Wednesday, June 30, 2021
"Come Back to Me" by Jody Hedlund - Waters of Time, book 1
Wednesday, June 23, 2021
"The Heart's Charge" by Karen Witemeyer--Hanger's Horsemen, book 2
I always enjoy Karen Witemeyer's books. The humor, the heart-felt story, the loveable characters. For a book with four protagonists, I found it nicely balanced between the four perspectives; I didn't feel that one couple was given preference over the other. And I liked that it was truly one story--not a different plot thread for each couple, but rather a cohesive whole, with everyone working together for a common goal.
The multi-racial cast was very well done. Jonah and Eliza were well thought out in how they were portrayed; they don't feel like white characters of a different color. They don't react the same way as their white comrades. They often compensate for the expected prejudice, and Jonah especially is careful to avoid situations that could be misconstrued. He doesn't let Mark run the show--he chooses to interact with local lawmen regardless of the prejudice he might encounter. But he is careful in what he says, how he reacts, and who he is willing to be alone with.
Over all, a fun story!
Thank you Bethany House and NetGalley for the complimentary e-book. I was not required to write a positive review, and all opinions are my own.
Hanger's Horsemen
1. At Love's Command
2. The Heart's Charge
3. In Honor's Defense
Wednesday, June 16, 2021
"On the Cliffs of Foxglove Manor" by Jaime Jo Wright
Present day: Kailey Gibson is a new nurse's aide at a senior home in a renovated old stone manor. Kidnapped as a child, she has nothing but locked-up memories of secrets and death, overshadowed by the chilling promise from her abductors that they would return. When the residents of Foxglove start sharing stories of whispers in the night, hidden treasure, and a love willing to kill, it becomes clear this home is far from a haven. She'll have to risk it all to banish the past's demons, including her own.
Wednesday, June 9, 2021
Bethany Turner's "Plot Twist"
This was a fun story, with the feel of a classic rom-com, yet it's also subverted: meet-cutes and plot devices that one would expect to follow the classic patterns don't always. There were definitely twists I didn't see coming (and some I did), but one of the biggest twists on a rom-com is that this is as much a story about friendship as it is romance. Olivia's long-term friendship with Fiona is one of the most important things in her life, and regardless of the pain it may cause her, she will put their friendship first--even before love.
I enjoyed that the book took place almost entirely on February 4th each year over a decade; it reminded me a bit of the film Groundhog's Day, with Olivia's inability to escape the "curse" of weirdly coincidental encounters each year. She makes some selfish decisions, some selfless decisions, and sometimes has no idea how to react to the weirdness. Over all, I quite enjoyed it. It was clean and funny, tugged the heartstrings, and was a welcome diversion from a particularly busy season!
Thank you Thomas Nelson and NetGalley for the complimentary e-book. I was not required to write a positive review, and all opinions are my own.
Wednesday, June 2, 2021
"Paint and Nectar" by Ashley Clark - Heirloom Secrets, book 2
In 1929, a spark forms between talented watercolorist Eliza and William, a charming young man who has been hired to forge her popular paintings. Her aunt makes it clear Eliza should stay away from him because of a feud over missing heirloom silver. But the source of the rivalry was long ago, and the two fall in love. William regrets the job that desperation led him to take and their families' ongoing bitterness, but setting things right comes at a cost. In present-day Charleston, Lucy Legare has just inherited an old house along with all the secrets it holds, possibly including an old silver heirloom. Declan Pinckney is determined to buy the house for his family's development company. But as Lucy uncovers secrets about the house, garden, and silver, she becomes more determined than ever to preserve the historic Charleston property, not only for history's sake but also for her own.
As is often the case with two storylines, I confess to finding myself more invested in one than the other--in this case, the historical timeline more than the contemporary. How can one resist a forger falling in love with the artist he's forging? I was actually quite surprised by how their story turned out, especially given the way facts revealed in the contemporary timeline made things appear for a while!
I did struggle to understand the exact connections between storylines. It's probably more my fault than the author's--I was pretty exhausted when I read the book (and fell asleep for a while about a third of the way in), and I suspect it strongly affected my comprehension. I also might have been more invested if I knew anything about Charleston or antique silver. But as an artist who loves botanicals, I most certainly appreciated Eliza's occupation and subject matter!
I enjoyed all the connections to The Dress Shop on King Street--while I don't think one would have to read that book first, there are a lot more connections than I anticipated between the two stories. It makes me wonder if book 3 will be so thoroughly intertwined as well! I recognized a bit of set-up for it, especially near the end.
Thank you Bethany House and NetGalley for the complimentary e-book. I was not required to write a positive review, and all opinions are my own.
Heirloom Secrets
1. The Dress Shop on King Street
2. Paint and Nectar