Instructions for Dancing by Nicola Yoon – 5 Stars!

I was a dancer 20 years, well I guess I’ll always be a dancer at heart.  I was skeptical when I picked up this book. I thought it was just going to be a single story with a dance lesson or studio in the background.  It turned out to be much more than that.  There was so much to think about as this Evie lives through the story.  It’s a multi layered story with so much to think about, it left me still thinking of it when I finished it and put it down.  I really enjoyed the story.  I think this book would really be one for those who believe in young love, those who have ever danced and those who would like to.  Also, for those who ever wondered what if….         

 

I received this book free through NetGalley.com in kindle format.  I wasn’t required to leave a review.  For the most part I enjoy reading and helping authors who are good.  Nicola Yoon will have to be in my to read again pile of new authors in my head.  The thoughts and opinion were my own freely given.  #InstructionsforDancing #NetGalley #NicolaYoon

 

Description From NetGalley.com

#1 New York Times bestselling author of Everything, Everything and The Sun Is Also a Star Nicola Yoon is back with her eagerly anticipated third novel. With all the heart and hope of her last two books, this is an utterly unique romance.

Evie Thomas doesn't believe in love anymore. Especially after the strangest thing occurs one otherwise ordinary afternoon: She witnesses a couple kiss and is overcome with a vision of how their romance began . . . and how it will end. After all, even the greatest love stories end with a broken heart, eventually.

As Evie tries to understand why this is happening, she finds herself at La Brea Dance Studio, learning to waltz, fox-trot, and tango with a boy named X. X is everything that Evie is not: adventurous, passionate, daring. His philosophy is to say yes to everything--including entering a ballroom dance competition with a girl he's only just met.

Falling for X is definitely not what Evie had in mind. If her visions of heartbreak have taught her anything, it's that no one escapes love unscathed. But as she and X dance around and toward each other, Evie is forced to question all she thought she knew about life and love. In the end, is love worth the risk? 

Destined for You by Tracie Peterson – 5 Stars

 

What can I say Tracie Peterson always a winner in my book.  Historical Christion romance.  This one set in 1869 Duluth, Minnesota with info included on what it was like to live and work on the waters of Lake Superior with the fishing trade.  There was also much about the railroad race completion was fierce back then as to who would get theirs done first…Duluth or Superior, Wisconsin.  There was a lot going on in the stories, a lot to think about.  Tracie Peterson always leaves me thinking about the story afterward, she weaves her words well!

 

I received this book free from NetGalley.com in the kindle format.  My comments and opinions are my own freely given.  #DestinedForYou #NetGalley #TraciePeterson

 

Description from NetGalley:

In 1869, Gloriana Womack's family is much smaller since smallpox killed her mother and two of her siblings. She lives in a modest cottage in Duluth, Minnesota, with her father and young brother, and she has dedicated her life to holding her tiny, fractured family together--especially as her father is frequently gone on long fishing trips. Their livelihood may come from the waters of Lake Superior, but storms on the lake can be dangerous, even to those who know it well.

Luke Carson has come to Duluth to help shepherd the arrival of the railroad to the city's port, and he's eager to be reunited with his brother, Scott, who recently moved there with his pregnant wife. Competition for the railroad is fierce, with the neighboring city of Superior, Wisconsin, fighting for the tracks to come through their town instead. But the real danger lies in a resident of Duluth who is determined to have his revenge upon Luke.

When tragedy brings Gloriana and Luke together, they help each other through their grief and soon find their lives inextricably linked. If they survive the trials ahead, could it be possible they've been destined for each other all along?

 

Endless Mercy by Tracie Peterson; Kimberly Woodhouse – 4 Stars

 

This was a great book.  The authors automatically let me know I would be in for a good read. I wish they had included a little more about Nome Alaska.  There was more than one story line going on at a time, not just a Christian romance, there was a lot to think about for me as I had a step father who has passed, who drank quite a bit. The description that I got and included from NetGalley.com tells you a bit about the story lines that are involved in this book.  It was a fast read, gave me a lot to dwell on, and I enjoyed it.

 

I received this book free in the kindle format from NetGalley.com my opinion and comments are my own freely given.  #EndlessMercy #NetGalley #TraciePetersonKimberlyWoodhouse #ChristianRomance

 

Description from NetGalley.com:

Madysen Powell has always been a forgiving person, but when her supposedly dead father shows up in Nome, Alaska, her gift for forgiveness is tested. With the recent loss of her mother, she searches for answers, leaning on Granny Beaufort, a neighbor in town, who listens with a kind heart. Still, Madysen is restless and dreams of performing her music around the world. The arrival of a traveling show could prove just the chance she needs, and the manager promises more than she ever dreamed.

Daniel Beaufort arrives in Nome, searching for his own answers after the gold rush leaves him with only empty pockets. Still angry about the death of his loved ones, he longs to start fresh but doesn't have high hopes until he ends up helping at the Powell dairy making cheese. Drawn to the beautiful redhead with big dreams, will deceptions from the past tear apart any hope for the future?

 

A Dance In Donegal by Jennifer Deibel – 5 Stars!

Boy was this a dance!  One in Donegal Ireland in 1920.  The book is lush with history, multi-layered in stories and the ways of those living at the time.  There are so many things that come to mind when I think of this story, this author doesn’t stop at just one-story line, she gives you so much to learn about the customs and ways of the people in the book.  There is suspense, love, a few mysteries, culture, superstitions, author Jennifer Deibel will delight your senses and leave you thinking about this book long after you have finished it. 

 

I received this book free from NetGalley.com in kindle format, the opinions and words above are my own freely given.  #ADanceinDonegal #NetGalley #JenniferDeibel #HistoricalRomance

 

Description From NetGalley.com:

All of her life, Irish-American Moira Doherty has relished her mother's descriptions of Ireland. When her mother dies unexpectedly in the summer of 1920, Moira decides to fulfill her mother's wish that she become the teacher in Ballymann, her home village in Donegal, Ireland.

After an arduous voyage, Moira arrives to a new home and a new job in an ancient country. Though a few locals offer a warm welcome, others are distanced by superstition and suspicion. Rumors about Moira's mother are unspoken in her presence but threaten to derail everything she's journeyed to Ballymann to do. Moira must rely on the kindness of a handful of friends--and the strength of Sean, an unsettlingly handsome thatcher who keeps popping up unannounced--as she seeks to navigate a life she'd never dreamed of . . . but perhaps was meant to live.

Jennifer Deibel's debut novel delights the senses, bringing to life the sights, sounds, smells, and language of a lush country and a colorful people. Historical romance fans will embrace her with open arms.

 

A Cowboy For Keeps by Jody Hedlund – 4 Stars

I do enjoy my mail order bride stories.  I know they aren’t very deep…but interesting.  This one is based on Fairplay, Colorado. Greta has to travel there with her sister to leave a city where no one would marry her because her sister was a prostitute and died leaving her with a daughter that no one wanted to take on if they married her.  The entire city was talking about it so she left town, got a ticket for a mail-order bride for a man when she arrives, she finds out has died.  The Mayor in the little town says he’ll help her, he does by telling Wyatt that help invest in his herd of cattle to help him out if he’ll marry and start a family to help change the reputation of the city….more families….less men who are troubled and hang in saloons eventually.  It was a fast read, interesting Jody Hedlund can always weave a story, I always  trust her books….I liked it.

 

I received this book free in the kindle format from NetGalley.com my opinions and comments on this book are my own and freely given.  #ACowboyforKeeps #JodyHedlund #NetGalley

 

 

Description From NetGalley.com:

Greta Nilsson's trip west to save her ailing little sister, Astrid, could not have gone more wrong. First, bandits hold up her stagecoach, stealing all her money. Then, upon arriving in Fairplay, Colorado, she learns the man she was betrothed to as a mail-order bride has died. Homeless, penniless, and jobless, Greta and her sister are worse off than when they started.

Wyatt McQuaid is struggling to get his new ranch up and running and is in town to purchase cattle when the mayor proposes the most unlikely of bargains. He'll invest in a herd of cattle for Wyatt's ranch if Wyatt agrees to help the town become more respectable by marrying and starting a family. And the mayor, who has promised to try to help Greta, has just the candidate in mind for Wyatt to marry.

A Cowboy Kind Of Love by Donna Grant – 4 Stars!

I loved this book – shorter than some – Second Chance Romance – Mystery – Suspense – Shoot Outs – oh my!  Little racy with the sex scenes for anyone who doesn’t like that kind of thing, I don’t mind.  One can dream right?  Anyway, enjoyed the book.  Had some interesting twists.  

I received this book free through NetGalley.com.  My words and opinions are my own freely given.  #ACowboyKindofLove #NetGalley #DonnaGrant

Description as found on NetGalley.com:

A dashing cowboy gets his second chance at romance in A Cowboy Kind Of Love, the next book in the Heart of Texas series by New York Times bestselling author Donna Grant.

Who wants to rodeo again?

Jace Wilder has been rebuilding his life since the love of his life, Taryn, up and left town unexpectedly. But when she mysteriously returns, Jace’s dependable world comes crashing down. Taryn is hiding a dangerous secret, and no matter how hard he tries, Jace can’t stay away—especially when Taryn is at risk. And especially when the attraction he thought he’d buried long ago is back and hotter than ever. Will he be able to trust Taryn again?

Taryn Hillman’s world fell apart one horrifying night, and it’s never been the same since. When she sees a small chance at untangling herself, she takes it, though it means returning to Clearview—and seeing Jace again. But when he vows to protect her, will Taryn take a chance, and this time, never let him go?

“A captivating romance novel with a sexy cowboy making this perfect for anyone who loves a steamy romantic read.”—Fresh Fiction on My Favorite Cowboy