I was so happy to be able to read this addition to the "My Heart Belongs" Series. It was a sweet story, Abby and Sam's story and I really enjoyed reading it. If the rest of the series is this good, I for sure will be reading all of them! That's a lot of reading.

I enjoyed the characters and the discoveries that socialite Abby made bringing many unexpected changes in her life.

San Francisco in the growing years seems to have not been quite the same as we know it now, so it was nice to see the contrasts and the growing pains, so to speak.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Barbour Publishing and NetGalley and was under no obligation to post a review.

Inspirational author Janice Thompson's contribution to the My Heart Belongs series does not disappoint. My Heart Belongs in San Francisco is a fun, light-hearted book and yet it brings a message of what it means to be true to oneself and of having faith in a God who is at work in our lives even before we recognize it. I loved the eclectic and engaging mix of characters--a British butler and a Chinese handyman, a lady in dungarees and a young belle with a servant's heart, a mother with wanderlust and a workaholic father, a reliable young man and a cad in gentleman's clothes. And one can't forget the wonderful Cookie, a cook with a heart of gold. The author has done a marvelous job of bringing their stories together and creating a story that captures the heart. Set in the Gold Rush era, readers are given a glimpse of what parts of San Francisco might have been like and at the end of the book there is a list of fun facts about the California Gold Rush. Adventure, a few little twists to the plot and lots of romance, what is not to love. I'm looking forward to reading more of this author's books and of course, the next in the My Heart Belongs series.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from Barbour Publishing and was under no obligation to post a review. The opinions are my own.

I had a difficult time getting into this book. I thought the timeline was a little unbelievable. The traveling time seemed too short and the time spent in San Francisco didn't seem to match the weeks that were discussed. The heroine Abby was a bit of a brat. She refused to listen to those that cared about her and refused to see the truth when it was staring her right in the face. My opinion of her softened a bit in the near the end, when she finally realized she was more than a socialite and she was proud of the work she had done.
Cookie was one of my favorite people in the book. She was the voice of reason and had a scripture for every situation. At times, I felt the author went a little too far in expanding on those scriptures with Biblical lessons. It took me out of the story. Some people may find those lessons very helpful in their life situations though.
The romance did not start until well past the 60% mark. For me, that is when the book started getting better. Sam was a very good man. I liked that he was strong, helpful, and caring yet at the same time vulnerable.
There is a great cast of characters to round out the story. There was also pie. Cookie says "Honey, a slice of pie is always the answer, at least if it's one of my pies."

Abby's mother has what Abby calls, 'Wanderlust.' They moved from Nottingham to Pennsylvania in Abby's father's hope that his wife would be happy there, only to have to take off for Oregon. Abby and their butler, Neville, head to Oregon to bring Abby's mother back home. The trail is washed out, so they take another route and end up in San Francisco. It is after the big gold rush and the town is rough, to say the least. A waiter on the train had talked to Abby about San Francisco and mentioned an inn/restaurant called Gold Rush Inn and raved about the cooking/pies there. Abby and Neville not only made friends with Cookie, the cook, and Sam, but they both became employed there as Abby did not wish to ask her father for more funds. What a change in both their lifestyles!
Abby adapts quite well for a young woman who had always had a comfortable lifestyle and never had to work, cook or clean. She also learns to put things in God's hands and to not try to 'fix' everything herself.
The facts at the end of the book were quite enjoyable.
While this book was enjoyable, I found it to be slow paced. Not one that I looked forward to having some time to pick it back up.
I was given a free ecopy of this by the publisher, Barbour, and Netgalley in exchange for my honest review.

This book is part of a series entitled “My Heart Belongs in...” and each book in the series is written by a different author. I’ve loved Janice Hanna Thompson’s books for many years now, and was delighted to receive an advanced copy of this book for review.

This book is much what you expect from a series like this: Light, fun reading with a similar “finding my place in the world” storyline that also includes a sweet romance. What sparkles the most in this particular book are the characters created by Janice Thompson. I liked all the main characters, but I especially loved Cookie. Her wit and wisdom, plus memorized scripture for every occasion, added a heartwarming touch to this story. When I finished the book, I realized that I would like to read another book about these same characters. If you want a light, sweet, clean book with no embarrassing scenes or bad language, you’ll like this one.

I was given an advanced copy of this book from the publisher for review. I was not required to give a positive review. This is my honest opinion of the book.

“Never underestimate the power of coffee, Neville.” I was hooked with this opening line. My Heart Belongs in San Francisco, California is the story of Abby and her ever faithful servant/butler Neville and their trek across the country to bring her mother home to her father. Things don’t go as planned and the two end up in the rowdy town of San Francisco where they learn a lot about themselves and others.

As I mentioned above I was hooked from the beginning. Abby and Neville are more like friends and family than anything else. I liked the chemistry between these two and how Neville was protective of Abby and willing to step in and help out whenever she needed him. I also adored Cookie who was full of love and wisdom and was always willing to share both with everyone around her. I do wish there would have been more of Sam in the story since he and Abby had an attraction to each other.

The story was interesting and a quick read but at some points, there were just too many biblical references which seemed to slow down the pace. It’s mentioned that Cookie has a verse for everything but after awhile, it just seemed overkill and a distraction to the story. This was my only issue with the story. Other than that I found the story interesting and the characters realistic and well-developed. The author’s descriptions of the people made it easy to envision what life was like in San Francisco during this time period. I also thought she did a great job of conveying how Abby’s life changed from socialite to working girl. This part of the story added a nice touch of humor to the book.

All in all this was a nice read and I believe fans of the series will enjoy this book. I’ve read most of the books in the series and this one, while it has its flaws, is one of my favorites. Each book in the series stands on its own so don’t worry about having to read the others before diving into this book. Grab that cup of coffee (or tea), sit back, and enjoy!

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher and was not required to write a review. All opinions are mine.

I loved this story, a privileged young woman, gets down and dirty, and doesn’t seem to mind at all.
The story shows beginnings of San Francisco, actually its steamy side, and our girl ends up there on a quest to find her mother. The Lord took her in hand and she ends up in the right place at the right time. I felt God put Cookie and Sam in Abby’s path, and what a delight to watch her change.
I also would love to see Nigel as he became a different person, the sideburns?
What a great movie this story would make, and as I read this I felt I watching it.
I received this book through Net Galley and the Publisher Barbour, and was not required to give a positive review.

I wasn’t ready to say goodbye to these characters. They made a fun and lasting impression on me, and I fell in love with several secondary characters as well. Thompson kept my interest the entire time, and I couldn’t wait to see what would happen next. It was fun seeing a crazy mining town through different points of view, varying from residents to a first time visitor. I enjoyed watching Abby and her butler Neville adapt to their surroundings, and eventually come to love them. It was unique seeing Abby’s interest in different men, not immediately falling for the hero. It was also fun seeing Abby learn the difference between living a spoiled life to that of a hard worker. I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys Historical Fiction. I loved the scripture thrown in here and there by a fun and loving cook named Cookie. I received a complimentary copy of this book from Barbour Publishing and was under no obligation to post a review. All opinions expressed are my own.

I really wanted to love this book. San Francisco just after the major gold rush, a little bit of mystery, a treasure, a sweet love story. It was an ok read for me. I think there will be several who really connect and enjoy it. As for me, I had a hard time connecting to the characters. At first I liked them. I thought it was going to be witty and fun. Some healing for Abby, the main female character, and her family. And a sweet romance for her. But the further I read, I just wasn't connecting with any of the characters.

I found myself skimming through each page to find the relevant information for the story and moving past everything else. I felt that since this was a historical fiction, I would learn some history about the gold rush and San Francisco at this time period. Maybe a little bit about the search for gold and some of the historical figures as possible characters included in the story. Instead the author focused on the rowdiness of the people living in San Francisco and their drunkenness, their paltry ways, carousing, and the lack of ladies and culture. This is a Christian fiction novel so I believe she was trying to portray the possibility of redemption and change and refinement in a sense and that all can change from their actions and become a better version of themselves. But for me it was too preachy and too much focus on those vices.

There are good characters that Abby finds herself surrounded by. Characters who take her in and help her as she is waiting for two points in her life to converge. Abby was hard to connect with because I felt like she didn't really show growth. Ok, yes there is growth there that the author shows but I felt conflicted in the different circumstances. That may not make sense but I'm having a hard time finding a way to describe her. She was sweet and good and not afraid to work hard and try new things in order to survive and help her new friends. Yet, maybe she was too trusting. She had a couple moments that awakened her to different circumstances in her life and that she was a little blind to what was happening. I felt like it didn't quite match up.

But as I said at the beginning of my review, I think this will be one that many other readers will enjoy a lot. Especially those who love Christian fiction. One character does quote scripture verses quite regularly so if you don't quite enjoy that in your reading then be aware it is in there. There is a lot of talk of trusting God and allowing Him to guide and direct you, to pray for help and understanding, as well as talk of allowing Him to heal us and offer forgiveness.

This is part of the My Heart Belongs series and I believe is book 8 in the line. With more to be released. I'm enjoying the series and have the next one waiting for me to read soon before its release in May.

Content: Clean. Religious talk, which I mentioned in my review. Some rowdy scenes in a saloon and talk about drunkenness, a male character spending time with saloon girls and such. But nothing graphic, just talked about in the sense that it was the environment in San Francisco at the time.

I received a copy from the publisher, Barbour Publishing, via NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions in the review are my own.

Happy Reading!!!

I found this to be a delightful story. I enjoyed the characters, they were varied in their personalities and had a quality of “realness” to them. It was easy to envision the interactions. I felt like I was one of the customers in the dining room enjoying the action.

I would definitely recommend this to those who enjoy historical fiction. Janice Thompson is a strong writer and this is another example of her engaging stories.

Disclaimer: I did receive a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley.com, I was not required to give a review and the opinions here are my own.

When socialite Abby Effingham left the comforts of Philadelphia in late April 1853 to trek across the country to the Oregon territory to find her mother, she didn’t even begin to imagine that she’d end up in the rough and tumble gold mining town of San Fransisco. As Abby is learning to stand on her own two feet, will she remember to always lean on, and trust her heavenly Father?

I struggled a few times with trying to like the heroine of this story. Abby is somewhat tempestuous and tends to run ahead of good judgment and the sage advice given to her by her guardian and friends. She is like a steam train speeding head-long into disaster. I can understand maybe doing this once or twice, but time after time and not seem to learn from previous mistakes, nor admit she made a bad choice… it started to wear a bit thin. However, as the story progressed I started to see the light at the end of the tunnel for Abby. Her exuberance and zeal while still there is tempered with a dose of caution after she learns her lesson the hard way. Sometimes we all find ourselves learning the hard way.

This story with it’s eccentric cast of characters and a bustling gold mining town equals a page turning adventure. Filled with the Gospel truth this story is one to warm your heart and remind no matter how much dirt we have, God still see’s us as His precious children. Overall I did enjoy reading this story and give it 3.5 stars.

(I receive complimentary books for review from publishers, publicists, and/or authors, including Netgalley. I am not required to write positive reviews. The opinions I have expressed are my own.)

About this book:

“Journey now to San Francisco, California, of 1853 where...
An English socialite finds more treasure than expected on her trip to the American West.
When Abby Effingham becomes stranded in the middle of the California gold rush, her money depletes quickly even while her prospects for marriage increase daily. But Abby is on a mission to find her mother—not romance. Will a ridiculous scandal keep her from traveling on, or will it wake up an aloof innkeeper to the treasure right under his roof?
Samuel Harris runs a moderately priced hotel where Abby and her family’s elderly butler find shelter. He is looking forward to when she—and her parade of suitors—move on, though he concedes to let her work in his restaurant. When the sassy socialite is in trouble, will Samuel come to her rescue or find himself alone?”


Series: Part of the “My Heart Belongs” series, but not connecting to any other books.


Spiritual Content- Many Scriptures are quoted, mentioned, & talked about; Church going; Many, many talks and discussions about God & praying; ‘H’s are capital when referring to God; Many mentions of God; Many mentions of prayers & praying; Mentions of Bibles and those, events, and places in the Bible; Mentions of churches, church going, Sunday school classes, hymns, a minister, & sermons; Mentions of miracles; Mentions of sinful lives & sins; A few mentions of faiths; A few mentions of missionaries; A few mentions of Heaven; A few mentions of blessings & being blessed; A mention of religious customs;
*Note: Mentions of evil; A mention of a godforsaken place.


Negative Content- Minor cussing including: a ‘sissy’ and a ‘stupid’; A couple mentions of curses (said, not written); Some eye rolling & sarcasm; Mentions of gunfire, bullets, shooting, & killing; Mentions of fights/brawls, fighting, injuries, & blood/bleeding (barely-above-not-detailed); Mentions of pain & injuries; Mentions of gambling & gambling halls; Mentions of alcohol, drinking, drunks, & saloons; Mentions of plucking headless chickens; A few mentions of a wife who tried to leave a marriage; A couple mentions of a fire & deaths; A couple mentions of thieves; A couple mentions of threats; A couple mentions of lies & lying; A couple mentions of gossip; A mention of cannibalistic natives in a foreign country; A mention of a thief hung; A mention of a man who died from hard work; A mention of manure.


Sexual Content- two nose kisses, a forehead kiss, three hair kisses, and two boarder-line barely-above-not-detailed // semi-detailed kiss; Wanting to kiss (barely-above-not-detailed); Touches, Embraces, & Shivers (barely-above-not-detailed); Blushes; Noticing (barely-above-not-detailed); A man places his hand on Abby’s backside (he gets punched); Mentions of seeing couples kiss (barely-above-not-detailed); Mentions of rowdy men laying kisses on the saloon girls; Mentions of suggestive comments about rowdy men & saloon girls; Mentions of women of ill repute & saloon girls; Mentions of rowdy men catcalling/whistling & rudely stared at Abby; Mentions of flirting & winks; A few mentions of a kiss; A few mentions of blushes; A couple mentions of a brothel & prostitutes; A couple mentions of implied scandals; A couple mentions of seeing couples embrace; A mention of an indecent offer (that’s not said); Love, falling in love, & the emotions;
*Note: Mentions of women wearing dresses that show their curves/figures; A few mentions of men slapping or touching women on their backside; A couple mentions of saloon girls’ messy clothing; A mention of a low-cut dress showing more than one wants to see; A mention of a saloon girl showing her undergarments; A mention of inequality between the sexes.

-Abigail “Abby” Effingham, age 23
-Samuel “Sam” Harris
P.O.V. switches between them
Set in 1853
256 pages

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Pre Teens- One Star
New Teens- One Star
Early High School Teens- Three Stars
Older High School Teens- Four Stars
My personal Rating- Four Stars
While this one was probably my top anticipated book of 2018, I have to say that it’s not near my favorite books by this talented author. That’s not to say I didn’t enjoy the message of this novel, I certainly did, but there was some content due to the problems of the city it was set in. I loved how much Spiritual Content and discussions were in this one and liked all our main characters. It was a neat read and I’m so happy to see—and add to my bookshelves—another book with Janice Thompson’s name on it. :)


*BFCG may (Read the review to see) recommend this book by this author. It does not mean I recommend all the books by this author.
*I received this book for free from the Publisher (Barbour Books) for this honest review.

My Heart Belongs in San Francisco, California
Abby's Prospects
by Janice Thompson
Barbour Publishing, Inc.

Barbour Books
Christian , Historical Fiction
Pub Date 01 Mar 2018

I am reviewing a copy of My Heart Belongs to San Francisco California through Barbour Books and Netgalley:

Looking for a journey? How about a trip back in time? My Heart Belongs in San Francisco will transport you back to 1853 SAN Francisco California where we meet Abby Effingham an English Socialite who gets stranded in San Francisco California in the midst of the California gold rush. Her money is quickly depleted and her marriage proposals increase daily. Abby is on a mission though, a mission to find her Mother, not to seek out romance.Will Abby be prevented from traveling due to a ridiculous scandal, or will it wake up an Inn Keeper to the treasure that is right under his roof?

Samuel Harris runs a reasonably priced hotel where Abby and her families elderly butler finds shelter. He is looking forward to when she and her suitors are able to move on, but he does give in and allows her to work in the restraint, despite her lack of experience. Soon Abby finds herself in trouble will Samuel come to the rescue.


I give My Heart Belongs to San Francisco California five out of five stars!


Happy Reading!

An enjoyable read by Janice Thompson. When Abby and her butler are detoured to San Francisco on a journey to unite with her mother they learn many new skills. As their money runs short they both have to find employment. Sam hires them at his hotel/restaurant. The many proposals begin because there are not many women around. The romance begins for more than just the young couple.

I received the book from NetGalley with no expectations for a positive review. All expressed opinions are my own.

English socialite (not by today's definitions) Abigail (Abby) Effingham will do anything to keep her parents together including travelling across the country to find her mother, to convince her to come back home. Escorted by her chaperone and long time confidant Neville, she makes a train journey but makes a detour in San Francisco due to unfavourable weather that blocks the railroad tracks. In the growing town, she makes unlikely friendships with a hotel owner, Sam Harris and his cook and mother-figure Cookie along with other not so upstanding citizens. Sam is enamored by Abby and her English ways  but wonders whether he will be able to make her cut from her wide pool of suitors, given the high male to female ratio in their town.

Abby's Prospects was a delightful read and readers will enjoy seeing Abby come into her own when is forced to make ends meet in a situation is out of her comfort zone. I am glad that Ms Thompson add more diverse characters such as Jin Xiang, a former Chinese prospector who settles on working at Sam's inn and Lesley (Les) Jenkins, a former 49er turned farm owner who enrich the story lines. I personally fell in with Cookie's wisdom and Neville's dry humour coupled with their parental love for both Abby and Sam. The book provided me with insight on how Christians lived out their faith in a place that surrounded with the pursuit of greed.

If you enjoy reading about San Francisco in the 1800s, then this definitely the book for you. The quick facts on the California Gold Rush at the end of the book will provide book nerds with a great starting point for anyone interested in researching more about this time in history or if you are just a general knowledge junkie.

This was a enjoyable book. The historical details in the book on California during the gold rush were well researched and realistic. Historical fiction without any "historical details" always take me out of the story, that wasn't the case here.

My initial impression of Abby was a bit of a know-it-all at the beginning, but her character grew on me as the book progressed. Neville and Cookie were excellent supporting characters. Both romances were realistic and enjoyable.

Good writing style, easy to read. Overall, a book I'd recommend and I'll be reading more from Janice Thompson.

I enjoyed My Heart Belongs in San Francisco, California in general. The writing was pretty good and I especially enjoyed how Thompson described the scenery and the travel to get to San Fran at the time of the goldrush. The part that didn't hit me right was just how saccharine everyone's relationships and conversations were (aside from Abby's parents, but even then....). I just found it all a bit unrealistic. Especially at the end. It does have some PG scenes in a saloon or with saloon girls, but nothing specific is mentioned. It's done very well, so teen or maybe even pre-teen readers should be able to read it.

My Heart Belongs in San Francisco, California by Janice Thompson is set in the 1850’s as San Francisco has been overrun with miners seeking their fortunes in gold.
Abby and her very proper English butler Neville are on their way to the Oregon Territory to convince her mother to come home to Philadelphia. Abby’s mother has always been a wanderer and open to new adventures. It seems it has rubbed off on Abby as well. When the trail to Oregon is closed due to weather, Abby insists they go on to San Francisco and plan to head to Oregon in the spring. Though not thrilled and ready to head back to Philadelphia, Neville concedes and they continue their adventure. Upon arriving in San Francisco, they find it to be an unruly place with many saloons and little law and order. Jimmy Blodgett, a waiter on the train, tells them they must eat at the Gold Rush Inn as Cookie serves the very best food, especially her cherry pie. They soon become friends with Cookie and Sam whose father owns the Inn. From there everything changes in good ways and the ending is a fun surprise.
I enjoyed this book tremendously! There is a lot of action going on and the characters seem so real they could live next door. There are many surprise twists along the way to the conclusion which turned out a bit different than I expected, in a good way. I rate this book 5 of 5 stars and highly recommend it.
I received an advance copy of this book through Netgalley in exchange for my honest review.

My Heart Belongs in San Francisco, California is a fun and sweet story. Loved it! I give it 5 plus stars.

When Abby Effingham becomes stranded in the middle of the California gold rush, her money depletes quickly even while her prospects for marriage increase daily. But Abby is on a mission to find her mother—not romance. Will a ridiculous scandal keep her from traveling on, or will it wake up an aloof innkeeper to the treasure right under his roof?

Samuel Harris runs a moderately priced hotel where Abby and her family’s elderly butler find shelter. He is looking forward to when she—and her parade of suitors—move on, though he concedes to let her work in his restaurant. When the sassy socialite is in trouble, will Samuel come to her rescue or find himself alone?

I found this book to be disappointing. I have read lots of other books by Janice Thompson and I didn't think this one was near as good. The story line was very good and I liked the characters. Flaws and all. But every situation called for a scripture verse and then it was expounded on. Don't get me wrong, I'm a Christian and there is a scripture for all our situations. The book probably could have been a novella if not for what I felt was filler.

I was given this book by Net Galley in exchange for an honest review. I was not compensated in any way.