Book Review: Snowflake Sweethearts by Carrie Turansky

Snowflake Sweethearts was the first of Carrie Turansky’s books I’ve read and I thoroughly enjoyed it! 

Annie Romano, the heroine, has a little girl to provide for so she returns to her hometown to start over where it’s safe. She puts her plans and her life on hold to help care for an older woman and that’s where the adventure begins. Sometimes it’s the bumps in the road that steer us toward the right path and give us a chance to examine our hearts and motives. That’s exactly what happens to Annie in Snowflake Sweethearts. It’s what happens to Alex Jameson, too, when his heart opens to Annie. Carrie’s characters deal with real-life problems. They may not always make the right choices all the time but supporting characters lead the way and gently influence their decisions. Carrie’s sweet heart shines through in her writing and I can’t wait to read more of her books. 

Here’s the book’s blurb: Bringing her daughter to the one place she feels safe, single mother Annie Romano returns to Fairhaven, Washington. Though hoping to start a new life as a personal chef, Annie accepts a different job. Alex Jameson, the handsome man she secretly loved as a teenager, needs a live-in caregiver for his ailing grandmother. A big-city workaholic in town temporarily, Alex doesn't seem to realize how much he needs family—or love. But the holiday season, his grandmother's matchmaking friends and one fatherless little girl start pulling at both Annie's and Alex's heartstrings. Just in time for the most special Christmas ever.
 
Here's my recent interview with Carrie. Enjoy!

Book Review - Be Still My Soul by Joanne Bischof

I recently devoured Joanne Bischof's debut novel, Be Still My Soul. 

Did I say devour? Well, I did! 

This story grabbed me from the first page and never let go.

Lonnie, the heroine, is someone who is so easy to feel for. You want her to be happy. When things go bad in her life, you want to reach into the book and help her out. But you can't. Lonnie knows where to go for help though. She leans on the Lord and even when things seem like they will never be right, she still reaches to God in her weakness and doubt. I wanted to slap Gideon, the hero, for quite a while because he was no hero at all. In fact, he treated Lonnie pretty badly. But her quiet nature and gentle spirit won him over in many ways. Still, there was much to be worked on in Gideon's life before he could ever become a true hero to Lonnie. The story was sweet and filled with angst and kept me turning pages. But the writing is what made me beg for my evening reading time to come quickly. Joanne is a phenomenal writer and I'm thrilled to have read her book. I can't wait for book two in the sequel! 

Be Still My Soul - Gideon only ever cared about himself. Now that Lonnie is his wife, will he ever be worthy of her heart?

Night’s chill tickled her skin. Lonnie pressed her hands together and glanced up. He was even more handsome up close. Having grown up the shy, awkward daughter of Joel Sawyer, she’d hardly spoken to any boy, let alone the one who had mothers whispering warnings in their daughter’s ears and fathers loading shotguns.

Pretty Lonnie Sawyer is shy and innocent, used to fading into the background within her family, and among the creeks and hollows of the Appalachian hills. Though her family is poor and her father abusive, she clings to a quiet faith. But when handsome ladies’ man and bluegrass musician Gideon O’Riley steals a kiss, that one action seals her fate. Her father forces her into a hasty marriage with Gideon—a man she barely knows and does not love. Equally frustrated and confused by his new responsibilities, Gideon yearns for a fresh start, forcing Lonnie on an arduous journey away from her home in Rocky Knob. Her distant groom can’t seem to surrender his rage at the injustice of the forced matrimony or give Lonnie any claim in his life.  What will it take for Gideon to give up his past, embrace Lonnie’s God, and discover a hope that can heal their two fractured hearts? You can find Joanne on the Internet at these sites: Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/joannebischof Website: http://www.joannebischof.com/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/joannebischof Be Still My Soul on Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/joannebischof/appalachian-romance/ Amazon buy: http://www.amazon.com/Be-Still-My-Soul-Cadence/dp/1601424213/ref=pd_rhf_se_p_t_1 B&N Buy: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/be-still-my-soul-joanne-bischof/1108939519?ean=9781601424211 CBD Buy: http://www.christianbook.com/still-my-soul-cadence-of-grace/joanne-bischof/9781601424211/pd/424212?item_code=WW&netp_id=993423&event=ESRCG&view=details I reviewed this book for Blogging for Books with no obligation to write a positive review.