Release Day: Finding Love on Bainbridge Island, Washington

Finding Love on Bainbridge Island, Washington

It's finally here! Release day for the second book in my Washington Island Romance series: 

Finding Love on Bainbridge Island, Washington!

Release Day!

This novel has been in my heart for a long time, and it's so fulfilling to see it launch into the world. 

A little behind-the-scenes info: About ten years ago, I dreamed up a series of location-based novels set in Puget Sound. I knew this would be the second one, and I knew the heroine's name: Jenna-Shea Brown, but I didn't have this plot until last year! 

Yes, this is book two in the Washington Island Romance series, but this novel also stands alone, which means you do not have to read book one in order to follow what happens here. You'll find themes of forgiveness, PTSD, romance, psychology, healing, love languages, humor, and hope as the hero and heroine get a second chance at love.

Here's the summary:

Neither of them is ready for a relationship, but love may not give them an out.

Jenna-Shea Brown considers herself a broken therapist. Years ago, she witnessed something that caused PTSD. She can’t let her boss or her patients know about her battle. Who would want to trust her to help them, when she can’t help herself? She’s finally able to find a fresh start in her family’s beach cabin, but the renovations aren’t complete. Her parents have hired her ex-boyfriend to finalize them, but his negligence led to her being in the wrong place at the wrong time all those years ago.

Liam Barrett is trying to prove he’s nothing like his deadbeat dad. He’s working hard, yet still failing. Adrenaline and adventure offer him a diversion, but maybe he can’t escape his genes. He’d like to make things right with Shea, but he’s unsure if she’ll forgive him. Meanwhile, he’s challenged to forgive his father. He’s also worried about Shea and all these episodes she won’t explain. Now that they’re back in close proximity, he’s falling for her again. But can anything heal the past? 

And here's what an early reader had to say: "Love, love, love this story and the characters! I cheered for them and cried for them. Great story!" ~ Melissa Henderson, reviewer

This novel is available in both print and e-book formats on Amazon and Barnes and Noble. If you're a Kindle Unlimited member, you can read both Finding Love in Friday Harbor, Washington, and Finding Love on Bainbridge Island, Washington, for free!

If you get a chance to read them, I hope you'll write a review and tell your friends. Happy reading!

An Inconvenient Beauty by Kristi Ann Hunter

An Inconvenient Beauty by Kristi Ann Hunter

This is book four in the Hawthorne House series. I've enjoyed all of these novels!

Let’s begin with the summary:

Griffith, Duke of Riverton, likes order, logic, and control, and he naturally applies this rational approach to his search for a bride. He's certain Miss Frederica St. Claire is the perfect wife for him, but while Frederica is strangely elusive, he can't seem to stop running into her stunningly beautiful cousin, Miss Isabella Breckenridge.

Isabella should be enjoying her society debut, but with her family in difficult circumstances, her uncle will only help them if she'll use her beauty to assist him in his political aims. Already uncomfortable with this agreement, the more she comes to know Griffith, the more she wishes to be free of her unfortunate obligation.

Will Griffith and Isabella be able to set aside their pride and face their fears in time to find their own happily-ever-after?

And now, my review:

Our hero and heroine each have an agenda, and neither of them want to fall in love. They’re approaching their problems practically and though both are in mission mode, they’re surprised by the inconvenience of attraction and growing affection. I loved this conflict. It was fun watching their efforts fail while they fought their feelings. 

I enjoyed the brotherly friendship between Ryland and Griffith. It’s rare in fiction lately, and it stood out as strong and honorable. Once again, Kristi’s humor injections made me laugh aloud. Such a fun element in a regency, which genre can at times be stuffy and proper. That balance is one reason I love this author’s work.

Kristi also gets to the center of these characters’ hearts. One of the book's themes was freedom. Though he’s a duke, Griffith isn’t wholly free. Another theme was helping one’s family to the extent of sacrificing personal comfort and preferred future.

I also love how Kristi includes a strong but subtle faith thread in her novels. Here’s what I mean: without preaching at readers, she weaves into either the heroine's or the hero’s life a need for God, a sense that He longs for her/him. In this novel, the heroine misses God and wonders if He misses her too. How delicious is that? Readers can feel that dynamic while considering their own faith. It’s personalized in that way, without readers feeling condemned or labeled or condescended to. So well done in her novels!

Such an enjoyable read! I recommend reading this series in order to get the most out of it. 

Highly recommended!

Firefly Island by Lisa Wingate

Firefly Island

 I'd seen lots of buzz about this one, so I was excited to read it. 

Let’s begin with the summary:

At thirty-four, congressional staffer Mallory Hale is about to embark on an adventure completely off the map. After a whirlwind romance, she is hopelessly in love with two men--fortunately, they're related. Daniel Everson and his little boy, Nick, are a package deal, and Mallory suddenly can't imagine her future without them.

Mallory couldn't be more shocked when Daniel asks her to marry him, move to Texas, and form a family with him and motherless Nick. The idea is both thrilling and terrifying.

Mallory takes a leap of faith and begins a sweet, mishap-filled journey into ranch living, Moses Lake society, and a marriage that at times reminds her of the mail-order-bride stories. But despite the wild adventure of her new life, she discovers secrets and questions beneath her rosy new life. Can she find answers on Firefly Island, a little chunk of property just off the lakeshore, where mysterious lights glisten at night?

And now, my review:

Mallory is in for an adventure! She’s uprooted from everything she’s built and off following her new husband on a hare-brained journey. I liked how outside the box this story was. The characters are quirky, and I enjoyed the humor. Some of the elements weren’t quite believable. 

I like how this story was about sort of waking up out of denial. But the elements of her new husband skipping along in life seemed far-fetched and frustrating. He didn’t seem concerned enough about his new wife, especially when they first arrive at their new “home.” His behavior struck me as not quite believable and not respectable. 

As with a few other novels (not by this author) of late, I didn’t finish this one. The quest sort of fizzled out in light of the hero’s inept job as a husband. I grew impatient with the mishaps and couldn’t fathom enduring more of them without a clear payoff. I’ve enjoyed this author’s work in the past. This story just didn’t appeal to me. I’m certain her fans will love it. 

The Prayer Box

Her next book, The Prayer Box releases in September, 2013. She solicited the opinions of her Facebook fans for votes on the final cover of The Prayer Box. Fun to see it come together. Looking forward to checking that one out once it releases.