About Me

I am a wife, mother and grandmother. I am a Christian and try to live as Jesus did.

Sunday, May 31, 2020

The Black Midnight by Kathleen Y'Barbo

I was excited to hear of another book in the series True Colors. I was also excited that it was written by Kathleen Y'Barbo. I have enjoyed this series and I have always enjoyed books by Kathleen Y'Barbo and this book did not disappoint.
Most of the books in this series are true crimes committed in America. This book covered both America and England. It covers the murders in Austin, TX and "Jack the Ripper" in London.
The book was an ARC and so the editing wasn't perfect but very well done. It is also a Christian series and I'm sad to say there wasn't much in the way of Christianity in this. It was a very clean book but not preachy in any way.
The main characters were quite well developed. I was a bit confused at first to realize that the book started in one year and then jumped to another year and I didn't catch it, but that was my fault as it was listed at the top of the chapter when it did change. Other than my missing the time jump, the story flowed well. It was well written and entertaining. I would recommend this book to my friends. I give this book a 4 out of 5 stars. Five stars are reserved for superbly excellent books.
I thank Barbour Books and Netgalley for giving me the ARC copy to read. I am not required to leave a review and this review is my own opinion.
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Books I've Read: The Socialite by J'nell Ciesielski

Books I've Read: The Socialite by J'nell Ciesielski: About the Book Book:  The Socialite Author:  J’nell Ciesielski Genre:  Historical Romance Release Date:  April 14, 2020 Glam...
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Saturday, May 30, 2020

The Socialite by J'nell Ciesielski


About the Book
Book:  The Socialite


 Author: J’nell Ciesielski
Genre:  Historical Romance
Release Date: April 14, 2020
Glamour, treachery, and espionage collide when an English socialite rushes to save her sister from the Nazis.
As the daughter of Sir Alfred Whitford, Kat has a certain set of responsibilities. But chasing her wayward sister, Ellie, to Nazi-occupied Paris was never supposed to be one of them. Now accustomed to the luxurious lifestyle that her Nazi boyfriend provides, Ellie has no intention of going back to the shackled life their parents dictate for them—but Kat will stop at nothing to bring her sister home.
Arrested for simply trying to defend himself against a drunken bully, Barrett Anderson is given the option of going to jail or serving out his sentence by training Resistance fighters in Paris. A bar owner serves as the perfect disguise to entertain Nazis at night while training fighters right below their jackboots during the day. Being assigned to watch over two English debutantes is the last thing he needs, but a payout from their father is too tempting to resist. Can Barrett and Kat trust each other long enough to survive, or will their hearts prove more traitorous than the dangers waiting around the corner?

Click here to get your copy!
My Review: I was pleased to be able to read and review this book through Celebrate Lit. I truly enjoyed the book. It is listed as a Christian book, but there truly wasn't much about being a Christian at all. But, it is a mostly clean book. One sister is living in open sin with someone but that is as "bad" as it gets.

The story has a new twist on living during WWII. It told a little about the French resistance, it told a little about the Nazi's but it was mostly a love story. It was well told and the characters were very believable. It was a story that draws you in and you are pulling for the heroine throughout.

The editing was done well. This was very encouraging to me. I enjoyed this book and would recommend it to my friends. My review is totally my own opinion and I am not required to leave a positive review. I give this book a 4 out of 5 star review.

About the Author

With a passion for heart-stopping adventure and sweeping love stories, J’nell Ciesielski weaves fresh takes into romances of times gone by. When not creating dashing heroes and daring heroines, she can be found dreaming of Scotland, indulging in chocolate of any kind, or watching old black and white movies. Winner of the Romance Through the Ages Award and the Maggie Award, she is a Florida native who now lives in Virginia with her husband, daughter, and lazy beagle. Learn more at www.jnellciesielski.com.

More from J’Nell

I blame Pinterest. Too many hours are spent chasing rabbit holes of glorious pictures of fashion from eras gone by, Highlanders in kilts, WWI ambulances, and fairytale castles. One day I was browsing something super important (or possibly escaping from the actual work I was supposed to be doing, er, we’ll never know) and stumbled across a black and white picture of six beautiful girls. Who are these lovely ladies? I wondered. A quick search brought up the Mitford sisters. Six gorgeous daughters born into an aristocratic English family, each girl with a different passion: Diana the fascist, Jessica the communist, Unity the Hitler lover, Nancy the novelist, Deborah the duchess, and Pamela the poultry connoisseur. Whoa. You know dinner time around their family table was interesting. How could such different personalities belong in the same family? What would you do if your sister got moon-eyed over Hitler??
Bam. An idea was born.
In the beginning, my little rebel Ellie was going to be a full-fledged Nazi ideology lover, but she quickly informed me that it wasn’t so much the Nazis or their crazy ideas she loved, but one man in particular. One twisted Nazi who had fallen completely under her spell, and she under his. The ideas of love can often be more difficult to break as Kat finds out when she tries to rescue her naïve sister. Luckily, she has a hunky Sottish bartender to help her while providing a few romantic intentions of his own. With everyone hiding past hurts and true identities, how will they ever hope to find the love they each long for when war rages under the bright lights of Paris? Guess you’ll have to read to find out 😉

Blog Stops

Emily Yager, May 22
Simple Harvest Reads, May 25 (Guest Review from Mindy Houng)
Livin’ Lit, May 26
Betti Mace, May 27
Genesis 5020, May 28
Remembrancy, May 28
Mia Reads, May 29
Rebecca Tews, May 30
Moments, June 2
Andrea Carmen, June 3
Hallie Reads, June 4

Giveaway

To celebrate her tour, J’nell is giving away the grand prize of a book and a book sleeve!!
Be sure to comment on the blog stops for nine extra entries into the giveaway! Click the link below to enter.



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Friday, May 22, 2020

The Mockingbird's Song by Wanda E Brunstetter

This book is the second in the series Amish Greenhouse Mysteries. I read the first book and agreed to read this one to see if any of the unfinished business of the first book was addressed or cleared up. Sadly, it was not. I gave the first book a 2-star rating for this. I give this book a 3-star rating as it was better written in my opinion. Most books get a 3-star rating, a great book gets 4 stars and a really fantastic book gets the elusive 5-star review, just for reference.
This book did continue the story but it did not address the mysteries going on or give a definitive answer to who or why the problems were occurring. It also still had the neighbors that live across the street in the story but their part did not do anything for this except as filler as far as I could see. Another thing I did not like was so much repeating from the first book. This was done a lot in the first 1/4 to 1/3 of the story. I guess it helps if you didn't read the first book but even so, it was too much unnecessary information, which again seemed like more filler than needed information.
Now, on to what I did like. The story was interesting and the new character introduced was nice. It was focused more on the relationship between the oldest daughter and the new character than anything else. Once the story got started, without the references to the previous book, things flowed pretty well. But, again, it ended without coming to any conclusions.
The copy I received was an ARC and the editing was mostly well done. It does need another review/clean up but hopefully, that will be done. I was given a copy through Netgalley by Barbour Publishers and Shiloh Run Press. The review is totally my own and not required nor influence.
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Tuesday, May 19, 2020

The Crow's Call by Wanda E Brunstetter

I hate to leave a less than a praiseworthy review. I have always enjoyed Wanda E. Brunstetter's books but I have to say I was totally disappointed in this book. Not that the book itself was a bad read, but because it ended so abruptly without resolving a lot of things. I feel that when an author does this, it is to force you to purchase the next book.  Because of this, my rating will only be 2 stars.
The story itself was well written and kept my interest, another reason the ending was so upsetting. The characters were fairly well developed although there were a few characters in the book that didn't seem to play any part but to lengthen the book.
I enjoyed that it was a Christian book with a lot of reference to prayer and Bible verses.
The book was an ARC so the editing may not have been fully finished but it is in need of another review. There were extra words as the main problem and it got worse the more I read. The last quarter of the book was the worst and the beginning well done.
I was given a copy of this book through Netgalley and Shiloh Run Press and the opinions are totally my own.
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A Life Renewed by Olivia Rae

A Life Renewed Celebration Tour

Blog Stops

Texas Book-aholic, May 6
My Devotional Thoughts, May 7
April Hayman, Author , May 7
Book of Ruth Ann, May 8
For Him and My Family, May 9
Better than Rubies, May 9
For the Love of Literature, May 10
Books, Life, and Christ, May 10
Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, May 11
Betti Mace, May 12
Inklings and notions, May 13
A Brighter Destiny, May 13
Genesis 5020, May 14
Bigreadersite, May 15
Mary Hake, May 15
deb’s Book Review, May 16
Emily Yager, May 17
Read Review Rejoice, May 17
Happily Managing a Household of Boys, May 18
D’S QUILTS & BOOKS, May 18
Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, May 19
Books I’ve Read, May 19

About the Book

Book:  A Life Renewed
Author: Olivia Rae
Genre:  Christian Historical
Release Date: April 2, 2020
In 1554, Lady Jane Grey, “The Nine Days’ Queen” was executed for high treason.
But what if, instead of feeling the blade on her neck she secretly survived?
Escaping execution, Lady Jane hides as a peasant girl in a principality in Germany. She loves the simple life and never wants to return to England. But her benefactor, a power-hungry German prince, wants to march on London and place her on the English throne again, thereby increasing his dominance in Europe. If she doesn’t agree to his plan, her beloved childhood nurse will be put to death. Desperate for help, Jane must put her trust in the mysterious spy Asher Hayes.
Asher Hayes is done rounding up Protestants for “Bloody Mary” and wants nothing more than to live a quiet life as a farmer and expunge the blood of many from his hands. Except Queen Mary isn’t done with him yet. She throws his father, mother, and sister into prison on false charges in order to force him to accept one last mission – find and kill Lady Jane Grey. But when Asher discovers Lady Jane isn’t a threat to the throne as he believed her to be, he faces a devastating decision – does he sacrifice his family for the woman who reigns in his heart?
 Click here for your copy!
My Review: First, the legalities, I was given an e-book copy in exchange for my honest opinion. This review is freely given and totally my own
.I truly enjoyed this book. It was a unique concept in Christian literature. I wasn't sure how it would fit into being a Christian book but it was very well done. Faith was shown throughout the book.
I enjoyed the development of the characters, and the story plot. It was very well built and progressed nicely. It held my interest throughout. I am a history buff and this coupled both history and fiction nicely.
What I did not like was the odd use of words. For example, Jane's arms were described as "subtle" when I think she meant "supple" but that is even an odd description for arms. There were several of instances like this throughout the book and that threw me off while reading. I enjoy a book that is well edited and the punctuation was well done, but the words, in places were just wrong.
I give this book a 3 out of 5 star rating, this is because of the odd word choices. I would recommend this book to a friend.

About the Author

Olivia Rae is an award-winning author who spent her school days dreaming of knights, princesses and far away kingdoms; it made those long, boring days in the classroom go by much faster. Nobody was more shocked than her when she decided to become a teacher. Besides getting her Master’s degree, marrying her own prince, and raising a couple of kids, Olivia decided to breathe a little more life into her childhood stories by adding in what she’s learned as an adult living in a small town next to a big city. When not writing, she loves to travel, dragging her family to old castles and forts all across the world.

More from Olivia

The Challenge in Writing About a Real Historical Person
I like creating a story out of a kernel of information. The idea of my new book, A Life Renewed came when I took a trip to England and learned about the tragic life of Lady Jane Grey. Her life was so disastrous, I just wanted to give her a second chance at happiness. So that’s exactly what I did when she escaped her execution instead of dying as she did in real life.
My greatest challenge in writing this book was picking a heroine that actually lived. I had to do a lot of research in Lady Jane Grey’s life and her family. It was very interesting. Lady Jane was what we would call a progressive protestant. The conflicts between the Catholics and Protestants (The beginning of The Church of England) was very real and very deadly at that time. What many people don’t know is that Henry VIII was actually against many other Protestant religions (Calvinists, Lutherans, etc.). He feared their religious influence as much as he did the Catholic’s. His son Edward was more progressive, like Jane. If he would have lived, Jane’s outcome would have been totally different. After Jane’s death, Queen Mary went on a mission to turn England back to Catholicism. In her reign she killed over 300 Protestants. Hence later in history she was known as “Bloody Mary.”

Giveaway

To celebrate her tour, Olivia is giving away the grand prize packaged of an autographed copy of the book and a $25 Amazon gift certificate!!
Be sure to comment on the blog stops for nine extra entries into the giveaway! Click the link below to enter.
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