Book Review - Into the Starlight

Return to Sweetwater Crossing with the final installment of the Secrets of Sweetwater Crossing series by Amanda Cabot to finally learn what happened to Clive Finley and what will become of Joanna Vaughn. When the middle sister returns home from Europe, it is not as the accomplished concert pianist she hoped to become or as the wife she was for a short time, but as a widow whose struggle with pneumonia has robbed her of the stamina to pursue her high energy dreams. Furthermore, her joyful homecoming has been upended by changes that have come to Finley house in her absence and those that arrive on her heels in the form of Clive Finley’s former fiancée and his nephew, Burke. Of course, Sweetwater Crossing holds secrets only a Vaughn sister can bring to light, and working with Burke to unearth them gives him and Joanna an opportunity to find their own paths forward from a point of despair to a joyful future. Cabot reunites us with the Texas Hill County town and its citizens we know so well and introduces us to some vibrant new ones, rich with relatable dilemmas and a hope for what is yet to come. Into the Starlight could feasibly be read as a standalone, but I recommend enjoying the series in its entirety.

Into the Starlight by Amanda Cabot is available now from your favorite local bookseller or online:

Baker Book House        Christian Book        Amazon        Barnes & Noble        Walmart

Thank you to the author and publisher for allowing me a copy to read and review. All opinions expressed here are my own and are completely genuine.

Book Review - Against The Wind

Amanda Cabot’s latest release is the second in her Secrets of Sweetwater Crossing series, Against The Wind, and she blows in small town intrigue like a dust storm. Louisa Vaughn has a heart for healing and wants to do that for the community where she grew up. However, in late 1800s Texas, a female doctor is a radical idea that gets people riled up. Sweetwater Crossing is no exception and the resistance varies from loud mumbling to gravely dangerous acts that put others in harm’s way to prove a point. But Louisa has the unwavering support of her sister and of her first solo patient, Josh Porter. Josh has problems of his own, though. Outsiders may be welcomed here, but certainly with a fair amount of caution. And the broken leg Louisa has set for him throws a kink in his plans to get home to New York in time to try to win control of the family legacy in the competition his grandfather set forth.

If you don’t already know Sweetwater Crossing like your own hometown from After The Shadows, the town and its residents will quickly become familiar, thanks to Cox’s careful addition of the locals and their various places. You are effortlessly transported to the lush Texas Hill Country, to a slower and more organic time and place, with the sun on your face and the wind in your hair. Against The Wind will easily pull you in and leave you longing for the next installment of the Secrets of Sweetwater Crossing.

After The Shadows, book two in the Secrets of Sweetwater Crossing series by Amanda Cabot is available now from your favorite local bookseller or online:

Baker Book House            Christian Book            Barnes & Noble            Amazon

Thank you to the author and publisher for allowing me a copy to read and review. All opinions expressed here are my own and are completely genuine.

Book Review - After The Shadows

After leaving her family and friends behind to begin life at Mrs. Leland, Emily returns home to Sweetwater Crossing and finds it is too late to say goodbye to her dear mother. Furthermore, her sister Louisa’s demeanor is puzzling; they were once such good friends, but Louisa’s attitude now borders on hostility. As pieces begin falling into place, Emily realizes her husband’s abuse extended even beyond what she received directly, and she must now work to repair the relationships that are left. One thing marriage to George Leland taught her is that men lie to conceal their true intentions, and now that she has been released from that bondage by his death, she will never allow herself to be in that position again. When Emily’s father, Reverend Vaughn, is found hanging in the barn, Emily knows appearances are not always what they seem. There is no way her father committed suicide and she cannot rest until his killer is found.

Emily is a Vaughn through and through, and the way she cares for her neighbors reflects the values her parents modeled as she grew up in Sweetwater Crossing. Upon seeing the need of neighbors in distress, Emily opens the now empty family home to boarders, one of whom is the handsome new schoolmaster. A handsome new schoolmaster with an adorable little boy and the emotional scars that come from losing his beloved wife in a tragic accident. But working alongside Emily opens doors Craig never imagined his grief would allow opened, and there just might be a future for them after all.

I love good historical fiction with a well balanced romance element and a bit of intrigue. What After The Shadows delivers that I particularly enjoyed was the emphasis on the value of friendships. The four widows of Sweetwater Crossing treasure their friendship and encourage Emily to cultivate those relationships. After The Shadows is a well rounded read, the sequel to which I eagerly anticipate.

After The Shadows, Sweetwater Crossing #1, by Amanda Cabot is available now from your favorite local bookseller or online:

Baker Book House            Christian Book            Barnes & Noble            Amazon

Thank you to the author and publisher for allowing me a copy to read and review. All opinions expressed here are my own and are completely genuine.

Book Review - Spark of Love

Spark of Love is a return to Mesquite Springs that Amanda Cabot fans will thoroughly enjoy. Afraid for her safety, heiress Alexandra Tarkington finds herself fleeing the comforts of New York to find her father in Mesquite Springs, Texas. Running into Gabe Seymour is more than a coincidence, in spite of the way things appear to Alexandra. Unwanted courtships seem to be the least of her concerns when she finds herself in danger, but the biggest threats could be the reality of her father’s business schemes and the potential loss of the only suitor who actually holds her heart. This novel reads as a stand-alone, but reading the first two books in Cabot’s Mesquite Springs series is a delightful opportunity to get to know Alexandra’s new and dear friends, Evelyn and Dorothy. Stand-alone and series readers alike will appreciate the character development and unpredictable turns of events in Spark of Love.

Spark of Love by Amanda Cabot is the third book of her Mesquite Springs series and is available now from your favorite local bookseller or online:

Baker Book House        Christian Book         Barnes & Noble        Amazon

Thank you to the author and publisher for allowing me a copy to read and review. All opinions expressed here are my own and are completely genuine.

Book Review - Out of the Embers

Someone was watching.

I was immediately caught! Thanks to Amanda Cabot's hook of an opening line, I was involved in Evelyn's story from the first sentence. Out of the Embers is the first book in Cabot's new Mesquite Springs series and follows orphan Evelyn Radcliffe from the destruction of the orphanage she called home to the home that was meant for her.

Ten years after her parents were killed, Evelyn must start all over when her orphanage home is destroyed by fire. Who set the blaze that killed the matron and all of the other orphans, save sweet little Polly? Where will Evelyn and Polly go? How will Evelyn support them?

Wyatt Clark has always gone above and beyond to care for his family and nurture the dream of his deceased father, but he's planning for the day he can escape to chase his own dream. He is utterly unprepared to do anything more than providing shelter and food to the strangers he finds huddled under a wagon in a storm.

Amanda Cabot entwines their stories and their hearts deftly, while creating a lovable cast of characters in the town of Mesquite Springs. I look forward to the continuation of the series as we see what she has in store for Wyatt's dear sister, Dorothy, as well as the other citizens of their cozy Texas Hill country town.

Thank you to the publisher for allowing me a copy of this book to read and review. The opinions stated in this review are my own and are my completely honest assessment.