Amy

In 1910 Toronto, while other bachelor girls perfect their domestic skills and find husbands, two friends perfect their sleuthing skills and find a murderer.

Inspired by their fascination with all things Sherlock Holmes, best friends and flatmates Merinda and Jem launch a consulting detective business. The deaths of young Irish women lead Merinda and Jem deeper into the mire of the city’s underbelly, where the high hopes of those dreaming to make a new life in Canada are met with prejudice and squalor.

While searching for answers, donning disguises, and sneaking around where no proper ladies would ever go, they pair with Jasper Forth, a police constable, and Ray DeLuca, a reporter in whom Jem takes a more than professional interest. Merinda could well be Toronto’s premiere consulting detective, and Jem may just find a way to put her bachelor girlhood behind her forever–if they can stay alive long enough to do so.

The Bachelor Girl’s Guide to Murder is a most unique ride to love.  Well written, Rachel McMillan immerses the reader in the changing culture of Toronto at a time when immigrant and gender equality is all up in the air.  I had no idea that some of these problems ever existed, and it made for a fascinating story.

I thoroughly enjoyed the characters of Jem and DeLuca – probably DeLuca a bit more.  I enjoyed his dedication to his family and his willingness to roll up his sleeves and ball his fists to defend his those he loves. 

McMillan’s writing style is a new one to me.  Asides are written in using asterisks and placed at the bottom of the pages and are often used to provide the reader with more information.  Having thought this was the first in a series – and being mistaken – I appreciated the extra detail even though it came in an unconventional form.

The Bachelor’s Girl’s Guide to Murder is quirky.  It’s not like any other love story I’ve ever read.  If you find yourself in the mood for a realistic historical mystery romance, give this book a try.

I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Take one abrasive professional athlete, a quirky out-of-work schoolteacher, and an overweight geriatric dog, and you’re ready for a lesson in love…Tippy style.

Pro baseball pitcher Cal Crawford is not a dog guy. When he inherits his deceased mother’s elderly dog, Tippy, he’s quick to call on a pet-sitting service.

Gina isn’t thrilled to be a dog sitter when her aspirations lie in the classroom. Furthermore, she can’t abide the unfriendly Cal, a man with all the charm of a wet towel. But with no other prospects and a deep love for all things canine, she takes the job caring for Tippy.

As Gina travels through Cal’s world with Tippy in tow, she begins to see Cal in a different light. Gina longs to show Cal the God-given blessings in his life that have nothing to do with baseball or fame. When her longing blooms into attraction, Gina does her best to suppress it. But Cal is falling in love with her too…

Discover the charming story of Tippy, the dog who brought a family together.

At the beginning of Sit, Stay, Love I wasn’t sure how much love I’d be offering to Tippy’s handler and owner – but this furry ball of fun soon changed my mind.

Gina is a colorful woman with big dreams.  Life hasn’t always gone her way, and learning difficulties stemming from her troubled birth still give her problems today.  Despite her issues, she’s passionate about animals and people and as big of a dreamer as she is a hard worker.  She always sees the best in the people she meets.

Cal isn’t quite so perky.  After losing his mother, he’s hanging onto his love for baseball even harder – only he’s not playing as well as he used to and he’s all alone.

Tippy is a rather zany dog with a penchant for doing what’s least expected.  Somehow she’s always in the center of trouble, and that means a circus for the humans in her life.  While most people would set her aside, Gina’s caring and Cal’s pain create opportunities for relationship amidst the craziness of caring for Tippy.

That’s one of the best lessons about the book – about the importance of people.  Gina takes people as they come and enjoys the best parts of them.  She prioritizes relationships and works hard to keep them that way.  Cal is the exact opposite but comes to realize just how lonely that life is.  Our busy modern lives keep us separate and apart.  Too often we’re like Cal when we should be living like Gina.  Tippy reminds us of this.

Gina’s big heart is the other.

I love how she opens her heart and her life to everyone.  She doesn’t keep a barrier between her self and those who appear different from her, opening herself only to those who are ‘like’ her.  Instead, she seems happy to hang out with anyone, and isn’t that the message of the Gospel?  That no one of us is better than another?

I received a free copy of this book from LitFuse Publicity in exchange for an honest review.

It’s been a long time since Colt Stafford shrugged off his cowboy legacy for shiny Manhattan loafers and a promising career on Wall Street. But when stock market manipulations leave him financially strapped, the oldest son of legendary rancher Sam Stafford decides to return to the sprawling Double S ranch in Gray’s Glen, Washington. He’s broke, but not broken, and it’s time to check in with his ailing father, and get his legs back under him by climbing into the saddle again.
 
He doesn’t expect to come home to a stranger pointing a loaded gun at his chest— a tough yet beautiful woman that Sam hired as the house manager. Colt senses there’s more to Angelina Morales than meets the eye and he’s determined to find out what she’s hiding…and why.
 
Colt’s return brings new challenges. Younger brother Nick has been Sam’s right-hand man at the ranch for years and isn’t thrilled at having Colt insert himself into Double S affairs. And the ranch’s contentious relationship with the citizens of Gray’s Glen asks all the Stafford men to examine their hearts about what it truly means to be a neighbor.  And as Wall Street recovers, will Colt succumb to the call of the financial district’s wealth and power—or finally the courage to stay in the saddle for good?

Ruth Logan Herne’s new book will have you wishing you could jump Back in the Saddle.  The ranching life is painted in a hard but glorious light by everyone in the story.  Although full of hard work and tough choices, Herne shares the benefits of life in a slow pace where you’re responsible for your own business.  A small community that allows you to build relationships and work together is held up as an ideal place to raise a family, and this country girl definitely agrees.

I’ve always wanted to go on a real trail ride, so I could definitely identify with the kids in the story who longed to learn to ride.  I appreciated Colt’s story, too – being knocked down by business isn’t easy, but his love for the land helped him come to grips with the new direction in his life.

There’s more to Angelina than meets the eye, as well, and her backstory definitely adds some excitement to the plot.  I would’ve loved if that had been a thread that got tugged during the events of the story, but Angelina was a fascinating character nonetheless.

These characters are not the only interesting ones in the story.  Colt’s family adds several smaller sub-plots and foreshadowing to the next book in the series.  I love the way that Herne mixed the characters and the plot lines all together into a realistic jumble of people and problems.  They feel like the loveable family next door, and I wish I could go meet them.

The Colt you meet at the beginning of the story has a lot of growing to do, and I loved reading his journey.  His journey to faith, love, and maturity is a fascinating one to take.  He’s my favorite kind of character – he’s protective, strong, and doesn’t shy away from hard work, whether it’s physical or spiritual.  If you like reading about hard-working characters, Colt’s the man for you.

How’s the book overall, though – really?  It’s expertly written in a dramatic, modern style that will keep you turning page after page.  It’s definitely a cowboy romance, but with deep, interesting characters and an ongoing plot, it’s a cowboy story of the highest caliber.

Learn more and purchase a copy.

I received a free copy of this book from Litfuse Publicity in exchange for an honest review.

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