To Win Her Favor by Tamera Alexander

by Tamera Alexander    

Historical Romance
Zondervan 

A gifted rider in a world where ladies never race, Maggie Linden is determined that her horse will become a champion. But the one man who could help her has vowed to stay away from thoroughbred racing forever.

An Irishman far from home, Cullen McGrath left a once prosperous life in England because of a horse racing scandal that nearly ruined him. He's come to Nashville for a fresh start, hoping to buy land and begin farming, all while determined to stay as far away from thoroughbred racing as possible. But starting over proves harder than he'd wagered, especially when Maggie Linden's father makes him an offer he shouldn't accept yet cannot possibly refuse.

Maggie is certain that her mare, Bourbon Belle, can take the top purse in the inaugural Peyton Stakes, the richest race ever run in America. Maggie only needs the chance to prove it. To give her that chance---and to save Linden Downs from being sold to the highest bidder---Maggie's father, aging, yet wily as ever, makes a barter. His agreement includes one tiny, troublesome detail---Maggie must marry a man she's never met. A man she never would have chosen for herself.

Meet the Author

Tamera Alexander is the best-selling author of numerous books including A Lasting Impression and The Inheritance. Her richly-drawn characters and thought-provoking plots have earned her devoted readers worldwide. Tamera is a two-time Christy Award winner, two-time RITA winner, and a recipient of the prestigious Library Journal Award. Tamera and her husband recently returned to her Southern roots and now make their home in Nashville. Find Tamera online: website, Facebook, Twitter   My Take:  I found this book to be very interesting as it addressed a subject that I really didn't know anything about, when the Irish came to America and how they were treated.  I was very shocked to read the N word in the text as you don't usually read that word in today's books.  I was alittle uncomfortable when the author wrote about how Cullen was thinking about Maggie her curves etc.  not inappropriate for a husband to think about his wife but still uncomfortable.  I liked learning about the horse racing business.  I liked Maggie's spunkiness and her love for her father and her unconditional trust in him that she would go as far as marry who he asked her to.  I received a review copy of this book by Litfuse in exchange for my honest opinion.

April Wrap up and May TBR

I read



Chasing Sunsets by Karen Kingsbury


An Amish Cradle by Beth Wiseman, Amy Clipson, Kathleen Fuller, and Vanetta Chapman
Audio Book



A Most Inconvenient Marriage by Regina Jennings



Bake Sale Murder by Leslie Meier

I also participated in Dewey's 24 hour Read a Thon.  It was fun like always and I am already looking forward to the next one October which is on my birthday.



May TBR



To Win Her Favor by Tamera Alexander
For a Blog tour



Side by Side by Jana Kelley
For a Blog tour



The Queen of the Tearling by Erika Johansen
on audio



Yarn to Go by Betty Hechtman
finish



Hearts that Survive by Yvonne Lehman
Finish



The Rising by Tim Lahaye and Jerry B. Jenkins
Reread


Permanent Vacancy by Katy Lee
for a blog tour.

Of Course my TBR is always subject to revision.

Dewey"s 24 hour read a thon wrap up

I read from 8:00 am until 11:00pm with one nap taken (I knew that was going to happen because of the medication I am on. ). I did get alot of reading done when I was awake.  I didn't get to all of my books but I did finish one book and got quite a bit of another book done so I am happy.

I finished

Chasing Sunsets by Karen Kingsbury

I read quite a bit of


A Most Inconvenient Marriage by Regina Jennings
I only have about 60 pages left so I am going to try and get this book finished this week.

Dewey's 24 hour readathon first post and revised tbr.

Opening Meme:

1) What fine part of the world are you reading from today? Pennsylvania
2) Which book in your stack are you most looking forward to?Chasing Sunsets by Karen Kingsbury3) Which snack are you most looking forward to?Don't really have any snacks lined up4) Tell us a little something about yourself! I am 54 years old and just recently became disabled (hopefully temporarily) so reading has become very important to help me pass the time. I have two granddaughters who I adore and I have three adult children and one son in law. 5) If you participated in the last read-a-thon, what’s one thing you’ll do different today? If this is your first read-a-thon, what are you most looking forward to?

Revised TBR

Chasing Sunsets by Karen Kingsbury

Yarn to Go by Betty Hechtman

A Most Inconvenient Marriage by Regina Jennings

Hearts That Survive by Yvonne Lehman

These are all books that I have started but didn't finish for one reason or another so I would like to try to finish them.  

Tentative Read A Thon List

I am taking part in the Dewey Read A Thon at the end of the month so I thought that I would post a tentative Read A thon list.







If you woud like to join in the fun on April 25th you can go here Read A Thon to find out all the details.

TBR for April

I have been watching some videos that have been posted on youtube by mostly readers that read young adult novels.  They are called Book tubers and I got some ideas for posts. I know that some people who blog do a wrap up every month but I really don't remember seeing anyone do a to be read for the month. If you do a post like this or know of someone else who does one I apologize for not knowing this.

Even though it is almost the middle of the month I thought I would still post a TBR.

Already read this month.






Currently Reading



on audio



on Kindle

Rest of the month

Finish


Finish

The Promise of Palm Grove by Shelley Shepard Gray

About the book:

The Promise of Palm Grove (Avon Inspire, January 2015)

Leona must decide: Does she follow the path set out before her? Or take a chance with only the promise of what could be to guide her?

A young Amish woman finds herself torn between the man she's pledged to wed and the man her heart desires in this heartwarming story of chance, duty, and choice in the face of love---the first volume in the beloved New York Times bestselling author's new Amish Brides of Pinecraft series.

Amish bride-to-be Leona is thrilled to be in Florida, on a mini-vacation in the pretty town of Pinecraft. Her girlfriends think she's happy because she's away from the stress of wedding planning. They have no idea that Leona's real joy is in being away from her fiancé.

Edmund is a good man, and will make a decent husband . . . just not for Leona. The more time she spends with him and his overbearing ways, the less she wants to be his wife. Her cousins are sure Edmund is the right man for her---and their certainty makes Leona begin to doubt herself. But when a chance encounter with a wayward cat brings her face-to-face with a handsome, fun-loving Amish man named Zachary Kauffman, Leona's faced with two vastly different futures.

Purchase a copy: http://bit.ly/1aQJuw2 

About the author:

Shelley Shepard Gray is a two-time New York Times bestseller, a two-time USA Today bestseller, a finalist for the American Christian Fiction Writers prestigious Carol Award, and a two-time Holt Medallion winner. She lives in Southern Ohio, where she writes full-time, bakes too much, and can often be found walking her dachshunds on her town's bike trail.

Find Shelley online: website

My Take: One of my go to authors when I am in the mood to read about the Amish is Shelley Shepard Gray.  She has started a new series that takes you to a place that I haven't read about much in all my reading of amish fiction Pinecraft Fla.  I have heard about this place in Florida where the Amish and Mennonite go for vacation so I was eager to read this book. Shelley has once again filled her story with characters that you will like and maybe even some you might not like.  She has also filled it with situations that everyone can relate to, once again showing us that the Amish aren't really so much different from us.  I enjoyed reading about this new location and learning alittle more about it.  I look forward to the next book in the series. 

I received a review copy of this book from Litfuse in exchange for my honest opinion.   

How to Catch a Prince by Rachel Hauck

About the book:

How to Catch a Prince (Zondervan, February 2015)

She caught her prince once. Can she catch him again?

American heiress Corina Del Rey's life was devastated by war. Every thing she loved was lost. But after five years of grief, she's shed her grave clothes and started over in the sunshine along the Florida coast.

But some things are not so easily forgotten. When a secret from her past confronts her face to face, she realizes she must follow her heart. Even if it cost her everything.

Prince Stephen of Brighton Kingdom is a former Royal Air Command lieutenant turned star rugby player, trying to make sense of his life after the devastation of war.
When his brother, King Nathaniel, discovers Stephen's pre war secret, he must deal with an aspect of his life he longed to forget. But how can he do so without exposing the truth and breaching national security?

Yet, true love has a destiny all it's own. As the cathedral bells peal through Cathedral City, Corina and Stephen must chose to answer the call of love on their hearts.
Or let it be lost forever?

Purchase a copy: http://bit.ly/1BD8DVo

About the author:

Rachel Hauck is an award-winning, best selling author of critically acclaimed novels such as The Wedding Dress, Love Starts with Elle, and Once Upon A Prince. She also penned the Songbird Novels with multi-platinum recording artist, Sara Evans. Booklist named their novel, Softly and Tenderly, one of 2011 Top Ten Inspirationals. She serves on the Executive Board for American Christian Fiction Writers and is a mentor and book therapist at My Book Therapy, and conference speaker. Rachel lives in central Florida with her husband and pets.

Find Rachel online: website, Facebook, Twitter

My Take:  When I was a little girl my friends and I dreamed of growing up and marrying a prince one day.  I don't know if it was because of all the Disney movies we watched or the fairy tales we read but I think that is why everyone was enthralled by the wedding of Princes Di and most recently the wedding of Kate and William.  These books help to capture that feeling.  I also like how Rachel Hauck weaves in spirituality into her stories so as you get the point but you don't feel as though you are being preached to.  This is the final book in a trilogy and you really should read the other two books before you read this book as there are some recurring characters. 

I received a review copy of this book for review purposes from Litfuse in exchange for my honest opinion. 

Miracle at the Higher Grounds Cafe by Max Lucado

About the book:

Miracle at the Higher Grounds Cafe (Thomas Nelson, February 2015)

What if you could ask God anything? What would you ask? And how would he answer?

Chelsea Chambers is on her own. After a public split from her NFL superstar husband, Chelsea takes a bold step out of the limelight and behind the counter of the Higher Grounds Café, an old-fashioned coffee shop in dire need of reinvention. But when her courage, expert planning, and out-of-this-world cupcakes fail to pay the bills, this newly single mom finds herself desperate for help. Better yet, a miracle.

Then a curious stranger lands at Chelsea's door, and with him, an even more curious string of events. Soon, customers are flocking to the Higher Grounds Café, and not just for the cupcakes and cappuccino. They've come for the internet connection to the divine. Now the café has become the go-to place for people in search of answers to life's biggest questions.

When a catastrophe strikes and her ex comes calling, Chelsea begins to wonder if the whole universe is conspiring against her quest to make it on her own. After a shocking discovery opens her eyes to the unseen world around her, Chelsea finds the courage to ask, and heaven answers in a most unexpected way.

Purchase a copy: http://bit.ly/1EaivpU

About the author:
More than 120 million readers have found comfort in the writings ofMax Lucado. He ministers at the Oak Hills Church in San Antonio, Texas, where he lives with his wife, Denalyn, and a sweet but misbehaving mutt, Andy.

Find Max online: website, Facebook, Twitter

My Take:  I enjoyed this book which mixes great story telling with the realities of other realms that influence our lives.  I felt for Chelsea and what her husband did.  I also felt for her after she inherited her mother's cafe and found out that she had a considerable debt that was owed.  And the children , who can't feel for the children who find themselves in this position through no fault of their own but because of the poor choices of their parent or parents.  The power of prayer is emphasized throughout the book especially when the God Blog is discovered.  Manny is more than meets the eye and turns out to be a true guardian angel.  Great book that helps one think about what is happening in other realms. 

I received a review copy of this book from Litfuse in exchange for my honest opinion. 

Twisted Innocence by Terri Blackstock

About the book: Twisted Innocence (Zondervan, February 2015) Holly Cramer's past choices have finally caught up to her, but she never expected them to endanger her baby. Though Holly's stumbled through most of her adult life as a party girl, she longs to live a more stable life for her daughter. Then police show up to question her about the whereabouts of Creed Kershaw, Lily's father. She has kept his identity a secret from friends and family---she never even told him about the pregnancy. Now he's a person of interest in a drug-related murder case. Determined to keep him out of their lives and turn him over to police, Holly uses her private investigating skills to search for him. But her bravado backfires when he turns the tables and takes her and the baby hostage. As desperate hours tick by, Holly realizes his connection to Leonard Miller-the man who has gunned down several members of her family. Creed claims he's innocent and that Miller is after him too. His gentleness with Lily moves her, but she can't trust a man who has held her at gunpoint . . . even if he reminds her so much of herself. Dangers old and new threaten Holly and her baby, and lives are demanded as sacrifices for love. Through a complex web of mistakes and regret, redemption is the one hope Holly has left to hold on to. Purchase a copy: http://bit.ly/1hDkeXy    About the author: Terri Blackstock has sold over six million books worldwide and is a New York Times bestselling author. She is the award-winning author of "Intervention," "Vicious Cycle," and "Downfall," as well as such series as Cape Refuge, Newpointe 911, the SunCoast Chronicles, Restoration, and Moonlighters. Find Terri online: website, Facebook, Twitter My Take:  This is the third and final book in the Moonlighter series by Terri Blackstock.  I have liked Terri's books in the past and this book was no different.  This book starts out with a bang and the twists and turns don't stop coming.  I especially like how the siblings helps each other out when they need to whether it is to babysit or to track down a criminal.  I thought that the last quarter of the book was the most exciting just because all of the pieces were coming together and the momentum kept building.  I was satisfied with the ending to this series.  Even though this was the third in the series you could very well read this book by itself and enjoy it.  You will want to pick up the whole series though to enjoy the story of these wonderful characters. I received a review copy of this book from Litfuse in exchange  for my honest opinion.