A Path Towards Love

GIVEAWAY

JAMES, CARA LYNN
A PATH TOWARDS LOVE

Katherine came home to forget her past.

The last thing she expected is a hopeful future.

Young widow Katherine Osborne returns to her family's rustic camp on Raquette Lake in the Adirondack Mountains. She's determined to live a quiet life, but her socialite mother is equally determined to push her into a new marriage while shes still young.

Andrew Townsend has known Katherine since they were children. An attorney who is successful, but not wealthy, he knows she is socially out of his reach. But he's curious what changed the free-spirited girl he once knew into this private, somber young woman.

Katherine has kept hidden the details of her unsuccessful marriage. When past sins come to light, she must turn to God for the courage to be honest. But how can she trust the God she feels has let her down? When she confides in Andrew, their relationship takes a dramatic turn into uncharted territory.

Amid impossible obstacles, two young people must learn to trust enough to walk the path that God has cleared for them. A path that leads to healing and restoration. A path toward love.

My Review:

An amazing read that stirred my emotions and kept my stomach in knots to the very end! I don't think I've ever been more infuriated at a charcter than I was with Katherine's mother! Seriously, I advise reading this while cuddling a favourite pet in order to keep your blood pressure down!

James gives a fascinating glimpse into the socially elite at the turn of the century. Vivid descriptions made me feel as if I'd visited the 'rustic' Adriondack camp. What an intriguing setting for a novel! But -- oy -- the fuss and bother of social niceties and keeping up appearances and all the trappings for a class conscious society made my blood boil!

 Loved Katherine's determination to follow her own path as she navigated her way around all the obstacles her parents set before her. And Andrew's solid friendship and support provide the anchor she desperately needs. I was riveted by their love story.

If you like a romance steeped in history and a myriad of impossibilities, you'll want to lose yourself in A Path Towards Love.

Giveaway Opportunity:

If you would like an opportunity to win a copy of A Path Towards Love, please leave a comment below or email me at kavluvstoreadATyahooDOTca. If you post a comment and add your email address, please use AT and DOT instead of @ and . in the address to protect yourself from spammers. If you enter the draw via email please remember to put the title in the subject line so that it's easy for me to spot your entry. Draw will be held and winner announced on Sunday August 26 2012. Offer open to international readers. Good luck!

Love By the Book

GIVEAWAY!!!!

JAMES, CARA LYNN
LOVE BY THE BOOK

A sweeping love story set in a lavish seaside mansion in 1901 Rhode Island.

Melinda Hollister is a society lady, intent on finding a rich husband before her peers discover he quickly diminishing wealth. Nick Bryson is all business, focused on making a name for himself in his father's steamship line. Despite the marriage of their siblings, they rarely gave each other a second glance -- until a tragic accident results in Melinda and Nick being appointed as co-guardians of their three-year-old daughter.

In order to get better acquainted with Nell and one another, Melinda and Nick agree to spend the summer in their own private quarters of the Bryson family vacation home, Summerhill. As their love for Nell grows, so does their attraction to each other. And for the first time in their lives, they sense that God has a bigger plan in motion.

Yet old habits die hard -- and Melinda and Nick each find it difficult to resist the pull of their former worlds.

When the unthinkable happens, they find themselves faced with seemingly impossible choices and a new understanding of God's true love.

My Review:

This is my favourite of the Ladies of Sumerhill series. I am by turns fascinated and appalled by the Gilded Age -- the opulent wealth, the snobbery, the sheer shallowness of the society --  and James writes that era so well. But she gives it a heart through her cleverly casted characters.

Melinda intrigued me the most. She grows from a product of that society into a young woman of promise. And it's that growth that gives this novel substance. Melinda has enough endearing qualities -- love for the Lord, the ability to acknowledge her weaknesses, a willing heart for change all combined with an exuberance for life -- that helped me identify with her despite her shallow pursuits at the beginning of the book. After all, she has been a product of her upbringing and has known little else. I loved watching her question society's standards, take on a mothering role to her niece and delve into bible discussions with her missionary friend , all of which prompted her to slowly make the changes in her life that lead to maturity. She really does grow from girl to womanhood in these pages. And it's a rewarding read.

By contrast, Nick is staid and steady, dedicated to business and family, though he has trouble juggling the two. He's constantly in a battle of wills with his father and that makes him all the more serious. He definitely needs someone like Melinda to brighten up his life. Of course he doesn't realize it at first! Just as she doesn't realize that some of Nick's 'stuffiness' would be a good counterbalance to her frivolity.

James weaves a heart-warming tale that has some surprisingly suspenseful twists but all ends well in a happily-ever-after.

Giveaway Opportunity:

If you would like to win a copy of Love By the Book  by Cara Lynn James, leave a comment below or email me at kavluvstoreadATyahooDOTca. Draw will be held on Sunday August 28. Open internationally.

Love on Assignment

JAMES, CARA LYNN

LOVE ON ASSIGNMENT

While Charlotte is focusing on uncovering sordid information on columnist Daniel Wilmot, her heart leads her into uncharted territory.

During the summer of 1900 Charlotte Hale, a native Newporter and secretary for the Rhode Island Reporter, accepts an undercover assignment as temporary governess to Daniel Wilmont's children in order to secretly gather evidence against him. As he helps her rediscover God, Charlotte learns that Daniel is an honorable man. They unexpectedly fall in love despite their different backgrounds and social positions. Charlotte soon realizes she must defend Daniel against the forces set against him--a willful student with a romantic crush and the newspaper editor determined to destroy his reputation.

THIS BOOK OOZES OLD WORLD CHARM. JAMES HAS CAPTURED THE CADENCE AND LANGUAGE OF THE ERA (AT LEAST HOW I PERCEIVE IT TO HAVE BEEN!)AND BROUGHT THIS PERIOD IN HISTORY TO LIFE FOR ME. WE ALSO GET CAMEO APPEARANCES FROM FAVOURITE CHARACTERS FROM THE FIRST BOOK IN THE SERIES.

BUT SHHH...HERE'S A SECRET. I DIDN'T LIKE CHARLOTTE AT THE BEGINNING OF THE BOOK. I FOUND HER YOUNG AND NAIVE AND EXTREMELY SELF-MOTIVATED. SHE WAS SO DESPERATE TO SUCCEED THAT SHE DIDN'T STOP TO SEE THE OBVIOUS AND THAT FRUSTRATED ME. BUT THIS IS A GOOD THING BECAUSE HER STORY IS A JOURNEY OF PERSONAL GROWTH AND READERS ARE PRIVILEGED TO WITNESS HER TRANSFORMATION INTO A WOMAN OF SUBSTANCE.

MIND YOU, JAMES KEPT ME IN TURMOIL AS I WATCHED CHARLOTTE HEAD IN THE WRONG DIRECTION ON MORE THEN ONE OCCASION! SOMETIMES I JUST WANTED TO SHAKE SOME SENSE INTO THAT GIRL!

LOVE ON ASSIGNMENT IS ALSO A MOVING WITNESS OF CHRIST AND A TESTIMONY TO HIS DIVINE ABILITY TO CHANGE LIVES THROUGH THE POWER OF FORGIVENESS.

REMINDER: IF YOU WOULD LIKE A CHANCE TO WIN YOUR OWN COPY OF LOVE ON ASSIGNMENT, LEAVE A COMMENT BELOW OR EMAIL ME AT kavluvstoread(AT)yahoo(DOT)ca. MAKE SURE TO WRITE 'GIVEAWAY' IN THE SUBJECT LINE. FOR COMPLETE DETAILS SEE THE JANUARY IS GIVEAWAY MONTH BLOG POSTED ON JANUARY 5TH OR CLICK ON 'GIVEAWAY' IN THE LABELS COLUMN.THE DRAWS FOR THE BOOKS REVIEWED BETWEEN JANUARY 17 AND 29 WILL TAKE PLACE ON SUNDAY, JANUARY 30.

Love on a Dime

JAMES, CARA LYNN

LOVE ON A DIME

Newport, Rhode Island, 1899, is a place of shimmering waves, sleek yachts, and ladies of leisure. Of opulent mansions that serve as summer cottages for the rich and famous. Home of railroad magnates and banking tycoons -- dashing young men and the women who inspire them.

But it's not the place for lady novelists. Especially not those who pen disreputable dime novels. This poses a problem for Lilly Westbrook, because that's exactly what she does.

No one in Lilly's social set knows she pens fiction under the nom de plume Fannie Cole. Not her family or the wealthy young man about to propose to her. And especially not Jackson Grail, the long-lost beaut who just bought her publishing company...and who stirs her heart more than she cares to admit.

But Lilly must put aside her feelings and follow the path that will maintain her family's social stature and provide the financial security everyone is depending on.

Now Lilly faces a double-dilemma. Can she continue to protect her secret identity? And will she have the courage to choose the man who will risk it all just to win her heart?

THIS IS A WONDERFUL STORY ABOUT A YOUNG WOMAN WHO IS AT ODDS WITH RESTRICTIONS PLACED ON A YOUNG LADY OF QUALITY IN THE 19TH CENTURY. LILLY IS FIERCELY LOYAL TO HER FAMILY TO THE POINT OF NEARLY LOSING HERSELF AS SHE STRIVES TO BE THE PERFECT DAUGHTER, SISTER AND FIANCEE. THE TROUBLE IS THAT THE REAL LILLY ISN'T AS PROPER AND MALLEABLE AS EVERYONE THINKS! WRITING DIME NOVELS ON THE SLY PROVIDES LILLY WITH AN OUTLET FOR HER CREATIVITY AND IMAGINATIVE NATURE BUT SOON THREATENS EVERYTHING SHE HOLDS DEAR.

LILLY IS A MULTI-FACETED CHARACTER. I LOVED THE CONTRASTS IN HER. SHE HAD LEARNED TO PLAY HER ROLE SO WELL THAT SHE WAS IN DANGER OF BELIEVING IT. I WANTED TO SCREAM AT HER AT TIMES, SHAKE SOME SENSE INTO HER AS SHE SEEMED RESIGNED TO FOLLOW A FUTURE THAT REALLY HELD NO APPEAL TO HER. SHE WAS SO DETERMINED TO PLAY THE ROLE OF DUTIFUL DAUGHTER THAT SHE IGNORED THE FACT THAT SHE WAS MISERABLE. SHE HAD THIS MISGUIDED IDEA THAT WHAT SHE WANTED DIDN'T COUNT. I ENJOYED WATCHING THIS 'LOST LILLY' FIND HERSELF WITH THE HELP OF HER FORMER SUITOR, JACK.

I LOVED THE INNOVATIVE DIME NOVEL ANGLE! WRITERS AND READERS OF INSPIRATIONAL ROMANCE CAN DEFINITELY RELATE TO THE TIMELESS DEBATE ABOUT THE WORTHINESS OF THIS TYPE OF LITERATURE. AND LILLY'S DIME NOVELS REVEAL A REBELLIOUS STREAK AS SHE FIGHTS AGAINST COMPLETELY CONFORMING TO SOCIETY'S DEMANDS.

JACK HAS ALL THE ELEMENTS OF A SWOONWORTHY HERO. REPENTANT, DETERMINED, BESOTTED AND BOLD. A SELF-MADE MAN WHO DISCOVERS HE NEEDS TO TAKE CARE OR HE COULD LOSE HIMSELF IN HIS NEW-FOUND WEALTH.

THIS BOOK IS ABOUT FINDING A BALANCE WHILE KEEPING GOD AT THE CENTER. A FANTASTIC DEBUT NOVEL.