Tea & Read: A Noble Groom

Title: A Noble Groom
Author: Jody Hedlund
Genre: Christian Historical Fiction
Rating: One Cup of Tea (★★★)

This is the first book I've read from Jody Hedlund. I must admit that the cover of this book drew me in more than the storyline. 

Recently widowed Annalisa Werner has the feeling her husband was murdered but can't prove it. Alone with her young daughter in 1881 Michigan, she has six months left to finish raising the money needed to pay back the land contract her husband purchased, and the land is difficult to toil by herself. She needs a husband. With unmarried men scarce, her father sends a letter to his brother in the Old Country, asking him to find Annalisa a groom.

For nobleman Carl von Reichert, the blade of the guillotine is his fate. He's been accused and convicted of a serious crime he didn't commit, and his only escape is to flee to a small German community in Michigan where he'll be safe. He secures a job on Annalisa's farm but bumbles through learning about farming and manual labor.

Annalisa senses that Karl is harboring a secret about his past, yet she finds herself drawn to him anyway. He's gentle, kind, and romantic--unlike any of the men she's ever known. He begins to restore her faith in the ability to love--but her true groom is still on his way. And time is running out on them all.

This book has the basics right. Carl and Annalisa are great characters. I liked Annalisa's balanced character. She was both tough and tender. I loved her drive to save her farm, but that fact that she recognized that she needed help. Carl really does exemplify the title. He really was noble and heartwarming. His caring nature won me over from the time he was introduced. The writing was good and flowed easily and the authors treatment of classicism was believable and added depth to the story. 

My lower rating comes from the fact that the pace of the book was quite slow to me. I didn't quite feel the drive to finish it, although it was enjoyable while I was reading it. A couple of the plot lines were very predictable but were saved by the strength of the characters.

This was an easy, but enjoyable read. I would venture to read other books by Hedlund. 

Tea and Read: September Seconds - The Art of Romance

Title: The Art of Romance

Author: Kaye Dacus

Rating: Two cups of tea (★★★★)

I have a confession to make. I read the first two books of this series out of order. This is one of the few times I’ve done this in my life. Despite that, the book drew me in enough that I didn’t mind.

Blurb:

Author Kaye Dacus will ignite your love of romance with book 2 of her Matchmakers series. Dylan Bradley, who once illustrated steamy romances under the name Patrick Callaghan, has moved into his grandparent’s guest house in Nashville. Caylor Evans, having once written titillating novels under the penname Melanie Mason, lives with her grandmother. When their lives collide, due to the machinations of meddling matriarchs, the pasts of Dylan and Caylor threaten to derail their futures. Will they accept each other for who they now are—and once were? Or will they never discover the true art of romance?

Once again, Kaye Dacus provides another unique romance. Dylan and Caylor’s relationship fascinates me because it’s the first time in Christian fiction novel that I’ve read where the heroine was older than the hero. When I discovered this, I became nervous because I’ve had a few bad relationships with younger men. Honestly, I had already decided that I wasn’t going to like the book before I’d read half of it.

But I did like it. Dacus does a great job of building the relationship between the two and handling Dylan’s past of being in a relationship with an older woman. Dylan’s previous relationship and his relationship with Caylor create a good contrast of how older-female relationships should and should not be like.

As for the plot, it was engaging, a standard for Dacus. Characters were well thought out and memorable. I loved the use of art in this book and how Dacus developed Dylan and Caylor's relationship. This book wasn’t emotionally heavy, but it was a good conversation starter. Looking forward to reading the last book in this series. 

Tea and Read: September Seconds- Love Remains

Title: Love Remains

Author: Kaye Dacus

Rating: One cup of tea (★★★)

Kaye Dacus is one of my favorite go-to writers. I can count on her books as a decent read.

Blurb:

Every grandmother wants to see her grandchildren happy, especially when it comes to their love lives. Join five active senior ladies—and one gentleman—who take a great interest in the lives and loves of their single grandchildren and become The Matchmakers. Zarah Mitchell and Bobby Patterson become the first focus of meddling grandmothers when he moves back to Nashville to work for the Tennessee Criminal Investigations Unit. Will Zarah be able to forgive the man who years ago chose a military career over her—especially when she learns he is investigating the historic preservation agency for which she works?

Of all Dacus’s books I’ve read, I must admit I enjoyed this one the least. Not that the book was bad, but at some points the plot dragged and I found myself skimming. The ending seemed to be an little anti-climatic for me, which I found unusual for Dacus’ books. Having said that, the book still held the things that I love about Dacus’ novels.

Dacus has a way of creating realistically flawed characters, especially Dacus’ heroines. I could relate to Zarah but she totally frustrated me sometimes. I wanted to shake her out of her mindset. A strong emotion but a good thing because she felt like a real person, and I found myself caring about her even though she drove me crazy. The rest of the characters were equally real.  I loved Bobby’s struggle with his emotions about Zarah and his job. And of course, I enjoyed the grandmother’s schemes and plans. Dacus’ writing style was as engaging and clean as usual.

Good read from a solid writer.