A Mother's Gift

Leah is going to marry Jude, a widower with teenage twin daughters, and a young son.  Her mother is against the marriage, her bishop is against it, and his brother (also a bishop) doesn't approve.  The biggest fear is that she won't fit into his family and will have a hard time adjusting because she didn't know much about the housekeeping portion of life.  She had livestock and raised them for money.

Jude's twins, Alice and Adalain, are in their rumspringa, but they are living a dangerous life and have become rude and disrespectful, thinking that they don't have to abide by any family or church rules.  They are involved with two wild boys who seek their attention.

Jude's young son does not take to Leah right off, but when the girls run to town and Leah has him all to herself, she finds herself breaking through his walls. He's fascinated with her animals and wants to learn to care for them.

Jude does not see how his daughters are treating Leah and doesn't know the pain she's in until he hears her crying in the middle of the night.  This is the turning point of the book where Jude takes on his daughters and encourages his son.

Charlotte Hubbard writes sweet Amish stories that show that even the Amish have the same kinds of conflicts in their lives that we Englishers have in our lives.  A Mother's Gift takes on teenage rebellion, babies born out of wedlock, revenge, and forgiveness that witnesses to a rebellious world.

Five Stars, Two Thumbs Up, and a goat to milk.

My thanks to Kensington Books for allowing me to read and review this book.

The Sea Before Us

Sarah Sundin writes World War II fiction and I love it.
She includes actual historical events along with believable characters and imaginative dialog that fills in the dry facts with interesting interaction. 

The Sea Before Us tackles the history of the D-Day invasion and the work that had to have happened leading up to it. By inserting the characters of Wyatt and Dorothy, Sarah fleshes out the events of D-Day with an interpersonal relationship that is fraught with as much conflict as D-Day itself. 

When I first began the book, I was afraid that Sarah was going to be using the romance writing formula, but she didn't write it that way.  The growth of the relationship between Dorothy and Wyatt is an organic process that brings them together in spite of the obstacles in front of them.  Part of the obstacles included family conflict for both Dorothy and Wyatt.  In fact, family conflict brings a surprise that was totally out of the blue.  The spiritual growth that Sarah has provided through her characters is also very comforting to read.

Five Stars, Two Thumbs Up, and a restored relationship

Revell Publishing provided the galley for me to read on NetGalley in exchange for a review using only my own opinion.

Hidden Places

This novel by Tracie Peterson had me intrigued from the time I got through all the acknowledgements and copyright pages until I got to the very end.  She takes on the early 1900s in San Francisco and the political corruption as well as shanghai-ing of men to work on ships bringing in goods to the US.

Camri came to California to find her brother who hasn't been heard from for four months.  Along the way, she meets his boss, a man he once defended for murder, and everyone she meets has no clue where her brother is. 

Kenzie and Judith have both come to San Francisco searching for something unfulfilled in their lives.  By introducing Kenzie and Judith, Tracie has given herself a setup for future novels to make this a series. I can't wait to see what happens in the next book.

There are things that don't make a lot of sense to me in this book, but they do not detract from the book in the least. Of all the scenarios I could have imagined for Camri's brother to be found, the one Tracie used was the furthest from my mind.  So much of the book I could tell, but it would spoil it for those who haven't read it yet, and even though I don't mind spoilers, others do, so I won't spoil it. 

Five Stars, Two Thumbs Up, and a rescued shanghai

My thanks to Bethany House for allowing me to read and review this book.

Borrowing Dreams

Amanda Cabot writes incredible historical romance.  My introduction to her books were was the Texas Dreams Trilogy.  Her newest trilogy is Cimarron Creek and the second book of the trilogy--A Borrowed Dream--is just out.  Readers who like Amanda's writing will like this series.

After a certain number of books by one author, a bit of predictability creeps into the plot, but this book will entertain beyond the predictabilities.  A widowed man with a young daughter meets the school marm and falls for her.  Bad men want the man for his skills.  It's a common trope, but still the book has many things to commend it.

Basically, Catherine Whitfield is the school teacher in Cimmaron Creek, Austin Goddard is a new rancher in the area, and Hannah is Austin's young daughter--whom he will protect with his very life.  What Austin doesn't want anyone to know is that he is a surgeon and he doesn't want certain people to know where he is.

There are peripheral characters who add action and mystique to the plot, including the bad dudes who want Austin and will do anything to get him--to the point of kidnapping Austin's daughter.

There are a few things I question about the book--especially the advent of plastic surgery within the US.  I did some research to find that training for plastic surgeons in the US didn't start until 1924 (after World War I), and WWI was the most prolific time for growth in maxillofacial surgery.  I am not saying Amanda's chronology is wrong, but to my mind it is a stretch.  Other than that, this is a good book worth four solid stars.

My thanks to Revell Publishing for allowing me to read and review this book.

The Heart's Appeal

Jennifer Delamere has written an intriguing story about women becoming doctors in a time and place when it wasn't an easy task. 

Julia is in London taking the prerequisites to pass her matriculation exam.  She has been invited to a lecture by a famous female doctor, but while on the underground, it derailed.  Julia was unhurt, but other passengers were injured.  One of the passengers was Matthew Stephenson, a barrister who is trying a case that could shut down the women's medical school.  While Julia assumed their association was over after their encounter on the train, there were other forces at play. 

Jennifer's characters are well-defined, and the settings are written in vivid technicolor.  The Heart's Appeal involves some well known historical figures as well as these historical issues.    Five Stars, Two Thumbs Up, and a lady doctor to cure your ills.

My thanks to Bethany House Publishers for allowing me to read and review this book.

Shadows of Hope

I've never read anything by Georgiana Daniels before, but the book I just finished was too hard to put down. In fact, I stayed up till 1:00 or 2:00 am (time changed last night, so I am not sure of the time) to finish this heartbreaking book.  I WISH that there was more to the book.  Georgiana left a lot of issues unsolved and left me with a poor taste in my mouth.  But then, maybe she is going to write a sequel.

Marissa was the director of a crisis pregnancy center and always met her co-owner at the coffee shop every morning before work.  She loved the particular shop because of her barista who always knew how to fix her coffee without even taking her order.

Kaitlyn, the barista, was having an affair with her college biology professor and he breaks up with her just as she's coming to tell him she's pregnant.  She meets Marissa again at the crisis pregnancy center and an unlikely friendship forms between them. 

Colin is Marissa's husband and he's also Kaitlyn's paramour, but there are some cords to untangle to get to the bottom of this book.  Colin is working toward tenure at the university where he teaches, he's keeping secrets about his family from Kaitlyn, and keeping secrets about Kaitlyn from Marissa. 

These are all shadows in the book with a few others thrown in for good measure.  I am wishing more loose ends were tied up in this book.  The plot movement is perfect and the characters are incredibly believable.  But because of the loose ends, I give it a four stars.

My thanks to Barbour Publishing for allowing me to read and review this book.

Hearts Entwined

Bethany House has collected an A List of historical romance authors to put together a novella collection taking place near the end of the ninteenth century.  Karen Witemeyer, Mary Conneally, Regina Jennings, and Melissa Jagears have added their unique voices with incredible quality to this collection. 

With stories this short, there is a certain amount of predictability in the stories, but these do not follow the "romance book formula" of boy gets girl, boy loses girl, boy gets girl back.  Some of these stories follow others in a series, others are just stand-alone stories. In all of the stories, faith shines through in all of the main characters. This is a five star book, with two thumbs up, and a cowboy to save  your day. 

Bethany House has been gracious to allow me to read and review this book. My only obligation was an honest review. 

The Weaver's Daughter

Kate Dearborne is from a weaver family in an area where wool is the primary source of income.  The Dearbornes are one of the biggest wool producers in Amberdale and the Stocktons are the other major family.  In and amongst these two families are some bitter feelings about how the individual businesses are run. 

Kate knows she is capable of running a weaving business, but her father wants her to just do womanly things, and get married.  He even has her future husband picked out for her. 

Henry Stockton, the grandson of the mill owner, has returned to town after being thought dead for three years. He and his grandfather go at loggerheads over the running of the mill. A couple of chance meetings between Henry and Kate give Kate the opportunity to tell Henry how his mill could be run better.

Sarah Ladd has written a solid book with a detailed look into labor practices of the time -- especially the use of children in working the looms, as well as the reluctance of the people to engage the newer technologies.

I enjoyed the book, but I found it pretty predictable.  It wasn't hard to figure out where the plot was going and how it was going to play out.  Still and all, it's a solid four star book. 

 My thanks to Thomas Nelson for allowing me to read and review this book.

How to Be a Perfect Christian

The Babylon Bee is a website much on the order of the Onion--it produces satire on the news, but from a satirical Christian perspective.  That being said, How to Be a Perfect Christian is SATIRE on the Christian life, from finding the perfect church, to understanding the Culture War.

This book invades the church culture and points out the flaws and foibles while showing you how to "become perfect."  Before anyone takes this book to heart, it might be good to understand what satire is.  According to the dictionary Google uses satire is:

 the use of humor, irony, exaggeration, or ridicule to expose and criticize people's stupidity or vices, particularly in the context of contemporary politics and other topical issues.

The book is poking fun at some of Churchdom's most tightly held traditions and cultural practices.  It is not meant to be taken literally or at face value.  It is meant to be digested with the proverbial grain of salt.

I have to say that I have been to the church described in the chapter on finding the right church--orange vested parking attendants and all.  I have received the swag offered by this church, and while it is interesting and informative, the size of the church itself cannot create the intimacy among its members that smaller churches can.  This is not to say that the preaching at this church is faulty, but that when the pastor or some other leader is followed like this, the church loses something in translation.

I've had time to reflect on this since the passing of Billy Graham this week.  He often filled arenas with people who were hungry to hear what he had to say, but he never pastored a church.  He took his message to where the people were.

The book itself is entertaining when viewed in its satirical glory.  Reading between the lines of the book can bring you closer to God, but that is something you and God have to figure out.

I give this book Four Strong Stars, because I fear that some people could read it and believe what it's actually saying.

My thanks to Waterbrook Multnomah for allowing me to read and review this book.

Where the Fire Falls

Karen Barnett is writing a series of books about the National Parks and the history of the parks.  It's a fascinating series of books, even though there are only two books so far.  I love these books, absolutely lovee them.  The first book about Mount Rainier is reviewed here.  Where the Fire Falls takes the reader into Yosemite National Park and into Olivia Rutherford's life. 

Olivia is an artist and needs the assignment to have enough money for her sisters to live with her. Her agent, Frank, is not exactly an honest man and takes advantage of her art in the most sinister ways he can. 

While Olivia is living in the park, she is given the services of a guide, Clark Johnson, who has had his reputation blown to smithereens by a parishioner at his former church. 

There is quite a bit of spiritual depth in this book--especially about listening to God and allowing Him to guide our steps, about understanding the care that God takes of us, and about letting Him be in control of the details of our lives.  I will always enjoy the fiction books that teach me something besides the coos and goos of romance. This book fits my bill precisely. 

Five Stars, Two Thumbs Up, and a watercolor painting of your favorite Yosemite scene.

My thanks to to Waterbrook/Multnomah for allowing me to read and review this book.