A Reluctant Bride by Kathleen Fuller

Sadie Schrock swore she would never marry. All of her other Amish friends could court and marry—she was content to manage the family business and eventually take it over when her parents are ready to retire. But all of that changes when a reckless driver kills both of her parents and seriously injures her younger sister. With mounting hospital bills adding to the pile of debt her parents left behind, Sadie is left with no choice: she must marry. And not just any man—the man who saw her at her weakest and walked away.

Aden knows what his brother did to Sadie years ago was inexcusable. And every day since that incident, Aden has lived with the guilt for not intervening sooner. When he is faced with the chance to protect Sadie once again, he can’t let her down—even if it means living with the scorn of the woman he loves for the rest of his life.

Working alongside Aden at the store, Sadie realizes he isn’t the same boy who once betrayed her. Just when Sadie starts to let her guard down and perhaps develop feelings for her new husband, dangerous secrets are revealed. Now everything Sadie has worked so hard to protect is threatened, and she must find a way to save her family—and herself.

I have never read any books by Kathleen Fuller and I’m not really a fan of Amish books.  So I was pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed this book.  I enjoyed getting to know Sadie and Aden.  Sadie is a very stubborn independent woman who has vowed that she will never marry.  Then after the death of her parents here comes the bishop demanding that she marry Sol, his son.  The very person she abhors.  Aden, Sol’s brother, steps up and volunteers to marry Sadie.  She now is between a rock and hard place.  What does she do?  Marry Aden as the bishop wants or lose everything and any way of taking care of her sisters. 

The Amish way of life was brought into the book. But it wasn’t the main focus.  My main complaint about Amish books is that they dwell more on the Amish way and not God’s way.  I liked how this book showed Sadie as wanting to do things God’s way.  Aden has had a very hard life growing up under a very abusive father and brother.  Through all this he still has a very gentle nature.  He also wants to do things God’s way.  I enjoyed watching the relationship between Sadie and Aden grow throughout the book. There was a little bit of mystery in the book which I enjoyed also.

I would highly recommend this book and will be reading more books by Kathleen Fuller.

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

All Is Bright by Colleen Coble

A romantic, Christmas wedding at her seaside hotel gives Delilah a chance to shine with her unique gifts. But will her light be snuffed out before the bride and groom say “I do”? 

As manager of the Tidewater Inn, Delilah Carter has been planning a spectacular Christmas wedding for her friends at the grand hotel overlooking the ocean. While picking up still more twinkly lights and some last-minute groceries for the reception dinner, a huge truck runs her off the freezing, wet roads into the dark night. Her car stops just short of an enormous tree and the truck speeds off into the night. Delilah escapes with her life and has almost convinced herself the whole thing was an accident, but then she begins to receive threatening phone calls. With the wedding just hours away, she’s distracted and anxious. Then Sheriff Tom Bourne stops by the inn and volunteers to help.

Tom has always had a soft spot for Delilah, and he’s determined to protect her. But he is pulled away by a bizarre Christmas stunt that has the neighborhood reeling, and Delilah is attacked again.

Will Delilah have to cancel the Christmas wedding at Tidewater Inn? And will Tom’s protection be enough to save Delilah from the shadowy figure looming in the background?

I have always loved reading Colleen Coble’s books and this was no exception.  We meet Delilah and Tom who are both lonely people heading into Christmas.  Delilah masks her loneliness by helping others.  Tom masks his by keeping busy with Sheriff work.  When Delilah is attacked Tom has the perfect opportunity to stay close to her.  As they are trying to discover who is attacking Delilah, we are caught up to date on the lives of the other characters from “The Hope Beach Series”.  The only problem I had with the book is that it was too short.  It would have been nice to have a little more character development.  I realize novellas are short, so that wasn’t a possibility.  Overall it was a very book and I would recommend this book to anyone.

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

Falling Like Snowflakes by Denise Hunter

Speeding north through rural Maine, Eden Martelli wonders how her life came to this—on the run with her mute five-year-old son dozing fitfully in the passenger seat. When a breakdown leaves them stranded in Summer Harbor, Eden has no choice but to stay put through Christmas . . . even though they have no place to lay their heads.

Beau Callahan is a habitual problem solver—for other people anyway. He left the sheriff’s department to take over his family’s Christmas tree farm, but he’s still haunted by the loss of his parents and struggling to handle his first Christmas alone.

When Eden shows up looking for work just as Beau’s feisty aunt gets out of the hospital, Beau thinks he’s finally caught a break. Eden is competent and dedicated—if a little guarded—and a knockout to boot. But, as he soon finds out, she also comes with a boatload of secrets.

Eden has been through too much to trust her heart to another man, but Beau is impossible to resist, and the feeling seems to be mutual. As Christmas Eve approaches, Eden’s past catches up to her.

Beau will go to the ends of the earth to keep her safe. But who’s going to protect his heart from a woman who can’t seem to trust again?

I have always enjoyed Denise Hunter’s books and this one is no exception.  Eden’s character was that of a strong woman who had been victimized by her husband into believing she was a worthless mother.  All she could think about is getting her son to safety.  But her attraction to Beau was getting in the way of her reasoning.

Beau was the strong defender hero of this book.  He knew something was off with Eden but he just couldn’t place it.  Being a former deputy sheriff he had connections to get answers to his questions.  What he found out terrified him.  He made it his mission to protect Eden and her son from anyone that came to harm them.  The only thing was who, was going to protect his heart. 

The only criticism I have for this book is that towards the end of the book some of Beau’s and Eden’s kisses got a little heavy and in the epilogue he patted her backside.  To me that was just being a little too familiar. It’s a clean book. But I just didn’t care for that.   That being said I would recommend this book. And I am anxious to read Zac’s and Riley’s stories.

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

Last Chance Hero by Catherine Armstrong

The inhabitants of Last Chance, New Mexico, could not be more pleased. Dr. Jessica McLeod has opened an office right on Main Street. Andy Ryan, the best athlete the little town ever produced, has ended his short career in the NFL and has come home to coach the mighty Pumas of Last Chance High. Unfortunately, Dr. Jess immediately gets off on the wrong foot when she admits that she's never seen a football game, isn't really interested in doing so, and, in fact, doesn't know a first down from a home run. Meanwhile, Coach Ryan is discovering that it's not easy to balance atop the pedestal the town has put him on. When this unlikely pair is drawn together over the future of a young player--whose gifts may lie in the laboratory rather than on the football field--they begin to wonder if they might have a future together as well.

Overall this wasn’t a bad book.  I liked Jess and Ryan.  They were as different as night and day.  He lived and breathed football.  She lived and breathed medicine.  Jess also didn’t know anything about football.  And didn’t really have any desire to learn.  This book is about their journey to discover love is right around the corner and that there is more to life than they had thought.  The only problem I would say I had with the book is that it ended rather abruptly.  I turned the page and there wasn’t anything else.  The ending was ok but it just seemed the book stopped.  I would have like to see some resolution on some of the issues that were raised during the course of the book. 

I would recommend this book for anyone seeking a light Christian romance novel. 

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