romance

Have you read THE HOUSE ON MAIN STREET by Shirlee McCoy?

/ Dora Hiers
The House on Main Street
Purchase Link
Just a heads up that this review isn’t for an inspy romance, even though it was written by Shirlee McCoy, one of my favorite Love Inspired Suspense authors. The House on Main Street is her first contemporary romance with Kensington Books.

About the book~
In Apple Valley, Washington, friends are always near, neighbors have no secrets—even if they’d like to—and long-held wishes have a way of coming true…
Interior designer Tessa McKenzie has built a good life far from her Washington hometown. She intends to get back to it—as soon as she sells the cluttered Victorian house and antiques shop she inherited from her sister, Emily. But leaving Apple Valley a second time won’t be so easy. There’s her grieving nephew, Alex, to consider. And there’s Sheriff Cade Cunningham, the adolescent crush who could easily break her heart again if she let him.
To Cade, Tessa was simply his high school sweetheart’s kid sister. But now there’s no denying she’s a beautiful and caring grown woman, one he’d like to get to know. Except that Tessa is determined to leave again. If Cade wants to change her mind, he’ll have to show her that small-town life has its lovable side—and that he does too. Most of all, he’ll have to convince Tess they’re good together, and that every step has led her right where she was always meant to be…

Sharing my thoughts~
Tessa’s secret crush on Cade led her to bolt for the East Coast when Cade announced he was marrying her sister. Although that marriage never materialized, Tessa stuck it out in Annapolis and created a new life while Cade stayed in Apple Valley and became the sheriff he’d always said he was going to be. Back in town only to clear out the house after her sister’s death, Tessa’s now the guardian of her special needs nephew and a crazy aunt. I liked the quirkiness of all the characters, especially Aunt Gertrude. 

“Perched on a rickety stool a couple of feet away, a cigarette dangling from between her fingers and a Santa hat on her head, she looked like an ancient Christmas elf with an attitude.”


McCoy does a fantastic job creating the setting and small town drama of Apple Valley. I felt as if I trudged beside Tessa and Cade down a snow kissed Main Street. I could hear the hush fall over the tiny chapel as Alex poured out his heart on the piano, and then the sniffles of all the blue-headed ladies. I could even imagine the junky yard that separated Tess from her neighbor’s. Apple Valley seems to grow on Tessa, too.

“People sniffed and sobbed, and Tess was pretty sure someone snapped a photo. No doubt they’d be on the front page of the morning newspaper, but she didn’t mind. In Apple Valley people cared about the little things, the quiet things, the things that were easy to miss if one didn’t look carefully enough.”


Initially, Tessa was angry that her sister had left her another mess to clean up. Tessa worked through the whole range of emotions, from anger to grief, and finally to acceptance of her new family unit. I appreciate how this story prompted me to delve deeper into relationships, specifically within my own family. And why does it take someone dying to make us realize how special they are? To yearn for one more day?

I’m a long-time fan of Shirlee McCoy’s Love Inspired Suspense books, so when I found out she was writing a series for Kensington Books, I was curious about how her writing style would vary. 

I would have enjoyed this book more without the colorful language. I appreciated that it didn’t contain any graphic bedroom scenes and that the “heat” level didn’t require a loss of clothes. Actually, the higher intensity made the characters and the story seem much more realistic to me. 🙂

Overall, if you’re looking for an emotional journey with a satisfying ending, McCoy delivers big time!

Disclaimer: Sending a big thank you to Kensington Books and NetGalley for providing me with a review copy of The House on Main Street. The opinions expressed here are my own, and I received no compensation.

What heat level do you prefer in your romance reads?
Do you drop a book because of the foul language?

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Have you read FOR LOVE OR LOYALTY by Jennifer Hudson Taylor?

/ Dora Hiers
Purchase Link

For Love or Loyalty ~Book 1
One conquest could destroy her, but avenge his family.
Scotland to Carolina, 1760

For Love or Loyalty is the story of a highlander seeking revenge, but when the bargaining price becomes too great of a moral sacrifice, he must find a way to reverse his deeds and save the woman he loves.

Malcolm MacGregor vows to free his family and exact revenge against Duncan Campbell. When the opportunity arises, Malcolm decides to use Duncan’s daughter as the bargaining price. Lauren Campbell is the perfect answer, until she begins chipping away at the bitterness in Malcolm’s heart and changing everything. Her bold faith and forgiveness ignites guilt he would rather avoid and a love he doesn’t deserve.

Lauren Campbell never expected to discover such a caring and protective man behind the façade of Malcolm MacGregor’s fierce reputation. When they arrive in America, things turn against them, and Lauren finds herself in a fate worse than death. Now Malcolm has the dilemma of freeing the rest of his family or rescuing Lauren, but time is short and with little means, he needs a miracle. 

Sharing my thoughts~

“I shall get revenge for our family an’ the whole MacGregor Clan. The Campbells have wronged us for two centuries.”

Revenge is an age old plot driver, but Hudson Taylor breathes fresh life into it. And she does it sooo well. Exciting conflict rages through the start of this book. The Campbells have always treated the MacGregor clan as unworthy peasants, but this last atrocity sends Malcolm to the Carolinas, bent on exacting revenge while he attempts to rescue his family. Even while revenge and conflict ravages his heart, he makes an appealing hero, and I can totally see why Lauren falls for him.

Don’t let the Scottish brogue stop you from picking up this book. After a few minutes, reading it becomes easy and comfortable, but that’s not so with other elements of the book. Many times I found my fingers clenching the arms of my recliner, especially during a particularly intense predicament Lauren found herself in. Normally rock-solid in her faith, Lauren questioned why God left her in that awful spot, a reaction I think most of us can relate to.

“Lord, please have mercy on us, ” Lauren whispered.

“I see ye’re on speaking terms with God again.” Malcolm rubbed his chin as he continued to stare at their company.

How could he tease her at a moment like this? 
“I have always been on speaking terms with God, especially now.” Lauren wrung her hands together and took a deep breath to ease her trembling. She feared her ribs would soon start aching again. “God and I just had a few weeks of silence. “‘Tis now over.”

Just loved that excerpt! While For Love or Loyalty is a historical, I believe readers of all romance sub-genres will enjoy it as much as I did. Fraught with excitement and danger, bursting with sweet romance, and a promise of two more yummy books in the series, you’ll want to scoop this one up fast!

Disclaimer: Sending a huge thank you to Upon the Rock Publishing and Jennifer Hudson Taylor for providing me with an advance review copy of For Love or Loyalty. This review is my opinion, and I received no compensation.

Have you read For Love or Loyalty?
What are your thoughts?
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Have you read WHEN THE CLOUDS ROLL BY by Myra Johnson?

/ Dora Hiers
When the Clouds Roll By
DeeperShopping.com Buy Link

About the book~
Annemarie Kendall is overjoyed when the armistice is signed and the Great War comes to an end. Her fiancé, Lieutenant Gilbert Ballard, is coming home, and though he is wounded, she is excited to start their life together. But when he arrives, her dreams are dashed when she learns Gilbert is suffering from headaches, depression, and an addiction to pain killers. This is not the man she had planned to marry. After serving in the trenches, Army Chaplain Samuel Vickary is barely holding onto his faith. Putting up a brave front as he ministers to the injured soldiers at the hospital in Hot Springs, Arkansas, he befriends Gilbert and eventually falls for Annemarie. While Annemarie tries to sort out her confused feelings about the two men in her life, she witnesses firsthand the bitterness and hurt they both hold within. Who will she choose? Will she have the courage to follow her heart and become the woman God intended her to be? As the world emerges from the shadow of war, Annemarie clings to her faith as she wonders if her future holds the hope, happiness, and love for which she so desperately longs.

Sharing my thoughts~
Ceramist Annemarie Kendall couldn’t be happier when WWI comes to an end and her fiance is on his way home, but from his recent letters, she knows the war’s changed him. What she doesn’t know is if he’ll still love her and want to marry her. After an injury that leaves him feeling dependent and less masculine, Lieutenant Gilbert Ballard isn’t sure he want to return home to Hot Springs. Bitter and in constant pain, the last pill he wants to swallow is pity on his fiance’s face. 

Johnson sets up a robust conflict when Gilbert talks to Army Chaplain Samuel Vickary about his dilemma over Annemarie while on the ship headed home.

“He studied the girl in the portrait and realized with sudden certainty that if things were different–if he were coming home to a woman like Annemarie–he’d fight harder for her love than any doughboy ever fought on the Western Front.”


After hearing Gilbert’s intentions, how can Samuel help but fall a little in love with Annemarie before he ever sets eyes on her? And then when he meets her, she’s more lovely and sweet than he imagined. But Samuel’s suffering his own crisis, a result of the war. 


“If he could just be certain God still listened. If he dared to hope the doors of heaven hadn’t been barred against him for eternity.”


Gilbert tends to be a bit cranky at times, but in my book, he’s still a hero because of the pain he’s in and the suffering he endured. Samuel refuses to move in on Gilbert’s territory, and insists that Gilbert not make any foolish, rash decisions. I won’t tell you which man I was rooting for. You can make your own choice. But I will admit to being very satisfied with the ending. 🙂


While this story is fictional, the characterization was so life-like and the conflict so believable. I can imagine similar scenarios happening back then, even now. Men and women still return home from war, scarred emotionally and physically. 

While I’m not a huge history buff, I enjoyed how the author tucked in little nuggets of historical goodies, like how people conserved food during World War I. That, plus the tidbits about Hot Springs and the nice sub-plot that ran through the book made the story so rich and complex.


Although this book is a hefty 338 pages, I finished it in only a couple sittings. After being forced to put it down the first time (you know, sleep, work, life…), I wasn’t going to put it down again until I found out who won Annemarie’s heart. When the Clouds Roll By is a winner, and I’m excited that there’s another two books in the series!


Disclaimer: Sending a big thanks to Myra Johnson, Abingdon Press and NetGalley for sending me an advance review copy of this book in exchange for my fair and unbiased opinion. This review is my opinion, and I received no compensation.
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