More Than Meets The Eye by Karen Witemeyer

"People might try to hide their broken places and pretend to be whole, but the truth is that we all have failings. That is why we need each other. My brothers make me stronger. They shore up my broken pieces with their love and support and I do the same for them." - Evie Hamilton, More Than Meets The Eye by Karen Witemeyer.



Hi Readers!
Can you believe that summer is almost over? :(
It seems like just yesterday that I was commenting about the "lazy days of summer". Well over the past few months, I traveled to Texas, New York, Georgia, North Carolina and even to a hidden 1800's English Manor - all while in the comfort of my own home! So if you are looking for one last adventure before school starts and life seems to get busier - check out my latest "Must Read" More Than Meets The Eye by Karen Witemeyer!

I would recommend this book if you:

• Have read any of Karen Witemeyer other books. 
• Like to read books by similar authors Mary Connealy and Regina Jennings.
• Would like to read a heartfelt story about love and forgiveness.
• Just want to read a new story! 

Here is the story,
Orphan Evangeline "Evie" Hamilton has always been told that she was "cursed" and treated like a freak because one of her eyes were bright blue and the other was dark brown. When Evie's brother is killed in a train accident, two orphan boys named Zach and Seth adopted Evie as their little sister and they became the Hamilton family. After struggling for years to survive and determined to stay together, Evie is excited when they finally find a place to call home. The farm that Zach was able to get them was perfect for their small family, with peach trees near the house and a creek at the end of the property - they easily fell into a daily routine. One day while Evie was taking a walk with her beloved pet pig, Hezzy - she came across a man camping on the edge of their property. She wasn’t worried about him though because she knew the property and he didn’t – so if he tried anything… But what happened next was not what she expected.

Before Logan Fowler's father died, he told Logan that Zach Hamilton cheated him in a game of cards and made him lose the family farm. After years of bitterness and some research, Logan discovers that Hamilton was still living on his family's farm and purchases the land next to it – hoping to challenge the man who destroyed his family. While setting up camp, he is shocked to see a young lady being chased by a wild and fearsome pig and jumps to her rescue – only to find that she did not need saving because the horrid beast was her pet. He is captivated when she looks up at him and he notices her unusual, yet beautiful mismatched eyes. When he finds out that she is Zach Hamilton's sister, Evie -  he decides that she would make a good ally in his quest for revenge, so he immediately befriends her. But the more time he spends with her,  the more he discovers a happy yet sensible girl and wonders if there might be more to her than meets the eye ...

Evie is thrilled that she has finally found someone that looks past her eyes and seems to like her for who she was; however, that all changed when she found a piece of paper in Logans coat...  Will Logan and Evie still have a chance for a happy  future together or will Logans betrayal break whatever had formed between them?




What did I think?
So this is the first book in the Patchwork Family series and it was AMAZING! I have been looking forward to this book ever since I saw that Mrs. Witemeyer was writing a new series and I was not disappointed. The book grabs you from the tear-jerking prologue, through the joy-filled middle and does not let go until the very last page. Seriously, the plot has everything you could want in a book - sorrow that turned into joy, tragedy that turned into love and the discovery that vengeance is the Lords and if we want to fill our hearts with love, we need make room for it by giving up our thirst for revenge. I immediately fell in love with all the characters especially Evie and Logan and I cannot wait until the second book. Overall,  I rate this book 5 out of 5 Stars*****


Hey Readers, don't forget to check out Mrs. Witemeyer's other books (I have read all of them and they are all fantastic!!!)
http://www.karenwitemeyer.com/books.html



Readers, if you want to connect with Mrs. Witemeyer on a totally different level AND connect with like-minded readers, you can also join her facebook group "The Posse"  :)


Happy Reading:)

 I would like to thank Bethany House for allowing me to read and review this book in return for a free copy and I was not asked to write a favorable review, Just a honest one.

A Defense of Honor by Kristi Ann Hunter

" The most precious gems are forged from pressure. God brings beauty from adversity, when you let Him."






Happy Independence Day Readers!
I have another July 2018 "Must Read" for you to check out and it is perfectly suited for this holiday. A Defense of Honor by Kristi Ann Hunter is a sweet historical fiction set in and around London in the year 1816. I said earlier that it's the perfect book for Independence day and it is, because in this story Kit finally finds freedom from the guilt that plagued her for many years. I would recommend this book if :

• You have read any of Mrs. Hunters other books (they are amazing)
• You like books by similar authors Sarah E. Ladd, Carrie Turansky or Elizabeth Camden
• You want to read a historical fiction story that when you finish, will make you feel like you time traveled back to 1816. 
• You just want to read a fantastic new book!

Here is the story,

Katherine “Kit” FitzGilbert turned her back on London’s society several years ago and she was sure that she would never step foot in a ballroom again. But that was before she was forced to run for her life and hide among London’s most elite.  Once inside the ballroom, the familiar music played and the sights and smells were the same as before she left and for just a second, she wished that she was still a part of that crowd. As Kit is watching the couples dance from her hiding place among the plants, she is approached by Lord Wharton (Graham) and offered lemonade and asked if she wanted to dance.  She wanted to accept his offer - especially since he had been so kind to her and he had gone out of his way to interact with her, but she had grown to distrust men, especially those in Society, so she politely declined and when he was distracted, escaped through a hidden servant door. Finally arriving back home, she is determined to forget about Graham and London’s society and go back to being “Mama Kit”.  Kit and her best friends Daphne and Jess operated Haven Manor, a home for children that were not wanted by their parents. They had no funding for Haven Manor, so Kit would become “The Governess” and convince the fathers to support their children until they were 18 years old. Things were going well until the day their unannounced and uninvited guest showed up.

Lord Wharton (Graham) was bored. He is tired of doing the same things, day after day. So he is curious about the mysterious girl named “Kit” who would wear an unusual green dress to a ball and spend all evening behind the plants. So after she disappeared from the ball and escaped the “would be” thugs that attempted to rob her- Kit disappeared again and Graham was sure that he would never see her again. However while helping his friend look for his missing sister, he stumbles across a little boy who insists that his friend lives in the trees and that his dad has hidden treasure in the woods. Intrigued and worried that the solicitor has hidden people in the woods, Graham takes off in search for the boy’s friend and the hidden treasure.  While riding through the woods he came across a young boy who was stuck in a tree and his friend Alice.  After rescuing the boy, Graham is given directions to the children’s home so he could make sure they got back safely and was surprised to see that their “Mama Kit” and his mysterious girl in the green dress were the same person. The more that Graham learned about Haven Manor, the more he respected Kit and her friends. It was a great thing they were doing with the kids, however there we things that did not add up, like how did they afford such a place and how did they find enough funds to support all the children? And the biggest question of all was, how did “The Governess” and his best friend's sister connect with the children at Haven Manor?

Kit knows that what she is doing is right. She has to be “The Governess” in order to make sure that the children and their mothers have a future. So why does the guilt of what she has done still weigh heavy on her. Surely all that she has done has been enough to pay for the mistake she made almost a decade ago…

What did I think?
A Defense of Honor is book one in the Haven Manor series and I LOVED it!  I had read the prequel novella A Search for Refuge and was hooked on the series but this book was better then I imagined. I love all the characters in the book especially Kit's friends Jess and Daphne and Graham best friend Aaron. There are so many surprising moments in the story and I love the humor that is sandwiched in between the moments of heartache and love. BUT my favorite part of the story is when Kit finally realizes that she had trusted in herself and Graham more then she trusted God and then did something about it. Overall I loved the book and am excited about book 2 coming out in 2019! I rate this book 5 out of 5 stars *****

Readers, if you want to check this book out or any of her other books (my favorite are any of the Hawthorne House books) here is the link!
 https://www.kristiannhunter.com/bookshelf

If you are unsure if you would like the series but would like to read the prequel, You can get A Search for Refuge FREE!!! Here are the links:

For Amazon Kindle:
https://www.amazon.com/Search-Refuge-Haven-Manor-Novella-ebook/dp/B079V1KN1K

For Nook
 https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/a-search-for-refuge-kristi-ann-hunter/1127687145?type=eBook

Christian Book Distributors
https://www.christianbook.com/search-refuge-haven-manor-novella-ebook/kristi-hunter/9781493412846/pd/95215EB


Happy Reading! :)

I would like to thank Kristi Ann Hunter and Bethany House Publishers for allowing me to read and review this book in exchange for a free copy. All opinions are my own.

No Place To Hide by Lisa Harris

Fear not, for I am with you; Be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you. Yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.       Isaiah 41:10


Hi Readers!
I am so excited to show you my latest "Must Read" for 2018 and the first "Must Read" for July!
It is a small (almost pocket-sized) book from the Love Inspired Suspense collection. This collection is comprised of several books that come out each month by various authors and this month, I had the pleasure to read No Place To Hide by one of my favorite authors, Lisa Harris!

I would recommend this book to anyone who:

• Likes to read any books by Lisa Harris
• Likes to read books by similar authors Lynette Eason, Dani Pettrey and Irene Hannon
• Likes to read any of the "Love Inspired Suspense" books
• Wants to check out a book that would a "quick read" (because it is a smaller book - at only 219 pages)
• Want to check out a new author
• just wants to read an awesome new book! 

So here is the story, 

Ellie Webb is the only witness to her father's murder. However, there was not enough evidence to convict the person that she knows killed her father - so she decided to disappear. Now three months later, Ellie has finally found a place where she can blend in and no one would ever find her... Or so she thought.  While Ellie is walking through the tight community of Rio de Janeiro in Brazil, She receives a strange phone call from her aunt who informs her that the cartel know where she is and that she needs to leave - now! Oddly enough, when she gets off the phone with her aunt, she notices some members of the cartel coming in her direction. She is terrified and runs in the opposite direction and straight into a old friend of hers... Ryan Kendall. 

Ryan was sent to Rio de Janeiro for one purpose, to extract Ellie and bring her safely home to the US. However, he was not expecting to get shot at during their first meeting. With the threat of the cartel closing in, Ryan does his best to convince Ellie to return to the States with him, because they have a safe house set up for her, but she refuses because she needs to get to the Amazon to meet with a doctor who has the evidence against the cartel that she's been looking for. However things don't go as planned and they are captured by the cartel once they land near the Amazon. Will they be able to escape? and if they do, what is worse? to die in the hands of the cartel or to get lost or bitten by something poisonous and die alone in the Amazon? 

What did I think? 
So as I said before - this book is part of the Love Inspired Suspense collection and though the book is small, it is not a novella. It is meant to be a stand alone book even though it is part of a collection of books. I especially like how the action starts on the very first page and does not stop until the end (which is incredibly surprising!) I also liked everything about Ryan and Ellie. how they interacted with each other, how they supported each other and how Ryan was willing to give up his life to save Ellie's if it came down to it. And although they were captured by the cartel, there is no graphic violence or anything of that nature in the book. Overall I loved the book and will have to keep my eyes out for the Love Inspired Suspense books (and of course, more books from Lisa Harris)  I rate this book 5 out of 5 stars *****


So Readers, if you want to check out more of the Love Inspired Suspense collection - here is the link!
https://www.harlequin.com/shop/brand/love-inspired-suspense.html

And if you want to check out more books by Mrs. Harris, here is the link to all the amazing books she has written. (I personally recommend the Nikki Boyd Files)
http://www.lisaharriswrites.com/books/



Happy Reading :)

I received a free copy of this book in exchange for a honest review. All opinions are my own. Special thanks to Mrs. Lisa Harris and Harlequin books for sending me this book.