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.