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.