Book Review - The Gillespie County Fair by Marc Hess

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The oldest fair in Texas is the Gillespie County Fair. The fair is well regarded and everyone loves to participate in the fair. The old German farming community is struggling to keep it's original charm alive, while rampant land developers are trying to buy up family homesteads.  Two families are torn apart over the sale of their homestead. Will the community be able to survive?

When I first read this book, I thought it was going to be about a community that is struggling and how they able to come together. However, I made it 75% through the book before I found it rather pointless to say the very least. There were a lot of characters and many of them felt just throw into the story. It was very hard to keep track of how all these characters played a role in the story. To be honest, I still don't know what role they played. And, I am not really interested in finding out more about the characters. Overall, I found the book very hard to get into and the characters unrelatable. I wish the author focused on a few main characters and built a concise storyline.

 **Disclosure - I received a free  copy of this book in exchange for an honest opinion. This post may contain affiliate links which means I earn advertising and/or referral fees if you purchase an item through my link. Please note, there will be no extra charges to you. Thank you for your support.**

Book Review - The Light Before Day (Nantucket Legacy #3) by Suzanne Woods Fisher

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Henry Macy returns to Nantucket after being gone for three years on a whaling voyage. He receives news that his grandmother, Lillian Coffin has given Henry and Hitty a vast inheritance. However, the fortune comes with steep conditions. Henry and Hitty are given conditions, such as who they can marry. If Henry and Hitty fail to meet the conditions of the will, the inheritance will go to their father's thieving business partner, Tristram Macy. Will Henry and Hitty be able to satisfy all of the will's conditions to obtain their inheritance?

This is the third novel in the series and it can be read as a standalone. However, I think the story will be more enjoyable if readers read the first two books. I found this novel to be an enjoyable read and a welcome addition to the series. I enjoyed reading how Henry and Hitty progressed into adulthood and seeing them make their own choices. Overall, a good read if you are a fan of the series.

**Disclosure - I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest opinion. This post may contain affiliate links which means I earn advertising and/or referral fees if you purchase an item through my link. Please note, there will be no any extra charges to you. Thank you for your support.**

Book Review - Revealed by Elaine Manders + Giveaway

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Katherine Levinson put her life on hold while taking care of her sick mother after her father dies. She and her mother face eviction if they can't pay rent. After all other sources of income dry up, she has no choice but, to reach out to estrange wealthy brother, Rhyan Cason. However, her ill mother refuses to contact Rhyan.

When Katherine and her mother move to the cattle ranch, Sollano, they are met with whispers and scorn. Katherine learns of her parents' buried past and secrets are revealed. With Rhyan being busy with cattle rustlers, Katherine turns to Colt Holliman, a calm neighboring rancher, for comfort. However, Colt is promised to another woman, Charley Ryder but, he feels drawn to Katherine. Will Colt be able to follow his heart? What secrets are buried in Katherine's past?

I found the novel to be a good read. I like the parts with Charley performing stunts and portraying her as a strong female character. I enjoyed that there wasn't a lot of deny of each other's feelings. Such as, "Oh, she's not good enough" or "He's a bad boy" back and forth. I haven't read the other stories in the series but, I found this still to be an enjoyable read.

**Disclosure - I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest opinion**

About the Book

Title: Revealed
Author: Elaine Manders
Genre: Christian Historical Romance
Release Date: December 27, 2018

Nothing can be hidden that won’t be revealed.

When her father dies, Katherine Levinson discovers her parents have kept secrets that render her happy childhood a farce. She and her gravely ill mother face eviction, and she has no choice but to appeal to the brother she’s never seen, the famous cattle baron, Rhyan Cason. Over her gravely ill mother’s objections, they move to Nebraska and the sprawling cattle ranch, Sollano.

Instead of the warm welcome Katherine expects, she and her mother are met with whispers and scorn in the little prairie town near Sollano. Gradually, the sins of her parents’ past surface, and Katherine begins to doubt her very identify. With her brother busy with cattle rustlers and her mother too ill to be bothered, Katherine turns to Colt Holliman, a soft-spoken neighboring rancher, for comfort.

Tired of waiting for the right woman to come along, Colt has promised to wait for Charley Ryder, an acclaimed female sharp shooter and equestrian acrobat with the Wild West Show, but it’s becoming clear Charley loves the show more than him. As his attraction to Katherine grows, he finds himself spiritually conflicted. How can he break from past commitments and follow his heart?

Then unexpected danger strikes, testing Katherine’s and Colt’s faith in God—and each other.

About the Author

 

Elaine Manders writes wholesome Christian romance and suspense about the bold, capable women of history and the strong, dependable men who love them. Her stories twist, turn, and surprise, told by characters who aren’t afraid to show their love for God and each other. She grew up a small town country girl and now lives in Central Georgia with her fur baby. Besides writing, she enjoys reading, sewing, crafts, and spending time with her family.

Giveaway

To celebrate her tour, Elaine is giving away a grand prize of a $50 Amazon gift card!!

Click below to enter. Be sure to comment on this post before you enter to claim 9 extra entries! 

https://promosimple.com/ps/cee6/revealed-celebration-tour-giveaway

Book Review - High Cotton by Debby Mayne

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The Bucklin family has a family reunion almost every few months which is why no one really wants to go but they go to avoid being talked about. Shay Henke has mixed feelings about the next reunion. She is looking forward to meeting her family and spending time with them but she has been single for so long and knows everyone would only focus on her being single. Days leading up to the event, Shay learns a secret her sister-in-law is keeping along with juggling her childish twin cousins. When Shay's high school crush moves back home, will Shay be able to deal with all the drama?

The book is enriched with Southern heritage values with names such as Digger, Puddin', Missy, Southern gentleman values, and sweet tea. When I first read the summary, I assumed the deep, dark secret was going to be something terrible and horrendous. When, the cat was out of the bag, the secret was quite laughable especially since the person already knew. The characters' dynamics were interesting and fun to read especially at the family reunion pieces but I felt some of their values were a bit old fashioned. I also found it disheartening that three people go from being alone to finding love in less than 100 pages at breakneck speed.  Along with many characters thinking their problems would end their world but was solved a few pages in. The story was told by four females' point-of-view, but I think I would have preferred maybe just two, so we would get more details into that person's life.

**Disclosure - I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest opinion**

Book Review - A Name Unknown (Shadows Over England #1) by Roseanna M. White

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Rosemary Gresham was an orphaned at a young age when her family became sick. She was taken in by a bar owner along with a band of other orphans. Together, they rob from wealthy to survive in the streets. However, a wealthy gentleman approaches Rosemary to spy on a British citizen to determine if his loyalties lie with Britain or Germany. The mysterious gentleman knows more about Rosemary and is offering her a great deal of money that her family desperately needs.  

Peter Holstein has dual citizenship with Germany and Britain which causes people to mistrust him. His neighbors think he sympathizes with Germany and terrorize him whenever he goes. Peter is quite elegantly with the written word and is an established writer but writes under a pen name because of his German name.  When Rosemary arrives at his door and willing to help him look through his files to prove his loyalty to England; Peter believes his prayers has been answered. Will Rosemary be able to prove where Peter's true loyalty lie? Will Peter be able to fight for his happiness?

The novel had an interesting premise but I felt the book was about 100 pages to long. I felt that it dragged on and it had a lot of unnecessary fluff pieces. The ending had a bit of a twist but it wasn't enough to warrant me to ever want to read this book again. I wasn't very fond of Rosemary either, that she thinks that because the wealthy has so much that she is entitled to steal from them. They wanted the wealthy to treat them with respect and they found several people from the gentle class who treated her with respect but yet they continue to act that everyone who is wealthy deserves to be stolen from. If they don't want to be disrespected they shouldn't treat other people that way.

**Disclosure - I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest opinion**