Killing Me Softly by Kathryn R. Biel

Book Information

Genre: Romance

• Paperback: 266 pages
• Publisher: Kathryn R. Biel (July 9, 2015)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0991391780
• ISBN-13: 978-0991391783

Synopsis: Sadie Perkins has a sixth sense about things—especially people dying. Her clairvoyance has never bothered her until she starts to believe that her visions are causing the deaths of those around her. After her latest relationship ends ... badly ... Sadie swears off love for good. While searching for an uncomplicated life, Sadie finds her hands full not only with a home renovation project but with defending herself against suspicion of murder. There's a fine line between predicting someone's death and causing it. Has Sadie finally crossed that line?
Enter contractor Max Schultz, who is not only good at working on houses, but he's good at working on Sadie too. Much to Max's dismay, as he's trying to win Sadie's heart, he finds Sadie's first love, Henry Fitzsimmons, is back in the picture, snooping around. 
Sadie doesn't know which way to turn or who to trust, including herself. Can Sadie clear her name and open her heart all at the same time?

Review: This is not your typical romance story. It's rom-com, mystery, suspense, thriller---a little bit of everything! 

Sadie seems to be the most normal person in her strange and dysfunctional family--and when you consider that she believes she can cause people to die just because of her words, that is definitely saying a lot.

There is so much going on in Sadie's life throughout this book that I don't know how she holds on to her sanity.  There's a planned romantic getaway for Valentine's Day that goes VERY wrong, a tragic car accident, a pregnancy, a new love interest, the return of a crush, a mysterious disappearance, a death, etc. 
Oh, and let's not forget that Sadie is renovating her new home throughout all of this.

You might think that all of that activity would make the storyline tough to follow, but it doesn't. It just has you wanting to keep reading to find out what Sadie is going to get herself into next, and how she's going to get out of all the many messes she finds herself in, time after time.

**I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are entirely my own.**

Rating: Four stars

About the author

Kathryn Biel hails from Upstate New York, and is a spouse and mother of two wonderful, but exhausting kids. In between being Chief Home Officer and Director of Child Development of the Biel household, she works as a school-based physical therapist. She attended Boston University and received her Doctorate in Physical Therapy from The Sage Colleges. After years of writing countless letters of medical necessity for wheelchairs, finding increasingly creative ways to encourage the government and insurance companies to fund her client's needs, and writing entertaining annual Christmas letters, she decided to take a shot at writing the kind of novel that she likes to read. Her musings and rants can also be found on her personal blog, Biel Blather. 

Dante's Gift (A Chicago Christmas #1) by Aubree Wynne

Book Information

Genre: Romance

Series: A Chicago Christmas

Paperback: 102 pages

Publisher: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform (November 4, 2015)

Language: English

ISBN-10: 1518797334

ISBN-13: 978-1518797330

Synopsis: Kathleen James has put her practical side away for once and looks forward to the perfect romantic evening: an intimate dinner with the man of her dreams—and an engagement ring. She is not prepared to hear that he wants to bring his grandmother back from Italy to live with him. Dominic Lawrence has planned this marriage proposal for six months. Nothing can go wrong—until his Nonna calls. Now he must interrupt the tenderest night of Katie’s life with the news that another woman will be under their roof. When Antonia’s sister dies, she finds herself longing to be back in the states. An Italian wartime bride from the ‘40s, she knows how precious love can be. Can her own story of an American soldier and a very special collie once again bring two hearts together at Christmas?

Review: What a beautiful story....actually, you get two holiday romance stories in one. There is the story of Antonia and her American soldier, wrapped in the story of Dominic and Katie. Both stories are touching in their own ways.

The historical part of the story is very descriptive and leaves you waiting anxiously, just like Katie, to hear the next part of it. And I loved the part that Dante played in the story, and how he also played a part in the present day story as well.

A sweet clean romance that makes a quick and easy read.

**I was provided a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are entirely my own.**

Rating: Four stars

About the author

Bestselling and award-winning author Aubrey Wynne resides in the Midwest with her husband, dogs, horses, mule and barn cats. She is an elementary teacher by trade, champion of children and animals by conscience, and author by night. Obsessions include history, travel, trail riding and all things Christmas. 

Her debut story, Merry Christmas, Henry, was published in November 2013 by Melange Books, LLC and received Best Short Romance in the Preditors & Editors Reader's Choice of 2013. Wynne's humorous shorts Pete's Mighty Purty Privies ( Best Short in the Preditors & Editors Reader's Choice of 2014 and Top 100 Laugh Out Loud List on Goodreads) and To Cast A Cliché are published with Amazon.

Aubrey's first love is historical romance and her recent medieval fantasy novella, Rolf's Quest, will be released in 2016 as a full-length novel. Dante's Gift, her latest Christmas story, is part of the box set Christmas Pets and Kisses and sold as a single. The box set Valentine Pets and Kisses also contains the first in her vintage series, 19 Ivy Lane.

Wishing On Baby Dust by Lydia Winters

Synopsis: Infertility stinks. No one knows that better than Megan. After six years of insanity-inducing hormone drugs and desperate prayers, all she has to show for her efforts are enough negative pregnancy tests to fill a bassinet. All around her women are accidentally getting pregnant—like her star piano student—while Megan remains hopelessly barren. 

Megan’s never felt so alone. But she’s not the only one struggling.

Christina has just entered the world of infertility, made worse by the fact her husband isn’t ready to be a father. Their marriage, already hanging in the balance, is being torn apart. 

Then there’s Kyra, the mother of a precocious three-year-old. She’s shocked to be struggling with secondary infertility. A baby is priceless, but sometimes Kyra feels like she’s being forced to choose which commandment to keep: stay out of debt, or multiply and replenish the earth. 

When Megan and Christina are assigned as Kyra’s visiting teachers, they all realize that what you see isn’t necessarily what’s beneath the surface. Some secrets aren’t worth the cost of keeping them.

Thoughts: This is a very emotional, well-written book. Three women, dealing with a variety of infertility issues, at first afraid to share their secrets, and then bound together by them, are the heart of the story. 

Reading the struggles of Kyra, Christina and Megan was eye-opening and heart-breaking at the same time. And realistically, not all three stories had happy "we're pregnant!" endings. 

The characters are also LDS women, which means there are religious references throughout, along with all the medical procedures, which are described fully enough to give the reader a true idea of what women in this situation experience.

**I received a copy of this book in return for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are entirely my own.**

My rating: Five stars