Broncos and Ballads (Healing Springs Ranch #2) by Jody Hedlund

ABOUT THE BOOK

The bad boy feels the McQuaid legacy of love is out of his reach. Maybe it’s closer than he realizes.

After a bad breakup, country music star Brock McQuaid finds his ratings tanking as fans begin to question whether he’s really experienced the love he sings about so passionately. To salvage his reputation, he agrees to pretend to fall in love with supermodel Venus Vargas, because she needs his help too.

Venus always thought she would marry her best friend Reed. But when he throws a surprise party celebrating his engagement to another woman, Venus finds herself scrambling to make sense of her relationship with him. To keep from being humiliated, she agrees to fake date Brock McQuaid.

The power couple makes headlines, but how long can they keep up their charade? Or is it a charade? The more time they spend together, the more real the relationship begins to feel. Will they be able to overcome the obstacles holding them back from love before their sham comes crashing down and crushes them both?Fake relationshipHot country music starBad boy reputationForced proximityMatchmaking familySwoony kisses* 

The inspirational themes in this book are light, and the romance is the primary focus. While the romance is sizzling and the kisses swoony, both the language and physical attraction are clean and wholesome.

MY THOUGHTS.....

It began with Wyatt McQuaid, in 1862, but the powerful legacy of the McQuaid family remains! Those Colorado cowboys have always known how to sweep women off their feet and offer them everlasting love. but there may be complications with the newest McQuaid love match. Or should I say, fake love match?

I loved witnessing this pretend romance through both Brock and Venus's points of view. I saw the hopes, doubts, and budding friendship that hinted at becoming more. Brock McQuaid was the ultimate dream cowboy, and Venus Vargus proved that her beauty was more than skin-deep! Powerful romantic chemistry. strong family ties, and a tantalizing glimpse of the country music scene made this a captivating summer read! I've always loved her historical romance novels. but Broncos and Ballads is a swoon-worthy contemporary romance! Now I wait, somewhat impatiently, for the next book in the Healing Springs Ranch series!

I received a complimentary copy of this book but was not required to leave a review. All thoughts are my own.

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Jody Hedlund is the best-selling author of over thirty historicals for both adults and teens and is the winner of numerous awards including the Christy, Carol, and Christian Book Award. She lives in central Michigan with her husband, five busy teens, and five spoiled cats.

When she’s not penning another of her page-turning stories, she loves to spend her time reading, especially when it also involves consuming coffee and chocolate.  

Learn more at Jody's Website     

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Healing Springs Ranch

Spurs and Sparks

Broncos and Ballads

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The Collector of Burned Books by Roseanna M. White

ABOUT THE BOOK

In this gripping World War II historical about the power of words, two people form an unlikely friendship amid the Nazi occupation in Paris and fight to preserve the truth that enemies of freedom long to destroy.

Paris, 1940. Ever since the Nazi Party began burning books, German writers exiled for their opinions or heritage have been taking up residence in Paris. There they opened a library meant to celebrate the freedom of ideas and gathered every book on the banned list . . . and even incognito versions of the forbidden books that were smuggled back into Germany.

For the last six years, Corinne Bastien has been reading those books and making that library a second home. But when the German army takes possession of Paris, she loses access to the library and all the secrets she’d hidden there. Secrets the Allies will need if they have any hope of liberating the city she calls home.

Christian Bauer may be German, but he never wanted anything to do with the Nazi Party—he is a professor, one who’s done his best to protect his family as well as the books that were a threat to Nazi ideals. But when Goebbels sends him to Paris to handle the “relocation” of France’s libraries, he’s forced into an army uniform and given a rank he doesn’t want. In Paris, he tries to protect whoever and whatever he can from the madness of the Party and preserve the ideas that Germans will need again when that madness is over, and maybe find a lost piece of his heart.

AMAZON

MY THOUGHTS.....

I don't know what I loved most about The Collector of Burned Books! Was it the author's amazing storytelling, or the history that inspired her story? The eye-catching cover, or the riveting plot that's filled with faith, intrigue, and a captivating relationship between Professor Corinne Bastien and German officer Christian Bauer? As a lover of the written word, Corinne was dedicated to preserving endangered books, and it appeared that this German officer had an opposite goal. Was this truly the case? Was Christian just as determined to save precious reading material?

I loved the characters, the WW II Paris setting, and the thought-provoking historical details. There was romance, but it wasn't all sweetness and light, and the mystery and suspense kept me completely absorbed! What else will I remember about The Collector of Burned Books? The strong faith message is neatly woven into an engaging story that is especially relevant today! We must be vigilant to protect our freedoms! We can't allow others to control our ideas or target our emotions so that our behavior is altered. The written word must be preserved!

Roseanna M. White's name on the cover of a book is always an invitation to compelling reading! I recommend The Collector of Burned Books to fans of historical Christian fiction, and I have added it to my bookcase 'keeper' shelf.

I received a complimentary copy from Tyndale Publishers. There was no obligation for a review.

My rating: 5 of 5 stars 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Roseanna M. White is a bestselling, Christy Award-nominated author who has long claimed that words are the air she breathes. When not writing fiction, she’s homeschooling her two kids, editing, designing book covers, and pretending her house will clean itself. Roseanna is the author of a slew of historical novels that span several continents and thousands of years. Spies and war and mayhem always seem to find their way into her books…to offset her real life, which is blessedly ordinary. 

Being educated at St. John’s College (the Great Books School) taught Roseanna to ask questions, to value conversation, and to never accept the simple answer without exploring it for herself. She and her family make their home in the mountains of West Virginia where she and her husband both grew up. Roseanna is a member of ACFW, a frequent speaker at writers events and small groups of readers, and an unabashed email addict.

You can learn more about her and her stories at her Website  Facebook  Twitter   Instagram

  

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