Book Review - The Irish Matchmaker

An unmatched matchmaker and a farmer who does not want a match create quite the pair as the Lisdoonvarna matchmaking festival turns the Irish town and its residents on their ears. Catriona Daly and her father come from a long line of Irish matchmakers and it seems as though Caty is going to have her hands full making another match for a certain gentleman after the last one made for him did not stick. Caty would not mind being his match, but she also has a job to do. What Caty does not want is to be stuck in Lisdoonvarna for the rest of her life, and certainly not married to a farmer. Donal Bunratty has been married, but raising wee Sara and managing the farm since his wife passed has not left him inspired to seek another partner.

In her new release, Jennifer Deibel drops us right into the heart of the merriment. Her settings are lively and full of character. Her characters draw us in and bring us alongside them in the daily routines of life on the farm and in the town. We are partnered with them as residents and visitors alike search for a partner in life and, possibly, in love. Caty may be the matchmaker, but is she prepared for the match that finds her?

The Irish Matchmaker by Jennifer Deibel is available now from your favorite local bookseller or online:

Baker Book House       Christian Book        Amazon        Walmart        Barnes & Noble        

Thank you to the author and publisher for allowing me a copy to read and review. All opinions expressed here are my own and are completely genuine.

Book Review - Embers in the London Sky

The latest release from Sarah Sundin is a gift to this generation of readers, as if the embers of the Second Great Fire of London singed onto the pages an homage to the refugees who flocked to her and those who toiled to care for them. We who are now generations removed from that war only know of the everyday greatness of these people by way of the stories left behind and the works of fiction taken from those stories, wrapped in a tidy bow, and offered up to us by authors who strive to honor them. Sundin takes the plight of the refugee and entwines it with the struggle of news correspondents who must find a way to report on reality without giving information to the enemy or damaging the morale of the citizens. Together those storylines converge to give us Embers in the London Sky.

Sundin is a thoroughly immersive storyteller. In a way that does not beleaguer the storyline, the setting comes alive around the reader. Engaging characters beckon the reader to bond, and it feels as though one is sitting around the table at the Hart and Swan with Aleida, Hugh, Lou, Jouveau, and a host of other corespondents from various countries. It does not take much to become enmeshed in Aleida’s search for her missing son and Hugh’s for his uncle’s murderer, or in the flame of attraction between the two. Embers in the London Sky is a full novel with fully developed players and storylines, but it will be a quick read when you realize you simply cannot walk away until the thoroughly satisfying conclusion.

Embers in the London Sky by Sarah Sundin is available from your favorite local bookseller or online:

Baker Book House        Christian Book         Amazon          Walmart           Barnes & Noble

Thank you to the author and publisher for allowing me a copy to read and review. All opinions expressed here are my own and are completely genuine.

Book Review - Fatal Witness

Well, I don’t know how I missed the inaugural release of the latest series from Patricia Bradley, but somehow Counter Attack got right by me. This means I started her Pearl River series with Fatal Witness, which just released. It was written so that I do not feel like I missed anything by starting with the second book, but also so I am inspired to read Counter Attack next!

Artist Dani Collins remembers nothing about the early years of her life. She does not remember the parents who died when she was young, only growing up with Uncle Keith and always staying under the radar. But Dani has a grandmother who has not given up trying to find her, and a photo that was not supposed to be published is just the thing Mae Richmond needs to put her on the right track. Unfortunately, it is also the clue the killer needs to find Dani and Uncle Keith. Coming home means walking right into the line of fire and the protection of Mae’s neighbor, Russell County K-9 officer Mark Lassiter. Together, Dani and Mark race to unveil her memories and unravel the mystery before it is too late.

Bradley combines her trademark procedural precision with a hefty dose of romantic tension and an undeniable faith thread to bring this story of artist Dani Collins to life. The frustration of not being quite able to tickle the identity of the man who murdered her parents from her repressed memories, and of barely staying one step ahead of him as he seeks to silence her, keeps the reader engaged from the first word to the last. With a beautiful setting and well crafted support characters, Bradley had given us the gift of binge-worthy romantic suspense.

Fatal Witness, the second book in the Pearl River series by Patricia Bradley, is available now from your favorite local bookseller or online:

Baker Book House        Christian Book        Amazon        Walmart        Barnes & Noble

Thank you to the author and publisher for allowing me a copy to read and review. All opinions expressed here are my own and are completely genuine.

Book Review - The Divine Proverb of Streusel

Sara Brunsvold comes off a glorious debut and delivers complex layers of family, friends and self discovery. The Divine Proverb of Streusel brings us Nikki Werner, still reeling from her dad’s departure from the family and in a tailspin from recent events. Seeking solace, Nikki finds herself on her uncle’s doorstep, hoping a message from her past will give clarity for her future. Through the process of renovating the family’s farmhouse with her uncle, Nikki begins to understand the family she had little opportunity to know. Community members share stories as they share meals made from long lost family recipes, revealing parts of her family history and encouraging her to face what she thought she knew about her relationships.

Brunsvold pulls from her own family’s story to bring characters that feel like your neighbors and a community that feels like home. The journal written by Nikki’s great-grandmother includes wisdom as well as recipes lost in time. Recipes that warm the heart and stir the spirit, bringing family and friends together, opening Nikki’s heart along with her hands.

The Divine Proverb of Streusel by Sara Brunsvold is available now from your favorite local bookseller

or online:

Baker Book House        Christian Book        Amazon        Walmart            Barnes & Noble

Thank you to the author and publisher for allowing me a copy to read and review. All opinions expressed here are my own and are completely genuine.