Review

You’re the Cream in My Coffee by Jennifer Lamont Leo

/ sandramervillehart

A Roaring Twenties Novel

This novel drew me in immediately.

Marjorie Corrigan still mourns that Jack, her first love, didn’t come home from the war. Listed as missing, she still hopes to see him again after ten years.

Yet, time marches on, and she agrees to marry a successful young doctor. With the wedding just months away, she starts having fainting spells that send her to Chicago for medical testing.

Then she spots a man at the train station who looks just like Jack.

This novel is a page turner. Marjorie makes many decisions that lead the small-town girl down an unfamiliar path. I kept reaching for this novel to find out what happened next. Sometimes I wanted to shake her and say, “Wake up!”

Written in first person, characters struggle with losing themselves in the pain and heartache. It tugged at my heart.

This is the first book in a series. I also read and enjoyed the second novel,  Ain’t Misbehavin’.

Recommend!

-Sandra Merville Hart

Lighthouse Publishing of the Carolinas:  https://www.shoplpc.com/product/youre-the-cream-in-my-coffee/

– Use coupon code SandraMHart for a 20% discount on Lighthouse Publishing books!

 

 

 

 

Saratoga Letters by Elaine Marie Cooper

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I enjoyed this novel!

This is an unusual story. It begins in the Revolutionary Battle of Saratoga. Abigail is patriotic to the colonies in 1777. The recent death of her father leaves her at the mercy of a cruel uncle who forces her to nurse wounded British soldiers.

William Carpenter is one of the British soldiers. The officer falls in love with his beautiful nurse who needs his protection.

The second half of the story is set 200 years later. Abby Carpenter travels to Saratoga for the 200th anniversary celebration of the battle where her ancestor fought.

Constable Ian Thacker has flown from his home in England to honor his ancestor who fought in the battle. Though the pair are historically on opposite sides, they find much in common. Abby finds she needs Ian’s protection from those who mean her harm.

I loved this story. The author has intricately woven the two stories together across the centuries in a fascinating way.

Recommend!

-Sandra Merville Hart

Lighthouse Publishing of the Carolinas  – Use coupon code SandraMHart for a 20% discount on Lighthouse Publishing books!

Five Brides by Eva Marie Everson

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Five women share an apartment to save expenses in the 1950s. They are each so busy that they barely know each other—that makes the rare treat of a free Saturday all the more special.

The roommates enjoy a fun day together. Little do they know that one spontaneous decision they all make that day will bind them for life.

The five independent women are very different from each other. They choose different paths yet all want to—eventually—find the man of their dreams.

I was delighted to discover in the “A Note from the Author” that one of the girl’s stories was basically true with parts fictionalized.

Knowing that, I leave it to you, the next reader, to try to figure out which romance is based on truth. Read the story and then read the author’s note.

This novel is a page-turner!

-Sandra Merville Hart

Christianbook.com

Ain’t Misbehavin’ by Jennifer Lamont Leo

/ sandramervillehart

This novel captured my interest immediately.

Dot Rodgers’ desire for a singing career previously led her to a job in a speakeasy where she dated the owner. Since she narrowly escaped jail, Dot doesn’t want that life anymore. She’s been dating her roommate’s brother, Charlie, but he doesn’t like her friends.

Charlie loves Dot yet a party with her friends shows him how stodgy and boring she must view him when compared to the glamorous crowd.

Neither feels worthy of the other, leading to twists and turns that are realistic to life and to the Roaring Twenties.

This novel is a page turner. I loved learning more about the time period. The characters are real with honest struggles and heartaches. It tugged at my heart.

This is the second book in a series. I also read and enjoyed the first novel,  You’re the Cream in My Coffee.

Recommend!

-Sandra Merville Hart

Lighthouse Publishing of the Carolinas   – Use coupon code SandraMHart for a 20% discount on Lighthouse Publishing books!

 

Focus on Love by Candee Fick

/ sandramervillehart / 4 Comments

I enjoyed this novel!

Liz had desperately wanted to be a photographer in her family’s business, but the rift between her and her dad is too wide. She pursues her second love, drama, as an actor in a dinner theater.

Ryan has temporarily stepped away from his lucrative and award-winning photography career to support his sister while her husband is deployed. He proposes a photography package deal to Liz’s boss. Liz is drawn back into the hobby she loves when Ryan needs help.

After a couple of bad relationships, Liz is wary of starting another. She misses her mother, for the rift between her and her dad cut ties with her mom, too. It also affects her faith. She longs for reconciliation.

This sweet romance is a page-turner. It snagged my interest immediately. Readers get to spend a little more time with characters they fell in love with in a previous novel, Dance Over Me. I kept reaching for the novel to find out what happened next even when I needed to be doing other things. The characters are realistic and believable.

Recommend!

-Sandra Merville Hart

Lighthouse Publishing of the Carolinas – Use coupon code SandraMHart for a 20% discount on Lighthouse Publishing books!

Rumors and Promises by Kathleen Rouser

/ sandramervillehart

I had a hard time putting down this novel.

Sophie Biddle is a young mother with a secret. Her two-year-old daughter refers to her as Sophie instead of Mama to mask their identity from strangers in the small town of Stone Creek, Michigan.

Reverend Ian McCormick is instantly drawn to Sophie and her little sister, but he fights his feelings for her. He also has a secret that haunts him. Can God use a man who has failed?

This historical romance is a beautiful story of the redemptive healing power of love. I found myself immersed into the troubles of the believable, likable characters.

This is my second time reading this novel and I enjoyed it just a much as the first. This novel touched my heart.

-Sandra Merville Hart

Lighthouse Publishing of the Carolinas   Use coupon code SandraMHart for a 20% discount on Lighthouse Publishing books!

 

Such a Hope by Sondra Kraak

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Paths of Grace Series

Anna Warren returns to Seattle after the death of her father, a successful freighter. She misses her father and wants to return to the home where she grew up and make a living as a freighter like her pa.

Tristan Porter is in her cabin when she returns. Why is the farmer staying on her land? And what is the rumor about her pa leaving her land to someone else?

She tries to find the truth as she fights her feelings for Tristan. He cares only about his crops.

Anna prayers for a man near death are miraculously answered. Folks have mixed feelings about the healing and tend to leave Anna alone—until they need her.

This historical romance tugged at my heart—and this is the second time I’ve read the novel. Believable characters and lots of emotion make this book hard to put down. I will look for more novels by this author.

-Sandra Merville Hart

 

 

Valentine’s Day Special List – Top Romance Novels I Read Last Year

/ sandramervillehart / 4 Comments

As an author, I read a variety of research books and novels. Valentine’s Day seemed a good day to highlight my favorite romances that I’ve read (or reread) the past year:

 

  1. Mattie’s Pledge by Jan Drexler

 

  1. Last Stop, Cordelia by Lisa Carter

 

  1. A Groom for Mama by Catherine Castle

 

  1. Gift from the Heart by Irene Hannon

 

  1. Blind Dates Can Be Murder by Mindy Starns Clark

 

  1. Swept Away by Mary Connealy

 

  1. The Caretaker’s Son by Yvonne Lehman

 

  1. Dance Over Me by Candee Fick

 

  1. Colorado by Rosey Dow

 

  1. A Royal Christmas Wedding by Rachel Hauck

Click on the link to read my reviews. Yes, I write reviews for books I enjoy–it’s such a gift to authors! Consider writing and posting a short review on Amazon, Goodreads, etc., for books you read.

What’s on your list? Happy Reading!

-Sandra Merville Hart

Alice’s Notions by Tamera Lynn Kraft

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This historical suspense novel is set shortly after the end of World War II. Alice Brighton, widowed by the war, returns to her small home town of Burning Bush, West Virginia to start over. She opens a new fabric shop, Alice’s Notions, hoping to support herself and bring business to her town.

But nothing is the same. Her new landlord, Rick Morrison, is often away. He’s nice-looking but bossy. Her employee is a German immigrant. Old neighbors have changed.

Alice organizes a barn quilt tour to bring customers to the town. Why are so many up in arms about it? Who can Alice trust in the fearful environment following the war?

This novel is an eye-opener about the troubled environment and real danger to everyday folks after the war.

Once the story snagged my interest, it didn’t let go. The suspenseful quality drew me in as I tried to figure out who to trust along with Alice. Many aspects of 1940s life included in the story make this an enjoyable read.

-Review by Sandra Merville Hart

Christianbook.com

The Blue Lotus Society by Michelle L. Levigne

/ sandramervillehart / 2 Comments

(Guardians of the Time Stream Series)

This is Book One of the series.

This steampunk historical novel is not my usual genre. When I read that the United States was in the third term of Lincoln’s presidency and the main character was on a flying ship, it took a couple of chapters to grasp the alternate history.

Ess is a rarity—a female Pinkerton agent in the late 1860s. Her current task to guard Egyptian artifacts lands her in more danger than she realizes.

Ess longs to find her missing grandparents and her brother. She meets friends of her missing relatives yet hesitates to trust them. What is the Blue Lotus Society?

Has she been wrong to trust her fellow Pinkerton agents?

The well-written story drew me in. I had no idea how the story would turn out. I enjoyed reading a new-to-me genre for a change.

The ending leaves you curious about what happens in the next novel. The author did a great job piquing my interest for Book Two!

-Review by Sandra Merville Hart

Christianbook.com