Tried and True by Mary Connealy Book Review & Tour

About the book: Saddle up for a wildly fun ride with the Wilde sisters!

Kylie Wilde is the youngest sister---and the most civilized. Her older sisters might be happy dressing in trousers and posing as men, but Kylie has grown her hair long and wears skirts every chance she gets. It's a risk---they are homesteading using the special exemptions they earned serving in the Civil War as "boys"---but Kylie plans to make the most of the years before she can sell her property and return to the luxuries of life back East.

Local land agent Aaron Masterson is fascinated with Kylie from the moment her long hair falls from her cap. But now that he knows her secret, can he in good conscience defraud the U.S. government? And when someone tries to force Kylie off her land, does he have any hope of convincing her that marrying him and settling on the frontier is the better option for her future?

Purchase a copy:  http://ow.ly/AS8Js

About the author: Mary Connealy writes fun and lively "romantic comedy with cowboys" for the inspirational market. She is the author of the successful Kincaid Brides, Lassoed in Texas, Montana Marriages, and Sophie's Daughters series, and she has been a finalist for a Rita and Christy Award and a two time winner of the Carol Award. She lives on a ranch in eastern Nebraska with her husband, Ivan, and has four grown daughters.

Find Mary online: website, Facebook, Twitter

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My Thoughts:

It's never a chore to read a Mary Connealy book. Without a doubt, she has a gift. True to form, Ms. Connealy has brought us a new series that promises to keep us enchanted with great characters, laughs, and interesting story lines that keep you invested until the end. 

In the first of this new series, we're quick to meet spunky and very girly Kylie Wilde. How she ever managed to make it through the Civil War as a male spy, is a mystery - or so land agent Aaron Masterson thinks the first time he meets the beautiful girl. Determined not to let her get away with defrauding the government, he's more than a little chagrined to find she's firmly planted underneath his skin - making things next to impossible. Should he do what's right according to the government - even though she served her country in the war - or do what his heart screams almost from the very beginning? Protect her from all costs, including the attentions of wealthy land baron Gage Coulter?

This book was a fun, quick read and I can't wait to delve into the second in the series. The only problem? I have to wait for it to come out...

 

Home to Chicory Lane Book Review & Tour

About the Book:
Landyn longs for home, but her mother may have other plans.

Audrey Whitman's dreams are coming true. Now that their five kids are grown, she and her husband, Grant, are turning their beloved family home into a cozy bed and breakfast just a mile outside of Langhorne, Missouri.

Opening weekend makes Audrey anxious, with family and friends coming from all over to help celebrate the occasion. But when Audrey's daughter, Landyn, arrives, the U-Haul she's pulling makes it clear she's not just here for a few days. Audrey immediately has questions. What happened in New York that sent Landyn running home? Where was Landyn's husband, Chase? And what else was her daughter not telling her? One thing was for sure, the Chicory Inn was off to a rocky start. Can Audrey still realize her dream and at the same time provide the comfort of home her daughter so desperately needs?

Purchase a copy: http://ow.ly/ApPTf 

About the author: Deborah Raney's books have won numerous awards, including the RITA, National Readers Choice Award, HOLT Medallion, and the Carol Award, and have twice been Christy Award finalists. She and her husband, Ken, recently traded small-town life in Kansas---the setting of many of Deborah's novels---for life in the (relatively) big city of Wichita, where they enjoy gardening, antiquing, movies, and traveling to visit four children and a growing brood of grandchildren who all live much too far away.

Find Deborah online: website, Twitter, Facebook

My Thoughts:
Home to Chicory Lane gives readers the rare glimpse inside two generations at once. Told in a fabulous way without those pesky flashbacks that always seem to keep readers guessing, this story reaches more than just one group of readers.

Grant and Audrey have remodeled their old family home into a beautiful bed and breakfast in an effort to stave off feeling too empty after the last of their children gets married. I very much enjoyed how, while not always seeing eye to eye, this older couple were willing to work out their differences and compromise on various issues. I loved how they clicked and fit together as a couple and as parents. It was apparent they still loved each other and were happy to be together. Being on the cusp of becoming empty nesters, I was glad to see a story of happy survival and purpose.

Now, meet their youngest daughter, Landyn and her husband Chase. This part of the story was more difficult for me to enjoy primarily because of an intense dislike of Landyn who seemed to be a very big annoying drama queen that couldn't find it in herself to do for others, no matter how much they went out of their way to help her. However, I understood her side of the issue. It was the way she handled herself in the subsequent scenes that irked me. I do have to admit though, that as time went on, I didn't find her as frustrating and I began to like her more. I liked seeing the growth of her character and even could see how this was an honest portrayal of newlyweded children. All in all, I enjoyed this book, especially Ms. Raney's character development, and will be happy to read more from this author.

My thanks to the publisher for giving me a copy if this book in exchange for my honest opinions. I was not required they be positive.

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Making Marion - Book Review & Tour

About the Book:

  

She had been looking for somewhere to stay, but instead Marion Miller finds herself on the wrong side of the reception desk at the Peace and Pigs campground and, despite her horrible shyness, promptly lands herself a job.

Marion came to Nottinghamshire--home of Sherwood Forest--to discover her father's mysterious past, but all she has to go on is a picture of her father dressed up, it would seem, as Robin Hood.  

Life on a busy campground challenges Marion's formerly controlled life--the pigs roam free, the resident chickens seem determined to thwart her, and an unfortunate incident with a runaway bike throws her into the arms of the beautiful, but deeply unimpressed, Reuben.

Yet, Marion's would-be boyfriend Jake, and Reuben's stunning fiancée Erica, conspire to leave little room for Marion to daydream about the twinkling eyes of her rescuer . . . Will Marion ever find peace, and perhaps even love, among the pigs?

Including a large cast of memorable, colorful characters, Making Marion is an outstanding debut romantic comedy that touches on issues of identity and family with a natural ease.

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My Thoughts:

Admit it. You look at the cover of a book, and you do the one thing you're not supposed to. You judge it. Don't worry. You're not the only one. Seriously, if the cover doesn't look interesting, I'm probably not going to pick it up unless one of my friends said it was a great read.

While this cover is cute and comical, I warn you. Do not let the cover of this book fool you. Just don't. When I look at this picture, I see a fun, light-hearted romp for any Robin Hood enthusiast. I imagine there's going to be humor and not much deep stuff inside. Which is the reason I picked this book in the first place. I love to laugh. I love hearing/reading chicken/hero mishaps, and I love Robin Hood. What's to lose, right? There were a few funny scenes and a couple of chicken/hero scenarios, but this book is packed with deep, emotional issues that will leave you thinking about the characters long after you've finished the book. This is a deep book. While I wouldn't necessarily call it a Christian novel, I think it does have some very good points that should make the reader wonder what they would do in similar situations. 

Marion has to be my favorite character, followed closely by Scarlett. Who isn't going to love a woman named Scarlett, right?! Marion does not have the makings of a hero. She's been abused, trampled on, and hurt by those that should have protected her, and she's positive she doesn't have what it takes to survive let alone be of use to anyone else. Scarlett helps her see the deeply hidden qualities that every hero must possess.

I very much enjoyed this book. I especially liked how Marion wasn't perfect and how the author didn't tell you how Marion changed, but rather allowed you to be a part of the transformation. This book packs a punch and helps readers see that no matter what is in your past, you can change your future.

*My thanks to Kregel Publications for providing me a copy for review purposes. I was not required my review be positive.*