Anne of Avonlea by L.M. Montgomery

Anne is 16 and ready to take on teaching at her home school in Avonlea. I think it is hard for us to imagine a 16 year old being mature enough to handle a classroom full of students! Like all 16 year old's Anne has specific ideas of how the school year should go. She has no intention of ever having to use the strap on any of her students, she will win them over with love and patience. Oh but those "Jonah" days do come up now and then don't they? Anne still has her imagination and still manages to get herself into some scrapes, but she is a more mature Anne at 16. Helping to raise twins Davy and Dora has added to her maturity along with teaching the Avonlea school. Anne makes some new friends in this installment which spans 2 years. Anne and Gilbert are friends now and a part of the Avonlea Improvement Society that has formed to help improve the landscape of beautiful Avonlea. While I love the Anne of Green Gables movies, they do not do the books justice. After Anne of Green Gables they kind of go off on a storyline of their own instead of following the rest of the books. So, if you haven't read the books I suggest you do so, they are so much better!

It is so fun to revisit a beloved character! I have read the Anne books several times since I first was introduced to the series when I was 10. I look forward to moving on to the next book.

The Nanny Solution by Barbara Phinney

When Victoria's step-father dies and leaves Victoria and her mother with embarrassing debts and bankruptcy Victoria's mother is determined to leave Boston in secret. She sends Victoria to her uncle in Colorado. Victoria's pride will not allow her to ask her uncle for money for the trip to Colorado so when Mitchell shows up on their doorstep asking for a nanny for his children while travelling to Colorado Victoria jumps at the chance to earn her train fare. Even though Victoria has no idea how to care for children she is determined to learn quickly. When Mitchell learns that Victoria is the niece of the crooked banker that holds the lease on his ranch he is less than happy! Thinking that once they reach Proud Bend they will go their separate ways Mitchell doesn't count on Victoria's tenacity in desiring to care for his children. Victoria has no desire to marry her uncle's business partner, but what is a penniless debutante to do?

I really liked the characters in The Nanny Solution. I loved how determined Victoria was to learn to earn her own way. I liked how she desired to be independent. I liked Mitchell in that he desired to take care of his children no matter what. I was frustrated that even though Victoria and Mitchell were attracted to each other that they kept denying it and pushing each other away. But at the same time I liked the message of pride becoming a person's downfall. The bit of suspense and the dastardly characters of Victoria's uncle and his business partner added a bit of excitement to the story and kept the story line moving along. I thought that it took Mitch and Victoria a bit too long to get to their "a-ha" moment, but they did eventually get there and the ending was sweet.

Rally Round Green by Judy Christie

The state is planning on closing Green's high school. They've sent in experts to facilitate the closure. Lois is not going to go down without a fight! The residents of Green need a school and Lois is determined to do all in her power to save theirs. Everyone rally's around saving Green's schools. Chris has pressure at work from the new person sent in to transition the school for closure. Lois, on top of running the newspaper, also is in the midst of remodeling she and Chris's new home.

I really enjoyed Rally Round Green. I liked the message of forgiveness and restoration. I liked that even though Lois was wronged in the past by certain people she was able to forgive them and give them a second chance. I love how the whole town comes together to help each other and to help save their school. I've really enjoyed the Green series and look forward to the next one.

Make-Believe Beau by Keli Gwyn

Jessica Sinclair has worked hard to become a top-notch draftswoman. Unfortunately very few women are in that profession so Jessie is constantly having to prove herself. When she has an opportunity to prove herself at a new job Jessie knows that there will be hurdles to jump in order to gain the respect of her fellow draftsmen.

Flynt Kavanaugh is the man that has gotten Jessie her job. He's seen her work and knows that she is the perfect match for their team. Since having a woman on the team is such a novelty Flynt's boss comes up with a plan to keep everyone working and Jessie from becoming a distraction. If Jessie and Flynt pretend they are courting then everything will run smoothly in the office and Jessie will be able to keep her job.

Jessie and Flynt both have secrets they prefer nobody ever knows about. Those secrets might prove the undoing of their ruse and their growing attraction towards each other.

I really enjoyed Make-Believe Beau. Jessie is a strong female character who is independent yet doesn't feel diminished by the comfort or protection of Flynt. Flynt knows how to frustrate a girl! Actually both Flynt and Jessie manage to frustrate each other. Their story is the perfect example of what happens when a person assumes they know what another person is thinking or feeling. There were sweet moments between Flynt and Jessie(the kiss...sigh!). I love the spiritual lesson taught in the story. Jessie's desire to help women caught in unfortunate circumstances showed her heart for obedience to the Lord. Make-Believe Beau is a sweet romance that left me smiling and satisfied.

WINNER!!!

The Winner of a copy of Make-Believe Beau by Keli Gwyn is:

ANDREA S.

Please e-mail me your address so that we can get your copy to you.

Thanks once again to Keli Gwyn for her guest post on My Favorite Pastime!

GUEST POST BY AUTHOR KELI GWYN

Please welcome author Keli Gwyn to My Favorite Pastime today. I love her books, and I am sure that you will too!

About Keli:

Award-winning author Keli Gwyn writes stories that transport readers to the 1800s, where she brings historic towns to life, peoples them with colorful characters and adds a hint of humor. A California native, she lives in the Gold Rush-era town of Placerville at the foot of the majestic Sierra Nevada Mountains.

When Keli’s fingers aren’t hovering over the keyboard of her newfangled laptop, she enjoys strolling past stately Victorian houses in her historic town, burying her nose in reference books as she unearths interesting facts to include in her stories, and interacting with other romance readers. Her favorite places to visit are her fictional worlds, other Gold Rush-era towns and historical museums. She loves hearing from readers and invites you to visit her Victorian-style cyber home at www.keligwyn.com, where you’ll find her contact information.

Singing Make-Believe Style

by Keli Gwyn

Do you like to sing? I do, but sadly, when it comes to singing, I’m more enthusiastic than talented. My daughter has a lovely singing voice, whereas I make a joyful noise.

OK. I’ll confess. I can carry a tune, but I’m not about to try out for our worship team. My singing, for the most part, is limited to blending in with the congregation when we sing praise songs on Sundays and belting out unique ditties for our two kitties in the privacy of our home. The boys don’t my mind my mediocre singing voice or the goofy songs I create solely for their benefit, bless their little cat hearts.

Even though I lack the singing voice I’d like to have, I found a way to imagine what it would be like if I did: I created a character who was a singer. The heroine of my latest Love Inspired Historical, Make-Believe Beau, which releases this month, used to make her living as a singer. She’s an alto, which I am, but unlike me, she can draw crowds with her amazing voice.

Jessie’s former singing career plays an important role in the story. She’s working as a draftswoman in a formerly all-male engineering office and is forced into a courtship with her boss, engineer Flynt Kavanaugh. Because of the compromising circumstances surrounding her former career, she’s worked hard to put her past behind her. Flynt finds out that Jessie has a remarkable voice, though, and thanks to his, um, interference, she ends up singing again. Things don’t go as planned, making for some interesting developments in the story.

Since I created Jessie, I gave her such a good voice that she’s able to do justice to any type of song. During her unexpected performance in a most unlikely venue, Jessie sings a number of hymns, but she also sings a couple of tunes that were popular during the 1870s. At one point in the story, she even sings a few measures from a famous SOMETHING. As I said, she’s talented. I hope readers enjoy reading Flynt and Jessie’s story and finding out what part her musical abilities play in it.

About MAKE-BELIEVE BEAU:

The Courtship Charade 

As a draftswoman in a man’s world, Jessica Sinclair causes a stir as her new male colleagues vie for her attention. And the company manager has an ultimatum: fake a courtship with her boss, Flynt Kavanaugh…or lose her job.

But pretending to be smitten with the handsome engineer unleashes a real, complicated attraction—and could reveal the past she hoped to keep hidden.

Jessica is certainly the best person for the job. But as their make-believe romance escalates, Flynt knows that’s not the only reason he wants her on his team. However, with his past shrouded by a shameful secret, Flynt has always focused his ambitions on building a career, not a family. Now he has designs on Jessica’s heart, but can they trust each other with the truth?

Copyright © 2016 by Harlequin Enterprises Limited
Cover art and cover copy text used by arrangement with Harlequin Enterprises Limited.
® and ™ are trademarks owned by Harlequin Enterprises Limited
or its affiliated companies, used under license.

For more information on Keli Gwyn's books and where to order check out her website at: http://keligwyn.com/library/my-love-inspired-historicals/

Questions for You

Do you like to sing?

Have you ever sung for an audience,
either in a solo or as part of a group?

What types of music are your favorites?

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Under The August Moon by Holly Schindler

Mark and Jo from the DEAREST MARCH installment of the Forever Finley story cycle continue on with their story in this installment. Mark is kept busy keeping the Amos legend alive. He would love to marry Jo, but it seems that Jo has no desire for marriage. She was burned once in marriage and has no intention of having that happen again. Mark knows that he is behind all of the little things that the townsfolk have attributed to Amos Hargrove the town founder. But when Mark hunts down the thief of a pair of overalls he may change his mind about the legend surrounding Amos and his love Finley.

Helped along by Finley's magical vines, Mark finds that he can be perfectly happy in his relationship with Jo even if that relationship is unconventional to him.

I enjoyed one more piece of the puzzle of Amos and Finley's story. I found with this installment that I was more interested in Amos and Finley's parts than I was in Mark and Jo's story. I think maybe because we are getting closer to Amos and Finley's story being complete I'm finding my attention taken by their love story rather than by who they are helping. While Mark and Jo settled their relationship to their satisfaction I found that it was not settled to my satisfaction. But, this is their own "Happily Ever After" and even though it doesn't match my desire for them I'm sure that many will find it just as romantic as the other couples in the town of Finley. I highly recommend this short story cycle. It doesn't have to be read in order. You can jump in wherever you like. Me? I'm an order kind of gal and love to start at point A and finish at point B. If you do that you get the bigger picture and it makes the whole cycle one big lovely read!!

Check out my reviews of the other stories in the cycle:

Come December
January Thaw
Forget February
Dearest March
April's Promise
Mayday Mayday Mayday
Chasing June
A Hundred Julys

AND...

Miles Left Yet where the town of Finley is introduced