Review - A Healing Spirit (Riverview #2) by Melissa A. Hanson

A freak ski accident brings nineteen-year old Mia Kinney within minutes of death. Hurt and scared, Mia is calmed by the southern drawl and clear green eyes of her rescuer.

Twenty-one year old Dylan Blackburn is one of the first Ski Patrol members on the scene. As his patient is airlifted to the local trauma center, he can’t shake her from his thoughts.

As Mia fights for her life, Dylan, is haunted by the blond hair beauty, and knows he needs to make sure she’s going to be okay.

With a troubled past Dylan has vowed never to completely open himself up to another girl, but Mia continues to knock down every wall he’s constructed. When his past arrives at his front door and threatens once again someone that he loves, will Dylan be able to save Mia yet again? Or will he be too late this time?

A story of love, friendship, and the determination to turn a horrible experience into something worthwhile.

"A Healing Spirit" is book 2 of the Riverview Series, however each is a standalone story.

I don't generally like to review a novel that's not first in a series without having read books before it. But A Healing Spirit by Melissa A. Hanson, book 2 in the Riverview series, is a standalone novel so I didn't have to worry about not being caught up with the story.

The long and short of it is this: Mia is seriously injured and has to be hospitalized and undergoes a few surgeries to try and fix all of her broken bits. Dylan is a member of the Ski Patrol and, along with his friend, saves Mia's life. Mia fights to come back from her accident but she can't get Dylan out of her head. It was his voice that sort of grounded her after her accident, kept her from giving in to the pain, so to speak. And Dylan can't get her out of his head. They kind of fall for each other but Dylan has a past he doesn't want Mia to know about.

I liked the story. It was very sweet. Dylan is a pretty stand up guy and Mia isn't some frail little girl who is begging to be rescued. Her friends are fantastic, even if one of them fancies himself more than a friend. What I liked about that was that it never really became a love triangle. Like a decent person, he realized Mia didn't feel the same way about him and he let her go. What a breath of fresh air.

Dylan is a wonderful, chivalrous, knight in shining armor without being completely egotistical about it. And instead of curling up in a ball and letting what happened to Mia overcome her, she's determined to try and use her experience to make a difference in the lives and safety of other people. I don't see that combo a lot in the stories I read. It made this story different and new.

Their families (well, part of Dylan's at least) are wonderful and accepting and friendly. There are no boyfriend/girlfriend/hateful family conflicts like I see a lot. Our main characters are pretty likeable so, in turn, everyone likes them. Yes, Dylan holds back a part of his life that inevitably puts a few lives in danger (the part of his life, not that he holds it back....) but he does everything he can to make it right, and Mia doesn't hold it against him.

The story seems extremely real. Not like it's a story. More like it's a narrative of things that are really happening. Completely believable. It even switches perspective quite a bit so we get to see inside a lot of the characters, rather than just the main 2. Everyone plays a part in the story so everyone gets a chance to tell part of the story. I was worried that switching back and forth and all over would get confusing, but it didn't. And it's loosely based on a true story.

I would definitely recommend this book to just about anyone. It's romantic, but not heavy. It's sweet but intense at times. And it's a pretty quick read because you get sucked in to the story from the word go. So check it out!

Review - Emily's Chance (The Callahans of Texas #2) by Sharon Gillenwater

Emily Rose may be in the tiny West Texas town of Callahan Crossing for the moment, but it's just a rung on her ladder to success. Her work at the Callahan Crossing historical society will look good on her ever-growing resume as she attempts to break into the prestigious world of a big city museum curator. Little does she know cowboy and contractor Chance Callahan has decided that he can convince her to stay--both with the town and with him. As he helps Emily restore the town's history after a devastating fire, he also helps her uncover her own hidden worth and the value of love.

The second book in THE CALLAHANS OF TEXAS series, Emily's Chance is a heartwarming story of letting love take the lead. Readers will come away wishing they lived in Callahan Crossing.

Emily's Chance by Sharon Gillenwater was a gift given to me by the Easter Bunny this year (thanks mom!). I think I was overdue for a cowboy romance novel. This was a good one.

Much of the town has been ravaged by fire and Emily's trying to figure out what the point in staying is. Since her purpose of vising Callahan Crossing was to help get its small museum off the ground. Chance is hoping to give her a reason to stay, perhaps permanently. He fell in love with her the moment he saw her and it would just break his heart if she left so quickly.

Chance donates a building to the historical society to use for their museum and Emily and Chance's family/friends get on the ball finding donations for the museum since much was lost in the fire. Emily finds that the more time she spends with Chance and the people he loves the more she doesn't want to leave them. Sure, her DREAM job is head curator in a large museum, but what if her dream job comes at the expense of the man she doesn't want to admit she's falling for?

Chance. ::sigh:: Christian. Gallant and chivalrous and kind and gentle and.... I could probably go on and on about him. He's a loving son and a doting uncle. He works hard and does everything he possibly can to help everyone in need. He cares fiercely for his family and is bound and determined to sweep Emily off of her feet and have her join the family.

Emily is lovely and kind and stubborn as an ox. I guess the same could be said about Chance as well... they make a great pair. She's a new-ish Christian with a somewhat questionable past and definitely questionable people as parents. She thinks her life is leading her on one specific path and refuses to believe that maybe her path can change. At first. But she grows to love Callahan Crossing and the people in it. She starts to see them as family, not just a town she's working for. This little country town is a breath of fresh air compared to the big city life she's known before, and she comes to find out that maybe she doesn't really want to go back. The fact that one of the most eligible bachelors is in love with her doesn't hurt her decision making process. But she takes her sweet time realizing she loves him back.

This was a great story. I loved the history of the town and Chance's family. I loved their strong Christian roots and the way everyone was family to them, even out of town yuppies like Emily. I loved that they were all so amazing to each other in spite of struggles that they faced and that the whole community was so close-knit. It was great to see that everyone banded together to rebuild the town after a completely devastating fire that big wigs in the city thought they'd never recover from.

Books like this make me long for small town life like that. Where everyone knows everyone and even if you're different, and sometimes nosey, you're friends. Or at least cordial and able to get along. It makes me long for the country and the fresh air and the kind of community where you have spaghetti dinners and everyone shows up. Or if you need a place to stay no one is uncomfortable offering a couch or a room for as long as you need it. It's the kind of place where you make friends when you're little and they're still friends 30-40 years down the line.

I loved this book. I'd recommend it to anyone. The Easter Bunny definitely did a good job picking this one out for me.

Book Blast - Wounded by Jasinda Wilder

Wounded by Jasinda Wilder

 

War has taken everything from me. My family. My home. My innocence. In a country blasted by war and wracked by economic hardship, a young orphan girl like me has very few options when it comes to survival. Thus, I do what I must to live, to eat, and I try very hard to not consider the cost to my soul. My heart is empty, and my existence brutal.

The one impossibility in my life is love.

And then I meet HIM.

War is hell. It takes a chunk out of a man's very soul to do the kinds of things war demands of you. You live with fear, you live with guilt, and you live with nightmares. If you haven't been through it, there's no understanding it. War leaves no room for love, no room for tenderness or softness. You gotta be hard, closed off, and ready to fight every moment of every day. Lose focus for a split second, and you're dead.

Now the only thing that can save me is HER.

Get the book from Amazon HERE.

Jasinda Wilder is a Michigan native with a penchant for titillating tales about sexy men and strong women. When she's not writing, she's probably shopping, baking, or reading.

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Cover by PhatPuppy Art