The Christmas Tree Farm by Melody Carlson - A Book Review

  

Madison McDowell returns home from teaching in Mongolia to her late grandparents' Christmas tree farm only to discover that her now-widowed high school boyfriend is living next door and her younger sister has staked her claim on him. If this sounds like a soap opera to you, you wouldn't be far off the mark. While the story is a clean read, it has its share of jealousy, family conflict, manipulation, and drama. Being a novella does not provide ample opportunity for realistic conflict resolution, but as is true for many stories set at Christmastime, it does have a happily ever after evening. You will just have to read the book to see who gets to live happily ever after and who, if anyone, gets left out in the cold.

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

Virginia by Shannon McNear - A Book Review

 

Daughters of the Lost Colony is a wonderful series. In this fourth and final book I have enjoyed journeying with Shannon McNear in her speculative story of Virginia Dare, the first English child born in the New World, who disappeared along with the entire population of the Roanoke Colony. The story was so powerful and vivid that I had to remind myself that, while well-researched, it is a speculative story as nothing is known in history of Virginia following her grandfather's leaving the colony when she was only nine days old to return to England for additional support for Roanoke. McNear portrays her as a young woman of faith who displays great courage and integrity, if also on the untamed side. I highly recommend this book, and suggest reading the first and second book of this series prior to reading this one. The third book feels like a bonus book to the series as it isn't as strongly linked to the Roanoke Colony or the characters we came to know in the first two books. I am grateful to have received a complimentary copy from Barbour Publishing via NetGalley without obligation. All opinions expressed here are my own.

When the Mountain Crumbled by Angela K. Couch

     

This fourth book in Barbour Publishing's A Day to Remember series is just as wonderful as its predecessors. Each book tells an account of fictional characters set within the very real events of a North American disaster. The books are well-researched and closely based on actual occurrences. When the Mountain Crumbled is set beginning in April of 1903 in the Crowsnest Valley in Alberta, Canada. It was around 4:10 a.m. on the 29^th of the month when millions of tons of limestone broke off from the side of Turtle Mountain and crashed into the town of Frank, killing more than seventy people. Couch based her characters' experiences on those of real-life people residing in Frank at that time. Samantha, her main character, is a schoolteacher who assumes the care of three sisters after the death of their parents and brothers, eventually sharing the responsibility with the girls' Uncle Nathan, a mounted police officer. The schoolmarm and the Mountie rarely agree on what is best for the girls which leads to a growing sense of tension.

Couch treats the victims of this natural disaster with respect and sensitivity as she develops a story that reveals the impact one's past may have on the lens through which they view the present, and also explores the presence of God in the midst of disaster. I am grateful to have received a complimentary copy of When the Mountain Crumbled from Barbour Publishing via NetGalley without obligation, and feel comfortable recommending it to other fans of historical fiction. All opinions expressed here are my own.