Forged in Love

Stage coach robberies, snake bites, kidnapping, murder, and general mayhem.  That about sums up this book. It is listed as historical romance sprinkled liberally with humor.  I didn't find that many funny parts to the book.  It wasn't a heavy read, in fact, it was rather light reading.  It doesn't take a lot of brain power to keep up with the plot.  It just didn't have any laugh-out-loud moments for me.  

Mary Connealy writes historical romance that is pretty light-hearted, for the most part, but I did not find this book as compelling as others I've read by her.  I will say this, it was a welcome read following a book I had just finished that was more engrossing and darker in theme.  

Mariah is on her way back home from a funeral that she attended with her father and brother.  When the Dead Eye Gang attacks the stage coach she is on, she alone survives the onslaught.  Now she is the target for the Gang when they find out she is still alive.  They have a habit of never leaving survivors of their assaults. 

Clint is the owner of the diner whose culinary skills are beyond the simple palates of the residents of  Pine Valley, Wyoming.  Well, actually, they like the food, just not the high-falutin' sounding names.  But Clint has a thing for Mariah and when danger comes her way, he wants to be her protector.  

The women who populate this book as Mariah's friends are strong women in their own right, just like Mariah is. They provide some spark and some grit all at the same time.  

Overall, I'd give this book four stars.  Entertaining, not very deep, but that fills a need for a light read. 

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

 

A Brighter Dawn

This was one of those books that isn't read for entertainment, but more for contemplation.  Between modern day and the days leading up to World War II, the narrative takes on an air of mystery with the death of Ivy's parents and her paternal grandparents trying to rekindle a relationship with Ivy and her sisters.  This book is based in fact which gives a much darker picture of Europe under Hitler's regime.  There are surprise elements that make it so satisfying to read.  

The World War II narrative is told through Ivy's cousin, who tells it as an oral history that had been passed to her.  The details of the story bring to the fore some of the darker events of the war, particularly the role Mengele played.  It was a significantly ugly time in history, detailing the lengths men's depravity will go. 

Because of Ivy's sister's reaction to the accident that killed their parents, Ivy believes there was a more sinister implication to the  situation.  After the case is closed, Ivy still digs until she comes up with an answer that truly satisfies her and helps her sister heal from the trauma. 

The plot moves from Oregon to Pennsylvania to Germany back to Oregon and Pennsylvania.  Each setting plays a role in moving the plot from one scene to the next and adds to the depth of the narrative. 

There isn't much romance in the novel, it is more historical in nature, but it is also a coming of age novel where the characters grow and mature into adulthood and all that implies.  Leslie Gould has done her due diligence in researching the events she describes. While it is disturbing to read about these events, it is necessary.  That is why I give this book five stars. 

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

 

Two to Tango

I didn't like this book by Kathleen Fuller nearly as much as I liked the other books in the series.  The setting is wonderfully easy to imagine place for me, even though it is a fictional town, there are many references to real towns that I know personally.  

The issues I had with this book were the characters--a boundary-stomping, entitled mother named Karen, the match-making Bosom Buddies, a weak-spined son named Kingston, and a mousy Olivia.  Karen was the epitome of all the Karen memes across the internet. The Bosom Buddies, or the BBs, went into overdrive in their meddling match-making.  Kingston was just the mama's boy who couldn't say no until someone said no to him quite forcefully, finally making him take an intense look at himself to see who he really was and how spineless he actually was.  Olivia  was the librarian and content to just let life move around her without much of involvement from her.  I think the only character who knew his own mind and what he really wanted was Jasper, the retired hardware clerk.  

I really wanted to like the book more and to have an entertaining read, but I was disappointed.  The ending of the book ties up all the loose ends and the characters see their true needs and address them, but some characters take responsibilities that are not theirs to carry.  It just wasn't a great read for me and was a disappointment after the others in the series were, in my mind, so much better. Two Stars.

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

Ladies of the Lake

Addie has been orphaned and her older brother doesn't want her around, so he makes arrangements to send her to a girls' boarding school in Connecticut.  Addie's first friend is Dorothy, or Dot, as she likes to be called. Two more friends follow soon after, Ruth and Susannah.  Addie's first nemesis is Mildred, who takes great delight in tormenting Addie and enslaving her. 

This book is a dual time novel surrounding both world wars and events that happened in between.  This is a hard book to read, not because of the dual time, but because of the depth of the plot lines.  I am not saying it shouldn't be read, I am saying it takes concentration and contemplation and the reward is incredibly satisfying.  

One of the events that plays a major part in the book is the Halifax Explosion of 1917.  This is an actual historical event that the author used to propel the plot.  

After Addie graduated from the girls' school, she became an assistant teacher there, until she caught some girls from the school tormenting some of the men in town with white feathers (symbol of cowardice), especially targeting one man who was developmentally delayed, but he knew enough to understand what they were saying.  Because the girls perpetrating this act of bullying were daughters of important people to the school, they were believed over Addie.  When the man commits suicide, and their actions come to light, Addie is brought back to the school to teach, but only until her brother's wife has their baby.  In the days following the baby's birth, the explosion happens and for all intents and purposes, Addie is dead.  The other girls in Addie's friend group from the school still got together periodically and renewed their friendship and mourned Addie. 

There were some events that happened in the book that make me sit back and wonder about my own family and the  hardships they might have gone through because of the anti-German sentiments.  

Some of the tension in the plot revolves around Addie and Dorothy loving the same man, and eventually around the secrets Dorothy held from those she loved.  As the plot starts to wind up, it seems to me that Cathy Gohlke, the author, pushed some of the elements to tie up the loose ends of the plot.  It was the only area where I felt the story was forced.  It was definitely hard to put down and I did lose sleep over finishing it.  Actually, the writing was excellent for the most part.  I've truly enjoyed every book by Cathy that I've read.  This is certainly a four star book, and I would read it again. 

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

 

Windswept Way

Hope Harbor is a fictional town on the Oregon Coast and it is one of those places where everyone knows everyone else and newcomers are quickly assimilated into the warp and woof of the town, because that is what the native residents do, they accept.  Windswept Way is the newest novel  in this series by Irene Hannon.  Some authors' writings become trite and trope-ish the further they go into a series.  Irene stays fresh.  It's inspiring.  Also, Irene didn't use the "Romance Novel Formula" in writing this book 

This particular book is a bit of a Beauty and the Beast vibe with a scarred vet and a beautiful woman who has a few inner scars that don't show to the outside world.  This book has much to recommend it. There are characters from previous novels in the series, but their stories are not necessarily integral to this particular tale.  The setting of an old Victorian home right on the coast is just magical.  Ashley is a woman everyone would love!  She is able to see beneath the surface and find the real person there.  She is good at drawing out the reclusive Rose into a more public persona.  I absolutely loved how Irene wove the rumors of a haunted house into Rose being the eighty year old instigator of the rumor.  It was a touch of humor that was unexpected, but, oh so welcome!   Jon is a great protagonist, well-educated, and talented.  His heart of gold is revealed in the fact that he hires ex-cons in his landscaping business, believing everyone needs a second chance. 

Jon's sister, Laura, and Ashley's mother are two characters I liked least.  Laura's match-making and Ashley's mother's elitism are both turn-offs for me.  But that is the role those particular characters were meant to fill and they did it well. 

There is a realism in the way the weather plays a part in the novel and creates a bit of tension to move the plot along.

This is a hard book to put down and do other stuff.  But other stuff will always be there, the time to read is always right now!  😍

Five Stars, Two Thumbs Up, and an old Victorian House on the coast for your next event.

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

 

Second Time Around

Melody Carlson writes such fun books, that any time one of hers comes up on my potential reading list, I jump at the chance to read it. This fits that exact mold of being a fun read! 

Mallory has inherited her grandmother's tourist shop and thinks about selling it until she finds that the buyer wants to tear it down and build a strip mall.  That's something Mallory can't abide.  The fly in the ointment is that the buyer, who is also a contractor, is Mallory's high school crush.  

This book has all kinds of characters: the entitled people, clueless men, the supportive people, the unhinged people, and the true friends.  Some of the funniest characters are Mallory's Aunt Cindy and cousins Valerie and Marie.  They just KNOW that Granny meant for them to have the shop and that Mallory usurped it from them. When Mallory details all the repairs that needed to be done and at what cost, they slink away saying that Mallory can keep the shop.  

Melody has such a unique writing style that brings the readers into the world she is creating through her words and makes them feel at home.  With the undertones of this book being about home design and décor, the readers are doubly comfortable while reading this book.  

The setting of the quaint coastal town and the also quaint tourist shop are only enhancers to the novel.  Readers can easily imagine themselves in the thick of the action and enjoying the town's amenities. 

This is a five star book with two thumbs up and a multicolored apartment to refurbish. 

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

 

Across the Shores

 

All of these stories are tied together with one necklace made from a gold nugget found in Australia.  On the pendant cross is inscribed Philippians 4:13--"I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me."  The four women in these stories spanning time and generations are in conundrums that would bring weaker beings down.  

In the first, Josephine has lost all of her family except one brother who doesn't want her.  She had accompanied another brother, Elias, to the Australian gold fields and met his friend, who was the leader of the mining operation.  When Elias dies, Josephine has nowhere to go. until Elias' friend, Daniel, makes a way for her.  From the last nugget they found, Daniel has a necklace created for Josephine.  This is the necklace that gets passed from generation to generation.  

Caroline Wilkins is Josephine's niece, and she's running away from her father who wants to tie her up into an abusive marriage for business gain.  She suffered some burns at the man's hands, and yet her father doesn't care.  When she is injured again during a train strike, the man who rescues her takes her to his home where his mother and sister nurse her back to health.  Her original intent was to go to England to stay with her Aunt Josephine, but her rescuer has other intentions for her. 

Anna Kohler is living with her brother in Canada because he is trying to escape the law for something he did in Montana.  The only fly in the ointment is the North West Mounted Police officer who is their nearest neighbor. When her brother's crimes finally catch  up to him, Anna gives him the necklace as a way to show she loves him, and more than that, God loves him.  

Lauren lives on Ocracoke Island with her younger sister.  Her father was killed in an accident and her brother has left on a merchant marine ship.  She and her sister are trying to make ends meet and keep the house going, so when the opportunity to take in two women working for the Army, Lauren jumps at it because it will bring in a bit more money.  A monkey wrench thrown into the works happens when one of the girls is pregnant and says Lauren's brother is the father.  The Coast Guard officer who is overseeing much of the work on the island helps Lauren out  when they find that the ship her brother was on was sunk and he is not among the five survivors of the ship.  He eventually finds her a job working for his office.  This was my favorite among the four novellas.  I've read several novellas and full length novels by the author and her writing always leaves me satisfied.  

Barbour Books  has an endearing habit of pulling authors together to create collections to make a cohesive whole.  Some of the tales were a little harder than others to read because the plot moved a bit slower, but overall it is a four star collection.  

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

The Secret Book of Flora Lea

 Hazel and Flora Lea were evacuated to northern England during the war and taken in by a lovely woman and her son.  This was the story of many children during World War II in Britain because of Hitler's bombing raids on the major cities.  If there was any hope of the children surviving, they would have to be moved to a safer place.  

Hazel would make up fairy tales to tell Flora to help comfort her in the dark days of the war.  When Flora goes missing, Hazel shut herself off from those stories and the places she created in her mind.  Years later, she comes across a book that is a retelling of many of her stories leading her to believe that her sister is still alive.  She starts a compulsive search for Flora including contacting the author and the publisher of the book,  She goes back to the place where she'd been evacuated to, enlists the help of the people she lived with, and even goes to the detective in charge of the investigation from when Flora disappeared.  This incessant search ruins her job, her relationship with her boyfriend, and almost her sanity.  

Patti Callahan Henry has juxtaposed Hazel's and Flora's story during the war with Hazel's search some fifteen years later.  When Flora is finally found, it is rather surprising to Hazel as to who she is.  The circumstances and situations that brought Hazel and Flora back together were completely unexpected.  I dearly love when I cannot predict where the author is going with a story.  There were a couple of characters I absolutely did not like, but that's to be expected in any book.  Most readers of The Secret Book of Flora Lea won't like them either.  They were not written to be likable, but they were necessary to fill out the tapestry of the story to bring more color and more contrast to the plot. 

This is a five star book, with two thumbs up, and one significantly identifiable birth mark.  

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