Just as their friendship is starting to develop into more, Miriam's past comes calling.  The exposure of her secrets could mean the end of Miriam's new life and love.  What will Gideon say when he hears the truth?  Will there be anything left of their friendship or will both of them walk away with shattered hearts?

Healing Hearts by Sarah M. Eden stars one of the minor characters from its predecessor, The Sheriffs of Savage Wells.  Gideon and Miriam are less colorful leads than Cade and Paisley, but they're no less likable.  Both are sympathetic, selfless people who deserve a happy ending.  Their romance is sweet and slow-building but swoony all the same.  Although they're not as fiery as Cade and Paisley, there's still plenty of tension and playful banter flying between them to keep things interesting.  Like its predecessor, Healing Hearts is clean, fun, upbeat, and entertaining.  I found it just as enjoyable—maybe even a little more so—than The Sheriffs of Savage Wells.  If you like light, funny historical romance, you can't go wrong with this series.  It really is a satisfying, swoony delight.

(Readalikes:  The Sheriffs of Savage Wells by Sarah M. Eden, as well as other proper romances by the same author)

Grade:

To the FTC, with love:  I received an ARC of Healing Hearts from the generous folks at Shadow Mountain in exchange for an honest review.  Thank you!

Legendary lawman Cade O'Brien is certain that man is him.  Assuming his reputation will have proceeded him, he expects to waltz right in and take the position, no contest.  He's shocked when he spies other applicants—one of whom is a woman.  Cade never expected to have to prove himself capable but after a decade of bloody battles with violent criminals, he'll do anything for the easy tranquility Savage Wells offers.

Paisley Bell knows it's unusual for a woman to want to be sheriff, but the truth is she's been doing the job for months, even if the former sheriff took all the credit for her hard work.  She may not have a chance against someone as infamous as Cade O'Brien, but Paisley will not back down.  Not only does she need the money to care for her ill father, she knows and loves Savage Wells like no one else.  No one can do the job as well as Paisley and she won't back down until the position is hers.

While Cade and Paisley vie for the job, they have to contend with quirky townspeople, the return of Paisley's ex-fiancé, a threat to the town bank, and most troublesome of all—their growing attraction for one another.  With so much at stake, who will win and who will lose?

The Sheriffs of Savage Wells by Sarah M. Eden is a fun historical romance filled with likable characters, lively banter, and an entertaining storyline.  Sweet and clean, it has a swoony love story at its center that can be savored by readers of all ages.  At 336 pages, the novel is a good 100 pages longer than it needs to be, which bugs a little.  Still, despite the book's unneeded length and the subplot that is too thin to justify it, overall I enjoyed this funny, upbeat romance.  If you're looking for an uplifting read to make you smile, look no further.  You just found it.

(Readalikes:  Reminds me of its sequel, Healing Hearts by Sarah M. Eden as well as other proper romances by the same author)

After losing her mother to cancer and fighting her own devastating battle with the disease, Joanna Teale needs a distraction.  The 26-year-old graduate student finds it in Southern Illinois' Shawnee Forest, where she spends all her time studying the nesting success of indigo buntings.  Renting a cabin on an isolated stretch of road, she lives a quiet, lonely existence that suits her just fine.

When a young girl appears on Jo's doorstep out of the blue, the busy biologist shoos her away.  The child, who insists she has no Earthly home because she came from the stars, is barefoot and covered in bruises.  In spite of herself, Jo lets the waif in—just until she can decide what to do with her.  The police seem uninterested in a wandering country kid and Jo doesn't see the girl's picture on any Missing Children sites.  Not knowing what else to do, she cares for the odd child, who continues to insist she's an alien sent to Earth to study human beings.  Increasingly concerned about the girl's obviously turbulent home life, Jo enlists the help of Gabe Nash, her handsome, reclusive neighbor, to help her solve the problem of the girl who calls herself Ursa Major.  

The more the adults bond with the special child, the more inclined they are to believe Ursa's crazy origin story.  When the happy bubble Jo, Ursa, and Gabe have created eventually pops, though, they will all be faced with some hard questions.  Who is Ursa Major, really?  Where did she come from?  And how has the strange little girl managed to steal their hearts so completely?

Where the Forest Meets the Stars is a luminous debut novel by endangered bird specialist Glendy Vanderah.  It features an intriguing premise, a cast of likable, sympathetic characters, and a slow-building plot that kept me turning pages nonetheless.  Although the novel deals with some tough subjects, overall it tells a hopeful, touching novel about the power of love in a world that has too little of it.  I enjoyed this lustrous tale and will definitely be watching to see what this talented author does next.

for language (a dozen or so F-bombs, plus milder expletives), violence, sexual content, and disturbing subject matter

To the FTC, with love:  I received a finished copy of Where the Forest Meets the Stars from the generous folks at Lake Union Publishing via those at TLC Book Tours in exchange for an honest review.  Thank you!

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When Evalina Cassano, a 17-year-old Italian-American, falls in love with the Japanese-American boy who delivers produce to her family's restaurant, she knows their developing relationship will only lead to trouble.  And that's before the Japanese bomb Pearl Harbor.  In the aftermath, paranoia against anyone of Japanese descent sweeps through the country, making Evalina and Taichi's clandestine romance even more dangerous.  When Taichi's family is sent to the Manzanar War Relocation Center, Evalina promises she'll wait for his return.  No one knows how long the Japanese-Americans will be detained or what the world will be like when the war's over.  Can Evaline keep her promise to Taichi?  Is there any hope for a future together, even when barbed wire fences and armed guards aren't standing between them?

Taichi Hamasaki has always been an obedient rule follower.  His secret courting of Evalina is the only exception.  He can't even bear to tell her the truth about what life is really like inside Manzanar.  As things heat up inside the camp, with tempers flaring, gangs forming, and angry mobs causing havoc, Taichi can't remain silent anymore.  Even if it means ticking off the most dangerous residents of Manzanar.  Can he survive life inside the fence, let alone hope for any kind of future beyond it?  The grimmer things get, the more he fears that freedom will never be his.    

I've read many books about World War II, but not too many about the experience of the more than 100,000 Japanese-Americans who were held inside internment camps all over the western U.S. for the duration.  I want to know more about the subject, so when I read the premise to Within These Lines by Stephanie Morrill, I knew I had to read it.  And I'm glad I did.  The novel paints a vivid, heartbreaking portrait of what Japanese-Americans went through as they were forced out of their homes, moved into hastily-built camps, and pushed into eking out a life in a situation that must have felt completely hopeless.  Both Evaline and Taichi are sympathetic characters for whom it's easy to root.  Their love story is sweet, but heart-wrenching.  Morrill writes with both sensitivity and skill, which makes Within These Lines a compelling, thought-provoking, and memorable read.  I enjoyed it.

for violence and disturbing subject matter

To the FTC, with love:  I received an ARC of Within These Lines from the generous folks at Blink via those at The Fantastic Flying Book Club in exchange for an honest review.  Thank you!

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