A Heart’s Home by Colleen Coble

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher for an honest review for BookLook Blogger, and because I have previously read the first five books in the series.

This Christmas, a tragic loss at Fort Laramie ushers in hope and healing.

When a young mother dies after giving birth at Fort Laramie, Emmie Croftner is shaken by the death of her dear friend-and reminded of the dangers of childbirth. She won’t be able to hide her own pregnancy much longer. She’s dreading the day that Isaac Liddle, the handsome soldier she adores, discovers her secret.

Then the young infant’s father offers a solution: Emmie should marry him so the child can have a family.

With the Sioux Wars threatening soldier and civilian alike, a ready-made family could be the answer to Emmie’s prayers for safety. But at what cost to her heart-and Isaac’s?

I must say, after reading the book description, I was afraid to pick this book up and read it.  Knowing, before I began, that a character (probably one that I love) would die in this book.  My heart thumped as I began to read.

All of the books in this series are short and easy to read.  I read each of them in about two hours time.  This one was no difference, though I read with trepidation.  Of course, there were tears as a beloved character died and it looked as though that death could cause heartbreak for two other beloved characters.

Ms. Coble certainly knows how to weave a good tale of romance that keeps you on the edge of your seat as you route for your favorite characters.  I have loved each of the books in this series; some more than others, and the characters will stick with me for years to come.

I recommend this book to anyone who has read the first five books in the series.  If you haven’t read the first five books, I recommend the entire six-book series to you, if you enjoy characters that will get inside your head and your heart; if you enjoy books that are easy to read but still offer a quality story filled with wonderful characters, conflicts that make you nervous, and endings that are realistic and not just “happily ever after”.

Let’s Talk About eBooks

If you read yesterday’s post, you know that I finally read an eBook that didn’t distract and frustrate me with lots of typos and grammatical errors and such.  That has made me think about something someone mentioned to me not too long ago when I was talking about the frustration of eBooks.

“Maybe something happens to them when they are converted to the eBook format and the author neglects to read it in the eBook format and, therefore, misses those errors,” suggested someone.

Now that I’ve read one that was almost error free, I have to wonder if that someone is on to something.  Therefore, I know that if I ever decide to publish an eBook, I will be sure to read it after it is converted to eBook format and hope to be able to catch and correct any errors caused by the formatting process before publishing.  I hope other writers will do the same.

What about you?  Have you published an eBook?  Do you know if it’s a formatting problem?

Prison by Toni V. Lee

I received a free copy of this book by the publisher to write an honest review for BookLook Blogger.

Sonja Grey, a narcotics detective, and her nemesis, Max Trent, are handpicked to go undercover to capture a thug—Johnny Stone, aka Rock—who’s dealing drugs at Sonja’s church. Their operation is unwittingly aided by the interference of Sonja’s eccentric aunties. For Max, this assignment has two objectives: get their villain and capture Sonja’s heart. Will Sonja break free of the shackles of her past and embrace Max’s love, or will they be destroyed by danger?

I have to say that I really enjoyed this book!  It had danger, humor, inspiration and romance.  It was fun and easy to read and didn’t take a great deal of time.  It held my attention, and I found myself not wanting to put it down as I was routing for Max to win Sonja’s heart, and I wanted to know if he would.  Sonja is a tough and smart lady narcotics detective and the sparring between she and Max was very entertaining.

I would also like to give kudos to Toni V. Lee because this was the first eBook that I have read that had very minor  and very few typographic errors and no grammatical errors, whereas, I usually find so many of these types of errors in an eBook that it’s very frustrating and distracting to read.  Thank you, Ms. Lee.

I recommend this book to anyone who loves a good, entertaining, romantic crime story.  I also recommend this book to anyone who wants to read a good quality eBook.

I Love to Teach Writing!

Yes, a new school year has begun and I am teaching high school students at a local homeschool co-op about writing.  It is so much fun to teach them because they are so interested.  They ask questions and get excited over their writing assignments.  The first week of class I didn’t give a big homework assignment and they were disappointed!

Writing is my passion, and teaching it to eager students brings out that passion and ignites a fire in the students.  It’s so much fun!

My closest friend has two children in my class and she said they were both so excited when they got home from co-op.  She said the younger student began creating, not just a story, but a book cover for the story and all, with plans for self-publishing!  I love the confidence of these students!

That being said, I am also offering writing classes, as well as writing critique services, via email.  I have a website set up explaining the classes and critique services.  I know some people would like a more interactive site, but I currently do not have a webcam nor do I have the time to set specific days and times to broadcast live lessons, but I am considering that option for next year.  Also, the website itself will have a writing exercise or prompt on it each week, and if anyone would like to share what they write for a particular exercise or prompt, they may email it to me at the email address on the sidebar of the website and I will choose a couple to post on the site for others to see.  If you are interested or know someone who might be, please visit Kelly Barr Teaches Writing, Plus.  I really want to help others realize their dreams of becoming published writers and I want to ignite some excitement for writing within other writers, so tell your friends.

A Heart’s Promise by Colleen Coble

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I received a free copy of this book from the publisher to write an honest review.

This is book 5 of the Journey of the Heart series.  In this book, Emmie Croftner is struggling with her secret and her mistrust of men.  However, Isaac Liddle remains determined to win her heart and her hand.  Then another woman sets her bonnet for Isaac and Emmie realizes that she does have feelings for Isaac.  But, how will he react if he finds out about the secret Emmie holds inside?

I am really enjoying this series by Colleen Coble.  She does an excellent job at creating characters that you care about.  Again, this book left me yearning for the next and final book in the series because I want to see what happens to these characters that I have come to love.

I highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys historical romance stories from a time period when the west was still young and dangerous.