"Cathy--Clover Springs Mail Order Brides Book 11" by Rachel Wesson

Cathy, Book 11 of the Colorado Springs Mail Order Bride series by Rachel Wesson is about drug addiction in the 1800s. When Cathy’s adoptive parents died in a boating accident, the doc gave her some medicine to which she became addicted. Her cousin, Archibald, was appointed her guardian and her father suggested they marry. No love between them though. With the help of Cathy’s maid, she ran off to Clover Springs to find her long lost sister, Mary. Cathy was afraid Archibald was poisoning her and he threatened to put her in an asylum! Shortly after arriving in Clover Springs, she fainted in the street which was how Abe O’Malley met her when he carried her over to the doctor’s office.

This book started out a bit slow and at first, I felt sort of bombarded with a bunch of new characters. I would have liked more of Cathy’s married life with Abe. I thought there should have been more catching up with the sisters. This book seemed to end abruptly. Wilma and her girls were just like a little distraction in this book which focused almost completely on Cathy and Abe. I liked it, but not as much as the others in this series.
(Karen’s review, 3 stars)

Teaser from Loc. 570-71 on Kindle: “My parents, the people who adopted me, hid them from me. My letters to Mary are in the bag.”


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"I Am Still Alive" by Kate Alice Marshall

In I Am Still Alive by Kate Alice Marshall, life is not going too well for Jess.  Her mom is dead.  Now she is in a remote wilderness with her dad, who was not around for much of her life until now!  She is not in good shape either.  Can things get any worse for Jess?  I thought this book was pretty good.  It goes back and forth in time for a bit.  Jess was a great character.  I had some trouble with the ending so that brought my rating down to a four.  It was a good read except for the ending.
(Gerard's review, 4 stars)

Teaser from page 16:

I'm going to die, I force myself to think, and then I say it out loud, shout it, because I need to believe it down in my gut or I'm never going to be able to move.
"I AM GOING TO DIE," I scream across the lake.

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"Eleanor" by Rachel Wesson - Book 10 in Clover Springs Mail Order Brides Series

Eleanor by Rachel Wesson is another good 1800 historical fiction story about how the ex-slaves longed to find their family members that they got separated from as slaves.  Eleanor is the new school teacher in Clover Springs who came from England.  This is a beautiful story of true friendships between blacks and whites as well as how racism still existed after the slaves were freed. 
(Karen's review, 5 stars)

Teaser from Kindle Loc. 207-8:  Seems I was an embarrassment to my family.  Despite my pale skin, I am the daughter of an ex-slave.

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"Nyxia Unleashed" by Scott Reintgen (We Both Loved This One)

Nyxia Unleashed by Scott Reintgen is the follow up to Nyxia.   Emmett and the rest of the Genesis 11 and 12 must now explore a new planet and collect Nyxia for Babel.  I enjoyed this book much more than the first one!  There is lots more action for one thing and I liked how the author had new stuff coming up.  I never really knew what was going to happen next!  The ending was full of action and I look forward to the third and final book in this series to see how it all plays out.
(Gerard's review, 5++ stars)


Karen's review:
Nyxia Unleashed by Scott Reintgen is book 2 in the Nyxia series that I am loving!  This book picks up where the last one left off as Genesis 11 and 12 land on Eden.  The world building is phenomenal but left me slightly confused.

I really enjoyed all the humor in this book and that the two "teams" really became one and worked together against Babel who was lying to them the entire time.  I felt very bad when two of the group died.  There were some surprises and twists and kept turning pages to see what was going to happen next.  The thing I really didn't understand was that only one shipment of Nyxia got sent back and no one even questioned it.  I thought that was odd.  I was also a bit confused as to what Jacqueline Requin was doing on Eden as a queen or whatever--at least she had a lot of authority.  This series is so awesome, a very interesting read that I couldn't put down.  I am so disappointed that I have to wait until next year for the last book--UGH!  I have so many unanswered questions!  I liked this one as much as the first, if not more.  I highly recommend this series.
(5 stars)

Teaser from page 20:  The blood's soaking through his uniform.  Azima holds a rag to the thing, trying to stop it.  This isn't exactly the welcome we expected on Eden.

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"Christmas in Clover Springs" by Rachel Wesson (Book 8)

Christmas in Clover Springs by Rachel Wesson is Book 8 of the Clover Springs Mail Order Brides series. This one is about Alecia and how she realized what she had been taught to believe about people was not right. She came from Boston to Clover Springs by a chance meeting with Father Malloy on the train. One kind deed changed her life completely for the better.

I read this in one morning! I liked how Alecia and Father Malloy brought 30 more orphans to Clover Springs. This was predictable, but I still enjoyed it very much. I liked seeing how Alecia’s prejudice fell away once she got to know people and re-evaluated her beliefs. I also liked the surprise twist at the end.
(Karen’s review, 5 stars)

Teaser from Kindle location 1001-2: She smiled slightly. Her mama would have swooned if she knew her only daughter stood in the middle of a school yard covered in mud from head to toe conversing with an Indian.


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