The Governess Of Highland Hall by Carrie Turansky

I really enjoyed this book. There are many characters with their own stories but the author does a fine job of keeping them all separate so the reader is not jumping around and constantly confused. I loved the main and secondary story lines in this book. Sometimes the heart overrules social status and thus creates a conflict. The author does a wonderful job of bringing all this to the forefront and making the reader feel as though they are actually living in the house with both the upstairs family and the downstairs staff.

I would highly recommend this book. Although it came out over a year ago that was good for me because book 2, The Daughter Of Highland Hall, is out and book 3 will be released this fall. The anticipation mounts as book 2 deals with one of the daughters who has a big agenda and lots of anger.

When Grace Sings by Kim Vogel Sawyer

This is book 2 in The Zimmerman Restoration Trilogy series and let me tell you - the plot thickens - leading me to believe book 3 is going to be explosive! This is one of those series you should read in order but it's not necessary. Ms. Sawyer has a wonderful, gently way of writing that lets the Grace of God shine through in her words. Is there conflict - sure but it is done in such a way that it enriches the story instead of bringing negativity into it.

Alexa and Anna-Grace are forever united by a common bond that only one of them is aware of. Anna-Grace is gentle and a bit naive. Alexa is a bit hardened by knowing the truth. Both young women approach the truth, or what they think is the truth, in very different ways but at the same time they are very similar.

The truth will always win out in the end but it can be a very bumpy road as you will find out in this series. This is not a series to miss. I am really looking forward to the 3rd book in the trilogy! I received this book from Blogging For Books for this review.

After A Fashion by Jen Turano

Oh my goodness I loved this book! It has been a long time since a book entertained me this much! This is one book I will be reading again!

A lot of what I enjoyed in this book was the way Jen Turano phrased her conversations. Going back to a time when things between men, women and the social classes were distinctly divided, the conversations were at times stuffy but mostly entertaining while being proper. Miss Harriet Peabody is not a person who conforms easily and does not stand on protocol which makes for some interesting situations. I truly enjoyed all the characters in this book, even the not so nice ones.

There is a big surprise toward the end of the book that I did not see coming but thoroughly enjoyed, which leads me to ask - will there be a continuation of Harriet and Oliver's story? I certainly hope so! There is so much more to be learned about this couple!

I highly recommend this book. I was given a copy by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

The Amish Clockmaker by Mindy Starns Clark

I loved this book! The story line was wonderful and flowed beautifully. I am normally not a fan of books that jump from the present to the past and back again but in this book it enriched the story. Because the "jumping" was in sections and not chapters it made the story so much better.

I was so glad the author allowed us to meet and get to know Clayton. From the very beginning you sense a vulnerability in him and the reader doesn't even meet him until later in the book! I actually can say I enjoyed every character in this book and that doesn't happen very often!

I highly recommend this book. I was given an advance copy of this book by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Like A Flower In Bloom by Siri Mitchell

Well, I have to say this is one of the most educational fiction books I have ever read. I know more about Botany and the correct names for plants and their parts than I ever wanted to know. And that became the problem for me with this book. The book is heavily laced with the main characters devotion to Botany and thus made it a little boring for this reader who frankly is not at all interested in Botany.

Overall, the story line kind of got lost in all the flower related jargon and way of thinking. When everything from proper etiquette to finding a husband is approached by comparing it to something you are familiar with, like a flower, then it becomes very difficult and frustrating. Charlotte does not want, nor does she think she needs a husband but her father and Uncle are bound and determined that she should stop doing what she considers her life's work and find a husband. It is a rocky road to matrimony for sure but is there a husband at the end of the road? Can Charlotte find a way to continue doing what she loves and have a happily ever after? Well, it will take you to almost the end of the book to find out.

I have read all of the books by this author and I have to say this book was not one of my favorites. It was apparent she did a lot of research for this book and while I appreciate her dedication to getting the facts right there were just too many references to the proper names to make this book interesting as a fiction book. It bordered on a textbook for me and at times I was completely lost. I was given a copy of this book by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Petticoat Detective by Margaret Brownley

I loved this book! The story line and the plot twists kept me up into the wee hours of the morning reading! I didn't want to put this one down and I cannot wait for the next book in this series!

There were several characters in this book but none of them got in the way. At no time did I feel the heroine was being overrun buy the secondary characters. In fact, they added a lot of color to the story line. The story line of this book flowed nicely and the characters and situations were completely believable.

I loved how the situation resolved itself at the end of the book. It made me laugh out loud - at 2 AM - because I wasn't expecting the people who got involved to be involved. Way to go church ladies! The big surprise was the person they thought was the culprit turned out to be a respectable guy but you will never guess who the real culprit is!

I enjoyed this book from page 1 and I hope you will too. I highly recommend this book.

Steadfast Heart by Tracie Peterson

When I first started this book I got bogged down by all the characters in the book and was not sure until much later in the book whose story was supposed to be the focal point. The first thing that got me was the unusual names of some of the characters - Kolbein, Abrianna, Priam, etc. Not names you would normally see in a book so that was an interesting change.

As for the plot itself I really had a hard time finding out which characters were the main ones. I almost stopped reading about halfway through the book because I was so confused and the book was just not grabbing me. By the time I realized who the story was supposed to be about the book ended - rather abruptly. There are a lot of unanswered questions that I hope will be answered in the next book. There are a lot of story lines in this book so if you don't like a lot of characters and multiple story lines in a book you may find this book a little hard to get through.

I have read many of this authors books and I have to say this one was not one of my favorites. I hope the next book in the series weeds out some of the unnecessary characters and focuses on the main ones for that book.