The Heiress of Winterwood (Whispers on the Moors, Book 1) by Sarah E. Ladd

From the beginning this novel captured my attention and intrigued me. Delightful, suspenseful and sweetly romantic. Ladd takes you to another place in time and reminds you of the sweet delights found in first love.... a look, a simple touch or just the nearness of the one who has captured your attention and leaves your pulse racing.

For fans of Jane Austen or Julie Klassen, this is sure to be a novel for you! I found the characters to be endearing and their story had me at times grinning, hopeful, on the edge of my seat and unwilling to part with it for long. I plan to read more by this author!

The Promise of Peace (Scottish Crown, Book 4) by Carol Umberger

This book had parts that had me glued to the pages and other parts where I was skim reading. So although I liked it, it just didn't wow me. Still it had good characters and life lessons on faith and love. Overall, found this to be a very enjoyable series. I would give the whole series a 4 Star rating.

The Mark of Salvation (Scottish Crown, Book 3) by Carol Umberger

A wonderful story, encouraging faith, hope and love. While this story did not set as fast a pace of reading as the first two books in this series did, I enjoyed it and the characters. Book 3, brought back characters from the previous books and introduces you to the main, male character for Book 4.
In truth, I found the last part of the book to be my favorite part and meaningful as well. This has been a wonderful series and I look forward to starting Book 4 soon.

The Price of Freedom (Scottish Crown, Book 2) by Carol Umberger

Book 2 in the Scottish Crown Series held me captivated and delighted within its pages. Another well thought out story that takes place during a very interesting time in Scottish history. The characters are easy to warm to and the story woven holds you in anticipation of what is to come, to the point where you cannot easily put it down. I highly enjoyed this read and think I may have liked it even more than the first book. Either way, both were what I would call a very good read.

Looking forward to the next book in this series!

Circle of Honor (Scottish Crown Series, Book 1) by Carol Umberger

This story drew me in and held me captive, reluctant to take my eyes off of it for a moment and eager to return to it's pages as quickly as I could yesterday. It was such a good read that I was able to read it in what would amount to a very long afternoon read. Filled with secrets, tragedy, intrigue, hope, forgiveness, and lessons on the healing power of love, I found it to be a moving and spellbinding read. With in it's pages were well developed characters and a plot full of the things that drive a story from a good to a really great read. The hero of this tale is a man of honor and one you are sure to admire, his strength not being dependent just upon his own skill but upon God. The are plenty of villains, those vying for power and possession of what they believe is their due. But just as there is evil in the world, there are those ready to take a stand for what is right, to hold to faith and to see God deliver them from the hand of evil (just as the example of Daniel was given in the story). I finished this story well satisfied with the read, encouraged and with a smile upon my face.

Now, in response to several reviews I came across when trying to decide if I want to read this series or not... One such review stated that the book was too graphic in the details of the rape. In response to this I must say that I am puzzled as to how they came to such a conclusion. As the barest of details were given. Just enough to let you know the situation but by no means were you taken moment by moment through the rape. I felt the author handled it very well, and it was more of a fade to black style of writing not just with this but also later on in the story.
Another reviewer was displeased because this was listed as a historical romance and felt it should be listed only as a romance as the story itself wasn't filled with historical details but in minimum. To this I am puzzled as well because this is a FICTION book. It is set in a historical time period and it does have some historical truths peppered in, but this is not meant to teach us a history lesson. For those wanting such the author does make reference to books used for researching her story that she found to be educational and an entertaining read, I would look into those. I can not see taking stars off for a book that is fiction for such as this.

To summarize my thoughts, this was a worth while and compelling read. It was both clean and encouraging. A very good read.

A Tailor-Made Bride by Karen Witemeyer

Book Description:
Jericho "J.T." Tucker wants nothing to do with Coventry, Texas's new dressmaker. He's all too familiar with her kind--shallow women more devoted to fashion than true beauty. Yet, except for her well-tailored clothing, this seamstress is not at all what he expected. 
Hannah Richards is confounded by the man who runs the livery. The unsmiling fellow riles her with his arrogant assumptions and gruff manner while at the same time stirring her heart with unexpected acts of kindness. Which side of Jericho Tucker reflects the real man? 
When Hannah decides to help Jericho's sister catch a beau--leading to uproarious consequences for the whole town--will Jericho and Hannah find a way to bridge the gap between them?

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If you are searching for a light hearted book, sure to make you smile, then look no further. This book has a delightful characters and a sweet, romantic plot.  Perfect for a lazy afternoon or beach day!

However, I will say this book does have a few slow parts...I will admit to some skim reading. Though it wasn't totally enthralling, it wasn't boring either. I have loved several of Witemeyer's other books but just found this one to not be quite on the same level as those. But still it is a perfect light hearted read when you need one.

It Had to Be You (Christiansen Family, Book 2) by Susan May Warren

Book Description:
Eden Christiansen never imagined her role as her younger brother Owen’s cheerleader would keep her on the sidelines of her own life. Sure, it feels good to be needed, but looking after the reckless NHL rookie leaves little time for Eden to focus on her own career. She dreamed of making a name for herself as a reporter, but is stuck writing obits—and starting to fear she doesn’t have the chops to land a major story. If only someone would step up to mentor Owen . . . but she knows better than to expect help from team veteran and bad-boy enforcer Jace Jacobsen.

Jace has built his career on the infamous reputation of his aggressive behavior—on and off the ice. Now at a crossroads about his future in hockey, that reputation has him trapped. And the guilt-trip he’s getting from Eden Christiansen isn’t making things any easier. But when Owen’s carelessness leads to a career-threatening injury and Eden stumbles upon a story that could be her big break, she and Jace are thrown together . . . and begin to wonder if they belong on the same team after all.

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Warren is truly a gifted writer. Her stories have depth, her characters leap to life and she weaves in truths about God and faith into a story where it isn't stand out in your face but it is the essence and flow, the breath of the story... beautiful!

This story totally captured me.  From the beginning I was into it, and then I was engrossed and flying through the pages. It was so hard last night (very late last night) to finally have to put it down half way through and go to bed. This story had me chuckling out loud at some points, grinning at others, touched and tearful at one point. I came away blessed by the message and story, encouraged and uplifted. Really looking forward to the next novel in this series!

Oh and by the way, the prequel novella (included with purchase) is WONDERFUL!!! Loved reading about the romance that started it all.