Book Review: The Loyal Heart

A book was given for review for my honest opinion. No other compensation was given.

About the book:

Robert came to Galveston to fulfill his promise to a dying man and look after his widow. He didn't expect to find love in the unlikeliest of places.

Robert Truax, former Second Lieutenant and Confederate officer in the Civil War, made a promise to his comrade Phillip Markham. If anything happened to Phillip, Robert would look after his beloved wife, Miranda. She was his life, his world, his everything.

After the war, Robert is left to pick up the pieces and fulfill his pact. When he arrives at Miranda's home in Galveston, Texas, things are worse than he imagined. Phillip's name has been dragged through the mud, everyone in town believes him to be a traitor, and his widow is treated as an outcast. Even more disturbing is her emotional well-being. Miranda seems hopeless, lost, and so very alone.

Robert had thought his duty would be simple. He would help Miranda as quickly as possible in order to honor a promise. But the moment Robert laid eyes on her, his plans changed. He's mesmerized by her beauty and yearns to help her in any way he can.

He makes it his duty to protect Miranda, turn her reputation around, and to find some way to help her smile again. But it doesn't prove to be an easy task---Robert knows something about Phillip that could shake Miranda to the core and alter her view of the man she thought she knew so well.

About the author:

Shelley Shepard Gray is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author, a finalist for the American Christian Fiction Writers prestigious Carol Award, and a two-time HOLT Medallion winner. She lives in southern Ohio, where she writes full-time, bakes too much, and can often be found walking her dachshunds on her town's bike trail.

My Opinion

As always, Shelley Shepard Gray writes a compelling book that really details the lives after the Civil War.

This book really made me think about what the families, soldiers and widows had to go through after the war was over and sympathize with the South and all the rebuilding they had to do.

This was a great historical fiction with a little romance added in - my favorite kind of book!

Buy It:

You can purchase The Loyal Heart for $9.31 from Amazon.com

*Disclosure - This book was given for review for my honest opinion. No other compensation was given.*

Book Review: Hearts Made Whole

This book was given for review. All opinions are mine. No compensation was given. 

About the book:

Can she forgive the hurting man who costs her the role she loves?

After her father's death, Caroline Taylor has grown confident running the Windmill Point Lighthouse. But in 1865 Michigan, women aren't supposed to have such roles, so it's only a matter of time before the lighthouse inspector appoints a new keeper---even though Caroline has nowhere else to go and no other job available to her.

Ryan Chambers is a Civil War veteran still haunted by the horrors of battle. He's secured the position of lighthouse keeper mostly for the isolation---the chance to hide from his past is appealing. He's not expecting the current keeper to be a feisty and beautiful woman who's angry with him for taking her job and for his inability to properly run the light. When his failings endanger others, he and Caroline realize he's in no shape to run the lighthouse, but he's unwilling to let anyone close enough to help. Caroline feels drawn to this wounded soul, but with both of them relying on that single position, can they look past their loss to a future filled with hope...and possibly love?

About the author:

Jody Hedlund is an award-winning and bestselling historical fiction author. She won the 2011 Inspirational Reader's Choice Award, the 2011 Award of Excellence from the Colorado Romance Writers and was a finalist for Best Debut Novel in the 2011 ACFW Carol Awards. Currently she makes her home in central Michigan, with her husband and five busy children. She loves hearing from readers on Facebook and on her blog.

My Opinion

I think lighthouses back in the 1800's are so interesting. The lighthouse keepers were so isolated but had such an important job to do. That is why I love this Lighthouse series from Jody Hedlund! They are all independent books so don't worry if you didn't read the first one!

I loved learning about the responsibilities of the lighthouse keeper and how Jody Hedlund embraced the fact that women could do just as good as a job as men, even if it wasn't accepted at the time!

I also loved the setting in Michigan because being a Midwesterner, I loved learning about that time period in this area!

But best of all, was the love story. Jody Hedlund took two lost souls and had them unite to strengthen each other's faith, hope and love for each other and God. I loved the passion and the reminder that no matter what you have gone through in life, no matter what you have done, and no matter who you are, God loves you, is here for you, and wants you to draw near to him!

LOVE JODY HEDLUND and LOVE THIS SERIES!

Buy It: 

You can purchase Hearts Made Whole for $11.07 on Amazon.com

Don't miss Jody Hedlund's new book, Hearts Made Whole, a story of loss, forgiveness, hope, and true love set in 1865 Michigan. When Ryan's failings endanger others, he and Caroline realize he’s in no shape to run the lighthouse, but he’s unwilling to let anyone close enough to help. Can Caroline forgive the hurting man who costs her the role she loves?

Celebrate the release of Hearts Made Whole by entering to win an Afternoon at the Beach prize pack and RSVPing to Jody's June 23rd author chat party!

 

One grand prize winner will receive:

• A copy of Hearts Made Whole
• A picnic basket set
• A beach bag
• Flip flops
• A beach towel

One second-place winner will receive:

• A copy of Hearts Made Whole
• A lighthouse journal

One third-place winner will receive:

• A copy of Hearts Made Whole
• A lighthouse necklace

 

Enter today by clicking the icon below. But hurry, the giveaway ends on June 23rd.Winner will be announced June 23rd at Jody's Facebook party. RSVP here!

* Disclosure - This book was given for review for my honest opinion. No other compensation was given.*

Book Review: To Win Her Favor

A book was given for review for my honest opinion. No other compensation was given.

About the book:

A gifted rider in a world where ladies never race, Maggie Linden is determined that her horse will become a champion. But the one man who could help her has vowed to stay away from thoroughbred racing forever.

An Irishman far from home, Cullen McGrath left a once prosperous life in England because of a horse racing scandal that nearly ruined him. He's come to Nashville for a fresh start, hoping to buy land and begin farming, all while determined to stay as far away from thoroughbred racing as possible. But starting over proves harder than he'd wagered, especially when Maggie Linden's father makes him an offer he shouldn't accept yet cannot possibly refuse.

Maggie is certain that her mare, Bourbon Belle, can take the top purse in the inaugural Peyton Stakes, the richest race ever run in America. Maggie only needs the chance to prove it. To give her that chance---and to save Linden Downs from being sold to the highest bidder---Maggie's father, aging, yet wily as ever, makes a barter. His agreement includes one tiny, troublesome detail---Maggie must marry a man she's never met. A man she never would have chosen for herself.

About the author:

Tamera Alexander is a best-selling novelist whose deeply drawn characters, thought-provoking plots, and poignant prose resonate with readers. Having lived in Colorado for seventeen years, she and her husband now make their home in Nashville, Tennessee, along with their two adult children who live near by. And don't forget Jack, their precious---and precocious---silky terrier.

My Opinion

I have read many Tamara Alexander books and am always a big fan! I was so excited to read her latest novel, To Win Her Favor!

This book started out a little slow for me and it was hard for me to get into the plot and story line. However, I really liked the setting and learning about horse racing and the post-Civil War era that this book was set in. It was a very unique setting that I have never read about before!

The book did pick up towards the middle and then I was really able to get excited about the characters, the story and the connection between Maggie and Cullen!

Buy It: 

You can purchase To Win Her Favor for $11.63 from Amazon.com

Can Maggie prove that her mare, Bourbon Belle, can take the top purse in the inaugural Peyton Stakes, the richest race ever run in America? Find out in Tamera Alexander's To Win Her Favor. To give her that chance—and to save Linden Downs from being sold to the highest bidder—Maggie must marry a man she's never met. A man she never would have chosen for herself.

Celebrate the release of To Win Her Favor with a Kindle Fire and book giveaway!

One grand prize winner will receive:

• A Kindle Fire HD 6
• A copy of To Win Her Favor

Enter today by clicking the icon below. But hurry, the giveaway ends on May 10th. Winner will be announced May 11th on Tamera's blog. Plus stay tuned for more opportunities to win after May 11 with a special Pinterest contest—more details coming soon!

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* Disclosure - This book was given for review for my honest opinion. No other compensation was given.*