Even Now (Karen Kingsbury)

LOST LOVE SERIES, Book 1

Beautiful, touching tale, beautifully told. I couldn't stop reading...and it takes a really special story to draw me in so completely and relentlessly. Loved this one, and highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys a tale that touches heart and soul.

Silver White Winters (Candice Sue Patterson)

Candice Sue Patterson knows how to write. Period. This author’s descriptive abilities is phenomenal, as is her insight into matters of the heart and emotions. Silver White Winters is a romantic Christmas story unlike any I’ve ever read…and I have read many.

I won’t rehash the storyline. It’s available everywhere the book is for sale. But that description cannot possibly come close to relaying the heart and soul of this book. It will wrap itself around your heart and hold on tight to the very last page. You won’t find a beautifully wrapped happily-ever-after in this storyline, but a heartfelt romance hampered by very real problems that can’t be easily solved and stuffed into a pretty package marked “Neatly Resolved and All Fixed Up.” This is life at its most real, with all the tears and pain, and joy and laughter that entails.

Read it. You’ll never forget Silver White Winters.

Vegas Vacation (Clare Revell)

(PASSPORT TO ROMANCE)

I enjoyed this rollicking tale, in which royalty meets the real world in a place no less blood-pumping and eye-popping than Las Vegas.  Lady Tamlyn Bradshaw, at 26 years old, is on her first “big-girl-on-her-own” adventure. Well, kind of on her own. After Tamlyn’s bodyguard is hospitalized with what seems to be food poisoning, Sergeant Martin Ames—wounded law enforcement hero, just shy of early retirement—steps in (not quite willingly) to fill the gap.

Spoiled heroine quite used to having her way. Stubborn, strong-willed hero determined to have his. And two hearts who don’t even know they need each other…  But Clare Revell is quite adept at leading wayward hearts down the path they need to follow, and she does it with flair and pizzazz in Vegas Vacation.

A surprising amount of suspense and danger keep the pages of this romance novella turning, from the first page to the last (I read it in one sitting).  It’s a worthy addition to Pelican Book Group’s Passport to Romance line, and to Revell’s growing repertoire of gripping stories. 

Blowing on Dandelions (Miralee Ferrell)

LOVE BLOSSOMS IN OREGON SERIES, Book 1

Once again, I am impressed with Miralee Ferrell's ability to paint characters so real I feel as if I've known them forever. This author clearly has an excellent understanding of the nuances in various types of relationship, which makes for a deeply felt connection between the reader and the characters. I rooted for Catherine and Micah to the end, felt his lonely bitterness and her inner pain, her longing for something more from an unaffectionate, sharp-tongued mother. Blowing on Dandelions is a beautiful tale, beautifully told. I recommend it for lovers of clean romance with a deeper undercurrent that grips the heart and keeps the pages turning.