So Rare a Gift (Daughters of His Kingdom #3) by Amber Lynn Perry {Review}

So Rare a Gift (Daughters of His Kingdom Book 3)

by Amber Lynn Perry 

Kindle Edition, 329 pages

Published July 3rd 2016 by Liberty Publishing 

 

 

Escape is Anna Rone’s only option. Never again will she be trapped in a loveless marriage. A new life in America means safety—and discovering the truth behind her beloved brother’s death. But when she is nearly captured and forced to return to England, her vow to never marry for anything but love is forgotten when she must marry for protection. Perhaps the handsome man she accepts is truly as caring as he seems. If he is not, her future in America is darker than ever before.

Captain Henry Donaldson aided the colonists too many times. And now, the British army intends to make him pay with his life. Without his friends in Sandwich, he would be a dead man. He’s already changed his name, and when the kind, courageous woman he rescued offers to become his bride, he accepts despite the risks. His past taught him that women are not to be trusted and that love can cut deeper than the sword. Only time will reveal if this choice will bring the greatest pain he’s ever known.

 

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My Review: 5 Stars

 

One of my favorite book tropes is a marriage of convenience, especially when there is a spark of attraction there. Add to that, a hint of danger and the story is very intriguing. 

 

Anna finds herself in an impossible situation and decides to accept the marriage proposal from a kind stranger. Henry has just assumed a new identity for safety purposes, but that doesn't affect who he really is on the inside. I love the bravery shown by each character and the way they gradually come to fan the flames of their mutual attraction. The romance is sweet and tender, yet has a few sparks that at times made me swoon. And I love to swoon! I found myself almost wishing to have been placed in a situation such as this, but I don't think I could handle the peril.

 

This author truly has a talent for telling a tale, while engaging the reader. I honestly haven't read a lot of books set in this time period and felt that I learned some history along with being entertained and I really enjoyed every page. 

 

I'm reading these books out of order, but it doesn't really matter--they can stand alone. The integrity of the characters, as well as the way they handle the precarious situations that they find themselves in makes it worth the time invested in reading this series. 

 

Content: mild+ religious elements; mild+ romance.

 

*I received a copy from the author, which did not affect my review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.*

 

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Buy Link:

 

Swoon Worthy Spotlights

Welcome to Swoon Worthy Spotlights,

hosted by Bookworm Nation, Katie's Clean Book Collection and KJ's Book Nook! 

Swoon Worthy Spotlights features 1-3 of our favorite books that we have read during the month.

We will share the cover(s), our review(s)

and a link to each other's posts

so you can check out which books we have all chosen!

The books that made me swoon this month are:

The Whys Have It by Amy Matayo

 

Sweet Regrets by Jennifer Peel

 

 

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What have you swooned over this month? 

Grab the graphic and join in the fun or 

post your favorites in the comments.

Be sure to check out 

KJ's Book Nook

and

Bookworm Nation

for their choices!

Happy Reading!

Great Summer Reads Countdown Blitz Day 11: The Neighbor's Secret by Kimberley Montpetit

When she was in Paris, Kimberley Montpetit spent most of her souvenir money at the La Patisserie shops with their beautiful and delicious pastries. She grew up in the fabulous city of San Francisco, loves all things chocolate, and now lives in a small town along the Rio Grande with her engineer husband and three sons.

She once stayed in the haunted tower room at Borthwick Castle in Scotland and didn't sleep a wink, sailed the Seine in Paris, rode a camel in the ancient world wonder of Petra, shopped the Grand Bazaar in Istanbul, and spent the night in an old Communist hotel in Bulgaria.

Kimberley also writes Award-winning Middle-Grade novels with Scholastic and Young Adult novels with Harpercollins under the name, Kimberley Griffiths Little.

Connect with the Author here:

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After being left at the altar on her wedding day, businesswoman Allie Strickland returns to her hometown to heal her broken heart. But Heartland Cove County is a small town of Victorian homes and quirky, gossiping citizens.

Grieving the trauma of her ex-fiancé’s betrayal and overwhelmed by her clingy mother, Allie rents the first available house she can find. But on the very first night, Allie’s peace is violated by an unexpected intruder who breaks into the house while she’s taking a bubble bath. An intruder using an alias with old ties to Heartland Cove.

Forced by unusual circumstances to share the same rental house, Allie’s suspicions of the man grow—even as she finds herself attracted to him. But is Ethan Smith merely a magazine freelancer on assignment—or an undercover spy for the mayor who wants to ruin the charming town by running a new highway through for his own profit?

Is Ethan Smith friend or foe? Enemy or lover?

This book is on Sale for .99 for today only! 

Make sure you get your copy now!

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 The next book in the series is available next week! 

Make sure to check it out on Author Kimberley Montpetit Amazon page!

Snippets:

Stiffly, Allie sat upright in her wedding dress, enduring the awkward embraces, the whispers of empathy. 

Later, she wouldn’t even be able to recall who had been in attendance, except for her best friend Marla standing at her side like a fierce lioness, ready to take down anyone who said something snide and ugly.

One by one, the guests in their chiffon dresses and suits and ties filed out of the church. All but one young woman.

Courtney Willis. Her previous rival for Sean’s affection. Of course, she’d come to witness Allie’s moment of shame.

Courtney’s face was unreadable, but she had the good sense not to come over and give an air kiss, or pretend any sort of friendship.

The air crackled with unspoken words, and then Courtney clicked her heels down the parquet corridor toward the parking lot, pausing to sign the guest book with a flourish of the feather-plumed pen.

Allie wanted to drive the pen straight into the woman’s jugular. “Does she know where Sean is? Is that where she’s headed—to help him look for their client?”

Marla gripped her shoulder. “Don’t start making things up to torture yourself.”

Allie brushed a finger across the screen of her mobile phone. A text had just appeared. Her heart thumped with both hope and dread. It was from Sean. Thirteen words.

Sorry about craziness. We’ll get married another day. Not end of world. Promise.

Allie handed the phone to Marla who read it and cursed. “That son of a—” Before her friend could finish, Allie tugged the phone out of Marla’s curled fingers and threw it across the church foyer where it smashed against the wall and broke into a dozen pieces.

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Great Summer Reads Countdown Blitz Day 10: Rising Tide: Dark Innocence by Claudette Melanson

Claudette Melanson writes dark fantasy in Kitchener, Ontario with four bun babies: Tegan, Pepper, Butters & Beckett. She graduated from Indiana University of Pennsylvania with a BA in English, BS in English Education and an MA in Literature. Harboring a deep admiration of vampires since the age of five left her with the desire to eventually become one, and now fuels the creation of her favorite paranormal characters. She hopes to one day work full time as an author, since there are many, many stories playing out inside her head.

In her very scant spare time, she enjoys watching Japanese Anime and reading vampire stories...along with other genres of great fiction, as well as riding every roller coaster she encounters in both her hometown and away at signings. An advocate for good health and ketogenic eating, her favorite foods are bulletproof coffee, cashew-flour crust pizza and treats made with xylitol and almond, coconut or cashew flours.

Future dreams include a cabin boasting a roaring fire, isolated inside a snow-filled wood in the Yukon—the perfect writing spot—and the completion of dozens of future novels and stories. A Rabbit Rescue fanatic and loving bunmom, she also hopes to help rescues all over the world save many innocent lives.

Connect with the Author here: 

~ Facebook ~ Website ~ Amazon ~ Twitter ~

When a cruel prank nearly claims Maura’s life, one of her classmates, Ron, rushes to her rescue. Darkly handsome & mysteriously accepting, Ron doesn’t seem to want to stay away, but Maura is reluctant to get too close, since her mother has announced she’s moving the two of them to Vancouver…nearly 3,000 miles away from their hometown of Indiana, Pennsylvania.

If life wasn’t already challenging enough, Maura begins to experience bizarre, physical changes her mother seems hell bent on ignoring, compelling Maura to fear for her own life. Vicious nightmares, blood cravings, failing health and the heart-shattering loss of Ron—as well as the discovery of a tangled web of her own mother's lies—become obstacles in Maura's desperate quest for the unfathomable truth she was never prepared to uncover.

This book is now free on Amazon!!!

Make sure you get your copy now!

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Snippet:

A dream sequence

My vision was blurred, and the light in the room was too intensely bright. The same headache I’d been plagued with that afternoon pulsated through my skull. I made every effort to shut it all out and focus on that face. The long dark hair told me it was Ron before I could fully make out his features in the haziness that was my sight. When my vision sharpened, he smiled at me, but the softness in his eyes held the hard edge of worry.

“How are you feeling?” He kept his voice barely above a whisper, which meant he knew how sensitive my hearing was. Maybe he knew what was wrong with me. I was hurting all over…my throat burned like a bonfire, and the rest of me was so cold, I was sure they must be transfusing me with ice water.

I tried to speak to him, to demand a diagnosis, but I was too weak to utter a single word. Caelyn appeared then, cooing over me protectively and imploring me to save my strength and keep quiet.

My eyes were drawn to a shape in the doorway of my hospital room. There was someone there, a tall, hulking human filling up the space. He—it had to be a man given the size—was shrouded in darkness. I could make out no discerning features whatsoever. A nurse pushed past him, only because he moved to allow it. Funny, even when she was right behind him, I could make out every detail about her. It was as if all the darkness in the room were reserved, solely, for this unknown stranger.

The nurse brought in a blood bag. Although I couldn’t remember any accident or see any bandaged wound, my brain tried to ferret out a reason for a blood transfusion while she was hooking up the bag.

While watching her, my eyes switched focus, glancing over at the liquid in the bag. Deep, dark crimson. I couldn’t tear my eyes away. My mouth was like dry desert sand, my throat the merciless sun burning over that desert at high noon.

A rattling gasp tore up through my chest, and my body convulsed. I was sure I was dying. My blood must’ve had some horrible disease tainting it, and the transfusion’s purpose was to dilute the infection.

Ron put his hand on my chest to hold me down. He seemed troubled, but other than that, much too calm for the gravity of the situation. “Relax,” he said to me with that same softness to his voice, “you just need blood, Maura.”

He reached out and nodded to the nurse. She stopped what she was doing and took the bag down, placing it in Ron’s hand. He tore open the bottom, in a practiced manner, and held it to my lips.

“Drink, Maura. It’ll help you faster this way.”

As shocked as I was by this turn of events, I complied. In all my waking hours, nothing had ever tasted better. And even though I knew what was happening was not what was supposed to be happening, in my dream I tore the bag from his grasp so I could gulp its contents down faster.

To view our blog schedule and follow along with this tour visit our Official Event page 

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So Pure a Heart by Amber Lynn Perry {Blog Tour Review + Giveaway}

Series: Daughters of His Kingdom Genre: Historical, Romance, Christian Publisher: Liberty Publishing Publication date: June 20, 2017 Number of pages: 346 Since the night her dear uncle gave his life for hers, Hannah Young is determined to risk everything by spying for the Patriots in order to seek retribution against the British soldier who killed him. But when her former love, Joseph Wythe, insists on ensuring her safety, she must decide if the vengeance she seeks is worth the danger of his nearness. For the love she once felt is liable to grow deeper and more threatening to her heart than it ever was before. Leaving his young ward to join the fight for liberty is the hardest thing Joseph Wythe has ever done. Nearly. The most difficult happened ten years past, which he tries his best forget. Seeing Hannah Young again after all this time does something frightening and wonderful to his soul. Though her determination to spy for the

​Patriots is honorable and brave, he will never allow her to take such a risk without him to protect her, no matter how she protests—and no matter how he knows he will ache all the more for the thing he always wanted and still could never have. 

GOODREADS | AMAZON

A Pacific Northwest native, Amber Lynn Perry lives in Washington state with her husband and two daughters. She studied humanities at Portland State University and graduated with a Bachelor’s degree focused on art history. As a homeschooling mom, Amber spends much of her time teaching everything from Shakespeare to science.
When she isn’t crafting with her kids, making dinner or driving to dance classes, Amber is either reading or writing about her favorite time in American history. The Revolutionary era has captured her imagination from the time she was in middle school. Through her books, Amber hopes to not only give readers a glimpse into the past, but to instill in them a lasting love of liberty.

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5 Stars

The Revolutionary War is a time in history that is very interesting and I haven't really given a lot of thought to how it affected every day people. This is Book 4 in the series and I haven't read the others yet, but it stood alone nicely. I am going to go back and read those though, since it is fascinating.

This author does a great job of telling a tale, weaving fact with fiction, in a way that is both educational and entertaining. The characters are richly written and come to life through their challenges, secrets, and trials. I honestly couldn't be a spy, yet the strength and bravery that Joseph and Hannah exhibit is heartwarming and encouraging.

As anyone who knows me knows, I love a good romance and this one shows a couple who was once in love and was driven apart, only to be thrust together again in dire circumstances, having to trust and support one another in order to stay alive. Joseph and Hannah's romance is tender and sweet, yet also exudes a few sparks of clean passion.

This story has an underlying current of religion, which I feel was a very important thing at this time of history. A big reason people came to America was for religious freedom. The religious aspects aren't overwhelming, but they play a big part in shaping the characters. This is a great historical fiction series.

Content: mild romance (kissing with a few sparks, implied premarital relationship); mild violence (it's war); moderate religious elements (not necessarily preachy, but important for character growth).

*I received a copy, which did not affect my opinion in any way. All thoughts are my own.*

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​June 26--Remembrancy | Heidi Reads...
June 27--Paulette's Papers | By The Book
June 28-- Reading Is My SuperPower | Katie's Clean Book Collection
June 29--Joy of Reading | Faithfully Bookish
June 30--Red Headed Book Lady | Singing Librarian Books
July 1--Book by Book | Getting Your Read On

Great Summer Reads Countdown Blitz Day 9: Venators: Magic Unleashed by Devri Walls

Devri Walls is the best-selling author of six YA fantasy novels. She is a theater major with a flare for the dramatic and wishes more than anything for a magic wand. Devri is from Boise Idaho where she lives with her husband, two kids and the cutest mutt of a dog the world has ever seen. When she’s not writing she can be found teaching voice lessons, trying to resist the urge to sell her two beautiful children to the circus, and cooking. Because…. food. Mmmmmmm.

  

Connect with the Author here: 

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"Six years ago, Grey Malteer was attacked by creatures he thought couldn’t possibly exist. They repeated a word, calling him a name he’d never heard before…Venator. Since then, his life has been a hellhole of secrecy—hiding old pain alongside strange new abilities.

Rune Jenkins has an itch, as she calls it, but it’s more than that. It’s an anger that builds up like the inside of a boiler whenever she’s around anything remotely supernatural. The pressure is growing steadily worse and she can’t understand why. All she knows is—her control is slipping.

By order of an unknown council Grey and Rune are pulled through a portal in the St. Louis arch, landing them in an alternate dimension where creatures of myth and legend exist. A realm that calls them, Venators.

Made up of centuries old fae, vampires, werewolves, elves and succubi the council’s corrupt nature becomes obvious as they seek to wield the newly returned Venators as weapons. Wedged in an impossible position, Grey and Rune must decide their fate—do they go against the council’s wishes and help the innocents of this unforgiving land, or face the possibility of execution by the council."

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Snippets:

Ryker’s snoring had grown to a delightful combination of a gravel truck and a freight train. The internal resentment she always felt was growing, and the irritating sound fed everything that bothered her—like an infection spreading from one cell to the next. It had been building for years, but tonight it finally hit critical mass.

Rune jerked to her feet, driven by a need to do something, and moved to the window.

She loved her brother but damn it, she hated him too. What could possibly have been so horrible that it was worth sacrificing not only his life, but hers too? Surely he knew that’s what he’d done. How could he not see that she’d given up everything because of him?

Her life consisted of two things: chasing after Ryker to make sure he didn’t kill himself, and making sure she pulled the grades and sunk the shots to make mom proud. A Herculean effort. And futile.

What about what she wanted? Didn’t that matter to anyone?

A sob escaped and she wrapped her arms around herself. Did she even know what she wanted? There was a time when she’d enjoyed drawing. Creating images of vampires and demons had made the itch stop after her and Ryker’s games ceased. But the pictures had turned so dark they’d scared her mother, so Rune had let it go.

She also loved to teach and had thought about being a coach. According to her parents, “teachers didn’t make enough money,” so teaching was therefore unacceptable. Because nothing made you so happy as a house full of expensive items you didn’t need.

Fury and resentment kindled within, directed both at her parents and her drunken fool of a brother. Past history and overflowing stores of anger provided ample amounts of dry tinder, and her emotions rose violently, flaming to an unbearably hot inferno. She shook with sobs that her unconscious brother wouldn’t hear. Years of self-sacrifice ran down her cheeks in crystal streams and then…something snapped inside.

An odd calm wrapped her in its embrace, followed by a clear knowledge of what would stop the pain. She let out a slow breath and straightened, wiping the tears from her cheeks.

She was done.

Screw Ryker. Screw her parents. They could figure out life without controlling hers.

To view our blog schedule and follow along with this tour visit our Official Event page 

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