Pages & Paws

Writing, Reading, and Rural Life With a Border Collie


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‘Tides of Blue’ Will Sweep You Away

Tides of Blue

By Sharon Brubaker

Genre: Historical Romance

Tivshe Publishing

Pages: 326

Via: Author Request

Note: We received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Can a small, ridged, cobalt blue bottle mean freedom for two young women in two different centuries?

This may sound like an uncertain premise. But hold on a min. Cuz Tides of Blue is the kind of book that grabs you hook, line, and sinker and keeps you on the line until the very end. Check it out:

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‘When the Day Comes’: Better Than Bacon?

When the Day Comes

By Gabrielle Meyer

Publisher: Bethany House, 2022

Genre: Historical Fiction/Christian Fiction/Romance

Pages: 364

Via: Author Request

We received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

When’s the last time you finished a book and just wanted to go, “Ahhhh”? Or in one furry case, decided the tome is almost better than bacon? Almost. (Hi, Kimber.)

Well. Gabrielle Meyer’s When the Day Comes is that kind of book. Here’s why:

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‘Love Ever Lasting’: Austen-esque Historical Fiction With Heart

Love Ever Lasting

By Michelle Helen Fritz & E.A. Shanniak

Bramley Hall Regency Romance, Book 3

Publication Date: July 14, 2022

Genre: Historical Romance/Regency
Pages: 

Note: We received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Isn’t this a cool cover? We almost expect to see Pemberley come into view over the next hill. Or maybe Combe Magna.

Wait. Where were we? Oh yeah. Love Ever Lasting. It’s a newly released historical romance from Bramley Hall Regency Romance.

Here’s the basic plot:

Grace Buchanan is 19 years old and has given up any hope of marrying. She’s been too occupied raising her younger siblings while her widowed father drinks away his wages as the town blacksmith. All Grace wants is an everlasting love. But her family dynamics make that unlikely.

When the much-loved Parson of Bramley Hall dies, his son, Matthew Morten, takes on his father’s mantle and becomes the new parson. Matthew has barely settled in to his new role when a deadly plague sweeps through the town. Grace’s younger brother is afflicted.

Matthew and Grace are suddenly thrown together as they fight for the town’s survival and the survival of their loved ones. How will Grace care for her siblings after her father’s death? Will Matthew’s meddlesome mother and Grace’s mischievous siblings doom their romance before it even gets off the ground? And what about other contenders vying for Grace’s hand? Will the spark between Matthew and Grace kindle and grow, or will responsibilities and family drama snuff it out? And where else will you find a carriage horse named “Obediah”?

Review

Love Ever Lasting is a sweet, gentle read. Period-correct writing, vivid descriptions and historical settings combine with solid writing and rich, full-bodied characterizations to create a story with heaps of heart and wagons of warmth.

Portions of the plot seem a bit contrived, like Grace’s over-the-top response to the bee thing. It seems to have been written for the sole purpose of casting Matthew as a knight gallant. A little thin. 

This isn’t exactly a barn burner. It moves like molasses in January in places. But if you enjoy inspiring historical romances with an Austen-esque flavor, Love Ever Lasting will make a pleasant addition to your summer TBR – or anytime.

Love Ever Lasting is a clean Regency Romance and the third book in a three-story series. Each book can be read as a stand alone, but is best read in release order.

About the Authors

Michelle Helen Fritz was born and raised in Maryland and Arizona with lots of traveling throughout the States. She began her literary career as a personal assistant to Indie authors and loves to see the process of an idea turn into a finished book.

Michelle loves to write about dashing heroes, and the compelling women that tempt them, with a dash of intrigue, an abundant amount of romance, and scenes that hopefully make her readers swoon. She is the mother of four children whom she homeschools and currently resides in Maryland with her own jaunty hero who makes all of her dreams come true.

AUTHOR FACEBOOK PAGE * TWITTER * INSTAGRAM

E.A. (Ericka Ashlee) Shanniak is the author of the successful fantasy romance series A Castre World Novel. She is hobbit-sized, barely reaching over five feet tall on a good day.

When she wears her Georgia Romeoa’s not only does she gain an inch, but she is also able to reach the kitchen cabinets. Ericka loves to write at her desk that her daughter’s cat destroyed. Fortunately for everyone, she can see over it.

 

Ericka resides in the small town of Coldwater, Kansas with her husband, two kids, two dogs and two grumpy cats. The cats were her kids’ idea.

AUTHOR FACEBOOK PAGEINSTAGRAM

 

Our Rating: 3.5


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‘Songbird’ Hits High Notes

Songbird

By Gail Meath

 

Via: Reedsy/Discovery

Genre: Historical Romance/Cozy Mystery

Summary: A gung-ho gumshoe and his canine partner team up with a beautiful Broadway star to track a serial killer. But people connected to the theater keep winding up dead. Is Laura next? Can Jax and Ace crack the case before the killer strikes again?

Note: We received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

“Hey Mom!” says I, Kimber the Magnificent. You gotta get a load of this “cozy mystery” thingy. (No idea what that means. But it sounds yummy!)

“What’s up, Kim?” says Mom.

“This Songbird book? It stars Ace the German shepherd. His human sidekick is Private Detective Jax Diamond. I’m goin’ with the dog, okay? Whaddya think?”

Here’s our review:

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Is This Historical Novel Destined to Become a Classic?

The Librarian of Boone’s Hollow (Waterbrook/Multnomah, September 2020)

By Kim Vogel Sawyer

Christian/Historical Fiction

 

Triumphant and transcendent, this delicious historical novel is easily one of the season’s best. Here’s why:

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BATTER UP! 10 Summer Hits & Misses

Woof-hoo! It’s summer time, summer time, sum-sum, summer time! Doo-whop, doo-whop.

Kimber here. Mom and I are celebrating the First Week of Summer with something a little special. I was lobbying for filet mignon. But nooooo! Mom decided on a quick run-down on recently read titles. To save you some time. So you can avoid the clunkers. And enjoy the goodies.

Public domain

And hey. What’s summer without baseball, right? So I suggested we categorize titles as either Hits and Misses or as Strike Outs and Home Runs. Brilliant huh? (Mom helped a little. But it was mostly me.)

So here are five kinds of each book. Five duds. As in, swing-from-the-heels strike-outs and don’t waste your time. Five awesome-dawsome, tail-wagging, bonafide home runs. (One is somewhere in the middle, depending on which bat you choose.)

So… batter up!

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‘Until June’ Warms Body & Soul

Until June, (Backlit PR, 2020)
By Barbara M. Britton
A severely injured WWI veteran and his female caregiver face an Alaskan winter alone in a remote hunting lodge as they wait out an influenza outbreak. That’s the premise for this delicious historical romance.
It’s 1918 in Juneau, Alaska. Mr. Chambers, wealthy owner of the town mine, is desperate to find a caregiver for his son Geoff, a severely injured veteran of Bellau Wood. Seventeen year-old seamstress Josephine “Jo” Nimetz has nursing experience and is desperate to support her ailing, recently widowed mother.

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‘An Agent for Dixie’: Snack-Worthy Historical Romance

An Agent for Dixie (The Pinkerton Matchmaker series Book 73)

An Agent for Dixie (The Pinkerton Matchmaker Series. BackLit PR, 2020.)
By Linda Carroll-Bradd

Shy and reserved Dixie Fontaine is a young seamstress. Her older sister Liana is daring and adventurous. When Dixie allows her sister to talk her into applying to be an agent with the Pinkerton detective agency in 1872 Denver, Dixie is sure she won’t make the grade. But she surprises herself – and everyone else – by landing the job.

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