Monday, July 22, 2019
The Orphan's Song by Lauren Kate
"she wanted love - real love, or no love at all. This longing infected her like a disease. She knew no cure."
Venice 1725 Historical Adult Romance. Two five year old orphans, Violetta and Milo, are growing up at an orphanage, wishing they had families. But not just any orphanage. The Hospital of the Incurables was a revered music school. The girls sang at the most famous house of worship in Venice. Violetta could sing well and she was taught, raised to sing at Mass, behind a grate. She became a famous "coro", and was made to sign an oath never to sing beyond its church doors. In the city at this time, the people were required to wear masks.
The orphanage was very strict, but these two snuck out to the roof to watch other people and escape the feeling of being imprisoned. She had seen Milo's mother when she brought him to the orphanage and left him there - he was asleep. Milo growing up there found a broken violin and repaired it, then taught himself to play. Something that he was not supposed to do, but it became his passion. The background unknown to Milo, the two children shared the song that his mother had sung when she dropped him off. It was a bond between them. The journey of their lives is complicated and not easy, with many struggles for freedom and security. The story unfolds and intertwines, not always in the expected way. It's also interesting to learn about Venice and the way of life there at that time. Keeps you engaged to the end. Passion, heartbreak, betrayal and the need that we all have to be loved. Mild sexual content.
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.”
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Thursday, July 11, 2019
The Bride of Ivy Green by Julie Klassen
Christian Historical Romance, England 1821. As good as it gets! This is one of those books where you find the characters to be so dear, you don't want the book to end. If you're like me and read the previous books, you remember everything instantly and jump eagerly into this book, savoring every bit since this is the conclusion to the series. If you didn't read the previous books, do yourself a favor and do so. You can still enjoy this book if you don't but it's so nice to have "the rest of the story". Relationships are so important, and these characters have grown as the story has evolved. Love has grown, personal feelings and situations have been weighed, nothing is easy. Very satisfying story.
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.”
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Friday, July 5, 2019
No Ocean Too Wide A Novel by Carrie Turansky
It's hard not to read ahead. 1909 England. Excruciating story of a poor family from London. The father had died and the mother got sick. The oldest girl was in service some distance away. When the rent wasn't paid on time and they didn't have enough to eat, the boy tried to steal some bread to feed them and was caught, starting an avalanche of problems. The three were put into a children's home, then sent to Canada, thinking their mother had died and their older sister didn't care. The story is written with great detail and each character comes fully to life.
Great injustice and bright light shown on the holes in the system of removing children from England. Between the 1860s and the 1930s, more than one hundred eighteen thousand poor and orphaned children were sent to Canada as British Home Children. Much good was done when good people were involved, but so much cruelty took place for many unfortunate children, and no good system was in place to put it in check. This story also tells of two good men who were sent to investigate the system, and how they became involved. And the relationship of Laura, the oldest daughter and Andrew a wealthy lawyer who helped them all. Excellent read that will keep you on edge throughout. If not for the underlying story of God's grace and love, it would be so much harder yet to read. You feel a relationship with each of the characters as their story is brought to light.
"If she found Jesus in the pages of that Bible, she would have a friend who would never leave her side . . . and that was what she needed most for the journey ahead."
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.”
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The Last Year of the War by Susan Meissner
"We do not become different people as we age; we just add layers of experience onto who we already are."
Deeply interesting story of a young girl of German descent who is sent with her family to an internment camp in Texas when WW2 starts. She meets a Japanese girl there who is the same age, and it's fascinating to learn about them both. They are now both many years older, having lived separate lives, not connecting again until now. Elise recounts her life as it unfolded, in incredible detail.
More than eleven thousand German American and German Latin American legal residents and citizens were interned during World War II at the camp in Crystal City, Texas, and in other similar detention facilities. They were encouraged and sometimes forced to repatriate to their country - used in exchange for Americans. The thing is though, people like Elise were born here and Americans too, their parents living as Americans, but it didn't matter that they were innocent of any crime. I can identify a little bit, as my Grandmother's parents came over from Belgium in 1905, but that was well before WW1. My Grandmother was born here. I'm sure their German heritage and accents stood out. This story has very real accounts of bombing in Germany and what it was like to live there even if you didn't agree with what Hitler did and didn't want to be there. Fabulous read, gently woven with present day.
". . . the past is nothing you can make friends or enemies of. It just is what it is. Or was. It is this day you are living right now, this very day, that is yours to make of it what you will. So make it beautiful, if you can."
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.”
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Sunday, June 23, 2019
Whispering Pines by Scarlett Dunn
(The Langtry Sisters)
Whispering Pines, Colorado 1876. A real shoot 'em up Western that takes place after the Civil War. Rose is travelling home from back east when her stagecoach comes upon a group of men, headed up by a man she had feared for years, about to hang her brother. She doesn't realize what kind of person her brother had turned into, and gets him out of the hanging. But that was only the start of her troubles. Nonstop upset for Rose and her sweet grandmother as they try to deal with so many things. Rose begins to see the Ranger in a completely different way. Intricate and interesting mystery that pulls on your heartstrings throughout. Good read!
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.”
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Thimbles and Threads
4 Love Stories Are Quilted into Broken Lives
by Mary Davis; Grace Hitchcock; Suzanne Norquist; Liz Tolsma“I don’t deserve forgiveness.” “None of us do. But the Lord freely gives His forgiveness to us.”
No surprise, there's an enchanting sewing and quilts theme throughout the book, Christian Historical Romance. With these authors you can't go wrong. Lovely stories with depth of character and interesting variety. Texas 1884, Charleston, South Carolina Summer 1886, Rockledge, Colorado 1884, Regent, Colorado 1885. Strong talented women, special men. Some broken lives ready for mending. Good read!
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.”
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More Than Meets The Eye by Karen Witemeyer
". . .a soul’s sore spots didn’t really disappear. They could be buried, defended, and denied, but until they were loved, they wreaked havoc with a person’s peace."
1879 Texas. Christian Historical. First in a new series. There were four orphans on a train that crashed, three escaped, forming their own family, taking care of each other, each with their own strengths. The girl, Eva, has two different color eyes which are off-putting to others, one of the reasons she hadn't been adopted. They struggle to find what they need to eat, with the oldest boy, Zach, taking on the responsibility. After it gets harder and harder he runs out of options, and gets a farm for them in an uncommon way, never expecting repercussions. Logan wants revenge and restitution for his family. When he searches out the person he believes responsible, he's surprised at what he finds. Interesting story of survival and love in an unconventional family whose bonds are tighter than many normal families. Throw in some mystery and danger. You won't be bored.
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.”
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