No Ocean Too Wide by Carrie Turansky - A Book Review

   

I was familiar with the Orphan Train that took poor and orphaned children from our country's over crowded eastern cities to the west for adoption or to serve, often as domestics or farm hands. Prior to reading No Ocean Too Wide I was unaware of the thousands of children who were emigrated from Britain to Canada between the 1860s and 1930s for much the same purpose. The story of Laura, Katie, Garth and Grace brings to life and to light the neglect and abuse suffered by many of these children while not ignoring that some did indeed end up in better circumstances from which they came.

Carrie Turansky has a delightful way of showing her readers God's hand and presence even in dire circumstances. She demonstrates the value of recognizing the blessings, both great and small, among the struggles, and the importance of concentrating on those rather than allowing oneself to get bogged down in the stress and unfairness this life can include.

I am grateful to have received a copy of No Ocean Too Wide from Multnomah via NetGalley and Summer Launch in exchange for my honest opinion. I was under no obligation to provide a positive review and received no monetary compensation.

 #PRHpartner,

Refuge at Pine Lake by Rose Chandler Johnson - A Book Tour Review

     
A Rafflecopter giveaway: https://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/b9a55db3368/
- One winner will receive a signed print copy of Refuge at Pine Lake plus a $20 Amazon gift card
- One winner will receive a signed print copy of Refuge at Pine Lake
- US only
- Ends July 10, 2019

     I am so happy to host Day Two of Rose Chandler Johnson's book tour for her new book Refuge at Pine Lake. Rose is a new-to-me author, but one I will watch for in the future. Here's a sneak peek.

    

     Exiting the eatery, she'd paused in the entrance to allow the right of way to three kids chasing a hulk of a dog. They came to an abrupt halt in front of a harried woman, no doubt their mom. Robin lifted her free hand in greeting, but “Hey” barely escaped her lips when the mastiff sprang into action in chase of a squirrel. Before she knew what was happening, the dog clipped her behind her right knee and sent her spinning, arms and pizza flying overhead. She surely would have landed badly had it not been for the strong arms that wrapped around her and brought her down easy on top of his own body. She felt the solid strength of a man's broad chest, and glimpsed fur and screaming kids fly by, all in a stupefying second.

     “Whoa, girl! I gotcha!” A smooth masculine voice came from over her shoulder.”

And so it began! Twenty-six-year-old Robin Lancaster had lived with her mom long enough. Having had their condo burn down, it seemed like a nice transition time to living separately. Mom, off to care for her own mother, and Robin to the family's lake house where she could renew her relationship with her hero turned boyfriend from the previous summer. Only, unbeknownst to her, Robin's mother had rented their lake house to a professor on sabbatical. Robin wouldn't let that stop her plan for getting Caleb to put a ring on her finger.

Professor Matt McLaughlin had agreed to this sabbatical quite reluctantly. It seems he needed an intervention. It had been years since his wife died in a terrible car accident, for which Matt felt he was to blame, and he just hadn't been able to pull himself together. This sabbatical on the other side of the country was a last effort to find some degree of normalcy, to find himself. He did not anticipate a live in caregiver, especially not one like Robin Lancaster.  

Refuge at Pine Lake is a great summer vacation or staycation read. While including all of the charm found in small towns in the south, th
e author tackles some big themes like grief and planning for the future while still listening to God's direction.  

I was very happy to have received a copy of Refuge at Pine Lake from the author in exchange for my honest opinion. I was under no obligation to provide a positive review and received no monetary compensation.

Tour Schedule: https://prismbooktours.blogspot.com/2019/06/were-launching-book-tour-for-refuge-at.html

     

All Manner of Things by Susie Finkbeiner - A Book Review

    

Susie Finkbeiner captured the essence of America during the Vietnam War era. Through the vessel of the Jacobson's family story she explores the impact of war on soldiers and those they leave behind, social unrest, racism, the effect of an uncertain future on the already turbulent times of adolescence and young adulthood, and the search for God within it all. The emotions in this book are real and raw. The characters will join those from other books of great depth who continue to reside with you in the recesses of your mind. Above all, the theme of hope will ring true.

Susie Finkbeiner is a new-to-me author, but one I will continue to look for in the future. I am very grateful to have received a copy of this book from Revell via NetGalley in exchange for my honest opinion. I was under no obligation to write a positive review and received no monetary compensation.

A Reluctant Belle by Beth White - A Book Review

   

A Reluctant Belle picks up right where A Rebel Heart left off. While those who read the first book in the Daughtry House series will have some insight into the characters that others will not, A Reluctant Belle will work as a stand-alone read. This second book is set in the Reconstruction period in Mississippi and Alabama, and deals with atrocities that were not uncommon in that time and place. White examines the hearts on both sides of the continuing social conflict as well as personal events that shaped them. Sometimes hardships bring out the best in folks, and sometimes the worst. White also draws attention to the difference between authentic faith and self-serving religion, and the difference between those who seek to be transformed by the renewing of their minds, who want to have the mind of Christ, and those who seek to create God in their own image.

Embedded within weighty themes, White writes in suspense and romance that will hold tight to the reader's interest. This story focuses on the middle Daughtry sister, Joelle, a shy but headstrong young woman, one who knows her own mind and does not see the necessity of conforming to the demands of society. One who can thoughtfully and logically put pen to paper with great success, but one who often acts on impulse. While a bit older than a typical unwed southern belle, Joelle now has two suitors, one whom she recognizes as such, the other only recognized by those closest to her, but only one to whom she is well suited and who is well suited for her.

I highly recommend A Reluctant Belle, and am grateful to have received a copy from Revell via NetGalley in exchange for my honest opinion. I was under no obligation to provide a positive review and received no monetary compensation.

The Number of Love by Roseanna M. White - A Book Review

   

The Number of Love is the first book in Roseanna M. White's new series, The Codebreakers. I love it when I'm reading along and begin to realize the connections with an author's previous works. White's fans will be thrilled to renew their acquaintance with characters from her Shadows Over England series.

Margot De Wilde is a brilliant, young mathematician who works in Room 40 in the Old Admiralty Building in London during the First World War, decrypting, and sometimes encrypting, coded messages. Not usually tolerant of other young women, Margot was blessed with her friendship with a Room 40 secretary, Dot Elton. Having always been more logical than emotional, and focused on her future in academia, Margot was surprised by her reaction to Dot's brother, Lieutenant Drake Elton. It would take a man of Drake's faith, insight, and patience to woo a woman like Margot who was one-of-a-kind.

Fans of Sarah Sundin are likely to enjoy the book, as are historical fiction fans and fans of intrigue. I give this book five stars and am grateful to have received a copy from Bethany House Publishers via NetGalley in exchange for my honest opinion. I was under no obligation to provide a positive review and received no monetary compensation.

The King's Mercy by Lori Benton - A Book Review

   

From the Isles of Scotland to the environs of North Carolina, Alex MacKinnon's story, filled with struggles that were to become the birth pains of a new Christian, will hold the hearts of readers. A prisoner of war, Alex was given the king's mercy and was transported to the colony of North Carolina rather than to the hangman's noose. Much would occur before Alex would see the blessing of that, and before he would accept the King's mercy.

Joanna Carey, stepdaughter of Captain Edmund Carey the owner of the Severn Plantation, had taken on the role of the plantation's mistress at the age of twelve upon the death of her mother. Perhaps having assumed the role before having been groomed to do so accounted for Joanna's unusual relationship with the plantation's servants as well as her vision for a different life for all of the plantation's residents, a plan that she wished might include Alex MacKinnon. Her father's pride in Severn and his reliance on his overseer, Phineas Reeves, appeared to obscure that vision.

Benton skillfully addresses the essentials of a life of following Christ as well as the obstacles to that life. While set in the mid 1700s, the lessons of this story are quite relevant to today. I am grateful to have received a copy of The King's Mercy from Waterbrook via NetGalley in exchange for my honest opinion, which is that I would highly recommend this book to historical fiction fans as well as to those who have a budding desire to follow in Christ's footsteps. I was under no obligation to provide a positive review and received no monetary compensation.

The Pink Bonnet by Liz Tolsma - A Book Review

   

Cecile Dowd is the widowed mother of an active three-year-old girl named Millie. They resided in Memphis, Tennessee in 1933, a time when cautious parents kept a close watch on their children. The reason? Children around Memphis and other nearby towns were disappearing, and it wouldn't be publicly known until years later that this was happening under the direction of Georgia Tann of the Tennessee Children's Home Society.

Percy Vance, a lawyer who came up from a life of poverty, was indebted to Georgia Tann. He believed that she was saving children from a childhood like his own, pairing them with loving parents. Only after meeting Cecile Dowd did he truly begin to doubt Tann's motives and methods.

Liz Tolsma, an adoptive mother of three, does a wonderful job of exposing the atrocities of Tann's exploitation of the adoption process, the children and the families while reminding readers of the good that can come from adoption handled by those with everyone's best interest at heart. She also expertly keeps the reader wondering about the story's great question. Where is Millie Dowd?

I am grateful to have received a copy of The Pink Bonnet from Barbour Publishing in exchange for my honest opinion. I was under no obligation to provide a positive review, and received no monetary compensation.

The Noble Guardian by Michelle Griep - A Book Review

     

I always look forward to historical fiction written by Michelle Griep. The Noble Guardian did not disappoint. Abigail Gilbert is left to make her way to the home of the baronet who has asked for her hand in marriage attended only by her maid. After being accosted by highway men, circumstances place Abigail under the care of Captain Samuel Thatcher of the Bow Street magistrate Their journey is fraught with danger and unexpected turns of event, both pleasant and otherwise. Griep skillfully places readers along the muddy English backroads and in the crowded, dirty coaching inns, making them even more appreciative of interstates, hotel chains, and even fast food. She will have readers emotionally involved as Abigail and Samuel struggle with their past and their present, and as they work together to care for the infant who has been placed with them and who is to be delivered to her aunt. Readers will rejoice as they see God's working in the lives of the main characters, and will grieve over the depravity of those who turn their backs on Him.

I recommend The Noble Guardian as well as all other books by Michelle Griep to fans of historical fiction. I am grateful to have received a copy of this book from Barbour Publishing via NetGalley in exchange for my honest opinion. I was under no obligation to provide a positive review, and received no monetary compensation.