The Doctor’s Mission

Debbie Kaufman

http://www.debbiekaufman.com/  

Harlequin LoveInspired Historical

ISBN-10: 0373828942

ISBN-13: 978-0373828944

A woman doctor! Missionary William Mayweather can’t hide his disappointment. The Nynabo mission in Liberia, Africa, desperately needs help, but he’s vowed not to put another female in jeopardy. Too bad flame-haired Dr. Mary O’Hara refuses to turn back—and he cannot allow her to go into the jungle alone.

Medicine or marriage? For Mary, the choice was clear. Far away from the patriarchal medical community, she resolves to be of real service. She’ll willingly go head-to-head with the handsome, opinionated missionary, even in the face of deadly danger. Yet the greatest tests lie in trusting God’s plan—for the mission, and her future happiness in this untamed, beautiful land…

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I’m going to give a disclaimer right up front – I’m bias where this book is concern. That being said I wouldn’t lie or even write a review just because I know the author. Now you have my proviso I’ll give you my thoughts on The Doctor’s Mission. As a Loveinspired, The Doctor’s Mission more than hits the mark. It is a sweet romance that still has titillating tension. The characters are well-developed and likeable, and the reader roots for the characters to get together. As a historical, the research shines and is woven into the story so that the reader is drawn in, instead of being hit over the head by the information. Its most striking element is that it is some of the finest writing I’ve read. It is spot on for the time period. If you like tender romances with a spiritual element I would highly recommend this book. If you just want to read a well-written book this is the one.

FORTUNE’S SON

 By Emery Lee

http://www.authoremerylee.com/

ISBN-10: 1402256442

ISBN-13: 978-1402256448

From the back cover:

Love is the ultimate gamble…

Seasoned gambler Philip Drake knows every trick and uses most of them. After years of infamy, he’s ready to accept the mantle of respectability with his earldom– until a devastating racing loss and the threat of debtors’ prison force Philip right back into his gaming ways…

Susannah, Lady Messingham, is a woman with a past who refuses to belong to any man again. But Philip’s skill catches her eye and she persuades him to teach her how to win at the tables. Their new partnership turns into an exhilarating high-stakes game that entangles them in terrifying risk and unimaginable rewards…

Immerse yourself in the risky side of Georgian England with a pair of lovers who aren’t afraid to risk it all on a toss of the dice…

Emery Lee brings Georgian England to life in her recent release Fortune’s Son. With its cast of colorful characters and a love story rife with twists and turns, this meticulously researched book is a captivating from start to finish. Not your typical beach read, it accompanied me everywhere I went on a recent cruise vacation: poolside, afternoon tea, even to the beach in Cozumel. I simply couldn’t put it down.  It’s that good.

After you finish this one, you will want to go back and read Emery’s debut novel, The Highest Stakes, for more background on some of the characters.  I can hardly wait to find out where this gifted author will take us next!

An Irish Country Christmas

by Patrick Taylor 

http://www.patricktaylor.ca/index.html

Publisher: Forge Books

ISBN: 978-0-7653-6685-6, ISBN10: 0-7653-6685-1,
Genre: General Fiction

From Jacket:

Barry Laverty, MB., is looking forward to his first Christmas in the cozy village of Ballybucklebo, at least until he learns that his sweetheart, Patricia, might not be coming home for the holidays. He has little time to dwell on romantic disappointment. Though Christmas may be drawing nigh, there is little peace to be found on earth for a young doctor working in the glens of rural Ireland, along with his senior partner, Doctor Fingal Flahertie O’Reilly.

To add to the doctors’ worries competition arrives in the form of a patient-poaching new physician whose quackery threatens the health and well-being of the people of Ballybucklebo. Can one territory support three hungry doctors? Barry has his doubts.  But the wintry days and nights are not without tidings of comfort and joy. Despite their hectic medical practice the two doctors still find time to play Santa Claus to a struggling single mother with a sick child and not enough money in the bank. Snow is rare in Ulster, and so are miracles, but that doesn’t mean they never happen.

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This is the third book of this series I have read, and I love this one, too!  You feel as if you should be in front of the fire place with a cuppa enjoying following the lives of Doctors Barry Laverty and Fingal Flahertie O’Reilly.  I laughed out loud at the pageant and could not put this book down.  The author, Dr. Patrick Taylor, was born in Ireland and lives in Canada and Ireland.  If you enjoy letting his writer’s voice transport you to a small Irish Village of years past, then his books are for you.

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The books we review on this site, unless otherwise noted, are our own personal copies. The Petit Fours and Hot Tamales blog members do not accept payment in exchange for a review or mention.

The Tycoon’s Christmas Proposal

By Jackie Braun

http://jackiebraun.com/

Harlequin Romance

ISBN-13:978-0-373-17551-2

Hired: one Christmas angel!

With the dreaded holidays nearing, the last thing widowed businessman Dawson Burke needed was a personal shopper who wanted to get personal. What part of “I want to be left alone” didn’t Eve Hawley understand? She just seemed intent on getting him into the Christmas spirit…

Eve could see Dawson had stopped wishing on the future, and he didn’t know how lucky he was to be surrounded by loving family. But once she’d helped him find the joy he’d been missing, Eve couldn’t help wishing Dawson would give her the best Christmas present of all—by proposing to her.

Dawson is a poor tortured soul and Eve is the upbeat woman with her own problems that pulls him back into living again. I liked Dawson, Eve and Dawson’s family. Just a good down home book. One of the best books I’ve read in a long time.  Keeper.

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The books we review on this site, unless otherwise noted, are our own personal copies. The Petit Fours and Hot Tamales blog members do not accept payment in exchange for a review or mention.

The Sinner

by Tess Garritsen 

http://www.tessgerritsen.com/books/rizzoli-isles-series/ 

Publisher:  Ballentine Books

ISBN:  978-0-345-45892-6

Genre: Romantic Thriller

Back Jacket:

Not even the icy temperatures of a New England winter can match the bone-chilling scene of carnage at the chapel of Our Lady of Divine Light.  Within the convent lie the two nuns—one dead, one critically injured—victims of an unspeakably savage attacker.  The crime appears to be without motive, but medical examiner Maura Isles’ autopsy of the dead woman yields a shocking surprise…Together, Isles and homicide detective Jane Rizzoli uncover an ancient horror.  As long-buried secrets come to light, Isles finds herself caught up in an investigation that strikes too close to home—and toward a dawning revelation about the killer’s identity too shattering to consider.

Garritsen keeps the action fast-paced and riveting.  Her wonderful writer’s voice puts the reader in the middle of the action.  This book was a suspenseful thriller that you will find hard to put down.

Phantoms & Fantasies

By Annie Rayburn

http://annierayburn.com/

Publisher: Annie Rayburn; 2nd edition (May 26, 2011)

Sold by: Amazon Digital Services

Zeenie LaShey is recovering from a horrendous act that has left her afraid of intimacy. For years Turk Fontaine has known he is Zeenie’s life mate but has not acted on the feelings that are such a huge part of their Crainesians race.  With his best friend dating Zeenie’s roommate, Turk is able to stick close while giving her a chance to heal from an attack. Now that Zeenie has decided to step back into the relationship realm, Turk is more than ready to make his feelings known. He’s even willing to endure the ridicule of other Crainesians for being the pursuer in the relationship when it is normally the female who takes that role.

When Zeenie finally comes to terms with their inevitable attraction, she now has to find a way to fix things so that her life mate does not have to face the mockery from their world. But what would be a big enough gesture to fix this melee?

I won’t spoil the ending but I can tell you there is no doubt to be had about Zeenie claiming her man.

Phantoms & Fantasies is a breathtaking story. Ms. Rayburn has totally created a world that is both believable and sexy. Her alien race of Crainesians blends easily with their human neighbors and share a large number of similarities. The traits that do make them different are what make these books so tantalizing. I could see myself living next door to a Crainesian and am envious of the link the life mates have with each other. Zeenie and Turk have incredible chemistry and I love how patient Turk is as he waits for Zeenie. His surprise with house shows the reader just how vested he is and his willingness to take on the ridicule from their world shows how much she really means to him. This guy is everything a girl (either human or Crainesian) is looking for.

I read this Phantoms & Fantasies in one sitting, it was that good. I think Annie Rayburn has a definite keeper with this new world and I can’t wait to read more.

Boomerang Bride

by Fiona Lowe

Publisher: Carina Press

ISBN:  978-14268-9200-4

Media:  e-book

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Matilda Geoffrey flew from Australia to a small Wisconsin town to surprise her online “fiancé”, only to discover she’s been scammed.

Returning to his small hometown for a family visit, Marc Olsen sees a bride with a Read the rest of this entry »