Fatal Addiction ~ Review

Fatal Addiction

In the President's Service Episode 4 

by Ace Collins

Fatal Addiction is the 4th episode in the exciting and dramatic world of Helen Meeker.  

As Fatal Addiction opens we find Helen and Henry Reese on a one-way trip to Nazi Germany via a DC-2 and at the mercy of Alistar Fister.

Meanwhile Becca Bobbs and Clay Barnes try to find the plane that took Helen and Reese.  And Reggie Fister has disappeared from Becca and Clay's detail casting further doubt on his loyalties.  

Fatal Addiction is exciting as once again Helen and her team have their lives hanging in the balance. Can they determine who is pulling the strings before it is too late?  Get ready for yet another exciting installment in Ace Collins' In the President's Service.  What will episode 4 reveal about the Nazi plot?

I was provided a copy of this book through TBCN/BookFun in exchange for my honest review.

About the Book:

Helen Meeker has impulsively hopped onto a DC-2, en route to Nazi Germany, in a seemingly foolhardy attempt to save her friend, Henry Reese. Rebecca Bobbs and the rest of the team watch in horrified resignation, unable to stop the inevitable. Meanwhile, Alistar Fister discovers that without the injections that have given him super-human powers, he will soon die. And he won’t be the only one, as others—much more innocent than Fister—are sucked into the fatal addiction. Is there any way for the remaining team members to stop the diabolical plot that could enslave an entire civilization—before it’s too late?

Ace Collins’ publishing history includes the novels Farraday Road, Swope’s Ridge and Jefferson Burke and the Secret of the Lost Scroll for Zondervan, The Yellow Packard from Barbour, Reich of Passage for Bay Forest, and The Christmas Star for Abingdon. He has several more novels set for release in 2015 and one of his books was just optioned for a motion picture. His fiction writing has covered everything from value-driven plots, to adventures, mysteries, historical stories, sentimental tales and comedy.

In nonfiction, Collins has scored bestsellers with The Cathedrals, Lassie A Dog’s Life, Turn Your Radio On, The Stories Behind The Best-Loved Songs of Christmas, Father Does Know Best, and The Stories Behind The Great Traditions of Christmas. His work has been made into two network television specials and a CBS movie.

Colorado Hope ~ Review with Excerpt

Colorado Hope
Front Range Series 2
By Charlene Whitman

Grace Cunningham and her husband Monty are headed to Fort Collins, Colorado, and a new life.  But in an instant everything they had planned and dream was lost.  Monty was caught in a sudden river flood and swept away along with all of their possessions.

Relying on the kindness of strangers Grace hopes and prays for Monty's safe return.  But Grace's hopes may all be for naught when a man who looks and sounds like Monty comes to Fort Collins. But this Monty doesn't know Grace and he is married to another woman.

Grace is determined to keep her hope for the future and for her son.  But how can she build a future with a husband who doesn't know her or the child they had eagerly anticipated?  With a few new friends who believe her story, Grace manages to keep a flame of hope that someday she may indeed truly have her husband back if only Monty can remember.

Monty is a man with no past.  He just can't remember anything before waking up on a muddy bank. The woman to whom he is married is a frustration to him.  She isn't what he could see himself being drawn to in his forgotten past, but his vows and promises mean everything to him.  But there is something about the dressmaker in Fort Collins that tugs at the hidden recesses of his memories, if only he could figure out why.

A seemingly impossible situation that can only end in heart-break, surprisingly and believably has a satisfying and happy ending that you won't want to miss.  Alone the way there are gossipy women, a gang of outlaws, and one woman who holds the key.

If you've seen the Greer Garson movie Random Harvest you'll want to pick up Colorado Hope as there are similarities that will appeal.  This book doesn't delve into a sappy nature, which is a pleasant bonus with this delightful and well-written book.

I was provided a copy of this book through PUYB in exchange for my honest review and tour participation.

About the Author:

Charlene Whitman spent many years living on Colorado's Front Range. She grew up riding and raising horses, and loves to read, write, and hike the mountains. She attended Colorado State University in Fort Collins as an English major. She has two daughters and is married to George "Dix" Whitman, her love of thirty years. Her latest book Colorado Hope is the second sweet Historical Western Romance novel in her Front Range series.

Connect with Charlene on Facebook and Twitter.



About the Book:

Title: Colorado Hope
Author: Charlene Whitman
Publisher: Ubiquitous Press
Pages: 412
Genre: Sweet Western Historical Romance
Format: Paperback and Kindle




1875 ~ Beset by a sudden spring storm on the Front Range, newlywed
Grace Cunningham watches in horror as her husband, Monty, is swept
downriver. Pregnant and despairing, she stumbles into Fort Collins and
tries to make a life for herself, praying that one day the man she loves
will walk into town and back into her life.

A year after Grace’s tragic loss, Monty enters the dress shop where
she works—with a beautiful woman on his arm. Shocked that he has no
recollection of her, Grace is determined to win back his heart. Somehow
she must help him regain his memories and his buried love for her—and
not just for her sake but for the sake of their infant son, Ben.

Monty, miserable in his marriage to a woman he hardly knows, is
inexplicably drawn to Grace. Every time he’s near her, memories
surface, but they are hazy and troubling. He’s torn between his vows
and the desires of his heart, for he cannot stay away from Grace.

Grace’s hope is sparked when Monty starts recalling glimpses of his past.
But when murderous outlaws come to town, she is thrust into grave
danger. Monty risks his life to rescue her, only to face even greater
perils in the treacherous mountains. Can she truly hang on to hope when
she is about to lose all she loves?

For More Information:

• Colorado Hope is available at Amazon.

• Pick up your copy at Barnes and Noble.

• Discuss this book at PUYB Virtual Book Club at Goodreads.

Book Excerpt:

May 16, 1875

A fierce wind whipped Grace Ann Cunningham’s hair, yanking at the long
strands and pulling them free from their pins. She squinted through the haze of
the blustery day and stroked her bulging belly, trying to comfort her baby, who
seemed just as agitated by the sudden storm.

Her back ached from sitting on the hard buckboard bench all these miles—much
less comfortable than the plush sleeper car they’d enjoyed last week on the
train from Illinois to Cheyenne.

She frowned at the dark roiling clouds that had moved in and quickly blotted
out the sun.

What had been a pleasant uneventful morning was now turning into an ominous
and unsettling afternoon on the open prairie.

Grace sucked in a breath as the baby again kicked her ribs in protest. Her
sweet husband’s sun-browned face tightened in concern as he caught her
gesture. He pulled on the reins of the two draft horses—sturdy ones they’d
bought yesterday in Cheyenne. Surefooted, the seller had told them. And
Monty knew his horses, so she trusted his purchase and assurance that they’d
haul them without incident to Fort Collins. But looking at her husband’s face
now, seeing the subtle telltale signs indicating that he hadn’t expected this
squall nor felt at ease about it, gave her pause. And her normally talkative
husband had been too quiet this last hour, eyeing the sky and listening to the
roar of the nearby river, as if hearing their complaints and trying to suss out
nature’s intentions.

“The baby all right, darlin’?” He scooted over on the buckboard seat to look
her over, then took her hands in his.

Warmth from his gentle grip comforted her, but not as much as the love
streaming from his adoring gaze.

“I think so,” she told him, then smiled as he laid his hand firmly on her belly.

Grace thanked the Lord in a silent prayer for this wonderful man who’d
married her in a simple ceremony last September. All those years she’d lived
with her doting aunt Eloisa in the boardinghouse back in Bloomington, she
never imagined she’d be blessed with such happiness.

When Montgomery Cunningham had first stepped into the parlor to take a room
before starting college at Wesleyan University, she’d been a shy, giggling girl of
ten. Neither of them foresawthe love that would spark six years later when he
showed up again unexpectedly, about to head west to explore and survey lands
unknown.

Monty closed his eyes, his hand still on the baby in her womb. She imagined
him communing with their baby, speaking to it the way he spoke to rivers,
to trees, to the land he traversed by boat and on horseback and on foot.
Something had happened to him when he returned from the Hayden
Yellowstone Expedition. He had changed from boy to man, yes—but it was more
than that. He had fallen in love with the West, and with rivers in particular.
Although he’d studied geology in college with John Powell, water captured his
heart, and he sought out trips that had him navigating whitewater. Nothing
made his eyes sparkle more than talking about the way water moved and
sang as it cascaded and carved the face of mountains and spilled into waiting
valleys. Well, except the way he looked at her.

Monty may have loved rivers, but Grace knew he loved her more. So much
more, for he gladly gave up his exploring to settle down and marry and start
a family. Although, Grace thought moving to the new town of Fort Collins,
Colorado, was adventure enough. She hoped he’d come to see it that way as
well and not be into the wild.

Interview with Margaret Feinberg

The Secret To Living A Defiant Joy: An interview with Margaret Feinberg

One of my favorite authors, Margaret Feinberg, has been through a brutal fight with cancer and shares the unexpected lessons she discovered along the way in her new book and Bible study Fight Back With Joy. 

It’s been inspiring to learn how Margaret has been practicing a defiant joy, and I and thought you might like to get an insider’s look, a sneak peek of the video and read an interview with Margaret. 

Preview the 6-Session DVD Bible Study, here.

Your newest book and Bible study, Fight Back With Joy, was born out 
of your fight with a life-threatening illness. What was your difficult 
diagnosis, and what has your journey to health entailed?

For the last 18 months, I’ve been battling breast cancer. Breast cancer isn’t
just one disease represents thousands of different diseases with their varying
components and factors. Being diagnosed under the age of 40 is significant.
I’ve been through a brutal year of chemotherapy, radiation, and more
surgeries than I can count or want to remember.

Why did you write Fight Back With Joy?

I studied joy for a year and was putting the finishing touches on book on joy—just two weeks from turning it into the publisher, when I received the diagnosis. I had been pursuing and activating joy in my life in the relatively good times, now I had to do it in the midst of darkness, depression, and torturous pain. Through the process, I’ve discovered the breadth, depth, and power of joy—that despite hundreds of sermons and many decades in the
church—no one had told me of before.

In Fight Back With Joy book and Bible study, you really push the reader to reevaluate their definition of joy. Why do you think this is so 
important?

Much of the teaching I’ve heard on joy over the years is oversimplified. I
remember those days in Sunday school learning that JOY is spelled Jesus,
Others, Yourself. While that made perfect sense at 9 years old, I’ve seen
how distorted that can become as an adult.

I see friends who love Jesus but spend so much time pouring into their kids,
grandkids and others that their joy looks something like this: jOy.

Technically, it still spells joy, but more than anything, these men and women
who are so exhausted, so empty, so running on fumes from pouring into
others need to pause and take time to focus on themselves. Laying hold of
joy right now will require them to reevaluate for a season and discover the
joy that comes with JYo.

I also noticed how most of the definitions of joy define it more by what it
isn’t than by what it is. I constantly heard that happiness is based on
circumstance but joy is not dependent on circumstance.

Biblical expressions of joy turn out to be far different than what I had been
taught. I am now convinced the writers of the Bible would say that, the
reason we have joy is because we have great circumstances. If you are a
child of God, you are drenched in the grace and mercy of God.

No matter what you’re facing: Your circumstances are better than you think.

If you’re not experiencing joy, perhaps it’s because your definition of joy is
too narrow.

On a scale of 1-10, how hard was it for you to write this book and Bible 
study? 

An eleven! This journey has been the most painful experience of my life. And, to share about it requires some vulnerability. Okay, a lot of vulnerability. And, that’s really, really hard. But I feel like I’m finally ready to share what God has stirred in my heart along the way because although cancer has been the most painful journey—it has also been the most joyful. And no one is more surprised than I am.

Pick up a copy of Fight Back With Joy at Amazon or Barnes and Noble today.

The 6-Session Bible Study Kit can be purchased here.

Angels Without Wings ~ Book Blast with Giveaway

Title:  Angels without Wings: Scepter of Faith
Series: The Angels without Wings Series - Book 1
Author: Chris Smith
Genre: YA Christian Fantasy
Publisher: Tate Publishing
Publication Date: March 5, 2013
ISBN: 978-1622956319

For God, we fight; all angels have heard the command. Troy Decker has heard it from his parents countless times. All he wants in life is a chance to prove himself and be granted his scepter - the first gift angels receive from God in their war against Lucifer. Standing in his way is fallen angel Kyle Downey, who used to be best friends with Troy’s parents but is now on a quest to destroy all that is good in the world.

Will Troy ever earn the scepter that God has prepared for him? And what happened between Kyle and Troy’s parents? As the War for Sins rises to heights not seen in generations, Troy must find the strength to hold his faith when demons target his friends and family. In this war, there is only one winner. Will the world fall to demons or be saved by angels?

Book Excerpt:
Chapter 1, Page 1:

Not for the first time in his life, Troy Decker woke from a dream of howling demons. He paused for a moment and reflected on the scene, wishing for what had to be the thousandth time that the dream had been real. He’d prayed for the chance to go on a demon hunt with his dad so many times he’d lost count. He closed his eyes and saw the black claws slashing toward him and heard the fangs snapping at his legs. He could almost feel a sword in his hands, ready to strike the monsters down.

Hunting demons was what he’d been born to do. Most of his prayers to God included a begging request for the chance to stand before the beasts of hell and send them screaming back to the darkness. But as it was, he rubbed sleep from his eyes on the morning of May the 1st knowing he wouldn’t have the opportunity anytime soon. He’d heard so many stories from his parents about the adventures they’d had with his Grandpa John almost twenty years before, but for Troy, only his normal, dreary life lay before him, as usual.

From the look of the sun streaming through the blinds of his bedroom window, it was going to be a glorious day—or should have been, except that it happened to be Troy’s fourteenth birthday. He rolled onto his side and brought his empty hands in front of his face. Only the disappointing emptiness of his skinny fingers and creased palms was present. He closed his hands with one more wish (added to the tally of millions of prayers) that a sword or some other cool weapon was there instead. The lowest of sighs brushed from his lips before he could stop its escape.

“Good morning Troy,” his mom called as she swung open his bedroom door. “Happy Birthday! Fourteen years old… you’ll be driving before you know it.” Her smile welcomed him into the new day better than any ray of sunshine could ever hope to do. “I’m pretty sure you grew an inch last night,” she continued when Troy rolled out of bed to throw on his Nike t-shirt.

Purchase Book at:

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Title:  Angels without Wings: The Path to Sacrifice
Series: The Angels without Wings Series - Book 2
Author: Chris Smith
Genre: YA Christian Fantasy
Publisher: Tate Publishing
Publication Date: August 4, 2013
ISBN: 978-1491022399

For Troy Decker, the world of angels has always been a familiar mystery. Robes, halos, and wings have filled his dreams since he was old enough to crawl. But it wasn’t until the last year that he truly felt like he was one of God’s chosen angels.

He’d thought only a miracle would allow him to receive his scepter. And he was one hundred percent correct. When God granted Troy his scepter, he never dreamed it would be for saving ones of his closest friends. But with many things in his angel life, Troy had to sit back and trust in his faith. Not only in God, but in himself and his family and friends.

Unfortunately, peace rarely finds Troy. With his first gift from God in hand, he must concentrate on the second gift; the robes of an angel - granted for an act of sacrifice. Hindering his progress is a former friend of his parents, Kyle Downey. Kyle is the leader of a group of fallen angels and his sinister plans for Troy bring howling demons and monsters stampeding into the War for Sins.

Can Troy follow the path God has set in front of him? How will he know what to sacrifice to receive the precious gift? And why, more than anything else in the world, does Kyle Downey want Troy to fall?

Book Excerpt:
Chapter 1, page 1:

For the first time in his life, Troy Decker was on a demon hunt with his dad. Not that it looked to be particularly exciting or dangerous, but it was better than mowing the yard or picking up his room. All they were doing at the moment was staring at an abandoned warehouse near a neighborhood of small, shabby houses on the southwest side of Oklahoma City.

Troy had been shook awake on the fine spring morning to his dad hovering over his bed with a look of confused determination on his almost always calm face. The normal, perfectly straight part, on the right side, split his brown hair. Barely a sparkle of the yet risen sun filtered through the blinds of Troy’s bedroom.

“Get ready,” his dad had whispered. “You’re coming with me today. Don’t wake up your mom. Bring your dagger. You may need it.”

“It’s Saturday,” Troy had responded as he swiped sleep residue from his eyes and stifled a yawn while he pulled the small sheath, which held a dagger sharp enough to slice paper without trying, from under his pillow. “Where are we going?”

“Have a job to do,” his dad had given as a cryptic response.

So Troy had rolled out of bed, wolfed down an energy bar, offered by his dad, and shot out the door. Not until they were five minutes down the road did he find out where they were headed.

“Nylla?” Troy scrunched his face. “How big of an infestation is it?”

“Big enough to warrant our attention,” his dad had answered never taking his piercing eyes off the road. “We’ve been noticing some activity in the area for the past month. Demon numbers have been increasing all over the place.”

Purchase Book at:

Amazon  Barnes and Noble   Goodreads

Title:  Angels without Wings: Love's Sweet Sword
Series: The Angels without Wings Series - Book 3
Author: Chris Smith
Genre: YA Christian Fantasy
Publisher: Tate Publishing
Publication Date: February 21, 2014
ISBN: 978-1494324575

A ghostly smile haunts Troy Decker’s dreams. A smile of love and sacrifice. A smile that brings heart wrenching waves of guilt. For God, we fight. Troy has long heard the ancient command to God’s angels. His parents have whispered it in his ears with each step. But the last five months have taken a toll on his faith. The War for Sins has raged from one bloody battle to another at the hands of fallen angel, Kyle Downey. Angels have been killed and hordes of demons torn from the depths of hell.

With the help of his friends, Troy struggles to fight the nightmares of the past. Lurking behind a wall of agonizing blame, his dad stresses the importance of the gifts granted to angels by God. Troy has his scepter and robes, but an act of love stands in the way of his sword – the third gift. His eyes often land on his friend, Angela. On her blonde hair and pink angel marks. On the way her smile leaves him breathless with delight. Each heartbeat brings a vision of drawing her slowly into his arms and softly kissing her lips.

Can Troy put the past behind him? What will he need to prove to God in order to be granted his sword? Or will Kyle Downey ravage the world and bring an end to the War for Sins?

Book Excerpt:
Chapter 1, Page 1:

For the first time in his life, Troy Decker was on a demon hunt alone. He’d walked and jogged over four hours to find the street where he was standing. Dark houses lined the neighborhood with only a few overhead lights sparking any hope in the gloom. Troy pressed with the Spirit and approached his target with a determined grin on his narrow face.

It was the eve of his sixteenth birthday, but the normal time of celebration for most teenagers was only another shadowy day to Troy. The last five months had been the worst of his life. Demons filled his dreams whether he was awake or asleep. Howling and cursing, the monsters ate tiny chunks of his soul with each passing minute. Troy shook his head as the memory of the lion-like beast threatened to creep into his thoughts and send a quiver of pain shooting through his chest.

Quickly, he reached into the pocket of his Nike athletic shorts and withdrew the picture he always had stored somewhere close.

On it was a chubby, white haired baby with a giant toothless grin. Holding the laughing boy was the prettiest woman in the history of the planet.

Dirty blonde hair hung past her shoulders and fell perfectly across her thin back. A pointy chin was nuzzling the baby’s cheek, but everything paled in comparison to the smile.

The love of the Lord thrived in the lifting of her mouth.

Troy swallowed an unbidden sob as he peered at his mom. She’d been dead now for over five months. Killed by the poison of a sinna demon’s barb. And it was his fault. Every time he looked at his dad, that fact screamed into his face with thundering certainty.

Purchase Book at:

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Title:  Angels without Wings: Hunting Halos

Series: The Angels without Wings Series - Book 4

Author: Chris Smith

Genre: YA Christian Fantasy

Publisher: Tate Publishing

Publication Date: October 2, 2014

ISBN: 978-1500750237

The past lingers on Troy Decker’s every thought. Losses have piled into the shadows at his heels. The War for Sins has taken a devastating toll on his life. And now, Lucifer has his eyes set on Troy’s very soul. With his chief fallen angel, Kyle Downey, spreading violence and discord around the globe, Lucifer has set plans in motion to end the War and bring a reign of terror upon the Earth.

For Troy, that means he must rush to receive his final two gifts from God. Gifts that will make him a fully-fledged angel and give him the power to resist Lucifer and all his demons. The granting of his fourth gift – a halo – looms as he struggles to stay one step ahead of Kyle and his Dark Hearts. A simple act of redemption stands in Troy’s way for this blessed sign of an angel. In a race against time, Troy must find the correct path to follow, not only in the eyes of his loved ones, but also for himself… or risk losing everything he knows and loves.

Book Excerpt:

Chapter 1, Page 1:

For the first time in his life, Troy Decker was hunting a human. Or a man who appeared to be human, at least. He’d been dogging the man’s trail on and off for two weeks. Watching and waiting while reading all the news on the mid-term Senate race in northern California.

Mrs. Chelsie Elliott was the front running Democrat in the Senate race, but her aide and assistant was Troy’s true target. The man was tall and thick. Broad shoulders stretched the expensive three piece suit flashing in the California sunlight. A blood red tie tucked crisply behind the shiny buttons. Neatly cropped hair was parted on the left. Soft grey eyes smiled warmly wherever he happened to look. But a menace resided under the glitzy exterior.

“We can’t do this alone,” Mrs. Elliott chanted into a microphone behind a wooden podium. “Each of us has a responsibility to turn this country in the right direction. And I’m here to make sure we steer this great ship back on the correct path.”

Troy shook his head as a gust of hot wind brushed across his face. He was mixed with a crowd of eager voters, but without trying he picked out several staged crew members of the candidate who had been placed to start the cheers and rousing ovations at the right spots of her speech.

For twenty minutes, Mrs. Elliott blared from one wrong doing of her opponent to the next – never actually discussing any plans to truly help her future constituents’ lives. Troy lingered at the edges of the crowd after she finished and kept his eyes on the man who was constantly scribbling notes to hand to the soon-to-be State Senator.

As Troy walked to the rented car, a half a block down the street of the small town he’d driven to that morning, his scepter glowed to life in a peaceful hum against his chest. The foot and a half long golden rod had been gifted to him by the very hand of God nearly three years ago. The memory made a smile lift instantly.

Purchase Book at:

Amazon  Barnes and Noble  Goodreads

About the Author:

Chris Smith ignited his love of stories on his sixteenth birthday when his parents gave him a leather bound copy of the Lord of the Rings trilogy. Every year since, he has picked up the book and fallen into the world of hobbits, wizards, warriors, and orcs. To him, it’s a birthday present that will continue to be given each and every year for the rest of his life.

He began writing at the age of nineteen as a way to purge his mind of cascading plots and reveal the untold stories of characters who follow him around in his day-to-day life. To date, he has written fifteen novels falling mostly into the young adult, fantasy genre; but he has delved into suspense, crime drama, and post-apocalyptic categories as well.

Currently, Chris is in the middle of writing the Angels without Wings series. The books are young adult fantasy with Christian themes of faith, sacrifice, love, redemption, and forgiveness. Being the father of three young boys is the most important aspect of his life. Worlds of fun and adventure revolve constantly under the roof of their home in Mustang, Oklahoma.

Contact Chris at:

Website Angels Without Wings

Amazon Author Page

Facebook

Twitter

Contest Giveaway

Pump Up Your Book and Author Chris Smith are
teaming up to give away a $25 Amazon Gift Card!

Terms and Conditions:

* By entering the giveaway, you are confirming you are at least 18 years old.
* One winner will be chosen via Rafflecopter to receive the prize.
*This giveaway begins November 28 and ends on January 30, 2015.
* Winner will be contacted via email on February 1, 2015.
* Winner has 72 hours to reply.
* VOID WHERE PROHIBITED.

Good luck everyone!

ENTER TO WIN!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Stories are meant to be shared ~ Video

This statement was taken from On the Shoulders of Hobbits by Louis Markos.

Tried and True ~ Review

Tried and True
Wild at Heart 1
By Mary Connealy

Kylie Wilde is tried of pretending to be something she's not.  After all she's wants to be a woman, wear dresses, have teas, and be courted.  But if Pa has his way she'll be an old maid of 23 before she can even try for that kind of life.

But when she is alone at her own homestead Kylie sees no problem with being civilized and wearing a dress.  At least there was nothing wrong until the new local land agent started coming around looking for the man who had filed claim to the land.  Even worse Kylie has claimed her service exemption to get time off her time requirement - a claim only men can take.  But Kylie served and her exemption should be honored even if she isn't a man.

And when Kylie's secret comes out she knows it is only a matter of time before her sisters' secret comes to light.  But her big sisters are determined to go along with Pa's plan pretending to be the sons he doesn't have.  If only Pa could see his daughters as they are and not as a means to create a memorial to his fallen son.  But Pa seems unable to accept that Bailey, Shannon, and Kylie are girls and should be treated as such.  But Kylie sees this revelation as a blessing and a chance to maybe change Pa's opinion of her.

The Wilde women are enough to exasperate any man.  And for Aaron Masterson the exasperation is worse because these "men" have filed homesteading claims using their service exemptions. Exemptions the US government won't recognize and Aaron has to uphold the law.

But when someone tries to drive Kylie from her land - Aaron is determined to help her protect herself.  And Kylie just may let him.  But getting to the bottom of these attacks is Aaron's sole focus (or so he keeps telling himself).  After all Kylie is determined to return to the East and civilization and Aaron determined to never return to the hate and destruction the war has left behind.

But sometimes our hearts betray us, sending our plans awry.  Enjoy some fun in 1866 Idaho Territory with Tried and True!

Fans of Mary Connealy will enjoy this first book in her newest series.  The West will never be the same when the Wilde sisters are through with it.

I was provided a review copy of this book by the publisher through TBCN/BookFun in exchange for my honest review.

About the Book: 

Saddle up for a wildly fun ride with the Wilde sisters!
Kylie Wilde is the youngest sister--and the most civilized. Her older sisters might be happy dressing in trousers and posing as men, but Kylie has grown her hair long and wears skirts every chance she gets. It's a risk--they are homesteading using the special exemptions they earned serving in the Civil War as "boys"--but Kylie plans to make the most of the years before she can sell her property and return to the luxuries of life back East.

Local land agent Aaron Masterson is fascinated with Kylie from the moment her long hair falls from her cap. But now that he knows her secret, can he in good conscience defraud the U.S. government? And when someone tries to force Kylie off her land, does he have any hope of convincing her that marrying him and settling on the frontier is the better option for her future?

Always on My Mind ~ Review

Welcome to a New Year and a New Christiansen Family novel

Always on My Mind
A Christiansen Family Novel #4
By Susan May Warren

Casper just can't stop thinking about the woman he left behind - the woman who broke his heart.  But Raina has a secret that just may totally destroy what little feelings Casper has left for her - she's expecting a baby and soon.  But the biggest blow is when Casper learns who is the father of Raina's baby.

But this time instead of running off in search of lost treasure Casper returns to Deep Haven determined to be someone that can be counted on.  But old feelings die hard and Casper still is seeking his worth.  A worth that he feels will forever be as hidden as the treasure that he seeks.

But trying to forget Raina seems impossible especially when she somehow ends up in Deep Haven too.  But Raina has told Casper that she wants nothing to do with him, even before Eden's wedding and the fight with Owen that tore their family apart.  But Casper can't stand to see Raina hurting and he's worried she might be hurt again.

Meanwhile the family's resort is still struggling to recover after the fire that nearly destroyed it.  But Darek is struggling to save the resort at the cost of his family.  But he can't let go and allow Casper to shoulder part of the load - after all Casper isn't dependable, always off seeking treasure.

Like most families the Christiansens are struggling.  Fearing that they won't measure up to their own expectations or those they think other have, they often overlook the offer of help from family.  Raina feels as if she is outside looking in wanting the very thing that the Christiansens have - family to love and support you even when you stumble.  And she is sure that the choice she made will forever keep her on the outside.

Adding to the the skill with which Susan May Warren crafts this story is a mystery of old - a mystery which sparked Casper's fascination with treasure.  And the time may be right for Casper to finally find the treasure which he has sought.  The only question is is it a treasure of the heart or one of worldly worth...

If you have read the previous Christiansen Family novels and novellas you won't be disappointed and you'll be eagerly anticipating book 5 The Wonder of You (summer 2015) which seems to be hinted at in the epilogue of Always on My Mind.

Tyndale House Publishers has provided me with a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

About the Book: After a failed dig in Honduras, aspiring archaeologist Casper Christiansen heads home to Minnesota to face his unresolved feelings for Raina Beaumont, the woman of his dreams. But when he arrives unannounced on her doorstep, he receives the shock of a lifetime: Raina is pregnant with someone else’s baby.

Heartbroken, especially when he discovers the identity of the baby’s father, Casper tables his dreams and determines to be dependable for once, helping his older brother, Darek, prepare the family resort for its grand reopening. Casper longs to be the hero of at least one family story, but a never-ending Deep Haven winter and costly repairs threaten their efforts—and the future of the resort.

Worse, one of Casper’s new jobs constantly brings him into contact with Raina, whom he can’t seem to forget. A tentative friendship begins to heal fresh wounds, but can they possibly overcome past mistakes and current choices to discover a future together?