July 20, 2015 | By: Cynthia Marcano

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July 9, 2015 | By: Cynthia Marcano

Review: Refining Fire by Tracie Peterson


Refining Fire
Author - Tracie Peterson
Rating - 3.5 out of 5 Stars
Would I Recommend: Not Sure

Back Cover...


Militine Scott, twenty-two, is in training at the Madison School for Brides in Seattle, Washington. Though she has no intention of pursuing marriage–believing no man will have her–she has found the school provides the perfect opportunity to hide her unsavory past.

Thane Patton, though fun loving and fiercely loyal to his friends, hides a dark secret, as well. He finds himself drawn to Militine, sensing a haunting pain similar to his own.Sure Will they finally allow God to make something new and beautiful from the debris of the past?

What I Loved...

Thane is sweet and a firefighter. That is about all I need, but he is also just a plain old good guy. He's not the charming flirt or the brooding mysterious guy, but just hard working and loving. He's a refreshing character.

I loved the ending with Millitine's friend Arianna but no spoilers.

What I Liked...

I always enjoy reading true history in fiction books and liked reading about the firefighters struggles during fires and how different life was 150 years ago.

Other...

Although I enjoyed this book more than book 1 of the Brides of Seattle Series, I found the same issue with the first. I found Millitine, the heroine, wanting and her story seemed to be the background story to Arianna's story which I love.

I am looking forward to Arianna's story.

The cover is beautiful.

By the way, here is how I pictured Thane.




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


July 5, 2015 | By: Cynthia Marcano

In Good Company by Jen Turano


In Good Company
Author - Jen Turano
Rating - 5 out of 5 Stars
Would I Recommend: Absolutely!

Back Cover...

After growing up as an orphan, Millie Longfellow is determined to become the best nanny the East Coast has ever seen. Unfortunately, her playfulness and enthusiasm aren't always well-received and she finds herself dismissed from yet another position.

Everett Mulberry has quite unexpectedly become guardian to three children that scare off every nanny he hires. About to depart for Newport, Rhode Island, for the summer, he's desperate for competent childcare.

At wit's end with both Millie and Everett, the employment agency gives them one last chance--with each other. As Millie falls in love with her mischievous charges, Everett focuses on achieving the coveted societal status of the upper echelons. But as he investigates the suspicious circumstances surrounding the death of the children's parents, will it take the loss of those he loves to learn whose company he truly wants for the rest of his life?

What I Loved...

Jen Turano is one of my go-to authors when I need a book to fall in love with. Her books are consistently AWESOME! I simply love In Good Company. I can't even pinpoint just a few things that I love because I loved the whole book.

Main character Millie is funny and smart and such a joy to read. Her strong desire to improve her vocabulary, yet seemingly always using the incorrect word is so hilarious and makes her character so endearing.

In Good Company is a light-hearted funny read full of romance and a Christian message to tie it altogether.

All of the characters are so well written as is the story. Kudos Jen Turano!

I enjoyed reading In Good Company so much that I went back and began to reread The Ladies of Distinction Series. I enjoyed them just as much as I did since the first time I read her books.

What I Liked...

See what I loved.

Other...

The cover is really cute (although not my favorite). In Good Company is a part of the series A Class Of Their Own, but is a standalone book. I do recommend that you read After A Fashion before reading In Good Company. You can read my review for After A Fashion Here.


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


July 1, 2015 | By: Cynthia Marcano

Beyond The Ashes by Karen Barnett


Beyond The Ashes
Author - Karen Barnett
Rating - 2.5 out of 5 Stars
Would I Recommend: Not Really

Back Cover...


Where better to rebuild and face one’s fears than in 1906 San Francisco, a city rising from the ashes? Ruby Marshall, a young widow, is certain she’ll discover new purpose assisting her brother Robert with his cancer research, but she doesn’t anticipate finding new love. Dr. Gerald Larkspur dreams of filling his empty home with family, but he’d always hoped it would be a wife and children. In the aftermath of the great earthquake, the rooms are overflowing with extended family and friends left homeless by the disaster. When Robert’s widowed sister arrives, the close quarters seem close indeed. Ruby and Gerald’s fledgling romance is put at risk when Gerald develops symptoms of the very disease they’re striving to cure. Together they must ask—is it worth a second chance at love when time might be short?

What I Loved...

Most of the books I read have a strapping, manly hero and that isn't a complaint! I love me a brooding, flirty, fierce and strong hero. But every now and then and if written the right away, a "Nerdy" hero can make me love a book. Such is the case with Dr. Gerald Larkspur. Let me clarify a bit. He isn't the clumsy, bumbling, fool kind of a nerd. Nope, he is a smart, not quite so flirty, a little of unsure of himself but not necessarily shy, but loving hero and my favorite character from Beyond The Ashes. A Dr. McDreamy if you will.

What I Liked...

The family dynamic of Beyond The Ashes is quite sweet and funny. A house full of women, is always a riot and or dramatic. Either way, it makes for good reading.
Liked

Other...

Ruby Marshall if the heroine of this book. I have found that no matter how much I can like every other aspect of a book, if I am not fond of the heroine, I end up not being too fond of the book as a whole. Such is the case with Beyond The Ashes. Couple that with the fact that I didn't read the first book in the series, although this is a stand alone book, I didn't come into the series loving the characters. I would like to hpe that I having read Out Of The Ruins, that perhaps I would have liked this book better. As it stands, I am not a fan of Beyond The Ashes.


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