Wings of a Dream by Anne Mateer

At the age of nineteen Rebecca has her future planned out.  All she has to do is wait for it to unfold before her.  Rebecca has her dashing leading man Arthur, but she is waiting for him to return to whisk her away from the tiny town she was raised in.  So with Rebecca's plans on hold waiting for Arthur's return, she finds herself in yet another small town caring for her estranged Aunt Ada.

The Spanish flu epidemic is at it's peak and most of the men are fighting in the WW1; so when Rebecca finds herself in her Aunt's small Texas town there is no one to greet her.  Once she finds her Aunt she is shocked to find her so desperately ill, but also caring for four motherless children whose father is fighting the war.  Rebecca never expected to find herself so boxed in as she waited for her planned future to unfold, but she can't leave these children to fend for themselves.  So she becomes like a temporary mother to them and as she mother's them she also falls in love with them. 

But what about her plans?  This is the type of life she most definitely did not want!  Will Arthur return to marry her and whisk her away from this awful small town life?  What about the children she loves more each day?  And what about Frank (the children's father)?  What happens when he comes home to find his wife dead and his children in the care of a stranger?

This book was a delightful surprise!  I intrigued by the timeline of the novel being set in the midst of the Spanish flu epidemic and World War One.  My imagination had never thought about what it would have been like to live in that time period and experience the struggles that Rebecca suffered.  Wings of a Dream was so well written that I blazed through it very quickly and thoroughly enjoyed the novel from start to finish. 

I received this book from the publisher in exchange for my honest opinion whether favorable or not.

A Vision of Lucy By Margaret Brownley

This book grabbed my attention right from the beginning. Who doesn't love a spunky, loveable character who can't seem to keep herself out of trouble? Lucy Fairbanks desperately wants to be a photographer so she sets out to get a photograph of the elusive white stallion reported to be in the area. Naturally, Lucy thinks the best way to accomplish this is to climb a tree with all of her equipment. Little does Lucy know that she will actually be a witness to a stage robbery, but before she can get the photograph she falls headlong out of the tree and onto the now empty and soon to be runaway stage. However, the sparks really begin to fly when Lucy meets the mysterious and handsome mountain man in the area.

I loved this book! It was so entertaining that I was hard pressed to put it down. It seemed that there was always one misadventure after another and yet the characters were believable. David Wolf, a quiet half-breed with a painful past, has come back to Rocky Creek to take care of some unfinished business. Lucy is a vivacious and talkative woman whose family has a secret that hovers over them. They are
inexplicably attracted to each other as opposite personalities often do, but what will happen when their future and pasts collide?

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the
publisher through the BookSneeze®.com <http://booksneeze®.com/> book review
bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I
have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal
Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 <http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_03/16cfr255_03.html>
: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in
Advertising.”

Spring for Susannah by Catherine Richmond

Susannah has never experienced what it is like to be truly loved. She was raised by emotionally distant parents who never truly accepted her for who she is. As a result, Susannah is painfully shy and has no sense of self worth. Imagine her struggle as she becomes the mail order bride of her pastor's homesteading brother. With no living relatives and no income, Susannah agrees to a marriage by proxy and sets out for Dakota territory. Susannah is totally unprepared for the vastness of the land, the tiny soddie that becomes her home, and especially the laughing, teasing man who is her husband. Jessie is a man who knows how to love. It was a pleasure to watch Susannah blossom under his care.

Having be chastised before for her love of veterinary medicine, Susannah can't believe that Jessie values her 'unladylike' passion. Jessie is proud of Susannah and encourages her to be herself. However, she has long thought she can not ever measure up and lives in constant fear that Jessie will send her back. As the couple face challenges, Susannah learns to trust Jessie's love and also finds that God does indeed love her as well.

Like a leaf unfurling in spring, it was a pleasure to watch Jessie and Susannah's love grow as they faced many challenges. I do, however, wish that Catherine Richmond would have expanded more on Susannah's passion for veterinary medicine. I would have also liked to have read an epilogue so that I could see how Jessie and Susannah fared a year or two after the story ends.

All in all, this is a delightful story. The book hooked me right from the beginning and I spent much time ignoring my to do list at home!

I really do love books!

Last May, when I received my much anticipated Kindle in the mail, I considered myself a reader, however, having access to so many wonderful books at any time has turned me into a book junky. I have read over a 120 books in one year on my Kindle! It goes everywhere with me...to the doctors, on my work breaks, and even to the washroom. Television is not as enjoyable time killer as it used to be and I would rather spend my money on a book than a movie any day. I am starting this blog because I would like to review books in order to get them for free. Maybe my opinionated self will come in handy for once!