Review ~ Almost Like Being in Love (Destination Wedding Series #2) by Beth K. Vogt

Paperback, 384 pages

Published June 28th 2016 by Howard Books (first published May 17th 2016)

5 STARS!!!

Vogt's skill with a pen is AH-MAZ-ING! Heart and soul, I was transported along on the journeys of Caron, Alex, and Kade. This isn't your average feel-good romance although it certainly contains romance. J The characters bear real life struggles and they're worked out on the page with refined delicacy. It's an emotional read encompassing disappointment, fear, joy, and love-- just to name a few. The settings leap off the page, they're so descriptive! And the secondary characters…let’s just say this supporting cast is perfect!

I highly recommend this book to fans of Contemporary/Christian/Inspirational fiction. 

I received a copy from the author and publisher in exchange for review purposes. No compensation has been received.

Pick up a copy at a favorite retailer.
 Amazon 
Barnes & Noble
CBD

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About Beth

Beth K. Vogt believes God’s best often waits behind the doors marked “Never.” Beth is a 2016 Christy Award winner, as well as a 2015 RITA® finalist, and three-time ACFW Carol Award finalist. She continues her destination wedding series with You Can’t Hurry Love (May 2016) and Almost Like Being in Love (June 2016). Visit Beth at bethvogt.com.

~Happy Reading~ 

Review ~ Shadows of Ladenbrooke Manor by Melanie Dobson

About the Book

When Heather Toulson returns to her parents cottage in the English countryside, she uncovers long-hidden secrets about her family history and stumbles onto the truth about a sixty-year-old murder. Libby, a free spirit who can't be tamed by her parents, finds solace with her neighbor Oliver, the son of Lord Croft of Ladenbrooke Manor. Libby finds herself pregnant and alone when her father kicks her out and Oliver mysteriously drowns in a nearby river. Though theories spread across the English countryside, no one is ever held responsible for Oliver's death.Sixty years later, Heather Toulson, returning to her family's cottage in the shadows of Ladenbrooke Manor, is filled with mixed emotions. She's mourning her father's passing but can't let go of the anger and resentment over their strained relationship. Adding to her confusion, Heather has an uneasy reunion with her first love, all while sorting through her family's belongings left behind in the cottage. As Heather digs, she finds a mysterious journal that belonged to a woman she never knew and it contains clues that lead to the truth about a mysterious drowning decades ago. What she uncovers will change everything she thought she knew about her family's history. Award-winning author Melanie Dobson seamlessly weaves the past and present together, fluidly unraveling the decades-old mystery and reveals how the characters are connected in shocking ways. Set in a charming world of thatched cottages, lush gardens, and lovely summer evenings, this romantic and historical mystery brings to light the secrets and heartaches that have divided a family for generations.

My Review ★★★★ ½ (Four ½ Stars)

It’s not often that a story moves me to such emotional depth as Shadows of Ladenbrooke Manor has done. It is a lovely and compelling read and one that I didn’t want to put it down. I was mesmerized by the characters and their plight—how negative choices followed from one generation to another, repeating themselves almost verbatim and the consequences therein. 

This is a complex story with many facets. The author chose to include a character who has what today would be called Autism but in fact very little was known about in the past. Perhaps the author drew from personal experience and that is what gave such realism to this character, I don’t know. But Libby was fascinating and strange and totally captured me from childhood to adulthood. 

Dobson exquisitely shows the isolation and rejection from society that comes to families who have children that are perceived as handicapped. I could certainly identify with Maggie, Libby’s mother, as I had a daughter with severe physical and mental disabilities. Even in our so-called modern society we experienced some heinous behavior from adults toward our daughter in her lifetime. It is a daily struggle for a parent to stay focused and positive for the child’s benefit. The author portrayed this element with great finesse, though at times I wished for a few happier moments. 

In life there are those who think trying to hide their sin is the best solution but in the end the truth usually prevails. It certainly did for Maggie. It cost her dearly in her marriage, with repercussions spreading to her husband and daughter. Walter’s poignant and heartbreaking journal entries begin each part of the story and are key to what drives it forward, in my opinion. I felt so sorry for him from the beginning. Not that he was without some faults but he was rooked. 

There are some tough choices and decisions made by each member of this family that can only be redeemed and used for good through their surrender to Christ. Not everything is neat and tidy at the end but it was still an engaging story because the author has a way of weaving words and emotions together on the page that are mesmerizing. Shadows of Ladenbrooke Manor is filled with love, betrayal, broken promises and dark secrets exposed.

Melanie Dobson has become one of my favorite authors and I am looking forward to reading her future work. I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys Christian historical/contemporary hybrids laced with mystery and faith.

Thank you to the author and Howard Books for providing me with a copy for review purposes. My honest opinion is all that is required. No compensation has been received. 

~Happy Reading~

A Bit of Summer Reading

With so many wonderful books to choose from this summer, here are three in my 

TBR (To Be Read) stack.

Howard Books, May 2015

Melanie Dobson has quickly become one of my favorite writers. Her works are poignant, mysterious and faith-driven.


In Shadows of Ladenbrooke Manor...
When Heather Toulson returns to her parents cottage in the English countryside, she uncovers long-hidden secrets about her family history and stumbles onto the truth about a sixty-year-old murder....

Bethany House Publishers, June 2015

Jen Turano's writing style knocks my socks off! She is witty to the point of eliciting spontaneous out loud laughter. Her books are stand alone titles yet interrelated, so don't cheat yourself out of a full experience...read them in order.

  
In Good Company...
After growing up as an orphan, Millie Longfellow is determined to become the best nanny the East Coast has ever seen. Unfortunately, her playfulness and enthusiasm aren't always well received and she finds herself dismissed from yet another position.

Everett Mulberry has quite unexpectedly become guardian to three children that scare off every nanny he hires. About to depart for Newport, Rhode Island, for the summer, he’s desperate for competent childcare...

Thomas Nelson, July 2015

Susan May Warren's talent is undeniable and her stories irresistible.

Be swept away in book five, The Wonder of You...
Mortified after her semester abroad is cut short, Amelia Christiansen returns to Deep Haven, certain she isn’t brave enough for the adventures she’s dreamed of. The last thing she expects is for the man who broke her heart to cross the Atlantic and beg forgiveness...

I love both historical and contemporary stories. Melanie Dobson's book is a contemporary/historical hybrid, so I get the best of both!

All links take you to Goodreads where you can read more about the books and their authors. It's a great place to connect with other bibliophiles, too.

What's in your TBR?

~Happy Reading~

Review ~ Crazy Little Thing Called Love by Beth Vogt, with an Official Release Giveaway

 About the Book

Paramedic Vanessa Hollister has put her adolescence behind her, including the unwanted label of being the new kid in town over and over again, thanks to her father’s military career. She’s overcome what her mother called “the biggest mistake of her life” and is planning an elegant destination wedding in Destin, Florida with her new fiancé. But will the reappearance of her first husband from her what-were-you-thinking teenage elopement disrupt her dream of an idyllic beach wedding?

As a professional storm chaser, Logan Hollister is used to taking risks. However, a reckless decision during the last tornado season has him questioning the future of his team, the Stormmeisters. Coming face to face with his ex-wife eight years after their divorce compels him to confront his greatest regret: losing Vanessa. Does their past give him the right to interfere with her future?

A fast-moving, powerful hurricane throws Vanessa and Logan together as they evacuate to a storm shelter along with other residents of the Florida Gulf Coast. Forced to spend time together, the pair battles unexpected renewed feelings for each other.

Vanessa and Logan are faced with a choice: Should they accept, once and for all, their teenage marital mistake? Or is God offering them a second chance at happily ever after?

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My Review

Once in a while I find myself so infinitely entrenched in the pages of a book, I lose track of time and maybe a little sleep. Such was the case with Vogt’s latest release, Crazy Little Thing Called Love. Plus, I was so caught up in the storyline between Vanessa and Logan, I found myself in tears on more than one occasion.  

This line jumped out at me and I knew I had to put it on this photo of the beach. It's where I always feel God's vast and all-encompassing power the most–standing at the ocean's edge–and I know He is capable of rescue in any situation.

On the surface it appears to be a story about two people who are being reunited after divorce almost a decade earlier but it goes much deeper than that. Much. Deeper. I was completely blown away by the author’s writing. Seriously, Vogt just gets better and better. The plot is well-developed with characters who have real struggles and doubts and fears. I like how the whole story plays out on the page in a balanced manor; plenty of compelling dialogue to go with some pretty intense introspection from both characters. It flows along effortlessly and then picks up some serious emotional speed toward the end. 

The wedding scene…oh. my. goodness. Talk about romantic. Logan Hollister has got to be Christian fiction’s ultimate bridegroom ever!

Anyone who enjoys Contemporary fiction with a strong faith theme will fall in love with Crazy Little Thing Called Love. I know it has everything this reader wanted and more. 

My deepest gratitude to the author and Howard Books for providing a copy for review purposes. This is my honest opinion of the book. No monetary compensation has been received.

Click the link below to enter the giveaway sponsored
by Beth Vogt and maybe you will be a winner.

Crazy Little Thing Called Love
Official Release GIVEAWAY!!


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You MUST follow the link above.
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~Happy Reading~

Review ~ Somebody Like You by Beth Vogt

Book Blurb (from Goodreads)

Can a young widow find love again with her husband’s reflection?

Haley’s three-year marriage to Sam, an army medic, ends tragically when he’s killed in Afghanistan. Her attempts to create a new life for herself are ambushed when she arrives home one evening—and finds her husband waiting for her. Did the military make an unimaginable mistake when they told her Sam was killed?

Too late to make things right with his estranged twin brother, Stephen discovers Sam never told Haley about him. As Haley and Stephen navigate their fragile relation­ship, they are inexorably drawn to each other. How can they honor the memory of a man whose death brought them together—and whose ghost could drive them apart?

Somebody Like You is a beautifully rendered, affecting novel, reminding us that while we can’t change the past, we have the choice to change the future and start anew.

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My Review

Displaying  a mastery of writing skills, Beth Vogt has penned an astonishingly complex and emotional novel. Somebody Like You is a deeply moving story about a pregnant young widow whose husband Sam, after only three years being married, has been killed in Afghanistan. 

Haley, otherwise known as ‘Hal’, grew up having three older brothers that she had to keep up with or be left out. Over the years, she developed the persona of being ‘one of the guys’. That’s one of the traits that attracted Sam to her in the first place. He always said she was the perfect Army wife; he didn't have to worry about her while he was deployed (which was most of their marriage) because she was independent and strong. At her core, she wonders how she is going to manage everything without Sam; taking care of a new house and a baby. And then her world is rocked again. Is that her deceased husband back from the grave, standing on her front porch?

Stephen Ames has been estranged from his twin brother, Sam, for over a decade.  When he gets news that Sam has died, he is filled with remorse and wonders how will he reconcile now that his brother is gone. He decides to seek out Sam’s widow in hopes of learning about his brother’s life the past decade and somehow make amends. Stephen is the opposite of Sam in so many ways, except looks. In fact, they were mirror twins, so when he shows up on Haley’s doorstep, she thinks Sam survived after all. That scene in the book is one of the most touching and wrenching I believe I have read in a long while. Can you imagine someone that you thought was gone, reappearing?

Somebody Like You is a beautiful book, from the lovely cover to the words on the pages. While I felt the sadness and sorrow over Sam’s death, I enjoyed watching Haley and Stephen get to know one another. They had to let go of expectations of themselves and each other, much like we do in real life. And the scenes between Stephen and the baby are precious! He really is the best fictional uncle J

There’s such a great blend of faith, grief, humor and just plain fun in this story. I know it sounds kind of crazy. How can all those things go together? But they do, and quite perfectly at that.

I appreciate the author and Howard Books providing me a copy for review purposes. My honest opinion is all that was required. No monetary compensation has been received.

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About the Author

God’s best is often found behind the doors marked “Never.”

So many times I approached life with with a virtual roll of yellow duct tape emblazoned with the word NEVER. Over and over again I sealed off certain opportunities.

I would never marry a doctor or anyone in the military.

I would never have children.

I would never write fiction.

And don’t you know God stripped off the duct tape and walked me through each of those NEVER doors?

Have you ever marked a door NEVER … only to discover his best waited where you said you’d never go?

Following God through that door doesn’t mean we’re on “easy street,”‘even though we’re where he wants us to be.

Connect with Beth @ www.bethvogt.com

Review ~ Chateau of Secrets by Melanie Dobson

A courageous young noblewoman risks her life to hide French resistance fighters; seventy years later, her granddaughter visits the family’s abandoned chateau and uncovers shocking secrets from the past.

Releases May 13th

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My Review

Riveting! I knew when Melanie contacted me about reviewing this book that I was going to enjoy the story but little did I know how much. Chateau of Secrets is a historical-contemporary novel expertly written to engage the reader in both the past and present.

With alternating chapters, this story gripped my heart from the opening scene in the chapelle, to the ending  scene in the same chapelle some 70 years later. I don’t know a lot about France during WWII but I was mesmerized from the start by the story of Giselle, a young woman fighting for her country in the only way she could during a most horrible time in history.

Emotions of fear, angst, loyalty and love were prominent throughout this superbly written novel. I could feel the horrors of death and war, and at the same time I was swept away by the love Giselle had for her family and country. The pages are filled with faith, intrigue, suspense, drama and romance. This is a story of secrets that are kept out of shame and fear and love.

It’s also a story about another young woman in today’s world suffering heartbreak, an identity crisis and foundering in her faith. Chloe is searching for answers. She needs to find out who she is, where she is supposed to be in this life, and why her grandmother won’t talk much about when she lived in France during the war.

There are a lot of characters in this story but I had no problem keeping them straight. As much as I enjoyed the contemporary scenes, I could have reveled in it being a total historical, those sections are that good! It was so hard to put this book down when I absolutely needed to, that I kept thinking about it as I was doing other things, anticipating the next time I could pick it back up. Finally, I decided I just could not wait any longer and stayed up from 3:30am until 6:00am so I could finish it! This is definitely one of the best books I have read so far this year. I highly recommend it to any historical/contemporary fan. If you haven’t read a book written this way, you really should give it a try. And it’s loosely based on a true story so that makes it even better!

I want to thank the author, Melanie Dobson, for sending me an Advance Uncorrected Proof for review purposes. I wasn’t required to write a positive review, just my opinion of the book, which I have done. No compensation has been received.

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By using the widget below, you can pre-order your own copy. I make a small commission on the sale of the book.

Christian Book Store

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To read more about the inspiration behind the novel, visit Melanie at her blog, Dobsons 411.

Have a blessed day in the Lord!

Contributor Review ~ Wish You Were Here by Beth Vogt

Author Bio

Beth K. Vogt is a nonfiction author and editor who said she’d never write fiction. She’s the wife of an air force
physician (now in solo practice) who said she’d never marry a doctor—or anyone in the military. She’s a mom of
four who said she’d never have kids. She’s discovered that God’s best often waits behind the doors marked “Never.”

She writes contemporary romance because she believes there’s more to happily ever after than the fairy tales tell us.
Beth is also the author of Baby Changes Everything: Embracing and Preparing for Motherhood after 35, and she makes her home in Colorado.

Connect with Beth on her website.

Book Blurb

Allison Denman is supposed to get married in five days, but everything is all wrong. The huge wedding. The frothy dress. And the groom.

Still, kissing the groom’s brother in an unguarded moment is decidedly not the right thing to do. How could she have made such a mistake? It seems Allison’s life is nothing but mistakes at this point. And pulling a “Runaway Bride” complete with stealing, er, borrowing her best friend’s car doesn’t seem to solve her problems.

Can Allison find her way out of this mess? Maybe she just needs to stop orchestrating everything. Allison prefers being the one in control, and giving it up is not going to be easy. But to find her way again, she will have to believe that God has a plan for her and find the strength to let Him lead.

Reviewed by Rebecca Maney

I read the ending three times. It was that good.

Beth Vogt’s debut novel, Wish You Were Here, captured my attention on the very first page with gut-wrenching sincerity, tender romance, comedic settings, (an aunt who rehabilitates llamas and a trash-your-dress photo shoot, just to name a few!) and characters who kept me smiling, laughing, and crying through-out all three hundred-plus pages. “Never judge a book by its cover” was certainly true of this novel; a bright, flirty book cover whispered only a hint of a truly sensational story.

“She should never have said yes.” Allison Denman is about to get married in a dress that she doesn’t like, to a man that she really shouldn’t marry. So when she proceeds to share a spontaneous, passionate kiss with the groom’s brother, just five days before her wedding, life as Allison knows it begins to spiral out of control. Her confusion climaxes when she bolts from her own wedding and becomes a “runaway bride”; setting into motion a tumultuous series of events.

Seth and Daniel Rayner are two brothers who love the same woman. Seth has known and dated Allison for six years; being his father’s “favorite son” has pushed him up the corporate ladder of the family business; marrying Allison is just one of the carefully planned rungs in the ladder. Daniel, on the other hand, has known Allison those same six years, albeit from a distance, (literally) as he traveled the world, freelancing adventurous additions to resorts and vacation spots; sending Allison postcards; along with, unknown to him, pieces of his heart. (I loved the postcards at the beginning of each chapter; brilliant idea!) Allison loves them both, but finds herself about to marry the wrong one and cannot bring herself to think that she has the courage to love the right one.

To clear her head, Allison leaves her known world behind and moves in with her delightful aunt Nita, who becomes a life-line and confidant as Allison struggles with her past and tries to move forward towards her future. Daniel inadvertently ends up in the same town and notifies Seth of her location. One avalanche and several double- brother -troubles later, Allison separates herself from both of them in an attempt to find her true self. In the end, it is Daniel who loves her enough to let her go; they both end up renewing a relationship with God, the true lover of their souls, whose plan for their life brings them back together in a “happily-ever-after” for the record books.

Tenth Avenue North has a beautiful song titled “You Are More”. These words came to mind as I finished this wonderful story about a young woman who thought that she was just one big “mistake”. Most certainly not!

“You are more than the choices that you’ve made,

You are more than the sum of your past mistakes,

You are more than the problems you create,

You’ve been remade”.

What an awesome assurance from an awesome God! What a great story from a talented author! And did I mention that I read the ending three times?

Purchase your copy today at  CBD (Christian Book Distributors).