Book Review—A Match Made in Texas

In the small town of Dry Gulch, Texas, a good-hearted busybody just can't keep herself from surreptitiously trying to match up women in dire straits with men of good character she hopes can help them. How is she to know she's also giving each couple a little nudge toward love?

A Cowboy Unmatched
Neill isn't sure who hired him to repair Clara's roof--he only knows Clara desperately needs his help. Can he convince this stubborn widow to let down her guard and take another chance on love?

An Unforeseen Match
Hoping to earn an honest wage on his way to the land rush, Clayton ends up on Grace's doorstep, lured by a classified ad. He may have signed on for more than he expected though--and he may have found the one woman who can keep him from moving on.

No Match for Love
Andrew can't fathom how refined Lucy ended up as the caretaker to his dotty aunt, and somehow her arrival has prompted even more bizarre occurrences around the ranch. When they join forces to unearth the truth, will the attraction between Andrew and Lucy develop into more?

Meeting Her Match
When the tables are turned and a tenderhearted meddler becomes the beneficiary of a matchmaking scheme, her world is turned upside down. As her entire life changes, will she finally be able to tell the banker's son how much she cares for him?

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I was delighted to discover I could get this book to review because I pretty much devour anything that has Karen Witemeyer’s name on it. A Match Made in Texas is a wonderful collection of romantic novellas all linked to a town in Texas and a particular matchmaker. Of course, I especially enjoyed A Cowboy Unmatched by Karen Witemeyer. She is one of my favorite authors, and I just loved her books about the Archer brothers. So I was very anxious to read about Neill, the last of the Archer brothers to find a girl. It had me giggling plenty of times, and then getting nervous near the end. I would have loved to have it novel length, but it still felt very complete. Each story was very cute and enjoyable, and I highly recommend them to anyone who enjoys a good historical, Texas romance. And, might I add, it has an absolutely gorgeous cover!

I received this book free from Bethany House in exchange for my honest review.

Book Review—Karen Witemeyer’s Books

Over the last couple weeks I have had a delightful time reading through Karen Witemeyer’s four historical romances. As usual with series like this, I read through them so fast that I didn’t have time to sit and write a detailed review after each one, but here a few of my thoughts on each book in the order I read them.

My mom downloaded the Kindle copy of A Tailor-Made Bride when it was free on Amazon a few months ago. It was a book I had seen before and was always interested to read considering my love for 1800s romances. Not to mention the cover is both beautiful and humorous, and very eye catching. I have to say I was slightly disappointed. The book didn’t draw me in like some of my favorite stories. I was tempted to skim the first half, but it did get much better toward the end. I think the problem was that I didn’t love the guy. For me, the guy in a story is important. More times that not, I love the guy much more than the girl. This was the exception. I liked him . . . eventually, but didn’t love him. Still, despite my personal opinions, I was incredibly impressed by Witemeyer’s writing style. Her phrases and descriptions, particularly of emotion, have me a little envious! For this reason, it’s definitely worth the read.

First, I have to say thank goodness I didn’t stop after reading A Tailor-Made Bride!! To Win Her Heart is one of the best, if not my favorite, historical romances I’ve ever had the pleasure of reading. This is very cliché of me to say, but I couldn’t put it down. I adored Levi, and I actually quite liked Eden. I enjoyed the progression of their relationship and really felt for Levi in his struggles. And I can’t say enough about the gorgeous cover. This is the book that drew me to Witemeyer’s fiction in the first place. What can I say? I have a thing for blacksmiths in historical fiction. :) Once again, the writing style left me in awe. All the emotions felt so real, and left this hopeless romantic with a dreamy sigh and big grin at the end. ;)

 

I anxiously dove into Short-Straw Bride as soon as it came in at the library shortly after finishing To Win Her Heart, and it did not disappoint. This gave me all the dreamy sighs the last one did, plus a healthy dose of giggles. This book cemented my opinion that Witemeyer not only writes great main characters, but also fabulous supporting characters. I was absolutely delighted by the sibling relationships between Travis and his three brothers.The story was fairly light-hearted compared to a lot of fiction I’ve read, but I liked that. My only complaint was some of Meredith’s actions. Over the years I’ve developed a pet peeve for woman in fiction taking matters into their own hands when the guy is perfectly capable and responsible for taking care of things. It comes up in almost every historical romance, it seems. Maybe it’s starting to feel cliché. Either that or it’s just because I’m not that kind of woman. Whatever the reason, it didn’t detract from my love for this book.

Head in the Clouds started out a bit slow for me, but once I got into it, I very much enjoyed it. This one seemed more serious than the other three, but still fun. What I loved about this one was how different it was from a lot of 1800s romances. Gideon, the main guy, was actually English and the son of a baron, but he moved to America to set up a sheep ranch. Because of this he definitely wasn’t the cowboy rancher I was used to in western novels. I really loved both Gideon and Adelaide, and thoroughly enjoyed the plot.

My conclusion is that Karen Witemeyer is now one of my favorite historical authors. In my opinion, she is one of the most skillful authors I’ve come across, particularly when it comes to emotion (something I would love to learn from). Her characters felt remarkably real, and I’ve found myself thinking about them long after I’ve put her books down. My biggest regret is that I don’t have any more of her books to read! I can hardly wait until she comes out with something new. I highly recommend these four books to fellow lovers of historical Christian romances. (Though, on the flip side, if romances aren’t your cup of tea, these probably aren’t for you. I’m not sure I’d recommend them for teens either.)

To learn more about Karen Witemeyer, visit: http://www.karenwitemeyer.com/

The Hobbit Trailer is Here!

There’s no doubt about it, The Lord of the Rings movies were a turning point in my writing journey. They introduced me to epicness. I’m sure I never would have written my Makilien Trilogy, or my current and future fantasy projects had I not watched the movies and read the books. Yet, even before that, the first seeds of my love for epic fantasy were planted when my mom read The Hobbit to me and my brothers. It’s been ten years since the release of The Fellowship of the Ring, and now, at last, we get the first peek at the very beginning of what will always be to me the most epic of adventures. I can hardly wait so see Middle-earth come to life before my eyes once more.

Book Review–The Ruins of Gorlan (Ranger’s Apprentice–Book 1)

Description:

They have always scared him in the past -- the Rangers, with their dark cloaks and shadowy ways. The villagers believe the Rangers practice magic that makes them invisible to ordinary people. And now 15-year-old Will, always small for his age, has been chosen as a Ranger's apprentice. What he doesn't yet realize is that the Rangers are the protectors of the kingdom. Highly trained in the skills of battle and surveillance, they fight the battles before the battles reach the people. And as Will is about to learn, there is a large battle brewing. The exiled Morgarath, Lord of the Mountains of Rain and Night, is gathering his forces for an attack on the kingdom. This time, he will not be denied. . .

 

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I’ve been thinking about reading this series for years, but always chose other books. The thing is, I almost never read non-Christian fantasy because I have no idea what might be in it. Well, after reading good reviews of a couple of the Ranger’s Apprentice books on Into the Book, I decided it was time to give them a try and picked up the first couple books from the library. You can usually gauge my reaction to a story by how fast I read it. I read The Ruins of Gorlan straight through in one afternoon. I wasn’t sure what to expect and was very pleasantly surprised. I was quickly hooked and reluctant whenever I had to put the book down.

 

The characters were awesome. I found them well developed and believable. I felt for Will and loved to cheer for him and watch his growth. Who doesn’t love to see someone deemed weak turn into a hero? I adored Halt from the instant he appeared in the story (those who know me well know I have a thing for Rangers). I just love those very capable, highly mysterious, rather grim and sarcastic mentor characters—and Halt was one of the best. And, of course, can’t forget about Horace. My heart ached for him many times, and I very much enjoyed watching his character growth as well.

 

While not Christian, as I mentioned, I found the book to have very good morals. Heavy emphasis was put on honesty, honor, and loyalty, while bullying was shown as horrible and cruel. The only drawback to the book were some instances of language. The word d**n was used several times in dialog, and h*** once. If you can overlook that, the story was exciting and kept me thoroughly engrossed in the adventure. I am anxiously looking forward to diving into book two. If the remaining 9 books are as excellent as this one, I have some very enjoyable reading ahead of me. It’s rare that a book makes it to the list of my all time favorites, but this one has. I highly recommend it, especially to fellow lovers of fantasy and those who love the idea of Rangers.

 

For more information about the Ranger’s Apprentice series by John Flanagan, check out: www.rangersapprentice.com

Book Review–DragonFire and DragonLight

Today I’m doing a double review post. I read these books so quickly that it felt more like one book than two.

 

DragonFire was an interesting sequel to the first three books of the DragonKeeper Chronicles. I can’t say it was quite as good as book 3, but I still loved following all the familiar characters. What made this book fun and different from the ones before is that Kale and Bardon are now married in the story. I loved reading about the two of them. Donita K. Paul has written their relationship splendidly. So definitely worth reading to continue the adventure.

 

DragonLight, the 5th and final book was amazing. I’d say every bit as good as book 3, which was my favorite. It was very different from the others and fascinating. I really enjoyed the rather twisting plot in this one. And, of course, how could I not love reading more about Kale and Bardon after they were apart for so much of book 4? The two of them were constantly making me giggle or grin. Just ask my mom. I was probably grinning every time she walked by me. The only complaint I have about the book is that it seemed to end a little abruptly, and the way in which everything was resolved seemed a bit odd and out of place, but that is just me. I still adored the book and am now having to deal with the sadness of not getting to follow the characters I’ve come to love and enjoy so much any farther. Donita K. Paul certainly crafted a cast of very interesting, loveable, and memorable characters, and already I look forward to reading the series again.

 

For more information about the DragonKeeper Chronicles and Donita K. Paul, visit: http://donitakpaul.com/

Book Review – DragonKnight

Back Cover:

 

Trapped in an evil spell… can the knights of Paladin be rescued?

Before vowing his allegiance to Wulder as a knight, Bardon heads to the mountains for solitude. His life is suddenly complicated by a woman and her granddaughter, N’Rae, on a mission to rescue the woman’s son trapped in a chamber of sleep. Bardon learns that more of Paladin’s knights are imprisoned–and suspects one of them is Dragon Keeper Kale’s missing father.

The secret is in their hands–and hearts.

The band travels north, uncertain of their destination and encountering numerous perils. When they unlock the chamber, they discover a dozen knights–who cannot be awakened. The journal holding the secret to rousing them is in an unknown language. How can they find the help they need, and overcome even graver obstacles, to rescue the knights?

Return to the land of dragons and magic you discovered in Dragonspell and DragonQuest, in this finely crafted and memorable work of fantasy fiction with a core of eternal truth.

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DragonKnight, book 3 of the DragonKeeper Chronicles by Donita K. Paul, is definitely the best book yet. The whole series started out a little slow for me, but I was very pleasantly surprised by how good it has become. I enjoyed every moment of DragonKnight and can say it is one of the most enjoyable fantasy books I’ve ever read.

 

This book was quite different from the first two because the focus switched from Kale to Bardon, and that was what made me enjoy it so much. I don’t dislike Kale, but I’m completely in love with Bardon’s character. It was wonderful to get to really delve into who he is and follow his adventures, or perhaps “misadventures'” would be a better word. Halfway through the book, I came to realize that the reason I loved him so much was I could see myself in him and some of his struggles. It was both amusing and encouraging.

 

There were so many twists and misadventures happening in this book that in any other it probably would have been too much, but they were so delightfully told that it wasn’t a bother to me at all. I loved the new character additions, and though most of the original characters didn’t show up until the last quarter of the book, it was fun to see how they changed in the three years that passed since book 2.

 

DragonKnight was quite a bit longer than the first two, and I found myself carried away by the adventure for hours at a time. This is definitely a book I’ll add to my collection, and that doesn’t happen very often.

 

To learn more about Donita K. Paul and the DragonKeeper Chronicles, visit: http://donitakpaul.com/

Book Review - The Door Within Trilogy

Book 1 Description:

There is an unseen world of good and evil where nightmares are fought and hope is reborn. Enter The Door Within.

 

Aidan Thomas is miserable. And it's much more than the strange nightmares he's been having. Just when life seemed to be coming together for Aidan, his parents suddenly move the family across the country to take care of his wheelchair-bound grandfather. When strange events begin to occur, Aidan is drawn into his grandfather's basement where he discovers three ancient scrolls and an invitation to another world.

 

No longer confined to the realm of his own imagination, Aidan embarks on an adventure where he meets knights, warriors, kings and mysterious Glimpses who can travel between worlds. Aidan joins them in the struggle between good and evil. With the fate of two worlds hanging in the balance, Aidan faces Paragory, the eternal enemy. Will Aidan be willing to risk everything and trust the unseen hand of the one true King? The answer comes from The Door Within.

 

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When I first found out about The Door Within Trilogy by Wayne Thomas Batson while I was working at the local bookstore a couple years ago, I have to admit, it didn't grab my attention. For some odd reason, which I can't even recall now, I thought it might be a little too juvenile for me. Boy, I don't think I'll ever judge a book so quickly again. Being the Christian fantasy fan that I am, I finally got the books from the library and from page one I was completely hooked. The entire trilogy had me reading almost non-stop and when I'd finished, I had to buy my own set to read again. I don't think any fiction series has impacted me like The Door Within. I read the trilogy to my youngest brother who is not a big fan of fiction. In the beginning, I more or less forced him to sit down and listen, but soon he was coming to me, begging me to read more. Even now, months later, he still talks to me about different scenes in the book. Like me, he was deeply affected by the story.

 

One of my favorite aspects of the trilogy is the characters and their growth. They are so endearing and diverse, and you really feel for them and their struggles. The allegorical and spiritual parts of the books are amazing. Once you finish, you have a deep sense of longing to be a knight for the one true King, to stand firm in what is right no matter the cost, and grow in your faith. The books are a wonderful example of friendship, sacrifice, faith, and growth. There is also a perfect amount of humor that had me and my brother laughing out loud numerous times. I recommend The Door Within to anyone of any age who enjoys a good adventure story with a great message woven in. And they are excellent read aloud books.

 

Visit Mr. Batson's Blog: http://enterthedoorwithin.blogspot.com/

 

Buy The Door Within Trilogy

Book 1 - The Door Within

Book 2 - Rise of the Wyrm Lord

Book 3 - The Final Storm

Book Review - Sword in the Stars

Book Description:

Haunted by memories of a violent past, Alastair Coldhollow wagers his life on the hope that a sword will appear in the stars and the foretold Halfainin, the Pathwalker, would come. Meanwhile, tensions simmer between Anglinore and the murderous Gorrack Nation, threatening war on a cataclysmic scale. The fate of all could rest on an abandoned child and the decisions of those who desperately seek to identify him. Sword in the Stars is the first release in The Dark Sea Annals series.

 

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Ever since reading The Door Within Trilogy, the first books I'd ever read by Wayne Thomas Batson, I am a fan for life. Through those books, Mr. Batson became my favorite author right up there with J.R.R. Tolkien. So when I first started hearing about Sword in the Stars, I was incredibly excited and anxious to read it. Now that I have, I can say it did not disappoint. Five stars, most definitely. The world he created was very interesting with all the different races and I loved the characters, especially Alastair. I am such a fan of characters who struggle with a dark past. I very much enjoyed the plot twists and turns. Many times I'd gasp or exclaim, "Oh, this is not good." Usually, if I'm that verbal while reading a book, it has me highly interested. :) And there were also several scenes that made me laugh. I love the allegorical plot and thought it very well done. I can hardly imagine what all will happen in the next books and waiting will be torture. Sword in the Stars will definitely be on my shelf of favorite books as I'm sure the rest of The Dark Sea Annals will be as well. I highly recommend it to anyone who loves a good fantasy read.

 

You can visit Mr. Batson's blog here: http://enterthedoorwithin.blogspot.com/

Fantasy Writing

I don't want to write too much about it yet, because it's still a ways in the future, but I just recently got the inspiration for a brand new fantasy novel to write after I'm finished with my Makilien Trilogy. I may even have the title already, but I'll keep that to myself for the time being. As it is right now it will be a standalone book. No series this time, though I'm definitely open to inspiration.

 

In the last months I think I'm coming to realize that Christian fantasy is my favorite genre to write. It's not a surprise really since my favorite books are fantasy. The thing about fantasy is it's so easy to plot. I have no pressure at all to make sure anything is historically accurate. I can create absolutely anything. The only thing you have to worry about in writing fantasy is creating good characters, good plots, and making sure you're writing it well. I enjoy being free to be as creative as I want to be without having any restrictions and boundaries I have to work around.

 

Another thing I love about writing fantasy is it gives you the opportunity to portray Christian truths in very interesting and powerful ways. The most recent fantasy series I read, The Door Within Trilogy by Wayne Thomas Batson, is a perfect example. I thoroughly enjoyed his portrayal of Christianity within the interesting world he created and hope to delight readers in the same way with Makilien and any future fantasy novels I write.