EmpowerMoms

“Catching Lucas Riley” by Lauren Winder Farnsworth

When I began reading this book I hadn’t realized that all the characters in this story were young adult college age kids. Being in my 30s, I wasn’t sure if I would like or relate to the characters. I was definitely wrong!!

This was such a fun, romantic story with a major twist towards the end-I didn’t even see it coming! I thought the story was well written and I can’t wait to read more from this author. I read the book in one night because I wanted to find out what would happen with Alex and her dream date.

There were references about the LDS/Mormon Christian church through out this book, but nothing over the top or confusing to readers.

I received a copy of this book complimentary for blog and social media review. All opinions are my own.

About the book
Alex Foamer is in love . . . with the untouchable singles ward heartthrob who has no idea she exists. Enter Sealey Witchburn, the manipulative, sarcastic ward executive secretary, whose scheming is Alex’s only chance to catch her crush’s attention. But when Alex actually wins the bid for her dream date, she gets more than she bargained for in this surprising LDS romance based on Hans Christian Andersen’s The Little Mermaid.

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Biography
Lauren Winder Farnsworth was born and raised in Salt Lake City, Utah. She is an avid reader, a chocolate enthusiast, and a CPA with a slight alternative music obsession and dreams of one day becoming a gourmet chef. She obtained bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Accounting from the University of Utah, went to work as a financial statement auditor, and then decided that since creative accounting wasn’t an option, creative writing would have to do. As a nice compromise, accountants tend to crop up in her stories (since she believes they’re shockingly under-represented in literature anyway).

Having obtained two degrees from the same institution has made Lauren somewhat of a compound collegiate fan, and the only entity that holds more of her heart than the University of Utah is her hunky husband, Bryan. Lauren currently lives in South Jordan, Utah, where she spends entirely too much time watching Gilmore Girls and looking for excuses not to clean. She loves hearing from her readers at www.laurenwinderfarnsworth.com.

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Catching Heat (Cold Case Justice) by Janice Cantore
Book 3 of 3 in the Cold Case Justice Series

I really enjoyed this book but I felt lost somewhat since I haven’t read the previous books to this series. I love series books because the author can really develop the characters and story lines over the course of a couple of books. I would highly recommend reading all of them and in order.

“Catching Heat” had lots of drama, twists, suspense and romance. Clean, Christian reading but for mature audiences due to the crime content.

I received a copy of this book complimentary for blog and social media review. All opinions are my own.

About the book
Twenty-seven years after the deaths of Detective Abby Hart’s parents, she’s desperate to find the proof that will put the mastermind―the governor’s wife―behind bars. When she joins a newly formed task force and teams up with PI Luke Murphy, Abby is sent to San Luis Obispo to work the cold case of a murdered college student. Realizing their investigation will bring them near the town where Alyssa Rollins grew up, Abby decides to do a little digging of her own into the Triple Seven fire.

Luke is eager to help Abby close the books on a case they both have personal stakes in. But as she uncovers long-held secrets, Abby stumbles into an explosive situation, and Luke fears that her obsession may prove deadly.

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The story begins in England in 1811 and then jumps ahead six years. The chapters alternate between the main characters Leah and Charles so readers get a full view of the story and their emotions and feelings. We are introduced to their different families and the beloved dog admiral.

I enjoyed this sweet regency romance, and felt like the author did a good job tying the characters and story together. Sometimes I have a hard time reading books from this era because they can be a little boring or stuffy but I enjoyed the characters in this book and how it was written.

“An inconvenient romance” is free of bad language and appropriate for all adult readers.

I received a copy of this book complimentary for blog and social media review. All opinions are my own.

About the book:
The countryside of England provided an idyllic backdrop for Charles Brumley’s and Leah Hastings’s childhood. Neighbors and best friends, the pair passed many happy days racing through the rolling hills of Derbyshire. Everything was perfect until Charles ruined it all and abandoned Leah for university.
Six years later, the former friends are thrust into each other’s paths once more. Leah had been looking forward to the ball, an opportunity to further her acquaintance with the handsome Captain Wilkins but when she sees Charles’s familiar face through the crowd, her traitorous heart leaps.

Charles faces his own struggle: he has loved Leah since he was fifteen years old, yet it seems he is too late it appears that her affections are otherwise engaged. As the pair tentatively renews their friendship, the spark between them is undeniable.

After so many years apart, Leah endeavors to reconcile her feelings toward her once cherished companion. But when a conniving rival for Charles’s attention approaches Leah, the threat is clear: give up her association with Charles, or a devastating secret about her family will be revealed. Faced with an impossible decision, Leah must make a choice the ruin of her family or the ruin of her heart?

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Biography
Chalon Linton was first introduced to Jane Austen by a dear friend and now she can’t get enough of handsome men in tailcoats. Her intrigue in the genre stems from a nostalgic longing for manners, wit, and true love. Fortunately, Chalon found her dashing gentleman, married him, and now lives happily ever after in Southern California.

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This was a quick read since it’s only 200 pages but well written and not rushed. The main character, 19 year old Jenny accidentally witnesses a murder and is brutally attacked and left to die by the murderer-a fellow neighbor-in a nearby shaft.

The first half of the book are flashbacks of recent events in Jenny’s life so the reader can get a better understanding of relationships and characters so the rest of the story makes sense as it unfolds.

I held my breath as the story continued hoping that it would end well. I liked the story and would recommend it to high school readers and above due to the violence.

Clean (free of bad language) and suspenseful! There are religious references through out the story since the main character and family are Christian/LDS Mormon, but nothing over the top or confusing to non LDS members.

I received a copy of this book complimentary for blog and social media review. All opinions are my own.

About the Book
What began as a picture-perfect summer vacation for college student Jenny Brodie has swiftly become a nightmare. When she left home on the back of her horse one sunny morning, she couldn’t have imagined what awaited her in the Utah desert. Now the darkness is closing in, and there is no way out.
The woman saw what he did—she witnessed the shots he fired, the murder he committed. But she’ll never talk. He’s made sure of that.

For a man desperate to hide his crimes, the pressure steadily rises as Jenny’s community bands together to find the missing young woman. As the searchers grow ever closer to discovering what he has hidden, so too does his desperation. He will stop at nothing to keep the woman hidden—but he has underestimated the second witness to his evil deeds: a young girl determined to protect Jenny. As the trail runs cold, will help come for Jenny before time runs out?

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