Hometown Hero’s Redemption by Jill Kemerer

Drew Gannon, firefighter, has taken on the guardianship of Wyatt, his best friend’s son. Wyatt’s father is in prison and his mother is dead. Drew feels like he’s in over his head. He needs a babysitter to stay with Wyatt while he’s working.

Lauren Pierce’s former job as a social worker makes her a perfect fit—except he and his friends have an unfortunate history with her from high school.

Lauren is battling her past as well. Is she the best choice for Wyatt after all her failures? Can she be perfect for anyone?

This is a touching romance where two people battle past failures and heartache to give a little boy an anchor to hold during his own storms.

I enjoyed this Love Inspired romance. The characters are believable and likable. This is the first time I’ve read this author and I will read more by her.

-Sandra Merville Hart

Christianbook.com

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Embattled Hearts by Pegg Thomas

The Pony Express Romance Collection

Alannah Fagan and her brother, Conn, are running for their lives. Still grieving the recent death of her mother, Alanna can’t take another beating from her stepfather.

Stewart McCann works at a relay station on the Pony Express route, a lonely job in the middle of nowhere. When he discovers Alanna and Conn hiding, he knows from the bruises on her face and the fear in her eyes that helping them comes with a cost.

The story pulled me in from the first paragraph. I had to keep coming back to the book to find out what happened next. I felt like I was there on the lonesome Pony Express station with the characters. The story moves quickly as danger escalates. Well-written story!

Looking forward to reading other books by this author!

-Sandra Merville Hart

Christianbook.com

Women in the Civil War by Mary Elizabeth Massey

This nonfiction resource book is about the effects of the Civil War on women of the North and South.

Massey studied diaries and letters from over a hundred people who lived during the war. She begins by exploring education and employment opportunities available to women thirty years before the war.

During the war, some women stayed in or near army camps. Officers’ wives and families sometimes stayed in camps. Laundresses, cooks, and prostitutes were also there, as well as soldiers, nurses, and spies.

Massey gives examples of a few of the women who disguised themselves as soldiers on both sides.

Great book for Civil War research and history lovers.

-Sandra Merville Hart

Amazon

You’re the Cream in My Coffee by Jennifer Lamont Leo

A Roaring Twenties Novel

This novel drew me in immediately.

Marjorie Corrigan still mourns that Jack, her first love, didn’t come home from the war. Listed as missing, she still hopes to see him again after ten years.

Yet, time marches on, and she agrees to marry a successful young doctor. With the wedding just months away, she starts having fainting spells that send her to Chicago for medical testing.

Then she spots a man at the train station who looks just like Jack.

This novel is a page turner. Marjorie makes many decisions that lead the small-town girl down an unfamiliar path. I kept reaching for this novel to find out what happened next. Sometimes I wanted to shake her and say, “Wake up!”

Written in first person, characters struggle with losing themselves in the pain and heartache. It tugged at my heart.

This is the first book in a series. I also read and enjoyed the second novel,  Ain’t Misbehavin’.

Recommend!

-Sandra Merville Hart

Lighthouse Publishing of the Carolinas:  https://www.shoplpc.com/product/youre-the-cream-in-my-coffee/

– Use coupon code SandraMHart for a 20% discount on Lighthouse Publishing books!

 

 

 

 

Saratoga Letters by Elaine Marie Cooper

I enjoyed this novel!

This is an unusual story. It begins in the Revolutionary Battle of Saratoga. Abigail is patriotic to the colonies in 1777. The recent death of her father leaves her at the mercy of a cruel uncle who forces her to nurse wounded British soldiers.

William Carpenter is one of the British soldiers. The officer falls in love with his beautiful nurse who needs his protection.

The second half of the story is set 200 years later. Abby Carpenter travels to Saratoga for the 200^th anniversary celebration of the battle where her ancestor fought.

Constable Ian Thacker has flown from his home in England to honor his ancestor who fought in the battle. Though the pair are historically on opposite sides, they find much in common. Abby finds she needs Ian’s protection from those who mean her harm.

I loved this story. The author has intricately woven the two stories together across the centuries in a fascinating way.

Recommend!

-Sandra Merville Hart

Lighthouse Publishing of the Carolinas  – Use coupon code SandraMHart for a 20% discount on Lighthouse Publishing books!

Five Brides by Eva Marie Everson

Five women share an apartment to save expenses in the 1950s. They are each so busy that they barely know each other—that makes the rare treat of a free Saturday all the more special.

The roommates enjoy a fun day together. Little do they know that one spontaneous decision they all make that day will bind them for life.

The five independent women are very different from each other. They choose different paths yet all want to—eventually—find the man of their dreams.

I was delighted to discover in the “A Note from the Author” that one of the girl’s stories was basically true with parts fictionalized.

Knowing that, I leave it to you, the next reader, to try to figure out which romance is based on truth. Read the story and then read the author’s note.

This novel is a page-turner!

-Sandra Merville Hart

Christianbook.com

Ain’t Misbehavin’ by Jennifer Lamont Leo

This novel captured my interest immediately.

Dot Rodgers’ desire for a singing career previously led her to a job in a speakeasy where she dated the owner. Since she narrowly escaped jail, Dot doesn’t want that life anymore. She’s been dating her roommate’s brother, Charlie, but he doesn’t like her friends.

Charlie loves Dot yet a party with her friends shows him how stodgy and boring she must view him when compared to the glamorous crowd.

Neither feels worthy of the other, leading to twists and turns that are realistic to life and to the Roaring Twenties.

This novel is a page turner. I loved learning more about the time period. The characters are real with honest struggles and heartaches. It tugged at my heart.

This is the second book in a series. I also read and enjoyed the first novel,  You’re the Cream in My Coffee.

Recommend!

-Sandra Merville Hart

Lighthouse Publishing of the Carolinas   – Use coupon code SandraMHart for a 20% discount on Lighthouse Publishing books!

 

Focus on Love by Candee Fick

I enjoyed this novel!

Liz had desperately wanted to be a photographer in her family’s business, but the rift between her and her dad is too wide. She pursues her second love, drama, as an actor in a dinner theater.

Ryan has temporarily stepped away from his lucrative and award-winning photography career to support his sister while her husband is deployed. He proposes a photography package deal to Liz’s boss. Liz is drawn back into the hobby she loves when Ryan needs help.

After a couple of bad relationships, Liz is wary of starting another. She misses her mother, for the rift between her and her dad cut ties with her mom, too. It also affects her faith. She longs for reconciliation.

This sweet romance is a page-turner. It snagged my interest immediately. Readers get to spend a little more time with characters they fell in love with in a previous novel, Dance Over Me. I kept reaching for the novel to find out what happened next even when I needed to be doing other things. The characters are realistic and believable.

Recommend!

-Sandra Merville Hart

Lighthouse Publishing of the Carolinas – Use coupon code SandraMHart for a 20% discount on Lighthouse Publishing books!

Rumors and Promises by Kathleen Rouser

I had a hard time putting down this novel.

Sophie Biddle is a young mother with a secret. Her two-year-old daughter refers to her as Sophie instead of Mama to mask their identity from strangers in the small town of Stone Creek, Michigan.

Reverend Ian McCormick is instantly drawn to Sophie and her little sister, but he fights his feelings for her. He also has a secret that haunts him. Can God use a man who has failed?

This historical romance is a beautiful story of the redemptive healing power of love. I found myself immersed into the troubles of the believable, likable characters.

This is my second time reading this novel and I enjoyed it just a much as the first. This novel touched my heart.

-Sandra Merville Hart

Lighthouse Publishing of the Carolinas   Use coupon code SandraMHart for a 20% discount on Lighthouse Publishing books!

 

Such a Hope by Sondra Kraak

Paths of Grace Series

Anna Warren returns to Seattle after the death of her father, a successful freighter. She misses her father and wants to return to the home where she grew up and make a living as a freighter like her pa.

Tristan Porter is in her cabin when she returns. Why is the farmer staying on her land? And what is the rumor about her pa leaving her land to someone else?

She tries to find the truth as she fights her feelings for Tristan. He cares only about his crops.

Anna prayers for a man near death are miraculously answered. Folks have mixed feelings about the healing and tend to leave Anna alone—until they need her.

This historical romance tugged at my heart—and this is the second time I’ve read the novel. Believable characters and lots of emotion make this book hard to put down. I will look for more novels by this author.

-Sandra Merville Hart