Unexpected Packages (The Unexpected Series, Book 1) by Stacy Eaton

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

The way these two meet is hilarious and absolutely embarrassing. The strength of the these two characters is amazing, and the chemistry between them draws them quickly together. Also living in the same apartment building helps. Lexi needs to learn to accept the way people are and understand who Alex is as a person, before rejecting him for having to go overseas. I found I did not like this aspect of Lexi's character. She has the best of all possible men in front of her and she's going to throw it all away because of his job. This story is heartbreaking in places, but right around the middle is when this story goes from hilarious and takes on a very serious tone. In the end, it actually changes writing style with this tone change. This is unexpected, because I've read a lot of Stacy Eaton's stories and none ever ended with this serious of a climax.
 

The Perfect Debutante (The Perfect Regency #1) by Annabelle Anders

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

This story takes up the serious question of what we now call "cutting". Ms Louella Rose is a cutter and is ashamed, but that is not what everyone sees including her fiance. Everyone expects her to be "Perfect", but who can live up to that word. Even Lord Stanton knows he is not "Perfect" but calls Louella "The Perfect Debutante". Inside, Louella is an empathic and passionate woman, but the pain of being a replacement for her older sister takes on a life of its own. Lord Stanton forced to marry the woman his father chooses, because of a promise given ten years ago, accepts Louella because she is beautiful and seems "perfect". Louella can't see her beauty, because she can't see the person that she is on the inside. Lord Stanton tries to understand, but keeps wondering why he isn't enough. The story doesn't explain it very well, but it's like drugs, or alcohol. It's an escape, and something that makes her feel real.
 

Sing Me Back Home (Bluff Creek Novel #2) by Amanda Mason

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

This story impacted me in a way that made me question the Bible verse, 2 Corinthians 6:14. "Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness?" If God wanted Melanie to not be with Lane, why did he bring them together? I must remember that God has plans for us that are unknown. We also know He works in ways we can't see. Although, God led Melanie and Lane back together, the one thing Melanie lost sight of was that God was working in Lane's life and that is something that should have been rejoiced. God resurrected Melanie's career when she started listening to the leading of the Holy Spirit. I know how painful that can be, but sometimes the best decisions we can make are the most painful ones. The draw between Lane and Melanie should have been a clue to what the Holy Spirit had planned, but sometimes we are so caught up in ourselves that we become blind to the Lord's plan. This story was painful for me to read, but I took away a freedom that opens my life up to possibilities; something that was taken away last year at this time. The truth is that we are the light in a dark and hungry world. It's the light of our love that will open a heart to God. So Sing Me Back Home brings all those fears we have as a Christian to the forefront, but it also shows that God's plans for us are good, even if they do bring some pain along the way.