Sadie's Secret by Kathleen Y'Barbo

I have not read the previous two books in this series so some of the characters backstories I was not familiar with.  However, that did not keep me from enjoying the story.  I may have enjoyed it more if I was more familiar with the characters but I would definitely read it again, after reading the first two books.

A glimpse from goodreads:

Louisiana, 1890--Sarah Louise "Sadie" Callum is a master of disguise, mostly due to her training as a Pinkerton agent but also from evading overprotective brothers as she grew up. When she takes on a new assignment with international connections, she has no idea her new cover will lead her on the adventure of a lifetime.

Undercover agent William Jefferson Tucker is not looking for marriage--pretend or otherwise--but his past is a secret, his twin brother has stolen his present, and his future is in the hands of the lovely Sadie Callum. Without her connections to the world of upper-crust New Orleans, Jefferson might never find a way to clear his name and solve the art forgery case that has eluded him for years.

Only God can help these two secret agents find a way to solve their case and uncover the truth about what is going on in their hearts.
I received this book for free from NetGalley.  I was not required to write a positive review for receiving this book.

This book will be released on February 1, 2014.

Kathleen Y'Barbo's Site

A January Bride (A Year of Weddings) by Deborah Raney

This story is a part of a series of novellas that are being released each month electronically.  The series is called A Year of Weddings.  This is the second novella to be released.

This story is a novella centered around Madeline Houser and Arthur Tyler.  Madeline is a writer who has moved in to her sister's house while it is being renovated in order to be sold.  Her sister and her husband are moving because he got a new job.  Madeline's mom is in a nursing home and so she also will be able to visit her.  With all the renovations happening in the house, Madeline can't concentrate on the novel that she is currently writing.  Her neighbor, Ginny, suggests that she go to an inn of a friend of hers to write.  Arthur Tyler lost his wife to cancer a few years ago.  Since her death, he has had trouble keeping up with taking care of her inn as he is also an english professor.  He and Ginny form a friendship based on notes that they leave for each other since they have never met before.  When they do finally meet, their misconceptions about each other are brought to life.

I enjoyed this novella.  It was a short, easy read.  I enjoyed seeing how the characters misconceptions of each other were resolved and how it all came together in the end.

You can buy this book from Amazon here.

I received this book for free from Netgalley.  I was not required to write a positive review for receiving this book.

Severed Trust by Margaret Daley

I wanted to read this book because I had read the first book in Daley's Men of the Texas Rangers series and enjoyed it.  This was the fourth book in the series.  Each book can be read on its own.  When I first started reading the story, I was confused to see how all the characters were related to each other.  About half way through, I finally was able to figure out who was related to who and who was dating each other.  I've enjoyed both books I read in this series as I felt like they addressed issues that are prevalent in today's world.  Here is a preview from the author's site:

The day Sadie Thompson finds her high school student, Lexie, asleep in class and can’t wake her is the day she realizes how entrenched a prescription drug ring is in her school. As Sadie is pulled into doing something about the growing problem, she becomes involved with Ethan Stone—a Texas Ranger who suspects the drug ring reaches far beyond the high school. Helping Lexie recover from the overdose, Sadie feels she is making a difference—until the 16-year-old’s best friend dies from the apparent mixing of various prescription drugs. Lexie doesn’t think her friend took her own life, but her relationship with her Uncle Ethan is precarious and she doesn’t know if either he or Sadie will help her discover the truth.

I received this book for free from NetGalley.  I was not required to write a positive review for receiving this book.

Beowulf by Ronie Kendig

This book is the third book in Ronie Kendig's A Breed Apart series.  The book centers around two characters who were introduced in her previous books, Timbrel and Tony.  Here is a glimpse of the plot from the author's website.

A handler and her dog.
A Green Beret Willing to risk everything.
A mission that could kill them all!
Former Navy handler Timbrel Hogan has more attitude than her Explosives Detection Dog, Beowulf. Green Beret Tony “Candyman” VanAllen likes a challenge and convincing the hard-hitting handler they belong together might just get him killed.

I enjoyed this story.  I briefly remember the characters in this story from the previous books.  I probably would have been able to understand more of the background of the story if I had reread the first two books before this one, so that the characters would be fresh in my mind.

I received this book for free from NetGalley.  I was not required to write a positive review for receiving this book.

This book will be released on January 1, 2014.

Captive Maiden by Melanie Dickerson

I saw this book and it intrigued me so I picked it up.  I have't read any of Melanie Dickerson's previous books.  The book had a Cinderella feel to it, but with a little bit of a fairy tale twist.  At times it reminded me of Ever After, the movie with Drew Barrymore and one of my favorites.  Since I hadn't read any of her previous books, I felt like a I missed out a little bit on some of the characters who had been introduced in those stories as the author didn't explain much about them.  Even though this book is marked as teen fiction, I still enjoyed it especially since Cinderella has always been one of my favorite fairy tales.

Melanie Dickerson's Site

A little tidbit I found interesting from her site is that she graduated from the University of Alabama and lives near Huntsville.  That's near where a lot of my family lives and even though most of them are Alabama fans, I"m still an Auburn fan.

High Plains Hearts by Janeth Spaeth

I enjoyed all three stories in this book. You can read them in any order that you would like. They are all contemporary romances.

Here is the summary from Goodreads.

Travel to the plains in three North Dakota romances where dreams grow big and hearts are drawn to love. When coffeehouse owner Jake shows interest in Angel’s Roost gift shop owner Tess’s angelic wares, Tess wonders about their future—and what Jake really believes about angels. Lily has suffered a string of devastating losses. Maybe helping rebuild flood-destroyed Wildwood will revive her dreams, too. When a sale ad for a defunct North Dakota resort blew up against Olivia’s Boston-bound car, it caught her attention. . .then her determination to bring new life there again.

I received this book for free from NetGalley. I was not required to write a positive review for receiving this book.

This book will be released on January 1, 2014.

Carolina Gold by Dorothy Love

I picked up this book because it was set near where I lived and that appealed to me.  I enjoyed the story even though I felt like it was moving a little slow at times.  I recognized many of the street names in Charleston and am familiar with where Georgetown and Pawley's Island are, even though I've never been to Pawley's Island before.  I've visited the plantations here in Charleston and have seen how they grew rice during that time.  I definitely could picture that in my head while reading the story as well as what it must have been like to live then.

Here is the summary from the author's website:

The war is over, but her struggle is just beginning.

Charlotte Fraser returns to her late father’s once-flourishing rice plantation on the Waccamaw River, determined to continue growing the special kind of rice known as Carolina Gold. But Fairhaven Plantation is in ruins, the bondsmen are free, and money is scarce.

To make ends meet, Charlotte reluctantly accepts a position as tutor to the young daughters of Nicholas Betancourt, heir to the neighboring Willowood Plantation. Then Nick’s quest to prove his ownership of Willowood sends Charlotte on a dangerous journey that reveals an old family mystery—and threatens all that she holds dear.

Inspired by the life of a 19th century woman rice planter, CAROLINA GOLD continues Dorothy Love’s winning tradition of weaving together mystery, romance, and rich historical detail, bringing to life the story of one young woman’s struggle to restore her ruined world.

I received this book for free from NetGalley.  I was not required to write a positive review for receiving this book.

This book is expected to be published on December 10, 2013.

Dorothy Love's Site

Below is a picture of a rice field at Middleton Place I took this past summer.

This is a picture of Drayton Hall.  One of only a few plantation homes that survived the civil war.  It is being preserved so you can go in and get an authentic feel for how they lived back then.