LUMBERJACKS & LADIES 

 The book features four authors who each take us on a journey into the  world of hard labor, dreams , romance and a bit of intrigue. I love that we get to experience different stories and how each author shows their talent by giving us a taste of their writing skills.  

All That Glitters by Candice Sue Patterson 

The rumors of gold bring chaos to the small town where men are giving up everything to become rich. I enjoyed Wini and how hard she worked to provide for her mother and sister-in-laws. 

Jess is a hard working lumberjack who saves Wini from drowning. There seemed to be a really quick  relationship between the two but it is feasible because of how short the story is. 

With fast talking men who convinve others that there is gold to be found, Wini and Jess start to get suspicious. The mystery is really  good and I enjoyed how the scheme was exposed. I really liked how the story is based on a true historical account. Be sure to read the author’s  notes at the end to discover more  interesting information about this event during 1887.

Winter Rose by Peggy Thomas

This is a sweet story about a young lady who is desperate to leave the lumberjack camp. Her and her mother work tirelessly to feed the men, but Eliza Beth wants something more. Her desire to be a teacher is close at hand, but will she be accepted? I loved reading how the camp works and how difficult it was to live in one during the cold weather. 

Wes also has a dream and being a lumberjack is not it. He works hard at the job though so he can save money for his dream. It was a little hard to break the ice with Eliza Beth and I’m glad the author didn’t rush their relationship. There are a few funny moments when Wes gets jealous of another man showing Eliza Beth attention. If he only knew the true feelings between those two he would be embarrassed of his jealousy. 

It is a nice story that shares dreams and hopes of a better future. It also highlights the danger of being a lumberjack and how easy someone can be injured. The ending is nice and I’m happy that the author shows how you should never give up on your future.

Not For Love by Naomi Musch

This is a more emotional story that center around a widow. Maggie wants to save her farm but can’t do it on her own. She has this hair-brained idea that she needs to marry again by finding a lumberjack. She sends out a letter hoping that someone will answer and be willing to marry her in name only. The circuit preacher does give her very sound advice  when he says, “it’s not a matter of understanding as being awfully careful about knowing what the will of the Lord is.” I’m sure we have all stepped out ahead of God’s will thinking we know best. I couldn’t wait to see what response Maggie gets from her letter. 

Jack’s introduction to Maggie is at first a bit uncomfortable. After encountering a few other men who she didn’t trust she was a little weary of Jack. He may be just what she needs as they agree to see how the next free months work out. His staying in the barn will help her reputation but will they be able to keep their feelings as just friends?  

Charlie really irritated  me with his constant badgering of Maggie. He is so set on the idea that she should sell the farm that he becomes impossible at times. He seems to have her best interest at heart, but I’m not sure if maybe there was another reason why he wanted her to sell the farm. His heart is in the right place but he is so overprotective of his sister that he constantly fights with her about the farm. 

The story is filled with trials as Maggie and Jack try to live as husband and  wife. Their  arrangement seems to be working but there are times when they both wonder if they made the right decision. The author captures their emotions in a realistic way and I loved how they each struggled with their feelings for each other. Beautiful ending that reminds us to trust God. 

Undercover Logger by Jennifer Lamont Leo

I loved that the setting of this story is in Idaho. I went through there as a little girl and adored it. It is a picturesque place and I have always wanted to go back. I laughed when Michael is sent by his father to the small town in Idaho for training in the bank the family owns. His escapades sends  his father into a decision that didn’t set well with Michael. What is he suppose to do in this little town? 

Carrie travels to her company to find out why it has not been profitable for awhile. Her husband left her the company in his will and she has big dreams to prosper  the logging  company. When she arrives Reed tries to distract her from the company but she is determined to find out what is going on. I loved how  independent she was and not afraid to step on toes to get to the  bottom of why her company is losing money. 

The author has a clever idea putting Michael and Carrie together in the office to sort out what is going on. I could just imagine the pile of papers stacked everywhere. Michael doesn’t trust Reed and sets out to prove that Carrie is being  swindled. The investigation Michael does is clever and I loved how he wanted to do the right thing for Carrie while proving to  his father that he can  be trusted. This story has a few twists in it to keep  you guessing.

I received a copy of this book from Barbour Publishing. The review is my own opinion.

  

 

About the Book

Book: Touch of Innocence

Author: Robin Patchen

Genre: Romantic Suspense

Release date: January 25, 2022

From a USA Today bestselling author comes a gripping story of mystery, romance, and pulse-pounding suspense.

How can she save the little girl next door from being exploited if nobody believes her?

Grace used to try to save people, but that was before she realized how powerless she is. Now, she avoids emotional ties, working from her secluded cabin, content with her aloneness. When eight-year-old Lily starts hanging around, Grace enjoys her company but carefully keeps her distance—until she discovers the girl is being exploited. Little though she wants to, she must get involved, even if it means risking her own safety to secure Lily’s.

Andrew can’t help but be drawn to his new neighbor and her beautiful foster child. When he learns about Lily’s disturbing history, he offers to help Grace prove her suspicions about the girl’s father. But the more they learn, the more puzzling Lily’s history seems. They work together to unravel the mystery, determined to ensure Lily ends up with a family who loves her.

But Lily’s father isn’t giving up his muse—or his obsession—that easily. He believes Lily is rightfully his, and he’ll do anything to get her back.

Don’t miss this thrilling page-turner, the latest in the addictive Coventry Saga.

 

Click here to get your copy!

 

About the Author

Robin Patchen is a USA Today bestselling and award-winning author of Christian romantic suspense. She grew up in a small town in New Hampshire, the setting of her Nutfield Saga books, and then headed to Boston to earn a journalism degree. After college, working in marketing and public relations, she discovered how much she loathed the nine-to-five ball and chain. After relocating to the Southwest, she started writing her first novel while she homeschooled her three children. The novel was dreadful, but her passion for storytelling didn’t wane. Thankfully, as her children grew, so did her writing ability. Now that her kids are adults, she has more time to play with the lives of fictional heroes and heroines, wreaking havoc and working magic to give her characters happy endings. When she’s not writing, she’s editing or reading, proving that most of her life revolves around the twenty-six letters of the alphabet. Visit https://robinpatchen.com/subscribe to receive a free book and stay informed about Robin’s latest projects.

 

More from Robin

I love everyman-hero stories.

I know detectives and FBI agents and other law enforcement officers are fighting crime and solving mysteries all the time, but I love stories where regular folks—the kind who live next door and work in supermarkets or sell insurance—suddenly find themselves in the middle of a mystery—one only they can solve.

Maybe it’s my own longing for adventure (while living a life that consists largely of sitting in my office wearing yoga pants and tapping away on a keyboard) that leads me to write these kinds of stories

Touch of Innocence has that everyman… er, woman character, a reclusive former child therapist who wants nothing more than to be left alone. The problem is, Grace has a gift (which she calls a curse) that enables her to “see” that her eight-year-old neighbor, Lily, is being exploited by her child-pornographer father. But since Grace doesn’t have any proof, only the impressions she received when she touched the child’s palm, the police don’t do anything to rescue little Lily.

So Grace takes matters into her own hands.

As the villain so aptly puts it, she “blows up her entire life for the sake of a girl she barely knows.”

And that all happens in the first chapter. Then it gets really interesting.

There’s so much talk in the world about doing things for the greater good, for the benefit of the many, not the few, but that wasn’t Jesus’s way, was it?

Jesus didn’t die for the collective good. He died for you and me. He left the ninety-nine to seek out the one.

In a way, Touch of Innocence asks if one forgotten little girl is worth the cost of the heroine’s security, maybe even her life?

What is the value of one life, and how much are we as believers willing to sacrifice to save?

I think it’s a question worth exploring.

A little FYI about the book: I was very careful not to have any explicit scenes. Though the reader gets the sense of what Lily’s been through, there are no descriptions or images you’ll wish you hadn’t seen. I did my very best in this story to highlight a terrible thing that’s happening all over the world while at the same time honoring my readers and, above all, the Lord.

MY REVIEW 

The story is not about a happy subject, in fact it is one that sickens me yet I’m glad the author wrote about it. We will never know how many children have been abused or exposed to pornography but this story shows us that it is out there. I applaud Grace for what she did. Would you be willing to risk jail, go on the run and leave everything  behind to save a child? Grace never hesitated when she found out what was going on with Lily. Grace is fearful of strangers and doesn’t want to get close to anyone because she couldn’t risk her secret being discovered. 

Andrew is a little suspicious of his new neighbor  but senses there is a connection between them. He has his own problems to deal with. He has a strained relationship with his father, his past is not something he likes to share and his half brother seems to be his dad’s favorite. I liked that Andrew befriended Grace, although he knew she was hiding something. One of the best parts of the story is when Andrew finds out Grace’s secret. Not only is he angry because she has lied all these months to him, but learning that he can’t trust her shattered him. I thought it was interesting that for awhile he was more worried about being implicated in what  Grace has done than helping her. This is a breaking point for both of them and the author uses this to help them both open up and finally be honest and let go of their past. 

I could relate to Grace for two reasons. She had a hard time saying that she loves someone. Growing up my parents never once said they loved me so it has always been difficult for me to believe anyone would love a child who had been physically and emotionally damaged. Grace had no self worth and didn’t believe she mattered to anyone. Oh how I know that feeling so well. The moment she realizes how much she is loved by God brings the wall down around her. The author does an excellent of exposing lies that the enemy tries to use against us . Have you heard the saying, “if you see something say something?” That statement is perfect for this story. One person can make a difference.

I received a copy of this book from Celebrate Lit. The review is my own opinion.

Blog Stops

Book Reviews From an Avid Reader, March 23

Blogging With Carol, March 23

Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, March 24

Texas Book-aholic, March 25

Inklings and notions, March 26

For Him and My Family, March 27

Betti Mace, March 28

Spoken from the Heart, March 29

deb’s Book Review, March 29

Locks, Hooks and Books, March 30

Mary Hake, March 30

Maureen’s Musings, March 31

Ashley’s Clean Book Reviews, April 1

Because I said so — and other adventures in Parenting, April 2

Blossoms and Blessings, April 3

Livin’ Lit, April 3

Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, April 4

Simple Harvest Reads, April 5 (Guest Review from Mindy Houng)

Giveaway

To celebrate her tour, Robin is giving away the grand prize package of Convenient Lies, book 1 in the Nutfield Saga, and Glimmer in the Darkness, book 1 in the Coventry Saga, along with a coffee mug!!

Be sure to comment on the blog stops for nine extra entries into the giveaway! Click the link below to enter.

https://promosimple.com/ps/1bc9a/touch-of-innocence-celebration-tour-giveaway

 MALICIOUS INTENT BY LYNN  H. BLACKBURN

Are you ready for some action? How about some  intrigue mixed with a little bit of romance? Well get ready for all this and more in a fast pace story that dives  into the world of ransomware. I loved the plot and how much detail the author gives as someone is out to destroy Ivy and all the work she has done to design a product that would benefit many. 

When Ivy is attacked Gil comes onto the scene to investigate. I wasn’t surprised at all that they had a history together but I did like how the author used it to slowly develop their friendship again. Will they end up together? 

The story sent chills down my spine as the danger draws closer to Ivy. Gil is  determined to keep her safe but someone is willing to do anything to get what they want. Evil lurks among the pages as the evidence is clear that “money is the root of all evil.” 

I received a copy of this book from Revell Reads Blogger Program. The review is my own opinion.

 MEDICAL MYSTERY BY RICHARD L. MABRY, M.D.

This is a quick book to read which gives readers a great intriguing mystery to solve. I love stories centered around hospitals which makes me feel like I’m right there watching the action. With the author’s background, his books are realistic and brings an insight into the world of medicine. 

The story follows a family whose mother is having heart issues. We find Diane who works in the ER making sure her mother gets the best care while staying at the hospital. I loved how she took extra notice of all the tests being run and asked questions to be sure everything was being done to help her mother.

Joe is a well respected doctor who happens to be Diane’s mother’s physician. They do seem to have a little spark between them but Diane is wanting to take things slow. I think having him in her life has helped her learn to trust again. 

Without giving anything away, get ready for a murder that will be  unexpected.  You may figure out who the guilty person is, but you won’t see the surprise coming till the end. I love reading the author’s books because they have great characters, intrigue that keeps you guessing and lessons that help us grow in our faith. 

I received a copy of this book from the author. The review is my own opinion. 

 THE CATCH BY LISA HARRIS

There is nothing better than a book filled with suspense, action and surprises. This story definitely checks all those boxes. I loved how the author grabs your attention right away with intense scenes and characters that are easy to follow. 

Now I can tell you all about the book but that can easily be read by the synopsis.  I want to focus on a few things. I enjoyed that there were two stories going on at the same time which tied nicely together. It always amazes me how an author’s imagination works and how creative they can be. 

I adored Madison and immediately understood how much trauma she has endured in her life. Grieving is a slow process and she is having a hard time trying to get through each day. Her job does help her focus on other things and I loved how fiercely committed she is to her work. Danger seems to follow her and just when I thought her story was coming to a close, the author drops an unexpected twist. 

There are a few other characters in the book that are worth mentioning . Jonas is working closely with Madison to keep a woman safe who has been trying to keep a low profile. Her identity will have a domino affect on several people. Let’s not forget about a judge who finds himself in a big mess with only one way out which includes murder. Well there you have it. A book that has the makings of a great movie which I would pay to see. The author uses faith in the story which directs characters to trust Him to keep them safe. I am pleased with the ending and am looking forward to the next book written by this author. 

I received a copy of this book from the Librarything Early Reader Program. The review is my own opinion. 

 THE LADY OF GALWAY MANOR BY JENNIFER DEIBEL

A breathtaking story set in 1920 along the gorgeous countryside of Ireland. I have always wanted to go to Ireland and see all the historical sites it has to offer. The author helped me get there through her words that danced across the pages as I envisioned what it looked like during this time period. 

Lady Anna is a delightful character with charm, grace and elegance. She may come from an influential family but she does not like to flaunt that fact around. Indeed she is an humble woman with a pure heart and willingness to help others. I loved that Anna wanted to learn more about the craft of designing jewelry and was thrilled when she was offered an opportunity to show her talent. 

Stephen was not my favorite character at first because he seemed a little rude and way too protective of the family business. He judged Anna at first because of who her father was so it took me a bit to at least tolerate him. Stephen is still angry about the problems between the British and Irish which does cause friction between him and Anna at times. 

The story is good at times but does seem to stall at certain points which caused me to lose interest at times. The author does show how both characters need to work on some issues which makes them face trust, loyalty and forgiveness. Set against the backdrop of turmoil between two countries it is a look at how we need to look at both sides before placing blame or judgment. 

I received a copy of this book from Revell Reads Blogger Program. The review is my own opinion.