A Suitor for Jenny is a humorous and entertaining story set in Rocky Creek, Texas during the late 1800’s. Jenny Higgins has arrived in town with her two younger sisters with the intention of finding suitable husbands for them. Basing her criteria for appropriate husband material on “The Compleat and Authoritative Manual for Attracting and Procuring a Husband“, Jenny soon finds that there is only one man in the area who meets those exacting standards. Unfortunately, neither sister can abide him and soon fall in love with totally unsuitable men. To complicate matters, Jenny finds herself becoming more and more attracted to Marshall Rhett Armstrong. Both Jenny and Rhett have things in their past that have convinced them that they do not deserve to be happy.
Will Jenny overcome her stubborn determination to find suitable husbands for her sisters or will she allow God to choose the perfect men for them? Can she and Rhett give up control over their own lives and permit the Lord to heal their wounded spirits? The answers to these questions and more can be found within the pages of A Suitor for Jenny.
I recommend A Suitor for Jenny for those who enjoy historical romance that is tempered with both humor and faith.
I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze.combloggers’ book review program.
ABOUT THE BOOK:
When looking for a husband, it’s best to go where the odds are in your favor.
And that would be Rocky Creek, Texas, 1880. But Jenny Higgins’s plan to find husbands for her two sisters hits a snag when enthusiastic applicants fail to meet her stringent requirements.
Rejecting her sisters’ choices for mates and riding herd on her growing feelings for Marshal Rhett Armstrong, she refuses to give up.
Jenny thinks choosing a husband is not a job for the heart. It’ll take one strong and handsome marshal to convince her otherwise.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Thrills, mystery, suspense, romance: Margaret penned it all. Nothing wrong with this, except Margaret happened to be writing for the church newsletter. After making the church picnic read like a Grisham novel, her former pastor took her aside and said, “Maybe God’s calling you to write fiction.”
It turns out God was and Margaret did. She now has more than 20 novels to her credit. In addition, she’s written many Christian articles and a non-fiction book. Still, it took a lot of prodding from God before Margaret tried her hand at writing inspirational fiction which led to her Rocky Creek series. “I love writing about characters at different stages of faith,” she says of the new direction her writing career has taken, “and I’m here to stay.”
Happily married to her real-life hero, Margaret and her husband live in Southern California.
I have had a very difficult time writing a review for Nightingale – not because I didn’t like it but because I don’t want my review to be a spoiler. Nightingale is one more example of why Susan May Warren is on my list of don’t miss authors. Her writing is skillful, her characters well rounded, and her plots are almost always unpredictable. In addition, Susan’s attention to details and inclusion of sometimes obscure historical facts make each of her historical novels a satisfying experience.
Nightingale is an intriguing look at life in the small town of Roosevelt, Wisconsin during the last days of World War 2 where Esther Lange and her friend Caroline work as Red Cross nurses. Esther and her daughter live in the attic of the parents of her fiance Linus, a man she does not love but who is the father of her child. Esther has not heard from him for an extended time and doesn’t know if he is even alive when she receives a letter from Peter who encountered an injured Linus on the battlefield. A correspondence begins between them that leads to a serious friendship that becomes complicated when Peter’s secrets become public.
Nightingale is a story filled with characters who experience a gamut of emotions that includes anger, guilt, grief and despair. It illustrates the power of forgiveness and how God’s grace always prevails and His timing is always perfect. I enjoyed Nightingale and highly recommend it to lovers of historical romance.
This book was provided for review by Amy Lathrop with LitFuse Publicity.
ABOUT THE BOOK:
Esther Lange doesn’t love her fiancé—she’s trapped in an engagement after a mistaken night of passion.
Still, she grieves him when he’s lost in battle, the letters sent to her by the medic at his side giving her a strange comfort, so much that she strikes up a correspondence with Peter Hess, an Iowa farmboy. Or is he? Peter Hess is not who he seems. Indeed, he’s hiding a secret, something that could cost them both their lives, especially when the past comes back to life. A bittersweet love song of the home front war between duty and the heart…a battle where only one will survive.
Don’t miss book 1 in this stand-alone collection, Sons of Thunder.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Susan May Warren is the RITA award-winning author of twenty-four novels with Tyndale, Barbour and Steeple Hill. A four-time Christy award finalist, a two-time RITA Finalist, she’s also a multi-winner of the Inspirational Readers Choice award, and the ACFW Book of the Year.
Susan’s larger than life characters and layered plots have won her acclaim with readers and reviewers alike. A seasoned women’s events and retreats speaker, she’s a popular writing teacher at conferences around the nation and the author of the beginning writer’s workbook: From the Inside-Out: discover, create and publish the novel in you!. She is also the founder of www.MyBookTherapy.com, a story-crafting service that helps authors discover their voice.
Susan makes her home in northern Minnesota, where she is busy cheering on her two sons in football, and her daughter in local theater productions (and desperately missing her college-age son!) A full listing of her titles, reviews and awards can be found at: www.susanmaywarren.com.
Enter the Contest: Nightingale is about letters, the power of written correspondence to convey thoughts and emotions to those far away. And sometimes near. Letters are forever, they are something we savor and pull out to read again and again. They are often cherished and kept in a special place.
To celebrate the release of Nightingale, Susan would like you to write a letter. One grand prize winner will receive a Flip HD Camcorder. 5 runner’s up winners will win a signed copy of Nightingale. There are two ways to enter the contest by writing letters.
1. Write a letter to a soldier. At the end of the contest we’ll print out and mail your letter for you.
2. Write a letter to a friend, loved one, family member, enemy. Tell them something you wished you’d told them before. Tell them you love them, or maybe how they touched your life. Perhaps an apology is in order or a thank you. Or perhaps you’d like to relate a funny tale or just share life. Whatever it is, submit it here along with your email address and we’ll send it for you.
Charlene Ann Baumbich is the author of the previous three books in the Partonville series. A popular speaker, journalist, and author, for several years she has lectured to women’s groups and retreats. Baumbich is also an award-winning journalist whose work has appeared in the Chicago Tribune, Today’s Christian Woman, and numerous other publications. She is the author of six nonfiction books of humor and inspiration.
Charlene says: For over two decades of writing and speaking, my passionate pursuit to entertain and rejuvenate using humor (I love to laugh-especially at myself), uncommon wisdom, and passionate insights has been affirmed through countless calls, letters, and evaluation sheets. A reader recently e-mailed, “There is so much depression and sadness in this world. I applaud you for reminding all of us to treasure the moments in our lives, and for encouraging us to find joy in the little things. What you do helps so many to rise above the heaviness of life and live, and laugh, and face another day, so thanks!!!!” That is exactly why I keep doing what I do.
I am a firm believer in the power of story (short or book-length, funny or insightful, real or fiction, on stage or page) to accomplish my purpose, which is to remind you: Don’t Miss Your Life! Whether you’re tuning into me live or in print, fasten your seatbelt. I promise you a wild, fun, provocative, heart-warming ride.
ABOUT THE BOOK:
Josie Brooks, at the age of 47, thought she was leading an enviable single life. A successful consultant, she calls her own shots, goes where the money is, and never needs to compromise. But her precisely managed world begins to falter during a Chicago contract when an economic downturn, a bleeding heart boss, and the loyalty and kindness between endangered employees ding her coat of armor.
Throw in hot flashes, a dose of loneliness, a peculiar longing for intimacy, an unquenchable thirst—not to mention a mysterious snow globe with a serene landscape, complete with a flowing river and lush greenery that seems to be beckoning her in—and Josie’s buttoned-up life is on the verge of coming completely undone.
Maybe her solitary existence isn’t as fulfilling as she has convinced herself to believe. It will take a few new friends, a mystical encounter, and an unexpected journey to set Josie on her own path to “right-sizing” and making the life changes that really matter. Filled with laugh-out loud moments and a gentle dash of inspiration, Divine Appointments is another heartwarming charmer from a master storyteller.
I have read and enjoyed other books by this author but for some reason I just couldn’t get into this one. I did manage to read the entire book but it took me nearly three times as long as one this size usually takes. Not a good thing when I am trying to stay on my review schedule with holiday cooking fast approaching.
There are good points to the story. A forgiveness based theme and a strong message about not judging other people based on first impressions were well presented. Several instances were quite amusing. Barb and Amelia were strong and likable characters who added depth to the story. However, I felt like there were way too many characters in general and story lines that distracted from the story of the primary character Josie. Although all were inter-related, there was just so much going on that the relationship between Josie and Lyle takes a backseat. And to me the inclusion of Marsha’s attempts at fiction were quite intrusive and distracting from the story.
Fans of Charlene Baumbich will probably want to check out Divine Appointments. Just because it wasn’t my cup of tea doesn’t mean someone else won’t love it. We all have our own preferences.
Always the Baker Never the Bride is a fun filled story that is both humorous and dramatic. Bricker’s characters are wonderful and the book is full of spellbinding situations and dialogue. Recipes, wedding tips, and trivia and scattered between the chapters and add a special touch.
A story about a widower who has opened the specialty wedding themed hotel of his late wife’s dreams and a prize-winning, diabetic baker who has given up any hope of romance in her own life, Always the Baker Never the Bride is a joy to read with many laugh-out-loud moments. Several sub-plots add interest and relatives of both the hero and heroine contribute to the drama.
I loved this book and will probably pick up a physical copy to add to my collection. I highly recommend it.
A digital copy of this book was provided for review by Abingdon Press through NetGalley.
ABOUT THE BOOK:
Thirty-six-year-old Emma Rae Travis has been baking specialty cakes and melt-in-your-mouth pastries at The Backstreet Bakery in historic Roswell, just outside of Atlanta, for the last six years. But here’s the rub about her job as a baker … Emma is diabetic. When she tastes her creations, it can only be in the most minute portions. Emma is considered an artisan for the stunning crème brulee wedding cake that won her the Passionate Palette Award last year, but she’s never even had one full slice of it.
When Jackson Drake hears about this local baker who has won a prestigious award for her wedding cake artistry, he tells his assistant to be sure and include her in the pastry tastings scheduled at his new wedding destination hotel the following week. And for Jackson, that particular day has started out badly with two workmen trapped in a broken elevator and a delivery of several dozen 300-thread-count bed linens in the wrong size abandoned in the lobby. But when the arrogant baker he met a week prior in Roswell stumbles into the dining room with a platter of pastries and a bucketful of orders, he knows for certain: It’s going to be a really rotten day.
Can these two ill-suited players master the high-wire act and make a go of their new business venture? Or will they take each other crashing downward, without a net? And will the surprise wedding at The Tanglewood be theirs?
Read the first chapter of Always the Baker Never the BrideHERE.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Sandra D. Bricker has been publishing in both the Christian and general market for years with novels for women and teens, magazine articles and short stories. With 11 novels in print and 4 more slated for publication through 2012, Sandie has carved out a niche for herself as an author of laugh-out-loud comedy for the inspirational market. Sandie was an entertainment publicist in Hollywood for 15+ years and currently works a “day job” as an editor.
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When looking for a husband, it’s best to go where the odds are in your favor.
Thrills, mystery, suspense, romance: Margaret penned it all. Nothing wrong with this, except Margaret happened to be writing for the church newsletter. After making the church picnic read like a Grisham novel, her former pastor took her aside and said, “Maybe God’s calling you to write fiction.”
