A Heart's Disguise

There are many layers to the heart, hiding away what is inside. Sometimes it is a pain that won't go away, other times it is a dark motive. We shall see what hides in the hearts of our character's in Colleen Coble's latest series.

Colleen brings a new series composed into six one-hundred paged books. She chose this format for her books so new people could get a taste and see if they would enjoy her writings.
I really enjoyed it this way, it reminds me of an older TV show, Doctor Quinn Medicine Woman, and how the girls in one episode would wait for the newspaper to come for the continuation to the story they were reading. It makes reading the books more fun and I don't have so much to read all at once.

Now for the actual story itself!

How would it feel to the man you loved, the man you were engaged to, suddenly died? Sara sadly had to face this tragic news delivered to her. And months later she has to not only continue to deal with that pain, but the pressure from a dying father, a greedy brother, and a man with darker secrets then any in town could know, how can Sara know what to feel when the man she still loves is gone. Or is he? Rand's sudden return from the grave turns everything upside down.

It's hard to come back to home after a war, and the one thing that kept you going is gone. Rand expected to find Sara waiting for him, or at least still morning him only after six months after hearing the lie that he was dead. So when he finds she's engaged to the man who lied to all of them he feels cheated. I got so frustrated with this guy for not understanding the pressure she was under, or her feelings in the matter.

And what I like about Colleen Coble's books is that she doesn't put parenthood to the back burner. Most author's make it a small matter and I don't like that. In this book Colleen made a point of showing how Rand's family felt after his return, especially his parent's. 

A man's work is a big part of his life, and Rand's father had worked his whole life building up a farm that he would pass on to his children, but then Rand was supposedly dead, and the other two were moving away. Then the return of his eldest son brought new hope to him that all his work had not been wasted, that his gift would be given to his eldest son after all. But Rand isn't staying either. Again this father's gift had been shunned.

It made me think how many times we have shunned the gifts our heavenly Father tries to give us, even if we don't see it as a gift in that moment. 

I would recommend to anyone to start up this series and become a fan of Colleen Coble's work! Well that's all for now, until next time everyone.

I received this book from BookLook in exchange for an honest review, which I have given.

A chance for change in the Daughter of Highland

Change is not as easy to achieve as some of some would like to believe, but Katherine Ramsay is determined to change the course of her life. But which path is right for her; a life of wealth and security, or a life full of love leading into the unknown?

"You can make many plans, but the Lord;s purpose will prevail" Proverbs 19:21

1912 was an interesting year for Katherine, and a most challenging one at that. Back when women could not receive an inheritance, only a dowry for when they wed. If Katherine wanted what she was use to before the events of Governess of Highland Hall then she would have to find a suitor, a wealthy one at that. Or according to her aunt many suitors. But will these masquerades cost Katherine in the end?

Carrie Turansky provided plenty of historical accuracy when she wrote this book, from why young women were presented to the royal family, to the many reasons they fretted over every small detail of their dress and why she must make a good impression when she finally makes her debut into society. I have been curious about such things before and it was fun to find these facts blended into a wonderful story

"Many will say they are loyal friends, but who can find one who is truly reliable?" Proverbs 20:6

It's sometimes hard to tell in this broken world what is fake and what is real. We rely on what people say, and how they act in the good times, but what about the bad times? Are you shunned, left in the cold? Or do they stay and pray for you? Carrie Turansky put Katherin's suitors to this test, and it kind of reminded me of the song Princes and Frogs by Superchick. Especially the one part of the song.

"Look into his eyes. Are you a princess or a fly?" 

An interesting comparison I know.

I should probably stop here before I reveal any spoilers, which would be just as bad as shouting from the mountain tops what happens in the future episodes of Downton Abby!

I can't wait for the next book in the edwardian brides series; A Refuge in Highland Hall

Coming out October 20th 2015

I received this book from Blogging for Books in exchange of an honest review, which I have given.

A Princess Spy review

A new suitor and a shocking discovery is what we find in Melanie Dickerson's retelling of the Princess and the Frog

"In his grace, God has given us different gifts for doing certain things well. So if God has given you the gift of prophesy, speak out with as much faith as God has given you. If your gift is serving others, serve them well. If you are a teacher, teach well. If your gift is to encourage others, be encouraging. If it is giving, give generously. If God has given you leadership ability, take the responsibility seriously. And if you have a gift for showing kindness to others, do it gladly" Romans 12:6-8

Finding our place in life, let alone the partner God has chosen for is, is a harder task then most would think. Margaretha has a talent for speaking in a different languages, for being kind, compassionate, and rising to any challenges thrown her way. But like all of us she has her insecurities. In her mind the one fatal flaw is that she talks too much, and she can't seem to live it down.

When a handsome young man is brought to Hagenheim Castle on the brink of death, and only Margaretha can understand his ranting about an evil Lord Claybrook, she must step into the role of a spy.

"Dear friends, never take revenge. Leave that to the righteous anger of God. For the Scriptures say "I will take revenge; I will pay them back," Says the Lord" Romans 12:19

Collin struggles with finding the line between justice and revenge in this book when his sister's best friend is murdered, and he chases after the man he believes to have committed the crime, leaving all sense to the wind. While in pursuit of this killer his best friend is murdered. Who wouldn't want revenge on such a wicked man? How can we define the difference between wanting to stop an evil man and seeking our own kind of vengeance?

I like how Melanie focus' a little more on what God wants of us, and even in our flawed shells that we are beautiful to Him. In some of her previous books I feel it is put to the back burner. She also makes her characters relatable to the modern day crowd while keeping in tune with the time era these books take placed in.

Now to fully understand the book and all its characters you will have to read at least two or three of the books before it, and in a certain order.



Start from:

Merchant's daughter

Healer's Apprentice

Fairest Beauty

Captive Maiden


You don't HAVE to read Merchant's Daughter or Healer's apprentice, but it does make the little hints of the past throughout the books more enjoyable.

So in the end I look forward to reading more of Melanie's work and hope that a new book comes out soon!




I received this book for free from BookLook in exchange for an honest review, which I have given.