The Lyrics of Love

 

This is my first Rebecca Anderson book, and I must say, it is absolutely stunning.  Rebecca's style of writing is smooth and lyrical, making it so easy to fall into the plot and never want to come out.  

Isabelle Rackham is engaged to a man she hardly knows.  It is a business arrangement between Alexander Osgood and her father that benefits both men.  Alexander gets a worthy woman to squire around and Isabelle's father gets a needed business contact.  All is well and good, although the new Osgoods relationship is rather distant.  When Alexander takes Isabelle for a horseback ride, bliss turns to tragedy when Alexander's horse throws him and he lands against a boulder, setting in motion a series of events where Isabelle commits herself to Alexander's care and Alexander rebuffs her efforts, at first.  

The characters who populate this book are mostly likable people.  There is a Nurse Ratchet (apologies to Ken Kesey) type woman in the book as well as the most unfeeling doctor in the world.  But the rest of the characters are quite likable, even a girl who by modern diagnoses would be considered either developmentally delayed or autistic.  Rebecca has built a gentle characterization of her so that she is a truly empathetic individual deserving of the respect of the other main characters in the book.  

This is a five star book with two thumbs up and a love that grows like the melody of a beautiful song.

Shadow Mountain Publishing and NetGalley.com provided the copy I read for this review.  All opinions expressed are my own. 

The Moonlight School

 

Most of the time when I see Suzanne Woods Fisher's name on a book, I'd assume that I was about to read a book of Amish fiction.  But in The Moonlight School, Suzanne has taken a turn away from Amish fiction and delved into historical fiction.  This particular historical fiction is based in fact, much like Irving Stone wrote.  She found a fascinating character in Cora Wilson Stewart, a county superintendent for the schools in Rowan County, Kentucky.  

While Cora is the historical figure around which this book was built, the primary character was Cora's cousin, Lucy.  Lucy is sent to work with Cora as a stenographer, but Cora really wants Lucy to go to various homesteads in the county to read letters and take dictation of the illiterate folks' answers back.  Lucy has never ridden a horse, and has no knowledge of the places "over yonder"--either how to get to the places or how to get back to town.   Finley James is a young teen who has a crush on Lucy and is willing to guide her around the county.  Brother Wyatt is also a helpful soul who helps Lucy.  The fly in the ointment is Angie, who loves Fin, and is jealous of the affection Fin has for Lucy.  

Cora's mission in Rowan County is to bring literacy to the people, especially through their children.  In the beginning, she didn't believe that older people could be taught to read and write, until Miss Mollie comes to town to show Cora that she'd written her own letter to her daughter.  It was then that Cora realized that even the illiterate and semi-literate adults could be taught to read. She tasked Lucy with doing a census of the adults who couldn't read or write and Lucy came up with close to twelve hundred people.  With this number, Cora begins working on the Moonlight Schools for the adults, along with teaching literature geared for adult interests so that the adults will find reason to want to read. 

There are so many other characters populating this book, but to get into their parts of the story would provide too many spoilers. Suzanne is one of those talented writers who always put out quality fiction for their readers.  This book is no exception to the high quality that Suzanne is known for. 

This is a five-star book, with two thumbs up, and a gentle horse to ride in the back hills of Kentucky. 

Revell Publishing and NetGalley.com provided the copy I read for this review. All opinions expressed are my own.  I do appreciate Revell's commitment to quality in their publishing. 

When Twilight Breaks

 

I am always honored to be chosen to read a Revell Publishing book, but never so honored as when it is a book by Sarah Sundin.  She is the epitome of a World War II writer.  She is fascinating in her style, intriguing in her plot development, and masterful in her characterizations. When Twilight Breaks has something for everyone, a bit of romance, a bit of history, a bit of undercover escape, skullduggery, naivete, and most importantly, awakening to truth.  

Evelyn Brand is a reporter working for the American News Services assigned to cover the news in Munich.  George Norwood, her supervisor, has been taking her articles and editing them into oblivion.  When she is assigned to interview American students who were in Munich for a year abroad study, she meets Peter Lang, the PhD candidate who is teaching the students to speak fluent German, and to speak it without an accent.  His dissertation will encompass his methods of teaching German to Americans and English to Germans. Peter's ideology is based on a naïve assumption that order is the key to prosperity, but Evelyn has to open Peter's eyes to see what the order is doing to the German people.  

The best way to describe the situations that Peter and Evelyn find themselves in is that things went sideways.  Evelyn is ratted out to the Gestapo by a cleaning lady hired, Peter is ratted out to the Hitler Youth  and that necessitates both of them running for their lives and wondering whom to trust. 

This is one of Sarah's best books because her research is spot on to the lives and times of German people in the late 1930s, her characters are robust people who dare to take chances even when the chips are down, and her descriptions are incomparable.  This is a five star book with two thumbs up and a coffee and pastry at the local coffee shop.  

Revell Publishing and NetGalley.com provided the copy I read for this review.  All opinions expressed are solely my own. 

Sarah, if you read this, hats off to you for a stellar book.

All That We Carried

 

This book only took me two days to read, Erin Bartels is quite the storyteller, and the plot is compelling.  But at the end of the day, the ending of the tale left me unsatisfied.  

Melanie and Olivia lost their parents a decade earlier in a tragic accident that Olivia's friend, Justin, caused. While Olivia buried herself in finishing school and becoming a prosecuting attorney, Melanie took her time to sort through the life that had been theirs and dispose of their parents' estate.  Olivia rarely connected to her remaining family, including her sister, in all the years since her parents' deaths.  Melanie was able to forgive Justin and move on in her grief, while Olivia wasn't able to forgive and just stuffed her grief into a forgotten corner and never dealt with it. 

It was a fluke that Olivia answered her phone call on that really nice day in March when her sister proposed getting together for a backwoods hike.  Melanie allowed Olivia to do the planning for the trip because Olivia left nothing to chance as much as was in her power. 

In spite of all of Olivia's planning, there was no way to plan for the unexpected events along the way.  Without realizing it, both women are searching for answers.  Melanie subscribes to an "all-inclusive" cafeteria style belief system that cherry-picks from all of the various belief systems.  Olivia believes that there is One Truth, but she doesn't know that that One Truth is.  

In their seeking, neither woman comes to a final conclusion in the book and that hanging feeling left me totally unsatisfied with the whole book.  The quality of writing is amazing, but that one thing spoiled the book for me. Three stars. 

Revell Publishing and NetGalley.com provided the copy I read for this review.  All opinions expressed are my own. 

I'd Dreaming of Savannah

 

Roseanna M White includes everything in her books--underdogs, bad guys in sheep's clothing, conflict, the girl who knows her own mind, dreams, fairy tales, historical components, and sometimes the kitchen sink.  That is what makes her books so compelling and intriguing. 

The Underdog--Phineas "Phin" Dunn

The Bad Guy--Julius James 

The Conflict--the War Between the States, or the uncivil Civil War

The Girl--Cordelia Owens

The Dream--for Phin it's to marry Cordelia, and for Cordelia it's to marry Phin; but there are other dreams involved with other characters: Luther, Eva, Salina, River, and Rock

The Fairy Tale--Rescuing the damsel in distress 

The Historical Components--Savannah during the Civil War is accurately portrayed with research into the times and area being spot on. 

Cordelia's father wants a match for her who will enrich the family coffers, and Phin is not that man in his eyes.  When her mother's cousin, Julius,  comes to town, he seems to fit the bill.  But, Cordelia sees beyond the smooth exterior to his truly dark nature.  She tries her hardest to tell her father what Julius is truly like, but until he sees it for himself, he won't believe anything bad about Julius.  

Roseanna is such a good writer, I love reading her books. This is a five star book with two thumbs up and your favorite superhero--Underdog!

Bethany House Publishing and NetGalley.com provided the copy I read for this review.  All opinions expressed are my own. 

Faith's Mountain Home

 

It's a hard thing to come into the middle of a series, but even harder still to come in at the end.  It's like watching the last season of a television series having never watched any of the previous episodes.  That's what I did in choosing to read Faith's Mountain Home.  I also assumed that the lead character in the book was named Faith, but her name is Laura.  

Laura lives with the local doctor and helps out in his practice for room and board. Nate's brother, Aaron is staying there, too, waiting for his leg to heal from the gunshot that Laura inflicted upon him.  In an earlier book in this series, Laura was kidnapped by Aaron and Nate and a group of bandits. Laura always carries a pistol with her since she's basically alone.  While most of the gang who kidnapped Laura were hanged, but Aaron and Nate were sentenced to restitution.  While Aaron has been laid up, Nate has been working in a mine saving his earnings to pay their debt. 

In a bid for some adventure, Laura goes hiking up a nearby mountain and finds a cave.  She doesn't have enough light to truly explore the cave, but Nate had the same idea and meets Laura in the cave.  They decide to come back with lanterns and explore the cave further and these events lead to a beautiful friendship that develops into something more.  

This was a sweet book with a lot to offer, but it would have been best to have read the whole series. That does not detract from the quality of Misty M Beller's writing.  Her descriptions and the movement of the plot are spot on for an entertaining read.  The title of the book refers more to the faith of Nate and Laura finding its home within each of them, which is a great way to look at things.  Four strong stars. 

Bethany House and NetGalley.com provided the copy I read for this review.  All opinions expressed are my own. 

A Cowboy for Keeps

 

Jody Hedlund is such a good writer, and most of her books have a great spiritual depth, but her newest offering is a bit lighter in plot and character and it is a welcome change.  A common trope in historical romances is the mail order bride, and Jody has used this trope quite successfully in A Cowboy for Keeps. 

Greta Nilsson and her sister Astrid are moving to Colorado for Greta to be a mail order bride.  She wants to move to the high elevations of Colorado because of Astrid's consumption. 

Wyatt McQuaid is trying to make a go of his struggling ranch while meeting obstacles at every turn.  He is in town when Greta and Astrid arrive on the stagecoach and when Greta finds out that her mail order fiancé is dead.  Mr. Steele was also a  passenger on the stage coach and had come to know and like Greta.  He comes up with a plan to solve Wyatt's and Greta's individual problems that requires Wyatt and Greta to marry. 

Wyatt and Greta run into all kinds of set backs and challenges with the ranch and with Astrid.  Jody's ability in pulling them out of these challenges is quite sharp.  Greta enters into the marriage with partnership foremost in her mind.  She is a lovable character with all the caring that an older sister should have, especially for a sickly younger sister.  Astrid is a handful in the best of times, her personality is quite precocious.  Wyatt is a completely relatable cowboy and his ranch is the perfect setting for the bulk of the plot in this book.  

One thing that Jody did with the ending of this book is to give a glimpse into the next book in the series, which promises to be just as good. Five Stars, Two Thumbs Up, and a huckleberry hand pie (and my tastebuds are watering at the thought). 

Bethany House and NetGalley.com provided the copy I read for this review.  All opinions expressed are my own.  

Jordan Valley Miss

This is the first book by Susan Spess that I've read, and I will say this about Susan's writing: it's sweet with a bit of undue harshness thrown in for good measure.  The book doesn't take long to read and it is fast moving in plot.  There are places where the plot moves way too fast for reality.  

Eli was the pastor of a mega-church in Dallas where he didn't have to know anyone, didn't have to involve himself in anything other than preaching, didn't have to concern himself with much else besides being in the pulpit--there were others who could do that for him.  When his wife and twin brother died in a car crash near Laredo, his little girl was in the car with them and stopped speaking from that moment on.  

Glory is the administrator of a daycare center next to the parsonage in Jordan Valley, Oklahoma.  On the night of a major snowstorm, she takes the children who are still at the center over to the parsonage where there is a fireplace to keep warm.  There she meets Eli and his daughter, Brandi.  

Some of the things in this book that are a bit unrealistic are: 

    Eli hasn't been widowed for a year before he moves to Jordan Valley

    Brandi's selective mutism is caused by something her mother said before she died and no attempts by anyone can make her talk. 

    Eli hasn't been widowed for a full year before he begins falling for Glory

    There are assumptions made about Eli's wife and brother being in the same car crash that are not fully investigated.

    The church in Dallas held no grace for Eli in asking him to resign.  Instead of understanding his situation, they just wanted to sweep it under the rug and move on.  

I am not a writer, so I don't really have much of a leg to stand on for picking someone else's work apart, but I am a reader and I know what I like.  This wasn't it. Two Stars. 

Pelican Publishing Group and NetGalley.com provided the copy I read for this review.  The opinions expressed here are my own. 

The Orchard House

 

I have read a couple of books by Heidi Chiavaroli and I have enjoyed them immensely.  The Orchard House is no exception to this tradition.  Heidi tackles some hard issues, like spousal abuse, PTSD, abandonment, and even a touch on suicide in this novel that details parts of Louisa May Alcott's life, as well as in the lives of the modern characters.  Heidi does a great job telling a story within a story to make a cohesive whole. 

Taylor's mom leaves her with her Uncle Bob and never comes back.  When Uncle Bob is arrested, Taylor is taken in by her best friend's family and even adopted. She is given the same opportunities as Victoria Bennett, her newly adoptive sister, and grows up with all of the ideals Victoria's family can give her.  Even with all of this, Taylor never feels like she fits into her new family; and when it seems like they are pulling away from her, she pulls away from them. 

One of the opportunities that Taylor and Victoria took advantage of together was a writing camp at Orchard House--the home of Louisa May Alcott.  The two of them decide to write together and tell stories that need to be told.  

In telling Louisa's story, Heidi actually focuses on Johanna Suhre Bancroft, the sister of a soldier Louisa nursed during the War Between the States.  Because of the letters that Johanna and Louisa exchange, Louisa hires Johanna to care for her parents while she goes to Europe for a few months.  Johanna meets the next door neighbor and falls in love with a man who would become her husband and who would mistreat her.  

While Taylor and Victoria are in college, Taylor meets Will as a result of a bad blind date and they begin spending time together.  When Taylor has finished her last final in college, she comes home to find Will and Victoria kissing in front of the garage.  Taylor immediately packs up and runs away with no regard for anyone else.  Years later, Taylor comes back home because her adoptive mom has breast cancer.  But now, Taylor is a best-selling author and Victoria is the manager of the Orchard House museum.   While Taylor is back to help with their mom's appointments, Victoria asks Taylor to teach at the writing camp.  Through a series of events that were most unforeseen, Victoria, Taylor, and the whole Bennett family has much healing to go through.  The ending of this book left me completely satisfied.  

Heidi has done her research well and composed a story that not only tugs at the heart, but also ties up all of the loose ends that she created from the beginning of the tale. 

This is a full scale five star book, with two thumbs up, and a book of unpublished poems. 

Tyndale House and NetGalley.com provided the copy I read for this review.  All opinions expressed are my own.