At Love's Bidding is an endearing romance

At Love's Bidding( Ozark Mountain Romance Book 2) takes you back to Boston in 1873. Miranda Wimplegate assists her family at their renowned auction house.  Her grandfather Elmer Wimplegate has accidentally sold a prized portrait of an influential Boston family.

In an order to help save the auction house from scandal and ruin; Miranda accompanies her grandfather to the Missouri Ozarks where they have tracked the painting. In an effort to keep the painting from being sold the Wimplegates buy the 'auction' house in Missouri not realizing that they specialize in livestock not antiques!
Wyatt Ballentine, the good-looking manager is irritated with the new owner's changes as they clearly have no idea of how a livestock auction is run. He was doing just fine on his own until Miranda Wimplegate stuck her nose in his business attempting to change some of the ways he operated the cattle barn.

Can Miranda and her grandfather find the portrait in time to salvage the reputation of their public sale house?

At first, there is some animosity between Wyatt and Miranda, but over time this enmity turns to friendship and the friendship blossoms into love.  I liked how the romance slowly developed between this unlikely pair.

Another aspect of Ms. Jenning's novel that interested me is that the grandfather Elmer had a fairly large role in the story.  Typically, I find when grandparents are involved in a story their role is minor and in At Love's Budding,  Elmer has a little bit more of a major role. I also liked how Miranda genuinely cares and is concerned for her grandfather. I thought this was so sweet and as a reader this quality endeared her to me.

If you've read book one in this series, (A Most Inconvenient Marriage) Ms. Jennings reunites readers with characters from her first book. Having enjoyed book one it was a delight to have favorite characters interwoven into At Love's Bidding.

Ms. Jennings is making her mark in Christian fiction with her blend of mystery, romance, and humor. If historical fiction appeals to you I would most certainly check out At Love's Bidding and other works by Ms. Jennings.



~~At Love's Bidding  was provided to my 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 ~~

Fire and Ice....a Satisfactory Ending to Mary Connealy's Wild at Heart series.

When I saw Fire and Ice (Book 3 in the Wild at Heart series) in the new books section of my local public library I snatched it up. And it didn't even bother me that I hadn't read book 2 Now and Forever yet....well it bothered me a little, but not enough to stop me from Ms. Connealy's Wild at Heart series out of sequence. I survived and happily lived to write about it!

In Fire and Ice, Bailey Wilde, the oldest sister gets her own story. Bailey has always been the one to take care of her sisters,  but now that her sisters are both married and moved away; Bailey finds taking care of her spread lonely. After a long, hard winter she agrees to a crazy plan by her neighbor Gage Coulter. Coulter needs a wife. He wrote his mother that he had a wife in an effort to keep her from worrying about him. This plan backfired on him as his mother wrote Gage that she was coming for a visit. Desperate Gage proposes to Bailey. She agrees to marry him with some conditions. The first being if she doesn't like being married to Coulter she can leave and the second is that he sign over the deed to the canyon on her land that he owns.  Because he's in a bind he agrees to her conditions. 

I feel that I need to preface this book review a bit. Anytime I read a Mary Connealy book I know I'm in for a fun, crazy, adventure filled with strong, sassy, women and no nonsense cowboys and I've loved all of Ms. Connealy's books I can get my hands on. But in Fire and Ice I felt it took a bit longer to pick up speed. Once Bailey agrees to marry Coulter then the story picked up pace and I rapidly turned pages to the end. 

One of the characteristics I liked about Bailey is that she was an extremely hard worker. I also enjoyed seeing Bailey's transformation from 'tomboy' to a more feminine woman. She's still tough, but over the course of the book she softens considerably.  

Similarly, Gage is also a hard worker like Bailey. They are alike in this trait. Another way that Gage and Bailey are similar is the way they react to their parents. The juxtaposition  of Gage's controlling mother and Bailey's father's relentless effort to build a shrine in the form of a large spread of land to his dead son Jimmy and his stubbornness at not recognizing Bailey as a women affect both Gage and Bailey in different ways.  

The ending to this series is fitting and bittersweet. 

Humor and cowboys are Ms. Connealy's niche. If you enjoy this type of novel I highly recommend you check out her new Wild at Heart Series...it'll be one wild and fun ride. 

Deanna Durbin's Last Hurrah: Film review of Lady on a Train (1945)

Deanna Durbin known affectionately as "Winnipeg's Sweetheart" charmed audiences from 1936 till her retirement in 1948. She was known for her beautiful singing voice and vivacious personality.

She is credited with an impressive 23 films in her short 12 year career. Why you may ask did she retire after only 12 years in film? Despite her success Deanna was never comfortable with the praise and adoration of her fans. At the young age of 27 and at the height of her career she walked away from it all. She married her third husband director Charles David (David directed Durbin in Lady On a Train) on the condition that she could one  day leave all the success and fame to live a quiet normal life in France and she did just that.  I applaud Ms. Durbin for being willing to cast off all her fame and fortune for a simple, quiet life.  Although, I do wonder if she had continued in Hollywood how far would her stardom have risen?
I"m glad that some of Ms. Durbin's films are still available for movie buffs like me to experience and enjoy.

Deanna made the classic, somewhat zany, whodunit comedy, Lady on a Train in 1945. She traded her trademark dark locks for blonde proving that blondes do have more fun!  This is one of my favorite roles of hers. Durbin plays Nikki Collins, a socialite traveling to New York via train who witnesses a murder from  her window seat on the train.  Determined to discover who was murdered she tried to involve the police, but they think she's crazy due to the fact that there's no body. She convinces a reluctant mystery writer, Wayne Morgan (David Bruce) to help her solve the murder.  Lady On a Train is a witty, fast-paced mystery that'll have you second guessing yourself until the very end.

The three numbers that Durbin sings in Lady on a Train really showcase her singing talents. When she sings she's displays a variety of emotions. Deanna's hauntingly beautiful rendition of Silent Night almost brings you to tears, but then when she's singing Gimme a Little Kiss she shows a fun and playful side. The third and final song she sings is Night and Day and this song seems perfectly suited to her vocals.  

If you're a fan of Durbin's work or simply want to watch more of her films, I urge you to watch Lady On a Train. It'll be of the most pleasant 94 minutes (movie's running time) you spend.

Autumn Brides is a Delight from Beginning to End

I've seen these  seasonal 'Bride' collection novellas in the library and bookstores. There are Spring Brides, Summer Brides, Autumn Brides and Winter Brides. A friend of mine purchased the Winter Brides collection for me on my Kindle and after reading Autumn Brides, I'm excited to start that set of novellas, but I'm getting ahead of myself.  Let's focus on Autumn Brides since it is fall and my favorite season.

Autumn Brides is a 3 in 1 collection.  I read this book in two days and probably would have read it faster if life didn't get in the way. 

Out of the 3 authors, I'm only familiar with one author, Beth K. Vogt. The other two authors I had never read before, but after reading novellas by them I'm anxious to add them to my ever-growing list of authors. Because I have to read things in chronological order I read these novellas in sequence. If you aren't as OCD as me you can certainly skip around and read them in whatever order you prefer. There were so many great laugh-out-loud moments throughout this series.  Each novella was it's own separate story, but I felt that the choice of stories flowed really well together. 

A September Brides by Kathryn Springer 

Annie Price jumps at the offer of bookstore manager at  Second Story Books in Red Leaf and sees it as an opportunity to start fresh and build roots in a small community.  Deputy Jesse Kent is suspicious of the fact that his mother handed over the keys of her beloved bookstore to whom he considers a virtual stranger. His suspicions are due to the fact that years earlier his mother 'trusted' someone and ended up having her whole life savings taken. Jesse decides to keep an eye on Miss Price and winds up volunteering to be a 'groom' in a wedding re-enactment to Annie's 'bride'. The wedding re-enactment was of a famous well-known couple who founded Red Leaf.  Will this make-believe wedding reveal Annie and Jesse's true feeling for one other?

From the moment Annie appeared on the pages of this book, I liked her. She  had a genuine sweetness about her. She quickly befriended many people in the Red Leaf community and she embraced small town life. I like that she was a keen observer of people. 

Jesse had some great hero qualities. He was always willing to lend a hand and help others in his town. I really liked how protective he was of not only his mother, but other people in the community. 

There was most definitely an undeniable chemistry between Annie and Jesse. I found myself turning pages looking forward to the next interaction between these two. 

The town of Red Leaf and it's residents was also like another character. I found myself wanting to live in a place like Red Leaf. Felt like I'd step back in time to Mayberry. This book was just so charming from beginning to end and I found myself not wanting it to end or leave the delightful town of Red Leaf. 

I look forward to reading more books by Kathryn Springer. 

A October Bride by Katie Ganshert

Emma Tate has had a crush on her brother's best friend, Jake Sawyer for years. While house sitting for her parents, she find her dad's bucket list. One item on that list catches her attention.  

Walk Emma Down the Aisle. 

Two years ago, Emma's dad was diagnosed with cancer.  Emma is determined to help her dad fulfill all his items on his 'bucket list' even if it means getting married.  Hard to do since she broke up with her fiance two years ago and isn't dating.  Enter her brother's best friend Jake. Jake proposes that he be her 'groom' for the fake wedding. Will this fake wedding between Emma and Jake reveal their true feelings for one another?

One of the traits that I love about Emma was how she loved her family. Her family was extremely important to her so much so that she was willing to go through a crazy scheme like a phony wedding. Her heart and motives were in the right place.  

Jake Swayer....well what's not to like about him? He's a hard working, handsome, quiet guy. The chemistry between him and Emma slowly grows given the fact that he's known Emma practically his whole life and is a friend of the family.

 I feel like the author handled the transition of Jake and Emma's relationship well. It progressed naturally and easily and eventually their feelings for each other deepened beyond friendship. 

Another couple of characters I feel deserve mentioning are Emma's parents.  I loved how godly, wise, and courageous her dad was. Even though he was battling cancer, he lived each day to the fullest. There were a few honest and heart-felt conversations he has with Emma and I shed a few tears. I think because I can see my own dad saying something similar to me and because I've lost loved ones to cancer. 

I'm really excited to discover more books by Katie Ganshert. Her October Bride novella left me wanting to read more.

A November Bride by Beth K. Vogt

Beth K. Vogt was the only author I was familiar with when I read this series of novellas. A few years ago I read Catch a Falling Star and really enjoyed it. I like that some of Ms Vogt's heroines are a little bit older. Now that I'm past my twenties it's nice to read about older heroines. 

November Bride finds 30 year old personal culinary chef Sadie McAllister  fed up with 'text only' dates and is tired of being dumped via text.

Enter best friend Erik Davis. The only man who can put down his phone and have a face-to face conversation with her.   Sadie and Erik have been best friends since they were 13. Once Erik realizes he's falling in love with his best friend Sadie can he convince her that his typically ''date-for-fun' attitude towards relationships is changing into a more serious 'till death do us part' kind of relationship?  

I really liked Sadie and Erik as a couple. They are both accepting of one another's flaws and little quirks. I cracked up that Erik hums Born in the USA by Bruce Springsteen when he's upset because it calms his down. I found it amusing that Sadie was such a neat freak and every time she and Erik hung out he'd always rearrange something in her house and it would drive her a little nuts. 

Ms. Vogt stuck a good balance with the right mix of life long friends chemistry that blossomed into a growing romance between these two friends. 

If I had to pick which novella I liked the best I'm not sure I could do it. I liked certain elements of each novella.  

Check out Autumn Brides. The writing is top notch and it's great escapism fiction.  

With Every Breathe by Elizabeth Camden....Thought-provoking.

With Every Breathe is set prior to the turn of the century.  Dr. Trevor McDonough (a.k.a. Kendall) is tirelessly working to find a cure for tuberculosis. This was a disease that affected the lungs and had become a major cause of death in America.

He seeks the help of statistician Kate Livingston. Surprised that the 'awful' Trevor McDonough would seek her out, she agrees to work with him despite her reservations.  Trevor and Kate have a history together. Both attended the same school and were academic rivals. Years prior, Trevor beat her in a scholarship for Harvard and Kate has resented him since then.

Can Trevor and Kate survive this disease, look past old secrets and danger to find a life together?

Although I liked Trevor and Kate's banter, I felt that they were both somewhat childish in their dealings with one another. Below is one of many 'childish' examples.

"Kate's eyes narrowed as she looked around the ward, then back at him. "You're paying for all of this? Out of your own pocket?"

"Yes." After all, some good ought to come of the fortune that had been dumped on his lap. 

Kate's mouth thinned, and she looked ready to snap. "I thought you said you were poor, that you needed the money." (Camden, 61). 

At first, Trevor's sullen and serious personality was a turn off and then once the author began peeling back the layers, you realize why he is the way he is. After I understood this, I grew to like him a little more. In order for him to do his job, he has to remain objective. Getting too attached to patients would be too draining emotionally. Because Trevor is so focused on finding a cure for tuberculosis he tends to sometimes forget social graces.

By contrast, Kate is the opposite of Trevor. While both Kate and Trevor are hard workers, Kate tends to wear her heart on her sleeve more when dealing with patients at the hospital. The patients weren't just numbers to her. She genuinely cared about them. One of my favorite moments in the book is when she starts reading books aloud to the patients.  I really liked how passionate Kate was about issues and things that she believed in. 

One of the issues with the book that I had was Kate's fear of death.  Losing her younger brothers to illness and her husband to an accident left her fearing death and the unknown. Yes, there's a certain fear I believe that people have, but in Kate's case it almost crippled her in her relations with others, particularly, her family and Trevor. I do like that the author resolves this issue though and Kate sees her fear of death as not trusting in God.

Despite the fact that I didn't like that the two main characters 'childish" dealings with one anther, this did not detract me from wanting to read more books by Ms. Camden and I applaud her for taking on a serious topic of disease.  I could tell that Ms Camden had done her research for this book and her writing is engaging and keeps you wanting to read more.  

A Most Inconvenient Marriage by Regina Jennings....Most Intriguing!

I confess I'm a sap for 'marriage of convenience' stories. The idea of two people entering into marriage for the sake of convenience is intriguing. Regina Jennings managers to throw in a few twists in A Most Inconvenient Marriage. 

Set Post- Civil War, a 'Yankee' nurse Abigail Stuart agrees to marry her 'favorite' patient Captain Jeremiah Calhoun on his deathbed promising to look after his farm in the Ozarks along with his mother and sister. As his widow, she would be given the rights to his horse farm. A 'marriage of convenience' will serve them both as Abigail has nowhere to go and Jeremiah needs someone to look after his property.

Upon arriving at the Calhoun farm, her reception is met with mixed reviews.  Jeremiah's mother 'Ma' Calhoun is thrilled to have her and insists Abigail call her 'Ma'. By contrast, Jeremiah's ill sister Rachel is less-than-thrilled and has a temperamental disposition.

After a few months of posing as Captain Calhoun's widow, Jeremiah shows up at his family's farm; very much alive and demanding to know Abigail's reasons for being on his property. Abigail is perplexed when the handsome soldier before her claims to be Jeremiah Calhoun...he doesn't resemble the soldier she married on his deathbed.

Can Abigail convince Jeremiah she doesn't have ulterior motives for helping out at his farm?
Can Jeremiah convince Abigail to stay before it's too late?

Having only read a novella by Regina Jennings; An Unforeseen Match (Found in A Match Made in Texas collection. Side-note: I highly recommend this collection of 4 novellas. I thought it was so creative the way the first 3 stories are set up by a 'matchmaker' and in the 4th and the final story the reader gets to meet the mysterious matchmaker!) it wet my appetite to read more books by Ms. Jennings. A Most Inconvenient Marriage  held my attention and kept me up late reading for several nights WAY past my bedtime!

Abigail was such a refreshing heroine. There was no guile in her character. She's not afraid of hard work and she's willing to work hard whether it is on the farm or helping patients. Abigail is compassionate, but firm with her patients. She speaks her mind and I found this extremely energizing.

Jeremiah is similarly matched to Abigail in the fact that he also works hard on the farm when he returns from the war. Despite his injured leg he still works hard and pushes himself to his limits. I thought that both Jeremiah and Abigail's willingness to work hard was a commendable trait. I also really liked that Jeremiah was fiercely protective of his family and his farm.

Jeremiah and Abigail's relationship slowly developed. I liked this because it seemed more realistic. After a bit of a bumpy start they become friends and then the friendship turned into deeper feelings for both of them. I found Jeremiah and Abigail's repartee amusing....it made me anxious to get to the next scene with these two characters to see what kind of verbal sparring there would be. Just one of many examples listed below.

'He cleared his throat. "You should've warned me."
"Well, I'm warning you now. We can't stay here."
"You have one of two choices. You can spend the night with those men who are right now sitting in the overlooks and passes, waiting for us to try to sneak past, or you can stay safe here with me."
"Safe with you?" She scowled at him. "I'm not so sure."
"I'm not the one strutting around town telling everyone we're married." (Jennings, 203)


I thought it was interesting that Ms. Jennings dealt a little with how people reacted to outsiders like Abigail. People in the community knew she was a 'Yankee.' She didn't have to say anything. Clearly, there was still bitterness and animosity towards other particularly outsiders like Abigail. The Civil War didn't magically change that...the lingering affects lasted long afterward.

Both Jeremiah and Abigail were believers and their relationship with Christ seems genuine. Both characters pray silently to Him several times throughout the story and also recalling scripture in times of trouble or at various points in the novel. I appreciate that God wasn't added as an afterthought.

Not sure I 'felt' any particular way after finishing this book. I simply enjoyed it as a story and good 'escapism' fiction.

I look froward to reading more of Ms. Jennings' books. She's a gifted writer and the Christian fiction genre is blessed to have her talent.
 

Tried and True by Mary Connealy....Delivers!

I've been a fan of Mary Connealy's since I first read Petticoat Ranch by her several years ago. I knew after reading that book that she was going to top my favorite author list and her books were going to be on my ever growing 'must-read' pile.
As an author Mary Connealy's name is synonymous with humor and cowboys.
Anytime I delve into a book by Ms. Connealy, I know that I'm in for an adventure, with lots of laugh-out-loud humor, feisty, sassy, heroines, and  tough-as-nails, one-man-woman cowboys and heart-melting kisses. Tried and True (Book #1 in her Wild at Heart series) delivered!

Kylie Wilde, the youngest of the Wilde girls is the most 'civilized' of her sisters. She enjoys wearing dresses and growing her hair long. By contrast, Kylie's sisters have short haircuts and wear men's clothes. The Wilde women have all fought in the Civil War and claiming the special exemption they got serving as 'boys'.
Aaron Masterson, the local land agent, is intrigued by the beautiful Kylie. But when he discovers her secret; that she's a woman and she's using the special exemption she got while fighting in the war as a 'boy'...he's torn as to what he should do. He's an honest man and not about to defraud the U.S. government, but he can't help, but he drawn to Kylie.
When someone tries to scare Kylie off her homestead, Aaron feels the need to protect her.
Can he convince her to marry him and settle on the frontier with him and give up her dreams of civilization where she drinks tea and buys fancy, store-bought bonnets?

I loved Aaron and Kylie's chemistry and verbal sparring. For example, there's a part in the book where Aaron is trying to convince Kylie to go to one of her siblings homesteads for protection while he goes off and fights her battle for her This of course, did not set well with Kylie.

"You can leave me a Shannon's, but I'll just follow you. When you ride off, look behind. I'll be right there. I'm not letting you fight my battles."
"You"- Aaron jabbed his finger right in her face- "are not going!"
"Oh, yes I am!"
"If you say one more word about it, I'm going to arrest you for pure stupidity and haul you straight to the jailhouse." (Connealy, 98).

I also really liked the dynamic relationship between the sisters: Bailey, Shannon, and Kylie. Each sister had her own strengths and when they combined all of their strengths and talents they were able to accomplish a lot. They built nice cabins for one another and helped each other in the homesteading process. And even though they don't always get along they are always there for each other.

The ending although satisfactory left me wanting read the other two books in the series.

Ms. Connealy's books always make me want to lasso my own 'tired and true' cowboy!

Thank you Ms.Connealy for yet another fun and adventurous read. I  really love your books. I always know that it's going to be fun and slightly 'Wilde' ride.  Please, please write more.