A Captain for Caroline Gray

 

GIVEAWAY

WRIGHT, JULIE

A CAPTAIN FOR CAROLINE GRAY

Caroline Gray would rather be daring and intelligent than demure and insipid, which is why she is still unmatched after her third season in London. Her family's threadbare finances leave Caroline with only one choice to secure her future: sail with the Fishing Fleet to India, where the son of a family friend is willing to consider an engagement to her.

Captain Thomas Scott loves the open sea as much as he despises the three-month, twice yearly trip his ship makes as he ferries young English girls across the ocean. He can't imagine what family would allow an innocent young woman to be matched up with the Englishmen of questionable reputation who work and live in India.

But when Miss Gray boards the HMS Persistence, all of Captain Scott's plans are upended. Miss Gray's fiery spirit can't be contained, and he is shocked and secretly delighted at her boldness -- and her beauty. But the rest of his passengers aren't so kind.

Caroline finds herself an outcast among her peers, but Captain Scott becomes an unlikely ally. They share the same passions and interests, creating an undeniable attraction. But they both know any relationship between them is impossible. After all, Caroline has obligations to fulfill in India.

Caroline has until the end of the voyage to decide if she is going to marry a man she has never met or be brave enough to love a sea captain who just might break her heart. 

My Review:

Sqqquuueeeaaaaapppppp! New-to-me author alert!!! And I'm in a swoonafied state of twitterpatedness over this discovery! Because...Captain Scott! 

Thud!

Warning: The potential for frequent swooning may be hazardous to your health. 

Reading Recommendations: Remain seated or in a reclined position for the duration of the read. Fainting couch and smelling salts essential. Comfort chocolate optional.

I had absolutely no idea that bride ships to India were a thing but trust those oh-so-proper Victorians to figure out a way to find matches for their unmatchable daughters. lol And what a brilliant backdrop for a historical romance!

We have a microcosm of the British Upper class on ship and all the drama that entails. Ladies vying for the attention of the limited number of gentlemen (well, one lady in particular), the veiled barbs couched in 'polite' conversation, the guarded glances and thrill of attraction between one specific lady and gentleman...as in Captain. Eeeeep -- it all thrilled me to my toes!

And then there's life at sea and the enthralling adventures Caroline finds herself in because a) she has the audacity to speak her mind and b) she acts sensibly instead of wringing her hands and waiting for a man to step in and take over. Snort! 

Poor Captain Scott. His love of all things shipshape is sorely threatened when Caroline invades his orderly life. This is a kinda frenemies romance -- where the first sparks come from combustible encounters as these two engage in a battle of wills. But it isn't long before the sizzle works up to fireworks of a very different kind. Cue the toe-curls!

A truly captivating thrill of a read!

GIVEAWAY OPPORTUNITY:

This giveaway is paperback or ebook copy -- winner's choice

If you would like a chance to win a copy of A Captain for Caroline, leave a comment below or email me at kavluvstoreadATyahooDOTca. If you add an email to your comment, remember to use AT and DOT instead of @ and . in order to protect yourself from spammers. If you enter the draw via email, please add the title to the subject line so it's easy to spot your entry. Draw will be held and winners announced on Saturday April 24  2021. Offer open to International Readers. Good luck!

A Cowboy for Keeps

 

GIVEAWAY

HEDLUND, JODY

A COWBOY FOR KEEPS

Greta Nilsson's trip west to save her ailing sister, Astrid, could not have gone more wrong. First, bandits hold up her stagecoach, stealing all her money. Then, upon arriving in Fairplay, Colorado, she learns the man she was betrothed to as a mail-order-bride has died. Homeless, penniless, and jobless, Greta and her sister are worse off than when they started.

Wyatt McQuaid is struggling to get his new ranch up and running and is in town to purchase cattle when the mayor proposes the most unlikely of bargains. He'll invest in a herd of cattle for Wyatt's ranch if Wyatt agrees to help the town become more respectable by marrying and starting a family with Greta. But when old insecurities and surprising revelations arise, can a union born out of desperation survive?

My Review:

A cowboy for keeps? Yes please, especially if he's the product of Jody Hedlund's imagination! And --- eeeeeeppp -- this is a mail-order bride story! Absolutely love the way Greta and Wyatt haltingly draw closer as they partner together to make a success of the ranch. 

Love Greta's spunk and her dedication to her outrageously funny little sister. Honestly, Astrid stole the show for me with her childlike wonder and enthusiasm. Half angel, half imp, she certainly livened up the story!

And then there's Wyatt. Excuse me while I stare off into space with a goofy grin on my face because...oh, my!!! He's kinda gruff and awkward on the outside but all tender and kind on the inside. And rather flummoxed since he went to town to do some business and came home with a bride! 

I really enjoyed the way the romance develops. Lots of wary missteps and miscommunications peppered with sweet, hopeful moments of what could be...if these two dunderheads just sat down and talked everything through! Their chemistry is fabulous, sizzling and sparking and giving me hope that a happily ever after can become their reality...once they deal with a few pesky problems including some classic Wild West shenanigans that threaten everything they hold dear.

This is the first book in the Colorado Cowboys series and the tantalizing epilogue gives us a glimpse into what's in store next and I can't wait!

Book provided courtesy of Baker Publishing Group and Graf-Martin Communications Inc.

GIVEAWAY OPPORTUNITY:

This giveaway is for a paperback copy

If you would like a chance to win a copy of A Cowboy for Keeps, leave a comment below or email me at kavluvstoreadATyahooDOTca. If you add an email to your comment, remember to use AT and DOT instead of @ and . in order to protect yourself from spammers. If you enter the draw via email, please add the title to the subject line so it's easy to spot your entry. Draw will be held and winners announced on Saturday February 20  2021. Offer open to International Readers. Good luck! 

Mail-Order Refuge

GIVEAWAY

REGNIER, CINDY
MAIL-ORDER REFUGE

She needs a place to hide -- he needs a woman's touch

Rand Stafford isn't looking for true love. He'd ridden that trail until his fiancee left him with a shattered heart. What he needs now is a wife to help him care for his orphan nieces. Desperate, he sends an advertisement to a Baltimore newspaper and hopes for the best.

Fleeing her former employer who would use her to further his unlawful acts, a newspaper advertisement reads like the perfect refuge to Carly Blair. The idea of escaping the city, the intrigue, and the danger to hide herself on a cattle ranch in Kansas is her best shot at freedom.

But its sanctuary comes with a price -- a husband. While marrying a man she doesn't know or love means sacrificing her dreams, it's better than being caught by the law.

Or is it?

My Review:

Eeeepppp! Mail-Order Refuge has all the elements I love in a romance...and then some! And can we all collectively sigh over the mail-order trope? What is it about this concept that has me swooning before I even open up the book? While in real life I'd be running for the hills? But I find it so romantic and Regnier delivers all that and more.

Toe-curling awkwardness had me blushing and squirming...and hoping...right along with Carly. And poor Rand who feels "as awkward as a bow-legged buffalo in a tulip patch." Gotta love a cowboy hero so totally out of his element and the colourful way Regnier portrays that. "Mercy, the girl needed a few more potatoes in her. She was light as a newborn foal." 

As for Carly -- well, she's a woman of mystery, intent on escaping a foolish mistake from her past. She's looking for refuge not love but is on the verge of finding both. But not before the author puts Carly and Rand (and this reader) through some teeth-clenching, gut-wrenching, tear-drenching paces. And all of that balanced by laughter and heart-melts.  Happy readerly sigh!

GIVEAWAY OPPORTUNITY:

If you would like a chance to win a copy of Mail-Order Bride, leave a comment below or email me at kavluvstoreadATyahooDOTca. If you add an email to your comment, remember to use AT and DOT instead of @ and . in order to protect yourself from spammers. If you enter the draw via email, please add the title to the subject line so it's easy to spot your entry. Draw will be held and winner announced on Saturday July 27 2019. Offer open to International Readers. Good luck!