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 - The Extraordinary Deaths of Mrs. Kip

Sometimes I read a book that is just too big to review. Its impact is simply too grand to express with mere words. The ideas, themes, quotes sit so profoundly in my mind and on my heart. The Extraordinary Deaths of Mrs. Kip is certainly one of those books. It is particularly moving if you have known a Mrs. Kip of your own.

Aidyn Kelly is a cub reporter for the Kansas City Star with dreams and confidence bigger than her britches. To put her in her place, her section editor sends her to interview a little old lady in a hospice house. The grand insult: Aidyn is to write the obituary of one Mrs. Clara Kip. This assignment is a hurdle to be cleared on Aidyn’s climb out of the hole she has dug for herself, but God and Mrs. Kip have other plans. Cancer may try to knock the wind out of Mrs. Kip’s sails; it cannot, however, knock the shenanigans out of the spunky little old lady who is determined to “…love people as best as I could for as long as I was privileged to be with them.” As Aidyn attempts to get to the real story, an agreement is formed: Mrs. Kip will answer three questions for every extraordinary death Aidyn can create for her. But the truly extraordinary deaths of Mrs. Kip do not come from the young reporter’s creative mind and are an exquisite gift wrapped in prose that speaks to the reader on a blessedly intimate level.

The Extraordinary Deaths of Mrs. Kip by Sara Brunsvold is available now from your favorite local bookseller or online:

Baker Book House      Christian Book      Barnes & Noble      Amazon

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.