Searching for Tomorrow, by Kathryn McNeill Crane

Searching for Tomorrow is about Wrynn, a grieving widow trying to focus on her three girls instead of her longing for her husband. It's fiction but reads like memoir, with lots of everyday details about her life. The book alternates between past and present, which is effective, but can make it drag in places where it would otherwise take off. I really enjoyed reading it, with parts making you laugh and others making you want to cry. Searching for Tomorrow is on sale for 1.99 through Thanksgiving, so go check it out.

Her Grace in Disgrace, by Claudia Harbaugh

Her Grace in Disgrace has an intriguing opening plot line, with a newly widowed Duchess learning at the reading of her husband's will, that their marriage was a sham. He was already married with an heir, leaving her a small pittance and no title. As you would expect, scandal and bad feelings follow. The romantic interest was a complete foil, being in the opposite situation. He was a humble vicar, but had just inherited fortune and title after the death of his brother. I've been reading a lot of regency lately and I expected from the title for this to be more along the lines of a light regency caper. This was much more complex, with a large cast of characters and Christian themes of forgiveness and redemption. The romance took a backseat to the main characters coming to terms with what they had done in the past and what they were going to do with the rest of their lives. The point of view jumped around at will, and it could have been edited down a hair, but overall a recommended read. The book is the first in a series, having set up a cast of characters to be explored in further novels. I'm interested to see what else the author comes out with. The novel was clean, but with adult regency themes, such as handsy suitors, mistresses, and passionate kisses. 2.99 or free to borrow for Amazon Prime members.

I received a free copy in return for an honest review.

The Love Letter, by Erica Matthews

The Love Letter is a clean adult romance novel, which alone makes it very rare. The main character, Sabrina, goes back to her childhood vacation spot on Tybee Island to help her sister manage an inn. She is stunned to find that one of the guests is a college professor she'd rather not run into again. Sabrina is embarrassed about a love letter she wrote to him, but also still in love with him in a bad way. Awkward and romantic run-ins ensue. I really liked Sabrina's character, but I was not impressed by Meredith, the object of her affection. He's ten years older, and to me he was kinda rude and condescending most of the time. Regardless, I enjoyed reading and it kept my attention the whole time. 2.99 on Kindle.

I received a free copy from the author in return for an honest review.

The Call of the Deep, by Tracy Lane

The Call of the Deep is about a college student named Meri who finds out she's a lost mermaid princess. I loved Meri's friendship with her roommate Kelsey and the gradual way she learns about her past. I liked the telepathy aspect as well, since it wouldn't make sense for mermaids/mermen to talk underwater. There were some lulls in the middle before the the book really got rolling, but then it was a fun, exciting read. There is a love triangle of sorts for those of you into that. Thankfully it doesn't drag on for too long. I am all for love triangles as long as there isn't one mopey guy hanging around indefinitely while the girl flits between the two (my hubs informed me most men won't stand for that, and I've never looked at Twilighty love triangles the same way since.) The ending sets the reader up perfectly for a sequel. I would recommend this for age 15+ with some mild college-age drinking and party make-out scenes. 3.99 for Kindle.

I received a free copy from the author in exchange for an honest review.

Recalculating Route, by Beth Carpenter

Recalculating Route is the love story of Marsha, a widow, and Ben, a rich several-times divorcee. They start out as travel companions with an agreement of no 'funny business', yet both start to wonder if things could work out when the vacation is over. The romance felt natural and believable. As a reader I felt protective of Marsha and suspicious of Ben as the story unfolded. Ben has to earn the trust of both the characters and the reader, which makes the reader feel more invested. At 430 pages, it was a bit overlong, but it wasn't repetitious or boring. Ben and Marsha have a lifetime of knowledge and experience and it comes through in the book through little anecdotes about cooking, travel, horseback riding, gardening, ranching, parenting, quilting etc. 2.99 for Kindle. There is a free prequel introducing the characters called, Detour on Route 66.

This is not the usual book I read, as the main characters are 59 and 60, but I enjoyed it. I received a free copy in exchange for an honest review.

The book is fairly clean, with characters wanting to have sex, but deciding to wait, and a few short conversations between married couples as you would expect would occur.

My Own Mr. Darcy, by Karey White

My friends know I can be a bit touchy about my Jane Austen. Don't get me started on the movie "Becoming Jane." I thought My Own Mr. Darcy was pretty good. There is some grammatical tightening that needs to happen. The protagonist is a bit blind about love for most of the book, but otherwise, a sweet romance. 4.99 or free to borrow on Kindle.

Just Ella, by Annette K. Larsen

I'm a huge sucker for Princess books and this is one of my new favorites. Ariella is a princess with an independent streak and an unlikely friendship with a gardener. Very clean with well-rounded characters and a well-plotted storyline. 4.99 or free to borrow with a Prime membership.

Edenbrooke, by Julianne Donaldson

I have jumped on the Julianne Donaldson bandwagon with everyone else and can't stop gushing about her first novel Edenbrooke. It is a fun clean romance set in the Regency period. For the month of September the Kindle edition is on sale for $1.99. Don't miss it!

The Fairest Beauty, by Melanie Dickerson

This is a loose retelling of Snow White. I thought it was pretty good (I gave it 4 out of 5 stars on Goodreads). It is $5.12 for the Kindle book on Amazon. There is a Christian aspect to it, some action, a wicked stepmother, and plenty of romance. I do have to say that it is one of those books where the characters have some serious problems to be resolved and somehow it all just works out in the end. Just a beef of mine. Recommended, nonetheless.

Coffeehouse Angel by Suzanne Selfors

This cute book is a definite recommend and it's only 1.99 on your Kindle. Bargain! I thought from the cover and synopsis that it was a chick-lit novel about a twenty or thirty-something. I was surprised when I realized that the main character is a 16-year-old high-school sophomore who lives with her grandmother above their coffee shop.

The angel character, Malcolm, came off a little weird in parts, but I loved Katrina and her friends. I thought it was well-paced, funny, and interesting.

(A note for my parent friends: There are some sexual jokes from stupid boys at her school - hilarious, and very similar to what I heard ever day as a sophomore, but just a heads up.)

Open Minds / Mindspeak

I really shouldn't have read these at the same time. I tend to be forgetful anyway, and reading two books with similar plots and similar covers is just asking for trouble. In Open Minds, by Susan Kaye Quinn, Kira is a high school girl who has to hide her extraordinary ability to influence other people's thoughts. In Mindspeak, by Heather Sunseri, Lexi is a high school girl who has to hide her extraordinary ability to influence other people's thoughts. I liked Open Minds better. It's part of a series, and if I stumbled upon the next one I would probably read it. In Open Minds, everyone can read thoughts to some extent. Lexi is dangerous because she can make people do things and think it came from their own head. The author is good at exploring both sides of the issue. Kira's ability is dangerous to society, but as she meets others like her she realizes people can have various shades of good or bad intentions. Mindspeak was all about cloning and genetic manipulation, but somehow failed to make the subject very interesting. They both have an element of romance, but I felt like in Mindspeak I was being hit over the head with it, while Open Minds had a love triangle of sorts that held everything together.

Mindspeak is $2.99

Open Minds is normally $2.99, but is free right now on Amazon. Check it out.

Glitch (a comedy of errors) by Amber Gilchrist

This was a cute LDS novel about life in a singles ward and falling for your best friend. I recommend it. $4.49 on your Kindle.

Bittersweet

This book is 2.99 or free to borrow. I liked the premise of it, however, I am only reviewing so others know that it's not clean. The first quarter was fine. Then suddenly, F-word, character's sexual thoughts and then soon after a very detailed sex scene. I deleted and didn't read the rest.

A Longtime (and at one point illegal) Crush, by Janette Rallison

This author cracks me up. I am a huge fan. This was one I borrowed using the Kindle Lending Library and is only 99 cents to buy. If you get a bit creeped out by a May-Dec romance you may want to skip. Basically, a girl returns to her hometown from college, only to face her older brother's best friend who was also her high school math teacher. And, she had a HUGE crush. Fun read.

Book Review of The Reluctant Bachelorette by Rachael Anderson

I absolutely loved The Reluctant Bachelorette. I finished it with a huge grin on my face. It's about a small-town girl with a crazy friend who puts her on a dating show. Maybe it was because I read it while on vacation, but it was just a very enjoyable little book, and clean too. The romance was great.

Not so good

I read the sample of World of Shell and Bone, and liked it enough to buy it (2.99), but it just got less and less clean. About half way through the language gets bad, and sexual stuff - not too explicit, but I decided to stop and delete it. So, not a recommend from me. Also, I tried to explain the premise of the book to my husband and yeah, its a bit hard to swallow. The Dystopian genre is so crowded right now, you really have to bring something great to it.

Six Moon Summer, by SM Reine

I borrowed this from the Kindle Owners Lending Library, but you can buy it for 2.99. It's the first in a series. I don't plan on reading the rest of the books, but I didn't think it was a bad read either. Here's why: The author puts a twist on the Twilight/Paranormal genre with the female main character being dropped off at summer camp and being bit by a werewolf. There is plenty of teenage angst, family problems, romance and mean girls. I thought the plot was above average, the characters just below average, and the setting average. Maybe I'm just getting too old for these types.

Self Same, by Melissa Conway

This book was on sale for 99 cents and I LOVED it. The plot has time travel which is very hard to do well. Very thought provoking and hard to put down. Written for a YA audience. Great from start to finish (which is also hard to do). 2.99 for Kindle regularly.

Haven, by A.R. Ivanovich

Haven (War of the Princes), by A. R. Ivanovich was an exciting adventurous read. Its a YA Dystopian which seems to be all the rage lately. In this one, Haven is a community hidden away, and the outside world is a mess. It had a bit of romance with a strong female protagonist. 2.99 for Kindle

The Girl in the Gatehouse, by Julie Klassen

Not bad for a freebie. Written by Julie Klassen. Clean with some Christian themes. The author is a fan of Jane Austen and it shows in her writing. A bit cheesy with some plot lines that seemed conveniently intertwined. I got it during a promotional period. It is $9.99 for the Kindle version.