Book Review: Refining Fire

Refining Fire was a book which intrigued me based on the back cover description of the plot--the summary pricked an area of interest in my life, and so I was interested to read it. My only real complaint with the book is that the back cover led me to believe the book was primarily about Militine and Thane...however, I felt that Militine's friend, Abrianna and her friend Wade were actually the main characters of the story.

The story between Abrianna and Wade was interesting, and was totally fine for the main thrust of the story. I was just very confused through the whole book over who was the main characters. The part of the book which did deal with Militine and Thane didn't hold my interest very well. I felt it wasn't as deep as it could have been.

The plot of the book wasn't bad; it just wasn't what I was personally expecting or hoping for. 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.

A Sensible Arrangement (Lone Star Brides, #1)

Title: A Sensible Arrangement
Author: Tracie Peterson
Labels: Fiction | Historical Fiction
Publisher: Bethany House
Publication Date: April 1, 2014
Recommended To: YA, Adult, Women
Contains: Age appropriate innuendos

Buy It: Amazon | Book Depository | Kindle
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Blurb From Goodreads: Marty Dandridge Olson is a widow looking for a way out of Texas. Widower Jake Wythe has secured a job as a bank manager in Denver, only to discover that the bank board wants him to be a married man. With Texas in his roots, he advertises for a Lone Star bride, and Marty answers the call. They both agree they are done with romance and love and will make this nothing more than a marriage of convenience.
Marty works to carve out a new life in high-society Denver as Jake works to guide the bank through a collapsing economy. But when money goes missing at the bank and accounting discrepancies point to Jake, he must find a way to prove his innocence. Yet all he wants to do is go back to Texas and own his own ranch. Marty, on the other hand, owns a ranch–one she’s never told her husband about. She hates Texas because it represents the losses in her life. But as the couple grows closer and love begins to bloom, Marty realizes she needs to tell Jake the truth. Can she come to terms with the past and her anger toward God in order to make room for love?
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Due to college, this is the first pleasure book I've read in a long time--and it came as a welcome relief! I've been dying for some fiction for so long, and this definitely helped my fiction addiction. Marty and Jake both quickly grew on me and their story interested me and, despite the lack of time, I managed to finish the book in a relatively short period of time.

For the better part of the book I was dying for Jake and Marty to legitimately get together (hopeless romantic kicking in...). The suspense got to be a bit much for me by the end--apparently I need to learn some more patience while reading. Haha! The plot was definitely unique, and one which I'd never seen done before, nor in the way Peterson chose to do it.

Overall I thought this was a great book. I found it easy to get lost in and involved in the characters and plot. I was happy with the ending, although I'll admit I wish there had been a little more detail or a little longer ending. Definitely recommended! 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.

Touching the Sky (Land of the Lone Star, #2)

Title: Touching the Sky
Author: Tracie Peterson
Labels: Fiction | Historical Fiction
Publisher: Bethany House Publishers
Publication Date: June 1, 2012
Recommended To: Women, Adult, Romance Lovers
Contains: Clean.

Buy It: Amazon | Book Depository | Kindle
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Blurb From Goodreads: When Laura Marquardt first meets Brandon Reid, their encounter is anything but pleasant. But when the two are seated together at a dinner party, they soon find that they share similar interests--Laura desires to educate blacks, and Brandon, as a white officer over colored troops, eagerly supports her cause.
When Laura's sister, Carissa, marries her Confederate beau, Laura finds herself in a difficult situation when she overhears plots to kill Union soldiers. Though in her heart she feels she should share this information with Brandon, Laura fears she will betray her sister's trust and possibly endanger her sister's life. And when Brandon's motives for pursuing her come into question, her heart is even more conflicted. Where is God leading her?
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          Laura and Brandon meet in an amusing and unlikely way, and soon find their paths crossing. Both have an attraction to the other, but problems arise under the surface when Brandon decides to court Laura, despite the fact he knows his motives will eventually be questioned. He's left working in secrecy, all the while wondering if he should tell come clean to the girl he loves. Laura, on the other hand, begins to have her suspicions, adding a whole new level to this complicated relationship.

          I was slightly disappointed at the lack of involvement I felt as this story unfolded. I didn't feel quite as able to relate to the characters or as "walking in their shoes" as I would have liked. Other than that, the book was pretty good. The plot unfolded smoothly and the impending decisions of the characters kept me interested to the end, though slightly distanced. I'm interested to read the next book in the series, Taming the Wind, to see where the continuing story takes Laura's heartbroken sister, Carissa.

        Recommended. 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.

Chasing the Sun (Land of the Lone Star, #1)

Title: Chasing the Sun
Author: Tracie Peterson
Labels: Fiction | Historical Fiction
Publisher: Bethany House Publishers
Publication Date: March 1, 2012.
Reading Range: YA | Adult
Contains: One random crude comment.

Buy It: Amazon | Book Depository | The Publisher
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Blurb From Goodreads: Bestselling author Peterson launches an exciting, romantic new series about a feisty young woman fighting to protect her family's Texas ranch against mounting threats.
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          After being pulled up from her previous home and disengaged from her beau, Hannah is stuck living on her fathers Texas ranch taking care of her two young siblings, while her father is off looking after her sick grandmother, inconveniently close to the heart of the battlefields of the Civil War. The more time passes the more she begins to wonder if her father is even alive anymore. These suspicions aren't helped by a scheming "friend's" implications of such as he tries to quietly take over the ranch. Enter William Barnett. Will is a wounded soldier come back to reclaim his ranch, the very same ranch the Confederacy has handed over to Hannah's father and is now her home. William isn't the type to force innocent women and children off of the only home they've known for the last few years, but he believes the ranch is indeed rightfully his. So what now?


          This book was interesting, though maybe a little slow for me. Both William and Hannah are upright, honorable Christians with values, although Will has strayed a bit in his belief. Hannah is the one who almost immediately is attracted to Will, and eventually Will begins to develop feelings of his own. Meanwhile, Hannah's 'friend', Mr. Lockhart, is sneaking around trying to take the ranch from both of them. He comes off --at least to me--as a not-so-smart but sneaky character, consistently attempting to manipulate Hannah into submitting to his plans.


          The only problem I had with this book was the dialog. At times it was fine, but then other times it felt stilted and forced, like the author was trying just a little too hard to have them speak just as they would during the Civil War. And then once in a while I came across a phrase really did sound out of place, and too contemporary for the time frame.


          Overall this was a pretty good read with an interesting plot line. 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.

A Lady of Secret Devotion [Review]

Title: A Lady of Secret Devotion
Author: Tracie Peterson
Labels: Fiction | Historical Fiction
Publisher: Bethany House
Publication Date: August 1, 2008
Contains: A character who likes to imply things.
Buy It: Amazon | Book Depository | The Publisher

My Rating: ★★★★★ (I loved it)
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Blurb: Eager to ease the financial burdens of her family, Cassandra Stover is thrilled when she is hired to be a companion to Mrs. Jameston, a wealthy society woman. Cassie finds herself living a life she'd never imagined--and growing close to the elderly woman who treats her like a daughter.
          Her new position is tarnished only by Mrs. Jameston's son. As Sebastian's resentment and cruelty toward his mother mount, Cassie begins to harbor concerns for her employer's safety...and ultimately her own. When Sebastian is suspected of fraud, insurance investigator Mark Langford solicits Cassie's help to uncover the truth. But what begins as a game of pretense is quickly complicated by matters of the heart.
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          A Lady of Secret Devotion has jumped up to be one of my favorite books. If you like historical fiction and romance, I'm sure you'll love it, too. Plus, there's a devious employer's son whose always up to no good - what's not to love?

          I'm rather notorious for readings books in the middle of a series that I've never touched, so you can trust me when I say that this book can stand on its own two feet (if books had feet...). This is the 3rd book in the series Ladies of Liberty, but the first book I've read in the series (actually, I had never even heard of the series until I came across this book), and I didn't have any trouble at all with it.

          I found this book to be a very easy read; engaging, realistic, and very historic without losing you or bogging you down with details you might be unfamiliar with. The plot, I thought, was very interesting and I soon found myself reluctant to put it down. I'll admit I did guess accurately on a few details of the plot, however I liked that there were far too many possibilities of what could happen that I dare trust my guess as correct.

          The two main characters, Cassie and Mark, were awesome. Cassie is this outspoken woman who, considering the time period, isn't getting any younger (though she's by no means old) and has yet to ever be courted. It was cool that she originally came from the bottom of the pecking order, because it made her more down to earth and relateable. And then there was Mark. I loved Mark, he was awesome. While still maintaining the appropriate behavior demanded of his social rank, I thought he was fun, amusing, and all around fantastic. If I had the opportunity to steal a guy out of a book, I would probably take Mark. ^_-

          All around I thought A Lady of Secret Devotion was a fantastic book, full of rich characters, humor, devious bad guys, and great plot. This is a book to hold onto. 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.