Anomaly by Krista McGee

Thalli has been taught from a young age that being different, an anomaly, in the State is something to hide. The Scientists who created her world, after a nuclear war decades before wiped out much of the country's population, have deemed emotions and asking questions as part of the problem that caused the war.
When it is discovered that Thalli is different, her world unravels, leaving her with fifteen minutes and twenty three seconds to live.
It took me a bit to get into this story, but I eventually fell in love with the characters and the world created for them. Filled with unexpected twists and turns, Anomoly is a refreshing piece of dystopian fiction, since it doesn't try to be The Hunger Games, but rather creates a unique world all of its own. I highly recommend this one!

Into the Whirlwind

Mollie Knox loves her predictable life as the owner and accountant of the 57th Illinois Watch Company. She feels like her life is fulfilled in doing bookwork and providing jobs for her father's Civil War buddies who were left without work after various injuries. When Zach Kazmarek waltzes in with an offer to buy the watch company for more money than Mollie thought possible, her lawyer can't help but be a bit suspicious.
When the great Chicago fire of 1871 strikes, nothing is left the same.
Most of us have heard about the Chicago fire (think back to the campfire song about Mrs. O'Leery's cow starting the fire, which is a sad rumor that turned the real Mrs. O'Leery into a recluse), but this book filled in more of the details that you never think to ask. It was amazing to read just how many people were misplaced due to the devastating fire and how they lived in the months following the fire. Also, something I found interesting with owning a small business, it was fascinating to read what happened to business' and local insurance companies when the fire destroyed most companies. This novel is a fabulous tale of interesting facts told through a fictitious character. Once I got over being kind of annoyed with Mollie's attitude after the fire, I fell in love with the story! Another winner by Elizabeth Camden.
*I was given a review copy in exchange for my unbiased opinion.

One of my new favorites!

After having read Meg Moseley's debut novel, When Sparrows Fall, I couldn't wait to dig in to her new novel, Gone South! It didn't disappoint.:D
Tish didn't intend to buy her family's historical home in Noble, Alabama when she stopped in to look at in on the way home from a trip to Florida. Thinking the town will welcome her with open arms, she soon discovers that the new life she hoped for is not all that she imagined. Old grudges still exists and the fact that Tish is a Northerner doesn't endear her.
When Mel Hamilton stumbles back into town, worse for wear, she and Tish form a unlikely friendship as the two outcasts of Noble.
A beautiful story of second chances and forgiveness, prodigals returning and living your faith. I fell in love with the characters of Gone South from the get go! Masterfully told, this novel will hold your attention through to the final page!

All for a Song

The last one left at home with her mother, Dorothy Lynn Dunbar longs to see the world outside of her small Ozark town. Even though she has her music, her family, and a fiance, she can't help but think that she is missing out on life. When she travels to St. Louis, Dorothy Lynn is thrown into the path of charismatic evangelist Aimee Semple McPherson. Given the opportunity to travel as part of Aimee's team, Dorothy Lynn follows the dynamic speaker to California, where she discovers that all that glittered during the Roaring 20's is not gold.
While I think that Allison Pittman is a very talented author and I have loved some of her other stories, I feel like this one was missing a little something. It is an interesting story though, and I loved how the story goes between two different time period's of Dorothy Lynn's life. I had never heard a thing about Aimee Semple McPherson, so I found her story worth investigating more, as she was a woman ahead of her time.
If you are interested in the Roaring 20's, then this is just the book for you!

The Guardian

Welcome back to Hickory Hollow! The Guardian is the 3rd book in this series by popular author, Beverly Lewis.
Jodi Winfield is looking for peace after losing her only sibling, Karen, to cancer six months earlier. No longer on speaking terms with the Lord and estranged from her fiance, she arrives in Hickory Hollow to house sit. When she comes across a lone child sleeping by the side of the road, Jodi's life is forever changed.
It has been some time since I last read one of Beverly Lewis' books. While reading The Guardian, I was reminded just how nice her stories are! Set in a simpler lifestyle, the story flows nicely as Jodi seeks to come to grips with why the Lord took her sister so soon.
I haven't read the previous books in this series, but that didn't serve as a disadvantage, since this novel does well as a stand alone story.
I received this through Netgalley.com for my honest opinion.

Picture Perfect

Hannah McDermott is tired of always coming in second place. Starting in school, she always missed the things she really wanted by a hair, losing out to her best friend. Now that she is a wedding photographer and owns her own company, she has decided that her days of finishing second are over. When the opportunity comes to photograph a celebrities wedding, she jumps at the chance to beat out her competition. Armed with her grandfather's Irish wisdom and her new friends, the Rossi's, Hannah tries to figure out what the Lord is teaching her through it all.
I loved this book! The Irish proverbs and limericks were a fun way to start each chapter, and I fell in love with both Hannah's predictable Irish family and the craziness that follows the Italian Rossi's. The message of this novel was just what I needed to read!
Whether you have read the Weddings by Bella series or not, you will fall in love with this story and the characters.

A fun Regency era read.

Given the chance to advance his career, Rees Phillips poses as a butler to spy on the French born Lady Celine Wexham to see if she is really collecting and passing on information that would hinder the British in the Napoleon wars. Lady Wexham is nothing like Rees expected, being a young widow who's French Republican ideas have influenced her thinking and treatment toward her servants, making her a kind employer who actually acknowledges her servants. When Rees uncovers just how much trouble Lady Wexham is in, he is torn between wanting to protect her and longing to remain true to his country.
I loved this book! It was rich in history and character detail, without trying to be exactly like a Jane Austen novel, a pitfall that a lot of Regency era books fall into. In other words, the story was fresh and originally. There is a lot going on, and I loved the historical details, since I didn't realize that there was a French court set up in England after the French Revolutionary war that waited until Napoleon was defeated to try and set up court in France again. I thought the story developed nicely without seeming rushed or drawn out. Also, Rees is actually a gentleman of character, much like the hero's in classic stories. Midnight Masquerade is a new favorite!