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.

Through the Deep Waters by Sarah Sundin

War is coming. Can love carry them through the rough waters that lie ahead?

It is 1941 and America teeters on the brink of war. Handsome and outgoing naval officer Ensign Jim Avery escorts British convoys across the North Atlantic in a brand-new destroyer, the USS Atwood. On shore, Jim encounters Mary Stirling, a childhood friend who is now an astute and beautiful Boston Navy Yard secretary.

When evidence of sabotage on the Atwood is discovered, Jim and Mary must work together to uncover the culprit. A bewildering maze of suspects emerges, and Mary is dismayed to find that even someone close to her is under suspicion. With the increasing pressure, Jim and Mary find that many new challenges--and dangers--await them.

This book brought out the struggles the American people has with the world conditions around them prior to the United States involvement in WWII.  I didn’t remember from history class that US ships were sunk before Pearl Harbor. 

I did like Jim and Mary’s characters.  Although I did think Mary was a little wimpy when her friend came to town.  Jim was also a little wimpy when he didn’t confront Mary with his feelings.  Otherwise it was a good book and one I would recommend to others.

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

Counting on a Cowboy by Debra Clopton

After losing everything she held dear, Abby never wants to love again. But a certain cowboy may just spur her to wonder if love might be worth the risk.
Running from a past that haunts her, Abby Knightly is drawn to the cozy town of Wishing Springs, Texas. Maybe this small town could offer hope and healing and a future for Abby . . . if she’s brave enough to reach out and take it by the reins.
Bo Monahan isn’t interested in the new romantic destination his little town has become—or the women who might be looking at him like he’s their next Mr. Right. Between taking care of his Pops and his growing stirrup business, he isn’t looking for serious romantic commitments. But when the infant son he never knew about shows up at his doorstep, his world is turned upside down.
This confirmed bachelor might not think he needs a wife, but he sure needs help. Even Abby can see that, and despite her best efforts to keep her distance, she can’t help but be drawn to this new father-son duo. As Abby throws herself into helping Bo navigate fatherhood, hope sparks between them, revealing that maybe, just maybe, they can navigate their dark pasts and emerge together into a future as bright as the Texas sun itself.
Cons:  I had some trouble understand Abby.  She sells her house and moves to Wishing Springs, TX all because of a blog in a newspaper.  I know she has lost her husband in a terrible accident and blames herself and is having trouble forgiving herself.  But I would have thought she would have at least visited before moving there.  Then she is very indecisive about helping Bo with the baby.  One minute she is going to help then the next she’s not.
Now onto Bo.  He has a child he didn’t know anything about.  I understand that happens.  But all of a sudden he decides to stop sleeping around.  But he gets carried away one more time. No explanation about why he decided to stop sleeping around. For a Christian novel this was disappointing to me as I would have thought this would have been a perfect place for the author to show why he quit sleeping around.  Also, faith was hardly mentioned at all in the book.
Pros:  I did finally start to like Abby.  But I still had some issues with her.  The concept of the story was good and I liked how the Monahan clan and town of Wishing Springs rallied around Bo to help him take care of the baby.  I think Bo was the more believable character in this novel.  Bo was willing to take on the responsibilities of his actions and raise his son.  It was comical in spots in how he went about trying to take care of a baby. 
Overall it wasn’t a bad book just could have been better. It was good enough that I am looking forward to reading the next book in the series. The first book in the series “Betting on Hope” was better. 
I was given this book by the publisher for an honest review.  I was not compensated in any way.

Hope Harbor by Irene Hannon

Tracy Campbell never wanted to leave Hope Harbor, Oregon, or the idyllic three-generation cranberry farm where she grew up. But life--and love--altered her plans. When tragedy strikes and changes her plans yet again, she finds herself back in her hometown with a floundering farm to run and a heartbreaking secret. Romance is not on her agenda. Nor is it on Michael Hunter's. The visitor from Chicago has daunting secrets of his own. But when Tracy recruits him to help save a struggling charitable organization, the winds of change begin to sweep through Hope Harbor, bringing healing, hope, and love to countless lives--including their own.

This book wasn’t a bad book, just not what I was expecting.  The other Irene Hannon books I have read have been suspenseful mysteries.  This was not.  It was what I would call a nice summer beach read. 

Tracy is working herself into the ground trying to save the cranberry farm she and her uncle own.  She is also running from the death of her husband.  Michael is an over worked burnt out CEO of a non for profit organization.  He is also running the death of his wife.  I found the book to be slow in spots but then it would pick up again.  I might have thought that because I was expecting a mystery.    I also think that the story of Tracy and Michael should have been told before the last third of the book. 

I would recommend this book for those who like good clean romance story.

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

Horse in the Wilderness by Debbie Eckles

A missing horse. A missing boy. A vandal with an unexplained grievance against a local farmer. A young woman who drives as though pursued by demons.
An impulsive offer to help locate the missing horse draws Brent Travis unwillingly into the affairs of the Parker family. Are they the gracious, God-fearing Christians they appear to be, or are they the hypocrites of Brent’s past experience?
Autumn Parker’s friendly jibe—quitter—cuts closer than she knows to the heart of the man who has lost his faith in God, in honor, and in loyalty. Caught in a battle between the forces of depression telling him he has nothing to live for and the opportunity to build a new life for himself in rural Orchard Springs, Arkansas, Brent is forced to re-examine everything he believes.
When the vandal strikes again, Brent takes the harshest blow yet—and this time he may not recover.
This book was very slow moving.  There were times I wasn’t sure what was going on.  I don’t normally have trouble finishing a book, but this time I did.  I kept waiting for something to happen.  Someone who enjoys a nice easy read would probably enjoy this book.  I am more into fast paced mysteries.
I received this book from the publisher for an honest review.  I was not compensated in any way.