Brides of Kansas by Tracey V. Bateman

Brides of Kansas by Tracey V. Bateman

Blurb:

Meet three survivors who ve tossed social convention to the prairie winds in order to make their way on the Kansas frontier. Cassidy Sinclair is alone with a niece to care for but can she marry a stranger? Tarah St. John s life changes drastically when she reaches out to two abused children. The impetuous Laney Jenkins is determined to hold on to the reins of her destiny, regardless of any man. Can these determined women open their lives to new possibilities in faith and love? Find out in this inspiring three-book collection by author Tracey Bateman.


I enjoyed reading this bundle but sometimes I thought that the inspirational part was a bit too pronounced. Trusting and having faith are one thing but very often the characters felt punished by god because they hadn't kept their promise or whatever - maybe this is not unusual but somehow I was a bit upset when god and his punishment were used to keep a couple apart and when somebody suffered a lot because he or she thought that she had brought down something horrible on someone because of a prayer for help.

Apart from that I liked these stories that followed several members of a family from the first meeting of the Cassidy and Dell in the first book to the marriages and love stories of their children in the other books.
A wonderful loving family who open their hearts to those around them and who help others no matter what it costs. You just have to love those people and you feel with them und hope that everything turns out just fine because their love for each other and for those in need of love around them is touching.

Love, laughter and hard but honest work are the basis of their lives and it is great to see how everything comes together and everybody ends up with the right partner.

★★★

A Lady Unrivaled (Ladies of the Manor #3) by Roseanna M. White

  

 A Lady Unrivaled (Ladies of the Manor #3) by Roseanna M. White

Blurb: 

Lady Ella Myerston can always find a reason to smile--even if it's just in hope that tomorrow will be better than today. All her life everyone has tried to protect her from the realities of the world, but Ella knows very well the danger that has haunted her brother and their friend, and she won't wait for it to strike again. She intends to take action . . . and if that happens to involve an adventurous trip to the Cotswolds, then so much the better.
Lord Cayton has already broken two hearts, including that of his first wife, who died before he could convince himself to love her. Now he's determined to live a better life. But that proves complicated when old friends arrive on the scene and try to threaten him into a life of crime. He does his best to remove the intriguing Lady Ella from danger, but the stubborn girl won't budge. How else can he redeem himself, though, but by saving her--and his daughter--from those dangerous people who seem ready to destroy them all?


Wow, this book was amazing! Ella and Cayton are wonderful characters that made me fall in love with them almost right from the start. I was captivated from the first page on and even though I didn't know the other books in the series, I had no problems at all to get into the story (only to find afterwards that somehow the other books found their way onto my wishlist because, well, I just have to read them!).

The story itself was fast-paced and intriguing, full of suspense and adventure, I really loved all the twists and turns and I couldn't wait to find out how things end! It was a complex and well plotted story that really kept me glued to my reader. Readers who were lucky enough to read the first books in the series will be delighted to hear that you'll have the chance to meet again all those characters that you've met in the other books and find out how their stories go on. And of course you'll find out more about the Fire Eyes and the secrets and the danger around them...

This is also an inspirational book but the tone of the book is never preaching or overly moral which makes it a very delightful and enjoyable read. I must admit that I'm always a bit wary of inspirational books because some of them tend to overdoing things and setting a tone that is far too much like wagging a finger at all those who don't share this kind of strong belief or the story suffers from it. This is definitely not the case with this book. I really enjoyed reading it and I know that this wasn't the last book by this author either!

★★★★★

A Love Transformed (Sapphire Brides #3) by Tracie Peterson

  A Love Transformed (Sapphire Brides #3) by Tracie Peterson

Blurb:

When Clara Vesper's husband, Adolph, dies suddenly, Clara is stunned--but not grief-stricken. Her marriage to Adolph had been arranged, their primary interaction revolving around the sapphire jewelry Clara designed and Adolph produced and sold. Widowed and penniless, with two small children, Clara decides to return to her aunt and uncle's ranch in Montana, the only place she has ever been happy.
Curtis Billingham, injured in a sapphire mine collapse, is recuperating at the ranch of his friends, Paul and Madeline Sersland. But when the Serslands' niece returns from New York City, Curtis curses both his broken body and his broken past. Clara, the love of his life, has come back to him, but he is no longer worthy of her love.
Clara's brother-in-law Otto Vesper, Adolph's business partner, fears that the loss of Clara's design skills will doom the company's prospects. Following her to Montana, Otto is prepared to do whatever it takes to get Clara to return with him to New York.
As Clara fights for love and freedom, a dangerous secret in her late husband's life comes to light, threatening everyone she loves.


On the whole I enjoyed reading this book. It is well written and has a well plotted and really interesting story that keeps a reader on his toes.

It didn't take me long to really really hate Clara's mother who is determined to dominate her daughter's life and to push her into just another loveless marriage. This woman made me so furious that I wished that she was real and I could just tell her what a monster she is.

I loved to see how the love between Curtis and Clara rekindles and how they slowly find their way back to each other despite everything that happened since her mother took her away 14 years ago. Clara's children are very sweet and I loved to see them open up to Curtis and also to this wonderful uncle and aunt of Clara's.
Clara tries to spread her wingsand win her freedom but it's not just her mother who is working against her. Will she be able to follow her heart or will the circumstances force her to accept another man's suit? And will Curtis be able to leave his past in the past and trust the future?

I know that the publisher is the leading publisher for inspirational fiction so I expected some christian content but in this case it was sometimes a bit too much. Of course do people in need turn to god when things get rough but somehow I felt that some more doing and a bit less praying might have been a bit more effective or more captivating for the reader.
Nevertheless the book was really interesting and on the whole very enjoyable.

★★★★