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.

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

A Reluctant Courtship by Laurie Alice Eakes

I have looked forward to this book since I finished reading the first two books in this series, A Necessary Deception and A Flight of Fancy.  Honestly, I was hooked on the books by Laurie Alice Eakes since her Midwives series.  One thing that I love about her books is that the covers are so beautifully done.  It always gets me excited to read them because they catch my eye and draw me in right from the start.  Even the back of the cover is simple, yet artsy. 

This whole series has something for almost every reader.  It's full of both romance and suspense and twists and turns.  Honore Bainbridge has finally chosen which man she wants to be with and has no doubts about it at all.  That is, until she's given some new information that makes her doubting definitely seem reasonable.

I have always liked Honore for some reason.  She's the complete opposite of me, so maybe that's why--since opposites attract.  She makes me laugh when I think about her personality and try to describe her.  She is the opposite of what Lord Ashmoor needs in a wife, but they desire to be together.  However, the people that they need to support them the most don't seem to want to and have no desire for the two to become one.

I do think a lot of Downton Abbey when I read these books.  I think it's the era and how they are written.  Any fan of Downton Abbey or any of the other shows like it will definitely like this series.

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

Choices of the Heart by Laurie Alice Eakes

I was intrigued by this book from the beginning.  The cover gave an idea of mystery, which depicts the opening pages of this book perfectly.  The story begins with Esther Cherrett leaving because of some terrible problem that has happened involving Esther and some horrible, threatening letters that have been sent to her.  Seeing her only way to protect her family and their reputation, she thinks that the only solution is for her to leave.

I'm sure that Esther was very nervous when the feud was revealed to her.  The plot thickened as it is revealed who the feud is between.  Who would ever think that brothers and cousins would be fighting against and killing each other.  Esther was a midwife, but gave it up to be a school teacher to those in the mountains of Virginia.  The families had hoped that Esther would be just the person to help end the feud because she would be able to teach them to love each other and she would give them an education.  However, their mom just might have forgotten to mention this deadly and dangerous feud to Esther.

I have really enjoyed this series.  I love the history that fills the pages of Laurie Alice Eakes's books.  She has done so much research and that shows.  Her stories vary in each book, but they each include midwives and I think the stories are brilliantly told.  This is the third book in her series, The Midwives.  You don't have to read the books in order to understand what is or has happened.  She does a great job giving you the information you need.

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

Flight of Fancy by Laurie Alice Eakes

I am thoroughly enjoying this series by Laurie Alice Eakes.  This is the second book in the Daughters of Bainbridge Series and I think the series keeps getting better and better.  I'm looking forward to the third book and what I expect will be more of Honore's story and future.

I found the whole concept of ballooning very interesting.  I have never stopped to think about how people actually figured out how to balloon.  I was impressed with the knowledge and research that must have went into learning about ballooning by Eakes.  The formulas, the correct concoctions, and many experiments where you hope you have it right all made the side of balloons fascinating. 

I took an immediate liking to Cassandra and LordWhittaker.  Major Crawford made my skin crawl from the very beginning.  There was just something about him that I didn't like.  I think it's quite good when an author can make a reader's skin crawl!  I did get a little tired of Cassandra and her view of the incident that left her less than perfect.  I was ready for her to overcome it a little sooner than when she did.

Being the second book in the series, there is no difficulty in picking up this book to read first and then going back to read the first one later.  Eakes did a great job at filling in some information from the first book as a review for those who had read it and as a fresh start to those who were starting with book number 2.  I am definitely excited to read book 3 and see what the Bainbridge girls will do and what trouble they will either cause or be in!

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

Heart's Safe Passage by Laurie Alice Eakes

The second book in the Midwives Series, this book is a wonderful book full of action and romance.  I was actually not expecting the plot to keep unfolding up until the very last page.  Every time that I thought the plot couldn't thicken and that it needed to resolve at a certain point, it was intensified and became more complex.  I had not read the first book in the series, but would like to check it out now.  Saying that, I didn't have any problem following people or understanding the story.  I'm not for sure if any characters were carried over from the first book to the second, but nothing is lost if you started reading this book first.

I was captivated by the story line.  Phoebe Lee as kidnapped, kind of purposefully for one person and accidentally for another person.  Phoebe has a history as a murderer and a midwife.  Her story is very well-known in taverns so you can imagine what Captain Rafe Docherty thinks when the men bring her aboard with Belinda.  Captain Rafe only wanted Belinda on board so he can help to carry out his revenge on Brock, a man who murdered Rafe's wife and parents. 

Along the way are many twists and turns and like I said, a thick plot.  Be ready to turn page after page because you just can't wait to see what the next chapter holds.

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Available February 2012 at your favorite bookseller from Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group.

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I received this book free from Revell Publishers, a division of Baker Publishing Group, in exhchange for my honest opinion.