Remarkable Reads for 2018, Part Three

I read four more books this month, so I’m still on track for reaching my Goodreads goal of 50 for this year. All were enjoyable reads.

 

Snow and the Seven Teenagers by Julia Keanini
(Book Two in Second Chance Fairy Tales series.)

Julia is a member of one of the Author Promo groups on Facebook, and this book was offered free for one day last month. Snow is a widow with twin boys. Grayson Prince is an heir to a big company (although I don’t remember reading what sort of company it is). He coaches a soccer team the boys play on. When the team is broken up by a powerful parent with a grudge, Snow saves the day because she’s taken in her sister’s five boys for the summer, and they just happen to all play soccer. I enjoyed this story despite a few minor editing issues, and hope to read others in the series. Both Snow and Grayson are fighting ghosts from their pasts, and they help each other deal with them while guiding the boys through the summer soccer season.

 

Spinster by Suzanne G. Rogers

When Suzanne announced a sale on some of her books, I was surprised to see a title I hadn’t yet read, so I hurried to remedy the situation. Like all Suzanne’s historical romances,  Spinster immediately drew me in, and I finished reading it in one day – when I should have been doing other work. Suzanne’s stories are so compelling that I have to make deals with myself – if I finish this one task, I can read another chapter. Anyway, this is the story of a Clare, who’s been rudely jilted by her fiancé. She decides to go off on her own to the cottage her grandmother bequeathed to her and make a life for herself. She promptly meets her neighbor, Meriweather Holcroft, under less than ideal circumstances, but as time goes by they become friends, and Clare helps him overcome his own tragic past.

 

 

A Leap Into Love by Alina K. Field

Alina is an active and supportive member of another of my author promo groups. She writes historical romance, and I decided to read her newest novella to get a taste of her writing. A Leap into Love is based on an old tradition: on Leap Day, a single man who refuses a woman’s marriage proposal must offer a forfeit. The hero is a handsome widower, and the single ladies of the village decide to propose to him, knowing he’s in possession of a supply of lovely fabric, perfect for fancy dresses. The heroine works with the young children in the village, and she’s disturbed by the plan and decides to warn him. I enjoyed this tale, and look forward to reading more by Alina.

 

 

The Good, The Bad, and the Emus by Donna Andrews

I adore Donna Andrews’ cozy mysteries featuring blacksmith Meg Langslow. In this edition, Meg’s grandfather, the famous wildlife television personality Dr. Montgomery Blake, has hired PI Stanley Denton to find his long-ago love Cordelia Lee, who is the grandmother Meg has never known. Unfortunately, Cordelia was recently murdered, but the killer is unknown. In the meantime, a herd of emus is on the loose and Dr. Blake rounds his troops to gather them up to deliver them to a wildlife sanctuary. Meg, her husband, and four-year-old twins are caught up in the chase for the scattered emus, and in the process is embroiled in the mystery of what happened to her grandmother. As usual, Andrews whacky cast of characters entertain without being unbelievable, and the solution is unexpected.