Zoe York brings a heartfelt and extremely enjoyable new series to life with the first volume of her Kincaids of Pine Harbour trilogy, Reckless at Heart. Ex-firefighter and current EMT Owen Kincaid lives with his teenage daughter, Becca, who has fallen pregnant by her boyfriend Hayden. Hayden has made it clear – multiple times –…
Digging Deep is the first book I’ve read by New Zealander Jay Hogan, and I have to say I was pretty impressed. In it, the author takes a long, hard look at how living with a chronic illness impacts on every single aspect of life for the person who has it and those around them,…
Hard Target is the first book in a new series of romantic suspense novels from popular author Pamela Clare featuring the men (and maybe women?) who work for Cobra International Security, the high-end security firm owned and run by Derek Tower, who was a recurring character in the author’s earlier I-Team series. I confess that…
I’m drawn to historical novels about witchcraft, so The Familiars by Stacey Halls seemed like a novel I’d absolutely love. I’ve read quite a few books about the witch hunts of the Middle Ages, but this was the first one I picked up that dealt specifically with the Pendle Hill witch trials in the early…
Diane Setterfield follows up The Thirteenth Tale with Once Upon a River, a story of mysticism and religion colliding during the time when Darwinian theory was first taking hold. On the bank of the Thames at Redcot, there once sat a magical inn called the Swan at Radcot, which becomes known for being the place…
In Grounded Hearts the storyline is simple – an RAF pilot bails out of his damaged bomber, sustains injuries and seeks help from a lovely woman in enemy territory. The storytelling, however, is anything but simple. Here, I found romance, adventure, spiritual wisdom, humor, pathos, and a picture of World War II I never knew,…
I think most aspiring historical romance writers would like to be Julie Garwood when they grow up. I know I would. Her stories always give me a smile, a laugh and a tear. I love them all, but my favorite Garwood book has always been The Secret. This book grabs you from the first page…
I’m a big fan of the TV show Call the Midwife, so, when These Healing Hills became available for review, I figured it would be right up my alley. It’s set in the Appalachian mountains of Kentucky right after World War II comes to an end, a time and setting I was sure I’d love,…
Pine Harbour, Ontario is the fictional setting for a small town contemporary romance series by indie author Zoe York. Some romances in this kind of setting veer into stereotypical territory – think gossipy neighbors, the coffee crowd at the local diner, high school sweethearts, etc.. This author has set her series apart by featuring tried…
I think The Midwife’s Tale might be the first Pennsylvania-set book I’ve read in ages that doesn’t have an Amish person in sight. Instead, readers get to visit a sleepy 19th century country town and follow the adventures of the local midwife as she treats patients and starts to find a love story of her…