Morgan L Busse's "Mark of the Raven" - exciting new fantasy!

Lady Selene, heir to the Great House of Ravenwood, has awakened into her powers, the long-thought-eradicated ability to enter dreams. But as she learns, her ability extends beyond seeing within a persons dreams--she can use their dreams to spy or destroy them. When a summit of all the heads of the Great Houses convenes at Ravenwood, Selene is tasked with assassinating the man prophesied with destruction of her House, but can she destroy the one who also has also been prophesied to bring peace and hope to their nation?

It's a mark of a good story when upon finishing, you want to begin reading it all over again (that is, if book 2 isn't readily available to read instead). Which leads me to the point, by far the worst thing about this book is that book 2 isn't available RIGHT NOW. Not that it's a cliffhanger per say, but that ending! I really, really want to know what happens next!

I have to admit, I've had a hard time finding new fantasy novels that meet my [probably fairly high] standards. There are a lot of intriguing stories out there, but it's hard to find ones that are both clean and captivating, complex yet not compromised. They don't have to be light and sugary sweet to meet my standards (though that's fun on occasion too)--I can handle dark deeds and poor choices, just so long as they grow and eventually choose Right. Mark of the Raven is pretty dark--Selene is basically being trained as an assassin. But even so, there's light, there's hope, and we know that Selene can be so much more than her training allows so long as she chooses Right. A lot of this book is setting up for great things to come, and I can't wait to see how Selene grows and transforms throughout the series. And it is both clean and captivating, complex yet uncompromised.

Earlier this year Patrick W Carr's Darkwater Saga showed me what Christian fantasy could be--allegorical, yes, but wrapped up in such an intriguing, layered story that the allegory only enhances the story (even for me, someone who isn't all that fond of allegory). The Ravenwood Saga looks to be of the same vein (but written in a more feminine hand). I can't wait read the next!

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.

Ravenwood Saga
1. Mark of the Raven
2. Flight of the Raven
3. Cry of the Raven

Artwork by Rachael Koppendrayer, 2018

The Christmas Heirloom Novella Collection by Hunter, Witemeyer, Thomas, and Wade

If I'm going to read a novella collection, I love it to be like this--when authors that I am familiar with work together to create a collection with overarching tie-ins and themes, yet each bring their unique voice to the collection. The stories are all tied together by the heirloom brooch being handed down through the generations, yet each story is wildly different (and each heroine reacts differently to the lore of the brooch!). Each story is solidly a romance, yet each one has that mother--or mother figure--relationship that is integral to the tale. Christmas is a tie-in too, of course. Christmas stories don't really do much for me, but for the most part I didn't notice the Christmas theme--it's more that the stories happen to take place around Christmastime (which to me is just as good as any other time of the year); they aren't centered on the holiday.

"Legacy of Love" by Kristi Ann Hunter: I just love everything she writes. A good half of it is her writing style, but her sense of humor, the heartfelt, touching moments that even in such a short story are powerful enough to bring tears--she gets it just right every time.

"Gift of the Heart" by Karen Witemeyer: The problem with including children in a story is that they tend to steal the show, and Naomi is adorable, both sweet and wise for one so young, as she demonstrates in her unreserved love Beauregard, even before he (by worldly standards) earns it. But the romance is sweet too. Really, Bo is just plain sweet and not at all the stereotypical wealthy tycoon one would expect.

"A Shot at Love" by Sarah Loudin Thomas: This one felt the most different to me, partly because Fleeta is a sharp-shooting tomboy with no need for romance, and partly because I simply haven't read many stories that take place in the 1950's; it took a bit to wrap my head around the time period. I liked it, though; I really liked how Hank is able to respect Fleeta's well-honed abilities, yet not overlook her femininity just because she shoots and dresses like a man.

"Because of You" by Becky Wade: Again, an author whose writing style I love. Love the humor, love the ties to the Bradford Sisters series, and I loved the tender story of navigating grief while moving on to something new.


Related novels:

Haven Manor by Kristi Ann Hunter
0.5: "A Search for Refuge" (free prequel e-novella)
1. A Defense of Honor

2. A Return of Devotion
3. A Pursuit of Home 
3.5: "Legacy of Love" (published in The Christmas Heirloom novella collection)

A Sound of Rain by Sarah Loudin Thomas

Bradford Sisters Romances by Becky Wade:
0.5: "Then Came You" (prequel novella)
1. True to You
2. Falling for You
2.5 "Because of You" (published in The Christmas Heirloom Novella Collection)
3. Sweet on You

Connilyn Cossette's "Shelter of the Most High" - Cities of Refuge, book 2

Captured by marauders, Sofea and her cousin are taken from Sicily to Canaan, where they end up in Kedesh, a city of refuge. Eitan has lived in the city most of his life, haunted by a childhood tragedy and unable to leave lest his life be forfeit. When the two foreign women are brought into Eitan's home, Sofea catches his eye immediately. As she adapts to the new culture and new language, Sofea begins to appreciate her new home and the possibility of love with Eitan. But when trouble takes her out of the gates, will he be able to follow?

I don't read a lot of biblical fiction, but I definitely appreciate Connilyn Cossette's stories, and I especially enjoy these that are taking place in that little-known time period in the transition from Joshua to Judges.

I tend to forget that people inhabited a lot more of the world in old testament times than just the Middle East, and I enjoyed starting the story out in Sicily. This book, through Sophea's eyes, makes it clear just how wildly different Israel was from the pagan nations around the world, just what a difference the true God can make in the lives of a nation, even when some in the nation who are turning away from God.

I was afraid Eitan would be more bitter than he was; thankfully, it's more that he wants to make a difference in the world and chafes at his restraints. He's still the sweet boy from the previous book, except all grown up. It was really interesting reading about someone who has taken the Nazirite vow and upheld it (unlike the the classic example of disobedience to it, Samson). I also really enjoyed the relationship between Sofea and her cousin Prezi as they take turns upholding each other.

A good portion of the conflict in this story is a direct result of what happened in the previous book, yet it stands on its own surprisingly well, maybe because a good dozen years have passed between books. And after reading this book, I am not too surprised about who the main characters of the next book will be . . . in another dozen or so years (book time, not real time).

And Shelter of the Most High is the winner of the 2019 CHristy Award for Best Historical Fiction!

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.

Cities of Refuge
1. A Light on the Hill
2. Shelter of the Most High
3. Until the Mountains Fall (July 2019)

Irene Hannon's "Hidden Peril" - Code of Honor, book 2

Kristin Dane's fair trade shop features products from all around the world, geared toward making the world a better place. But as  people connected to the shop are brutally murdered, Kristin--with good reason--begins fearing for her life, relying on Detective Luke Carter to keep her safe.

I love the relationship Kristin has with her two best friends; the boys are wonderfully protective and brother-like. It's refreshing to see that friend relationship portrayed without sexual tension between her and the boys--just mutual love and respect.

Though he's not a major character, I liked Yusef Bishara and the choice he makes--it's much better than watching him give in to blackmail and travel down a road of self-destruction, which is what I was afraid would happen. Impressively, the main villain was both incredibly smart and sensible--it's actually pretty impressive that they figure out his identity. It was fun having such an intelligent villain, even if he was easy to peg pretty early on (for me as a reader, anyway. In their shoes, I would probably still be hunting high and low with no hope of figuring out his identity).

Terrorists aren't my favorite suspense subject, though antiquities smuggling is fascinating--especially when done so cleverly as in this book. It was a great surprise that characters from an older series managed to get roped into this book (being as it takes place in their territory, crime-wise); crossovers are always fun, especially when one is familiar with the guests!

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.

Code of Honor
1. Dangerous Illusions
2. Hidden Peril

"The Reluctant Warrior" by Mary Connealy

Former cavalry officer Cameron Scott came to fetch his daughter and nephew from the people who rescued them from a wagon train massacre, but since arriving, nothing has gone right. First, he has been snowed in with them for the entire winter; second, the children are still terrified of him, even months later; and third, he's pretty sure that pretty Gwen Harkness is trying to keep them. Which is not far from the truth--Gwen is definitely reluctant to give up these children she loves as her own. But when a murdering dry-gulcher descends on the ranch and Cam gets injured, he ends up in Gwen's care, where he learns just why children love her so much. But will she love him back?

This book picks up shortly after the first book leaves off--a couple months later, but everyone is still solidly snowed in for the winter, and the situation from the end of book one hasn't really changed. Thus I highly recommend starting with book 1, as they are quite interconnected.

Some days one just needs a lighthearted story where the good guys are good (though definitely not perfect), the bad guys are bad (and through some soul-searching, this villain determines that yes, he just really likes being bad [I rather liked that about him]), and there's just enough romance to sweeten the story.

I rather liked Cameron and wanted to defend him, even when he wasn't right. He might be a bossy grouch, but there's no denying his love and heartbreak for his children, and that absolutely tilted the scales in his favor. I can understand Gwen's reluctance to give them to him; he really has no concept of how to deal with kids. But as they begin to work together to connect him and the kids, there are some really sweet moments.

This book clearly sets up the next, and I look forward to Penny and John's story! It was fun getting to know them a bit in this book, and should be even more fun seeing what trouble they get into!

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.

High Sierra Sweethearts
1. The Accidental Guardian
2. The Reluctant Warrior
3. The Unexpected Champion

Cara Putman's "Delayed Justice"

Wounded as a child, criminal defense attorney Jaime Nichols has finally gathered the courage to do something about it. But when she takes that first step of pressing charges, she finds herself attacked on multiple fronts. Her mentor ropes her into a case that hits too close to home, but also throws her together with her neighbor Chandler Bolton, a veteran whose therapy dog--when not terrorizing her cat--proves vital to helping victims cope with trauma. Will she be able to move past the trauma of her own past to help a wounded child?

I guess I never actually read the blurb on what this book is about--just having read the other books in the series, I went straight into it. I didn't expect the theme of child molestation--one of those subjects that may not be taboo, but is definitely 'handle-with-care'--but to my [to be fair, naive] eyes, the author handled it with compassion, grace, and incredible, raw emotion. The other two books in the series were good, but this one . . . wow.

It is intense; maybe not as much in the suspense aspect as the previous books, but just in the incredible wounds of Jaime's past and her fight to overcome them in the present. With his own experiences with PTSD and his job in counseling, Chandler is the perfect hero for her; he knows not to push, not to rush her, not to invade her space. In everything he does, his actions show that he cherishes her, something that has been missing from her life.

And I love that the Jaime and Caroline's friendship is brought to the forefront, by virtue of Caroline's needing a temporary place to stay. In spite of Jaime's tendencies to close herself off, she and Caroline are still very good friends--they know when to dig deep and how to uphold each other, even when they don't have the same philosophy of life (at least to start). Caroline's insistence on praying for her friend is inspiring; this book whetted my appetite even more to find out her story. Hopefully it will be forthcoming!

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.

Hidden Justice
1. Beyond Justice
2. Imperfect Justice
3. Delayed Justice
4. Forbidden Justice (2019)

"The Perilous Gard" by Elizabeth Marie Pope

Exiled by Queen Mary in 1558, Kate Sutten ends up at the Perilous Gard, a remote and mysterious castle, full of superstitions. The lord's brother Christopher blames himself for the loss of his niece, but when Kate discovers there is a chance she is still alive--taken by the Fair Folk--he will do anything to get her back, even offer himself in exchange. But when Kate tries to help, she herself ends up in the clutches of the Fair Folk, with little hope of escape.

To my knowledge, Elizabeth Marie Pope only ever published two novels, but they are both winners. While The Sherwood Ring (1958) is a whimsical delight, The Perilous Gard (1974) is deeper, more layered--on the surface, it's another young adult retelling of a fairy tale, but there is surprising symbolism, the heart valued over beauty, and wisdom treated with a queenly reverence.

It's based on the ballad of Tam Lin, but more loosely (and tastefully) than some other retellings of the fairy tale. Kate is a sensible heroine; not a beauty like her sister, but innately practical and with surprising wisdom for one so young. She accepts who she is, clumsiness, plain features, and all. I love her friendship with Christopher, how she manages to draw out his dreams and gets caught up in them too. The development of her relationship with the fairy queen is also interesting to watch: she goes from essentially a domesticated animal to a favorite pet to a person to an equal.

I've never seen this marketed as anything but a fantasy, or maybe a historical fantasy (as it takes place in Tudor England), but it actually has a lot of Christian elements. Even in the midst of a fairy tale that feels like it has pretty pagan roots (though surprisingly little--if any--actual magic), the main character, Kate, lays out the gospel in simple, clear terms. And it's pretty easy how Christopher's actions are a reflection of Christ's.

It may be nearly 45 years old, but it is definitely a story that stands the test of time.