Always on My Mind (Christiansen Family, Book 4) by Susan May Warren

Book Description:

After a failed dig in Honduras, aspiring archaeologist Casper Christiansen heads home to Minnesota to face his unresolved feelings for Raina Beaumont, the woman of his dreams. But when he arrives unannounced on her doorstep, he receives the shock of a lifetime: Raina is pregnant with someone else’s baby.

Heartbroken, especially when he discovers the identity of the baby’s father, Casper tables his dreams and determines to be dependable for once, helping his older brother, Darek, prepare the family resort for its grand reopening. Casper longs to be the hero of at least one family story, but a never-ending Deep Haven winter and costly repairs threaten their efforts—and the future of the resort.

Worse, one of Casper’s new jobs constantly brings him into contact with Raina, whom he can’t seem to forget. A tentative friendship begins to heal fresh wounds, but can they possibly overcome past mistakes and current choices to discover a future together?

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I love, love, love Susan May Warren books! They grab me and don't let go, they linger in my mind and they touch my heart. Even more though, her books speak spiritual truths that are deep and touching, and usually cause reflection. How she manages to do all this without it seeming pushy, fake or shoved in to make a point is a gift. What you find is a treasure...Characters that seem real, are so well fleshed out and completely captivate you. You become engrossed in their lives, their hurts, the mess ups, cheering them on and unable to walk away because you have to know what will happen to them. And even should you put the book down, because sometimes you HAVE to, the characters and story linger in your mind. This is true even when you finish the book!

Warren has once again supplied us with such a story.  This is one novel I have been SERIOUSLY anticipating!!! When I saw it come up last night available to read I was giddy and started it right away. And I could not put it down. In fact, I was so driven by parts of the story I had to skim some small, sub story parts because I couldn't wait and had to know what was going to happen! Yes, I will be rereading this one!  It was so good and had such a driving plot that I zoomed through this one last night in a matter of hours!

Tucked away in this gem of a novel, is a little mystery that unfolds; but even more it's the continuing story of the Christiansen Family! I have LOVED this series!!! Incredibly so! I love catching up with the previous main characters and the sub stories going on with the secondary ones, in each one, usually leading up to the next novel... This one had several of these sub themes going... The mystery/treasure hunt, Darek and Ivy, Amelia and of course the continuing story of this novels two main characters, Casper and Raina! Which will continue to be played out in future books. Don't let that bother you, this one wraps up quiet nicely! I loved the ending! In fact, I was torn in rating this book because in so many ways this is a 5 Star book, but I did skim some, however that was because I was SO consumed with the main story plot!!!

Cannot wait for the next installment in this series!!!!

A Sugar Creek Christmas: A Novella (A Sugar Creek Novel) by Jenny B. Jones

Book Description:

Sometimes all love needs is a second chance. 


Morning television show darling Emma Sutton has just been fired. The only way to get her job back is to find a holiday story to warm the coldest heart. So when her hometown of Sugar Creek, Arkansas, needs a Christmas event planner, Emma moves back, sure her story lies in the town’s desire to become a tourist’s holiday wonderland. The plan is perfect—until Emma meets her new boss. 

Charming, handsome Noah Kincaid isn’t just Sugar Creek’s newest mayor. He’s also Emma’s ex-fiancé. Ten years ago Emma left Noah her ring and a goodbye note, but it’s haunted her ever since. The last thing Noah wants to do is work with the woman who broke his heart, but Emma’s desperate to prove to him that her bah-humbug ways won’t interfere with her work. 

Emma finds it’s more than the mistletoe drawing her back to Noah. Whatever they had is clearly not over, but Noah’s kisses can’t protect Emma from a past that won’t leave her alone. As the snow falls and the trees glisten, love will come to Sugar Creek. But will it come in time to make all of Emma’s Christmas dreams come true? 

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What a great novella! This one will put a smile on your face and warm your heart! I loved the characters (main and secondary), the sparks, the story and how it all came to life! I flew through the pages and couldn't put it down till the last page - literally! It was the perfect read for the evening and in general... I came away from this one with that awww, giddy, sweet romantic, happy feeling.

Christmas or not, this is a story to be enjoyed! I cannot wait for the next installment in this series. It will be fun to see the "crazy" and completely lovable grandma again, not to mention more of the characters that were so endearing in this novel. Jones has a way of gifting you not only with humor, romance, and truth but the ability to believe it is all real.

So pick this one up and settle in for a good read!

The Wishing Season (A Chapel Springs Romance, Book 3) by Denise Hunter

Hunter has crafted another well written and engaging novel, filled with chemistry, heart and a plethora of other things to keep the pages turning! PJ and Cole are sure to find a soft place in your heart; you will cheer for them, hurt with them and enjoy flying through the pages to see how things work out. I chuckled, I cried and I thoroughly enjoyed this novel.

This story is so well done, the characters' lives seem to leap off the pages. And Hunter's message woven in and out, of faith, hope and love comes through so naturally, not pushy or seemingly out of place but all part of the overall story. It rings true! 

This is one of those novels, that when you reach the end you are sad to see the last page. I can say, that I highly anticipate Hunter's next release, Married til Monday (Book 4 in the series, coming in June of 2015)! So for all of you out there looking to read a romance with some heart, look no further this one is for you!

Out of the Storm (Beacons of Hope, Prequel): A Novella by Jody Hedlund

Book Description:

Having grown up in a lighthouse, loneliness is all Isabelle Thornton has ever known--and all, she assumes, she ever will know. But when her lightkeeper father rescues a young man from the lake, her sheltered world is turned upside down.

Bestselling author Jody Hedlund's Out of the Storm is her first ever novella and introduces readers to Beacons of Hope, a new series set in the 1800s amid the romance, history, and danger surrounding the Great Lakes lighthouses of Michigan.

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I absolutely adored Isabelle and Henry's story! A delightful, little novella and prequel to the Beacons of Hope series. If you have a chance, start the series off with this one, but you certainly don't have to. It can be easily read alone or after Book 1.

Hedlund amazes me with her ability to craft characters with depth and a story that shines within such a short amount of pages. You will be fully engaged from the beginning and left with a smile upon your face at the end. Truly, a sweet romance!

Love Unexpected (Beacons of Hope, Book 1) by Jody Hedlund

Hedlund once again captures your attention and your heart, as she propels you through a novel rich with history, hope, engaging characters and a plot that holds you until the very end! I have yet to read a novel of hers that I have not loved. 

Not only are her novels so well written, her characters and their chemistry so engaging but she captures a place and time in history and brings it to life. I eagerly look forward to the end of her novels where she reveals her source/inspiration for the novel.

Helund also manages bring forth truth in a way that is not pushy but flows. Themes of grace, mercy, hope, forgiveness, trust and more abound in this one. Definitely, a novel not to be missed!

*** I discovered after finishing this novel that Hedlund actually has a prequel/novella for this series called Out of the Storm. You may want to check that out for yourself prior to this novel. Or like me, follow-up with it!

The Secret of Pembrooke Park by Julie Klassen

I am short on time today, so forgive my brevity. Let that in no way dissuade you from reading this novel!

Klassen writes an intriguing and well crafted tale, in The Secret of Pembrooke Park. Mystery, a dash of suspense, add in romance,  well developed characters and a good plot, and you will find yourself immersed in this novel. While, I could guess at who or what I thought might solve the mystery, really until the end you cannot figure it all out. Well done!

While this is not my favorite novel of Klassen's, I did thoroughly enjoy it! And I hope you will too!