inspirational romance

Excited about Reading…

/ Dora Hiers / 13 Comments


Or not!

Know the last date I posted a book review? October 13th!

Yikes! How can that be? I love to read!

Lately, though, I’m battling the reading “ho hum’s.” Usually, while hubby watches TV in the evenings, I read. But recently, I’m quite content to veg out in front of the television with him. I can even spout off all the latest sports news. Big Al with the Charlotte Hornets is out with an injury, but they haven’t missed a beat. Have you watched them play? Pure poetry on the court! The Carolina Panthers are smokin’ hot! Jeff Gordon said goodbye to racing at the close of this season, and Tony Stewart retires next year. (Bummer!) Sadly, I can’t recall the names of the characters of the current book I’m reading. Or not reading. 🙂

It’s not for lack of trying. How many books have I picked up since October? But they just seem to fade on my kindle. What’s up with that?

Do you ever feel like you’re bombarded with books?


NetGalley overwhelmed me, with all those wonderful looking books calling my name. But I finally surrendered and stopped requesting books because the pressure to write a review by the release date just added to the stress of reading. Also, I download all the freebies that sound interesting, but that just bloats my kindle. Used to be, I panicked when my TBR stack ran low. Not now. I’m stressing because of too many! 


Sigh…


What’s my problem? I want to read. I just can’t seem to make myself follow through with an actual book.

Maybe, after months and months of editing, I’m just plain burned out on reading. Now that I finally uploaded Roping the Marshal, my second self-pubb’d book, and can move on to finish writing the third, I’m not sure I’ll remember how to actually create. lol. 

Or could it be that since I juggle writing Christian romance and mainstream contemporary romance now I fall between the reading cracks? Seems every mainstream book I pick up, I reach the 30% mark and ram right into a sex scene. 

Remove from device! 


Many Christian books seem too tame, borderline preachy, while contemporary romances ratchet my spice-ometer past acceptable.


Help!! Do you go through reading slumps? How do you get your reading mojo back?

Here’s how I hope to spend my weekend. How about you?
Reading
Photo courtesy of Pixabay

Happy reading!

Excited about Reading: Sweetwater Gap by Denise Hunter

/ Dora Hiers / 2 Comments
Amazon Purchase Link

The Cover Story ~

A story of love and second chances. She wished she could go back and change things . . . but life doesn’t give do-overs. Could anything but good-byes be waiting on the other side of Sweetwater Gap?

Josie Mitchell’s sister Laurel thinks she’s come home to pitch in with the apple harvest and save the family orchard. Her brother-in-law Nate thinks she’s there to talk the overworked, very pregnant Laurel into finally selling the family business. The orchard’s new manager Grady Mackenzie just thinks she’s trouble with a capital T. They’re all right . . . and all wrong. Because no one really knows what drove Josie from home in the first place. Why she’s never come home before, even for her own father’s funeral. Why she pushes herself so hard . . . and what she’s running from. And nobody, not even Josie, is prepared for the surprising new fruit she’ll find on her last trip home.

Sharing my takeaway ~

A guilt-inducing phone call from her brother-in-law brings Josie Mitchell back home to Sweetwater Gap to help with the apple harvest. Orchard Manager Grady Mackenzie doesn’t appreciate the help, especially when Josie admits she came home to convince her sister to sell the orchard.

Relating to Josie was a challenge. She carried a staggering amount of guilt for years, choosing to bottle it up inside rather than talk about it with her sister or aunt, and wrestled with low self-esteem. She made a conscious decision before the story started that I didn’t understand (no spoilers). Maybe she had too many issues. On the other hand, Grady, aka Marlboro Man, was easy to like. Betrayed by his ex-wife, he’s vulnerable and lonely, and fears that Josie only cozies up to him to convince him to sell his small share of the orchard. Even so, he’s kind and sweet, regardless of how she treats him.

Usually, Hunter’s true-to-life characters and oh-so-delectable romance jerk me right into the story until I lose all track of time. But for me, Josie’s heavy unresolved issues overwhelmed the actual romance in this book. That said, Sweetwater Gap is definitely one of those books that will leave you pondering long after you turn the last page. 

Disclaimer: I purchased Sweetwater Gap. The opinions expressed in this review are my own, and I received no monetary compensation.

Excited about Reading: Hope Harbor by Irene Hannon

/ Dora Hiers / 2 Comments
Amazon Purchase Link

The Cover Story~ 
Tracy Campbell never wanted to leave Hope Harbor, Oregon, or the idyllic three-generation cranberry farm where she grew up. But life–and love–altered her plans. When tragedy strikes and changes her plans yet again, she finds herself back in her hometown with a floundering farm to run and a heartbreaking secret. Romance is not on her agenda. Nor is it on Michael Hunter’s. The visitor from Chicago has daunting secrets of his own. But when Tracy recruits him to help save a struggling charitable organization, the winds of change begin to sweep through Hope Harbor, bringing healing, hope, and love to countless lives–including their own.

Sharing my take~
Meet the major players. Tracy Campbell, part time accountant and full time cranberry farmer. Michael Hunter, guilt-ridden, grieving businessman from Chicago who came to Hope Harbor to honor a wish of his late wife. Anna Williams, recluse, taking in wounded animals to make up for the two-decades-long rift with her estranged son. Charley, artist and taco maker (and angel?). And Floyd, a lonely seagull.

“In the beginning he brought his wife, but he’s been coming by himself for the past four months. I guess something happened to her.”
A husband and wife seagull pair.
Tickled by that fanciful notion, Michael dug out a few stray pieces of taco filling and tossed them to Floyd, who scarfed down the treat. “Maybe he’ll get married again.”
“He might, down the road…but gulls mate for life, and this one’s still in mourning.” 

Lonely and wounded by love…kind of sums up all of the characters in Hope Harbor except Charley, who seemed to be the orchestrater of healing. I enjoyed the story and how the characters grew during the course of the book, and I appreciated the parallel of their relationship with that of the seagulls. That said, the romantic chemistry was stiff and a bit lacking for me.

Ever read a book where you almost felt as if you were there? This is one of those books. The “charming Oregon seaside village” came to life. At times I felt like I was walking along the dikes of the cranberry farm flicking away bees or sitting on the picnic table outside Charley’s food trailer, the sea breeze kissing my cheeks.

But what really ramped this book up for me was its theme of forgiveness and restoration.

“Are you condoning her behavior?”
“No. But I guess I’ve gotten more tolerant of mistakes as I’ve grown older and made plenty of my own. It seems to me it’s better to treat people in the midst of a crisis with compassion than censure or criticism.”

Hope Harbor isn’t a fluffy book to wile away a lazy afternoon. It’s deep and packs a powerful message. Don’t pick up this book for the romance. Pick it up because of the story.

Disclaimer: Sending my thanks to NetGalley and Revell for the privilege of reading and reviewing Hope Harbor. I was provided a free copy of the book in exchange for my fair and unbiased review. I was in no way compensated for my review.