Willing to wed the Rancher

Clarabelle won't even consider marrying Earl, the widower with two small children.  She is not looking for a marriage of convenience.  She dreams for more but she doesn't have high  expectations. No one looks at her twice when her twin sister, Clementine, is around.  But Frantz, Earl's brother, does.

I enjoyed the storyline between Clarabelle and Frantz.  He sure sounds like a keeper.  Does Clarabelle realize this before she lets Frantz go?

Another winner from my favorite writer whom also resides in Michigan, Jody Hedlund.

Thank goodness, there will be additional books in this series. I'm looking forward to them all.  

I received this book to review from Jody Hedlund's reader group.

#blogtour

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Jody Hedlund is a CBA best-selling and award-winning author of more than a dozen books. Among a variety of genres, she especially loves bringing long-forgotten women of history to life. She is the author of Luther and Katharina, which was awarded the ECPA Book of the Year Award in Fiction. Her other novels have won the Carol Award, the INSPY Award, and the Christy Award. She resides in Midland, Michigan, with her husband and five busy children.

Love on a Whim

I don't know anyone who doesn't love ice-cream.  My favorite is butter pecan.  But after reading  this story, double-fold vanilla sounded pretty delicious.

This is Book 3 of the Cape Cod Creamery Series.  Love on a Whim was a great addition to the previous books.  

Marnie, owner of the Creamery, had wise words to share with her daughter, Dawn and her two friends, Callie and Brynn.  Listen to your heart. Three simple words that can lead each one of them to true happiness if they truly listened.

I enjoyed reading the book.  There were tidbits of wisdom throughout the pages.  The one that really caught my attention was " Apologies don't have expiration dates".  It's never too late to say you are sorry.  If you don't, it may be too late one day.  This could lead to regret.

Great story.  Wonderful characters.  Perfect location. And ice-cream!  What more can you want?  I know.  Suzanne Woods Fisher needs to continue writing these wonderful, entertaining books.

Thank you for allowing me to review this lovely story.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Suzanne Woods Fisher is the award-winning, bestselling author of more than 30 books, including The Sweet Life and The Secret to Happiness, as well as many beloved contemporary romance and Amish romance series. She is also the author of several nonfiction books about the Amish, including Amish Peace and Amish Proverbs. She lives in California. Learn more at SuzanneWoodsFisher.com and follow Suzanne on Facebook @SuzanneWoodsFisherAuthor and Twitter @SuzanneWFisher.

Jody Hedlund's- Waiting for the Rancher

Hazel loved her job.  She also loved Maverick, her boss.  She knew from a young age that nothing would come from this infatuation as he was her older brother's best friend.

Maverick was so busy flirting with other girls that he didn't notice the beauty who worked in his own barn.

Hazel was dedicated to her job and the horses she cared for. She would do anything to protect them.  But could she protect her own heart?

I felt like I was reading a clean version of Yellowstone.  I really enjoy every one of Jody Hedlund's books.  This story took me to the mountains of Colorado.  

I received this book from the author herself to review.

#blog

#JodyHedlund

Jody Hedlund is the best-selling author of over forty sweet historical romances and is the winner of numerous awards. She lives in central Michigan with her husband and is the mother of five wonderful children and five spoiled cats. 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.

 

Louise's War

 

I can't get enough of English historical stories. I'm partial to books centered around WWI or WWII.  My maternal relatives lived in Great Britain during both wars.

This is a great story.  I couldn't put it down. The book deals with two families from completely different backgrounds. One is privileged and the other family worked for them.  But war evens the playing field.  Both suffer loss.  Both suffer heartache.   

Louise suffers greatly in her marriage.  But circumstances change when an injured English soldier shows up at her farm. 

It emotionally moved me.  I couldn't put it down.

#rararesources

#boldwoodbooks

#blogtour

#rosieclarke 

Louise’s War

Caught between enemy lines – can they survive?

1914, Hampshire

Jack Barlow has a dream. For generations his family have been in service at Trenwith Estate. If he can survive the ravages of war, he’ll return home to build his own mechanic business and become master of his own destiny.

Louise Saint-Claire, is battling against the odds to run her family farmhouse in German occupied France after her abusive husband is taken prisoner by the Germans. She is determined to survive this brutal and bloody war.

But fate throws Jack and Louise together when she finds the wounded British soldier and she decides to risk everything to keep him safe

What chance can one woman and one man have when caught between the French Resistance and the German army?

Previously Published as Love and War by Linda Sole

Purchase Link - https://mybook.to/Louiseswarsocial

Author Bio – 

Rosie Clarke is a #1 bestselling saga writer whose most recent books include The Mulberry Lane series. She has written over 100 novels under different pseudonyms and is a RNA Award winner. She lives in Cambridgeshire.

Social Media Links 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100081537219193 

Twitter: https://twitter.com/AnneHerries 

Newsletter Sign Up: https://bit.ly/RosieClarkeNews 

Bookbub profile: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/rosie-clarke 

GIVEAWAY- AMISH FRIENDS OUTDOOR COOKBOOK

I am so excited that I am ready to burst.  Barbour Publishing has given me the opportunity to give one lucky follower this new release.

Wanda E. Brunstetter has been a favorite of mine for years.  I met her a few years ago and she is  delightful (even more so) than her books are. 

I am honored to be part of this giveaway.

All you need to do is comment on this post what is your favorite outdoor or picnic recipe. That's right, just comment here or on my facebook page: ( https://www.facebook.com/jeanette.fallon.7)  and you could be the winner.  I'll randomly pick the winner on Friday, June 7, 2024 at 12:00 noon EDT.

You can also order this cookbook from:

RECOMMENDED ONLINE RETAILERS:

• Christianbook.com
• Amazon.com
• Barnes & Noble
• Parable
• Books-a-Million

The Workshop Girl

 

Enid worked hard to keep her family together. She loved her family and she loved Jimmy.  Jimmy was a neighbor boy who just returned to the area.

Everything quickly changed in one night.  That night took everything away that Enid loved. Could Enid survive the trauma? 

Enid is what we would call a survivor.   She wouldn't allow herself to remain a victim.

I really liked Enid.  She was a good friend to Connie, a girl she met in the Workhouse.  She did what she could for her family.  She put herself at risk to protect others. 

I received this book to review from Boldwood. Books.

#blogtour

#LynetteRees

#rararesources

The Workhouse Girl

Once a workhouse girl, always a workhouse girl...

Enid Hardcastle has always had a hard life, but when her family can’t make ends meet and are moved to the workhouse, it feels like things can’t get any worse.

But luckily for Enid, her friendship with local boy Jimmy gives her the strength she needs. Also from the cold, hard streets of Merthyr, Jimmy has made his name as an entrepreneur, repairing boots and hand-delivering them to the fine people of the town.

Enid has seen for herself that you can make a better life for yourself, so with Jimmy’s help, she sets about trying to save her family.

But there are even darker places than the workhouse, and as the rumour mill churns, it appears there’s an even more dangerous fate she will need to avoid…

An emotional and nostalgic historical saga that will have you turning pages, engrossed. Perfect for fans of Sheila Newberry and Lynn Johnson.

Purchase Link - https://mybook.to/workhousegirlsocial 

Author Bio – 

Lynette Rees lives in Wales and has been writing since she was a child. She's in the fortunate position of being a hybrid author - as well as independently publishing some of her novels, she's also published with Boldwood Books.

The Winter Waif, the story of one young girl's struggle to overcome adversity following the death of her mother, was published by Boldwood Books in January 2024. This will be followed by two other titles focusing on the lives of another two children growing up in the bustling Welsh town of Merthyr Tydifl where the ironworks and coalpits are the main industries and a life of hardship is the norm. The second in the series, The Workhouse Girl, will be published on May the 31st. This book tells the tale of a fourteen year old girl whose family hits hard times when her father loses his job at the ironworks and they’ve little choice other than to enter the workhouse. This will be followed by a third book at the end of the year.

Lynette enjoys the freedom of writing in a variety of genres including: crime fiction and contemporary romance, though her first love is historical fiction which complements her interest in local history and genealogy. When she's not writing, or even when she is writing, Lynette enjoys a glass of wine and the odd piece of chocolate as she creates stories where the characters guide her hand. She honestly has no idea how a story will turn out until the characters tell their own tales in their own unique ways.

The most important thing to Lynette is her family and her stories illustrate this with their warm characters who often show a great deal of compassion for others and the plight they find themselves in.

Social Media Links –   

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/authorlynetterees 

Twitter: https://twitter.com/LynetteRees0 

Newsletter Sign Up: https://bit.ly/LynetteReesNews 

Bookbub profile: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/lynette-rees 

Amish Friends Outdoor Cookbook

I have collected numerous cookbooks even though I'm not much of a cook.  It has become kind of a joke in my family that I collect them.

I love Wanda Brunstetter's cookbooks.  I can always find recipes that are easy to make and taste delicious.  

Today I made the BBQ sauce that smells divine.  And tasted wonderful. 

I highly recommend picking this cookbook up especially if you love to cook outdoors.

I can't wait to try other recipes.  

 

A New Doctor at Orchard Cottage Hospital

I started this around 9:00 pm but before I knew it, it was 3:30 am.  I couldn't put it down. I forced myself to put it down.  I would never get up at this rate.

I have read a few of Lizzie Lane's books.  I have enjoyed everyone.  This is no  exception. I really liked Frances Isabelle Brakespeare.  She had spunk.  She studied hard to be a doctor after suffering a terrible loss.  She was apprehensive about taking the position at Orchard Cottage Hospital.  

Frances barely could take a breather when she arrived at the hospital.  She soon learned that she had much to learn about the community and the residents of this town.

I received this book from Boldwood Books to review.

#blogtour

#rararesources

#LizzieLane

A New Doctor at Orchard Cottage Hospital

A country town in need of a good Doctor, but will they accept her as one of their own?

Somerset, March 1930

Born in the workhouse and adopted by a former suffragette, Frances Brakespeare was encouraged from an early age to be strong, independent and to pursue a career as a doctor. The tragic loss of the love of her life in the Great War propels Frances to commit to her one true vocation.

Rebelling against the unfair treatment of female doctors Frances is dismissed from her London post and things continue to take a turn for the worse when Izzy, her benefactress dies and Frances finds herself homeless.

With no employment or roof over her head her future seems uncertain until she’s offered a residency at the Orchard Cottage Hospital in Norton Dene, Somerset. a town where quarrying and coal mining scar the land.

It’s a far cry from London and towns narrow minds are not so welcoming of a young, female Doctor, but she’s determined to win through.

At first sight the town seems quaintly old fashioned, a place where nothing much happens but there are secrets and sins bubbling beneath the surface plus a mystery she's determined to solve.

Purchase Link - https://mybook.to/anewdoctorsocial 

Author Bio – 

Lizzie Lane was born and brought up in one of the toughest areas of Bristol, as the eldest of three siblings. Her mother, who had endured both the depression and war years, was a natural born storyteller, and it's from her telling of actual experiences of the tumultuous first half of the twentieth century that Lizzie gets her inspiration. Lizzie now lives in Bath, preferring to lead a simple life where she can write without interruption.

Social Media Links –  

Twitter: https://twitter.com/baywriterallat1 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/baywriterallatsea/ 

Newsletter Sign Up: https://bit.ly/LizzieLaneNews 

Bookbub profile: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/lizzie-lane

Weaver Street at War

The book is based during WW II in England.  I think of my mother while reading this as she was born in England and lived there during the war. She has told me stories of her childhood. She still has her ration book.  She tells me how she had to go to the bomb shelter and her father being a home guard.  She has told me about the dancing in the streets when the war was over and how one young boy burnt his bum jumping over a bonfire during the celebration.

My Mom is 86 now.  Her memories are clear.  She would have had a difficult time reading this book.  Any story based during this time bothers her.  I loved it but of course, I didn't experience what my Mom did.  

The neighbors became family.  They celebrated and mourned together.  They had each other's back.  What is sad is that I don't know my neighbors.  You say hello if you run into them while taking in the mail.  Would it be different if we experienced what they did on Weaver Street?

I have read all three books of this series.  I loved them all.  

I received this book to review from Boldwood Books.

#blogtour

#rararesources

#ChrissieWalsh

#BoldwoodBooks

Weaver Street at War

As World War II takes its toll on Liverpool, only friendship and community can keep the women of Weaver Street smiling.

The neighbours on Liverpool’s Weaver Street have always looked after each other, but when the Second World War takes many of the husbands, brothers and sons away to fight, the women’s friendships are more important than ever.

Matriarch Kitty Conlon is missing her son Patrick, proud but fearful of the fate of his Spitfire, while spinster Mavis welcomes a new lodger, WAAF Anna Carswell who is delighted by the Weaver Street welcome after a loveless childhood. At number nine, Maggie Stubbs worries nightly as her daughter Lily patrols the streets to protect the neighbours during air raids in her role as ARP Warden, and when an unexploded bomb is discovered at the allotment, danger comes terrifyingly close to Weaver Street.

With war raging and Liverpool bearing the brunt of seemingly non-stop bombing, the friends must share the burden of rationing, blackout and news from the front, while helping one another capture all the moments of joy they can. All the time wishing and hoping that soon news of peace will come and finally their lives can start again.

Purchase Link - https://mybook.to/weaverstreetwarsocial

Author Bio – 

Born and raised in West Yorkshire, Chrissie trained to be a singer and cellist before becoming a teacher. When she married her trawler skipper husband, they moved to a little fishing village in Northern Ireland. Chrissie is passionate about history and that passion and knowledge shine through in her writing.

Social Media Links –  

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100063501278251 

Twitter: https://twitter.com/WalshChrissie 

Newsletter Sign Up: https://bit.ly/ChrissieWalshNewsletter 

Bookbub profile: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/chrissie-walsh 

 

Embers in the London Sky

Sarah Sundin has become one of my favorites throughout the years.  I know what to expect and she continues to deliver.

This story is based during WW II.  Aleida escapes from the Netherlands to London. She is separated from all that she loves.  Can she survive the loss?  Will she ever trust again?  

A beautiful friendship develops between Aleida and Hugh Collingwood, a BBC reporter. He is battling his own demons.  But together they can accomplish anything.

I loved the story.  It made me think of my family history.  My mother lived in England during the war.  She has told me many stories of the hardships they endured. 

#SarahSundin

The Toffee Factory Girls

A delight to read.  I grew to love the girls from the Toffee Factory.  

Each girl had a story to tell.  Not one of them shared a similar background.  But yet they became the closest of friends.  We could learn from this. 

I really enjoyed the book.  I look forward to the next installment as it ended with me having a lot of questions. 

This is my first Glenda Young book.  It sure won't be my last.