A Royal Marriage by Rachelle McCalla

Release Date: 27/11/12
Publisher: Harlequin (Love Inspired)
Pages: 288
Target Audience: Young Adults/Adults
Genre: Historical Romance/Religion

Synopsis: Despite her protests, Princess Gisela, headstrong daughter of the Holy Roman Emperor Charlemagne, must enter into a diplomatic marriage. Yet en route to her wedding, her ship is attacked and she's gravely injured. Rescued by a renowned healer, King John of Lydia, Gisela recuperates at his Mediterranean castle. The handsome, widowed ruler soon has her reevaluating her beliefs on love and marriage …but only if King John could be her groom. Their love is forbidden, and duty requires him to deliver her to her betrothed. Unless they can find a way to join their hearts—and kingdoms—with love, faith and honor.

Review: When I first started reading this I was enjoying it immensely and then the Religion heavy content kicked in and it started overshadowing the Historical Romance side of the story. Now don't get me wrong, I have nothing against religion in novels or in general. In fact i read the Amish Romance stories but they are a lot less Religion heavy than this book (odd considering they are set in a religious community).  I also think it prudent to point out that I am NOT an Atheist just to make it clear that this is not an anti-god splurge.

At the beginning of the story it is the peril and romance that takes center stage, followed swiftly by the threat of war and some fighting. But then the religious side creeps in, sneaky and not so there at first, but then it hits you like a hammer and I found it hard to focus on Gisela, John and there budding romance. One part that particularly annoyed me was that John seemed more alarmed at the thought of the church splitting than losing the woman he loves and the lives that would be lost during a war that would cause said split of church.  Now I understand that this was a different time period but still, it bugged me a lot. 

If you can get past that and focus on the romance and the complicated military plots and betrayals then there is a good story underneath it all. And I was thrilled with the ending. The idea that Love will conquer all has always been a big thing for me and I love the idea. So for that reason this book still gets three out of five, because it is, underneath it all, a compelling love story. It helped that the characters were well fleshed out and with personalities that could be related to. I could understand the reasoning for John and Gisela trying to avoid there feelings even if i didn't like there stubbornness.

Maybe I'm a good old fashioned romantic but if you love someone, really love someone, then they are most definitely worth the struggle to be with.

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.