"Duchess" by Susan May Warren {Book Review}

I have never met a Susan May Warren book that I didn’t love, nor one that I didn’t replay over and over in my head for days or weeks afterwards…

About Duchess:

Book Three in the Daughters of Fortune series.

When her country needs her, will she have the courage to surrender her glittering world and her one true love?

The golden age of Hollywood is in the business of creating stars. Rosie Worth, now starlet Roxy Price, has found everything she’s wanted in the glamour of the silver screen. With adoring fans and a studio-mogul husband, she’s finally silenced the voices—and grief—of the past. Her future shines bright…until the fated Black Friday when it all comes crashing down. When Roxy loses everything, she finds herself disgraced and penniless. Her only hope is to join forces with Belgian duke Rolfe Van Horne, a longtime film investor. But Rolfe is not who he seems, and he has other plans for Roxy and her movies—plans to support a growing unrest in Europe, plans that could break her heart and endanger her life. 

My Thoughts:

I thoroughly enjoyed the Daughters of Fortune series and she did an outstanding job of finishing up with Duchess. All of the characters I loved (and even some I hated) are back to complete the tale of the Worth family.

Disclaimer: This isn’t your typical book review…

I can’t write, “Their eyes met and they fell in love. He slays the dragon and she falls into his arms to live happily ever after.” Why? Because nothing Susan May Warren writes could ever be called ‘typical’!

There are so many things I would love to tell you in this review;  like who shows up in the end to save the day or who is reunited in the end after all these years... But I can’t stand to give anything away! Just trust me on the fact that you will have trouble putting Duchess down once you begin. 

She met the man she was destined to love years before, but she didn’t know who he was until it was too late… Rosie has way more than her share of heartbreak and tragedy; will she ever find her destiny? Duchess is a story of surrendering your will and finding peace in your circumstances. 

Susan May Warren is spectacular! No one can take a story and turn it into reality like she can. You become immersed in another world, in Duchess, it is Hollywood in all of its glory and Europe on the brink of a catastrophe. From the moment you start it, you are transported and you won’t be the same when you have finished. 

The twists and turns and ups and downs and just when you think everything will turn out like a fairy tale ending, the roller-coaster starts again. I was so drawn in; I sighed, wanted to cry and may have even yelled at the book a few times, “that is not how it is supposed to happen!” 

In the end, Duchess does a wonderful job of tying up the Daughters of Fortune series in a neat little bow, but it took the long way – filled with heartache, tears and betrayal - before finding a happy ending. I wouldn’t have wanted it any other way…

About the author:  
Susan May Warren is the bestselling, RITA Award–winning author of more than forty novels whose compelling plots and unforgettable characters have won acclaim with readers and reviewers alike. She served with her husband and four children as a missionary in Russia for eight years before she and her family returned home to the States. She now writes full-time as her husband runs a lodge on Lake Superior in northern Minnesota, where many of her books are set. She and her family enjoy hiking, canoeing, and being involved in their local church. Several of her critically acclaimed novels have been ECPA and CBA bestsellers, were chosen as Top Picks by Romantic Times, and have won the RWA’s Inspirational Reader’s Choice contest and the American Christian Fiction Writers Book of the Year award. Five of her books have been Christy Award finalists. In addition to her writing, Susan loves to teach and speak at women’s events about God’s amazing grace in our lives. She also runs a writing community for authors. Visit MyBookTherapy.com to learn more. For exciting updates on her new releases, previous books, and more, visit her website at www.susanmaywarren.com.

The extras: 
Check out my reviews of great Susan May Warren books:
Heiress (Book 1 in the Daughters of Fortune series)
Baroness (Book 2 in the Daughters of Fortune series)
You Don't Know Me
Baby It's Cold Outside
My Foolish Heart

And don't miss the giveaway!

Susan May Warren is celebrating the release of Duchess with a Kindle Fire HD Giveaway.

One "glam" winner will receive:

• A brand new Kindle Fire HD
• Signed copies of Duchess, Baroness and Heiress

Enter today by clicking one of the icons below. But hurry, the giveaway ends on May 4th. Winner will be announced on 5/7/13 at Susan's blog.

Tell your friends via FACEBOOK or TWITTER and increase your chances of winning.

The fine print: 
I was provided with a complimentary copy of this book for review purposes. The opinions expressed are all mine and I was not required to give a positive review.

 

12 Pearls of Christmas | Day 1 - God with Us . . . And Us with Him by Susan May Warren

Welcome to the 12 Pearls of Christmas blog series!

Merry Christmas from Pearl Girls™! We hope you enjoy these Christmas “Pearls of Wisdom” from the authors who were so kind to donate their time and talents! If you miss a few posts, you’ll be able go back through and read them on this blog throughout the next few days.

We’re giving away a pearl necklace in celebration of the holidays, as well as some items (books, a gift pack, music CDs) from the contributors! Enter now on Facebook or at the Pearl Girls blog. The winner will announced on January 2, 2013 at the Pearl Girls blog.

If you are unfamiliar with Pearl Girls™, please visit www.pearlgirls.info and see what we’re all about. In short, we exist to support the work of charities that help women and children in the US and around the globe. Consider purchasing a copy of Mother of Pearl, Pearl Girls: Encountering Grit, Experiencing Grace or one of the Pearl Girls products (all GREAT gifts!) to help support Pearl Girls.

***

God with Us . . . And Us with Him

By: Susan May Warren

Every year over labor day weekend, the Warren family has a MWE. Mandatory Warren Event. It’s a call to come home and enjoy the long weekend with our favorite people. Since my children have left for college, I relish every second of this weekend—the laughter in the kitchen, the long conversations in the family room, the frenzy of backyard football, the quietness of the morning as we drink coffee on the deck and watch the sunrise. I cherish these people, and when they are with me, I drink in their presence.

I’ve been reading the prophecies about Christ this season and came across Isaiah 7:14, Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel.

I am struck by the word Immanuel. God with us. The closest I get to comprehending this is reading about how Jesus’ loved his disciples. Surely they relished the time with him more profoundly after his resurrection, knowing he would soon leave.

Thankfully, he didn’t leave them for long and sent His Holy Spirit. God . . . still with them. 

As I consider the magnitude of this God who would come to earth, who would abide with the disciples, and then with me, I have to wonder not only do I relish God’s presence in my life, but does God relish time with me? Am I committed to embracing His entrance into my life? Am I even making the effort to see Him?

Imagine that during our MWE weekend, I ignored my children, and they, me? I would lose the joy of their presence.

It is not surprising to me that the Jewish people did not recognize their Savior. After all, who would guess that the Almighty might package himself as a baby and appear among them, fragile and dependent? But today, we know the story, we know the miracles, we know the truth, and God invites us into an abundant relationship, one that He wishes to relish, one that will change us. A relationship that will slake our thirsts and satisfy our hungers. One that reminds us that we are never alone.

Because every day we are a mandatory event to our Immanuel.

This season, look for the ways that God is your Immanuel, with you, every day. 

***

Susan May Warren is the best-selling, award-winning author of over 40 novels. With over 750,000 books in print, her stories of family, romance and adventure have earned her acclaim and reader fans from around the world. Visit her website for upcoming books and sneak peeks!

"You Don't Know Me" Book Review {Giveaway}

*Update from Our Crazy Life*
I have lots of reviews and giveaways this month! I will be announcing the winner of Dee Henderson’s Full Disclosure very soon, but don’t miss your chance to win a copy of Denise Hunter’s The Trouble With Cowboys (ends 10/12) and check out the recently updated free e-book page for some great books!

You Don't Know Me... but everyone has secrets, right?
I have thoroughly enjoyed Susan May Warren's Deep Haven series. In fact, it’s one of the few contemporary series I read (remember: history addict here…). I love Deep Haven - it’s the perfect small town and she makes it - and its colorful residents - come alive in a delightful way. 

I was super excited to get my hands on You Don't Know Me, who knew Deep Haven had such secrets being kept?

About the book: 
Sometimes the secrets we keep to protect ourselves can be our undoing.

To all who know her, Annalise Decker is a model wife and mother. She’s a permanent member of the PTA, never misses a sporting event, and is constantly campaigning for her husband’s mayoral race.

No one knows that Annalise was once Deidre O’Reilly, a troubled young woman whose testimony put a dangerous criminal behind bars. Relocated through the Witness Security Program to the quaint harbor town of Deep Haven, Deidre received a new identity and a fresh start, which began when she fell in love with local real estate agent Nathan Decker.

Twenty years later, Annalise couldn’t be more unprepared for her past to catch up with her. When Agent Frank Harrison arrives with news that the man she testified against is out on parole and out for revenge, Annalise is forced to face the consequences of her secrets. Will she run again, or will she finally find the courage to trust those she loves most with both her past and her future?  

My thoughts:
Susan May Warren is one of the few authors (possibly only?) who can get me choked up in the prologue. My ‘mom’ heart was already beating faster and I hadn’t even made it to chapter one!

I love how the people of Deep Haven have come alive in this series. It takes a special author to make you feel as if you could be the person in the story – or your daughter or mother or neighbor. 

You Don’t Know Me was a story of secrets and the damage they can do. A much needed lesson for many these days… Even if our secrets aren’t as big as Annalise and Nathan’s, they still cause pain and can drive people apart.

Another great read by Susan May Warren (not that I would have expected anything less) and I will never again look at the soccer moms the same way! 

Note: While this is a standalone novel, I highly recommend all of the Deep Haven books (and everything else Susan writes as well!), starting with Happily Ever After.

About the author:
Susan May Warren is the RITA award-winning novelist of over thirty novels. A five-time Christy award finalist, a two-time RITA Finalist, she’s also a multi-winner of the Inspirational Readers Choice award, and the ACFW Carol Award.

A seasoned women’s events speaker, she’s a popular writing teacher at conferences around the nation and the author of the beginning writer’s workbook: From the Inside-Out: discover, create and publish the novel in you!

The Extras: 
Behind the story…

This novel began on a flight to Portland. I sat next to a woman fidgeting in her seat, clearly distraught at some turmoil in her heart. After a few nudges from the Lord, I leaned over to ask her how she was, and why she was going to Portland.
“To say goodbye to my daughter, who is going into the witness security program.” She looked at me wearing a haunted expression. “She witnessed a murder and now the family of the convicted killer is threatening her. She isn’t safe.”
I stared at her. “For how long will she be hiding?”
“Forever,” she said.
I swallowed. After a moment, “How old is your daughter?”
“Twenty-one.”
“Why don’t you go with her?” I asked, not quite able to comprehend the magnitude of her loss. Not knowing if your daughter was alive, not seeing her get married, not knowing your grandchildren…so many unbearable sacrifices.
“I can’t. I have a husband who is handicapped and two small children. They can’t move.”

See what others are saying about You Don’t Know Me on the blog tour.

And don’t miss Susan’s giveaway for a $200 B&B Giveaway! Click here, or on the button on the right hand side, for more information.

Read my reviews of other Susan May Warren books:
My Foolish Heart (Deep Haven)
Heiress
Baroness
Baby, It’s Cold Outside

The giveaway and fine print: 
The winner will receive a copy of Susan May Warren’s You Don’t Know Me via media mail.

I was provided with a complimentary copy of this book for review purposes. The opinions expressed are all mine and I was not required to give a positive review. 

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"Baroness" Book Review & Giveaway

I have been waiting for SO long for the second book in Susan May Warren's Daughters of Fortune series! 

Well okay, it might have only been a few months, but FEELS like forever... 

Heiress, the first book in the series, was one of those books that you can't stop thinking about, even long after you finish it. When you read a book that amazing, you wonder how in the world can the sequel compare. Let me tell you, Baroness - if at all possible - is even more amazing!

About the book:

Baroness
Book Two in the Daughters of Fortune series

 

Lily and Rose, daughters of an empire coming of age in the roaring twenties, can have anything they want ... except freedom.

Expected to marry well and to take the reins of the empire, they have their lives planned out for them. But, Lily, Esme's daughter longs to return home to Montana, to adventure outside the confines of New York City. And Jinx's daughter Rosie dreams of the bright lights of the newly emerging silver screen. But following their dreams - from avant garde France, to Broadway, to the skies in the world of barnstormers and wing-walkers will take all their courage.

And if they find love, will they choose freedom or happily ever after? 

My thoughts:

I have said it before, but I love Susan May Warren! She is one of the few authors that I will buy anything they write, without even having to read the synopsis or reviews. I just know it will be good. Make that AMAZING! 

Baroness is the second book in her Daughters of Fortune series (but can be read as a stand alone novel). It continues the story of a privileged New York family, who finds that money cannot buy happiness. 

Set in the Roaring Twenties, cousins Lilly and Rosie find adventures in Paris, New York and other places along the way, but can't seem to find happiness, true love or the peace they so long for. 

As any dreamer, I love books with adventure, daring feats and the mob thrown in for good measure. The romantic in me loves the romance that Paris offers and the history buff (okay, addict) in me LOVES the time period and historical accuracy. Thankfully, I can experience all of this in one great Susan May Warren book! She tells a story like no one else can and Baroness is one book that I will be re-reading in the future and re-living in my head for weeks!

About the author:

Susan May Warren is the RITA award-winning novelist of over thirty novels. A five-time Christy award finalist, a two-time RITA Finalist, she’s also a multi-winner of the Inspirational Readers Choice award, and the ACFW Carol Award.

A seasoned women’s events speaker, she’s a popular writing teacher at conferences around the nation and the author of the beginning writer’s workbook: From the Inside-Out: discover, create and publish the novel in you!

She is also the founder of MyBookTherapy.com, a story-crafting service that helps authors discover their voice. You can find her online at www.susanmaywarren.com.

The Extras:

Read what others are saying about Baroness on the blog tour and don't miss your chance to win a Kindle Fire at Susan's facebook party! 

Find out more from Behind the Pages on Susan's website.

 

And now, my giveaway!

How to enter:

1. Main entry - Leave a comment letting me know you want to win!

Bonus entries - You must leave a separate comment for each in order for it to count!

2. Like "Our Crazy Life" on Facebook (or if you already do, leave a comment letting me know!)

3. Share this post on Facebook - or any other social networking site using the "Share the Love" buttons below the post. One Bonus entry per 'share', make sure to leave a comment for each entry! (P.S. You can share 1x a day for each site!)

4. Follow me on Google Friend Connect (or if you already do, leave a comment letting me know!)

5. Add my button to your blog (worth two entries, leave two comments!)

Please make sure to leave your email address (mama2six {at} bresnan {dot} net) or another way to contact you (i.e. your own blog) in your comments!

Contest will end Thursday, 5/10/2012, at 10:00 pm CST and the winner will be chosen by a random number generator.

The winner will be mailed a copy of Susan May Warren's Baroness via media mail.

*Fine Print: I was provided with a complimentary copy of this book for review purposes. The opinions expressed are all mine and I was not required to give a positive review.

I hope you win! ;)

Love,