"The Outlaw Mail Order Bride and her Hardened Hero" by Florence Linnington

Alice was trying to change her life. She no longer wanted to run with an outlaw gang, but Willie refused to let her go. He’d declared that she was his and that he would kill anyone who got in his way. Not wanting to be with Willie or to bring suffering to anyone else, Alice decided to run away and to keep running for as long as she possibly could. She answered an ad from a preacher seeking a wife and journeyed out to the town of Calico as the first stop in her escape. Her plan was to stay for a little while and then move on, but she found herself falling in love with Gabe. Can she really just abandon him and continue to run? But what if Willie finds her? He’s made no secret of the fact that he would kill to keep Alice to himself.

I received this book as an Advanced Reader Copy. I really enjoyed the story, but the early version that I received contained a number of errors. I contacted the author and let her know about the ones that I was finding and she replied, saying that she was looking into them and making corrections. Once she completes those corrections (which should be before publication, but likely after I read the book), it should be even more enjoyable than the version that I read.

Before the author’s corrections, I would give this book 3 stars because of the errors that needed fixing. But once those corrections have been made, I would rate it at 4 stars because I really enjoyed the story that was told.

"A Wolf in Sheep's Clothing" by S.E. Meyer

Montana Moon has been staying with Lonewolf, the man deemed a wanted criminal that she was supposed to be hunting, But during the course of her stay, she has learned the truth about him and his supposedly criminal actions. He has actually only been trying to help save humanity.

Eating the fresh grown food that he gives her, Montana’s health and mental acuity have improved. In fact, her whole being feels clearer and much more alive. But while she has learned a good deal of the truth about what is truly happening, there is obviously still much to learn and even more work to be done if she is to save everyone else.

I really enjoyed reading this book. It was a fascinating dystopian story involving a disease that no one seemed to be sure where it came from and that apparently has no cure. Once it strikes, a person must regularly undergo expensive “treatments” to keep it at bay. But what if there is another way to deal with it, one that the government doesn’t want the public to know about?

This book did have a few more typos than I noticed in the first book, but the story more than made up for them. It kept me reading through to the end, and my only real disappointment with it was in realizing that the third book in the series still has a bit of time before it’s release date. I will definitely be looking forward to being able to get the third book in the series and learning about what happens next for Montana Wool.

This was a book I really enjoyed reading and I think others will too, especially if you enjoyed the first book in the series. Recommended.

"One Can Heal" by Clara C. Johnson

I’m not usually much of a reader of poetry, but this was an emotional collection of poems that seem to highlight the high and low points of the author’s life. Some of the poems shared with us here really spoke to me and held great meaning, while others I wasn’t really certain what to make of them. As I mentioned, I don’t tend to read very much poetry and have never attempted to write a poem myself. As such, I have a hard time putting into words a review of a collection of poems.

I did enjoy reading the poems as well as the insight into the author’s life that they gave, but I suspect that those who regularly read poetry will find even greater meaning and understanding in this collection than I did. That’s not to say that I didn’t enjoy reading this collection, (Believe me, I did enjoy it), only that poetry isn’t something that I often tend to reach for when looking for a book to read.

I believe that those who are more familiar with poetry collections than I usually am will find even greater meaning and enjoyment in this collection of very emotionally charged poems, but even if not, I do think there is something within this collection for anyone looking to find a poem that resonates with something in their own lives.

"Indian Mail Order Bride and her Insecure Marriage" by Florence Linnington

Kimmimela was a member of the Lakota Tribe. When she learned that she was to be married to Mahkah, the son of the tribe’s chieftain, her heart sank. It was known that Mahkah had not been kind to his first wife before her death, and Kimmimela had hoped her father would have chosen a different husband for her as she desperately did not want to marry Mahkah.

Given that she was not given a choice in the matter, she had little hope of escaping the arranged marriage until a trader who passed through happened to stop by to do business with her people. She took the opportunity to ask him to take her away and help her find somewhere that she could find work and a place to live. When they showed up at his nephew’s house, Flynn was not happy with the idea of Kimmimela living with him, but agreed to let her stay until his uncle could find her another place to go. (Like many other people of the time, Flynn did not trust any indian.) Can he and Kimmimela overcome their distrust of each other and at least co-exist together peacefully? Or is this situation simply a disaster in the making?

As usual I enjoyed the story this author told. I did run across a few small typos, but in the past Ms. Linnington has been very good about correcting them as soon as they are caught so I expect that most of the ones I saw have already been fixed. Her story flowed beautifully and everything the characters did to get from point A in their relationship to point B made perfect sense. I enjoy reading a story where you can see the characters grow and change as the story continues, and this was a very good one for that. I look forward to reading her next book in this series.

"Suffocating Secrets" by E.A. Owen

Life has not been easy for Trevor and his family. And though things finally seem to be improving for them, there is still much happening that almost seems as if the curse they had struggled to end is still affecting this family. But is it really the curse, or is there actually something more sinister going on?

This was the sequel to ”A Curse of Torment” and continues the story of Mary, her son Trevor, and his daughter Isabella. It seems as if they will finally find happiness in their lives now that the curse has been lifted. But with everything they have lived through, can happiness truly be found? What if it wasn’t only the curse they had to overcome?

The story told by the author drew me in and definitely held my interest. It could have used another round or two of with an editor, but it was still well enough written to hold my interest and make me want to find out what was truly happening. I don’t often read thrillers, but I did enjoy the tale woven by Ms. Owen. It kept me guessing and trying to figure out the ending before I finished it. And while I may have guessed at some of what was happening, I did not completely figure out everything happening within this book before the end.

Fair warning though, there are some adult scenes in this book, so it might not be appropriate for younger readers. But for those who do read this book, I believe it will keep them guessing about it until they reach the end.