Sunday Post - 06/19/22

The Sunday Post is a weekly meme hosted by Kimba @ The Caffeinated Book Reviewer ~this meme was inspired in part by ~ In My Mailbox~ It's a chance to share News. A post to recap the past week, showcase books and things we have received and share news about what is coming up for the week on our blog.

Another busy week guys. I, honestly, don't even remember Monday. Tuesday my sister and niece came to my parents to spend a couple of days so I took the kids to hang out and play. That was husband's day off so he worked on painting various things in the house. It feels like we're always painting, but we are getting close guys. We ended up staying for dinner even though I wasn't planning on doing that. Wednesday the heat was off the charts so we actually stayed inside all day. We're having 99-100 degree days here this past week and next. Thursday we went back to my parent's to spend time with my niece and sister before they had to go home. I worked on the pool when I got home. We have had the hardest time getting the chemicals to balance this year which is understandable since it was basically sitting untouched from October 2020 to April/May 2022. Friday morning I took the kids shopping with their own money for Father's Day. I love letting them pick out their own gifts for different family events, birthdays, Christmas, etc. It spurs their giving hearts and helps them to think about others. Of course, both children made sure to have a couple of dollards to spend on themselves. Little Girl has been more willing to do her chores this summer so she has earned more money than Little Boy who gets so wrapped up in what he wants in the moment that he can't quite yet see the bigger picture. We grabbed Dairy Queen treats on the way home. And then I worked on cleaning the pool all Friday afternoon. Saturday, we had my side of the family over to celebrate Father's Day, my brother's birthday (which is actually today), and my birthday which is Tuesday. We had pizza and went swimming. It was so nice to have everyone over. This was the first time some members of the family got to see our rennovation. Happy Father's Day to all my favorite fathers! You guys are rock stars.

THE PAST WEEK:

Thursday: Review of A Healer's Promise (Brides of Laurent, # 2) by Misty M Beller (4 Stars)

UPCOMING THIS WEEK:

Monday: Review of Raising Grateful Kids in an Entitled World by Kristen Welch
Wednesday: Can't Wait for Wednesday

Don’t forget to link up for the 2022 Series Enders Reading Challenge! You have until December 15th, 2022 to sign up. Each month there will be a giveaway for those participating with an end of the year giveaway too! Click on the picture below or the link above to find out more!

NEW BOOKS:

A Tenuous Betrothal

By: Jen Geigle Johnson

Expected Publication: August 1st 2022 by Covenant Communications

? pages

Genre: Adult, Historical Fiction

( Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository )

*Note: The above links to Amazon and Book Depository are affiliate links. Affiliate links support giveaways for Somewhere Only We Know readers.

Goodreads description--Rhianna Davies is well-acquainted with heartache after the painful loss of her parents. At the arrival of her ghastly uncle, she is brought even lower: Rhi has been banished from her family’s estate home and must rely on the kindness of her tightly knit Welsh miners for help. Without the protective love of her parents, Rhi has no illusions that hers will be a happy ending—until an addendum to her father’s will arrives in the hands of a prince.

Marc Wilhelm, Prince of Oldenburg, is in Wales with one purpose: to claim his betrothed. A long-ago promise between their fathers forges an indelible link between Rhi and Marc, but there remains just one problem: neither wants to marry a stranger. With no remaining ties to Wales, Rhi agrees to accompany Marc to Oldenburg, where he will forfeit their betrothal so she may have her pick of husbands. But their journey takes them down unexpected paths, from the depths of a Welsh mine to the marriage mart of London to a warm reception in Oldenburg. Rhi and Marc discover that their connection and their challenges run deeper than either anticipated, but whether from their own hesitations or from danger that threatens without, the couple might be thwarted before they can even begin the happily ever after they so richly deserve.

West Side Love Story

By: Priscilla Oliveras

Expected Publication: June 1st 2022 by Montlake

331 pages

Genre: Adult, Contemporary

( Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository )

*Note: The above links to Amazon and Book Depository are affiliate links. Affiliate links support giveaways for Somewhere Only We Know readers.

Goodreads description--A heart-stirring romance of star-crossed love, feuding familias, and the bonds of sisterhood by USA Today bestselling author Priscilla Oliveras.

Two familias in Texas, both alike in dignity, rivalries, and passion…

Having grown up in the nurturing household of Casa Capuleta, Mariana will do anything for familia. To solve her adoptive parents’ financial problems amid their rapidly changing San Antonio comunidad, Mariana and her younger sisters are determined to win the Battle of the Mariachi Bands. That means competing against Hugo Montero, their father’s archnemesis, and his band and escalating a decades-old feud. It also raises the stakes of Mariana’s forbidden attraction for a certain dark-eyed mariachi who sets her heart racing.

To Angelo Montero’s familia, Mariana is also strictly off-limits. But that doesn’t stop him from pursuing her. As their secret affair intensifies and the competition grows fierce, they’re swept up in a brewing storm of betrayals, rivalries, and broken ties. Against the odds, they vow to bring peace. But sacrifices must be made and consequences weighed for two star-crossed lovers to make beautiful music together.

That's it for my shelves and recaps of my past and upcoming week. What did you add to your shelves this week? Any bookish news you want to talk about? Let me know!

A Healer's Promise - Review

A Healer's Promise (Brides of Laurent, # 2)

By: Misty M Bellery

Publication: May 1st 2022 by Bethany House Publishers

304 pages

Genre: Adult, Historical Fiction, Christian Fiction

Source: Publisher via NetGalley (Thank you!!)

( Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository )

*Note: The above links to Amazon and Book Depository are affiliate links. Affiliate links support giveaways for Somewhere Only We Know readers.

Goodreads description--Levi Masters's time as a British spy hasn't ended, though his country's war with America has. Overhearing a scout reveal a discovery that could give America an upper hand in future conflicts, Levi is sent to investigate. While trekking through the Canadian Rockies, he is convicted about his life of lies and half-truths. But just as he decides to embrace truth at any cost, warriors from a hidden mountain village take him captive.

Village healer Audrey Moreau is more curious than afraid of the outsider. And she's drawn to his commitment to honesty even at his own expense. But despite her arguments, the council decides he's too great a risk. Compelled to help him escape, she sneaks him out of the village. But when Levi faces a life-threatening injury and the fierce mountain winter closes in, Levi and Audrey are forced to discover just how far they'll go to ensure the safety of the other and the love growing between them.

I wasn't sure if I wanted to read Book 2 in the Brides of Laurent series. I enjoyed Misty M Beller's Hearts of Montana series, but A Warrior's Heart wasn't as smooth as I wanted. I think my issue is because of the whole hidden society angle. But I did like Audrey as a character in the first book, so ultimately I decided to check this book out. I was worried it would follow too similar of a pattern to book 1 and in some ways it did and in others it didn't.

Basically Levi worked as a spy for the Brittish army. The war is now over, but he overheard Evan telling his superiors about something he found that could win the Americans any war they fought against England. And so Levi felt it his duty to follow Evan. And thus he stumbles upon Laurent. Audrey sees him in the woods before he's captured, and of course, Levi is taken to the same storage room that Evan was kept in. Because of Levi and Evan's history as spies for opposite sides of the war, Evan doesn't trust Levi. Personally, I always appreciate stories that reflect how there are good people on both sides of a conflict, not just the moral right and moral wrong.

Audrey visits Levi shortly after his capture to bring him food the same way she did for Evan. In her brief encounter with him, she feels so strongly a call from God that this man isn't their enemy. That he is a good man. But not only does Evan have history with Levi personally, but Laurent has history with the British. And Audrey isn't sure the people of Laurent will be unbiased towards Levi due to his heritage. Because Audrey felt the message from God so clearly but others don't seem to be listening to her, she acts rashly and lets Levi escape. Of course, he's injured in the process and in need of a healer. Audrey can't stand for others to suffer when she can help and so she risks nearly everything in order to help Levi heal.

Audrey's story is easy to relate to if you've ever strongly felt God leading you. Yet like many of us often do, Audrey kind of took the reins out of God's hands once He revealed part of His path to her. It reminds me of Sarah in the Bible. When God told her she was going to have a son and first she laughed and then she basically gave her servant to her husband in order to bring God's promise to fruition. She took God's promise into her own hands the way Audrey tried to take Levi's salvation into her own hands.

Of course, I loved their relationship. Things weren't much more than a nice woman trying to help a nice, misunderstood, and innocent man. The progression was slow enough to be natural while fast enough to keep me intrigued. The romance was definitely my favorite part, and I'm glad I decided not to skip A Healer's Promise.

Favorite quote:

-I'm sorry if I ran ahead of you, Lord. But perhaps God's plan all along had been to use her to free Levi Masters. Why else would she have felt such a strong certainty that he was innocent.

I liked this quote because I've found myself wanting to follow God's leading in a particular area of my life but was unsure if He was leading me in X direction or Y. Sometimes we pray for His will to be revealed and He does give us direction. And sometimes we just have to do the best we can with the information we have at the time.

A Healer's Promise was better than I expected. I wasn't sure if I was going to pursue this series after A Warrior's Heart, but I'm glad that I did. Audrey has a story that no one else would be able to replicate yet many of us can relate to trying to work out the details for God. I look forward to reading the next in the series now. A Healer's Promise gets 4 Stars. Have you read A Healer's Promise? What did you think? Let me know!

Sunday Post - 06/12/22

The Sunday Post is a weekly meme hosted by Kimba @ The Caffeinated Book Reviewer ~this meme was inspired in part by ~ In My Mailbox~ It's a chance to share News. A post to recap the past week, showcase books and things we have received and share news about what is coming up for the week on our blog.

I missed last week's Sunday post, but I just don't have the energy to include the week I missed this time. I think Monday might have been our only completely normal day this past week. Tuesday, we went to the furniture store and bought our new dining room table and chairs and a new TV console table. That's been part of our plans with the home rennovation all along. Wednesday, the kids and I ran to drop off a box of donations and a UPS return. Thursday, the kids and I went to my parents to hang out for the day. Friday was mostly normal. We did run pick up some dinner because somehow I didn't buy as much meat as I meant to at the store this past week. Whoops. I got some painting done this week. Saturday, I did grocery pick up. We did go swimming finally after our daily walk. The pool still needs a little work on balancing the water levels. Little Girl had her very first lemonade stand. I say first because she wants to do them more often. It wasn't a terrible experience on my part, but I can't say I look forward to more of these, but I will support her as long as she wants to do them. She still has a lot of learning to do with money and profits and hard work. There's a swim party for Little Girl's softball team today that I'm taking Little Girl and Little Boy to. No new books again this week.

THE PAST WEEK:

Monday: Review of The Singles Table (The Marriage Game, # 3) by Sara Desai (4 Stars)

UPCOMING THIS WEEK:

Monday: Review of A Healer's Promise (Brides of Laurent, # 2) by Misty M Beller
Wednesday: Can't Wait for Wednesday

Don’t forget to link up for the 2022 Series Enders Reading Challenge! You have until December 15th, 2022 to sign up. Each month there will be a giveaway for those participating with an end of the year giveaway too! Click on the picture below or the link above to find out more!

NEW BOOKS:

No new books this week.

That's it for my shelves and recaps of my past and upcoming week. What did you add to your shelves this week? Any bookish news you want to talk about? Let me know!

The Singles Table - Review

The Singles Table (Marriage Game, # 3)

By: Sara Desai

Publication: November 16th 2021 by Berkley

336 pages

Genre: Adult, Contemporary

Source: Borrowed from the e-library

( Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository )

*Note: The above links to Amazon and Book Depository are affiliate links. Affiliate links support giveaways for Somewhere Only We Know readers.

Goodreads description--Opposites attract in this laugh-out-loud romantic comedy about a free-spirited lawyer who is determined to find the perfect match for the grumpy bachelor at her friend’s wedding, from the author of The Dating Plan.

After a devastating break-up, celebrity-obsessed lawyer Zara Patel is determined never to open her heart again. She puts her energy into building her career and helping her friends find romance through the wedding season. She's never faced a guest at the singles table she couldn’t match, until she crosses paths with the sinfully sexy Jay Donovan.

Former military security specialist Jay has no time for love. His life is about working hard, staying focused, and winning at all costs. When charismatic Zara crashes into his life, he's thrown into close contact with exactly the kind of chaos he wants to avoid. Worse, they're stuck together for the entire wedding season.

So they make a deal. She'll find his special someone if he introduces her to his celebrity clients. But when their arrangement brings them together in ways they never expected, they realize that the perfect match might just be their own.

I have no idea what the description of this book is talking about with Zara having had some devastating break-up. From what I could tell, Zara had never had a particularly intense relationship before. She's just simply beginning to feel the pangs of her age catching up with her and getting tired of all of the aunties trying to insinuate that she's getting old to be single still.

Zara was such a fun character to read. She's someone who talks to think. Stream of consciousness literally flows out of her mouth. And while I can't say that I always love to be around people who do this in real life, she was easy to like. I could easily see how people could think she was "too much" so I kind of felt guilty for feeling that way about people who are similar that I've shied away from. Stories tend to always help the reader feel sympathetic to the main character because we get to see inside their heads and read their thoughts, go through their struggles with them, and seeing Zara be aware and even (sometimes) insecure about herself made her likable and relatable. But Zara has found a way to meld her personality with the expectations of her family.

Jay (Donovan is not his last night by the way Goodreads) was in the military. And he grew up with just him and his mom. He has mixed heritage and his dad left long ago. His grandparents disowned his mom when she got pregnant before marriage and so Jay hasn't had the ties into the culture that Zara has. He really only has his business partner and a few lifelong friends. But mostly Jay has found that structure and control help him distance himself from the poverty he and his mom went through.

Jay and Zara initially have a meeting where the two of them butt heads. Zara isn't at all interested in him, but she's likes to compete against the aunties during the wedding season and try her hand at matchmaking. She's been successful before. So she sets out to try to match Jay with someone. Only the more she gets to know him, the less she sees other women as compatible with him. Jay is on board with the idea of him and Zara sooner than she is. I can't remember exactly what Zara's hold-up was. I did finish this book a full two weeks before I sat down to write my review.

The Singles Table was exactly what I needed at the time. It was a fast read about two characters I could root for. Zara isn't someone I'd typically gravitate towards in real life, but I couldn't help but like her. Jay needed someone like Zara to bring him out of his shell. And I enjoyed every minute of their story. The Singles Table gets 4 Stars. Have you read The Singles Table? What did you think? Let me know!

Edward and Amelia - Review

Edward and Amelia

By: Karen Thornell

Expected Publication: June 6th 2022 by Covenant Communications

320 pages

Genre: Historical Fiction, Adult

Source: Publisher via NetGalley (Thank you!!)

( Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository )

*Note: The above links to Amazon and Book Depository are affiliate links. Affiliate links support giveaways for Somewhere Only We Know readers.

Goodreads description--The last thing Amelia Kennington wants is to participate in the London Season. But the daughter of a duke is not afforded such opinions. She must put forth a subdued facade, but beneath it is a well-hidden fire that surfaces only when provoked—such as when an overly familiar gentleman startles her and she falls into the Serpentine.

Edward Drayton, the Earl of Norwich, has gained a reputation as Society’s most decorated rake. And while there are benefits to such a reputation, it no longer gives him the satisfaction it once did. This Season, he plans to find a wife—except she seems to find him instead. And she is nothing like he expected.

Scandal is inevitable following Edward and Amelia’s ill-conceived meeting, forcing them to marry. Amelia’s disdain for this man she hardly knows is more than clear, and Edward’s pride is wounded before their marriage has even truly begun. Yet, against all odds, the two slowly let their guard down, discovering the truth of who they married. But when Society gossip, a sister’s jealousy, and long-held secrets threaten their budding relationship, the unlikely couple must determine if their unconventional love is strong enough to withstand the opposition they face.

I cannot get enough of forced marriages, arranged marriages, or marriages of convenience. The relationship-building in these stories draws me in every time. And well, Edward and Amelia was no different.

Edward has a terrible reputation of being a rake without care to how many women he has ruined. Despite being caught in multiple situations that would normally warrant him getting married, he has never agreed to do the "honorable" thing. Yet this year, he is actually looking to get married. So when a similar situation arises he decides that he's just saved himself some time bothering to court a lady this Season.

Amelia is the youngest of three sisters. Her older two sisters are twins. She feels as if she can do nothing to please her family. She's constantly being berated and put down. In an attempt to escape and get some air, she leaves the house for some solitude and gets lost without her lady's maid. Amelia's mother passed away and her father doesn't seem to know what to do with his daughters. But when Edward and Amelia are found in a compromising position, her father doesn't hesitate to force Amelia to marry Edward. She's furious at being forced to marry without her input but also for being forced to marry someone with a terrible reputation.

Since Edward was planning to marry this season, he's more willing to try to make his marriage with Amelia work. His attempts were quite awkward and hilarious, and I often found myself wondering where his skills at becoming entangled with so many women were and how he could be so blind to Amelia's reaction to his attempts. The harder he tried the more Amelia retreated from him.

I loved all of the conflicts within this story. Edward needed to learn to open himself up and be vulnerable. Edward and Amelia both had trauma concerning the losses of their respective mothers. Edward's reputation. Amelia's relationship with each member of her family. It's hard to believe that there can be people who will focus all of their energy and attention on harming someone else. But just take a look at Amber Heard and you'll know that these people definitely exist.

Favorite quotes:

-Anger was an easy shield. It was hard to pierce through anger but not hard to pierce through sadness.

-Anger, it would seem, did not invite contentment when freed.

-But love, unfortunately, turns bitter when not properly cared for.

-She'd learned she had a propensity to speak without regard for another's feelings when untethered. And she'd learned she did not like how she felt any time she did so.

-"The world may not deserve all of you, but you deserve to show all of your to the world."

Overall, I didn't want to put Edward and Amelia down. I was squeezing in pages whenever I possibly could. I loved the slow-building relationship between Edward and Amelia. And if you love forced marriages as much as I do, then you won't want to skip this book. Edward and Amelia gets 4.5 Stars. Have you read Edward and Amelia? What did you think? Let me know!