Sharil > Recent Status Updates

So far, this one is better than the previous book in the series.

Reading this 2-book series was like "going home" after being away from reading Highland romances. It was a bit later in the timeframe that I usually enjoy, but still good. This series were "strong 4-star" reads, but the second book fell down to a mediocre 4-star by the end. Quite a bit was glossed over towards the end and I found the dialogue there a bit trite, along with an ending that wasn't believable.

This 3-book series is dry, medium-paced historical fiction with lots of detail. Twenty percent romance, more from a woman's perspective. Interesting perspective of Pullman community and the union strike for better wages and living conditions against "capitalists" like Pullman, Marshall Fields, Armour and others. Inside perspective of Fields' store and employees.

Very religious, but a good story.

A friend gave this book to me. She read this as part of her religious book club. It was a good book, but not great. I read it for Lent and found it highly repetitive, as one reviewer said, "a lot of filler".

Very so-so book for Maggie Osborne. At first I thought it was a western romance (before I started reading). Then I said, "No, this setting is in a gold mining town". I changed it over to my Americana classification that is a catch-all for early life in America. The story could take place anywhere. It was long, drawn out with the two characters stuck together and at odds. It didn't feel very "Americana" to me. LOL

These short story or novella compilation stories rarely do it for me and by the rating of this book, it didn't do much for others. I'm giving it a barely-there 4 stars because 3 out of 4 stories were very good except the glossed over endings to keep the stories short. Plus, the Kaki Warner story is a Pinkerton story with "spy vs. spy". LOL Love those!

This is a very good western. A different story than the usual fare. I will definitely read more from this author.

This is a solid western romance. Not special, but hits the spot. I would definitely read more from this author.

The last story has a Pinkerton Agent. (Not a spoiler. You find out when you meet the character.) It's not bad for a short story that involves an undercover agent on the job. It would have had a better ending if it had been a longer story.

All four stories are very good considering they were limited to about 100 pages each.

Just a note. Goodreads has this as book 4.5 of The Return of the Highlanders series. At the end of this story, the author says the book is not part of a series. The hero is a MacDonald warrior from The Return of the Highlanders and the heroine was a child character from the final book in the All the King's Men trilogy. It doesn't seem necessary to have read either series first.

Another wholesome and religious book in the series. A good story, but lacks some plausibility when considering the "bad guy" scenarios.

Helpful to read first in the series, but not required to follow other books. Nice history on how the Pony Express was established. Very religious. Would have been okay, but book leaves a naive reader thinking that by praying and leaving it in God's hands that everything will turn out hunky dory and you will get what you want. One character can barely decide what to eat for breakfast without praying about it.

In this book, from one man to another: "...God never meant for us to tell a woman where her place is. He took the rib from our sides as a representation of where she belongs. Beside us, not behind and not under our feet."
AMEN!!!
My new favorite author. LOL
Sweet story. Christian, but not overly religious. Somewhat predictable.

Nice, sweet story. Christian, but not overly religious, just good clean living and good people. Might read some of the author's other books if I get a chance. Book 1001 "Read" on Goodreads for me. Yay! Been trying to hit the 1000 mark this year, not just my 2019 reading challenge. LOL

Inspirational western with romance. VERY LONG. At least 3 times I thought, "It could have ended here." This was followed by, "Oh, yeah. We still don't know what happens to [blank]." Easy to follow or read. Just feels a little drawn out at times.

This is a "sweet" or "clean" Christmas romance. It is light, straight-forward reading with likable characters and simple, predictable plots.

Unlike Smith's other books, this is a sweet, clean story. Nice for a change, but she fails to write with the details that enrich the story like her other writing. This story is sweet, sappy and very predictable towards the end. The last 50-100 pages are typical of a novella where things are glossed over and happen too fast to be believable. I liked the story and characters, but can't recommend it.

Fast read. A true western with two romances. A little too quick and could have been a little longer, but fun to read if you are looking for some light reading.

I like this book, but there isn't much Christmas focus, nor is it one of those "feel good" type reads. There are some intricate backstories or subplots that are hinted at in the beginning and slowly revealed with more detail as the story progresses. You can't read this book when you are tired or as a light-hearted fast read. Features rustling, extortion & revenge along with attempted murder. A real western romance.

Part of a series, this story is a flashback to when one set of Sullivan parents met & their love story. The first half of the book was good. Then one of the main character's history and insecurities get a little annoying & it turns into somewhat of a bodice ripper. The story could have probably wrapped up nicely 50 pages ago. You don't have to read the series to follow this one. Doubt I will read more of the series.

This one has a really good story and the first third or so went quite well. Then it became very religious like the last Love Inspired book I read. It has slowed the pace and has more religion in it than I care to read in a book. I am disappointed. Still, I will finish it. Even though I know it is the type of romance where the main characters will have their happy ending, I am anxious to read how this comes about.

I'm having a hard time for a number of reasons: 1) Everything the main characters think about or go to do they must pray about before & after. The story is fit between all that & so the pace is very slow & dry. 2) There are so many characters referenced in the story that I'm having to stop & recall their relationships. 3) Continuity...we don't find out the heroine wears pants until halfway thru the book!

This story is much better than the first book in the series. It was good if you like Christmas time stories and a little "NCIS" action. It is also good if you like the old series, "Touched by an Angel". I am not caring for the ending of how it wraps. Unfortunately, this is often the case with stories like these. It is like the author gets in a hurry to end and events become incomplete in details or unbelievable.

This is another good story in the series. However, unlike the others, it is most definitely a mystery-suspense story. Those who like Debbie Mason's romance series books may not care for it and may want to skip it if they don't care for mystery-suspense. It has a fast wrap & weak ending. I am reading the bonus story by Hope Ramsay that is included in the book, "The Fairytale Bride".

A couple more noteworthy items from the wisdom & experience of Bill Heavey:
1. Money can't buy happiness, but it will substantially upgrade the quality of your misery.
2. [Wish technology had been around in the 90s when I did a 500-mile bicycle trek over 7 days in July each year.] Use a food vacuum sealer to create daily packets of clean socks & underwear. Would still be handy for travel, if I could still travel!

This is a colorful cast of characters with many secrets. It's a suspense romance without being suspenseful. It reads a bit like a whodunnit without a body & written such that you can see the movie playing in your mind. It's a very strong 4-star book leaning towards a 5-star. At this point, things are really going & I want to race to the end, possibly becoming a 5-star book. "Don't blow it!" I think as I'm reading.

This was a weak 5-star up until the last 80 pages. It is a feel good story that got a little long and drawn out. Reading it, I wondered how there could be 80 pages left at that point and then realized there were more loose ends. At least one of the loose ends was just too unlikely and it seemed like the book took long time to wrap, albeit entertaining.

This could have been a really good story. Unfortunately, written as a short story, things happened way too fast. Detail was skipped that would have answered questions and made the story more realistic and enjoyable.

Really good, fun read. This is definitely the contemporary style story I like to read. Do not read this series if you are opposed to a "good" ghost hovering and helping a little. However, adds to the fun & lightness and gives more perspective, so you don't have just dry detail about the history of the town and characters. Entertaining!