A Match for Emma by Pepper Basham



MY REVIEW:

A Match For Emma is probably the sweetest love story featuring lifetime best friends who discover they are the perfect match. I loved how comfortable Jon and Emma were with each other and how natural it was for them to hold hands, touch, and even an innocent snuggle or two while watching movies on TV. So how could they be so blind to the truth about their relationship? I also liked the degree of honesty the pair shared with each other – how they each pointed out areas the other needed to improve.

The author not only has an incredible talent with words but she managed to see deep with the soul of each character and bring them to life. Both Jon and Emma were so real. Emma especially wanted the best for all those she cared for but she also had her blind spots that sometimes made her judge others more harshly than they deserved. Yet after thinking and praying about it when brought to her attention, she usually recognized the truth and acted on it.

I enjoyed everything about this sweet love story including its Appalachian setting, brilliant hints of humor, realistic characters, and a strong emphasis on faith and truth. If you have not read a book by Pepper Basham, don’t wait another minute. Pick up a copy of A Match For Emma or one of the other books in her Mitchell’s Crossroads series.

I voluntarily reviewed a copy of this book provided by the author. A favorable review was not required. All views expressed are my own.



ABOUT THE BOOK:

Emma Mitchell may enjoy sprinkling romance into the lives of others, but her own plans involve a single first-class ticket to culinary school in Europe.

When her best friend, Jon Noble, suddenly moves back to Ransom, Emma’s fairly certain her life can’t get any better…until her matchmaking schemes nosedive, her culinary future falls flat, and a life-long friendship begins to teeter on the brink of something unexpected.

With a little inspiration from Jane Austen’s classic and a touch of Blue Ridge charm, will Jon and Emma discover that what they need the most may be the last thing they’re trying to find?

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Pepper Basham is an award-winning author who writes historical and contemporary romance novels with grace, humor, and culture clashes. She’s a Blue Ridge Mountain native and an anglophile who enjoys combining her two loves to create memorable stories of hope. You can connect with Pepper over at her group blog, The Writer’s Alley, her websiteFacebookInstagramPinterest, or Twitter.

The Mountain Midwife by Laurie Alice Eakes

The Mountain Midwife



MY REVIEW:

Well past my child-bearing years and never interested in any type medical career, I was uncertain if I would find “The Mountain Midwife” to be a book I would enjoy. I need not have been concerned. This book was an enthralling romantic suspense with an Appalachian mountain setting that held my interest from its very first pages.

The author did a marvelous job with fully developed characters to whom I could relate. Ashley Tolliver was a compassionate woman whose dedication to the women of her community was commendable yet she was unaware of just how important a role she played. When Hunter showed up in search of the woman who claimed to be his mother, she found herself drawn into his quest as well as her own search for the mysterious young woman who had disappeared soon after Ashley delivered her baby.

The well-written plot moved along at a steady pace with ample drama, humor, mystery, and romance to whet any reader’s appetite. I thoroughly enjoyed my visit to the mountains in the company of Ashley and Hunter and was left wanting more. I am hoping for a sequel to this marvelous novel.

This book was provided for review by the BookLook Blogger Program of Harper Collins Christian Publishing and the Fiction Guild.



ABOUT THE BOOK:

For nearly two hundred years, women in Ashley Tolliver’s family have practiced the art of midwifery in their mountain community. Now she wants to take her skills a step further, but attending medical school means abandoning those women to whom she has dedicated her life, the mountains she loves, and the awakening of her heart.

Ashley Tolliver has tended to the women of her small Appalachian community for years. As their midwife, she thinks she has seen it all. Until a young woman gives birth to a baby at Ashley’s home and is abducted just as she tries to take the dangerously bleeding woman her to the nearest hospital. Now Ashley is on a mission to find the woman and her newborn baby . . . before it’s too late.

Hunter McDermott is on a quest—to track down his birth mother. After receiving more media attention than he could ever want for being in the right place at the right time, he receives a mysterious phone call from a woman claiming to be his mother. Hunter seeks out the aid of the local midwife in the mountain town where the phone call originated—surely she can shed some light on his own family background.

Ashley isn’t prepared for the way Hunter’s entrance into her world affects her heart and her future. He reignites dreams of her own family she has long put aside in favor earning her medical degree and being able to do even more for her community. But is it commitment to her calling or fear of the unknown that keeps her feet firmly planted in the Appalachian soil? Or is it something more—fear of her growing feelings for Hunter—that make her hesitant to explore the world beyond the mountains?

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Laurie Alice EakesRecipient of the National Readers Choice Award, Laurie Alice Eakes is the author of nine books and a novella, with four more books and two novellas scheduled for release. She is a writing teacher and speaker and has her master’s degree in creative writing. She also writes articles on writing, including “Writing from the Heart While Writing for the Market” for The ACFW Journal.

Visit her website at www.lauriealiceeakes.com

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Twitter: @LaurieAEakes