Dreams Rekindled

A wonderful follow up to the Christian historical romance, Out of the Embers, that helps round out the quiet, quaint, and quintessential Texas town of Mesquite Springs. Readers don't need to have read the first book as this novel follows an entirely different person, Wyatt's younger sister, Dorothy. While her brother and his new wife are out honeymooning, Dorothy has taken over running the town's only restaurant, Polly's Place. While there she meets Brandon, a newcomer to town determined to start a newspaper. Dorothy loves writing and soon she's won over Brandon and has become invaluable to the little newspaper. What they don't realize is that another newcomer to town is out to start trouble, and the newspaper and their budding relationship are in for a rude awakening. Filled with well rounded and vulnerable characters - Dreams Rekindled shows how forgiveness and taking chances ultimately pave the way toward unity and love. Another great inspirational read from Amanda Cabot. 

Hadley Beckett's Next Dish

A really cute, slow-burn, culinary romance. Hadley Beckett has a top rated cooking show on the Culinary and she is beloved for her southern charm. When she competes on a cooking show with the even more famous (and studly), Maxwell Cavanagh she isn't expecting what happens. He's drunk and flies off the handle at her when she wins over him. It's mortifying. Hadley doesn't expect to every have to work with that pompous chef again, but when the network wants to put them on the most famous documentary show together - they have no choice but to put the knives away and try to be civil. What could possibly happen? Filled with mouthwatering cooking scenes, romantic build-up, and lots of second chances - readers will gobble up this inspirational romance!!

Out of the Embers

Charming, romantic, and light; Out of the Embers is the first in a new inspirational series, Mesquite Springs. Evelyn and six year old Polly are in town getting supplies when the orphanage they both live in burns down killing everyone inside. It's horrific and upsetting. Since her parents murder ten years ago, Evelyn is sure that someone is out to find her and finish the job. What will happen when they discover that she wasn't really in the orphanage when it burnt down? She takes Polly with her and convinces her that they need to pretend to be sisters and go far away. They ride for days and stumble upon a gorgeous little town by the name of Mesquite Springs. When Wyatt, a young horse rancher offers them shelter; they soon find out that they don't want their temporary stay to end. Evelyn and Polly adore Wyatt's mom and sister and they quickly become family to them. It doesn't help that Polly wants Wyatt as a daddy, and Evelyn gets butterflies when she talks to him. But what will happen if their trouble catches up to them? Are they really safe in Mesquite Springs? A quick breezy read that will have readers charmed. The suspense is light, the romance is slow burn, and the characters all are pretty likable (and have great luck!). Perfect for anyone looking for a nice inspirational read!

A Distance Too Grand

I love the theme of this series "American Wonders Collection," how great is that?!? The next historical romance in the series will take place in Yellowstone! This inspirational series sells itself; who doesn't love romance, let alone in these iconic American places!

"A Distance Too Grand" follows twenty six year old photographer, Meg Pero, as she leaves the east coast to try her hand at being a photographer on an expedition to the Grand Canyon. Her father has died so she is hoping they will honor his contract and let her take his place. She literally has no where else to go and she needs to make a name for herself. As you can imagine, it's 1871 and the army isn't exactly keen to take a woman along on a topographical expedition, but Meg has an in! The leader of the expedition is none other than her old beau and she convinces him to let her come with; after all the cook is female, she won't be alone. They embark on an adventure with beautiful scenery, danger lurking around the corner, and a great sense of adventure. If Meg and Ben play their cards right, who knows, they may find themselves falling back in love with each other. This trip has them realizing that they shouldn't have given up on each other so easily the first time. Romantic, wholesome, and unique. A great romantic adventure that inspirational readers will eat up! I can't wait for the next in the series!

Wooing Cadie McCaffrey

I really wanted to like this book, but at most I could give it a "meh." I do like to see more inspirational romance hitting the market and I think many readers may enjoy it, but it was just a little over the top for me and I didn't necessarily love either of the characters. I didn't hate them, they were just a little to underwhelming for me. Cadie McCaffrey has a great job and a great boyfriend, well great"ish." She and her boyfriend have been together for four years although the past year has been a little off. He's been working more and she thinks things are a little strained because of their "sex talk." Things reach a braking point when Will works late and misses her birthday/their anniversary that SHE COOKED and their make-up dinner a few days later goes south (of her pants!!!!).  Cadie can't handle it anymore, she wants to spend the rest of her life with him, but she is resigned to the fact that he won't ever ask her to marry him. She breaks it off and Will is shattered. He decides to watch all her favorite romcoms for inspiration and recreate some of the biggest most romantic gestures in them to win her back. Of course, nothing goes to plan and things get derailed pretty quickly. Wooing Cadie McCaffrey is a meet cute rom com with a splash of religion and a heavy dose of romantic pop culture. I didn't hate it, but I really didn't love it either.

Just Let Go

If more inspirational (christian) books were like this, I 'd probably read a ton more. It was gorgeously written and even though you know where the story will end, readers will have an enjoyable time getting to the conclusion. Set in a charming Michigan tourist town during the winter (ie the off-season), this slow burn romance captures all the butterflies, setbacks, misconceptions, and and wrong turns that eventually entwine the two main characters. Quinn has just bought the towns floral shop, and she's excited to renovate and re-open the store that her mother once owned. Grady, a reckless thrill seeking skier ends up getting stuck in this tiny town for five weeks while he does community service. On the surface they're horrible for each other, but their hearts don't know that. They slowly start to open up to each other and go outside their comfort zones to confront issues in their past in hopes that it can pave the way to their future. Charming and cute; this inspirational romance will win over many. It's the second in a series, but I had no idea and it didn't hinder the story for me in any way. 

An Endless Christmas

A cozy Christmas inspirational romance that will be sure to warm hearts. Katie agrees to spend a week at her boyfriend's grandparent's cottage to experience the week long Binder Christmas festivities. To her surprise her boyfriend, Micah, proposes to her in front of all 18 family members as soon as they walk into the door. Horrified of commitment because her family has never succeeded at relationships she says no. She then has to spend an awkward week with Micah's family, how will she survive? Despite her reservations she starts to loosen up and enjoy it; his family is soo thoughtful, happy, and nice. Will the Christmas spirit work it's magic on her and make Katie reconsider Micah's offer? A charming novel that will get readers in the holiday spirit.

I received this novel for free from Litfuse Publicity in return for my honest, unbiased opinion.

Love Inspired Books and Giveaway

I had to find out what all the hype is out because Harlequin's Love Inspired line of paperbacks are some of the most checked out books in my library. We get six new titles a month ranging from historical to modern romance to Amish, most titles include at least one of the following words in the title: firefighter, cowboy, rancher, bachelor, widow, doctor, or Amish. I never took them very seriously and wondered what could possibly keep patrons coming back for more. Reading the following two books, helped me get some insight onto the popularity of these quick reads.

A Firefighter's Promise, follows the story of a young widow and her son who just moved to town to find a fresh start. Rachel's son Carter had a hard time at school because he was bullied for being adopted, Rachel hopes that by moving to the town where he was found (abandoned at a fire station) he can start to put down some roots and make peace with his life. What Rachel didn't expect was to run into a handsome fireman, the same one who took care of Chris when he was left there as an infant. There is an undeniable attraction between the two, but Matt (the sexy firefighter) is in a rush to leave town to flee the memory of the little girl he was unable to save from a fire a few years prior. It's chaste, romantic, cute, and charming. Why don't Matt's exist in the real world!? Overall, it was a quick light hearted, feel good read, and I can see why people are soo eager to read these titles. Who wouldn't want to escape into a perfect world where everything has a happy ending?

I had to pick up Bachelor to the Rescue because it featured a librarian. I wanted to see how badly stereotyped she would be, but I was pleasantly surprised. Not only did our main character, Lainie, have a masters degree in library science, she also realized how hard it was for libraries to stay relevant in today's modern world (even though it was only mentioned once). I also like that she wasn't a frumpy cardigan wearing, secret nymphomaniac. She was a young widow with two children trying to find a fresh start in a new town with a new job as a head librarian. The only unbelievable aspect was that she never read (at least not in the book, Lainie flips though the Bible only once, no other reading material is mentioned... suspicious) and she didn't own a cat.

Long story short, Lainie and her two daughters move to town and are instantly robbed. Instead of being able to buy a house and get settled she has to rely on an enemy for help. The man that is responsible for her husband's death lives in the same town and for the sake of her daughters she turns to him for help. He offers to let them stay in his huge Victorian house while she waits for her new credit cards and ID to arrive and even helps out with the groceries. Despite her best intentions, Lainie finds herself falling for this man. Shocking, I know. I won't spoil too much but you better believe there is a happy ending. Yay for librarians!

Overall, it was good to see what all the hype was about. They're quick light reads and easily finished in a day or two. Now for the good part, THE GIVEAWAY! You can win a set of SIX Love Inspired books, no strings attached. All you have to do is comment below with your name and which title you want to read most. The six books in the bundle are as follows:

• The Rancher Takes a Bride
• The Doctor's Second Chance
• The Single Dad Finds a Wife
• Winning the Teacher's Heart
• Bachelor to the Rescue
• A Firefighter's Promise

Also, if you're interested in purchasing some Love Inspired books, click here and use the coupon below!!

"Disclosure: Many thanks to Propeller Consulting, LLC for providing this prize for the giveaway. Choice of winners and opinions are 100% my own and NOT influenced by monetary compensation. I did receive a sample of the product in exchange for this review and post.

Only one entrant per mailing address, per giveaway. If you have won a prize from our sponsor Propeller/ FlyBy Promotions in the last 30 days, you are not eligible to win, Or if you have won the same prize on another blog, you are not eligible to win it again. Winner is subject to eligibility verification."