An Inconvenient Beauty Review

Griffith, Duke of Riverton, likes order, logic, and control, so he naturally applies this rational approach to his search for a bride. While he's certain Miss Frederica St. Claire is the perfect wife for him, she is strangely elusive, and he can't seem to stop running into her stunningly beautiful cousin, Miss Isabella Breckenridge.

Isabella should be enjoying her society debut, but with her family in difficult circumstances, she has no choice but to agree to a bargain that puts her at odds with all her romantic hopes--as well as her conscience. And the more she comes to know Griffith, the more she regrets the unpleasant obligation that prevents her from any dream of a future with him.

As all Griffith's and Isabella's long-held expectations are shaken to the core, can they set aside their pride and fear long enough to claim a happily-ever-after?

An Inconvenient Beauty by Kristi Ann Hunter was a wonderful conclusion to the Hawthorne House series. After starting this series in the middle (I hadn't realized that the third book was part of a series) I fell in love with these siblings and their stories. I have loved each character and will have a hard time letting them go. That being said I couldn't have asked for a better ending to this series. I have to admit that while I loved Griffith in the past books I wasn't sure if I was going to enjoy him as the main character... Boy was I wrong! Griffith and Isabella both stole my heart, the situations they got into endeared them to me even more then previous characters. An Inconvenient Beauty is a must read as is the rest of this series! 

5 out of 5. 

I received a copy of this book from Bethany House in exchange for my honest review.

Bringing Maggie Home Review

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Author Bio

Decades of Loss, an Unsolved Mystery, 

and a Rift Spanning Three Generations

Hazel DeFord is a woman haunted by her past. While berry picking in a blackberry thicket in 1943, ten-year old Hazel momentarily turns her back on her three-year old sister Maggie and the young girl disappears.

Almost seventy years later, the mystery remains unsolved and the secret guilt Hazel carries has alienated her from her daughter Diane, who can’t understand her mother’s overprotectiveness and near paranoia. While Diane resents her mother’s inexplicable eccentricities, her daughter Meghan—a cold case agent—cherishes her grandmother’s lavish attention and affection.

 

When a traffic accident forces Meghan to take a six-week leave-of-absence to recover, all three generations of DeFord women find themselves unexpectedly under the same roof. Meghan knows she will have to act as a mediator between the two headstrong and contentious women. But when they uncover Hazel’s painful secret, will Meghan also be able to use her investigative prowess to solve the family mystery and help both women recover all that’s been lost?

Bringing Maggie Home by Kim Vogel Sawyer is another amazing book by one of my favorite authors. The story of the DeFord women was a touching story that is sure to resonate with every reader in some way. The heartbreak and second chances mixed with the intrigue and mystery made this book hard to put down once I picked it up. Each women's story will hit you in a different way and you won't be the same after reading Bringing Maggie Home.

5 out of 5.

I received this book from Blogging for Books for this review.

These Healing Hills Review

Francine Howard has her life all mapped out until the soldier she planned to marry at WWII's end writes to tell her he's in love with a woman in England. Devastated, Francine seeks a fresh start in the Appalachian Mountains, training to be a nurse midwife for the Frontier Nursing Service.

Deeply affected by the horrors he witnessed at war, Ben Locke has never thought further ahead than making it home to Kentucky. His future shrouded in as much mist as his beloved mountains, he's at a loss when it comes to envisioning what's next for his life.

When Francine's and Ben's paths intersect, it's immediately clear that they are from different worlds and value different things. But love has a way of healing old wounds . . . and revealing tantalizing new possibilities.

These Healing Hills by Ann H. Gabhart was an enjoyable read. Set in the Appalachian Mountains I loved getting to know about the Frontier Nursing Service through Fran's story. Fran was a character that I immediately connected with and I also loved the many secondary characters throughout the story. The historical detail in These Healing Hills was also wonderfully weaved into Fran and Ben's fictional story. It's a perfect read for these first few days of fall, just look at that cover! 

5 out of 5.

I received a copy of this book from Revell for my honest review.

All She Left Behind Review

Already well-versed in the natural healing properties of herbs and oils, Jennie Pickett longs to become a doctor. But the Oregon frontier of the 1870s doesn't approve of such innovations as women attending medical school. To leave grief and guilt behind, as well as support herself and her challenging young son, Jennie cares for an elderly woman using skills she's developed on her own. When her patient dies, Jennie discovers that her heart has become entangled with the woman's widowed husband, a man many years her senior. Their unlikely romance may lead her to her ultimate goal--but the road will be winding and the way forward will not always be clear. Will Jennie find shelter in life's storms? Will she discover where healing truly lives? 

All She Left Behind by Jane Kirkpatrick was not my favorite book from this author but it was wonderfully written. I've enjoyed her writing style in past books by her but with this book I just couldn't seem to be able to invest myself in Jennies story as much as I wanted to.  The writing is the same historically rich style that I've come to expect of Jane Kirkpatrick's books and while I din't connect with Jennie I enjoyed the history involved in her story. 

4 out of 5. 

I received a copy of this book from Revell in exchange for my honest review.