Book Notes: August 24, 2022 - Smokey Mountain Romance Series by Andrea Byrd

 Welcome back, dear Readers! I never asked before, but, how was your weekend? Mine was as full as it usually is. This weekend will be a little more full, since I've started a women's Bible study group. We're going to be working our way through the parables of Jesus, using a book by Lenya Heitzig and Penny Rose called Live Deeply. We've only done the first lesson, but I think it's going to start some awesome and helpful discussions.  (Link goes to the Goodreads page) 

Today, I've got a series of books to share with you. This author, Andrea Byrd, was new to me. The books are novellas, so if you're looking for some quick sweet romances with an inspirational theme, this might be a nice set for you. I've read the first five books in the series, but there are two more. I'll get to those as I can, since I found them enjoyable. I'll get to the sharing now!

Book Review: Smoky Mountain Comfort (Smoky Mountain Romance #1) 

Smoky Mountain Comfort by Andrea Byrd
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A Cute, Sweet Romance

If you're looking for a sweet Christian romance with warm characters and a happy ending, then this book qualifies. Well-written and easy to read, it's perfect for winding down at the end of the day. I took a risk in picking up this book and others in the series when the author was new to me, but I don't regret it. The heroine was hard-working and determined. The hero was a man of honor, integrity, and true strength. Overall, it's a good book.

View all my reviews

Book Review: Smoky Mountain Christmas (Smoky Mountain Romance #2)

Smoky Mountain Christmas by Andrea Byrd
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Sweet, Easy-to-Read, Romance

I've been enjoying this series of sweet, inspirational romances by Andrea Byrd. I love the family interaction - loving, but not smothering or interfering. I also love how the heroes are unique in their personalities, but similar in their treatment of the heroines. The way faith is represented in these books has, so far, been good in my opinion. If you enjoy sweet, inspirational romance, cowboys, and overcomers, then you might like this book.

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Book Review: Smoky Mountain Temper (Smoky Mountain Romance #3)

Smoky Mountain Temper by Andrea Byrd
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Consistently Good Sweet Romance

This is the third book in the series and I'm impressed with the way the author is consistently holding my attention. I'm invested in this beautiful family and interested in seeing how each of their stories play out.
As marketed, this book is sweet, clean, and inspirational romance. There seemed to be a little less of the faith element early on in the story, but it comes out strong further in. I felt like it fit the story and characters, like it was natural.
If you're looking for a quick, sweet, inspirational romance, this book might be what you're looking for.

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Book Review: Smoky Mountain Embers (Smoky Mountain Romance #4)

Smoky Mountain Embers by Andrea Byrd
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Kept Me Reading

At first, I was so annoyed with the heroine. As the story moved on, it was nice to see how she grew and learned. It's always nice to see a hero who doesn't rush things, too. If you're looking for a contemporary inspirational romance which is sweet, clean, and also includes a bit of adventure, I recommend this book to you.

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Book Review: Smoky Mountain Redemption (Smoky Mountain Romance #5)

Smoky Mountain Redemption by Andrea Byrd
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Short and Really Good

The romance is kinda light in this book, but it worked well. The author did a good job of writing a short romance story which focused on the most relevant aspects to the heroine's growth as she fell in love. It's clean and sweet and the faith element is well done. If all that appeals to you, the I recommend this book to you.

View all my reviews

Overall, this series has been good. The faith element in each story seems to fit well, by which I mean it feels as natural as breathing. I loved that these were short. The length and sweet/clean nature of these stories makes them perfect for winding down at the end of a rough day. 

One thing I didn't mention in any of my reviews was how much I love these covers. I've gotten to where I will persistently and adamantly avoid any romance novel which has a cover that reminds me of the fashion plates I played with as a child. What is up with that? How does that convey romance to potential viewers? And they are appearing almost everywhere I turn. I actually prefer covers that either show the setting, or pull out some element of the story, rather than having pictures of the characters, especially since many times the photo on the cover doesn't come close to matching the picture the author paints with words. I guess you can tell, I feel somewhat strongly about the matter. 

Thank you all so much for taking time out of your busy day to read my post. I hope you'll see something in this series which interests you. 

I will definitely have a writing prompt posted tomorrow. I've decided to call Thursday prompts 'Threads', so that will be my title and I'll tag it with a date like I usually do for all my posts. I might have my little short story from Friday's prompt ready to share by Friday. 😂 I have to laugh at myself because I just have so much trouble writing anything short unless it's a song or poem. I could do that...but my brain just really loves stories with meat. 🤷

So, if you come back tomorrow, the post will simply be a three-word prompt set on a photo. You can use any or all of the words, or even the photo to create a unique literary piece, poem, lyrics, whatever, as long as the subject matter is clean (ie. nothing that would be considered R-rated or worse). If you use the prompt, I'd love it if you'd link back to the post wherever you share your work. And if you would, share your link in the comments below the post so I can also check out what you come up with. I hope we can all have fun or at least feel productive and purposeful with this exercise. 

Thanks again for reading today!

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