For Time and Eternity by Allison Pittman

This novel is another Kindle Freebie, but it is actually really good. I imagine it is only free because it is the first novel in the series and the following novels are $10 a piece. I am sorry, but I am not going to pay $10 for a book that is downloaded. If I pay more than $4, I want a tangible object that can sit on my bookshelf! :)
Anyhow, this novel is about a woman who joins the Mormons on their trail to Zion in the 1800's. She leaves her mother and father, who are very overbearing in their Christian faith, for a religion that she believes is more loving. She converts and loves her life for about 5 years. Then, the 'prophet' begins creating new rules and ideas. Finally, she discovers that she no longer believes in the religion around the time her child dies and her husband takes another wife. Remember, this is back at the beginning of the Mormon faith, before the mainstream church denounced plural marriages and such.
While I enjoy the plot of a young woman coming into her own and standing up for her beliefs, the plot line is a little shallow at the time she changes her mind about the Mormons. For awhile, she is a young mother and wife who attends service regularly and follows her husband, blindly. Then, she has a baby that passes away and she immediately denounces the Mormon faith for Christianity. However, regardless of how it comes about, the rest of the novel becomes more intriguing.
I would suggest this novel to women who enjoy historical fiction. While this novel may not be the most historically researched, such as The 19th Wife, it is still a good read the follows the basic history of the early Mormon church. I will give it a 3.5 because it did keep me entertained.

 http://www.allisonpittman.com/

Dusty Britches by Marcia Lynn McClure

Yet another Kindle freebie; however, this was a pretty good one! Dusty Britches is a historical romance based in the lated 1800's. It follows three couples who are on a ranch in Texas. The characters are realistic, for the most part, but the author can get carried away with the plot at times and the characters suffer for it. It is a lengthier Kindle book, but a quick read. It probably took around 5 hours to read it. I would suggest this novel for women who like romance and westerns, combined. The nice thing about this book is that the romance is kept tasteful and doesn't overwhelm the rest of the plot. I would have liked to see a bit more adventure and 'shoot-em-out' fights, but it still had a nice western flare. One thing that completely drove me CRAZY, was that the author kept referring to men's blue jeans - well, in the 1800's men did not wear blue jeans, they usually wore cotton or wool pants of a brown or grey color. Details, details, I am such a stickler for historic accuracy. Regardless, I managed to still enjoy the novel, so I will give it a 3.5. Definitely an enjoyable read!

Homespun Bride by Jillian Hart

Kindle Freebie! I downloaded this book on my Kindle for free, through Amazon.com. It is about what one would expect from a free e-book. It is cute, but I must admit that I couldn't finish it. I made it half way through before I finally threw in the towel. It was rather dull and had a predictable plot line. It is a good book to read, if you are looking for something calming and mushy, but that's about it. Not a fabulous read, but I will give it a 2 for effort and the fact that it's free......

The Most Unsuitable Wife by Caroline Clemmons

This was a Kindle Special and I think I paid 99 cents for it. I was expecting it to be very cliche or boring. However, I was pleasantly surprised as it was a well-thought out novel and had a great ending. I would definitely suggest this as a Kindle download and I believe it is still very cheap. It is about a Texan who must marry or he will lose his ranch according to the will left by his parents. On a cross-country trip, he finds and falls in love with a woman. She is being chased by a mysterious man who wished her dead. A cute novel, mainly for women, that I would recommend.
I give this book a 3.

The Chili Queen by Sandra Dallas

My reading has slowed in the last week as a result of finishing my KPTP project for student teaching. However, I managed to finish one book, at least. The Chili Queen is yet another marvelous novel by Sandra Dallas. It is about a brothel madame, an outlaw, and a mail order bride in the late 1800's. It is full of hilarity, drama, and suspense. I really enjoyed it, even though I felt the ending was a little weak. There is a twist at the end, which I love, but I feel that the conclusion is just not what it should be. I think Dallas could have changed it to suit the rest of the book a little better. Not my favorite by Sandra Dallas, but it is definitely worth the read. I will give this novel a 3.5.

Pinterest

No book review for today, I was way too busy this weekend to read! I will give you a sneak peek - the next book that I am reading is The Chili Queen by Sandra Dallas. Stay tuned for a review.
A few random tidbits-

I am going to see Puss in Boots 3D tonight. It is supposed to be an adorable kids movie! I will let you know.
Also, I am in the middle of watching a movie called Broken Trail which is a Western starring Robert Duvall. I am halfway through it and hoep to finish tonight or tomorrow night.

I have finally joined Pinterest, so feel free to check out my boards on that site. I will try to get a link posted, soon! Also, don't forget my other blog. http://www.langenwalterliving.blogspot.com/! :)
TTFN

Ride a Shadowed Trail by Eunice Boeve

A Western! :) I am a huge western junkie, but I hadn't read a good one for a while. I picked up this book by chance and I am very glad that I did! This novel is this author's first attempt at an adult novel - she was written many Young Adult novels and it does show a bit in this one. However, I think it adds to the book rather than detracts. Young Adult novelists tend to focus more on characters and less on details, which is a good thing. Many westerns tend to get detail-heavy and this one definitely was not. In my opinion, it could have used a few more descriptions, but it is fine how it is.
The novel is about Joshua Ryder, who is a young boy that is oprhaned after his mother's muder. He goes to live with an old cowboy, Pete, until he is eighteen years old. He heads out on a cattle drive and to find his mother's murderer.It is a great Western, complete with a lovable horse! :)

I am going to give this novel a 4. It is a great story, but the writing style is a little to basic, for me.