Aiming for Love by Mary Connealy

Josephine Nordegren is one of three sisters who grew up nearly wild in southwestern Colorado. She has the archery skills of Robin Hood and the curiosity of the Little Mermaid, fascinated by but locked away from the forbidden outside world--a world she's been raised to believe killed her parents. When David Warden, a rancher, brings in a herd much too close to the girls' secret home, her older sister especially is frightened, but Jo is too interested to stay away.

David's parents follow soon on his heels, escaping bandits at their ranch. David's father is wounded and needs shelter. Josephine and her sisters have the only cabin on the mountain. Do they risk stepping into the world to help those in need? Or do they remain separated but safe in the peaks of Hope Mountain?

Another enjoyable read by Ms. Connealy.   The Nordegren sisters grew up without any contact from the outside world.  All they know is their mountain top.  They were taught how to take care of themselves by their grandparents.  They've been told if they leave the mountain or have contact with anyone from the outside they'll die of fever just like their parents did.  David is looking to establish a ranch for himself and comes across Jo.  Then his parents follow as they are being chases off their ranch.  The Nordegren sisters have to adjust to people.  Jo really would like to get to know David better and find out what the outside world is like.  A great story.  I'm looking forward to the next book in the series.  I'm thinking it will be Isla and Mitch's story. 

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

Dark Ambitions by Irene Hannon

Former Army Night Stalker Rick Jordan usually has his camp for foster children to himself during the winter months. But someone has visited recently--leaving a trail of blood. One of the two clues left behind tips Rick off to the identity of his visitor, who soon turns up dead. The police deem it an accident, but Rick isn't convinced. With the help of private investigator Heather Shields, he sets out to decipher the remaining clue. Except someone doesn't want them to succeed--and will stop at nothing to keep them from finding the truth.

Another great book by Ms Hannon.  Rick is a hero who doesn't like that label.  He would just as soon for get about his war experiences.  When he finds blood on his property and a coin from one of his former team mates he knows he has to find out what has happened to him.  He turns to Heather Shields.  I like how we get another look at the Private Justice group.  As I was reading, I thought I had the mystery solved as to who was hiring hit men.  I had it all wrong.  It was a mystery all the way to the end.  I loved the book and am looking forward to Ms. Hannon's next book.

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

You Belong with Me by Tari Faris

Realtor Hannah Thornton has many talents. Unfortunately, selling houses in the town where her family name is practically poison isn't one of them. When a business tycoon determines to raze historic homes in the small town of Heritage, Michigan, and replace them with a strip mall, Hannah resolves to stop him. She sets about helping Heritage win a restoration grant that will put the town back on the map--and hopefully finally repay the financial debt Hannah's mother caused the town. But at first no one supports her efforts--not even her best friend, Luke.

Luke Johnson may have grown up in Heritage, but as a foster kid he never truly felt as if he belonged. Now he has a chance to score a job as assistant fire chief and earn his place in the town. But when the interview process and Hannah's restoration project start unearthing things from his past, Luke must decide if belonging is worth the pain of being honest about who he is--and who he was.

Hannah is trying everything she can to make up to the town for what her mother did.  In the process she is fighting a battle to save the historical district of the town from demolition in the name of progress.  Luke has never felt like he has belonged anywhere.  He grew up as a foster child.  His foster mother wasn't mean, she just wasn't very motherly.  His best friend was Hannah and they had each others back.  This book is Luke and Hannah's journey to finding out that God cares for them for who they are and not that Hannah's mother was an embezzler or that Luke was a foster child.

I recommend this book.

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

Strands of Truth by Colleen Coble

Harper Taylor is used to being alone— after all, she grew up in one foster home after another. Oliver Jackson finally took her under his wing when she was a runaway teenager, and now Harper pours her marine biology knowledge into Oliver’s pen shell research. But she’s never stopped wishing for a family of her own.
So when a DNA test reveals a half-sister living just two hours away, Harper is both hopeful and nervous. Over warm cinnamon rolls, Harper and Annabelle find striking similarities in their stories. Is it just a coincidence that both their mothers died tragically, without revealing Harper and Annabelle’s father’s name?
Oliver’s son Ridge still sees Harper as a troubled teen even all these years later. But when Oliver is attacked, Ridge and Harper find themselves working together to uncover dangerous secrets that threaten to destroy them all. They must unravel her past before they can have any hope for the future.

Harper is struggling to find out who she is.  When she finds her half sister she begins to think things are looking up.  That is when it really starts to spiral out of control.  Someone tries to kidnap her half sister.  Then the kidnappers start going after her.
Ridge has always resented Harper.  He thinks his dad spent more time with her than his own children.  When someone tries to kill Oliver, Ridge has to put his feelings on hold so he and Harper can figure out who's trying to kidnap them and kill Oliver.
This is a good mystery and will keep you guessing clear til the very end.  I recommend this book to all mystery buffs.

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

Diamond in the Rough by Jen Turano

To save her family from financial ruin, Miss Poppy Garrison accepts an unusual proposition to participate in the New York social season in exchange for her grandmother settling a family loan that has unexpectedly come due. Ill-equipped to handle the intricacies of mingling within the New York Four Hundred, Poppy becomes embroiled in one hilarious fiasco after another, doomed to suffer a grand societal failure instead of being deemed the diamond of the first water her grandmother longs for her to become.

Reginald Blackburn, second son of a duke, has been forced to travel to America to help his cousin, Charles Wynn, Earl of Lonsdale, find an American heiress to wed in order to shore up his family estate that is in desperate need of funds. Reginald himself has no interest in finding an heiress to marry, but when Poppy's grandmother asks him to give etiquette lessons to Poppy, he swiftly discovers he may be in for much more than he bargained for.

I found this book to be very entertaining.  Poppy knows nothing about high society and how she is supposed to act.   She's only there so she can save the family farm.  She has no desire to snag a titled husband.  Reginald is no Duke, but he is very influential in England.  He tries to keep his secret so he won't be the target of matchmaking mothers.  Poppy's grandmother hires Reginald to help Poppy learn the niceties of society.  He grudging accepts and what follows is an adventure for both of them.

This is the second book in the series.  I have not read the first book and did not feel lost while reading this book.  Although, Diamond in the Rough was so good I want to read the first book.  I recommend this book to any one looking for an entertaining read.

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

Hope's Highest Mountain by Misty M. Beller

Ingrid Chastain readily agreed to accompany her father to deliver vaccines to a mining town in the Montana Territory. She never could have anticipated a terrible accident would leave her alone and badly injured in the wilderness. When rescue comes in the form of a mysterious mountain man who tends her injuries, she's hesitant to put her trust in this quiet man who seems to have his own wounds.

Micah Bradley left his work as a doctor after unintentionally bringing home the smallpox disease that killed his wife and daughter. But his self-imposed solitude in the wilds of Montana is broken when he finds Ingrid in desperate need of medical attention, and he's forced to face his regret and call on his doctoring skills once again.

Micah can't help but admire Ingrid's tenacious determination despite the severity of her injuries, until he learns the crate she brought contains smallpox vaccines to help quell a nearby outbreak. With Ingrid dead set on trekking through the mountains to deliver the medicine--with or without his help--he has no choice but to accompany her. As they set off through the treacherous, snow-covered Rocky Mountains against all odds, the journey ahead will change their lives more than they could have known.  

Ingrid is left alone with a broken leg and rib in the mountains of Montana after an accident that killed her father.   They were on there way to deliver small pox vaccines to a settlement.  Micah is running from life and God.  He finds her and takes her to his hut.  She begs him to help her take the vaccines to the settlement.  After finally agreeing, he rigs up a sled to pull her on since she can't walk.  They go through all kinds of difficulties getting to the their destination. I encourage you to read the book.

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

A Glitter of Gold by Liz Johnson

Anne Norris moved to Savannah, Georgia, for a fresh start. Now her pirate-tour business is flagging, and paying the rent requires more than wishful thinking. When she discovers evidence of a shipwreck off the coast of Tybee Island, she knows it could be just the boon she needs to stay afloat. She takes her findings to local museum director Carter Hale for confirmation, but she runs after a disastrous first meeting.

Carter has been searching for the location of the wreck detailed in the worn pages of an 18th-century diary, the discovery of which could open the door to his dream job at a prestigious museum. But convincing Anne to help him fill in the missing pieces of the puzzle is no easy task. And working with Carter means that Anne will have to do the one thing she swore she'd never do again: trust a man.

Finding a monetary backer and sticking with a search that's turning up nothing will take all their dedication--and every secret they've tried to hide. If they can find the lost ship, they may discover a treasure worth more than all the pirate gold in the world--love.

This a story about two people running from their past, trying to find their future.  Anne was wrongly accused of a felony and served time in jail.  Carter is running away from family expectations.   When Anne finds a treasure on the beach after a hurricane she takes it to the museum where Carter works.  Carter knows exactly what it is because he has a diary that describes it perfectly.  Anne has a lot of trust issues due to her previous experiences so she doesn't want to work with Carter at all.  They finally come to a truce. 

This is a good book and I would recommend it.  I was expecting a little bit more mystery but still a good book.  This is the second book in the series.  But it is not necessary to read the first book.

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