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Protecting Her Heart (Matchmakers #3) by Nancy Campbell Allen, Book Review

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Book Summary: London, 1887 When newly graduated medical doctor Charlotte Duvall receives word that her father has died, she immediately leaves America and returns home to see to her family's estate. Among her father's possessions is a box of her late mother's letters, which feels like a balm to Charlotte's grief-stricken heart. But the letters contain some inconsistencies that suggest there was more to her mother's death than Charlotte had been told. She turns to the one man she trusts more than anyone—her treasured friend and director of London's police force, John Ellis. John Ellis has harbored feelings for Charlotte ever since he first met her. Tucked into his heart are thoughts of her sharp mind, quick wit, and remarkable beauty. Though he has not yet found the courage to share his feelings with the young doctor, he is eager to help her in her hour of need. Investigating the details of a death was not how Charlotte imagined she would find love, but as she an

Jim and Katherine by Traci Hunter Abramson, Book Review

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  Book Summary: Jim Whitmore has lofty dreams of a bright political career. So when a well-connected friend invites him home for the weekend, the promise of rubbing shoulders with her congressman father and his professional associates is thrilling. What he doesn’t anticipate is meeting his friend’s sister, Katherine, an intriguing woman who immediately steals his heart. After witnessing the arrest of one of her father’s colleagues in congress, Katherine Hudson is far too aware of the strains of living in the spotlight of Washington politics. The last thing she wants is to date a future politician, yet despite some early misgivings, she can’t resist Jim Whitmore’s charm. But then Jim is accused of a crime he didn’t commit—a crime that could ruin his reputation and his and Katherine’s chance at happiness together. With both of their futures on the line, Jim and Katherine enlist the help of their families to prove Jim’s innocence and salvage their hopes and dreams that seem ready to shatt

The Irish Matchmaker by Jennifer Deibel, Book Review

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  Book Summary: As daughter of a well-known matchmaker, Catríona Daly is no stranger to the business of love--and sees it as her ticket away from the sleepy village that only comes alive during the annual matchmaking festival. Enter Lord Osborne's son, Andrew, who has returned to the festival after being disappointed by a rival matchmaker's failed setup. Catríona seizes the opportunity to make a better match for the handsome man--and for herself! Cattle farmer Donal Bunratty is in desperate need of a wife after loss left him to handle the farm and raise his daughter on his own. Shy and lacking the finer social graces, he agrees to attend the matchmaking festival to appease his daughter. But when he arrives, it's not any of the other merrymakers that catch his eye but rather his matchmaker--who clearly has eyes for someone else. Catríona will have to put all her expertise to work to make a match that could change her life forever. Will her plan succeed? Or will love have its

Embers in the London Sky by Sarah Sundin, Book Review

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Book Summary: As the German army invades the Netherlands in 1940, Aleida van der Zee Martens escapes to London to wait out the Occupation. Separated from her three-year-old son, Theo, in the process, the young widow desperately searches for her little boy even as she works for an agency responsible for evacuating children to the countryside. When German bombs set London ablaze, BBC radio correspondent Hugh Collingwood reports on the Blitz, eager to boost morale while walking the fine line between truth and censorship. But the Germans are not the only ones Londoners have to fear as a series of murders flame up amid the ashes. The deaths hit close to home for Hugh, and Aleida needs his help to locate her missing son. As they work together, they grow closer and closer, both to each other and the answers they seek. But with bombs falling and continued killings, they may be running out of time. My Review: Sundin is a powerful storyteller who packs an emotional and heartrending punch. Her el

Fatal Witness (Pearl River #2) by Patricia Bradley, Book Review

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Book Summary: As a child, artist and potter Dani Bennett witnessed the brutal murder of her parents. With no memory of the incident or her true identity, she was forced to take on a new name and a new life, hidden away in Montana for the past 25 years. Mae Richmond has spent the same stretch of time searching for her granddaughter, who went missing the night her daughter and son-in-law were murdered. Convinced the woman she saw in a pottery magazine feature is the woman she's been searching for, she enlists the help of K-9 officer Mark Lassiter of Pearl Springs, Tennessee, who tracks Dani down. Skeptical but curious, Dani sets out on a journey to uncover the secrets of her past and reclaim her true identity. But someone close to her is determined to keep the truth of what happened all those years ago hidden. My Review: Bradley knows how to write a gripping suspense novel that keeps you hooked until the very end! We are back in the town of Pearl Springs with all of its vibrant and r

To Bluff a Bride (Bridger Brothers #2) by Kate Condie, Book Review

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Book Summary: She’s looking for freedom. When her ex brother-in-law insists she belongs to him, Ellen Moren must escape the town that never felt like home. Determined that another marriage is the only way to convince him to leave her alone, Ellen proposes a fake marriage to the kind bachelor whose family is heading west on the Oregon trail. He’s looking for home. Ben Bridger’s only care is to prevent his remaining family from succumbing to the perils of the Oregon trail. Rather than fulfill his mother’s dying wish and seek a wife, he is determined to spend his efforts keeping his siblings alive. When a young widow asks him to feign a marriage, it is a weak attempt to honor his mother’s memory that sways him to agree. Duty becomes desire. If the Oregon trail wasn’t treacherous enough, keeping Ellen safe proves difficult when her brother-in-law’s unexpected presence requires Ben and Ellen to keep closer quarters than either of them planned. When protecting her puts his family at risk, Be

Christmas in a Castle by Samantha Hastings, Book Review

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Book Summary: Miss Mary Perkins is governess to the strong-willed Stringham sisters while waiting for her beloved Mr. Trevor Wallace, a curate, to receive a living so that they can afford to marry. When he loses the promised position, her young charges decide to give their governess a husband for Christmas. The Stringham sisters write a fake letter from the duke inviting Trevor to stay at the castle, lock the pair in the dungeon, accidentally poison a chaplain, and cause a great deal of mayhem with mistletoe. Despite the girls’ well-meaning mistakes, will Mary and Trevor finally have the wedding of their dreams? My Review: The Stringham sisters are back with their governess Mary and they are up to their usual antics!  I love their outgoing and fun personalities and that they put their minds together to help their sweet governess. This novella was the perfect sweet romance and I enjoyed watching Mary and Trevor get reacquainted and try to overcome challenges. Would love be enough for th