Broken Branches by Darlene Fredette

 …where hearts once shattered, love dares to bloom again.

 About Broken Branches:

Police officer Tyler Kringle has kept his heart guarded since Maripier Nadeau disappeared from his life years ago. A devastating family tragedy forced her to leave Redford Falls as a teenager, leaving him to pick up the pieces of their broken relationship. Now as she returns to care for her father—and honor her late mother—memories, good and bad, reignite emotions Tyler thought he had buried.

As long-hidden truths emerge, Maripier must choose whether to prune the past or nurture a future with the man she has always loved. No longer the shy girl, Maripier is now strong and prepares to confront their shared, complicated and painful history. 

Our Review: Author Darlene Fredette brings her loyal fans—and hopefully a few new ones—on a trip back to Redford Falls where a few changes have occurred—small businesses are cropping up thanks to the insurgence of activities surrounding the local ski resort—and some old one, such as the enterprising rabbit Thumper, who is still working his matchmaking skills on those in most need of love.

          This short contemporary romance is more than the reincarnation of a beloved small town populated by a community always at the ready to help those in need. It is a vivid showcase of the issues suffered by adult children of alcoholics and untreated or undiagnosed mental illness.

While the story will threaten to break readers’ hearts for those affected by tragedy, at the same time it will warm the heart for the resilience and ability to forgive on the parts of those same characters.

 Based on a scale of 1-5, Broken Branches merits a 7.

  Kat Henry Doran, Wild Women Reviews

 

 

 

 

Gaming Hell Christmas, Volume 3

 Continuing our Books in a Series events, Wild Women Authors presents Gaming Hell at Christmas, Volume 3, with two short Georgian era romances set in and around London during a wicked snowstorm.

 
In The Other Face of the Christmas Shilling by Kathy L Wheeler, Lady Thomasina Staunton takes refuge in an abandoned house as far from London, her friends, and her family, as she can get. But her ruse of an absent husband fighting the French backfires most horribly when when Florentine Comier, former Duc of Bouchard, returns unexpectedly from months of travel.

Not only is he shocked to find a strange woman—who claims to be his wife—living in his home, but learns he’s about to become a father. Hmm.

In About A Christmas Ha'penny's Worth of Love, author Amanda McCabe introduces Lady Elizabeth Rathburn, the shy introvert who hates being separated from her best friends at Miss Greensley's School of Comportment for Young Ladies of Quality—aka Miss Greensley’s Girls—and is forced to remain at her abusive father's cold, lonely estate. Her only respite are the hours she spends with her friend, a handsome young man she only knows as "Mick" who hails from the neighboring estate, but who suddenly takes his leave for the East Indies, never to be heard from again.

Now, years later, after her bully of a father insists she must marry the son of her father’s sworn enemy, to seal a new business deal, she flees to the safety of her beloved Greensley’s Girls. There, trapped in a snowstorm, she rediscovers “Mick”. Joy turns to horror when she learns the only man who ever loved her for herself is about to become her husband—because he too is trapped by the demands of society and a manipulative father. Can they overcome parental machinations and rediscover what matters most to them?

Our Review: There are several things we could say about The Other Face of the Christmas Shilling, starting with when one has a mother like Thomasina Staunton’s, one does not need an enemy. We might also say, there is clearly something special about being a twin, especially an identical twin, with those undefinable ESPish feelings. Last, and most important, is the clear and obvious heroic qualities of Florentin, the Duc de Bouchard. He is the mid-wife we all wished we had, the post-partum nurse we desperately needed, the father every child deserves. This one’s a toe-curling, heart breaker of a romance—and if a smile doesn’t threaten to crack your face while you read this darling story, you might want to check your pulse.

The main theme of About A Christmas Ha'penny's Worth of Love is betrayal—how to overcome, get past it, and survive. Eliza will break your heart while “Mick” warms it. She is the child you want to take into your arms and love for the rest of her days while he is the child who warms that heart, making it burst with pride. Author McCabe explains the not so charming practice of arranged marriages then goes one step beyond, showing us how two deserving people can move on, thrive, and form a more perfect union. Well done!

Based on a scale of 1-5, Gaming Hell at Christmas, vol 3 merits an 8.

Kat Henry Doran, Wild Women Reviews

 

 

 

 

Gaming Hell Christmas, Volume 2

Mysteries abound at the newest Hell in town

In keeping with our Books In A Series events, Wild Women Authors is pleased to offer Gaming Hell Christmas, volume 2, two short Georgian romances plus an epilogue for volume 2/prologue to volume 3.

In Amanda McCabe’s The Thief Who Stole Christmas, the reader meets Rhys Neville, a man who has never broken the rules and Victoria Lanford. a woman who just might break his heart.

As one of Miss Greensley's Girls and [in]famous author Lady L, few people realize how Victoria’s unhappy childhood and anxiety led her to a compensating habit of picking pockets. When she comes face-to-face with a flame from that same miserable childhood, Rhys Neville, Earl of Hammond, she comes to realize the kind-hearted but strait-laced young man is the right man for her—especially when her past comes back to haunt them.

Kathy L. Wheeler reintroduces readers to two intriguing characters from Volume 1 in The Kerse Who Saved Christmas: Davin Barlowe, Viscount Kerse, he of the no nonsense approach to life and Philomena Staunton, one of Miss Greensley’s Girls, a woman long past prime marriageable age. Feeling he needs a keeper more than he requires a wife, the dreamy-eyed and impractical Philomena steals his heart despite her unrealistic beliefs and trust in fortune tellers. Then, the fun really begins.

Last, but not least, in The Front Side of the Christmas Shilling, a very short, sweet bridge between Volumes 2 and 3, Lady Philomena's happy ending is marred by the disappearance of her twin, Thomasina. It's been almost a year since anyone has seen Thom and Phil misses her desperately. The pain of that loss brings Philomena to her knees, literally and physically.

 Our Review: Gaming Hell Christmas, Volume 2, is more than two well written, cleverly plotted romances between two women and the men who love them beyond distraction. It is a love story between The Greensley Girls—eight young women from drastically different backgrounds who, at a crucial time in their lives, forge bonds that go on to last a lifetime. Bonds which every woman searches for and, for a few, are lucky enough to find, then cherish forever.

Based on a scale of 1-5, Gaming Hell Christmas, Vol 2, merits an 8.

 Kat Henry Doran, Wild Women Authors 

Gaming Hell Christmas, Vol 1

                 Mysteries abound at the newest Hell in town.

 In keeping with our Books In A Series, Wild Women Authors presents a two in one offering with Gaming Hell Christmas, Vol 1.

In A Gift for the Duke's Illegitimate Daughter, Alexandra Blessing, the Duke of Winsome’s illegitimate daughter, longs for anonymity and a home of her own where her younger half-siblings don’t commandeer every moment of her day. Escape is imminent—right after her family’s annual Christmas fete. But Alexandra goes missing from the ball, and Theodore Millburn must find her before he loses something important: his chance for love.

Following Alexandra’s adventures is The Merry Christmas Adventure, where Alex’s best friend Belle, Lady Ranstruther, is ready for new love after a year of lonely widowhood. In spite of the machinations of her nasty stepson, she knows exactly who she wants—the gorgeous William, Lord Deansley—whom she fears doesn't want her. When they meet again at the exclusive, discreet gaming hell la Sous Rose, will it turn into a future of love—or the end to the dreams of both Will and Belle?

Our Review: Ordinarily, this die-hard contemporary romantic suspense/political thriller devotee wouldn’t be caught dead reading a romance populated by dry as dust characters constrained by the stagnant and rigid rules of Georgian England. But…during an afternoon by a roaring fire, our favorite adult beverage at hand, we discovered two fun, fast-paced romances set in London’s gaming hells during the Christmas season. This looks like a series that is based on the adventures of eight girls who became fast, loyal friends while attending Lady Greensley’s School of Comportment for Young Ladies of Quality—and the men who come to love them to be an adventure with each succeeding story.

Volume 1 is loaded with fun, lively characters who literally jump off the pages, and features romance that is sensual and real. The gorgeous setting is described in detail right down to the hovering servants, street wise miscreants, and a few ne’er do wells. Enjoy this one—it’s a beauty.

Based on a scale of 1-5, Gaming Hell Christmas, Vol 1 merits a 7.

Kat Henry Doran, Wild Women Reviews

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Chance's Return by Lucy Naylor Kubash

 When an ex-rodeo champ and a young widow, both with tragic pasts, meet beneath the splendor of the Grand Teton Mountains, they find the road to love is a rocky path

About the Book Widowed single mother Casey Girard feels a summer in Wyoming will help her and her six-year-old son recover from the tragic loss of husband and dad. Working as a cook at the North Star Ranch offers an opportunity to start life over near the beautiful Grand Teton Mountains.

          Chance McCord, ex-rodeo champ and prodigal son of the North Star, returns to face a family still divided by their own painful past. To overcome the estrangement, he must find a way to face his own haunting memories—or lose everything.

          When Chance and Casey meet the attraction is undeniable but each soon learns they need to put the past to rest and start to trust—themselves and each other so a new love and life may grow.

Our Review: Fans of western contemporary fiction will attach themselves to this bigger than life story and not let go. The setting, lush and large, jumps off the pages as do the varied and colorful characters. Author Kubash knows how to tell a story.

Based on a scale of 1-5, Chance’s Return merits a 6.

Kat Henry Doran, Wild Women Reviews

 

 

 

 

Love Between Times by Beth Ford

 When her 21st century life falls apart, a chance to start over and find love comes from an unexpected source: a stranger who needs her help and who may actually be a 14th-century knight.

About the book: When Ashley Winston’s conventional 21st century life falls apart, she returns to England to write the book she shelved years ago, determined to take control of her life.

       Meanwhile, in 1377 Wiltshire, Thomas de la Warr fights his family’s desire that he become a priest and plots to chase his dream of knighthood instead. While Ashley and Thomas search for answers, he suddenly appears in the modern day. Unable to communicate, his first encounter with Ashley ends with the police demanding his immigration papers. All Thomas wants is to return to the world he understands, but he and Ashley are drawn together again and again.

How will they find the answers Thomas needs before the authorities close in without losing each other forever?

Our Review: There are several reasons why fans of time travel stories, as well as12th century historical fiction, will adore Love Between Times. It is more than a romance between two people who have suffered loss in the love department. It is the coming together to help another person survive under totally foreign and often difficult circumstances.

Imagine Thomas’ horror when he first encounters something as mundane as an elevator ride, the oddities—to him—of hot and cold running water out of the tap and flush toilets—and a routine pat-down by the local coppers. All of these everyday events clearly show the reader that Thomas is a man to contend with. As well, Ashley’s patience and kindness with him ring true from the very beginning.

And that she would give up, without a second thought, her life in modern day in order to keep him safe, is an omen for the next book in this series.

Based on a scale of 1-5, Love Between Times merits a 4.

Kat Henry Doran, Wild Women Reviews

Along the Trail by Kaci Curtis

 

        A perilous journey – An untamed spirit.

 

Wild Women Authors focus is on Along the Trail, a rose length YA western, written by Kaci Curtis, and a current release by The Wild Rose Press.

About the Book: In 1847, Winnie and her family are traveling west to start a new life in the Oregon territory. While many in their wagon train fret over river crossings, disease, and encounters with Native tribes, she relishes the unexpected freedom of life on the trail.

Threatened by storms, wild animals, and outlaws, Winnie must rely on the bonds she’s made and all she’s learned in order for them to make it to Oregon alive. She also must decide if she is ready to risk forming an attachment to Hal, the cowhand who has a knack for showing up just when help is needed, or whether she will emulate Mae, the free-spirited daughter of their trail guide.

Our Review: With acute attention to historic detail for setting, customs and practices, the author brings the trials and tribulations of the wagon trains of that era. Faithful fans of historical fiction will glom onto this one and put it on their Keeper Shelf.

 

Based on a scale of 1-5, Along the Trail merits a 4.

 

Kat Henry Doran, Wild Women Reviews