The Nature of a Lady is a gorgeous story full of secrets and treasure hunts and mysteries and adventure, with a very sweet central romance and a strong sense of place. It is also that rare gem, an Inspirational romance that really works for me both as a romance and on a theological level, while also being just a really good read. Lady Elizabeth Sinclair has never been good at fitting in where she is … Continue reading The Nature of a Lady by Roseanna M. White→
As an Australian living in Melbourne, I always feel a bit sad that there aren’t more romances set in my part of the world. While there are plenty of amazing Australian romance authors out there, it seems that there isn’t much of a market for romances set in Australia…and so our local authors write stories set in the UK or Europe or the US – exotic for this reviewer, but rather a pity for everyone … Continue reading A Girl’s Guide to the Outback by Jessica Kate→
Firstly, despite the very contemporary cover of 2 people embracing, this is an inspirational romance so physical displays of affection are very limited – 2 kisses over the entire book! Also I thought the cover appeared slightly young adulty. However, it is definitely a story with adult characterisation and plot. The book has a rather unique setting of a luxury tour of New Zealand aimed at Tolkien enthusiasts and is really quite charming. The heroine … Continue reading Close to You by Kara Isaac→
You could read the book description above and skip reading Trust My Heart as it summarizes the story much better than I ever could. Yes, it is a pretty typical small town story and you know how it is going to end. But you would miss the author’s storytelling skills and her way of keeping you in a bit of suspense until the end of the story. There were many times while reading this book … Continue reading Trust My Heart by Carol J. Post→
Like many RITA reviewers, I ended up with a book in a genre I rarely read. Not that I haven’t enjoyed “inspirational” books in the past, just that I end up finding them less than inspirational. I went in with few expectations and came out pretty much as expected. Full disclosure: When I signed on for this book I checked availability with the GBPL but failed to notice that the only copy they had was … Continue reading Trust My Heart by Carol J. Post→
Keeper of the Stars was thoroughly unobjectionable. I want to be able to give it higher praise than that, but I cannot do that and still be honest. The thoughts and actions of the characters, their faith expression, and the plot of the book- there was absolutely nothing about which one could object. While this might sound appealing, it was actually just really bland. Reading the book was like eating a dinner that’s not bad … Continue reading Keeper of the Stars by Robin Lee Hatcher→
Katie Stone is back in Fairfield, the small Georgia town in which she grew up, after four years away to help her parents deal with her mother’s recent MS diagnosis. The problem is that Katie doesn’t want to be back home because she’s filled with all sorts of self-loathing and guilt over the wreckage she left behind when she hightailed it out of town in the middle of the night after doing the very horrible, … Continue reading My Hope Next Door by Tammy L. Gray→
When the RITA finalists were announced, I found I’d already read and reviewed three of the four finalists for my favourite genre, Romance with Religious or Spiritual Elements. And three worthy finalists they are. I will admit to a natural bias in favour of Close to You by Kara Isaac, because she’s a fellow Kiwi and the novel is set in New Zealand. Close to You also finaled in Best First Novel, so I’m not … Continue reading Keeper of the Stars by Robin Lee Hatcher→
Marietta “Etta” Hawkins is the twenty-one year-old daughter of a ranch owner in 1892 in Texas. She runs the household and takes care of all the woman-slash-house stuff. Her father is extremely protective and warns all his ranch hands not to even think about “making advances” or they’ll be fired. He has fired several men. Daniel Barrett is the ranch foreman who has been breeding and training mules on the side and is in the … Continue reading “The Husband Maneuver” by Karen Witemeyer→
RITA time is the best time of the year. It’s like Oscar season, except better because instead of pretending like I’m going to sit through a black and white silent film, I get introduced to new awesome books. “The Husband Maneuver” is not really one of those awesome books, but nevertheless, I would never have picked it out by myself, and for that I am grateful. The plot is fairly straightforward: Marietta Hawkins has been … Continue reading “The Husband Maneuver” by Karen Witemeyer→
“A disgraced scholar running from her past and an entrepreneur chasing his future find themselves thrown together—and fall in love—on a Tolkien tour of New Zealand.” I jumped into this book with enthusiasm because I am a HUGE Lord of the Rings fan and when one of my coworkers went on a LOTR tour of New Zealand last year I thought it sounded amazing. My enthusiasm was dampened rather quickly, though, after the first chapter … Continue reading Close to You by Kara Isaac→
