Fifty Favorites for 2017: Part Eleven

Has it been a month already? It seems the months go by faster and faster. Another semester is nearly over and the music groups I play in are preparing for holiday performances. Still, I managed to cross a few books off my TBR list. Click on the book covers to read more and order them!

Mice and Marriage by Sophie Dawson.
This is the third in a series set in a town called Benton, located somewhere in the United States where the weather gets chilly in winter. I enjoyed reading this story about a woman who is coping as a single mom of two active boys and a wealthy bachelor who is involved in some sort of secret mission. Noelle is a bit overwhelmed: her ex is an uncaring father who’s taken up with a young girl of limited vocabulary, and she’s afraid of how his abandonment will affect their sons. She’s also in charge of a lot of the set up at church events such as the Christmas pageant, and she usually ends up doing things herself because people fail to follow through on commitments. Turner helps her with both problems. While the situation with the boys is resolved, we don’t know how the Christmas pageant turns out.

 

Chocolate Kisses by River Ford.
I started reading this book after dinner and didn’t stop until I was finished. In this book both main characters have been hurt and hardened by past relationships and neither is looking for love. Kerri suffers from rheumatoid arthritis, causing her selfish ex to run away. Eric was hurt by women who wanted him only for what he could do for them. But somehow, the people around them (other than dim-witted Brynn) can see that they’re perfect for each other. I did get a little irritated with Kerri at times – her reluctance to hope for a relationship with Eric seemed to border on self-pity. But Eric came through like a true hero.
Note: This book will be on sale for 99 cents starting on Thursday!

 

Marrying Mandy by Melanie Snitker.
It’s been a long time since I’ve read a “marriage of convenience” story, mostly because a lot of the ones I read (way back when I used to read books with paper pages) seemed contrived, with characters behaving in ways I didn’t understand. In this case, the reason for them needing to get married struck me as a bit unbelievable, but everything else worked for me. Marrying Mandy was an engaging story because the characters are likable and their behaviors and reactions understandable. Preston is almost unbelievably heroic, but other than that the characters are fun to read about.

 

What are you reading?

 

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