Bookish Thoughts: Vying For The Viscount

 

Description:

For Hudson, the newly titled Viscount Stildon, moving to England from India where he was born and raised was already an arduous enough endeavor. When he learns the fate of the racing empire he inherited along with his title depends upon him getting in the good graces of another stable owner, he's even more at a loss.

The stable at the neighboring estate has been Miss Bianca Snowley's refuge for years, and when a strange man appears to be stealing the horses, she jumps to their protection without a second thought. Upon learning Hudson is actually the new owner, she can't help but be intrigued by the area's newest eligible bachelor.

Any thought of romance is quickly set aside, however, when Hudson proposes they work together to secure suitable spouses for each other. As their friendship grows, Hudson and Bianca begin to reconsider what they truly want in life. But will societal expectations and the weight of their responsibilities keep them from pursuing their true desires?

About the Author:

Kristi Ann Hunter is the author of the Hawthorne House and Haven Manor series and a 2016 RITA Award winner and Christy Award finalist. Kristi graduated from Georgia Tech with a degree in computer science but always knew she wanted to write. She lives with her husband and three children in Georgia. Find her online at www.kristiannhunter.com.

My Thoughts:

I’ve been a fan of Kristi Ann Hunter’s since my first time reading “A Noble Masquerade” (which I’ve read at least 5 times now) and was very excited to learn she was starting a new series!  I’m always up for an adventure to Regency England via one of her books and couldn’t wait to start this one!

As always, I just adored the new characters in this book!  I was also very happy to see some old friends from a couple past books make an appearance!  Hudson and Bianca quickly took up residence in my mind, along with Aaron and surprisingly, Lady Rebecca.  I enjoyed their dialogue, frequently peppered with quick wit and banter  I commiserated with Bianca, reevaluating what she thought she wanted from her life.  And Hudson, coming to the place he was always informed would be his home, only to realize it’s so very different from what he’d expected.  I do have to confess, there were a couple times that I found his reluctance to make any form of decision without first consulting another person rather frustrating.  Though that did make it all the more satisfying when he finally did step up and come to realize that he didn’t need everyone’s approval for his life to be a success.

One of my favorite things about Ms. Hunter’s books is how she always finds ways to add humor to a story that doesn’t always necessarily sound like it’s going to be funny.  And it usually sneaks up on me, even though I’ve come to expect it.  Then I find myself, often in public, laughing out loud because of something a character said just so that I found hilarious or because a bunch of grooms are trying to teach a viscount how to dance.  I love it!

Overall, I greatly enjoyed this story and am eagerly anticipating the next one! (until then, I’ll probably be found rereading all of her other ones)

Thanks again for taking the time to stop by!  I know things are weird right now with Covid and all that, so please let me know how you're doing and if there's any way I can be praying for you, I'd love to do that. 

Have a ducky day! 

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Bookish Thoughts: Acceptable Risk

 

Description:

Sarah Denning is a military journalist with the Army in the Middle East when her convoy is attacked and she's taken hostage. When former Army Ranger Gavin Black is asked by his old unit commander--Sarah's imposing father--to plan an extremely risky rescue, he reluctantly agrees and successfully executes it.

Back in the US, Sarah is livid when she's discharged on a false psychiatric evaluation and vows to return to the Army. Until she learns of her brother's suicide. Unable to believe her brother would do such a thing, she puts her plans on hold and enlists Gavin to help her discover the truth. What they uncover may be the biggest story of Sarah's career--if she can survive long enough to write it.


About the Author:
Lynette Eason is the bestselling author of Collateral Damage and Protecting Tanner Hollow, as well as the Blue Justice, Women of Justice, Deadly Reunions, Hidden Identity, and Elite Guardians series. She is the winner of three ACFW Carol Awards, the Selah Award, and the Inspirational Reader's Choice Award, among others. She is a graduate of the University of South Carolina and has a master's degree in education from Converse College. Eason lives in South Carolina with her husband and two children. Learn more at www.lynetteeason.com.

My Thoughts:

Give me a good suspense book and I’ll happily spend the day reading. Give me a great one and I’ll stay up half the night finishing it. This one falls into the “great” category, without a doubt. 

Though there are several authors of suspense novels whose works I very much enjoy, I’ve yet to find one who keeps me turning pages like Ms. Eason does. She always leaves me guessing and wanting to rush on to see what’s going to happen next! Her stories are definitely on the opposite end of the spectrum from boring and I’ve learned to never start one later in the evening, unless I want to be up reading until well past midnight. I do have to say, I was surprised that I actually guessed correctly “whodunit.” I’m not typically right when it comes to Ms. Eason’s stories, but this one did seem a little obvious, even though I didn’t quite know the “why?” behind it. Though that didn’t hinder my enjoyment of the story at all. It just gave me more questions and reasons to stay up and keep turning the pages despite knowing my baby would be up a lot earlier than I would like.

"And that's what real strength is. 

Pressing on when it would be much easier to simply give up."

-Gavin Black

Sarah Denning is a compelling character. I so appreciated her strength and determination, despite her life being quickly upended in more ways than one. She hasn’t had an easy go of it and willingly admits that some of it has been her own doing. The story focused a lot on her, which I found very fitting. Not that Gavin Black doesn’t have his own issues, they just weren’t at the forefront like Sarah’s were. This book tackles family dysfunction, PTSD, suicide, and other mental illnesses. My heart broke with Sarah, for the grief she battles and the internal war with forgiveness. Gavin’s level-headedness, compassion, and integrity were much needed in light of everything she was dealing with. He obviously cares for Sarah and does his best to protect her and be the friend she needs during a very difficult time. I really enjoyed the fact that he’s not entirely the stereotypical suspense novel hero. He has a few of the usual traits, but I found it was his foibles that made him instantly likable. I also really enjoyed getting to see some familiar faces from “Collateral Damage.” As soon as I turned the last page, I was online, looking to see whose story would be next . . . I have to confess, I’m slightly disappointed that it’s not Caden’s. But I’ll still just be over here, waiting for the next one to come out . . . .and probably binge reading her previous books until then.

Thanks for stopping by!  Sorry for the weird look this one has - they updated the website and I'm still trying to figure it out, haha!

If you have time to leave a comment, please let me know who your favorite suspense author is!  I'm always looking for new recommendations, though our bookcases overflow-ith as it is. :)

Have a lovely day! 

 

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Bookish Thoughts: A Portrait of Loyalty

"There was still a God in heaven, and He still loved His children . . .

even when His children had failed to love one another."

- Lillian Blackwell

Description:

He sees patterns in what she deems chaos.
She sees beauty in a world he thought destroyed.

Zivon Marin was one of Russia's top cryptographers until the October Revolution tore apart his world. Forced to flee to England after speaking out against Lenin, Zivon is driven by a growing anger and determined to offer his services to the Brits. But never far from his mind is his brother, whom Zivon fears died in the train crash that separated them.

Lily Blackwell sees the world best through the lens of a camera and possesses unsurpassed skill when it comes to retouching and re-creating photographs. With her father's connections in propaganda, she's recruited to the intelligence division, even though her mother would disapprove if she ever found out.

After Captain Blackwell invites Zivon to dinner one evening, a friendship blooms between him and Lily that soon takes over their hearts. But both have secrets they're unwilling to share, and neither is entirely sure they can trust the other. When Zivon's loyalties are called into question, proving him honest is about more than one couple's future dreams--it becomes a matter of ending the war.

About the Author:

Roseanna M. White is a bestselling, Christy Award nominated author who has long claimed that words are the air she breathes. When not writing fiction, she’s homeschooling her two kids, editing, designing book covers, and pretending her house will clean itself. Roseanna is the author of a slew of historical novels that span several continents and thousands of years. Spies and war and mayhem always seem to find their way into her books…to offset her real life, which is blessedly ordinary. You can learn more about her and her stories at www.RoseannaMWhite.com.

My Thoughts:

I know for authors, they spend months, sometimes years writing a book.  But for a reader who spends hours reading what took much longer to write, it seems this series went by far too quickly for my liking.  I’ve greatly enjoyed all of Ms. White’s books that I’ve read and I honestly don’t think I could ever choose a favorite . . . but if I were to try, this one would definitely be in the running!

One of my favorite things about Ms. White’s books is the historical detail.  I love how it colors the stories and adds depth and detail to the characters and settings.  I also enjoy the uniqueness of the characters, along with their gifts and talents.  I’d never read of photography during WWI or how it was used in the war effort.  I so enjoyed how Lily, being a photographer, saw the world in a different way.  Ms. White did a great job showcasing that difference without making it overbearing or distracting from the rest of the story.  And I was fascinated by Zivon’s way of watching everything and predicting what would happen next.  I was also very happy to see characters from the previous books back to reprise their roles and get to see their stories continue!  I love that these characters have become dear friends over the course of the series, though I hated bidding them “farewell,” for now.

". . . Batya used to say that the difference between a wise man and a fool

was not that the wise man was right and the fool was wrong - but that the fool always 

assumed himself right, and the wise man would wonder if he could be wrong.

We cannot learn from our mistakes and grow wiser if we never admit to the times we've chosen the wrong path."

- Evgeni Marin

It seems to me that some of the most difficult books to read are often the ones that I keep coming back to read over and over.  I’m fairly confident that this one will be one of them.  Actually, probably this entire series.  In this story, grief, loss, hate, and bitterness, along with differing opinions in politics, are topics that are woven throughout.  I really appreciate how the author approaches them with her customary thought-provoking conversations, grace, and compassion.

There honestly wasn’t a single page of this book that I didn’t enjoy!  I highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys historical fiction!

*My thanks to the author and publisher for my copy of this book!  I was not required to write a review, positive or otherwise, and have not been compensated for it in any way.  All opinions expressed are my own.  

As always, thank you so much for taking the time to stop by!  There were several other quotes that I really wanted to share in this post too, but I don't want to spoil the fun of finding them for yourself!  If you'd care to learn more about the book, links are below!

Have a beautiful day!

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