WINDS OF WYOMING by Rebecca Carey Lyles

This was a story full of mystery, suspense, and of course romance. The ranch in Wyoming was one I would like to visit and I would love to sit and visit with dear sweet Dymple! She was quite the character and the way she mixed up her words had me laughing out loud at times.

The real story though centered around Kate Neilson who is trying to leave her rough and troublesome past behind her and start fresh working at a ranch in Wyoming. She decides not to share her prison time with anyone, or the fact that someone has followed her here and wants to do her harm. Mike Duncan is trying to help his Mom run this "dude" ranch since his father past away. He has a passion and love for the buffalo, for the ranch, and is beginning to have feelings for Kate. But too many things are happening since she came "on board" and that makes their future together very unstable.

I liked the story line and the characters in this story. They seemed very real and had real problems to deal with. Life can be hard for people, but what I liked is how God can change folks and turn things around for good. I thought the author ended it rather abruptly, but I liked the ending. I look forward to reading more by this author.

THE BATTLE FOR VAST DOMINION by George Bryan Polivka

This was a great ending to this series of books. The author brought it all together very well and several things happened that took me by surprise, which is always a plus for me. This story was as the title states, a "battle" fought between good and evil by pirates on the high seas. There was no lack for adventure as you were reading. You had the Evil Hezzan of Drummun, the Firefish and the Achawuk Territory to contend with. If you started with this book in the series then you are going to be a little lost I think. You really need to read these books in the order they were written ("The Legend of the Firefish", "The Hand That Bears the Sword", and "The Battle for Vast Dominion".)

In this story Packer Throme is now King of the Vast Dominion and must lead his people and show them that his power comes from above. He must lead his small fleet into enemy territory and then it all comes to an epic end when everyone converges in the Achawuk Territory to take on the Firefish. What a battle! What an ending! This really was an excellent mythical adventure with alot of lessons to be learned and alot of truth being taught as you read. This was not my typical genre of books that I read, but I must say it held my attention and kept me captivated as I was reading. I would easily recommend folks reading this series.

THE HAND THAT BEARS THE SWORD by George Bryan Polvka

This is book two in this series and I highly recommend you read these stories in the order in which they were written. Polivka writes this series with alot of action and adventure (and a little romance, which is something I always like in my reading). His characters are alive with struggles, failures, fears and hopes and what I thoroughly enjoy is how he weaves biblical truths into this fantasy world filled with pirates, dragons, and Kingdoms to conquer.

This book begins with Packer and Panna Throme, recent newlyweds who find the "honey-month" cut short when Packer must once again set sail on the high seas to protect his Kingdom of Nearing Vast against the evil Drammuns who have set sail to overtake Nearing Vast. The firefish once more play a big part in this story but with twists and turns I wasn't expecting. While Packer is gone Panna must await his return and try to free herself from the Prince who has her a captive in his palace.

I love pirates stories, but don't usually read alot of fantasy type story lines. This series though has captured my attention and kept me captivated and wanting to read book 3 to see how this story will end!

THE LEGEND OF THE FIREFISH by George Bryan Polivka

Two things intrigued me about this series even before I started reading them. One was the covers on the books which I thought were very well done, and two was the fact that my daughter-in-law knew the author. My two sons always give me a hard time about all the romance stories I read and said I should step outside by box every now and then, and I think this series was a step for me (although it did have a little romance in it). If you like a good pirate adventure as well as fantasy and a well-told tale, then this story will grab you from the beginning. There are sea monsters to slay, battles on the sea to be fought and pirates all over the place. But what really made an impact was the way ones faith and beliefs were woven into the story in such a realistic and though provoking way.

Packer Throme lives in a little fishing village and feels the need to stow away on a notorious pirate ship to hunt the legendary Firefish. He leaves behind his "true love", Panna, not knowing she will embark on a quest to find him on her own. She too will encounter a dangerous adventure on land.

This was a story that clearly had good guys and bad guys, adventure and alot of action. It wasn't my usual story line, but I must say it had me staying up late just to be able to finish the book and see what would happen next. I will continue to read the rest of the books in this series and see what happens next.

COVETED BRIDE by Regina Tittel

Another winner in the Ozark Durham Series! A warm hearted romance that keeps you reading till your done and them makes you wish for more. Not your typical boy meets girl in this story, but boy meets girl with 6 children! Lindsey Buchannan is a mother to 6 and a husband who has just died and has made his last request that she marry Keaton Durham. Keaton has seen Lindsey from afar and has always had a great affection for her. Keaton is a true godly gentleman (which is very hard to find, but very refreshing to know they do exsist - and not just in books). He gently and patiently must wait for Lindsey to come to trust him and learn to love him. Lindsey bears scars from emtional abuse by her deceased husband and must regain confidence in her ability to make a life of her own. Keaton must convince her he is someone she can trust. Then there is someone out to try and do damage to this family and he needs to be caught and stopped before one of the children are seriously injured.

I continue to enjoy Regina Tittel's writing. It is filled with wonderful romance, and always with a spiritual emphasis and a struggle to overcome. The 6 children in this story were a joy to read about and the way they took to Keaton so quickly showed how much love they needed from a man who would take time to love them. If you love a good clean romance that will leave you feeling good and wanting more, then you won't be disappointed by the books in this series. I can't wait to read the next book in this series, Cherished Stranger! Thanks Regina for a job very well done!
Paperback: 222 pages
Publisher: CreateSpace (April 30, 2012)
ISBN-10: 1475269048
ISBN-13: 978-1475269048

THE BRIDE WORE BLUE by Mona Hodgson

This is book 3 in the Sinclair Sisters of Cripple Creek series and I have two observations right up front: 1) I loved the covers and the titles of each of these books and 2) the more books in the series I read the more I grew to enjoy the Cripple Creek town and the Sinclair sisters. They really grow on you. I was pleasantly surprised to see that book 4 is coming out in this series in October 2012. I will look forward to reading it!

This story was about the youngest Sinclair sister, Vivian. She arrives in Cripple Creek and finally all the sisters are in Cripple Creek, Colorado. Vivian is warmly welcomed by her sisters, but Vivian is keeping a secret from her sisters and she can't bring herself to confide in those she loves. She also can't find a job doing what she loves most, designing clothes. She can't seem to find a job doing anything. Her choices are limited and she makes some wrong decisions. She finds herself wrestling with pride, deceit, lies, hiding and sneaking and it all catches up with her in the end. There is one man in town though who never gives up on her and his ability to forgive and show grace to her is the beginning of Vivian's healing.

It is not often that when you read a series of books they get better as you go, but in this series I would say the more I read, the more I was pulled into the lives of the people in the town and in the family. There is also a dear Miss Hattie in the story who I have come to love. My one slight critique is that in the town of Cripple Creek news gets around faster than the wind blows, so I am not sure how Vivian was able to keep her one job a secret for as long as she did. Other than that I thoroughly enjoyed myself.

There is always a good message or lesson to ponder after reading these stories and I appreciated at the end how you can't judge someone always by their outward appearance or situation in life until you come to know all the facts about that person. I also enjoyed the fact that the author always incorporated into each of her stories historical people that actually existed in the late 1800s. Good job Mona Hodgson! And thanks goes to LibraryThing for sending me this book for my review.

Paperback: 320 pages
Publisher: WaterBrook Press (May 8, 2012)
ISBN-10: 0307730301
ISBN-13: 978-0307730305