IN DEFENSE OF HONOR By Kristi Ann Hunter

This is a new author for me. She tackled a difficult subject in an earlier time period when there were no easier answers than there are now. The opening was intriguing but difficult to follow at first. It took a while before the story behind the heroine could be fleshed out.

Kit and her friend Daphne along with another woman Jess are running a home for illegitimate children and blackmailing the fathers for payment to support their offspring while assisting the mothers to keep their secrets and re-enter society with none the wiser.

But Kit meets Graham Lord Wharton and her opinion of men is forced to change when he inadvertently discovers where she has hidden herself away and discovers whom the children are and how she is trying to care for them.

Kit tells him of the tragedy that started everything for her and Daphne and about the guilt and shame she carries. He tries to persuade her that how she is going about things is all wrong and that God's grace is sufficient. But Kit has to learn the hard way and their budding romance seems doomed from the start.

This is an entertaining read and the series should be worth following. I recommend it for your summer reading and give it 4 stars. I received this from Bethany House through netgalley for my honest review.

THE ROAD TO MAGNOLIA GLEN By Pam Hillman

From the opening paragraphs, I was drawn into the story of Quinn O'Shea and Kiera and her sisters. On board ship from Ireland headed to the colonies, Kiera challenges Quinn to keep his 8 year old brother away from her 8 Year old sister. He is intrigued by the beauty and admires her spunk but he is headed to turn his responsibilities for his 2 younger brothers over to his brother Connor in Natchez Trace.

However, both Quinn and Kiera find things don't always end up the way you plan. Kiera, thinks she has been indentured as a wife to a gentleman in Natchez; but instead, she and her sisters are manhandled off to the Blue Heron which turns out to be a brothel where they are expected to prostitute themselves. Worse, her own brother-in-law with her half sister's blessings has sold them to pay off a debt.Quinn and his brother Rory, immediately come to the aid of the sisters but they are no match for the ruffians.

With the aid of some good hearted plantation owners, Quinn returns to rescue the sisters. They are able to spirit the women off but at great cost. One of the rescuers is killed. Now the brothers must take the girls and run for Breeze Hill, where their brother, Conner O'Shea is master. But Conner has a history with Kiera's half sister and almost sends them back to Natchez until Quinn steps in and explains that they can't be sent back into the danger that awaits them there.

The decision is made to let the women stay until Conner can look into how legal their indentured papers are. In the meantime, Quinn, struggles with whether he will be happy leaving his brothers and the girls and seeking his fortune or staying and protecting them from the threat hanging over their heads.

He is angry with Connor for leaving them in Ireland and the responsibilities to Quinn but he finds himself more and more drawn to the kind but spirited, Kiera.

I give this 5 stars and recommend it for your keeper shelf. The novel is part of a series but can stand alone. I received a copy from netgalley for my honest review.

THE PIRATE BRIDE By Kathleen Y'Barbo

This was a very entertaining book. It is the second in the Mayflower series by different authors but can definitely stand alone. I enjoyed the read and consider it a 3 star fun read for your summer stack.

I gave only 3 stars because I found though the storyline was very enthralling, the last quarter of the book was disappointing and the resolution was too quick and questionable. The Captain fell in love with the heroine too quickly when reunited; otherwise, you have to believe he fell in love first with a 12 year old child. I believe that there could have been affection develop and then when they met again they might fall in love but not at the speed the ending was written. I'm sorry to say because I have read good books by this author.

I received this book from Netgalley for my honest review.

MORE THAN MEETS THE EYE By Karen Witemeyer

Karen Witemeyer always writes great romances. This one is no exception. It is a very sweet romance that jumps to a page turning start. It begins with Evangeline Pearson and her brother, Hamilton on an orphan train trying to be united with new parents when tragedy strikes. Evangeline ends up with two new brothers and a new last name instead.

 Jumping ahead in time, Evangeline and her new brothers, Zach and Seth now  much older are happily living on their ranch. Enter Logan Fowler, looking to restore to his mother what was taken from them in a card game years earlier leading to the suicide of his father. He blames Zach Hamilton and means to make him pay. But Logan, meets the ever cheerful, Evangeline with two different colored eyes and he is never going to be the same and he just might have to change his agenda.

I highly recommend this for your reading list. I received it from Netgalley for my honest review.

LONE WITNESS By Rachel Dylan

Lone Witness is the second novel in the Atlanta Justice Series by Rachel Dylan. If you like legal thrillers, along with romance, then I highly suggest this author. I recommend this whole series for your summer reading stack. This story can stand alone but the characters from the prior book are involved so it makes more sense when read as a series.

Sophie Dawson, is a passionate hard working Prosecutor who finds herself in the wrong place at the wrong time witnessing a double homicide. She becomes a prime witness and a prime target in need of protection. So her father hires, Cooper Knight, who along with his two friends, Noah and Landon, runs his own security service.

Both Sophie and Cooper have their own deep seated personal issues and their personal issues have them at odds with different future goals. However, being in constant daily contact with each other and under emotional stress and dangerous situations, the sparks begin to fly.

In the meantime, the distractions become more deadly, and even more confusing to pinpoint the cause because Sophie has more than one legal case capable of putting her in someone's cross hairs. Even more complicated, someone in her own office and in the FBI could be involved. Who do you trust?

I received this ebook from Netgalley for my honest review.