Review: Tiffany Girl by Deanne Gist

Book Cover and Synopsis:

As preparations for the 1893 World’s Fair set Chicago and the nation on fire, Louis Tiffany—heir to the exclusive Fifth Avenue jewelry empire—seizes the opportunity to unveil his state-of-the-art, stained glass, mosaic chapel, the likes of which the world has never seen.

But when Louis’s dream is threatened by a glassworkers’ strike months before the Fair opens, he turns to an unforeseen source for help: the female students at the New York Art Institute. Eager for adventure, the young women pick up their skirts, move to boarding houses, take up steel cutters, and assume new identities as the “Tiffany Girls.”

Tiffany Girls is the heartwarming story of the impetuous Flossie Jayne, a beautiful, budding artist who is handpicked by Louis to help complete the Tiffany chapel. Though excited to live in a boarding house when most women stayed home, she quickly finds the world is less welcoming than anticipated. From a Casanova male, to an unconventional married couple, and a condescending singing master, she takes on a colorful cast of characters to transform the boarding house into a home while racing to complete the Tiffany chapel and make a name for herself in the art world.

As challenges mount, her ambitions become threatened from an unexpected quarter: her own heart. Who will claim victory? Her dreams or the captivating boarder next door?

My source for book: Review Copy

My Thoughts:
I had previously never before heard of the "Tiffany Girls", but this book easily brings them and their unique--but often unknown--profession to life. Flossie (I love that name!) was an entertaining heroine; her spunky nature combined with her occasional cluelessness made for some very amusing moments.

The scenes involving the creation of the stained glass windows were interesting and gave a look at the unbelievable amount of time and work just one window required. Also, I previously never knew how Tiffany jewelers and Tiffany glass were related, but now I do! :)

I must admit that initially I didn't like Reeve at all due to his negativity and bad attitude towards Flossie and other girls with jobs outside the home. I couldn't imagine my opinion about him changing... until I found that it actually did! Suddenly I liked him, and upon looking back I could see that he had slowly changed, and it was handled so smoothly that I barely realized it was happening. I love when an author can pull off such a smooth transition, displaying a large amount of growth and development of the character.

Something that really stood out to me was how when Reeve took in a stray cat, it wasn't at all considered un-manly or anything like the stereotypes of men and cats today. This was extremely refreshing for me. You can tell a lot about someone by how they treat animals, and going by that standard Reeve is a winner! :)

While the conflict between Flossie and Reeve was extremely predictable, I still enjoyed the overall journey. The amount of time it took them to reconcile was a bit longer than I would have preferred, but I was ultimately still happy with the outcome. I actually generally like contemporary stories more than historical, however this one had the power and story to really pull me in. It's definitely a winner, and I'm sure established fans of the author (and also new-comers!) won't be disappointed.

My Rating: 5 stars

Thanks to the publisher (Howard Books) for providing me with a review copy via NetGalley.

Review: Married Til Monday by Denise Hunter

Book Cover and Synopsis:

With a big anniversary party in the works for her parents, Ryan will pretend to be Abby's husband for just one last weekend.

Ryan McKinley has tried to move on from his ex-wife, Abby. He’s sulked, he’s gotten angry, and ultimately he bought her dream house. Big mistake. Living alone in the massive 2-story has only made him miss her more. When her parents call him out of the blue about their anniversary party in Summer Harbor, Maine, Ryan believes God has dropped a golden opportunity straight in his lap.

Abby McKinley never exactly told her parents about the divorce. A strained relationship with her dad has culminated in a distant relationship with her parents, but she’s finally succumbed to her mom’s pressure to make the drive for their 35th-anniversary party.

Then Ryan shows up on her doorstep, looking as devastatingly handsome as ever. When he insists he’s going to Seabrook, with or without her, Abby knows she can’t say no. Her parents still think they’re married and now Ryan knows it too. Besides, he only wants to check in with his best friend from college—her cousin Beau, who just lost his dad. It’s just a one-week road-trip with the man who broke her heart. What could possibly go wrong?

My source for book: Review Copy

My Thoughts:
I'm generally not a fan of stories that revolve around divorce, but with Denise Hunter's name on the cover I knew I had to give this one a chance... and I'm glad I did. The story is very engaging, and even though certain aspects are fairly predictable, it's still an entertaining and amusing journey.

The point of view alternates back and forth between Ryan and Abby, and in addition there are also two alternating timelines. The "now" timeline is the most prominent, but the story of their first meeting and subsequent relationship development is also woven in. This was a touch I wasn't expecting but really appreciated, as the timeline from the past is a bit lighter in nature. Getting to see the events from the past helps to flesh out the characters and at the same time it gives valuable back-story to some of their personality traits.

The story ultimately shines a light on how our pasts can effect us in ways we'd never imagine, and how we might not even realize it...even when the effects are reeking havoc in our lives. It has definitely caused me to pause and consider some things in my own life from a different angle, and I suspect this viewpoint will likely stay with me for quite a while.

While it's true this isn't my favorite in the Chapel Springs series--simply because the plot isn't really my normal thing--I did enjoy it for the most part. I admit it did seem to lose a bit of steam towards the end, causing my focus to waver, but ultimately it ended well and overall I'm glad I read it. Honestly it's hard to go wrong with a Denise Hunter novel, and this one is no exception! 

My Rating: 4 stars

Thanks to the publisher (Thomas Nelson) for providing me with a review copy via NetGalley.

Review: A Love Like Ours by Becky Wade

Book Cover and Synopsis:

Former Marine Jake Porter has far deeper scars than the one that marks his face. He struggles with symptoms of PTSD, lives a solitary life, and avoids relationships.

When Lyndie James, Jake’s childhood best friend, lands back in Holley, Texas, Jake cautiously hires her to exercise his Thoroughbreds. Lyndie is tender-hearted, fiercely determined, and afraid of nothing, just like she was as a child. Jake pairs her with Silver Leaf, a horse full of promise but lacking in results, hoping she can solve the mystery of the stallion’s reluctance to run.

Though Jake and Lyndie have grown into very different adults, the bond that existed during their childhood still ties them together. Against Jake’s will, Lyndie’s sparkling, optimistic personality begins to tear down the walls he’s built around his heart. A glimmer of the hope he’d thought he’d lost returns, but fears and regrets still plague him. Will Jake ever be able to love Lyndie like she deserves, or is his heart too shattered to mend?

My source for book: Review Copy

My Thoughts:
Becky Wade has done it again and given us another winner! I really liked the relationship development between Lyndie and Jake, and the fact that they were old childhood friends made it even better. Who doesn't love a story with that much history to the relationship!?

Jake's PTSD means there are a few flashback scenes to his time in Iraq, but they are placed and handled very well. The scenes have enough detail to convey the trauma he experienced, but they are short enough in length so the war angle does not overtake the story as a whole. I did sometimes feel like Jake was a bit too overprotective of Lyndie, however this was very obviously just a natural part of his personality that had been amplified due to his experiences in Iraq.

The horse subplot was interesting, and the atmosphere at the stables and race track was great. The horse details seem very authentic and genuine. I enjoyed seeing Lyndie work to figure out the quirks and personality of Silver Leaf, especially since her own quirky personality gave her the ability to think outside the box and consider odd possibilities. 

I do have to admit that the side story revolving around Amber and Will often just seemed like space filler. The characters themselves were fine, and even the general plot of their story was okay, but in my mind it seemed to stunt the flow of the main story whenever the point of view switched to Amber or Will--especially Will. I would've preferred for the point of view to always stay with Lyndie or Jake instead of bouncing back and forth between all 4 characters.

Overall, I enjoyed the story very much.... despite my nitpicking on a few things, it really was a great read. I enjoyed Lyndie immensely, and even Jake's brooding temperament was entertaining when contrasted and paired with Lyndie's quirky, bubbly nature. Fans of contemporary romance will not be disappointed with this one. I highly recommend it!

My Rating: 5 stars

Thanks to the publisher (Bethany House) for providing me with a review copy via NetGalley.

Review: From the Start by Melissa Tagg

Book Cover and Synopsis:

Kate Walker used to believe in true love and happily ever after. While her own love life may have left her brokenhearted, it hasn't kept her from churning out made-for-TV romance movie screenplays...until a major career slump and a longing to do something meaningful send her running back to her hometown of Maple Valley.

Permanently sidelined by an injury, former NFL quarterback Colton Greene is temporarily hiding out in a friend's hometown to avoid the media and the reminders of all he's lost. Maple Valley seems like the perfect place to learn how to adjust to normal life. The only trouble is he's never really done normal before.

While Kate plays things safe and Colton is all about big risks and grand gestures, they both get what it's like to desperately need direction in life. An unexpected project gives them both a chance to jumpstart their new lives, but old wounds and new dreams are hard to ignore. Starting over wasn't part of the plan, but could it be the best thing that's ever happened to them?

My source for book: Review Copy

My Thoughts:
People in the public eye and entertainment industry often seem mysterious to me, so reading about them--even in a fictional way--is always intriguing. This novel's got two of those "public eye" figures, though they're on completely different levels. I liked Kate's involvement with writing screenplays for tv movies, as it's a behind-the-scenes job and not a common occupation for a novel character to have. I was also intrigued to see her feelings and reactions when people would watch the movies she had written. Her desire to move on to something more important in life--but feeling stuck where she's at--is something most people can likely relate to, and it was interesting to watch her branch out and piece together what she really wanted from life by spending time with a different set of people while visiting "home" in Maple Valley.

Since Colton is a retired football player, there is quite a bit of talk about football--though honestly not as much as I expected, which I was thankful for. Like me, Kate knows zero about the game, so the conversations never get overly technical or involved. If you are *not* a football fan, don't let that push you away from the book. It was actually good for me to read since it puts a face and personality onto a player, and it emphasizes that sports idols are just regular people like you and me, which is much different from the stereo-types and ideas we often have about them.

If you follow the author online at all, you know she is a big fan of Gilmore Girls. This is also pretty apparent by looking at some of the settings and different events that take place in Maple Valley. I won't get into specifics to avoid spoilers, but I admit I felt some things were ideas pulled directly from the tv show with just minor tweaking. I do love the Gilmore's, and maybe some of this was meant as homage to the show, but there's enough parallels between the two that it seemed like one of the characters should point it out as a good natured way to poke-fun-at and openly acknowledge it. That didn't happen though, so I think a few less parallels would've been more to my liking.

For those interested in this book, I recommend reading the novella "Three Little Words" beforehand, as it acts as a great intro to the town and some of the characters. It's not absolutely necessary, but it just adds a bit of back-story that's nice to have. (Plus it's a great story!)

Overall, I did enjoy "From The Start" for the most part, though I don't think it will be a story that sticks with me very long as it doesn't really stand out from the crowd in my mind. Still, I did enjoy it while reading, and I liked how the ending was happy but wasn't a carbon copy of many others. If you've enjoyed any of Melissa's previous stories, I would say picking this one up is a good bet as you'll likely enjoy it too.

My Rating: 4 stars

Thanks to the publisher (BethanyHouse) for providing me with a review copy via NetGalley.

Review: Three Little Words by Melissa Tagg

Book Cover and Synopsis:

Ava Kingsley and Seth Walker might be the most unlikely friends ever. The only thing these two polar opposites have in common is a knack for wordsmithing. Back in college, they were known for their written sparring in the campus newspaper's popular "He Says/She Says" column.

At their ten-year college reunion, they pick up right where they left off. Except this time their squabbling leads to a surprising turn: friendship and a year-long exchange of emails. So when Ava approaches a crossroads in her athletics department career in Minnesota, Seth is quick to offer the open apartment above the restaurant he's been remodeling in Maple Valley, Iowa.

Ava doesn't know where her career will lead her next, but she's starting to suspect she might see Seth as more than a pen pal. Which would be exciting...except for the fact that he only sees her as a friend.

As Maple Valley grows on her, Ava wonders if there might be something here for her even though Seth is unavailable. And maybe, just maybe, after all the words the two of them have exchanged over the years, they'll finally be able to say the three that matter most.

My source for book: Personal Library

My Thoughts:
I love when a novella doesn't actually feel like a novella. The pacing on this one is really good, and it's very much a complete story despite the shorter length. It doesn't seem rushed or lacking details at all. Score!

While I couldn't identify with Ava's love of sports and (strange!) desire to be a football coach, I certainly could relate and sympathize--as I'm sure most can--to her struggle of knowing where to take her life next. As for Seth, I really admired his desire to keep his relationships solid and to not imitate his split-up parents. It was interesting to see him weigh this conviction against his feelings and come to terms with what he ultimately wanted.

I liked how the story was built on the basis of a long distance email friendship. Not many emails are actually featured, but they are the foundation for the growing relationship between Ava and Seth. I thought it was cute how they continued to email each other even when they were in the same town, and even the same room! :)

This novella serves as an introduction to Melissa Tagg's "Walker Family" series, but it would also work well as a stand alone. It's definitely one of the best novellas I've read in quite a while, and I can easily recommend it.

My Rating: 5 stars