EmpowerMoms

”
“His Lady in Hiding” by Jen Geigle Johnson

This was a clean historical fiction set in the early 1800s when slavery and injustice towards women were very common.

This story was easy to read with an interesting plot and characters. I really liked Lady Elizabeth and her spunk, determination and bravery. There were some twists and turns which kept my interest in the story from beginning to end, along with some clean romance. I have read other books by this author and have also enjoyed them. I highly recommend this book if you like reading historical fiction books in this time era. I really enjoyed it!

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

About the Book:
Lady Elizabeth Davenport is desperate. Her hand in marriage has been offered to the highest bidder, a distressing proposition in and of itself but made all the more repulsive when she meets her father’s first choice for her hand: Lord Pinweather. When her parents refuse to hear her pleas, Liz is forced to take drastic measures—she will impersonate her maid and begin anew in America on her own terms.

Once on board the ship to America, another passenger, Lord Barton, almost immediately discovers her true status as a noble. After listening to Liz’s highly modified version of her life and her plans to begin again, Barton has compassion on her and teaches her how to abandon her noble mannerisms. Upon disembarking, however, Barton’s generous spirit quickly dampens when he discovers Liz has indeed found work—as his own head housekeeper. Suddenly, the tender feelings they hid from each other on the ship are inescapable, but their difference in station makes romance impossible. As misunderstandings abound and a shocking character from Liz’s past looms, she knows she can’t hide her true identity forever. But as her deception begins to unravel, will her charade cost her the man she loves?

Purchase your copy here:

Biography
An award winning author, including the GOLD in Foreword INDIES Book of the Year Awards, Jen Geigle Johnson discovered her passion for England while kayaking on the Thames near London as a young teenager.
She once greeted an ancient turtle under the water by grabbing her fin. She knows all about the sound a water-ski makes on glassy water and how to fall down steep moguls with grace. During a study break date in college, she sat on top of a jeep’s roll bars up in the mountains and fell in love.
Now, she loves to share bits of history that might otherwise be forgotten. Whether in Regency England, the French Revolution, or Colonial America, her romance novels are much like life is supposed to be: full of adventure.

Author Jen Geigle Johnson

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Second Chance for the Single Dad (Harlequin Heartwarming Clean Romance) by Carol Ross

This was a sweet clean romance that followed the story of Camile and her many jobs and her struggle to figure out her career and direction of life. She meets Rhys 2 years after their dating disaster and still isn’t impressed by his lack of socialization and awkwardness. As they get to know each other she starts to change her mind about him.

I liked reading about Camile and her many jobs (hilarious!) and her determination to succeed in life. Although she is met by negativity, she continues to press forward, being kind to others and helping others. I also liked reading about Rhys and him taking care of his niece and his determination to make a good life for her. I didn’t particularly care for his character and abruptness during this story but I eventually got use to him.

Good story line, interesting characters which kept my interest during the entire story.

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

About the Book:
She’ll save him a dance…

…if he follows his heart.

Dance teacher Camile Wynn has a new student. Reclusive Rhys McGrath is learning to waltz so he can take his orphaned niece to a father-daughter dance. Camile is surprised by her connection with him, but there’s a generous heart behind Rhys’s awkward exterior. When she learns Rhys could lose custody of his niece, Camile goes behind his back to help him…but will her lies end up hurting him instead?

About the Author
Carol Ross lives with her husband and two dogs (a perfect border collie and a perfectly loveable miscreant of a dachshund) in a small town in Washington near both the ocean and the mountains. She loves the Northwest because, when the temperamental weather cooperates, she enjoys hiking, running, skiing, and spending time outdoors. And when it doesn’t…she dons a raincoat, or gets lost in a book. She enjoys reading in many genres but writes about what she loves the most-romance.

“Out by Night” by Brett Cain
Great story line and characters, although the book is really wordy with unnecessary thoughts and details that don’t really add to the flow of the story. It was almost like reading someones journal who writes everything down that they think and what they say outloud…I definitely think the story would flow better if the writing was more professional.

With that being said, I honestly still really liked the concept of the story and the main characters Sawyer and Melanie. I liked Sawyer’s determination to find the missing girls and to be a good role model and help those around him. I liked his love for God and sharing his church mission experiences and how they ended up helping him in real life.

Light, clean romance along with good drama and suspense.

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

About the Book:
Frank Sawyer is a wanderer, thriving on the adventure of hitchhiking with no thought for where he’ll end up. His untethered ways have landed him in some perilous situations, and after his recent involvement in solving a deadly mystery, he’s ready to hit the open road to visit his former mission companions on a whim. When he arrives in a small California town, Sawyer finds himself in the midst of what seems to be a rash of runaway teenagers. But with his outsider’s perspective, he senses something sinister in the disappearances of these small-town girls.
Unable to resist helping, Sawyer spends his time getting to know the townspeople and becoming acquainted with local law enforcement—namely, the lovely Deputy Melanie Clark. Together, Sawyer and Melanie follow a baffling trail of clues that lead to a disturbing conclusion: the girls didn’t run away. They were taken. With no distractions and nothing to lose, Sawyer will stop at nothing to find the missing girls and see justice done. But his enemies will do anything to end his involvement in the investigation.

“Star of Persia: Esther’s Story” by Jill Eileen Smith
I love reading biblical fiction and I especially love this author’s books and writing style so I was very excited to read this!

I have read the story of Esther from other authors, but I love her story and knew Jill Eileen Smith would do an amazing job and I was right! Of course she included biblical facts that we know about Esther, but the extra fictitious liberties made the character and story so alive and wonderful to read.

I also enjoyed reading about Queen Vashti along with the other characters like Mordecai. Thrilling, dramatic and easy to read. Highly recommend! Absolutely loved it!

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

About the Book:
In an effort to complete a war his father had planned to win, King Xerxes calls every governor, satrap, and official in his vast kingdom to his palace in Susa to strategize and feast. When they finally leave, he decides on one more week of frivolity, which ends in the banishment of his favorite wife, something he never intended to do. But when he discovers Esther, Xerxes is sure he has a second chance at happiness.

In her wildest dreams, Esther could never have imagined that she would end up as queen of Persia. Yet she knows better than to become complacent. Another of Xerxes’s wives is vying for position, and his closest advisor has a deep and dangerous grudge against Esther’s adoptive father. Caught in the middle of palace politics, Esther will find herself in an impossible position: risk her life or consign her people to annihilation.

About the Author
Jill Eileen Smith is the bestselling and award-winning author of the biblical fiction series The Wives of King David, Wives of the Patriarchs, and Daughters of the Promised Land, as well as The Heart of a King and the nonfiction book When Life Doesn’t Match Your Dreams. Her research into the lives of biblical women has taken her from the Bible to Israel, and she particularly enjoys learning how women lived in Old Testament times. Jill lives with her family in southeast Michigan. Learn more at www.jilleileensmith.com.

“Chasing the White Lion” by James R. Hannibal

Lots of action and suspense from beginning to end! This story is book 2 of the Talia Inger Book Series but can be read as a stand alone novel. On the edge of my seat the entire time with interesting characters, explosive action, thrilling chases; although somewhat complicated. This story does involve human trafficking which may be too much for some readers.

Overall, I enjoyed the action and story line and recommend it to anyone who has read his books in the past. I received a copy of this book complimentary for blog and social media review. All opinions are my own.

About the Book:
Young CIA officer Talia Inger has reconciled with the man who assassinated her father, but that doesn’t mean she wants him hovering over her every move and unearthing the painful past she’s trying to put behind her. Still, she’ll need him–and the help of his star grifter, Valkyrie–if she hopes to infiltrate the Jungle, the first ever crowdsourced crime syndicate, to rescue a group of kidnapped refugee children.

But as Talia and her elite team of thieves con their way into the heart of the Jungle, inching ever closer to syndicate boss the White Lion, she’ll run right up against the ragged edge of her family’s dark past. In this game of cat and mouse, it’s win . . . or die. And in times like that, it’s always good to have someone watching your back.

Former tactical deception officer and stealth pilot James Hannibal takes you deep undercover into the criminal underworld where everyone has an angle and no one escapes unscathed.

About the Author
James R. Hannibal is no stranger to secrets and adventure. A former stealth pilot from Houston, Texas, he has been shot at, locked up with surface-to-air missiles, and chased down a winding German road by an armed terrorist. He is a two-time Silver Falchion Award winner for his Section 13 mysteries for kids and a Thriller Award nominee for his Nick Baron covert ops series for adults. The author of The Gryphon Heist, James is a rare multisense synesthete, meaning all of his senses intersect. He sees and feels sounds and smells, and hears flashes of light. If he tells you the chocolate cake you offered smells blue and sticky, take it as a compliment.