Ransome's Crossing

This book review is for the novel "Ransome's Crossing" by Kaye Dacus. It is the second book in 'The Ransome Trilogy.'

I couldn't wait to start this novel after reading and reviewing the first one, " Ransome's Honor".
You can check out that review here... Ransome's Honor~Truly Amazing Book

While in the first novel we got to meet all the characters and see William Ransome and Julia Witherington get their happy ending, this book focuses on Williams sister, Charlotte Ransome. Not to worry, though, there is still plenty of interaction between Julia and William as well. Which I have to say I loved seeing!
 I was super excited to read about Charlotte as you could tell she had her own story tucked away somewhere. She is quite the interesting character.

Unbeknownst to William, Charlotte has a secret fiance tucked away in Jamaica. As William and Julia prepare to sail away to Jamaica, where William is serving the Navy and Julia's sugar plantation is located. Charlotte executes her plan to disguise herself as a boy, "Charles Lott" and becomes a midshipman on another ship that is in her brothers fleet. She has no other way to get to her fiance and she can't tell her brother about even his existence, let alone their engagement. Her mother never approved of him and neither would her brothers if they had met him, so in secret it is.

Charlotte's brother has a First Lieutenant, Ned Cochrane, serving under him on board his ship. During their time in England Ned had met Charlotte on several occasions and even held a secret desire for her to one day be his to court and woo, perhaps when he returned some day from his post in Jamaica. Knowing, however, that this was unlikely to happen and that she would probably be taken by that time, he tried to put away any feelings toward her and be distant.

When an attack on the fleet leaves the captain of Charlotte's ship dead, Ned must take over command of the ship as its new captain. "Charles Lott's" identity is in deep danger of being discovered with Ned on board ship. Charlotte is sure if he gets even one good look at her, he won't be fooled, even though an entire ship full of men have been.

You will love this novel! There isn't a whole lot more I can say about the book without giving away the suspenseful parts and I don't want to do that! All else I can tell you is you will be on the edge of your seat as you watch Charlotte absorb and become Mr. "Charles Lott". Waiting to see if she is discovered and what will happen once she reaches Jamaica is edge of your seat exciting! Please do yourself a favor and pick up a copy of this book!

Happy week to you all! Any suggestions on books to read?
Jenny


*Note* I received this book for free from Harvest House Publishers in exchange for posting a review about it. I am not required to post a positive review. Any opinions expressed are my own and they are sincere.

Get ready for the "Catwalk"

This book review is for the novel "Catwalk", which is the second book in the On The Runway series by Melody Carlson.

I previously reviewed the first title in the series, "Premiere". I have to say that I love the series more which each successive book that I have the pleasure of reading.

I hope by now you guys have picked up and read the first one too.
I love the way high fashion is blended with a moral strengthening story.

'Catwalk' not only deals with Fashion week in New York and takes a look at the life of some of the models, it also deals with alcohol use and what partying and drinking to much can ultimately lead to whether the person be underage or legal.

Things that you shouldn't be doing have a way of having consequences. Sometimes consequences you wouldn't have for seen. There is a slight twist in the book toward the end that I was not expecting at all.

I like that the authors touches on subjects that some books don't.

We get to find out in this book why Erin's friend Mollie hasn't really been speaking to her and get to watch Erin come into her own some.

Paige, is, well Paige, and is thrilling under all the beauty and glitter of Fashion week and New York City. She has some things that she ends up having to deal with as well, which I think helps put some of what her job exposes her to into perspective.


Highly recommend this book! Cannot wait to read and review the third title, "Rendezvous". Look for the upcoming review on it :o)


Hope you are having a fabulous week!
Jenny



*Note* I received this book for free from Zondervan Publishers in exchange for a review about it. I am not required to post a positive review. Any opinions expressed are my own and they are sincere.

Ransome's Honor~Truly amazing book!

This book review is for the novel "Ransome's Honor" by Kaye Dacus. It is the first book in the Ransome Trilogy. The other two books that follow are Ransome's Crossing and Ransome's Quest. I will be also be reviewing both of those in the coming weeks.

I fell in absolute love with this book! If it hadn't been after 2 am one night when I finished it I would have immediately started the second to find out what happens to Charlotte Ransome, whom the second book focuses on.  This is going on my must read list and will remain on my shelf for re-reads.

Our main lady is Julia Witherington and she is the daughter of a prominent Admiral in the Royal Navy.
When she was seventeen she was fully expecting a proposal from William Ransome, who sailed under her fathers command in the Navy. Hours before they were all scheduled to attend a ball he had been locked in the study with her father for over an hour. They were both very much in love with each other so she knew exactly what was coming when he asked her to take a turn around the garden that night at the ball...or so she thought.
What came was not the proposal she had so eagerly anticipated, but rather a poorly done let-down as William did not feel worthy of her and her wealthy family.

For when Julia weds, her husband will get thirty thousand pounds as her dowry.

As they say pride goeth before a fall and Williams downfall is having to live his life without Julia in it.

When a proposal is not offered, Julia assumes that William has led her on and toyed with her affections only to get closer to her father, who sees him as a son. Julia's twin brother was lost at sea and she feels he has replaced him with William. And she is convinced more and more as time passes that he used her affections in hope of gaining promotions through his closeness with her and her family.


After the night that shattered her heart into jagged pieces, Julia returns back to run the beloved coffee plantation in Jamaica along with her mother. Her father is never around as he is always at sea and taking care of the King's business.


What follows next is twelve years of no contact between Julia and William. Even after William has made his fortune and advanced in ranks to Captain of his own ship, he still does not renew his addresses to Julia, which further cements her poor opinion of him. She is more than convinced that he only flirted with her to get to her father and spends twelve years believing this to be true.


After her mother succumbs and passes away, Julia returns to Portsmouth England from Jamaica to visit her father. While there Julia's father asks her aunt, Lady Pembroke, from her mother's side, to come and be her companion and introduce her to proper society in England. The Ransome's are a very prominent family since her father is wealthy and quite high up in the Royal Navy.
Unbeknownst to both Julia and her father her Aunt and her cousin are flat broke and are in deep debt to debt collectors. Her cousin has a horrible gambling problem and has deeply mortgaged  the ancestral home where Julia's mother grew up.


Her Aunt Augusta has come up with the scheme to have her son, Drake, wed to Julia for her thirty thousand pound dowery, not to mention the large inheritance she will acquire upon her fathers death. She only has six weeks to set her plan in action as Julia will turn thirty and her dowry and inheritance will be all hers to control whether she is wed or not.


When the Admiral is forced to leave town on royal business and Julia has refused Drake's advances her Aunt plots to force her into marrying Drake by announcing the wedding bans in church. She knows if she does this, Julia and her father will not back out of the marriage because of the humiliation it would bring to their family.

 Someone that knows Julia overhears their audacious plan and warns her of what is coming. This puts her in the position of having to find another fiance before they can announce this horrible thing. And it just so happens that William is back in town staying with her best friend, Susan and her husband. He is the only one who comes to her mind that can rescue her from this awfulnessand who her father would approve of. Her father loves him like a son and she once loved him with all her heart, until he broke it. With her father gone, William is the only one she knows to reach out to.


She asks him to do this for her and he gallantly steps up and saves her with a betrothal of their own doing rather than her Aunt's nasty plot.


What follows this event is mystery, further plotting by evil relatives and edge of your seat excitement.


Cannot recommend this book enough..I love it! About to start the second volume with much excitement.



Have a great weekend!
~Jenny~





*Note* I received this book for free from Harvest House Publishers in exchange for posting a review about it. I am not required to post a positive review. Any opinions expressed are my own and they are sincere.

Restless In Carolina *Enter to Win a Copy of this Novel*

This book review is for the novel "Restless In Carolina" by Tamara Leigh

Starting off I have to say that I absolutely loved this book! I will definitely be looking for more books by this author.

Bridget Pickwick-Buchanan is a mess. A complete and total mess from her blonde dreadlocked hair to her dirty fingernails and her bitter angry attitude.

A smack of reality in the face comes in the form of her making her five year old niece cry. Not to mention the dressing down that comes from her sister after the incident with little innocent Birdie.

If she had just been able to say the words happily ever after then none of it ever would have happened. But she refuses to further help the deluding of small girls that happily ever after exists because in her world it just doesn't.

The grief that she still wallows in after four years of widowhood refuses to let her out of its grip. Not that she is fighting it and the darkness of it very hard though.
The dreadlocks that she has carefully crafted instead of her silky blonde hair, the sleeping in the guest room instead of her and Easton's room, the shadow of grief and sadness she casts over every family gathering and the not taking proper care of herself. All of this lends to a small intervention on her sisters part.
Making her daughter cry was the straw that broke the camel’s back with her little sister. And it is the smack of reality that Bridget needs to start her feet on the right path again.

It is a slow process but God is working in her life whether she likes it not. No matter how much or how far she runs He is still waiting for her to return to Him.

When her Uncle seeks to sale the families’ Biltmore-inspired mansion that is surrounded by hundreds of acres of unspoiled forestland, Bridgette determines to sell the property to J.C. Dirk, who is a high energy green property developer. Bridgette is all about the environment and she cannot stand the thought that the beautiful estate will be sold to developers that will ruin the beauty and environment that she longs to protect.

What she doesn't realize is that getting J.C. Dirk involved in this is going to complicate her life more than she ever realized.

J.C. Dirk holds secrets himself and can't quite believe it when one Ms. Bridget Pickwick-Buchanan stomps into his important meeting dressed to the nines and determined to get what she wants.


What follows is a story that I almost couldn't put down and which has a twist at the end that I didn't see coming. I highly recommend this novel!


Happy Monday all! What are you reading this week? Anything good to recommend?

Jenny



P.S. If you wouldn't mind, please take a moment and rank my review. I love to write them and enjoy getting your reaction as well. Not to mention if you rank this review and confirm your email address you will automatically be entered to win a copy of this amazing book for yourself! *Also, be sure to confirm your email address in the email that is sent to you. You only have to do this one time and never again. You will also not get any other emails from them unless you choose to receive them.*





*Note* I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group in exchange for posting a review about it. I am not required to post a positive review. Any opinions expressed are my own and they are sincere.

Gone To Green

This review is the novel "gone to green" by Judy Christie
This is the first novel I have read that was written by her and I look forward to reading the sequel to it called "Goodness Gracious Green".

One of the things that I love so much about reviewing is discovering new authors that you might not otherwise have known about!

Lois Barker is our main character; she has a corporate lifestyle working at the city desk of a large newspaper in the Midwest. She is in her 30's, single and has a group of good friends. Mostly, however, it seems her life revolves around her work at the newspaper.

The thing that stood out to me about Lois is that she seemed a bit overly cautious, jaded about God and hesitant about most things. She is always second guessing herself. That is what I got from her character throughout the whole book. Toward the end...she seems to come into her own more but it is obvious she still has growing to do.

I have to say that I really like the cast of characters that Ms. Christie introduces throughout the book. You can almost hear the southern lilt in their voices and see them as they make faces at Lois, whether it is an eye roll, a not so nice look, or a big southern grin accompanied by a hug.

For the most part it seems the book is centered on Lois and all the decisions that she has to make whether difficult or easy, but it is nicely fleshed out with all these other characters. I would like to find out more about Katy's character. I think she has her own story to tell.

Lois has a good friend on the newspaper she works at, Ed. He buys "The Green News-Item, which is a twice-weekly newspaper down in rural Green Louisiana.

Right before Ed is supposed to leave for Green to finally take over his newspaper, he passes away from an unexpected illness. Come to find out, he left the paper to Lois in his will.

That means that our dear Lois now has a whopping line of credit at the bank in Green and a year to turn the paper around and start profiting so she can sale it off and get back to her normal life.

Between moving to the "sticks", gaining a newspaper that comes with a loan attached, corrupt people filling the town, a city girl living in a country house (gasp! there was a rat!) and an odd assortment of people now filling her life...Lois is definitely a fish out of water.

Watch as she makes the best of her odd situation and maybe, just maybe, make some of the best friends a girl could ask for.

I recommend this book to anyone who likes a fun read with interesting characters.

What are you reading this week?



Have a joyful Monday!
Jenny





*Note* I received this book for free from Abingdon Press in exchange for a review about it. I am not required to post a positive review. Any opinions expressed are my own and they are sincere.

Upcoming Reviews :o)

Hi All! I just wanted to give you an update on which titles I will be reviewing next. Look for reviews on:

Restless in Carolina by Tamara Leigh

gone to green by Judy Christie

The First Gardener by Denise Hildreth Jones &

Sweet Sanctuary by Sheila Walsh and Cindy Coloma


There will be other reviews on more titles coming up but I will make another post about those when I receive them. So many books! I'm loving it! Books will not necessarily be reviewed in this order.

Strap on your heels and freshen your lipstick!

This review is for the novel "Premiere" by Melody Carlson.
It is the first novel in the 'On The Runway' series.


Melody Carlson has written over 200 books and it definitely shows when you read her creations.

Paige and Erin Forrester are sisters but they are different as night and day.
Paige is obsessed with fashion and owns many name brands. From Prada to Badgley Mischka she knows them all by site and fabric quality. And shines like a star in the spotlight, be it in a group of friends or doing spots on her mother's nightly news program.

Erin is far more comfortable behind the camera than in front of it. She got dumped a good long while ago by her boyfriend of two years and has pretty much let her appearance go. Much to the almost disdain of her sister and friends. They mean well and say it with love but her friend gets on her about her appearance and she ends up letting Paige do a makeover on her.

After Paige does a segment on the news, which turns from a feature on a newly opened theme park to a fashion critique of the people entering the park, she is spotted by a famous reality television producer. She is interviewed and offered a reality show of her own critiquing fashion on the red carpet and runway shows. Erin is brought along for the ride as the producer wants her to be her sister’s sidekick, helping to film her and banter back and forth.

Add in a few guest spots on another hot teen reality show, a good looking boy and a few catfights and you've got 'Premiere'.


One of the things that I liked about this novel is that it was different from a lot of books I have read.
Erin is a Christian who enjoys going to her group at church but her mother and sister are not. Their dad, who was a news anchor, died in a plane crash.
I read the book in a matter of days and absolutely loved it. It kept me interested and turning pages till the end of it.

Also, by the last chapter, Paige realizes, after some hard things happen, that although she has believed in God, she needs to make room in her life for God and prayer.

The ending left me wanting to read the next book as soon as possible!
I commend Ms. Carlson on writing an engaging "teen" novel without compromising the message.


Have you read a book by Melody Carlson that is your favorite?


Have a Wonderful Wednesday!
Jenny :o)




*Note* I received this book for free from Zondervan Publishers in exchange for a review about it. I am not required to post a positive review. Any opinions expressed are my own and they are sincere.