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. 

 

Her Only Wish

Her Only Wish is the second book in the "A Season in Pinecraft" series and centers around Betsy Detweiler, one of the original "wallflowers" from the first book of the series.  I liked the premise of the book that instead of making "bucket lists," Betsy was making a "life list."  Her list of things she wanted to accomplish were things that made living life more rewarding and fulfilling.  

I don't know if it was Shelley Shepard Gray's intention, but she created two characters whose parents were the very definition of dysfunctional.  Betsy's parents were helicopter parents who hovered over her every move and tried to control her life, even though she was in her twenties.  August, the golfer who is teaching Betsy to golf, comes from missionary parents who were all about being seen doing the work, and that was their whole identity.  A couple of things happen that bring all this dysfunction to the fore--Betsy has a rather severe asthma attack, and August's father has an accident in Africa that could have cost him his leg.  In both instances, August's and Betsy's parents made unreasonable demands on them and had to be told they were out of line.  Betsy's parents took a hard look at themselves and changed.  They saw the detriment they were causing to Betsy in not allowing her to live her life on her terms.  August's parents expressed their disappointment in him having ideas of his own and not bowing to their every whim. Betsy's parents acted out of love, where August's parents acted out of how things would affect them.  It was a sad situation for them both, at first, but they overcame in incredible ways.  

Shelley has worked in two parallel romances into the novel to give it more life and flair.  It was truly an enjoyable book just right for a rainy afternoon with a cup of hot tea and a cuddly blanket.  Four strong stars. 

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

 

The All American

I had to look through my archives to see if I'd read anything by Susie Finkbeiner and I had read one other book she wrote.  I also found out that I absolutely loved her writing.  Again I am amazed by the way she puts a story together and engrosses the reader from the very first paragraph.  

The All American is a post war, McCarthy era story that takes the reader through the Red Scare of the early 1950s.  It also encompasses the women's professional baseball league and the teams that played throughout Michigan.  Susie also takes the reader on a journey of how people were treated who were falsely accused of being in the Communist Party.  This was an eye opening book to say the least.  

The narrators of the story are two sisters, about four to five years apart in age.  Their individual perspectives bring an element of innocence and wariness both to the tale.  Much of the plot moves by how the girls are affected individually by the false accusations a neighbor levels against her father.  

There are some side characters who lend depth and color to the book and make it all the more endearing. This is a five star book with two thumbs up and a place on the women's baseball (NOT a sissy softball) team.  Susie Finkbeiner writes novels that make her readers think and ponder.  It's a great thing!

The copy I read was supplied by Revell Publishing.  All opinions expressed are solely my own.  

 

The Secret to Happiness

About a month ago, I read and reviewed a novel that talked about how to be happy.  In many respects this is another novel on the same premise.  I don't know if this is a statement about society in general, or if this is the trendy thing to write about.  The Secret to Happiness is the second book in the Cape Cod Creamery series by Suzanne Woods Fisher.  

Imagine, if you will, that you are at the top of your career, but you make a mistake that ends up harming hundreds of people and you lose your job.  Where do you go to lick your wounds?  For Callie, that is to go to your favorite aunt's and just bury yourself in misery. Callie's cousin, Dawn, wishes (in the beginning) that Callie had never shown up.  There's just too much history and it's a history where Dawn always came in second to Callie, no matter what she did.  To get Callie out of her mopes, Dawn makes her go to a class on finding happiness put on by the local community college as an outreach.  The instructor of the class makes her look deep within herself to find the roots of her unhappiness and dig out the things that prevent her from being happy.  

The approach to finding happiness in the two books I read are quite different.  In this book there is a more contemplative approach, whereas in the other one, the approach is more focused on doing things.  I find I am more drawn to the contemplative process that lends itself to finding the ways within herself be be happy regardless of circumstances.  

I thing every reader's favorite character will be Leo the Cowboy.  He is charmingly clueless about social niceties (knocking on doors before entering) while at the same time endearing with the way he gives love so guilelessly.  He is a little surprise for Callie that I wish I could write about here, but it would give away a major plot line of the book.  

I can easily give this book four stars.  It's lighthearted, heart-warming, and fun.  At the same time, it's soul-wrenchingly sad in parts.  There is a lot to understanding where Callie comes from, what motivates her, and how she overcomes some rather grievous circumstances to come out on top. 

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