Saturday, May 31, 2014

Meant to be Mine

Title: Meant to be Mine
Author: Becky Wade
Labels: Fiction | Contemporary Romance
Publisher: Bethany House
Publication Date: May 6, 2014
Recommended To: Women, Adult
Contains: Mild references and adult situations

Buy It: Amazon | Book Depository | Kindle
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Blurb From Goodreads: Ty Porter has always been irresistible to Celia Park. All through high school--irresistible. When their paths cross again after college--still irresistible. This time, though, Ty feels exactly the same way about Celia. Their whirlwind romance deposits them at a street-corner Las Vegas wedding chapel. The next morning they wake to a marriage certificate and a dose of cold reality. Celia's ready to be Ty's wife, but Ty's not ready to be anybody's husband. As a professional bull rider, he lives on the road and can't bring himself to settle down.
Five and a half years pass. Celia's buried her dreams so that she can afford to raise her daughter. Ty's achieved all of his goals. Or thought he had, until he looks again into the face of the one woman he couldn't forget and into the face of the child he never knew he had. How much will Ty sacrifice to make Celia's dreams come true, to win her trust, and to prove to her that their spontaneous marriage can still become the love of a lifetime?
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Meant to be Mine is a book which follows the reconnected relationship of bull-riding Ty Porter and baker Celia Park Porter, and their daughter, Addie. After the two spontaneously married in a whirlwind romance, the unthinkable is revealed on the morning after their wedding. The two part ways, expecting to never see each other again. Five and a half years pass before the two cross paths again, only for Ty to discover he has a child and for Celia to discover that her unforgiving, distrusting, and angry feelings toward Ty have not changed.

I can honestly say I have never read a book that had anywhere near the same plot line of this book. This is the absolute most unique romance I have ever read to date. Each of the characters were extremely well developed and had interesting and developing stories and personalities. I loved watching Ty and Celia's budding romance unfold, all the way to the last page.

This is an incredible story of regaining love, trust, and extending forgiveness, as well as second chances. I would recommend it in a heartbeat! I received a free copy of this book from the publisher for this review. These opinions are my own; I was not required to write a positive review, nor was I compensated for this review.

Tuesday, May 6, 2014

A Broken Kind of Beautiful Review

Title: A Broken Kind of Beautiful
Author: Katie Ganshert
Labels: Fiction | Christian | Romance
Publisher: Waterbrook Multnomah
Publication Date: April 15, 2014
Recommended To: YA, Women, Adult
Contains: Mild mature topics/references

Buy It: Amazon | Book Depository | Kindle
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Blurb From Goodreads: Fashion is a fickle industry, a frightening fact for twenty-four-year-old model Ivy Clark. Ten years in and she's learned a sacred truth -- appearance is everything. Nobody cares about her broken past as long as she looks beautiful for the camera. This is the only life Ivy knows -- so when it starts to unravel, she'll do anything to hold on. Even if that means moving to the quaint island town of Greenbrier, South Carolina, to be the new face of her stepmother's bridal wear line -- an irony too rich for words, since Ivy is far from the pure bride in white.
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This is quite possibly my new favorite book. Ganshert's latest book reminds me very much of her first book, Wildflowers from Winter, in that the emotion was very raw--which I liked. The entire plot had me engaged and hooked from the beginning, and kept me flipping pages far later in the night than I should have been reading, and hurrying through homework just so that I could read more.

I stinking loved the story line. I thought it was very original, and although it was a romance, it had more to it than just the romance plot line. The characters--all of them--each had their unique struggles and reasons for why they did the things they did. I was especially interested in Davis' background. Early on in the story I had a rough guess as to what was his "demon of the past," but I never could really figure it out completely, therefore drawing me in further to unravel it--and it surprised me, it wasn't quite what I had expected it to be. The main character, Ivy, I loved--she had such a real and emotional background, and I loved reading more about her.

Overall, this is now one of my favorite books by a long shot. I would recommend it in a heartbeat! Katie Ganshert has proven herself to be an awesome writer, and is definitely one of my favorites.  I received a free copy of this book from the publisher for this review. These opinions are my own; I was not required to write a positive review, nor was I compensated for this review.