To Steal A Heart

About the Book

After a childhood as a street thief, Gabriella Goodhue thought she’d put her past behind her until a fellow resident at her boardinghouse is unjustly accused of theft. In the middle of breaking into a safe that holds the proof to prove her friend’s innocence, Gabriella is interrupted by Nicholas Quinn, the man she once considered her best friend–until he abandoned her.

After being taken under the wing of a professor who introduced him into society and named him as heir, Nicholas is living far removed from his childhood life of crime. As a favor to a friend, Nicholas agreed to help clear the name of an innocent woman, never imagining he’d be reunited with the girl he thought lost to him forever.

As Gabriella and Nicholas are thrown together into one intrigue after another, their childhood affection grows into more, but their newfound feelings are tested when truths about their past are revealed and danger follows their every step.

My Thoughts

This book made me smile. The ladies at the Bleecker Street Inquiry Agency are a delightful if forward thinking, bunch who come into themselves as they unite to help others. All of the things you love about Ms. Turano’s stories are present including laugh out loud moments, witty and sometimes over the top dialogue, and character with whom you want to be friends. If I lived in 1886, I would want to live in that boarding house.

The sweet slow burning romance between Nicholas and Gabriella had enough twists and turns to keep you guessing while confident that all would turn out happily ever after. Even the characters that I wasn’t so sure about showed in the end that they’re coming around.

Despite the fact that there are A LOT of characters, I didn’t have a problem keeping track or remembering who is who. They support the story well without overwhelming Nicholas and Gabriella’s growing friendship. While I guessed a bit of the mystery part of the book early, it was a delightful ride seeing how it all came together in the end. After a satisfying end, I closed the book with a big smile on my face.

While I was provided a copy of this book by the publisher, I was not required to post a positive review. All thoughts are honestly my own.

About the Author

Named One of the Funniest Voices in Inspirational Romance by Booklist, Jen Turano is a USA Today Best-Selling Author, known for penning quirky historical romances set in the Gilded Age. Her books have earned Publisher Weekly and Booklist starred reviews, top picks from Romantic Times, and praise from Library Journal. She’s been a finalist twice for the RT Reviewers’ Choice Awards and had two of her books listed in the top 100 romances of the past decade from Booklist. When she’s not writing, she spends her time outside of Denver, CO. She can be found on Facebook, Instagram, and www.jenturano.com

Vying for the Viscount

“‘Turnips?'”

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?

“‘Everyone’s life has a committee. You need to decide whose on yours. And who isn’t.'”

My Thoughts

Okay, ya’ll – you know that scene in Sleepless in Seattle where Meg Ryan is driving down the road singing “Horses, horses, horses, horses?” That’s this book. So many horses, so little time!

Bianca is a firecracker; you can’t help but fall in love with her in the first five pages. (I don’t count the prologue.) More pages in, you sympathize with her struggles at home, then you admire her concern for Hudson’s misguided “love” interest. Kristi has a way of writing which pulls you into the category of “fictional characters that I wish were real and my friends.” Bianca falls into that category.

Hudson is…a man. He’s charmingly oblivious to the love of his life because he’s so set on his goals. Admittedly, it made me yell out loud at him a few times. The important part is he comes around in the end to give Bianca her happy beginning.

Kristi brings a surprising amount of depth to her secondary characters. In the end, you realize that everyone has good and bad sides and that even the characters that are aggravating you the whole book have good moments and their own pasts influencing who they are.

For Kristi’s Good Little Readers fandom: #mytrent and #teamaaron both make appearances. I love how Kristi has given us more insight into “I am illegitimate” Aaron as he becomes Hudson’s confident.

“”Lord Trent buys horse byproduct from a couple of the stables in the area…apparently that’s a required element for growing pineapples.’ ‘For Pineapples?…I’m never eating pineapple again.””

I encourage you to pick up a copy. Those of you who have read Kristi’s previous books, we also get to revisit characters (like Trent! and Aaron!) from her last two series: Hawthorne House and Haven Manor.

I was provided a copy by the publisher. I was not required to post a positive review. All opinions are honest and my own.

About the Author

Kristi is the RITA® award winning author of Regency romance novels from a Christian worldview. Her books include the award winning Hawthorne House series as well as the newly published first stories of the Haven Manor series. Beyond writing, she is also speaker, teaching classes in writing as well as Biblical and spiritual topics. She has spoken to writers’ groups, schools, and young women’s groups at churches. She lives with her husband and three children in Georgia. Find her online at www.kristiannhunter.com.

She also has a super fun FB group, so go join!

Storing Up Trouble

About the Book

When Miss Beatrix Waterbury’s Chicago-bound train ride is interrupted by a heist, Mr. Norman Nesbit, a man of science who believes his research was the target of the heist, comes to her aid. Despite the fact that they immediately butt heads, they join forces to make a quick escape.

Upon her arrival in Chicago, Beatrix is surprised to discover her supposedly querulous Aunt Gladys shares her own suffragette passions. Encouraged by Gladys to leave her sheltered world, Beatrix begins working as a salesclerk at the Marshall Field and Company department store. When she again encounters Norman on a shopping expedition, he is quickly swept up in the havoc she always seems to attract.

But when another attempt is made to part Norman from his research papers, and it becomes clear Beatrix’s safety is also at risk, they soon discover the curious way feelings can grow between two very different people in the midst of chaos.

My Review

First, if you haven’t heard, Jen’s welcomed a new family member: Remee. She’s cattle dog rescue, is as adorable as can be, but apparently doesn’t like cats. It’s ok Remee, we love you anyway. I stole this photo from Jen’s Instagram account where you can learn all about her royal cuteness.

Now on to the review.

I enjoyed traveling outside of New York to a new setting with Beatrix: Chicago! This story opened with intriguing action and a very annoyed heroine. It made me smile and wonder what was in store for Beatrix and Noman, but I knew they had to get along somehow.

Norman made me smile right away, from his ungainly ride on a horse to his devotion to running past a certain house. While it made him endearing to both me and the heroine, there were times when he got her in trouble at work that I wanted to yell at him to leave. Learning about the disparity in women’s wages and how they were judged differently made me thankful for the century of progress of women’s rights in the workplace.

The house full of women was a new home life setting for Jen’s books, but I loved all the women and their interactions. The way they embraced whoever came their way (except the villain) put them right in my heart. I enjoyed the variety of personalities and how they were each unique.

You have your usual quirky banter, slapstick comedy, and animal antics that make her unique style shine. Though, there were a few times that I felt like the banter was over-the-top in the no-one-would-ever-come-up-with-that-good-of-comeback kind of way that is the beauty of being able to write what one says rather than come up with it on the spot.

Bonus: you also get a small secondary love story with the delightful Theodoasia.

If you’re looking for a fun read that’s clean with enough faith but not getting preachy, give this one a read. I received a copy from the publisher, but was not required to post a positive review. All opinions are my own.

About the Author

Giveaway

To celebrate Jen’s new release, I’m giving away a print copy of Flights of Fancy, Book 1 in the American Heiresses series. U.S. addresses only. Please see my giveaway page for rules. Giveaway ends June 22 at midnight.

Enter via Rafflecopter. For extra entries, hop over to Instagram!