Customer Reviews

Cherry Blossom Capers (Romancing America)

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(3)
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"Cherry Blossom Capers" is a Christian fiction {romance/suspense} book - part of the "Romancing America" series. I absolutely LOVED this book! It was a really great read! The book was a four-in-one type book, but all four of the "mini-books" were related, which I really liked! The book is based on four women neighbors (who are friends...and share "movie nights" together), with each woman being featured in her own story. In each of the four stories within the book, one of the four women ends up being in the middle of a dangerous situation. And, while trying to figure out what is going on...they each end up falling in love! This book had everything I love to read combined - drama/suspense {reminded me of Nancy Drew} mixed in with a little romance {but not too sappy}! (After reading this book, I am definitely interested in reading other books from the series.) I thought the entire book was well-written, easy-to-read, and hard to put down!! I would HIGHLY recommend this book! 5 out of 5 stars!!!!!

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received an e-book edition of this book free from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.

My Thoughts on this book!

This book is 4 short stories written by for wonderful authors, all new to me. So I am really thrilled to read and review this book. I enjoyed all four of these stories, and want to do a short review of each, since they were written by different authors.

State Secrets by Lynette Sowell

Old flames FBI agent Jack and White House Chef Tara meet again at a State dinner at the White House. Jack asks Tara for inside help trying to discover who wants to cause trouble at the dinner, which causes them to spend too much time together. Old feelings begin to spark, but can Tara trust Jack again after walking out on here years before? Can they trust God for their future?

Dying for Love by Cara C. Putman

Morning routine in court places Ciara in the wrong place at the wrong time, discovering the Judges' body. Daniel Evans, a man she once clerked with wants Ciara's help in tracking down the killer. The only thing, Ciara and Daniel's world clashes because they do not see eye to eye on work ethics. And having once being attracted to Daniel, can Ciara ignore her feelings for Daniel if she works so closely with him on the case? Daniel knew he must trust God with his future, because his mentor, the Judge was a strong Christian and taught him to rely on the Lord.

Buried Deception by Gina Conroy

Archaeology intern Samantha Steele and Security guard Nick Porter's first meeting just didn't start too well. Finding a broken artifact in a museum is a fake, they had to rely on each other to find out what was going on, or it could be deadly. But Samantha just seemed to get on his nerves, as did her two children. Will they turn to the Lord for safety and guidance with the case, and with their lives?

Coffee, Tea and Danger by Frances Devine

Coffee shop owner Susan Holland loves running her little shop, and likes her calm lifestyle. That is until her uncle leaves her his run down mansion, turning her life into an uphill spend, and dangerous at that. With help from Vince Martini, she survives her difficulties but could she gain a husband in the process?

Living in the Cherry Blossom Estates, neighbors Tara, Susan, Samantha and Ciara are best friends and keep an eye on each other. You will enjoy reading each ladies story as you journey through this book. I enjoyed the romance and suspense as I followed these four ladies in their jobs and social lives with the men in their lives.

This is a great book if you want a fast quick read. Even though they stories have some of the same characters, they are completely different so you can read them separate. I encourage you to grab a copy for a nice and wonderful journey of romance, love and suspense.

I loved the mystery along with the "message" of the what can happen when you have faith! This book is compilation of four storys where all the characters "come together" from each story. I cannot wait for more books by these authors. Each story kept me guessing until the end but always knew, with Faith, they would "solve" the case!

I was really impressed with this book. There are four stories, but they are intertwined to some extent. It was nice to not have the characters be done at the end of each story, but continue to see how their "life" progressed through time in each successive story. I like how the suspense was done well, adding great historical detail. Each author did a great job of making each story interesting and moving along. No story was dull. (Yes, it helped that they were novellas within the book, but even then some stories can drag.) They did a great job of keeping the action going and holding my interest. Thanks to the authors for writing some great stories!! I look forward to reading more by each one!!!!

This book has four stories. Each one is worth reading. Not very deep character studies but you do get a glimpse of a certain time during the characters life. They all take place in the Washington D.C. area and all have a little romance between the main characters.

State Secrets by Lynette Sowell is about a White House chef and a plot to sabotage a State Dinner. This story is easy to follow and the characters are well developed.

Dying For Love By Cara Putman is about two lawyers who stumble on the body of a murdered judge. I liked the suspense and thought the story was well written.

Buried Deception by Gina Conroy is a story about archaeology. Don't let that scare you away! It is a great story. The romance is fun and there are even rambunctious kids to keep you entertained.

Coffee, Tea and Danger By Frances Devine is the last story in the book. This one took me a little to get into but once I got past the first chapter it was a quick read.

I enjoyed all the stories and would read it again!

I would like to thank NetGalley and the publisher for the copy of this book I enjoyed reading. I gave an honest review based on my opinion of what I read.

Each story stands alone, but recurring characters and settings tie them together. Each are less than 100 pages, so for those of you who don't have the focus for an entire novel, this is a great way to have a sense of completion when you are able to devote time to reading.

I don't usually read light mystery or romances, which is what this collection is, but it was truly relaxing, and after spending a few days with these novellas, I totally understand why so many bookworms spend most of their time with these genres.

The four women in these novellas have several things in common: Living in the Cherry Blossom Estate Townhomes in Washington, D.C, their Christian faith, their devotion to their jobs (though they are so different, from attorney to White House chef to coffee shop owner to archeologist/student intern), and hearts open to love (whether they've admitted it to themselves or not). Each novella features a different main character.

Tara is a White House chef who comes face to face with an old flame when the FBI gets involved in a possible plot against the White House. Ciara is an attorney who gets involved with a former colleague when they find a judge dead in his chambers. Samantha Steele is a widowed mother whose first day on the job is sabotaged when her rambunctious son destroys a priceless artifact, later revealed to be a fake. Coffee shop owner Susan investigates all the "accidents" that seem to be happening to her with the man that is renovating her late-uncle's home.

They are all so different, yet they are all searching for meaning in their lives. They support one another as casual friends, getting together for classic movie nights each week, but they long for more security and purpose.

This was particularly fun to read, because one of the authors is Gina Conroy, whose blog I read back in the early days of mommy blogs. Other authors will likely be familiar to you as well: Cara Putman, Lynette Sowell, and Frances Devine. It's really exciting to see "one of our own's" dreams come true!

Gina's story "Buried Deception" was full of excitement as Samantha Steele and former cop-turned security guy Nick get right in the middle of a mess when they begin uncovering forged artifacts replacing ones that have been stolen. She becomes a target, and so each page is filled with a new threat.

Burried Deception, by Gina Conroy
From Cherry Blossom Capers

I was asked to read the third novella in the Cherry Blossom Capers, "Buried Deception" by Gina Conroy. All of the novella's in the book are set around the Washington DC area and "Buried Deception" is specifically set at Mount Vernon.
Samantha Steele is an archaeologist who just got an internship at Mount Vernon. Recently widowed, and without a babysitter for the day, Samantha has to bring her two children with her to Mount Vernon on her first day. When her son Alex gets away from her during a tour of the home, Samantha finds him just before he accidently knocks over an antique globe which in turn breaks a brass telescope that was owned by George Washington. However, when Samantha and Nick, one of Mount Vernon's security officers, try to pick up the broken pieces, they discover that the telescope is a fake. The rest of this novella answers the classic question of who done it with a few interesting twists, and some romance thrown in.
Cherry Blossom Capers contains four novellas: State Secrets by Lynnette Sowell, Dying For Love by Cara Putman, Buried Deception by Gina Conroy, and Coffee, Tea, and Danger by Susan Holland. I had a chance to read bot State Secrets and Buried Deception and thoroughly enjoyed both of them. They had a bit of danger and mystery with a hint of romance. I look forward to reading the other two novellas.
I give Buried Deception 4 out of 5 stars.

Cherry Blossom Capers is one of Barbour Publishing's romance novella collections, with four stories centred around four Christian women - Tara, Ciara, Samantha and Susan - who live in the Cherry Blossom Estate townhouses in Washington, D.C. The four novellas are:

State Secrets by Lynette Sowell features Tara Whitley, assistant Chef at the White House. Tara is surprised to find FBI agent Jack Courtland in the White House, investigating a potential threat. She first met Jack when they were both working in Paris, but the pressures of his job meant their relationship did not survive. Will they get their second chance?

Dying for Love by Cara C. Putman introduces attorney Ciara Turner, who is horrified to find the body of a judge in his court offices, even more so because she once was his law clerk. Daniel Evans was her fellow law clerk then, and now is her opponent in many of her cases. Can they put their differences aside to find the judge's killer - and find whether they have a future together?

Buried Deception by Gina Conroy features widowed mother-of-two Samantha Steele, who is undertaking an archaeology internship at George Washington's Mt. Vernon estate. When she finds that a broken artefact is in fact a fake, she is drawn into the hunt for the forger, along with security guard and ex-cop Nick Porter. Will they find the criminals - and love?

Coffee, Tea and Danger by Frances Devine is the story of Susan Holland, the forty-year-old proprietor of a coffee shop who inherits her uncle's mansion. She plans to renovate it with the help of contractor Vince Martini, but has a series of `accidents' that make them both suspect that something more is going on. Will they find out what before Susan has one last `acccident'?

This was a fun collection even though I felt some of the relationships were a little too fast-moving for real life - but that is the nature of the novella, with its short length (less than half that of a `regular' novel) leaving me with the feeling that I would have liked it to go on for longer. Barbour novella collections are never going to be classic literature, but they are feel-good Christian reading, perfect for a weekend or holiday.

Thanks to Barbour Publishing and NetGalley for providing a free ebook for review.