Showing posts with label Family. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Family. Show all posts

Thursday, June 25, 2020

Book Review with featured author, Jo Ann Brown: An Amish Mother's Secret Past

An Amish Mother’s Secret Past by Jo Ann Brown


Publisher & Release: Love Inspired, July 1, 2020

Time and setting:  Present day, Vermont

Genre: Amish Fiction

Length: 224 Pages

Heat Level: 1 Sweetheart

Rating: 4 Gold Crowns

Book Description: 

Every woman deserves a fresh start…

Can an Amish widow’s past

cost her a future filled with love?
Widow Rachel Yoder has a secret: she’s a military veteran trying to give her children a new life among the Amish. Though she’s drawn to bachelor Isaac Kauffman, she knows she can’t tell him the truth—or give him her heart. With her forbidden past, Rachel can never be the perfect Plain wife he’s looking for…

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Vikki’s Musings

Thanks goes to the publisher and Net-Galley for the complimentary copy of An Amish Mother’s Secret Pastby Jo Ann Brown for the purpose of reading and reviewing prior to publication. My opinions are my own and no one influenced me in any way.
An Amish Mother’s Secret Past is a well written Amish romance with endearing characters and a sweet romance. The pacing kept me enmeshed from the beginning to the end. It has enough descriptive writing to give me the strong sense of the Amish community.

Rachel Yoder’s character is a widow with two adorable daughters. Her late husband was in the military, and she is also a veteran. When he dies, she returns to her Amish upbringing, slipping into the familiar of the new Amish community in Vermont although she’s never been baptized. I liked her a great deal and wanted her to open her heart to the hero.

Isaac Kauffman is the typical Amish hero and a delightful one. He yearns for a family but doesn’t believe he deserves one. He too has secrets, so he is more accepting of Rachel’s. Although his need for perfection gives the heroine a different impression.

I enjoyed the lovely romance between Rachel and Isaac. They don’t have the usual courting relationship that most Amish have. They are a bit older than many Amish couples. Rachel’s exposure to the Englischer lifestyle influences her decisions and choices. Her fear to tell Isaac about her past causes a lot of internal conflict, making this an enjoyable reading experience.

If you enjoy Amish romances with characters that will pull at your heartstrings and one that has a unique plot, then you will love An Amish Mother’s Secret Past as much as I did. I’m so glad I found this excellent novel. Happy reading!

Author Bio:


Jo Ann Brown has been creating characters and stories for as long as she can remember. Her first stories were populated with her friends and sisters. She wrote her first novel in high school, and it happily resides in the forgotten depths of her file cabinet. Fast forward through college, serving in the US Army as a quartermaster officer, getting married, and increasing her blessings with three children...and Jo Ann sold her first book in 1987. Since it was published in 1988, she has sold over 100 titles and has become a best-selling and award-winning author. Romantic Times called her “a truly talented author.” She writes romance, mystery, and YA under a variety of pen names. Now she is writing Amish romances for Love Inspired and Annie’s Fiction as Jo Ann Brown.
Her books have been translated into nearly a dozen languages and are sold on every continent except Antarctica. A sought-after speaker, she has been teaching creative writing for over 20 years, and she established several popular fiction courses at Brown University. She resides in Florida with her husband and about a zillion little lizards in her yard.

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Monday, June 22, 2020

Book Review and Featured Author, Judith Keim: A Summer of Surprises by Judith Keim

A Summer of Surprises by Judith Keim


Publisher & Release: Wild Quail Publishing, June 23, 2020

Time and setting:  Present Day, Northwest USA

Genre: Women’s Literary Fiction

Length: 245 Pages

Rating: 4 Gold Crowns

Book Description: 

Jill Conroy is tricked by her sister into becoming the housekeeper and cook for the summer at Seashell Cottage where Greg Campbell and his nephew, Brody, have been hired to do maintenance projects on the house. Annoyed at first, Jill soon realizes how wonderful it is to be away from her home in New York and the memories of her deceased, emotionally abusive husband. 

Soon the magic of the beach heals Jill enough for her to decide to move to Florida permanently to make a new life for herself. Her part-time work at a summer camp and the promise of a new job as a third-grade teacher in the fall make it seem as if her future is set. But a visit from her sister, followed by her mother, reveals secrets that surprise them all. Jill learns to accept the idea of love not only from Brody but from his daughter, Kacy, as the summer brings even more surprises. 

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Vikki’s Musings

Thanks go to the publisher and Net-Galley for a complimentary copy of A Summer of Surprises by Judith Keim for the purpose of reading and reviewing. My opinions are my own, and no one has influenced them in any way.

A Summer of Surprises is a well written novel with enchanting characters and a unique plot. The writing pulled me in right away and kept me engaged until the end. The story has plenty of emotionally charged scenes.

When Jill Convoy arrives at seashell cottage for her summer vacation, she learns she’s to be the housekeeper to Greg Campbell and his nephew, Brody while they remodel the cottage. She should have realized her sister had hidden the truth from her. She’s attracted to Brody and becomes attached to his daughter. I liked her character and could identify with her lack of confidence. Her ex-fiancĂ©e had really torn down her self-esteem.

Greg Campbell is a great hero. He is a loving father and helps his uncle. His patience with Jill amazed me. He will wait as long as she needs for her to be comfortable in her new life. 

The romance is sweet and develops slowly due to Jill’s need to make a new life in Florida. This is a story of a young woman overcoming the loss of her dreams, finding many things she thought were true are not. Her willingness to start anew with her sister touched me.

If you enjoy women’s fiction with plenty of depth and substance and endearing characters, then you will enjoy A Summer of Surprises as much as I did. I have fast become a fan of Ms. Keim’s novels. Happy reading!

Author Bio:

I’ve loved stories and reading from the time I played “Librarian” with my sister as a young girl. Living in a relatively small town in upstate New York, reading became a way to experience the world in a way I couldn’t otherwise do.
Many a hot, summer afternoon was spent reading, sprawled on the front-porch “glider”, escaping to a time and place far from there. My mother was an avid reader, some might suspect to keep her sanity while raising three active children – especially when my brother was doing experiments with his chemistry set! 
Books were always present – being read, ready to go back to the library or about to be discovered. Information from the books was shared in general conversation, giving all of us a wealth of knowledge. Perhaps that is why I was drawn to the idea of writing stories early on.
I particularly love and write novels about women who meet unexpected challenges with strength and find love along the way. A child or dog in the story is a plus. 
As J.S. Keim, I’ve written middle-grade fantasy stories for kids. I especially like to write about kids landing in unexpected places, meeting characters real and fantastic, and learning to see the world in a different way. 
A hybrid author who both has a publisher and self-publishes, Ms. Keim writes heart-warming stories. Her books are based, in part, on many of the places she’s lived or visited and on the interesting people she’s met, creating believable characters and realistic settings her many, loyal readers love. 
Presently, I lived in Boise, Idaho with my husband and our two dachshunds, Winston and Wally.

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Monday, May 11, 2020

Audio Book Review with featured author Brenda Novak: One Perfect Summer

One Perfect Summer by Brenda Novak



Publisher & Release: Mira, April 7, 2020 

Time and setting:  Present Day, Nevada

Genre: Women’s Fiction

Length: 464 Pages

Rating: 5 Gold Crowns

Book Description: 

Some families we’re born into

Some we find for ourselves


When Serenity Alston swabbed her cheek for 23andMe, she joked about uncovering some dark ancestral scandal. The last thing she expected was to discover two half sisters she didn’t know existed. Suddenly, everything about her loving family is drawn into question. And meeting these newfound sisters might be the only way to get answers.

The women decide to dig into the mystery together at Serenity’s family cabin in Lake Tahoe. With Reagan navigating romantic politics at work and Lorelei staring down the collapse of her marriage, all three women are converging at a crossroads in their lives. Before the summer is over, they’ll have to confront the past and determine how to move forward when everything they previously thought to be true was a lie. But any future is easier to face with family by your side.

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Vikki’s Musings

I’ve awaited the release of this book for quite some time, and once it was out, I downloaded it. I listened to the audio version of One Perfect Summer by Brenda Novak. I have been a fan of Ms. Novak for years and love her books, no matter which genre she chooses for her latest story. Whether it’s a romance, small town USA, a thriller or mystery, or in this case, women’s fiction, I’m confident it will be fantastic! One Perfect Summer is another well written book with enthralling characters and an original storyline. 

This book follows three sisters who have just found each other. There is a mystery to be solved. The half-sisters set out to find out who their father may have been. Since they established their connection through DNA testing, they have very few clues as to the identity. 

I thoroughly enjoyed their journey. It’s a difficult task to develop the stories of three main characters and fully flesh them out. The talented Ms. Novak does this with finesse. I became vested in all three women.

There is a romantic arche in this book, but it is by no means the central focus. It’s a story of three women facing their lives with many unanswered questions where each must face their future and ones that look so different than what they had expected.

Serenity is searching for the clue that would explain how these other two women are related to her. She has an established family and doesn’t want to approach them until she has more information. It is Serenity’s love interest that is the strongest. I enjoyed that aspect of the story and wanted her to find a happy ending!

Reagan is interested in finding out if the man her mother told her was hers or if it was someone else too, but she’s drawn to her sisters since she’s been raised as an only child to a career driven woman. She’s lived trying to make her mother proud so is driven by her career, but that’s being blown apart by a very reckless decision that changes the direction of her life. Reagan’s situation makes it difficult to focus on love, but I suspect we may see her love story play out in another book. At least I hope Ms. Novak will do that!

Lorelei is searching for a bond with family since she ended up in the system as a foster child, never being part of a family. She’s also suffering from betrayal will not only impact her life, but her young daughter’s as well and wants to do the right thing for her. While Lorelei is attracted to their next-door neighbor, she’s not at a place in her life to focus on love. I again hope, Lorelei will have a book with the rest of her story!

I mentioned that I listened to the audio version. Erin Bennett is the narrator, and this is the first book I’ve listened to with her as the narrator, but it will not be the last. She does an amazing job of emoting the feelings of the characters and gives each a unique voice.

If you enjoy a novel that is about family and sisters bonding, with a mystery to solve, and compelling characters, then you will love One Perfect Summer as much as I did. If you haven’t read books by the talented Ms. Novak, then I suggest this amazing story is a good place to start. You will quickly become addicted to her fantastic world. She is truly a multifaceted author, writing in several genres. Happy reading and listening!

Author Bio:


It was a shocking experience that jump-started Brenda Novak’s bestselling author career.
“I caught my day-care provider drugging my children with cough syrup and Tylenol to get them to sleep while I was away,” Brenda says. “It was then that I decided that I needed to do something from home.”
However, writing was the last profession she expected to undertake. In fact, Brenda swears she didn’t have a creative bone in her body. In school, math and science were her best subjects, and when it came time to pick a major in college, she chose business.
Abandoning her academic scholarship to Brigham Young University at the age of 20 in order to get married and start a family, Brenda dabbled in commercial real estate, then became a loan officer.
“When I first got the idea to become a novelist, it took me five years to teach myself the craft and finish my first book,” Brenda admits. “I learned how to write by reading what others have written. The best advice for any would-be author: read, read, read….”
Brenda sold her first book, and the rest is history. Many of her novels have won or placed in contests such as the National Reader’s Choice, the Bookseller’s Best, the Write Touch, the Award of Excellence and the Beacon Award for Published Authors.
Brenda and her husband, Ted, live in Sacramento and are the proud parents of five children—three girls and two boys. When she’s not spending time with her family or writing, Brenda is usually raising money for diabetes research. Her youngest son, Thad, has diabetes, and Brenda is determined to help him and others like him. She also enjoys traveling, watching sporting events and biking — she rides an amazing 20 miles every day!

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Monday, May 4, 2020

Book Review featuring author, sarah Morgan: Family for Beginners


Family for Beginners by Sarah Morgan



Publisher & Release: HQN Publishing, May 5, 2020

Time and setting:  Present Day, New York
Genre: Contemporary Romance/Women’s Fiction
Length: 358 Pages
Heat Level: 1 Flame
Rating: 5 Gold Crowns
Book Description: 
USA TODAY bestselling author Sarah Morgan returns with a life-affirming exploration of love, loss, and how families come in all shapes and sizes…

New York florist Flora Donovan is living the dream, but her bubbly optimism hides a secret. She’s lonely. Orphaned as a child, she’s never felt like she’s belonged anywhere…until she meets Jack Parker. He’s the first man to ever really see her, and it’s life changing.

Teenager Izzy Parker is holding it together by her fingertips. Since her mother passed away a year ago, looking after her dad and little sister is the only thing that makes Izzy feel safe. Discovering her father has a new girlfriend is her worst nightmare—she is 
not in the market for a replacement mom. Then her father invites Flora on their summer vacation…

Flora’s heart aches for Izzy, but she badly wants her relationship with Jack to work. As the summer unfolds, Flora must push her own boundaries to discover parts of herself she never knew existed—and to find the family she’s always wanted.
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Vikki’s Musings

Thanks goes to the publisher and Net-Galley for the complimentary copy of Marriage for Beginners by Sarah Morgan for purposes of reading and reviewing prior to publication. My opinions are my own and no one has influenced me.

Marriage for Beginners is a well written emotional reading experience that deals with grief, loss, betrayal, and family. The pacing pulled me in and kept me enmeshed with the enthralling plot from start to finish.

Flora Donovan’s character is quirky and bouncy. She presents an optimistic attitude to the world because she wants to fit in and has never that she did, not with her aunt, or school friends and even her co-workers. She works as a florist and loves building beautiful arrangements and dreams of who will enjoy them. I loved her character from the beginning. She has so many insecurities, and identified with her feelings of not fitting in.

Jack Parker is a lovely hero who’s dealing with raising his two daughters after his wife’s death. His teenager has taken over the household, ensuring her little sister’s needs are met. When he brings Flora home for dinner, it does not sit well with Izzy. Poor Jack is a little clueless, not looking below the surface, believing his kids are moving on. He’s holding his secrets close to protect his daughters, not wanting them to know anything that could tarnish their memories of their mother.

The romance between Flora and Jack grows cautiously. There’s no doubt they care for each other, but since there are children, they must take it slow. I loved how Flora tries so hard to fit in and not disturb Izzy, even though the seventeen-year-old is clearly not happy over his father’s new love interest.

Marriage for Beginners is so much more than a romance. It’s a novel of a family trying to heal, and secrets being held to protect each other. I thoroughly enjoyed this lovely novel and so glad I accepted the invitation from HQN. Happy reading!

Author Bio:


Sarah Morgan is a USA Today and Sunday Times bestselling author of romance and women's fiction. She has sold over 18 million copies of her books and her work has received starred reviews from Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and Booklist.

Sarah lives near London, England with her family and when she isn't writing or reading, she likes to spend time outdoors hiking or riding her mountain bike.

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Wednesday, March 25, 2020

Book Review: The Keeper by Suzanne Woods Fisher

The Keeper by Suzanne Woods Fisher



Publisher & Release: Revell, January 1, 2012

Time and setting: Present Day, Amish Country

Genre: Amish Fiction

Length: 322 Pages

Heat Level: 1 Sweetheart

Rating: 4 Gold Crowns

Book Description: 

Julia Lapp has planned on marrying Paul Fisher since she was a girl. Now twenty-one, she looks forward to their wedding with giddy anticipation. When Paul tells her he wants to postpone the wedding--again--she knows who is to blame. Perpetual bachelor and spreader of cold feet, Roman Troyer, the Bee Man.

Roamin' Roman travels through the Amish communities of Ohio and Pennsylvania with his hives full of bees, renting them out to farmers in need of pollinators. He relishes his nomadic life, which keeps him from thinking about all he has lost. He especially enjoys bringing his bees to Stoney Ridge each year. But with Julia on a mission to punish him for inspiring Paul's cold feet, the Lapp farm is looking decidedly less pleasant.
Can Julia secure the future she's always dreamed of? Or does God have something else in mind?

Full of the plot twists and surprises her fans love, The Keeper is the first in a new series by bestselling author Suzanne Woods Fisher. Through touching family relationships and trials of the heart, Fisher's vivid characters grapple with yielding to God's will when it doesn't match their own.

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Vikki’s Musings

I found The Keeper by Suzanne Woods Fisher on Audiobooks and selected it as one of my free books since I’m a fan of Ms. Fisher’s Amish novels. I’m so glad I choose this excellent book. The writing is amazing as always, her characters have depth and the plot is unique.

The love story is a bit of a love triangle where for much of the story, Roman is helping her attract the attention of Paul, the young man she thought would marry her until he got cold feet. Low and behold…turns out Julia sees Paul without her rose-colored glasses and realizes he isn’t ready to settle down and might not be for years. Roman on the other hand exhibits all the characteristics she wants in a husband. Problem: Roman runs away from any deep emotions because carries a lot of baggage from his past. 

The Keeper is much more than a romance though. It’s about family, siblings, deep friendships and a strong faith. I suggest you have your box of tissues by your side because yo’re going to need them, especially toward the end. 

If you enjoy Amish fiction with endearing characters and an emotionally charged plot, then you will enjoy The Keeper as much as I did. Ms. Woods-Fisher’s novel are fast becoming an auto-buy for me. Happy reading!


Friday, January 24, 2020

Book Review: A Chance for a Rancher by Brenda Harlen

A Chance for a Rancher by Brenda Harlen



Publisher & Release: Harlequin Special Edition, February 01, 2020

Time and setting:  Present Day, Nevada

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Length: 288 Pages

Heat Level: 1 Flame

Rating:  4 Gold Crowns

Book Description: 

Would you take a risk on a cowboy’s kiss?

Dating a single mom? Patrick Stafford would never break that rule…

Patrick Stafford trades his suit for a Stetson and boots and risks it all on a dude ranch. But it’s the veterinarian in Haven, Nevada, who really challenges him. Dr. Brooke Langley is all business, a devoted single mom who is off-limits to a fun-loving bachelor like him. But Patrick should have taken his own advice, because after just one kiss, he’s ready to make the biggest gamble of his life…with his heart.

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Vikki’s Musings

Thanks goes the publisher, via Net-Galley, for the chance to read and review A Chance for a Rancher by Brenda Harlen prior to publication. My opinions are my own and are not influenced in any way.

A Chance for a Rancher is a light-hearted romance with great characters and a heartwarming plot. There are some fantastic secondary characters in this novel, and they added a great deal to my enjoyment. The pacing is perfect for the story, and the descriptive writing is excellent, painting a good picture of the setting, yet still leaving room for my imagination.

Brooke Langley is an endearing character. She loves her son, and she’s a good daughter. She’s joined her father’s vet practice and is determined to fill his shoes when needed. When she meets the hero, she feels the pull of attraction, but once burned twice shy. I felt her confusion over her strong feelings for another man with more money than sense.

Patrick Stafford is a great hero with plenty of motivation, even though he has a lot to learn. He walked away from a corporate position with his family to own and operate a dude ranch. When he meets the new vet, Brooke, he’s immediately attracted to her, but when he discovers she has a child, he stumbles but doesn’t fall. I liked his determination to pursue Brooke even after she gives him the cold shoulder and throws up plenty of roadblocks.

The romance between Brooke and Patrick is electric from the first encounter. Both have baggage from past relationships, and that has both of them questioning the wisdom of being physical, but the chemistry is so powerful, they cannot resist. I enjoyed them as a couple and wanted them to find their happy ending.

If you enjoy a romance with a great lineup of characters, and with plenty of emotions running high, then you will like A Chance for a Rancher as much as I did. This is the first book I’ve read by Ms. Harlen, but it will not be the last. Happy reading!

Author Bio:

Brenda’s first love was reading.

According to her mother, she fell in love with books even before she could read and was always content when she had a book in her hands. It didn’t surprise anyone when she decided that she wanted to be a writer, but she was encouraged to pursue “a real job” first.

So she did—she became a lawyer. Two years of practicing law taught her a lot about the world—and reinforced her determination to become a writer. Because in fiction, she could promise a happy ending!

Thankfully, she had already met and married a wonderful man to inspire her fictional heroes. And when she was on maternity leave after the birth of their first son, he encouraged her to take a romance writing course at the local community college. It was while enrolled in this class that she completed her first (still unpublished) manuscript.

Three more manuscripts and another baby followed. And then, in June 2002, she finally got the call from Susan Litman—an editorial assistant and contest judge—offering to buy the manuscript she’d submitted to RWA’s Golden Heart® contest as “From This Moment.” This story was re-titled McIver’s Mission and released by Silhouette Intimate Moments in May 2003. 

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