Good Reads: The Cottage on the Corner

The Cottage on the Corner by Shirlee McCoy
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

The Cottage on the Corner is the second book in the Apple Valley series. It is a well written and well edited small town romance novel.

The plot is simple. The Hero and heroine have painful pasts and have moved to the small town of Apple Valley to start new lives. They have been friendly acquaintances for years, but circumstances happen that throw them together, forcing them to reevaluate their lives and relationship. I think that the plot would have been more interesting with a suspenseful back story.

The characters are adequately developed. Everyone is quite nice, even the more difficult characters. Once again, a more negative character to act as the antagonist would have added interest.

The Cottage on the Corner is a sweet, low key romance; a nice escapist read.

ARC provided by the publisher via Netgalley.

Due to be released in August, 2014.

Good Reads: Chasing Serenity

Chasing Serenity by Eden Butler
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

So, there I was searching about for a book that had some of the things I love which include: rugby, The South and romance. I saw Chasing Serenity listed as being on sale at Amazon and snapped it up. I am so glad I did! It ended up being one of those unexpected gems that come my way when I take a chance on a new author.

The story takes place in a small university town in Tennessee that is a bastion of naturalized and expatriate Irish. A rugby loving town with a rich history, surrounded by the beautiful Smokey Mountains. I fell in love with this town and was heartbroken when I couldn't find it on the map. I so wanted it to be real because the author made it real for me.

One of my pet peeves is weak heroines, so imagine my joy when I met Autumn. She has had a rough life of great loss, yet she persevere with amazing grace. She is educated, self supporting, independent, loves rugby and is a survivor. Her personality quirks and occasional defensiveness are understandable and normal.

The Hero, Declan, originally comes off as a big lug rugby player on a sports scholarship. He begins to expose the layers of his personality to Autumn as she learns of his sensitivity and intelligence. Their eventual love almost becomes an unrequited love.

Secondary characters are well written and interesting. I believe the second book in this series, Seeking Serenity, will involve two of them, but this is a stand alone novel.

There is a satisfying HEA.  This is a heart warming romance and an amazing first novel.

*Warning -  Does include some sex acts.

Good Reads: The Lost Husband

The Lost Husband: A Novel by Katherine Center
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The Lost Husband is a sweet, poignant story of loss, love and hope. Add humor to the mix and it became a "Make Me Happy" book.

The Hero and heroine are working together on a goat farm in rural Texas. Guided by the wise woman that owns the farm, they make their way through life's cruelty to find a way to move forward together.

The secondary characters are well written and add interest to the story. If this place was real I would want to visit.

If you want an uplifting read and HEA I recommend this novel.

ARC provided by publisher via Netgalley.