What Matters Most - A Review

Published - July 2016, Revell Books
Series - Texas Gold Book 4
Author - Kellie Coates Gilbert
Title - What Matters Most
Format - ebook, paper
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Summary from Amazon:
Leta Breckenridge is forced to drop out of college to care for her dementia-ridden mother. After learning a severely delinquent account may force her mother into a less desirable facility, Leta steps out of her comfort zone and lands a high-paying job at an Austin public relations firm. But her dream job turns into a nightmare when she learns the firm is a front for a political opposition machine--and that the research she's been collecting will be used against her new love interest, Nathan Emerson.

Nathan is a rising political star being pressured to run a bid to unseat the current governor of Texas. He's already in a relationship with a woman much better suited to be a politician's wife, but he's never met anyone like Leta. Could this feisty, challenging woman hold the key to his heart?

My Thoughts:
This book was riveting. I found myself drawn in quickly and curious to see how it would unfold. I've read the others in this series, and this one may be the best. I'll admit that I don't usually read books that deal with topics that could have real world consequences, but this book was good. I loved how Leta researched beyond what her boss had asked her to do, and that she made her own decisions. While it is a part of a series, it stands alone. 

I received the Kindle version of this book from the publisher via NetGalley for the purpose of reviewing. My thoughts and opinions are my own.

Recommended to fans of women's fiction, contemporary fiction

Rating - 4 stars

A Reason to Stay - A Review

Published - October 2015, Revell Books
Series - Texas Gold Book 3
Author - Kellie Coates Gilbert
Title - A Reason to Stay
Format - ebook, paper
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Faith Marin is going places. She's the morning anchor for one of Houston's news stations, has her own program, and a husband she loves. Yet though she shows her viewers the truth of their products, she doesn't let anyone find out the truth about her. Her family's past is painful. When she is shot while covering a story out at NASA, Faith's foundation is shaken. As her journey to survive and overcome what happened to her, she learns that the one person she has been shutting out may very well be the one person she can't afford to lose.

I've read the others in this series and they were just ok. This one though, is the best in the series so far. It still deals with very heavy topics like the other two, but this one felt much more personal. Not personal to me. But personal in that the characters felt more real.

On the outside, Faith has it all put together. But on the inside, she's falling apart. I loved the way that her husband Geary refused to give up on her. Even when she wanted him to. Sure their marriage was in trouble. But she had to come to the point where she could even listen to him. She literally hits rock bottom in the book. And Faith's struggle to overcome what happened to her, felt so real.

I received this book for free from Revell Books for the purpose of reviewing. My thoughts and opinions are my own.

Recommended to fans of women's fiction, contemporary fiction, Karen Kingsbury, Deborah Raney, Denise Hunter

Rating - 4 stars

Where Rivers Part - A Review

Published - February, 2015, Revell Books a division of Baker Publishing Group
Series - Texas Gold Collection Book 2
Author - Kellie Coates Gilbert
Title - Where Rivers Part
Format - ebook, paper
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Dr. Juliet Ryan has worked hard to get where she is at. She's a scientist who is committed to providing millions with safe drinking water, and she is the quality assurance director at a top firm in Corporate America where she enjoys much prestige in that role. Her father is another story. He and Juliet don't get along, despite them both being brilliant scientists. Juliet can't trust him. Or forgive him. A harmful viral outbreak becomes linked to contaminated drinking water, and Juliet soon finds herself in the midst of a huge corporate scandal. With lives at risk, Juliet frantically searches for answers and discovers that she must figure out a way to trust the one man who has hurt her more than any other in order to bring down the parties involved.

I have to be totally and completely honest and say that I enjoyed this book much more than the author's previous book. While I still didn't care for the main character, at least at first, I found the subject matter in this book to be much more interesting than that of the first book.

I actually kinda liked Juliet's father. Sure he'd made mistakes. But he also recognized that fact. I thought it showed how much he had changed with his efforts to reach out to Juliet.

What really caught my attention was seeing Juliet struggle with her role in the scandal. As she uncovered more and more, she was encouraged to be silent. I thought that she should have figured out what was right and stuck by it no matter what.

The action regarding the scandal was fast paced and rather fascinating. I kept turning pages to find out how much worse it was going to get.

While the book was good, it's not a favorite of mine. I'm glad I gave the author a second chance after not really caring for her previous book.

I received this book for free from the Revell Books for the purpose of reviewing. My thoughts and opinions are my own.

Recommended to fans of women's fiction, legal thrillers

Rating - 4 stars