No Way Up by Mary Connealy....There's No Way You Won't Finish it!

Mary Connealy's latest adventure No Way Up (The Cimarron Legacy Book 1) takes you back to the 1880's New Mexican Territory where there's avalanches, new wills are read, lives changed, and danger threatens the owners of the Cimarron Ranch (CR).

Hired-hand Heath Kincaid's quick thinking rescued his boss Cimarron Ranch patriarch Chance Boden from an avalanche. Prior to boarding a train for Denver to save his leg (and his life) Chance demands that Heath read his new will to his 3 adult children and insists that it is to be enforced immediately.

 The new will states that Cole, Justin, and Sadie Boden are to all live and work at the CR for 1 year or the ranch will pass to a detested distant cousin. Both Cole and Sadie have moved into town away from the ranch. Cole successfully runs his father's mining business and Sadie works at the orphanage in town and feels that she has found her calling and purpose in life. Justin is the only Boden sibling who lives and works on the CR. A characteristic that all the Boden siblings share is stubbornness. But it was great to see how they came together despite their squabbling and differences to save their family's legacy.

I liked hero Heath Kincaid from the get-go. He is loyal to the Boden family, a man of action, equally stubborn as the Boden clan, and he's got a lot of gumption. Not only does he rescue Chance, but the family as well a few times throughout the story.

Heroine Sadie Boden can hold her own. She is the type of heroine that readers have come to expect and love from this author. Ms. Connealy manages to strike the perfect balance when it comes to her heroines. Most often, they are sassy and tough-as-nails, but they always maintain their femininity.

And of course it wouldn't be a Connealy Western without her romantic and sigh-worthy kisses between the hero and heroine.
"Heath's head dipped, and his lips met hers. A kiss. Her first kiss. It was perfect.
Lips slanted across her mouth. He raised the hands they'd joined until he laid hers on his shoulder. Then he let go and slid one arm around her waist. So gently, so mindful of where they were. But just as surely lost in the kiss as she was." (Connealy, 123-124).

Ms.Connealy maintains her fun, adventurous, Wild West storytelling that she's known for in No Way Up. The ending is gratifying, yet leaves it open-ended for more stories. I'm hoping that the Boden brothers, Cole and Justin will get their own stories because I'd love to re-visit the Cimarron Ranch.

I've been reading Mary Connealy's books for several years now and a unique attribute that I noticed is that her books and series always seem to be interconnected through her characters. She does this really well...it's seems effortlessly and seamlessly done, but I'm sure takes a lot of planning and thought.  Hero Heath Kincaid is the youngest brother of Rafe, Ethan, and Seth from her Kincaid Bride series (Out of Control, In Too Deep, and Over the Edge).

If romantic comedies about cowboys tickles your funny bone look no further than Mary Connealy's novels because this genre is her specialty.

Double Indemnity (1944) Crime Doesn't Pay

Double Indemnity (1944) is one of those films that has been on my list of "must- see" classics and I have to say....it didn't disappoint! From the opening scene to the end  Double Indemnity will keep the viewer on the edge of their seats.

Barbara Stanwyck and Fred MacMurray teamed up in four films together and Double Indemnity was their second of the four and probably their most well-known. Their other films include: Remember the Night (1940), The Moonlighter (1953), and There's Always Tomorrow (1956).  If you're a fan of this pairing, I urge you to watch Remember The Night if you're looking for a rare Christmas film.

Remember The Night(1940)

Insurance representative Walter Neff (MacMurray) meets the lovely Phyllis Dietrichson (Stanwyck) an unhappy wife who convinces Neff to murder her husband and commit insurance fraud. The film title Double Indemnity gets it's name from a clause found in most life insurance policies that state in the case of accidental death the insurance company will pay the beneficiary twice the value of the policy. Edward G. Robinson plays second fiddle to MacMurray's character Walter Neff as his best friend and mentor Barton Keyes. Keyes (Robinson) suspects Phyllis of plotting her husband's murder with another man...he just isn't sure who the man is.
Obviously, I don't condone adultery or murder, but writer/director Billy Wilder draws you in and before you know it you're immersed in the story wondering how it's going to end.

One aspect of this film that interested me was the lighting and the camera angles. I thought they were very cleverly done and enhanced the suspense of the film.

Fun Film Trivia: Double Indemnity was director Billy Wilder's first thriller.

According to the American Film Institute, Double Indemnity was ranked #29 on the Greatest Films of All Time in 2007.

Both Fred MacMurray and Barbara Stanwyck were reluctant to play such villainous role, but Wilder eventually convinced both actors.

Double Indemnity is one of the best examples of film noir and if this genre appeals to you I'd add this movie to your "must-see" list.

A Heart Most Certain was Compelling, Encouraging, and Convicting

You've heard the saying... "don't judge a book by it's cover?" This was true of Melissa Jagears newest work A Heart Most Certain (Book 2 in the Teaville Morale Society series). I expected to read a turn of the century romance with some conflict, but A Heart Most Certain didn't just scratch the surface, but went deeper. Ms. Jagears touched on societal views towards helping the poor, having a right heart and motives when helping others, and most importantly having a real relationship with God and not merely paying Him lip service and Sunday attendance.  By the end, I was encouraged, convicted, and inspired.

A Heart Most Certain pricks your conscience and stays with you long after you've read the last page.

Lydia King is sent on a mission by the Teaville Moral Society to collect a donation from the wealthiest man in town Nicholas Lowe. Lowe blatantly refuses her request.  He prefers that his donations/charitable work remain anonymous.
Her persistent in seeking a donation pays off. Nicholas agrees with some stipulations: Lydia is to write down three causes she believes should be funded without discussing them with the ladies' aide society and she is also to accompany him when he grants these requests.





Before reading A Heart Most Certain, I had only read one novella by Ms. Jagears:  Engaging the Competition (which is found in With This Ring collection.) and I discovered it to be a delightful novella with unique characters and an engaging story.   

One aspect of Ms. Jagears writing that I enjoyed was her references to other literary works. These examples were cleverly and skillfully placed throughout the story. The allusions enhanced the story and didn't detract from it.
"Lydia King took a tentative step into Mr. Lowe's hazy office, feeling like Bob Cratchit approaching Scrooge. Had Cratchit's heart pitter-pattered as fast as hers? Except his heartbeat wouldn't have had anything to do with Scrooge's looks- thin blue lips, pointed noise, and red eyes, per Dickens." (Jagears, 7)

I also appreciated that she had a spiritual element in A Heart Most Certain. Both characters experience some turmoil and testing of their faith. To me this made the characters more relatable and believable.

Ms. Jagears has found her niche in Inspirational Historical Romance and I look forward to reading more of her works.





~~A Heart Most Certain was provided to me by Bethany House in return for my honest opinion. I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher, for which I was not required to write a positive review. All opinions expressed are mine alone ~~

Forward Ever Forward...Courageous is a Dramatic Conclusion to the Valiant Hearts series

I was ecstatic to have the opportunity to review Courageous by Dina L. Sleiman (Book 3 in her Valiant Hearts series). Having read and loved Chivalrous, it was exciting to travel back to the 1200's again, where I was certain the Camelot-like adventure would continue.

Courageous picks up about 2 years after Chivalrous continuing with Rosalind of Ipsworth's story. (Rosalind was Lady Gwendolyn's ladies' maid in Chivalrous.)  Moved by Lady Sapphira's vision to save captives from a prison in Tripoli, Rosalind feels called to join the Crusade along with a throng of other men, women, and children. Among this multitude, is Sir Randel Penigree, who was raised to serve the church, but always longed to serve as a Templar knight fighting for and protecting the innocent. Rosalind and Sir Randel have a solid friendship and they partner together to train the children in combat exercises. While onboard the ship, both Rosalind and Randel find themselves the recipients of unwanted attention.  Randel trying to fend off the vain Lady Jocelyn and Rosalind attempting to dissuade Lord Rumsford. To ward off the attention, Rosalind and Randel agree to pretend to be courting to keep the unwanted suitors at bay.  Will their charade cross over from being pretend to real?

Rosalind and Randel are similar in the fact that both are trying to overcome sins from their past. Over the course of the story, both of them realize that they must embrace the future and not attempt to earn their redemption.
Their motto throughout is "forward ever forward."

One aspect that truly impressed me was the maturity of the children and young adults. During this time period young people didn't have much of a childhood if any and had to grow up quickly. It was not uncommon for girls to be married as young as 15. In today's society we would balk at this, but back then the mortality rate was higher. It was sweet to see how both Rosalind and Randel developed paternal feelings for the younger children who were in their charge on the crusade. In my eyes, this trait endeared them to me.

Courageous was an excellent conclusion to Ms. Sleiman's Valiant Hearts series and I thoroughly enjoyed it. If strong, unforgettable heroines appeal to you, then I urge you to check out this series.


~~Courageous was provided to me by Bethany House in return for my honest opinion. I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher, for which I was not required to write a positive review. All opinions expressed are mine alone ~~

Karen Witemeyer's No Other Will Do is a Page-Turner

Jane Austen once said, "...If a book is well written, I always find it too short."  This is how I feel about all of Karen Witemeyer's novels. I first discovered her books back in 2010 and in a short six years, Ms. Witemeyer has established herself in the Christian historical romance market. I'm excited to have this opportunity to read and review her latest endeavor and add it to my 'favorites' shelf. This sounds so cliché to say, but Karen Witemeyer's books simply get better and better.

No Other Will Do (A Ladies of Harper Station Novel) takes readers back to 1890's Texas.
Emma Chandler is bossy, independent, and headstrong. Beneath these strong characteristics, she has a heart for animals and people, particularly, women who are in troubled circumstances. Emma founded Harper's Station, a woman's colony dedicated to helping females in need to get a fresh start. Raised from a young age by her suffragette aunts, Henry and Bertie, Emma has always been independent and taught not to rely on men. When an unknown man begins threatening and terrorizing the small community of Harper's Station, Emma agrees that they need a man to help defend them.
Enter, Malachi Shaw, a man that Emma has known since childhood and the only man she trusts to protect them.
Malachi has had a tough life. Orphaned from a young age he is guarded and doesn't trust people.  Until he meets Emma and her aunts. The Chandler ladies take him in and treat him like family. The time that Malachi spent with the Chandler family was a turning point in his life.  It caused him to not view people through such a jaded lens. When you meet Malachi as an adult, he's now an explosives expert for the railroad and has the respect he's always longed for.  Despite his success at his job, some traits from childhood still follow him into adulthood such as saving a portion of each meal he eats. I liked that Malachi didn't let his past define him.

The few flashbacks the author provides into Emma and Malachi's childhood relationship are key and gives the reader a deeper sense of why Emma see Mal as the only man she trusts and also why he is willing to swiftly come to her aid after receiving a simple telegram from her with a plea for help.

Ms. Witemeyer is known for her romantic tension between the hero and heroine. No Other Will Do is no exception. The romantic interactions were "sigh worthy" and sprinkled with humor.

"You're a good man, Malachi Shaw." Then before he could even think of dodging, Emma clasped his cheeks, raised up on tiptoes, and pressed her lips to his.
It only lasted a heartbeat-although, he was pretty sure his heart stopped beating in that moment, so that particular measurement was probably not very accurate. The only thing he knew for sure was that the kiss ended before his stupefied mind could respond.
Then she vanished. And all he could do was stand in the empty café and wish he's chosen kissing over talking when he'd had the chance." (Witemeyer, 257)


I will admit that Emma and Mal's story is somewhat predictable, but sometimes as a reader I want and enjoy reading a predictable story. I find with any of Ms. Witemeyer's books it's always a fun adventure getting to the end. 

I can confidently say that Karen Witemeyer easily makes my 'top 5 favorite authors list.'  If you haven't heard of her; you need to go to the nearest library or bookstore and read her books. You will not be disappointed. She's one of those authors that I find myelf in countdown mode till her next release which is set to be released January of 2017....only 5 more monthts to wait! 

~~ No Other Will Do was provided to me by Bethany House in return for my honest opinion. I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher and author herself, for which I was not required to write a positive review. All opinions expressed are mine alone ~~

June Bride (1948) A Delightful and Overlooked Screwball Comedy

Before I begin this film review, I have a confession.  I've never been a fan of Bette Davis (Gasp!), but the premise of June Bride intrigued me.  And I have to admit that I was pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed this underrated screwball comedy.  The writing is sharp and witty.

June Bride (1948) stars Bette Davis, Robert Montgomery and a cast of Hollywood's most memorable character actors: Betty Lynn, Barbara Bates, and Mary Wickes.
Davis is best known for her dramatic roles throughout her 58 year career in Hollywood and she gained recognition for roles she plays in films such as All About Eve (1950), What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? (1962), Dead Ringer (1964) and Hush, Hush, Sweet Charlotte (1964). Davis' character in June Bride brings out a different side of her and I have to say she was genuinely funny.
Editor Linda Gillman (Davis) is forced to work with writer and former flame Carey Jackson (Montgomery). Verbal sparks fly between the former lovers as they travel to Indiana to cover an All-American story of a local girl, Jeanne Brinker (Bates) marrying her high school sweetheart, Bud Mitchell.  While there, Carey uncovers something that could put a crimp in the story and possibly cost him his job. He discovers that older sister, Jeanne Brinker was engaged to Bud's older brother Jim who is serving in the military and stationed in Chicago and younger sister Barbara "Boo" Brinker (Lynn) is in love with Bud.
I found myself rooting for Barbara and Bud and amused at Carey's role as cupid between the two young people.

 Spoiler alert: For all the feminists out there the ending to June Bride may not sit well with you because Linda ends up being the one to make the gesture or sacrifice. Just remember this film was made in 1948. I personally found the ending to be sweet and charming.

Fun Film Trivia about a few of the character actors in June Bride: Betty Lynn is best known for playing Thelma Lou the ever patient girlfriend of Barney Fife on The Andy Griffith Show.  Barbara Bates is known for Cheaper by the Dozen (1950), Let's Make it Legal (1951), and Belles on their Toes (1952). Mary Wickes plays nosy house keeper Emma Allen in White Christmas (1954).
Additional Trivia:  Robert Montgomery is the father of actress Elizabeth Montgomery best known for playing Samantha Stephens on the classic sitcom Bewitched. 
June Bride is the film debut of Debbie Reynolds.
This was costume designer Edith Head's first time designing clothes for Bette Davis.

Unlike me, if you're a huge fan of Bette Davis' work and want to see her in something other than a drama, check out this forgotten screwball comedy. You'll be in for a treat!

Dee Henderson is back in 'Traces of Guilt'

Illinois native Dee Henderson is back! Her popular romantic suspense series, The O'Malley's made her a household name in the Christian fiction genre and were devoured by me and countless other fans.
I feel like I need to preface this review with a bit of a disclaimer. I consider myself to be a loyal fan of her works, but to be honest I struggled with her books that were written post-O'Malley series. When I had the opportunity to review her latest work I had mixed feeling. I was ecstatic, but concerned that her new book would be a trial to get through.

Traces of Guilt: An Evie Blackwell Cold Case was reminiscent of the O'Malley series and reminded me of why I like this author so much.My top 3 reasons of why I liked her O'Malley series were the dynamic, relatable characters, page turning stories, and the natural chemistry between the hero and heroine.  The top 3 issues I have with her books post-O'Malley are: her characters seem flat to me, the stories are interesting, but I feel they take too long to capture my interest, and I also felt the chemistry was lacking between the leads.

The moment Evie Blackwell appeared on the pages of Traces of Guilt I liked her.  She's tenacious, determined, has a passion for solving crimes, thinks outside the box, considers multiple scenarios, and isn't afraid to confront the person(s) responsible for the crime. Evie is an Illinois State Police detective and has arrived in Carin, IL  to head up a new task force to solve cold cases. 

Gabriel 'Gabe' Thane is a native of Carin and is now the town sheriff as his father was before him.  He's an all around steady, honest, hard-working great guy. He can be protective of the residents of Carin and the people he cares about.

Gabe and Evie had a natural and easy chemistry that builds into a strong friendship; hinting at a possible romance on the horizon. I liked that anytime Gabe visited Evie he always left behind a roll of Sweet Tarts. Gabe must have been subtle about it because she never realized he left the candy until he was gone. By the end of this story I was craving Sweet Tarts!

One minor issue I had with Traces of Guilt was the chapter length. Most if not all of the chapters were 20 plus pages long. I try to read for a few minutes each day and it would take me several sittings to get through one chapter. 
Because the chapters were lengthier, I did like that Ms. Henderson lists specific characters names throughout the chapter so that the reader realizes the shift in the story direction. This helped me to not be as confused and attempt to keep all the storylines straight. I would say there are 3 possible storylines plus Evie is working 2 separate cold cases so there's a total of about 5 different story lines to keep straight and a few of them are interwoven.

A couple of minor characters that were introduced in Traces of Guilt were Will and Joshua Thane, Gabe's younger brothers. Both Thane brothers have qualities similar to Gabe. It seemed to me that Ms. Henderson was using  Traces a Guilt as a spring board to introduce both Will and Joshua's stories. I hope that she'll continue in her new series and allow Will and Josh their own stories.

Another minor character that played a major role was Ann Falcon. She is featured in Full Disclosure. I have another confession, a few years ago, I attempted to read this book, but didn't finish it. After reading about Ann in Traces of Guilt, I'm inclined to give Full Disclosure another try. I liked Ann's ability to 'read' people and how discerning she is with confidential information. Her knowledge of certain characters sets elements of the story in motion. Another trait I noticed about Ann was that she never divulged these 'confidential stories' unless she had that person's permission to.

Traces of Guilt  made me feel like I was dropped in an episode of CSI or Law and Order: SVU with the way Ms. Henderson cuts back and forth between character dialogue and action and kept me turning pages long after I should have been asleep.

I liked that the ending of Traces of Guilt, wrapped up all the loose ends, but also leaves it open ended leaving the reader to hope for more Evie Blackwell cold cases in the near future.
If Dee Henderson is a new author to you, I would urge you read her page-turning O'Malley series first (There's a prequel, 6 books, plus a novella) and then check out her newest book Traces of Guilt.






~~ Traces of Guilt was provided to me by Bethany House in return for my honest opinion. I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher, for which I was not required to write a positive review. All opinions expressed are mine alone ~~