Amanda Cabot: Into the Starlight

By Kelly Bridgewater

After more than a year in Europe, Joanna Vaughn returns to Sweetwater Crossing, her dreams of becoming a concert pianist shattered. As if that weren't enough, her husband, whom she married after a whirlwind courtship, has died. The only thing sustaining her on the journey back to Texas was the thought of her childhood home. But to Joanna's dismay, she's changed so much that the place she once loved no longer feels like home.
 
After his fiancée married his partner and both blamed him for a patient's death, Dr. Burke Finley believes it's time for a change. A quick trip with his almost-aunt Della Samuels to Sweetwater Crossing turns into an extended stay to discover what happened to his uncle and her would-be husband. But the beautiful and musical Joanna makes it more than bearable.
 
As the two join forces to help Della, there is no denying the attraction felt on both sides. But ghosts from the past are coming to call--and threatening to destroy any chance at happily-ever-after.
 
Get swept away by this emotional tale of family, friendship, and the kind of love that overcomes every obstacle.

 

My Thoughts:

Into the Starlight by Amanda Cabot returns to the town of Sweetwater Crossing, Texas. I enjoyed reading the first two books in the series, and I couldn't wait to see what the third sister had been up to. I love returning to familiar faces in the town. I loved seeing the two sisters again, and what they have been up to. Sweetwater Crossing has become a vibrant little town filled with a variety of people who would be nice to meet in real life. Cabot included a mystery that Joanna works on trying to solve. No, this was not the whole purpose of her journey when she returned home. Once in a while, Cabot will bring it back up into the story, and readers will want to know the solution to the plotline. A sweet romance brings out the best in Joanna and Dr. Burke. There romance is not a romance of convenience. Instead, it grows nicely as the story moves along. Overall, Into the Starlight by Amanda Cabot was a sweet story that I actually enjoyed reading and spending time with. Definitely recommend.

I received a complimentary copy of Into the Starlight by Amanda Cabot from Revell Publishing, but the opinions stated are all my own.

My Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Purchase Into the Starlight

Amanda Cabot: Against the Wind

 By Kelly Bridgewater

Doctor-in-training Louisa Vaughn has no intention of remaining in Sweetwater Crossing. She's just there for a few days to help a friend. But she can't abandon the injured man she finds at the side of the road. Until his broken leg heals, she'll serve as the town's doctor and midwife. She may not be fully qualified yet, but surely she's better than nothing.

Josh Porter's plans to win his grandfather's challenge and fulfill his father's final wish to gain full control of the family business hit a roadblock when he breaks his leg. But his enforced stay in Sweetwater Crossing gives him new ideas about the expansion of the company into new territory--ideas Louisa could help turn into reality.

If only the town were more accepting of Louisa's talents! Someone is determined to convince her to abandon her dream of healing others. Can Josh help her uncover the person behind the threats before it's too late? And is there any future for them together when neither of them plans to stay?

 

My Thoughts:

Against the Wind by Amanda Cabot features the small town of Sweetwater Crossing. Cabot does a wonderful job at creating characters that are unique and special as the town itself. Louisa Vaughn comes home and comes to reality with her sister, Emily, and what it means to stand on her own two feet. Cabot does a wonderful job at crafting a story that happened over 150 years ago, but still can ring true in modern society. Louisa wants to be respected as a woman doctor, even though she did not have the professional training that most male doctors have had. She has worked with a doctor and mid-wife in a nearby town. Louisa needs to learn to rely on her knowledge instead of allowing others to guilt her into thinking she is not doing her job right. On the other hand, the hero, Joseph Proctor has to prove to his uncle that he can survive without his uncle’s approval. The romance does sparkle across the page, allowing Louisa and Joseph to fall in love amid the circumstances surrounding their daily lives. Overall, Against the Wind by Amanda Cabot features the small town with many unique characters.

I received a complimentary copy of Against the Wind by Amanda Cabot from Revell Publishing, but the opinions stated are all my own.

My Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

Purchase Against the Wind 

Most Anticipated Historical Romance for Fall 2023

 By Kelly Bridgewater

Here are my Most Anticipated Historical Romance books that will be released from now until December 31, 2023. (All covers come from Goodreads.)

The Wings of  Poppy Pendelton by Melanie Dobson

The Legacy of Longdale Manor by Carrie Turansky

Against the Wind by Amanda Cabot

Children of the Shadows by Erica Vetsch

The Warsaw Sisters by Amanda Barratt

To Spark a Match by Jen Turano

The Juliet Code by Pepper Basham

A Winter by  the Sea by Julie Klassen

What about you? Any other suggestions of novels that I should read?

Amanda Cabot: After the Shadows

By Kelly Bridgewater

Emily Leland sheds no tears when her abusive husband is killed in a bar fight, but what awaits her back home in Sweetwater Crossing is far from the welcome and comfort she expected. First she discovers her father has died under mysterious circumstances. Then the house where the new schoolteacher and his son are supposed to board burns, leaving them homeless. When Emily proposes turning the family home into a boardinghouse, her sister is so incensed that she leaves town.

Alone and broke, her family name sullied by controversy, Emily is determined to solve the mystery of her father's death--and to aid Craig Ferguson, despite her fears of men. The widowed schoolmaster proves to be a devoted father, an innovative teacher, and an unexpected ally. Together they must work to unmask a killer and escape the shadows of their own pasts in order to forge a brighter future.

Bestselling author Amanda Cabot transports you to 1880s Texas Hill Country for a brand-new series that will have you flipping pages to solve the mystery and get to the happily-ever-after you long for.

 

My Thoughts:

After the Shadows by Amanda Cabot features a Regency style romantic mystery. From the first chapter, readers are thrown for a loop as they are introduced to Emily and her sister, Loisa. Right away, there is a dead body and a parsonage that has burnt to the ground. A new teacher. Where to put people as the town tries to fix what has went wrong. The writing was nicely handled. Cabot's writing style fits nicely into the Regency genre on the plains of Texas. Readers will empathize with Emily with all the struggles that she has to endure as the plot moves along. Speaking of the plot, readers will enjoy getting to know the numerous characters who make this quirky little town move. A whole cast of characters with different personalities. Emily stands out as a brave, yet timid woman who is determined to solve the mystery of her father's death while trying to stay humble with her visitors. I enjoyed how she wanted to help everyone in the community. Even the new teacher and his young son.  The romance is not the main issue of the story, but it does develop as the story progresses along. Overall, After the Shadows by Amanda Cabot is a small town mystery filled with heart. A delightful story.

I received a complimentary copy of After the Shadows by Amanda Cabot from Revell Publishing, but the opinions stated are all my own.

My Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Purchase After the Shadows

Amanda Cabot: At Bluebonnet Lake

By Kelly Bridgewater

Another story of where a girl is taken out of her comfort zone and thrown into a situation and a world that is foreign to her is exactly what Amanda Cabot has created with her latest book, At Bluebonnet Lake.

The heroine is named Kate Sherwood, who is an advertising agent who wants to make partner with her firm in Manhattan, New York. Being raised by her grandparents since the drive-by killing of her parents when she was seven years old, Kate has always dreamed of working in advertising after her grandfather Larry took her to work one day. Kate allows herself to dream about making partner. This will truly make her happy.

But one early spring morning, her grandmother, Sally, invites Kate to come to the Rainbow’s End resort in Texas. Unwilling to disappoint her grandmother who raised her, Kate tags along. Arriving at the dilapidated retreat, Kate is reminded of how much she wants to return home.

Enters Greg who works on the screen to keep the bats away. As the story progresses, Kate and Greg fall in love and learn about each other’s past that they have kept hidden for many years. But Kate and Greg are not the only two people in the story finding love, Grandma Sally and an older gentleman named Roy spend a lot of time together and decide to stay in the Texas Hill Country and get married. At the end of the story, everyone finds happiness and understands the joy of being in a place of harmony and serenity.

The characters in the story were well-written. If you are looking for a contemporary fiction romance piece than this story would be the one for you. Kate thinks she is chasing after what she really wants, but like most people, she has allowed herself to believe the lies. The hero, Greg, similarly runs away from what he thought made him happy and finally seeks the peace with God that he wanted to find when he arrived at Rainbow’s End.

The plot moved along to show the relationship and how it deepened for Greg, Kate, Sally, and Roy, but personally, as someone who reads a lot of suspense novels, I wanted to see something more exciting happen. Even with the entrance of Drew, Greg’s former partner, didn’t really do much to the plot, it just further cemented Greg’s idea of not returning to his former life. I think the story took a long time to come to the ending that I knew was going to happen about one hundred pages in. But I’m sure most fans of romances and contemporary fictions would devour this book. Since I’m an avid reader of suspense novels, this was probably why I got bored with the long-drawn out plot line.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Revell in exchange for my honest opinion. All the above stated opinions are mine.