Secretly Smitten

 

 

A sequel to Smitten by authors Colleen Coble, Kristin Billerbeck, Diann Hunt, and Denise Hunter once again gives us four romantic stories set in the fictional town of Smitten, Vermont. The stories center around three Thomas's sisters, Tess, Clare, and Zoe, along with their mother, Anna, and their grandmother, Rose.

Love Between the Lines is the first story by Colleen Coble. Tess is in her grandmother's attic and comes across a pair of dog tags belonging to a man named David Hutchins. She is trying to figure out who the tags belong to when her grandmother tells her about her first love who died during the war. Rose has no idea how his dog tags are in her attic because she thought they had never been recovered. Tess decides to investigate the mystery against her mother’s wishes. Will her search turn up anything, will it help or hurt her grandmother, and will she find love in the process?

Make Me a match by Kristin Billerbeck is the second story. In this novella Zoe Thomas is opening a matchmaking business called Cupid’s Matchmaking Services. Her opening may be put on hold when the new city manager, William, begins enforcing codes and regulations at her. As Zoe struggles to start her business she finds herself falling for a man who is causing her trouble.

Knit One, Love Two, the third story written by Diann Hunt is about the Thomas sisters' mother, Anna, the owner of Smitten's only knit shop called Sit 'n Knit. She is a divorced woman and the majority of her life revolves around her three grown daughters. When Michael comes into her store he makes her rethink being single.

The last story, Love Blooms by Denise Hunter is about Clare, a nursery manager, just got dumped by her boyfriend Josh because she was boring. She decides that she will no longer live a boring life and makes a hasty decision to hire a drifter she finds taking shelter in a storage building, Ethan. While training Ethan he becomes ill and stays in bed until she can return to work. She is terrified that she made a mistake in her haste. She struggles with her feelings for Ethan until she realizes what she may have lost. This story also brings to light the mystery of the dog tags.

This book is a pleasure to read and it isn’t necessary to have read the 1^st one in order to enjoy this one. Smitten gave you the history of the town but Secretly Smitten doesn’t go into any of that. Each story is pretty short and can be read quickly. The characters are fun and believable.  This book is not a book that will cause you to “think” about it, it is just an enjoyable, predictable romance. The stories don’t have the depth and character of a stand-alone novels but you still get a good feel of the community and it’s people. If you’re looking for the unexpected this isn’t the book for you.  But if you love a good, old-fashioned romance you have it. I read it in just a couple of evenings and would recommend it if you enjoy a “light” read. I have enjoyed this series and I love these authors.

I received this ebook at no charge from booksneeze.com for an honest review.

A Karen Kingsbury Collection

Three books in one how can you go wrong?  Karen Kingsbury is one of my favorite authors. This book is a collection of 3 of her stand alone books:  Where Yesterday Lives, When Joy Comes to Stay, and On Every Side. Kingsbury books will pull you in and these 3 stories are no different. Be prepared with a box of tissues her books are almost always tear-jerkers and these 3 are no exception.

Where Yesterday Lives is a story about Ellen Barrett and her family after her father dies. She has been estranged from her siblings and her father’s death made it worse. Things get worse with her marriage also falling apart. Only God can help her deal with her past and help her get her life in order.

When Joy Comes to Stay is about Maggie Stovall who is dealing with depression and family problems all stemming from giving up her child for adoption 10 years earlier. Keeping the secret really is taking a toll on her and her husband. Can God heal her and marriage?

On Every Side was a little out of place with the other two stories, but I still enjoyed it.  Faith Evans is a newscaster who finds herself defending her faith when controversy strikes over a statue of Jesus that stands in the middle of a park. Jordan Riley who is fighting to have the statue removed believes Faith is wrong. What will happen between these two who are fighting for what both believe is right, will they be able to find some common ground?

I always recommend anything by Karen Kingsbury. Her books are interesting and well written. They will hold your interest if you like Christian romance novels. Again be aware that they will make you cry.

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Sisterchicks in Gondolas

This is the first Sisterchicks book I have read. Sisterchicks in Gondolas by Robin Jones Guinn is about 2 women who embark on a journey to Italy:  One a divorced lady with a grown daughter and her sister-in-law who has had her share of struggles in the past few years.

The book is about mentally healing from various events in each of the ladies lives. Jenna is asked to cook and serve some men who are coming to Italy for a retreat. Jenna doesn’t have the greatest cooking skills and knows that her more timid sister-in-law could use the trip and also has the cooking skills needed.

The retreat, although for the men, helps Jenna and Sue heal from their struggles. They learn much about their own lives by watching and serving the men. They get to learn how wonderful it is to serve others but they also get to explore Italy. In the end they know what they must do with their lives. I really enjoyed reading this book. It was somehow calming to me as I read it. I felt as though I could be riding in a gondola in Venice right along with them. The author did such a wonderful job describing the sights, sounds, and smells of Venice. I could imagine myself walking through the streets.  The only negative thing that I could say about this book is that it made me a little jealous that I couldn’t be on this trip with them.  

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This book was provided to me at no charge by Multnomah publishing in exchange for an honest review.

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Every Perfect Gift

 

“Ethan and Sophie long to share a future together. But the secrets they’re not sharing could tear them apart.” Every Perfect Gift  by Dorothy Love is a novel set in the mountains of East Tennessee in the 1800s. A small town is getting a new hotel, a reestablished newspaper, and much more. Sophie a former resident and orphan of the small town returns to run the newspaper where she meets Ethan. Both are fighting demons from their past and it is affecting their newfound relationship.

I’m from the beautiful area of East Tennessee and that is why I chose this book to review. I love the Blue Ridge Mountains and the people here. This book did a wonderful job of capturing the area and its roots. I can imagine how it was over 150 years ago and the excitement that townspeople must’ve felt as railroads and expansion moved in. I live in the oldest town in Tennessee so I know a bit about the history here. Ms. Love did an excellent job when presenting what it must have been like and capturing the essence of an early 1850s small town. The characters were true to the people who lived here and many who still do. They were very believable and that is something that I find very important. The plot was also realistic and easy to follow. The people were very colorful with each having something to bring to the story. I loved the friendship that developed between Sophie and Gillie. Sophie has overcome a lot to get to this place. The town had not treated her so kindly when she was a child in the orphanage. I will not go into detail about that because I don’t want to give away any “secrets” to the storyline.

 I really enjoyed this book and look forward to reading more by her. I would highly recommend this book if you like historical romance. Although, like many books of this genre the ending is not a great surprise but that is probably the only negative that I could find. I know this may seem trivial in a book review but I also loved the cover and the feel of the book.  

I received this book from booksneeze.com at no charge in exchange for an honest review.