THE PIRATE AND HIS LADY by Linda Chaikin

This is book two in this series and  I liked it better than book one, "Port Royal".  This had more action, adventure and romance in it and the story seemed to move along at a faster speed.  Plus, after reading book one and getting a feel for places, people and setting the background, it was much easier to keep track of who was who and what was going on in the pirate/buccaneer saga in the Caribbean Islands in the 17th century.  You are getting a little history lesson as you read this book and I gained a new understanding of the differences between a pirate and a buccaneer.

This story picks up right where book one left off and you will come to know and appreciate Captain Baret "Foxworth" Buckington and Miss Emerald Harwick much more as they brave the open sea in search of a father, a lost treasure and a love that seems to be falling apart because of vicious lies and trickery.  I applaud Miss Emerald as she fights hard against brutality, slavery and cruel gossip and continues to remember she is a "child of the King".  She never loses sight of her standing as a child of God, and she will endure a lot in this story.  Baret is truly a man who knows what he wants and doesn't let much stand in his way of getting it.  He may have let lies affect his judgement, but true love will win out in the end.  Be prepared to step back in time and get ready for a true adventure on the high seas and on land.  I am off to see how this all ends by readying the third book in this series, "Jamaican Sunset".

THE DANGER OF SELF LOVE by Paul Brownback

The sub-title to this book is "Re-Examining a Popular Myth" and this is what the author does; and quite well I might add.  I can't begin to convey how much this author did in helping me see how this self-love concept has infiltrated the church and what the scriptures say and do not say regarding this topic.  He deals a lot with man's theories and always brings it back to what does God and the holy scriptures say.  I can always tell how good a devotional book is after reading it, when I go back through the book and see all the notes and underlining I have done while reading.  This book is filled with such things.  I will say the beginning chapters and ending chapters were the best because the middle of the book spent a lot of time discussing the humanistic world views and the men who first promoted this self-love theory.  I highly recommend this book and will keep it on my shelf as a tool to use when dealing with this subject.

PORT ROYAL by Linda Chaikin

This was a well written story set in Jamaica in the late 1600s where there is smuggling, slaves, pirates and buccaneers.  You have a British Viscount turned pirate and a woman with noble causes looked down upon because of her mother's heritage.  It took me awhile to get really interested in the story line as I felt the first part of the book had a lot of background and information and detail to get through before you really got into what was going on and who was who in this story.  It was a good beginning to the series, because it left you kind of hanging at the end, wanting to read what was going to happen to the main characters in this story next.

There is the Viscount Baret turned pirate and/or buccaneer who is  trying to find out if his father is still alive and to find him and refute those who are trying to disparage his name.  Then there is Miss Emerald who is rejected by her father's wealthy family and is trying to escape her life by running away with an indentured servant to America.  The Viscount and Emerald will meet under unusual circumstances and from then on they will find their lives intertwined throughout the story. There are many more characters and situations to follow throughout this story and it keeps you on your guard trying to keep track of everything.  It is more of an adventure story than a romantic book, although there is a touch of romance.  If you like a good pirate adventure story I think you will like this story.  I am interested to see how the story continues in book two, "The Pirate and His Lady".

PERSUASION by Jane Austin

For all you Jane Austin fans I am sorry, but I just have a hard time "loving" her work.  The story line I enjoyed; Anne Elliot and Captain Wentworth have met and became engaged long before the story began, but Anne was "persuaded" to give up the engagement and the Captain goes off to sea. The book is about how Anne never stopped  loving him, and her growth as she begins to see that her own judgement is far better than the people around her when they meet again years later.  I liked the maturity of both characters as they meet again after  their years of being apart.  But what I have a really hard time with is the writing style I guess.  It was really hard to stay focused and figure what was really being said.  I must confess that having watched the movie helped me understand what was going on in the book.  I am glad I read this story, if for no other reason than to say I know her work, but I am not a big fan of her writing style, like so many others seem to be.

FOR SUCH A TIME by Kate Breslin

This was a story that made me think about it even when I wasn't reading it and one I will remember long after I have read it.   It is author Kate Breslin's debut and I hope she continues to write as I would gladly read more of her work.  This is a fiction story, but based upon real places and times.  "For Such a Time is an evocative retelling of the Esther story set in WWII Europe",  says the description on the back of the book.  I can understand why they say it is a retelling of the book of Esther as the author quotes from Esther at the beginning of each chapter, but for me it was hard to compare these two events.

It is the year 1944 and Hadassah Benjamin finds herself rescued from a firing squad and handed over to SS Kommandant Aric von Schmidt, who thinks she has wrongly been accused of being a Jew.  He takes her in and she becomes his secretary.  Hadassah must keep her nationality a secret in order to live and hopefully help "her people" in the concentration camp Colonel Aric von Schmidt is running.  Aric finds himself attracted to Hadassah and she finds him a caring person and not at all like other officers she has met and been beaten by.  But can she truly trust him with her secret and can these two people from very different backgrounds really come to care for and love each other?  I would say not possible, but the author did a great job of convincing me otherwise.  I won't spoil the ending, but stress it is a work of fiction and things that happened near the end are pure fiction.  What takes place in the concentration camps though are real and very hard to understand how people lived through this dark time in history.  I highly encourage others to read this story and be moved by the characters and the history they will read about.

I received an advanced reading copy from LibraryThing through Bethany House to read and review.
File Size: 4468 KB
Print Length: 432 pages
Publisher: Bethany House Publishers (April 1, 2014)
ASIN: B00DWA695U

AN ACCIDENTAL VALENTINE by Eliza King

A relaxing, cute story that doesn't take you long to read.  A was drawn to the story by the cover and the description of the story and was not disappointed.  An enjoyable romance that lets you "get away" for a few hours and enjoy some time in the Bahamas!

Monica and her two young children find themselves being given a gift of a trip to the Bahamas.  It is something that will be good for Monica whose husband died two years ago.  She is just looking for a little rest and relaxation.  So when she finds Joshua Corbett walking in to her 3 bedroom suite she is a little startled, and so is he; why is the maid allowing her children in the room while she is cleaning it, or so he thinks.  As you can tell their initial reaction to each other is not the best.  The hotel is full and Joshua, for reasons you will soon discover, wants to only stay at this hotel.  So, he works out a plan of paying all of Monica's expenses if she will let him have one of the bedrooms to stay in.  That is only the beginning of Joshua's requests and his pleas for help to Monica.  Although I thought Joshua was a little slow on what he thought he wanted and needed, I did enjoy his love of the children and his consideration of Monica.

All in all, I had a good time sharing this get-away to the Bahamas with a couple of people who had issues to deal with, but ended up with more they they each bargained for.

THE GIRL IN THE GATEHOUSE by Julie Klassen

If you like Jane Austin and her writings, you will probably fall in love with this story.  It was very well done, but for me it was not one of those "can't put down until I finish the book" type story.  I enjoyed myself while I was reading it, but wasn't a book I thought about or wondered what would happen next as I closed the book and did something else.  I thought the cover of the book was an excellent picture of the the gatehouse and the girl who lived there.

Mariah Aubrey has been banished from her home because of a mistake she made and now must live with in secret.  A distant relative lets her come and stay in an old gatehouse in need of repair and a good cleaning.  Mariah arrives with her traveling companion, Miss Dixon and the two of them begin their life in the gatehouse.

Captain Matthew Bryant arrives on the scene when Mariah's distant relative dies and he rents out the estate house with the hope of one day owning it.  He meets Mariah and a friendship slowly takes place.  But Mariah has secrets she is not sharing with anyone.  And there are more secrets and mysteries as you get to know all the characters in this story.

A story with mystery and intrigue and a sweet romance that slowly develops over time.  The characters in this story were all interesting to get to know and it was set in the early 1800's at a time when many things were handled differently back then.  I could easily see this made into a movie, which I would very much enjoy watching.

A MARCH BRIDE by Rachel Hauck

This is a great follow-up story to the book, 'Once upon a Prince' by Rachel Hauck.  You could read this as a stand alone story, but I highly recommend you read 'Once Upon a Prince' first, as both stories are wonderfully romantic.

Susanna Truitt has found her true prince, Nathaniel II of Brighton Kingdom.  She is weeks away from the big day and finds herself doubting what she is doing.  So when Nathaniel tells her in order to get married she must renounce her American citizenship, and then she finds out key people in her life can't make it to the wedding, she gets "cold feet" and flies home to St. Simon's Island to see her family.  Nathan fears she won't return, but he finally decides he must devise a plan to win back the love of his life.

What a dreamy romance story!  I loved the way these two obviously loved each other and Nathan sure does know how to show his love to Susanna near the end of the book.  Susanna also got some very wise counsel from her Pastor and a great reminder of where, as a Christian,  our citizenship really is.  This is a short book and could be read in one evening.  So sit back, curl up on a comfortable sofa and be prepared to fall in love with "A March Bride".

AVENGED by Janice Cantore

Janice Cantore writes "suspense novels designed to keep readers engrossed and leave them inspired".  I couldn't say it better.  Her background in law enforcement makes her books come alive and you can understand and get a feel for what it is like for  those who are putting their lives on the line for us.  I liked the way Carly Edwards explains what she does to her husband, Nick, ". . . we are the good guys.  We catch bad guys like . . . . and save lives of innocent people. . .   .   And even if there's never a thank-you or it's dangerous and scary, we'd do it again and again, because it's what we do."

This is a story filled with suspense and drama and trying to figure out what is going on in Las Playas with murder, bombings and gang fights.  Carly and Nick Edwards work for the police force and you will know them well if you read this series in the order they were written (this is book 3).  Something isn't adding up and someone wants Carly's name smeared and to discredit her as a good police officer.  Both Carly and Nick must rely on their faith and trust in God throughout this story.  Another exciting and action packed story by Janice Cantore.

 I highly recommend you read these books in the order they were written, so you can understand and know the characters and their background.  But you could read this as a stand alone and still enjoy it very much!

ROANOKE the lost colony by Angela Elwell Hunt

This was an intriguing story that was very well written, about a time in history that sadly I knew very little about until reading Angela Hunt's version of the "Lost Colonies" at Roanoke, Virginia.  The story will begin in England in 1587 and span more than 20 years as you become a part of the brave people who set sail to make a new start in the Americas.  How factual was this story?  Let me quote from the author at the back of her book, "My readers often want to know how much of a book is fiction and how much is fact.  Be assured that I have tried my best not to contradict the extensive historical record.  And while no one knows exactly what happened to the lost  colonists of Roanoke - at one time or another, their disappearance has been attributed to . . . . . . there is strong anecdotal and historical evidence to support the premise and conclusion of the story as presented in these pages.  The people of this book are a very real part of American history."  And so the story begins.

Jocelyn White finds herself, again her will, leaving for America aboard a ship with her Uncle, John White, and cousin Eleanor and her husband, leaving her father behind who is ready to die.  She is a stubborn, rebellious, independent and beautiful young lady who will be severely tested throughout her life.  She will make a hasty marriage to Thomas Coleman, a minister fleeing England for reasons you will not find out till later in the book.  As Jocelyn is told, "love is a decision and today you have both made it.  Trust God to do the rest",  Jocelyn will have to do A LOT of trusting and leaning on the Lord, because at times I wanted to scream at her husband.  He was SO messed up in his mind about love, marriage and pretty much everything in between, that I didn't think I could ever come to like this man.  It was a story of endurance for all the colonists and I found myself caught up in their lives and wanting to know more about them.  An excellent book on a part of history that we will never know for sure what exactly did happened.

There are more stories in this series and I definitely think they also would be worth reading.  This story left off at a place that I can see and hope the next book picks up with.  If you are interested in history and don't mind a little fiction thrown in, you will enjoy this book a great deal.

THE DOUBLE K RANCH by Patricia Cote

Cade Knight is the owner of the Double K Ranch in Nowhere, Wyoming.  He shows up at the town's party because he was told he would be introduced to a lady who might fit his opening for a ranch cook.  (His previous cook didn't work out and as you read you will discover how bad his last cook was.)    Margo Benchley would "rather be anywhere than Nowhere, Wyoming", but she is penniless and desperate for a job helping the caterer at the party.  When Cade and Margo meet at the party it is under some very unusual circumstances and they find themselves thrown together and escaping the party together.  Their mutual affection for each other will grow as Margo finds herself employed by Cade.  But someone is out to harm not only these two, but many more in town and life gets a little scary until they track the evil person down.

This story was interesting but I felt like I was at times reading a quick version of what really went on by someone who didn't have much feeling for any of the characters they were talking about.  I can't put my finger on it exactly, but just felt like there could have been more depth to this story.  I enjoyed myself while reading it, but just felt there was something missing in the whole telling of this story.  The story definitely kept moving so it was a fast action type story with a well written romance, along with some mystery and suspense.