Love Finds You in Tombstone, Arizona

Love Finds You in Tombstone, Arizona

By Miralee Ferrell

Christy Grey (first seen in Last Chance, CA) used to be a dancehall girl, but has changed her life and had a new start in California. She has vowed never to go back to that life again. But when she receives a telegram stating that her mother is very ill, Christy leaves California and heads home to care for her mother. However, on the way the Christy is injured during a stagecoach robbery that leaves her with no money. When she arrives in Tombstone, Christy finds her brother at a gambling hall and her mother gravely ill in a shack of a home. Christy tries to look for work, but her brother’s reputation precedes her and hinders her progress. Finally Christy is forced to work in the gambling hall, but not as a “working girl.”

Nevada is a gun-fighter who is on the run. Unknowingly, he gets himself tied to the stagecoach robbers and ends up meeting Christy. Forced by a desire to help her, Nevada tracks Christy down in Tombstone. Along the way, Nevada feels the need to help one of the saloon girls leave that way of life. But soon his past catches up with him and Nevada finds himself searching for a brighter future…with God and with Christy.

The history and the research that went into this book is truly fascinating! The events that take place in the book are very similar to those that took place in real life in Tombstone in the late 1800’s. Miralee tells a wonderful story of love, acceptance, forgiveness, and resolution. We meet several new characters throughout this book that I, personally, would love to see in future stories!

While finding their way back to God, Christy and Nevada find their way to each other!

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I once again had the privilege of reading and reviewing this book for Miralee. I've read every book of hers so far and have never been disappointed, but I think this is my favorite so far! Thanks to Miralee for the chance to read and review!

White Picket Fences by Susan Meissner

Blog Tour and Giveaway: "White Picket Fences" by Susan Meissner

Reviewed by Amanda S.

In White Picket Fences, Neil and Amanda Janvier feel obligated to take in the daughter of Amanda’s estranged brother. Tally was staying with her grandmother when she passed away suddenly, and Tally finds herself with nowhere to go since her dad is out of the country and hasn’t contacted her. What will it be like living with her Aunt Amanda? Will they force her to tell why her dad went to Europe, a secret she promised to keep?

Do I want to know the truth of what happened all those years ago? If I find out the truth, how will it change me? These are the questions that Chase Janvier is asking himself regarding an incident that happened when he was four years old. Not knowing what to do, Chase keeps his secret to himself. That is, until Tally shows up at their house. Tally can tell that something isn’t right about Chase after they start working together on a Holocaust project. They interview two Holocaust survivors in a nearby nursing home and Tally notices Chase reacting oddly to certain parts of the story they are being told.

Amanda also begins to notice some pretty dramatic changes in Chase that cause her to wonder if he really does remember what happened all those years ago. But if he remembered, he would tell them, wouldn’t he? Should she ask him about it? What kind of damage would she do if she brings it up and he really doesn’t remember? Clearly, though, something is wrong and Amanda just doesn’t know what to do or which direction to turn.

Will they all be able to handle the truth when all the secrets are revealed?

As always, Susan Meissner does a wonderful job weaving a tale of deception, secrets, and twisted paths. The characters in this story have a serious problem with trust…trust in each other and trust in God, which unnerved me throughout the story. When I first picked up this book, I was intrigued by the cover: a white picket fence with a cobweb near the top. It’s so easy for people to look like they have it all-together on the outside with their pretty houses and white picket fences. But on the inside, all families have secrets and cobwebs hiding from the real world.

I always enjoy reading books my Meissner, and White Picket Fences was no different. Her books always challenge a person to really take a hard look at themselves, deep inside, to discover their true character. She caused me to ask myself how I would handle the truth if some long-ago family secret was revealed to me? Would I let it weigh me down or would I allow it to cause me to grow as a person?


This review originally written for and published on LuxuryReading.com.

Ransomed Dreams

Ransomed Dreams by Amy Wallace
CBD.com (Released 4-19-07, pre-order now!)
ISBN: 978-1-59052-747-4
Reviewed for Armchair Interviews
Rating: 4 Stars out of 5

Ransomed Dreams immediately throws us into a tragic scene of death – I had tears just reading the prologue! But quickly, Amy Wallace created a guide-book of sorts to moving on with life. Gracie is moving on after the death of her entire family at the hands of a drunk driver; Steven is moving on after the ‘death’ of his marriage when Angela walked out 5 years ago. Each of them have to deal with the lies they have told themselves all these years – the lies that held them ransomed and kept them from moving on and truly living their lives. Slowly they move towards each other during this process. While they are trying to work through their issues, Steven and Gracie are faced with the twisted minds of two criminals who are also figuring out how to move on with their own lives.

Wallace does a fantastic job of keeping it real. While this book is a fiction and romance book, bad things happen in this book, just as in the real world. The characters offer great examples of how you can wrestle with your beliefs and question why bad things happen without letting it consume you. And the friends/family of these people show how being the gentle voice of reason and a constant spiritual support can bring comfort and help to those who are struggling in their faith. My favorite part was when Gracie is thinking of her parents’ home, she equates the feeling of peace and comfort she receives from this place with chocolate. She calls it: “Heart-chocolate. …what her parents provided without even trying. A safe place. Kind words. Gentle hugs. Happy memories. Hope. The kind of chocolate nourishment that didn’t line her hips and thighs.”

An excellent book and an easy read! I’m ready to read the next in this series about Clint and Sara!

Armchair Interviews says: An excellent book and an easy read.
Author's Web site: http://www.amywallace.com

The Potluck Club

by Linda Evans Shephard and Eva Marie Everson
ISBN: 978-0800759841
Amazon
Reviewed for Armchair Interviews


How do you find true friendship that will go the mile? It all starts with recipes and a meal. The Potluck Club meets once a month, for food, fellowship and prayer. What started out with an underlying gossip tone soon turns into a fight for true spirituality for all involved. Evie soon discovers she might have a scandal on her hands. Lisa Leann is trying to take over to soothe her own lonliness. Goldie has to deal with her marriage, which has been failing since the beginning. Donna is bitter about her life. Lizzie is happily married, but has her own secrets. And Vonnie is hiding the biggest secret of all. These women have more to pray about than they ever bargained for when starting this club. But most of all they learn the true meaning of prayer and a healthy relationship with their Heavenly Father. These ladies struggle and deal with life issues, grace, forgiveness, love, and humor, and share their recipes with us along the way!

The Potluck Club is a book I truly cherished. So much of it involved issues that I could relate to, thus causing me to cry or laugh right along with them. The conversations seemed a bit stiff and mechanical, instead of real life talk, but it did not take anything from the story itself. I am thoroughly anticipating the next installment of The Potluck Club and the recipes that will come with it!

Armchair Interviews says: Readers will anticipate the next installment of The Potluck Club and the recipes that will come with it!

The Only Pure Thing

by Patrick Hyde
ISBN: 978-0931761614
Amazon
Reviewed for Armchair Interviews


Set in Washington D.C., we’re immediately taken into the life of lawyer Stuart Clay as he takes on a new murder case and his client, Cleveland Barnes, is a homeless street person accused of murder. What is the deal with Cleveland Barnes? And what is his connection to the mafia? Clay works day and night to find the clues and evidence to free his client and ends up stumbling onto more than he bargained for. Working with his private investigator, Cyndi, Clay unearths details involving several different parties, from mafia ties to Mexican leaders. After a couple of days and a couple more murders, Clay gets his client released…but only to discover another twist! Clay suddenly finds himself tied up somewhere facing the real murderer. Can he figure it all out before he gets himself killed?

I absolutely loved this book! Mystery/crime isn’t normally my genre of choice, but this one had me from the beginning. Hyde jumps right into the story and takes the reader on many different paths to figure out the storyline. I was amazed that the entire book covered only 4 days! So much happened in that 4 days, though, that it made the book very enjoyable. There was a lot of legal jargon that could have been left out, but it was easy enough to skim over without losing anything in the story. Hyde has a knack for being descriptive without being gory, which I appreciated. The murder scenes were told in a way that the reader definitely gets the picture, but isn’t grossed out. Character Stuart Clay is definitely a person I would come back to revisit and reread!

Armchair Interviews says: Good, good read.
Author's Web site: http://www.patrickhyde.com

Shoot From the Lip

by Leann Sweeney
ISBN: 978-0451220172
Amazon
Reviewed for Armchair Interviews


Shoot From the Lip is number 4 in the Yellow Rose Mystery series of books, and you wouldn’t even know you missed anything! Leann Sweeney does a wonderful job capturing the reader from the very beginning and keeping them till the very end. Shoot From the Lip is full of emotions! Anger, sadness, fear, happiness, laughter, joy, and tears…they are all there, and you will feel them along with the characters in this book!

Abby Rose finds herself wrapped in another adoption mystery that has more twists than a pretzel, and she organizes her life around her newest client, Emma Lopez. Emma, the strong sister who has raised her brothers and sister, now leans on Abby as she is plastered across the newspapers and TV because of a mysterious body found under her house. But what will happen when Abby learns that by helping Emma, she has also seriously involved her own family? And what about Jeff, Abby’s boyfriend? Will he be able to help her figure out this mystery? Abby, the police, and the rest of the crew, do a fantastic job of narrowing down the suspects and bringing the guilty one to justice.

I truly enjoyed this book by Ms. Sweeney. There were many times I kept telling myself, “One more chapter, one more chapter…” and then an hour and a half later put the book down! It drew me in and had me almost from the first page. I actually thought I had the mystery figured out, and WHAM! She surprised me with the ending! I would be truly happy to read another of the Yellow Rose Mystery series books. A pleasure!

Armchair Interviews says: This book's a pleasure!

In Every Flower

by Patti Hill
ISBN: 978-0764229398
Amazon
Reviewed for Armchair Interviews


In her third book in the Garden Gate Series, Patti Hill again does a marvelous job capturing the readers’ attention and keeping it till the very end! We enter on the tail end of Mibby’s honeymoon to new husband, Larry, and meander through the crazy journey of blending families. Ky is a teenager, missing his father, and lashing out at all new circumstances, ends up getting himself in trouble. Mibby and Larry find themselves on opposite sides of almost every issue, from Larry’s imposing mother to how to handle Ky’s rebellious attitude. And during all of this, Mibby is finding her first husband, Scott, at every turn…his chair, the flowers he bought her, and Andrea, his daughter from a previous marriage. Mibby again finds strength in her dear friends and in the gardens she tends on a daily basis. She also learns to let go of Scott and relish in the special relationship she has with Larry.

In Every Flower followed the pattern of the first two Garden Gate books: I couldn’t put it down! There are so many ways I connected with Mibby and how she was feeling and dealing with Larry and Ky. What will happen to Mibby, Larry, Ky, Andrea, and Blink in the next Garden Gate book??? Praises to Patti Hill for wrapping us in her wonderful writings!

Armchair Interviews says: Praises to Patti Hill for wrapping us in her wonderful writings!

A Line Between Friends

by Michele VanOrt Cozzens
ISBN: 978-1932172263
Amazon
Reviewed for Armchair Interviews


Noelle begins the story by telling us about sending Christmas cards out, and a specific one she received from her long-time friend, Joel. Joel has asked her to no longer contact him. The tale unfolds as we are pushed back to their days of high school (where they met) and college. Noelle tries to figure out why Joel would ask her to stop writing to him…after all; they’re just friends, right? Well, we soon see that Joel has a very special place in his heart for Noelle, and he compares every other woman to her. They both date other people and they go their separate ways, but they always end up back with each other. While making friends, moving all over the country, and marrying other people, Joel and Noelle are able to remain friends although many years prior they ‘crossed the line of friendship’, they now had a sexual relationship as well. Noelle’s reaction to Joel’s request for her to no longer contact him is to write a book about their relationship. She becomes famous for this book, and Joel never speaks to her again.

Cozzens’ first book reminds me of a popular teen soap opera show of the nineties…Dawson’s Creek. Two childhood friends who one day cross ‘the line’ and then struggle to have relationships that aren’t compared to their first love. In the end one of them moves on and the other makes a bunch of money exploiting the relationship. It’s your typical ‘friends grow up and grow apart’ story-line and was very easy to read. There is a lot of history in this novel. The time frame goes back to 1977, so there is a lot of political issues and legal issues that are dealt with, along with personal struggles by each of the characters. Even though this wasn’t one of my favorite novels of the year, I can only hope that my first novel is this good!

Armchair Interview says: Good title to attract readers.