Category: Books

Book Review: A Forbidden Love

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I feel a little sheepish admitting that I procrastinated in reading this title. It was published earlier this month and I like to post my NetGalley reviews while the books are still fresh. So I ‘forced’ myself to read it… and oh my word, I wish I had cracked it open sooner.

Set during the Spanish civil war, which I admittedly knew very little about, A Forbidden Love by Kerry Postle follows the intertwining lives of a number of individuals in a sleepy little Spanish town. They are rocked by the human tragedy that befalls their village when Nationalists bring conflict to their doorsteps.

Descriptive, colourful prose and well-developed characters experience friendship, love, loss, anger, pain, betrayal, hope and more in this historical love story. While the main female lead is admittedly self-absorbed, brash, and impetuous, you can’t help but feel for her loss of innocence in such a terrible situation. She makes unwise choices, lives with the guilt, but ultimately is not responsible for the horrors of war that befall her family and friends. You see her maturity develop as she faces remarkably challenging situations that no one should ever experience.

The author beautifully presented this historical era with emotion and poignancy. I appreciated how she drew attention to atrocities committed against woman by their own countrymen. She honoured their innocence and memory.

Overall, I was truly engrossed once I was a few chapters deep. It’s a stirring account of oppression, corruption, and survival. It may leave you feeling a little raw and vulnerable by the final chapter, but in awe of the bravery and desire to fight for what is right. A tale extraordinarily told that asks if the enemy can be loved and truly forgiven. Pick up a copy for yourself!

I was provided with a complimentary copy of this title via NetGalley. All opinions expressed are my own.

Publication date: April 2, 2019

Published by: HQ Digital (Harper Collins UK)

Book Review: Sweet on You by Becky Wade

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A few weeks ago, I posted about The Bradford Sisters Romance trilogy by author Becky Wade. It’s contemporary Christian romance, with a heavy dash of mystery, and no heavy-handed preachiness – just well-written stories with likeable characters. I have been eagerly anticipating the third and final title, Sweet on You, detailing the relationship of best friends Britt Bradford and Zander Ford. I was thrilled when I realised that the title was available via NetGalley and the publisher approved my request with a complimentary pre-release copy for preview. It did not disappoint.

Perfect summer read!

Britt is the youngest of the Bradford sisters, and if you know the background on the family, you can understand that although she’s just as pampered as the others, she carries a little bit of unwarranted guilt that leads to a ridiculous independence and need to stand on her own two feet. Zander has been her best friend harbouring a love interest in Brit since high school and she just doesn’t see it. As they continue into adulthood, he’s had enough and realises that he can’t stand the pain of watching her flit in and out of meaningless relationships. Cue the dramatics as they explore whether a real romance is in their best interest and the suspense as they explore the suddenly exposed knowledge that Zander’s recently deceased uncle was concealing many dangerous secrets.

Wade does a remarkable job of balancing the fear and angst of a friendship heading into romance with the hope that all will flourish. She weaves a perfect blend of drama, romance, and suspense into a well-rounded, easy-to-read novel that tips into delightful with the must-have happily ever after. The whole series, including this title, are engaging and absolutely perfect for lakeside reading this summer! Watch for it to hit retailer shelves next week!

My thanks to the publisher for providing a copy for review via NetGalley.
All opinions expressed are my own.

Publisher: Bethany House
Publication Date: April 30, 2019

Book Review: Things My Son Needs to Know About the World by Fredrik Backman

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I was excited to see a memoir written by Fredrik Backman on the new release lists for spring. More commonly known for his lovable curmudgeonly characters overcoming loss and kindling unlikely friendships in entertaining fiction, I was curious to see what a parental letter from the beloved Swedish author might include.

I was not disappointed. With his telltale blend of wry humour and droll wit, Backman tackles all manner of issues and advice to his young son in this heartwarming, comical read.

Whether you agree with all the author’s philosophies on life or not, you are sure to appreciate the authentic and self-deprecating account of the wild and wonderful world of parenthood. (It involves a lot of poop…) Beautiful and amusing anecdotes ooze love for wife and child while sardonic commentary balances the overly sweet.

Ultimately, the author manages to convey his desire for his child to one – be a better person than he is, and two – know he’s loved unconditionally… just like the best of us as parents wish for our children.

Things My Son Needs to Know About the World is a remarkably enjoyable piece of non-fiction. Available for purchase April 30th – would make a fantastic Father’s Day gift for the reader dads you might know!

I received a complimentary copy of this title via NetGalley with thanks to the author. All opinions expressed are my own.

Published by: Simon and Schuster Canada
Publication date: April 30, 2019

Book Review: The Family Secret by Terry Lynn Thomas

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I am a huge fan of historical fiction relating to WWII – books along the lines of The Nightingale or Lilac Girls hold a little corner of my heart. I am sure this stemmed from my childhood readings of The Hiding Place or even one of my favourite titles as a teen, Vienna Prelude. This genre sheds light on a terrible time in our recent history, but somehow softens the delivery a bit while still gripping emotions as we recognize how absolutely horrible it was to live through that dark time.

Engrossing and Intriguing

I recently finished The Family Secret by Terry Lynn Thomas. It’s the second title in the Cat Carlisle series. It was easy to read as a standalone, but I think you would understand more of the characters’ histories if you read the first novel, The Silent Woman (which I have not yet read.) I was vaguely expecting this to be more along the lines of the titles mentioned above, and was surprised when it actually was a bit more mysterious and focused on an investigator and his romantic interest, in their small town escape from London. Rather than being the main backdrop for the events and going-ons, the war actually loomed distantly on the horizon, influencing decisions (i.e. evacuating from London.) (This surprise is all on me – it was definitely touted as historical mystery.)

All that said, I was not disappointed in this read. It was well-written and colourfully descriptive. Characters were developed enough that even though you were invested in their doings, you didn’t necessarily love them. Spoiled teens, entitled adults, nosy neighbours… you’ll find them all. The plot – the actual mystery – was engrossing and intriguing, the character backgrounds giving them a bit more depth, and I loved the dramatic climax.

Overall, while it wasn’t what I was expecting, I was pleased I picked it up. It was historical fiction set in an era I enjoy reading about – just from a different perspective than I typically enjoy. A good solid 3-star (I liked it) rating from me.

I received a complimentary copy of this book via NetGalley with thanks to the publisher. All opinions expressed are my own.

Publisher: HQ Digital
Publication Date: March 1, 2019

Book Review: The Bradford Sisters Romance

Published on by Lindsey B.1 Comment

One day about a month ago I worried that I might run out of books to read. This convinced me that a trial of Amazon’s Kindle Unlimited was in order. Now, keeping in mind that this is not my only source of reading material, I may have borrowed 4 titles total and one remains unread. It’s good in theory, but I think I need to pare down my to-be-read pile significantly before it’s something I will consider on a permanent basis.

One huge plus from this trial was the finding of Christy-award winning author Becky Wade’s series “The Bradford Sisters.” I’ve read books 1 (True to You – Nora) & 2 (Falling for You – Willow) and eagerly await Britt’s story. This series is delightful – it’s contemporary Christian romance, but it’s not cheesy or preachy. It’s all about real (fictional) characters in real (fictional) situations dealing with real emotions and struggles in life and faith – the kind of people you want to hang out with in real life, because they’re so, you know, real….

True to You | Bradford Sisters Romance |
Book 1 | Becky Wade

That being said, the sisters’ lives come across as remarkably pristine and fairy-tale-ish at first glance. They’re wealthy, they’re beautiful, they come from a well-respected family and every opportunity has been handed to them on a golden platter, or so it would seem. They’re enjoying more privilege than most of us will encounter in a lifetime. However, first impressions aren’t always accurate and as Wade digs deeper into their lives, you realise that they’ve encountered their share of struggle and heartache.

The stories are filled with some awesome supporting characters, fascinating adventure and mystery, snippets of humour, and the much-beloved romance. This trio of tales – although I’ve only read the first two, are fantastic and perfect for fans of Rachel Hauck or even Debbie Macomber or other inspirational authors who know their romance. I can’t wait for the third installment – Sweet On You – coming out April 30th. (Hint: It’s available for pre-order now!)

Book Review: The Summer Retreat by Sheila Roberts

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Exactly what you expect from a
summer paperback

When a publicist at Harlequin (Mira / Harper Collins) sent an email invitation to download this book for review, I jumped right on it. The phrase that caught my attention was “Perfect for fans of Susan Mallery, Robyn Carr, and Debbie Macomber, THE SUMMER RETREAT will have readers falling in love with Roberts’ sparkling humor and moving story lines in a delightful enemies to lovers tale of summer romance and sisterly bonding.” Count me in.

The Summer Retreat is the third installment by USA TODAY bestselling author Sheila Roberts in her seaside escape, beach-ready Moonlight Harbor series. It was my first read from this author and, obviously also my first read from this series.

Sheila Roberts lives on a lake in the Pacific Northwest. Her novels have been published in several languages. Her book Angel Lane was an Amazon Top Ten Romance pick for 2009. Her holiday perennial, On Strike for Christmas, was made into a movie for the Lifetime Movie Network, and her novel The Nine Lives of Christmas was made into a movie for Hallmark. You can visit Sheila on Twitter (@_Sheila_Roberts) and Facebook (@funwithsheila) or at her website.

Overall, it really is the perfect summer read – grab your sunglasses, a glass of something cool, and a great spot to soak up some sun and dive right in. I love the quintessential small town, beach front, everyone knows everyone’s business you get in these types of romance. Quirky and cute. The lead female character is unlucky in love and she feels like she’s running out of time to see her dreams come true. She offers to spend the summer (licking her wounded heart) with her sister, niece, and aunt, helping to run their small ocean-front inn. She decides if she’s going to pursue romance, she’s going to play it safe – cue in the local pastor, the perfect safe (but still attractive) candidate.

I will admit, however, that I wanted to shake sense into our girl (and her sister…) I found myself mentally admonishing her throughout the entire book. No sparks… no sparks… he’s great on paper but he’s not right for you!!! I was actually frustrated until the very end (no spoilers though… no spoilers.) I’m glad that the author came through – I wasn’t sure how she was going to redeem the situation, but rest assured, she did.

There is some sizzle, some sweet romance, some strange and wonderful characters and it’s set seaside – sand and water and a lovable misbehaved pup. All important elements. It did take it’s time meandering along the way (enough already – follow your heart!) and at first, I felt a little lost so perhaps reading the first two installments might be helpful (it could have just been me – I did fight with a parking pay machine for quite some time the other day before I realised the arm was up and they did not, in fact, want my money.) I’m giving it a 3-star rating – which is “it was good” in my review hierarchy – it just wasn’t jaw-dropping, stick with me forever intense. It was exactly what you expect from a summer paperback – easy to toss in your beach bag and read for a quick escape. Watch for this title to hit all major book retailers soon.

My thanks to Harlequin for the opportunity to download this title via NetGalley. All thoughts expressed are my own.

Publication date: April 23, 2019
Publisher: Harlequin – Mira

Book Review: The Erie Canal Brides Collection

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If you’re a fan of historical American Christian romance, you’ll enjoy The Erie Canal Brides Collection. Touted as “7 Romances Develop Along Man-Made Waterways of New York and Ohio”, it’s written by a talented group of various authors. Each book feels complete and wasn’t a one-night read for me – it may require an investment of time. I perused a digital version so I can’t speak to the heft of the actual print edition, but there was a lot to consume in this one!

Of the seven titles, there were obviously a few stories that I preferred more than others. Titles included in the collection include:

  • The Way of a Child by Lauralee Bliss, Little Falls, New York 1817
  • Wedding of the Waters by Rita Gerlach, Goshen Creek, New York. 181
  • Digging for Love by Ramona K. Cecil, Rochester, New York 1822
  • Return to Sweetwater Cove by Christina Miller, Sweetwater Cove, New York, 1825
  • Journey of the Heart by Johnnie Alexander, Circleville, Ohio, early 1852
  • Pressing On by Rose Allen McCauley, Zoar, Ohio, 1856
  • The Bridge Between Us by Sherri Wilson Johnson, Albion, New York, 1859

With so many choices, I was exposed to authors I had never read before and dug into an aspect of history that I’ve never really thought about. Some stories were a little deeper, some a little more emotional, some more preach-y than others, but there is definitely a title for everyone who is a fan of this genre included in the pack.

My personal favourites, though very different styles, were Digging For Love (prejudice against the Irish) and Journey of the Heart (abolition.) No objectionable content in any of the stories, of course, and each included that sweet dash of romance. It wasn’t a 5-star rating from me just because I was indifferent to a few of the included tales. However, it was a nice way to spend a few cozy evenings.

This title was published on March 1, 2019 by Barbour Publishing Inc., known for being
“a leading publisher of Christian books offering exceptional value and biblical encouragement.”

I was provided with a digital copy of this title via NetGalley. All opinions expressed are my own.

A Boy, A Book, and A Little Bit of Heartbreak

Published on by Lindsey B.2 Comments

My youngest son, 11, claims to not enjoy reading, but when he finally sits down with a book, he gets lost in the pages. He’s still been reading “No Better Friend“, a biographical story by Robert Weintraub, for a school project. In short, it’s “the extraordinary tale of friendship and survival between a man and a dog in World War II.”

When we were looking for a biography, he had two requirements:

1. There had to be a dog in the story

2. It couldn’t die.

He approved the description from Amazon so we bought the book. He heard the word “survival” and reason failed – I’m not actually sure how he believed a dog that was alive in the early ’40s would still be here today. He’s been so gripped by this one, that he didn’t see the end coming.

He was sent off to do some reading and I knew he was in the last chapters. All of a sudden he storms out of his room yelling “Doggo died!”. Now at first I had a moment of panic because our old smelly beast had been hiding in his bedroom with him, but no, that impression was cleared up immediately when the smelly beast followed him out.

My bewildered mind was still trying to process the situation when a book came sailing past my head and said boy plopped himself into a chair in the corner and burst into tears. I’m now befuddled and slightly amused.

He’s experienced his first heartbreak at the hands of a book. I wanted to wrap him in a great big bear hug while my shoulders silently shook with laughter and a stray tear found it’s way onto my cheek. We tried to discuss the story and pull apart his feelings, but he needed to let his tears wash some of the pain away. He now understands why I sometimes cry when I read.

He understands the wonder of the word on page and how we can become enmeshed and entangled in a world not our own. To say this book had an emotional impact is an understatement. In our case, he was so highly engaged in the true story of Judy (Doggo) and Frank (the British Radarman) that his young heart was bruised with the loss of a friend. (Mama was just happy that he learned about some of the atrocities of WWII and life as a POW.)

In my books, any story that can evoke such genuine feeling is a win. Not only did it capture the tale of loyalty and friendship of the characters, it spurred loyalty in the reader – a spirited 11-year-old boy. That, my friends, is a well-written story – well-written, indeed!

Book Review: The Noble Guardian by Michelle Griep

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Taciturn & Tender –
Adventurous Historical Christian Romance

If you are looking for historical Christian fiction brimming with the characterization of a taciturn, valiant hero and a lively, generous heroine, while courting danger around every bend and the demonstration of courage in the face of disappointments, Michelle Griep’s The Noble Guardian has it all! Adventure. History. Romance. The third in The Bow Street Runners series, it’s easy to read as a standalone (but having read this title, I’ll definitely be adding the first two titles to my to-be-read stack.)

Griep has a wonderful way with words and kindly shares some of her historical research aspects with her readers at the back of the book. I have no remarks on the aspect of historical accuracy, because I’m generally reading the genre for the escape, not the realism. I’m guessing based on the facts she shared, most aspects were pretty spot-on.

Back to the story itself… two bruised individuals, an adorable cherub of a child, and well-shaped secondary characters shine. At 32o pages in the paperback format, it’s not a short book, but it’s quite the tale of longing, revenge, and as mentioned previously, danger (almost ridiculous amounts of danger, to be honest. I mean it’s fiction, but life just kept throwing one curveball after another – which of course they handled with fortitude and style.) They faced seemingly insurmountable hurdles while trying to navigate their futures and escape the wounds of their pasts while racing cross-country through Regency England.

Romance was sweetly threaded throughout and, of course, love triumphs all. One of my favourite quotes from the book was just before the half-way point, when the Captain (our hero!) insists Abby (our heroine) is more valuable than she realises and calls her a gem. *sigh* (I’d quote the exact line but my copy was uncorrected and I don’t want to get it wrong!) Honestly, coming from such a sullen man and in the early stages of their alliance it was really quite the tender and endearing scene (with a typical touch of gruffness from a pensive man.) The story was liberally sprinkled with references to faith and the characters’ development of conviction and hope. As they lean on each other, they each find safety – both physically and emotionally – as they become the family they’ve always needed.

I truly enjoyed this spin on my go-to genre and would recommend it to anyone who enjoys a heartwarming historical tale of hope and redemption. You can pre-order your copy now through all major booksellers. It’s a 4.5 star for me!

I was provided with a complimentary Advanced Reader Copy of this title through NetGalley with thanks to the publisher and author. All opinions expressed are my own.

Published by: Barbour Publishing, Inc.
Publication Date: June 1, 2019

Book Review: The Remarkable Inventions of Walter Mortinson by Quinn Sosna-Spear

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The one benefit to not feeling quite myself is the need to rest, and what better way to rest than with a good book or two or three while tucked into bed in a quiet (or not-so-quiet) house – without the guilt of tasks remaining undone. Doctor’s orders and all that. One of the titles I dove into was “The Remarkable Inventions of Walter Mortinson” by Quinn Sosna-Spear. I’ll admit that one of the reasons I requested this book, besides my quest to encourage a love of reading in my youngest (I’ve given up on the oldest), was the eye-catching artwork design on the cover of this tween-novel. (PS, click the link for the author’s website – it’s gorgeous!)

Beautiful Cover Art –
Riveting & Imaginative Children’s Fiction

This magical debut novel targeted for the Middle School sector was released today! It is a well-written story with elements of mystery, adventure, family, friendship, acceptance, love, loss, and healing. Set in an incredibly fantastical land with enchantingly descriptive elements and people, the writing is engaging enough to capture the attention of the pickiest young reader while remaining sophisticated enough to appeal to grown up readers who enjoy a touch of whimsy.

The plot follows the road trip-style adventure of two tweens who embark on their journey for two very different, personal reasons. The riveting escapade is balanced with colourful scenery, elements of humour, and personal introspection. I was both charmed and surprised. I loved the quirky odd characters and wish we had the opportunity to get to know them a little better. The ending caught me by surprise and left me a little bereft, yet touched – not because it was poorly written, but because I was so engaged with the tale.

This title was a page turner, for sure! We’ll be adding a hard copy of this novel to our shelves at home and I can only hope that it will be as big a hit with my boys as it was for me. A recommended read for any tween or adult readers who enjoy imaginative and extraordinarily curious fiction along the lines of Neil Gaiman or Roald Dahl.

I received a complimentary copy of this title via NetGalley. All opinions expressed are my own.

Publication Date: April 2, 2019
Published by: Simon & Schuster Canada / Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers