Category: book review

From USA Today bestselling author Caitlin Crews comes A True Cowboy Christmas, the first in a sensational series debut about a cowboy, a farm girl, and the greatest gift of all.

About A True Cowboy Christmas

Gray Everett has a heart of gold but that doesn’t mean he believes in the magic of Christmas. He’s got plenty else to worry about this holiday season, what with keeping his cattle ranch in the family and out of the hands of hungry real-estate investors looking to make a down-and-dirty deal. That, plus being a parent to his young and motherless daughter, equals a man who will not rest until he achieves his mission. Now, all Gray needs is the help of his lifelong neighbor. . .who happens to have grown into a lovely, spirited woman.

For Abby Douglas, the chance to join forces with Gray is nothing less than a Christmas miracle. Much as the down-to-earth farmer’s daughter has tried to deny it, Abby’s been in love with stern, smoking-hot Gray her whole life. So when Gray proposes a marriage of convenience as a way to combine land—and work together toward a common cause—Abby can’t refuse. But how can she convince Gray that sometimes life offers a man a second chance for a reason. . .and that their growing trust and mutual passion may be leading to true and lasting love?

My Thoughts

A True Cowboy Christmas is a fantastic story from start to finish, a tale of second chances, hope and trusting in the future.

Gray has had a rough past, his marriage was rocky at best and full of lies. The only good thing to come out of his marriage was his daughter, a child far too old for her years. Combine this with an extremely rough childhood and broken relationships with his siblings, you have a man who finds it hard to open up, hard to trust and someone who no longer believes in love and romance.

His neighbour, Abby, has been in love with him for as long as she can remember. While others ran away from their small home town, she stayed where her heart felt like it belonged and took care of her elderly family (her Mother was always coming and going out of Abby’s life). The two individuals have so much in common in their history but unlike Gray, Abby still hopes for the future and of love that will last.

Gray proposes one of the craziest arrangements ever to Abby –  a marriage of almost convenience, she takes care of the home and his daughter and he takes care of the ranch. While it looks great on paper and comes out completely wrong, Abby never the less accepts his proposal and the two stumble down a rocky path of attraction and denial. Abby seems determined to make this work and while Gray is extremely attracted to her, he puts a rock where his heart is and will not let him feel any emotion, which was almost frustrating at times. Every step Abby takes forward with him, he is determined to take the couple two steps back. It isn’t until he is firmly woken up about his behaviour to Abby, his brothers and his daughter, that he is forced to take a step back and look at himself and it was a self he wasn’t happy about but would it be too late, did he ruin things so greatly with the people in his life that matter the most?

This is a lovely story about looking inside of ourselves, having the courage to push past the pain and our past in order to accept a future of love and happiness that we all deserve. Sometimes our past leaves such dark stamps on our lives but we should never allow this to create our future. This is a fantastic story that I could not put down.

You can purchase a copy of this book here.

Rating: 5/5

About the Author

USA Today-bestselling, RITA-nominated, and critically acclaimed author Caitlin Crews has written more than seventy-five books, including Frenemies, Princess from the Past, A Royal Without Rules, and Undone by the Sultan’s Touch. She’s won fans with her romance, Harlequin Presents, women’s fiction, chick lit, and work-for-hire young adult novels, many of which she writes as Megan Crane (including the dystopian Viking romance Edge series). These days her focus is on contemporary romance in all its forms, from small town heat to international glamour, cowboys to bikers to military men and beyond. She’s taught creative writing classes in places like UCLA Extension’s prestigious Writers’ Program, gives assorted workshops on occasion, and attempts to make use of the MA and PhD in English Literature she received from the University of York in York, England. She currently lives in the Pacific Northwest with a husband who draws comics and animation storyboards, and their menagerie of ridiculous animals.

Disclosure: I received a digital copy of this book in order to facilitate this review. All opinions expressed are my own.

An heiress with a daring proposal. An earl who’s determined to resist her. And a love that just might be written in the stars, in First Earl I See Tonight by Anna Bennett.

About First Earl I See Tonight

Recently jilted by his fiancée, David Gray, Earl of Ravenport is not in the market for a wife. Even if Gray didn’t have his hands full renovating his crumbling country house, it would take more than a bold marriage proposal from a headstrong young beauty to thaw his frozen heart. Gray is confident that spending a week at his ramshackle estate will change her mind about marriage, but every passionate moment he spends with her tempts him to change his.

A talented artist, Miss Fiona Hartley desperately needs her dowry money to pay off a blackmailer set on ruining her sister. The handsome earl seems a sensible choice for a husband…if only she can convince him that romance will play no part. But marrying in name only may prove difficult for Fiona. Gray can’t help but be dazzled by her genuine warmth. Yet as their feelings deepen, Fiona’s deadline looms. Will her secrets destroy them, or is true love their final destiny?

My Thoughts

First Earl I See Tonight follows a bold new plot, where our female character takes her future into her own hands. In a time where women were not encouraged to be bold and independent, Fiona takes care of herself. When she finds herself in a position where she is being blackmailed (which at first you think is directed towards her but it is not – it is against her sister), she looks to save herself and her family from disaster.

The only problem? Women weren’t in control of their money then. So Fiona devises a plan to get her hands on her dowry to save her sister – the only problem with the plan? She has to convince Gray to marry her and with his current situation between his home and his failed engagement, he has closed his heart to love.

While superficial circumstances bring the two together, they slowly come to realize how much alike they truly are. They both put family and friends before themselves and both see the beauty beneath the surface not just the glitter on the outside. Just at they come to realize there could be more than meets the eye, disaster hits – a shock and betrayal that you will never see coming. It leaves you wondering if they can survive this both physically and emotionally and if they can, can they still pull together to form a future.

First Earl I See Tonight is a beautiful story of forgiveness, acceptance and hope for the future. While our past may not always be pretty and the present the same, we always have hope for the future and moving to a brighter place. This was a lovely story from start to finish.

You can purchase a copy of this book here.

Rating: 4/5

About the Author

Anna Bennett started swiping romances from her mom’s bookshelf as a teenager and decided that
books with balls, dukes, and gowns were the best. So, when she had the chance to spend a semester in London she packed her bags—and promptly fell in love with the city, its history, and its pubs. She dreamed of writing romance, but somehow ended up a software analyst instead.

Fortunately, a few years and a few careers later, Anna found her way back to writing the stories she
loves and won the Romance Writers of America’s Golden Heart®. She lives in Maryland with her
husband and three children, who try valiantly not to roll their eyes whenever she quotes Jane Austen.

Anna’s books include of the Wayward Wallflowers series and the Debutante Diaries series.

Disclosure: I received a digital copy of this book in order to facilitate this review. All opinions expressed are my own.

How much wizard power is too much? Find out in The Golden Dragon!

About The Golden Dragon

Roland Tyre, High Wizard of the Citadel, has always wanted to be the most powerful wizard in the land and adored by all.  But there is already someone else that vies for that title – Bakari, the Dragon King; one of his best friends.

While Bakari and the dragon riders race off to find the lost dragon artifacts and the mythical golden dragon, Roland discovers his own magical artifact that gives him the opportunity to increase his own powers and influence in the land.

Can friendships survive greed for power?  And who will emerge as the most powerful wizard in the land?

A grand adventure awaits with powerful wizards, kidnappings, traitors, kingdoms changing hands, and of course dragons and other magical creatures.

Is the Golden Dragon real and if so, who will find him first?

My Thoughts

My favourite characters are back in the new The Dragon Artifacts series, book one The Golden Dragon.

The friends are now comfortably in their new positions, Roland as the High Wizard, Alli as his Battlemaster and Bakari as the Dragon King. Having become attached to the characters in The Alaris Chronicles, I was delighted to see how far these characters have come.

Alli (my personal favourite) is still her fierce, determined and brave self. She cares deeply for her friends and while at times she may struggle with her emotions, she always follows what is right and has high moral standards. In this book at the beginning, she is tied to Roland as his Battlemaster and at times has to parent him to ensure he doesn’t push too far with the magical artifacts and harm himself and others. When a surprise visit from a neighbouring city occurs, he sends her to Bakari to uncover the real plot of the visitors. She becomes caught in a web of lies and finds herself literally fighting for her life. My heart broke to see such a strong, brave, intelligent young woman fighting for her life in such a manner and that people can be so cruel.

Roland makes you laugh at times and other times worry. His heart is in the right place but he still isn’t mature enough to control all of the power he has been given and tends to make rash decisions. He can be easily drawn in to the power and greed of magic but to be honest, how could anyone really resist? When it comes down to the hardest moments though Roland would use anything and everything he can (including putting himself in harm’s way) to help his friends.

Bakari, the Dragon King, has matured greatly in this book. He was always a thoughtful, mature soul but he has become wiser in his new role. It is this kindness and political correctness that may be his downfall. Throughout the novel, he doesn’t trust the people who visited Rolland and whom Alli was instructed to follow and watch. He is shown evidence of their betrayal but still wants to hold to his alliance with them and the power of the Dragon King. While he is a good and kind person, not all other people are and this is true about the pair that they are in company with.

The ending blew my mind and left me wanting more. While you are worried throughout the novel that this may come to fruition, you are shocked when it happens to one of the most powerful wizards in the land but you are given glimmers of hope in the ending through a surprise twist and character. I can not wait to read book two in this series as it promises to be just as exciting and full of adventure as his other books.

You can purchase a copy of this book on Amazon.

Rating: 5/5

About the Author

Mike is now on his fourth YA fantasy series. For information on his new releases, book reviews, and other relevant info, please join him at www.MichaelSheltonBooks.com.

Mike was born in California and has lived in multiple states from the west coast to the east coast. He cannot remember a time when he wasn’t reading a book. At school, home, on vacation, at work at lunch time, and yes even a few pages in the car (at times when he just couldn’t put that great book down). Though he has read all sorts of genres he has always been drawn to fantasy. It is his way of escaping to a simpler time filled with magic, wonders and heroics of young men and women.

Other than reading, Mike has always enjoyed the outdoors. From the beaches in Southern California to the warm waters of North Carolina. From the waterfalls in the Northwest to the Rocky Mountains in Utah. Mike has appreciated the beauty that God provides for us. He also enjoys hiking, discovering nature, playing a little basketball or volleyball, and most recently disc golf. He has a lovely wife who has always supported him, and three beautiful children who have been the center of his life.

Mike began writing stories in elementary school and moved on to larger novels in his early adult years. He has worked in corporate finance for most of his career. That, along with spending time with his wonderful family and obligations at church has made it difficult to find the time to truly dedicate to writing. In the last few years as his children have become older he has returned to doing what he truly enjoys – writing!

Disclosure: I received a digital copy of this book in order to facilitate this review. All opinions expressed are my own.

2018 Parent and Teacher Choice Award winner, Voting With a Porpoise is a fun, timeless, and beautifully illustrated story that teaches children how elections and voting have the power to solve hard problems.

About Voting with a Porpoise

A pod of dolphins (and their porpoise friend, Petey) is in trouble. Their reef no longer provides the food they need to survive. The pod can’t figure out what to do until Petey suggests they hold an election to decide.

2018 Parent and Teacher Choice Award winner, Voting With a Porpoise is a fun, timeless, and beautifully illustrated story that teaches children how elections and voting have the power to solve hard problems.