Tag: Texas

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Into the Starlight: (Three Sisters Facing Mystery and Romance in the 1880s Texas Hill Country)

362 pages July 16,2024 publish date Revell publisher

ABOUT THE BOOK

After more than a year in Europe, Joanna Vaughn returns to Sweetwater Crossing, her dreams of becoming a concert pianist shattered. As if that weren’t enough, her husband, whom she married after a whirlwind courtship, has died. The only thing sustaining her on the journey back to Texas was the thought of her childhood home. But to Joanna’s dismay, she’s changed so much that the place she once loved no longer feels like home.

After his fiancée married his partner and both blamed him for a patient’s death, Dr. Burke Finley believes it’s time for a change. A quick trip with his almost-aunt Della Samuels to Sweetwater Crossing turns into an extended stay to discover what happened to his uncle and her would-be husband. But the beautiful and musical Joanna makes it more than bearable.

As the two join forces to help Della, there is no denying the attraction felt on both sides. But ghosts from the past are coming to call–and threatening to destroy any chance at happily-ever-after.

Get swept away by this emotional tale of family, friendship, and the kind of love that overcomes every obstacle.

MY THOUGHTS

Into the Starlight brings the Secrets of Sweetwater Crossing series to an end. There are three books in this series, and this just may be my favorite. In each of the books we see some characters from the other books which makes for a nice read when you are familiar with the characters.

Joanna Vaughn returns to Sweetwater Crossing after more than a year in Europe. Not only are her dreams of becoming a concert pianist shattered but things really are on a downward spiral for her. Her short-lived marriage is over in what seems like an instant as her beloved has died.

Looking forward to forgetting about it all and relaxing in her childhood home back in Sweetwater Crossing doesn’t feel right either. She has changed so much in her time away it no longer feels like home.

Dr. Burke Finley is devastated. One of his patients has passed and he feels responsible for their death. A little getting away from the stress is what he needs and he and his Aunt Della visit Sweetwater Crossing trying to figure out what happened to his uncle and her would be husband.

Joanna and Burke spend time in each other’s company to help Della figure out what happened years ago.

An absolute page turner, this one had me intrigued as I read. Mystery, suspense and romance are abound in this emotional and with a very surprising ending book. I enjoyed this so much and greatly look forward to seeing what the author publishes next.

I was given a complimentary copy of this book. All opinions expressed are my own.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

With both parents avid readers, it’s no surprise that Amanda Cabot learned to read at an early age. From there it was only a small step to deciding to become a writer. Of course, deciding and becoming are two different things, as she soon discovered. Fortunately for the world, her first attempts at fiction, which included a play for her fifth grade class entitled “All About Thermometers,” were not published, but she did meet her goal of selling a novel by her thirtieth birthday. Since then she’s sold more than forty novels. When she’s not writing, Amanda enjoys sewing, cooking and – of course – reading.

I hope your day has been great. Thank you for stopping in.

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If the Boot Fits: (A Christian Historical Western Romance Fairy Tale Retelling of Cinderella) (Texas Ever After)

368 pages Bthany House publishers March 12,2024 publish date

ABOUT THE BOOK

One fateful night will change their destinies forever. . . .

Convinced that his stepmother and half brothers have been wrongfully evicted by cattle king Eli Dearing, Asher Ellis uses the cover of an extravagant ball to break into the Three Cedars’ ranch house to search for proof. On the verge of discovery, he flees, but a boy’s cry compels him to make a daring rescue.

Spunky and independent Samantha Dearing balks when she learns the ball her father is hosting is nothing more than a matrimonial ambush. Taking a break from unwanted suitors, Samantha spots a thief fleeing her home. When the stranger ends up saving her brother’s life, she hides the only clue to his identity left behind–his boot–and resolves to find him herself.

When Samantha encounters the older brother of a student she tutors, all thoughts of the bootless mystery man vanish. Asher values family above wealth, a rare trait that opens her heart. Afraid she will discover his past misconduct, Asher tries to keep his distance, but when a series of suspicious accidents befall her, he vows to protect her, even though saving her life could mean losing her love.

MY THOUGHTS

If the Boot Fits is Karen Witemeyer’s retelling of the Cinderella story. If you enjoy fairytale retellings, strong protective cowboy western hero’s and a strong stand on her own two feet heroine protective of her little brother then I suggest this book.


When I first met Samantha Dearing’s character, I didn’t like her. She is portrayed as bratty, whiny and giving her father a hard time at what she thinks is a ball thrown to marry her off to a rich man to further her father’s business investments.

Samantha hasn’t been too in tune with her father in the past years and thinks her father sees her as a nuisance and just wants her out of the way since he has the son he’s always wanted. Talking to her father at the ball and after we see Sam or Samantha as she prefers now has had a misunderstanding about her father’s feelings all along.


When a man escapes out of the window of her home and her father sees it, he’s labeled a thief, but he saves her Non swimming brother from drowning at a pond at their home. When the man escapes after saving the young brother the only clue he leaves behind is a cowboy boot leaving Samantha determined to find him herself.


Samantha spends a lot of time with her father and as they work on straightening out their relationship, he clears up some misconceptions she’s had. I enjoyed the great quality time they had together and seeing a strong relationship reappear.


There is mystery, forgiveness, compassion a bit of danger and a beautiful faith-based thread running through the story.
There was a great sense of humor woven amongst the pages along with sweet romance and a fine plot that eagerly kept me reading.
Thoroughly enjoyed this book.

Pub Date 12 Mar 2024
I was given a complimentary copy of this book.
All opinions expressed are my own.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

For those who love to smile as they read, bestselling author Karen Witemeyer offers warmhearted historical romance with a flair for humor, feisty heroines, and swoon-worthy Texas heroes. Voted #1 Readers’ Favorite Christian Historical Author in 2023 by Family Fiction Magazine, Karen is a multiple award-winning author and a firm believer in the power of happy endings. She is an avid cross-stitcher, tea drinker, and family board game player who makes her home in Abilene, TX with her heroic husband who vanquishes laundry dragons and dirty dish villains whenever she’s on deadline. Learn more about Karen and her books at http://www.karenwitemeyer.com.

Tell me your thoughts. Would you read this book? Enjoy your day. Thanks for stopping in.

Beautiful tag given to me by my friend Susan at Susan Loves Books. Please check out her blog here.

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Publication day post for a Texas fairytale retelling of Snow White, The Fairest of Heart by Karen Witemeyer

351 pages Bethay House Publishers June 6,2023 publication date

About The Book

Once upon a time in Texas . . .

Beauty has been nothing but a curse to Penelope Snow. When she becomes a personal maid for a famous actress whose troupe is leaving Chicago to tour the West, she hides her figure beneath shapeless dresses and keeps her head down. But she still manages to attract the wrong attention, leaving her prospects in tatters–and her jealous mistress plotting her demise.

After his brother lost his life over a woman, Texas Ranger Titus Kingsley has learned to expect the worst from women and is rarely disappointed. So when a young lady found in suspicious circumstances takes up residence with the seven old drovers living at his grandfather’s ranch, Titus is determined to keep a close eye on her.

With a promotion hanging in the balance, Titus is assigned to investigate a robbery case tied to Penelope’s acting troupe. The evidence points to her guilt, but Titus’s heart divines a different truth–one that might just get Penelope killed. –This text refers to the library edition.

My Thoughts

I absolutely loved this book. It was a fun and charming read that I found hard to put down.
Fairest of Heart by Karen Witemeyer is a Texas Snow White fairytale retelling.
I loved the author’s take on the seven dwarfs with the seven old cowhands who are so protective of Penelope. The book is wholesome and with Christian lessons, but none are overdone.
Though it is a fairytale retelling that we are all familiar with the author puts a unique spin on it.
There is a mystery, an intense storyline, a slow burn romance and intrigue.
I loved the slow burn romance that develops with Penelope and Titus. As the characters in a fairytale retelling the characters play their part perfectly. The author injects her usual humor into the book that had me laughing out loud several times as I imagined the scenarios playing out that I was reading about.
I am looking forward to more Texas historical romances from the author.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Baker Publishers through Interviews and Reviews.
All opinions expressed are my own.

Grab A Copy Here

About The Author

For those who love to smile as they read, bestselling author Karen Witemeyer offers warmhearted historical romance with a flair for humor, feisty heroines, and swoon-worthy Texas heroes. Voted #1 Readers’ Favorite Christian Historical Author in 2023 by Family Fiction Magazine, Karen is a multiple award-winning author and a firm believer in the power of happy endings. She is an avid cross-stitcher, tea drinker, and family board game player who makes her home in Abilene, TX with her heroic husband who vanquishes laundry dragons and dirty dish villains whenever she’s on deadline. Learn more about Karen and her books at http://www.karenwitemeyer.com.

Have a beautiful day and thanks for stopping in.

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The Wedding at Moonglow Bay

by Lori Wilde Review Book 4/4

368 pages Avon publisher March 21, 2023 publish date

About The Book

A wedding brings a shocking surprise in New York Times bestselling author Lori Wilde’s newest Moonglow Cove novel. Perfect for fans of Susan Wiggs, Jill Shalvis, and Robyn Carr.

It wasn’t the wedding night she’d expected!

When Samantha said “I do” to Luca Ginelli, she knew she’d found a reliable soulmate—a strong, sexy man who’d stand beside her through thick and thin. And so she’d started her wedding day filled with joyful expectation, only to have her dreams shattered when the man she married years before shocking, unexpectedly, reappears, insisting she was still his wife!

Seven years before, Luca’s brother, Nick, had stubbornly set off in a sailing adventure, ignoring the pleas of his young bride and all common sense. He’d disappeared without a trace; everyone thought he was dead—but now he’s expecting to pick up where they’d left off. He’d once been Samantha’s “lightning strike,”—the person you know is the one from the moment you first see them.

But seven years is a long time and so much has changed. Now Samantha is faced with an impossible choice and no matter which decision she makes, it threatens to shred the very fabric of the one thing she holds most dear—family.

Grab A Copy Here

My Thoughts

Once again, we are back in beautiful Moonglow Bay, Texas, such a charming place.
With the breeze coming off of the water and all the friendly folks you’re going to want to stay awhile.
I couldn’t even imagine the story line of this book. All the things that would be running through your head if it were to happen to you. You would be second guessing yourself and it would be quite a mess.
A childhood filled with uncertainty comes to an end when insecure Samantha is adopted into a wonderful and loving family and her foster sister Piper becomes her best friend. They are closer than sisters.
Starting at a new high school she and Piper meet Nick Ginelli, Piper is interested but he only has eyes for Samantha. After a whirlwind relationship they marry and have a baby, Destiny.
This is a burning hot love, an immature love where they should have waited but were too into each other to wait. After a fight Nick goes out to cool off and spend time by himself.
In the seven years that he’s been gone all they’ve found is his shipwrecked boat. He and his family were very close he would never just leave them.
In the seven years that Nick has been gone, Samantha and Nick’s brother Luca have fallen in love.
It should be the happiest day of her life, after waiting seven years for Nick to be declared dead she is free to marry again and it’s her wedding day, again.
She is happy but bittersweet memories of Nick keep playing in her memory.
On the wedding night after things start settling down, a huge uproar occurs!
Before the marriage has a chance to be consummated, in walks Nick.
There are many questions, many tears, much happiness. His family is thrilled.
He had been shipwrecked on an island for seven years and just got rescued.
Now where does this leave Samantha?
Is she still legally married to Nick, is she actually married to Luca?
The book will really grip you as Samantha works through who she should be with, it causes her many tears. She has a daughter with Nick, but he disappeared before she even got to know her father. I could not put this down, I had to see how it would work out and who if either of them she would choose. To me this sounds like a movie plot, and I loved this book.
I can’t wait to see what the author comes up with next.

Pub Date 21 Mar 2023
I was given a complimentary copy of this book.
All opinions expressed are my own.


The Series

It’s Jill Shalvis meets Susan Mallery in this gorgeous novel by New York Times bestselling author Lori Wilde about three sisters, one small town, a wedding, and the summer that changes everything.

Welcome to Moonglow Cove, Texas, a place where your neighbors know your name and the gentle waves of the Gulf of Mexico lap lazily against the sands. It’s a magical spot, especially in the summertime…

Once the town was the home of the Clark sisters—brought up by their grandmother at the Moonglow Inn. Nicknamed “The Moonglow Sisters”, as children they were inseparable.  Then, a wedding-day betrayal tore them apart and they scattered across the globe and away from each other.  But the sisters have at last come home…

There’s Maddie: smart, sensible, and stubborn. Shelley, who ran off to find her bliss. And Gia, a free-spirit determined to keep the peace. It’s her impending wedding that keeps them together…but Gia has a secret, and when her sisters find out all heck is going to break loose!

The Moonglow Sisters continues Lori Wilde’s trademark storytelling to create an unforgettable novel of family, betrayal, love, and second chances.

About The Author

Lori Wilde is an award-winning, New York Times, USA Today, and Publishers’ Weekly bestselling author of 97 works of romantic fiction. Her writing has won numerous awards and her books have been translated into 26 languages, with more than four million copies of her books sold worldwide. Her series The Wedding Veil Wishes inspired three movies from Hallmark starring Lacey Chabert, Autumn Reese, and Alison Sweeney. The movies broke viewing records for Hallmark.

Lori is a registered nurse with a BSN from Texas Christian University, along with a Master in Liberal Arts from the same university. She holds a certificate in forensics and is also a certified yoga instructor. A sixth-generation Texan, Lori lives with her husband, Bill, in the Cutting Horse Capital of the World.

Thank you for visiting today. You are a blessing.

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The Lighthouse on Moonglow Bay (Moonglow Bay #3)Review

My Review

We once again return to Moonglow Cove, Texas,a beautiful and charming area. With the breeze coming off of the water and the delicious out of the way seafood restaurants that are so unpretentious you’re sure to want to stay awhile to sample all there is to offer.
The view from the lighthouse is fabulous.
I love stories about sisters and this one is a hit.
Sisters who are estranged get a very unexpected inheritance from their grandmother.
The thing of it is there are conditions with it and they must be followed to the specifications listed or it’s all forfeited .
These sisters haven’t seen each other for six years after an argument that left them not speaking.
One of the conditions is they must live together in the family lighthouse in Moonglow Bay and must reconcile. These women used to be the best of friends, the older one protecting and looking out for the younger one as they didn’t have the best home life growing up.
They soon realize being apart from each other they’ve missed out on so much in the lives of each other, like one of the sisters has a daughter leaving the other feeling sad and left out because she hadn’t known this.
Another strange condition of the will is the sisters must keep an old family starter mother sourdough alive and bake with it and enter a baking contest at the end of the summer.
What I loved about this book is it’s real honestly, the characters could be your neighbors or even yourself.
I could definitely see these situations happening in real life and the character interaction was so charming with a little dram mixed in.
The book has such a positive vibe to it though.
I love seeing strong,positive women. Very uplifting,positive and charming. A fun and entertaining book.
Can’t wait to read the next in the series!

Pub Date 15 Mar 2022
I was given a complimentary copy of this book.
All opinions expressed are my own.

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GoodReads Synopsis

Lori Wilde returns to Moonglow Cove, Texas, with a heartwarming novel about two estranged sisters who must come together after they receive a bizarre inheritance from their grandmother.

It was an inheritance neither sister expected–a lighthouse in Moonglow Cove, left to them by a grandmother they never knew! Harper and Flannery weren’t exactly best friends either. For years, Flannery had held down the home front, taking care of their sick mother and raising a daughter, while Harper sent nothing but checks. And after their mother’s funeral the two sisters had an argument that left them not speaking for six years–why, Harper didn’t even know she has a niece!

But life has a way of changing when you least expect it. And the sisters discover their grandmother’s will has a stipulation: the two of them must live there, work out their issues… and compete in baking challenges with a hundred-year-old sourdough starter. If either of them gives up, or fails to keep the starter alive, they lose the lighthouse. Will they be able to come together and see their grandmother’s wish come true? Or will these two sisters forever be estranged? 

About The Author

BIO

Lori Wilde is an award-winning, New York Times, USA Today, and Publishers’ Weekly bestselling author of 97 works of romantic fiction. Her writing has won numerous awards and her books have been translated into 26 languages, with more than four million copies of her books sold worldwide. Her series The Wedding Veil Wishes inspired three movies from Hallmark starring Lacey Chabert, Autumn Reese, and Alison Sweeney. The movies broke viewing records for Hallmark.

Lori is a registered nurse with a BSN from Texas Christian University, along with a Master in Liberal Arts from the same university. She holds a certificate in forensics and is also a certified yoga instructor. A sixth-generation Texan, Lori lives with her husband, Bill, in the Cutting Horse Capital of the World.

Thank you for stopping by today.

Does this sound like a book you would enjoy reading? Which are your favorite books by this author?