My cute neighbor girl was babysitting for me the other day and noticed that I was reading "Hope Springs", by Sarah M. Eden. Apparently this is one of her favorite authors. So we have started swapping books and "The Kiss of a Stranger", by Sarah M. Eden, is the first one that she gave me to read. The more of her works that I read, the more that I like her. She is slowly becoming one of my favorite authors too.
One of the reason I like her so much is that she writes "proper romances", but with a twist. The stories are unique and so much fun. "The Kiss of a Stranger" is about a young girl in England who has been raised by her mean and abusive uncle. She is taking a walk in the garden one day when a complete stranger grabs her and gives her the best kiss that she has ever had. Unfortunately, her uncle witnessed it. He claimes that this kiss has completely ruined her and the handsome stranger that kissed her must marry her that very night. Within just a few hours of the fated kiss, Catherine finds her life completely turned upside down.
She is on her way to the London home of her new husband, Lord Cripsin Cavratt, and is thrown into his life of riches and society. Catherine has no experience with such things and has to learn fast how to appear to be the lady that society expects of Lord Cavratt's new bride. Despite their unusual beginning, Catherine and Crispin find that they are suprisingly compatible and are actually enjoying their time together. They both secretly hope that their marriage lasts, but modesty and bad circumstances come between them. Will their unexpected love be able to overcome the forces trying to rip them apart?
This book is so much fun! It takes a girl who has no hopes for her future, and plops her in this amazing life. All of a sudden she has nice dresses, good food, and a caring and adoring husband. It's basically every 'normal' girl's dream. This book is a twist on a traditional 'proper romance' because the main characters have all of the relationship rules that come with the time period, but they are forced to live under the same roof. If this same story were to be told in our era, the characters would act a lot differently because we don't have the same morals and modesty that they did back then. It is a cute love story and has a plot twist that I never saw coming, ending in a fight for their lives. This book is a fun and easy read and I highly recommend it. Definitely 5 stars. Check it out!
One of my favorite things to do is to walk up and down the aisles at the library and randomly pull books off the shelves. I'll look at the title, read the back cover, and sometimes flip through the pages. If it feels right, then I'll take that book home with me. I've come to discover a lot of really good books this way, and "Hearth Fires" by Dorothy Keddington, is one of them.
The leading lady, Mackenzie Graham, gets the work assignment of her dreams. The opportunity to write an article on California's storybook homes. When she arrives at the first home her head spins with thoughts of princesses and Rumplestiltskin. Oddly, no one is home, so she decides to do a quick photo shoot of the exterior and the yard. While looking through her camera lens she doesn't notice the four men in the yard with her until after she has already captured a few photos of their clandestine meeting. She doesn't realize that the photos she has are incredibly dangerous until after her car and her hotel room are broken into, and an attempt is made on her life.
An attractive local detective and his handsome attorney brother come to Mackenzie's rescue. It is at their secluded ranch in southern Utah where Mackenzie realizes exactly how much danger she is in - danger of losing her life, as well as losing her heart.
This book is like a big pot of romance, suspense, danger, hope, and love all mixed together. I found myself squeezing in pages every chance that I got because I just had to know what happened next. I actually took this book with me to a girls night with my family because I knew that if I didn't at least finish that chapter then I would be thinking about it all night. My family just laughed because they totally understood. Some books just consume your life. I give this one a 4 out of 5 though. Even though I couldn't put it down, there were some parts of the story line that just didn't add up for me. Overall though, it was a very enjoyable book. Plus it's completely clean. So if your in to mood for a romance with a little danger mixed in, then go pick this book up right now and prepare yourself for some sleepless nights. Let me know what you think!
I borrowed this book from my mom, who borrowed it from her niece, who borrowed it from her coworker. It is getting passed around because it is THAT good! Sarah M. Eden is the author of "Longing for Home", and it's sequel, "Longing for Home: Hope Springs". I am going to write about both books in this post.
Katie Macauley has just traveled to Hope Springs, Wyoming Territory, and before even getting off the wagon she loses the job that she traveled all the way out here for. She is alone in the world, having been abandoned by her parents in Ireland 18 years ago, she has been on her own since then. She came to America two years ago to try to earn enough money to buy her parents land, and hopefully their love, back. However, she isn't going to accomplish that without a job. So determination drives her to get off the wagon and follow her would-be-employer to convince him to give her the job he promised.
Joseph Archer is impressed with Katie's tenacity and decides to give her the job, even though he knows he will regret it. Hope Springs is filled with a nasty feud between 'the Irish' and 'the Reds' as the rest of the town calls themselves. By hiring Katie (an Irishwoman) he knows what kind of troubles that this will bring up. Katie, on the other hand, has no idea what she is getting herself into by staying in Hope Springs. The Irish welcome her with open arms, but everyone else is incredibly mean. Through her confusion and troubles two men come to her rescue and her heart is torn in a tug-a-war between them. Joseph, who is a calm and steady rock for her to lean on. Or Tavish, who always knows how to make her smile and laugh away her worries. She feels ill-prepared to make a decision between the two, especially while the town is in such an up-roar. People are stealing, fighting, and burning each other's buildings. Is Katie strong enough to bring peace to the town as well as her own heart?
These two books are a fun twist on a traditional 'proper romance'. Katie's life is in total upheaval and it makes the reader feel for her and wonder how she keeps it all together. She is a strong character and you fall in love with her from the very first pages. She reminds me of Elizabeth from "Pride and Prejudice". They have a lot of the same strengths and personality traits. I also love a good love triangle. The love between Katie and Tavish, and then Katie and Joseph, are the same in all the good ways, but different in ways that really count. Does she want someone that pushes her to be strong or someone that tries to take her trials away so that she doesn't have to be strong?
These books are full of sacrifice, love, trials, and friendship. The characters are detailed and full of life. The storyline holds your interest the entire way through. I found myself smiling, laughing, holding my breath, and even crying while reading this story. I couldn't put it down. Plus, it's entirely clean. I can't think of a reason for you to not go pick these books up right now. Let me know what you think!
The last book in the 'Robert Langdon' series! Dan Brown uses his book, "Inferno", to perfectly bring Robert Langdon's story to a close. Langdon wakes up in a hospital room, having no memory of why or how he got there, and he is being told that he was shot. The doctors, in trying to figure out where he came from, let it slip that he is in a hospital in Italy. Italy! The last thing Langdon remembers is being on the Harvard campus. Not only can he not remember the last two days of his life, but someone is trying to kill him and he has no idea why. All of the clues he has tie into one of history's most mysterious pieces, Dante's "Inferno". In a race against time, Langdon feels the weight of the world as he tries to piece the clues together. The stakes are higher than ever before and he HAS to solve these riddles. The entire population of the earth is at risk if Langdon fails.
Oh my goodness, this book will get your heart pounding. It is probably Dan Brown's most thrilling book yet. If Langdon slows down too much, someone will catch him and he will die. If he moves too fast and makes a mistake, he will die. If he doesn't figure this out, everyone else will die. Who can he trust though? Waking up in a different country with absolutely no memories is confusing enough, but now he has this huge task to undertake and doesn't know who is friend and who is foe.
Pick up this book and read it. I would suggest reading "Angels and Demons", "The Davinci Code", and "The Lost Symbol" before reading this one. Simply because it gives you the background and history that you need to truly appreciate Robert Langdon's character. However, if you are just looking for a good book to read and don't want to start a series then I would still highly suggest reading this one. The stories don't actually tie together, so you can read them in any order. This book will make you question things that you have probably never even thought of before. It is entertaining and very thought-provoking and well worth your time. Check it out and let me know what you think!
She is on her way to the London home of her new husband, Lord Cripsin Cavratt, and is thrown into his life of riches and society. Catherine has no experience with such things and has to learn fast how to appear to be the lady that society expects of Lord Cavratt's new bride. Despite their unusual beginning, Catherine and Crispin find that they are suprisingly compatible and are actually enjoying their time together. They both secretly hope that their marriage lasts, but modesty and bad circumstances come between them. Will their unexpected love be able to overcome the forces trying to rip them apart? 
