Snow Whyte and the Queen of Mayhem by Melissa Lemon

Publication Date: 11/12/12
Publisher: Cedar Fort inc
Pages: 288
Target Audience: Teens/Young Adults
Genre: Fantasy/Retold Fairy-tale/Romance

Synopsis: Stuck in her family's apple orchards, Kat's got plenty of work to do and only pesky Jeremy to help. But when Jeremy convinces her to run away, Kat will discover that nothing---and no one---in her life is quite what it seems. Wonderfully re-imagined  this is the magical tale of Snow White as you've never read it before!

My Review: I loved this story to pieces :) I could leave my review there, but I won't. I'm a sucker for happy endings and an even bigger sucker for fairy-tales so you can imagine I was enthralled by this enchanting retelling of Snow White.

Some parts of the story remained the same for example, the mirror, the evil Queen and Snow White herself. But everything was twisted in such a great way. Kat is not the vulnerable Disney character who lies waiting to be kissed, the dwarves are not little men who go out and dig in a mine and the story itself is much harsher in parts with the stark realism the original tale lacked.
Danger follows the characters everywhere and the reader is given a constant reminder of exactly how dangerous a woman with an all-seeing mirror can be with all her hunting down of the 'rule breakers' in her kingdom without having to witness the rule breaking in person.

The romance side of it was brilliantly done and I loved the twist regarding Kat and Jeremy and the link between Kat and the man trapped in the Queen's mirror was amazing. I never saw it coming, nor did I guess the mystery surrounding Jeremy.
Some of my favourite scenes though were between Kat and the Dwarves and my personal favourite was Pokole (such a sweet little dude) and there were some scenes with those guys that nearly had me in tears.

All in all this story has a lovely ending with some cleverly thought out plot twists, a healthy dose of humour and some heartwarming romance that I think will be just perfect for these cold winter months. Grab a hot chocolate, some nice biscuits and curl up with this book :) 

A Hope Springs Christmas by Patricia Davids

Release Date: 13/11/12
Publisher: Harlequin (Love Inspired)
Pages: 224
Target Audience: Young Adults/Adults
Genre: Amish Romance/Romance

Synopsis: Amish widow Sarah Wyse does not see wedding bells in her future. Still, she can’t think of a better way to spend the Christmas season than helping her handsome, shy neighbor Levi Beachy find a wife. But once
the single ladies of Hope Springs start visiting his buggy shop, Levi sends the town’s eligible men Sarah’s way. Neither expects to find love—but with help from the close-knit community, they just might mend each other’s broken heart.

My Review: This is only the second Amish/Christian romance I have read and I have to admit I will definitely read more of them. In a world where love is complicated and filled with a lot of betrayal and pain it's refreshing to read a heart warming romance that is purely based on the feelings involved.  

Having said that, that wasn't the only reason I like reading these sorts of romances. I find there's something comforting about reading about a lifestyle that is much more people focused. In a world of technology it is too easy to forget the people in our lives and forget to talk to them (face to face, not via facebook!) and it was nice to read about such a lovely community where people help each other out during bad times and are always there to lend a hand as opposed to just looking out for themselves.

The romance was beautifully written, it unfolded at such a natural and gentle pace and nothing between Sarah or Levi felt forced; the chemistry was perfect between the two of them. The hesitation for Sarah, after losing her first husband was believable and Levi's commitment to Sarah throughout everything was heartwarming. 

With a beautiful supporting cast of friends, families and a warm and cheerful sounding town, Hope Springs has made my list of 'fictional places i'd love to visit'. Whether you're reading about the tension between Sarah and Levi, the crazy matchmaking going on between characters or about the Twin's ridiculous pranks this book will keep you engaged. 

One final thing I will say about romance novels, is yes, you do know the ending. And yes, if we thought about it we all know who will end up with who by the end of the novel, yet this doesn't take away any of the enjoyment. The reason being is that it isn't the ending that surprises you, but the journey the characters take to get there, and Levis' and Sarahs' journey is not one to be missed. 

Leah's Choice by Emma Miller

Release Date: 17/04/2012

Publisher: Harlequin

Pages: 224

Target Audience: Adults/Young Adults

Genre: Religious/Romance/Clean Romance

Synopsis: With dreams of marrying an Old Order Amish man, Leah Yoder plans on raising children in the peaceful Delaware community. But when Mennonite missionary Daniel Brown arrives to share his story with their church, Leah is fascinated by him. She spends time with Daniel in a forbidden courtship to learn how she truly feels about him. Before long, Leah has a choice to make. Should she stay with her community…or leave with the man she believes God has placed in her life's path?

My Review: I requested this off Net Galley because I was in the mood for a relatively easy read with a bit of romance (guess I was looking for comfort at the time). What strikes me as weird is that despite being Agnostic myself I could still relate to Leah on some scale and Daniel and whereas to me the choices presented to them would have been simple, to Leah it really wasn't and that came across really well throughout the story.

I admire courage in heroines in whatever story I read, no matter what shape that courage might take and Leah had it in spades. Not to mention her relationship with Daniel had me all gooey inside; I love a good romance, I really really do and I love men who are able to show how they feel. Why bottle it up and not share?

My other reason for loving this so much is, as an avid bookworm, I can't get enough learning new stuff. Reading this was such a fascinating insight into the Amish community and it completely goes against all the usual stereotypes you hear and read about. Absolutely eye-opening.

I think I will even go and hunt down the rest of the series  even though I started with the completely the wrong book, because this was honestly a charming, romantic and such a lovely read.

If you like a bit of romance with originality and you don't rely on explicit sex scenes for a decent romance then give this a try. As someone who has read all types of romance there is something to said for a bit of original, clean non-sex romance. Really really good read.