Three Hearts, One Town

Three Hearts, One Town
Sarah Jae Foster 
Aspendawn Books
Fiction, Romance, Historical 


Forced to leave home and all she's ever known at nineteen, Cameron Engel heads for Lincoln County, Kansas, ready to explore life like never before. But she quickly realizes her inexperienced nature is no match for this rough and dangerous new town. She needs confidence and bravery to survive -- and she's determined to acquire both, even if it means making choices that in the end could destroy her. 

Gunslinger Jake Collins has that fearlessness and courage Cameron wants to possess, but she soon finds herself wanting Jake, a man she's been warned against. 

Andrew Jackson is the town's preacher. He offers Cameron a way of living and loving -- she's never known... until now. 

Two very different men, and for better or for worse, two very different loves.

Torn by indecision, Cameron seeks to receive acceptance from the only one who can provide it. God. But has she gone too far by giving her heart in all the wrong ways? 

After coming into the knowledge of God's true and unconditional love, she faces the toughest choice she's ever had to make. Jake or Andrew...

When you get through 30% of a book (gotta love the Kindle that keeps you up to date on your percentage) and you have yet to like a singe character or even the story line you know it's time to call it quits. So no, I did not finish this book. Very poor characterization, scattered plot lines, and a very badly developed story made me quit reading. I felt like I was reading a rough draft or even just a series of possible story ideas, that's how badly it was put together. I also kept checking the description of the book because one of the supposedly "main characters" hadn't even entered the story by 20% of the way through. Just weird and just not worth my time to keep reading. Don't let this book cover fool you. 

My thanks to Aspendawn Books for providing me with a free copy of this book in exchange for my real and honest review. 

Waiting for Spring

Waiting for Spring
Amanda Cabot
Revell Publishing
Historical, Fiction, Romance
Available January 2013 at your favorite bookseller from Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group.

After the loss of her husband and the birth of her baby, Charlotte has had a long, hard year. But when a notorious robber believes she knows the location of a long-lost treasure, she flees to Cheyenne and opens a dressmaker's shop to lie low and make a living. When wealthy cattle baron and political hopeful Barrett Landry enters the shop to visit her best customer, Charlotte feels drawn to him.

If Barrett is to be a senator of the soon-to-be state of Wyoming, he must make a sensible match, and Miriam has all the right connections. Yet he can't shake the feeling that Charlotte holds the key to his heart and his future.

Soon the past comes to call, and Barrett's plans crumble around him. Will Charlotte and Barrett find the courage to look love in the face? Or will their fears blot out any chance for happiness?

Amanda Cabot is a good author and if this book speaks for what's to come she continues to get better and better. Both Charlotte and Barrett are well developed and are fun to watch grow throughout the book. The historical value of the time and location is well researched and fascinating to read. While the plot line might not seem overly unique there are just enough twists thrown in to make it feel new. I loved that Charlotte was a dress maker and that her son was blind. The implications of both of those things in the era was very interesting to read about. 

I felt "the baron" (the bad guy) was a bit far fetched and Charlotte's fear of him almost drove me crazy. The kidnapping scene is extremely unbelievable but gripping to read. Charlotte's son is 1 and in my opinion there were a lot of creative allowances taken with his cognitive development. None of these things took too much away from the book. It was still a good read and I enjoyed it. 

What a perfect time of year to put a quilt on your lap, read while snow falls, and wait patiently for spring. Your waiting will be much more enjoyable with this book in hand. 

My thanks to Revell Publishing for providing me with a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.  

Dawn Comes Early

Dawn Comes Early
Margaret Brownley
Thomas Nelson Publishers
March 13, 2012
Romance, Western, Fiction, Historical

Looking for a woman of good character and pleasant disposition willing to learn the ranching business in Arizona territory. Must be SINGLE and prepared to remain so now and forever more. Will be given ownership of ranch. —Eleanor Walker

Disgraced dime novelist Kate Tenney fled the city that banned her latest book for a fresh start at a cattle ranch in the Arizona Territory. She hopes ranching turns out to be as romantic as she portrayed it in her novels.

But what awaits her is a much harder life. There is no room for mistakes on a working cattle ranch in 1895, and Kate is ill-prepared for her new life. She quickly learns that dawn comes early . . . every day. But she is tenacious.

Having been abandoned by a string of men, Kate has no intention of ever marrying. But she didn’t expect to meet Luke Adams either. Luke awakens feelings inside Kate she doesn’t recognize, and his steady presence is a constant distraction. She has only written about love in the past, never known it herself. But her feelings for Luke stand in the way of all she has to gain if she is chosen as the heir.
Perhaps God brought Kate to the barrenness of the desert to give new life to her jaded heart.

This was just good old fashion fun to read! I love Westerns and this one does not disappoint. Kate is a great character with many layers. I was completely overwhelmed when she first arrived on the ranch and I'm still not convinced she would have actually "made it" but the assumption made for very fun reading. All the characters have an amount of depth to them that makes reading enjoyable. The story of God's healing throughout is very special. A great read that I highly recommend! Way to go Brownley!

My thanks to Thomas Nelson Publishers for providing me with a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.