Book Review - The Lost Melody

Certain books are felt physically even as they are read. Jane Eyre and Wuthering Heights are two of my favorite examples, and I would add The Lost Melody by Joanna Davidson Politano to that list. I dare suggest that I would rank it right there with my two favorite Gothic romances of all time. Politano threads music through the atmosphere of a Victorian pauper asylum to express the sheer determination and subtle delicacies of Vivienne Mordant’s character. The great mystery of the lost melody and the beautiful woman who played it carry the reader and our beloved concert pianist into the bowels of darkness, through seething depravity, into the mind of madness. And yet, are we not all just a bit mad? And it is so terribly dreadful to be just a tad mad? And can one be the kind of light in the darkness who uses their God given gifts to reach those lost in the depths of that hopeless existence? Politano explores themes of value with a most deliciously troubling romance in her latest release.

The Lost Melody by Joanna Davidson Politano 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.

Book Review - On The Cliffs of Foxglove Manor

Adria Banished to Foxglove Manor with the charge to find what had been stolen from her pirate father, Adria arrives to find Foxglove Manor as tempestuous as Lake Superior, which it overlooks. Nobody wants to talk about the man who is not in the turret; nobody wants to talk about the little girl who died, but sometimes shows herself. Nobody is going to give Adria any hints about where to find the treasure she must return to her father so that he will do her the great favor of disowning her.

Kailey Twenty years ago, Kailey's family vacationed at Foxglove Manor. Twenty years ago, Kailey was kidnapped, questioned, and returned home the very same afternoon. Twenty years ago, Kailey's parents died. Now Kailey and her brother, Jude, return to Foxglove Manor. On the surface, it is an ideal situation where she can be caretaker in a small retirement home that will also accommodate her autistic brother. However, Kailey is also seeking understanding and closure for what happened when she was five years old.

"He had ruined death for her, and the hope of it." Sadness settled in my bones from the opening line and stayed there for the duration of this gothic tale, buoyed only periodically by Axel's determination to keep Kailey's heart and head sighted on the One who is greater than our fears and our disappointments. A delicate balance between the gloom and the Light is accurately reflected as the characters wrestle in earnest with abandonment, disappointment, fear, and hopelessness to find hope, "By God's grace."

On The Cliffs of Foxglove Manor by Jaime Jo Wright is currently available from your favorite local bookseller or online:

Christian Book       Baker Book House        Barnes & Noble        Amazon

Thank you to my husband, who encourages me to "buy the book" when I don't have a review copy. All opinions stated here are my own and are completely genuine.