2015 Netgalley Reading Challenge - COMPLETED Successfully

2015 Netgalley Reading Challenge

hosted by Ariel at Fictively.com  

Rules and sign up can be found HERE.

Goal: You can continue to request galleys, or you can read the ones you already have. The point is to get your feedback ratio closer to the recommended 80%.
I actually stay close to 79-80% most of the time but this will help me stay on track and keep me reading some good review books.
UPDATE: December 2015 - I got my ratio up to 88% at one point but as of this post it is at 86% as I requested quite a few titles (a dozen) to prepare for 2016!
I read 37 books from NetGalley in 2014 so the Challenge Level I chose for 2015 is 31-40 books or “Difficult”:
UPDATE: December 2015 - I completed my goal by reading 44 NetGalley titles.
I didn't do quarterly updates this year so I will try to do better at that in 2016.

MBS 2015 NetGalley Challenge- Completed

JANUARY
1. Book Review: Only Enchanting, A Survivors' Club Novel by Mary Balogh; Historical Romance; my rating 4.75.
2. Book Review: Exodus 2022 by Kenneth G. Bennett; Sci Fi Thriller;  my rating 4.25.
3. Book Review: 'Tis The Season: Under the Christmas Tree\Midnight Confessions\Backward Glance by Robyn Carr; Contemporary Romance, Small Town; my rating 4.5. 
4. Book Review: Just in Time for a Highlander (Sirens of the Scottish Borderlands) by Gwyn Cready; Time Travel, Highlander; my rating 4.0. 
5. Book Review: Hawk (The Quiet Professionals, Book 2) by Ronie Kendig; Military Romance, Christian; my rating 4.25.
FEBRUARY
6. Book Review and Giveaways: What a Devilish Duke Desires by Vicky Dreiling; Historic Romance; my rating 3.75. 
7. Book Review: Snow Angel Cove by RaeAnne Thayne; Contemporary Romance; my rating 4.5.
MARCH
8. Book Review: The Last Heiress by Mary Ellis; Historical Romance; my rating 4.5.
9. Book Review: Monday’s Lie by Jamie Mason; Mystery; my rating 4.5.
10. Book Review: Echoes (A Harp Security Novel) by Laura K. Curtis; Romantic Suspense; my rating 4.5.
11. Book Review and Giveaways: A Kiss to Build a Dream On (A White Pine Novel) by Kim Amos; Contemporary Romance, Small town; my rating 3.5. 
12. Book Review and Giveaways: Scandalously Yours by Cara Elliott; Historical Romance; my rating 4.5. 
APRIL
13. Book Review: A Hope Remembered by Stacy Henrie; Historical Romance, WWI; my rating 4.25
14. Book Review: Shadow Study (Soulfinders) by Maria V. Snyder; Fantasy; my rating 4.5.
15. Book Review: The Fire Sermon by Francesca Haig; Fantasy, Dystopian, Post Apocalyptic; my rating 4.0.
16. Book Review and Giveaways: Fringe Benefits (The Ladies Who Lunch) by Sandy James; Contemporary Romance, Small Town; my rating 3.75.
17. Book Review and Giveaways: Sinfully Yours (The Hellions of High Street) by Cara Elliott; Historical Romance; my rating 4.25. 
MAY
18. Book Review: The Shadow Cartel (The Dominic Grey Series) by Layton Green; Mystery Suspense, Thriller, my rating 4.25.
19. Book Review: Letters to the Lost by Iona Grey; Historic Romance, Romance; my rating 4.5.
20. Book Review and Tour Giveaway: Once Upon a SEAL (Lucky Thirteen Book 5) by S.M. Butler; Contemporary Romance; my rating 4.0.
21. Book Review: Grey (The Romany Outcasts Series, Book 1) by Christi J. Whitney; Paranormal, YA; my rating 4.25.
22. Book Review and Giveaways: Passionately Yours (The Hellions of High Street) by Cara Elliott; Historical Romance; my rating 4.0.
JUNE
23. Book Review: Judas the Apostle by Van Mayhall Jr.; Biblical thriller; my rating 4.0.
24. Book Review and Giveaway: A New Hope (Thunder Point series) by Robyn Carr; Contemporary Romance, Small Town; my rating 4.5.
JULY
25. Book Review and Blitz Giveaway: A Promise of Forever (A Tallgrass Novel Book 1) by Marilyn Pappano; Contemporary Romance, Small Town; my rating 4.5. US and Canada; Ends 7/11/2015.
26. Book Review: SEAL Team Six: Hunt the Fox by Don Mann, Ralph Pezzullo; Military Thriller; my rating 4.25.
27. Book Review: A Curse of Ash and Iron by Christine Norris; Fantasy, Steampunk, Fairy Tale; my rating 4.5.
28. Book Review: Footsteps in the Sky by Greg Keyes; Science Fiction; my rating 4.25.
AUGUST
29. Book Review: Plantation Shudders: A Cajun Country Mystery (A Cajun Country Mystery) by Ellen Byron; Cozy Mystery; my rating 4.25.
30. Book Review: Dark Horse by Michelle Diener; Sci Fi, Space Opera; my rating 5.0.
31. Book Review: A City Called Smoke: The Territory 2 by Justin Woolley; Science Fiction, Action Adventure; my rating 4.25.
32. Book Review: To Honor You Call Us (Man of War Book 1) by H. Paul Honsinger; Sci Fi Military, Space Opera; my rating 5.0.
33. Book Review: Secrets at Maple Syrup Farm (Once in a Lifetime) by Rebecca Raisin; Small Town, Contemporary Romance; my rating 3.75.
SEPTEMBER
34. Book Review: The Banished of Muirwood (Covenant of Muirwood Book 1) by Jeff Wheeler; Fantasy; my rating 4.25.
35. Book Review: Death of the Blue Flower by Roxann Hill; Mystery, Crime Thriller; my rating 4.5.
36. Book Review (Plus Giveaway Link): The Last Chance Christmas Ball - Collection of Eight Wonderful Authors; Historical Romance, Holiday; my rating 4.5.
37. Book Review: Harriet Wolf's Seventh Book of Wonders: A Novel by Julianna Baggott Women's Fiction; my rating 4.5.
38. Book Review: Children of the Comet by Donald Moffitt; Sci Fi, Fantasy; my rating 4.25.
OCTOBER
39. Book Review: Love in the Details: A November Wedding Story (A Year of Weddings Novella) by Becky Wade; Contemporary Romance, Novella; my rating 4.5.
40. Book Review: Whispers in the Reading Room (The Chicago World's Fair Mystery Series Book 3) by Shelley Gray; Historical Romance, Inspirational, Mystery; my rating 5.0.
NOVEMBER
41. Book Review and Tour Giveaway: Steal Me (NYPD's Finest) by Lauren Layne ; Romantic Suspense; my rating 4.5.
42. Book Review: Nirvana (Nirvana Series Book 1) by J.R. Stewart; Sci Fi, Fantasy, Dystopian; my rating 4.0.
43. Book Review: Joy to the Worlds: Mysterious Speculative Fiction for the Holidays by Four Authors; Speculative Fiction; my rating 4.25.
DECEMBER
44. Book Review: The 12 Brides of Christmas Collection by 12 authors; Christian & Historical Romance; my rating 4.25+.

Book Review: Unclutter Your Life! How to Tame Your Mess, Calm Your Mind, Lighten your Load by Jen Williams

This book provides great tools to help get uncluttered and stay uncluttered.

Unclutter Your Life! How to Tame Your Mess, Calm Your Mind, Lighten your Load

by Jen Williams

File Size: 689 KB

Print Length: 39 pages

Publication Date: July 19, 2012

ASIN: B008ND0OE8

Genre: NonFiction

My Rating: 4.5 of 5.0

Escape the evil grip of clutter!

Unclutter Your Life: How to Tame Your Mess, Calm Your Mind, and Lighten Your Load reveals exactly how to gain control of your stuff and your life. It’s 40 pages of no-nonsense, simple, straightforward and meaningful information.

Come along on a journey of life assessment, self-discovery and goal setting that brings you closer to living a clutter-free life than ever before. Along the way you’ll learn the health, emotional and time-wasting impacts of clutter in your life and your surroundings. You’ll understand the behavioral and psychological reasons why you clutter. And you’ll know exactly what it takes to break free of clutter’s grip – once and for all!

So scroll up, click "buy" and start to unclutter your life today!

Review:
This is a wonderful, quick book of detailed plans for uncluttering. It is only 40 pages long but it is packed with great tips. By sheer coincidence I was doing some uncluttering while I listened to this (my Kindle reads to me). But I am very guilty of a) collecting clutter and b) sorting only to set the boxes in another place instead of removing them to either trash or donation facility.

As an older couple I am aware that my husband and I have collected lots of things we don’t use. Bit by bit I have become aware that weI need to give away things so others can use what is sitting on our shelves and in our closets and drawers. I can see a big benefit in uncluttering just by traveling in a Motorhome. It is a small space and everything needs to have its own place and there is no room for unnecessary baggage. (I also spent a lot of time on boats which are small spaces too.) Also, I have slowly been implementing strategies in my office to help keep my desk less cluttered and it is a nice feeling to walk in and not have files on every surface.

These sort of facts are mentioned in the book and a nice thing is the author gives you a choice of plans and strategies since there is no one plan that fits every personality. There are fast plans and slower methods and even a choice of how and where to start. Granted, a lot of the information may seem basic common sense. But the plans and strategies help provide specifics to get the job done.

The suggestions even include hiring a professional if you can't do it yourself. I had a friend who was cleaning house for me for a while and she always was good at throwing away and organizing. I think I would prefer to do it myself because I could sort through things to discard, keep and giveaway. On the other hand, that may be a sign of not letting go enough. In any event I need to find time to sit down and pick a plan so that I can seriously begin to unclutter.

I thought it would help to see the table of Contents (which is available to see on the Look Inside at Kindle.)
Chapter 1: The Benefits of Uncluttering
Chapter 2: What Should I Do With My…? Clutter Defined
Chapter 3: What Makes It So Difficult?
Chapter 4: Action Plans for Success
Chapter 5: Seven Strategies to Unclutter
Chapter 6: Escaping the Clutter Trap: Creating New Habits
Chapter 7: When Clutter Is A Mental Illness: How to Help Those You Love
Conclusion and First Steps

I found the book useful and plan to re-read it as I set up my plan to tackle clutter. I highly recommend this to anyone who needs to unclutter and create new habits to stay uncluttered! $5.00 might seem a lot for 40 pages but I think the content makes it worth the price.

This book qualifies for "U" in my Alphabet Soup Challenge. It is a free Kindle book I downloaded in 2013 so it is a TBR book too.

Martha's Bookshelf***Friday Pick Giveaway December 18, 2015

Happy Friday.
This week started out open and ended up booked. Fortunately I feel I was able to maintain some cool.I am still not ready for Christmas. DH and I made plans to go shopping this week but we cancelled. *SIGH* again.

We are back to regular two random winners now. 
ACK - I still haven't done the GCs as Saturday tumbled into something else. I will be working on that this weekend. I hope to pull together another box of books to post.

TO ENTER FRIDAY PICK

US Entrants: Leave a comment and tell me WHICH BOOK you would like to get from the Friday Pick lists.
INTERNATIONAL: Leave a comment indicating "Gift Card" (see further comments near the end of the post.)

CUT OFF TIME IS THURSDAY NIGHTS AT 9:00 PM CENTRAL so I do not have to stay up too late to do the winner post! I will randomly pick two winners to announce Friday mornings with the next Pick post.

Thank you to all who entered the December 11 Pick. There were two automatic wins this week. (I guess because so many have been winning this month.) Automatic wins are those who requested the book four times without other people asking for that book during those weeks. There were no blocked titles.
AUTO: bn100 gets Driven by Desire and 
CarolNW gets Secret Life of Bees

CONGRATULATIONS
to Random.org picked Winners from December 11 Pick:
Carol L gets Bride Enchanted

Nikki gets a GC

All winners please fill in the Winner's Acceptance Form or email me to confirm your win, send your snail mail address information and let me know if you would like bookmarks - sensual, sexy or sweet bookmarks. {The form is new because Google changed their forms and the old one wasn't letting me print out the responses.}

Isn't this a lovely idea?

Image found at Sugarbeecrafts.

New Book Group #62 November 6, 2015
(I was getting ready to leave the office and realized I hadn't taken the photo of the books yet.
I took this very quickly. I may try to get another next week but this will have to do for now.)

PAIRS
Joan Johnston – Colter’s Wife and The Rivals
Nora Roberts – Born in Ice and Carnal Innocence
SINGLES
The Wedding Night by Jane Ann Krentz
The Marriage Prize by Virginia Henley
In Shelter Cove by Barbara Freethy
Into the Valley by Rosanne Bittner
Never Look Back by Linda Lael Miller
The Sleeping Doll by Jeffery Deaver – CD Audiobook
Touch Me by Beverly Rae (personally autographed)
Driven by Desire by LuAnn McLane (personally autographed)
To Marry a British Lord by Judith Obrien
A Highlander For Christmas by Sandy Blair
A Midnight Clear by Katherine Stone (slight seam creasing)
Silver Bells by JoAnn Ross, Fern Michaels, Mary Burton, Judy Duarte


New Book Group #61 October 30, 2015
After I noticed the trend I went on a hunt for “bride” titles. I even pulled a couple from some of my long time collections(*). (But they are not getting read on my shelves.)

PAIRS:
Leigh Greenwood –  The Reluctant Bride and The Independent Bride
Jane Feather(*) – The Hostage Bride and The Accidental Bride
SINGLES:
The de Burgh Bride by Deborah Simmons
The Forever Bride by Evelyn Rogers (Seam creasing)
Short Straw Bride by Dallas Schultz
The Bride Thief by Susan Spencer Paul
Bride by Stella Cameron (Seam creasing) (*)
An Unwilling Bride by Jo Beverley (*)
Bride Enchanted by Edith Layton
The Maiden Bride by Linda Needham (hardback)
Bride of Lochbarr by Margaret Moore (*)
The Ideal Bride by Stephanie Laurens (*)
Honor’s Bride by Galye Wilson
A Necessary Bride by Debra Mullins
Border Bride by Deborah Hale


New Book Group #60 September 18, 2015
A set of "haunting" tales and a few mysteries for October!

Shannon Drake –  Realm of Shadows (Alliance Vampires#4) 
SINGLES:
Bloody Good by Georgia Evans
Cat of Nine Tales by Deborah Macgillivray
The Shadowing by Joan Overfield
The Renegade Hunter by Lynsay Sands
Trilogy Of Mysteries Audio Book Shadow Prey, There Was A Little Girl, Smokescreen Audio Cassettes (NOT CDs)


New Book Group #59 July 31, 2015
A few more summer titles, historicals and mysteries!

ANTHOLOGIES:
Broken Vows, Mended Hearts by Lynn Stone, Gail Ranstrom and Anne O'Brien
3,2,1 Married! by Sharon Sala, Marie Ferrarella and Beverly Barton
SINGLES:
Cruise to a Wedding by Betty Neels
Little Girl Lost by Shirlee McCoy
You Don't Know Jack by Erin McCarthy

New Book Group #58 June 26, 2015
-- A few summer titles, a few mysteries, a few historicals...

SINGLES:
Sevant, The Awakening by L.L. Foster

New Book Group #57 May 1, 2015

SINGLES:
A Little Bit Wild by Victoria Dahl
The Ruthless Greek's Virgin Princess by Trish Morey
Rally Fever by Crea Jones

New Book Group #56 March 20, 2015
(I'll try to get the rest linked another day.)

SINGLES:
The Sweetheart Dance by Patti Ann Colt
Raintree Haunted by Linda Winstead Jones (spine creases)

New Book Group #55 February 5, 2015
(I'll try to get the rest linked another day.)

SINGLES:
If I Had You by Deborah Bedford
The Man Who Ate the 747 by Ben Sherwood

New Book Group #54 December 26, 2014

SINGLES:
Ender’s Shadow by Orson Scott Card - Tape Cassettes


BOX 4 2015 (reboxed from Boxes 47-53)

The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd
The Hidden Truth of Cytech's Randall Forty byVickie Kennedy
First to Fight Anthology
Jezebel by Katherine Sutcliff
The Commander by Kate Bridges
The Cinderella Plan by Margaret Daley
The Mr. & Mrs. Happy Handbook by Steve Doocy
A Garden of Friends by Penny Pierce Rose
Richard Paul Evans PAIR: The Looking Glass and The Carousel
Undateable by Ellen Rakieten & Anne Coyle
Sleeping with Ward Cleaver by Jenny Gardiner


BOX 3 2015 (reboxed from Boxes 39- 47)

Shetland Summer by Janet Lynnford
Breakfast in Bed by Sandra Brown - Audio Cassette Tapes (link is for mass media version)
Cattle Rancher, Secret Son by Margaret Way
Whisper on the Wind by Joan Smith
Remember Me by Mary Higgins Clark
A Lady of Consequence by Mary Nichols
Sweet Talking Man by Betina Krain


BOX 2 2015 (reboxed from Boxes 24- 38)

Thinner by Stephen King
Foundation (Foundation Novels) by Isaac Asimov
Magic: The Gathering Distant Planes, An Anthology
The Willful Widow by Valerie King (spine wear)
Dancing on Snowflakes by Jane Bonander
An Honorable Man by Rosemary Rogers (spine creases)
A Courtesans Guide to Getting Your Man by Susan Donovan and Celeste Bradley -- NOTE This book has dog bite damage; it is missing half back cover and the edges of pages in the back third of the book... it does not effect the text but I will understand if no one wants this one
Tara Taylor Quinn: Father: Unknown and McGillus v.Wright
The Trailsman: Texas Lead Slingers by Jon Sharpe
Anthology: Something Borrowed, Something Blue - this book has spine creases and minor water damage...I thought I had read it and liked it but now I realize it was another anthology I read with Elaine Barbier.


BOX #1 2015 (reboxed from Boxes 1- 23)

Circle of Stars by Anna Lee Waldo
Alien Chronicles - The Crimson Claw by Deborah Chester
Ghost Writer (Shivers #3) by M.D. Spenser
Death Angel by Linda Howard

If you saw the pictures posted of my bookshelves and boxes you know I do have lots of books! And that doesn't include the other eight or so boxes at my office!! And more books as I find deals too good to pass up! I am sharing my book bounty by these Friday Pick Giveaways.

I started Friday Pick on November 27, 2009 and in almost six years I have posted 62 groups of 16 (992) books to find new homes! (as of November 6, 2015).

I am happy to say that so far about 906+ books have found new homes! YAY. I have to update my print out to check the exact number sent out - a few were never claimed. I periodically update the lists - deleting those won. You can still go to the Friday Pick list link to see older posts and the older lists book pictures if you want!

Note rules here regarding international entries.

Because postage to overseas can be prohibitive I am willing to give a $5.00 book certificate to international winners - Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Borders, ARe, TWRP, ClassAct Books, eTreasures, Desert Breeze, etc....you tell me where and I'll set it up. So for my overseas visitors your comment may indicate a smaller book and I'll check postage or note your choice of gift card.

I learned that The Book Depository does not ship to everywhere. The postage for some of the books to far away places runs between $7.00 and $10.00 and up. Since I would award $5.00 for The Book Depository to an international winner, as an alternative you may choose a smaller book and we will hope the postage will not exceed $6.00. If the postage is more, or if you want to pick a larger book and you are willing to pay any extra postage beyond the $6.00 I will work with you on that. This may not make a difference to many but if it helps one or two of you to give one of my books a home that will make me happy too. :o)

Repeating this helpful blog tip: You can right click on a link and you will be given the choice to open the link in a new window or tab so you do not navigate away from the screen you are on!! I use this all the time!

Audible Review: Leviathan by Scott Westerfeld

This is a delightfully entertaining adventure with steampunk elements and fabricated creatures too.
Leviathan
Written by: Scott Westerfeld
Narrated by: Alan Cumming

Length: 8 hrs and 20 mins
Series: Leviathan, Book 1
Unabridged Audiobook
Release Date:10-06-09
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio
Genre: Steampunk, Fantasy Adventure
My Rating: 4.5 of 5.0

Publisher's Summary
It is the cusp of World War I, and all the European powers are arming up. The Austro-Hungarians and Germans have their Clankers, steam-driven iron machines loaded with guns and ammunition. The British Darwinists employ fabricated animals as their weaponry. The Leviathan is a living airship, the most formidable airbeast in the skies of Europe.
Aleksandar Ferdinand, prince of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, is on the run. His own people have turned on him. His title is worthless. All he has is a battle-torn Stormwalker and a loyal crew of men.
Deryn Sharp is a commoner, a girl disguised as a boy in the British Air Service. She's a brilliant airman. But her secret is in constant danger of being discovered.
With the Great War brewing, Alek's and Deryn's paths cross in the most unexpected way - taking them both aboard the Leviathan on a fantastical, around-the-world adventure. One that will change both their lives forever.
©2009 Scott Westerfeld; (P)2009 Simon & Schuster

Review:
Aleksander is a teen prince who is not fully accepted by his family because his mother was not of the right royal heritage. An assassination has sent him on the run with his formal fencing master, his mechanical tutor and three other dedicated, loyal servants. They left in the dark of night in a giant steam-driven machine (Clanker) known as the Stormwalker. They have to struggle to make it across the border while dodging attacks by the Germans.

Deryn is a young girl from London who knows about flying because her father was a pilot. She disguised herself as a boy to enlist in the British Air Service where she quickly proves her worth, even though she must maintain her secret. She is selected to join the crew of the Leviathan, a living airship fabricated from animals. The Leviathan is a marvelous creature with glow worms for light, hounds to sniff hydrogen leaks, bats to serve as defense and offensive weapons and talking lizards as messengers!

When circumstances bring Alek and Deryn together their mechanical and Darwinist leanings clash. Yet they soon discover that they must work together and pull resources from both specialties if they want to save their respective crews.

This is a wonderful mixture of steampunk technology and fabricated beasties. I can’t say that I liked the Darwinian theories so much, but it created the basis for interesting features – aaa -- make that creatures. I am still curious about the eggs that are being watched over. The alternate history draws from real events that led to WW1 and I found the young prince’s dilemma of inheritance and politics quite interesting.

This is a quick paced story that engaged me in the lives of the characters as well as the action. The writing is clean and straightforward. This would be good story telling for middle graders but it was engaging for me as an adult too. I recommend this to readers who enjoy steampunk and fantasy elements in a strong story with likable characters.

Audio Notes: Alan Cumming does a great job with the narration. He provides appropriately different accents, emphasis and emotion for the characters. I highly recommend this in audio format.

This has been in my Audible Library since August 2012. It is part of my Audio Challenge.

Book Review: The 12 Brides of Christmas Collection by 12 authors

This is a lovely collection of historical romance novellas.

The 12 Brides of Christmas Collection: 
12 Heartwarming Historical Romances for the Season of Love
by Mary Connealy (Author), Diana Lesire Brandmeyer (Author), Margaret Brownley (Author), & 9 more

File Size: 2204 KB

Print Length: 546 pages

Page Numbers Source ISBN: 1630584894

Publisher: Barbour Books (October 1, 2015)

ASIN: B0159JAEZW

Genre: Christian Romance, Historical Novellas

My Rating: 4.25+ of 5.0

Christmas is the time for love—and weddings—and twelve historical women are on their way to the altar, whether they know it or not. In Nineteenth Century settings across the heartland of America, readers will experience heartfelt gifts, old-fashioned Christmas traditions, sweet romance, and inspiring faith from twelve acclaimed Christian authors, including Mary Connealy, Margaret Brownley, Pam Hillman, Maureen Lang, Michele Ule, Amy Lillard, Miralee Ferrell, Susan Page Davis, Diana Lesire Brandmeyer, Amanda Cabot, Davalynn Spencer, and Vickie McDonough.

Review:
This is a lovely collection of ‘frontier’ (mostly), young (mostly) bride stories. I enjoyed the variety of locations and the individual holiday traditions or themes that made each story unique. I read and reviewed one of the novellas last December and I believe they are each offered separately. However this collection gets them all together and I wish that I had started reading the full collection a little earlier so I could have savored each story a bit more. All of the stories are sweet, charming and heart-warming. My favorite is #11, The Snowbound Bride. Davalynn Spencer has a wonderful way with describing a scene and sharing folksy sayings. I will be looking to enjoy more works from her.

1) The Festive Bride by Diana Lesire Brandmeyer –Southern Illinois 1886. Roy is a widower struggling to care for his two young daughters who have asked for a “mama” for Christmas. The local doctor’s daughter, Alma, helps her nurse the younger child from a cold. Alma was raised in a festive home and is very handy with homemade crafts. She would rather work as a nurse or teacher than marry the men her father suggests. When the doctor prepares to move without his daughter she has to make plans quickly. Perhaps she can help Roy by caring for the girls. 4.25

2) The Nutcracker Bride by Margaret Brownley –Kansas 1880. Lucy is handling her wagon home when a dashing stranger on a thundering steed gives her a mission to save a package for him. When he sneaks up on her house, Lucy accidently shoots him. She isn’t sure if he is a Texas Ranger as he claims or a robbing bandit. This has a lovely Nutcracker tradition. (German Zimt Makronen Cookies recipe.) 4.25

3) The Christmas Star Bride by Amanda Cabot –Wyoming Territory 1885. Esther lost her sweetheart to the war. Now she has made a small success of a bakery in town. She needs a special portrait for her niece and her groom to carry on a family tradition. A wounded soldier turned itinerant artist finds a second chance for love when he answers Esther’s ad. 4.25

4) The Advent Bride by Mary Connealy –Nebraska 1875. Melanie is a young school teacher coping with a sullen, lonesome boy, Simon. She finds an old discarded puzzle box filled with hidden drawers. When she shares the special box with Simon and his father it changes their lives. I reviewed this story in December, 2014. 4.5

5) The Christmas Tree Bride by Susan Page Davis –Oregon Trail, Wyoming 1867. Polly’s family lives at a remote, lonely stagecoach stop. She misses her home and friends back east and longs for a Christmas tree like they had there. She asks a young driver, Jacob, if he would try to find her a tree for Christmas. She finds her dreams changing before Christmas arrives. 4.0.

6) The Nativity Bride by Miralee Ferrell –Washington 1875-1880. Sixteen year old Deborah loved the boy next door. Although Curt was a farmer’s son he longed to be a woodworker. He left Deborah behind to pursue his craft. Curt returns upon news that his mother has died. He and Deborah find a beautiful nativity as they clean the attic and Deborah finds secrets in his mother’s journal. Can the nativity and secrets revealed help restore broken relationships? 4.25

7) The Evergreen Bride by Pam Hillman –Mississippi 1887. Annabelle has her heart set on visiting her cousin in Illinois for a white Christmas. Her brother’s mill owner/woodworker partner, Sam, wants Annabelle to be happy even if he is concerned she might give her heart away in the city, without knowing how he feels. 4.25.

8) The Gift-Wrapped Bride byMaureen Lang –Chicago 1848. Sophie isn’t happy that her family has brought her to the city with other families seeking mates for their daughters. She would like to be an artist but her father scoffs at her dreams, Sophie has to deal with her childhood prankster, Noah. Can Noah convince her that he has matured and accepted faith? Inviting mischievous street lads to participate in the Nativity program will either be a disaster or show Sophie how he cares for others. There are lovely Christian messages in this story. (Stew and Dumplings recipe.) 4.25.

9) The Gingerbread Bride by Amy Lillard –Ozarks, Arizona 1870. Maddie is a preacher’s proper daughter – most of the time. But she can’t complete with her beautiful sister. She is desperate to win the heart of Harlan, the quiet lawyer in town. She decides that a love potion from the woman down the lane is the only answer. But how will she know if Harlan will love her after the potion in the gingerbread wears off? A cute story set in two days. 4.25

10) The Fruitcake Bride by Vickie McDonough –Missouri 1890. Karen was abandoned by her father and left in the care of her aunt. When her aunt dies Karen’s childhood best friend, Pastor Parsons (aka Parson Parsons) asks her to come to his town to be his bride. Karen is intimidated by the parishioners waiting to meet her and one misstep after another make her doubtful that she can be a good pastor’s wife. This has cute banter and a fruitcake recipe. 4.25.

11) The Snowbound Bride by Davalynn Spencer –Colorado 1885. Ara is running away from her uncle who wants to bargain her as a wife in a business arrangement. To escape her uncle’s henchman she hides in a wagon and ends up snowed in miles from town. Nate, the large horse rancher, has no idea where this pretty lady came from but he sure hopes he can keep her. His mother and uncle encourage the match and share a delightful family heritage. The descriptions in this are Wonderful! (“I see she’s done tangled your spurs.”) 4.75.

12) The Yuletide Bride by Michelle Ule –Nebraska 1873. Fiddler Ewan will take any work he can to make ends meet. He loves his flute playing, childhood friend, Kate, and she loves him. But Kate’s father has a banker’s fancy son in mind as a mate for his daughter. Can Ewan meet the demand price to win approval for a yuletide wedding? I enjoyed the authentic setting and musical instruments in this novella. 4.5

This is (I think) my last NetGalley title for the year. It qualifies for my NetGalley Challenge.