Tuesday, October 18, 2016

Love's Faithful Promise

Book description:  "Widower Dr. Matthew Clayborne is devoted to two things: his work with wounded soldiers and his four-year-old daughter, Phoebe. When Deirdre O'Leary, a feisty New Yorker, arrives in Toronto requesting he use his skills to help her stricken mother, he won't abandon either of these priorities to care for one older woman. However, when his daughter suffers a health scare and needs a respite, Deirdre offers a trade--they can escape to the peace of her family's farm, if he will care for Mrs. O'Leary.

Matthew agrees for his daughter's sake, but is intent on staying as short a time as necessary. The sojourn at Irish Meadows does wonders for Phoebe, and as she begins to flourish, Matthew finds himself drawn to the O'Learys, especially to the captivating Deirdre. But since he has no intention of leaving his life up north forever, and Deirdre has sworn off marriage in favor of her career, how will they deal with the undeniable attraction between them?"

My review:  I believe that this is the first book I have read by this author, Susan Anne Mason. I was not disappointed! Although this is book 3 in the series Courage to Dream, I had no trouble following the story or the characters. It can definitely stand alone, but I am looking forward to reading the first two books in this series. Not only did this story follow Deirdre but her twin brother Connor as well. I felt that the author did a great job at balancing the two stories. This is a story that shows real life struggles along with answers that don't always come easily. If this book is any indication, I will be reading a lot more books by this author! I received a complimentary e-copy of this book from Bethany House Publishers in exchange for an honest review.  All opinions are my own.

From this Day Forward

Book description:  "Deborah MacCallister, head nurse at the Blessing hospital, has loved Toby Valders since her school days, but she's had enough of their on-again, off-again relationship. With the help of the young women of Blessing, Deborah decides that by the end of the summer she will either have won Toby's heart--or she'll give up on him forever. 

Toby truly cares for Deborah, but he's never felt like he could commit to marriage or a family. When Anton Gendarme, the new schoolteacher, comes to town, sparks fly between Deborah and Anton. The sudden competition makes Toby do some serious soul-searching, but is it too late?

As the town of Blessing prepares for harvest, Deborah faces the most important decision of her life. But where does her heart truly belong?"

My review:  I really had a hard time getting into this book. I don't think that was the fault of the author. This is book 4 of 4 in the Song of Blessing series by Lauraine Snelling. I definitely needed to have read the first three books before reading this one. I couldn't keep all of the characters straight and there was just too much of the story that I couldn't follow very well without the background from the first three books. By the end of the book, I was enjoying the few characters that I could keep straight, and I did enjoy Mrs. Snelling writing style. I have enjoyed other books by her that I have read in the past.  Maybe one day soon I can read the first three books in this series and be able to appreciate this one a little more. I received a complimentary e-copy of this book from Bethany House Publishers in exchange for an honest review.  All opinions are my own.