Promise(Rogue River,#1)

 

 

 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ ⭐️

 

Thank you to the author,L.B Dunbar and The Author Agency for providing me with E-ARC, in exchange for honest review.   

 

 06.04.26 

Dart Rivers is my ex-husband, or so I thought. 

Three years ago, he drove out of our small town to chase racing dreams, leaving me and my broken heart in his rearview mirror. 

Couple goals and shattered promises brought feelings of failure on both our parts. 

Then one night, a special delivery is left on my back step. A stork-drop of sorts. (Think Baby Boom). At first, I believe there must be a mistake, but when the sweet bundle swaddled in pink gazes at me, I’ll do anything to keep her.
Enter Dart Rivers again. 

An accident on the track leads to him sneaking into the house, crashing on my couch, and announcing he’s still mine.
Close proximity provides honest conversations, friendly couch time, and familiar attractions. With silver speckled in his hair, Dart is still the best-looking man I’ve ever seen, making my belly flutter and my heart beat again. 

But can I trust that fragile organ? Can I give my ex-not-ex-husband a second chance? Can I believe Dart’s new promises?

 🌷

 
This was such a heartbreaking, yet beautiful book to read. I’m so glad that I got a chance to read this story. Once I finished this book, I found myself thinking about the story long after I turned the last page. I recommended this book to my friends, and I have a feeling that I will be returning to this book in the future. I’m already excited to read the next book in the series. 

Promise affected me in so many ways. Trinity and Dart’s journey was outstanding and written with so much emotion; I felt it all. I was rooting for two of them from the beginning, hoping that Trinity and Dart would find a way back to each other. I loved the way L.B portrayed Trinity and Dart, and the way that Dart fought for their love, their marriage. This story felt so real, and I found myself unable to stop turning the pages, wanting to see what happens with them next. I loved the way that Dart was there for Trinity when she needed him. It was clear that he never stopped loving her. 

The surprise baby storyline was so heartwarming. Trinity was such an amazing mother, and the way Dart stepped in to help. The connection between Dart and Trinity was one of my favorites, and as of right now, they are my favorite couple. Promise was the second book that I have read by L.B Dunbar and it won’t be the last. I can’t wait to check out her other work!

The Queen's Coronation

 

 

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ ⭐️

 

 Thank you to publisher, Ballantine Books for complimentary  Earc via Netgalley. All opinions are my own. 

As a young Queen Elizabeth II prepares to take the throne, three women in her employ will discover where they belong in a rapidly changing world in this heartwarming novel from the bestselling author of The Chilbury Ladies' Choir.

 
London, 1953. Buckingham Palace and the many employees vital to the smooth running of the monarchy find themselves in bedlam as the Queen's coronation quickly approaches. 

Caroline Brimstone, assistant dresser to the queen, watches the queen finding the strength to rule—a woman taking charge of her future. Meanwhile, Caroline’s life is worn thin by her gambler husband, and she is barely holding on as every penny she earns seems to run out the door. When a trip to Balmoral brings her face-to-face with the man she once loved, she finds herself at a crossroads between what her life is and what her life could be. Can she, like the queen, find the strength to define her own future? 

Lucy Jones is a junior wardrobe assistant who positively radiates life—she's young, idealistic, and eager to become a famous singer. So when a handsome, wealthy man at the palace promises to help her on her way to stardom, she's over the moon to have such a supportive husband-to-be. And if he's asking some things of her that she's not quite sure about, isn't that just part of the glamorous life? 

Miranda Miller has come over from America just in time to help with preparations as a temporary secretary in the palace. The job is a perfect way to gather information for the article she's writing about the coronation for a magazine back in New York; the article that will keep her boss from firing her because of her gender. 

But as all three women discover, just because a woman will soon be sitting upon the throne, it doesn't mean that society will change overnight—and if they want to carve places for themselves in this world, they'll have to do it together.

   🌷

 
It didn’t take me long to fall in love with this story. All the characters were so engaging, and my heart broke for them at times. I found myself rooting for them, hoping they would find a better life. I loved reading Caroline, Lucy, and Miranda’s stories, and I found myself seeing through their eyes. Of the three women, Caroline was my favorite. My heart broke for her and her situation. I found myself hoping that she would find her way out of that horrible situation. The descriptions from her perspective felt as if I was experiencing everything that she was. 

I felt for Lucy, too, but in a different way. I didn’t trust Richard; I was suspicious about him from the start. I felt as if he wasn’t telling Lucy something. I could tell how much she liked him, so I hoped I was wrong. Miranda, I was afraid of what might happen to her if the truth about her was discovered. Most of all, I loved how the three women came together and looked out for each other. The Queen’s Coronation is a book that will have you going through a range of emotions. This is what I love about historical fiction. 

I loved the premise of The Queen’s Coronation; it gave the readers a view of what it takes to prepare for the coronation. I even did my own research afterward because I was so fascinated by it. I loved Jennifer’s take on the coronation by showing us the lives of those who work for the Queen; I haven’t read a book like this before. Both the main characters and the villain were portrayed beautifully. The Queen’s Coronation was my second book by Jennifer Ryan and my favorite. Highly recommended historical fiction fans.