Book Review - With Every Memory

Janine Rosche begins With Every Memory with an author’s note that includes a trigger warning and information about resources for individuals who find themselves in the situations covered in the book. I begin with that information, as well, because it is critical information. I read the warning before I agreed to read and review this book, feeling at the time like I would be able to handle it and wanting to see how the author handled these situations within the Christian fiction realm. It took a while for me to get my teeth into this story and really bond with the characters, but if I am honest about it, I believe the issues I had in the beginning are more personal than a reflection of the author’s work. Rosche manages to balance the reality of the difficult topics she addresses with care. If this book is for you, then I recommend it. If it is not, I certainly vote to feel good about your decision to pass over it.

Having said all of that, With Every Memory begins as Lori Mendenhall prepares to return home from extensive rehabilitation after a tragic accident. Beyond the physical, Lori is also struggling to recall memories lost in her retrograde amnesia; not only is she struggling to remember the people around her, but also to recall her own identity. On top of trying to figure out who she is, Lori also must work to learn who her husband and daughter are, and how to move forward after losing her son in the accident. With every memory that returns, there are a million other questions that arise about how it fits in the scope of her life as she remembers it and how it fits in the scope of the life she is finding to be her reality. Each member of the Mendenhall family has to learn to navigate life without their beloved Austin in their own way, but learning to support each other and rely on each other through the process is what may be their greatest success. Rosche’s character development of Michael and Avery is very well considered, and to reflect on the track of each one individually shows just how the breadcrumbs come together to create something even more special than I expected early on. Once I began relating to and bonding with the characters, the pages began to fly, and I was torn between wanting to see the resolution and dreading the conclusion.

With Every Memory by Janine Rosche is available now from your favorite local bookseller or online:

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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 Swindler’s Daughter

Identity is an interesting thing. You can know who you think you are and still be quite uninformed, as Lillian Doyle learns in The Swindler’s Daughter. As the daughter of a widowed Atlanta socialite, Lillian is expected to marry well and secure the future for herself and her mother. However, Lillian finds that her mother had not been widowed by her father all these years; he has been quite alive, at least, he was until recently. Now the sole heiress of her father’s estate, Lillian is sent to secure her inheritance and return to Atlanta to marry a nice enough man, with whom she supposes she will have a nice enough life. But arriving in the small town where her father once lived, Lillian is faced with opportunities she could only dream about under the weight of social expectation, and the choices before her could allow Lillian to be who she chooses to be.

In The Swindler’s Daughter, Stephenia H. McGee writes historical romance with a bit of intrigue. Questions swirl as hopes and futures collide, making messes of people’s plans and opening the door for God’s plan for each of the characters. There are misunderstandings and mischief aplenty, moving the story toward a tidy ending.

The Swindler’s Daughter by Stephenia H. McGee is available now from your favorite local bookseller or online:

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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 Long March Home

A story of friendship and brotherhood that spans several decades, The Long March Home opens in Mobile, Alabama in the early days of childhood for Jimmy, Claire and Billy. With mothers who are very close friends, it is no wonder the three who are so close in age would spend most of their waking hours together. When the group picks up Hank in elementary school, they seem to be complete. Things get a little more difficult as high school comes around; Jimmy notices Claire has become a woman, one who seems to be catching attention from other boys just when he also realizes she’s the only girl for him. His hellfire-and-brimstone preacher father has very specific plans that don’t look anything like what he wants, but Jimmy also knows he will have to choose between his father’s plans and the girl of his dreams. World War II changes the trajectory of his life, along with Hank and Billy, when the three run off to enlist. The long march home for these boys begins as they are complacent with a life of relative leisure in the Philippines and takes them to some very dark and difficult places as their daydreams become a painfully real nightmare.

Marcus Brotherton and Tosca Lee are both excellent researchers and storytellers, a fact which is quite obvious as you read through the story they have created together. Based on historical records of the troops who were pinned down on the Bataan Peninsula, the characters and events on The Long March Home are exceptionally real and painfully relevant. While crafting an entertaining story, albeit one that will break your heart over and over again, Brotherton and Lee have honored the veterans who gave their lives to fight tyranny. This work of historical fiction is a fitting tribute to their sacrifice. Keep your tissues handy; if this book was any less heartbreaking it wouldn’t be worth reading.

The Long March Home by Marcus Brotherton and Tosca Lee 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 - In Feast or Famine

In her latest addition to the Egyptian Chronicles series, Mesu Andrews picks up the story of Joseph ben Jacob in the depths of Potiphar’s prison, where we left him at the conclusion of the magnificent Potiphar’s Wife. Though we know Elohim used Joseph to interpret Pharaoh’s dreams and therefore manage the great years of plenty and following years of famine to provide for nations, eventually reuniting Joseph with his long lost family, we do not know much about what actually happened in that time. With meticulous research and inspired imagination, Andrews takes us there to witness firsthand how political intrigue and the work of Elohim may have played out to heal the land, heal wounded hearts, and glorify the One God.

Layered eloquently within the known biblical story are elements of timeless themes that bring complex characters to relevance: the longing for a parent’s love, the turmoil of seething hate vs the balm of forgiveness, healing of hearts and of nations, a mother’s fierce drive to care for her children and balance those needs with the needs of the household or even a greater population. Asenath, locked away in a tower for fifteen years with only vague memories of the brutal attack that stole her mother and which she barely survived, chantress of On and destined to become Isis Incarnate, with a destiny determined and laid clearly before her must fulfill her purpose to heal the Two Lands. Joseph, restored from prison to become Egypt’s vizier, knows only Elohim can save and heal the nation’s wounds. Commanded to marry by a pharaoh who is wise beyond his years, the two may be committed to working together for the good of the Two Lands, but there are many obstacles to overcome.

Andrews writes with exceptional insight to captivate the reader, who is not merely an observer of one of the great stories in the lineage of Christ, but an active participant and part of the family of the One God. Come into In Feast or Famine prepared to feel the awesome works of Elohim in a soul deep way that, at least for me, often required stopping at the end of the chapter to digest and work through all that had been unpacked before me.

In Feast or Famine, the second book of the Egyptian Chronicles series, by Mesu Andrews is available now from your favorite local bookseller or online:

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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 Secret to Happiness

Suzanne Woods Fisher’s follow up to The Sweet Life brings the Dixon ladies back together, as the Main Street Creamery struggles to get through the winter off-season, Dawn and Kevin struggle to move forward with their wedding, and Dawn’s cousin Callie struggles with the weight of the world and the death of her dream career. Fisher also brings back my absolute favorite character, Cowboy Leo, whose spunk and zest for both ice cream and life inspire me (and Callie!) The Secret to Happiness wrestles with some big issues, like the value of relentlessly pursuing your goals versus taking time to find and embrace the good things in each day, the despair of losing your life’s work and therefore struggling to find identity outside of that role, and gut wrenching anxiety of fear over chronic disease. But the beauty is in finding identity when all else has been stripped away and finding the small but mighty holy moments.

 

Fisher has a talent for artfully tugging at the heartstrings, and The Secret to Happiness is another shining example of her skill. Even in places where the plot went just where I hoped it would go, the writing took it yet another level deeper. Sitting in my hammock on a warm spring day, wishing for one of those delightful fancy pops, and reading this delightful addition to the Cape Cod Creamery series, left me wishing I had thought to bring a tissue for those beautiful a-ha moments. And the teaser at the back for yet another addition to the series had me just a wee bit teary eyed for joy!

The Secret to Happiness, Cape Cod Creamery book 2, by Suzanne Woods Fisher 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 - Blind Trust

As the third book in the SNAP Agency series by Natalie Walters, Blind Trust deals with characters we already know and care for from previous novels. Lyla Fox and Nicolás Garcia are no strangers to us or to each other, after years of working together through intense situations. The SNAP Agency team works together elegantly, almost seamlessly, except that Lyla takes risks with her life Nic would rather not take. Apparently he values her more than she values herself. When a case puts Lyla in the crosshairs, the hardest part of keeping her alive just might be getting her to accept that her life is worth more than the truth. And she means more to the team than she realizes.

Walters has a way with conspiracy. And intrigue. And danger and romance. Blind Trust is a showcase of that talent. This book goes fast and would be a quick and easy read if it didn’t require some serious mental sorting through the murky waters of money laundering and secret government arms deals. I love the way she writes the relationship between Lyla and Nic, too. It moves at a believable pace, with the kind of interactions that show the depth of their connection. As with the rest of the SNAP Agency series, Walters delivers a novel worth cozying up and enjoying.

Blind Trust, SNAP Agency series book 3, by Natalie Walters 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 - After The Shadows

After leaving her family and friends behind to begin life at Mrs. Leland, Emily returns home to Sweetwater Crossing and finds it is too late to say goodbye to her dear mother. Furthermore, her sister Louisa’s demeanor is puzzling; they were once such good friends, but Louisa’s attitude now borders on hostility. As pieces begin falling into place, Emily realizes her husband’s abuse extended even beyond what she received directly, and she must now work to repair the relationships that are left. One thing marriage to George Leland taught her is that men lie to conceal their true intentions, and now that she has been released from that bondage by his death, she will never allow herself to be in that position again. When Emily’s father, Reverend Vaughn, is found hanging in the barn, Emily knows appearances are not always what they seem. There is no way her father committed suicide and she cannot rest until his killer is found.

Emily is a Vaughn through and through, and the way she cares for her neighbors reflects the values her parents modeled as she grew up in Sweetwater Crossing. Upon seeing the need of neighbors in distress, Emily opens the now empty family home to boarders, one of whom is the handsome new schoolmaster. A handsome new schoolmaster with an adorable little boy and the emotional scars that come from losing his beloved wife in a tragic accident. But working alongside Emily opens doors Craig never imagined his grief would allow opened, and there just might be a future for them after all.

I love good historical fiction with a well balanced romance element and a bit of intrigue. What After The Shadows delivers that I particularly enjoyed was the emphasis on the value of friendships. The four widows of Sweetwater Crossing treasure their friendship and encourage Emily to cultivate those relationships. After The Shadows is a well rounded read, the sequel to which I eagerly anticipate.

After The Shadows, Sweetwater Crossing #1, by Amanda Cabot 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.