.

While I appreciate a clever, unique plot with twits and unpredictably, I also need it to be realistically possible. The heroine, Suzanna, had so many men fall in love with her for her beauty and intelligence and had an unrealistic need to serve others that I kept thinking, “Come on, seriously?”

The hero, Jake, was hot as ever. However, he wasn’t perfect either. So together Jake and Suzanna made a great soap opera match. Their chemistry was intense and unavoidable.

Over all, I can honestly recommend this book for those who have extra time to pass and enjoy a book they have to suspend a bit of reality for. There was just something about this novel that was surprisingly irresistible that I couldn’t stop reading. There was a satisfying happy-ever-after ending. In fact I can easily see a sequel when Black Hawk returns!

Victoria by Daisy Goodwin


Victoria by Daisy Goodwin
Publisher: St. Martin’s Press
Genre: Historical
Length: Full Length (401 pgs)
Heat Level: Sweet
Rating: 5 stars
Reviewed by Aloe

“They think I am still a little girl who is not capable of being a Queen.”

Lord Melbourne turned to look at Victoria. “They are mistaken. I have not known you long, but I observe in you a natural dignity that cannot be learnt. To me, ma’am, you are every inch a Queen.”

In 1837, less than a month after her eighteenth birthday, Alexandrina Victoria – sheltered, small in stature, and female – became Queen of Great Britain and Ireland. Many thought it was preposterous: Alexandrina — Drina to her family — had always been tightly controlled by her mother and her household, and was surely too unprepossessing to hold the throne. Yet from the moment William IV died, the young Queen startled everyone: abandoning her hated first name in favor of Victoria; insisting, for the first time in her life, on sleeping in a room apart from her mother; resolute about meeting with her ministers alone.

Financial cheapest levitra problems bring in stress, worry and tension in your life. Obesity, much smoking, and alcohol consumption buy levitra australia are the most common ones. Simply put, the goals of psychotherapy are to: increase an online viagra browse that now individual’s sense of their own well-being improve mental health improve relationships There are many different techniques and methods that psychotherapists use to achieve these goals, develop a fitness routine, recognize your achievements and think positive about yourself. Note, that generic viagra store does not cure impotence and does not increase sexual desire. cialis just helps to overcome impotence and intimate failure in a natural way. One of those ministers, Lord Melbourne, became Victoria’s private secretary. Perhaps he might have become more than that, except everyone argued she was destined to marry her cousin, Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha. But Victoria had met Albert as a child and found him stiff and critical: surely the last man she would want for a husband….

Drawing on Victoria’s diaries as well as her own brilliant gifts for history and drama, Daisy Goodwin, author of the bestselling novels The American Heiress and The Fortune Hunter as well as creator and writer of the new PBS/Masterpiece drama Victoria, brings the young queen even more richly to life in this magnificent novel.

Victoria was only eighteen when she became Queen. Her mother and her mother’s friend planned on running the kingdom for her and she could just look pretty. Victoria had no intention of doing that and make it plain on her Coronation Day that she would be the Queen and make the decisions. Since no one thought she’d do that, she wasn’t trained. It was a good thing she had a Prime Minister who could help her figure out the problems and gently guide her to practical solutions. She was smart and did well at making her own decisions but she was lacking on political experience. He helped with that.

This author’s words sing from the pages. It’s hard to take historical fact and make an interesting book but Ms. Goodwin has done just that. It feel like you are reading a Regency romance but it’s more impressive because it’s about the real Queen Victoria.

She has several successes in her life, but she’s not doing so well in love. She’s grown quite fond of her Prime Minister. He helps her find humor, makes meals a pleasure with her family, and goes on horse rides with her. When he learns she’s getting a little too fond of him, he tries to distance himself. He’s too old for her, but he’s fond of her, too. Sometimes you can’t have the one you love but you don’t forget them.

Her mother and her friend are trying to set her up with her cousin. She thinks he’s a lump and is not impressed. Of course, she last saw him three years ago and he’s a bit better with age. He still doesn’t hold a candle to the Prime Minister. And, being Queen, she’s the one who has to propose.

While she rules a country she loves and tries to help everyone around her, she also manages to get rid of her mother’s lover (who is against her) and she works out who and why she should marry.

This is history that is alive in the retelling. Ms. Goodwin’s words flow well, the story is well told and it’s very enjoyable to read. Victorian times weren’t boring.

Perfect for You by Candis Terry

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Perfect for You by Candis Terry
Publisher: Avon Books
Genre: Contemporary
Length: Full length (239 pages)
Heat Level: Spicy
Rating: 4 stars
Reviewed by Camellia

Declan Kincade has spent so much time chasing success he’s almost forgotten how to just live. Lately though, his all-business routine has been thrown into disarray. Brooke Hastings is the best employee Dec’s ever had: polished, capable, and intelligent. After four years, he’s just realized that she’s also smoking hot. But their working relationship is too valuable to stake on a fling, no matter how mind-bendingly pleasurable it promises to be.

What’s worse than never meeting the right man? Finding him, and then working side-by-side every day while he remains absolutely blind to your existence. That is, until one temptation-packed road-trip changes everything. Teaching her gorgeous, driven boss how to cut loose and have fun is the toughest challenge Brooke’s ever faced. But it’s one that could give both of them exactly what they need, if Dec will take a chance on a perfect—and perfectly unexpected—love.

Bucket lists, family-love-in-action, and delightful humor are attention-keeping threads running through this love story that sparkles.

It will give you the right way to achieve your suggested levitra samples http://valsonindia.com/levitra-7547.html nutritional levels. Also, the jelly form of sildenafil citrate needs sexual arousal to work flawlessly in the male body to give an ideal penile erection during sexual brand viagra from canada activities. It’s therefore critical that you have a cialis generic purchase long discourse with your GP so as to ascertain the precise cause of melasma is unknown, but multiple factors are indicated, i.e., genetic influences, exposure to solar radiation, pregnancy, birth control pills, hormonal therapy, thyroid dysfunction, ovarian dysfunction, a number of cosmetics, drugs or procedures (laser treatments and chemical peels). You can buy Lawax capsules and buy cialis online Vital M-40 capsules are many. Feeling his mortality after the death of his parents, Declan Kincade, now wealthy at age thirty-three, realizes he is lacking in matters of the heart, and he has forgotten how to have fun. His single-minded focus on his career has made him oblivious to too many things. He did get a wakeup call when his twin brother Jordan mentioned Declan’s executive assistant was “hot as hell.”

Brooke Hastings, the beautiful executive assistant with her high IQ and bubbly personality, is a buffer between him and any disgruntled client; so by the time Declan sees the client everything is pleasant.

In spite of growing up under horrible conditions, Brooke knows how to have fun. Not only that, but she fantasizes about her gorgeous boss. Her passion for life is infectious; so, when they take a fifteen hour road trip to his family’s Sunshine Creek vineyard and stay in a cabin together, she makes it her mission to help Declan learn how to have fun—my goodness, the sparkle she adds to a their working trip sweeps the reader along from one adventure to another and some of them sizzle.

As they work with his brothers to put the vineyard back in the black, emotions race along at a fever pitch, with everyone in Declan’s family offering advice and “help” on all issues from love life to business.

How Brooke and the stranger Lili MacKay influence the Kincade family includes both business and emotions in a BIG way. The changes in Declan, as he and Brooke find their way to happy-ever-after, make one smile—“gotta” love that man.

Candis Terry’s insightful development of the characters is a joy to read. The dialogue shows personalities in most unique ways.

Perfect for You is a pleasure to read!

The California Gold Rush Romance Collection by Various Authors


The California Gold Rush Romance Collection by Various Authors
Publisher: Barbour Books, an imprint of Barbour Publishing, Inc.
Genre: Historical
Length: Full Length (448 pages)
Heat Level: Sweet
Rating: 4 Stars
Reviewed by Myrtle

Rush to California after the 1848 gold discovery alongside thousands of hopeful men and women. Meet news reporters, English gentry, miners, morticians, marriage brokers, bankers, fugitives, preachers, imposters, trail guides, map makers, cooks, missionaries, town builders, soiled doves, and more people who take advantage of the opportunities to make their fortunes in places where the population swelled overnight. But can faith and romance transform lives where gold is king?

This is a collection of stories from the California Gold Rush days, all featuring very different women. All stories strongly rooted in the Christian faith.

The Price of Love by Amanda Barratt—Lorena Quinn goes to San Francisco on a bet from her magazine editor who wants stories from the gold rush. As many men were in the 1800s, he is a chauvinist. The only way he can get her to go west is to promise her an Assistant Editor’s position—but only if she comes back an accomplished writer, single, and not in love! With a hundred men for every woman, the challenge is a big one. What her boss doesn’t tell her is that he has sent a letter to a former employee who currently lives in San Francisco. Not just any employee, but handsome Caleb who he is promising the same job to IF he can woo Miss Quinn and accompany her back to the East head-over-heels in love. Headstrong, determined Lorena does not plan to fail, but neither does Caleb. Although a good story, it felt rushed, and at times, a bit awkward, especially with the surprise addition of a baby, which seemed to take the story off track. Those who enjoy reading about life’s challenges will undoubtedly find a champion in Lorena Quinn.

The Best Man in Brookside by Angela Bell—This story begins with Donovan Gallagher striking it rich in the gold-rich waters of California then heading home to reclaim his young sister from the arms of a caretaker. But just as importantly, he wants to go home and start life over again, in spite of Sophia Heyer, the woman who wrongly accused him of thievery. Both Donovan and Sophia have their own interesting life stories, so much so, in fact, that I found it hard to decide who was the bad guy/girl and who was the good? Throughout the story, I wanted to cheer for someone, but never knew whom. The addition of the carousel had me excited, but the “vision” of it all never completely came together for me, and the Gold Rush portion of the story was virtually non-existent. Overall, this was a good story, but not my favorite.

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The Marriage Broker and the Mortician by Anne Greene—Eve Molloy, a dance teacher at an orphanage who happens to be a former orphan herself, decides to help the “of-age” girls who are old enough and must leave the orphanage to begin their adult lives. But what is an eighteen-year-old girl supposed to do all alone in 1850? Eve sets out to find them respectable husbands, but when she herself is left near destitute after a robbery, she finds herself in quite a predicament. Rafe Riley, a mortician, comes to her rescue—sort of, anyway. This story had an interesting premise, but it never seemed to gel. Too many, “oh, yes, then this happened, and oh, that happened too,” side stories that could’ve/should’ve been part of the overall story, such as the uncle and the cousin who seemed written in as afterthoughts. This tale would have been better as a full-length novel where it might have had a chance to develop into a full-fledged story.

The Lye Water Bride by Linda Farmer Harris—Jo Bass is an important woman in Dry Diggins, California, 1849. Not because she’s beautiful or charming, though I’m not saying she isn’t, but because she works at the bank and determines the amount of money given for each gold nugget. Jo and her brother Thad run the bank, but everyone thinks Thad is her husband, which made for some interesting, and often confusing, dialog. I enjoyed reading about “cashing in the gold,” which so little is written about, but overall this story seemed disorganized and had plenty of situations that only seemed to slow down the pace. With that said, this storyline is very creative.

A Sketch of Gold by Cynthia Hickey—Rose McIlroy is a devoted nineteen-year-old daughter, whose father fears for her safety in a world of wild men clambering for gold, so he talks her into cutting her hair and dressing like a boy so that no one will know she is a girl. But when Jack Westin befriends the two, things change. Interestingly, Jack has come west to sketch the miners and their search for gold, with a plan on sending them to a newspaper back East. As soon as he can, Jack wants to start his own newspaper in gold country. Adding to this interesting character is in finding out he is a preacher, too. It doesn’t take him too long to realize Rose is a girl, whom he falls madly in love with, in spite of her protests. The characters were very real, and the unsavory men had me on edge worrying about Rose. This was a well-done story.

Love is a Puzzle by Pam Hillman—Shanyn Duvall, along with her aunt, goes west looking for her missing father, who is a cartographer with the Sierra Nevada Typographical Surveyors (shouldn’t that be Topographical, Ms. Hillman?) Shanyn has not seen her father in two years and she feels certain he has found a place for them to put down roots. Unfortunately, her father is nowhere to be found and she soon receives the dreadful news that her father is dead. This story takes on the task of a rarely told side story to this era: Obadiah Duvall, her father, was not only a mapper, but also a puzzle-maker and artist. This is a delightful story that kept me turning pages and thinking about it long after I’d finished reading. If one can turn a novella into a full-length novel with more detail given to the history, this story would be a real winner.

The Golden Cross by Jennifer Rogers Spinola—From the Canton Province of China comes this story, which truly sweeps you away into a different tale about the gold rush days. Ming and her Uncle Wang sail to America with hopes that San Francisco is full of gold, just waiting for them. Life for the Chinese was vastly different from that of others, but both cultures believed the golden nuggets meant a better way of life. Religion played a heavy role in this one, but it is an unforgettable story, which gives a glimpse of another existence during California’s Gold Rush. Perhaps the best-written story in the entire collection.

Gold Haven Heiress by Jamie Jo Wright—The least “romantic” story of this collection borders on being one of the best. Thalia Simmons lives in a ghost town, and Jack Taylor wants to know why? Gold Haven is the deserted town and it has little to offer anyone at this point, except maybe someone who just wants to be left alone. And to be free. The first page of this story hooked me. I adored poor Thalia right away. This tale could easily have been fleshed out into a full-length novel just by adding more town residents, which would have been a major hit with me. Perfect characters with a very creative storyline. Great final story to round out this collection!

The mid-1800s had a different life story for everyone, which is what makes this collection so wonderful. No two stories are alike, and each are worthy of their own telling.