Review: Coming Home (Texas Sisters #2) by Audrey Wick

College professor Mallory Fredrick loves her job in a city that feels like home, but after a student attacks her on social media, she loses her peace of mind and confidence. When her college offers a sabbatical, she jumps at the chance to escape to her hometown in Texas.

Entrepreneur Alec O'Donnell specializes in helping people in crisis. He’s built his company and career on packing up lives as people start over. It's just business until he meets Mallory. Something about the beautiful and fragile woman who still manages to hold on to her sense of humor affects him. As feelings develop, he realizes he's not ready for her to move out of his life.

Can Mallory find peace, or will a second setback keep her from coming home for good?

My Review: 

College professor, Mallory Fredrick and Alec O’Donnell meet when Mallory needs a moving company to help her move some of her things from Santa Fe, New Mexico, to her sister’s house in Seguin, Texas.  Mallory, a college professor took a sabbatical after a student attacked her on social media.  She was fearful of what he might try next.  Along the drive to Texas, Mallory and Alec become good friends and they start having feelings for each other.  Mallory doesn’t really want a relationship, but Alec refuses to give up.  He even goes as far as inviting Mallory to his family reunion in Santa Fe, which Mallory accepts.  But, that was when Mallory found out something about Alec’s family that scared her back to Texas as fast as she could get there.  Now Alec must work extra hard to get Mallory back and to help her overcome her fears.  

I enjoyed this book a lot.  The characters were believable and the story kept me interested the entire time I was reading. There was romance along with a bit of suspense to keep the story moving along nicely.  There was even a Persian cat named Bella who stole quite a few scenes.

Set Your Calendars, Tule Publishing is Holding a Facebook Party

You don't want to miss the party of the summer.  

On July 31, 10:00 am to 7:00 pm EST, Tule Publishing is holding a summer book release Party on Facebook.  This is one party you don't want to miss out on.  Lots of great authors to chat with and lots of fabulous prizes will be given away. 

Join the group now:  Tule Book Club

Here are just some of the prizes you could win:

Review: Every Time You Go Away by Beth Harbison

In New York Times bestselling author Beth Harbison's most emotional novel ever, a fractured family must come together at a beach house haunted by the past.

Willa has never fully recovered from the sudden death of her husband, Ben. She became an absent mother to her young son, Jamie, unable to comfort him while reeling from her own grief.
Now, years after Ben’s death, Willa finally decides to return to the beach house where he passed. It’s time to move on and put the Ocean City, Maryland house on the market.

When Willa arrives, the house is in worse shape than she could have imagined, and the memories of her time with Ben are overwhelming. They met at this house and she sees him around every corner. Literally. Ben’s ghost keeps reappearing, trying to start conversations with Willa. And she can’t help talking back.

To protect her sanity, Willa enlists Jamie, her best friend Kristin, and Kristin’s daughter Kelsey to join her for one last summer at the beach. As they explore their old haunts, buried feelings come to the surface, Jamie and Kelsey rekindle their childhood friendship, and Willa searches for the chance to finally say goodbye to her husband and to reconnect with her son.

Every Time You Go Away is a heartfelt, emotional story about healing a tragic loss, letting go, and coming together as a family.


My Review:

A powerful story about moving on after losing the love of your life. 

It’s been three years since Willa Bennett’s husband, Ben, passed away in their beach house in Ocean City.  Willa hasn’t been back since then.  When she finally decides to sell the house, she heads there to prepare it for the sale.  When Willa arrives, she finds more than just memories.  Ben’s ghost is there too.  But he’s not there haunting the house.  He has returned to help Willa move on.   He doesn’t want her grieving for him anymore.  He wants her to find love again.  He also wants to help mend her relationship with their son, Jamie. 

While Willa thinks she is going crazy at first, she starts to look forward to Ben’s visits.  Then, Willa’s friend Kristen arrives to help Willa and soon Kristen’s daughter, Kelsey, and Jamie are there.  The four of them spend the summer making new memories as they prep the house for sale.  But in the end, will they be able to say goodbye to the beach house that has created so many great memories? 

Even though this book deals with death and is very emotional, it really was an enjoyable story.  I had a hard time finding a spot to end each night.  The only problem I had with the book was I wanted more closure in the end. I would have loved to have seen Willa find someone new and see if Jamie and Kelsey’s friendship turned to romance.  The descriptions of the beach and surrounding area took on a whole new character of the book too.  It was easy to visualize the scenes.  I would recommend this book to all of my friends and family. 

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for an ARC of this book in exchange of an honest review. 

Review: Where the River Bends by Elsa Winckler

Kalinda Evans works for the Anglo-Boer war foundation in Canada. She's sent to South Africa to make sure everyone who lost their lives in the war will be remembered. On her drive to the guest farm in Kimberley, South Africa, Kalinda picks up a female hitchhiker and is startled when just moments later, the woman vanishes. Kalinda would be convinced she was dreaming…except there’s still a white lace handkerchief on the passenger seat.

Extreme sports enthusiast and computer game designer Zack Carter is always after the next big challenge. He’s far too busy for romance and adheres to a three-date rule, until he meets his parents’ latest guest. When she relays the story of her mysterious experience, Zack’s family shares the local ghost story. Kalinda and Zack work together to solve the puzzle of the ghost and how it all ties in with the war and the work Kalinda is doing.

As their attraction grows, Zack realizes he no longer feels the need to prove anything to himself. He only needs to prove to Kalinda that he’s more than a good time. 


My Review: 

An intriguing story that I couldn’t put down. 

Kalinda Evans divorced her abusive husband and left South Africa to go to Canada to work for the Anglo-Boer war foundation.  She has just been sent back to Africa to do some investigations at the war museum.   On her way to the guest house in Paardeberg, where she will be staying, she encounters a woman standing on the side of the road.  Believing she needs a ride, Kalinda lets her in the car.  But, the next thing she knows, the woman has disappeared leaving behind a white handkerchief.  At first she thought her mind was playing tricks on her.  When she finally talks to the people she is staying with about what happened, she learns she has just seen a ghost.  

Game designer, Zack Carteris, is visiting his parents, while recovering from pneumonia.  When Zach meets Kalinda, he becomes interested in her.  Zach has never been able to commit to any woman, but there is something about Kalinda that might make him change his three date rule.    

I was really surprised by this book.  The description got my attention; I thought a ghost story would be fun.  But, I didn’t realize how well I would end up liking it.  I was pleasantly surprised to find myself really getting into the story and not wanting to stop reading when I knew I should be going to bed.  I liked learning the history of the war and really got into Susie’s story and liked how she brought Kalinda and Zach together.  I haven’t read anything by this author before, but this book won’t be the last.  I like her story telling and writing style.  

Review: A Vicarage Wedding (The Holley Sisters of Thornthwaite Book 3) by Kate Hewitt

Rachel Holley has always dreamed of a wedding—the white dress, the fairy tale, and of course, the happily-ever-after. But when her fiancé breaks it off the night before, claiming she doesn’t love him, Rachel’s fairy tale ends in ashes.

Homeless, hopeless, and feeling like her life has been completely derailed, Rachel must start over in all sorts of ways—and hold her head up high in the fishbowl of her tiny village. The last person she expects to become a friend is Sam West, the taciturn owner of The Bell, Thornthwaite’s rougher pub, and a little rough around the edges of himself.

But as Rachel gets to know Sam, and sees him caring for his orphaned nephew, she finds herself drawn to this enigmatic man. Nothing about Sam is what Rachel expected in a life partner, and yet she can’t deny their increasing closeness. But can love flourish on the rebound? And will there be a vicarage wedding after all?

My Review:  

When first started this book, I felt sad for Holley.  But, the further I got into the story, the more I realized Dan breaking up with her before the wedding was actually the best thing for them both.  Holley seemed to be a bit of a perfectionist and needed to see that love and life didn’t always come wrapped in pretty packaging.  Sometimes love is a little bit messy and imperfect.  You don’t always get the big house you were dreaming of either.  When Holley met Sam, he was the total opposite of what she normally looked for in a man, but even though they had different upbringings, lives and goals, they meshed really well.  And when Sam got custody of his troubled nephew, Holley was right there to help Sam out.  She was needed more than she realized. 

I would almost call this book more of a women’s fiction than romance because there was so much more than just the romantic part.  There was family drama as well as Holley’s journey into becoming a better version of herself.  The story didn’t just center around Holley and Sam either.  There was a lot about life and Holley’s family as well.   

A of couple lines in the book summed it up perfectly:

She’d been thinking about what she wanted, what kind of life she envisioned for herself.  But what if happiness was to be found in something else entirely?  And not just happiness, but importance? Meaning?  Something that had been missing now for a while.

Review: Holly's Heart (Outback Brides Book 4) by Fiona McArthur

Doctor Ben Brieley is keen to settle into life as a small town general practitioner and help his grandmother run Brieley Park. The city life was never for him. He’s finally found the peace he’s longed for, until the arrival of that one woman he’s never been able to forget, threatens to shatter it all. No way is he revisiting that road of unrequited love...except Holly Peterson seems fragile and in need of saving, and Ben’s never stopped being Holly’s white knight.

After losing her sister and her faith in the world of medicine, Holly Peterson moves home to Wirralong along with her two nephews. Determined to rebuild her life and create a loving home and sense of belonging, she opens the Outback Brides Coffee Shop as her new vocation. When she learns that Ben Brieley, the man she said no to years ago is home to stay, Holly fears she’ll lose her heart and her focus on her nephews if she lets him in.

Will Ben be able to break through Holly’s fears and barriers or will history repeat itself and destroy him once again?


My Review:

Old school friends Holly Pederson and Ben Brieley are reunited in their hometown of Wirralong.  Both are doctors, but Holly quit practicing after she lost a patient and it shook her confidence.  Holly is focusing on raising her young twin nephews after her sister passed away.  She has also reopened her sister’s coffee shop and enjoys working there.  Ben is back in town to help his grandmother out and he is also opening his own practice.  Ben’s plan was to find a wife and settle down.  But when he sees Holly again, his mind turns to her.  He was always in love with Holly even though he knew she wasn’t interested in him.  Maybe now Ben will have a chance to win Holly’s heart.    

This was a good book.  It touched on all of the elements to keep my attention and keep the story moving along quickly.  Of course there was the reuniting of old friends and their growing romance.  But, it also has a sweet side with the boys, Tom and Pat.  I also enjoyed the medical part which I usually I don’t enjoy those kinds of stories as there are too many terms and situations that I can’t relate to.  But, this author wrote the scenes where anyone would understand.   I especially enjoyed the camping scene where the boys came to respect Ben as part of their family.  This was an all-around good book that I would recommend.  It is also a nice way to wrap up the Outback Brides series. 

Review: Elsa's Stand (Outback Brides Book 3) by Cathryn Hein

When the sudden death of his mother forces outback opal miner Jack Hargreaves home to Wirralong, his plan is simple: mourn his mother, sort out the family farm, and get the hell out of the town that has always hated him. But Elsa O'Donoghue, the beautiful hairdresser with a big heart and even brighter smile, has other plans.

From the moment Jack strides into her salon and helps himself to her clippers, Elsa is in lust. He might be a poster boy for the strong silent type, but she senses there’s a good man behind that stoic facade. With her business taking off, Elsa is finally ready for a relationship and Jack is just her kind of man. Not to mention, she’s never said no to a challenge.

Worried their association will harm Elsa’s business, Jack tries to avoid her, but Elsa is irresistible. Soon, she has him believing and hoping for a future with her in Wirralong, but another family tragedy shatters Jack’s fragile dream. Jack knows he must leave Elsa to protect her, no matter the cost to himself.

My Review:

Jack Hargreaves, didn't plan on staying in Wirralong for long.  He was only there for his mother's funeral and to sort out the farm.  Then, he would head back to Lightning Ridge where he mined for opals.  He always felt out of place in Wirralong and never felt welcome.

Jack met Elsa O’Donoghue at her salon where he stopped for a haircut. There was something special about her and Jack really wanted to get to know her better.  So, he decided to stay in Wirralong a while longer.  Plus, he really wanted to find the legendary Strathroy sapphires that his mother mentioned during her last call.  But when a situation occurs at Jack's father's house and Jack gets caught up in the drama, will the scandal be the end for Jack and Elsa's new romance?

I liked Jack right from the start.  He was a hard worker, a bit stubborn and standoffish, especially when it came to women and the town he was raised in.  But, I could tell he had a sensitive side.  He just needed the right woman to bring it out of him.  The author did a wonderful job with the plot and the background details of the characters.  I enjoyed the setting too.  There were some emotional moments along with some parts that made me laugh.  All around, this is a great addition to the Outback Brides series.