The Wood's Edge by Lori Benton

The 1757 New York frontier is home to the Oneida tribe and to British colonists, yet their feet rarely walk the same paths.

On the day Fort William Henry falls, Major Reginald Aubrey is beside himself with grief. His son, born that day, has died in the arms of his sleeping wife. When Reginald comes across an Oneida mother with newborn twins, one white, one brown, he makes a choice that will haunt the lives of all involved. He steals the white baby and leaves his own child behind. Reginald’s wife and foundling daughter, Anna, never suspect the truth about the boy they call William, but Reginald is wracked by regret that only intensifies with time, as his secret spreads its devastating ripples.

When the long buried truth comes to light, can an unlikely friendship forged at the wood’s edge provide a way forward? For a father tormented by fear of judgment, another by lust for vengeance. For a mother still grieving her lost child. For a brother who feels his twin’s absence, another unaware of his twin’s existence. And for Anna, who loves them both—Two Hawks, the mysterious Oneida boy she meets in secret, and William, her brother. As paths long divided collide, how will God direct the feet of those who follow Him?

I could tell that a lot of research has gone into the writing of this novel.  I thoroughly enjoyed the history that was woven into the story.  At first I thought I would get lost with all the characters that were being introduced.  But as the story progressed they were all an integral part of the story.  The story shows how Reginald’s one impulsive act affected so many people and how they dealt with it.  Watching the characters grow up was interesting as well.  It is a long book but well worth the read.  I wouldn’t consider a light read but instead one you have to think about as you read.

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

A Stranger’s Secret by Laurie Alice Eakes

Lady Morwenna Trelawny Penvenan indulged in her fair share of dalliances in her youth, but now that she's the widowed mother to the heir of the Penvenan title, she's desperate to polish her reputation. When she's accused of deliberately luring ships to crash on the rocks to steal the cargo, Morwenna begins an investigation to uncover the real culprits and stumbles across an unconscious man lying in the sea's foam—a man wearing a medallion with the Trelawny crest around his neck.

The medallion is a mystery to David Chastain, a boat builder from Somerset. All David knows is that his father was found dead in Cornwall with the medallion in his possession after lying and stealing his family's money. And he knows the widow who rescued him is impossibly beautiful—and likely the siren who caused the shipwreck in the first place—as well as the hand behind whoever is trying to murder David.

As Morwenna nurses David back to health and tries to learn how he landed on her beach, suspicion and pride keep their growing attraction at bay. But can they join together to save Morwenna's name and estate and David’s life? Can they acknowledge the love they are both trying to deny?

The story line was good and I did enjoy the book. A few things I found to be a little repetitive. We were always being told how poor Morwenna was and all she had to do was marry someone of her grandparents choosing and her dowry would be released. Of course they had a couple of men picked out for her.  Forget that she didn’t love either one of them. I realize in that day and age women didn’t have much say in who they married.  David was always being referred to as being of an inferior class to Morwenna. There was some mystery to the book but not as much as I had anticipated from reading the description by the publisher.

This was the second book in the Cliff’s of Cornwall series.  I did not read the first book in the series and I feel it might have made this book a little easier to understand. There were references to people that made me think their stories were told in the previous book.  I enjoyed reading about the history of the area.  I really wanted to give this book five stars but I couldn’t. I found the book to be slow in several places.  Therefore, I can only give this book three stars.

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

Buried Secrets by Irene Hannon

After seven years as a Chicago homicide detective, Lisa Grant has hit a wall. Ready for a kinder, gentler life, she takes a job as a small-town police chief. But the discovery of a human skeleton by a construction crew at the edge of town taxes the resources of her department. A call for assistance brings detective Mac McGregor, an ex-Navy SEAL, to her doorstep. As they work to solve the mystery behind the unmarked grave, danger begins to shadow them. Someone doesn't want this dead person telling any tales--and will stop at nothing to make certain a life-shattering secret stays buried.

I will start out saying I did enjoy the book.  I was expecting more of a suspense story line than there was.  Maybe that is why I was a little disappointed.  Also, I didn’t feel like I got to know Lisa very well.  She still had her secret about Chicago by the end of the book.  Mac on the other hand, was given more depth of character.  The story line was great.  I did enjoy reading how the long ago crime was solved through diligent police work.  Even though the perpetrator(s) was shown during the book, it was still interesting to see how they were caught and what they did to avoid being caught.

All that being said I would recommend this book to anyone and I look forward to the next book in the Men of Valor series.

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

Knitting Block by Block by Nicky Epstein

Let me start out by saying I am not a novice knitter nor a super expert knitter.  The patterns are not written with a novice in mind or even someone like myself who has done quit a bit of knitting.  I would say you would need to be an expert knitter to follow a lot of the instructions.  I had to look up several of the abbreviations as I didn't know what they meant. I didn't find the directions to always be clear.  I am also challenged with any knitting project as I am left handed and have to reverse a lot of patterns.

That being said, the book is presented in a very pleasing fashion.  Good color photos.




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

From the Start by Melissa Tagg

Kate Walker used to believe in true love and happily ever after. While her own love life may have left her brokenhearted, it hasn't kept her from churning out made-for-TV romance movie screenplays...until a major career slump and a longing to do something meaningful send her running back to her hometown of Maple Valley.

Permanently sidelined by an injury, former NFL quarterback Colton Greene is temporarily hiding out in a friend's hometown to avoid the media and the reminders of all he's lost. Maple Valley seems like the perfect place to learn how to adjust to normal life. The only trouble is he's never really done normal before.

While Kate plays things safe and Colton is all about big risks and grand gestures, they both get what it's like to desperately need direction in life. An unexpected project gives them both a chance to jumpstart their new lives, but old wounds and new dreams are hard to ignore. Starting over wasn't part of the plan, but could it be the best thing that's ever happened to them?

Let me preface my review with the statement that most of the books I read are suspense books.  That being said I did enjoy the book but it didn’t keep me on the edge of my seat.  I did enjoy Kate and Colton’s characters.  They were both in limbo and not sure what the next phase of their lives would be.  They had plan A or B in their minds and were trying to decide which one to choose.  Only thing is they didn’t put God into the equation to see what he wanted them to do.  Maybe it was plan C or D.  It opened my eyes to how many times I do the same thing with my life decisions. I would give this book 3 ½ stars because as I stated I’m more of a suspense reader.  I look forward to the other books in the Walker family series.

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

Betting on Hope by Debra Clopton

At the last minute Maggie Hope is sent to interview champion horse trainer Tru Monahan because the person who was suppose to do it was taken ill.  Maggie never dreamed she would meet let alone talk with Tru.  She is an advice columnist not a reporter so she is really nervous.  But to save her column she does what she is told.  During the interview things get out of hand and she bets Tru that he can’t teach her, the city girl, how to ride a cutting a horse.  Did I mention that Maggie is very klutzy?

Tru is determined to teach Maggie how to ride a horse. He believes Maggie set him up so she could get a good story.  It has happened to him before as he is a Champion horse trainer.  Maggie’s background has taught her not to trust anyone but herself and Tru has had some bad experiences along the way also.  As he is teaching her to ride, the attraction between to two of them grows.  Both of Maggie and Tru have secrets that they think will destroy the relationship if it is told.  Therefore, they have trouble trusting each other.

This is a Christian book but the only mention of God was the occasional reference to attending church.  It was a clean book with no language.  It didn’t seem like Maggie and Tru were relying on God to get them through the tough situations they were facing.  It tackled some tough issues like child abuse, living on the streets, and gambling and their consequences.

I found the story to be a quick easy read.  One I enjoyed.  I am looking forward to the next story in the series.  I would recommend this book to anyone.

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