The Underground Library

 

Juliet Lansdown is the new deputy librarian in the Bethnal Green part of London just as the Blitz started in World War II.  The head librarian is a curmudgeonly type man who really wants to close down the library so he can move on to a larger library in a safer area.  When a bomb hits the library, Juliet brings the remaining library books to the underground station nearby and brings the sheltering people there into a community.  

Sophie is a Jewish refugee from Germany working for an abusive man.  She takes refuge in the library whenever she can.  Because of Sophie's abilities with languages gets her a job working for the War Department and out from under the odious man she works for.  All she wants now is to have her sister with her.  Juliet does all she can to help Sophie. 

Katie loves working at the library, but there is a hitch--her fiancé has been declared MIA, and she's pregnant.  Her mother wants to send her away and to give the baby up for adoption, but Katie is rather against that, even though her mother believes it will diminish the family's standing in society.  

There are a pair of older sisters, the Riddells, who take these girls under their wings and treats them as though they are their very own family.  They become mainstays in the underground library and work hard to bring the community together.  

There is some romance in this book, but it is not overt and is a minor part and only serves to move the rest of the plot along.  It's actually a great addition the way Jennifer Ryan worked it in. The Underground Library is a great read that is hard to put down.  Four Strong Stars!  

Random House Publishing Group/Ballantine Books provided the copy I read for this review.  All opinions expressed are solely my own.  

A Love Discovered

I have truly enjoyed most of the books by Tracie Peterson that I have read.  She takes relatable situations and weaves them into the plots of her novels. Her historical novels are pretty accurate according to the mores of the society in which they take place.  

In A Love Discovered, Tracie takes several tragic circumstances and melds them into the whole cloth of the story.  Marybeth and Carrie are half-sisters who have been orphaned.  Marybeth is determined to raise Carrie as her own, but her pastor thinks that she'd be better off giving Carrie up for adoption.  He is adamant that there is a better family for Carrie and goes so far as to get the local judge involved in the situation.  Edward is the widowed husband of Marybeth's best friend and offers her the protection of his name and his home for Marybeth and Carrie.  He was about to move to Cheyenne, Wyoming, for a job opportunity in law enforcement working with his former commanding officer in the War Between the States. Edward offers Marybeth a marriage of convenience and to take her with him to Cheyenne the very next day.  His brother-n-law will see to selling Marybeth's house and forwarding the money to her after it is sold. 

Once they get to Cheyenne, they find a lawless town and no real acceptable place to live. They end up spending the winter in a tent.  Edward stays firm in his stance that theirs be a marriage in name only while Marybeth finds herself falling in love, but the truth of the matter is that he is falling in love with her as well.  He just can't find it within himself to love her completely because his first wife died in childbirth and he's afraid the same thing will happen to Marybeth. 

For the most part this is a great book, Tracie knows her craft and plies it well.  My only criticism is that the ending seemed too abrupt. It's not a satisfying ending and leaves the reader wishing for more.  It felt as if the author needed a tidy way to end the story and just quit writing. For that reason, I'll give this book four stars.  

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

 

All My Secrets

The title of this book sounds like it could be a soap opera, but it isn't.  This is a book about three generations of women who have made their mistakes, lived under the oppression of their husbands, and overcome the hardships thrown at them.

Junietta is the matriarch of the story, but I don't think that title really fits her.  Her father-in-law, Arthur Benton Stanhope II, was a ruthless businessman with no scruples.  He would bulldoze his way to get what he wanted and what he wanted most was money and social standing. Junie is blackmailed into marrying Arthur's son, Art.  Theirs was not a happy marriage but it was for the most part a peaceable one.  She was able to 

Sylvia married Junie's son, A.B., and allowed him to stifle her true nature to become a society maven.  She is an artist at heart, but she learns to do what other society mavens do: raise money for charitable ventures, host lavish parties and galas, and look good on her husband's arm.  

Adelaide is Sylvia's and A.B.'s daughter and she is being put on the marriage market to find a husband to help keep their standard of living.  The book opens with A.B.'s sudden death and the reading of his will, where the business goes to his cousin, but the house (read: mansion) remains with his wife and daughter.  Sylvia tries matchmaking with several unsuitable men who are lechers at best, and drunks at worst.  Addy is willing to put herself on the auction block for the family, but she wants a modicum of control over her life. 

Each of the women disclose secrets they've held for a long time, and as the secrets unfold, the reader gets drawn further and further into the story.  Lynn Austin has such a way with her writing that pulls readers into her narratives and keeps them engaged until the very end. There are very few books Lynn has written that I haven't read and all of them keep me enthralled.  I love the way that Lynn brought out the pointlessness of chasing after money and status when it really does no good, and in many cases wreaks havoc on the families of those who do pursue money above all else. 

Her characters are revealed as they reveal their secrets and there is a depth to them that makes most of them truly likable and the ones that aren't likable deserve their reputations. The settings only add to the ambience of the story and strengthen it.  I LOVED THIS BOOK!  Five Stars, Two Thumbs Up, and a passion to drive your life. 

Tyndale House Publishing provided the copy I read for this review.  All opinions expressed are solely my own. 

 

Rocky Mountain Promise

This is the second book in a series, so far, and it is a great series.  Misty M Beller has written a book with a strong female lead character who is also gentle at the same time.  I loved Lorelei, who will fight for what is right, protect what is hers, and care for the weak and wounded--man or animal.  She is proficient with guns, horses, and healing.

Lorelei's story begins with her finding a dead buffalo cow and a young calf nearby.  The calf is no ordinary calf, it's a white calf, which is extremely rare and a lot of legends hold that it brings good fortune to its owner or its people. Lorelei made sure that the cow was, in fact, dead, loaded the calf on her horse and rode back to her home. Soon after she returns home, Tanner Mason the owner of the new trading post comes to the ranch where Lorelei lives with her sisters and White Horse, a Blackfoot Indian.  

White Horse works around the ranch helping the sisters and training the new horses on the ranch. He is an invaluable friend to the girls. 

Tanner becomes a lifeline for the calf, because he has a milk-producing cow and they are able to buy the milk for him.  He also becomes an invaluable friend to the girls, but especially to Lorelei.  

White Horse and Tanner both end up protecting the calf from those who would steal it.  When a Sioux tribe moves in close to the girls' ranch, the girls decide that girls would be best protected by moving the calf to the trading post.

There are a couple of sub-plots woven into the story that give color and depth to the novel.  There is romance in this narrative, but it is not overwhelmingly sugary.  While this can be called a romance novel, Misty does not follow the "Romance Novel Formula," instead she writes a story that flows organically.  Her writing style makes the book hard to put down and easy to lose sleep over. It is a five-star book, with two thumbs up, and a White Buffalo calf to bring you blessings. 

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

 

What I Promise You

 

Liz Tolsma is one of my favorite World War II era novelists.  She writes with a depth of understanding that makes it clear to her readers where she is going in the plot lines of her book. In What I Promise You, she writes a triple time-line book that bounces from World War II, post war, and modern times.  

The first timeline starts when Noemi and her husband, Levi, are arrested in southern France and taken to an internment camp. While there Noemi is spirited away to a maternity hospital with two children whose parents have been transferred to another camp. 

At the maternity hospital, Noemi is charged with making new papers for all the mothers and children, including herself. When they get the word that the Germans are coming to clear out the hospital, Noemi and Aime, the owner of the land where the hospital sits, load up the women and children and move them to safe places.  Noemi and Aime are given the charge of taking an infant to safety and caring for him. 

The second timeline takes place in modern times and includes Caitlyn trying to find out what her grandfather's history is.  She knows he was born in the maternity hospital, but not much else.  His memory is slipping and he doesn't remember as much as Caitlyn would like. While studying abroad in Spain, she goes to France several times to research her great-grandmother and her role in the maternity hospital.  Another student who is studying abroad at the same location, Aiden, becomes intrigued by Caitlyn's search. 

The third timeline takes place thirteen years later and includes a mystery character who is truly integral to the narrative. At times clues are dropped as to who this character is, but then something else happens that changes the reader's mind about who the character truly is.  When all is revealed, it is surprising to see this character reenter the story after she was reported to be dead--executed in one of the death camps. 

The way Liz has woven this novel together really makes it an interesting read for fans of World War II fiction.  There is just enough truth in the novel to be historically accurate and to be instructive for the reader.  This is a five star book with two thumbs up and an illuminating trip to France.

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

The Hazelbourne Ladiess Motorcycle and Flying Club

I was invited to read and review this book, and I accepted the invitation on the premise that the book would be funny and engaging to read. I've not read a book by Helen Simonson before and thought this would be a great introduction to her writings.  

The novel takes place post World War I and Spanish Flu pandemic.  Constance is occupied with being an old family friend's companion, but soon the friend won't need her and she will need to find a job that pays her.  Her friend, Poppy, wants to start a motorcycle-taxi business with all female drivers and mechanics. And Poppy wants to learn to fly.  Poppy's brother is a veteran of the war and was a flyer in the war, but he lost his leg on one of his missions. This is a story about Poppy taking Constance under her wing and helping her find her way in an ever-changing world.  

I have to say this wasn't my favorite book that I've read this year.  I felt the plot was rather stilted and forced, and I had a hard time wading through the book.  I'd have to say this is a three-star book.  

Random House Publishing Group provided the copy I read for this review.  All opinions expressed are solely my own. 

 

When the Waters Came

 This is not my first foray into reading books by Candice Sue Patterson, but I was particularly disappointed by this offering.  

The plot doesn't really move until significantly deep into the book, instead it reads more like a factual retelling of the events.  I truly had to fight my way through the book and not give up on it.  Once I got past the retelling of events, and the plot lightened up a bit, I somewhat enjoyed it.  

The book details one of the most heart-breaking disasters in United States history--the Johnstown Flood.  The greed, the power, and the personal desires of those who were in control of the upkeep of the dam on the Conemaugh River was outrageous, at the least, and criminal, at most.  One of the gratifying parts of the book was Clara Barton's contribution to help in the aftermath of the flood. 

When the reader finally gets to it, the heart of the plot is the story of Monty and Annamae, but it is quite a slog to get to that part of the novel.  

There are many characters based on real people within the pages of this novel and that brings a bit of charm to the plot.  I once read a book by Catherine Marshall called, Julie, which is about the same events.  I was hoping for this book to be of the same caliber.  It just fell short to me. 

Still, others will like it and I hope my opinion doesn't stop them from reading it.  There is a lot of actual history in this book which is fascinating to read. Still, I give it three stars. 

Barbour Publishing provided the copy I read for this review.  All opinions expressed were solely my own. 

Embers in the London Sky

I have read almost everything that Sarah Sundin has written.  Her newest book is a bit different from her other offerings, but still every bit as intriguing.  

Aleida is planning her escape with her son, Theo, from her abusive husband Sebastiaan.  When Sebastiaan comes home early and tells Aleida to pack, they are leaving the Netherlands, Aleida feels she has lost her opportunity to escape him. On the trip to the coast where they will be picked up by boat and transported to Great Britain, Sebastiaan steals Theo from Aleida and gives him to a couple to take on ahead to London without finding out who they were or where they lived.  While Aleida is trying to find out where Theo was, a German air attack passes over where they were and their strafing bullets hit Sebastiaan and kill him.  

Now Aleida has to make her way to London on her own, but when she checks the back of the car, she finds a suitcase full of gold which will provide her a way to get to London.  Once in London, she begins searching for her son.  As she works for the Ministry of Health, she begins compiling lists of children who have been evacuated from London to the countryside, in hopes that she will find her beloved Theo. Her supervisor is not enamored with her desire to compile the lists of children who have been evacuated and the people who are billeting the children. 

In addition to working for the Ministry of Health, she is also an air raid warden for her neighborhood, making sure blackout conditions are kept and everyone gets to shelters in a timely fashion during air raids. It is in carrying out these duties that she meets Hugh Collingswood.  He supports her search for Theo and even helps her out in her quest, at the same time on a quest of his own to find out who murdered his uncle. 

There is mystery and intrigue worked into this novel, and it's got murder and mayhem as well.  There are characters the reader will love and empathize with, and there are characters the reader will love to hate because of their actions and attitudes. Sarah hones and improves her craft with every book she writes.  This book is no exception to that assumption. It is hard to put down and easy to lose sleep over. 

Five Stars, Two Thumbs Up, and an Oli the Elephant stuffed toy. 

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

 

The Irish Matchmaker

The title of this book reminds me of a song I've heard many times--Matchmaker, Matchmaker make me a match, find me a catch, . . .  (Fiddler on the Roof--a movie I've heard a lot about, but never seen.  Oops, My bad.)  

Catriona is the matchmaker in this book taking place during the festival of the town where they live.  Donal is a widowed father whose nine-year-old daughter wants a new mother.  Donal is a farmer barely making ends meet without enough money to do repairs on his equipment or buildings.  

The Osbornes are looking for a match for their son, Andrew, and Andrew is looking for a quick buck, as well as finding a wife to produce his heir.  He lives a profligate lifestyle and doesn't plan to change that once he is married. When Andrew and his father make an offer to Donal for his next six calves, they also offer to lend him money to repair his barns and equipment, but the loans are due in just a few short months.  It seems like the plan is to cheat Donal out of his farm.  

Catriona wants to match herself with Andrew, but she has to go through the available ladies first.  Donal is also one of Catriona's clients to be matched.  Dividing her time between the two men is giving her a taste of what she really wants out of life. 

Jennifer Deibel has written a great story with twists and turns that keep the reader involved in the plot.  The setting on the coast of Ireland is somewhat magical but at the same time rather brutal with the weather that comes in from the ocean. The characters are believable and relatable, which makes the reading all the more enjoyable. 

Four Strong Stars

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

 

The Legacy of the Rocking K Ranch

This anthology contains novellas by some familiar authors and some that are not so familiar to me.  The theme of the book is the legacy left by four generations of strong women who carve out their own niches in this world in spite of societal norms.  

Mary Connealy usually writes humorous Western type novels, but her offering here is a bit more serious, and I must say I enjoyed it more than I have her other novels I've read.  Her writing sets the stage for the rest of the book.  

All four generations of women in this anthology are strong and hard-working women who overcome massive hardships of one kind or another.  The men are supportive, intelligent, loving, and hard-working too.  It made reading this collection so worthwhile.  It is hard to put down, even between episodes. Readers will want to jump right into the next story without taking a break between them for things like eating dinner or sweeping the floors.   Four Strong Stars. 

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

 

Love Unscripted

 

This book was a fairly easy read that held my attention all the way through.  Set in coastal North Carolina, it had all the bea<chy vibes with the added bonus of a bookstore nearby.  Book stores always hook me and reel me in. 

Chloe Anderson has written a best-seller that is being adapted into a movie.  The actor playing Ledger, the hero of the book is Liam Hamilton, a Hollywood hunk with a pretty bad reputation.  Chloe doesn't realize she's on speaker phone when she is informed that Liam will play the lead and she does not react well to the news.  From there, life gets interesting, to say the least. 

Denise Hunter has written a pretty standard novel using the romance novel formula--and when it comes down to <boy loses girl>, it is done in a most spectacular fashion where all kinds of secrets are revealed. Betrayal is rife, even though it was a rather bit player in the book who does the betraying. 

There is a very cute side story going on at the same time where Chloe's brother and her best friend, Meghan, become enamored of each other. And it is Meghan who finds out who truly betrayed Chloe. 

The one thing I have against this book is that it is labeled as a Christian book but Christ is not mentioned anywhere in the book.  There is no mention of faith or active Christian lifestyles. It IS a clean romance, where passionate kissing is the steamiest part of the book.  

Four Stars. 

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

The British Booksellers

I've read several of Kristy Cambron's books and found in them something worth reading.  The ones I have read have a depth to them that is missing in most of what I read for enjoyment.  Sometimes I just choose fluff over substance. While this book has more substance, it does not quite reach the depths of her other books.  There are a few lighter moments in this one than in some of her other books.  That's not a bad thing, it just is the way it is.  

The book begins with the three main players:  Will, Charlotte, and Amos.  There is a parallel plot that is included in the narrative of the book as it plays out for the reader.  The parallel is World War I and World War II.  For the World War II line, one character is missing, while another two major players and several minor players have entered the scene.  The major ones being Jacob and Eden entering in and Will is missing in this plot line.  

Amos has been in love with Charlotte forever, but he gave her up the first time for Will because Will is titled and carries more power than Amos does.  When both Will and Amos enlist during World War I, Will becomes Amos's commanding officer. They are able to put their animosity behind them to fight a common enemy. 

As the plot moves through both World Wars, more of Amos's and Charlotte's history is revealed, including the love they had and still have for each other, in spite of them having bookstores across from each other. When the blitz hits Charlotte's store, Charlotte and Amos have to make some pretty hard decisions for their futures.  

On a side plot, Eden, Charlotte's daughter, is the subject of a lawsuit in the United States.  She has been willed half of an estate that could mean a whole lot to her own estate.  Jacob Cole comes from Detroit to serve her with the lawsuit papers. Jacob stays on instead of going straight back home.  The longer Jacob stays, the more attached he becomes to Eden.  

The writing in this book is tight enough to keep the reader engaged and looking forward to what will happen next.  The plots are easy to follow and still keep up.  The setting is one of my favorite kinds of settings--book stores!  The characters are well-developed, and easily likable in spite of them holding on to secrets.  I give this book four strong stars.  

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

To Spark a Match

This was not my favorite of Jen Turano's books that I've read to date.  I found it a bit silly and over the top with forced humor.  There is a bit of intrigue included within the plot of the book which will keep the reader engaged to some extent.  

There is a point in time where one has to outgrow the follies of youth and I found that Adelaide is a Peter Pan who never grew up.  She did have some mature ideas, but for the most part, she stayed childish.  There is a difference between childish and child-like and Adelaide never crossed the line.  That was rather off-putting for me.  I recognize that others will see her child-mindedness as endearing and this is only my opinion.  

Because the setting is in New York and in the neighborhood of the Bleecker Street Inquiry Agency, Ms. Turano missed an opportunity to bring back some of those characters and weave them into the warp and woof of this book.  I would have loved to have them come back and make another appearance.  

Gideon Abbott is a most worthy hero in the novel and makes a compelling leading man.  He is the redeeming factor in this book.  He tries to do what is best for Adelaide, even though his attempts are misguided at times.  

I am not sure how I would improve the book but some of the "fun" was a bit too over the top, FOR ME.  Like every other reader, I go through reading moods where silly is just what I need, and at other times, I want something to sink my teeth into some meaty ideas that make me think.  Maybe it was just the wrong type of book for the current mood.  In light of that, I will give it 3.5 stars, rounding up to four. 

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

 

The Memory of Lavender and Sage

 My first book by Aimie K Runyan to read and I must say there is a depth to this book that gratifies the reader.  At the same time, there are some characters the reader will love to hate simply because of their attitudes. 

When Tempesta's father dies and leaves her none of his estate, Tempesta's brother reveals that her mother had her own estate that went entirely to her.  Tempy's mother was from Sainte Colombe in Provence in France, and so Tempy decides to move back to France to get to know her mom better through the people in her town.  Her welcome was at first rather cool, except for Jenofa, a woman who had watched Tempy's mom grow up.  Tiberi shows up to help put Tempy's house to rights, and there is a lot that needs to be done.  Tiberi and Tempy work together to bring the hundreds years old house into the modern age, and then they work together to revitalize the village.  There are some recalcitrant citizens of the village who don't want the progress or the influx of tourists that Tempy's ideas will bring, but they are soon won over.  

Aimie has done such a masterful job of developing her characters in this book, the reader feels a kinship with some, a strong distaste for others, and still others fall somewhere in between.  The settings she has included in the book make the reading far more interesting.  

This is a five star book, with two thumbs up, and an herb garden that will help and heal your ills. 

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

Wildflower Falls

This is Book 4 of the Riverbend Romance series.  The first two were a lot of fun to read, the third one was a bit dark and hard to get through.  This one had its ups and downs.  What Denise Hunter got right when she discussed the Appalachian Trail culture is the way trail names are handed out. I also appreciated the way she brought in the horse culture and wove it into the story seamlessly.   

Both Charlotte and Gunner have past hurts that need to be worked through and though they did, it wasn't the most healthy way.  It did work for the story, and I guess that's all the author wants.  I love the way Jeff, the step-father to Gavin and Cooper, settles situations with his two pennies on the table.  He lets you know that he has thoughts about your conundrum, but it's up to you to decide that you want to hear his thoughts.  He won't push them on you, but lets you know  he's got his two cents worth to inject into the circumstances.  If only more adults took that perspective and used that method, a lot less hurt would be hurled around.  

I enjoyed reading the book.  The pacing of the plot kept me engaged, and the characters were believable as well as likable.  

Four Stars.

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

 

Capturing Hope

 This book was hard for me to read.  The plot seemed dark and unrelenting and the characters seemed flat to me.  

Nadia Roenne's father tasked David Reid to get her out of Poland and to England safely.  At every turn, Nadia thwarted his attempts to leave the country.  Along the way, she collected all kinds of children, a couple of mothers with the children, and a baby whose mother died shortly after childbirth.  For the baby, she also had to get a goat for the milk to add to the entourage.  Given the chances she had to leave Poland, she gives them up to others and creates more havoc throughout the book.  

I appreciate the work Angela K Couch put into the research for the events in Poland and the difficulties experienced by the Poles at the hands of the Germans.  For me, the book lacked dimension, it seemed to be a retelling of events rather than a cohesive story.  The best part of the story came in at the epilogue when all the bits and pieces got all tied up in a nice, little package. 

I know Barbour Publishing has put a lot of work in bringing this series to its readers.  Overall I love the Heroines of WWII series.  This one felt just a bit off for me.  Three stars

Barbour Publishing did provide the copy I read for this review.  All opinions expressed are solely my own. 

Kingdom of Love

 

Tracie Peterson is a prolific author who has honed her craft to an artform! This new collection of three short novels is one of my favorite anthologies I've read this year.  I truly enjoy Medieval stories, although I wouldn't give up my modern conveniences for anything.  The dukes and duchesses who are responsible for the lives of those entrusted to them take those responsibilities seriously in these three stories.  From an arranged marriage that becomes a love match, to a group of orphaned children collected along a journey to the northern part of the country, these tales have something for every romance reader, gentle heroes who can be firm when needed, loving heroines who see things beyond how they look on the surface, a bit of treachery, and a loving reunion among long, lost relatives.  

The first two stories in the book make a short series, while the third one takes place about two hundred years later.  

Tracie's skill in bringing characters and settings to life is unparalleled.  Her research into the lives and times of those living in such primitive times is spot on.  Her ability to craft such enjoyable prose makes me envious of her talent.  

This is a five-star book, with two thumbs up, and a rescuer of damsels in distress.  

Barbour Books provided the copy I read for this review.  All opinions expressed are solely my own. 

Appalachian Song

When I started reading this book I was hooked from the very first page.  The way Michelle Shocklee pulled this story together made this one of the best stories I've read this year.  Her characters are believable and if they were real people, they would be approachable and very well liked.  The setting makes it so easy for readers to insert themselves into the warp and woof of the plot and feel that they are witnessing it firsthand.  

Walker Wylie is an up and coming country singer in the early 1970s.  His father passed away and he finds out he is adopted.  He doesn't have much information to go on, but. he wants to find his birth family so he seeks out Reese, who is an adoption advocate.  What he does have is a note written by the midwife who delivered him, but she only signs it Bertie.  Reese takes Walker to Sevier County, Tennessee, to see if they can figure out who Bertie is and where she lives.  When they find a birth certificate with Alberta Mae Jenkins' signature on it and the name of the area where Miss Jenkins lived, they go up into the hills to find Bertie and her sister, Rubye.  Bertie recognizes Walker right away, but strings him along to get a feel for who he really is. After spending several days with him, Bertie tells him the whole story about his mother, his adoption, and all that she knows of his family.  It's a really sad story, but one thing leads to him finding his mother, and that is a poem his mother wrote when she was giving him away.  

Appalachian Song gives insight into the primitive life in the backwoods of Tennessee and is loosely based on the Walker sisters who lived in a cabin that became surrounded by Great Smoky Mountains National Park.  Although the novel has a dual time line, it is not disjointed and it flows cohesively from beginning to end. The backstory in the dual time line gives so much depth to the novel that it would be one I read again and again.  

Five Stars, Two Thumbs Up, and a song written just for you.

Tyndale House Publishers provided the copy I read for this review.  All opinions expressed are solely my own. 

Against the Wind

Louisa is returning to Sweetwater Crossing to attend to the funeral of the father of a friend in Cimarron Crossing.  The friend's mother gives Louisa the key to her husband's office and medical practice.  BUT, on the way there, she encounters a man lying beside the road with a broken leg and nothing around him to indicate where he came from or where he was going.  She loads him into the buggy and carries him with her into Sweetwater Crossing.  The town is rather closed off to Louisa being a healer and able to help them with their physical ailments. The work before her is daunting because gaining the trust of the townspeople is a huge hurdle. She believes that the first hurdle is taking care of the man, Josh, whom she found on the side of the road and mending his broken leg.  As she gets to know him, she finds she wants to help him with his quest to find a way to enlarge his grandfather's store's offerings.  The one thing she encourages him to find a niche for himself that his grandfather would approve of.  

Amanda Cabot is one of those authors a reader likes to read again and again.  Her books are well-thought out and her faithful readers enjoy them immensely. While Against the Wind is part of a series, it stands alone fairly well.  I am sure there are more cross-over characters than just Louisa and her sisters, but the sisters are the most important part of the series.  This book is hard to put down and the way that Amanda has woven in the difficulties Louisa faces makes it all the more readable and engaging. 

Five Stars, Two Thumbs Up, and a cup of your favorite tea in the tea room. 

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

 

Julia Monroe Begins Again and Again and Again

Julia Monroe Begins Again is a cute novel about second starts, second chances, and new beginnings.  If I were to sit and count the times Julia started over with something or other, I'd still be counting even though I finished the book last week.  

Julia has had to start life over after her husband died ten years prior.  She had to go to work to raise her sons, maintain her home, and keep body and soul together.  Now there is a new wrinkle in her new beginnings--an old flame has shown up at her church and wants to reclaim their relationship.  Julia is gun-shy where Samuel is concerned.  There's too much history, too much brokenness, and too much chemistry/electricity between them.  Also, there are her sons to think about.  

There are laugh-out-loud moments in this book and some angsty moments, but overall, this is a fun book to read,  It is my first by Rebekah Millet, but I hope it won't be my last. She puts some new wrinkles in the Romance Novel Formula, which makes this a refreshing read.  She also brings in the culture of New Orleans in a way that gives the reader a sense of belonging.  And I wish I could have one of Kate's Beignets.  

Four Strong Stars

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

 

On Moonberry Lake

Cora has inherited a broken down house that was once a bed and breakfast.  The kicker is that she has to live in this house  for one year and  fix it up.  Once the year is completed, she will own the house out-right and all expenses will be reimbursed. She remembers the house well as she spent quite a bit of her young years living there, but something happened that estranged her mother from her grandmother.  

With a cast of characters filling out the story in this book, Cora learns what she needed to know about her mother and her mother's family.  Each character seems to hold a piece of the puzzle Cora is trying to put together that makes up the tapestry of her life.  

Holly Varni has taken some hidden circumstances and built a cohesive novel that grabs the reader's attention from the very first page.  She has written about small town America, where each small town has its own colorful people.  Every character in the book is a welcome addition to a well-rounded friend group.  

On Moonberry Lake is a great read for a couple of lazy afternoons. It is engaging, compelling, surprising, and altogether interesting.  I give it five stars, two thumbs up, and a restored B&B on a peaceful lake. 

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

 

The Paris Housekeeper

 This is actually a story of three women facing difficulties in World War II, and the friendship that the three of them forged through the hardest of times.  Vivian was a resident of the Ritz Hotel in Paris until the Germans took it over.  Rachel and Camille were housekeepers in the hotel.  Vivian often asked for Camille's assistance and tipped well. As the Germans infiltrated Paris, Rachel got singled out as the Jew on the staff and eventually had to go into hiding because the Jews were going to be rounded up and sent to a death camp.  

A German officer who has moved into the suite where Vivian once resided and then is promoted and given a house closer to his  work.  He takes Vivian as his mistress/hostess and Vivian recommends Camille to be his housekeeper at three times her normal wages.  

Camille finds a tunnel under the house where there is a couple of cots set up and she hides Rachel and her mother until new papers can be acquired for them to escape France and to move into Spain. It all comes to a head when the German officer finds the forged papers and realizes that the two Jewish women had been hiding in his house for months.  

I didn't find this book as compelling as the other book by Renee Ryan that I have read.  The plot moved very slowly and the characters weren't as engaging.  Many of the characters seemed two dimensional to me and lacked depth.  Those who like World War II fiction may like this and this may have been just the mood I was in when I read the book. So I will give it three stars. 

Harlequin Romance provided the copy I read for this review.  All opinions expressed are solely my own. 

A Royal Christmas

Melody Carlson's books are sweet, light, and often humorous.  Sometimes she adds a bit of mystery to keep the reader engaged.  

So imagine you are a barista working your way through law school and you get a letter telling you that your father, who is a king in a very small European country is on his death bed.  Now, imagine that you didn't even know you HAD a father, much less one who is considered royalty, albeit in a country of 15,000 people.  How do you handle this piece of mail that is requesting a visit from you before your father passes away?  First of all, determine whether the letter is a scam, then choose your path accordingly. 

Adelaide Katelyn had just that series of events happen to her. In the midst of meeting her father and becoming accustomed to palace life, Adelaide finds her stepmother less than welcoming.  This is almost a Snow White kind of story minus the poison apple.  

Some of the supporting characters make the story so much richer, especially Anton. But, I felt that the novella was incomplete.  The problem with novellas is that there is limited space to fully develop the narrative.  That is the only criticism I have for the novella.  It is a quick read and quite engaging.  

Four Strong Stars. 

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

 

The Longdale Legacy

I enjoy almost anything Carrie Turansky writes.  I got sucked into this book without warning and found it utterly captivating.  It is written in dual time with parallel love stories and parallel heart-breaks occurring one hundred years apart.  

1912--Charlotte Harper's father has died while speaking and in going through his things, Charlotte finds that he wasn't the father she thought he was and became quite distrustful of men in general.  When her mother has to sell the family home to settle her father's debts, Charlotte, her mother, and her  little sister, Alice, move to the Keswick district of England.  Charlotte's mother is hoping to reconcile with her father at Longdale Manor, but he all but closed the door in her face until he needed her help.  

2012--Gwen Morris has made a huge blunder in her grandfather's art and antiques appraisal business.  He sends her to Keswick to Longdale Manor to appraise and sort antiques and art that the owner wants to sell. During the time she spends at Longdale, the owner shares with her a journal she found that was written by Charlotte.  The more Gwen reads the more she wants to know about Charlotte.  At the same time, she wants to find out about her father and meet him, if possible. While hunting for her father, she comes across her grandmother who lives at the farm where Charlotte ended up, and she finds out that Charlotte is in her family tree.  

Both Charlotte and Gwen find love in unexpected places and when they both were not looking for it. Both of their stories are so satisfying in the end, in spite of the hardships they go through getting there. This is definitely a five star book, with two thumbs up, and a love story worth telling to your children. 

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

 

You Make It Feel Like Christmas

 

I have read several books by Toni Shiloh.  She writes about real characters with real world problems and brings reasonable solutions to the issues.  

In her newest offering, she has a plethora of characters who each fill a role in this story.  She has a self-centered narcissist, a victim of the sister's machinations, stalwart brothers who protect their sisters from the world at large; then there are the parents who push their children to fit into molds the children didn't choose for themselves.  

Angel is marrying Starr's ex-boyfriend.  The night he met Angel, he broke up with Starr and went directly to Angel's hotel room to ask her out.  

Starr is going home for Thanksgiving partially because she lost her job and partially because Angel wants her there to help with wedding preparations.  When their brother, Gabe, introduces Starr to his best friend, things begin to look up for Starr's holidays.  Starr helps Waylon revitalize his mother's Christmas shop so that it begins bringing in a profit.  Waylon's gentleness attracts Starr and she begins to realize that while she has helped Waylon with his dream, she hasn't been living her own dream.  

I love Toni Shiloh's books.  She has a way of putting her words together that draw the readers in and keeps them hooked until they finish the book.  Four Strong Stars

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

All's Fair in Love and Christmas

This book is a quick read, hard to put down, and thoroughly enjoyable.  Most of the characters are quite likable (except Frank, but every book needs a Frank for all the readers to "hate"), but the best ones in this book are the main girl and main dude, who happen to be rivals in their boss's competition for the yearly promotion.  

Jeremy wants the promotion and commensurate pay raise because his  teenage niblings are going to be needing cars, college funds, clothes, shoes, and groceries.  Mackenzie's mom is in a memory care center and the costs are going up.  Mackenzie needs the raise just as much as Jeremy does.  Since the competition revolves around Christmas, Jeremy begins by pulling out all his  stops and making pomander oranges for each member of the staff, but his next few efforts are less than stellar.  Mackenzie's efforts are a bit more understated and subtle, but shows she knows her coworkers well and does all she can to recreate some of their best memories.  

Sarah Monzon has written a completely entertaining book that will be a cozy read for the Christmas season, especially with a cup of hot cocoa in hand. The ending of the book is quite a surprise and quite satisfying. And I LOVE happy endings. Four Strong Stars. 

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

 

The Starlet Spy

This novel reads like a locomotive.  The characters load onto the train, the whistle blows, and the locomotive begins its travels down the track.  As the train gains speed and moves through the hills and valleys, and curves and straightaways, the reader is taken on a trip that is not always comfortable, and  never sleepy.  There are stops along the way to search for a hidden treasure and to refuel the engine for the next portion of the trip.  When it finally chugs into the destination depot, readers feel like they have been wrung out and tossed on the ground, hardly able to find their footings beneath them.  

Amelie Black is a Hollywood movie star most often cast into the role of a ditzy blonde with no brains behind her gorgeous blue eyes.  She is recruited by the   Office of Strategic Services to find a manuscript that was written by Niels Bohr before he fled Denmark to Sweden.  The manuscript holds secrets that could lead to the development of an atomic bomb, and should those secrets fall into the wrong hands, it could prove devastating to the rest of the world, at large.  Never knowing who  she can and cannot trust, she is largely on her own in finding this manuscript until Finn Ristofferson inserts himself into the search.  Even though she is beginning to find herself growing warm toward Finn, she is still not sure she can trust him, but he proves himself time and time again, both worthy of her trust, and worthy of her love. 

Rachel Scott McDaniel is the latest author recruited by Barbour Books to add to their Heroines of World War II series, and she doesn't disappoint.  Her characters are fully fleshed out, her settings are movie-worthy, her plot lines are unpredictable and quite readable, making this a wonderful book to cozy up to and learn something in the process.  

This is a five star book, with two thumbs up, and a missing manuscript hunt for good measure.  

Barbour Books provided the copy I read for this review.  All opinions expressed are solely my own.  

 

The Letter Tree

This book seemed hard for me to read.  It was highly predictable and it took a while for it to grab my interest.  I kept threatening to flip to the back halfway through and read the ending before I finished it, but I persevered and plowed through.  That's a rather bleak description of a reading.  The basic premise of the book is a Hatfields-McCoys type feud between rival shoemakers.  And of course, their children fall in love with each other in spite of themselves.  

The book contains the requisite bad guy in the form of a con-man, a bad girl in the form of a socialite,  the heroine who desires nothing more than to get away from her father's bad moods, and the hero who wants to get to the bottom of the feud. 

This book could have been written in epistolary style and lost nothing, but gained a lot.  Frank, the elephant, would still have played a role in the plot, even if the style were changed.  I think Frank was my favorite character in this novel by Rachel Fordham.  I think I've read other novels by Rachel and enjoyed them, but this one was not my favorite.  Still I'll give it four stars because others may like it immensely and think I am a nut bag, but I am an opinionated nut bag 😂.  The only issue with the novel is that the plot moves too slowly and it is predictable. 

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

 

A Beautiful Disguise

Roseanna M White is generally a good author to read and very interesting, but I found I couldn't drum up the interest in this novel.  First of all, it's been done before.  Second there are so many characters populating the plot, it is hard to keep up with them all.  Last, there are so many tangents that are polluting what could be a charming book.  This is not to say the book has no redeeming values.  Her descriptions of the settings and the machinations of the Imposters are fun to behold.  

I've enjoyed other books by Roseanna, but not this one.  That is not to mean it is a bad book.  It means my head wasn't in the right space for this novel.  I'll give it four stars, because I know there are  people who will enjoy it immensely and not be daunted by the crowded populace of characters.  

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

 

Misled

 

I've encountered many of the lies included in this book, some personally, some vicariously and I appreciate the way that Allen Parr parses the truth from the Word of God and brings these false teachings to light.  I appreciate his teachings on YouTube and find that this book only adds to his position as a teacher of God's word.  

Allen does what few people try to do--expose lies, but at the same time, he exposes the truth behind the lies.  He's not afraid to name names on either side of the table.  What I got most from this book is how God must be grieved by our willingness to be deceived.  I feel bad for the poor fictional character who 

set up each chapter by going from pillar to post among the false teachers.  To hit all seven of them breaks all the odds.  

This book is not to be missed.  Five Stars

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

Dawn's Untrodden Green

This is book three of the Regency Wallflowers collection by Carolyn Miller.  It stands alone with ease and tells a sweet tale of falling in love after falling through the floor.  

Theodosia Stapleton has taken in the orphaned child of her best friend, Clara, until the child's uncle can come and take guardianship of her.  The estate where Clara and Rebecca had been living is in a shambles and it is because of that, that Rebecca's uncle falls through the floor and breaks his leg.  He is taken to Stapleton Court to recuperate and heal.  Through the time Theo has spent with the uncle, Daniel Balfour, he begins to fall in love with her and she with him, though she has no thoughts toward marriage.  She is considered to be well on the shelf and past marriageable age.  

What Carolyn has done is she has made a village of entitled matrons who believe they are the be-all and end-all of the village.  She has also created some very likable characters who live real lives and have real world problems and make real world solutions.  She has included a few salty characters to give color and animation to the narrative to make the novel a cohesive whole.  Thoroughly enjoyable.  

One thing Carolyn also did was to take a verse of scripture and make it fit the thinking and mindset of the character using it--bending all her "squirrelly thoughts to the will of God" kind of thing.  It shows that Ms. Miller knows her Bible and brings it to life through her characters.  I totally understood the "squirrelly thoughts" and relate so well to that description.  

The setting for the novel fits every illustration I've encountered regarding Great Britain.  It's picturesque and quaint, and it entices the reader to delve in and imagine themselves there.  

This is definitely a four star book that is sweet and engaging for the reader.  

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

 

The Love Script

I've read a couple of books by Toni Shiloh and have marveled at her skill as an author.  In The Love Script, she has taken a hair stylist and put her in an extraordinary position in the spot light that she never wanted. Nevaeh has been photographed by snaparazzi with Lamont Booker, an actor who has made a stand for his faith, and photoshopped to make the photo look compromising.  In order to  stand up for what he believes is right, they begin dating and something in each of them draws them closer together in ways they never imagined.

Lamont got to know Nevaeh when she was taking care of his mother's hair while his mother was undergoing cancer treatment.  Because of the picture taken coming out of Lamont's house, Nevaeh loses her job, loses her apartment, and has to reboot her career, all the while playing a role as Lamont's girl friend.  

I love the way Toni makes her characters three-dimensional. They exhibit their humanness as well as their love for a loving Heavenly Father.  They understand the importance of their witness before the world in a place that is too worldly.

This is one of the best books I've read in a while and it was so hard to put down.  I appreciate the way Toni spins a tale and hooks the reader in from the very first line.  I will be reading more of her books.  

Five Stars, Two Thumbs Up, and a scalp massage at your favorite salon.  

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

The Heart's Choice

Mark is kicking against his father's desire to pass his ranch on to his sister and him in equal shares.  His calling is not in ranching but in keeping the town's library.  His father is livid that he doesn't consider ranching to be the highest work he could do.  

Rebecca is the first female court reporter in Montana and wants to be able to see justice done after she witnessed a murder and the wrongful conviction of an innocent man in that murder.  Since she was just a child when the events happened, she was not considered credible.  So now she has a strong desire to see the justice system work like it is supposed to.  

Kate is Mark's sister and loves nothing more than she loves the ranch and the life it brings.  She is newly married and her husband seems to be as excited as she is about the ranch.  

Tracie Peterson and Kimberley Woodhouse have collaborated to bring this novel in the first of a series taking place in Kalispell, Montana.  The parts I really liked centered around Mark's friendship with Rebecca that grew into a mutual love, the reconciliation between Mark and his father, and Kate's understanding nature. The parts I really didn't like involved the way the authors set up the bad guy in the very beginning of the novel and tried to weave it through the plot lines to create a tension that was supposed to keep the reader involved, but it came off to me as being very predictable and trite.  I normally like the books I've read by Tracie Peterson and the books by Kimberley Woodhouse, but this one fell short of the mark for me.  There are parts that are truly enjoyable and parts I wanted to skip over simply because I felt they added nothing to the plot.  Three stars.  

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

 

This Is Where It Ends

I'm not sure about this book. Is it that the book just wasn't what I was in the mood for when I picked it up to read? Did I not find the story compelling enough? Is the writing substandard?  Yes, Yes, and No.  The first two questions are opinions.  Overall, it was an interesting story, and one that proves the age old wisdom that secrets are never good and harm those who keep them.  

Minerva's story is one that was probably common in the time and place of events. She is married at the age of fourteen and within a couple of months she moves into the mountains of Appalachia. Her husband, Stately, gives her a box to keep hidden and tells her never to say anything about the box to anyone.  

Delano Rankin, or Del, as he preferred to be called, has been put on the trail of the secret box by one of his coworkers.  He is a reporter and believes this box holds a human interest angle that will entice readership. The box is supposed to hold the gold treasure from Stately's employer that he allegedly stole.  

Cindy Sproles does write well.  I appreciated the settings and the characters.  The plot didn't leave me wanting more, but the main characters were likable and believable. Like I said earlier, this book just may have been the wrong book to read for my reading mood.  It happens.  But it will be a great fit for someone else.  Four stars 

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