The Engagement Plot

I don't think there isn't one person who doesn't know about online dating reality shows like the Bachelor or the Bachelorette. Where an eligible person tries to find the perfect person among a host of suitable candidates and hopefully a happily ever after will ensue. Fans of such shows will love Krista Phillips new novel, The Engagement Plot. Here we have a similar premise as the setting for our novel, with the reality show named The Price for Love and instead of the infamous red roses, the contestants receive gold coins with hearts verifying their commitment to find true love. Everything appeared to be going well for the final two, with most of the audience rooting for an all around honest church loving girl, they aptly named Holy Hanna, after Hanna Knight, the one woman who vowed to keep her integrity and morals intact despite all the pressure to bend to the viewing audience. She was the one, the upstanding CEO and eligible bachelor William Preston asked to marry him.

Only while Hanna was busy making wedding plans in her mind during the two month hiatus that they were instructed to have no contact with one another expect for an off-camera date, while the show wrapped up for the final unveiling. Hanna was hoping she had found the right man, when in reality, when it came to push the shows ratings as well as his own status in the company, Will led both the show's host and viewing audience to believe that Hanna had compromised all her moral beliefs for a quick weekend away with him. That was the end of the relationship and the end of Hanna's heart. She vowed to find some way to look for how she could have been so easily misled by Will. It cost her almost everything and now her reputation has been in ruins no matter how Hanna might have tried to salvage it.

So now, while avoiding reporters, she has moved back home with her father in Minnesota heading home in the midst of what is turning out to be one of the worst blizzards in history and finds a car trapped in a snowbank. She knows that no one will be out here for hours and her father wouldn't even leave a person stranded. What she didn't expect to find was Will Preston stuck in the snowbank almost freezing to death. While she is more than tempted to leave him there, she knows she can't in good faith no matter what he has done to her in the past. That was not how she was raised and now, she is stuck bringing him home back to her fathers house and undoubtedly hoping the storm might be delayed until he can get on his way to wherever he was headed. Only for now, she will have to deal with all the pain she thought she put behind her again.

I received The Engagement Plot by Krista Phillips compliments of Barbour Publishing and NetGalley. This is such a great story because you only know it's going to get better the further you get into the book and at each crossroads it appears as if God has other plans in store for the two to be reunited again. Can she risk her heart again for the second time? Has Will Preston truly changed? Or does he have another motive behind his visit? You'll just have to pick this one up to find out. I thoroughly enjoyed it and easily give this one a 5 out of 5 stars. This would make a great Hallmark Channel movie!

For more information about The Engagement Plot, Krista Phillips or where you can pick up a copy of this novel today, please click on the links below:

The Engagement Plot by Krista Phillips

You can find Krista Phillips on Facebook to stay up to date with all her latest novels.

To read more reviews on The Engagement Plot, please visit Barbour Publishing's website. 

Sandwich with a Side of Romance - Review and Giveaway

Maddie Buckner wonders if she could possibly win the record at Guinness for being fired the most in one day. When she is hired at the Sandwich Cut 'N' Style, she is forced to spend most of the day sweeping floors and cleaning instead of taking the walk-in customers like she was promised by Judy, her Nazi-of-a-boss. However when Judy steps out to run an errand, opportunity knocks when Reuben Callahan, whom she believes is Mr. Gorgeous is in need of a haircut and can't wait for his usual stylist. He opts to try Maddie out, even though she comes highly recommended.  As she proceeds to cut his hair in the usual style but a bit shorter, Reuben falls asleep in her chair, slowly nodding off a bit more with each snip of her scissors. It isn't until he jerks father down then up as she began her cut, causing her hands to slip.

Maddie gasped. Dread curled itself around her stomach and squeezed. In her trembling hand she'd caught four full inches of his hair. On the side of Reuben's forehead was a one-and-a-half-inch dusty-blond stub. The image in the mirror was just an illusion. It had to be. Reuben Callahan blinked twice. No such luck. His hair was still in shambles, and a shell-shocked brunette stood next to him holding the evidence of her crime. It was then that Judy, the owner walked back into the salon and immediately fired Maddie. Now without a job, she was desperate, so desperate in fact that she sat on the hood of Reuben's BMW until she was able to convince him to get her a job.

What Maddie didn't know was that Reuben was the owner of a series of restaurants and feeling a bit guilty for his actions in having her fired since he did technically fall asleep he offers her a job as a waitress. Feeling absolved of all guilt, he wonders if he did the right thing in offering her a job, until he is informed that Maddie just dumped an iced tea and Reuben sandwich in the mayor's lap.

In the novel, Sandwich with a Side of Romance by Krista Phillips, poor Maddie has a great heart and a willingness to try hard, but it seems like she can't seem to do anything right. She is on the verge of wondering what God's plan is in all of this, since she has to be able to hold down a job and find suitable housing if she wants to gain custody of her younger brother, Kyle who is living with foster parents that are pursuing the option of adopting him before Maddie can get settled. Will she be able to convince Reuben to give her another opportunity or will she gain the notoriety of being the woman with the most jobs gained and lost in a single day?

I received Sandwich with a Side of Romance by Krista Phillips compliments of Abingdon Press and Pump Up Your Book Tours. This is a heart warming and delightful romantic comedy of a struggle young woman, Maddie who tries so hard to do the right thing all the time, she doesn't realize the effort doesn't need to be so difficult. I love her child-like faith in his simple honest prayers to God even though she just became a Christian six months ago. When God shows her how He can answer her prayers in ways much different than she had hoped, it enables her to see not everyone deserves the stereotype labels she gives them and instead offers her a new perspective on not only her life but romance as well. I rate this one a 5 out of 5 stars and will be adding Krista Phillips to my list of authors to watch. Her writing is amazing and hooks the reader from the very first line in the book!

For more information on Sandwich with a Side of Romance, Krista Phillips or where to pick up a copy of this book today, please click on the links below:

Sandwich with a Side of Romance by Krista Phillips

You can also find Krista Phillips on her website by clicking here or on Facebook by clicking here. 

To read more reviews from Sandwich with a Side of Romance's book tour, click here. 

Now for the dessert of this review, Pump Up Your Book Tours is offering a giveaway copy of this novel to one lucky reader of this blog. Here's all you got to do to enter:

1. Be a follower of my blog, Reviews From The Heart.

2. Be a resident of the US or have a US shipping address. Please No P.O. Boxes.

3. "Like" my Facebook page, Reviews From The Heart. If you have already "Liked" it, just leave me a comment to let me know you were there.

4. Leave me a comment below in the comment box telling me about your funniest moment on the job along with your email address. You can use the words (at) and (dot) instead of the symbols.

The winner will be notified by email and posted on my Facebook page, Reviews From The Heart. The giveaway will end on October 17th.