The Bride of Ivy Green by Julie Klassen

The Bride of Ivy Green by Julie Klassen is a book I requested from Bethany House Publishers, through Netgalley, to read and review. I chose to do this and this opinion is my own. I give this 4 stars out of 5.

I enjoyed all the previous books I've read written by Julie Klassen and this is the same. The book was an enjoyable trip back in time. The reason I gave it 4 out of 5 stars instead of 5 stars is two-fold. The first reason is a great deal my preferences in that I do not like the many references to previous books in the series. I knew this was the 3rd book in the series but didn't know how much more enjoyable this would have been if I'd read the previous books. Many authors write series and each book is its own story but this book wasn't exactly like that. It could have been and did get better as the story progressed but still too dependant on previous books. The second reason is that it was in need of more editing. It wasn't horrible but there were a handful of times that the error was, to me, quite obvious and distracting.

Overall, this was well written and the story flowed very well. The characters were very well developed and it felt like you had a good grasp on their personalities and if you would or would not like them in real life. This is a Christian book but not pushy or preachy. It is more dependant on the characters showing how they try to depend on God. If you like a good, clean, historical fiction you will enjoy this book. I would recommend it to my friends.

Ladies of Intrigue by Michelle Griep

     Barbour Books through NetGalley allowed me to read and review this ebook, a compilation of the novellas. The opinions are my own and not required. The book is Ladies of Intrigue by Michelle Griep.
     I do not give a synopsis of a book in my reviews, you can read that in a lot of other places. I do give my honest opinion. In my opinion, this is a 3-star book. the reasons are below.
     The main reason I give only 3 stars is that the first novella was very disorienting. I felt like I was plopped into the middle of a book, that the beginning and ending were missing. There was no reason given why the heroin's father had moved to the location of the story. The ending wasn't done well either, it just stopped. The other two novellas were better in explaining things, the stories seemed more complete.
     This is a Christian book and that was very well done. It is not pushy but does show how a Christian lives. The characters were well developed also for a novella. Other than the first story, the plot flowed well also. The editing was fairly well done as well. 

Shadow Among Sheaves by Naomi Stephens

      Barbour Publishing, via Netgalley.com, granted my request to read and review this book. The review is my own opinion and not required.
     I give this book 3 out of 5 stars. The good, is that the story was very interesting and kept my attention throughout. The characters were quite well developed. The story flowed well.
     The reasons I did not give 5 stars on a book I did enjoy are these: minus one star for editing. It needs more editing. The biggest gaffe, in my opinion, was when the color of the dress changed within a few sentences. The second, and biggest reason is that this is listed as a Christian book, loosely based on the book of Ruth in the Bible. That claim is a big stretch of the imagination. Another thing that bothered me was the use of a British swear word.
     Again, the story was interesting. I did enjoy reading it on it's own merit, but as far as being a Christian book, it missed the mark by quite a bit. The only hints of being Christian were that they attended church and the Mother-in-law prayed. So much more could have been included and that was disappointing. Would I read it again, maybe but I have so many new books I just don't know.

Under the Midnight Sun by Tracie Peterson and Kimberley Woodhouse

I was excited when Netgalley approved me to read this book. The review is not required, but given anyway.

I have enjoyed every book I've read by Tracie Peterson. I have not read Kimberley Woodhouse before this. When I first started the book, I was afraid I was not going to enjoy it but kept on anyway. Well, I am so thankful I did. The story(I do not do a synopsis, you can read those when buying) is set in the 1920s in Alaska. It is Christian, but not preachy. By Christian, I mean it shows how a Christian should act and react to things in their lives. It is also part suspense/mystery and part romance. This is part of a series, but I did not read any of the previous books. It didn't seem to matter, but maybe I would have enjoyed this more if I had read others first.

I did not like the ending but it would spoil the story to say why other than I felt some things could have been cleared up but were not. The editing was pretty good. It did not detract from my enjoyment at all.

I like this book and give it 4 stars out of 5.

Without Love by Anne Garboczi Evans

I just finished reading this book. I was not disappointed. I have read 2 previous books in this series and this one is just as good.
The storyline is very unique and it flows well. The characters are well developed and believable. The editing was good but needed more work, it was nowhere near perfect but not so bad as to make it unenjoyable.
The story is set in ancient Rome and there are words from that time/area but there is also a reference in the back of the book to give the meaning of the words. I do feel it would be better to have this reference at the beginning, especially when reading an ebook.

It is Christian historical fiction but not at all preachy. I truly enjoyed this book and look forward to reading more from this author.

The Sky Above Us by Sarah Sundin

This is the first book I've read by Sarah Sundin but I sure hope it is not the last. The book is set in England during World War II. It is both a historical novel and a love story. I did not read the first book in this series but it did not hinder my understanding or enjoyment at all.

The story is very well written and flows well. It kept my interest and I hated to see it end. It is a Christian story but not preachy at all. The characters were well developed and most of them were likable. The editing was done superbly.

I do not give a synopsis of the story as you can read that elsewhere. I just want to give you my honest opinion of the book. If you like historical fiction you will enjoy this story. A bit of history, a bit of love story and a hint of mystery all combine to make for a truly enjoyable read.

I was given the opportunity to read and review this book through Revell Reads. The opinions are my own and honestly given. I rate this 5 stars out of 5 stars.

The White City by Grace Hitchcock

I was pleased to be able to read and review this book through Netgalley. This is Grace Hitchcock's first novel and it is wonderful. I will not give a synopsis in this review, you can read that elsewhere. I will give you my personal opinion.
I really enjoyed this book. It is based on true events but is a wholly fictional book. It is part love story and part mystery. It flows well and kept my interest through the book. It was a book that you want to not put down. The characters were well developed and interesting. It is a Christian book but not at all preachy. It does show what it means to have faith in God.
I did not enjoy the quotes at the beginning of each chapter but just didn't read them after the first few. I also wish the ending was a bit different but that's just me. The author did give the real ending in an after story pages. When I read that, it explained why the ending was as it is.
I give this book 5 out of 5 stars. I do recommend this if you like historical, Christian fiction and/or love stories and mysteries.