Review: A Lady Unrivaled

A Lady Unrivaled
By Roseanna M. White
Ladies of the Manor #3
Bethany House, 2016


Summary

Amid the Unforgettable Cotswolds, the Final Grasp for the Fire Eyes Diamonds Could Threaten Them All

Lady Ella Myerston can always find a reason to smile–even if it’s just in hope that tomorrow will be better than today. All her life everyone has tried to protect her from the realities of the world, but Ella knows very well how the dangerous Fire Eyes diamonds have haunted her brother and their friends, and she won’t wait for it to strike again. She intends to take action . . . and if that happens to involve an adventurous trip to the Cotswolds, then so much the better.

Lord James Cayton has already broken two hearts, including that of his first wife, who died before he could convince himself to love her. Now he’s determined to live a better life . . . but that proves complicated when old acquaintances pull Cayton into their desperate attempt to seize the jewels. He does his best to remove the intriguing Lady Ella from danger, but the stubborn girl won’t budge. How else can he redeem himself, though, but by saving her–and his daughter–from those intent to destroy them all?

Link to purchase book: http://amzn.to/2c1fbs5


My thoughts

The Cotswolds, Ralin Castle, March 1913

I fell in love with Roseanna M. White’s writing in the previous Culper Ring series and she has continued to expand her abilities with the Ladies of the Manor stories – and simply impress with her superb prose and enchanting storytelling. A Lady Unrivaled is a top-notch romance with a touch of suspense and a few surprising twists. Historical detail is fascinating, the English countryside setting is vividly conveyed, characters are totally believable and full of charm and wit.

While this is Ella and Cayton’s story, it was so good to see Brook & Justin from The Lost Heiress and Brice & Rowena from The Reluctant Duchess. Each story can stand alone, but I recommend reading the series in order for a more fulfilling experience.

I’ve been drawn to Lord Cayton and Lady Ella throughout the series. Ella is charming, witty, mischievous, and courageous in the way she puts the safety of Brice and Rowena above her own. Cayton is a memorable hero – flawed, in need of redemption from the guilt of his past. As this story begins, he has repented and is striving to be the man God wants him to be – yet, like many of us, he finds forgiveness easier to seek than to accept personally. Cayton’s daughter, Addie, quickly captures the hearts of those around her, and mine as well.

I loved how Ella refuses to tolerate Cayton’s brusque moods and a sweet friendship begins to develop. Their growing relationship and unwilling attraction to each other is precious and there are some quite swoon-worthy moments.

Entwined throughout the series are themes of greed and betrayal – desire for the rare red diamonds, Fire Eyes. A third point of view is added in A Lady Unrivaled, that of Kira Belova – Russian prima ballerina and mistress to the diamonds’ buyer. Kira adds depth to the story and gives us a glimpse of Paris.

The conclusion to a series can sometimes be a letdown, but Ladies of the Manor started out strong and kept getting better. Roseanna always weaves a spiritual thread into her stories, subtle and inspiring. I greatly enjoyed A Lady Unrivaled, as well as the whole series, and eagerly await Roseanna’s next novel.

Highly recommended.

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Roseanna M. White pens her novels beneath her Betsy Ross flag, with her Jane Austen action figure watching over her. When not writing fiction, she’s homeschooling her two children, editing and designing, and pretending her house will clean itself.

Roseanna is the author of a slew of historical novels and novellas, ranging from biblical fiction to American-set romances to Edwardian British romances. She makes her home in the breathtaking mountains of West Virginia.

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Thank you to Celebrate Lit and Bethany House for providing a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

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GIVEAWAY

Roseanna is giving away a complete set of the Ladies of the Manor Series PLUS a special surprise straight from England! Click on the link below to enter. (US addresses only for paperbacks; an international winner is eligible for digital gifts, though!)

https://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/e146afbf28/?

Review: The Wedding Shop

The Wedding Shop
By Rachel Hauck
The Wedding Collection #3
Zondervan, 2016


Summary

Two women separated by decades. Both set out to help others find their dreams when their own have crumbled.

It’s the early 1930s, but Cora Scott is walking in stride as a career woman after having inherited her great aunt’s wedding shop in Heart’s Bend, Tennessee, where brides come from as far away as Birmingham to experience her famed bridal treatment. Meanwhile, Cora is counting down the days until her own true love returns from the river to make her his bride. But days turn into months and months to years. All the while, Birch Good continues to woo Cora and try to show her that while he is solid and dependable, he can sweep her off her feet.

More than eighty years later, former Air Force Captain Haley Morgan has returned home to Heart’s Bend after finishing her commitment to military service. After the devastating death of her best friend, Tammy, and discovering the truth about the man she loved, Haley is searching for her place in life.

When Haley decides to reopen the romantic but abandoned wedding shop where she and Tammy played and dreamed as children, she begins a journey of courage, mystery, and love.

As Cora’s and Haley’s stories intertwine through time in the shadow of the beloved wedding shop, they both discover the power of their own dreams and the magic of everyday love.


My thoughts

With the Wedding Collection series, Rachel Hauck has created three enchanting stories that are uniquely different and can stand alone, yet all are linked by characters, setting, and a strong spiritual thread. Each story was wonderful and I connected with them all emotionally, but I believe The Wedding Shop was my favorite.

The fictional rural town of Heart’s Bend, Tennessee is the perfect setting for a story filled with a sense of family and community. Southern fiction is a favorite of mine, and there’s lots of southern charm to go around. A dual timeline propels the story, and Rachel has done this well throughout the series – connecting the characters with fascinating storylines that could stand alone.

The characters are extremely well drawn and multi-faceted, easy to connect with. Cora, who owned a wedding shop in the 1930s, was unwisely in love with a charismatic and charming river boat captain. Cora was blind to what other people, the reader included, suspected about him – and isn’t that often true in real life? But I was drawn to her courage, devotion, and ingenuity when it came to helping brides who couldn’t afford a wedding shop gown. And there’s so much to admire in Birch, a strong and tender man who backed up his feelings with caring actions.

Haley, a retired Air Force captain, followed God’s prompting and returned home to Heart’s Bend. “After years in the military, Haley needed to find herself again, her values and integrity, the tenderness of her heart. She’d become callous, hard.” Haley carries a heavy load of past guilt, and I think her spiritual journey is something many readers can identify with. Wounded by his father’s criminal actions in the past, Cole also has some soul searching to do, and I loved the sweet chemistry between these two.

Rachel has a unique way of weaving spiritual themes throughout the story, especially through the use of symbolism - sacrifice, obedience, patience, and divine interruptions being just a few. Through her love for the abandoned and soon-to-be-torn-down wedding shop, Haley reflects the theme of seeing value in something that others reject, a beautiful picture of Jesus.

My favorite scene would have to be when Haley tries on a wedding gown at Charlotte’s shop and finally sees herself in God’s eyes – pure, washed whiter than snow in the blood of Jesus. Charlotte’s words to Haley that speak about the symbolism of the wedding dress are a message for all time in their description of the gospel of Jesus Christ . . . “It fits everyone who tries it on. It’s timeless, never wears out, and never needs to be altered, always in style and always beautiful.”

Highly recommended.

Please click on the titles to see my review of the previous two books in this collection:
The Wedding Dress
The Wedding Chapel

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Rachel Hauck is a USA Today Bestselling author. Her book, The Wedding Dress, was named Inspirational Novel of the Year by Romantic Times and was a RITA finalist. Her book Once Upon A Prince was a Christy Award finalist.

Rachel lives in central Florida with her husband and two pets and writes from her ivory tower.

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Thank you to Celebrate Lit and Zondervan for providing a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

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GIVEAWAY

To celebrate her tour, Rachel is giving away her Wedding Collection Series! Enter below . . .

Review: God Bless Us Every One

God Bless Us Every One
By Eva Marie Everson
Abingdon Press, 2016


Summary

Charlene Dixon---called Charlie by family and friends---is devastated at the recent loss of her job.

For the last five years, the twenty-seven-year-old has blossomed as the activities director of an exclusive all-girls school. But when a misunderstanding with the headmistress leads to a pink slip right before the holidays, Charlie packs up her dreams and returns to her grandmother, Sis, who raised Charlie as her own in the mountains of North Carolina.

When Charlie arrives---broken and confused---Sis immediately puts her granddaughter to work behind the scenes of the local school's Christmas play, A Christmas Carol. Charlie prickles at working with Dustin Kennedy, the drama teacher and her old crush from schooldays, but is even more put out at that the choice of the Dickens' classic for the holiday performance. When she discovers her estranged father's involvement her world turns on its head once more. But when Sis and Dustin encourage her to take a deeper look at the story behind A Christmas Carol, Charlie learns about trust, faith, and forgiveness and the needs of people in their own community.

Purchase a copy: http://bit.ly/2bUfaqD


My thoughts

God Bless Us Every One, a novella of around 190 pages, is the perfect way to start enjoying the inspiration of Christmas-themed fiction. It’s a story about family relationships, forgiveness and grace … a story that conveys the relevancy of a classic like A Christmas Carol … and it’s a story about coming home, physically and emotionally. Those who have read Eva’s previous novel, The Road to Testament, will enjoy seeing Ashlynne and William again.

I loved how the contemporary story of Charlie and her dad is linked to that of Charles Dickens and his father. Eva leads into each chapter with a quote from A Christmas Carol and cleverly plays on the names of Charlie Dixon and Charles Dickens – but it’s more than that, because we get to see a little of the classic story’s background. Just like Charlie, Dickens had tumultuous relationship with his father, and he “created Scrooge based on the two personalities he knew of his father: the saint he loved and the demon he despised.”

Lifestyle choices and their results bring depth, making this more than a light, feel-good story. Charles Dickens had a concern for the impoverished, as does Charlie’s father, John Dixon, who directs homeless shelter near to Testament, North Carolina. It was easy to identify with Charlie’s struggle to let go of the past and believe that change was possible. Charlie confronts John about his past at one point and he makes this meaningful reply: “Sometimes, Charlie, you have to get down on the floor to understand what it’s like to be there.”

I enjoyed the growing relationship (and chemistry) between Charlie and Dustin because it was sincere, not filled with conflict and misunderstanding. As is usually the case with novellas, their relationship moved a little quickly at times, but that didn’t bother me because of where the story’s focus was.

Recommended.

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Eva Marie Everson is an award-winning speaker and author of The Road to Testament, Things Left Unspoken, This Fine Life, Chasing Sunsets, Waiting for Sunrise, Slow Moon Rising, and The Potluck Club series (with Linda Evans Shepherd). She is the president of Word Weavers International, Inc., a member of AWSA, ACFW, RWA, the director of Florida Christian Writer's Conference, and the contest director for Blue Ridge Mountain Christian Writer's Conference. She and her husband make their home in Casselberry, Florida.

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Thank you to Litfuse Publicity and Abingdon Press for providing a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Litfuse landing page:

http://litfusegroup.com/author/eeverson

Review: The Shattered Tree

The Shattered Tree
By Charles Todd
The Bess Crawford Mysteries #8
William Morrow, 2016


Summary

World War I battlefield nurse Bess Crawford goes to dangerous lengths to investigate a wounded soldier’s background—and uncover his true loyalties—in this thrilling and atmospheric entry in the bestselling “vivid period mystery series” (New York Times Book Review).

At the foot of a tree shattered by shelling and gunfire, stretcher-bearers find an exhausted officer, shivering with cold and a loss of blood from several wounds. The soldier is brought to battlefield nurse Bess Crawford’s aid station, where she stabilizes him and treats his injuries before he is sent to a rear hospital. The odd thing is, the officer isn’t British—he’s French. But in a moment of anger and stress, he shouts at Bess in German.

When Bess reports the incident to Matron, her superior offers a ready explanation. The soldier is from Alsace-Lorraine, a province in the west where the tenuous border between France and Germany has continually shifted through history, most recently in the Franco-Prussian War of 1870, won by the Germans. But is the wounded man Alsatian? And if he is, on which side of the war do his sympathies really lie?

Of course, Matron could be right, but Bess remains uneasy—and unconvinced. If he was a French soldier, what was he doing so far from his own lines . . . and so close to where the Germans are putting up a fierce, last-ditch fight?

When the French officer disappears in Paris, it’s up to Bess—a soldier’s daughter as well as a nurse—to find out why, even at the risk of her own life.

The Shattered Tree can be purchased at:
HarperCollins     Amazon    B&N


My thoughts

It’s because of stories like this that I enjoy British mysteries so much. The Shattered Tree is book of quality, #8 in the historical Bess Crawford series by the talented mother/son writing team of Charles and Caroline Todd, who have also written another long-running series. This is the first book I’ve read, but had no trouble keeping up with the characters.

The Shattered Tree’s strengths are three essentials that make for an above average read – vivid setting, rich characterization, well-plotted mystery – and all of these are seamlessly woven together. The setting is that of Paris and the surrounding countryside shortly before the end of World War I – a Paris that was “a haven for the war-weary, French and British alike.” It’s a different Paris than what I’m used to seeing, one where food was lacking, but reached out to soldiers needing a place to heal.

The writing pulled me in immediately, capturing my emotions. The story realistically portrays the war’s effects in France without being overly graphic, and I loved the dedication of Bess and other civilian nurses like her. And it was a caring for patients that drew Bess into investigating a mysterious French soldier in her charge.

In real life, there’s no way a nurse would stumble into several murders and be allowed to investigate – but this is fiction, and it works. I’m impressed at how tightly plotted the mystery is and appreciated several twists and turns along the way. I enjoyed The Shattered Tree very much, am eager to read the previous books in this series, and hope there are more to come.

Recommended.

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        Charles and Caroline Todd are a mother-and-son writing team who live on the east coast of the United States. Caroline has a BA in English Literature and History, and a Masters in International Relations. Charles has a BA in Communication Studies with an emphasis on Business Management, and a culinary arts degree that means he can boil more than water. Caroline has been married (to the same man) for umpteen years, and Charles is divorced.
        Charles and Caroline have a rich storytelling heritage. Both spent many evenings on the porch listening to their fathers and grandfathers reminisce. And a maternal grandmother told marvelous ghost stories. This tradition allows them to write with passion about events before their own time. And an uncle/great-uncle who served as a flyer in WWI aroused an early interest in the Great War.
        Charles learned the rich history of Britain, including the legends of King Arthur, William Wallace, and other heroes, as a child. Books on Nelson and by Winston Churchill were always at hand. Their many trips to England gave them the opportunity to spend time in villages and the countryside, where there’s a different viewpoint from that of the large cities. Their travels are at the heart of the series they began ten years ago.
        Charles’s love of history led him to a study of some of the wars that shape it: the American Civil War, WWI and WWII. He enjoys all things nautical, has an international collection of seashells, and has sailed most of his life. Golf is still a hobby that can be both friend and foe. And sports in general are enthusiasms. Charles had a career as a business consultant. This experience gave him an understanding of going to troubled places where no one was glad to see him arrive. This was excellent training for Rutledge’s reception as he tries to find a killer in spite of local resistance.
        Caroline has always been a great reader and enjoyed reading aloud, especially poetry that told a story. The Highwayman was one of her early favorites. Her wars are WWI, the Boer War, and the English Civil War, with a sneaking appreciation of the Wars of the Roses as well. When she’s not writing, she’s traveling the world, gardening, or painting in oils. Her background in international affairs backs up her interest in world events, and she’s also a sports fan, an enthusiastic follower of her favorite teams in baseball and pro football. She loves the sea, but is a poor sailor. (Charles inherited his iron stomach from his father.) Still, she has never met a beach she didn’t like.
        Both Caroline and Charles share a love of animals, and family pets have always been rescues. There was once a lizard named Schnickelfritz. Don’t ask.
        Writing together is a challenge, and both enjoy giving the other a hard time. The famous quote is that in revenge, Charles crashes Caroline’s computer, and Caroline crashes his parties. Will they survive to write more novels together? Stay tuned! Their father/husband is holding the bets.

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Thank you to Great Escapes for providing a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

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Review: Death among the Doilies

Death among the Doilies
By Mollie Cox Bryan
A Cora Crafts Mystery #1
Kensington, 2016


Summary

For thirty-something blogger Cora Chevalier, small-town Indigo Gap, North Carolina, seems like the perfect place to reinvent her life. Shedding a stressful past as a counselor for a women’s shelter, Cora is pouring all her talents—and most of her savings—into a craft retreat business, with help from close pal and resident potter Jane Starr. Between transforming her Victorian estate into a crafter’s paradise and babysitting Jane’s daughter, the new entrepreneur has no time for distractions. Especially rumors about the murder of a local school librarian . . .

But when Jane’s fingerprints match those found at the grisly crime scene, Cora not only worries about her friend, but her own reputation. With angry townsfolk eager for justice and both Jane’s innocence and the retreat at risk, she must rely on her creative chops to unlace the truth behind the beloved librarian’s disturbing demise. Because if the killer’s patterns aren’t pinned, Cora’s handiwork could end up in stitches . . .


My thoughts

Death among the Doilies, book #1 in a new series by Mollie Cox Bryan, is an excellent cozy mystery. This story has character depth and emotion, humor, a vivid setting that almost becomes a main character, and Mollie’s writing flows easily across the page. I believe this is a spinoff from another series that I’m not familiar with, and I enjoyed it so much that I’d like to read more of Mollie’s writing.

There’s a lot to like in Death among the Doilies. The series is set in Indigo Gap, a fictional town located in the mountains of western North Carolina, “a place that time had almost forgotten” – and contains all the essentials that make small-town settings so endearing, such as artisan shops, quaint restaurants, pretty churches, etc. Its streets are named after shades of blue, and one legend says that it had been “a crossroads gap in the mountains where people came together and traded fur, pottery, and cloth. Because the locals grew the plants that gave indigo dye its color, the town became known as Indigo Gap.”

Cora, who anchors the series, is a very appealing character. She had formerly been a counselor at a women’s shelter in Pittsburgh, a place where “. . . she had seen it all. And what she saw was not good.” In that job, she had used the making of crafts as a bonding and healing mechanism, and that’s what she hoped her new craft retreat business in Indigo Gap would become. And I loved her home/retreat center, Kildare House, a beautiful Victorian home with a carriage house and a cottage.

Another strong character is Jane, Cora’s business partner and close friend that she first met in the women’s shelter. Jane seems fragile at first, but she’s really a survivor who decided that her new life was worth fighting for. I loved how Mollie fleshed out these two characters by giving their backstories, which hooked me emotionally and made me care about them. Ruby, a resident who came with the Victorian house, is also precious. The friendship between Cora, Jane, and Ruby is a big part of this story.

I’m not a “crafty” type of person, but I really enjoyed that theme. Cora loved to upcycle, repurpose ordinary things into something beautiful and useful. Her first retreat was led by Jude, an expert on brooms, of all things! It was interesting to learn from Jude’s class . . . “Brooms were used to sweep good luck into the home and to sweep unpleasant energies out. If you were going to curse someone, you’d take your broom and sweep the unpleasant thoughts and energies into another person’s doorway. No need for fighting or guns, then, if you had a good broom.”

All of this provides the backdrop for a well-plotted murder mystery filled with quirky characters – and lots of surprises along the way. The only negative for me was a few instances of mild profanity, but they were very few. A very clean read overall.

On her website, Mollie provided a prequel short story which I recommend reading first. And book #2, No Charm Intended, releases in 2017. I look forward to more from Cora and her friends.

Recommended

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Mollie Cox Bryan is the author of the Cumberland Creek Scrapbooking  mystery series.  She is also author of two cookbooks, the regional bestseller Mrs. Rowe’s Little Book of Southern Pies and Mrs. Rowe’s Restaurant Cookbook: A Lifetime of Recipes from the Shenandoah Valley.

An award-winning journalist and poet, she currently blogs, cooks, and scrapbooks in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia with her husband and two daughters. Scrapbook of Secrets was nominated for an Agatha Award for Best First Novel.

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Thank you to Great Escape Tours for providing an e-copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

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Review: Starving Hearts

Starving Hearts
By Janine Mendenhall
Triangular Trade Trilogy #1
Heritage Beacon, 2016


Summary

Since her assault, Miss Annette Chetwynd has been plagued by nightmares and worries about an arranged marriage.

She yearns to find her anonymous rescuer. Unfortunately, her health and intellect prevent it. Both repel suitors and cause Annette to doubt God's existence, at least until He answers her prayers in an unusual way . . .

Mr. Peter Adsley is joining the clergy, and he desires a godly wife by his side. After a failed attempt to obtain one, he engages in a clandestine meeting with the bewitching young woman who keeps crossing his path. But she is so unsettling.

Destined for disappointments, Peter and Annette both endure disgraceful situations. Will Peter's faith sustain him through overwhelming setbacks? Can Annette overcome her doubts? Or will their starving hearts yield to the machinations of a mad man?

Purchase a copy: http://bit.ly/28OtflH


My thoughts

Starving Hearts is quite different from anything I’ve ever read, and while my feelings were mixed, I appreciated that aspect of the novel very much. Romance and suspense combine in this story takes place in England during the year 1795. Characters come from all walks of life, customs and manners of the time are realistically portrayed, and the storyline is fairly intricate. In fact, a story that I first thought would be predictable turned out to be anything but that.

The historical detail was interesting, reflecting a time when women had little control over their lives, marriages were arranged, and family loyalties were divided over the issue of slavery. The ugliness of the slave trade was realistically conveyed without being overly graphic. The romance between Peter and Annette was gentle and sweet, and spiritual growth is clearly seen.

The classical-style prose fits the era that is portrayed – and while certain sections had me fully engaged, others seemed to move slowly. I’m not sure why, but I never got to know Peter and Annette deeply enough to feel emotionally connected to them. In fact, the villain was my favorite character because he was fleshed out so well and I knew so much about his background and reasoning.

Janine Mendenhall has great potential as a writer and has laid a strong foundation for this trilogy. I enjoyed Starving Hearts overall and recommend it to fans of inspirational historical fiction.

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Janine Mendenhall teaches teens English, of all things! Sometimes she sleeps, but most nights she reads, writes, or watches movies like Pride and Prejudice and claims she's researching her next book. Splickety Love and Splickety Prime have published her flash fiction. 

She and her husband, Tom, live in North Carolina where they and their two golden retrievers help gratify the needs of their five children and two cats.

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Thank you to Litfuse Publicity for providing a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Litfuse landing page:
http://litfusegroup.com/author/jmendenhall

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GIVEAWAY

Join in the search for love and acceptance with Janine and Starving Hearts by entering to win the Delightful Heart Gift Pack Giveaway.

 

One grand prize winner will receive:

• A copy of Starving Hearts
• A bottle of essential oils
• An essential oils diffuser necklace
• A chiffon scarf
• A shoulder handbag
• A copy of Jane Austen's World

 

Enter today by clicking the icon below, but hurry! The giveaway ends on September 12. The winner will be announced September 13 on Janine's blog.