Bleeker Street Book 2

 

I stayed up till 4:00 this morning reading this book, it was just too good to put down.  Right now my husband is out of town, so my laughter through various parts of the book didn't bother anyone but my dog.  Jen Turano has a winning series with her Bleeker Street Inquiry Agency books.  The first one in this series was reviewed here. 

To Write a Wrong can be read as a stand-alone book without losing any of the substance to the plot.  Daphne is the mystery writer Montague Moreland and she is working on a deadline, but she can't get her hero, a pirate named Mad Eye Willy, out of the predicament he's in.  To try to find inspiration, she dons a pirate's costume and takes the one-eyed dog for a walk to the Bleeker Street office to get the cutlass that goes with the costume. Even though it is after hours, Herman Henderson enters the office while Daphne is still looking for the cutlass. He wants to hire the Inquiry Agency to find out who is trying to kill him. 

This book has everything:  intrigue, revenge, romance, comedy, slap stick antics, and real-life issues and problems faced by the women of the late 1800s.  It also has pictures of the mind of a writer, the struggles writers go through to put words onto paper, and the work that goes into making a plot work.  It has to be one of the hardest things writers can do to put plot development into the plots they are crafting. 

For a light-hearted read, this is one of the best books I've read in a rom-com genre.  Jen Turano never disappoints. Five Stars, Two Thumbs Up, and a closed Inquiry Case.

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

The Christmas Bookshop

 

I'm a sucker for any book about bookstores, books, reading, etc.  It's just who I am at my core. So it follows that when I saw this book available on NetGalley, I requested to read it. I'm now sorry I did.  The characters (with only a couple of exceptions) were hard to like or to even connect with.  Sofia was the always perfect child, raising her own mini-me in Pippa.  Carmen was the constant failure, and Sofia has a clone of Carmen in Phoebe.  Jack, Sofia's youngest child until the new baby was born, is just a boy--but he's all boy.  This was my first book to read by Jenny Colgan, and I'm not sure I will read others by her. It just wasn't a good first introduction. 

Carmen loses her job, and her mother convinces Sofia to help her find another one.  One of Sofia's clients has a bookstore that's about to go under and Sofia feels this is exactly the right fit for Carmen.  

Carmen's and Sofia's relationship is strained, at best, but the meddling of Carmen's parents and Sofia nearly drives Carmen over the edge.  In revamping the store, Carmen comes into contact with a best-selling author who is all fluff and no substance, a dendrologist who is no fluff and all substance, and a shopkeeper who is rather absent-minded. 

The language in the dialogs is rather coarse and adds nothing to the plot or the story at all. Carmen's mien is quite antagonistic toward those around her and toward her own circumstances.  Sofia comes across as a too-good-to-be-true daughter/wife/mother.  The other characters seem to just fill space in the book.  

Two stars. 

William Morrow and Custom House and NetGalley.com provided the copy I read for this review.  All opinions expressed are solely my own. 

Once Upon a Wardrobe

 

This is my first Patti Callahan book, and it certainly won't be my last.  She writes thought-provoking novels with history woven into the prose.  This is her second novel about C S Lewis, but it stands alone quite well.  I truly appreciated Douglas Gresham's words at the end of the novel, because he provided an extra perspective on the story.  

Once Upon a Wardrobe in a land not so far away and not very long ago, Megs made an effort to meet Clive Staples "Jack" Lewis to find out where Narnia came from so that she could tell her younger brother.  While Megs was sitting on a rock on the writer's property, she met Jack's brother, Warnie, who invited her in and began a sweet relationship among the three of them.  

Megs has a younger brother who has a serious heart condition that limits his physical life, but in no way hinders his mind.  He has read The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe, and he has questions about where Narnia originated and who Aslan was.  

In meeting with Jack and Warnie, Megs got more answers than she bargained for, answers that made her think about her preconceived notions.  She also got stories to tell her brother, George, and made his last few months so much more full.  

In his afternotes, Douglas says that this is the kind of book you read once and then set aside to come back to later, because there are so many layers and then you come back and read it again to discover even more depths in the book.  

This is a five star book, with two thumbs up, and a wardrobe to escape to when times are tough. 

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

A Warrior's Heart

 

Misty Beller writes novels with strong women who are ahead of their times for the positions of leadership they fill.  

Brielle Durand is the protector of her village of Laurent, and when she sees a stranger heading toward the village.  Ever since her mother and several other villagers were massacred by interlopers, Brielle has been hyper-vigilant.  She notches her arrow and takes aim at the stranger and shoots him in the side.  She brings this stranger into the village for the purpose of finding out why he was there.  

Evan MacManus has been charged with finding a source of pitchblende,  a mineral that could end an ongoing war, commonly known as the War of 1812, but he is not willing to disclose the reason for being in the area.  He wants to fulfill his mission, and leave, but the villagers hold him as a prisoner until he is ready to talk.  

I had to look up what pitchblende is, and it is a uraninite mineral with radio-active properties.  The people of Laurent were living in apartments carved out of a mountain containing pitchblende.  Misty does not address the health implications of living in a radio-active setting, but I'm sure the dangers were not known at the time.  

The longer Evan stays, the more he comes to hate his mission and the more he comes to love Brielle.  He thwarts a couple of bad events that were planned by one of the hunter/warriors of the village and gains the trust of the villagers and Brielle.  

This novel was a delight to read and from the subtitle it is the first of a series of novels about the people of Laurent.  I am hoping with great anticipation that the next ones will be just as good as this one.  The romantic parts of the book were not at all smarmy, the way that the village came together in ways that showcased each member's strengths was so satisfying, and the development of the characters was realistic and engrossing.  By my best guess, I'd say that the novel takes place in northern British Columbia.  It's a five star book, with two thumbs up, and a well shot arrow to the heart. 

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

Husband Auditions

 

Meri has caught the bouquet at her roommate's wedding.  She is the last of her group of friends not yet married.  Along with the bouquet came a list of ways to catch and keep a  husband from a magazine published in the 1950s.  Immediately after the wedding, Meri has to move out of her digs and in with her brother who is going to Ecuador for three months.  Living in her brother's apartment are his college buddy, Kai, who desires to be a camera-man  in making films, and a wanna-be screenwriter, Gemma.  

Kai is intrigued by the list and wants to film Meri going through the steps.  These ideas make for some entertaining reading.  The Husband Auditions takes place in Portland, Oregon, which is a city that is familiar to me and when certain streets are mentioned I can picture them in my mind, which made the book more interesting to me. 

While Angela Ruth Strong has used some of the romance formula, where boy meets girl, boy gets girl, boy loses girl, but the denouement isn't quite where boy gets girl back.  It is a very satisfying conclusion to the book and leaves room for the imagination to bring Meri and Kai back together. 

This is a five star book, with two thumbs up, and a pint of your favorite ice cream.  

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

Cornerstone

 

Cornerstone is the first book by Nancy J Farrier I've read, and it happens to be the middle of a series and that would have made more sense if I'd read the first one before.  But, the book is understandable on its own, with only a few gaps.  

Cinda owns a quilt shop and went to get some thread late at night.  While she was there, she finds the store had been burgled. Danny Ortega is the officer who investigates the break-in and finds Cinda knocked unconscious.  He's been in love with Cinda since he moved to Driftwood Cove, but she has such bad luck with men that she doesn't trust him.  

The rest of the book is about him trying to worm his way into her life and hiding an event in his past that really had no bearing on her opinion of him. In the same vein, he impresses her with his care for the troubled teens he works with and involves her in his work. 

It's an easy read, but sometimes the plot drags, and maybe that's just because it wasn't the kind of book I needed at the time. 

Four-ish stars. 

River Ink Press and NetGalley.com provided the copy I read for this review.  All opinions expressed are solely my own. 

Pockets of Purpose

Even Amish fiction writers can succumb to the "romantic formula" for writing novels.  Laurie Stroup Smith did that, but every line she wrote only added to the story, and it wasn't just a trite use of a common trope.  

Dixie and Gideon have been exchanging letters for two years, since they met while his family was on vacation in Pinecraft, Florida.  Every letter drew them closer together, so that when Dixie had an opportunity to go to Holmes County to see Gideon, she jumped at the chance. 

Gideon is an auctioneer who is having troubles with his voice.  After seeing a doctor, he finds that he has a cyst on his vocal cords and needs surgery. When the surgery creates scar tissue and puts paid to his career, Gideon dives deep into his own misery and shuts Dixie out.  It comes to the point that Dixie no longer feels welcome and decides to go back home. 

So the formula is boy meets girl, boy gets girl, boy loses girl, boy gets girl back.  That is exactly what happened through the pages of this book.  But like I said earlier, the author has done a masterful job in making the the formula work, because she explores the emotions, disappointments, and the very human reactions to situations beyond the characters control.  It makes the book very readable and enjoyable.  

Four Stars

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

 

The Heart of Splendid Lake

 

I am most familiar with Amy Clipston's Amish fiction, but when I saw that she had branched out to non-Amish Christian fiction, I decided her novel would be worth the read.  I am a little disappointed in that the faith of the characters does not play a bigger part.  

Brianna Porter meets Scott Gibson while she is getting a book at the book store before heading to get a cup of coffee.  As soon as she leaves the bookstore, she gets a phone call from her mother telling her that her father has passed away.  This leaves a huge hole in Brianna's heart because she and her father were the heart and soul of the resort on Splendid Lake in North Carolina. 

Scott is a real estate developer who wants to buy the resort, but as luck would have it, he doesn't arrive in time to make his offer to Brianna's dad.  

One thing Brianna soon comes to learn is that her father has left the resort deeply in debt and in a financial hole that is too deep for her to scale out of.  While she doesn't want to sell the resort, that may be what she has to do.  

When her mother has a stroke, Brianna has to call in her sisters and let them know what's going on with the resort and with their mom. Both sisters live far away and cannot come to help out.  In the meantime, Scott is still wanting to buy the resort, but offers his help in getting it ready to open on time. 

Scott is a likable character, but butts heads with Brianna's fiance more than once.  Brianna has been engaged for three years and hasn't come close to setting a date.  When she realizes that they both want very different things out of life, she finally breaks it off, especially when she realizes that she's been falling in love with Scott. 

The only mentions of faith in this novel are a couple of references to saying grace before a meal.  Whether Scott and Brianna are both believers  is left up in the air.  While this is a very readable novel, it falls short of the mark for the quality I am used to from Amy.  I believe this departure from her normal Amish fiction is a learning curve for Amy and that over time she will get better as she gets used to the non-Amish genre.  I don't know if this is a stand alone novel, but there is room for a series, especially if Amy takes on finding mates for Brianna's sisters. Three Stars

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

The House on Sunshine Corner

 

When I chose to read this book, I thought it would be something entirely different.  There is so much that this book could have been, but it wasn't. It is very definitely a rom-com with elements of chick-lit. There were parts that were just so unnecessary. 

My favorite character was three year old Sofia, whose very favorite thing is whatever she happens to be doing at the time.  She is a patron of the The House on Sunshine Corner's day care run by Abby.  Her uncle Carter was Abby's high school sweetheart, but they went their separate ways after high school.  Neither had any successful relationships since then.  Carter has come back to town to help his sister, Becca, after she's broken her ankle.  His job was such that it allowed him to work remotely.  Throughout the book, Carter's theme has been overcoming his father's low opinion of him and his chosen work.  Abby's theme is her desire for a large family and her desires and Carter's are at odds but the physical attraction they share is worthy of a few fireworks. 

While I believe there needs to be physical attraction between couples, there has to be so much more to base a relationship, and the disparate ideas and ideals Abby and Carter have must be overcome to make this a relationship that will work.  For the plot of this book, neither are trying to work in that direction. 

Phoebe Mills wove a tale that could have been more entertaining without some of the superfluous stuff she included.  The swearing did not add anything to the story and did not create a  desire to continue reading for me.  Two Stars.  

Forever (Grand Central Publishing) and NetGalley.com provided the copy I read for this review.  All opinions expressed are solely my own. 

The Librarian's Journey

It hasn't been that long ago that I reviewed a book about the WPA horseback librarian program in the Appalachians.  In the last year or so, it has become more common to write about this obscure part of history.  It is fascinating to read history woven into fiction and this was such a great topic to tackle in that regard.  Some of the authors in this collection of stories took liberties with the settings of the actual history of the program, but the novellas are still enjoyable.  

It saddened me to see that one of the authors passed away and another author stepped in to write the story in her stead.  Darlene Franklin is a favorite writer and her loss will leave a hole in the world of Christian fiction.  My thanks go to Kathleen Y'Barbo for stepping in and doing an admirable job of filling her shoes. 

All of the novellas are enjoyable to read and will while away a too-hot afternoon (I'm currently in a heatwave of epic proportions), especially with a glass of iced tea at the ready.  

The horseback librarian program took books to the most rural areas to encourage literacy and learning for families who had no other way to get to town to borrow books from the library.  The people were poor but proud and it was hard for some to accept that the books were not charity, but something that was available to everyone.  

A couple of these novellas offer second chances between youthful sweethearts and grown-up love with a bit of intrigue thrown in for good measure, others are just the sweetness of love that grows from friendship. 

In some respects, Dolly Parton has taken a page out of President Roosevelt's book and is providing books to children to encourage a love of reading and learning.  All a parent or grandparent or friend has to do is sign the child up on this website. 

Four strong stars. 

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