In Firefly Valley by Amanda Cabot

I really liked the cover of this book. With summer setting in, it showed me right away that it would be a nice, romantic book that would be perfect for relaxation. In fact, the water in the cover practically screamed relaxation to me!

Amanda Cabot has done a wonderful job, once again, of captivating me with her story. I was hooked from the first page and had a hard time setting this book down. The issues that this story brought up were something that many people can easily relate to.

Marissa has to struggle to forgive her father. As much as this book speaks on forgiveness, I also think it highlights the relationship a daughter wants to have with her father, whether he is there or not. It also speaks to the fact that sometimes God allows everything to be taken away so we can hear Him more and He gives us what we should have been asking for all along, if we'd only have known the big picture.

I liked how Blake and Marissa were the main characters, but there were several other characters that shared a big part of the book, too. Cabot did a wonderful job weaving their stories around Blake and Marissa and not making it feel like it had been oddly placed within.

I'm looking forward to reading book 3 in this Texas Crossroads Series.

__________________

I received this book free from Revell Publishers in exchange for my honest opinion of this book.

Sincerely Yours by Jane Kirkpatrick, Amanda Cabot, Laurie Alice Eakes, & Ann Shorey

Imagine getting a letter that changes your life.  That's exactly what happens throughout each of these short stories.  The history that is involved in these stories is also very interesting.  I find the time frame of these stories fascinating and really capture my interest.

I have read many books by each of these authors.  I always look to read the books that are by these ladies because I know they can never disappoint me!  I didn't like one story over another.  Since each story was different, they each had something different to offer the readers. I liked the humor and romance.

I think the challenge that plagues novellas is how to make the story develop in such a short time frame.  Some stories end up feeling not pulled together or rushed.  However, I never felt that way about these.  I felt they were well-developed and ended at just the right time.

_______________

I received this book free from Revell Publishers in exchange for my honest opinion of this book.

With Autumn's Return by Amanda Cabot

I have really enjoyed this series.  This is the third book in the Westward Winds series. Amanda Cabot puts so much emotion into her books, whether it's a little humor or a tough situation.  I feel like it tugs at me and I can relate to the characters and their emotions. 

I liked how Elizabeth faces opposition in becoming a doctor.  Attorney Jason and Elizabeth had a contrast view of what a woman should and should not do.  Jason holds the traditionalist view and Elizabeth sees how girls have a lot to offer and has a strong desire to help others.  Who would have ever thought that a patient is what would bring Elizabeth and Jason together.  However, can Jason change his mind about the roles of a woman before its too late? 

Elizabeth has the challenge of opening up her own practice in the middle of a community that doesn't think a woman should be a doctor.  Elizabeth has to show the community that she knows what she is doing and is very capable of taking care of the community if they would only give her a chance.

The thing that I appreciated most about this story was how Cabot wasn't afraid to write about brothels as patients for Elizabeth. I'm glad that she chose to use people who weren't necessarily sick just to show Elizabeth's kind and gentle heart.  She was a good example of how we all should be, despite people's background.

I am looking forward to seeing what's next for Amanda Cabot!

______________

I received this book free from Revel Publishers in exchange for my honest opinion of this book.

Waiting for Spring by Amanda Cabot

I have greatly enjoyed this series and I am absolutely looking forward to her next book in this series that is set to come out in the spring of 2014.  That's an awful long time to wait! 

I found the cover of this book to be very intriguing.  Almost everywhere I took it, people would look at the cover and ask me questions about this book.  Of course, I gave it praises since I love this series!

I really liked Abigail in the first book of the series, but then I felt bad for Charlotte when the book ended.  However, when this book ended, I felt bad for Gwen and happy for Charlotte.  I did not expect the baron to be who he ended up being.  Once I figured out who the baron was, I wanted Barrett to be more careful!  My heart went out to David and I was so glad that Amanda Cabot wrote about blindness in this story.  I hope that the next book elaborates more on the school and about David and at least a little update on the sisters. 

Cabot writes with a lot of knowledge and you can easily tell that she has spent countless hours researching about this time period and the events that would happen at this time.  The characters are fictional, but she does add some names that aren't but who were influential during that time.

________________

I received this book free from Revell Publishers in exchange for my honest opinion of this book.

Christmas Roses by Amanda Cabot

I fell in love with the characters of this book right away.  A widow with a baby who is working hard to provide for her family is incredibly easy to love.  Then there's a man on a search whom you watch as he falls in love with a woman and you can't help but hope he gets what he never thought he needed.  This story is such a beautiful reminder of how God wants us, no matter how we try to convince ourselves that God couldn't possibly want us anymore.  It also reminds us that He is a merciful and sovereign God when everything within us can't understand why He would do certain things.

Amanda Cabot writes with in a way that draws you near and into the spirit of Christmas.  She captures what you dream Christmas should be about and not on money or other materialistic things.  She is able to create such vivid imagery where you come up with the perfect boardinghouse in your own mind with these people who are involved so intricately in the story.

I personally loved Celia and her personality.  She had a sweet spirit, wasn't bitter (although she had been), and she even admitted that she might be falling in love.  She was gentle in her denying of the men who wanted to court her and she was honest with Mark about her previous marriage.  I found that I didn't want this book to end and I wished it could have been longer.  However, I do know it's a Christmas story and isn't supposed to be long.  I was just so endeared to Celia and Mark's story.

_______________

I received this book free from Revell Publishers in exchange for my honest opinion of this book.

Summer of Promise by Amanda Cabot

Abigail Harding is preparing to be making plans to a man in Vermont who is a fellow colleague in the school she teaches at.  That's why she's not afraid to go visit her sister when she suspects that something is wrong with her sister.  Why would Woodrow, the man she intends to marry, be afraid that she might find someone else when she was intended to be his?

Upon arriving in For Laramie, Wyoming, she finds that a stagecoach may not be the safest way to travel.  Not only that, but once she arrives at her sister's, she almost doesn't recognize her.  What could have possibly cause this poor condition in her sister?  Convinced that she was in the center of God's will in coming to Fort Laramie, she's a little surprised to find that her future may not arrive in Vermont.  How can a soldier who is determined not to love able to persuade her to stay?  Or will he?  On top of that, who is the cause of the stagecoach robberies that are becoming more frequent and what is the common tie?

I've never read any books by Amanda Cabot but I thoroughly enjoyed this book.  It's a little longer than most at 404 pages, but it's such a great book that you hardly notice the length of the book.  In fact, if she shortened it any, you would miss so much of the story.  I think I've found a new author to follow, as  well!  Can't wait for the rest of the books in the Westward Winds series.

_______________

This book was provided free from Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group, in exchange for my honest opinion.  You can purchase this book at any retail store.