Diamond in the Rough

Jen Turano writes about girls who are just not the societal norm.  Somehow or other they find themselves in one conundrum or another and require the aid of a handsomely dashing hero.  The current book I am reading--Diamond in the Rough--is a bit vapid.  Poppy Garrison is having a season that her grandmother is sponsoring.  Poppy is also in trouble of one sort or another nearly every day and that makes up the whole plot of the book.  While her grandmother hires a young Englishman to tutor her into the ways of society and to make her a "Diamond of the First Water."  The job is not in any way easy. 

I generally enjoy Jen's writings for the most part.  The shenanigans the heroines get into are often hilarious and engaging.  This book is not quite up to the quality of Jen's writings but is still enjoyable.  I often read what I call "fluff," light-hearted books with not a great deal of substance in the plot.  This is one of the fluffiest books I've read in a while. 

At some time, I wish that Jen would take on some of history's entertaining ladies to write about--like Calamity Jane, Belle Starr, Mae West, even Annie Oakley.

This is a three star book.   My thanks go to Bethany House and NetGalley.com for providing the galley I read for this review. 

Hope's Highest Mountain

Ingrid Chastain is accompanying her father to Settler's Fort to deliver small pox vaccines to a doctor who needs them because of an outbreak.  While traversing the mountainous territory, the mules pulling the wagon lose their footing when the wagon slips off the side of the trail.  Her father, her maid, the driver of the wagon all have lost their lives, but Ingrid has only broken her leg. 

She is found because a trapper finds the wagon and one of the mules. Micah is a man who is hiding from his past and the last thing he thinks he needs is a woman on his hands who has broken her leg, needing weeks of care. He once practiced medicine but quit when he couldn't save his wife and daughter from their bouts of small pox.

The story line of this book is a great plot idea, but the characters who populate the book tend to be preachy instead of quietly giving witness of God's grace.   Every time Ingrid turns around, she's telling Micah about relying on God.  That detracts from the story line and made the book less enjoyable for me.  Three Stars.

This was my first Misty M Beller book, and while it was not all that engaging for me, I will try her writings again. 

My thanks goes to Bethany House and NetGalley.com for providing the galley I read for this review.

The Painted Castle

Kristy Cambron has taken an idea and stretched it as far as it would go.  In The Painted Castle, she has taken three women from totally separate generations all tied to one painting. The problem with this is that when moving from one time era to another, the writing was rather disjointed.  I think this book would have worked best as three novellas in one anthology.  That is my criticism of the book. 

Beginning in the 1840s, Elizabeth Meade is commissioned to do a portrait of Queen Victoria.  She is being tutored by Franz Winterhalter, a well-known artist of the time.

In the 1940s, Amanda Woods is living in the same Castle, but has hidden all of the paintings that were in the house for safety's sake because of the German airplanes bombing the area.

In the present day, Keira Foley has been commissioned to authenticate a painting of Queen Victoria, supposedly by Franz Winterhalter.

Each of these stories would be easy to follow, IF they were cohesively put together,  and all of them are enjoyable reads.  This is certainly a recommendable book with four stars. ⭐⭐⭐⭐

I would like to thank Thomas Nelson and NetGalley.com for providing the galley for me to read.

All He'll Ever Need

Loree Lough writes all kinds of fiction, but this Amish fiction that she has written is a great read. All He'll Ever Need tells the story of an Amish widower with a sickly son and an Englisch Doctor with incredible diagnostic knowledge. 

When four year old Gabe Baker passes out while he's with his dad, Phillip, at the hardware store, an ambulance is called, and Gabe is taken to the hospital to undergo tests and to find out what is actually wrong with him. Once Emily, the doctor, finds the diagnosis, she makes the arrangements to transfer Gabe to a bigger hospital where another doctor can do the surgery Gabe needs.

The longer Phillip and Emily are together, the closer they become, and the more Phillip's mother objects.  Emily is not Amish and that creates a conflict for Phillip's mother.

While Gabe is having his surgery, Emily has to face her past in the face of Alex, the surgeon working on Gabe.

I love books with happy endings, and this one has one of the happiest, in spite of some episodes of sadness in the book.  This is a five star book, with two thumbs up, and a sliding scale clinic with quality health care.

I want to thank Kensington Books and NetGalley.com for providing the galley I read for this review.

Love at Pebble Creek

Every so often, I need an Amish fiction story to lighten my reading mood.  They are light, sweet, uplifting, and generally easy to read. Lisa Jones Baker has written another of the Hope Chest series with characters facing difficult decisions, but who listen to God's whisperings to finally decide for their own best.

Anna King has a secret talent that the Amish really frown upon.  She's an artist and wants to go to art school and get a degree to be able teach art to others.

Her friend, Jesse Beiler, is the only one who knows her secret.  He's been her friend since they were in school together, and nothing would please him more than being her friend forever.  And he would like nothing better than to buy some land and farm it. 

Love at Pebble Creek is the kind of book that will keep the reader up late simply because it can't easily be put down.  The descriptions are exceptionally vivid and imaginative.  I love the description of Pebble Creek, and can imagine myself relaxing there frequently. 

This is  a five-star book, with two thumbs up, and a portrait-style  sketch of yourself.

My thanks goes to Zebra Books and NetGalley.com for providing the galley I read for this review.