Wildflowers from Winter by Katie Ganshert

Katie Ganshert's Wildflowers from Winter is the first novel in a new Christian Contemporary Romance series.  Wildflowers from Winter is a realistic story about life in general.  It explores the up's and down's of life and highlights the pain and joy everyone goes through as a human.

Bethany is a career women in her late twenties that seems to have everything going for her.  She has a great architectural job in Chicago and a hotshot lawyer boyfriend to complete her picture perfect life.  However, circumstances out of her control forces her to revisit her hometown, a quaint farming community where your business is everyone's.

Bethany left the small Iowa town behind ten years earlier, in the hopes of escaping painful memories from her past.  In running she abandoned her loving Grandfather and best friend Robin.  Ironically, it is news regarding both her Grandfather and Robin that draws Bethany back into town.  All hopes of a speedy visit seem to vanish as Bethany comes to realize it may not be possible to escape as easily this time around.

Even more frustrating is Evan, the man who runs and lives on her Grandfather Dan's farm.  Bethany and Evan clash during their first meeting and subsequently butt heads most of the other times they are thrown together.  However, they can't help but to be drawn towards each other as life throws them one curve ball after another.  Bethany also finds herself being pulled back into Robin's evolving life, something she did not think possible ten years ago.  Finding herself back in her hometown causes Bethany to feel emotions she thought she left behind long ago and she comes to realize her anger with God has not lessened. 

Wildflowers from Winter is told in 3rd person (with a few 1st person dialogues throughout the novel.)  It was refreshing to read a novel that did not just center around two characters, but many.  Because of this I was able to grasp the whole picture Ganshert was painting.  Ganshert also did a great job in developing 3 dimensional characters.  It was nice to watch Bethany grow throughout the novel and let her walls down as she let go of her long held anger.  Ganshert successfully wrote a story about the joys and struggles of life.  It is easy to see Ganshert's strong faith as a Christian women as Wildflowers from Winter unfolds.   

I definitely recommend Katie Ganshert's  Wildflowers from Winter and I look forward to reading Ganshert's second book in the series, Wishing on Willows.

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I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review.

Bared to You by Sylvia Day

Bared to You by Sylvia Day is a steamy, sexy story that grabs you from the first page and doesn't let you go until the last.  Have you ever been sucked into a book so deeply that your spouse accuses you of neglecting him?  That was me!  Ever find yourself staying up late to read after your family is in bed (even though you have to get up at the crack of dawn) because you just can't put it down?  Me again!  How about doubling your workout time on the treadmill because you are so engrossed in what you are reading that you don't realize you walked (uphill) for an hour and a half?  Guilty as charged!  Let's face it, I very quickly became addicted to Bared to You to that point that I couldn't focus on anything else but reading this book.  One evening I actually got so into Bared to You that I forgot to make dinner and had to tell my husband that I was SO busy at work that there was no time to prepare dinner so I ordered a pizza.  Don't tell anyone that I just admitted that!  But yes, that is the true representation of me while reading Sylvia Day's newest book!

Day's Bared to You is Book One in a new series by the name of Crossfire.  I would describe it as being Contemporary Erotic Fiction, meaning OH MY WORD it is HOT HOT HOT!  Definitely not for the weak of heart, please be warned that this book is very sexually graphic.  That being said, it is an excellent read!  Not only does it have insanely hot scenes but beneath it all is a great story with memorable characters. 

Eva has moved to New York from California to begin a new job at an advertising agency.  Coming from a wealthy family, Eva wants to take care of herself without interference from her parents.  Gideon Cross is a millionaire businessman who just happens to own Crossfire, the building Eva will work in.  After a chance meeting after hours, Eva tries to fight the chemistry she has with Gideon, one of America's top bachelors.  When fighting it becomes impossible, both must try to make their relationship work while preventing their past secrets from being exposed to the public eye.

Bared to You is definitely not a book your want to miss out on!  It shows just why Sylvia Day is a National Bestselling Author with its realistic characters, entertaining and witty dialogue, and touching romance that sets readers on fire.  I am already counting down the days until I can read more of Eva and Gideon in Deeper in You, the 2nd novel in this Crossfire series that comes out in October.

Sylvia Day and BookPleasures.com has provided me with a complimentary copy of this book, Bared to You, for the purpose of review.