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.