Too Rich For A Bride

Mona Hodgson's follow up book to Two Brides Too Many is a very good book, however, not only having read the first book, but not realizing there was a first book, I did find the beginning of the book to be rather frustrating. There are many "veiled" references to the things that happened in the first book and I found myself, more than once, thinking "did I miss something".

But as I got further into the book I thoroughly enjoyed it.

With a head more suited to bookkeeping than a bridal veil, Ida’s dreams include big business- not beaus.

Ida Sinclair has joined her sisters, Kat and Nell, in the untamed mining town of Cripple Creek, Colorado for one reason: to work for the infamous but undeniably successful businesswoman, Mollie O’Bryan. Ida’s sisters may be interested in making a match for their determined older sister, but Ida only wants to build her career.

Under Mollie's tutelage, Ida learns how to play the stock market and revels in her promising accomplishments. Fighting for respect in a man's world, her ambition leaves little room for distractions. She ignores her family's reservations about Mollie O'Bryan's business practices, but no matter how she tries, she can't ignore the two men pursuing her affections—Colin Wagner, the dashing lawyer, and Tucker Raines, the traveling preacher.

Ida wants a career more than anything else, so she shrugs off the suitors and pointed “suggestions” that young ladies don’t belong in business. Will it take unexpected love—or unexpected danger—for Ida to realize where her priorities truly lie?

Along her journey, Ida learns what is truly important in her life - but is it what she thought it would be? Can she be a success and live with herself?

Beautiful descriptions and compassionate characters make you wish you could travel to Cripple Creek and meet Ida and her family and friends.

Recommended.

Jody

My copy of Too Rich For A Bride was provided by Waterbrook Multnomah.

Treasuring Emma

Treasuring Emma by Kathleen Fuller is a Middlefield Family series novel.

Emma is a 25 year old Amish woman who has spent her life taking care of others. As the story opens, she is mourning the death of her mother, who she nursed through her battle with cancer. Now Emma and her grandmother are left to take care of the family home. Emma's sister Carla and her husband Peter and their children live close but are struggling and unable to help Emma. In fact, the entire family is in need of a steady income.

Emma's heart was broken when her next door neighbor, the man she loved, decided that the Amish life was not for him and moved away. But now Adam is back, but why did he come back?

Peter's cousin Mark is visiting and expresses interest in Emma. But what exactly is his interest?

While Emma struggles with her grief of losing her mother and her confusion about Adam and Mark, she also must struggle with her confusion about Carla's desire to turn their grandfather's old workshop into a fabric store so both families can earn a living.

A beautiful start to a series. Most issues are resolved at the end of the story but enough things are left open to spark an interest in the next book.

Jody

My copy of Treasuring Emma was graciously provided by Book Sneeze for my honest review.

Forever After

Deborah Raney's second Hanover Falls novel continues to follow the lives of folks effected by the fire that burned down the homeless shelter in the first book, Almost Forever.

This book focuses on Jenna Morgan, who lost her firefighter husband Zach, in the fire, as well as Lucas Vermontez, who lost his father (both were also firefighters) and suffered severe injuries.

As Lucas struggles physically to get back in to shape to return to work, he also struggles emotionally with the loss of his father and friends as well as the distance he feels from God.

Jenna is struggling with trying to pay the bills left over from a lifestyle she and Zach had that was well beyond their means, while also coming to terms with the fact that she never really loved Zach.

As Lucas and Jenna try to support each other, they grow closer and wonder if they can find a way to be together despite Zach's shadow.

A wonderful read. Even though it is part of a series, you don't need to have read the book before it for it to make sense. However, if you play to read the first book, please read it before you read this one as this one is a continuation of that story so there are spoilers in it.

Highly recommended.

Jody

My copy of this book was graciously provided by Glass Road Publication for my honest review.

Surrender the Heart

Book One of MaryLu Tyndall's Surrender To Destiny series is a page turner.

During the War of 1812, Marianne Denton and Noah Brenin reluctantly announce their engagement. Neither wants the marriage. Marianne is looking to unlock her dowry to secure medical care for her ill mother. Noah wants the dowry to keep his father's ship in the water. Unfortunately neither has any desire to be with the other.

But circumstances conspire for them to spend time together, where they come to find out that neither is who the other thought they were.

A great cast of characters including Noah's first mate, Luke, a young boy named Daniel and a little cat named Seafoam, round out the story and become friends you can't wait to revisit.

Highly recommended.

Jody

The Inconvenient Marriage of Charlotte Beck

Kathleen Y'Barbo's Women of the West series wraps up with this final book. This book is good as a stand alone novel - I didn't know for sure it was part of a series until the very end of the book. There are clues along the way that hint at a series but it reads well on it's own.

Unlikely romance is sometimes just an inconvenient marriage away

Charlotte Beck may be entering adulthood, but she can’t seem to keep to her stubborn, independent spirit from bucking social protocol. Fed up with her behavior, Charlotte’s father Daniel pressures her to settle into a nice marriage despite knowing she is set on going to college. Then Daniel sees Charlotte with the handsome but annoying English astronomer Alex Hambly, and everything changes.

Though Alex and Charlotte can barely stand one another, Daniel offers them a deal they can’t refuse: if they agree to marry, he will save Alex’s family from financial ruin and grant Charlotte the freedom to go to college. Reluctantly the couple agrees, but in private they plot to annul the marriage as soon as possible.

But when Alex’s feelings change and he refuses to dissolve their contract, will Charlotte find a way out of her vows? Or will she discover that maybe this marriage isn’t so inconvenient after all?

This book is a bit different from other "arranged" marriage books in that most of the book leads up to the marriage rather than the marriage happening at the beginning of the book.

Part of the story takes place in London and part takes place in Colorado. The characters are interesting and the descriptions are beautiful. I especially like the little sayings at the beginning of each chapter by Charlotte's tutor, Miss Pence.

Charlotte is a bit ahead of her time in wanting to work in her father's business rather than be a wife and mother, particularly she wants to go to university. She's quite the schemer when it comes to getting what she wants.

Alex is only concerned with the stars. He wants nothing more than to be able to study the stars and explore the nighttime sky. But when he becomes responsible for this family's finances he has to find a way out of debt.

A very good read.

Jody

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

The Lady Of Bolton Hill

Elizabeth Camden's novel set in Baltimore in the late 1890s is a glorious story of young love matured by time, distance and circumstances.

Clara and Daniel are from vastly different backgrounds. Clara grew up the privileged daughter of a minister. Daniel was the only son of a working class family. But music brought them together. For years they enjoying playing and composing music.

Then life intrudes and years go by until they are brought back together. But can the things they experienced in the years apart be overcome so that they can be together?

I loved this book and highly recommend it.

Jody

My copy of this book was graciously provided by Bethany House Publishers.

Spring for Susannah

Catherine Richmond's debut novel is set in the Dakota Territory following the Civil War. Susannah's parents have passed away and with no income and no prospects she begins writing letters to her pastor's brother who is living in the Dakota Territory. She becomes his mail order bride and boards a train to go meet her husband.

What follows is a time of getting to know each other. Learning how to love each other and to live together.

Susannah has never experienced unconditional love so every time something doesn't go the way she thinks it should, she expects Jesse (her husband) to send her packing. Jesse has infinite patience with her and gives his all at loving her right from the beginning.

There are some sexual references like nothing I have ever experienced in a "Christian" novel before. Nothing overt or anything that made me uncomfortable - just different from anything I've read before. That said, I'm not sure this is a book for younger girls.

I liked this book to a point and I've struggled with how to word this without giving too much away. As with most books in this genre there is a time of building up the relationship and then a time where the couple is put through trials. The trial happens too quickly after the relationship finally develops and lasts entirely too long. And when they finally come back together, the end of the book is too close. Jesse returns and five short pages later the book is done. Too many loose ends were left. It might be okay if this was the beginning of a series but there is no mention of another book.

All in all a good debut novel.

Jody

My copy was graciously provided by BookSneeze for my honest review.