Games in a Ballroom | May Book Club

I’ve found another Proper Romance book to delight you with this month! My May book club choice is “Games in a Ballroom” by Jentry Flint.

It’s a light, lovely period piece that sweeps us away from housework, bill-paying, and daily drudgeries, placing us gently into an 1815 London. You’ll leave the sweats and sneaks behind, donning petticoats and satin slippers instead, as you immerse yourself in Olivia and Emerson’s world of strict class orders and forbidden romance.

Powder your nose, nestle your tiara atop your coiffed mane, put your feet up and come away with me…

“Olivia Wilde has resigned herself to never finding a love match. Her father has insisted she marry a man with a title, but the men her father deems acceptable are either boring or are only interested in increasing their own diminishing coffers. With her future looking dismal, Olivia vows to enjoy the last few months of freedom with her childhood friends, including Emerson Latham. His devilish smile and flirtatious teasing stirs up feelings she knows she cannot entertain.

Emerson is struggling to rise to his responsibilities after his father's death. Though he is still learning his place, one thing he knows for certain is that he wants Olivia Wilde to be his wife. Emerson had long ago fallen in love with her quick wit, beauty, and passionate heart. Yet, without a title, he will never be permitted to court Olivia openly. But he has a plan that may give him a chance to court her in secret.

As the Season kicks off, Emerson proposes a playful game of tag. Olivia's friends are delighted by the idea, though Olivia is wary. After all, the game must be played in secret as they tag each other at dinners and balls. As the romance builds between Olivia and Emerson, so does the risk of being discovered. Not only are their reputations at stake, so is their safety if they are caught by Olivia's strict father.

Can their love find a happily ever after before the game ends?”

We’ve closed the binding on yet another Proper Romance, but I guarantee we’ll be thinking of petit fours and party frocks for a long while to come. At the same time, we’ll be thankful that we are free to love and live lives of our own choosing these days!

It’s time to get back to the realities of today, but go ahead, keep wearing your tiara!

Get your copy of Games in a Ballroom HERE

And if you're wondering what to get Mom for Mother's Day, wonder no more!

The Paper Daughters of Chinatown | October Book Club

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History is a funny thing. I often find that what's left out of the lesson plan can be even more powerful than what's left in. At least it's often more interesting. Perhaps the motivation for omitting such chapters is because the topic is just too uncomfortable to be spoken of, until times and attitudes change enough to learn, accept, and grow…

My book club pick for October, The Paper Daughters of Chinatown, is a powerful historical novel based on actual events, and is such a topic; covering the dark period and practice of trafficking young Chinese women in America in the late 1800's. 

Fake documents provided a means for illegal entry into the United States, and in this example, into San Fransisco's Chinatown, where the moniker "paper daughter" originated.  Once here, the woman had no legal identity and no means of escape. 

Thankfully, even true stories have heroes as well as villains, and it's the heroes that make this book a worthy and exciting read! Like those at the Occidental Mission Home for Girls, a bright spot in a landscape of bleakness...

"Told in alternating chapters, this rich narrative follows the stories of young Donaldina Cameron who works in the home, and Mei Lien, a “paper daughter” who thinks she is coming to America for an arranged marriage but instead is sold into a life of shame and despair.

Donaldina, a real-life pioneering advocate for social justice, bravely stands up to corrupt officials and violent gangs, helping to win freedom for thousands of Chinese women. Mei Lien endures heartbreak and betrayal in her search for hope, belonging, and love. Their stories merge in this gripping account of the courage and determination that helped shape a new course of women’s history in America."

The Paper Daughters of Chinatown, is a terrific historical read, timely, and a good reminder of how valiantly women have had to fight for their freedoms and equality, especially those in already marginalized populations.

It also reinforces a message I share from my heart often; bad things happen, yes, but the good is always near, waiting to spring forth from the shadows and triumph!

Get your copy HERE

Laughing Through the Ugly Cry | July Book Club

To live, means to experience all things life brings to us. The gifts, the grief, the loves and losses. Making sense of it all, staying focused on the good, while accepting the bad… is a continuous balancing act and it’s no wonder that we get a little lost sometimes.

My July book club pick, Laughing Through The Ugly Cry and finding unstoppable JOY, by Dawn Barton, is a book that can help you find your way back to happy moments if you’ve been wandering in a forest of sadness.

Dawn and I have a lot in common (besides our fabulous hair!) Like me, Dawn is no stranger to strife and sorrow, and yet, she willfully, purposely, chooses joy. Her bright and colorful book reflects the very essence of Dawn and in it she lets you in on how you too can get through the unimaginable and find yourself in a place of peace and happiness.

Laughing Through The Ugly Cry, is full of Dawn’s honest and sometimes raw stories. It tell us how she was able to change her narrative to that of gratitude and find her way back to a God whom she’d loved her entire life, but had not worked on her relationship with in a purposeful way before; it’s a primer on how to choose Joy.

Bright and beautifully bound with a pink satin page marker, the book also includes some great conversation starters - which is why it makes a perfect book club pick! Get a copy for yourself, and give it as a gift!

Listen to a snippet of the audio version, HERE

and, Order a copy from Amazon, HERE

 

A Snowy Little Christmas | November Book Club

The holidays are coming! The holidays are coming! And what better way to greet them than with a sweet collection of Christmas romances?!

Get A Snowy Little Christmas

My November Book Club choice, A Snowy Little Christmas, is a trio of short stories by beloved authors, Fern Michaels, Tara Sheets, and Kate Clayborn; each easy little read comes with more than a touch of romance, a dusting of snow, and a sprinkling of Christmas magic…

STARRY NIGHT by Fern Michaels

The first in the series, Starry Night, is the kind of delightful treat we’ve come to expect from Michaels (The main character seems vaguely familiar to me…) As the host of a radio program for the lovelorn, Jessie Richmond is surprisingly lonely, especially with the holidays approaching, so she decides to make a trek to her uncle’s bookstore in rural New York state and hold a speed dating event—only to find herself snowed in—with one very special single on her radar.

MISTLETOE AND MIMOSAS by Tara Sheets

And from Sheets, the story of a successful woman who has accomplished many goals and THINKS she’s got it all in Mistletoe and Mimosas… After years of hard work, real estate agent Layla Gentry has her dream home on Pine Cove Island and perfectly content to be on her own. Until her childhood nemesis, Sebastian, comes to town that is! When a snowstorm and a stranded kitten bring them together on Christmas Eve, Layla discovers he’s all grown up—and she may have one more dream left . . .

MISSING CHRISTMAS by Kate Clayborn

The finale, from Clayborn, Missing Christmas shows us that we often find love where we least expect it. It’s all work and no play for two longtime friends-turned-business-partners Kristen and Jasper—until an unexpected kiss all of a sudden makes things very personal. Will it mean the end of something, or the beginning? With a major contract in the balance, Christmas around the corner, and a lot of unspoken feelings, it may take an unpredictable blizzard in New England to seal the deal . . .

So find yourself a cozy reading nook, a cup of hot tea, and a little time to curl up and immerse yourself in some warm and fuzzy Christmas feel-good stories with A Snowy Little Christmas!

Buy A Snowy Little Christmas