The Blue Cloak by Shannon McNear

The Blue Cloak is another book in the True Colors series. The books are written by different authors but all have one theme, strange but true crime stories.
I have read all the stories so far, and this one is the most gruesome. It tells the story of the Harpes and their serial murder spree in the late 1700s. The characters are quite well developed and the story flows well. At the end, the author provides a lot of the history she used for writing the story.
I am big on a well-edited story and this story was great. There were no major errors that detract from reading although some of the wording was unusual to me though not in a bad way.
You can tell that the author put a lot of time and research into this story. It is a Christian book but not as you'd expect. It shows how God works even in bad situations without being preachy. It shows how different people, in different aspects of the story, rely on God, or in some cases don't.
I really enjoyed the book but it is not one to read just before bedtime. I give it 4 out of 5 stars. I would recommend this book to my friends. This review is my personal opinion, freely given. I requested and received this book through NetGalley and Barbour Publishing.
https://mybooksiread.blogspot.com/2020/01/the-blue-cloak-by-shannon-mcnear.html

In The Cradle Lies by Olivia Newport

The book is a contemporary romance/mystery fiction. This is the second book in a series but is a good stand-alone book. I did not read the first book and it didn't matter.
The story is centered around a young man's struggle with his dead grandfather's last wish.  There is plenty of mystery and intrigue involved. The story also goes between the present and the young man and back to the grandfather. It is very interesting.
The characters are well developed and interesting. The story flows well and kept my interest throughout.
I received this book as a prize in a contest. This review was not required and my personal opinion. I would recommend this book.I give this 5 out of 5 stars.
https://mybooksiread.blogspot.com/2020/01/in-cradle-lies-by-olivia-newport.html

The Innkeeper's Bride by Kathleen Fuller

I enjoyed the story. I did not realize until I started reading this that it is the third book in the series. This time it seems like it did matter. The story would have been more interesting if I had read the previous books, but it was ok that I hadn't.
 It is an Amish love story, but the title is a bit misleading. I do not want to explain further and spoil the story. This book does show the importance of trusting God, not all Christian books do.
The characters were quite well developed, though as stated previously, it would have been better to read the other books first, you would have known the characters better and you would have understood where they were coming from.
I enjoyed the story, and if you enjoy Amish romance, you will enjoy it also. The editing was not great but it was an ARC version and maybe didn't transfer well to my Kindle. I give the story a 3 out of 5 star rating. This received this book from Zondervan Publishing through NetGalley. This review is not required and is my own, honest opinion.

Star of Persia byJill Eileen Smith

This book is a fictionalized version of the Biblical account of Esther. The story is Biblically accurate but the fiction is in the expansion of the story. It gives a glimpse of what Esther's life may have been like in the day to day aspect and what it may have been like to live in the palace. At the end of the book, the author explains how she wove the Bible and history into this book.

The characters are very well developed and if feels like you get to know Esther and others on a more intimate plane. The story flows very well and it kept my interest throughout. Also, the editing was very well done and I was reading an ARC version provided to me through LibraryThing Early readers. With this said, this review is my own opinion and freely given.

I have enjoyed every book I've read that was written by Jill Eileen Smith and this was not disappointing in any way.  If you enjoy Biblical fiction, historical fiction, or just a good Christian novel, this book will not disappoint you. I give this book 5 out of 5 stars and would recommend it to my friends. This review is posted wherever available. https://mybooksiread.blogspot.com/2020/01/star-of-persia-byjill-eileen-smith.html

The Thief of Lanwyn Manor by Sarah E. Ladd

This is the second book by Sarah E Ladd that I have read and I am not disappointed. If you like reading regency books, you will enjoy this. She brings the main characters to life and gives a nice glimpse of life in that time period. The supporting characters were also developed nicely.

The story flowed well and kept my interest throughout. I thought I had figured it out early on but throughout the book, I kept changing my mind on whom the thief might be.  I will not even give a hint on who it was, but this will keep you turning the pages to find out.

The editing was well done, which to me, is very important. I was given a chance to read and review this book from Thomas Nelson Publishing through Netgalley. The review is not required and the opinions are completely my own. I give this a 5 out of 5 star review.

Children of the Stars by Mario Escobar

This book is the first I've read by Mario Escobar and I was truly impressed.  The story was very riveting and completely held my attention.  I knew the story was about Jewish Children during WWII but that was the extent before reading this.

The story revolves around two young boys. Both were very well depicted and you felt like you knew them. There were several other characters in the book that you got to know to some degree. You never felt like you didn't know enough about them but you didn't feel overwhelmed with useless information either.

The story flowed very well and kept me wanting more. It is a clean story, no sexual content, and no foul words.  I give this book a 5 out of 5 star rating and would recommend this to my friends.

An Uncommon Woman by Laura Frantz

This is the second book I've read by Laura Frantz and it was great. I was reluctant to put the book down and devoured the pages. I was also sad to come to the end.

Laura Frantz brought to life her characters. They were very real. She also put you in real life colonial frontier. You could feel like you lived there or were at least watching things unfold. The story flowed well and was very interesting.

The editing was very well done. That may sound odd, but a poorly edited book can ruin a story.

I was gifted this book through the Revel Reads program. I am not required to leave a positive review and this review is my honest opinion and freely given.