Rachelle J. Christensen

Romance, Suspense, Mystery Author

Book Review: Taken by Storm by Angela Morrison

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Book Thoughts by Rachelle

Taken by Storm is a young adult romance book, but a huge page-turner at the same time. Morrison is so talented! I love how this book is written from two different POVs in such a creative way. The writing is beautiful, touching, and you’ll find yourself thinking about Leesie and Michael long after you’ve read the last poem on the final page.

This clean romance novel covers a topic that is often difficult to approach in the YA market–abstinence. Kudos to Angela Morrison for doing a fantastic job and showing how real the pull and desire between Leesie and Michael is and how quickly things can spiral out of control. I’m keeping this on my list of books for my girls to read when they are a little older.

Here’s more about the book:

Leesie Hunt has many rules: No kissing. No sex. No dating outside the Mormon faith.

When Michael Walden, a deep-sea diver who lost his parents in a violent hurricane, arrives in town, Leesie sees someone who needs her. They fall for one another, even though his dreams are tied to the depths of the ocean and hers to salvation above.

Will their intense chemistry be too strong to resist?

Leesie and Michael must make the hardest choice of their lives: whether to follow their beliefs or their hearts.

Other books you may enjoy:

Unbroken Connection: A Young Adult Romance (Taken by Storm Book 2) by [Morrison, Angela]   

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Book Review: Fresh Courage Take by Dean Hughes

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Book Thoughts by Rachelle

Clean and wholesome historical fiction is so inspiring to me! I love how history comes alive in these types of historical fiction stories.

I just finished reading Volume 3 in Dean Hughes’ Come to Zion series and it was wonderful! The very next day my mom snatched it up so that she and my dad could read it and share it with their friends.

Each of the books in this series have been inspiring and delightful to read. Fresh Courage Take is an incredible finish to the series. Dean Hughes is a master of historical fiction and in this series he has interwoven present day characters of Abby and Jeff with the stories of their ancestors Will and Liz. The details he incorporates make the books come to life. I feel such a deep respect for the pioneers who settled this great land–this marvelous state of Utah.

Fresh Courage Take brings the individuality of the pioneer’s struggle to the forefront. The deadly march of the Mormon Battalion became real to me in a way that I had never appreciated before. I enjoyed talking with my children about the sacrifice that early settlers went through to find religious freedom and their own land to own. We talked about how soldiers marching across the California desert for the Mexican war sucked on pebbles to wet their mouth and help them keep going–walking thirty miles in two days with little more than a liter of muddy water to drink!

I’m fascinated by the stories from my heritage and grateful that such a talented writer as Dean Hughes created this series.

Here’s more about the book:

Beloved novelist Dean Hughes skillfully interweaves the stories of two Latter-day Saint families separated by five generations and 150 years, both facing challenges that test their faith and commitment to the Church. For Liz and Will Lewis, leaving Nauvoo for an unknown wilderness has proven to be the most difficult trial of their lives, but greater challenges lie ahead as Will joins the Mormon Battalion and Liz Leaves Winter Quarters to brave the trek west with her children. For Jeff and Abby Lewis in modern-day Nauvoo, learning to put first things first becomes a much more difficult challenge than they could have imagined, providing a unique perspective on the struggles that are faced by faithful Saints in any generation.

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Book Review: Healing Hearts by Sarah M. Eden

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Book Thoughts by Rachelle

This Proper Romance is a beautiful historical romance set in beloved Savage Wells. If you enjoyed The Sheriffs of Savage Wells, you’ll love this one.

Healing Hearts was such a gift to read because it reminded me all over again why I love reading–to escape, to relax, to enjoy the talent a good author provides. From the moment Miriam steps off the stage coach in Savage Wells, she’ll capture your heart. The townsfolk of Savage Wells are eager to meet the new nurse and marry her off to their beloved doctor, Gideon MacNamara, except Miriam was only planning on a job, not a marriage! You’ll laugh out loud in several places at the town’s antics, and you’ll also lean in closer to the written word as you discover these characters.

I love how the storyline moves through a mail-order bride gone wrong, to one of romance, mystery, and danger. Miriam is hiding something and it’s only a matter of time until someone finds out. This book will warm your heart, as well as cause it to race in several places too! I love Sarah Eden’s books and this one is definitely one to share.

Here’s more about the book:

Wyoming Territory, 1876

As the only doctor in the frontier town of Savage Wells, Gideon MacNamara knows his prospects for a bride are limited. The womenfolk in town are either too young, too old, or already spoken for. So, being a practical man, he decides to take advantage of the matchmaking service of the day—mail-order brides—and sends away for a woman with nursing experience.

When Miriam steps off the stagecoach in Savage Wells, she sees a bright future in front of her. But when the town—and Gideon—meets her, ready for a wedding, her excitement quickly turns to horror. Somehow Dr. MacNamara’s message had gotten turned around. He didn’t want a nurse, he wanted a wife. When she refuses to marry him, she finds herself stranded in Savage Wells with some very unhappy townspeople.

But Gideon is not like the other men Miriam has met. Embarrassed by the misunderstanding, he offers her a job, and the two begin an awkward—and often humorous—dance of getting to know each other as they work to care for the people of their town. Romance blossoms between the two, but when a former medical associate of Miriam’s arrives in town, Gideon and the other townsfolk must rally to protect Miriam from a dangerous fate. Gideon and Miriam must decide if they are willing to risk their hearts for each other even as buried secrets are brought to light.

Other clean romances you may enjoy:

   

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Book Review: Longing for Home by Sarah M. Eden

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Book Thoughts by Rachelle


First off, let me tell you that Sarah is a phenomenal writer. I have loved every book she has written. Her attention to detail and incredible gift at crafting historical romances never ceases to amaze me.

After reading Longing For Home, I have a hankering to visit Ireland, and I’m betting you will too! I love a good romance, but the plot must have some meat in it for me to chew on while reading. Sarah provides a backdrop from history of the discrimination the Irish faced upon landing on American soil. Katie is a heroine full of spunk and Irish fire and I loved everything she had to say.

This book will warm your heart, stir the embers of history, and leave you longing for more, which Sarah delivers in the sequel.

Here’s more about the book:

Though she was only a child during the darkest days of Ireland’s Great Famine, Katie Macauley feels responsible for the loss of her family’s land and the death of her sister. Now a woman grown, Katie has left Ireland for America and the promise of earning money enough to return home again and plead for her family’s forgiveness. She arrives in Hope Springs, Wyoming Territory, a town sharply divided between the Americans who have settled there, with their deep hatred of the Irish, and the Irish immigrants who have come searching for a place to call home. Her arrival tips the precarious balance, and the feud erupts anew. Even in the midst of hatred and violence, however, Katie finds reason to hope. Two men, as different as they are intriguing, vie for her heart, turning her thoughts for the first time toward a future away from Ireland. Katie must now make the hardest decision of her life: stay and give her heart a chance at love, or return home and give her soul the possibility of peace.

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Book Review: The Winds and the Waves by Dean Hughes

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Book Thoughts by Rachelle:

I love learning about history, but I don’t love reading straight non-fiction books on the subject. Enter Dean Hughes and his incredible talent for weaving fact and fiction into a story that brings the past to the present, engaging the reader in historical events that will leave a lasting impression. This is how I like to learn history!

I read The Winds and The Waves, Volume 1 of a 3 Volume series and I can’t wait to finish Through Cloud and Sunshine (Vol 2). This details events from the beginnings of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints and follows a fictional family from Great Britain across the sea to join the saints in Nauvoo, Illinois. As a member of the LDS Church, I’ve heard many stories and details of the difficulties the early members faced. This story brings everything up front and present with a clarity that gave me an even deeper respect for these early pioneers.

And if it wasn’t enough to share with you how incredible these books are, I have something quite amazing to share. Through Cloud and Sunshine is the 100th published book of author Dean Hughes. WOW! Can you imagine writing 100 books? I can dream . . .

Here’s more about the book:

Past meets present in this wonderful new historical novel from bestselling author Dean Hughes. Wilford Woodruff’s preaching to congregations of the United Brethren in England has a profound effect on Will Lewis, but does this “new religion” really hold the key to the better life he longs for? Does he dare risk his precarious, hard-won success in order to embrace it? Can it give him the love of his life, or will it snatch her away? Will’s struggles to believe, to win his true love, and to face the rigors of immigrating to an unknown land are paralleled by the modern-day story of Jeff and Abby, a young married couple facing challenges of their own. The skillful interweaving of these two stories brings Church history to life while demonstrating how much we can learn from those who went before us. Anyone who has ever battled the winds and the waves, in some form, will love this novel.

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Book Review: Lies, Love, and Breakfast at Tiffany’s by Julie Wright

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Book Thoughts by Rachelle

If you’re a fan of Audrey Hepburn, sweet, clean contemporary romance, and excellent wit, then this is your next novel to read. I LOVED Lies, Love, and Breakfast at Tiffany’s! Julie Wright created a wonderfully realistic character in Sylvia and it was so much fun to go along her journey of self-discovery. I enjoyed reading about Audrey the eye and Audrey Hepburn in real life. Wright has such a knack for laugh out loud humor in just the right places. This book was a pure escape during a very stressful time in my life and I’m so grateful that I could read every page knowing that there would be great content on the next one. I can’t wait to read Julie Wright’s next book!

Here’s more about the book:

The Lie
Women in Hollywood are just pretty faces. But Silvia Bradshaw knows that’s a lie, and she’s ready to be treated as an equal and prove her worth as one of Hollywood’s newest film editors.

The Love
She and Ben Mason had worked together as editors before Silvia got her big break, so he’s the perfect person to ask for feedback on her first major film. But even as their friendship begins to blossom into something more, a lawsuit surfaces, jeopardizing both of their jobs—as well as their fledgling romance. Audrey Hepburn once said: “The most important things is to enjoy your life—to be happy—it’s all that matters.” Silvia agrees. Or she used to. It’s one thing to risk her job and her heart, but can she really risk Ben’s too? Does she have the right to make decisions for her own happiness when they affect so many other people?

The Breakfast
With everything to lose, Silvia meets Ben for breakfast at his favorite diner, Tiffany’s, for one last conversation before the credits roll on true love.

Other books you may enjoy:

   

Visit Rachelle’s Book Review Page to see all reviews HERE.

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