Book Review: The Christmas Eve by Elyse Douglas

Author:  Elyse Douglas 
Title: The Christmas Eve Secret (Book 3)
Genre: SciFi, Romance, Historical, Mystery
Pages: ebook
Published: September 16th, 2019
Where I Got It: My shelf (given to me by the author/publisher for my honest and unbiased opinion)


Despite their happiness, Eve is having premonitions that something dreadful is about to occur. Concerned about the future and the safety of their child, she insists that they destroy the time travel lantern. Patrick is more cautious.

One afternoon when Patrick is out, a sinister man breaks into the apartment and forces Eve to give him the lantern. In many ways, Eve is relieved the lantern is gone. She hopes they can now live a more normal life.
​
A day later, Patrick shadows a woman who has been staking out the Gantly’s brownstone apartment, and he confronts her. To his and Eve’s utter shock, they learn that Lucy Rose is from 1924 and that she time-traveled with the man who took the lantern. He returned to 1924, but she chose to stay behind. She offers to sell the lantern back to Eve and Patrick, and they reluctantly agree, hoping to keep it out of unscrupulous hands.​

Convinced that the lantern is a threat to their future happiness, Eve and Patrick decide to destroy it.​

But the lantern has more power than they could have ever imagined. Once the lantern is destroyed, Eve’s life is completely changed. She must set off on an adventure, in a struggle that will return her to the past, where she will learn the secret of the lantern’s origin and delve into the farthest reaches of her heart.


Book 3! So exciting! I really enjoyed the last one quite a bit!

The story continues with Eve and Patrick. Despite everything seeming to be perfect, Even cannot brush off this fear and premonition something bad is on the horizon. In order to protect her and Patrick and their unborn baby, they decided to destroy the time travel lantern once and for all. And of course....this does not end well.

Even though I wanted book 3 and more of their stories, I also didn't. I want Eve and Patrick to be happy!! They really deserve it! Time travel is not all rainbows and kittens. Even though it brought them together, it keeps messing things up. 

I adore Eve and Patrick. I like Joni too even though I wanted to shake her sometimes! No one forced you to go woman!

OooOOOooo what to say without spoilers? 

Honestly, I was hooked from page one. I think I liked this book better even though it ripped my heart out! Ugh! SOBS! So good, so good. 

The middle dragged a touch there, but after some events, the ball got rolling again. I was so anxious and I wanted Eve and Patrick to be happy. 

Oh, that ending! Melted my cold heart! I love it. 

And that big reveal of how the lantern(s) got created??????? WOAH! I did not see that coming. Such a good twist! A fun twist! But made me want to shake somebody!

All-in-all, this was really good. I liked it just a touch more than the last one I think. The story was good and I loved the reveal! Didn't see that coming. The ending was good too! I for sure recommend this series. I'll stamp this one with 5 stars. 

Blog All About It: WHAT GIVES ME THE SHIVERS!

This month's prompt is:  SHIVER

Happy October ya'll! This month's prompt is shiver. Oooo so many things one can do for this. 

For mine...I shall share my biggest fears that make me shiver!! There is no order to my list. ALL ARE SCARY! Be sure to share your fears in the comments!

- Spiders. Creepy little freaks. *shudders*

- Clowns. Ugh. Gross and scary

- Utter darkness. I need some sort of light

- Elevators. I will use them, but they still give me the shivers. 

- Zombies. They freak me out. I'll watch stuff with them in it...but ugh. 

- Being kidnapped. This thought terrifies me!

- Dinosaurs (mainly the carnivores). I have nightmares ALL the time about these guys. Sure they are extinct but still....

I think that is about it! And I do remember having a post about fears and phobias an eon ago...*does some digging*. Ah yes. A fun little post about the theories behind our fears and phobias. An intriguing read...but I could be biased ;) Click HERE

Audiobook Review: The Governess of Highland Hall by Carrie Turansky

Author: Carrie Turansky 
Narrator: Velda Dehmlow

Title: The Governess of Highland Hall
(Edwardian Brides #1)

Genre: Historical Romance, Christian Fiction
Pages: Audiobook
Published: January 1st 2013
Where I Got It: My shelf (Audible)



Missionary Julia Foster loves working alongside her parents, ministering and caring for young girls in India. But when the family must return to England due to illness, she readily accepts the burden for her parents’ financial support. Taking on a job at Highland Hall as governess, she quickly finds that teaching her four privileged, ill-mannered charges at a grand estate is more challenging than expected, and she isn’t sure what to make of the estate’s preoccupied master, Sir William Ramsey.

Widowed and left to care for his two young children and his deceased cousin’s two teenage girls, William is consumed with saving the estate from financial ruin. The last thing he needs is the distraction coming of a kindhearted-yet-determined governess who seems to be quietly transforming his household with her persuasive personality, vibrant prayer life, and strong faith.

While both are tending past wounds and guarding fragile secrets, Julia and William are determined to do what it takes to save their families--common ground that proves fertile for unexpected feelings. But will William choose Julia’s steadfast heart and faith over the wealth and power he needs to secure Highland Hall’s future?


Needed a book about a governess and this was the first thing that popped up that caught my fancy. Didn't realize it was a Christian Fiction at first...but then I was in too deep and I had to find out what happened next. 

The story follows Julia and William. Julia and her parents just came back to England from many years over in India as missionaries/doctors because of her father's failing health. To help her family financially she decides to get a job at Highland Hall to be the governess of William's two kids and his two young cousins. William is widowed and his cousin died leaving Highland Hill to him. The two have secrets and have past wounds that hinder them to trust others. 

This was super Christian-y, but not the worst I have read. It didn't overshadow the story or our characters, so it was easy to glance over for the most part. There were some parts that I had to skim through because it dragged on and on and on about God. I get it. I do, move forward pleasssssssse. 

I did enjoy watching Julia and William get to become friends and then they started falling for each other. It was slow, but it made sense. Different social classes, different personalities, and they are employer-employee. It worked well for a slow burn. 

The side stories were fun, but I did get annoyed with Mrs Emmett and the other idiot. Grrr! The motivations they had made barely a lick of sense to me. Horrible, horrible. I was also mad they really didn't get the karma they needed. (Spoiler but not spoiler). Not cool. I hate lose ends. 

Sara's little romance was cute. I was cheering for her the whole time! I wanted more of her story!

Now...the ending annoyed me. It was too perfect. Perfect solutions to real-life problems. What are the chances??????? Not likely and it all seemed too suspect to me. Meh. 

The narrator was good. I liked her. I would listen to more by her. She did well with different accents and made everyone sound different. 

Overall, this was not bad. The Christian aspect didn't hinder the story or characters, but there were some bits that made me skip forward because I was bored and annoyed. The side characters were fun except for the two. Ugh they deserve some sort of punishment! The ending left me rolling my eyes. Too convenient if you ask me. I'll give this a......mmmm....2.  

About a Governess. BINGOOOOO! lol

Blodeuedd's Monday Review: When the Marquess Was Mine by Caroline Linden

Narrated by: Beverley A. Crick

Series: The Wagers of Sin, Book 3

Length: 10 hrs and 25 mins

Unabridged Audiobook

Release date: 09-24-19

Language: English

Publisher: HarperAudio

Historical romance

In exchange for an honest review

I am going to start in the middle, what an asshat her brother was!  Usually siblings are good, or aloof, but this was quite the asshat, and trust me asshat is just me saying it kindly. He need several kicks in his...

And back to the beginning, Georgiana is a nice, fun young lady, who is staying with a friend,when the friend's world comes crushing down.

Rob is your usual kind of rake, drinking and playing cards, and then he wins a house and sets out to claim it. I liked Rob, cos he was more than he was showing.

He is left for dead, she cares for him. To save him she pretends they are to be married. And he falls in love, awwww, I did like Rob. And Georgiana too, she was really  nice! And yes she was engaged to someone else, but fear not it works out! And in the end I even wanted that guy to find Miss Right too.

A nice romance that made me curious about the couples that came before.

Narration

A good narrator, and I think it might have been my first by her? But I would listen to her again. She did a good job with this romance and character realisation. 

Georgiana Lucas despises the arrogant and cruel Marquess of Westmorland even before learning that he’s won the deed to her friend Kitty’s home in a card game. Still, Georgiana assures Kitty the marquess wouldn’t possibly come all the way to Derbyshire to throw them out - until he shows up, bloody and unconscious. Fearing that Kitty would rather see him die, Georgiana blurts out that he’s her fiancé. She’ll nurse the hateful man back to health and make him vow to leave and never return. The man who wakes up, though, is nothing like the heartless rogue Georgiana thought she knew....

You have to risk it all

He wakes up with no memory of being assaulted - or of who he is. The bewitching beauty tending him so devotedly calls him Rob and claims she’s his fiancée even as she avoids his touch. Though he can’t remember how he won her hand, he’s now determined to win her heart. But as his memory returns and the truth is revealed, Rob must decide if the game is up - or if he’ll take a chance on a love that defies all odds.