Unfailing Love by Janette Oke and Laurel Oke Logan - A Book Review

     

I was so happy to receive the third book of this delightful series. When Hope Calls is classic Oke, and she is collaborating with her daughter on this series. Unfailing Love continues the story of Lillian Walsh and Grace Bennett, sisters who run a small children's home, and the children under their care. In this third installment of the series Lemuel, a former resident of the home, leaves his adoptive parents to follow two runaways from the children's home in order to see to their safety and try to convince them to return. Things don't go exactly as he hoped. The resulting adventure, or misadventure, will keep the sisters, their friends, and the reader on pins and needles.

I am grateful to have received a complimentary copy of Unfailing Love from Bethany House via NetGalley without obligation. All opinions expressed here are my own.

Long Way Home by Lynn Austin - A Book Review

   

The settings in this dual timeline novel are greatly separated by miles, but not by years. Jimmy Barnett, a college student who ends up going to war in Europe rather than to veterinary school, is the link between the storylines. Peggy, a good friend who is more like a little sister, is key to his present in 1946 to 1947 while Gisela is key to his past. The reader is kept in suspense for quite some time as to the actual link between Jimmy and Gisela as he or she reads Gisela's history from 1938 to 1947. As Jimmy and some of his buddies struggle with battle fatigue, now recognized as PTSD, and with wavering faith in light of the horrors of war, Austin does an amazing job of showing paths to healing and reconciliation. She gives one of the most insightful responses I have ever heard or read to the age-old question of why does God allow bad things to happen to good people.

I highly recommend Long Way Home to anyone seeking a book with a great depth of meaning, and am grateful to have received a complimentary copy of this book from Tyndale House Publishers via NetGalley without obligation. All opinions expressed here are my own. 

The Teacher of Warsaw by Mario Escobar - A Book Review

   

Mario Escobar has once again written a moving story of children's lives upended by war. The story, though a work of fiction, is largely based on real life pediatrician and teacher Janusz Korczak during his time running an orphanage for Jewish children in occupied Warsaw, Poland. The author's note at the end of the book is extremely helpful in sorting fact from fiction, and this book has a healthy dose of fact. The book also has a healthy dose of insight into humanity, insight that remains true for our current national and world experiences. Escobar's writing style is at once simple and complex, enlightening and depressing, entertaining and educational, but mostly it is empowering.

I am grateful to have received a complimentary copy of The Teacher of Warsaw from Harper Muse via NetGalley without obligation. All opinions expressed here are my own.

The Last Days by Joel C. Rosenberg - A Brief Comment

   

This book begins and ends with a bang. There are places in the middle that drag, but the content is necessary for the more exciting parts to seem logical. I liked the book well enough to recommend it to my husband, and to you. The international politics and intrigue shows off Rosenberg's knowledge of the Middle East. I will be moving on to book three in this series. 

Sunburst by Susan May Warren - A Book Review

  

It has been awhile since I read a book by Susan May Warren, and Sunburst was a delightful reintroduction to her books. It is the second book of her Sky King Ranch series, but I had no difficulty entering the series with this book. That said, it really doesn't work as a stand-alone read because it ends very literally with a cliff hanger.

A special aspect of Sunburst is Warren's inclusion of Nigerian culture as a way of honoring her new daughter-in-law, a member of the Delta Tribe in Nigeria. The time they spent together via Zoom must have been a great time of bonding as they worked to assure authenticity. Warren did a wonderful job of engaging all of the reader's senses both in the Nigerian and Alaskan settings.

I am grateful to have received a complimentary copy of Sunburst from Revell via NetGalley without obligation. All opinions expressed here are my own. 

Beach Heart by Grace Greene - A Book Review

  

I thoroughly enjoyed Grace Greene's Cub Creek, Wildflower House, and Barefoot Tides series, but had never read her Emerald Isle, North Carolina series. Beach Heart is an Emerald Isle, NC single title novel, but is related to her Emerald Isle series. Like all of her other books, the characters in this book quickly become your friends. You will cheer for them and cry with them as they face life's challenges and pleasures. Beach Heart might come across as just another beach vacation read, but don't be fooled by the cover. The words of wisdom shared in this story are meaningful, heart-warming, and truly inspiring. I give this book five stars, and most highly recommend it, as I do each of the books in the series mentioned above.

I am grateful to have received a complimentary copy of this book from the author without obligation. All opinions expressed here are my own.  

Season of My Enemy by Naomi Musch - A Book Review

 

 

The latest addition to Barbour Publishing's Heroines of WWII series has an interesting, seldom explored, storyline. Fannie O'Brien has temporarily quit attending the county normal school where she was working on earning her teacher's certificate in order to run the family farm after the death of her father and two of her brother's leaving to serve in the U.S. Military. Her younger brother, Jerry; her sister, Patsy; and their mother help as much as possible, but the farm work has become more than the four of them can handle. The story focuses on the changing relationships between the O'Brien family and the German Prisoners of War whom the army sends to work on their Wisconsin farm. The themes of racism and forgiveness are well developed in this story, themes that can be applied to current events in the United States.

Naomi Musch is a new-to-me author even though this is her sixteenth novel. I look forward to reading more of her books in the future as this one is quite well-written. I am grateful to have received a complimentary copy of Season of My Enemy from Barbour Publishing via NetGalley without obligation. All opinions expressed here are my own.