Twice a Bride by Mona Hodgson

Should the reader be familiar with the Sinclair sisters and Miss Hattie, you will meet them again in Twice a Bride. Willow Peterson, a young widow, had dreamed of becoming an artist. She leaves home for the town of Cripple Creek and moves into Miss Hattie’s boarding house. She finds a job as a portrait painter for the local photographer, Trenton Van Der Veer. Careful of the time they spend in each other’s company, they are aware of the talk that could come out of a single woman spending too much time in the sole company of an unmarried male. Yet, romance blossoms. But, Mona Hodgson doesn’t stop here. The Sinclair sister’s father arrives with a child of French descent. Questions arise as each sister comes to grips with the love and attention Harlan Sinclair showers on Cherise. Love and attention he never gave them. Harlan and Cherise also stay with Miss Hattie while they are in Cripple Creek. Lest I give away too much, suffice it to say that there are two weddings by the end of Twice a Bride.

The fourth book in The Sinclair Sisters of Cripple Creek, I would recommend Twice a Bride as a stand alone book for those not familiar with the series.

I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review

Betrayal 

by Robin Lee Hatcher

 

The year is 1899 in Wyoming and Julia Grace is determined t hold on to the ranch after the death of her husband. If it were only running the ranch by herself Julia thought she could do it, but her brother-in-law kept insisting it was too much for her and he wanted to buy the ranch. Then a stranger shows up. Hugh Brennan’s horse has gone lame and he needs to give the horse a rest to heal. Julia agrees to let him in return for some help around the place. As days turn into weeks, Julia finds she has come to depend on Hugh even though she recognizes the pain in his eyes. Hugh is also aware that Julia is hiding a past also. Two people with a past that haunts them, they soon find that with the love that blossoms between them the past can be laid to rest.

I enjoyed this book and would recommend it to anyone looking for a Christian romance set in the old west.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze.com <http://BookSneeze.com> book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 <http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_03/16cfr255_03.html> : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

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Is there an escape for Lizzie?

Lizzie Engel is being forced to return to her Mennonite hometown of Kingdom, Kansas in order to protect her daughter. A stranger she does not know has been mailing her threatening letters and a man has been following her around. The new life she has set for herself and her daughter is threatened and the only place she knows to go is back home since that is the only place the stranger won’t be able to find her.

Kingdom is an isolated town that has been governed by a strict board of elders. Outside interference is simply not tolerated. She left five years earlier when her father would not accept her pregnancy. Seduced by a man she believed loved her, the town turned against her and she had to leave. Now she has returned and is finding that the new pastor and some of the  people she had known are changing the town. Buildings are painted, people are beginning to smile and help each other. Her own mother is taking a stand in opposition to her father’s. An accident and the death of the driver leads Lizzie to realize the stranger has found her. Who is this person and what do they want? An old friend, Noah Housler, works with her to unravel the mystery. In the end, of course, all is well and Lizzie finally finds the acceptance and love she had looked for all of her life.

Click here for a book trailer.

I received this book to review for free from Bethany House.

A Christmas story of love, forgiveness and redemption

When I read the back cover of this book, I failed to understand how the title had been chosen. A Wreath of Snow? A novella that covers a short period of time, Liz Curtis Higgs has given us a story that does not seem to be happening in a short time frame. Set in Scotland during a snowstorm, Meg Campbell is leaving Stirling and returning to Edinburgh after spending a disappointing Christmas with her family. Things at home have not been the same since her brother, Alan, had been injured in a curling stone incident. Gordon Shaw is leaving Stirling after completing a newspaper assignment. When their train is stranded in a snowstorm, this unlikely pair finds themselves walking back to Stirling. Neither wants to return for their own reasons.

Gordon is invited to the Campbell home for a meal and to warm himself when they make it back to town. From this point on the reader becomes immersed in the lives of the Campbell family and Gordon Shaw. There is more to these individuals than meets the eye. Meg feels guilty and angry because Alan is disabled and has become adept at making their parents feel sorry for him, catering to his every whim. Gordon is also feeling guilty because it was his actions that caused the injury. He knows he needs to make his true identity known and ask for Alan’s forgiveness. When the family realizes who he is at a curling match, the lifestyle that Alan has set up for himself begins to rapidly untangle and the secret that Alan had been hiding is now revealed.

A story of secrets, unforgiveness and guilt in the lives of Meg, Gordon and Alan we find the mercy and grace of God at work as everyone faces the truth in their lives and reconciliation becomes a reality.

I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review

Can a person be made for The River?

I wasn’t sure what I was getting into when I began The River. It is a story about a river and its place in the life of Gabriel Clarke. How could someone be made for the river? Yet, Gabriel was. Losing his father at a young age to The River, Gabriel moves from Colorado to Kansas to live with his mother. He fears the water now and wants nothing to do with any river. As the years go by, he begins to see that a river is not something to be feared. Then comes the day when friends invite him to go to Colorado with them to camp, go river rafting and to explore the river. Gabriel starts to remember things from those early years and begins to accuse The River of taking his father from him. 

The more I got into this book, the more I began to see and understand the struggles Gabriel was facing. He was trapped by the chains of fear and resentment, trapped by circumstances that would affect his life unless he could gain his freedom. Returning to Kansas after the trip, Gabriel felt the pull of The River and so returned to Colorado to the river rafting camps. He goes to work at one of the river camps and meets people who help him to better understand The River and the affect it has on the lives of those who love it. He also starts to understand that The River did not take his father from him. As a seasoned rafter, his father lost his life while saving the life of someone else. With this knowledge, he realized that his destiny, his home is here with The River. He was made for The River.

I recommend this book, giving it five stars. It is a story of the freedom that awaits all of us when we face our fears and no longer give them control over our lives.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze.com <http://BookSneeze.com> book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 <http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_03/16cfr255_03.html> : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Lonnie Sawyer and her family live in the Appalachian hills among the creeks and hollows. Shy and retiring Lonnie has no experience with men, so when Gideon O’Riley walks her home after a local singing and dance she finds herself what his friendliness and advances mean. Gideon has treated her with respect and kindness, helping her over the rocks and moving branches out of her way. When they reach her home, she allows him to kiss her. But Lonnie’s father believes it was more than a kiss and a shotgun wedding takes place. Now the handsome Gideon finds himself married. Not used to being responsible for anyone, he takes Lonnie and heads across the hills to find a job. The kindness and gentleness of the walk home that night is gone and he is now hard and unyielding in pushing to reach a town where there is work. Lonnie’s life was hard at home, but nothing like she is experiencing now. She is not feeling well, is not eating and wants to sleep. The walking all day with little to eat has begun to take its toil when Jebediah finds them and takes them home to stay with him and his wife so Lonnie can recover. Gideon begins to realize the responsibility forced upon him with his wedding day and discovers he actually loves Lonnie, but there are still things he has to discover and learn before he is able to be the husband and father his family needs. Lonnie finds that she is stronger than she ever thought and the book ends with these two young people ending up where they should have been on their wedding day – deeply in live and committed to each other.