Tag: Safety

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Heart of Beauty by Danielle Grandinetti

Babbling Becky L

About the Book

Title: Heart of Beauty

Author: Danielle Grandinetti

Series: Hearts of the West #11


Publisher: Hearth Spot Press


Release Date: February 11, 2025


Genre: Christian Romantic Suspense

How can a beauty save a beast?

Blue Spruce, Montana, 1871—When Caleb Orson’s prize stallion escapes his ranch, Sal Beauregard rides to the rescue, revealing her true identity as a one of the few eligible females in town. She’d do it again if it meant saving an animal from the cruel retaliation of Brendan Doran. The man has no respect for women or God’s creatures.

But the sun’s early setting strands her at Caleb’s ranch. Worse, Sallie’s father unceremoniously leaves her there under Caleb’s protection. However, Doran refuses to lose again to Caleb—first a horse, now a woman. He wants Sallie as his wife and not even the reclusive ogre of a cowboy can stand in his way. No matter Sallie’s opinion.

Choosing to make the best of a difficult situation, Sallie takes over the gentling of Caleb’s stallion. She believes she can reach Caleb as well. Only, the first blush of friendship grows into something … more. Something that threatens the desires of Caleb’s enemy. And if Doran cannot have a beauty like Sallie, neither can a beast.

Heart of Beauty
daniellegrandinetti.com

Or Purchase via @justreadtours profile link.

About the Author

Danielle Grandinetti

Danielle Grandinetti is an inspirational romance author fueled by tea and books, and the occasional nature walk. A 2023 Finalist in the FHLCW Reader’s Choice Award, she has also won the UNW Distinguished Faith in Writing Award and the CROW National Excellence in Story Telling Award. Originally from the Chicagoland area, she now lives along Lake Michigan’s Wisconsin shoreline with her husband and their two young sons. Find her online at daniellegrandinetti.com.

My Impressions

“But fear had no place in building trust.”

Danielle Grandinetti’s Heart of Beauty novella is one I’ve been eagerly awaiting for a long time. While part of a loosely connected 14 book series, Hearts of the West, it is the connection to Silas Ward, a cowboy in Grandinetti’s Refuge for the Archaeologist, that drove my curiosity. Thankfully, Grandinetti mentions that connection and other important thoughts in her author’s notes at the end. 

So, if you have not read Refuge for the Archaeologist in the Harbored in Crow’s Nest series, why read Heart of Beauty? Retold Fairytale. Done well. Set in Montana Territory in 1871, Grandinetti gives us a beautiful American West retelling of Beauty and the Beast. Grandinetti goes to great lengths to make many parallels to the old tale, more than I have ever seen before. I rather enjoyed that close mirroring. 

Sallie Beauregard is a horse whisperer who has long masqueraded as a her trapper father’s son for safety in the Wild West. When her concern for a runaway horse reveals her true identity, her father leaves her in the care of a local rancher. Caleb Orson is known for his solitary ways and sullen manner. How is Sallie going to be safe on his ranch? 

I appreciated the respectful mention of the Blackfoot people who lost their land to a government that forcibly relocated them. 

As a result of his participation in the Civil War, Orson feel like he has darkness inside. He can’t overcome that. “You are of God, Caleb Orson, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than …” says Sallie, encouraging Orson with Scripture. I love how putting our name in Scripture for the word “you” when Jesus is talking to His followers makes Scripture come alive with meaning for us, right here, right now. 

Sallie has her own darkness, extreme loneliness. She explains to Orson how she functions despite her great lack. “I have to remember that I am not actually alone. That God will never leave me. That no matter the danger, the hardship, the darkness, God is there. Will always be there. That He’s never more than a breath away.”

I love how the people on Orson’s ranch care for him despite his prickly nature. They’re not afraid to confront him, care for him, and even cheer for him as the occasion demands. Anchorman is one of my faves!

The faith element is strong, well-placed but not over-powering, and helps make the characters who they become. Bravo!

I received a copy of this book from the author and JustRead Tours. No positive review was required, and all opinions are my own. 

Notable Quotables:

“God made you. He knows every broken part of you. Let Him shine light in those dark places.”

“Two are better than one.”

“forced trust was no trust at all. It must be a choice.”

My Rating

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

“Horses didn’t scare her. They gave her courage.”

Magnificent! Beautiful, faith-filled retelling of one of my fave fairytales!

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The Italian Musician’s Sanctuary by Danielle Grandinetti

Babbling Becky L

About the Book

Title: The Italian Musician’s Sanctuary

Series: Our House on Sycamore Street

Author: Danielle Grandinetti

Publisher: Hearth Spot Press

Released: August 13, 2024

Hunted by one man, can she open her heart to another?
If you love historical romance with intrigue, you’ll love The Italian Musician’s Sanctuary.

Eden Cove, England, 1931—Margherita Vicienzo flees Italy pursued by her former fiancé, a member of Mussolini’s Blackshirt. Smuggled illegally into England, Margherita is a foreigner at the mercy of strangers. Her limp from an improperly healed broken leg means she has nothing to offer the Ferryman family, who offer her sanctuary, and nothing to appease their son who resents her presence.

Luke Ferryman needs a wife. He wants to marry for love, but carries the weight of his family’s generations-old expectations on his shoulders. Though he inherited the role of both baker and ferryman, he knows he can’t fulfill both needs once his aging grandparents retire. A wife would help, but not an illegal one like the refugee his matchmaking grandmother is harboring.

As opposite as night and day, Luke and Margherita forge a tentative friendship that grows despite the constant threat of Margherita’s discovery. But when strangers appear in the close-knit seaside town, threatening Luke’s livelihood and Margherita’s safety, the choice between justice and mercy becomes harder. And sacrifice proves the only answer.

Our House on Sycamore Street
Our House on Sycamore Street is a new multi-author, multi-genre series set in quaint and quirky Eden Cove, an English seaside town with plenty of spirit. With stories of redemption and salvation behind every door, you’re sure to find a new tale of romance, intrigue, humor or heart. All you have to do is knock!

The Ferryman’s Light by Anna Jensen
The Italian Musician’s Sanctuary by Danielle Grandinetti
The Outsider’s Welcome by Vida Li Sik
The Daughter’s Truth by Claire Lagerwell
The Light Keeper’s Wife by Jennifer Mistmorgan
The Key Collector’s Promise by Donna Jo Stone
The Maestro’s Missing Melody by Amy Walsh
The Niece’s Aussie Patient by Meredith Resce
The Runaway’s Redemption by Allyson Koekhoven
The Bookbinder’s Daughter by Lynn Dean
The Widow’s Request by Ashley Winter
The Lost Daughter’s Irishman by Carolyn Miller
The Mother’s Song by Caroline Johnston
The Wedding Planner’s Predicament by Dianne J. Wilson

About the Author

Danielle Grandinetti is an inspirational romance author fueled by tea and books, and the occasional nature walk. A 2023 Finalist in the FHLCW Reader’s Choice Award, she has also won the UNW Distinguished Faith in Writing Award and the CROW National Excellence in Story Telling Award. Originally from the Chicagoland area, she now lives along Lake Michigan’s Wisconsin shoreline with her husband and their two young sons. Find her online at daniellegrandinetti.com.

My Impressions

“You are not useless. You have felt useless.”…“The difference is in how you see yourself. You’ve allowed others to view you in such a way. It is not the truth. You are useful, Margherita. God has a purpose for you.”

I have loved every Danielle Grandinetti book I have read, but The Italian Musician’s Sanctuary may be my favorite of hers yet! The novel begins with Margherita, a young woman with a limp, that has put her on the expendable list of pre-WW II Italy and Mussolini’s Black Shirts. We also meet Luke Ferryman, a young Englishman whose two aging grandparents are all he has, other than their separate legacies of being a ferryman or baker. 

While Margherita is definitely the one in peril from her jealous ex-fiancé, I didn’t know who to empathize with most. Poor Margherita finds it hard to hide in the small English village when her limp confines her to close quarters with an attentive Luke. Guilt hangs over her head as she has been cruelly labeled and assured she is worthless, undeserving to live. “Why are you not supposed to be alive?”

“Because I am incapace … unfit, incapable … there is no use for me in the world.” Poor Margherita, who values peace, feels the stress her stay with the Ferryman family brings. “She prized harmony. Discordant notes were her least favorite within a piece of music. To be that chord here among the Ferryman family was its own thorn of doubt under her skin.” And then.. cue up the suspenseful music as things start going wrong!

Graphic created by Danielle Grandinetti

I loved Luke, but, wow, is he conflicted! He is drawn rather unknowingly into protecting Margherita, then agonizes over whether it is right to conceal her , breaking the law, or whether it would be right to turn her in, sentencing her to deportation and certain death. He is so gentle, so attentive with Margherita, even though he struggles with the rightness of his actions.

Gotta love Gran and Granddad, they both have formative parts in the story. Well- drawn! 

Do yourself a favor, get this book if you like 1930s historical fiction, and swoony romance.(“‘You can tell me anything. Ask me anything. You know that, right?’ Goodness, he might as well hand his heart to her on a platter right here and now.” ) Le sigh! And don’t forget the suspense factor coupled with tested faith and plot twists! Superb! Excuse me while I return to daydreaming about this amazing romance!

I received a copy of the book from the author. I also bought my own copy. No positive review is required, and all opinions are my own. 

Notable Quotables:

“Margherita was as strong as the sea. And as gentle as water. She belonged on the water. A pearl of great price, created through trial and hardship.”

“if my heart is so full of love for Him, there is no room for hate. Loving my neighbor is merely an overflow.”

“Did God collect her every sorrow? Did He write each of them in His book? She was niente, nothing. Why would God deign to bend an ear to someone as … broken … as she?”

“The way he said her name. The sensation wrapped around her like a warm breeze blowing in from the Mediterranean. Like he’d found a beautiful daisy. A daisy, like her name meant when translated from Italian to English. It had been so long since someone saw beyond her deformity.”

My Rating

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Magnificent! Danielle Grandinetti is one of my few no questions asked, buy immediately authors!

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Sheltered by the Doctor by Danielle Grandinetti Review

Babbling Becky L

Welcome to the Blog + Review Tour for Sheltered by the Doctor by Danielle Grandinetti, hosted by JustRead Publicity Tours!

About the Book

Title: Sheltered by the Doctor
Series: Harbored in Crow’s Nest #5
Author: Danielle Grandinetti
Publisher: Hearth Spot Press
Release Date: May 21, 2024
Genre: Christian Historical Romantic Suspense

A fake relationship might keep her safe, but will it break their hearts?

Wisconsin, 1931—Mindy Zahn can’t understand why her parents deserted the family farm, leaving her mute younger sister in her care. Until her mother’s cryptic warning to keep her sister safe becomes a life-threatening task.

Searching for that elusive something to ease his weary heart, Dr. Nick Matrone is drawn to the cheery Mindy. He would never presume to bring such a sweet woman into his beleaguered past, so friendship is all he can offer. Except, he doesn’t expect needing to save her life.

As the danger grows, they both must battle through physical and emotional wounds to have a hope of their counterfeit relationship becoming true.

Welcome to Crow’s Nest, where danger and romance meet at the water’s edge.

PURCHASE LINKS: Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Bookshop | BookBub

More Books in This Series

     

About the Author

Danielle Grandinetti is an award-winning inspirational romance author fueled by tea and books. As a FHLCW Reader’s Choice and Selah Award Finalist, she mixes romance, suspense, and history to bring her stories to life. Originally from the Chicagoland area, she now lives along Lake Michigan’s Wisconsin shoreline with her husband and their two young sons. Find her online at daniellegrandinetti.com.

Connect with Danielle at daniellegrandinetti.com to follow her on social media and sign up for email updates.

My Impressions

“Fake relationship, Matrone? Only pretend part about it is what you’re telling yourself.”

Finally! Sheltered by the Doctor, by Danielle Grandinetti, is out in the world! Why is this cause for celebration? Because I love historical fiction, set in a small town with a bit of romance and suspense. Because this is Nick and Mindy’s story. If you have read Grandinetti’s other Harbored in Crow’s Nest books, you met waitress Mindy, who is such a sweetheart, in the first book. But alas, David, her good friend, did not fall in love with her. So I’ve been waiting for Mindy’s turn!

Dr. Nick Matrone has moved to small-town Wisconsin (Crow’s Nest) to escape the prejudice and danger of New York City. Unfortunately, being an Italian at this time is bad, as Al Capone has just been arrested and Mussolini is gaining power in Italy. “A few bad apples, who newspapers and bigots used to paint the entire Italian community, shouldn’t make him ashamed of who God made him.”

Many townspeople refuse to seek out Nick’s doctoring ability because of his obvious heritage. People, as always, find reasons to look down upon a group of people who look, act, or speak differently. When will we ever learn to each other as God sees us, from the actions motivated by the heart, which are changeable, instead of skin color, which is unchangeable?

Mindy has a few problems of her own. Working hard as a waitress to support herself and her family, she is seen as a loose woman because of her profession. When she draws repeated unwanted attention from a certain customer, she claims in desperation that she and Nick are an item.

Mindy harbors a secret and also has a very unexpected responsibility thrust upon her. Added to that, the unwanted suitor is hanging around, ready to stir up trouble, and danger is galloping at Mindy from another direction she couldn’t predict.

I was happy to see old friends and more of Buck, who is rather an unknown quantity. Opinions are divided among Mindy and Nick and friends about Buck’s trustworthiness.

There are some great twists in this book! I loved that. However, there were a couple of issues that were given a lot of time in presentation, that I felt maybe weren’t wrapped up satisfactorily. They just needed more explanation than I felt they received. Overall, still a fave book in a great series by a fave author! Don’t miss it!

I received a complimentary copy of the book from the author through JustRead Tours. I also bought my own paperback copy. No positive review was required, and all opinions are my own.

Notable Quotables:

“You’ve found peace?” Mindy wanted it, wasn’t sure she’d ever had it. “Not yet.”

“…I’m searching for it, and this seemed like the place to find it.”

“…Do you think God hears us?”

“…I pray the answer is yes, or we’ll be searching for a lifetime.”

“He didn’t intentionally do anything of which he was accused. It was simply inherent to who he was. He was simply too dark. Too not-American. Too much of a physician. He was too much of the wrong things.”

“I’m not worthy, but You never asked us to be worthy.”

Everyone here knew the truth about their fake relationship.

“I firmly believe that, no matter a person’s actions, they are loved by God and deserve expert medical care. If only that they might live another day to experience the love and mercy He shows.”

“She should feel safe, cared for. Instead, her heart cracked open. Would she ever be loved, truly loved, simply for being herself?”

My Rating

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Magnificent!

Tour Giveaway

(1) winner will win a Crow’s Nest Prize Bundle which includes a print copy of Confessions to a Stranger, a Crow’s Nest canvas tote, a Crow’s Nest paperback notebook and Crow’s Nest stickers!

Full tour schedule linked below. The giveaway begins at midnight May 22, 2024 and will last through 11:59 PM EST on May 29, 2024. Winner will be notified within 2 weeks of close of the giveaway and given 48 hours to respond or risk forfeiture of prize. US only. Void where prohibited by law or logistics.

Giveaway is subject to JustRead Publicity Tours Giveaway Policies.

Enter Giveaway

Follow along at JustRead Tours for a full list of stops!