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.

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Bride Wanted by Renee Andrews

Mass Market Paperback: 224 pages

Publisher: Love Inspired (July 23, 2013)

Language: English

Dear Bride-To-Be... Troy Lee has been writing letters to his future bride since he was a boy. Still, she's never been more than words on a page...until now. When he meets Destiny Porter, he thinks he may have finally found the woman he's been waiting for. But Destiny came to Claremont with a single purpose-to get Troy's permission to print his letters in her magazine. Yet once she lays eyes on the handsome Southern man, Destiny knows she's in trouble. She can't help dreaming about being Troy's bride. But will he still want to be her groom when he finds out who she really is?

Sometimes a girl just wants to sit down with a sweet romance and relax.  That is what the Love Inspired line from Harlequin is for me.  When I want to escape for a bit and not have to think to hard about what I'm reading, this is where I head.  I know the Love Inspired line will keep it clean which I also appreciate.

Bride Wanted has all the typical elements that make up a great love story.  Interest, attraction, doubt, misunderstanding, heartache and reconciliation.  

Troy is a true southern gentleman and he knows what he is looking for in a woman.  He just hasn't met her yet.  I loved how patient and loyal Troy is to his family, especially his meddling mother and grandmother.  He is a kind man with a good heart.

This is an Inspirational Romance so there are Christian themes (church, scripture and praying).

You really get a small southern hometown feel in this book.  It almost make it sound idyllic.  I loved getting a mental picture in my mind of the town square with all the shops and decorations for the celebrations.  I think this would make a cute Hallmark film.  :)  

Overall a sweet romance that I enjoyed a lot.  A great diversion and an easy read.

You can pick Bride Wanted up at Amazon.  The mass market paperback is under $6 and the kindle version is $4.99.

Renee Andrews spends a lot of time in the gym. No, she isn't working out. Her husband, a former All-American gymnast, co-owns ACE Cheer Company, an all-star cheerleading company. She is thankful the talented kids at the gym don't have a problem when she brings her laptop and writes while they sweat. When she isn't writing, she's typically traveling with her husband, bragging about their two sons and daughter-in-law or spoiling their grandsons.

Renee is a kidney donor and actively supports organ donation. In 2013, Renee, her husband J.R. and their oldest son Rene competed as team Hello Kidney on the American Bible Challenge to raise money for living donors and to raise awareness for the need for living donors. If you are considering becoming a living donor, ask her about how you can also save a life by sharing your spare! Or check out the "living donor" section of her website!

She welcomes prayer requests and loves to hear from readers! Write to her at Renee@ReneeAndrews.com or visit her Web site at www.reneeandrews.com.

Renee Andrews on Facebook: www.facebook.com/AuthorReneeAndrews

Renee Andrews on Twitter: www.twitter.com/reneeandrews

A Slow Burning Fire by J.F. Jenkins

A Slow Burning Fire by JF Jenkins

Inspirational Romance

Length: 111 Pages

ISBN: 9781621351559

Ever since super star, Arial Oakley, could remember, she's been in love with her hunky co-star Bryce Valentine. The only problem: Bryce has been in a relationship with another ac-tress for quite some time. Not wanting to be “the other woman”, Arial never pursued any of her feelings for him despite how well they connected.

When Bryce suddenly becomes single, both of their worlds are flipped upside down. To help him nurse his aching heart, Arial invites him back home to her family farm for some much needed peace and quiet from the paparazzi.

What neither of them expects is to fall in love: with the calm, with the country, with each other. But how much of it is real, and how much of it is a means to escape a broken heart?

I felt like this book title really fit this book.  The romance in this book was really slow developing.  It starts out as friends and basically stays there through the whole book even though both main characters realize they have feelings for each other.

I appreciated that Arial kept her attraction to Bryce in check because he was in a relationship.  She wasn't out to steal him away but instead contented herself with being his friend.  When Bryce's relationship fails, he doesn't jump right into a relationship with Arial.  He takes his time and enjoys the friendship that they share.  Friendship is a great base to any relationship.

I did feel that for most of the book I was just waiting.  Waiting for something to happen.  We get a lot of farm life and chores.  I felt as though the story sort of dragged on through the middle.  The characters felt a bit younger to me than what they were said to be, especially Bryce.  Arial's behavior in the end after Bryce finally confesses his feelings really baffled me.  It seemed completely out of character for her and very childish.  It was weird and I didn't completely buy into it.

But, having said all that, I did enjoy this book.  It was sweet and clean, easy reading.  I polished it off pretty fast, diverted from my mom duties, in escape mode.  :)

As always, my thanks to Astraea Press for allowing me to read and review for them.

You can find A Slow Burning Fire at Amazon.

Battlefield of the Heart by E.A. West

Battlefield of the Heart by EA West

Contemporary Inspirational Romance

Length: 285 Pages

ISBN: 978-1-62135-144-3

What started out as a bit of research for a sociology paper quickly turns into much more than Cindy ever expected. But can she survive Danny’s PTSD long enough to form a relationship with him?

Cindy Waymire, a college senior in search for a topic for an upcoming sociology paper, finds more than a topic when she meets Army veteran and college freshman Danny Flynn outside the student union. An undeniable attraction to this troubled veteran leads her on a difficult and winding path that brings her to a crossroads — get into a relationship with a man who has serious mental health problems or turn her back on one of the best men she’s ever met.

Can Cindy set her fears aside and follow her heart, or will the ghosts haunting Danny’s mind end their relationship before it begins?

Have I ever mentioned how much I enjoy Astraea Press?  They sure do put out a lot of good, clean fiction.  Secular, Inspirational, they've got it all.  I'm happy to be a part of their review system and be able to share lots of good, clean books with you.  :)

This book was interesting to me because it shed some must needed light on a serious mental health problem that many people do not understand.  PTSD is a very real thing for so many people.  I personally do not have much experience dealing with this so for me, this book was enlightening and made me think about the very difficult path people with PTSD face.

Of course, along with this, I would be simply ungrateful if I didn't send a huge shout out to the men and women of our country's armed forces.  You have my most sincere thanks and respect for what you do to protect and represent our country.  I am living the life I do because of you.  Thank you for the sacrifices you make for me.

This is a inspirational or Christian romance.  I would say as far as these kind of books go, it was on the more mild side and not too preachy.

I thought this was a good book.  Cindy and Danny have an interesting beginning to their relationship.  It was a good attention grabber.

Cindy is a good sort of gal.  So patient and empathetic.  She is smart and does her research on PTSD so she knows more about what Danny is dealing with.  I like her.  Plain and simple.

For me, the last third of the book started to drag.  It got a little too bogged down in the mental and physical drama and it was hard to push through.  I got to the point where I just wanted to be at the end already.  That's not to say that overall I didn't enjoy the book because I really did.  It just got to be a bit long and overdone to me.

My thanks to the author for writing a book that must have required a lot of research and emotional understanding.  It seemed very real to me.  And, as usual, my thanks to Astraea Press for allowing me to be a part of the reviews for this book.

You can buy Battlefield of the Heart at Amazon.

About the Author:
E.A. West, author of sweet and inspirational romance, is a lifelong lover of books and storytelling. In high school, she discovered the wonders of sharing her stories with others through writing. She picked up her pen in a creative writing class and hasn't laid it down yet. Her love of writing encompasses not only the romance genre but also a variety fiction and non-fiction styles.

Born and raised in Indiana, she still resides there today with her family and a small zoo of pets that includes the typical dogs and cats, and the more unusual African water frogs and a ribbon snake. Her interests are as varied as her critters. She has been known to carry on conversations about everything from politics and current events to gardening and theology. When she's not writing, you can usually find her working on her latest knitting or crochet project.