Wednesday, April 29, 2015

Novella - A Brush with Love (By: Rachel Hauck)

 

A Brush with Love
By: Rachel Hauck



Ginger Winters is a gifted hairstylist who loves to make others feel beautiful. However, because of her outward scars from a fire when she was young, she has given up on ever feeling loved and beautiful herself. Ginger is chosen as hairstylist for a big Alabama society wedding, but doesn't expect Tom, her high school crush and the man who disappeared on her, to be back in town for the wedding - and to stay! When he visits the salon for a haircut and asking for forgiveness, it's almost too much for Ginger to take. Will she be able to open her heart to Tom and forgive the past? 

You won't want to put this novella down. It is beautifully written and almost feels more like a full length novel. 

We loved getting swept away in this story!
 

Find it on Amazon: A Brush with Love

Wednesday, April 22, 2015

Novella - An October Bride (By: Katie Ganshert)


An October Bride
By: Katie Ganshert



What a fabulous novella!! It was well written and full of moments that got our hearts racing, yet emotional and tender too. Well done Katie Ganshert! 

Emma Tate is having a hard time dealing with possibly losing her father, who has cancer and is told he has two months to live. She stumbles across a "bucket list" of her father's, and sees "walking my daughter down the aisle" as one item not crossed off yet. Emma longs to give him this - but how?
 

Jake Sawyer is Emma's brother's lifelong crush.  After a run in with Emma and finding out about her dilemma, he offers to marry her. Can Emma go along with this fake wedding/marriage and not lose her heart in the process? Why is Jake offering to do this?
 

Read An October Bride to hear how all of this turns out. You won't be disappointed!

Find it on Amazon: An October Bride

Tuesday, April 21, 2015

Introducing Novellas!


Introducing a new page to our blog - Novellas

As life goes by, we find that busy seasons sometimes call for novellas rather than full length novels. Don't get us wrong, the richness of a full buffet like a novel is so satisfying, but sometimes all we have time for is an appetizer! Maybe it's because all we need is a quick getaway in a book and know it will be much easier to get through 100 pages rather than 300. 

Or maybe our brains can't handle much and a charming novella brings just the right amount of depth, love and sweetness needed. Whatever the reason, there are just times when we love to pick up a novella. Our novella reviews will be short and sweet, and will have only an overall rating. We hope you can browse through ones we have reviewed if you are ever in need of a quick satisfying story!
And with that, our next post will be our first review of one of our favorites! Here is the full list of our our recommended novellas: http://2chicksonlit.blogspot.com/p/novellas.html or simply use the Novellas tab at the top of our blog.

Happy Reading!

Monday, April 20, 2015

Every Bride Needs a Groom (By: Janice Thompson)


Every Bride Needs a Groom
By: Janice Thompson

Every Bride Needs a Groom is the first novel in the Brides With Style Series by Janice Thompson

Storyline
Katie Fisher, small town girl from Texas, has been planning her wedding since she was a young girl. When a big time bridal shop in Dallas announces a contest for a custom made wedding dress, Katie enters with the belief that her longtime boyfriend will soon propose. To her surprise, she wins the contest but instead of proposing, her boyfriend leaves her. Now finding herself in quite the dilemma; she has a dress but no groom, should she claim her prize? Brady James, a Dallas Mavericks pro basketball player, is sidelined and recovering from knee surgery. His mother, Nadia, dress designer and owner of Cosmopolitan Bridal Boutique, will be traveling to Paris for a season and asks Brady to take over shop duties while she is gone. A little out of his element in a bridal shop, he meets Katie. But when he learns the truth, will she capture his attention?

Depth
The characters are all facing their own dilemmas in life. Katie was left by her boyfriend and is wondering what is next. Brady is dealing with being sidelined because of an injury and also wondering what his future holds. Katie's grandma and aunt have their own issues from the past and need to deal with them. Author, Janice Thompson doesn't go into great depth with these issues, rather engages them light heartedly.


Faith
The faith category was a little different in this book. The characters are believers and pray, but not much was written into their daily lives to capture true faith. The Janice tends to talk more about different denominations, and we were actually a little put off at the beginning by the comical banter about two of them specifically. However, toward the end of the book, the reader can see why the author chose to write in that manner.

Squeal Factor
Brady and Katie have a very cute relationship. They start as friends and gradually progress to more. By the end of the book we definitely were smiling and cheering them on!

Overall
When we picked up this book, we were eager to jump in and start on this new adventure. The title, description and cover all had us excited. However, as much as we wanted to love it, it was slow going and took us a long time to get into it. Eventually we did, however, and enjoyed the second half of the book.

Find it on Amazon: Every Bride Needs a Groom 


We were given this book from the publisher in exchange for our honest review.

Wednesday, April 15, 2015

Buried Secrets (By: Irene Hannon)

Buried Secrets
By: Irene Hannon

Buried Secrets is the first novel in the new Men of Valor series by Christian romantic suspense author Irene Hannon. If you enjoy a blend of mystery, intrigue, suspense and romance, this is an author you'll want to check out!

Storyline
A secret, buried long ago, rises to the surface in a small Missouri town and threatens the livelihood of those who want it to remain hidden. Police Chief Lisa Grant and Detective Mac McGregor are on the case to solve the mystery - and might also possibly be finding the love they've always wanted in each other. This story is solid right from the beginning and is clever, witty and interesting on every page. The suspense is good without getting creepy, the mystery is revealed at a good pace, the characters develop well and the fantastic writing is definitely the strength of this book!
 

Depth
Buried Secrets could possibly be called lighthearted except for the fact that the plot centers around murder! A story involving the dark sides of human nature will naturally go deeper, and that's what gives this category its three stars. Otherwise, there are some brief brushes with characters' motivations and pasts which give this read enough reality, but not so much as to weigh us down.


Faith
Both main characters have solid faith and rely on the Lord for guidance and direction for life. This book was a little lighter on faith than our usual reads, as there isn't much in the way of redemption, supernatural revelations or deep explorations of what faith is. However, Christian principles are followed and faith is evident!

Squeal Factor
Mac and Lisa have a very strong emotional connection that slowly but surely turns into a mature love story. They've got sparks and chemistry that made their romance all the more fun!

Overall
We are happy to have recently discovered Irene Hannon and her supreme ability to blend suspense and romance together into wonderful reads! We love mysteries that give us a little suspense without making us afraid to turn out the lights at night - and she delivers just that. If this first Men of Valor book is any indication, it's going to be a great series!

Find it on Amazon: Buried Secrets

We were given this book from the publisher in exchange for our honest review.