A Beautiful Disguise by Roseanna M. White

 

I don't very often have something to take away from a book no matter how entertaining, but this time I was moved, touched by the dialog, especially faith lessons from a missionary. Amazingly entertaining and unexpected mystery, romance and introduction to wonderful characters who will be in a series... one I'm very much looking forward to continuing to read. Very realistic, quite detailed so very easy to see the settings. Not a formula romance story. I loved it!

I received this book free from the author, publisher and NetGalley book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.

#NetGalley #ABeautifulDisguise #RoseannaMWhite #BooksYouCanFeelGoodAbout #BethanyHouse #ChristianHistoricalFiction #FiveStarHistorical

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The Weight of Air by Kimberly Duffy

 

1891. Christian Historical. Fabulous story, very hard to put down. I felt engaged with the characters right away. A mother and daughter who are both in the circus, started out as a family, in Europe. A lot of problems are wrestled with, women who pursue traditionally male-dominated careers, couples who flip gender expectations (for instance, a heroine who towers over the hero), how completely exhausting and crushing postpartum depression and OCD are. Women were quite covered up with their clothing in those days, but these girls wore very skimpy costumes and were very exposed, ogled in their acts yet belittled outside the circus.  Three generations of women go through similar feelings at some points in their lives. You can feel the excitement and tension of the circus acts. Love and fear bundled into their stories. Complicated relationships with their husbands. Excellent read.

I received this book free from the author, publisher and NetGalley book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.

#NetGalley #TheWeightOfAir #KimberlyDuffy #BooksYouCanFeelGoodAbout #ChristianHistoricalFiction

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Winning the Gentleman by Kristi Ann Hunter

 

Oh how I love these books and the people in them. This is a continuation of Aaron, one of my favorites. Aristocrat born, but illegitimate, educated yet outcast. With some of the most loyal aristocrat friends. He is the stable master for two of them and in desperate need of a jockey when he inadvertently hires a girl from a circus for the job. The uproar and problems from this as well as responsibility to Sophia, the girl make for another engrossing story.  Both struggling to know whom they are amongst the pressure of the society people and what and whom are acceptable, folded in with the best of friends and support. Another lovely and touching story that is hard to put down.

I received this book free from the publisher and NetGalley book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.

#WinningtheGentleman #NetGalley

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The Ringmaster's Daughter by Carly Schabowski

The story follows Michel, a young, handsome, poor man who lives in Paris, just at the beginning of the German invasion in Europe. Michel has some good friends, especially an older man named Bertrand who has basically raised him. Bertrand tricks Michel and has him jump on a train that turns out to be a small circus train. They have some rough bumps, but Michel ends up working for them and falling for the ringmaster's woman. It isn't until much alter that he learns who she is.  Europe has been unsafe for Jews for years and the circus people know it well. But they're smart and have good friends who are able to help them for awhile. The ringmaster takes care of everyone in the troupe, watching out for their survival. They are all misfits. As is typical in carnival life, relationships are complicated. It's interesting to see this play out - the story doesn't always go as expected. During this horrible time and place in history, relationships are what really mean everything. Sad and yet encouraging. Good read.

I received this book free from the publisher and NetGalley book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.  #TheRingmastersDaughter #NetGalley

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The Farmer's Daughter Romance Collection

5 Historical Romances Homegrown in the American Heartland
by Mary Davis, Kelly Eileen Hake, Tracie Peterson, Jill Stengl, Susan May Warren

"Lord, I can see I’m coming to the right place for help.’ Tis gonna take nothing short of a miracle."

God filled. Each story holds lessons of God's love for us and how to live our lives. A book you won't want to put down; a book you won't want to end.
A nice long read each. Some collections I've read tell a good story but get through it all too quickly.   These are great, and have a Christian message as well. There's a lot of detail, depth and expert storytelling.

  1887 A real tomboy of the wild west that will steal your heart, and you'll feel her pain and struggle in this effort to keep custody of her nieces.
  1874 Ireland shows Ewan coming to America and meets an Irish family while working for the railroad.  Deeply Christian values on how to live with honor and treat others.
  Then There's Tracy's gentle story of pioneers in Kansas who are visited by a young circuit preacher, graced by inciteful preaching. Words to live by. She really poured her heart and soul into this story with such blessing and wisdom.
  1881 Wisconsin A circus performer turned farmhand, hiding from his wealthy family. He meets his boss's daughter and learns about life and living in God's plan. Trials and struggle blessed this couple. Wonderful teaching of how lives should be led in God's light.
"She hadn’t considered that a foreigner, especially a German, would know the same God she did."
  1918 South Dakota Two girls race to meet a train and send letters to their beaus overseas. A German immigrant is working in an indentured contract at a ranch nearby. I particularly loved this because of my German heritage. Immigrants before the war, but I always wondered how they were really treated here after the war started. If they had to be on the offensive. This is a beautiful story of finding God's plan for our lives. A story of true love.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher and 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.”
#TheFarmersDaughterRomanceCollection #NetGalley #BooksYouCanFeelGoodAbout

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Streams of Mercy (Song of Blessing #3) by Lauraine Snelling

Another hit about the town of Blessing and its special residents. You can never go wrong selecting a Lauraine Snelling book.  Each minute of your time will be thoroughly enriched. Although it is not necessary to read the other books in the series first to enjoy this, you will be very glad if you did, so that you too can fall in love with each member of this extended family. But be warned - these books will make you hungry. For homemade baked bread and cookies - and to hear more about what's happening to each of the characters. They are not really about just one or two characters - but about a town made up of special people. 

In this book we hear more about Thomas Devlin, a lovable Irish priest who is ever ready to help any and all in any way that he can.  He wasn't easily accepted into this community of Norwegians, but as most Irishmen he grows on you. As you might think, his relationships with the residents can be awkward, but he does grow to care for Anji - who fairly recently lost her husband. Anji's husband's family in Norway tries to control her future remarriage, so that adds one more obstacle to the mix.

The needs of the hospital always seem to be growing, and it is severely challenged in this book - especially after a circus train comes to town.  Lots of heart wrenching issues for the patients and for the doctors and nurses there. 

Once again a pleasure to spend time in Blessing and take part in its growth and progression! 

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 “GuidesConcerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.” 

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From the book jacket:

The Heartwarming Drama Continues in the Song of Blessing Series
Anji Baard Moen, a recent widow, returns from Norway with her children. She quickly settles back into life in Blessing, teaching Norwegian history in the high school and writing articles for the Blessing Gazette. When tragedy strikes, Anji steps in to run the newspaper and soon finds a kindred spirit in the widower who owns the printing press. As they spend time together, Anji wonders if there's something more than friendship growing between them.

But Anji has also caught the eye of a recent arrival to Blessing. He has put his carpentry skills to good use on the town's building projects, including Anji's house. But Anji is torn between her feelings of loyalty to someone who needs her and the chance to build a new life with this intriguing newcomer.

Where will her choice take her? 

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