Now and Forever (Wild at Heart Book #2) by Mary Connealy

Adventure and suspense from the beginning to the end!

A new Christian Historical Romance from Bethany House. This is not your girly girl regency style romance - not at all. Of course the setting in the Dakota/Idaho Territory in 1866 might give you a clue to that. As would the great cover of the book with the cute girl who has a short haircut and cowboy hat on.

The girls in this story, folks, all served in the Civil War pretending to be men. That must have been a great story. This is one of the few books that I think I would have been better off reading the previous book first. It took me a bit of perseverance to stick with the explanations at the beginning of the book, and then as the earlier story is revealed bit by bit along the way things start to make more sense. 

This is the story of the middle sister, Shannon, who connects with mountain man Tucker. It's full of adventure right from the beginning, blended with a great deal of humor and biblical & faithful lessons.  You hear these days about people who come back from serving in the military and the issues they deal with. You don't hear as much about those who fought in the Civil War and what it was like when they returned. How they coped. Usually you read about how those left at home survived.  You truly feel for Shannon who was forced to sign up for the war and then had to do things during it that none of us would want to do, let alone a young girl. And a tough girl can still only take so much. And then you wonder if a mountain man is a good match or a bad one. This is a good read with lots of adventure and mystery to keep you page-turning until the end!

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the Bethany House Publishers - Netgalley book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising”. http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_03/16cfr255_03.html

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To Win Her Favor by Tamera Alexander

Christian historical romance set in 1869 Nashville, Tennessee. An excellent read! Great for a summer read or any time you want to soak into a good book. There are so many good points to mention about this book!

Taking place after the Civil War is over, Maggie and her father have been trying to hang onto their farm. Little by little as their wealth decreases so does their social standing. They're right at the point of having the farm and everything on it put up for auction, when Irishman Cullen comes to town looking to purchase some land.

I knew that the Irish were not exactly popular when they came to America, and often competed with African Americans for jobs, but I didn't realize that Southerners persecuted the Irish and they were run out of town just as African Americans were.

This is also based on the real Belle Meade Plantation in Nashville and the thoroughbred horses that came from there and the neighboring Plantation. Maggie has raised Bourbon Belle and hopes to race her, win the purse and save their farm. But they're about to lose the farm before the race takes place. Maggie's father meets Cullen who is riding on the grounds and gets to know him. He sells the farm to Cullen with the agreement that he will also marry and take care of Maggie.

This story is made of endearing strong characters and biblical wisdom, life after the Civil War and struggle of social and racial class. Nothing comes easy to any of these characters, and you find yourself wanting to fight their battles right along with them. This is one of those books that you don't want to put down, and you don't want to end! It's the second book in the series, but works as a stand alone.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Zondervan Fiction and the Netgalley book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising”.

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As Love Blooms by Lorna Seilstad

An excellent summer read! Delightful Christian Historical Romance set in 1913 St. Paul, Minnesota. Women weren't supposed to do gardening other than in their own back yard, but Tessa had studied Horticulture at the University of Minnesota. Which was no easy feat in itself, as the college also favored the men, even setting up classes in the evening after curfew for the women. As the youngest sister she's tried a few different occupations before, and this summer she's set her sights on working for Mr. Nussbaumer at his prestigious Park.

Reese is a Master Gardener for Como Park. Tessa showed up deadheading pansies in his area of the park, and a policeman caught her - clearly picking the flowers - and so the story begins.

This is the third book in The Gregory Sisters series. You don't have to read the other books first, but it's highly recommended because they're such good stories. The girls' father had said: "...the Lord blessed him with girls because there were enough foolish men in the world. He planned to raise smart daughters to make up the difference."  These are all strong and intelligent women grounded in faith and this book, as the others, is rooted in scripture. You become fully involved with the characters; you laugh and your heart tugs, breaks and grows with them as they protect their secrets and eventually love blooms. Another beautiful cover!

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Baker Publishing Group and the Revell Reads - Netgalley book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising”.

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A Harvest Of Hope (Song of Blessing) (Volume 2) by Lauraine Snelling

A place and family that I hate to leave!

Return to Blessing, North Dakota 1905 and the Bjorklund family - a Christian Historical Romance.  Hopefully you've read the other books about Blessing and have the rich background to this book. Honestly, for me it's a place and family that I hate to leave. I'm always sorry to see these books end. You can easily picture Ingeborg's farm kitchen and feel comfortable sitting at the table, enjoy the laughter, rage with the trials and cry with the sorrows.

This book continues the story of Trygve and Miriam. Miriam is a nurse undergoing training from Chicago. She's been doing part of her schooling in Blessing and has to return home because of her mother's health, but she's still obligated to come back to finish training. The hospital in Blessing needs nurses and staff, and Miriam is an excellent addition, however temporary. Trygve fell in love with Miriam at first sight, is hoping for a future with her and hopes to change her plans about retuning to Chicago.

Even though this is the story about these two, it also continues the story of the immigrant Bjorklund family as they cope with the death in their family. Hard working, strong people firmly grounded in faith - it is full of realistic, valuable examples and lessons involving the whole community. 

I wish they'd make movies from this series. I so love Lauraine Snelling as an author and as a person. If you're on Facebook you can see her daily posts that bring you in for a hug. Takk Lauraine!

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher from the Baker Publishing Group, Bethany - Netgalley book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”.

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