A CHRISTMAS COURTING by Jennifer Moore, Chalon Linton, Jen Geigle Johnson, Heidi Kimball

I'm a sucker for a good Christmas holiday romance! But FOUR! Yes and thank you!!

In LOVE AND JOY COME TO YOU by Jennifer Moore we meet Grahman Montagu, who planned on spending a quiet time at home over the holidays. But thanks to Cassie and her siblings, those quiet times are dashed. But maybe Grahman needed happiness as much as peace.

A CHRISTMAS COURTING by Chalon Linton Keturah would much rather be in the country for the holidays but she is stuck in London. She knows she will miss the festivities greatly as will as her best friend Christopher. Her luck may be changing when she learns he is planning to spend the time in London with her family. Then why does she feel so down about the prospect of him being in London to court some other woman?

MISTLETOE MEMORIES by Jen Geigle Johnson Patrick and Alice have been long time friends, like, since babyhood and Patrick soon finds his feelings for Alice are more than being friends. Alice feels the same, but he hasn't shown any particular interest in her. So what is she to do? Especially when Patrick leaves her for a tour and she is stuck home.

SECOND-CHANCE CHRISTMAS by Heidi Kimball Ah! Love unrequited. Or love spurned. Or love...you get the point. Frances once rejected Gerard's proposal of marriage. She thought she was doing the right thing. But when she watches him with other ladies, her heart tells her she was wrong and will now have to fight for him.

Thanks to netgalley for the early read!

THE SHIPBUILDER'S WIFE by Jennifer Moore

The day of her parents' garden party dawns bright as Lydia Prescott eagerly anticipates a marriage proposal from a handsome and wealthy plantation owner. The lovely debutante plans to steal a moment away with her beau, but her plans go terribly awry. Instead of her intended, she is joined by a stranger the largest man she's ever laid eyes on. And it is clear Jacob Steele is there for reasons far more sober than the party. With British raids erupting all around them, it is his job to reassure plantation owners of their safety. In reality, however, Jacob is an espionage agent, and the truth is dire: America is on the verge of invasion by the British.
Blissfully unaware of the danger surrounding her, Lydia basks in the glow of her recent engagement. But her joy is short-lived—a surprise British attack results in a devastating wound, and her plans for the future are shattered. Lost in her devastation, Lydia could never dream that Jacob, that giant of a man she met so briefly, would prove to be her saving grace. And with a war raging around them, she may be called upon to save him too.

Opening line:
"Lydia Prescott peeked around the corner of the house then drew back, keeping olut of sight of the carriageway."

I fell in Love with Lydia and Jacob! What a beautiful love story. And that beautiful love story is set in the midst of a British invasion. I learn a lot of history through Ms. Moore's stories. They are well-researched and set as the backdrop of her stories so that the reader can enjoy the characters and their lives without the reader being banged over the head with history. 
Lydia is a beautiful debutante with her eye set on who she believes is an equal. But after a freak accident, he no longer wants her. In comes Jacob Steele, rescuer and suddenly, Lydia's husband. Did he marry her out of pity? Pride?
There is a steady flow of plot, character and romance. I loved reading how the two main characters had to learn not only to trust each other, but trust each other as well. And of course, the romance! 
Ms. Moore does an excellent job of pulling the reader in and holding them to the very end. 

Thanks to netgalley for the early read!

 
Jennifer Moore is a passionate reader and writer of all things romance due to the need to balance the rest of her world, which includes a perpetually traveling husband and four active sons, who create heaps of laundry that are anything but romantic. Jennifer has a BA in linguistics from the University of Utah and is a Guitar Hero champion. She lives in northern Utah with her family.

THE QUEEN'S BALL (Timeless Victorian Collection) Anthea Lawson, Rebecca Connolly, Jennifer Moore

Cute, Sweet, Fun, Romantic collection from excellent writers!

Waltzed by Anthea Lawson
Opening line:
"The soft gray drizzle of an English spring coated the half-open buds of the rhododendron flowres in the garden and glazed the windows of the late Viscount Tremont's townhouse."

A Love to Claim by Rebecca Connolly
Opening line:
"Was there ever anything more tedious than a ball?"

Coming Home by Jennifer Moore
Opening line:
"Grant Mason frowned, pulling away as his mother's elbow poked into his arm."

CHANGE OF HEARTH (Lobster Cover #1) by Jennifer Moore

This summer, Nathaniel Cavanaugh vacations in Lobster Cove to spend quality time with his kids after his estranged wife’s tragic death. Successful and well-connected, he is on the fast-track to the highest legal positions in the country, but his family life suffers. After an accident throws Val nearly into his lap and costs her a job opportunity, Nathaniel surprises himself by overlooking her outlandish appearance and lack of qualifications to offer her a job as his nanny for the summer.

Valdosta McKinley wishes for an internship at a Paris Art Institute to use her newly acquired art-history skills. She knows Nathaniel could never develop feelings for a girl from a trailer in a rural West Virginia holler—a lesson she learned the hard way years earlier.

Will pursuit of their professional goals require Nathaniel and Val to give up the dream of being a family?


Opening line:
"Nathianl ignored the buzzing in his pocket and gazed across the park where the morning sun simmered on the waves in the harbor."

 
If you love a sweet, satisfying romance, read this book!I proclaim this an excellent beach read!!

MY DEAREST ENEMY by Jennifer Moore HAPPY BOOK BIRTHDAY!

Struggling alone on the family farm, Abigail Tidwell knows exactly who to blame for her hardships: the Americans. If it weren’t for their part in the war, her father and brothers would be home rather than fighting abroad. But no amount of antipathy could have prepared her for the shocking sight of a wounded American soldier on her property, a man in dire need of her help. Grudgingly, Abigail tends to the soldier’s injuries and anticipates the satisfaction of turning him over to the authorities once he is healed. But fate has other plans. Captain Emmett Prescott remembers little of the ambush on his men by a group of Shawnee Indians and even less about how he arrived in the unfamiliar barn.

After being nursed back to health by beautiful, if reluctant, Abigail, Emmett would do anything to save the men he left behind—including forcibly enlisting Abigail’s help. Soon, Abigail finds herself caught between two countries at war. And as her attraction for Emmett grows, her conflicted heart engages in its own silent battle. But when she is accused of treason for her actions, her survival rests in the hands of the very man she once considered her enemy.



  Opening line:

""Blast the United States of America," Abigail Tidewell spoke in a loud voice, feeling very self-satisfied at the echo the words produced in the empty woodbox."

I always learn a history lesson or two from Jennifer Moore. I had no idea how far north American armies ventured in the war of 1812.
I enjoyed the two main characters, Abigail and Emmet, as well as the secondary characters. They were very well written and came to life on the page. The romance was slow and sweet and just right. The tension in the romance, the war, the enemies kept the story well-paced and flowing well. This may be one of my favorites of Ms. Moore.

LADY HELEN FINDS HER SONG by Jennifer Moore

Spring 1813
The exotic splendors of India are legendary, and the colorful sights of her new home in Calcutta immediately captivate eighteen-year-old Lady Helen Poulter. Whereas many of her fellow British expatriates despise the culture they see as barbaric, Helen sees excitement in the unusual locale. It is in this vibrant, bustling city that she finds a kindred soul in Captain Michael Rhodes, an Englishman whose lifelong love of India runs deep. Their friendship quickly grows, yet despite their undeniable connection, she could never think of Captain Rhodes as more than a dear friend.

Her love, in truth, has been captured by dashing British Lieutenant Arthur Bancroft. This handsome soldier represents the embodiment of all she's dreamed of in a husband. Preoccupied by her growing affections, Helen never dreams that beneath the glamor of the city, hostilities are reaching a boiling point. When battle ultimately threatens both of the men in her life, she must make a choice: pursue the man who symbolizes her British past, or let herself love a man who promises an unknown future in the land she loves. But amid the casualties of war, will her declaration of love come too late?

 Opening line:
"Lady Helen Poulter stood on the deck of the ship, her gloved fingers tapping on the railing, playing invisible keys in a melody only she could hear."

 So now I want to go to India and eat exotic food and have a pet monkey. Thanks a lot Ms. Moore!
This story is about Lady Helen finding herself or her "song" and finding romance in India. She is kind and smart and funny and I immediately started rooting for her to find her way. She is traveling there with her mother and stepfather and finds everything in her travels wonderful and adventurous, unlike many of the British women who live in India.
Every character has depth, including Badmash, the monkey. The two men vying for Lady Helen's attention are distinct in their own personalities. Captain Rhodes and Lieutenant Ashcroft kept the tension going throughout the story.
I recommend this story to anyone who likes Regency Romance!

V: a few scary moments in the jungle
L: No
S: No

Thanks to netgalley for the advanced read in exchange for an honest review.

A TImeless Romance Anthology: California Dreamin' Collection

Amazon #1 Bestselling series in *New Release* for Clean Romance ~ Know why it's #1? Because every single story is awesome. Seriously. I loved every story. 
These novellas come out just in time for summer reading. 

Six brand new contemporary romance novellas with bestselling and award winning authors.

In the sweet novella TOO GOOD TO BE TRUE by Heather B. Moore, Gwen uses her wedding photography business to keep her life simple and focus on something other than her own broken heart. When Jack, a guy too handsome for his own good, helps her clean up after a photoshoot, then asks her out, she doesn’t know if she can handle dating again. But Jack’s charm wins her over, and she agrees to meet him for dinner. The more she gets to know Jack, the more she likes him, but everything about him seems too good to be true. 

GONE FISHING, a charming novella by Kaylee Baldwin, follows Claire as she tries to convince her dad to leave his start-up company as a boat guide and come back home to Colorado. He’s the only one who can defend Claire against her domineering mother. But when she arrives at the San Diego harbor, she’s met with more than one surprise. First, that her dad is truly living his dream and has never been happier, and second, she’s unexpectedly attracted to his business partner, Miguel.

In THE PIER CHANGES EVERYTHING, an enchanting novella by Annette Lyon, Alexandria has one last task to perform for her late husband, who died much too young: scatter his ashes in the Pacific Ocean. She goes to the Santa Monica Pier to do just that, but her plans get sidetracked after meeting Michael and feeling an immediate connection to him. They grab lunch, and the more time they spend together, the more they discover that they have in common—including past romantic hardships. As the day wears on, Alexandria begins learn that her heart just might be able to find love again.

In Jennifer Moore’s captivating novella A HERO’S SONG, AnneMarie’s career as a romance novelist is skyrocketing and her agent books her on a late night talk show. The host gets her to admit that she was in love once, with a guitar player. Moments after her segment, Lance Holden appears on the same stage, to perform his newest song. Is it a terrible coincidence? AnneMarie hasn’t seen Lance ever since he broke her heart ten years ago, and she has refused to think about him again. Their lives are worlds apart, but as Lance tries to reconcile with AnneMarie, she finds herself taking a second chance. 

In STAY WITH ME, an endearing novella by Shannon Guymon, Jolie moves to L.A. to take on a nanny position for the summer, since apparently having a degree in art doesn’t translate to getting a job as a graphic designer. When Fitz, the family’s chauffeur, picks her up at the airport, she wonders if every man in LA is model-gorgeous. When Jolie meets her two charges, she finds them adorable and needy. But it’s harder to hold onto her job than she thought with a hostile Mrs. James and her spoiled brother. Fitz becomes both the silver lining of her job and the man who just might convince her to stay in L.A.

In the delightful novella, A PLACE TO CALL HOME, by Sarah M. Eden, Ada is the best realtor around. The best. She prides herself in matching each client with the house that will fit all of their needs. She hasn’t failed yet. So when Craig hires her to find him the perfect condo for him and his son, Ada is up for the challenge. What she may not be prepared for is her unforeseen attraction to Craig, her immediate attachment to his nine-year-old son, and her heart telling her that it’s okay to take another chance.