Sincerely Yours Book Review

A Novella Collection

SUMMARY:  Four unexpected letters.  Four intrepid women.  Four lives changed forever.

     Spanning a century and a continent, these romantic novellas will lead you on a journey through the landscape of love.  Four young women find their lives altered after each receives a letter that sets her on a new path.  From a Hudson River steamboat to a lush drawing room, from a carousel carver's workshop to a remote hospital, you'll be swept into the lives of women who are making their way in the world and finding love where they least expect it.

MOONLIGHT PROMISE by Laurie Alice Eakes

Camilla Renfrew is a highborn English lady fleeing false accusations when she runs smack into love on a steamboat bound for the new Erie Canal.  But can this unexpected attraction survive the treacherous journey?

 LESSONS IN LOVE by Ann Shorey

Marigold Montgomery Bentley writes marriage advice for Kipler's Home Weekly even though she is single.  Everyone assumes from the initials that "M.M." is a man.  When the editor asks to meet Mr. Bentley, can Merrie come up with a ruse to keep her writing job?

ONE LITTLE WORD by Amanda Cabot

Lorraine Caldwell will lose her family fortune to a reckless cousin if she doesn't marry quickly.  When she learns her long-lost brother is alive, she hopes she's found the answer to her problem.  What she finds instead is a mysterious carousel carver who turns her life upside down.

A SAVING GRACE by Jane Kirkpatrick

Grace Hathaway must rescue a dear friend from a remote and notorious clinic that promises healing by delivers only heartache.  In a place laced with deceit, where lives hang in the balance, whom can she trust to help her?

REVIEW:  These four novellas were fun and easy to read.   Although each story is different, they show how life can change, even with the receipt of a simple letter.  What I liked most about Laurie Alice Eakes' story is that her characters didn't decide to get married after only knowing each other for a few days even though there was a strong attraction between them.  Instead, at the end, Nathaniel asks to court Camilla to get to know her better.  That is something you don't see very often in novels these days.  It was a lovely story.

Ann Shorey's brief novel is the typical mistaken identity with a bit of a twist.  I thought it interesting that a single young lady is writing a column on godly marriages. Some of the advice she gave was good; some, I had to remember that the story was set in 1858 and not 2014 and was probably typical of that day.  The last article she wrote was very interesting.  It also had double meaning to Colin, her piano teacher and sweetheart.  This is a sweet story with a happy ending.

Amanda Cabot's main character Lorraine was a go-getter.  Even though she grew up having everything she wanted, she wasn't afraid to pitch in and help her brother's inn while he was gone on his honeymoon.  Even though she was a complete failure, she did not let it get her down and kept trying until she found something she was good at: organizing events for the guests at Lilac Hall.  Her tenacity was refreshing.  I liked how Amanda worked out all the details between Lorraine and Jonah at the end of this book.

Jane Kirkpatrick's story is based on true events that happened in the Pacific Northwest near Seattle.  Grace is a friend that we all need to have.  When her longtime friend, Rebecca, enters a questionable treatment center to get help over losing her husband, Grace goes to help her.  I like how she risks her own life to save her friend and other residents of this facility. 

This book was provided by Revell for review without compensation.

Here is a link to a giveaway Jane Kirkpatrick is having on her blog: http://janeswordsofencouragement.blogspot.com/.  

A Reluctant Courtship Book Review

The Daughters of Bainbridge House Series

Book Three

SUMMARY:  A woman without a prospect.  A man without a homeland.  Can love give them a future?

     Honore Bainbridge has been courted by two men, one of whom turned out to be a traitor, the other a murderer.  Banished to her family's country estate, where she will hopefully stay out of trouble, she finally meets the man she is sure is exactly right for her:  Lord Ashmoor.  Tall, dark, and handsome - what more could a girl ask for?

     But he too is under suspicion because of his American upbringing and accusations that he has helped French prisoners escape from Dartmoor Prison.  If he's to keep out of a British prison himself and secure his place in British society, Lord Ashmoor needs a wife beyond reproach - something the vexingly beautiful Honore certainly is not.  Though they find themselves drawn to each other, family obligations may conspire to keep them apart forever.

     For the sake of her heart, Honore determines to prove Ashmoor's innocence - even if doing so risks her own life.

     From the first sentence, award-winning author Laurie Alice Eakes thrusts you into high drama amid the rocky cliffs of Devonshire, England, and keeps you suspended there until the final page.

REVIEW:   This book did grab my attention from the very beginning, as stated above, and the ending is good, though my attention did waiver from time to time throughout the story.  I love Honore's character.  Even though she is basically shunned by royal society, the servants she grew up with and their families treated her well and respectfully.  She was determined to not let her banishment get her down but she was hurt when she was left out of many socials and gatherings.  Honore is a strong character and very well written. 

     Lord Ashmoor is another favorite.  He is determined to help his family and support them, even if that means he spends the rest of his life away from his homeland and in a society so foreign to his poor upbringing.  Ashmoor reaches out to Honore when others turn their back on her and treats her with respect, even after hearing about her poor choices in suitors. 

     Out of the three books in this series, this is my favorite.  Honore is determined to not let her circumstances get her down and rises above all the scrutiny.

This book was provided by Revell for review without compensation.

Laurie Alice Eakes is the author of Lady in the Mist, Heart's Safe Passage, Choices of the Heart, A Necessary Deception, and A Flight of Fancy which won the October 2012 Clash of the Titles Award, voted on by readers.  she won a National Readers Choice Award for Best Regency in 2007 for Family Guardian.  Laurie Alice writes full-time from her home in Texas, where she lives with her husband and sundry dogs and cats.  Visit www.lauriealiceeakes.com for more information.

Choices of the Heart Book Review

The Midwives

Book Three

SUMMARY:  She thought she had left her old life behind. . .

     Esther Cherrett comes from a proud line of midwives and was trained by her mother to take over the family calling.  When a terrible scandal threatens all she holds dear, Esther flees, taking a position as a teacher in the wild western mountains of Virginia.  But instead of the refuge she was seeking, Esther finds herself in the midst of a deadly family feud - and courted by two men on opposite sides of the conflict.  All she wants is to run away again.

     Yet could it be that her past holds the key to reconciliation - and love?

     In this gripping story of trust, deception, and bittersweet loss, you'll discover the true meaning of choices of the heart.

REVIEW:  This is the third book in The Midwives series.  You really do not need to read the other two books to understand everything going on in this story.  But if you would like background information on Esther's parents and their best friends, they will fill in the gaps.

      This is a good book.   My heart went out to this young woman who, after the unthinkable happens, feels the only option left to protect her family from gossip and harm is to leave everything she knows and loves behind.  I like how Griff, a young man, looks after his family and the other families on the mountain and tries to keep peace.  The torment Esther had gone through gives her a better understanding of the reason behind the feuding and, hopefully, helps bring the fighting to an end.

     This is a good book.  I can already see a few possibilities for plot lines if there was to be a fourth one in this series.  Check it out for yourself.

This book was provided by Revell for review without compensation.

 

 Available January 2013 at your favorite bookseller from Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group.

 

Laurie Alice Eakes is the author of Lady in the Mist, Heart's Safe Passage, A Necessary Deception, A Flight of Fancy, and several other novels.  She won a National Readers Choice Award for Best Regency in 2007 for Family Guardian.  Laurie Alice writes full-time from her home in Texas, where she lives with her husband and sundry dogs and cats.  For more information, visit her website at www.LaurieAliceEakes.com.

 

A Flight of Fancy Book Review

The Daughters of Bainbridge House

Book #2

SUMMARY:  Her head is in the clouds.  His feet are planted firmly on the ground.  Can love cover the distance?.

     Cassandra Bainbridge may be a bit of a bluestocking, but when Geoffrey Giles is near, love seems a fine alternative to passion for Greek and the physics of flight.  With his dashing good looks and undying devotion to her, the earl of Whittaker sets Cassandra's heart racing with his very presence.  It seems his only flaw is his distaste for ballooning, the obsession that consumes so much of her thoughts.

     When a terrible accident compels her to end her betrothal, Cassandra heads for the country to recover from both her injuries and her broke heart.  With time on her hands and good friends to help her, she pursues her love for ballooning and envisions a future for herself as a daring aeronaut.  But when Lord Whittaker slips back into her life, will have to choose between him and her dream?

REVIEW:  This is the second book in the Daughters of Bainbridge House series.  You do not need to read the first book to understand this storyline, unless you want some background information of Cassandra and Geoffrey and the family.  

     My heart went out to Cassandra after her terrible accident, having to suffer the way she did and not being able to tell her fiance' the extent of the problem.  Geoffrey won my admiration by not giving up on Cassandra after she broke off their engagement but supporting her in every way, even going up with her in her beloved balloon to protect her when her life is threatened.  I also liked how Geoffrey tried to understand the frustrations of the loom mill workers and trying to come up with a solution the workers and owners could all agree on.  This book is superb.

This book was provided by Revell for review without compensation.

Laurie Alice Eakes is the author of the Midwives series, A Necessary Deception, and several other novels.  She won a National Readers Choice Award for Best Regency in 2007 for Family Guardian.  Laurie Alice writes full-time from her home in Texas, where she lives with her husband and sundry dogs and cats.

Heart's Safe Passage Book Review

The Midwives Series

SUMMARY:  One woman takes the treacherous journey towards redemption and love.

     All Phoebe Lee wants out of life is to practice midwifery in Loudon County, Virginia.  But when she refuses to accompany her pregnant sister-in-law to help save her husband from prison during the War of 1812, Phoebe finds herself pressed aboard a British privateer.

     Captain Rafe Docherty promises to get Phoebe's brother-in-law out of prison in exchange for information Rafe needs to exact revenge on the man who destroyed his family.  As he realizes his attraction to Phoebe, she determines to get ashore before her patient goes into labor - and before her own heart is in danger.  But an enemy in their midst threatens to end their plans - and their very lives.

REVIEW:  This book is good and story is great but there are a few things difficult for me.  Good/Great parts:  Phoebe is a widow who has to face the unforgiveness in her heart towards her abusive dead husband when she tries to help Rafe as he searches for the man who had his wife and parents killed.  She is strong and stands up for what she believes, takes care of her sister-in-law Belinda (even though Belinda has her kidnapped, lies about how far along she is in her pregnancy, and is only focused on rescuing her husband), and even takes care of the crew members when they are hurt or injured.  Rafe cares for his daughter and does what he can to make sure she continues her education while on board his ship since she won't say at the boarding schools he selects for her.  He cares for the men on his ship, even those who are out to seek to hurt him in any way possible.  Derrick is a former slave who works with Rafe.  He and Jordy, a man who has been with Rafe since he was a little boy, both look after and prays for Rafe, hoping he will end this search and find his way back to God.  I like the ended of the story with it's many twists and turns.

     The Not So Great parts: the author goes into GREAT detail about the ships the characters are on and all that goes on aboard in regards to the rigging and such, so much so that I was lost many times just trying to follow along in the story and felt like I was getting tangled in the ropes.  There seemed to be something more involved in Rafe's relentless pursuit of James Brock other than his having Rafe's wife and parents murdered, especially when it came to Belinda and her husband's connection to Brock.  There was also the problem I had in understanding why Phoebe insisted on getting help from her friend Lord Dominick.
     All this said, it was a good book with a great story of forgiveness. This is the second book in THE MIDWIVES series, the first being Lady in the Mist.  Check it out for yourself and see what you think.

This book was provided by Revell for review without compensation.

Available February 2012 at your favorite bookseller from Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group.

Laurie Alice Eakes is the author of Lady in the Mist, A Necessary Deception, and several other novels.  She won a National Readers Choice Award for Best Regency in 2007 for Family Guardian.  Laurie Alice writes full-time from her home in Texas, where she lives with her husband and sundry of dogs and cats.

A Necessary Deception Book Review

The Daughters of Bainbridge House

SUMMARY: When young widow Lydia Gale helps a French prisoner obtain parole, she never dreams she will see him again.  But just as the London Season gets under way, the man presents himself in her parlor.  While she should be focused on getting her headstrong younger sister prepare for her entrance into Society, Lady Gale finds herself preoccupied with the mysterious Frenchman.  Is he a spy or a suitor?  Can she trust him?  Or is she putting herself and her family in danger?
      Discover a world of elegance and intrigue, balls and masquerades as Laurie Alice Eakes whisks you into the drawing rooms of London Society on this exciting quest to let the past stay in the past - and let love guide the future.

REVIEW:  Things I liked about this book were the mixture of spies, mysterious visitors, blackmail and London's High Society.  Having the storyline extend over a series of months instead of days made it seem more realistic.  The characters were likable and believable.  Lydia's struggles with her family were ones I could relate to - a headstrong sister who doesn't care about the rigid rules London Society and the era place on women; another sister's struggles with wanting to stretch her wings and problems with her fiance; an ailing mother and absent but overbearing father - all while trying to figure out her role in the spy game she was tricked into playing and wondering about her feelings for Christien. The ending was good and the spy was not at all who I suspected.
     This is the first book in "The Daughters of Bainbridge House" series.  It will be interesting to see what becomes of Cassandra and her fiance, Honore and her high spirits, and Lydia and Christien and how their stories play out.

Available October 2011 at your favorite bookseller from Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group.

This book was provided by Revell for review without compensation.

Laurie Alice Eakes is the author of Lady in the Mist as well as several other novels.  She won a National Readers Choice Award for Best Regency in 2007 for Family Guardian.  Laurie Alice writes full time from her home in Texas, where she lives with her husband and sundry dogs and cats.