Book Review: Chasing Fireflies (Power of the Matchmaker)
(Review by Robyn "The Mom" Savage)

Amazon description: 

My sisters think I’m crazy.

But, I’ve never forgotten the mysterious woman from my childhood who told me Paul is the name of my one true love.

She told me to search far and wide for him.

I haven’t stopped looking ever since.

When I stumble across an article about a successful American entrepreneur named Paul who lives and works in China, I’m intrigued. When the opportunity to teach English in China presents itself on the same day, I know it’s not a coincidence.

It’s destiny.

My sisters say I’m chasing a dream.

Just like the fireflies we tried to catch on the warm summer evenings of our youth, the dream seems beyond my grasp. Will my quest for the elusive Paul always be just short of fulfillment?

My sisters tell me it’s a fool’s errand.

Until I remind them of the day we saw the Red Bird.

The memory silences them.

The Red Bird Incident remains inarguable—and proves my search for Paul is not a silly fantasy.

I will find Paul . . . I will.

https://www.amazon.com/Chasing-Fireflies-Power-Matchmaker-Taylor-ebook/dp/B01F35TXFY/ref=cm_cr-mr-title

My Review:

Chasing Fireflies by Taylor Dean was a very interesting addition to the Power of the Matchmaker series. I quickly got into the book. When reading in first person, I miss not knowing the thoughts of the other characters in the book, but Ms. Dean did a wonderful job a pulling me in and loving every minute of it!

I quickly identified with Savannah and her shy personality. I loved Julian. He was the best hero, patient, but not too much so. He was the perfect combination of kind, loving and tough and masculine. The twists and turns to this romance were such fun. I sometimes wondered who she was really going to choose! I liked the way Miss Pearl was introduced and used in this book. The sensitive subjects tackled by Ms. Dean were well done and very realistic. The characters were real and human in their emotions and actions. 

The side romances and stories were also very interesting. I really liked the way Savannah kept trying to choose the ‘right man’ and used Pearl’s wisdom to choose. I’m a sucker for true love winning in the end. This was an exciting, fun and romantic book with lots of surprises. You’ll cheer, cry and laugh as you search for Paul with Savannah. Lots of fun reading to while away a perfect fall day!

I received a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review

pages: 311

Content: 

    Sex: Premarital sex is discussed, but only in the context of "I'm not that kind of girl". It is portrayed as    
             wrong and something the characters want to wait for. Some passionate kissing, but nothing to be 
              ashamed of.

    Violence: There is a side story about luring vulnerable young people into spying for China, but no real  
               violence.

This is a fun and romantic addition to the Power of the Matchmaker series.

Review: Summer House Party (Timeless Regency Collection) by Regina Scott, Donna Hatch and Sarah M. Eden

This is another winner for the Timeless Romance Collection. The Regency collections are my favorite. These 3 stories are by some of the best regency writers in the business. You won’t be disappointed with this one.

“An Engagement of Convenience” by Regina Scott is such a fun romance. Katherine, or “Kitty” is the poor cousing living with her rich Uncle and Aunt, acting more as a companion and chaperone than a family member. She feels it is her duty to make sure they are all married and that there is no scandal attached to them. Enter Quentin Adair and everything changes. Her feeling for him have reawakened and he is proposing an engagement as a charade. It was fun watching this play out along with the expected mishaps and misunderstandings along with a little adventure. Very fun to read.

Donna Hatch does not disappoint with her story “A Perfect Match” which is a prequel to “A Perfect Secret” the 3^rd novel in the Rogue Hearts Series. I loved reading the romance of Christian and Genevive and of course I had to go right out and purchase “A Perfect Secret”! Christian is the perfect hero (pardon the pun). He is kind, gentle and strong. He cares deeply for his family, yet feels he does not live up to their accomplishments. Genevive is also kind and loving. She is also headstrong and independent and doesn’t always think things through! This was a fun and light hearted beginning to their epic romance.

“The Paupers House Party” by Sarah M. Eden was intriguing to say the least. It is actually a double romance as there is a secondary romance in the background. I always love those. This romance tests the integrity and character of each of the players in this game. They have all been invited to a party, a contest to see who the hosts would like the have inherit their estate. Each of the contestants are poor, but there are those who are rich in spirit!  Edward and Agatha find themselves falling for each other, yet in competition with each other. It was a very fun and thoughtful romance. I really liked it.


This book is rated PG for adult themes along with some kissing (of course, it's a romance!) You could let your teenage daughters read this book, there isn't any sex, it is completely clean and has great morals and lessons in each story. If  you like this collection, be sure to read the other collections in the Timeless Regency Collection (along with any Timeless Romance Collections). 

Here's a review for "The Villian" by May Nicole Abbey

Wow. That is my first impression of this book. I knew it was a time travel romance, but I was not expecting the way it played out. I even had a hard time figuring out who was time traveling at first. This book really had me thinking about choices, too. I loved the way the author drew me in and made me want to finish this book in one sitting (I didn’t, because I didn’t have time). Ms. Abbey stays true to the time period in which the story takes place, so that makes it easy to read and know where you are in the book. Rosemary is a great heroine who care deeply for her family and is plunged into being the mother to her two younger siblings. She has no experience in the west and was essentially a spoiled heiress. She does a great job of trying to figure out how to survive and run a cattle ranch and take care of her teenage brother and mentally challenged little sister. Nicolas is the typical bad guy turned hero. He has a heart of gold and watching him change and become the hero Rosemary wants him to be is heartwarming. This book deals a lot with choices and forgiveness and change. It has a very good lesson buried in the fun and adventure of the wild American west. I loved how Rosemary was the only one who could save him and it was her choice to make. The supporting characters where superb and well written. This book is clean and has great lessons without being preachy. Great read, you will love it. "The Villain" is an historical time travel romance written by May Nicole Abbey. I rate this PG for some violence as the book deals with murder and violent crime. This book also deals with mental illness. Ms Abbey does a wonderful job depicting how people with mental illness were viewed by both family and community members. This book is also a romance, so there is kissing and marriage (with mention of married love and a pregnancy). If you like time travel books you will enjoy this book. I received a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review

Review: TRA MAIL ORDER BRIDE COLLECTION

It's About: Six Award-Winning Authors have contributed new stories to A Timeless Romance Anthology: Mail Order Bride Collection, now a USA TODAY Bestseller! Six historical romance novellas set in the Old West. 

Audience: Adult (Clean)
Genre: Romance, Historical, Novellas, Anthologies
Length: 322 pages

Rating: 4.5

Review: Another really great collection from the Timeless Romance Anthology ladies. This bestseller lived up to it's hype, for sure. One of my favorites was Kristan Holt's Wanted: Midwife Bride. Talk about a swoony hero! One of my favorite things about novellas is getting to see relationships mostly workout--those stories that can't become novels because there's not enough conflict...they become lovely novellas that I gobble up and enjoy the happiness of the whole thing. Wanted: Midwife Bride was one of those, with an understanding and gentle hero, and a heroine ready to find her place to fall. Another was Sarah Eden's, of course. It had such a great twist to it and was adorable. My honorable mention is for Annette Lyon's The Sound of Home, tender and sweet. All the novellas in this collection are so great.

Content:
Sex - 0
Violence - 0
Language - 0
Overall Rating - PG

Beyond the Rising Tide Tour

Beyond the Rising Tide by Sarah Beard Kai met Avery only once--in the moment he died saving her life. Now when he's not using his new healing powers to help people, he watches helplessly as Avery's life is unraveled by his death. To help her, he risks everything by breaking the rules, dangerously blurring the barriers between life and death.

  Praise for the Book “Vividly imagined, this novel is the perfect mix of modern love story and literary fiction. One brimming with genuine emotion that had me re-reading passages simply because they were too beautifully written to experience just once.” --Julie N. Ford, author of With No Regrets 

“This book is not only an engaging and satisfying supernatural romance, but also a beautiful story about life, death, and the gray places in between.” --E.B. Wheeler, author of The Haunting of Springett Hall

"This is one of those stories that stays with you long after the closing scene. It was beautifully imagined and vividly written and I absolutely loved it!” --Teresa Richards, author of Emerald Bound

 

My Review

Rating: 4

I was definitely intrigued from the very beginning. A great imagining of the afterlife and the things that drive our souls. Kai was a wonderful and definitely a swoony hero. It took some time for Avery to grow on me and that was okay. She frustrated me, but in a way that drove me to see how she changed and grew. Her motivation for not talking about what happened to her wasn't always clear to me, but made it harder to like her. There was a point where I felt like the story went off the rails a bit, but I think it had more to do with what I expected from a storyline. A good book that kept me flipping the pages faster and faster as I got to the end.

Content: 

Sex - 1+ (Kissing and other descriptions of physical affection.)

Violence - 2 (Fights are described as well as deaths and an character who accidentally overdoses.)

Language - 0

Overall Content Rating - PG-13 for mature themes and issues.

Excerpts 

Avery

My mind retraces the past few months, all the conversations Tyler and I have had, the words we’ve said and haven’t said, all stemming from one incident, one day. And then I’m thrown back to that afternoon, back into the ocean and the cold, roiling waves. I feel them around me, tossing me this way and that, pounding over my head like a stampede of wild horses. I feel the salt stinging my eyes and see the abyss below me in the moment I dove under to find the boy. I saw him there, motionless and suspended in the deep, just out of reach. Just out of reach. My face feels hot, and I can’t breathe. But I keep my panic cloaked beneath my skin. A violent earthquake rattles my insides, but I tense my muscles, holding it in, restraining it, refusing to let it show. I dig my nails into my arm, anchoring them there, anchoring me into stillness, and I focus all my attention on the present physical pain in my arm. Kai’s hand reaches for mine. His touch stills my insides, draws out the tremors as though they’re water and he’s a sponge.

     * * *

Sarah Beard is the author of YA novels Porcelain Keys and Beyond the Rising Tide. She earned a degree in communications from the University of Utah and is currently pursuing an MFA in writing from VCFA. When she's not writing, she referees wrestling matches between her three boys and listens to audiobooks while folding self-replicating piles of laundry. She is a breast cancer survivor, a baker of sweets, a seeker of good love stories, a composer of melancholy music, and a traveler who wishes her travel budget was much bigger. She lives with her husband and children in the shadow of the beautiful Wasatch Mountains.

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Blog Tour Giveaway $25 Amazon Gift Card or Paypal Cash Ends 8/1/16 Open only to those who can legally enter, receive and use an Amazon.com Gift Code or Paypal Cash. Winning Entry will be verified prior to prize being awarded. No purchase necessary. You must be 18 or older to enter or have your parent enter for you. The winner will be chosen by rafflecopter and announced here as well as emailed and will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen. This giveaway is in no way associated with Facebook, Twitter, Rafflecopter or any other entity unless otherwise specified. The number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning. Giveaway was organized by Kathy from I Am A Reader and sponsored by the author. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW.   a Rafflecopter giveaway