Mulberry Hollow by Denise Hunter

Mulberry Hollow is the second book in the Riverbend series. I'm loving that the setting for this series is the Appalachian Mountains. I can just visualize in my head how beautiful the area is since I have been there several times. The Robinsons are a close knit blended family. Avery's mother died of Huntingtons disease which is a horrible way to die and she has a 50 percent chance of developing the disease. There is a test that would tell her whether or not she carries this disease but she fears what the results would reveal. On the day of her birthday a hiker lands on her doorstep and she nurses him back to help. Not wanting to be indebted to her he volunteers to work on renovating a building for her.. While working for her they develop a deep friendship. What I like about this book is that the romance developed slowly. They didn't instantly fall in love as in the case in some romance novels. He had some issues that he had to deal with. I though her brothers Cooper and Gavin were a little bit too protective of her to the point of annoying but I like it that she put them in their place and stood up for herself. I'm looking forward to reading Gavin's story which will be out in a few months. Gavin's story will involve his ex-wife. That should be a good one.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Much Ado About a Latte by Kathleen Fuller

 We return to Maple Falls where we reconnect and catch up with characters from the previous book. This book focuses on Anita and Tanner. Tanner is Hayden's best friend. Anita has had a crush on Tanner for about 10 years. She tells herself she is over it but not really. They work together and Tanner is starting to view her as much than a sister type They are both crazy about each other and everybody in their small town notices that there is chemistry between the two but they won't admit it to each other. What I liked about this book and series is the small town atmosphere and the lasting friendships that happen. Loved the humor in the book. I like it that both Tanner and Anita were hard working people with goals in mind. I loved it that Tanner felt a responsibility too look after his mother and younger brother after his farther had died many years ago. Tanner was just a stand up guy. What I didn't like it was Anita getting drunk at her friend's party after drinking three too many Cosmos. Overall this was a good romantic story and I look forward to reading Harper and Rusty's story will will be out this summer.

A Stranger's Game by Colleen Coble

 Victoria Bergstrom returns to Jeckyl Island Georgia where her father owns a luxury hotel to investigate her best friend's death. Her death was ruled as self-inflicted but Victoria thinks her friend LIzbeth died as a result of foul play. In order to investigate she comes under an assumed name of Tori Berg which is just a shortened variation of her real name.

Collen Coble novels usually keep me up late in the night because they are suspenseful but this one fell a little short. Also I felt the romance between Tori and Joe Abbott was a little lacking. Granted there were a few suspenseful moments that kept me engaged but they were few and far between.

I was given an early release copy of this book via NetGalley. Thank you to the publisher, author and NetGalley for allowing me to read this early! All opinions expressed here are my own.

Forgiving Paris by Karen Kingsbury

 Karen Kingsbury has been writing about the Baxter family for nearly 20 years. I have lost count of the number of Baxter books she has written but one character has been in all of them and that is Ashley Baxter. We first meet Ashley in the first book Redemption or it could have been the second book, Remember. She had returned from spending time in Paris France as an artist and was pregnant. She had the support of her family. We were not given the details of her affair with the married Frenchman but in this book we learn more of her time there. We meet several of the people she met when she was there and the impact her life made on these people some 20 years later. Also, there is an appearance of some of the angels from the Angels Walking series. Who would enjoy this series? Anyone who loves a clean book that glorifies God and anyone who enjoys reading about the Baxter.

Since You've Been Gone by Tari Faris

 Since you've been gone is the third full length novel in the Restoring Heritage series. I think this one may be my favorite in the series.  This book like the other books has two love stories in one and takes place in the small town of Heritage.  The first couple is Joh Kensington and Leah Williams. I loved their story and how they worked through the past they had with each other. The other story is Colby March and Madison Westmore. Madison is not liked in town. She left town and returned to fix up and sell her deceased father's house. She is pregnant but does not make it know but she meets Colby not knowing he was a famous Christian singer and hires him to help her fix up her house. She tells him upfront she is pregnant. She is repentant for her past actions and holds no ill feeling for what people think of her. I like her character.

I received this ARC through the Early Reader program at LibraryThing. 

Riverbend Gap by Denise Hunter

 

You've read books that end on a cliffhanger. Well this one literally starts on a cliffhanger. Katelyn is on her way to visit Gavin and his family and skids off the road and her car is hanging on the edge. One wrong move could send her over.. Cooper Robinson comes her and keeps her calm while waiting for more help to arrive.  He is immediately attracted to her.  Later he finds out that this girl is his brother's new girlfriend. The more he is around her the more attracted he is to her. There is a chemistry between those two that is not in her relationship with Gavin.  He finds himself falling in love with her but he feels in his heart that he can never have her since she is in a relationship with Gavin.

I enjoyed this story as I have all of Denise Hunter's books. I'm looking forward to reading the story of Cooper's other siblings.

I received a complimentary e-copy of this book. All opinions are completely my own.

Make You Feel My Love by Robin Lee Hatcher

This is the first book by Robin Lee Hatcher that I have read and it won't be the last. I really enjoyed "Make You Feel My Love" which is a time slip novel. Most of the novels that this author has written take place in the 1800s. This one has both modern and the 1800s. Cora Anderson escapes New York society from a domineering father who wants to marry her off to someone she doe not love. She escapes to Chickadee Creek with only her violin. She becomes a schoolteacher and meets Preston Chandler.

In the modern day story Chelsea Spenser's story is very similar in that she escapes to Chickadee Creek but she is escaping an abusive relationship. She helps her great aunt with her antique shop. She meets Liam Chandler, a well-known actor who has family roots in the area. Liam is dealing with his own set of problems having lost his younger brother and the breakup of his parent's marriage. He finds out some other news that he must deal with.

Of the two stories I think I enjoyed the modern day one. I enjoyed reading about Liam's struggle and how he dealt with it. Also the modern story had a hint of mystery at the end that kept me reading.

I hope the author intends to write more novels of this caliber.

I received a complimentary ebook from the publisher through Netgalley. All views expressed are my own and I received no compensation.