Lois RicherReseñas

Romance

This was a good book overall. The novel spoke if god through out the book wich could be a negative aspect for some. I enjoyed tge book overall and would reccomend it.

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Gabe Webber meets his son for the first time when he is 6 years old. Olivia DeWitt is only home temporarily to help out with a her foster family''s retreat. Can she help Gabe and his son create a meaningful relationship without getting her heart involved? The story is unique and lends credence to the true feelings involved when a child's birth is kept from the father for years. The situation was handled with great respect and provided a wonderful read.

Lily Davis and her children are looking for a nice summer vacation where life is simple for a change. Noah Stephens runs a ranch with hopes of opening a rodeo school. As Lily and Noah become friends, they both learn that fear and second chances are not only possible but God given if the people are willing to listen.

A sweet story about a five year old girl who wants a father and her father who has just learned about the daughter. There's more to that, of course, but it's what the basic theme is about.½

I really liked the story line of this book. Dallas Henderson had gone missing six years ago. His wife, Gracie, providentially finds him in a park and realizes he doesn't know who she is… he has amnesia. Gracie had their child while Dallas was missing and now she must help him remember, and watch him get to know who she is and get to know his blind little girl. Watching this all take place kept my attention and I loved how all three of these characters worked together to rekindle a love that was never lost. This was my favorite story in this series.

Book two in the series. Easily read as a stand alone story. A story of two people coming together to make a difference in people's lives in the inner city of Chicago. Cassidy Preston comes as a chef to the Haven for 6 months and works with Tyson St. John, the man who committed to the project when his sister died and left him to raise her son. Together they will find their way through tough memories of their past, to a future that lets go and lets God work in ways they can't. I thought the author did a good job of making this short story full of conflict, danger, love and acceptance.½

A story that takes place in Hawaii! A quick read but a full story. GloryAnn finds herself taking a 6 month job at a hospital in Hawaii that treats many burn victims. There she will meet Dr. Jared Steele, who has a heart for his patients, but also has a heart of hurt and bitterness inside of him. GloryAnn will break through some of his hardness, but it won't be easy. As the author states in her note in the back of the book, "Their searches and struggles are not unlike our own as we learn to relinquish our will to God and understand that He has a much broader vision".½

I confess that my past experiences with some Love Inspired books have not been the most enjoyable for a number of reasons. I have especially dreaded reading ones that focus around children. Usually, these younger characters seem too perfect or deliver less-than-genuine lines. Knowing what this storyline is about from the beginning (a little girl who has a strained relationship with her father)…I confess (again) to some nerves going in.

I had my eye on a another book in this series, but I try not to read any series out of order if possible. So, I grabbed a copy of The Holiday Nanny, and I was hooked from the beginning. What an absolutely charming book! Silver captured my heart immediately, and Connie’s understanding and patience was just what Silver and Wade needed to restore their father-daughter relationship.

At the beginning, Connie and Wade had never met as his job required him to work overseas. When he returned home, he made no bones about telling Connie that there would be no possibility of romantic feelings between them, which she had no problem reciprocating. Connie’s history with men was unpleasant, plus she’s trying so hard to be reunited with a father that she hasn’t seen in 11 years. But slowly and delicately, these two hearts were drawn together in the most beautiful way, and I was near to tears by the end.

There are multiple references to God and His love for us that are perfectly placed throughout the book. Wade, slowly but surely, was able to open up his heart, and he and Connie both learned how important it is to trust God to work out all things for their good.

Yes, it was a little cheesy and had a great heartwarming ending as I expect from all Love Inspired books, but I loved it. I mean – REALLY loved it.

4.5 Stars

Originally reviewed at blissbooksandjewels.com

I don't think I've read any of the previous books in this series, and maybe that's why I found it so hard to "get into" this book. I felt a bit lost, not knowing what some of the characters were talking about regarding Tiny Blessings and its former director.

A friend sent me this book in a box of books.

We're kind of dropped in to the middle of the action--apparently two people have been identified as the possible child that was taken from its mother at birth. Both have given DNA samples. What I don't understand is that if one of them really didn't want a relationship with his/her birth mother, why bother to agree to give a DNA sample to see if it matched? Perhaps that question was addressed in the previous book(s) of the series, but it is not here.

Also, even though one of the main characters is the director of Tiny Blessings adoption agency, we see no work being done on any adoptions. No applications coming through, no interviews, no background checking, no children being born, no one contacting them for placement of an infant, no one who's pregnant calling looking for options, etc.

I guessed what was wrong with Kelly long before the characters figured it out.

This book contains two unrelated stories (both are set at Christmas and a ranch favors prominently in each story). If I could rate the two stories individually, I would rate Arlene James' story a 4 and Lois Richer's a 3.

I really enjoyed Arlene James' "The Rancher's Christmas Baby". Rancher Dixon Lyons returns home one night to find his estranged mother has returned, bringing with her a baby and a Lenape woman. Dixon wrestles with his past feelings and beliefs and comes to have a relationship with his mother--and surprisingly, his father (and the family he now has) also accept her into their fold. (Too often these stories make the exes a point of contention in the plot.) I feel that Dixon changed and learned life lessons. I do feel the romance part of the story came on rather quickly to know if it truly was a life-long love had this happened in real life. Of course, in fiction, it's the author who decides if the characters stay together or break apart.

In contrast, Lois Richer's "Christmas Eve Cowboy" seemed to start off too slowly and I never seemed to care for her characters as much as I did for James'. I can understand another reviewer's point that too much time was spent on Elizabeth dwelling on her ex-husband's trashing of her self-esteem. Perhaps that wasn't the best choice for a short piece of fiction. In real life, that kind of tearing down probably takes years to repair--probably needing more than a friendly small town and one man who's learning to love you and a few short months to accomplish. I did like that Brett was so encouraging in pushing Elizabeth to do things she liked to do but had given up because of he ex's criticism.

I wish more page time had been given to how Brett resolved his conflicts of wanting to be a veterinarian/not wanting his father to give up the ranch that was his dream/wanting to take care of his father/not wanting to leave Elizabeth instead of just a quick sum up that tells us he's figured out a way to do a distance learning program (not quite sure how you do that for something as competitive as veterinary school, but--as I said above, it's fiction and the author can mold events to her/his liking.)

3.5 stars (note: some sites require a whole star rating so the rating may differ). I liked the characters. The cover image doesn't seem to reflect the male main character in the book since much is made of his scarred face and the man on the cover doesn't seem to have that--perhaps he is supposed to be the after they get married man who saw a plastic surgeon?

Rick Granger is a builder who is the guardian for his sister's twins. His scarred face came from trying to save his sister from her burning house--a house that he built, and a fire that he might be blamed for. He's trying to hold his business together while his business partner is out after surgery, trying to hold his life together as he deals with being a single parent to twins, trying to hold his faith together while he struggles to understand why his sister had to die, trying to hold his sanity together because he feels guilty for not saving his sister and because others blame him for the fire.

Penny Stern is a teacher turned daycare manager who'd love to have kids of her own but whose health may not allow that. She's got a strong faith and is learning to let God unveil his plan for her life. But she's bruised after two failed relationships.

Of course, there's the tried and true genre device of having the two main characters fall in love with each other when they "just can't be in love with the other person". Even after these two admit to themselves that they're in love with the other, they don't really voice it to each other--Penny I'm guessing doesn't want to be the first to say it and may be afraid of Rick rejecting her love. Rick thinks he's being kind by not saddling Penny with the knowledge that he loves her when he might go to prison for a long while if he's found at fault for the fire--but I think I'd have wanted to know.

The back cover blurb plays up the idea that Rick is offering a marriage in name only (without revealing the circumstances) because he needs a mother for the twins, and since it's a contemporary romance, I wondered why. (I can see it in historical times when there were more mores but in our contemporary times, it would seem she could be a nanny to the twins without having to marry the man.)

Also, there are three unwed (and I think young) pregnant women who start out living in a shelter. Two are ancillary characters whom we see only once or twice and who seem to want to keep their babies. The third struggles with what to do: keep the baby or put it up for adoption. This might make the book less suitable for younger readers unless parents welcome questions about these topics.½

3.5 stars--themes: trusting God, trusting others, what makes a family, making the most of the time you have

For once there's a single dad who didn't get a girl pregnant and find out about his kid years later or end up a widower. I'm kind of surprised that Jake and Marina never told their respective twins that they were being named as guardians of the children--then again, Jake and Marina probably didn't expect to die in an accident either. I admire Sam for stepping up to take care of his brother's kids. I liked his nicknames for the twin girls his brother was trying to adopt.

Sam doesn't trust God because God didn't answer his prayers to heal Naomi (his late fiancee). The death of his twin brother and sister-in-law doesn't help matters.

Kellie trusts God but has trouble trusting the love of others because of her relationship with her mother (who kept trying to make Kellie into what she wanted) and because of a guy she planned to marry whom she later found out was already married.

There are many discussions about what makes up a family because of the uncertainty about the twin girls's adoption, the loss of their "parents", the fact that Kellie's father has Alzheimer's, the fact that Kellie and her mother have a strained relationship, and the aunt and uncle who surface who want to take the twins.

The uncertainty of the girls's future and Kellie's father's Alzheimer's also play a role in discussing making the most of the time you have.

Since it's a Love Inspired book, you kind of know that things will turn out well for the main characters in the end.½

Like many books in this genre, we deal with the desire to belong somewhere and with trust issues.

Sophie Armstrong is a single mother to Davy and Beth. Her late first husband was a "big kid" who often didn't seem to consider the results of his actions. Sophie's developed a catering business and relishes being in control and only trusting herself. She doesn't realize how this is affecting her kids.

Beth is a cute, innocent little girl who trusts in the Bible verses she's memorized. But she also longs for many friends. Davy is at the stage where he's beginning to learn that his actions affect others--something he learns more about as he helps out at Wranglers Ranch.

Tanner Johns was a street kid who was taken in and nurtured by Burt. Now that Burt's passed away, Tanner has inherited Wranglers Ranch (with a few stipulations) but feels he's lost the chance for the family he's always wanted. Tanner struggles with knowing he left a pregnant girl behind when he chose to go live with Burt. He also struggles with figuring out how to develop Burt's goals for Wrangler's Ranch, looking at only the big picture instead of being able to break it down into smaller steps.

I didn't catch the plot holes that another reviewer mentioned while I was reading, but I do see them now. Donovan's history during the time between graduation and coming home is thinly sketched.

I guessed early on who had lied to Donovan about Abby.

There's a bit of discussion about fear and anxiety related to several characters in the novel, and how fear and anxiety can affect behaviors.

There's also a contrast between Donovan's family and Abby's family. Donovan's family probably wasn't thrilled with his running off to Europe after graduation or with his no-commitment lifestyle but they supported his decisions and accepted him back into the fold and the business when he returns--even giving him quite a bit of responsibility. Abby's parents always hoped she'd follow them into the sciences. Abby's father seems more accepting of her career choice to go into jewelry design--at least now--though we're not given much insight into how he was prior to his disease. Abby and her mother seem to have long had a contentious relationship where Abby feels nothing she does is good enough. Even in the face of Abby's success, her mother still isn't very accepting of Abby's career choice.

The plot point about the two falling in love again (or realizing that their feelings toward each other hadn't changed) but thinking the other person only wanted friendship is fairly over-used in this genre. I much preferred the romance between Art and Winnie in this book (They may have their own entry in the series that I haven't yet read which might prove me wrong.)

Mayor Maxwell Vance as been shot in an attempted assassination. When a second attempt on his life is made on him at the hospital, nurse Chloe Tanner manages to stop him before he succeeds. Unfortunately, now Chloe is in danger also. FBI agent Brendan is assigned to not leave her side. Who is behind this and when will they strike again? Can Brendan keep his attention where it should be as he slowly learns to care for and love this woman and her two children.

This was a good mystery that doesn't really come to a conclusion, but makes you pick up the next story in the series to find out who the bad guys are and why they want revenge. A very action packed story full of danger and romance.

rabck book box from bookstogive; sweet quick read about a man with amnesia, who stumbles upon his wife & learns he has a child. Together they start rebuilding their life, as he struggles to remember bits and pieces from before. But will he remember the traveling that he did to stay away for weeks and lapse back into that life again?

My Review of North Country Hero

4 STARS

North Country Hero is charming. The characters make you care about them. They also make you grateful for your family. This is a Christian romance so it is clean. Not preachy but Sara does appreciate and as faith in God's plan in all things. Makes you thankful for your blessings.

Sara is excited. Sara has had a lot of trials in her life. She is coming to Churchill, Manitoba on the train to work as a cook for Lives Under Construction. It is a new boy's home run by Laurel Quinn. Sara is caring quietly about others she steps in and helps. She wants to find her family. Also figure out what God's plan for her is.

Kyle Loness is just getting back from Afghanistan. He is coming home to take care of things and sell his family home. He is coming back wounded. He lost part of his leg. His father died two weeks before he was to come home. Kyle is all alone now. Kyle does not want any help he wants to be left alone. Sara plans to get him involved in the boys home and realize that he can still do many things and not be so angry at God. Too not leave his home but to appreciate all his parents have taught and loved him.

Laurel Quinn has a dream of place that will help boys in trouble. She lost her only son when he was 16 shot by a 13 year old. Who was already in the system. She has seen that boys in trouble go in the system and come out worse. She wants a place where they have a chance at a better life.

Sara has never gone to school or really been home schooled. She wants to learn everything. She steps into care for the boys. She is more than just a cook. She sees ways to help and does it.
The youth are soaking up Sara's love and cooking. They also want to learn about their new home they are mostly from the city. They love it when Kyle shares his knowledge and experiences.

It also makes you want to go visit Churchill the polar bear capital. The history and lots of things to discover and do. I would love to see the whales that close up, but not the polar bears that close.

I was given this ebook to read and in exchange was asked to give honest review of it by Netgalley.
publication: August 20th 2013 by Love Inspired Harlequin 288 pages ISBN 9780373878376

This is book 3 in the "Finders, Inc." series and all 3 stores have been really good. Lois Richer takes you to many interesting places where you get to see the world without leaving your home. You also get try to solve the mystery in each story. If you like traveling, mystery and romance, then you will definitely enjoy this series.

In this story Callie Merton, one of Finders, Inc. employees, is on an assignment in Alaska. What she wasn't expecting, was to run into her husband, Max Chambers. Callie hasn't seen Max for quite sometime and has requested a divorce from him. But Max isn't about to give up on their marriage yet, so when Callie asks for his help he jumps at the chance to spend some time with her and try to figure out what secrets Callie is keeping from him and the reason she wants a divorce. In this story you will travel by boat and over land in the snow. You will also have to figure who is following Callie and Max and why they are in such danger.

There is alot Callie has kept back from her husband during their marriage and it will take alot of patience for Max to uncover the truth. When he does he will need an extra measure of grace to forgive, forget and love unconditionally. I really appreciated Max's words to Callie when talking about his past and how he got to where he was in his Christian walk in life. "Either God is who He says He is and He knows exactly what He's doing here, or the Bible and everything else you've believed in for all these years is a lie. You'd better decide which and make up your mind to stick with that decision no matter what happens." "Faith isn't something you can put down and pick up again when you need it. Faith in God means believing in His love despite all the the evidence to the contrary. The one thing I hang on to now is the fact that God loves me. Nothing else much matters." Good advice for us all.

This is book two in the Finders, Inc. series and was full of mystery, intrigue, danger, travel and romance. There were so many "bad guys" in this story that I had a hard time keeping track of all of them and the ending tied everything together very well. You could read this as a stand alone in this series, but I would recommend you read them in order, so you can better understand all about the company, "Finders, Inc.", and the people who work there.

In this story Samantha Henderson has an assignment to track down a stolen statute, which will take her to the Peruvian jungle. She finds herself needing some help and so Daniel McCullough, who helps run the business, gets out from behind his desk job and gets back out on the field to help Samantha. These two don't seem to get along very well, but working together forces them to try to get along. Then they end up on a cruise ship disguised as a married couple, and things start to get interesting in the romance department. But there are alot of people who seem to want something from them and they aren't sure what it is these people think they have. The mystery will finally be revealed at the end. Until then, sit back and enjoy the scenery as you travel to many interesting sights, and enjoy trying to figure out who is after what and why. A good story if you like a little intrigue and alot of mystery.½

If you want to read a great mystery story that leaves you guessing throughout the book as to "who did it", then this is definitely one to pick up and enjoy! The notes on the author at the beginning say "her passion is to create tales of personal struggle that lead to triumph over life's rocky road. For Lois, a happy ending is essential." Well, she certainly fulfilled her passion in this book. Can't wait to begin book two in this series, "Silent Enemy".

Shelby Kinkaid lost her husband 10 months ago in a mysterious accident at their workplace, "Finders, Inc.". Now she is trying to put her life back together and raise her little girl, Aimee. But the intrigue starts with the beginning pages, when someone comes into her home and kidnaps her little girl. Now "Finders, Inc" must try to find out who and why she was taken. But Shelby is having a hard time knowing who she can trust. There are 3 men who want to help her, two from the work place and one a neighbor, but they all are suspects in Shelby's eyes, for very good reasons. Shelby will have to learn to trust. Not just in people, but in her God. This book showed how God can and will work everything out for His good. One of my favorite thoughts from this book is, "Trust is learning that God does what is best, that whatever happens He will work it out to benefit us. Maybe not in the way that we think, but to our benefit. Trust is staying strong in the knowledge that He loves us enough to let us hurt sometimes. Trust is saying, 'I don't know what You have planned, God, but whatever it is, whatever happens, I'll still trust that You know best.' " I found myself taking this to heart as there are tough times going on in my life right now.

For those "romantics" out there, never fear, there is a very good romance story weaved into this mystery!½

I've read all three of the "Faith, Hope, and charity" books and must admit that this one is the best of all three. The chemistry between J.J. and Chris was much more believable than the other two couples we read about. There was some quarreling, but they loved each other as well, and you could tell throughout the book. When they finally admitted seperately (to themselves) that they were in love with the other, I believed it!!!

The waiting is real. So many books there is no waiting...they confess their love, get married, and live happily ever after. I'm glad it turned out the way it did. I KNEW how it would turn out, but was glad that while waiting, Jori came to some truths about herself...What happened at Christmas was completely unexpected! I was furious when I said "I could see this coming from miles away..." And then what I thought was coming didn't. Then something did come...then I had to wait MONTHS before what I thought was going to come finally did come!!!

I can only imagine the torture Jori had to go through with the mother-in-law she had. No doubt Chris spent a lot of time protecting her from his family! Ugh...

Very good, and kudos to the author.

My only disappointment in this series is that the people from the previous book(s) is never seen from or heard from again...We don't know 'what happened next' in their lives.

Okay, I must admit I am quite torn on how to rate/review this book. At times I loved it, at times I hated it, and other times I thought it was just 'okay.' I was all over the board with this one, but since I felt happy they married at the end, I went ahead and gave it four stars...

The story in itself is quite...uh...strange...two people - a man and a woman - both with the last name of Stewart, and the same first initial - receive a letter/phone call stating they'd just won $50,000. Come to find out, the whole thing was quite strange from the beginning.

So, this couple hate each other/like each other/hate each other/date each other/hate each other/kiss each other...well, you get the picture...and I'm not talking about just a little kissing - I'm talking about major make out sessions...I felt their kissing was a bit over the top of a supposedly "Christian" romance...But hey, sex sells, right?

Okay, then they move in together, go to the beach and have a pretty 'hot' day (and no, it's not all weather related)...

I must admit I thought Hope's story was much more realistic than the Stewerts', but that's just me...Oh, and I must admit I LOVED it when Faith showed up on Mitch's doorstep and announced that she was moving in...PRICELESS!!!

Okay, so the oddest part of the whole story was when Mitch was stalking Melanie after he asked her to marry him. I mean, he was OBSESSED and very over-bearing. If I had been Melanie, I would have run far, far away. I'd have called the cops and gotten a restraining order...it really made me VERY UNCOMFORTABLE...I skimmed through some of that part and even thought about not even finishing the book - that's how turned off I was...But I stuck with it and am glad I did because I liked the ending - when they finally dealt with all their bad stuff and got together...

SO...like I said, I can't decide if I liked this book or not...

I'm sorry, but if ever there was a marriage not made in heaven, it's this one. There was way too much conflict. I mean, they fought like cats and dogs, then suddenly they agreed to get married? Nope, not buying it.

And I always hate it when the male does his high-and-mighty attitude and kisses a girl out of some power struggle, as what happened in this story. I'm sorry, but that guy deserved to be smacked for kissing her like that! He was her boss and that WAS sexual harrassement, plain and simple!!!

So, parts of it were okay I suppose. I really liked the religious aspects of this story, but I couldn't STAND that JERK JEREMY!!! She could have done so much better with someone who wasn't as high on himself!!! Even after they were married, Jeremy thought that six babies was going to happen by playing on her affections...

Truthfully, it took me quite awhile to read this short book. I normally start reading for a couple hours before I actually go to sleep and hating putting my Love Inspired down, but I was FALLING ASLEEP before ten o'clock!!! It was soooo slow, and never really got better...

So sorry, but this one is NOT a buyer!!!

If ever there was a book that deserved to end with the phrase, "And they all lived happily ever after," it's this one! This book captivated my interest from the very beginning and kept it all the way through. If I could have, I would have read it from beginning to end in one setting.

A bit different, the main characters get married near the beginning of the book, but it's not until the very last sentence of the very last chapter that the constimate their marriage. Though both had tried to find opportunities before, 'something' kept coming up. Either a child tried to set the house on fire, someone tried to video tape their intimate moment, a cover-up was discovered, or something else...

This is one book where you find yourself laughing, crying, and wanting to punch someone all on the same page. The loving banter between husband and wife was absolutely wonderful! They just seemed to love each other from the beginning, and we could see things they couldn't see themselves...

The author did a wonderful job making a ridiculous plot turn out beautifully and believable. This is a must, must, must!!! If you like romance, you will LOVE this book!!!

Oh, and though I didn't appreciate the lost data scene at all (thought Jeff was way over the top), I LOVED the flat tire scene! That was probably my favorite - the way she dishes out to Jeff what he had dished out to her days before, but unlike her when he yelled at her, Jeff came through like a knight on a white horse and delivered her where she needed to be. I had expected him to do some of the stuff, but some of the things he did during that scene was absolutely breathtaking!

The words in the book are rather small since the story had to fit on 250 pages, but it was WELL worth using the magnifying glass!!!