Twilight at Blueberry Barrens by Colleen Coble

I am a huge fan of Colleen Coble. Her newest book, Twilight at Blueberry Barrens is, in my opinion, her best book yet. It is the third book in her "Sunset Cove" series. The first book in the series is Inn at Ocean's Edge (read my review here) and the second book in the series is Mermaid Moon (read my review here). You really don't need to read either of these books before Twilight at Blueberry Barrens as they can all read as stand-alone books. However, I believe reading them all will make your reading more enjoyable.

The heroine of this book is Kate Mason who cares for her family's blueberry barrens. However, as the story begins, the fruit is not producing and she is forced to finding another way to make a living. She ends up renting out a cottage across from where she lives. Her new tenants are entrepreneur Drake Newham and his two orphaned nieces. 

Drake has came to town to learn more about his brother's and sister-in-law's deaths. He doesn't believe it was a murder suicide as law enforcement would have him believe. He has every intention to prove the police wrong, but will he succeed?

Kate learns her uncle, who was in prison for murder has escaped. So, when someone begins to stalk her she believes it is her uncle...but is it? Or is someone else scaring her with their threats?

Ms. Coble has created a very suspenseful story that has several twists and turns throughout. She holds the reader captive from the very first page and I can honestly say I was kept engaged until the very end trying to figure out who was responsible for all that was taking place. I love it when I can read a book and it engages my mind in trying to discover "who-dun-nit".

The story is set on the coast of Maine and it is quite obvious Ms. Coble does her research. Her words paint beautiful pictures of the settings and allows the reader to experience the setting through her words.

I would highly recommend picking up a copy of Twilight at Blueberry Barrens. The characters are believable and they are perfectly woven into the setting. There is also a very nice love story woven in the mix.

On a 5-Star Scale - 5 Stars!!!!!

I would like to thank Booklook Bloggers and Thomas Nelson for my copy of Twilight at Blueberry Barrens. I received my copy for free in order to read it and give my honest review.

Smiles & Blessings,

to Rubyreba

the winner of Deadly Encounter by DiAnn Mills

I will be sending you an email so you can respond to me with the address I need to send your book to. This is an awesome book & I sure you will love it too!

Home on the Range by Ruth Logan Herne

When I pick up a novel to read, it is with the hope that I will be swept away by the characters and can become one with their world. It is rare to find an author who can do that, let alone, do it consistently. Ruth Logan Herne is one of those authors that can consistently create a world of characters that pull you in and let you become one with the story. Her newest book, Home on the Range is the second book in her "Double S Ranch" series and it pulled me in from the very first page. The first book in the series, Back in the Saddle (read my review here), was without a doubt the best contemporary novel I read last year and Home on the Range is the best contemporary novel I have read this year.

Back Cover Blurb

CAN THE BROTHER LEFT BEHIND and A WOMAN WITHOUT HOPE WORK TOGETHER for THE GOOD of TWO PRECIOUS CHILDREN?

Nick Stafford stayed in central Washington, working his family's large ranch after his brothers left to pursue other passions--but his toughest job is being a single dad. As a child he watched his father fail at marriage and parenting, so Nick was determined to show him up. He'd be a better husband, father, and ranch manager than Sam Stafford ever was. Despite that commitment, three years after Nick's wife left him, he has a daughter in trouble at school and both of his girls are facing issues that force him to rethink his stubborn plans.

For Dr. Elsa Andreas, life fell apart when tragedy caused her to abandon her family therapy practice and retreat to the backwoods of Gray's Glen. Her school principal sister believes Elsa can guide the Stafford girls and that working with kids will draw Elsa out of her protective bubble.

Summer on the Double S teems with life and adventure. Amid the bounty of God and land, will Nick and Elsa find the courage to build futures based on faith rather than fear?

My Thoughts

I loved this book. From start to finish the characters captivated me and pulled me into their story. Nick was a character I met in the first book of the series. I can honestly say I didn't get the warm fuzzier about him in the first book but as the author allowed him to reveal his issues and hurts in this book my heart melted and I grew to love him. Elsa, I liked right away, especially when she started working with the girls, Cheyenne and Dakota. She was sweet yet firm and allowed us to see deep into her hurts and issues as well. Now the girls were special. They had me wrapped around their little fingers right off and I didn't want to say goodbye to them.

Another thing I find rare in an author's work is when they can write in such a way that it engages all five senses in the reader. Ruth Logan Herne did just that in this book. There is a scene on pages 130 -133 that engaged all my senses. Elsa takes the girls into the forest to a small bog. On the way you will hear birds chirping and frogs croaking. You will smell the dampness and earthy smell of the forest. When we get to the bog, we will hear the sound of the Spring Peepers...tree frogs. The characters sit down and listen and it is amazing how I was so transported into this scene that I could feel, hear, see and smell everything that was occurring in that scene and I felt at peace, just as the characters did. This to me is a true gift of story telling and Ms. Logan Herne has truly been blessed with this gift.

I could go on and on about this wonderful book, but I don't believe in giving out spoilers. I will say that this book can be read as a stand-alone book but if you haven't read the first book in the series you might want to pick up a copy and read it first. I would highly recommend both books in this series. Home on the Range, releases on September 17, 2016.

I am looking forward to the third book in this series, Peace in the Valley, which is due to be out in March 2017. This will be Trey Stafford's story and I'm anxious to learn more about him.

On a 5-Star Scale = 5 HUGE Stars!!!!!

I would like to thank the author Ruth Logan Herne for my copy of Home on the Range. I received my copy for free in order to read it and give my honest review.

Smiles & Blessings,

To Love a Stranger by Colleen Coble

I am an avid fan of Colleen Coble's work. When I was given the opportunity to read a book from her early works as an author I jumped at the chance. To Love a Stranger was previously published prior to me having ever read any of her work. I love it when publishers bring out books that are out of print, dust them off, and package them in pretty new covers.

Book Blurb from the Back

Traveling to a rugged country to meet her new husband for the first time, Bessie wonders, Can love truly conquer fear?

Bessie Randall is shocked to discover that, thanks to her sister's meddling, she is married by proxy to Jasper Mendenhall, a man she's never met. Believing she has no choice but to honor the marriage, Bessie travels from Boston to Jasper's military quarters in Fort Bridger, Utah Territory.

Jasper Mendenhall is equally shocked when he meets his wife at the stagecoach and realizes she is not the beauty from the picture he holds. But Jasper has orders to move to Arizona Territory, and he has no choice but to take Bessie with him.

Bessie and Jasper's mutual distrust is hard enough, but snakebites, Apache raids, and food shortages present even ore challenges as they head to the Southwest. A story of quiet commitment despite the odds, To Love a Stranger explores how love can grow in the most difficult land.

My Thoughts

I loved this book. It was simple yet it touched on so many feelings that it pulled me into the story and I felt like I was right there in Indian territory. I could smell the dust, hear the war cry of the Indians, feel the uncertainty Bessie and Jasper both felt of their situation. Ms. Coble has a true gift of creating characters that can draw the reader into their world and through that the reader is blessed.

I loved the spunk of Bessie and I cried when she cried about Ruthie (you'll have to read the book to find out who Ruthie is and what made Bessie cry). While most would think she was a frail young woman she proved that to be a false belief. She was strong when it counted. I loved her character.

As for Jasper, who doesn't love a man in uniform who chooses to do what is right even though his heart tells him otherwise. I truly loved his character as well. He has a sensitive side that is slowly revealed and I must say, there were times when I cried over him as well.

This is a wonderful book which let me see why I fell in love with Colleen Coble's writing. I would highly suggest this book to anyone wanting a good clean romance to read.

On a 5-Star scale = 4 1/2 Stars.

I would like to thank BookLook Bloggers and Thomas Nelson for my copy of To Love a Stranger. I received my copy for free in order to read it and give my honest review.


Smiles & Blessings,

Winner of Ruth Logan Herne's book "Her Unexpected Family"

 The contest to win a copy of Ruth Logan Herne's book, Her Unexpected Family, is now over...

Cheryl Baranski

Congratulations Cheryl! I will be sending you an email so you can respond with the address I need to send your book to.

Smiles & Blessings,