With Every Breath by Elizabeth Camden

This book is set in the late 1800’s. Kate Livingston is working for the government for an insufferable boss who doesn’t think women have a brain in their heads when Kate gets a letter to interview for a job at a prestigious hospital as a statistician.  Kate goes to the interview only to discover who new boss would be none other than Dr. Trevor McDonough. Her rival in school that beat her out of a college scholarship.  In school they competed for the best grades in everything.  With some trepidation she takes the job in the tuberculosis floor of the hospital. 

Dr. Trevor McDonough, who while in college changed his last name to Kendall, is researching a cure for tuberculosis.  When he opens the hospital floor for his patients and research he immediately tries to find Kate because he knows she would be an excellent assistant.  Even while Kate is interviewing for the job the barbs begin to fly between them just like in school.  Only this time there is an undercurrent between them.

As the story continues, someone is trying to destroy Dr. Kendall’s reputation and they are even using Kate to do it. 

Kate has a fear of losing her loved ones as she has lost two brothers to diphtheria and a husband to a construction fall.  She has to learn to put her trust in God and release her fears.  Trevor is a very closed person.  He has to learn to open up and let others help him fight to keep the tuberculosis floor open. 

I would highly recommend this story.  It deals with tuberculosis before there was a cure and how deadly it was.  I had trouble putting it down. I have read other books by Elizabeth Camden and would recommend them all.

I was given this book by the publisher for an honest review.  I was not compensated in any way.

A Wedding and Four Kisses by Margaret Brownley, Robin Lee Hatcher, Mary Connealy, and Debra Clopton

This book starts out with five ministers setting around the fire in the old west.  The youngest minister is lamenting the fact that he had to tell his girlfriend that he couldn't marry her because she just wasn't what he perceived as minister's wife material.  Then the four other ministers laughed and said they had a story about four unlikely couples.  Each story is told by a different author about unlikely couples falling in love. All the brides were independent thinkers and modern thinkers for their time.   I have read all of the authors books and have enjoyed all of their books. 

I would recommend this book to anyone who would like a fun easy read. I was given this book by the publisher for an honest review.  I was not compensated in anyway.

A Bouquet of Love, Weddings by Design #4 by Janice Thompson

Cassia Pappas and her family have all moved to Galveston, Texas from Santa Cruz, CA because her father has decided they need to expand and open a Greek restaurant there. He did not ask the family he just told them they were moving.  Cassia has a degree in floral arrangement and her heart is with flowers not the family restaurant.  She gets a job at the local floral shop.  But how does she tell her father that she has another job.  He expects all the family to work at the restaurant.

The restaurant is across the street from Rossis’s very popular Italian pizza parlor.  Babbas (Cassia’s father) is a very jealous man and wants to bring the pizza parlor down.  He also doesn’t want any of his family to associate with the Rossis’s or anyone connected to them.  The problem with that is Galveston is full of Rossis’s. 

Alex’s family delivers flowers to the floral shop where Cassia works.  Not only is Alex associated with the Rossis’s the owner of the florist shop is too.  Alex and Cassia have an instant connection with each other. 

I wasn’t really sure how to rate this book. I was fluctuating between a 3 or 4. I would give it 3 ½. Since I liked everything but Babbas I will go with a 4. I did not like Babbas at all.  He was an overbearing father and husband who didn’t consider anyone but himself.  But that was part of the story. 

I was given this book in exchange for an honest review.  I was not compensated in anyway

The Pursuit of Tamsen Littlejohn by Lori Benton

Tamsen Littlejohn is being forced to marry a man she has never met by her step father, Mr. Parrish.  Tamsen and her mother have never stood up to Mr. Parrish.  Tamsen meets the prospective groom, Ambrose Kincaid, and is on the verge of going ahead and marrying him.  But an incident with how he treats his slave has her not only running from the room but also out of town.  She is caught and brought back.  Tamsen’s mother tries to stand up to Mr. Parrish in defense of Tamsen and is hit and killed by her husband.  She is left on the floor and Tamsen told to prepare herself to marry.

Jesse Bird comes to see if Tamsen after being brought back to town and discovers her mother dead on the floor and her in tears.  Jesse agrees to help her escape. 

Convinced that Tamsen has been kidnapped, Ambrose follows in the company of the ever persistent Mr. Parrish.  As they cross the mountain wilderness, Tamsen is faced with all kinds of hardships.  The faith of Tamsen and Jesse were tested many times as they were confronted with their pursuers

I found this book to be a very good read.  It showed the struggles of a new country emerging from the Revolution. It also takes you to Indian villages of that time.  I would recommend this book to anyone who like mystery and romance and a history lesson all thrown into one book.  I will be looking for other books by this author.

I was given this book by blogging for books for an honest review.  I was not compensated in anyway.

Death Takes a Ride by Lorena McCourtney

Cate Kinkaid is a private investigators assistant until her official Private Investigators license comes from the state.  The story opens with her at H&B Vintage Auto Restoration waiting to give a friend a ride.  Cate can’t go anywhere without trouble following her.  As she is waiting for her friend, she hears shots being fired.  She rushes into the building to find a severely wounded man and one man dead as well as her friend and co-owner of H&B.  It looks like a clear cut case of self defense. 

The co-owner of H&B hires her after he receives threatening letters stating he is next.  The deeper she looks into the case the more it looks like the shooting might not have been just a robbery gone bad. 

When her PI license comes in her uncle Joe officially hands over the agency to her and leaves on a trip in his brand new motor home.  Cate doesn’t know if she is ready. But her uncle and boyfriend convince her she is ready.

On top of the investigation and being handed the PI agency, her boyfriend Mitch might be selling his computer business.  He has been offered jobs that would take him out of town.

This is the third book in “The Cate Kinkaid Files” series. It has been a while since I read the first two books.  It took be a little bit to catch up with the story.  It is not necessary to read the first two books.  But it would be helpful. This is a cozy read with a little bit of mystery, romance, and comedy.  A clean book that is appropriate for all ages.  It is a Christian book but doesn’t preach at you all the time as some reviewers complain about in Christian books.

I was given this book by the publisher for an honest review.  I was not compensated in anyway.

Firewall by DiAnn Mills

Taryn Young’s world abruptly changes when she is on her way to her honeymoon.  She is in the ladies restroom when a bomb goes off at the airport.  The ceiling collapse on top of her. She wakes up in the hospital with two FBI agents standing over her demanding answers.  She is only worried about her missing husband. Taryn and her husband are the prime suspects in the airport bombing.  The FBI has pictures of her husband leaving shortly before the bomb goes off.   The FBI are also convinced her husband isn’t who she thinks he is.  Taryn is a programmer/developer for a big company and is head of a top secret project.

FBI Agent Grayson Hall’s first priority is to catch those responsible for the airport bombing.  Although evidence point to Taryn and her husband as the prime suspects, his gut is telling him that she has been a pawn in a deadly game.  Things that Taryn tells him begin to make him believe her story. Taryn and Grayson fight to stay ahead of the terrorists as the bombers are really after Taryn’s top secret software project.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book.  I didn’t want to put it down.  I would recommend this book to anyone who loves suspense. There was a new twist to the story all the time and kept me guessing at every turn of the page.  I never guessed who was behind the bombing.  I liked how the author chronicled the date and time at the beginning of every chapter.  It was very helpful with the timeline of events.

I was given this book by the publisher for an honest review.  I was not compensated in any way.