Dearest Darling by Andrea Downing

Whew, baby!! Talk about getting swept into a story and not expecting the swiftness nor the depth of it! I thought I knew what I was getting into, but this short story delivered with do much more!

I adored watching the slow burn build and Emily and Daniel discovering how much their worlds collided. Emily made me want to slow down even more and appreciate my surroundings and not be afraid to leap into the scary unknown. Daniel swept me away with his honor and respect and desire to do right, even though what he thought was what his heart wanted got flipped upside down and shaken up. There's even a touch of fairytale sweetness included that makes it all the better.

I simply enjoyed the way the story flowed and took me on a charmed ride. If you want a short story that you can sink into and live in for a couple of hours, you won't be disappointed with Emily and Daniel.

Lawless Love by Andrea Downing

Secrets and a lawman who's needing a change? Sign me up! Once I got started I knew I didn't want to stop. Dylan and Lacey meet under some hilarious circumstances and I couldn't help but want to have some fun sass like Lacey. Her strength and determination to protect and provide for her family shone through the story. Dylan proved himself to be a man of honor while learning that sometimes, justice sees in shades of gray. I enjoyed spending time with Dylan and Lacey and watching them figure out their hea ending.

Under a Mulberry Moon anthology

A Family For Polly by Jacquie Rogers

A Family for Polly is an adorable story about a woman who grew up out of a rough childhood to adopt two children who were considered "cast-offs". Her heart was so big and beautiful - determined to do whatever it took to keep her children and give them a safe place to grow up -- even if it meant getting a husband before she found the man of her dreams. Ford was awesome in how he rolled with everything thrown at him and proved himself to be the man Polly dreamed of, and loved Polly and her kids so easily. The kids (Noah and Evie) stole my heart! I was impressed with how I was expecting a short story and ended up with a novella which delivered a full story feel!


The Lady Lassoes an Outlaw by Charlene Raddon

SQUEE!! I totally fell in love with Aurora and Garret's story! Many of the favorite things I love in a western were wrapped up so pretty in this story: tough and tenderhearted hero, strong and vulnerable heroine, awesome family, surprises and twists, danger, believable love story and a delightful happily-ever-after. I was again surprised in how full and detailed and complete it felt for a novella -- making this one of the best kind of novellas to enjoy!

*The rest are on my tbr list

A Change of Heart by Callie Gardner

Simply adorable and addicting!

Canyon Crossing by Kristy McCaffrey

What do you get when you mix a little bit of adventure, a little bit otherworldly, a little bit of laughter and a tiny bit of a surprise? You get Angus and Annabel's happily ever after story! Quite literally I was pulled into the story on page one and enjoyed watching Annabel break through to Angus's heart and Angus fall to Annabel's charms. This is a cute short story that makes you smile sweet.

Mallory: The Mail Order Bride by Hebby Roman

Mallory and Will's story kept me engrossed! Themes of acceptance and forgiveness as well as consequences to lies and unwise choices are weaved into this entertainingly sweet story. 

You get to experience alot of Will's duties and struggles as the fort commander along with Mallory's struggles to find where she fits in and figure out her future, and if it could include Will. Their love story is a slow-building journey that has several trials to work through to find their happily-ever-after. 

I enjoyed going back in time and seeing history come to life through their story - although the judgement and prejudice of the time and "society" still makes me struggle and hurt at times.

If you like sweet (clean) stories that have little nuggets of wisdom written into the pages, and love a mail order bride story that has a few twists, this is a book for you!