Discovering Grace

"Find a companion of the heart, Mr. Barnes, and you will find joy the rest of your days."

This quote is a perfect expression of this book. It is two souls finding each other. 

Jacob and Grace have different ideas of what they want. Add Hope, Grace's twin into the mix and there is bound to be trouble afoot. Through an opportunity that Grace did not want, a little dishonesty and finally redemption, Grace comes to know herself and what she is without her sister. 

Jacob's path to the vicarage does not quite go as he planned. Through some soul searching he too comes to find his true direction in matters of the heart. His friends see what he does not, as does his mother.

This was a delightful story with all the romance you could want and the character growth I have come to expect from Sally Britton's stories. This was a perfect escape from the every day.

Entangled

Bridge of Trust
What happens when you have to save the wife of a crime boss? A lot of suspense, excitement, and even a chance of romance. This novella has everything, shoot outs, a mama bear, intrigue, and even a department leak in the FBI. 
When Ethan is charged with keeping a mob boss’s ex-wife safe after her son is kidnapped and retrieve her son, it becomes the case of his life. A mole forces him to work outside the usual channels and safe houses. 
Summer, the mob boss’s ex-wife just wants to be left a lone to raise her sons, but someone isn’t letting that happen.
I was glue to this story with its mystery and intrigue. The characters were good and the story compelling. Once I started, I couldn’t put it down until the end. The twists to the end kept the suspense up with a beautiful payoff.

Corrupted
The thing you learn from police stories, the thin blue line doesn’t like internal affairs investigations, but when girls are being kidnapped and one of them is the internal affairs investigator’s girlfriend’s daughter, that is bound to happen. Corruption is evident early but it is difficult to find the source or how deep it goes. 
The stakes get higher as the investigation hits closer to home and bodies start to appear. Is it a trafficking situation and how is the police force involved.
This suspenseful race against time was a page turner. It is well written and twisty until the end. 

Insidious
Of the novellas in this book, this one hit me the hardest. I have lived the world of unknown illness and the feeling of not knowing is unparalleled. I was right there with the main character as she fought to figure out what was happening to her husband. Of the subjects of these stories, illness is probably the most insidious enemy as the title suggests. It is unpredictable and doesn’t discriminate. The hope offered at the end of the story brings the truth that life keeps moving. I cautiously move forward to other books by this author, given the subject matter, but it was well developed and the characters were relatable.

Something Beautiful for Something Evil
Wow. I have no other words at this moment. All I can say is I should have seen that coming. Kate thought she had it all, a good job, a good husband, and a good life in a new town. Little did she know it was the beginning of things she would never forget. She just thought she was helping her husband investigate her boss and supposed ties to anti-government groups. Little did she know she was stumbling into the path of a serial killer. Trying to decipher this was what made this story work. It was full of false trails and missed clues. 

Overall this collection of stories was everything that it promised. Each story and each author brought a different style and type of story, but they fit together beautifully. They were long enough to enjoy and short enough for a quick escape. 

Love Sidelined

Jason and Allie both had a past that they were struggling to overcome. This was quickly apparent in the beginning of the story. They had their goals and Allie had a missionary. Luckily they also had Harper and Ben to keep them grounded and in the same circles. 

It isn't your typical Quarterback meets Cheerleader story. Set at UCAL with an appearance at BYU, their journey is anything but typical. Jason is fighting his past and trying to overcome it, while Allie is suffering from PTSD related to her past trauma. The question as they start to spend more time together, is can they do it?

Add to the mix Drew, Jason's little brother, who doesn't think he can change and you have an intriguing story of redemption and Jason examining what he really want out of life. 

I marked this for spoilers, but am trying to stick to generalities. I was given an ARC by the publisher to read. From the time I picked it up, I was unable to put it down. I have the previous books in the series but they have remained in my to be read pile, they may emerge from there sooner than later as I have come to like this author's writing style and multi dimensional characters. 

I loved the individual character growth of even supporting characters. It helped contribute to the richness of the story. I truly felt like I was there.

All Hearts Come Home For Christmas

I could review each of the stories in the compilation separately, but I am not sure I could. I received my ARC from the publisher and it couldn't have come at a better time. I was in a bit of turmoil and needed something to soothe my soul. This was the perfect balm. 

I am hugging this book!

This is a compilation of a few of my favorite authors with a couple of them writing extensions on my favorite characters and stories within their worlds. Sarah Eden brought us back the Dangerous Duke of Kielder and reunited him with his mother which is always a prospect for Drama, but I loved this intimate look at this family at Christmas time. The Heart of Christmas was Anita Stansfield as her best with a beautiful story of a banker and the woman he hires to help take care of his child and his house. It is a story of healing like no other. 'Tis the Season to be Daring brings us a prequel to Esther Hatch's Roses of Feldstone and JoAnna Barker, who is quickly becoming one of my faves brings a sweet story of reunited friends. 

You don't need to wait until Christmas to read this one, in fact, I would read it now and then again at Christmas. It brings the healing and love of the season home any time you want to be there.

Books are like Oxygen

In the last year I have gotten connected with a few different authors and a publisher. I was just reviewing on goodreads.com, Amazon, etc. I have been feeling like I need a place to keep track of it all. I have read so many wonderful stories and would love to share them with you.