Title: Dust

Author: Beaux Cooper

Genre: Women’s Fiction

Age Group: Adult (18+)

Rating: 4 stars

Purchase: Amazon

Review copy provided by Enchanted Book Promotions in exchange for an honest review.

Some people seek marriage counseling; others find wisdom in horse manure. Austen St. Johns has taken up a shovel.
When her marriage transitions from blushing newlyweds to people who merely co-exist, Austen realizes perhaps she’s responsible for her misery.
Desiring change, she leaves Oregon for the open plains of a Wyoming ranch where she discovers through love of self how she can save her marriage.

In Dust, Austen St. Johns is trying to recover from her failed marriage. She left her husband to go find herself, on chose a Wyoming ranch to do so. There, doing chores and working with horses, she finds new friends and learns things about herself she didn’t know yet.

I thought the focus would be more on the relationship, but in fact it’s more about Austen, and her relationship with herself, and finding out who she truly is. I really enjoyed that. The author did a wonderful job describing life on the ranch, and describing Austen’s feelings and personality. Austen felt like an actual person, and I loved getting to know her.

The book also had some fun moments – it wasn’t all serious. The pacing was fast, and I enjoyed it. A solid women’s fiction read.

Title: Flamingos, Dust and Occasional Leopards

Author: Sarah Knipping

Genre: Women’s Fiction

Age Group: Adult

Rating: 4 stars

Purchase: Amazon

Review copy provided by Enchanted Book Promotions in exchange for an honest review.

After a painful breakup Iris finds herself standing outside her mother’s doorway, her feet six inches deep in the Kenyan dust. A bra-less hippy version of her mum embraces her and so begins Iris’s adventure in Kenya…

Can Iris fix her broken relationship with her mum?
Can she mend her wounded heart?
Will an adventure in Kenya prove to be just what Iris needs, or will it prove to be all too much?

Flamingos, Dust and Occasioanl Leopards is the story of Iris, who finds herself in Kenya, after a painful break-up. Her Mom lives in Kenya, and she has travelled there to discover her true self, mend her relationship with her mum, and hopefully find a way to heal her broken heart.

I loved the description of Kenya, the culture, the environment, the landscape, the animals, the way of life. The author has a down-to-earth writing style that flows easily, the pacing is fast but not too fast, and I felt like I really got to know Iris, and all her ups and downs. I was most impressed with the setting, which made me feel like I was there. The story too was an inspiring one, my favorite part was about Iris trying to fix the broken relationship with her mother.

After reading this, I want to visit Kenya. Just saying, it’s a great book, but it will probably entice you to do some travelling…

Title: Breaking the Silence
Author: Diamante Lavendar
Genre: Women’s Fiction
Age Group: Adult
Rating: 4 stars
Purchase: Amazon
Review copy provided by Enchanted Book Promotions in exchange for an honest review.

Based on a true story, a new novel from Diamante Lavendar. Joan Eastman was born like any other girl. However her life would prove to be a life of great pain… Growing up, she was treated differently by family members, powerless to defend herself against their sexual and psychological abuse. Feeling she had been dealt a wicked hand by the “powers that be”, she spiraled into substance abuse and troubled relationships. She became a victim of addiction and self-hatred. Not giving up, she becomes aware of a greater spiritual being that protects her and she begins to heal. Then she finds herself pregnant. She learns to understand nothing is hopeless; that with a changed view and self discovery, there is real hope in every situation, no matter how difficult. As she and her husband look forward to the birth of their child, she writes in her diary as a way of expelling all of the evil memories. On bed rest for the duration of her pregnancy, she endures tests and tribulations that at first she couldn’t begin to understand. But no matter how high the hurdles in Joan’s life are, she doesn’t look back, and pulls the pieces of her life together…for herself and her unborn child. This inspirational story speaks of Joan’s gradual self acceptance and healing of her body, mind and spirit. It speaks of the possibilities of the future and the fulfillment of the dream of love and family. And it speaks of jumping the hurdles in life without looking back, no matter how high those hurdles may be.

In Breaking the Silence, the reader follows the life of Joan, a woman who has been through so much it’s a miracle she’s still alive and kicking. She suffered through sexual and psychological abuse at the hands of family members. After that, she struggled with substance abuse and ended up from one bad relationship into another. Hating herself, afraid of facing the past, each day is a struggle for her.

But then, Joan finds herself pregnant. She finds strength in her pregnancy, the strength to heal and reinvent herself, the strength to find hope, even in hopeless situations. While pregnant, she writes in her diary about the wicked things she went through as a child, as a way for her to heal.

The author describes Joan’s traumatic experiences well, and the scenes that deal with her childhood are horrifying and made me feel instantly sorry for Joan, and the harsh life she’d led. I wanted her to be happy but the road to happiness was long and difficult, and every time, another hurdle was sent her way, but Joan kept on going, finding more strength than I thought she had. She changes a lot throughout the book, becoming an almost different person by the end of it, having dealt with her trauma and starting to heal.

An inspiring journey into a woman’s mind about how to deal with trauma, how to heal, and how to find hope even when everything else seems hopeless.

Title: Reluctant Cassandra

Author: Ellen Smith

Genre: Southern Women’s Fiction

Rating: 4 stars

Purchase: Amazon

Review copy provided by Enchanted Book Promotions in exchange for an honest review.

Nothing much changes in historic Eagle Valley, Virginia. That’s a good thing for Arden McCrae. It’s easier to manage her visions of the future when there isn’t much to see. Arden would rather stay buried in the cool certainty that comes with stories of the past. Fortunately, running the local antique store and keeping up with the Eagle Valley Historical Society gives her plenty of history to hide behind.

When her aging parents are forced to sell their farm to pay for medical care, Arden sees big changes ahead. The sale threatens the historic status of Eagle Valley, and Arden’s own store is in peril. Meanwhile, her father’s rapidly advancing Alzheimer’s keeps him locked in a heartbreaking past. The rest of the McCrae family is left to make difficult decisions for the days to come.

The future that nobody wants is descending fast, and Arden must face the visions she’s always avoided. Soon, her town is divided over their historic status and her family is shattered by her father’s declining health. Arden will have to choose whether to fight to preserve the past or learn to embrace the future.

Reading Reluctant Cassandra was tough for me, and I’ll start by saying why. It’s a good book, and it describes its characters, setting and events well. One of those events is how the main character’s father struggles with Alzheimer and his condition grow worse every day. It was tough reading this because my Grandma was diagnosed with Alzheimer a few weeks ago, and her condition goes downhill fast. A lot of the scenes with Arden’s father hit a nerve for me, because I’m going through the same thing with my grandma. I can’t imagine how much worse it has to be when going through something like this with a parent.

Despite that, the reason why I wanted to read this one so badly was because of the mention of Alzheimer. I wanted to see how others dealt with having their loved ones go through such ordeal.

But while it was a tough read, that also shows just how good the book is. The reader can’t help but connect with Arden, with her fears and struggles, and to cheer for her, even when everything seems to turn against her. I admired her for her strength and weaknesses alike, and even for the gift/burden she had.

It’s a great book, with fluent writing and interesting characters. Fans of women’s fiction will love it.