A Beauty Refined, by Tracie Peterson

Tracie Peterson's latest work, A Beauty Refined, is the second in the Sapphire Brides series.  I haven't read the first book, but that didn't cause any confusion for me.

This installment is the story of Phoebe Von Bergen, the daughter of a German count.  She and her father are in Montana to purchase sapphires for a client of her father's.  While there, Phoebe uncovers the truth of her mother's supposed death.  In the process, she learns more about her family's secrets than she dreamed existed.  Aided by new friends, including a lapidary named Ian Harper, Phoebe struggles to make sense of her new world.

This was an enjoyable read.  It's well researched.  Peterson does an excellent job of describing her setting so that the reader feels at home there.  The story was fairly typical of historical Christian romance.  It makes a great relaxing read.

Three out of Five Stars.

Disclaimer:  I was provided a copy of this book by the publisher in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Siren's Song, by Mary Weber

Siren's Song  is the third book in a fantasy trilogy.  I did not realize it was part 3 of a trilogy when I picked it up to read.  Obviously, it would be much better to read parts 1 and 2 first!

The writing was solid, but I struggled to get through the book.  This isn't the first time I've walked into a movie after intermission, so to speak, but typically speaking, I can follow the plot quite well.  Not so with this book.  There was very little review of what had already happened, as so many other sequels have.  And so, it was tough for me to understand what was happening.  I think a lot of this was due to the fact that the main character herself was struggling to understand what was happening in her world.  And since the book is told in first person, I suffered the same confusion.  

I will say that there was quite a lot of sitting around the talking, rather than any real action until the end.  This didn't add to my enjoyment.

I did think the writing was good, as I've already mentioned.  I'd read other books by this author - this just wasn't the one for me.

Two out of Five Stars

Disclaimer:  I was given a copy of this book by the publisher in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Emily of New Moon, by L.M. Montgomery

   Over at the Reading to Know blog, there's an L.M. Montgomery Reading Challenge for the month of January.  The idea behind the challenge is to read as much of LMM's works during the month of January.  I couldn't do that because of other obligations, so I've tweaked the challenge to suit my needs.  I'll be reading and reviewing at least 1 LMM book per month during 2016.  I've loved LMM's works since the 7th grade - I still have all the old copies I purchased with my allowance money down at the B. Dalton at the Inland Center Mall in San Bernardino.  Plus new copies that I keep in case of emergency - because what if in some awful future Rilla of Ingleside goes out of print, my copy is ruined, and then I can't read about the Blythe family's WWI saga?   What then, I ask you!

     I'm starting 2016 off with the big guns - the Emily series.  Now, I was reading Emily Climbs the very day I started dating the man I would later marry.  So the series will always have a soft spot in my heart.

    Reading Emily of New Moon, the first of the three-part series, has been such a joy this month.  I hadn't read it in several years, and reading it again has been like a beautiful homecoming.  For those who have been unfortunate enough to miss it thus far, it's the story of a young girl who goes to live with her mother's family after the death of her father.  

     Montgomery wrote this book in 1923, over ten years after her marriage to a Presbyterian minister who suffered from melancholia.  I think by this time in her life, she had a very deep sense not only of suffering, but also of perseverance and optimism.  Her experiences with reality are much more apparent in the Emily series than they are in the Anne series, most of which were written earlier in her life.

     Emily's story has a glorious depth to it  The heavy themes that are covered in just this one book are incredible, but Montgomery writes about them with an understanding that they are simply part of life in a fallen world. Loss of a loved one, traumatic brain injury, depression,  alcoholism, guilt - the list goes on!  But running through it all is this delightful love of God and family, plus that "heritage of fairyland" that is so pervasive in all Montgomery's works.  This book relates to real life and real people, and it's relevant almost 100 years after its initial publication.

      For those of us who know the book, there are such wonderful treats throughout it.  I smiled so many times while reading about the Wind Woman, Emily's letters to her father, Cousin Jimmy's poetry, the flash, candles in the New Moon windows, Ilse's temper, Perry's determination, Teddy's love of art, and Emily's great need to prove her worth to a loving yet often cynical family.  These are very real characters who get under your skin and stay with you as long as you let them.

     I could wax on forever, honestly.  Long story short - read this book if you haven't, revisit it if you have.  You won't regret it!



     

     
     

Horse in the Wilderness, by Debbie Eckles

Horse in the Wilderness, by Debbie Eckles, is a story about a man named Brent who moves to a small mountain town in order to reinvent himself after his wife's unfaithfulness and subsequent death.  While there, he meets Autumn, a woman who loves horses almost as much as she loves God.  The two find a common bond over music, and Brent slowly starts to realize that God has not abandoned him as he once thought.

The book was tough for me at the beginning.  A lot of characters are introduced all at once.  While I think this is meant to convey Brent's confusion upon moving to a new town, it's also very difficult for the reader to keep track of so many characters.  I admit that I put the book aside for a time because I couldn't get into the story.

However, after I'd been away from it for a while, I found myself wanting to return to find out what happens to Brent.  A book like this is more about the journey than it is about the ending, and Brent's character development was quite compelling.

There is a lot of detail in the book.  I will say that it helps to have working relationship with both horses and music to understand a few scenes.  That's a check on both counts for me, which made the book more interesting to me.  But it's not really necessary to have much knowledge of either to enjoy the book.  

The book is certainly much better than the usual fare that is found with self-published books.  I hope the author continues to write.  She's got talent.

On a side note, this book does deal with depression and suicide.  As always, I caution anyone who is struggling with either to please seek help.  And don't stop seeking that help until you get the medical treatment you need.  No matter how bad off you seem, there is treatment for you.  Call the National Suicide Prevention Hotline at 1 (800) 273-8255.

Disclaimer:  I was provided a copy of this book by the publisher in exchange for a fair and honest review.  

Three out of Five Stars

Falling Like Snowflakes, by Denise Hunter

I think this is the first book in the romantic suspense genre that I've reviewed.  But I was in the mood for some chick lit this holiday season.  I'd read another of Denise Hunter's books, Barefoot Summer, and liked it well enough that I thought I'd give Falling Like Snowflakes a try.

This book was an absolute joy to read.  There're your basic romantic fiction staples - tough yet vulnerable woman who desperately needs help from a tough situation.  Single guy who also needs help that only the heroine can provide.  They get to know each other, a few obstacles get in the way, and I really don't think it's a spoiler to say that everything works out in the end.  

The thing is, Denise Hunter writes so beautifully that it's easy to actually care what happens to these characters.  Every character in the book is well developed, and I found that I very much enjoyed my time with them.  The three brothers - and this is part 1 of 3 books about these guys - are part of a close knit family that is still realistic in its squabbles.  Reading about this family reminded me of coming home.  And being that it's Christian, there's nothing in here that you couldn't read to your blind great-aunt.  (But Hunter does write one heck of a kiss, I must say!)

All in all, this was a very enjoyable read, the perfect distraction from holiday busy-ness.  I highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys Debbie Macomber type books.  It also has a few similarities to the movie Safe Haven.  

Four out of Five Stars

Disclaimer:  This book was provided to me by the publisher in exchange for a fair and honest review.

The Paris Wife, by Paula McClain

     The Paris Wife is a fictionalized account of Ernest Hemingway's first marriage to Hadley Richardson.  I'm not a fan of Hemingway or his work, but the writer's life in 1920s Paris has always intrigued me.  The idea of Gertrude Stein, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Hemingway, and so many others in the same social circles is romanticized by so many.  And the story of the wife of Hemingway's youth, the first of four wives, piqued my interest.

     The writing style is plain.  It's a quick, easy beach read.  It's largely told from Hadley's perspective, with a few insightful passages from Hemingway's point of view.  Hadley is the woman who supported Hemingway both emotionally and financially while he started his career.  Their marriage lasted a little more than five years - hardly surprising for a man who was so troubled after the Great War.  But aside from the glitterati of the 1920s Paris writers' community, the story becomes about Hadley's ability to find her own strength.  In her childhood, she was encouraged to be weak, and a lot of that continued into her marriage up to a certain point.  Watching her growth  is very empowering for a woman.

     The book, while fictional, is very well researched.  It's a good summer read, and I can definitely recommend it to anyone interested in the time period or in Hemingway himself.  

Four out of Five Stars

On Distant Shores, by Sarah Sundin

     On Distant Shores is the second novel in a series about flight nurses in World War II.  I loved the first book, With Every Letter, and was anxious enough to read the sequel that I actually bought it from the Kindle store.  The first one was free, but Sarah Sundin's carefully researched story sucked me in.  And I have to say, after having read On Distant Shores, I am now an avid fan of Sundin's works.

     My only issue with the first book was that the writing style seemed simplistic.  I didn't find that here.  On Distant Shores was so well crafted that I found it difficult to put down.

     In this installment, we read about Georgie, the bubbly nurse from the first book, and her journey as she discovers the strength she never knew she had.  Along the way, she is guided by Hutch, a pharmacist who is struggling with his own overwhelming desire to become something more than what he is.  Hutch's story is very interesting from an historical point of view; although he is a pharmacist, he is not an officer.  WWII Army pharmacists and techs were enlisted men despite their education.  Hutch becomes involved in the push to start the Army Pharmacy Corps.  Since Sundin is a pharmacist herself, the details of his life are particularly good.

     As with the first installment in the series, this book was very well researched.  It's also charged with emotion as we see Georgie and Hutch experience the war in a way that will change them forever.  A must-read for anyone who enjoys good historical fiction.

     Five out of Five Stars

I Was Here, by Gayle Forman

As with other books of this subject, I add the following caveat:
If you are depressed or having thoughts of suicide, no matter how small, please seek help.  Even in the last decade, medical science has become so much more capable of helping people with depression.  If you see a doctor who says that you are fine when you are not, or who just throws pills at you that don't help, then see another doctor.  Involve your loved ones and ask them to help you.  No matter what you are going through, there are treatments that can give you the quality of life you wish you had.


     Never having read any of Gayle Forman's works, I decided to give this one a try based on reviews of If I Stay.  And while I Was Here is a tough read, it's a good one.  It examines suicide from the point of view of the surviving loved ones, and in a very thorough way.

    The plot (sans spoilers):  Cody is shocked when her best friend, Meg, kills herself.  They'd been apart during their first year in college, but there was nothing that indicated to Cody that Meg might be contemplating death.  And when Meg's family asks Cody to pick up Meg's belongings from her college apartment, Cody is thrown into a world of Meg's that she didn't know existed.  Cody becomes driven to learn why Meg killed herself, and in the process learns about her own place in the world of the living.

     I appreciate this book because it does a very good job of relating the feelings of the family and friends of a suicide.  The absolute despair, the confusion, and most importantly the guilt are all portrayed in a very real way.  And I think that these are important topics, mainly because so many people who commit suicide think they are doing their loved ones a favor.  In point of fact, the opposite is true.  The book is valuable just because it explores these emotions.  I pray that this book leads any depressed adult (young, or otherwise) to seek help.  And the book encourages its readers to do so, since it also discusses the life-saving options that are available to people contemplating suicide.  

     Never once does it glorify suicide, but instead portrays it as the twisted and sadly contagious killer that it is.  Forman also delves a little into faith-based beliefs about suicide, which I admire her for in today's society.  And no, it's not preachy.

     The book is a tough read, and I certainly don't recommend you give this book to someone who is currently depressed in hopes that it will be a wake up call.  It will only worsen their depression.  But something like this ought to be required reading in high schools.  It's raw, but it's reality, and it could save lives.

     Five out of Five Stars

With Every Letter, by Sarah Sundin

   
     I picked this book up from the Kindle free store for a little light sick-in-bed reading, and goodness, was I pleasantly surprised!  This is the story of a World War II Army flight nurse who begins an anonymous pen pal relationship with an Army engineer.  For anyone who loved the movies The Shop Around the Corner and You've Got Mail, this is the book for you.

     Other reviewers have said that the writing is a bit simplistic, and I would have to agree.  It took me a few chapters to really get into it.  However, the research that went into this book and the incredible likability (yes, that's a word, I swear!) of the characters make this book a gem.  My grandmother's desire to become a WWII flight nurse and my interest in the era was what originally drew me to this book.  The incredible attention to historical detail did not disappoint!  The author's descriptions and the character development made it so easy for me to lose myself in this story.  And while there is a satisfying conclusion, I really hated to put it down.

     Highly recommended for anyone who is interested in the era, or who wants to read a well-researched novel about the brave, pioneering "Winged Angels" of the US Army Nurse Corps flight nurses.  These ladies were the real deal, gals, and this book is a fantastic tribute to them.

     Five out of Five Stars

My Heart and Other Black Holes, by Jasmine Warga

Before I write my review of this book, I want to send a message to anyone who is contemplating suicide, is depressed, or feels as though there is something "not right" with life.  No matter how badly you feel, no matter how much guilt or sadness or frustration you are carrying, there is help for you.  If a medical professional has told you you're fine, or given you a prescription isn't helping, there is still help for you.  Keep seeking it.  And there is so much more information on this website.  http://www.suicidepreventionlifeline.org/

Do not give up on yourself, because no matter what you think right now, you are worth more than what you are going through.  And so many advances have been made even in the last twenty years that there is help for you no matter how impossible your world may seem.  There are people who are trained specially just to help you - yes, you - live a life that is meaningful and enjoyable.  It takes time, it won't happen overnight, but the new person they will help you become will be stronger and more filled with self-worth.
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This book, as you may have guessed or were probably already aware, is about teen suicide.  To be more precise, it's about two teens who decide to make a suicide pact.  

The author writes that this book helped her deal with the loss of a dear friend, and I am glad she was able to use her writing in such a cathartic way.  I'm also glad that this book was accepted for publication, not only because the author is a gifted writer, but also because the subjects of depression and suicide hold so much stigma.  We need more discussion of both issues in a way that treats them seriously.  And this book does that.

I'm conflicted about the book, however.  There are adequate descriptions of what depression feels like, and I'm sure this is helpful to many readers who are experiencing depression.  But the author never really captures the bleakness of someone who is that close to suicide.  The words are there, but the emotion (or lack thereof) really isn't.

Aysel's decision to stay alive (and this isn't a spoiler, it's in the book synopsis) comes at a very alarming rate.  It troubles me that she decides life is finally worth living because of some boy.  What does that say to suicidal readers?  What if that boy never comes along?  What if that boy comes along but then breaks up with you?  There is very little sense that Aysel has decided that she herself is worth the effort to live.  There is just suicidal Aysel and non-suicidal Aysel who is all ready to live her life (with maybe a few therapy sessions) as though nothing has happened.  And darn it, she doesn't want to live life without Roman.  What a troubling message for someone who is feeling suicidal because someone just broke up with them!

The bounce back from serious suicidal ideation just happens too quickly.  What does that say to a depressed reader?  It takes a long time to recover from depression that serious, and I would hate for someone to think that their situation is hopeless just because it's taking them longer to recover than it does for the characters in this book.  

(Spoiler Alert in this paragraph) As far as Roman's story goes, we get a small sense of what he is going through, but again, there is more bounce back from his depression than one would expect after his suicide attempt.  He seems much more lucid and in control of his thoughts than someone in his position would tend to be.  The author does make a note at the end that true recovery does take a long time (and it does), but how many people read author's notes?  That note would have been better placed at the front, where more people might see it.

Now, I'm not sure how much of this is the author, and how much of it is a publisher who doesn't want to have that much sadness in one book.  (Because, yes, bookselling is a business, and you do have to take the target audience into account).  But it's a narrow path you travel when you put something like this out there.  I truly hope that readers who have depression or suicidal thoughts seek the help that is offered in the back of the book.  No one's life story is the same.  And the characters in this book are just that - fictional characters.  Happy endings like the one in this book take time, and I would hope that no reader would expect recovery to happen so quickly.

Two out of Five Stars

I Shall Be Near To You, by Erin Lindsay McCabe

     The idea behind this book is an intriguing one.  It's inspired by the women (estimated by some to be between 400 and 750) who disguised themselves as men in order to fight in the American Civil War.

     Newlywed Rosetta Wakefield can't handle staying behind while her husband goes off to war.  She decides to enlist partly to be near him, partly to help earn enough money to buy the farm they've been hoping to start.  While encamped with her husband's regiment, she encounters the usual issues one might expect from a situation like this.  How does a woman hide herself, and how difficult would it be?

     While I think this book is worth the read for any female interested in the Civil War, it falls far short of what it could have been.  The narrative is simplistic, and I just didn't feel the spark from the main characters that the author intends.  There are aspects of the plot that are never really resolved, and the ending is almost eye-rollingly predictable.  I would have loved it had the plot been as refreshing as the idea behind it.

     In hindsight, I think this book works better as a YA read.  I just tend to expect more from adult historical fiction.

     Two out of Five Stars

The Secret Life of Violet Grant, by Beatriz Williams

Important Warning That The Book Jacket Doesn't Tell You:  Don't start reading this book on a Monday night of a busy work week.  Save it for a weekend when you'll be able to truly enjoy it.  And make sure you have meals ready to go in your freezer so your family doesn't starve while you're locked in your bedroom devouring this book.

The Premise:  Vivian Schuyler, an aspiring magazine writer in mid 1960s New York, takes delivery of a suitcase that was apparently lost by her aunt in 1914 Zurich.  The only trouble is, while the suitcase has been found, her aunt has been missing since 1914.  Family legend has it that dear Auntie Violet murdered her husband, ran off with her lover, and is either dead or doesn't want to be found.

But Vivian sees the potential career-launching story in this.  She starts delving into the mystery of her aunt's disappearance a la Letters to Juliet, although this story is much more fascinating.  Because Aunt Violet, as it turns out, was disowned by the family for denying her destiny of being a proper tea-pouring, corset-wearing lady.  Instead, she becomes educated enough to be accepted for a position at Oxford and later in Berlin as an atomic scientist.  The woman hobnobs with Einstein and his colleagues, and the research of the author allows us an interesting look at a very small part of this world.

The story alternates chapters between 1960s Vivian and pre-World War I Violet, and each story is just as riveting as the other.  And since two different stories are told in each chapter, this book truly is a page turner.  The lives of both women parallel each other as we learn of their struggles and triumphs.  We see how both women come into their own in the world, and the contrast between the two eras is accented.

The writing is witty and the plot is fast-paced.  In each section, you've got a proper villain and spunky heroines who are each fighting for their own place in their world.  With espionage and romance, to boot.  I was sorry to have to put this book down when I was finished.  I recommend this book to anyone who is looking for good historical fiction about strong women.

Five out of Five Stars

Palace of Darkness, by Tracy L. Higley

Palace of Darkness: A Novel of Petra, is the third book of Higley's that I have read, and this novel did not disappoint!  This is a tale of a woman who has to make a life for herself and her son after her husband's death.  Her journey takes her to Petra (you may recognize the city carved out of stone from Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade).  There, she seeks her husband's family.  In doing so, she encounters new friends, new challenges, and ultimately grows into the strong woman she is destined to become.

As usual, I admired Higley's writing style.  But this book in particular shone because of the love between Cassia and her son.  Her willingness to make sacrifices for her little boy must resonate in the heart of every mother.  This book grabbed me in a way that few do.  I was emotionally involved in Cassia's journey.  Her pain became my pain, her joy my joy.  I so rarely become so attached to characters as I did to Cassia, and that made this book spring to life for me.

Through all of this, there is Higley's usual attention to historical detail.  This is a time period which I know little about - the establishment of the early Christian church.  Cassia's new friends in Petra try to eke out a place for their faith in this city, and unbelieving Cassia is witness to this.  Higley offers a perspective on the early church that I had not thought much about.  The book opened my mind to ideas that were new to me, and I am always grateful for a writer who can do that.

Disclaimer:  I was provided a copy of this book by the publisher in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Four out of Five Stars

The Queen's Handmaid, by Tracy L. Higley

The Queen’s Handmaid is Tracy L. Higley’s finest work yet.  She has taken the history of the era of Herod the Great and Cleopatra, and woven a compelling fictional adventure throughout.

Lydia is valued servant to Cleopatra - but she is forced to flee Egypt with Herod to protect herself and a secret she harbors.  She becomes the handmaid to Herod’s Hebrew wife in Jerusalem.  This allows her to attempt to fulfill her destiny - to deliver scrolls about the coming Messiah to a Hebrew group that is committed to taking Israel away from Herod.  As she makes a new life for herself in Jerusalem, she confronts her discovery that she herself might be Hebrew.  Along the way, she meets a man who may well be the only person she has ever been willing to wholly love.

The story itself is fascinating, but what really grabbed my attention was Higley’s devotion to bringing this era to life.  The research she put into this project causes the characters and the setting to leap out of the Kindle and into the room with the reader.  Lydia is a delight to read, and the points of view of the other characters make this story truly shine.

I admired Higley before I read this book, but she is now one of my favorite authors.  The Queen’s Handmaid is a book that can’t be missed by anyone who is a fan of historical fiction.

Five out of Five Stars

Disclaimer:  I was provided a copy of this book by the publisher in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Daisies Are Forever, by Liz Tolsma

Daisies are Forever is a story of an American in Germany during World War II.  It is a story of survival, of a group of innocents trying to flee the Soviet occupation of Berlin in the final days of the war.  It is based on the lives of two women - Ruth Lippert, who led a group of ten people to safety; and Lillian Tolsma, who lived in Berlin during the Soviet occupation.

The book really does read like two different stories.  The first half lacks passion, particularly in the dialogue.  The author does an excellent job of description, and the landscape that she paints leaps off the page into the reader's mind.  However, the character development in the beginning is weak, most particularly with Kurt and Audra.  Kurt's motives are not explained enough to make his story plausible, and his story's end seems rushed and too good to be true.  I wasn't able to connect with Gisela and Mitch, the two main characters, as they tried to flee the German countryside to the safety of Berlin.

The second half of the book is a joy to read.  Small wonder, since it is based on the life of the author's grandmother.  The stories she must have told the author heavily influence this last half.  Here, we see characters finally spring to life with the zeal that was missing in the beginning.  We feel their fears, their determination, and their joy.  The love story becomes more believable.  And we get a very real sense of what it was like to live in Berlin just before and during the Soviet occupation in 1945.

The second half of the book is worth the first half.  I recommend this book to anyone who is interested in civilian life during World War II.

Three of Five Stars

Disclaimer:  I was provided a copy of this book by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.