Tried and True by Mary Connealy

Saddle up for a wildly fun ride with the Wilde sisters!

Kylie Wilde is the youngest sister—and the most civilized. Her older sisters might be happy dressing in trousers and posing as men, but Kylie has grown her hair long and wears skirts every chance she gets. It’s a risk—they are homesteading using the special exemptions they earned serving in the Civil War as “boys”—but Kylie plans to make the most of the years before she can sell her property and return to the luxuries of life back East.

Local land agent Aaron Masterson is fascinated with Kylie from the moment her long hair falls from her cap. But now that he knows her secret, can he in good conscience defraud the U.S. government? And when someone tries to force Kylie off her land, does he have any hope of convincing her that marrying him and settling on the frontier is the better option for her future?

Mary Connealy knows how to write clean western romances.  I love reading her books.  

The characters in this book are so well done.  I felt like I knew them and everything played out just like a movie in my head.  The beginning chapter with the roof scene when on too long and I was really glad when things finally got moving but from there on out, it was the perfect distracting read.

I love Kylie.  It was so nice to read about a girl who really just wanted to be a girl- completely feminine with pretty dresses.  So many books today have tough girl characters who can take anyone down.  Don't get me wrong, because I do like that too, but it was just refreshing to read a book about a girl who isn't so concerned about how tough she is.  Kylie wants a home where she cooks and cleans and takes care of a family.  She doesn't want to do "man chores".  She wants to be taken care of by a big, strong man.  It was kind of funny sometimes but endearing too.  Because Kylie spent a lot of time posing as a boy in order to serve in the army during the civil war, she is desperate to put that behind her and look and act like a girl again.  Can you blame her?  

She finds the perfect man in Aaron because all he wants to do is protect and love Kylie.  He wants to do all the "man chores".  See what I mean?  Perfect for Kylie.  

This is what I would call inspirational fiction.  God is mentioned and sometimes talked about but not in an overbearing or overly religious way.  This book is squeaky clean- yay!  I'm looking forward to the next books in this series.  This book set up the stories for the sisters perfectly and now I'm anxious to get reading them!

* Amazon * Goodreads *

Because of Love by Shauna V. Brown

For Christmas, all Phoebe Brown wants is to give her daughters new shoes to replace their heavy leather boots. But because they have very little money, her husband refuses to pay for them. Inspired by true events, this Christmas story shows how the power of love can change even the most begrudging heart.

What a sweet, sweet book!  This book touched my heart and made me feel things.  I love when books do that to me.  

Phoebe longs to give her daughters new shoes.  The girls are ridiculed and hurt by other children because they wear big, heavy boots everywhere.  All the time.  One of the worst feelings, I think, as a mother is to know your children are hurting.  When your children hurt, you hurt.  But, just like most mothers, Phoebe is resourceful and creative and she devises a plan to work and get new shoes for her girls.  It's touching and powerful.  As a mother and a daughter, I connected with the emotion in this book.  Love is a powerful tool that can change lives.

This sweet story is less than 100 pages.  It reads quickly and is the perfect little Christmas story.  This will definitely set your heart in the right place leading up to Christmas.

My thanks to Cedar Fort for allowing me to read and review for them.

* Cedar Fort * Goodreads *

Wayward: The Prodigal Son

Wayward: The Prodigal Son (2014)

PG-13 92 min  -  Action | Drama | Romance

A dying father's last wish is to bring his rebellious son back home and into his loving and forgiving arms and reunite his family once again.

I had the opportunity to watch this movie as part of a prescreening for review.  This morning I was up early, before anyone else in the house and decided it was the perfect moment to pop in my earbuds and check Wayward out.  I should have brought a box of tissues along with me before I settled in.  Talk about a tear jerker.  I was crying a river before 8am.

This movie is based on the biblical story of The Prodigal Son.  It is a story I am familiar with and I was interested to see how this movie would go.  I would say that Wayward isn't overly religious or preachy although it does mention God several times and shows a character going to church and reading scripture.  It is based on a Bible story after all.  The movie was overwhelmingly about family and forgiveness and love.  As a parent, I was touched and moved.  There were so many emotions flowing through me.  To watch a child, or any loved one, make decisions that you know will hurt them is heartbreaking.  

What I loved throughout this whole movie was from beginning to end, the love that this father has for his son is constant and strong.  He always let his son know that he loved him.  His words were always to encourage and demonstrate that love.  "I will always support you."  "I will always love you."  "I will be here, waiting for you to come home."  His actions backed up his words.

I really enjoyed this movie, even if it did make me cry.  It was a good reminder to me that love is always the best answer.  Love and forgiveness.  We all need it and we all need to give it to others.

This movie is rated PG-13 for the dicey situations the main character finds himself in.  There is drinking, drugs, gambling, and references to prostitutes.

My thanks to Cedar Fort for allowing me to preview this film for them.

Spooktacular Giveaway Hop!

I love being a part of this giveaway hop.  It's the perfect time to gear up for the holiday season that lies ahead!  The seasons are changing at my house and this year I have three GINORMOUS pumpkins that I grew in my very own garden.  They are awesome.  I cannot wait to carve them for Halloween!

For this hop, I will be giving away one book of your choice, $12 or less, from Amazon if you are US and The Book Depository if you are INT and they ship to you free.  (it must be a book, no gift cards)

Thanks for stopping by and Happy Halloween!!


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Redemption by Heather Gray

Murder, mayhem, marriage, and a horse named Mutiny...

Minnie's impulsiveness has been getting her into trouble her whole life. She never expected it to land her on a suspect list for murder, though. With nothing left but a few trunks of possessions and her own defeat, Minnie leaves San Francisco behind and returns home. In an effort to protect her family and friends, she keeps them in the dark about the ongoing investigation and the possibility that danger may have followed her to Larkspur. When events force her to trust someone with her secrets, she turns to the sheriff and finds both a friend and an ally.

It may have been four years since he last saw Minnie, but how could he ever forget her? When Art finds her sneaking through a back alley in town, he knows something's wrong. The once vivacious Minnie is a mere shadow of her former self, all sparkle gone from her eyes. Art knows that time spent with her will be dangerous to his heart, but he can't turn Minnie away. Even if it means protecting her from her own impetuous decisions, he vows to keep her safe.

In her attempt to take responsibility for her own choices, Minnie shut out her friends, family, and God. An unsolved murder isn't all that's chasing Minnie, though. Will she find her way back to the heart of her faith before it's too late?

This isn't the first book that I've read by Heather Gray, but I certainly liked it better than the first one I read.  This book is categorized as a Historical Christian Fiction Romance.  That's a lot of categories, right?  While it is Christian fiction, it's very light on the Christian elements.  It has a very slow building romance that starts first as a friendship.

I think what I liked about this book was that there was the added element of suspense added in.  It gave me more to focus on and made the story more exciting.  

Minnie is impulsive and she is also quite determined.  Her impulsive nature has landed her in a bit of a mess but it is that determination that will help get her out of it.  Art is a classic western hero.  Strong and sure.  I like that Art is smart too.  He thinks things through and he isn't so cocky as to realize that he doesn't always know everything.  When others know more he is able to use their help which makes him better.

This was an overall enjoyable book.  It was light, easy reading that was perfect for a rainy day at home.  It was squeaky clean too.  Yay!  

This title is being published through Astraea Press.  My thanks to them for allowing me to read and review titles for them.

* Amazon * Goodreads *

Less Than Nothing by R.E. Blake

Sage’s life as a teenage runaway in San Francisco is simple: Snatch a few hours of sleep on park benches and bus stops; dodge perverts, predators, and cops; and make enough as a street musician to eat. But her world flips upside down when she meets Derek – hot, tattooed, and charming, a singer from Seattle whose looks and talent take her breath away.

What begins as a reluctant partnership quickly develops into a cross-country race against time - and awakens a hunger in Sage that’s unfamiliar and exciting.

As they travel from coast to coast, Sage and Derek pursue their dream, only to discover that they can never run far enough to escape the demons from their pasts.

The first thing that drew my attention to this book was the musical aspect and the across country travel.  After reading the book, I'd have to say that those two things remain the most appealing.  It was easy to imagine Sage and Derek on the streets of SF, singing and it was easy to imagine them in New York doing the same thing on stage.  The whole road tripping with the truckers was fun.

The backstory for Sage and Derek unravels slowly and gently, bit by bit.  Sometimes I don't love that approach, but for this book it worked.  It gave some good insights on the homeless and circumstances that may have brought them there.  Especially for teenagers.  It kind of breaks my heart.

I felt like the romantic tension in the book fell a little bit flat.  I appreciate that there was no sex in the book but that isn't what I'm talking about.  It's that tension and build up.  Instead of increasing tension, there was a let down, especially in the last third of the book.  I just didn't believe Derek's reasoning for pulling away given his previous actions.

For me, there was too much swearing and profanity.  There was a lot of what I would term, "crass talk" and I'm just not a fan of that.  There is underage drinking and some violence including an attempted rape.

I picked this book up on NetGalley in exchange for a review.  My thanks to the publisher for allowing me to read and review for them.

You can find "Less Than Nothing" on Amazon.

Janitors: Strike of the Sweepers by Tyler Whitesides

The stakes have never been higher, and you've never seen squeegees do this before! It is a wild and slightly unsanitary ride as Spencer, Daisy, and the rebels find themselves chased by Mr Clean's new and terrifying breed of toxite—the Sweepers. Time is short. With the fable Manualis Custodem in hand, Spencer must figure out how to summon the founding witches if they ever hope to mop up and save education.

I am always excited to see a new Janitors book come out.  This is the fourth book in the series and it isn't over yet!   Tyler Whitesides writes with imagination and creativity.  Every book I say to myself, "how does he come up with this stuff?!"

These are middle grade books and some of the best I've ever come across.  If you have a reluctant reader, this might be a good series to perk their interest.  I actually think this series would be awesome read aloud.  If my kids were younger, this is the one I'd be reading them.

In this book, my favorite things were the squeegees that when rubbed on glass create a portal to get from one place to another.  I can think of a lot of people I would love to squeegee with!  To be able to travel home to see my parents with the swipe of a squeegee would be awesome!!  The other thing I loved was the Thingamajunk.  I think I want one of those.

My favorite quote is found on page 92.  "Because victory will come to those who fight for what is right.  It won't come without its fair share of pain and suffering.  No victory comes without sacrifice.  But it will come.  We just have to stay the course."

* Amazon * Goodreads *