Book Review & Giveaway: Can't Buy Me Love

 

Welcome to the Blog + Review Tour for Can't Buy Me Love by Andrea Christenson presented by Susan May Warren, hosted by JustRead Publicity Tours!

ABOUT THE BOOK

Title: Can't Buy Me Love
Series: Deep Haven Collection #2
Author: Andrea Christenson presented by Susan May Warren
Publisher: Sunrise Publishing 
Release Date: March 16, 2021
Genre: Christian Contemporary Romance

He can’t buy his way out of trouble this time…

Housekeeper-slash-entrepreneur Ella Bradley prides herself on being ready for anything. After all, with a father who died—and lied to her—and a stepmom and stepsister who despise her, she has no one else to depend on. But on the biggest night of her life, she’s unprepared to be trapped in an elevator with the man of her dreams. 

Wealthy prince-to-a-fortune Adrian Vassos wants nothing more than to shed his reputation as a party boy and prove that he is a savvy businessman. Even, a gentleman. But when he’s trapped with a woman who knows his reputation but not his face, he gives into the temptation to be someone else—and lies. 

When serendipity brings them together again—this time to work off community service—can their combined sentences spark a new ending? Maybe…if Adrian’s lies don’t find him out. Again. 

The magic of Deep Haven enchants in this modern-day Cinderella story.

PURCHASE LINKS*: Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Book Depository | IndieBound | BookBub

BOOKS IN THIS SERIES

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MY THOUGHTS 

Can’t Buy Me Love by Andrea Christenson and Susan May Warren mixes a modern-day Cinderella story with some unique plot turns, moderate character development, and a sweet romance. Ella and Adrian’s initial meeting snagged my attention and set the stage for much of this novel and its unusual predicaments. Christian fiction rarely harbors stories involving community service and this novel offered refreshingly original scenes. Having worked in the legal field, I found some of the legal procedures (or lack thereof) questionable, but I suspended my cynicism in favor of giving the story a chance.

The creativity in Can’t Buy Me Love shined, but when I finished the final page, I wished the story had been deeper. Ella and Adrian’s personal issues linger through the story until they resolve quickly toward the end. I cheered when these two had their breakthrough moments, but longed to see the benefits/consequences play out. It felt very much like they grasped a truth, took an initial action on it, and then the story was over.

Can’t Buy Me Love by Andrea Christenson and Susan May Warren lands as the second installment in the Deep Haven Collection series. While this novel integrates characters from Warren’s original Deep Haven series and Christianson Family series, Can’t Buy Me Love works perfectly fine as a stand-alone novel. I have read some of the original books, but not all, and I enjoyed catching cameos of prior characters. Fans of the original series will likely enjoy visiting Deep Haven with these new characters.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I was provided a copy of this book by the author or publisher. All opinions in this review are my own.

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ABOUT THE AUTHORS

 

Susan May Warren is the USA Today best-selling novelist of 80 books. With more than 1.5 million books in print, she is beloved by reviewers and readers around the world. Visit Susan at www.susanmaywarren.com.

CONNECT WITH SUSAN: Website | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter

Andrea Christenson lives in a Minneapolis, MN suburb with her husband and two daughters. When she is not busy homeschooling her girls, she loves to read anything she can get her hands on. She believes that a great loaf of artistic bread can turn a meal into a masterpiece. Andrea’s prayer is to write stories revealing God’s love.

CONNECT WITH ANDREA: Website | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter 

Merging the creative energies of best-selling authors Susan May Warren and Lindsay Harrel, Sunrise Publishing is the matchmaker for established authors who want to build on their current success for future growth and aspiring authors looking to break out, build an audience, and hone their writing skills.

CONNECT WITH SUNRISE: Website | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | admin@sunrisepublishing.com

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TOUR GIVEAWAY

(1) winner will receive a $15 Amazon gift card + 3 Can't Buy Me Love ebooks (one ebook for the winner and two to give to friends)!

Full tour schedule linked below. Giveaway began at midnight March 16, 2021 and will last through 11:59 PM EST on March 23, 2021. Winner will be notified within 2 weeks of close of the giveaway and given 48 hours to respond or risk forfeiture of prize. US only. Void where prohibited by law or logistics.

Giveaway is subject to the policies found here.

ENTER GIVEAWAY HERE

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Follow along at JustRead Tours for a full list of stops!

 

*NOTE: This post contains affiliate links.

Book Spotlight & Giveaway: Second Chance Cowboy by Claire McEwen

On Tour with Prism Book Tours

Second Chance Cowboy

(Heroes of Shelter Creek, #5)

By Claire McEwen

Contemporary Romance

Paperback & ebook, 210 Pages

March 1, 2021 by Harlequin Heartwarming

He was her first love…
But some things she can’t forget

Busy small-town veterinarian Emily Fielding is finally ready to take on some help. The best man for the job, however, is Wes Marlow—who broke her heart in high school. Though Wes has a way with horses and a way of melting her resolve, Emily needs to keep things purely professional. Wes left her once—will he do it again? Because she can’t lose her heart a second time…

Heroes of Shelter Creek
Book 1: Reunited with the Cowboy
Book 2: After the Rodeo
Book 3: Her Surprise Cowboy
Book 4: Rescuing the Rancher
Book 5: Second Chance Cowboy

(Affiliate links included.)

Goodreads | BookBub | Amazon | Bookshop | B&N | Book Depository | Target

Walmart | Harlequin | BAM | IndieBound | !ndigo | Apple Books | Kobo | GooglePlay

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Excerpt

Emily scrubbed her palms across her forehead in a useless attempt to get her brain to focus. Nope. Wasn’t going to work. Between her lack of sleep and running into Wes this morning, she’d been as scattered as these papers on her desk all day.

The phone call with her mother just now hadn’t helped. Apparently, Wes had visited them today. He’d explained to her parents that he’d run away to save his little brother. Then he’d raised him on his own. All the years since Wes left, Emily had sustained herself with anger and indignation. But how could she stay angry when he’d been off doing something so heroic?

But she was angry. Maybe that made her a bad person, but he could have sent a postcard. Even just a few words. I had to help someone. I’m sorry. Anything would have been better than all that silence. All those years of wondering...of worrying...of simply not knowing.

This was ridiculous. Why was she letting someone she hadn’t seen or heard from since high school steal any more of her time and energy? There was so much work to get done. She glanced at the empty coffee mug on her desk. Nope, that was a bad idea. It was six in the evening, and coffee now would steal the sleep she so desperately needed tonight.

The thought of sleep inspired a jaw-aching yawn. Maybe she’d just go home and crawl into bed. She could come in early tomorrow and deal with all this work, as long as there were no other late-night emergencies on the horizon.

As if on cue, there was a knock on the clinic door. Lily, the receptionist, and both the technicians had already left for the day, so Emily pushed herself up from her chair and shuffled across the waiting room to answer. In a small town like Shelter Creek, people didn’t always make an appointment, especially if their animal needed emergency care.

Emily twisted the bolt on the door and pulled it open.

Wes was standing on the doorstep, cowboy hat in hand. Emily took a step back as some traitorous part of her heart lit up at the sight of him. She straightened her shoulders. Whatever her heart was up to, that was just muscle memory, nothing more. “Wes, what are you doing here?”

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Other Books in the Series

(Amazon affiliate link.)

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About the Author

Claire McEwen is an award-winning author whose strong heroes and heroines take big, emotional journeys to find their happily-ever-afters. She loves writing stories set in quirky small towns and romantic western settings. Claire lives by the ocean in Northern California with her family and a scruffy, mischievous terrier. When not dreaming up new stories, she’s a busy mom who also enjoys gardening, hiking, discovering flea-market treasures and wandering on the beach. A life-long bookworm, she always has her kindle close by.

Website | Goodreads | BookBub | Facebook | Twitter | Pinterest | Instagram

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Tour Schedule

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Tour Giveaway


One winner will receive a copy of Second Chance Cowboy (ebook or paperback, winner's choice) and a $30 Amazon gift card

Two winners will each receive a copy of Second Chance Cowboy (ebook or paperback, winner's choice)

US only

Ends March 24, 2021

ENTER HERE

Book Review: Beauty Among Ruins by J'nell Ciesielski

About the Book:

In Ciesielski’s latest sweeping romance, an American heiress finds herself in Scotland amid the fallout of the Great War, and a wounded Scottish laird comes face-to-face with his past and a woman he never could have expected.

American socialite Lily Durham is known for enjoying one moment to the next, with little regard for the consequences of her actions. But just as she is banished overseas to England as a “cure” for her frivolous ways, the Great War breaks out and wreaks havoc. She joins her cousin in nursing the wounded at a convalescent home deep in the wilds of Scotland at a crumbling castle where its laird is less than welcoming.

Alec MacGregor has given his entire life to preserving his home of Kinclavoch Castle, but mounting debts force him to sell off his family history bit by bit. Labeled a coward for not joining his countrymen in the trenches due to an old injury, he opens his home to the Tommies to make recompense while he keeps to the shadows. But his preference for the shadows is shattered when a new American nurse comes streaming into the castle on a burst of light.

Lily and Alec are thrown together when a series of mysterious events threatens to ruin the future of Kinclavoch. Can they put aside their differences to find the culprit before it’s too late, or will their greatest distraction be falling in love?

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My Thoughts:

I quickly fell in love with Beauty Among Ruins by J’nell Ciesielski. This stand-alone novel features a lush Scottish setting that swept me away from reality. Gaelic words sprinkle throughout the narrative. I referred occasionally to the glossary when the sentence did not imply the meaning. However, the Gaelic use felt just right – enough to enchant, but not overwhelm, the reader.

Not only did I enjoy the setting of Beauty Among Ruins, but the characters and their development shined as I traveled through the novel. Alec, the laird of Kinclavoch Castle, emanates loyalty. Whether it is his family, his estate, his country, or the Tommies recuperating in his home, he strives to serve them all in his own way. Alec juxtaposes Lily, a spoiled American socialite full of selfishness and insubordination. An unexpected romance between this unlikely pair forces both to change and grow. I loved the character development and refinement, though Lily’s took some time. Her undesirable traits linger in the story which may not appeal to some readers. However, I thoroughly enjoyed reading Beauty Among Ruins by J’nell Ciesielski and I recommend to it anyone who enjoys clean, historical fiction.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I was provided a copy of this book by the author or publisher. All opinions in this review are my own.

First Line Fridays: Suitors for the Proper Miss by Jen Geigle Johnson

Happy Friday!

First Line Fridays is hosted by Hoarding Books and participants share the first line from a nearby book.

Today, I'm sharing the first lines from Suitors for the Proper Miss by Jen Geigle Johnson.

"The path between the castle where Miss Lucy Standish lived and the stables was long and windy and well-travelled by herself."

Have you read Suitors for the Proper Miss? If not, check out the book blurb below and read my review.

What are you reading this weekend? I'd love for you to share your book's first line!

Happy reading!

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About the Book:

She wants to marry a Lord, as Lordly and titled as possible. He wants nothing more to do with her than saddle her horses.

Miss Lucy Standish has wanted to marry a future duke for as long as she could remember. Days in the cold, with little coal for their small cottage and little to eat, she would dream of the days she saved all her sisters with a marriage to a man of such elevated title that they would never be poor again, that her children and their children forever would be cared for.

Mr. Conor Sullivan has never overstepped the lines of propriety. He does everything he can to treat Miss Lucy with respect. But his heart is overcome with love for the middle Standish sister, and he assumes he will spend his dying breath still wishing she were his.

But fortune changes for the Sullivan family. With new attention from the crown and past family secrets revealed, a path opens that just might mean happiness for Lucy and Conor. But will they be bold enough to seize the opportunity when it comes?

Read book Four in the Lords for the Sisters of Sussex Series for a hefty dose of delicious family relationships, Jane Austin type fun, and a delicious forbidden romance.

Lily and Alec are thrown together when a series of mysterious events threatens to ruin the future of Kinclavoch. Can they put aside their differences to find the culprit before it’s too late, or will their greatest distraction be falling in love?

February 2021 Reading Recap & March 2021 TBR

My February 2021 Reads:

February blessed me with more reading time than January did. As you can see below, I exclusively read books I had received for review. I would like to get into my TBR stack of books I received for Christmas, but that might be awhile away still. Not complaining though, I love receiving books for review. In February, I finished:

1. The Hesitant Heiress by Dawn Crandall - ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ - Read my review.


2. Beauty Among Ruins by J'nell Ciesielski - ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ - Review coming soon.


3. The Dress Shop on King Street by Ashley Clark. - ⭐⭐⭐⭐ - Read my review.


4. Stay with Me by Becky Wade - ⭐⭐⭐⭐ - This was a second reading. Read my original review.


5. Suitors for the Proper Miss by Jen Geigle Johnson - ⭐⭐⭐⭐ - Read my review.


6. His to Keep by Sherrinda Ketchersid - ⭐⭐⭐⭐ - Read my review.


7. The Moonlight School by Suzanne Woods Fischer. - ⭐⭐⭐ - Read my review.


8. A Dance in Donegal by Jennifer Deibel. - ⭐⭐⭐ - Read my review.

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Expected March 2021 Reads:

In March, I hope to read:

1. A Dark Beauty by Clarissa Kae.


2. Veiled in Smoke by Jocelyn Green. - A reread in anticipation of the sequel! Read my original review here.


3. Shadows of the White City by Jocelyn Green - sequel to Veiled in Smoke.


4. Can't Buy Me Love by Andrea Christenson.


5. What We Inherit by Jessica Pearce Rotondi - A step out of my normal genre, but it sounds so interesting!


6. Under the Tulip Tree by Michelle Shocklee - My local book club's selection for March.


7. The Piano Teacher by Kristie Self.


8. Stronger Every Day by Janell Rardon. - Currently Reading!

What will you read this month?

Book Review: His to Keep by Sherrinda Ketchersid

About the Book:

He’s fighting for his inheritance—she’s marrying her sworn enemy.

When Ian McGowan attempts to claim Whitfield Castle as his rightful inheritance, he finds himself barred by a tempestuous lass who is entailed to be the bride of the castle’s new owner.

Claire Beaumont, the orphaned ward of Whitfield, has good reason to hate Scots, and she is not about to let a Scot enter her beloved home. But when the handsome knight steals into the castle and proves his claim on the land, she must face her ultimate nightmare—marriage to her sworn enemy—in order to save those she cares about most.

Restoring the failing Whitfield Castle while wooing his defiant intended proves more challenging than Ian anticipated. His struggles reach a crisis when his nemesis arrives at the castle, and he must overcome his past demons to prove his worth. He must fight for what is his to keep—and it could well cost him his heart.

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My Thoughts:

His to Keep by Sherrinda Ketchersid features a romance with strong tension and positive themes about personal healing and growth. I enjoyed the enemies-to-lovers progression, though I partly think that Claire started admiring, if not liking, Ian too soon. The plot clips right along and some situations progressed quickly. I think I wanted the story to slow down and dig down deep into each character. Still, the themes about forgiveness and self-worth added a pleasing depth to the novel.

Overall, His to Keep by Sherrinda Ketchersid was a fun read. I especially enjoyed the medieval setting and unique customs presented. Due to mentions of “bedding” one another and the emphasis placed on it by certain characters, I recommend this book for older teens and above.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I was provided a copy of this book by the author or publisher. All opinions in this review are my own.