Noah Kincaid and Ellie Baldwin's book
Forbidden Falls (Virgin River #9)
By Robyn Carr
Book Blurb:Noah Kincaid arrives ready to roll up his sleeves and revitalize his new purchase, but he's going to need some help. An ad in the local paper brings and improbably candidate his way.
"Pastor's assistant" is not a phrase that springs to mind when Noah meets brassy, beautiful Ellie Baldwin. With her colorful clothes and even more colorful past, Ellie needs a respectable job so she can regain custody of her children. Noah can't help but admire her spunk and determination, and she may just be the breath of fresh air he needs.
The unlikely duo may come from two different worlds, but they have more in common than anyone would have expected. And in Virgin River lasting happiness is never out of the question.
Earlier this year I had read the previous Virgin River books from 1 to 8. I read them in order back to back. I decided to take a break from the series and come back to it later. I also decided to take a break at that particular point because the next book, Forbidden Falls was where the romance was going to be about the newest Virgin River resident, a pastor.
Okay I am going to be 100% truthful here and share that I was not excited about reading a romance about a pastor. I had misconceptions that the story was going to be about his struggle with maintaining his spot in the community vs. the love/lust with an exotic dancer. I thought I wasn't going to be into it.
I indicated about "misconceptions" because that is exactly what I had. Forbidden Falls was a lovely story and it was not at all what I thought it was going to be about. I'm really glad I decided to give it a go and not skip it. I would have really missed out on a great story. I should have had more faith in the great Robyn Carr. My bad.
I have to admit that it was a bit quirky to have the church bid and bought on ebay but it was amusing. I have absolutely no knowledge of the Presbyterian religion so I just went with the flow. I have no idea if they are as free with pre-marital sex or not. There are not a lot of sex scenes in Robyn Carr's stories anyhow so it was a small part of the story.
Noah was a cool guy. He was a very caring, selfless man and it certainly seems like the call to be a minister suited him.
Ellie made me smile. I loved her teasing and the nicknames that she constantly bestowed on Noah. Her positive attitude was to be admired. I would not have handled her children's custody situation in nearly the same grace that she did. I wanted to jump into the book and and strangle her ex-husband.
The wisest person in Forbidden Falls was Ellie's deceased grandmother. I had a paperback of the book but if I had my Kindle, I would have copied so many quotes. Ellie's grandmother was dirt poor and left Ellie with years' worth of life quotes and positive sediments. For some reason, Ellie seemed to remember every single one of them. For instance:
"You don't need a lot of money to live a full life - all you need is a fertile mind, some books and a good attitude. Books are free at the library, but a fertile mind takes practice."
Forbidden Falls thankfully sticks to just a few of the side character stories. I do love the residences of Virgin River but I don't need to visit each and everyone in each book. Forbidden Falls focuses mostly on Noah & Ellie's romance, Paul & Vannie's new unexpected family addition and a bit on Jo & Nick Fitch. (You may remember them from previous books where Nick was the groper and Mel flattened him) I really liked the small part of Jo & Nick Fitch.
Forbidden Falls rounds out the story with Luke and Shelby's wedding. I was pleased about that!
The only thing that has left me wondering is why the title of the book is called Forbidden Falls. I don't recall any waterfalls. It is a play on words with the story line being about a pastor and an ex-stripper and it is forbidden?
Teasers: Lucy the boarder collie, renovated church, lucky score under the stairs, poor Vannie
Robert Blaisdell, the Duke of Clermont & Wilhelmina (Minnie) Pursling's book
The Duchess War (Brothers Sinister book 1)
By Courtney Milan
Book Blurb:There isn't a book blurb available as of yet. However, here is a excerpt of The Duchess War if interested.
Sometimes love is an accident.
This time, it’s a strategy.
The Duchess War is the first full-length book in The Brothers Sinister series. It’s about Robert Blaisdell, the Duke of Clermont. Robert is the half-brother of Oliver (book 2: The Heiress Effect) and the cousin of Sebastian Malheur, the Earl of Rane (book 3: The Countess Conspiracy)
I was granted an ARC for an honest review.
The Duchess War is a very clever story and it is brilliantly written. Oh how I love a really smart heroine. Perhaps there is nothing I love more other than a hero who respects just how intelligent and noble the heroine really is.
There is a prequel to The Duchess War called The Governess Affair. My review of this prequel is here. The Kindle version is only .99 and I would recommend reading it first. It is not necessary but it does nicely line up the foundation for the this Brothers Sinister series.
The concealed secrets within The Duchess War are slowly revealed. The reader learns about the depth of these mysteries in parallel with the other book's characters. I found myself dying to know the extent of the shrouded mystery surrounding Minnie and the extent of Robert's upbringing. Together with these secrets and the series of events that emerge chapter after chapter; The Duchess War made for a rather suspenseful read. There was a perpetual chain of events that kept me clicking the pages forward quickly. It was very fitting that the game of chess was an embedded plot of The Duchess War.
I found Minnie a rather complex character. Her mind was always plotting forward steps ahead. She was a very guarded lady prepared for her next ploy. The Duchess War made me ache for the women of the time as Minnie was striving hard to carefully carve out a safety net for her foreboding future. She took great effort not to bring attention to herself. Although her soft voice gave the perception of shyness, she was in fact a force to be reckoned with.
The Duke, Robert wasn't a brooding alpha hero that normally appear within the pages of historical romances. He is a romantic at heart. A dreamer. A do-gooder if you will. And finally a Duke that isn't a rake with an abundance of sexual conquests. In the shadows of his dark Ducal father, he aspired to be the complete opposite of him. My heart ached for him. He was determined to make right so many wrongs.
The "war" Minnie battles with the Duke is based upon proving he is the author and mastermind behind distributing seditious pamphlets that she is being suspected of organizing. After her attempt of blackmailing the Duke was not successful, Minnie sets forth to bring about the indisputable proof she needs to secure her innocence. What she doesn't count on is the Duke becoming enamored with her while trying to war against him.
Amazing quotes from Minnie:
"You probably think battles are won with cannons and brave speeches and fearless charges. They're not. Wars are won by dint of having adequate shoe leather. They're won by boys who make shells in munitions factories, by supply trains shielded from enemy eyes. Wars are won by careful attendance to boring detail. If you wait to see the cavalry charge, Your Grace, you'll have already lost."
"I'm sure your prick is as massive as your head is thick."
Teasers: Sedition, humorous train ride with friends, wedding night lessons, alphabet book primer
Maggie Conroy and Mark Nolan's book
Christmas Eve at Friday Harbor (Friday Harbor book 1)
By Lisa Kleypas
Book Blurb:ONE LITTLE GIRL NEEDS A FAMILY One rain-slicked night, six-year-old Holly lost the only parent she knew, her beloved mother Victoria. And since that night, she has never again spoken a word.
ONE SINGLE MAN NEEDS A WIFE The last thing Mark Nolan needs is a six-year-old girl in his life. But he soon realizes that he will do everything he can to make her life whole again. His sister’s will gives him the instructions: There’s no other choice but you. Just start by loving her. The rest will follow.
SOMETIMES, IT TAKES A LITTLE MAGIC… Maggie Collins doesn’t dare believe in love again, after losing her husband of one year. But she does believe in the magic of imagination. As the owner of a toy shop, she lives what she loves. And when she meets Holly Nolan, she sees a little girl in desperate need of a little magic...
TO MAKE DREAMS COME TRUE Three lonely people. Three lives at the crossroads. Three people who are about to discover that Christmas is the time of year when anything is possible, and when wishes have a way of finding the path home…
What an adorably cute read. As usual Lisa Kleypas' writing is utterly magical, sublimely perfect.
The only downside to Christmas Eve at Friday Harbor was that it went by too fast and it was a short novel. The Kindle price is really steep at $9.58. I bought the paperback for a tad less but I still thought it was a hefty price for what I would normally spend on a mass market paperback. It's only 232 pages.
Now how about the good stuff? Tomorrow I am decorating for Christmas and Christmas Eve at Friday Harbor has me in the mood. Truthfully, the story only ends at Christmas Eve so the majority of the story takes place from late summer through to fall. Regardless, I'm on a season high now.
Mark's niece, Holly makes the book that much more special. She is too sweet for words. Brave little soul she is. I just wanted to hug her.
Mark was a great male lead. Although the story is short, I felt I got to know him. At first he seems so serious but he softens up pretty quickly with the simple pleasure of loving his very young niece. This line here got to me:
"For the first time in his life he knew what it was like to have his heart broken...not broken in a sad or romantic sense, but broken open"
Maggie's character is extremely likeable and how awesome is it that she owns a toy store called The Magic Mirror AND she made a homemade fairy house? She has a deep rooted loyalty that naturally makes you want to know her. Her attraction to Mark is immediate and I truly loved that she meshed with Holly separately. It never seemed like she was becoming close to the sweet girl just to get to Mark.
It was interesting that when Mark meets Maggie, he was already involved with another woman. I really liked that Lisa Kleypas never really villainized his girlfriend as it would have been the easy way out to have Mark break up with her. In fact I liked how that entire situation was handled. However Mark was skirting on the edge of cheating. I was surprised that I was okay with how natural the scenes were being pulled off and how real to life that situation could be.
I look forward to continuing on with this series.
Teasers: large pink conch shell, fever brings him home, flying turkey, homemade Mac & Cheese
