Hearts in Defiance by Heather Frey Blanton

Blurb:

MEN MAKE MISTAKES. GOD WILL FORGIVE THEM. WILL THEIR WOMEN? 

Charles McIntyre built the lawless, godless mining town of Defiance practically with his bare hands … and without any remorse for the lives he destroyed along the way. Then a glimpse of true love, both earthly and heavenly, changed him. The question is, how much? Naomi Miller is a beautiful, decent woman. She says she loves McIntyre, that God does, too, and the past is behind them now. But McIntyre struggles to believe he’s worth saving … worth loving. Unfortunately, the temptations in Defiance only reinforce his doubts. 

Billy Page abandoned Hannah Frink when he discovered she was going to have his baby … and now he can’t live with himself. Or without her. Determined to prove his love, he leaves his family and fortune behind and journeys to Defiance. Will Hannah take Billy back or give him what he deserves for the betrayal? 

Gritty and realistic, this is the story of real life and real faith in Defiance. 

Donna's Review:

What can I say? This book was as good as the first, A Lady in Defiance, which I reviewed here. In fact, it might have been better.

The plotting is tight. The story is gripping from the very first page. Blanton's prose, while not particularly beautiful or unusual, provides an easy, enjoyable read.  

By far, what I loved the most, however, was the way Blanton's characters jump off the page. Charles McIntyre is a changed man from the first book, but he has baggage from a sordid past that refuses to go away. He doesn't care so much for himself, but he hates the fact his past affects the one woman he has ever dared to love - Naomi Miller. Naomi patiently bears up under the strain of a man working hard to change his ways, and Blanton's potrayal of both McIntyre and Miller is gritty, raw, and heartbreakingly realistic. Naomi, too, is struggling to shed her past and the memories of her husband. When his twin brother arrives, she finds herself fighting a battle of her own, and Charles must come to terms with her feelings as well. 

Particularly intriguing is the appearance of the father of Hannah's baby and his determination to make amends for not standing by Hannah. The fact Hannah has eyes for another young man does not deter him, and I really had no idea who she would choose by the end of the novel.

I will say, the ending was deeply satisfying, until the last page. The book does not really end on a cliffhanger, so to speak. However, it does beg the question - will there be a 3rd book? 

I sincerely hope so.

Still, 5 roses for this one.

Length:  368 pages

Prices:

Print:  $ 13.46

Digital:  $ 2.99

Buy Link:  http://www.amazon.com/Hearts-Defiance-Romance-Rockies-Book-ebook/dp/B00MR11OPA/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1443571529&sr=8-1&keywords=hearts+defiance

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Texas Roads (A Miller's Creek Novel Book 1) by Cathy Bryant

 

Blurb:

Dani Davis just wants a place to call home. With lovable-but-quirky town folks, quaint country charm, and loads of business potential, Miller's Creek, Texas seems like the perfect place to start over...except for the cowboy who gives her a ride into town. She secretly finances renovations to the downtown area until malicious rumors and a devastating discovery propel her down a road she never expected to travel.

Steve Miller is determined to rescue his dying hometown. When vandals jeopardize the renovation, he can’t help but suspect Dani, whose strange behavior has become fodder for local gossips. Can Steve and Dani call a truce for a higher cause, and in the process help Dani recognize the true meaning of home?

Donna's Review:

The book started off great. I was really excited at having found a new author, especially one that could construct sentences that didn't hurt my head. However, shortly into it, it began to lag a bit. It did pick up at the end, but in between there were times I could have read or not read.

Still, while an enjoyable read for the most part, I did not like the fact the only real reason Dani and Steve were separated the entire novel was due to more or less a simple misunderstanding(s). Because they each are absorbed in their own issues, they never really confront the other person and, as a result, they never really tackle their relationship . Because of this, the plot is weakened, whereas bringing a couple's issues front and center, and having them deal with them, provides loads of conflict and actually drives the story forward.

This is also a typical Christian novel where one person isn't a Christian and comes to accept Christ as their savior. While not overkill for readers of that genre, those that do not like to read this kind will find it trite (in the sense it's typical of this genre) and irritating near the end.

Four roses for this one for an easy, enjoyable read that is well plotted and sweet but not necessarily memorable.

Length:  311 pages

Prices:

Paperback:  $11.69

Digital:  $0.99

Buy Link:  http://www.amazon.com/TEXAS-ROADS-Millers-Creek-Novel-ebook/dp/B00480OH1G/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1443905699&sr=1-1&keywords=texas+roads+cathy+bryant

Thanks for visiting:  Julie, Donna & Rochelle

The Whistle Walk by Stephania McGee

Blurb:

A Mississippi Plantation: Civil War pits countrymen against one another and tears a nation asunder. Life and death are held in the balance where everyone is a slave to something. One is born free, yet lives as a soul in bondage... Lydia Harper never intended to purchase a slave. But when she witnesses a woman being beaten in the street, all her pretenses begin to unravel. A bride to a man she barely knows and bound by her secrets, Lydia will risk everything to save a stranger. Amid the War Between the States, the mistress of Ironwood faces the battles in her own heart and discovers strength in a way she never imagined. The other is born to serve, yet holds the spirit of freedom... Ruth, standing on the threshold of desperation, has lost everything she holds dear. After being pulled from the dirt, she is no longer a field hand but the personal maid to the lady of Ironwood. Ruth soon realizes adversity pays no mind to the color of skin. When propriety slips, she discovers they have more in common than she dreamed possible. In a time when fear brings the South to its knees, two women will forge a friendship in the fires of redemption and thrust Ironwood into a new future - where the battle for freedom has merely begun.

Donna's Review:

Gee willikers! This one was a tough one. And I must say, I picked up another newbie author quite by accident, again. And this book, like others I’ve read from new authors, has so much good and so much that needs improving it makes rating it difficult.

First, the good. The title intrigued me and, as a girl of the Old South, was not a phrase I had heard. (You must read the book to find out what it means.) McGee later uses the idea as a symbol of the characters choices as they work to change their life. Definitely an opportunity not wasted.

The battle scenes three-fourths of the way through were really well-written. They moved along quickly, the description was well done, and came from the characters’ experiences. I literally felt as if I was there. I could hear the sounds and smell the blood. Frankly, battle and fight scenes are some of the hardest to write, but McGee does a fabulous job.

The character of Ruth, who is the slave woman, is captivating. Her goals are clear and immediate at the beginning, so that the reader is sucked into the story. (She carries the story through the first third of the book. If it had not been for her, I might not have kept reading.)

McGee pulls off the dialogue of the slaves like a seasoned pro. Usually, slave dialogue comes across stiff and hard to read, but McGee pulls a few tricks with the writing that makes it flow from the page. The result? The reader is not forced to labor over the dialogue which causes them to pull out of the story.

The contrasting world of black and white at this time is well-done. Lydia is torn between Ruth’s forced station in life and even her own. In a particularly poignant scene, as the war is tearing Ironwood apart, Lydia remarks that “she always thought being equal would make them [the slaves] more like her. She’d never considered giving up her place to be more like them.” Definitely powerful stuff going on here!

Now, the not so good. Or, I should say “the could be better.” While Ruth’s story was well done, Lydia’s suffers from unclear goals until nearly the halfway point of the book. There are also a number of historical inconsistencies in her character. For example, she doesn’t seem to know a lot about running a Southern household, but she grew up on a plantation. Neither did she understand social “codes of conduct” in the Old South. For example, slaves did not ride in carriages, nor did the plantation mistress go to the slaves’ quarters. It lies with Ruth to tell her how to act. Had Lydia been Northern born, this would have been understandable. But considering the fact she was Southern born, and her mother definitely knew her place and how to work it, Lydia would have known hers. Her character’s transformation is also a bit unexplained, so that she seems to be all over the page as far as a character is concerned—wallflower, waif, crusader, warrior, do-gooder, etc., etc.

As for her husband, Charles, he seems a bit too good to be true. He, too, has no immediate, angst-filled goals until the war arrives at his doorstep. He loves Lydia. He wishes to marry her. He doesn’t seem much to care what she does. He doesn’t wish to go to war. That is about it.

The setting was also a bit bland (except for the war scenes). Every now and then I would hear a turn of a phrase and an apt description, but they were few and far between and the book definitely needed more. I, for one, like to “feel” that I am there, and I did not feel that way in some parts of this book, although in others I did.

All in all, though, this was an enjoyable read. I have thought about the book days after finishing it, and I think I will break my rule and move right to the second in this series as it looks so interesting.

I guess that says a lot on its own. Three roses for this one.

Thanks for visiting Julie, Rose, Donna & Rochelle

Length:  366 pages

Prices:

Print:  $14.99

Digital:  $3.99

Buy Link:  http://www.amazon.com/Whistle-Walk-Ironwood-Plantation-Family-ebook/dp/B00R6C7508/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&sr=8-1&qid=1432513895