Books You Can Feel Good About

Wednesday, February 2, 2022

Beyond the Lavender Fields by Arlem Hawks

1792 early in French history, shortly after the revolution, there was another uprising in Paris that physically removed the king. It pulled revolutionaries from all over the country, including Marseilles where this story is set. Giles works in a soap factory and is friends with the owner's son. They are fellow revolutionaries with his brother and are major flirts as well as dedicated to the cause. His employer is a monarchist, although he keeps it low key. The employer's daughter returns home since it is becoming unsafe in Paris. She does not believe this revolutionary movement is good since there is so much violence and killing. One of the mottos is that they are ridding the country of impure blood - one similar to what Hitler would promote many years later. She is beautiful and a strong woman, easily putting Giles to shame when he tries to kiss her on a dare. As the story moves along, they try to be friends, each learning from the other. The situation becomes more and more dangerous. Interesting story and characters, looking into different perspectives of this time in history and what the people were trying to accomplish as well as just plain live. Gives you depth of feeling from both sides. The danger and story become more fast paced, as does their relationship. Pulls on the heart strings! I'm hoping there is another to follow.

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.

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Sunday, January 23, 2022

The Paris Children by Gloria Goldreich

Based on the life of Madeleine Levy, the granddaughter of Alfred Dreyfus and a heroine of the French Resistance movement. Hers was a normal French Jewish family of a proud WW1 hero. They didn't believe that their world could change so much when Hitler came into power. But none of them hesitated to do whatever they could to help others. Madeline cared for children and worked tirelessly to free as many as she could and get them to safety. Her sister was a forger who helped as well. They gathered as a family as often as they could and were strengthened by each other. Incredible courage and deception saved many, many lives. An amazing family, an amazing girl of strength, compassion, selflessness. They found love throughout it all. Beautiful read - brings their story to life.

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.

#TheParisChildren #NetGalley

My reviews

A Bride of Convenience by Jody Hedlund

British Columbia in 1863. Third in The Bride Ships series, this ship is women who had lost their jobs in the mills of England, taking place after America's Civil War and the gold rush in Victoria. The story gently builds until you can't put it down. Both feeling unworthy for entirely different reasons, Zoe and Abe grow closer, perfectly matched. God's plan for them puts them on a path, but it isn't easy to see. Neither would logically think they would end up together. Abe had been sent there by the Church of England. He's not the uppity type, and makes himself part of the community, not above spreading God's word to everyone who lived there. He was beloved by them, but the Church disapproved of his actions. Beautiful story of people who are looked down on for being who they are, yet God perfectly uses just such people and makes the world a better place for all of us.
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.
#ABrideofConvenience #NetGalley

My reviews:

Saturday, January 22, 2022

Stitching a Life, An Immigration Story by Mary Helen Fein

1900 mostly biographical of Helen Fein. Helen and her family are from Lithuania. They are a Jewish family. The Germans have begun to take 12-year-old Jewish boys into service for many years, where they are treated badly. Helen's family devises a plan for them to all move to New York. Her father goes over first and gets a job, then sends for Helen, who also has a job lined up. They both work hard and earn the money for the rest of their family. They're all a hard-working bunch. The separation, then having to learning new trades was daunting, but they learned quickly their new jobs in the new world.

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.
#StitchingaLife #NetGalley

My Reviews

The Book of Lost Names by Kristin Harmel

Precious. Expertly woven story based on what some talented people did during the war, to save lives. Eva escaped Paris with her mother to a small town in the safe zone. She was artistic and forged papers for them, that worked. Then she met some people who pointed out her mistakes. Although she was supposed to go to Switzerland, when she saw the condition of where Jews were being held in Paris, she knew she had to do something to help. She was welcomed into a ring of the resistance, and they shared their talents to do forgeries. In the process she became close to and eventually fell in love with a man she worked with, who ended up moving into other positions. A fascinating story that kept me up extra hours reading. I had family that left Germany before the war started. I can picture several of these talented people doing this kind of work, which makes it all more real to me. It shows what people can do when they bring their talent, intelligence and determination to fight back against injustice. This is a keeper. Definitely a stand out read. 20 stars.

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.

#TheBookOfLostNames #NetGalley

My Reviews

ChristianBook

Ever Constant by Tracie Peterson; Kimberley Woodhouse

Nome Alaska 1905. This is Whitney's story. Three beautiful, talented sisters grew up on their Granddad's ranch, each with their own unique personality. They all share a love for their family, music, animals and community. They're a very tight group. Whitney is the oldest and has always felt she had to hold things together and take care of everyone else, especially after their mother died. They had all been through a lot of tragedy and shock, but Whitney had also been attacked by a man, leaving her more vulnerable. When their Granddad died and she found him, she fell apart. She had had headaches from the attack, but now they got worse. The tension in her life built, and she became addicted to alcohol to help her through it, even though her father had fought his own addiction, which she despised him for. Loving story with great lessons of faith, learning to put God first and let Him control things. Peter, a young doctor in town, also learns some similar lessons, he and Whitney helping each other, gaining trust in each other instead of trying to do it all alone. As always, a great read to get lost in. You can't go wrong with this series.

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.

#EverConstant #NetGalley

My Reviews:

Her Darling Mr. Day by Grace Hitchcock

I found that I simply had to allow extra time for reading on this one as it was hard to put it down. Even though I hadn't read the first book in the series, this was excellent. It simply wraps you in layers, leaves you thinking about the characters even after putting it down, eager to pick it up again. It's nice to read about American Royalty, some of their lifestyle and definitely about the clothes. Set in 1883, Flora convinces her highly social family to spend the summer in New Orleans with a Great Aunt. Her parents and whole family went along, intending to marry off four of their daughters. Flora has one particular man in mind, but finds that she has a lot of competition for his attention when she gets to town. There's leftover danger and mystery from the first book, as yet unresolved, as well as jealous female adversaries who don't play nice. Teddy is getting over a failed relationship and concentrating on building luxury steamships with his family. Roller coaster relationships, pirates and attempted kidnapping keep the tension and action going to the end. Fabulous read, one of my favorites. Can't wait until the next one!

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.
#HerDarlingMrDay #NetGalley

My Reviews