The British Booksellers by Kristy Cambron

A tenant farmer’s son had no business daring to dream of a future with an earl’s daughter, but that couldn’t keep Amos Darby from his secret friendship with Charlotte Terrington . . . until the reality of the Great War sobered youthful dreams. Now decades later, he bears the brutal scars of battles fought in the trenches and their futures that were stolen away. When the future Earl of Harcourt chose Charlotte to be his wife, she knew she was destined for a loveless match, having given her heart to another long ago. Twenty-five years later, Charlotte remains a war widow who divides her days between her late husband’s declining estate and operating a quaint Coventry bookshop, with Amos nothing more than the rival bookseller across the lane. As war with Hitler looms, Charlotte's daughter is determined to preserve her father’s legacy. So when an American solicitor arrives threatening a lawsuit that could destroy everything they’ve worked so hard to preserve, mother and daughter prepare to fight back. But with devastation wrought by the Luftwaffe’s local blitz terrorizing the skies, battling bookshops—and Amos and Charlotte—must put aside their differences and fight together to help Coventry survive.

Dual timelines can be a bit hit-or-miss for me, since generally I'd prefer two full stories rather than two half-stories that have been pushed together, but when the timelines are about the same people, I'm generally confident that the story will mesh well. However, I struggled through this one. 

Normally I don't have a problem keeping track of details from one timeline to the other, but I spent most of the book thinking I missed something. Sometimes an explanation finally came later--and not just a chapter later, but sometimes over half the book later. In the WWII timeline, I would have thought the reason Jacob is suing Charlotte and Eden to be a fairly important detail, but it's chapters after the subject is introduced that we find out for what. And even then, I never understood why Eden was set to inherit (I have an assumption, but if it was actually spelled out, somehow I missed it). So many things introduced in the WWI timeline don't get real explanations--at best, they're briefly glossed over: the broken cello, Gretna Green, the book arrest, why Charlotte married Will after all. And why the rival bookshops?  Why the supposed animosity (that never actually played out on the page)?

The historical detail is well researched, for both timelines. Amos's role as a veterinary sergeant in WWI, the land girls, the bombing of Coventry--all that was excellent. But the story itself left me with more questions than answers. Maybe I'd have struggled less if it were more linear, or if it didn't have Eden's viewpoint; I didn't dislike her chapters, but they seemed superfluous when Amos and Charlotte were clearly the focus and able to carry the story on their own.

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.

Rocky Road by Becky Wade - Sons of Scandal, book 2

FBI Agent Jude Camden handles every aspect of his job with by-the-book professionalism. There's no reason why his latest assignment—which calls for him to pose as the boyfriend of perfumer Gemma Clare—should be any different. Except Gemma is different. She's creative, bold, and feisty. And as soon as she meets Jude, she wants to loosen him up, wrinkle his perfect shirts, and test every ounce of his towering self-control. The FBI has an iron-clad rule against romances between those working together on operations. Jude's never met a rule he didn't respect. But adhering to this one is going to be tough because, as time goes by, he finds Gemma more and more irresistible. Buckle up! It's going to be a rocky road. 

I don't read a lot of contemporary romances, but Becky Wade is one author I will read every time. I love the humor and emotion that Wade manages to capture. I wasn't too sure of Gemma at first, since she seems like a "rules are meant to be broken" kind of person, but in spite of deriving enjoyment from pushing the envelope (at least where Jude is concerned), she's actually really solid--in faith, responsibility, business, familial relationships. Jude was the best. I loved his self control, his integrity, his still-waters-run-deep personality.

It is absolutely shocking (and I cannot overstate how satisfying) when 1. characters act with integrity even knowing there will be unpleasant consequences (Jude with the FBI); and 2. characters withstand temptation to do something stupid that everyone told them not to do (Gemma and New York). #1 didn't surprise as much, because it's fully within Jude's character as a very straight-laced man of integrity, but I was proud that he stayed true and didn't succumb to the bad impulses that so often plague fictional characters. #2 surprised me exceedingly, because Gemma is impulsive and it would have been within her character to do (idiotic, frustrating, and dangerous, but arguably within character), and it is a cliché to which far too many heroines fall victim. I will long bask in this rare joy of characters who choose the smart thing with short-term pain that will lead toward long-term success, rather than opt for short-term satisfaction with long-term consequences. Author, I salute you.

I greatly look forward to Max's story with the mysterious Sloane.

Sons of Scandal
1. Memory Lane
2. Rocky Road

The Elusive Truth of Lily Temple by Joanna Davidson Politano

Peter Driscoll, an underground investigator to the wealthy, has never met anyone like Lily Temple. The beautiful silent-film actress spins fairy tales and plays frivolous roles in front of the cine-camera, but beneath the costumes and stage makeup is a woman with a quick wit--and a murky past. Peter has been tasked with locating the legendary Briarwood Teardrop, an exquisite sapphire, which Lily wears beneath her gown. In order to stay close to her and hopefully unravel the mystery of her story--and the sapphire--Peter employs Lily's help on a case, which leads to a useful partnership. But as they are investigating together, Peter is also investigating Lily. The closer he gets to the truth, the more danger they face. And the closer he gets to Lily, the clearer it is that he needs her even more than she needs him.

If you love stories and storytelling (think fairy tales, Alice in Wonderland, Peter Pan, A Tale of Two Cities), this is the book for you. Essentially the book is comprised of Lily Temple telling her story, with smaller stories within the story--a bit Arabian Nights-esque (but not quite as convoluted). There's her past, which she doles out in the form of stories (so that one can't be certain which parts are true, until near the end). There's the movie she stars in, which we get installments of throughout the book. And there are other people's stories that she and Peter help complete in his job as an inquiry agent. At the same time, there are also moments that are very allegorical, with pretty unmistakable metaphors of God's love.

The author's writing is as lovely as ever, and its very literary quality enhances the story theme of the book. I wasn't surprised by the twists, but the author did, through Lily's stories, set them up for if one caught onto the right details. My main complaint is that the ending felt a little incomplete--I could have done with an epilogue ensuring that justice was served, rather than what seemed to me a rather ambiguous ending. And the cover looks 2-3 decades in the future, not that it actually impacts the story at all.

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.