Searching for Irene by Marlene Bateman

I thought the cover for this book was great. Yes, too often the cover is what draws me to the book. This sets the right scene for a murder mystery -  Anna is searching, through fog it seems, where it is somewhat dark and there is a man looming in the background.  The story is well told – you get to know the main character very well, but all of the other characters are kept in shadow so that you never know who did it until the end. It’s also about a “working woman” who goes to a house of the wealthy to work (it just happens to be like a castle) and she gradually is brought into the family, able to go to dances and ride their horses around the vast estate in beautiful Virginia. It’s on that estate that Anna goes searching for Irene, the girl that she replaced, who disappeared one day. Irene had made quite an impression with the family and servants, and it’s quite a challenge to get honest or consistent information. As Anna gets closer to one of the sons, she also makes an obvious enemy of his intended, who makes no secret that she wants Anna to back off. But the more she learns, the more she is determined to know what happened to Irene. And the longer she stays, the more likely it is that she will be next. Good read right to the end! I hadn't read anything by this Author before - I'm now a fan.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Covenant Communications and the Netgalley book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

From the Publisher:
Anna Coughlin is a modern 1920s woman armed with a college education and a partiality for numbers. Now, within the walls of a fantastic castle-like mansion in the hills of Virginia, her skill will be tested as never before. Hired to serve as financial advisor to wealthy Lawrence Richardson, Anna finds the welcome she receives anything but warm. Lawrence's handsome but antagonistic son Tyler wants nothing more than to send her packing. The household staff isn't much better, but who can blame them, considering the way Lawrence's last advisor, Irene, disappeared . . .
Convinced that one of the enigmatic members of the household had something to do with Irene's disappearance, Anna doesn't dare trust anyone—not even temperamental Tyler Richardson, who, despite her best intentions, is beginning to steal her heart.
A series of frightening incidents ensnare Anna in a maze of intrigue, putting her life in peril. But even as Anna begins uncovering the secrets hidden within the mansion's stone walls, she harbors a secret of her own. Now, the only question that remains is whether she will disappear as mysteriously as Irene. . .

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The Return by Suzanne Woods Fisher

If you like Historical Fiction, you will enjoy this. Set in Pennsylvania near Philadelphia and Lancaster in 1763, it’s the third in a series about Amish settlers who emigrated from Germany. There is turmoil in the area after a group of Indians massacres northernmost settler and children are kidnapped. A daughter, Betsy, who is betrothed to Hans from Stoney Ridge Amish church, taken as a “tribute” replacement for one in their village who had been killed. She is treated well after she arrives at the village and is befriended by Caleb, who is the son of a Mennonite girl who had been kidnapped years back and was taken as a Shawnee bride. He can speak her language and takes time to help her acclimate. Even though Betsy doesn’t forget her home and people, she learns to endure the hardships and becomes close to the female leaders of the tribe, and Caleb. Tessa, the Preacher’s daughter, has always loved Hans and was very jealous of Betsy. The tragedy becomes a good thing for her since Hans draws close and proposes marriage. That is until Caleb brings Betsy back.

This story is woven with jealousy, prejudice, racism and selfishness, also kindness, forgiveness, tolerance and strength of faith and spirit. Colonial settlers mostly left their country because of great difficulties, only to arrive in America and face some of the same as well as new challenges. Different ways of life, and the settlers’ greed for the land that was set aside for the Indians by treaty strongly influenced this time. This is about one part of that history and peaceful immigrants who are making a great contribution (like the Conestoga wagon) yet are torn apart by violence from within and without.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher from the Baker Publishing Group, Bethany - Netgalley book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

From the Publisher:
Beautiful and winsome, Betsy Zook never questioned her family's rigid expectations, nor those of devoted Hans, but then she never had to. Not until the night when she's taken captive in a surprise Indian raid. During her captivity, Betsy faces brutality and hardship, but also unexpected kindness. She draws strength from native Caleb, who encourages her to find God in all circumstances. She finds herself torn between her pious upbringing and the intense new feelings this compelling man awakens within her.

Handsome and complex, Hans is greatly anguished by Betsy's captivity and turns to Tessa Bauer for comfort. Eagerly, Tessa responds, overlooking troubling signs of Hans's hunger for revenge. When Betsy is finally restored to the Amish, have things gone too far between Hans and Tessa?

Inspired by true events, this deeply layered novel gives a glimpse into the tumultuous days of prerevolutionary Pennsylvania through the eyes of two young, determined, and faith-filled women.


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The Promise of Dawn by Lauraine Snelling

A new series linked with the fabulous Red River Valley novels. I have read a lot of books. I recall a movie, although not the title, where characters come alive and then freeze where they are when the reader stops reading.  Most books are like this, quietly waiting to be picked up again, but Lauraine Snelling’s characters seem to continue to live after the book is put down – and I eagerly look forward to peering through the looking glass again to see what they’ve been up to.

Ingeborg’s cousin is still in Norway and has long waited to see her again. Her sister Gird is married and has gone to America, earning land and building a homestead. They need help, sending for her oldest son Rune and his family to join them. Ready and willing to work hard to repay them yet also earn some land and a home for themselves in this land of opportunity, they sail over – but nothing is easy anywhere along the way.  They enter a loveless home and Uncle Einar and Aunt Gird expect way too much from them, with little thanks, but Rune and Signe – and their children - have strong values and deliver 110%. Clearing the large trees is a dangerous job and when overworked it becomes more so. Because Uncle Einar is so single minded about getting the trees cleared, Aunt Gird is very ill and the household has gone severely downhill. Plus, for some reason the community does not welcome Rune and his family. Standing firm on strength and kindness, their faith grows stronger through the difficulties and threads its way to the others who surround them.

I wish I could give Lauraine’s books 10 stars – I can’t recommend them highly enough. They are get-lost-in-and-fully-enjoy stories where you can clearly picture the characters and settings. As always, I eagerly look forward to the next book in the series! I really like the references to Ingeborg as I know she is living a full life not far from Signe and Rune in her piece of America.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the Bethany House Publishers - Netgalley book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

From the Publisher:
Beloved Author Lauraine Snelling Launches New Immigrant Series
When Signe, her husband, Rune, and their three boys arrive in Minnesota from Norway to help a relative clear his land of lumber, they dream of owning their own farm and building a life in the New World. But Uncle Einar and Aunt Gird are hard, demanding people, and Signe and her family soon find themselves worked nearly to the bone in order to repay the cost of their voyage. At this rate, they will never have land or a life of their own.

Signe tries to trust God but struggles with anger and bitterness. She has left behind the only life she knew, and while it wasn't an easy life, it wasn't as hard as what she now faces. When a new addition to the family arrives, Signe begins to see how God has been watching over them throughout their ordeal. But after all that has happened, can she still believe in the promise of a bright future?

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