That Magic Moment by Maureen L. Bonatch

Story: 9
Presentation: 9
Total: 18
Publisher: The Wild Rose Press
Sweet Paranormal Halloween Themed
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Blurb: Can love cross the boundaries mortals have erected to reject all that cannot be explained?
As the last witch in the Turner line, Celeste doesn’t know if she’s finally found true love or if her grandma cast a love spell to continue the Turner line. Dane Johns is a man not easily forgotten, but that’s exactly what Celeste plans to do. Because he has one big flaw. He’s a mortal.
Dane Johns doesn’t know it but he’s under a spell, and Celeste Turner is the cure. Mysteriously healing his injury while captivating his heart, Dane is enchanted. Although once he discovers Celeste’s secret he must decide if he’s charmed enough to not only accept love into his life, but the world of magic.

Review: Holy Hexes and Halloween Hubbub! What a nifty little morsel, just enough to get you in gear for the upcoming festivities. With wonderfully written characters, a grandmother who can't seem to stop "helping out" and a witch who wants nothing more than her own happily ever after :)

A spellbinding treat, non-fattening of course, designed to make your heart flutter and leave you satisfied and full of warm fuzzies :)

Stars in Her Eyes by Beverly Breton

Story: 6

Presentation: 6

Total: 12

Publisher: The Wild Rose Press

Sweet Contemporary

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Blurb: If Dream Man never comes knocking, at least she’ll own the door. That’s 28-year-old paralegal Karen’s new plan, anyhow, to buy her own home, and the reason she’s been working every weekend-- until she bends to her best friend’s pressure to spend a Saturday at the wave pool. Determined not to be derailed by another dead-end relationship, she avoids looking at the cute curly-haired guy—his friends call him Spence-- carousing out in the waves. But the tide turns as she’s caught unaware, a wave pool virgin on her first time in, and swept into a head-on collision with one of his friends. When she manages to stand and open her eyes, the world has disappeared. She sees only Spence surrounded by dancing stars. Has she been knocked silly, or is he gazing right back at her?

Review: Well...what can I say? When I got this one I was very hopeful as the blurb sounds very tempting and sweet. Once I got started reading however, I found a few things that I had issues with.

There was a plethora of sentences that I had to re-read several times before they made sense to me. There was reference to one of the men, Mr Hollywood, who was in the wave pool, as a walrus. Now to me when I think of a walrus I think of large body, street sweeper mustache and a bit on the gruff side. Not very attractive ;) There were also some misturned quotes.

The flowery use of some of the writing "As if magic water wings had sprouted on her, ones that worked on land, she floated in wonder of him and her together." made the story a bit jarring for me to read.

Pumpkinnapper by Linda Banche

Story: 7.5
Presentation: 9
Total: 16.5
Publisher: The Wild Rose Press
Historical Romance Halloween Themed
Rating: Sensual
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Blurb: Pumpkin thieves, a youthful love rekindled, and a jealous goose. Oh my!
Last night someone tried to steal the widowed Mrs. Emily Metcalfe's pumpkins. She's certain the culprit is her old childhood nemesis and the secret love of her youth, whom she hasn't seen in ten years.
Henry, Baron Grey has never forgotten the girl he loved, but couldn’t pursue, and so decides to catch Emily's would-be thief. Even after she reveals his childhood nickname--the one he would rather forget. And even after her jealous pet goose bites him in an embarrassing place.
Oh, the things a man will do for love.

Review: Goose me again! Too cute!!! I laughed so hard I thought I was going to embarrass myself in my living room :) What a cute little story. With a Sensual Rating it made for a great light hearted read.

The only issue I had was with the hero. He seemed to fluctuate between propriety and VERY flirtatious in the same breath. I found it a bit out of character for him to switch gears so fast but all in all still made for a good hero and a fantastic read.

Do You Hear What I Hear by Teri Wilson

Story:8
Presentation:8
Total Score 16
Publisher: The Wild Rose Press
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Sweet full length novel

BLURB: As a child, Simone Littleton adores the European folktale that animals are given the gift of speech at midnight on Christmas Eve. She makes a wish to talk to animals "forever and ever" and, when her pet Dalmatian asks her for a biscuit, she discovers her wish has been granted. Now Simone is all grown up and she uses her unique gift to rehabilitate unwanted horses. When racehorse trainer Chet Wallace rolls into San Antonio, with chocolate eyes and dimples blazing beneath his black Stetson, romantic sparks fly. He is immediately drawn to the beautiful woman who has a mesmerizing affect on both his horses and his dog, but his less than enthusiastic response to Simone's claims threatens their budding romance. It takes a scheming Jack Russell terrier and a dose of Christmas magic to convince Chet she just may be telling the truth.

REVIEW: This was a cute story. A good make you feel warm and fuzzy, romance with no sex. I adore the way Ms Wilson uses the animals in her writing and the personality she gives to them. A unique spin, but not so far out of the realm of possibility that you find the story unbelievable.
As a child growing up, I lived on my mothers 12 acres and went to my family ranch all the time. I was surounded by a variety of animals from dogs and cats, to birds of every sort, cows and horses, pigs and rabbits.........Well, you get the idea :) I think most little girls who loved animals as much as I did always wanted to be able to actually talk to them. Maybe that is what pulled me to this story.
The fact that this story is the first book in a series Ms Wilson has called Hoofbeats & Heartstrings may have played into my purchase. Or maybe it was that a portion of the proceeds go to an equine rescue.....Then again maybe it was all the factors put together more than anything.
The characters in the story were real life people with real issues. The story will open eyes to the cruelty that can and does happen to unwanded equines when they have no one to turn to. When they are cast aside and all hope is lost. Perhaps if there were more people who took the extra step, made just a small donation, more horses could be spared unimaginable horors.
This story can be bought in E-Book or Print version. Buy a book......Help save the life of a horse......Give them a second chance at a wonderful life!
Ms. Wilson........My hats off to you. I look forward to the next in this series.

Smuggler of the Heart by JoAnn Carter

Story: 8

Presentation: 9

Total: 17

Publisher: White Rose Publishing

Inspirational Romance

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Blurb: Disheartened and tired, Samantha Warren returns to Vermont during the winter break. Her passion for history rekindles after finding an old smuggler’s chest hidden in her grandparents' attic. Will she be able to return to New Jersey without her heart being smuggled like the chest once was? Or is it already too late?

Review: Have you ever read an Inspy that touched you so, that it left goose bumps and a warm soft feeling in your chest? This is one of the few that made me feel that way. The way the author expressed the heroines feeling's in her prayers to God left me with a wonderful ache.This short story is just enough, at 37 pages, to whet your appetite and give you warm fuzzies about the relationship with the Lord and His place in your life and heart.For me the romance, while there, took second place to Sam's search for a renewed faith. Not a Happily Ever After, but a Happy with the Promise for the Future, it was enough and I still felt the story itself was a worthwhile read. Thank you to Ms Carter, a good Inspy is hard to find sometimes and yours qualifies :)

Snakes and Jails and Puppy Dog Tails by Mallary Mitchell

Story: 7
Presentation: 8
Total: 15
Publisher: The Wild Rose Press
Historical Western Romance
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Blurb: Spinster Arabella Trask loves only one man, but he betrayed her. Levi Wallace left her for another and married the woman who carried his child. Now a widower, Levi is injured and desperately needs Arabella's help. Can she risk her heart again?As he lays dying from a snake bite...Levi's one regret is losing Bella. He never had the chance to tell her the child wasn't his. He married to save his brother's sorry hide and give the child a name. He longs to have Bella in his life again--will it take divine intervention to get her back?

Review: A very cute story with a heart warming second chance at love theme. One of the things I love about this nifty little short is the measures Levi went to to protect his brother and dad. Giving up his own love for the greater good of his family really touched me. The kids were adorable, the love true and standing up to the test of time and heartbreak in the light of what really happened when the truth is finally revealed.
Ms Mitchell has done a great job and I look forward to reading more from this author.

House of Wacks by Denise Gwen

Story: 7
Presentation: 9
Total: 16
Publisher: The WIld Rose Press
Young Adult
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Blurb: Little did Jordan Meadows realize, when Dad insisted she get a job, it would turn out to be such an amazing summer! Who would have guessed that all her eyebrow, bikini, and leg waxes at Tranquility Spa would pay off as job experience? Working behind the scenes on the set of House of Wax IX: Return of the Revengenator, she becomes the go-to girl for paraffin wax. Then she meets Keith Charles, a band nerd from her high school. Between draping his freckled arms with wax and making sure he looks extra clotty, she’s stunned to find herself falling in love with someone outside her own clique. As filming and the summer draw to a close, she’s a changed girl, for sure. She's made friends with people she never would have associated with at North High School, but what about her friends, the awesome foursome? Should she break up with Keith, since he’s not a member of her exclusive, inner circle? Or is it time to branch out and make new friends?

Review: A great little page turner to add to the YA line in any library. The trials and tribulations of teen years can be difficult......Okay, okay, they are difficult. For everyone. The teen, parents, friends. It's all about finding out who you are, coming into your own, growing up and taking responsability. This story did a wonderful job at covering all the basis.
Many congrats Ms Gwen. And here is to many more :)

Love's Sweet Attack by Loree Lough

Story: 6

Presentation: 7

Total: 13

Publisher: White Rose Publishing

Inspirational Romance

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Blurb: When karate expert, Paige Anderson, meets ex-football star, Dean Porter, people fall head over heels--literally!Despite very different backgrounds, it's quickly obvious they have much in common. But will the dark secret that caused her to turn from God also keep her from Dean? Or will he help her accept that the Almighty loves her as much as he does--all in time for both of them to score the goal of a lifetime?

Review: Eh.....I really liked the premise of the story, but I had some issues with it. There were some editing issues that I think should have been caught. The fist time he comes over for dinner before he gets there she changes clothes and puts on shoes. Then after he gets there she closes the fridge with her mysteriously bare foot......THE MYSTERY OF THE DISAPPEARING SHOE!All in all I liked both of the main characters but I felt the story was weighed down with some scenes that I felt had no major part in the story and the book would have been fine without them. I had a bit of a hard time believing that the heroine would have gotten so bent out of shape during the black moment. But that's just me.

I felt that God came a little late into the story as His first mention wasn't until page 22 then not again until page 51 and then has 13 appearances. I just felt for an Inspy there could have been more about the Lord and his part in the relationship and the lives of the characters before the last 25 pages.

I certainly plan to read more by this author as I feel she has great promise.

A Love for Eternity by L. M. Gonzalez

Story: 8
Presentation: 8
Total: 16
Publisher: The Wild Rose Press
Recent Historical
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Blurb: At eighteen, Christina Ramos meets the love of her life, yet she allows her mother to talk her into marrying someone else. Widowed fifty years later, Christina finds herself transported back to 1955 to that magical day she first meets Joe Morado.Second chances don’t happen very often, and this time she vows to stay with the man of her dreams forever. No matter what.…Because a love that transcends time is A Love for Eternity

Review: Haven't we all wondered about the what ifs in our pasts at some point of another? This wonderful, sweet little tale is a glimmer of what could happen if the what ifs were allowed to happen.
Very cute and heart warming, this tale is a definite read for those who enjoy a sweet read with heartwarming characters and a good romance. Ms Gonzalez has done a great job and I can't wait to read more of her work.

Trust Your Heart by Christine Columbus

Story: 9
Presentation: 9
Total: 18
Publisher: The Wild Rose Press
Sweet Contemporary
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Blurb: Michelle, a divorced mother of two preschool children living in a Minneapolis suburb, maintains her subscription to her hometown newspaper. So when she bumps into childhood friend David, she already knew he was successful and a bachelor, but what the paper forgot to mention was how he had matured into a handsome man.Memories of their past resurface, and once more, she envisions playing house with him. Although this time it's the adult-rated version, where he's selling software that threatens her job, her co-workers refuse to play nice, her ex-husband is acting just plain weird and the hometown paper is in an uproar over who is sending her flowers and who she should date. Michelle doesn’t know whom to believe until she steps back and looks deep within and trusts her heart.


Review: WOW!!!! I am not sure if I have ever wanted to slap so many secondary characters in my life! Ms Columbus, you have done such a fabulous job creating the emotions for this story that I wanted to jump into the pages and wring the necks of a couple of the nasty people who were total jerks to Michelle.Both main characters were so wonderful. Emotion ran rampant and more than once I experienced the emotion right along with them. When I read a story that can do that, I am at a loss for words. The beginning, middle and end left me a very satisfied reader. *Snaps* for a job well done and a toast for more to come from this talented author :)

Flying Free by Amber Polo

Story: 8
Presentation: 8
Total: 16
Publisher: Treble Heart Books
Contemporary
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Blurb: Lia thinks she’s going to get her pilot’s license, sell her father’s Arizona airpark house, go back to helping beef producers sell meat, and probably find a guy just like the cheating husband who bankrupted her.Seth thinks he’s come to Arizona to build a spiritual center, escape the community and wife that betrayed him, and create a new beginning much like the contemplative, vegetarian life he left.While Lia tries to hide and Seth tries to fit in, their attraction, with a little help from their wacky senior citizen neighbors, pulls them together. All they have to do is conquer the fear of flying and their fear of love.


Review: Have you ever read a book that entertained and opened your eyes to new and interesting facts? If not then I suggest you take a look at this one. A nifty, sweet story filled with planes, airpark life and a super sexy vegan Budhist that anyone would find hard to resist. A heart warming tale about discovering what is really important in life.....sometimes a little later than you had hoped, but finding it just the same. Creative, quirky characters really set this story alive and give it a spark.Good work Ms. Polo a true enjoyment :)