Tag Archives: Christian Fiction

Love and Revolution

09 Friday Mar 2018

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A refugee assured

 

Lovers of historical fiction will find a new favorite in this story of revolution, adventure, and romance.  A Refuge Assured is a page turner with interesting and flawed characters who come alive as the story unfolds. Green writes around a tense and gory time in French history. In fact, the first few chapters had me googling to remind myself of history I had forgotten. While this book does involve a romance, it is not the focus. The love story of A Refuge Assured  is subtle and slow. There is no instant love, quick romance, and rush to marriage.

I loved getting to know the character of Vivienne Rivard as her life changes drastically in just a few short years.  As the story begins, Vivienne is a lacemaker for Mary Antoinette and the nobility of France.  After the French Revolution begins, Vivienne is forced to flee to America to save her own neck.  Everyone she loves is gone, and she must begin a new life. While there is a hero in this historical tale, Vivienne is a heroine in her own right. I love that Green allows Vivienne to make her own way and have a love story!

If you are an avid historical fiction reader, you will pick up on a connections between this novel and The Lacemaker by Laura Franz.  This connection was hinted at in Frantz’s book in the acknowledgements, which ultimately led me to read A Refuge Assured.  Both books are about 18th century lacemakers. I truly enjoyed both and highly recommend them. I requested a copy of this book from Bethany House Fiction because it was on my must read list. I was not disappointed! Bethany House does not require me to write a positive review. I have not been compensated and all opinions are my own.

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New from Sarah Sundin!

04 Sunday Mar 2018

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the Sea before us

 

This is the very first time I have read a book by Sarah Sundin! I am so glad I discovered her book, The Sea Before Us! It is the first book in her new series Sunrise at Normandy. I typically read 19th century historicals, so this World War II book felt new and interesting to me. This series will follow the lives of three brothers who are each on an unplanned path. The Sea Before Us is about the oldest of the Paxton brothers, Wyatt.  After tragedy strikes his family, Wyatt fleas his life in Texas and eventually joins the war effort in Great  Britain with the U.S. Navy. It is there he meets Dorothy, a Wren in the Royal Navy. While her heart belongs to someone else, Wyatt can’t help his growing affection for Wren.

While this book is definitely a romance, it also is full of substance. There is mystery, love, war, and so much history in this novel. Sundin clearly does her homework before writing. If I had one critique of the book, it would be the amount of technical information included. I got a little lost in all of the Navy speak, but it did not cause me to lose interest.

If you are looking for a new favorite author, you will find one in Sundin. I am anxiously awaiting book two, Sunrise at Normandy. I have also made a list of the other novels by Sundin to read in the meantime. I requested a review copy of this book from its publisher. I have not been compensated and all opinions are my own.

 

 

A Long Awaited New Release!

19 Sunday Nov 2017

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The Sound of Rain

 

After reading Sarah Loudin Thomas’ new book, The Sound of Rain, I find myself ready for a part two! There must be a part two! It has been a long time since I have had the joy of reading a new book from Thomas. I can only hope she is already half finished with the next chapter of this story.

The Sound of Rain is about a West Virginia coal miner, Judd Markley, who survives a near death experience in the bowels of the mountain. He suffers a great loss that leaves him determined to live a different life. Judd finds his way to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina…a stark contrast to his prior existence. It is there he meets the lovely Larkin and begins work as a lumber jack for a timber company.  Both Judd and Larkin are seeking their meant to be life and the thing they were put on this earth to do.  The struggles and triumphs of Judd and Larkin make this book a good read! I highly recommend all of Sarah Loudin Thomas’ novels. I am hoping she continues this story by finding a soul mate for Larkin’s brother, Ben. It would make for a great story!

I am an avid reader of Christian Fiction, but have found after reading countless novels that only a few gifted storytellers exist. I would count Thomas as one of those gifted storytellers. Don’t miss this book or any other title by Sarah Loudin Thomas. I requested this book to review from Bethany House Fiction. I am not required to give a positive review. I have not been been compensated and all opinions are my own.

Lovely Summer Read!

28 Sunday May 2017

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Sweet Magnolias

After reading Celeste Fletcher McHale’s debut novel, The Secret to Hummingbird Cake,  I have been anxiously awaiting her next novel. If you have not read The Secret to Hummingbird Cake, you must! I recommended it to more friends last year than I can remember. This new novel by McHale is also a page turner and an excellent choice for summer reading.

I love the use and reference to the magnolia in this novel. The central character in this book, Jacey, is both strong and soft, much like the magnolia. Jacey suffered PTSD from an experience she had in the flood waters of the Mississippi.  She doesn’t want to remember the terrible day that her life was forever changed, but she also can’t forget.  Mostly, she can’t forget the man she spent three days with during the flood, Colin. They had an instant connection, but somehow in the turmoil of rescue, they lost one another. In this novel, Jacey and Colin try to find their way back to each other.

I enjoyed this book for its southern flair and interesting twists and turns.  Like any good book I read, I managed to finish in just a few late night binges. I didn’t love it quite as much as McHale’s first novel,  but I would definitely recommend it without hesitation. I would have loved a little more page time between Jacey and Colin. Other than that, this book is a must read! I was given a complimentary copy of this book by its publisher and BookLookBloggers.  I was not required to give this book a positive. review. I have not been compensated in any way and all opinions are my own.

 

A New Favorite from Tamera Alexander

25 Wednesday Jan 2017

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a-note-yet-unsung

 

I have had the privilege of reading all three books in Tamera Alexander’s Belmont Mansion series.  This last book, A Note Yet Unsung is without a question my favorite of the three! It was a fantastic ending to a fabulous series!! While this book is third in the series, you could absolutely read it as a stand alone. Tamera Alexander does include characters from the previous books, but in a fun flashback sort of way.

A Note Yet Unsung, is a charming story about a tenacious woman before her time. Rebekah Carrington has arrived home to Nashville from Vienna without money or a safe place to live. She is an extremely talented musician living in a time when women are not invited to participate in symphonies. She soon finds that the city has acquired its own philharmonic with a promising conductor, Nathaniel T. Whitcomb. The war is over and times are changing… perhaps Mr. Whitcomb will offer her an opportunity to live her dream. Her hope for her future rests in hands.

I love the way Tamera Alexander develops this story. There is no love at first sight or unbelievable relationship created. Page by page, Rebekah and Nathaniel get to know one another. I love the amount of page time dedicated to the development of their story. This story is perfection, an easy five stars. I was given a complimentary copy of this book by Netgalley. I was not required to give it a positive review. To be perfectly honest, I was patiently waiting for this book’s release so I could request it. I would have purchased a copy for myself because Tamera Alexander is in my top three must read authors!!

A New Book from Julie Klassen

21 Wednesday Dec 2016

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the-innkeeper-of-ivy-hill

 

I am a long time fan of author Julie Klassen. I have read every book she has written with the exception of The Silent Governess. My favorites include The Secret of Pembrooke Park, The Girl in the Gatehouse, and The Painter’s Daughter.  Klassen’s new novel, The Innkeeper of Ivy Hill, is a bit different than her prior novels. I can’t say that it will make my list of favorites, but it could be a start to an interesting series.

The Innkeeper of Ivy Hill isn’t so much about a single character but about an entire town with a focus on a number of characters.  If you follow period dramas and novels, I would liken the setting to Lark Rise to Candleford with hints of Jane Austen and even the Mitford Series by Jan Karon. Klassen discloses these as inspiration in her Author’s Notes, but I assumed so as I read…especially because of a character named Sir Timothy (Lark Rise to Candleford).

Of all the characters Klassen writes about in this novel, my least favorite was Thora who gets quite a bit of page time. I am pretty sure she was meant to be more like a Dorkus (Lark Rise again) but I couldn’t shake the image of Harriet Olsen from Little House on the Prairie.  Thora is a tough middle aged woman who lacks any gentility and was difficult to pull for in the story. My favorite character, Jane, didn’t get as much page time as Thora. Well, at least it felt that way.  The book begins with Jane and her current predicament of widowhood, looming debt, and an Inn she never really had much to with that is now hers to run. This novel is not about Jane finding love again, or being rescued by anyone but herself.  I’ll admit that I am a sucker for romantic historical fiction and because all romance in this book belongs to Thora…I struggled.

I will read the next book in this series, with hope that I will see some closure for characters I feel like I have come to know. Klassen is still one of my favorite authors, this just wasn’t my favorite book. It took me longer than usual to get through, but I did finish.  I would encourage you to read The Painter’s Daughter to really get why Klassen is such an amazing writer. She really is top notch.  I was given a complimentary copy of this title by its publisher. I was not required to give a positive review. All opinions and thoughts are my own and I have not been compensated.

Book Review: Wild Montana Skies

25 Tuesday Oct 2016

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wild-montana-skies

What I love about every Susan May Warren book I read is her uncanny ability to draw me into a story immediately. In her novels, there is never a hump to get over. You know, the endless stream of details the reader has to get through to get to the story. Warren drops her reader right into the story! Wild Montana Skies is a delightful novel that feels like watching a favorite movie. From the very beginning I was in all the way.

Wild Montana Skies is book one in Susan May Warren’s new Montana Rescue series. I am a big fan of Warren’s and this book lives up to her usual greatness. In this novel, the main story involves two people once in love returning to their home town. They are brought back together by a local emergency and a one tie that can’t be easily broken.  Warren also begins the story of another pair…but leaves us hanging! I do hope that she picks up the story in book 2, Rescue Me. I will be looking forward to it!

I was given a complimentary copy of this book by its publisher, Revell. I was not required to give this book a positive review, or compensated in any way. I recommend this book to both readers young and old. Warren tells a clean love story that is appropriate for girls in their late teens as well as adult readers.

Fun and Flirty Texas Love Story

25 Saturday Apr 2015

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Every Bride needs a Groom

This new book by Janice Thompson is pure fun and perfect for hopeless romantics who watch or read their favorite love stories over and over again. Every Bride Needs a Groom is less than subtle with its Texas overtones and Steel Magnolia type personalities. All of the characters are thick with accents and geographic stereotypes. But these are the reasons it is so charming and enjoyable to read. Because I have lived in Texas, shopped at Brookshire Brothers, and eaten at Sam’s, I know that Janice Thompson hit the mark with her characters. For and added bonus, all of the chapter titles are song titles of the one and only Loretta Lynn.

In Every Bride Needs a Groom, Thompson introduces Katie Fisher who is in love with weddings and gowns and all things bridal. Sadly, her hopes are dashed when her long time boyfriend Casey reveals he has no plans of marriage, but of a new adventure…in another state. Having jumped the gun, Katie entered a contest and won a wedding dress from a top designer and now must claim her prize without a groom or a wedding date.

Her new love interest is an injured professional basketball player whose mama just happens to be the dress designer. I loved this story for the way Thompson follows Katie and Brady (the basketball player). Nothing is rushed or unbelievable in their story. Well…minus the part about a basketball player running a bridal shop. But, this is fiction, and the magic is in the unfathomable happening. I am most excited about being able to continue reading Katie and Brady’s story in Book 2, Every Girl Gets Confused.  

Four and a half stars from this Texas loving reader! I was given a complimentary copy of this book by its publisher in exchange for an honest review. I have not been compensated and all opinions are my own.

JANICE THOMPSON is a seasoned romance author and screenwriter. An expert at pulling the humor from situations we get ourselves into, Thompson offers an inside look at the wedding business, drawing on her own experiences as a wedding planner. She is the author of the hugely popular Weddings by Bella series, the Backstage Pass series, and the Weddings by Design series. She lives in Texas. Learn more at www.janicethomposn.com.

Book Review: Fair Play by Deeanne Gist

29 Saturday Mar 2014

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Fair PlayDeeanne Gist has become one of my favorite authors to read. She writes these fun, romantic, suspenseful, historical fiction dramas magnificently. There is a short list of authors I read with frequency, and she is on it.  Fair Play is a title I will read again because it a great story with interesting characters. I loved it as much as I adored Love on the Line and A Bride Most Begrudging.

Fair Play takes place at the Chicago World’s Fair in 1893. Billy Jack Tate is a determined female doctor who is looking to make her way in the field of medicine. She is feisty, but still very much a lady. She has just hung her shingle, but hasn’t had much of a reception because medicine is a man’s world. Billy soon meets a handsome stranger who also happens to be a Texas Ranger. He is Hunter Scott and is the definition of a man’s man. They are an unlikely pair. Hunter discovers an abandoned baby at the fair and looks to Billy for help. His discovery takes the two of them down an unexpected path. Together, they work to bring life to one of the poorest neighborhoods in Chicago. At the same time, feelings grow between them.

This book is definitely a must read for lovers of historical fiction. It tugs at heart-strings with weightier matters but will also cause you to laugh out loud. I was given a complimentary copy of this book by its publisher and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.  I have offered my honest opinion without compensation.