"Turn to Me" by Becky Wade - Mist River Romance, book 3

Guilt has defined Luke Dempsey's life, but it was self-destructiveness that landed him in prison. When his friend and fellow inmate lay dying shortly before Luke's release, the older man revealed he left a string of clues for his daughter, Finley, that will lead her to the treasure he's hidden. Worried that she won't be the only one pursuing the treasure, he gains Luke's promise to protect her until the end of her search. Spunky and idealistic, Finley Sutherland is the owner of an animal rescue center and a defender of lost causes. She accepts Luke's help on the treasure hunt while secretly planning to help him in return--by coaxing him to embrace the forgiveness he's long denied himself. As they draw closer to the final clue, their reasons for resisting each other begin to crumble, and Luke realizes his promise will push him to the limit in more ways than one. He'll do his best to shield Finley from unseen threats, but who's going to shield him from losing his heart?

4.5 stars  Luke is definitely the star of this book. He was perfectly broody and intense, though his stern complaints could be quite amusing, especially when they ran contrary to his actions (particularly with a certain non-housebroken puppy). He's still very broken from the loss of his brother, for which he blames himself. I liked the consideration the author put into him as a recent convict, with things like his struggles to fill his time after a super-regimented stint in prison, his need for a regimented schedule. Both Luke and Finley are well fleshed-out. I enjoyed that while they are in most things wildly different, Luke and Finley are markedly similar in their response to grief and loss.

The treasure hunt was a fun part of the book, with a treasure I was not remotely expecting. I'm glad Ben finally gets a happy ending, though I'd have preferred it if Ben could have had his own book (and then we could have gotten to know Akira a lot better).

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.

Misty River Romance
0.5: Take a Chance on Me (prequel novella)
1. Stay With Me
2. Let It Be Me
2.5: You and Me (novella)
3. Turn to Me

"The Souls of Lost Lake" by Jaime Jo Wright

Wren Blythe has long enjoyed being among the Northwoods, helping her father with programming at a youth camp. But when a little girl in the area goes missing, an all-out search ensues, reviving the decades-old campfire story of Ava Coons, the murderess, who still roams the woods. Joining the search, Wren stumbles upon the Coons cabin ruins and a rotting porcelain doll. But even more terrifying is seeing her name etched on the doll's foot like a sinister omen. In 1930, Ava Coons has spent the last ten years carrying the mantle of mystery since she emerged from the forest as an eight-year-old girl, spattered with blood, dragging a logger's axe. She has accepted she'll never remember what happened to her family. When a member of the town of Tempter's Creek is murdered, rumors spread that Ava's secret is more malicious than previously imagined. Both women discover that to save the innocent, they must face an insidious evil.

I don't know anyone who can craft a creepy, suspenseful novel like Jaime Jo Wright, and the fact that she manages it with two different--yet wholly intertwined--story lines makes it all the more impressive. This book is no exception. Everything is so perfectly balanced between the two story lines, and I love how they so often mirror each other below the surface. 

I enjoy Tolkien, and this has a surprising--and creepy and fun--Lord of the Rings twist that I never saw coming. There are numerous references to the stories as well, thanks to Wren's (aka Arwen's) Tolkien-obsessed father. I found Ava herself, though she has been accused of murder and is in danger herself, to be a source of humor in the past timeline. She has a very direct way of speaking with Preacher Pritchard that tends to shock him, yet made me smile. Both the preacher and Eddie (modern timeline) were wonderful.

It's a spectacularly creepy suspense, but with highly moving moments and hints of romance. Highly recommended!

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.

"The Master Craftsman" by Kelli Stuart

In 1917, Alma Pihl, a master craftsman in The House of Fabergé, was charged to protect one of the greatest secrets in Russian history--an unknown Fabergé Egg that Peter Karl Fabergé secretly created to honor his divided allegiance to both the people of Russia and the Imperial Czar's family. When Alma and her husband escaped Russia for their native Finland in 1921, she took the secret with her, guarding her past connection to the Romanov family. Three generations later, world-renowned treasure hunter Nick Laine is sick and fears the secret of the missing egg will die with him. With time running out, he entrusts the mission of retrieving the egg to his estranged daughter, Ava, who has little idea of the dangers she is about to face. As the stakes are raised, Ava is forced to declare her own allegiance--and the consequences are greater than she could have imagined. This modern-day treasure hunt transports you into the opulent and treacherous world of the Russian Revolution to unearth mysteries long buried.

I love the subject matter--a treasure hunt related to the Russian Revolution? Super exciting! And the author has really done her research for this book. I kept pausing my reading to look up images of the Fabergé eggs described and fact-check about Alma Pihl and Fabergé's lives. It's stunning the research that went into the historical aspects of this novel (though the missing egg is presumably fictional). The past timeline is more about Fabergé himself and the eggs than Alma, but it was a unique aspect of the end of imperial Russia and the revolution that I hadn't heard about (and I took a class devoted solely to the Russian Revolution in college).

As much as I enjoyed learning new bits of history and the treasure hunt aspect, I struggled to like Ava. I just didn't relate to her personality or what drove her. Her mom is great, though, and I love that she got to take part in the treasure hunt too.

A few notes for those looking to get a better handle on the story:

• It's not a romance in either timeline
• It's not heavily suspenseful, but it increases in the latter part of the book
• There isn't actually any faith thread to the story, though I could see an argument for allegory (there's a fair amount of discussion on what makes art valuable, and the role of a master craftsman; I honestly expected it to be applied to God, as there was an easy comparison there, but it didn't go that far).

Thank you Revell and NetGalley for the complimentary e-book. I was not required to write a positive review, and all opinions are my own.