Tuesday, January 31, 2017

Top Twenty(ish) Books I Read in 2016

Top Ten Tuesday is a meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish

Yeah it's taken me until the end of January to finally get around to making this list. I read a bunch of books in 2016 and most were 4 or 5 star books with a couple 3 stars thrown in. So here are some of the best of the best that I read last year!

Like Never Before by Melissa Tagg
Keep Holding On by Melissa Tagg
One Enchanted Eve by Melissa Tagg

The Wonder of You by Susan May Warren
You're the One That I Want by Susan May Warren
Wild Montana Skies by Susan May Warren

Love Everlasting by Julie Lessman
Her One and Only by Becky Wade
Married 'til Monday by Denise Hunter

Conspiracy of Silence by Ronie Kendig
Operation Zulu Redemption by Ronie Kendig
Cold Shot by Dani Pettrey

An Elegant Facade by Kristi Ann Hunter
No Other Will Do by Karen Witemeyer
Anchor in the Storm by Sarah Sundin

The Painter's Daughter by Julie Klassen
The Reluctant Duchess by Roseanna M. White
A Lady Unrivaled by Roseanna M. White

Undaunted Hope by Jody Hedlund
Forever Safe by Jody Hedlund
Newton & Polly by Jody Hedlund

I'll Be Yours by Jenny B. Jones
Close to You by Kara Issac
Three Wishes by Lisa T. Bergren

Monday, January 30, 2017

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? #252

Hosted by: The Book Date

Here is what I finished last week:
Great conclusion to the series!

What I am currently reading:
About to start this one and I'm looking forward to it!

What I hope to read this week:
CANNOT WAIT TO READ THESE TWO!!!!

Hope you have a great reading week, thanks for taking the time to check out mine!
Leave your link below and I'll be sure to stop by!

Thursday, January 26, 2017

The Returning by Rachelle Dekker

About the Book
They say the Awakening is coming.
That she’s the key.
But can she find her identity in the light
Before she perishes in the dark?
Twenty years have passed since Carrington and Remko Brant’s baby, Elise, was kidnapped and they were forced to leave her captive in the Authority City. Though they fled with the Seers far from Authority reach, they’ve never given up hope of rescuing their daughter from the man who betrayed them. Now Authority President, he’s ushered the city into a new era of “peace”—one where the Scientist Roth Reynard’s Genesis Serum has eradicated all memory of emotion or rebellion.

But the mysterious Aaron and his Seers are once again on the move, threatening the illusion the Authority has worked so hard to build. As the Seers send seven chosen warriors to rescue Elise and bring restoration to the Authority City, the lines are drawn for a final battle between light and darkness. The key to ultimate victory may rest within the strangely powerful girl who has felt forgotten but was never abandoned—a truth she’ll need to wage war against the powerful forces of evil.

My Thoughts
I thoroughly enjoyed the first two books of this series and I was intrigued to see how this one would play out since it was taking place 20 years after the events at the end of The Calling. 
As the book opens we get to see Carrington and Remko, each still processing the loss of their daughter who was taken from them, though in different ways. I loved seeing how connected they still were even after twenty years, still just in love as ever.
Then we get to meet Elise and see the woman she became. Told all of her life that she was different and that her parents abandoned her because of it, she struggles with knowing who she is and what her purpose is. All that changes though when she meets Aaron and the Seers, who point her to the Father and help her discover who she is and Whose she is, unlocking the light that has always been inside her.
I really liked the characters that made up the chosen seven, they each had unique personalities and gifts and it was cool to see how they worked together to spread the light. In direct contrast the darkness in those standing against the Seers was a palpable evil that made your skin crawl. It was beautiful though to watch as the light overcame and defeated the darkness.
I won't give anymore away but I highly recommend this series to Dystopian lovers. Just make sure to read them in order otherwise you'll be a bit lost!

Meet the Author
The oldest daughter of New York Times bestselling author Ted Dekker, Rachelle Dekker was inspired early on to discover truth through the avenue of storytelling. She writes full time from her home in Nashville, where she lives with her husband, Daniel, and their diva cat Blair.

I received this book free from the publisher in exchange for my review. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.

Monday, January 23, 2017

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? #251

Hosted by: The Book Date

Here is what I finished last week:
Loved this one!

What I am currently reading:
So I haven't technically started this but I have to have it finished by Thursday so it's next on my list!

What I hope to read this week:
Next review book on my list after The Returning!

Hope you have a great reading week, thanks for taking the time to check out mine!
Leave your link below and I'll be sure to stop by!

A Moonbow Night by Laura Frantz

About the Book
After fleeing Virginia, Temperance Tucker and her family established an inn along the Shawnee River. It's a welcome way station for settlers and frontiersmen traveling through the wild Cumberland region of Kentucke--men like Sion Morgan, a Virginia surveyor who arrives at the inn with his crew looking for an experienced guide. When his guide appears, Sion balks. He certainly didn't expect a woman. But it is not long before he must admit that Tempe's skill in the wilderness rivals his own. Still, the tenuous tie they are forming is put to the test as they encounter danger after danger and must rely on each other.

With her signature sweeping style and ability to bring the distant past to vivid life, Laura Frantz beckons readers to join her in a land of Indian ambushes, conflicting loyalties, and a tentative love that meanders like a cool mountain stream.

My Thoughts
Breathtaking. That's the best word I can use to describe this author's writing. The way she paints such a vivid pictures with her words, transports the reader to another time and place. I often felt like I was right in the middle of the wilds of undeveloped Kentucke.
Sion and Tempe were both brilliantly written with many layers that were strategically pulled back as the story unfolded. They both had difficult and complicated pasts filled with hardships and loss but they persevered through it all. Their relationship progressed in a slow and steady manner and it was beautiful to watch it all play out. They went through a lot but in the end they found the love they'd been waiting for.
Sion, Tempe, and the rest of the surveying team had a hard journey as they moved through the wild country. From Indian war parties, to perilous river crossings, to dangerous caves, to weather conditions, but through it all they pressed on. I found it interesting to get a glimpse into the lives of early surveyors an all the things they had to endure in order to map out the land we now call America.
In short this book was beautiful and I highly recommend it!

Meet the Author
Laura Frantz is a Christy Award finalist and the author of several books, including The Frontiersman's Daughter, Courting Morrow Little, The Colonel's Lady, The Mistress of Tall Acre, and the Ballantyne Legacy series. She lives and writes in a log cabin in the heart of Kentucky. Learn more at www.laurafrantz.net.

I received this book free from the publisher in exchange for my review. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.

Monday, January 16, 2017

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? #250

Hosted by: The Book Date

Here is what I finished last week:
Busy week and I wasn't able to get much reading in.

What I am currently reading:


What I hope to read this week:
Next up on the review list!

Hope you have a great reading week, thanks for taking the time to check out mine!
Leave your link below and I'll be sure to stop by!

Tuesday, January 10, 2017

Top Ten 2016 Releases I Meant to Read But Didn't Get To

Top Ten Tuesday is a meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish


#1. The Goodbye Bride & Just A Kiss by Denise Hunter

#2.  Montana Fire Series by Susan May Warren

#3. Love's Faithful Promise by Susan Anne Mason

#4. Four Winds by Lisa T. Bergren

#5. The Bachelor Girl's Guide to Murder by Rachel McMillian

#6. From This Moment by Elizabeth Camden

#7. My Hope Next Door by Tammy L. Gray

#8. Season of Glory by Lisa T. Bergren

#9. For the Record by Regina Jennings


#10. The Innkeeper of Ivy Hill by Julie Klassen


Monday, January 09, 2017

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? #249

Hosted by: The Book Date

Here is what I finished last week:
Loved this one so much! Couldn't put it down!

What I am currently reading:
Really good so far!

What I hope to read this week:
Gotta do a refresher course on the first two books but I'm looking forward to this one!

Hope you have a great reading week, thanks for taking the time to check out mine!
Leave your link below and I'll be sure to stop by!

Saturday, January 07, 2017

Never Forget by Jody Hedlund

About the Book
Will she betray his trust to stay on the island she loves?
Abbie Watson is content to spend her days clamming, crabbing, and tending Rose Island Lighthouse. Her grandpa is the head light keeper, but his senility may lead to their eviction. Since leaving the island would kill her beloved Gramps, Abbie will do anything to keep him in the one place he knows and loves. Wealthy Nathaniel Winthrop III’s wild living has gained him a reputation as the ‘bad boy’ among the elite social circles of Newport. After a blow to the head in a yachting accident washes him up on Rose Island, Nathaniel has no memories of his past. Abbie tends the wounded stranger in her home only to realize he assumes they’re married. Although she knows she needs to correct Nathaniel’s mistake, his presence calms Gramps and provides a way to prevent eviction from the lighthouse. The longer the charade continues, the harder it gets for Abbie to tell Nathaniel the truth, more so as she begins to fall in love. Everyone she’s ever loved has abandoned her. Will Nathaniel leave her too, once he discovers he’s not really her husband?
**NOTE: Never Forget is Book 5 in the Beacons of Hope series but can be read as a standalone novel.

My Thoughts
*happy sigh* Oh what a gloriously wonderful book this was! To be honest, it's been a long while since I devoured a book as quickly as I did this one. I read the first quarter one morning and then the next I finished it in practically one sitting. I was so wrapped up in Abbie and Nathaniel's lives that I couldn't bear to leave.
I didn't have a high opinion of Nathaniel after the previous book but he redeemed himself and more in this one. At the start, he'd actually gotten worse than when we last saw him, but a knock to the head gives him a clean slate. I loved the way he handled the second chance he was given! He didn't remember who he was but he knew he hadn't been living right and instead of just accepting that was who he was he determined to never be that man again. He turned to God and started being a better man. Honestly his words and actions had me melting into a puddle!
Abbie has been abandoned by people close to her more than once and as a result is a bit guarded. She has a fierce devotion to her grandpa and she works as hard as she can and makes whatever sacrifices necessary to help him, all without a word of complaint.
They were an entertaining couple, with Nathaniel convinced he'd been a horrible husband and trying to prove he'd changed, and Abbie knowing it was all fake, doing her best to distance herself, yet falling for him anyway. There was obstacle after obstacle thrown into the path of their relationship. But they somehow made it through each one to an ending that left me sighing with happiness!
I could go on and on about this book but I'll let you discover the rest on your own, trust me, you won't be sorry!

Meet the Author
Winner of 2016 Christian Book Award for fiction and Christy Award for historical romance, best-selling author Jody Hedlund writes inspirational historical romances for both youth and adults. Jody lives in central Michigan with her husband, five busy children, and five spoiled cats. Although Jody prefers to experience daring and dangerous adventures through her characters rather than in real life, she’s learned that a calm existence is simply not meant to be (at least in this phase of her life!). When she’s not penning another of her page-turning stories, she loves to spend her time reading, especially when it also involves consuming coffee and chocolate.

I received an e-book copy of this book free from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.

Friday, January 06, 2017

Friday Memes 1/6

Book Blogger Hop

The Question:
Where's your favorite place to read?

My Answer:
I'll read just about anywhere, typically it's on my bed at home or on the couch at work. But if I was to pick a favorite, in the warm months I love to sit on the deck at the house where I work which looks out over a river. It's beautiful and calming.


Hosted by: Rose City Reader

"Please join me every Friday to share the first sentence (or so) of the book you are reading, along with your initial thoughts about the sentence, impressions of the book, or anything else the opener inspires. Please remember to include the title of the book and the author's name."

What cannot be cured must be endured.
There was no cure for the whirling April snow, the cold seeping through thin, trail-worn moccasins from the frozen forest floor.
A Moonbow Night by Laura Frantz

My Thoughts
Kind of a good outlook for life, beautifully written.

Monday, January 02, 2017

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? #248

Hosted by: The Book Date

Here is what I finished in the last two weeks:
With the holiday craziness I didn't get a lot of reading in but I loved these two Christmas novellas!

What I am currently reading:
Loving this one so far!

What I hope to read this week:
Looking forward to this one!

Hope you have a great reading week, thanks for taking the time to check out mine!
Leave your link below and I'll be sure to stop by!