A Tender Hope by Amanda Cabot

From the publisher:
As far as Thea Michener is concerned, it's time for a change. With her husband murdered and her much-anticipated baby stillborn, there is nothing left for her in Ladreville. Having accepted a position as Cimarron Creek's midwife, she has no intention of remarrying and trying for another child. So when a handsome Texas Ranger appears on her doorstep with an abandoned baby, Thea isn't sure her heart can take it.

Ranger Jackson Guthrie isn't concerned only with the baby's welfare. He's been looking for Thea, convinced that her late husband was part of the gang that killed his brother. But it soon becomes clear that the situation is far more complicated than he anticipated--and he'll need Thea's help if he's ever to find the justice he seeks.

Amanda Cabot invites readers back to Cimarron Creek for a tender story of loss, betrayal, and love in the majestic Texas Hill Country.
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This is the 3rd book in the Cimarron Creek Trilogy.  If you have enjoyed the other books you will definitely enjoy this one as well! This story is more than just a "sappy romance." There is heartbreak, mystery and danger as well as romance.  Readers will enjoy the mystery and keep turning the pages to quickly find out what is next.  

This is a good realistic book that will educate readers about the Midwest and the time period of the characters.  I always like this as I gain more than just a good story but also some understanding of the time period.  

I received this book from the publisher. All opinions are my own.

Courting Mr. Emerson by Melody Carlson

From the publisher:

When the fun-loving and spontaneous artist Willow West meets buttoned-up, retired English teacher George Emerson, it's not exactly love at first sight. Though she does find the obsessive-compulsive man intriguing. Making it her mission to get him to loosen up and embrace life, she embarks on what seems like a lost cause--and finds herself falling for him in the process.

A confirmed bachelor, George vacillates between irritation and attraction whenever Willow is around--which to him seems like all too often. He's not interested in expanding his horizons or making new friends; it just hurts too much when you lose them.

But as the summer progresses, George feels his defenses crumbling. The question is, will his change of heart be too late for Willow?

With her signature heart and touches of humor, fan favorite Melody Carlson pens a story of two delightfully eccentric characters who get a second chance at life and love.
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Melody Carlson introduces this book as if it is a light-hearted romantic comedy (which certainly there are parts of that!) but then becomes a much richer and deeper book.  In this book George and Willow must work through such areas as denial, grief, being an atheist, and other difficult issues.  In real life we know that everything doesn't perfectly work out and this book (while it definitely has a satisfying ending) is not one that ignores the hard in the lives of the characters.

This book is engaging and enjoyable.  It also is a way to learn about certain issues or to work through them with the characters.

I received this book from the publisher. All opinions are my own.

Almost Home by Valerie Fraser Luesse

From the publisher:
With America's entrance into the Second World War, the town of Blackberry Springs, Alabama, has exploded virtually overnight. Workers from all over are coming south for jobs in Uncle Sam's munitions plants--and they're bringing their pasts with them, right into Dolly Chandler's grand but fading family home turned boardinghouse.

An estranged young couple from the Midwest, unemployed professors from Chicago, a widower from Mississippi, a shattered young veteran struggling to heal from the war--they're all hoping Dolly's house will help them find their way back to the lives they left behind. But the house has a past of its own.

When tragedy strikes, Dolly's only hope will be the circle of friends under her roof and their ability to discover the truth about what happened to a young bride who lived there a century before.

Award-winning and bestselling author Valerie Fraser Luesse breathes life into a cast of unforgettable characters in this complex and compassionate story of hurt and healing.
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This is a novel split between multiple characters. Sometimes this makes it hard to really focus on one character.  But it is also nice because you are able to get different view points of characters.

Dolly's character is layered as you feel that at first she might just be sunshine and roses but as you get to know her you see the layers that are there.  She is the one character that the others all others connect to.

Readers will enjoy learning history as well as the town of Blackberry Springs, Alabama.  The family house turned boarding house was a place anyone would like to stay!

I received this book from the publishers. All opinions are my own.

God, I Know You're There by Bonnie Rickner Jensen Illustrated by Lucy Fleming

I think this book is simply adorable.  The cover might look like not much color but inside each page is bursting with sweet drawings.  There is a child and animal illustrated on each two-page layout.  Boys and girls of different ethnicities grace each page and can appeal to a variety of families. 

Each two page spread shares something that the child "can't" see or do but yet it is true. For example you can't reach the run but you can see it shining down.  Or you can't snuggle the clouds but you can watch them. And at the end it ties it all together with not being able to see God but being able to see Him and His love in all they see. 

I love this little book because it can be a simple story that you can begin deeper conversations with.  I will definitely be giving this to others.

I received the book from the publishers. All opinions are my own.

With This Pledge by Tamera Alexander

From the publisher:

Elizabeth "Lizzie" Clouston's quietly held principles oppose those of the Southern Cause--but when forty thousand soldiers converge on the fields of Franklin, Tennessee, the war demands an answer. The Carnton home, where she is governess, is converted into a Confederate hospital, and Lizzie is called upon to assist the military doctor with surgeries that determine life or death. Faced with the unimaginable, she must summon fortitude, even as she fears for the life of Towny, her fiancé and lifelong friend.

  

As a young soldier lies dying in Lizzie's arms, she vows to relay his final words to his mother, but knows little more than the boy's first name. That same night, decorated Mississippi sharpshooter Captain Roland Ward Jones extracts a different promise from Lizzie: that she intervene should the surgeon decide to amputate his leg.

  

Lizzie is nothing if not a woman of her word, earning the soldiers' respect as she tends to the wounded within Carnton's walls. None is more admiring than Captain Jones, who doesn't realize she is pledged to another. But as Lizzie's heart softens toward the Confederate captain, she discovers his moral ground is at odds with her own. Now torn between love, principles, and pledges made, she struggles to be true to her own heart while standing for what she knows is right--no matter the cost. 

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I lived in the south for about 10 years, and yet this book taught me a part of history that I had never heard of.  The Battle at the Carton home is a true historical account but this was the first time I was introduced to it.  I love that about Tamera Alexander's writing.  She educated you as you read her beautifully written stories.  The horror of the Civil War and what the soldiers and civilians went through will become fresh and real to your eyes as you read this.  I like that each character was not a "normal" North vs South character.  Instead each character is complex and so completely human. I felt that each issue was handled with care and dignity.  

I cannot wait for another novel from Tamera Alexander!

I received this book from the publisher.  All opinions are my own.

The Gift That I Can Give by Kathie Lee Gifford Illustrated by Julia Seal

I love children's book that are well illustrated.  Julia Seal did a beautiful job making this book engaging just from a illustration perspective. And not only that, but she enhanced the writing of this book. 

This book asks a question that I have heard many times as a teacher of young children.  "What's my talent?"  Each person wants to be special, to be good at something, and this book addresses that.  I like that while it did speak so some basic careers that we think of as giftings, it also addressed being kind, brave, helpful.  These seemingly smaller gifts are just as important as the more well known ones and I am glad that this was brought out to the reader.

I received this book from the publisher. All opinions are my own.

We Hope for Better Things by Erin Bartels

From the publisher:
When Detroit Free Press reporter Elizabeth Balsam meets James Rich, his strange request--that she look up a relative she didn't know she had in order to deliver an old camera and a box of photos--seems like it isn't worth her time. But when she loses her job after a botched investigation, she suddenly finds herself with nothing but time.

At her great-aunt's 150-year-old farmhouse, Elizabeth uncovers a series of mysterious items, locked doors, and hidden graves. As she searches for answers to the riddles around her, the remarkable stories of two women who lived in this very house emerge as testaments to love, resilience, and courage in the face of war, racism, and misunderstanding. And as Elizabeth soon discovers, the past is never as past as we might like to think.
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This book is well written.  It is a book that is hard to put down because of the story.  Erin Bartels does well in this as a debute novelist. 

This story covers three different time periods, all connected: current, Underground Railroad, and the Civil War.  Readers may or may not enjoy this. But it does allow for there to be a broader picture of racism, war, and love. 

This is not a book that is going to guarantee you a happy ending.  Not every story is tied up, and not every story ends the way you want it to.  But what I can appreciate about that is that Bartels was giving the readers a realistic picture of what life could have been like.

I received this book from the publisher. All opinions are my own.