Mr. Darcy Broke My Heart

PATTILLO, BETH

MR. DARCY BROKE MY HEART

Claire Prescott doesn't understand Mr. Darcy's appeal. She's been uncomfortably dating Neil, a nice -- if a bit negligent -- sports fanatic. But when she agrees to stand in for her sister at a Jane Austen seminar in Oxford, England, she finds herself holding a lost version of Pride and Prejudice. Scholars thought Austen's original manuscript was destroyed centuries ago, but as Claire reads the beloved author's first draft, she discovers that Austen didn't always have Darcy in mind for Lizzie Bennet.

And when a tall, dark, and dashing stranger crosses Claire's path, will she suddenly discover her inner Lizzie Bennet? Neil's unexpected arrival in Oxford complicates Claire's journey to finding her true romantic lead, and she discovers that finding the right hero can be more difficult than she ever imagined.

TRUE CONFESSION: I'VE NEVER REALLY UNDERSTOOD ALL THE FUSS OVER MR. DARCY. HE WAS JUST SO STUFFY AND OVERBEARING AND SNOBBISH. I KNOW, I KNOW HE WENT THROUGH A TRANSFORMATION BY THE END OF THE BOOK, BUT FRANKLY, I WOULDN'T HAVE GIVEN HIM THE CHANCE. MIND YOU, I'M MORE INTO THE SALT OF THE EARTH KIND OF GUY -- GIVE ME A GARDENER OR A CARPENTER ANY DAY. ANYWAY, THAT'S WHY I COULDN'T RESIST THE LURE OF A HEROINE WHO DOESN'T UNDERSTAND MR. DARCY'S APPEAL.

BETH PATTILLO STUDIED IN LONDON FOR ONE SEMESTER IN COLLEGE AND I THINK SHE DREW ON THAT EXPERIENCE TO BRING AUTHENTICITY TO CLAIRE'S WEEK LONG STAY AT OXFORD. I FELT LIKE A WIDE-EYED TOURIST AS I SAW ENGLAND THROUGH CLAIRE'S EYES.

I LOVED THE WHOLE CONCEPT OF A LOST JANE AUSTEN MANUSCRIPT -- AND THE EXCERPTS CLAIRE GOT TO READ. PATTILLO DID A GREAT JOB OF INTERWEAVING THE PROBLEMS IN CLAIRE'S LIFE WITH THE PASSAGES FROM 'FIRST IMPRESSIONS'. VERY CLEVERLY DONE. THE WHOLE CONCEPT IS GENIUS.

A FRESH, WHIMSICAL, HEART-TUGGING STORY THAT CAPTURED MY FANCY AND HAD ME READING IT FROM COVER TO COVER IN ONE SITTING .

To Love Anew

LEON, BONNIE

TO LOVE ANEW

Hannah Talbot has no one. Forced to leave the only home she's ever known, she works for a cruel employer who brutally takes the only thing she has left -- her dignity. When she is banished to an Australian prison, she is certain God has turned his back on her. How could he -- or anyone else -- ever love her again?

John Bradshaw is a successful businessman, but his untamed spirit wants more. Little does he know what he will have to endure to find the adventure he seeks. Betrayed by those closest to him, he loses everything, even his freedom. There is no returning now. His life is not his own.

Now aboard a ghastly prison ship, John and Hannah are about to cross paths. What will happen when two hearts filled with pain discover how to love anew? The first book in the Sydney Cove series.

BONNIE LEON MANAGES TO PLUNGE HER READERS INTO THE GRITTY -- AND OFTEN SHOCKING -- REALITY OF THE EARLY 1800'S RIGHT FROM THE FIRST PAGE OF TO LOVE ANEW. THIS IS DICKENS' WORLD, WHERE INJUSTICES ARE HEAPED UPON THE INNOCENT WHILE THE WICKED GO FREE AND A MAN (OR WOMAN) CAN BE JAILED FOURTEEN YEARS FOR STEALING A LOAF OF BREAD.

THE HISTORICAL DETAIL IS AMAZING, THOUGH LEON DOES SUCH A GOOD JOB WITH IT THAT I FELT LIKE I WAS RIGHT THERE WITH HANNAH AT THE MOST DESPERATE OF TIMES. WHAT STRUCK ME MOST AS I READ THIS BOOK, WAS THE FACT THAT PEOPLE ACTUALLY SUFFERED THE HORRORS HANNAH DID...AND SURVIVED!

TO LOVE ANEW DEALS WITH THE HARSHER REALITIES OF LIFE AND COULD HAVE FELT OVERWHELMING IF IT WEREN'T FOR A CAST OF SECONDARY CHARACTERS WHO MANAGE TO BUOY HANNAH UP AND GUIDE HER WAY BACK TO A GOD SHE THOUGHT HAD FORSAKEN HER.

WHILE HANNAH STRUGGLES WITH FEELINGS OF SELF-WORTH, JOHN BATTLES BITTERNESS AND LEON WEAVES AN UNDERLYING MESSAGE OF FORGIVENESS THAT BRINGS THEM BOTH HOPE. BUT WILL THAT HOPE LAST? THOUGH TO LOVE ANEW ENDS ON A HIGH POINT I FEEL A SENSE OF FORESHADOWING OF THINGS TO COME IN THE SECOND BOOK OF THE SYDNEY COVE SERIES. CAN'T WAIT TO SEE WHAT HAPPENS NEXT!

Sisters Red

PEARCE, JACKSON

SISTERS RED

The wolf opens its long jaws, rows of teeth stretching for her. A thought locked itself in Scarlett's mind: I am the only one left to fight, so now I must kill you.

Scarlett March lives to hunt the Fenris -- the werewolves that took her eye when she was defending her sister, Rosie, from a brutal attack. Armed with a razor-sharp hatchet and a blood-red cloak, Scarlett is an expert at luring and slaying the wolves. She's determined to protect other young girls from a grisly death, and her raging heart will not rest until every single wolf is dead.

Rosie March once felt that her bond with her sister was unbreakable. Owing Scarlett her life, Rosie hunts ferociously alongside her. But even as more girls' bodies pile up in the city and the Fenris seem to be gaining power, Rosie dreams of a life beyond the wolves. She finds herself drawn to Scarlett's only friend, Silas, a young woodsman who is deadly with an ax. But does loving him mean betraying her sister and all that they've worked for?

THIS STUNNING TAKE ON RED RIDING HOOD IS AN INCREDIBLY GRIPPING READ, BUT BEWARE -- YOU WON'T WANT TO STOP ONCE YOU'VE STARTED. PEARCE KNOWS HOW TO BUILD TENSION WITH A TIGHT PLOT AND PLENTY OF ACTION. SISTERS RED IS VIOLENT AND PRETTY GRAPHIC IN PLACES (I FOUND MYSELF WINCING A TIME OR TWO) BUT IT ISN'T OVERLY DONE.

HOWEVER, THIS BOOK ISN'T ALL ABOUT FIGHTING WEREWOLVES. THERE IS A WONDERFUL ROMANCE WOVEN INTO THE PAGES AS WELL. PEARCE DOES A GOOD JOB OF CONVEYING THE EXCITEMENT, NERVES AND WONDER OF A NEW LOVE. THE ROMANCE BOTH SOFTENS AND INTENSIFIES THE TALE, ADDING AN ENTIRELY NEW DIMENSION.

EACH CHAPTER ALTERNATES POV BETWEEN THE SISTERS -- A GREAT TECHNIQUE TO DEVELOP CHARACTERIZATION AND IT DEFINITELY BUILDS SUSPENSE IN THE PLOT. BOTH SISTERS ARE BOUND TOGETHER BY A PAST TRAGEDY. THEIR DESIRE TO RIGHT THAT WRONG IS WHAT LEADS THEM TO HUNT AND KILL THE FENRIS. BUT IT IS THE DEPTH OF THAT DESIRE IN ONE OF THE SISTERS THAT NEARLY SEVERS THEIR RELATIONSHIP.

PEARCE HAS BUILT A VERY CLEVER LEGEND OF HER OWN AROUND THIS FAMILIAR FAIRY TALE AND HAS ARTFULLY PLACED IT INTO A MODERN SETTING. SHE CREATES IMAGERY WITH HER WORDS AND CUTTING DIALOGUE. CHARLES PERRAULT WOULD BE PROUD.

NOTE: SOME OFFENSIVE LANGUAGE

Lonestar Secrets

COBLE, COLLEEN

LONESTAR SECRETS

Five years ago, Shannon Astor left the beautiful high-mountain country of West Texas as a single mother. She was desperate for a fresh start...and a way to keep the secrets of her past buried. It almost worked.

Until a chance to make a better life for her daughter leads her right back home. To the very place of the past betrayals.

But it also leads Shannon to horse-trainer Jack MacGowan -- her handsome high-school nemesis, now a widowed father. His daughter looks so startlingly like her own that Shannon can't help but question the circumstances surrounding her daughter's birth. Wary of each other's intentions, Shannon and Jack reluctantly join forces to untangle a deep mystery that swirls around Shannon's parents, a lost Spanish treasure, and a legendary black stallion.

If Shannon can learn to entrust her secrets to the man falling in love with her, the truth just might set her free.

COBLE CERTAINLY PACKS A LOT INTO THIS BOOK WHICH MAKES FOR A PAGE TURNING READ AS YOU TRY TO KEEP UP WITH ALL THE SUB-PLOTS. LOTS OF ACTION AND DRAMA BUT THERE WERE TIMES WHEN I JUST WANTED TO SMACK SHANNON FOR HOLDING ONTO A HIGH SCHOOL GRUDGE THAT SHOULD HAVE BEEN LET GO A LONG TIME AGO. BUT THEN LESSONS IN FORGIVENESS ARE MESSY ONES AND I LIKED THE GROWTH IN SHANNON BY THE END OF THE BOOK. HER ABILITY TO FORGIVE BROUGHT HER THE ABILITY TO TRUST (PRACTICALLY FOR THE FIRST TIME IN HER LIFE) AND THAT ENABLED HER TO LOVE.

Simple Secrets

MEHL, NANCY

SIMPLE SECRETS

Graphic designer Gracie Temple wants it all: the big city lifestyle and a successful job in advertising. And it looks like her life is on the right track when she takes a job at a struggling midszie firm in Witchita.

But when Gracie inherits a house from her unknown uncle in the mostly Mennonite town of Harmony, Kansas, she's not sure what God is trying to tell her. Especially oncer she discovers the hosue comes with a dark legacy and a cast of eccentric neighbours. Will Gracie shake off the dust of this town, or will its secret charms pull her in to stay?

All Sam Goodrich wants is to get married and start a family...and he thought he'd do it with his fiancee. But he can't bring himself to agree to a wedding date. When he meets Gracie Temple, Sam discovers she's everything he doesn't want. He loves his fruit farm, and he loves Harmony. So why does he feel so drawn to an outsider?

When something tries to keep Gracie from discovering the truth behind the town's collection of secrets, will Sam and Gracie cling to their faith to help them decide what's most important -- before it's too late?

WOW...SIMPLE SECRETS IS SIMPLY AMAZING!!!! I PRETTY MUCH READ IT IN ONE SITTING, COMPELTEY DISREGARDING ALL THE CHORES I HAD PLANNED TO GET DONE TODAY BOTH INSIDE AND OUTSIDE OF THE HOUSE. I KEPT TELLING MYSELF 'JUST ONE MORE CHAPTER...I'LL READ TO THE END OF THIS SCENE...OKAY...REALLY, JUST ONE MORE PAGE AND I'LL PUT THIS BOOK DOWN...' BUT I JUST COULDN'T LET IT GO.

MEHL HAS CREATED A MASTERFUL MYSTERY/SUSPENSE. THE CLUES ARE EXPERTLY PLANTED DEEP WITHIN THE LAYERS OF PLOT AND ROMANCE. AS YOU'RE READING, YOU KNOW YOU'VE JUST BEEN GIVEN A CLUE BUT YOU CAN'T QUITE FIGURE OUT WHAT TO DO WITH IT YET. I'M USUALLY REALLY GOOD AT FIGURING OUT MYSTERIES BUT MEHL MANAGED TO DISTRACT ME WITH ENOUGH RED HERRINGS TO MAKE MY HEAD SPIN. I LOVED IT!!!!!!!!

THE INFORMATION ABOUT THE MENNONITE FAITH AND CUSTOMS WERE FASCINATING AND THIS BOOK IS UNIQUE IN THAT NEITHER THE HERO OR HEROINE ARE OF THE MENNONITE FAITH. THE TOWN OF HARMONY IS AN INSPIRING BLEND OF FAITHS AND BELIEFS WHERE NEIGHBOURS MEET EACH OTHER ON THE COMMON GROUND OF LIVING THE GREATEST COMMANDMENT -- 'LOVE THY NEIGHBOUR'. THEY STRIVE, BUT AS THE STORY PROGRESSES YOU DISCOVER THAT NOT ALL SUCCEED.

THERE ARE WONDERFUL FAITH PROMOTING CONVERSATIONS BETWEEN CHARACTERS WHICH FLOW NATURALLY INTO THE PLOT MAKING THIS AN UPLIFTING AND THOUGHT-PROVOKING READ.

MEHL'S CAST OF CHARACTERS ARE SO DIVERSE AND CLEVERLY CRAFTED THAT THEY CAME TO LIFE FOR ME, AS DID THE FICTIONAL TOWN. I WAS VERY DISAPPOINTED TO DISCOVER THAT IT DIDN'T EXIST EXCEPT IN THE AUTHOR'S IMAGINATION...AND NOW MINE. I AM ACTUALLY FEELING BEREFT NOW THAT I AM FORCED TO TAKE MY DEPARTURE FROM A TOWN AND PEOPLE I'VE GROWN TO LOVE. I FEEL AS MELANCHOLY AS IF I'M LEAVING A FAVOURITE VACATION SPOT. EVEN THOUGH I KNOW I'LL GET TO GO BACK SOMEDAY, IT CAN'T BE SOON ENOUGH FOR ME! ALAS, THAT WON'T HAPPEN UNTIL DECEMBER 2010 WHEN THE SEQUEL, SIMPLE DECEIT COMES OUT. I CAN'T WAIT!!!!

Doctor in Petticoats

CONNEALY, MARY

DOCTOR IN PETTICOATS

When nurse Beth McCallen survives a stage coach accident, she soon realizes the derelict traveling alongside her is a doctor, and she forces him to help tend the injured. Alex Buchanan, arm deserter, finds he can only care for the patients as long as Beth is right beside him, giving him courage...by yelling at him.

Beth thinks he's a lunatic when he proposes that they marry and work together in her hometown. But there's no denying his skill, and she can see the emotional price Alex pays to help hurting people. Besides, she owes the guy for saving her own sister.

So she agreed to marry him.

And that's when the real trouble begins. A murderous bounty hunter is on Alex's trail. Alex only has to live long enough to turn himself in, and then may face a firing squad. Not exactly the honeymoon of Beth's dreams.

Alex may find the faith he lost while surrounded by the horrors of war, but will doing the right thing by facing his past cost him his wife...and his life?

MARY CONNEALY IS WELL ACQUAINTED WITH THE WILD WEST AND THE WOMEN WHO CARVED OUT A NICHE FOR THEMSELVES IN IT. SHE HAS CAPTURED THE ESSENCE OF THEIR PIONEERING SPIRIT, ADDED A LIBERAL DOSE OF COMEDY TO COUNTER THE INTENSE ACTION SCENES AND SPRINKLED IT WITH ROMANCE IN ORDER TO CREATE ANOTHER RUNAWAY BEST-SELLER.

HER ZIPPY DIALOGUE AND TONGUE-IN-CHEEK HUMOUR LEAP FROM THE PAGE, CONNECTING SCENES WITH AN ECONOMY OF WORDS THAT STILL PACK A PUNCH AND CREATE AN EMOTIONAL CONNECTION WITH THE READER.

I LOVE HOW SHE TAKES FLAWED CHARACTERS AND APPEALS TO HER READERS' COMPASSION. SHE HAS CREATED SOME OF THE MOST UNLOVABLE HEROES THAT I'VE HAD THE PRIVILEGE OF FALLING FOR. ALEX BUCHANAN IS ONE SUCH HERO. HIS STORY SUPPLIES THE DRAMA IN DOCTOR IN PETTICOATS AND CONNEALY DOES AN EXCEPTIONAL JOB OF FOLLOWING THAT THREAD WITH COMPASSION AND DIGNITY.

I HAD ABSOLUTELY NO IDEA HOW SHE PLANNED TO SAVE POOR ALEX'S HIDE AND CHEERED OUT LOUD WHEN SHE SUCCEEDED. I HADN'T SEEN THAT COMING AT ALL! AND IF YOU'RE A CONNEALY FAN (AND WHY WOULDN'T YOU BE?) YOU'LL BE THRILLED TO MEET A FEW OLD FRIENDS DURING YOUR READ. IT JUST CAN'T GET BETTER THAN THAT!

The Apothecary's Daughter

KLASSEN, JULIE

THE APOTHECARY'S DAUGHTER

As Lilly toils in her father's apothecary shop, preparing herbs and remedies by rote, she is haunted by memories of her mother's disappearance. Villagers whisper the tale, but her father refuses to discuss it. All the while, she dreams of the world beyond -- of travel and adventure and romance.

When a relative offers to host her in London, Lilly discovers the pleasures and pitfalls of fashionable society and suitors, as well as clues about her mother. But will Lilly find what she is searching for -- the truth of the past and a love for the future?

I SLIPPED INTO LILLY'S WORLD THE MOMENT I OPENED THE APOTHECARY'S DAUGHTER. KLASSEN'S VIVID DESCRIPTIONS COMBINED WITH A RIVETING PLOT AND A MULTITUDE OF EQUALLY AS INTRIGUING SUBPLOTS KEPT ME IMMERSED IN THE EARLY 19TH CENTURY FOR THE DURATION OF THE READ.

LILLY IS BOTH A VEXING AND ENDEARING CHARACTER WHO GROWS INTO WOMANHOOD THROUGH THE COURSE OF THE BOOK . THERE WERE TIMES WHEN I GREW A BIT VOCAL IN MY PROTESTS AS I FOLLOWED LILLY'S 'ESCAPE' TO LONDON, KNOWING THAT SHE WOULDN'T FIND WHAT SHE WAS SEEKING THERE AMONGST THE PRIVILEGED AND WEALTHY.

AND SHE KEPT ME ON EDGE AS SHE DEVELOPED FRIENDSHIPS WITH VARIOUS GENTLEMEN. WHICH SUITOR WOULD SHE CHOOSE? AND WOULD HE BE THE BEST CHOICE FOR HER? KLASSEN DID A WONDERFUL JOB OF FLESHING OUT THESE FRIENDSHIPS, DEVELOPING VIABLE RELATIONSHIPS THAT EACH HAD MERIT. IT KEPT ME ON MY TOES TRYING TO FIGURE OUT WHO SHE'D END UP WITH...AND THEN WORRYING OVER IT WHEN I'D MADE MY DECISION BEFORE LILLY DID!

IN FACT KLASSEN EXCELS AT CREATING MEMORABLE CHARACTERS THAT EASILY CARRY THE STORY...AND THE CONFLICT. THERE WERE SO MANY SURPRISES...AND ONE MOMENT OF STUNNED DISBELIEF ON MY PART (WHICH HAD ME SCANNING EARLIER PAGES FOR CLUES TO A MONUMENTAL DISCOVERY...I FOUND THEM AND SCOLDED MYSELF SOUNDLY FOR NOT NOTICING THEM THE FIRST TIME ROUND.)

KLASSEN INCLUDES FASCINATING DETAILS ON THE APOTHECARY TRADE AND METICULOUS HISTORICAL DETAILS WHICH ENHANCES THE AUTHENTICITY OF THE TIME PERIOD. DEFINITELY HIGH ON MY RECOMMENDED LIST.