Auschwitz Lullaby

Mario Escobar has novelized the story of Helene Hanneman and her five children and their experiences in Auschwitz toward the end of the war.  It is a true story and reads like a diary in the voice of Helene.

This is not an easy book to read, to learn of the cruelties of the German Reich during World War II.  Helene was married to a Gypsy, even though she was considered Aryan.  She could have continued to live in her apartment and had another life, but she refused to leave her five children. 

It was hard to read of the brutalities of the guards, the twisted experiments of Josef Mengele, and the emotionless separations of families--the selections of people for the gas chambers.

Toward the end of the war, rumors were flying of the Allies coming to liberate the camps.  Dr Mengele gave Helene a second chance to leave as a free woman, but he would not release her children.  She led her children like she led them all their lives--by example.

This is a five star book, two thumbs up, and a real mattress to sleep on.

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

Oopsy Daisy

Daisy owns the florist shop in town and Jack McReady is the pastor of Daisy's church.  He's attracted to her to the point of falling in love.  Daisy doesn't quite know he's there yet. Well, she knows he's there, but she's not in the same place he is emotionally. 

Daisy's life is not easy by any stretch of the imagination.  She's upset that she doesn't have a romantic life, a storm rips through town and damages the shelter she supports, and then a sister she didn't know she had shows up in town. To solve her first problem she signs up on an online dating app.  The second problem is a bit more involved.  She needs to help raise $20,000 to repair the shelter, but this is where the new sister proves helpful--she's got a connection to a country band that will donate their part of the take to the shelter and the committee donated their part of the take too. 

Denise Hunter has written a fast-paced novel that could make a reader believe it took her only two weeks to write.  A sentient reader would know that writing a novel takes much longer than that. There is a lot of fun in the book and it is an entertaining read.  Four solid stars.

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

Ours for a Season

Kim Vogel Sawyer has the well-earned reputation of being one of the finest Christian fiction and her newest offering holds that reputation quite brilliantly. 

Marty and Anthony Hirschler are a young married couple who want nothing more than to have a child.  The problem is Anthony had a bad case of the mumps right after Marty miscarried her only pregnancy. 

Sometime during her grief, Marty gets a letter from her childhood best friend asking if Anthony will come help her rebuild a ghost town for a vacation resort.  Anthony is excited for the opportunity to become close to Marty again, and get his hands in a restoration that will challenge his skills.

While Anthony and his crew are working, they find evidence of a squatter in the ghost town.  Marty's friend, Brooke, finds out she's got cancer.  All of these challenges along with Brooke's lost condition spiritually keep Marty, Anthony, and the crew busy.  While Marty takes Brooke to her treatment, she sees a girl seemingly being abducted; Marty takes down the license number and description of the man taking the girl and calls the police.  Her actions take down a sex-trafficking ring.

Kim has seen to it to point out some needs in our society and how to fix them, and she pointed out what a difference coming to Christ makes.   This is a five star book, two thumbs up, and children saved from sex-trafficking.

My thanks go to Waterbrook/Multnomah for allowing me to read and review this book.  The galley was provided through NetGalley.com

A Love for Leah

Leah is the Mennonite daughter of an Amish family.  Several years ago, Hanah, Leah's twin sister, wanted to leave home, so Leah went with her knowing that Hannah would come back to the family and to the church.  When Leah came back home, she'd joined the Mennonite church where she found more peace than she's ever had before.

When Jamie moves to town with his mute nephew, he's hoping to find healing for Peter.  It is when Peter is with Leah that he begins talking again. Leah is not really interested in Jamie at first because he's Amish and she's not willing to leave the Mennonites.

Amy Lillard did such a wonderful job on this book, it was an incredible pleasure to read.  I learned some things about the Amish I didn't know before, and I learned a bit about the Mennonites.  I watched the characters define themselves by their beliefs and by their own closeness to God.  It is always inspirational to see a character grow and learn things from his/her growth that I can apply to my own life.

Five Stars, Two Thumbs Up, and the joy of finding Jesus Christ as your own!

Penguinn/Random House provided the galley I read through NetGalley.com.  I appreciate the opportunity they provided me.

Caught by Surprise

Jen Turano has an uncanny habit of taking the most unusual heroines and putting them in uncharacteristic situations that lead them on a pot-hole filled road to love and romance.

In our latest breaking news, Temperance Flowerdew has been asked to vacate the residence where she is living with distant cousins.  Miss Flowerdew, can you tell us where you are going to find lodging for tonight?

Miss Flowerdew:  I planned to go to Miss Snook's school for young ladies.  I teach art and music there, and I really must be on my way. 

Two ugly thugs with a carriage approach Miss Flowerdew and roughly push her into the carriage. 

Did you see that? Miss Flowerdew has been kidnapped right off the street!!!!  Quick, let's follow the carriage to see where they taking her. Oh no! We've lost them.  Well, This has been Action Jackson News.

This is where EVERYONE is Caught by Surprise--the characters and the readers alike.  Missing people keep showing up unexpectedly, dead people show up in the middle of funerals being held for them.

No matter where Temperance and her rescuer, Gilbert, go, someone tries to take their lives.

This is a rollicking, roller coaster ride of a read. It's important to realize the reader needs to keep his/her feet on the floor.   Five Stars, Two Thumbs Up, and the last wallflower who wants to come to your party. 

Bethany House and NetGalley.com provided the galley I read.  All opinions are solely my own.

Charles Dickens at the Helm

Michelle Griep is contributing to the "Once Upon a Dickens Christmas" series with A Tale of Two Hearts.  Mina Scott loves to read, but rarely has the time because she is helping her father with his inn/ale house.  For a bit, I thought that O Henry was going to show up in the book in the Gift of the Magi, but she turned a corner and kept true to her Dickens theme.
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Mina met Will Barlowe through the ale house and he had a need she could fill.  He needed a wife for a dinner with his uncle.  Uncle Barlowe was going to name the heir to his estates and it was going to be between Will and his cousin Percy.  Percy can only see the dollar signs and he and his wife have plans to put Uncle Barlowe in an asylum once they are named heirs.

Uncle Barlowe reads as much as Mina does and tries awfully hard to catch her not knowing a Dickens' quote.  She can always name the book, to his amusement.  The more Will is around Mina, the more he likes her, and the more Percy and his wife, Alice, want to find her weak spot to discredit her in front of Uncle Barlowe. 

This is a quick little read, with ogre-ous villains, likable heroes, and interesting sub-plots.  Michelle writes engaging novels that capture the reader's imagination from beginning to end.

Five Stars, Two Thumbs Up, and a bowl of oyster stew

Barbour Books provided the galley I read through NetGalley.com and the opinions I expressed here are solely my own.

Engraved on the Heart

Keziah Montgomery is part of a family that is entrenched in the old Southern ways--slave holding, class systems, and all the trappings of wealth.  When the war comes to Keziah's doorstep, she is still kept within the confines of her family.  She meets an old school mate, Micah Greyson, who showed her a different way to think about her whole way of life. 

Engraved on the Heart is a well-thought out and well-researched story based on the war in the deep south.  Keziah is protrayed as rather scattered and inexperienced.  When a couple of slaves hide away in her wagon, she has to figure out how to get them on the underground railroad. Without counting the cost to herself, especially where her family is concerned, she continues her nighttime rendevous with the runaway slaves.

For a first time author, Tara Johnson has written a runaway hit.  Her characters are completely believable, some are likable, and some cause a few tears to flow.  This is a five-star book, two thumbs up, and a hidden box in a wagon.

Tyndale House provided the galley I read through NetGalley.com.  The opinions expressed here in my blog are mine alone.

The Hope of Azure Springs

Em has been orphaned for half her life.  When the man who "adopted" her died in a gunfight that wounded her, the sheriff of Azure Springs found her and brought her into town and a family took her in.  What the people of Azure Springs don't know is that George had a stash of money from several bank robberies that his other foster son participated in. 

When Arlo, the other foster child of George's, comes back into town looking for the money, Caleb wants to protect Em with all he's got.  Em has made a name with the Howell family she's staying with.  She can tell stories to keep the children quiet so their mother can do her housework.  Em wants a job to go find her sister, Lucy, who got separated from her on the Orphan Train. Everything Em does is with the aim of finding Lucy. 

The Hope of Azure Springs moves along like a Concorde Jet from Paris to New York.  The pacing of the plot is rather fast and sometimes a reader will go back and reread a small section to be sure he/she has the story straight. I haven't read Rachel Fordham's books before, but I certainly will again.

This is a five-star book with two thumbs up, and a happily ever after story. 

Revell provided the galley I read through NetGalley.com.  The opinions expressed here are totally my own.