I only recently discovered Chiaverini's Elm Creek Quilts series and have been reading the books out of order as they become available to me. This has not kept me from enjoying them immensely. The Union Quilters is a clean read that tackles many social themes of the Civil War era. It is well-written with memorable characters. I will continue to keep an eye out for books by this author in bookstores and on the Libby app.
Last Light Over Galveston is a very original historical fiction book. It is a dual timeline story with the same main character in each timeline. In March of 1900 Kathleen McDaniel was beyond excited to return home to her father after two years at a finishing school in Switzerland. By May, she was a lady on the run with no money and no one to lean or count on. Finding herself in Galveston, Texas, Kathleen throws herself on the mercy of the nuns at St. Mary's Orphan Asylum, where she is given temporary shelter. She avoids thoughts of Croton-on-Hudson, New York and the night she fled from her father and the only home she remembered.
Kathleen's circumstances and personality so differed between her life in Croton-on-Hudson and Galveston, where she used an alias. I frequently had to remind myself that it was the same character. While she and her father are fictional characters, on-line research confirmed that the labor disputes while building a dam in Croton-on-Hudson to provide water to New York City and the 1900 Galveston hurricane were both true events. I was very disappointed that the author had not provided an Author's Notes section informing readers of her research and the basic facts of these two events.
The theme concerning where and how individuals find their personal identity was well crafted as Kathleen struggled to meet the demands of society and her family while attempting to reconcile those values with her longing to do something worthwhile, something to help others, as well as to see the value in those she meets in something other than their financial net worth. I am grateful to have received a complimentary copy of Last Light Over Galveston from Tyndale House Publishers via NetGalley without obligation. All opinions expressed here are my own.
EDIT - The author contacted me and let me know that unlike the ARC that I read, the final copy does have an Author's Note section with the information I was interested in. That is wonderful!
This dual timeline story is set largely in France in the 1940s WWII era and the early 1950s, It focuses on Kathryn (Kat) Harris, AKA Cèléne, during the time she was working for the United States Office of Strategic Services. Kat and her brother remained close even after each chose a different parent to live with following their parents' divorce. Kat was much more suited to helping in her father's garage than attending her mother's society parties. Her proficiency with languages acquired at Wellesley College, the mechanical skills she had picked up at the garage, her innate talents, and her strong will made her a perfect candidate for the OSS. Unfortunately, one skill that she lacked that became crucial to the success of her mission was cooking, in particular cooking French Cuisine. On-the-job training had to suffice, and the skills she acquired remained useful to Kat after the war as she sought to locate her brother, or at least to learn what happened to him after she'd last seen him in France.
The French Kitchen is very well-written. Readers are transported in space and time. Their emotions become highly engaged, emotions of fear, longing for things to be different, courage, regret, and even of love and joy in the midst of chaos and pain. This is a gripping story that does not easily let go of a reader even as it draws to a close. I am grateful to have received a complimentary copy from Thomas Nelson via NetGalley without obligation. All opinions expressed here are my own.
While Final Approach is the fourth book in Lynette Eason's Lake City Heroes series, one can jump right into it without feeling that they've missed something. This story focuses on Air Marshal Kristine Duncan and FBI Special Agent Andrew Ross. Both bring emotional baggage along that makes them hesitant to enter into a relationship beyond friendship, but it may be the physical dangers they know about and the ones they are unaware of that have the greatest impact on their relationship. Hijackers, kidnappers, shooters, and more rev up the excitement and tension in this romantic suspense story written in Eason's highly engaging style. The theme of coping with difficult familial relationships is well integrated into the suspenseful plot, and shows empathy for those who struggle with these situations, and encouragement for those who seek to extend grace.
I highly recommend this book, series, and author. I am grateful to have received a complimentary copy of Final Approach from Revell via NetGalley without obligation. All opinions expressed here are my own.
The Undercover Heiress of Brockton begins as a lighthearted read, set in 1905 Brockton, Massachusetts, about twenty-five miles outside of Boston. Henrietta Maxwell is a young woman of society, masquerading as Henry Mason, one of the top reporters for the Brockton Enterprise, a condition of her employment since a female reporter would not be taken seriously. Her personality, persistence, and the situations in which she sometimes finds herself will endear her to fans of Jen Turano's books. In Chapter Five, things take a serious turn when, based on actual events, an explosion and subsequent fire occur at the Grover Shoe Factory. In her undercover persona, Etta, as she is known by family and friends, and fireman Les Eriksson join forces to solve not only the cause of this catastrophic event, but a string of arson related fires in the Campello district of Brockton. Mixed in with the seriousness of their investigation, Goshorn has written in a developing romance with misunderstandings and setbacks. Goshorn sensitively and respectfully includes the difficulties encountered by women of the time who strove to compete in what was the man's world of business and politics. Etta, like many women of the time, struggled with being all she felt led by God to be while also being accepted and loved for being all of who she was.
I recommend this well-written and well-researched book that so well balances levity and seriousness. I would enjoy meeting the main characters as well as some of the secondary characters again in future books. I am grateful to have received a complimentary copy of The Undercover Heiress of Brockton from Barbour Publishing via NetGalley without obligation. All opinions expressed here are my own.
If you pick up this book because you are a fan of the books published by Love Inspired Suspense or the romantic suspense genre in general,you won't be disappointed. The story is well written. The author's protagonists are very well developed, and empathy is easily felt for each of them. The romance is sweet and believable. The suspense is good, but not too difficult to solve. Even though the book is short, the author does a wonderful job of avoiding an abrupt ending.
If you are picking this book up because Jaime Jo Wright is the author, please set that thought aside. Authors, I am sure, dread being pigeon-holed as much as actors do being type-cast. Both should feel free to spread their wings and try new things. If you join Jaime Jo Wright on this flight, you won't be sorry.
I am grateful to have received a complimentary copy of Buried Wilderness Secrets via Love Inspired Suspense via NetGalley without obligation. All opinions expressed here are my own.
You know how when you go to a favorite restaurant and occasionally something other than your favorite dish on the menu, and while it's good, it just doesn't live up to your favorite? That's kind of the way I feel about These Blue Mountains; it's good, but it is hard to live up to The Finder of Forgotten Things and These Tangled Threads, my two favorite Sarah Loudin Thomas books. Sometimes it is important for me to be aware of the lens I am looking through when reviewing a book, and in this case to realize when past experiences cloud that lens. If Thomas was a new-to-me author I know my reaction to this book would have been a great deal more enthusiastic. It does have a lot going for it. Most of the characters are people who are easy to care about and to empathize with; some of the ones who aren't become so; and the antagonist (even if deceased) does his job well, setting a whole series of events in motion. While I have read a lot of WWII books lately, this one takes a different approach. Rather than have the characters in the thick of things, this book allows readers to experience how those in Germany and America viewed and responded to the changes they saw coming, and to realize how the experiences of WWI and the Depression impacted the lens through which they looked. These Blue Mountains may provide new knowledge for those, including me, that were unaware of WWI enemy alien internment camps in the United States. The information provided about Black Mountain College had me searching the internet to learn more. The themes of forgiveness and reconciliation and of moving forward following adversity are well-written within an original plot. So preconceived notions set aside, I do highly recommend These Blue Mountains and am grateful to have received a complimentary copy from Bethany House via NetGalley without obligation. All opinions expressed here are my own.
