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My Dearest Friend by Hazel Stratham is a wonderful book full of lush period detail and characters to please a reader. The book contains many emotions; among them sorrow, grief, love and  friendship. Many of these emotions are felt in empathy by the reader as they fall into the world and lives that the author evokes.

Robert Blake, Duke of Lear, is living with the raw grief and feelings of guilt in the death of his younger brother Stefan, when the chance to help another young man is brought to his attention by the injured young mans sister, Miss Jane Chandler. Little does the Duke know that the encounter will renew his flagging spritis and give him a chance for self redemption. Deciding to accompany Jane on her journey gives the Duke a mission and a purpose he had been missing. Along their journey several mis-haps occur and the Duke is faced with new details and secrets of his brothers life. When the Duke finds his feelings for Jane have moved beyond friendship and into love, he is surprised and yet eager to embark on this new path in his life. But, will Jane return his feelings, or will he forever be her dearest friend?

When Jane asked the Duke for an introduction to a Ships Captain, she never expected that he would join her journey to find her brother, injured in the War with the French. Nor did she at first relish his company. However, before long Jane came to care for the Duke as a friend and then later, much more.

But, life is not fair in its path to happiness. And this couple has much to travail before they can have their Happily Ever After. Never fear, this reader has enjoyed their path with its twists and turns and I leave you with no doubt that the journey is worth it. I enjoyed this book with its regency period and characters. From the first words of prose I was trasnported back into the time of the characters. A thoroughly good read that was hard for this reader to let end.

Available in ebook from Wings ePress, Inc.

P.S. I Love You by Cecelia Ahern was a very emotional read. The book is not a traditional romance, as there is no real HEA, but the love felt by the couple for each other surpasses the past and is felt in the present the book is written in. The lead character, Holly, has recently lost her husband,Gerry from a brain tumor. They were both young and in love and normal. Holly is devastated by Gerry’s death and enters into a deep depression. Finally, after 2 months, Holly leaves her home to retrieve a mysterious package sent to her parents home, to her. Inside she finds letters from Gerry, one a month for 10 months. Inside each letter is a task set for Holly to achieve, or perform. And each is signed, P.S. I Love You. Holly clings to these letters, and over time, they help her to move forward in her life from the utter devastation her grief had led her. Friends and Family also help Holly discover that her life and the love she had for Gerry didn’t die with him, but that even he knew that she would eventually recover from his death. There is much humor in this book and it helps to balance the almost overwhelming sadness the lead character feels. Married or not, if you’ve ever had love in your life, this book will touch your heart. I can not begin to express the power this book has. The writing is simple, but the message is not. And the ending? I feel sure that I can tell you that Holly does not find a HEA with another, but she does find it within herself. I do recommend you set aside a chunk of time for the book, as once you start, it is hard to put down. Oh, and don’t forget the kleenex. I wish I could fully express the punch this book has, however gentle it is. Now, excuse me while I go hug my Husband.

The Bishop at the Lake by Andrew M. Greeley is a fantastic mystery featuring Blackie Ryan, a well known Greeley character. Blackie is sent by his boss, Cardinal Sean Cronin, to investigate a priest spreading false rumors about a prestigious appoinment…held by the Cardinal! What Blackie finds is an ineffectual lush who is not worth the worry. But, while there Blackie is introduced to the Priest’s family, the Nolan’s. Each character is described with Greeley’s typical wit and humor the reader is pulled in by his writing cadence and delightful leading characters. The Patriarch of the Nolan clan is sympathetic and strong, as is his enduring love for his wife. Their Granddaughter, Peggy Anne is at turns immature and wise beyond her years.With the introduction of Joseph, a balancing character for Peggy Anne, a secondary story is intrduced, that of young love. When the Priest Blackie is investigating, Malachai Nolan, is almost killed by a Hornet attack, Blackie is pulled deep into the family’s drama as he tries to find out who (and why) such an attack was made. Even though the villian is over-the-top and easily spotted, an observation voiced by Blackie Ryan himself, the reader is carried along to the predictable and fun ending.

This is not my first (and won’t be my last, I hope) Greeley book. His characters are always bold, bright and full of life. The books seem to end too soon and the glimpses into the families lives are true, just and usually full of love. I have been a huge fan of this authors works for years and have never been dissapointed. Thank You dear author.

Seducing the Mercenary
by Loreth Anne White
Reviewed by Bailey Stewart

The book was done, the last page read and yet I sat there holding it in my hands, unwilling to let it go. The sounds of the neighborhood slowly emerged from the jungle in my mind; I had been so engrossed that they had been shoved back into the shadows of Ubasi. Usually when I like a book, I jump up immediately and write the review; but not this time. I want to savor the feelings that still pour through me; its story holds me in its grip. What to say, how to articulate the sensations brought on by Emily/Emma and Jean’s story; the emotions that still hold me tight.

Ubasi, an African nation in the middle of turmoil, its tyrannical leader Souleyman ousted by Jean-Charles Laroque, Le Diable, son of the merciless Peter Laroque. Emily Carlin is a psychologist who works for the Force du Sable, a mercenary group that has been commissioned by the U.S. to help Souleyman regain power. She’s an expert in tyrannical pathology, alpha dogs as she calls them. Her job is to determine the best way to control Laroque, whose rise to power makes the U.S. uncomfortable because he can not be controlled as easily as Souleyman. The adage, better the devil you know than the one you don’t, comes easily to mind. Emily has to identify the dictator’s weaknesses in order to help the FDS devise their strategy; do they take him prisoner, or do they assassinate him? She has one week to find out.

Jean-Charles Laroque, a man with a mission, distrustful of everyone. Burdened with the legacy of his father’s cruelty, he must deal with enemies on all sides. Betrayal is dealt with quickly and ruthlessly. How will he handle the duplicity of the woman that he not only let into his castle, but into his heart.