Beauty Among Ruins

 American socialite Lily Durham is known for enjoying one moment to the next, with little regard for the consequences of her actions. But just as she is banished overseas to England as a “cure” for her frivolous ways, the Great War breaks out and wreaks havoc. She joins her cousin in nursing the wounded at a convalescent home deep in the wilds of Scotland at a crumbling castle where its laird is less than welcoming.

Alec MacGregor has given his entire life to preserving his home of Kinclavoch Castle, but mounting debts force him to sell off his family history bit by bit. Labeled a coward for not joining his countrymen in the trenches due to an old injury, he opens his home to the Tommies to make recompense while he keeps to the shadows. But his preference for the shadows is shattered when a new American nurse comes streaming into the castle on a burst of light.

Lily and Alec are thrown together when a series of mysterious events threatens to ruin the future of Kinclavoch. Can they put aside their differences to find the culprit before it’s too late, or will their greatest distraction be falling in love?

Lily was a spoiled rich American that gets sent to England as a way to tame her wild ways.  According to her parents that is.  Lily just wants to be able to live her life they way she wants.  Not the way society or her mother dictates. Alec is trying to hang onto his estate after his father gambles most of the money away.  Strange and dangerous things start to happen on the estate. Some of them life threatening.  The only negative I found in the book was that Alec's poverty was repeatedly stated.  This is the first book I've read by this author and I enjoyed it.

I was given this book by Thomas Nelson Publishers via NetGalley for an honest review.  I was not compensated in any 

Active Defense by Lynette Eason

As a former field surgeon in Afghanistan, Heather Fontaine is used to life-or-death situations. She just didn't expect them to follow her home. When she returns from a party to find that someone has broken into her house--and threatened her friends--she assumes it is the stalker who has been following her and creeping her out. She hopes to find safety and peace of mind by leaving the city and hiding out in a small town. But trouble has followed her even there.

Luckily, a stalker isn't the only one watching Heather. Travis Walker has been secretly watching out for her for weeks. As owner of his own security agency, it's what he does. Together, Travis and Heather must figure out who wants her dead--and why--before it's too late. 

Another hit for Ms. Eason.  This book kept me reading when I should have been doing other things,  Heather would rather run that ask for help from her friends.  She was brought up in the foster care system and was told it's better to stand on your own two feet that accept help from others as they will let you down.  She has learn to accept help when it is offered.  Travis tracks her down and insists on helping.  He also informs her that her friends are waiting to help also.  The thing is that her friends have been threatened by the stalker.  I had an inkling of who the stalker was as I was reading.  But it was still surprising to see that I was correct.

I recommend this book to all who like a great mystery.

I was given this book by Revell Publishing via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.  I was not compensated in any way.

Courting Misfortune by Regina Jennings

 Calista York needs one more successful case as a Pinkerton operative to secure her job. When she's assigned to find the kidnapped daughter of a mob boss, she's sent to the rowdy mining town of Joplin, Missouri, despite having extended family in the area. Will their meddling expose her mission and keep Lila Seaton from being recovered?

When Matthew Cook decided to be a missionary, he never expected to be sent only a short train ride away. While fighting against corruption of all sorts, Matthew hears of a baby raffle being held to raise funds for a children's home. He'll do what he can to stop it, but he also wants to stop the reckless Miss York, whose bad judgment consistently seems to be putting her in harm's way.

Calista doesn't need the handsome pastor interfering with her investigation, and she can't let her disguise slip. Her job and the life of a young lady depend on keeping Matthew in the dark.  

All Calista wants to do is be a Pinkerton agent.  One last successful assignment is all she needs to prove herself.  The only problem is that she is sent to Joplin where she has lots of family and Joplin is a wild town.  How can she remain incognito when she runs into family at every turn.  Then there's Matthew.  He's trying to keep her from entering into the den of iniquity.  

This is a good book that I recommend.  Who knew that Joplin had such shady beginnings.  

I was given this book by Bethany House Publishing via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.  I was not compensated in any way.

The Kissing Tree

 Bestselling novelist Karen Witemeyer joins award-winning authors Regina Jennings, Amanda Dykes, and Nicole Deese for this Texas-sized romance novella collection. Each of the authors' unique voices is on display in stories where courting couples leave a permanent mark of their love by carving their initials into the same oak's bark.  

In Regina Jennings' Broken Limbs, Mended Fences, a small-town teacher has her credentials questioned by a traveling salesman.

In Karen Witemeyer's Inn for a Surprise, two opinionated collaborators with conflicting visions must turn a doomed business venture into a successful romantic retreat.

From Roots to Sky by Amanda Dykes follows a young WWII naval airman who heads to Texas to meet the sister of a lost compatriot.

Heartwood by Nicole Deese is a modern-day romance about the groundskeeper of a historic inn who's reunited with someone from her past while she fights to save a town landmark.

This is a collection of stories centered around a tree.  Known at the Kissing Tree.  The stories are generational.  They all flow one into the other but by different authors.  This is a good book to take to the beach or seat in front of a fire on a cold winter day.  

I was given this book by Bethany House Publishing via NetGalley for an honest review.  I was not compensated in any way. 

Nothing Short of Wondrous by Regina Scott

 It is 1886, and the government has given the US Cavalry control of Yellowstone. For widowed hotelier Kate Tremaine, the change is a welcome one. She knows every inch of her wilderness home like the back of her hand and wants to see it protected from poachers and vandals.

Refused a guide by Congress, Lieutenant William Prescott must enlist Kate's aid to help him navigate the sprawling park and track down the troublemakers. But a secret from his past makes him wary of the tender feelings the capable and comely widow raises in him. As they work together to protect the park and stand firm through injustice and tragedy, they may just find that two wounded hearts can share one powerful love when God is in control.

This is the second book in the American Wonders Series.  It is not necessary to read the first book in the series to read this book.  

Kate's only means of support is her hotel in Yellowstone National Park.  She has to convince the government representative to give her a 10 year lease.  Lt. Prescott is there to keep trouble makers and poachers out of the park.  This is Kate's journey to find love again and Lt. Prescott to find forgiveness for past actions.

This is a good clean book.  I recommend it to all ages.

I was given this book by Revell Publishing via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.  I was not compensated in any way.  

The Escape by Lisa Harris

 US Marshals Madison James and Jonas Quinn are thrust into a high-profile case when they are called on to transport two prisoners across the country on a private plane. But when the plane experiences engine trouble en route from the Pacific Northwest to Colorado, the pilots crash-land the aircraft deep in the heart of the sprawling Salmon-Challis National Forest. 

When Madison and Jonas regain consciousness, they find both pilots and one prisoner dead--and one fugitive on the run. They'll have to negotiate the rugged and remote backcountry through Idaho, Wyoming, and Colorado while tracking a murderer who is desperate to disappear--and will do anything to stop them.

This is an action packed book starting with a plane crash.  The pilots are dead, one of the prisoners is dead, one prisoner escapes.  Two US Marshals, Madison James and Jonas Quinn survive the plane crash and are on the hunt for the prisoner.  Madison has been a widow for five years and Jonas has recently broke up with his fiancee.  Neither one of them are looking for a relationship.  But the tension between them is something they can't ignore.  There is another story going on at the same time.  Who killed Madison's husband.  Some one leaves a black rose on his grave every anniversary of his death.  This year they got into Madison's house and left a black rose on her bed.  

This book is action packed as Madison and Jonas track down the escaped prisoner.  I recommend this book to all mystery lovers.  I'm looking forward to the next book in the series.

I was given this book by Revell Publishing via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.  I was not compensated in any way.

What You Said to Me by Olivia Newport

 When 15-year-old Tisha Crowder gets caught shoplifting, attorney Nolan Duffy tries to protect her from consequences that could rattle her already troubled life. His daughter, Jillian, feels like she’s the one being punished instead—by having Tisha assigned to work with her on a backlog of genealogy files. Tisha doesn’t seem interested in taking the job seriously, and Jillian’s patience wears thin. Besides, everyone in Canyon Mines knows the Crowder family has experienced generations of brokenness. Then a sliver of hope turns up in long-ago words in plain sight, challenging shrouded assumptions about Tisha’s family. Now Jillian is the one who can walk with Tisha back to 1893 and uncover where everything went wrong in the first place—and save her from the past. 

This is the fourth book in this series.  It's not necessary to read the first three to read and understand this book.  This book continues with Jillian doing research for her genealogy business.  Along comes Tisha who got into trouble for shoplifting.  Nolan has persuaded Jillian to have Tisha work for her in order to complete community service hours.  The problem is that Tisha has no desire to work for Jillian and everything that Jillian has her do is only half done or not done at all.  Then Tisha finds something out about her family background.  A switch seems to have been turned on for her.  Meanwhile Jillian is trying to find time to spend with her boyfriend Drew.  We were introduced to him in the last book.  

This is a good clean book that has a little bit of mystery.  

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