Pegg Thomas

My Heart Belongs on Mackinac Island: Maude’s Mooring

My Heart Belongs on Mackinac Island: Maude’s Mooring by Carrie Fancett Pagels
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I love Mackinac Island. (Pronounced Mack-en-naw) I’ve been going there since I was a child. And who didn’t fall in love with the island watching “Somewhere in Time”? It’s a magical place. So I couldn’t wait to read another book set in one of my favorite places.

Maude Welling is an island native from a long line of island natives. Her mother and her grandmother were both strong women who worked hard managing their businesses, which in turn employed a great many people. With her mother and grandmother gone, Maude expects to inherit Winds of Mackinac, the hotel her family has owned for generations. But her father is against her running it alone, and her fiance just returned to the island … with a bride.

Ben Steffen came to Mackinac Island in search of a story that would establish his newspaper reporting career. What he didn’t know, was that his boss had set him up to settle a personal score. Posing as someone he’s not, he falls for the beautiful island girl who was jilted by her suitor. But how can he pursue her while posing as someone he’s not?

This story is full of twists and turns and unexpected characters. The island itself plays a huge role, with the sights, smells, and sounds coming through behind the scenes. Well worth reading!

The Angel of Forest Hill

The Angel of Forest Hill by Cindy Woodsmall
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This story hits some hard life issues, like the death of a loved one and emotional abuse by family members. Not the usual fluff seen in much of Amish romance. It’s a modern-day spin on the marriage of convenience theme that is both believable and relatable. Nothing fast or flashy here, but an illustration of the healing of time and steady faith. The ending was, admittedly, a little too neat and tidy for my tastes, but the story is well worth reading.

A Rebel in My House

A Rebel in My House – Civil War Romance Series by Sandra Merville Hart
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Set during the battle at Gettysburg, “A Rebel in My House” tells the story of a woman swept up in an event that changed the course of a war. If you’ve never thought about the how the war and the battles impacted civilian lives, this story will open your eyes. Full of rich details of the time period, Sandra Merville Hart also explores the differences between North and South in a realistic, not stereotypical way. Amid those details, she weaves a story of love and trust. Well worth reading.

All the Gallant Men: An American Sailor’s Firsthand Account of Pearl Harbor

All the Gallant Men: An American Sailor’s Firsthand Account of Pearl Harbor by Donald Stratton
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

If you’ve ever wondered how The Greatest Generation got its name, this is the book to read. Inspiring doesn’t begin to characterize it. This is what we were. This is who we were. This is whom we should aspire to be again. This is about putting our country and our fellow men and women above ourselves. It’s about doing what’s right regardless of the personal cost. This is what we’ve lost. Powerful. Emotional. A must-read for all Americans.

An Awakened Heart

An Awakened Heart by Jody Hedlund
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is a free novella published to point the reader to Jody Hedlund’s novel “With You Always.” It’s a promotional book, a tease to buy the novel. It’s good to understand that before reading, so the reader isn’t disappointed by the ending. It doesn’t end so much as it just stops. The reader can assume that the story will pick up again in the novel.

This story is an eye-opening look into the tenements of New York during the mid-1800s. The poverty, the squalor, the desperation, and degradation. A stark look into a time of change and growth for a country absorbing more people than it would handle. But God placed people in the midst who cared and who worked to make a difference.

Worth reading, whether you continue on to read the novel or not.

The Princess Spy

The Princess Spy by Melanie Dickerson
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Another medieval story with that fairytale feel, but I have to admit that I’ve no idea what fairytale sparked this story. A fun read with some returning characters from previous stories by Melanie Dickerson. It’s best to read the Hagenheim books in order. And read them all! They might be labeled as “young adult,” but hey … we’re all young at heart.

The Captive Maiden

The Captive Maiden by Melanie Dickerson
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Another delightful medieval fairytale from Melanie Dickerson. This is a retelling of Cinderella and it’s beautifully done. I especially love how she did this without the mystical element to it. It’s entirely plausible and will keep you reading if for no other reason that to see how she did it! No spoiler, you have to read this one for yourself. 🙂

The Fairest Beauty

The Fairest Beauty by Melanie Dickerson
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

I have thoroughly enjoyed the first two books in this series and I will start book #4 tonight, but this one fell flat for me. Part of the problem was the ebook formatting. The font sizes changed from paragraph to paragraph and scene breaks were missing, making the head-hopping hard to follow. It’s hard to enjoy a book that’s frustrating to read.

But more than that, the storyline was shallow. While it was set up for excellent tension with the wicked stepmother ordering Sophie’s death and sending troops to ferret her out, it wallowed in a pit of sexual tension mixed with a lack of self-confidence with both the hero and the heroine for far too long. It needed more/better editing, in my opinion.

Not a bad book, but I would definitely recommend the print version for this one. Pretty sure I would have enjoyed it more that way.

The Merchant’s Daughter

The Merchant’s Daughter by Melanie Dickerson
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I enjoyed this story. It was a good twist on Beauty and the Beast. The characters were likable and there was more to the story than just the attraction between the hero and heroine. Love the medieval setting!

In a Pirate’s Debt

In a Pirate’s Debt by Elva Cobb Martin
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Swashbuckling story with enough romance and danger to keep those pages turning. Travay Allston knows one thing very well, she’ll never marry Sir Roger Poole. Never. But she doesn’t expect that her flight from one man will land her in the arms of another … and a pirate at that. If she could loathe anything more than Sir Roger, it might be a pirate, the same type of man who killed her father. But danger and nature block her path to freedom time and time again. Can a lost childhood friend hold the answer to her happiness in his hands?

A must read if you enjoy a solid seafaring tale with all the action and adventure – and romance – that comes with the genre. Delightful story!