Book Review - The Color of Home

Audrey Needham looks like she is at the top. By all appearances, she will soon be promoted by her boss, who is currently in the spotlight as the Bay Area’s top designer. Audrey just has to get through this big meeting and then two weeks out of office. If only those two weeks were not in Charity Falls, Oregon. If only her great-aunt and uncle didn’t live across the road from the place where Audrey’s dad was taken from her in a fire. If only she didn’t have to face that place every day of her time helping Daisy and Dean, as she helps them prepare to move into their memory care apartment. And to top off the struggles, she is still nestled in the dramatic Cascades when her job disappears on the Bay Area fog, leaving her with a lot of time to weigh her options and embrace the stirrings of her soul. A series of chance encounters with a handsome, but surly, resident of Charity Falls leave Audrey feeling more lost and unsettled. But in a series of moments of clarity, the dark sadness of the past is pulled into the light, where Audrey can find the bright hope of her future.

Painted vividly with all the colors Pantone has to offer, The Color of Home is a tangible testament to the power of immersion. From allowing herself to be fully immersed in her career to the realization that Audrey has drifted from her roots as an artist, the reader is pulled deep into her metamorphosis. In committing to Daisy, Dean, and Charity Falls, the outer trappings are washed away like pigment from a brush to allow the next right thing to be revealed. Kit Tosello has created a cozy community with lovable characters for the reader to fully immerse themselves in and enjoy.

The Color of Home by Kit Tosello is available now from your favorite local bookseller or online:

Baker Book House    Christian Book    Amazon    Barnes & Noble    Walmart

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 - Until Our Time Comes

Nicole M. Miller’s debut novel, Until Our Time Comes, is a beautifully crafted tribute to the resilience and determination of a group of people we do not often consider in reflection upon the trials of World War II. That is because many of us are unaware of the Janów Podlaski stud and other state run farms focused on the preservation of the glorious Arabian horses so prized by Poland, as well as others in various countries throughout the Continent. Miller brings this topic to light with the story of Adia Kensington, the American daughter who carries on the legacy of her Polish mother who toiled to save the magnificent Arabians during World War I. Adia finds herself in the unenviable position of having to protect them again as they face enduring occupation by enemy armies. British intelligence agent Bret Conway is tasked with protecting Adia and the horses while also performing his duties and maintaining his cover as a news reporter. This is, of course, made significantly more challenging when the two realize their stormy relationship carries with it the magnitude of love. As Adia and Bret work together to care for the horses, protecting them from enemies all around, and to advance the Allied efforts to turn the tide of war, they find that their love must endure until the time comes that they can be together at last.

This debut novel reads beautifully, with eloquent descriptions that draw the reader directly into the glorious countryside and the famed Janów Podlaski stables. Miller’s characters are expertly crafted, down to the grandmother resistance fighter and the foal who is rejected by his mother. I was often sent outside the book to search for information on the Arabian horses and the Polish state studs that continue to dedicate themselves to these magnificent creatures. I do sometimes enjoy a good read it through kind of book, but delight in fiction that inspires me to seek out the facts. Until Our Time Comes could easily be the former, and I am thrilled that it gave me the experience of the latter. I am certainly excited to see what comes next for this talented author!

Until Our Time Comes by Nicole M. Miller is available now from your favorite local bookseller or online:

Baker Book House        Christian Book        Amazon        Barnes & Noble        Walmart

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.