The Faberge Secret by Stephanie Burkhart

       Title:         The Faberge Secret

        Author:      Stephanie Burkhart

        Publisher:   Desert Breeze Publishing

        Pages:        88 pages

        Genre:       Contemporary, 

                         Inspirational romance

        Heat:       Intense

        Available:  December 15th

Beauty, love and danger arrive in Elise's life when she purchases a Faberge Christmas egg. Beauty is the wonderful, colorful egg; danger comes from the man who has stolen the egg and then lost it. Love is Dimitri, the true owner of the egg.

Elise would like to return the egg to Dimitri but needs proof he is the real owner. They are in Vermont and his proof is in Russia. A trail of bodies follows the egg putting and Dimitri vows he will protect Elise from danger.

The Faberge Secret takes us through the first sparks of love between Dimitri and Elise. The two have much in common, including their faith, the major barrier is one lives and works in Russia, while the other lives and works in Vermont, USA. None of that will matter if they can't survive the men determined to steal back the egg, no matter who gets hurt in the process.

Ms Burkhart has a wonderful ability to take a subject and weave a fantastic story around it. Her knowledge of Europe shows through in all her novels, but I believe this is the first time she's taken us to St. Petersburg, Russia. I love the depth of character in Ms Burkhart's books, the rich scenery and the actual stories. As soon as I see her name on a book, I know it's time to put the kettle on and settle down for a good read. The Faberge Secret exceeded my expectations. Definitely worth reading more than once. What more can I say? It is such a good book.


PS. The book trailer on YouTube or Desert Breeze is also wonderful.


Purchase link: Desert Breeze Publishing


Author's Webpage: http://www.stephanieburkhart.com/


YouTube: http://youtu.be/nf5ujOoDRXs

Touched by Mercy by Tina Pinson

Title:           Touched by Mercy

Author:       Tina Pinson

Publisher:   Desert Breeze Publishing

Pages:        620 pages

Genre:        Historical, romance, inspirational

This book is a WOW book! I had read Ms Pinson's In the Manor of the Ghost and loved her style of writing so was happy to read another of her novels. Touched by Mercy is as good if not better than the first one. Once you pick it up - you can't put it down. 
As a young woman there is only one thing Samantha loves - her sister's young daughter. Devastated by the abrupt separation from the child, Samantha escapes her unhappy home life when her stepfather tries to force her to marry an elderly man. She goes in search of her niece, and changes other lives as well as her own. 
Far from the home she grew up in Samantha finds her true purpose in life in a small town. Here she makes friends and helps others, but her bad childhood throws a shadow over her future. Samantha is terrified the past will come into the present and wreck all she has achieved.
The christian values of the book only enhance the story, bringing the characters to life so that I felt I was in the room with them. Warmth, depth and love are an integral background to this novel. Sometimes when conflict rears its head in a romance belief gets strained. This is definitely not the case in Ms Pinson's book. The story becomes deeper and more intriguing with each chapter. I'm now eagerly awaiting the next novel by this author.


Website: Tina Pinson
Buy Link:  Desert Breeze Publishing

The Wolf's Torment by Stephanie Burkhart

Title:            The Wolf's Torment - Moldavian Moon, Book One

Author:        Stephanie Burkhart

Publisher:   Desert Breeze Publishing

Pages:        202 pages

Genre:        Historical, romance, paranormal

Witches, werewolves and hot romance. What more could you ask for?

Crown Prince Mihai of Moldavia returns home to marry the woman his father betrothed him to as a child. His friend Viktor accompanies him and will act as his companion and secretary. The King is dying and Mihai is determined to carry through his father’s projects to bring Moldavia into the present. 

Mihai’s hard work means he has little time for his fiance, Theresa. He has always known his mother was a witch, but circumstances arise which force him to learn the art of witchcraft. Meanwhile Viktor and Mihai’s sister, Sonia fall in love the instant they see each other. 

Mihai and Theresa, Viktor and Sonia. The two couples learn to know and love one another and with marriage the future of all four looks wonderful. 

Mihai’s mother’s disobedience of a senior witch brought about her death when Mihai was five. The witch and her werewolf lover have now returned to Moldavia intent on twisting things to their own evil ends. The werewolf needs to make a new leader for his pack and he looks to the two young men in the palace to fulfill this wish.

Ms Burkhart has blended a richness of history with romance and the paranormal to provide a wonderful novel. Mihai is the type of man half the women in the word sigh over, while his friend Viktor affects the other half of the female population. Sonia and Theresa are perfect foils for their individual loves, each one complimenting and supporting their husband.

The country of Moldavia is shown as a beautiful country, reminiscent of the historical smaller states in Europe which eventually joined together to make the central European countries. The rich vista of scenery proves Ms Burkhart has a deep knowledge of this area.

The Wolf’s Torment is a book which held me more captive with each page. It almost seemed as if I wasn’t reading a book, but seeing the life of the characters unfold before me. It’s some time since I read a historical book which engaged my interest in this respect and I would like to congratulate Ms Burkhart for providing me a means to escape real life for several hours.

Website:  Stephanie Burkhart

Purchase Link: Desert Breeze Publishing