Welcome to the Honey B&B

Melody Carlson writes books with a light-hearted hand, but this one is a bit more serious and true-to-life.  At the end of the book she tells her readers that this comes from a place in her heart that makes the story more real and deeper than some of her others.  This depth creates a thoughtful story that touches the soul. 

At the heart of this novel is CT, a man suffering from Frontotemporal Dementia.  It's a devastating illness because the sufferer knows something is wrong but can't do anything about it. CT's hobby has been keeping bees and when his daughter and granddaughter came to help his wife, his granddaughter picked up his hobby of keeping bees. 

Welcome to the Honey B&B really delves into some real-life situations and gives them a humane treatment.  While the book is promoted as a romance, what little romance there is, is understated and quite quiet.  

This is the best Melody Carlson book I've read.  It presents real struggles with real personalities. This is  a five-star book, with two thumbs up, and a honeybee hive. 

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

 

Second Chance at Sunshine Inn

I have liked the books that Amy Clipston has written because they are not too heavy for the reader.  Her books are great entertainment for a mental escape. 

Everleigh has inherited half of a B&B with a handyman her godmother had hired to do odd jobs around the Inn.  Everleigh wants to sell it and start a non-profit to help parents with critically ill babies.  Cade, the handyman, wants to keep the B&B and run it.  He comes to a compromise with Everleigh that if she can sell it to someone who will run it as a B&B instead of tearing it down and developing it he will consider selling it. She cannot use a realtor, nor sell it to a developer, and he has ultimate veto power on which offer she accepts.  AND there is a time limit on the sale. There are shady folks who make offers or ingratiate themselves to Everleigh as a way to get past her defenses. The people she thinks are friends are actually sheep in wolves' clothing.  The more Everleigh and Cade work together, the closer they become.  

This is a feel-good book once you get past all of the villains who wish to destroy what Everleigh's godmother has built up.  A gamut of emotions rolls through the book and reels the reader in from the beginning to the end.  A strong Four Star book.

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

 

The Collector of Burned Books

 Corrine Bastien lives in the building next to the library of books that Germany has the books consigned to be burned by Hitler.  Christian Bauer has been sent by Goebbels to oversee the library and secure the books that are missing from the shelves. While Christian does not adhere to Hitler's beliefs, he is still somewhat a person to be feared in Corrine's eyes.  

Roseanna M White has cobbled together a group of characters who add small sparks of life here and there, but the book still falls a bit flat for me.  The plot moved a bit too slowly for me and it wasn't until the last quarter of the book that the pacing finally hit its mark.  Some of the characters were easy to dislike--maybe, even hate. Some of the characters were so very likable, and some were just space fillers while others were there just to bully people around. Corrine did develop depth throughout the book, which I appreciated.  Christian had a heart from the beginning but didn't show it until later on in the book. 

This wasn't my favorite book but it did give a glimpse into life in Paris under German rule during World War II. This is something we need to be reminded of so that we don't repeat history.   Four Stars.

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