“Finding the Rainbow,” by Traci Borum

When Holly’s mother died, Holly chose to remain at home to help her newly widowed father care for her younger sisters. Now, six years later, Holly is wanting to love and be loved and marry. Fletcher, a Texan, arrives in Chilton Crosse with film makers from America to make the movie “Emma” by Jane Austen. Fletcher and Holly meet and become friends, they are definitely there for one another. To celebrate the arrival of the film makers and the filming of “Emma,” a book group is started in the community and it is decided the group will begin by reading and discussing “Emma.”

Welcome back to Chilton Crosse! This is the second book in a series. I was thrilled to discover so many references to “Emma” in Traci’s new book. “Emma,” by Jane Austin is my favorite! Yes, that’s right Emma and Mr. Knightley won out over Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth Bennett. But, I digress. At the beginning of each chapter there is a quote by Jane Austen. I liked that!

In “Finding the Rainbow,” we meet new friends in Chilton Crossse and we get a glimpse into the lives of old friends as well. This story is so much about the importance of family! The Newbury family is a loving close-knit family, but changes are coming and with changes, challenges.

Holly has so many wonderful memories of her loving mother, which the author shares with the reader and I enjoyed reading each and every memory. At one point in the story, the author brought me to tears!

Make yourself a steaming cup of hot tea or chocolate, sit in a comfy chair and travel, once again, to Chilton Crosse!

A special and sincere thank-you to the author for providing me a copy of her book in exchange for an honest review.

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“The Blue Castle,” by L.M. Montgomery

Valancy is twenty-nine years old, never been in love. Her relatives were less than ideal, to say the least. She enjoys books by John Foster, and dreams of a Blue Castle. After discovering she is seriously ill, she changes her imprisoned life and runs free. She has adventures beyond her wildest dreams and lives life to the full! This is a beautiful story as I knew it would be, by the same author who wrote the much loved, “Anne of Green Gables!” This is a book to savor over a cup of steaming hot tea, in a comfy chair, in a cozy corner of your home. Enjoy!

from pinterest

“Red Butterfly,” by A. L. Sonnichsen

“Red Butterfly,” is a moving story about Kara, a girl living in China, abandoned at birth, found and cared for by an elderly American woman living in China. Kara’s story is beautiful, it touched me and moved me deeply.

picture from pinterest

Welcome Rissi!

Testing . . . Testing . . .Is this thing working? Test . . . Test . . .Can you hear me? OH! Yes! There you are! Greetings and welcome to my blog! Today I am happy to be chatting with Rissi from –

http://www.scribblesscriptsandsuch.blogspot.com

Thank-you so much for visiting with me today Rissi!

Rissi is on the advisory board at INSPY. “To be honest we have no set tasks for the INSPY’s. We all pitch in where needed. Last year, I was half the duo in charge of contacting authors and getting our shortlist author interviews formated and ready to publish. Our tasks range from getting our name out there by using social media (on INSPY’s twitter page, our personal social medias, etc.) to maintaining the website, contacting the publicists to moderating judges/spreading the word of our need of shortlist judges, and of course, the most important. . .reading! Our advisory board is made up of five members (shout-out: Jamie, Lydia, Stacy and Rel) and I am privileged to work with each one of them – they are a fantastic group of ladies whom I respect and consider friends.”

1.) How long have you blogged and why do you blog?
Answer: I’ve blogged since 2011 (going on four years!) and still love it. I began blogging to fill the loss of a contributing opportunity I’d had for several years. I loved reviewing (which is how I started developing my enjoyment of writing) and wanted to have a place to continue with that. Blogging gave that to me and so much more – it’s been a unique learning experience. I’m constantly surprised by this community and have forged many friendships because of it.

2.) What is your favorite genre?
Answer: Though I like many genres, primarily it’s contemporary fiction or young adult (because they are my “easy” reads when I need a good pick me up).

3.) Who is your favorite author? If you want to, name more than one author.
Answer: Is this a trick question?! *Smile* Seriously, there are to many authors to name and praise for their exceptional storytelling or because they have the ability to move the reader or simply because they have mastered the art of beautiful prose. Whatever their talent may be, I don’t think I could name all of the authors I consider favorites. A few favorites are . . . C.S. Lewis (because Narnia), Hillary Manton Lodge, Jody Hedlund, Melissa Tagg, Rachel Hauck, Mary Weber and many (many) more.

4.) You are going to meet your favorite fictional character at a local coffee shop. You can visit with this fictional character for one hour. Who are you going to meet and why? What are you going to talk about?
Answer: Meeting any of the Narnia characters would be a fantastic time – not just for conversation’s sake (what was it like? Who did you see? Who did you meet? What is Aslan like?), but also because it’d be cool to know them as people. Lucy in particular is a wonderful literary heroine – her genuine belief and wholehearted wonderment is what real faith is. It’s beautiful and inspiring.

5.) If you could live inside a fictional story, which book would you live in and why?
Answer: Going with a theme here: Narnia! Allegorically, it’s a parallel of Christ’s sacrifice and the meaning of believing, plus it’s visually awe-inspiring, and the characters seem like the kind who’d be fun to know.

6.) Has a book ever inspired you? What book? How did it inspire you?
Answer: In more recent years, the book that really “hit me” was “Barefoot Summer.” I am not exactly sure what it is about the book, but something about the story touched me and it made me think . . .something any story should do.

7.) If you could travel, anywhere in the world – no cost to you – one location, where would you go and why?
Answer: England! (Or Australia.) Why? It’s really very simple: Because I am a BBC movie addict.

Thank-you SO much for inviting me, Katherine! It was a pleasure to spend the day on your blog.

“Alaskan Homecoming” by Teri Wilson

We have been having internet problems for the past week, soooo, I don’t know how this will go, but I’ll give it a good try. I might not be able to retrieve pictures from pinterest.

“Alaskan Homecoming,” is a Love Inspired Romance.

Posy is a ballerina with the San Francisco ballet and she has a broken foot. Not good. She returns to Aurora, Alaska – her hometown- while her foot heals. There have been some changes since she departed Alaska, one being, her high school sweetheart, Liam, is now a grown man and the youth pastor. Sparks do fly.

I liked this story, and this book has the most beautiful, tender, sigh worthy, romantic scene I have ever read in a romance novel. I don’t want to say any more than that because I don’t want to create spoilers and I want you to read it and decide for yourself. That one blissfully, romantic scene gave this book a swoon-worthy five stars! The cover of this book is beautiful! If you read, “Alaskan Homecoming,” I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

YAY! picture from pinterest!

Surprisely, after I finished reading a romance set in Alaska, I read “High Lonesome,” by Louis L’Amour.

Considine is an outlaw! He robs banks. Well, one day on his way to a bank robbery he meets a lovely woman and her father. Needless to say, he can’t get this lady out of his mind and there is trouble in the land. Considine, in spite of his deficiencies,  does have some integrity and honor. When he discovers the lovely woman and her father are in trouble, Apache trouble, he drops everything and hurries to help her. “High Lonesome,” is a good western, however, I did think the violence was graphic at times. It’s a short story and I did like it. Enjoy!

YAY! picture from pinterest!

“Nine Coaches Waiting,” by Mary Stewart

WOW! That’s right, WOW! Linda Martin, an English woman, is hired to be a governess to a French boy. Philippe is a nice boy. This is not a – the child is a terror story. Linda and Philippe get along splendidly. But, Linda has a sense of foreboding. Something is wrong at the Chateau Valmy and she doesn’t know what is causing her uneasiness. So, she waits in fear not knowing who she can trust. Her uneasiness is like a low grade fever. She isn’t ill and she can function just fine but she doesn’t feel quite right. She walks, knowing something she can’t quite see or define is lurking quietly beyond her reach. Mary Stewart is an artistic writer. I was in the Chateau with Linda and Philippe. I didn’t just read about the Chateau, I was with them, experiencing, living and breathing in the Chateau, the people and the surroundings. I saw the scenery with Linda and Philippe when they went for walks on the grounds. I suspiciously scrutinized the mysterious family, wondering who could be trusted.

This is mystery/suspense at it’s finest. I had difficulty putting the book down. Brillant. Captivating. Do you like mystery/suspense? The story has a “Jane Eyre” quality to it and Linda Martin is courageous woman, although, she doesn’t believe she has courage. Take a gander at “Nine Coaches Waiting.” I don’t believe you will be disappointed.

picture from pinterest

I took a test to see which “Lord of the Rings” character I am!

http://www.brainfall.com/quizzes

I took a test at brainfall.com and it turns out I’m Frodo! Who knew???

I never expected Frodo!

“Left – Hand Kelly,” by Elisabeth Grace Foley

Technology being what it is, we have been having problems with our internet. 🙂 So, I am behind on “things.” Our internet is doing a little better today, so here I am!

Left-Hand Kelly is a good western and it’s not your typical western. A man out of a job, is walking through hayfields, in the direction of Clemson, when he witnesses a shooting. Well . . . and so the story goes. The book is well-written and I liked the tone of the story. It is the first time I have read a book by this author and I enjoyed it. The Sheriff was my favorite character. He was a quiet man and he seemed to be one step ahead of everyone. He observed and kept his observations to himself. I thought he had some wisdom in him. The entire time I was reading this short story, I was wondering at what the outcome would be, it really puzzled me. If you like westerns, this one is definitely worth a read. If you don’t like westerns this is worth a read.:) Enjoy! Happy Reading!

“Cloudy Jewel,” by Grace Livingston Hill

With the death of her mother, Julia’s future looks like a lonely one. Her horrible sister and brother-in-law, (they are good antagonists), ask her to live with them, but for very good reasons, she refuses. After her mother’s funeral she receives a telegram, informing her that she is about to have visitors. In a whirlwind of exuberant love Julia’s niece and nephew arrive, pack her up bag and baggage and whisk her away into a new adventure!

I loved this book! Allison and Leslie were delightful bundles of energy, chattering almost continually. There are a few challenges, which they face together and work through with cautious courage. This is a fun read and it just makes ya feel good all over! This is a faith based book and I highly recommend it for older teens and adults. Oh yes! Cloudy Jewel is the endearing nickname Leslie and Allison give their most beloved aunt!

“The Mystery of Mary,” by Grace Livingston Hill

This book is so good. I couldn’t put it down. Tryon meets a mysterious woman at a train station. She tells him she is in danger and Tryon decides to assist the lovely woman. He helps her flee to Chicago, however, he cannot get the mysterious Mary out of his thoughts. Romance and mystery! I love it! Tryon and Mary are so likable and I found myself cheering for them and booing the evil pursuers. This is the second book I have read by this author and it is my favorite. I have many more stories to read though! 🙂