The Hamilton Heir - Valerie Hansen

The Gossip Guru

…hears tough tycoon Tim Hamilton—the legitimate son currently running Hamilton Media for his ailing father—was seen squiring his assistant, Dawn Leroux, around town last week. Inside information is that Tim wrecked Dawn's car and offered to lend her a replacement, but her concern was with the people on her meal-delivery route. Only time will tell if the lovely Ms. Leroux's sweet nature can tame Tim's all-business beast and turn him into a human being.


M REVIEW

i started this book one afternoon, and finished it on Monday. It is not a new book, but i picked it up at a bargain bin, and decided i needed some that was quick, fun and not one with a lot of depth to it. The story is well written, and Varerie does a great job of bringing the people and places to life. The characters are well-rounded, and there was enough humor that it kept me reading. This one gets a 4 out of a possible 5 stars. Again, i will not read it through the second time (there are just too many great authors and novels out there that i would not reread most of my books) but will recommend it to anyone who needs a book to relax with.

Will hidden secrets destroy the love they’ve built?

In the early 1800’s, the wondrous land of Australia is full of possibilities as settlers stake their claims. Hannah and John settle their own piece of land in New South Wales and have hopes of starting a family, but their dreams for the future are clouded with trouble.

As they try unsuccessfully to have a baby, Hannah suffers from guilt over her past. What she hasn’t told her husband about this chapter of her life haunts her and threatens to destroy their relationship.

MY REVIEW

This is another book i bought at a Christian Bookstore, and i read this for the read-a-thon as well. Bonnie Leon is an author i really like, and this novel was no different in that respect. i like to read about Australia, and Bonnie does a grand job of discribing life and land in the early 1800s. She uses words to vividly protray the landscape, and the reader is transported to an era when Australia was being populated by the British. It is a story of longing, of danger, but also of bright hope. The characters are well-rounded, and you feel like you are walking their path with them. i would give this a 4.5 out of a possible 5 stars, only because i will not likely read it a second time, but would recommend it highly to others.

Just Between You and Me - Jenny B. Jones

 

Just Between You and Me - Jenny B. Jones. This is what i read for the read-a-thon

A novel of losing fear and finding God. Maggie lives life on the edge, seemingly unafraid of anything. But the image she so carefully constructed is coming undone. Her job as a videographer takes her around the world. She tells people’s stories, especially those of impoverished children. That’s when she feels most alive, like she’s making the world better. But when a secret from her past resurfaces, Maggie gets a call that sends her home. Her dad desperately needs her help. Her estranged sister has run off, leaving 8-year-old Riley in his care. She returns reluctantly, hoping to help her niece. There she reconnects with Cooper–a once awkward and shy, now handsome, veterinarian. Her feelings skyrocket when she’s with him, but she’s afraid if she shows him her true self, he’ll reject her. MY REVIEW This was the first of Jenny B. Jones novels i have read, and to be honest with you, i started it awhile ago, and now decided i needed to finish. I am very glad i did, and will be looking for more of Jenny's titles. The only reason i set it aside for a time was because it is written in the first person view, and if i have one written in third person, i will pick up the second novel instead of the first one. (this is just a personal preferance, and though i always enjoy them, it is just harder for me to get into them.) The story is very well written, dealing with many issues. The characters are well rounded, the scenery vividly described.  And though the subtitle says this is a novel of losing fear and finding God, it is also about relationships - parent/child, peers, aunt/niece. An up coming class reunion and it's subsequent pre-meetings deals with the expectations of young people starting out on life of their own and how far (or not) they have come in the years from graduation until now. Again, i would not give it 5 out of 5, because it is totally unlikely that i will read this one again, but i will look for Jenny's next book and read it, as well as recommending this book to others. This is another book i bought at a Christian Book store.

This was the first time i ever participated in anything like this Once Upon a Time Read-a-thon, so don't know if i got it right or not. Also, i know today was the last day, and though i read and read, i didn't blog and blog. So will see what comes of this.

i read The Bride Bargain by Kelly Eileen Hake

Product Description

Living on the wild American plains, Clara desperately wants to build a home and a future for herself and her aunt, despite her limited resources. When she approaches a lonely trader and strikes up a bargain with him to fool a headstrong doctor, will it lead to an unexpected avenue of romance for Clara?

 

My Review

Kelly tells a delightful tale. The characters are well developed and Kelly uses words wisely to paint a vivid picture of life on the wagon trail in the mid 1800s. The main characters are strong, virtuous people. I enjoyed the life protrayed in the small town of Buttonwood, with it's many colorful people, the tension caused by some unknown (and only brought into the story for the sake of conflict) past happening. Although definitely a romance, i liked the humorous incidents Clara Fields and her friends find themselves in, even when these are of their own making. i would recommend this book to teenagers and adults who enjoy reading a clean, fun romance. i would give it 4 out of 5 stars, because though i enjoyed it immensely, i probably will not pick it up to read for the second time. i bought this book at a Christian bookstore.

i'm so glad to join you in this Monday Madness Hop. Welcome to my blog!
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Freedom Hop

Freedom Giveaway Hop


July 1st to 7th


Co-Hosted by Simply Stacie

Over 200 blogs are each signed up to host a giveaway & we are all linked together so you can easily hop from one giveaway to the next.

Learning - Karen Kingsbury

Product

Bailey Flanigan is growing closer to her dream to be an actress and dancer in New York while Cody coaches a small high school football team ... on and off the field. But neither feels complete without the chance to share their dreams with one other. Can distance truly make the heart grow fonder? Or will Cody learn to turn to others to share in his happiness? And when tragedy strikes? Who will be there to provide comfort in the face of loss? As Cody's past catches up with him, he must learn to reach out for help or risk withdrawing permanently inside himself. Both Bailey and Cody find themselves learning significant life lessons in this poignant love story, featuring members from Karen Kingsbury's popular Baxter family.

MY REVIEW

 I was thrilled to have a chance to catch up with Bailey's family once again. Yes, as always i have to remind myself that Bailey and all the characters she interacts with are just fiction. Karen must live, eat and breathe with these fictional people, because she brings them across as totally realistic characters in realistic situations. i cry, laugh, agonize and dream with them. i am just a little angry right now because the book is finished, and it left me with questions i know i have to wait a few months to find out the answers for! Also, there are twists and turns in this story that leave me thinking it didn't come together the way i thought it should. i think the characters have surprised Karen, too with their actions.
i love Karen's books, and recommend them to all my friends....then have to deal with it when my friends are not as enthused about Karen's books as i am.
Well written books, characters are rounded out and believable. I give Bailey's story a 12 out of possible 10!