Until Leaves Fall in Paris

When I see Sarah Sundin's name on a book in NetGalley.com, I am instantly requesting to read it.  She writes historical fiction that is near and dear to my heart--the World War II era.  The generation that lived through that horrific time is quickly dying out and her writings keep that part of history alive for me.  My parents lived in that time and my dad served.  

Until Leaves Fall in Paris takes place a year or two before the United States entered the war and at a time when Americans living abroad are leaving Europe to go back to the US at least for the duration of the war.  This is where the story picks up.  Lucie has been with the Paris Opera Ballet for a number of years, but she's just not advancing.  Her friends, the Greenblatts, own a bookstore that they must leave because the handwriting is on the wall for the Jews in Europe. Lucie offers to buy the store and eventually it becomes a letter box for the resistance to pass messages. 

Paul is a widower with a small daughter who also owns an automobile manufacturing plant. It gets taken over by the Germans to produce trucks.  On the surface, Paul seemed to be collaborating with the Germans, but, in fact, he's participating in quiet resistance by work slow downs, sabotage in the assembly line, and whatever else he can do without arousing suspicion. Because he is on "friendly" terms with the officer assigned to his plant, he is required to go to parties and evenings out with German officials.  He had another reason for going to the soirees--to gather information to pass on to the American consulate. Even though the United States was not involved in the war, the government wanted to keep tabs on what the Germans were doing.  

Paul and Lucie meet when Paul brings his four-year-old daughter, Josie, to Lucie's book shop to find some new books. Josie is a precocious child who draws stories about a mythical creature, Feenee, who fights against the Rock Monsters. There were quite a few ups and downs in their relationship, such as it was in the beginning, but Paul did help Lucie with some business matters to help her stay in business and build up her bookstore.  

At first, Lucie doesn't want anything to do with Paul because she thinks he is a collaborator, but her attraction to him grows as she observes how he treats his daughter.  The romance in this book is understated and not over the top, which I appreciated because it does not detract from the seriousness of the subject matter in the book.  The trials that Paul and Lucie face were realistic and at times heartbreaking.  The history is accurate and while it is not a military story per se, as most of Sarah's other books have been, it is a glimpse into the lives of ordinary people trying to live their lives out as best they can under trying circumstances.  The lines of demarcation between whom to trust or not are clear in this book.  The only criticism I have for this book is that both Paul and Lucie have to escape from German soldiers forcibly holding them.  Their escapes seem a bit super-human, but I'm not sure how I would have done it better.  Toward the end of the book, the plot takes on a genuine sweetness that will gratify the readers of Sarah's books. 

Five Stars, Two Thumbs Up, and a beautiful little girl to tell you stories. 

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

 

Too Much Going On

This is the first book I've read by Christina Suzann Nelson, and I'm not too sure what to think about it.  I've been mulling it over for a couple of days since I finished it and I truly haven't come to any solid conclusion.  

The main character is Cassie George, the niece of Shasta.  Cassie is working on her doctorate in marine ornithology when she gets the call that tells her Shasta has had a stroke and has Parkinson's disease.  She travels from San Diego to Gull's Bay, Oregon, to take care of Shasta and when she arrives she finds that the situation is much worse than she originally thought. 

Gull's Bay is a small community where everyone knows everyone else and their business. One of the first people Cassie meets upon arrival in town is her old high school nemesis, Nora,  who has a sub-plot of her own.  

There are plots, sub-plots, mysteries, heartaches, and just a bit of romance all included in this book.  Because there is so much going on, it is a hard book to put down, but it is also a hard book to read and keep up with.  It doesn't have a cohesive feel to it and is somewhat hard to follow.  It is enjoyable once you get into it, but I think it could have been better.  The setting was perfect, the characters were not as fleshed out as they could have been because of the level of activity in the book, and because there are so many characters who populate the book. Still 3.5 stars, rounded up to four. 

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

 

Where the Last Rose Blooms

WOW!  Just WOW!  Ashley Clark is quickly becoming one of my favorite authors, and with good reason.  I don't normally like dual time or time slip novels, but the Heirloom Secrets series is changing my mind on that regard.  It may be that Ashley's writing abilities are such that she makes the dual times a cohesive whole.  That's the only thing I can attribute it to. 

Where the Last Rose Blooms is the final in the Heirloom Secrets series and continues the story of Millie's ancestors, both on and off the plantation.  In this final edition, Clara and Rose take on spying for the Union during the Civil War with Rose making coded messages into embroidered samplers using the language of flowers as a basis for the code. Rose's talents with a needle are beyond compare and her samplers are "sold" to operatives in order to pass on the messages.  

In the present day, Alice runs a florist shop with her aunt who raised her after her mother disappeared in Hurricane Katrina.  When she gets a call from her father saying he's selling the old family home so that he can buy his "new" wife a beach house, she goes to explore the attic of the house to see if there is anything she wants in the house.  She finds three of Rose's samplers and begins the research into the samplers to find out what they mean.  

Ashley brings the three stories full circle and ties up all the loose ends quite satisfactorily.  She heads each chapter with the character's name, and this keeps confusion to a minimum.  This is one of the best series I've read in a long time.  Five Stars, Two Thumbs Up, and an embroidered rose on a sampler. 

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

 

Not So Enchanting

I think this is my second Kristi Ann Hunter book to read.  It is the third in Hearts on the Heath series and I began reading the second book of the series--Winning the Gentleman.  So Enchanting the Heiress came up and I thought it would be of the same caliber as Winning the Gentleman.  

When I get involved in a book, I tend to not put it down for any reason, because I am anxious to see how the book turns out, but at the same time, I never want the book to end.  Let me just say that I could not have cared less about reading this book.  

The Heiress is Harriet Hancock, a manipulative woman who believes that she knows what is best for other people and describes her own machinations as "just trying to help."  Her latest victim is Jonas Fitzroy, a jockey/trainer for Aaron Whitworth. She lies and exploits Jonas at every turn, while he believes her to be sincere.  That they would fall in love by the end of the book boggles my imagination.  

This plot moved so slowly that it was hard for me to stay engaged in the story. I hate giving bad reviews with nothing good to say about the book, but this one just wasn't up to the level of quality I expect.  And having enjoyed Winning the Gentleman so much, I was truly disappointed in this book. Two Stars. 

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

 

When Will My Prince Come?

Brielle Bayo isn't who she thinks she is.  She is really the Crown Princess of a small island country near West Africa, but she's just finding this out at twenty-five years old.  Her father died before she was born and her mother has held hard feelings toward his family because of things that were said all those years ago.  Now her grandfather, the King, is dying, and he wants Brielle to come and take the throne.  

Toni Shiloh has created a small country with a culture and language similar to other African nations, but it is its own entity entirely.  The research she has put into this book makes the settings and culture all the more realistic.  

Brielle faces opposition from an unknown source who tries to thwart her at every turn.  She is beginning to love her grandfather and hating how short the time is for her to be with him and learn from him.  She has two teachers, one who teaches her the culture and history of her new nation, and one who teaches her the language of the country.  Before she can take the throne, the council of the country decrees that she must find a prince, and has compiled a list of three men for her to see if one of them will fill the bill for her Crown Prince. Each one has something to offer, according to the council, but none of them have what it takes to win Brielle's attentions or affections. 

In Search of a Prince is not the first Toni Shiloh book I've read, but it is one of the best books I've read by her.  She creates characters who are realistic, likable, and compelling--well, with the exception of a couple of villains. The villains add to the plot so that the reader is engaged all the way through the book.  I appreciate the way that Toni has woven her plot together, adding in friends for Brielle who see her vision for the country and also want to make a difference for the impoverished people who live there.  This book may be based on a fictional place with a fictional culture, but it immerses the reader into that culture, with tastes, sounds, smells, and sights to delight the senses. 

This is definitely a five star book, with two thumbs up, and a savory paiss (specialty of the country). 

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

At the Table with Jesus

 

Louie Giglio is an incredible Christian writer who seeks to build his reader's faith in ways never thought of before.  At the Table with Jesus is one such book that will draw the reader in and inspire awe and worship.  

This is not a normal devotional book, so many of the genre weave together a great thought without putting practicality behind those thoughts.  What Louie has done is to take the thoughts and married them to actions.  This is not a book that allows the reader to take a snippet and walk away unchanged.  This is a book that challenges the status quo, encourages changes within the reader's life, and puts action to words.  Can't recommend it enough!

Five Stars, Two Thumbs Up, and a seat at the banquet that will never be duplicated!

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

What Remains True

Merry Anna is fresh from a hurtful and complicated divorce and has landed in a small North Carolina    town that has offered her refuge and a job.  She has a bet with her ex-husband that if she can live on what she's giving him in alimony for three months, she won't have to increase his payment.  The problem with the ex is that he's lazy but a gold-digger and wants more.  He's schmoozing his way into her parents' good graces in order to find her and demand more from her. 

Adam Locklear is a rodeo cowboy who wants to make it to the finals this year and win big.  He's Merry Anna's next door neighbor, the owner of the feed store, bull rider, and a romantic at heart. Because of his career choice, he is estranged from his parents who don't approve of the danger of his sport. 

Merry Anna doesn't tell anyone in town about her divorce, her background, or where she's originally from; she wants to remain hidden, she wants to find out what she really wants in life, and she wants to be free from her ex forever.  

Adam gets the surprise of his life when an old one-night-stand shows up with a little girl in tow, one that she claims is his.  She leaves the girl in his care and immediately gets herself into a car wreck.  Adam now has to reassess his priorities with his career, with his life, with himself.  The opportunities that come disguised as problems make for some incredible food for thought.  

I have come to appreciate Nancy Naigle's writings--she has characters with flaws that make them more realistic and likable.  She has settings that are so beautifully described, it makes readers feel they are right there enjoying the scenery. Her plot lines move at a good pace and keep readers involved in the story throughout.  I didn't find any places where the plot dragged, and I was so IN to the book, I lost sleep over it.  

Five Stars, Two Thumbs Up, and a belt buckle the size of a dinner plate. 

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