Upon My Heart Forever--Blog Tour and Giveaway!

Upon My Heart Forever
By Amber Lynn Perry

Book description:
 When Clara Moore learns of her brother's unthinkable scheme—to take her to England and force her into a hasty marriage—she knows she must escape New York. But when she finds out who has accepted the job of taking her to Boston, she almost rethinks her own hurried plan. For the handsome man who comes to her aid is none other than her former love, Ethan Barrik. He left her heart in shambles six years before. Can she trust him a second time? Ethan Barrik is no stranger to struggle. But tracking the enemy, and war-time spying are nothing compared to the pain of regret. Ready at last to leave his past behind, he accepts one final job for a friend, only to discover the person he's really helping is the woman he still loves. Despite her ire, he knows he must make every attempt to make it right—and hope she will find a way to forgive him and give their love another chance.

My thoughts:
This was a very good historical novella. The author did a great job of conveying the characters' emotions and keeping the plot moving. Really enjoyable.
I read an ARC provided by the publisher. All opinions are my own.


 Author links:
Goodreads
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Website
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Purchase link

Tour Schedule

May 6th - Heidi Reads / The Bibliophile Files

May 7th - Katie’s Clean Book Collection / Wishful Endings

May 8th - My Book a Day / Singing Librarian Books

May 9th - Literary Time Out / Getting Your Read On

May 10th - Peggy Urry

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Beneath an Italian Sky--Blog Tour and Giveaway!

Book description: A love match turns into a lonely marriage. Will Clare and Emmett reconcile their differences before it's too late?

From USA Today bestselling author Stacy Henrie, comes BENEATH AN ITALIAN SKY, An American Heiress novel.

BENEATH AN ITALIAN SKY
--1908--
American heiress Clare Herschel made what she hoped was a love match when she married the handsome, witty Emmett Markham, the Earl of Linwood. A little over a year into her marriage, though, Clare finds herself wintering in Sicily—alone. She is sure the mild climate is the answer to avoiding another miscarriage and Emmett’s apparent indifference, so she’s determined to remain in Italy as long as possible. The last person she expects to show up at the villa is her husband, especially when Emmett confesses he’s there to convince her to return to England.
As the only surviving son of a marquess, Emmett has done everything his father has asked of him—even agreeing to run for a seat in the House of Commons. However, this latest task comes with a nearly impossible caveat. He must convince his wife Clare to come back to England with him in order for them to appear to be a happy couple for his political campaigning. Emmett isn’t confident Clare will agree to the plan, though, not when she seems to want nothing to do with him or the life they’d begun building before she abruptly left him for Italy.
When a massive earthquake strikes Messina, Sicily, claiming the lives of thousands, Clare and Emmett must set aside their mutual misgivings about their marriage in order to survive and lend a helping hand to others. But in the wake of the destruction, they begin to realize they’ve been given a chance to decide if their love is stronger than the upheavals of the past.

AMERICAN HEIRESS SERIES:
Night at the Opera
Beneath an Italian Sky
Among Sand and Sunrise (October 2019)

My thoughts: The historical setting for this story was so interesting. It was fascinating to see details of the earthquake and its aftermath. I also really liked how the story alternated between the past (letting us see Clare and Emmett's happy courtship and then the decline of their marriage) and the present. I found Clare and Emmett to be well-developed, with good reasons for the choices they make. This was just a really gripping story, and I really enjoyed it. I read an ARC provided by the publisher. All opinions are my own.

Amazon author page: https://www.amazon.com/Stacy-Henrie/e/B008ESZ46U/

Facebook author page: https://www.facebook.com/stacyhenrie.author/

Blog tour schedule:

April 22nd - Heidi Reads

April 23rd - Peggy Urry

April 24th - The Bibliophile Files / Min Reads and Reviews

April 25th - Getting Your Read On / Katie’s Clean Book Collection / My Book a Day

April 26th - Wishful Endings / Literary Time Out / Singing Librarian Books


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The Governess of Penwythe Hall

The Governess of Penwythe Hall (Cornwall #1)
By Sarah E. Ladd

After her husband's death, Cordelia Greythorne left Cornwall, warned by her in-laws never to return, and obtained a position as a governess. For three years she has worked for the Tretheway family, and when the children are left orphans, she knows they need her to stay with them and provide a constant, loving force in their lives. However, their uncle Jac, their new guardian, lives in Cornwall, and staying with the children means returning to the area she's been avoiding.

Jac Trethewey is busy trying to revitalize his estate, Penwythe Hall, hoping that if he can get the apple orchards to flourish, the estate can thrive as well. When his estranged brother's five children and their governess arrive at Penwythe Hall, he knows he will take them in but he doesn't know how to make things work. What he does come to quickly realize is that Delia is more than the average governess--she is the one holding the family together and he wants to support her as much as she supports everyone else. And yet, there are rumors about her and secrets that make his new situation even more complicated than it first appeared.

I loved this book. It's easily my favorite of Sarah E. Ladd's books (all of which I've read and enjoyed) and one of the best books I've read in 2019. I was just so pulled into the story; I loved impulsive Jac who wants to do right by his nieces and nephews, and strong, good Delia who just works so hard to care for the children. I found the plot to be engaging and moving. The romance was slow-building and sweet, and I wouldn't have minded if there'd been a little more of the book that took place after their feelings were revealed, but all in all, it was a lovely book that I highly recommend.
5 stars.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from Thomas Nelson through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

No Ocean Too Wide

No Ocean Too Wide (McAlister Family #1)
By Carrie Turansky

Laura McAlister is working as a lady's maid while her mother does sewing for a shop owner, trying to make ends meet and care for her three younger children. When Laura gets word that her mother is ill and hospitalized, she heads home to London only to find that her siblings have been sent to a children's home. When she goes to get them back, that is more complicated than she anticipated as Garth, Katie, and Grace have actually been sent to Canada as part of England's orphan emigration program.

Andrew Frasier, the heir to the estate where Laura was employed, is a solicitor who, along with his partner, is working on investigating the emigration program for the British government. While he has long admired the program and its leaders, Laura's story brings to light problems with its management. He promises to help Laura find her siblings and get them back--but will he be able to keep that promise?

This was a really engaging, interesting story. At times it was actually painful to read (the parts written from Katie's perspective, in particular) because it felt so real. This is a really fascinating piece of historical fiction, with some gentle romance that makes it all the better. I wouldn't have minded a bit more romance, but all in all, it was very well done and definitely makes me want to continue the series to find out what is next for the McAlister family.

4.5 stars.

I read an ARC provider by the publisher, WaterBrook & Multnomah, via #NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

The Lady in the Coppergate Tower

The Lady in the Coppergate Tower
By Nancy Campbell Allen

Hazel Hughes enjoys her work healing alongside Dr. Sam MacInnes and is grateful for his friendship and kindness, even as she wishes that a romantic relationship with him were possible. But she knows she's not his equal socially, and so she contents herself with work and learning. Her life takes a drastic turn, however, when Dravor Pretescu, a Romanian count, comes to London, finds Hazel, and tells her that she is his niece and has a twin sister who is gravely ill and needs Hazel's help. Hazel has long had visions of her twin, without understanding what they mean, and while she senses something isn't quite right with the count, she also can't leave her sister to suffer.
When Hazel agrees to travel to Romania, there's no way Sam is going to let her go without him. He trusts the count even less than Hazel does, and as he and Hazel work together to try to figure out his secrets, he finds his underlying attraction to Hazel growing even more; she's beautiful and intelligent and his perfect match--but if they're going to have a shot at a future together, first they have to save her sister--and possibly themselves.

I really enjoyed this book. I loved the characters--Sam and Hazel are both smart, capable people who understand the value of knowledge and learning. (Maybe it's the former librarian in me, but I loved their many forays to the library!) I liked seeing how they worked together and depended on and trusted each other.
The pacing was really good and the story moved steadily. This is an interesting mix of genres--romance, steampunk, fantasy, mystery, etc.--but it works well. I'm not really a steampunk fan, but I've enjoyed this series because it focuses on the characters and plot with the steampunk elements complimenting the story, not overwhelming it. I did feel like the ending was a little quick--at 93% finished, I was really worried there was going to be a cliffhanger ending because it didn't seem like it could wrap well in the remaining pages. It did have a good ending but it was a little rushed. Although this is the third book in a series, I think it can be read as a stand-alone.

4 stars.

I read an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.
Expected publication date: August 6, 2019

A Guarded Heart

A Guarded Heart
By Heidi Kimball

Three years ago, Eleanor Hayward fell for Edmund Fletcher and thought he cared for her, too. However, he broke her heart and then scandal rocked her family, leaving Eleanor shunned by society and isolated. When her cousins reach out to her, indicating that they want to help her reenter society, Eleanor accepts and goes to their estate, never imagining that Edmund has inherited a neighboring estate and she will run into him time and time again, breaking her heart all over again.

Edmund Fletcher has spent the past three years getting over the woman who betrayed him, and he's less than pleased to keep running into her. He wants to put her out of his heart and mind once and for all and plans to move forward with asking another woman to marry him, but when he finds out what really happened three years before, letting go is made much harder.

This was a very enjoyable story. The plot was really engaging, and the characters were realistic and well-developed. This was very well written, particularly the characters' emotions. I also really liked how the book started off by alternating between the present and the three years prior; I liked being able to see what had happened between Eleanor and Edmund and not just get a summary of it thrown in somewhere.
4 stars.

 I read an ARC via #NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

Daughters of Northern Shores

Daughters of Northen Shores (Blackbird Mountain #2)
By Joanne Bischof

Norgaard fled his beloved home on Blackbird Mountain after attacking his brother Thor's beloved, Aven, and has spent the past four years working on sailing crews around the Atlantic. Running away hasn't made it possible for him to forget what he has done, though, and the time comes for him to stop running and try to make amends. Returning home, however, will be the most difficult thing he's ever done, as it means owning up to what he has done and trying to regain the trust that he has shattered. When he returns, he finds Thor and Aven wed and expecting a child--but Thor is also deathly ill and their enemies, the Sorrels, have made it clear that they're ready for a fight to end their longstanding feud. While the family doesn't exactly welcome Haakon with open arms, they need his strength and expertise to protect their home and one another.

Ah! I love Joanne Bischof's writing style. It flows so well, with wonderful descriptions and great word choices. I also love her characters, with flaws right alongside their strengths. These characters just capture your heart--from Thor, with his deafness and his strength and his tenderness, to Haakon with his wildness that can't quite overshadow that deep-down goodness, to Aven who loves fiercely and faces life with such courage--and you just can't help but root for them and be swept up in their stories. I loved the first book in this series, and I"m glad to be able to emphatically state that this book is just as lovely and enjoyable to read. One of the best of 2019! 5 stars.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Thomas Nelson through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.