THE ORIENT EXPRESS (Timeless VIctorian Collection) by Elizabeth Johns, Annette Lyon and Nancy Campbell Allen, Reviewed by Paula Shreckhise

Three delightful novellas about detectives traveling on the famous Orient Express.

#1 To Break a Betrothal by Elizabeth Johns
A nice jaunt into a Regency set on the plush train.
Kate has lived in India most of her life. Her father has died so she travels back to England on the Orient Express. She is an heiress now, so she decides to go incognito on her journey to reunite with her betrothed. It is a long arranged marriage to a man she only met once as a child.

Enter Stephen who is in the service of the Queen. He is also traveling under an assumed name, Mr. Brown. Stephen is on the train, trying to complete one last duty before finishing his Army commission and stepping into the role of Lord Darlington.

Kate is reluctant to go through with the arranged marriage and is bent on breaking the betrothal.
In his undercover operation, Stephen is looking for a lady spy. Is Kate in his sights as a possible suspect or does he have other aspirations? Find out in this well written, lovely, novella.

#2 Detective Grace Meets Her Match by Annette Lyon

Two strangers meet on the Orient Express. One is a novelist with the pen name Eldrick Stiles, traveling under his real name Marshall Bailey. The other is a detective also traveling under an assumed name. But there is a twist! The detective is Grace Thompson.
This novella describes Grace and Marshall getting to know one another. There is lots of trepidation on both parts but an undeniable attraction.
What interested me was Marshall’s thoughts. It seems Annette is speaking from experience about the real life of an author— the part the public doesn’t see. All the insecurities and the mundane tasks. I like seeing the “ real stuff”. It makes the characters likeable and genuine.
I was fascinated by Grace and her initial distrust of men. She looks for possible scoundrels in order to protect other women from their wiles. She is always looking for a man as upstanding and compassionate as her grandfather.

#3 Married on the Orient Express by Nancy Campbell Allen
A bogus marriage involving a Scotland Yard detective and a young American lady trying to save her brother make for a merry mystery aboard the Orient Express. Who do detective Vincent Brady and Miss Emily Grant trust on their way to Constantinople to rescue her brother who is being held for ransom? Will they reach him before it’s too late? Will their pretend marriage turn into something more? Another great novella. It really held my interest.

*I received this ebook from Kathy at I Am A Reader for review, though I was under no obligation to review or give a positive review. All opinions are my own.*

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BACK COVER BLURB:
From the publisher of the USA TODAY bestselling Timeless Romance Anthology series, comes our new Victorian Romance collection: THE ORIENT EXPRESS.

With three brand new Victorian Romance novellas by Elizabeth Johns, Annette Lyon, and Nancy Campbell Allen.

TO BREAK A BETROTHAL by Elizabeth Johns:
Recently orphaned heiress Kate Worthington must travel to England from her home in India to break an outdated betrothal contract. Surely the lure of money will tempt Lord Darlington to release her! A gentleman befriends her whilst she is aboard the luxurious Orient Express, and the attraction she feels firms her resolve to break the betrothal. What she does not count on is Lord Darlington’s hidden depths. She has so much to lose, least of which is her heart.

DETECTIVE GRACE MEETS HER MATCH by Annette Lyon:
Even private investigator Grace Thomas needs a vacation, yet she can’t exactly turn off her detective skills at a whim. Boarding the Orient Express might be a vacation for some, but Grace finds that her senses are on high alert. She prides herself in being one step ahead of any flirtatious gentlemen, and fellow passenger Marshall Bailey is no exception. When Grace discovers that Marshall is traveling under another name, she learns that her first impressions aren’t always correct, and that she’s mistakenly allowed him to play havoc on her heart. Marshall will just have to convince Grace to give him a second chance.

MARRIED ON THE ORIENT EXPRESS by Nancy Campbell Allen:
Detective Vincent Brady must recover a priceless statue before it falls into the wrong hands. The only problem is that the American woman who’s carrying it for her brother has no idea the value. Vincent catches up with Emily Grant, but convincing her that he’s not out to harm her or her brother is harder than Vincent expected. Finally, Emily agrees to travel with Vincent on the Orient Express, and they plot how to rescue her brother while keeping themselves out of harm’s way. Vincent soon discovers that out of all the hardships he’s overcome in his lifetime to rise to his current detective status, convincing Emily to take a chance on him even harder.

Books in the Timeless Victorian Collections:
SUMMER HOLIDAY
A GRAND TOUR
THE ORIENT EXPRESS

Books in the Timeless Regency Collections:
AUTUMN MASQUERADE
A MIDWINTER BALL
SPRING IN HYDE PARK
SUMMER HOUSE PARTY
A COUNTRY CHRISTMAS
A SEASON IN LONDON
FALLING FOR A DUKE
A NIGHT IN GROSVENOR SQUARE
ROAD TO GRETNA GREEN

BUY The Orient Express at Amazon.com

FINDING EVERGREEN by Jennifer Rodewald, reviewed by Kim

Jennifer Rodewald is fast becoming one of my favorite authors. She is incredibly talented and her range is impressive. I have loved every book of hers that I have read from her youth dystopian trilogy, to her humorous novellas, to the emotionally charged Finding Evergreen. 

Honestly, Brandi was not a very likeable character and Ethan was a bit immature for me. They had a lot of issues to overcome to make their marriage a success.  But, through Jen’s incredible storytelling, she makes you want to keep reading all the while hoping that these two can work everything out. 

This book also made me really think and had me asking myself many questions. When we argue, do we only see things from our point of view or do we put ourselves into the other person’s shoes? Are we maybe too defensive because of our past history and mistakes? Are we treating others as we want to be treated and, more importantly, how God wants us to treat others? Are we patient, loving, and kind even while upset with someone? 

My favorite line from this book, “If you are called a child of God, You. Are. Blessed” is one we all need to remember especially during low periods in our lives.  What a powerful read! 

5 stars!

*I was given a copy of this book by the author with no obligation to review. All thoughts are my own. 

Back cover Blurb:

He thought he’d found the thrill of his life; she, the romance she hadn’t dared to hope for. Falling in love had been easy. Being married? Totally different story.

Married within a year of meeting, Ethan and Brandi add a foster daughter to their newly established family. Their story is enchanting—inspiring. Except when the fairytale fails. The stresses of unmet expectations and wounds from their pasts knife into their marriage, severing what they believed would be forever.

Hope for a broken marriage. Healing for their wounded spirits. It would take both to find evergreen. Are they brave enough to try?

Available in digital ebook and paperback. BUY Finding Evergreen at Amazon

STORM FRONT by Susan May Warren, review by Rebecca Maney

"He's loyal to the bone, the kind of friend who shows up without a word of complaint."

Ty Remington. Brette Arnold can scarcely believe her eyes; their paths have crossed again. And of course the first words out of his mouth were, "Oh, my gosh, Brette, what happened to you?" Disease has a way of changing a person, from the inside and outside, in her case. That's the reason she fled Ty's comforting presence the first time, he made her feel things that were terrifying, because hope had a way of pulling a disappearing act when it came to her not-so-ordinary life.

"Something was desperately, horribly wrong with Brette Arnold." In spite of her undeniable beauty, she was hollow, gaunt, reserved; a shell of her former self. All those nudges of the Spirit to pray for Brette over the past year make terrible sense to Ty now. But here they are, in the aftermath of a terrible weather event, and people need to be rescued; now Ty wonders if Brette is one of them. Can his heart withstand it?

Within the very eye of the storm, Susan May Warren has hollowed out a lovely story of unconditional love; first glimpsed through the eyes of human imperfection, where dark clouds of fear and uncertainty constantly hover, daring faith to brave an appearance. But "perfect love casts out all fear", allowing God to show up big and the lyrics to happily-ever-afters to be re-written, in this adventure-ridden addition to Warren's "Montana Rescue" series.

BACK COVER BLURB:
 A tornado has destroyed a small Minnesota community and among the missing are not only a group of students but PEAK Rescue team leader Chet King. Ty Remington will stop at nothing to rescue his mentor, not even when the girl he loved--and lost--walks back into his life. But Brette needs his help more than he knows, despite her stubborn determination to push him away. And when he gets a second chance, loving her just might cost him more than he can imagine.

A blogger for Vortex Storm Chasers, Brette Arnold didn't expect her adventures to land her in the same place as Ty, the guy who she walked--no, ran--from over a year ago. She had her reasons--good ones. The kind that tell her that falling for him again would only lead to heartache. But Ty isn't the kind of man to give up--not on the missing students, or on her.

Life and love hang in the balance in Susan May Warren's breathless story of holding on to hope during a deadly summer of storms.

*I received a copy of this book from the author and publisher, with no obligation to review. The opinions stated are entirely my own.

Available in digital ebook and paperback:
BUY Storm Front on Amazon
BUY Storm Front on Christianbook.com

THINGS I NEVER TOLD YOU, by Beth K. Vogt, reviewed by Trixi Oberembt

 

An emotionally told tale of family relationships and sister bonds that withstand the passage of time & tragedy. I don’t read a lot of women’s fiction and this being my first one by Beth Vogt, I wasn’t sure what to expect. But definitely not this…in a good way!! Funny, poignant, emotional, redemptive, characters to bond to, secrets shared, and a story that will stick to you long after the last page is turned. You’ll definitely be left wanting more! 

 

BACK COVER BLURB:

It’s been ten years since Payton Thatcher’s twin sister died in an accident, leaving the entire family to cope in whatever ways they could. No longer half of a pair, Payton reinvents herself as a partner in a successful party-planning business and is doing just fine—as long as she manages to hold her memories and her family at arm’s length.

But with her middle sister Jillian’s engagement, Payton’s party-planning skills are called into action. Which means working alongside her opinionated oldest sister, Johanna, who always seems ready for a fight. They can only hope that a wedding might be just the occasion to heal the resentment and jealousy that divides them . . . until a frightening diagnosis threatens Jillian’s plans and her future. As old wounds are reopened and the family faces the possibility of another tragedy, the Thatchers must decide if they will pull together or be driven further apart.

*I received a complimentary copy and was under no obligation to leave a favorable review. *

Available in digital ebook and paperback:
BUY Things I  Never Told You at Amazon
BUY Things I  Never Told You at Christianbook.com