Review: Tried & True by Mary Connealy

Tried & True Author - Mary Connealy Time It Took for to Read - 1 Day Rating - 5 out of 5 Stars Would I Recommend: Yes!

Local land agent Aaron Masterson is fascinated with Kylie from the moment her long hair falls from her cap. But now that he knows her secret, can he in good conscience defraud the U.S. government? And when someone tries to force Kylie off her land, does he have any hope of convincing her that marrying him and settling on the frontier is the better option for her future?

What I Loved...

A perfect blend of everything I love in a novel. I laughed out loud several times and fell in love with Aaron almost immediately. There were enough hot-mama parts to satisfy me and I'm hooked to the series. Mary Connealy got the job done!

I have also already fallen in love with the main hero for the next book. Extra points for Mary Connealy.

What I Liked...

All of the Wilde Sisters are very likeable as well as other minor characters. I usually love either the heroine or the hero and like the other and that remains true here. I like Kylie as the heroine but I'm not sure yet if she will be my fave Wilde Sister.

Sunrise is great and  wished she would have appeared earlier in the book.

Other...

Really like the cover. She is the perfect picture of Kylie.

I have previously read one other Mary Connealy book. Well read is a stretch. I actually couldn't get through it and decided not to review since I didn't even finish it. She redeemed herself with this book. I look forward to the other books in the series.

On another note, I found that in my experience with both books, Mary will describe a situation so severly, I get lost and bored in its description. It happened early in Tried and True (Kylie gettng on the roof) and I almost gave up but she quickly moved away from that writing and made it enjoyable after that. In my opinion describing, in such expansive detail, how Kylie planned on getting onto the roof bored me. However when it was time for her to get down, the plot picked up and moved along nicely.

One other detail. Now that I have read the book, I am not fond of the title. It doesn't do the book justice.

Disclaimer: This book was provided by the publisher Bethany House Publishers. The opinion of this book, is my own and I was not paid or compensated for for my review.

ACR: Evergreen: A Christiansen Winter Novella by Susan May Warren

Evergreen: A Christiansen Winter Novella Author - Susan May Warren Time It Took for to Read - 3 Days Rating - 4 out of 5 Stars Would I Recommend: Yes

An empty nest has Ingrid Christiansen dreading the upcoming holidays, but her husband, John, couldn't be more excited about this new season of life. He even has a surprise trip abroad planned. He's sure she'll love it. What's more romantic than Christmas in Paris? Before he can stop her, however, Ingrid agrees to spearhead a major church project. Then their faithful dog, Butterscotch, needs emergency surgery, draining their savings. And then--because disasters strike in threes--an unexpected guest arrives, dredging up old hurts. As a beautiful blanket of snow transforms the north woods into a winter wonderland, a deep chill settles over John and Ingrid's marriage. With the holidays fast approaching, their only hope of keeping their love evergreen depends on turning the page on the past and embracing a new chapter of their future.

What I Loved...

Its a winter novella so Christmas is woven in. I love Christmas. However more than that, I love that Susan creates such realistic characters. While I am a long ways away from being an empty nester (I have a 4 month old) Ingrid and John remind me so much of a couple that I am friends with. The wife I know was grieving her recently wedded daugher and grown son moving on from home, while her husband was planning cruises and other vacations.

I felt like I really know the characters. That's great stoy writing.

What I Liked...

Without giving the story away, the storyline of Romeo and Ingrid is one that I can relate to in many ways. I found it heartwarming and again realistic. I really liked Romeo's genuine character.

Other...

I am a book coveraholic. Admitting it is the first step.

Evergreen's cover is pretty and simplistic - I really like it. However, it doesn't capture the book at all. I don't even recall ice skating in the book at all and if its in there, it wasn't memorable enough to constitute being the cover design.

I do realize that this book is part of a series and while I have only read one other book in the series, It Had To Be You, I am not familiar enough with the characters to know if the ice skates is significant for Ingrid and John's relationship. However, for this book that can stand alone from the series, the cover just doesn't make sense to me.

Giveaway...

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Disclaimer: This book was provided by the publisher through Tyndale. The opinion of this book, is my own and I was not paid or compensated for for my review.