Reading, Writing & Pondering

    Twelve Days and Twelfth Night by Sarah Sundin is a Christmas novella set in San Diego during World War 2.  World War 2 USO Director Maggie Oliver is in charge of putting on a Christmas show in San Diego for thousands of sailors. She enlists Prescott Duke, a former Hollywood heartthrob who hasn't acted since an accident left him with burn scars. Maggie and Prescott are inspired by Shakespeare's Twelth Night and the Twelve Days of Christmas to put on a show that will lift the sailors Christmas spirits. Can they put it together in time? Also, what about the secret that Maggie discovered? I enjoyed Twelve Days and Twelfth Night . It is a romance and, since it is a historical novella, things happen fairly quickly in the story. I especially liked the history that the author included about the area and Balboa Park. I was in San Diego a couple of years ago and saw some of the areas in the story. I like how the author brought this history and part of the country to life. Her ...

  It has been several months since I have read a historical fiction novel. . . The Light of the Stars by Jenelle Hovde was a wonderful read to break back into the genre. Kitty Grenville is expected to wed Sebastian Sinclair. The last time they met, they were children, and it didn't go all that well. When Kitty was a child, The East India Company via her grandfather tore her and her brother from their parents in India and took them to England to live with her grandfather. Sebastian represents that very company, which doesn't win him any points to start with. Sebastian, for his part, goes to England to wed Kitty to fulfill the long-standing betrothal set up by their grandfathers. While Kitty makes it clear she doesn't want this marriage, Sebastian is attracted to her keen mind and spirit and chooses to give them time to get to know each other. He won't force her to marry him but hope she will come around. Kitty takes her time but is then involved in a scandal and does de...

  Mists over the Channel Islands by Sarah Sundin is her latest World War 2 historical novel. I always enjoy Sarah's books as she shares interesting aspects of World War 2 within her story. I enjoy the story itself but I also learn some history I previously didn't know. In 1944, the Germans invaded the British Channel Islands. I didn't know where these islands were but the author has a map in the front of the novel to help readers understand their location. Within this aspect of the story, Dr. Ivy Picot is working hard to keep her family's medical practice afloat amidst the challenges and changes from the war.  Meanwhile, Dutch engineer Gerrit van der Zee goes to the Channel Islands as part of the resistance along with his friend Bernard. Together they pretend to work for the Germans while smuggling information back to the allies. Before long they meet Ivy's brother, Charlie, who joins them in their work, unbeknownst to Ivy. Gerrit and Ivy meet but Ivy believes Gerr...

  A Sea View Christmas by Julie Klassen is is "An On Devonshire Shores" novella. It goes along with this series but I read it as a stand alone looking for a historical Christmas novella to read.  Sarah Summers plans a Christmas at Sea View that will exceed her younger sister's expectations. She aimed to make the Christmas fun--even though she has forgotten how to have fun sometimes after taking on so many family responsibilities in the past. She also is thrilled at the prospect of getting reacquainted with a Scottish widower named Callum Henshall. Will she let her sense of responsibility interfere with a prospective romance or will she make time for her new feelings? Georgiana is excited to celebrate a fun Christmas after spending last year doing mainly endless chores with her sister. She is seventeen and has fun with Callum's stepdaughter, Effie. She also has a heart for younger children, which eventually leads to the family adopting another young girl. I found A Se...

  My love for Scotland and for Sarah Sundin's books merged into one in Sundin's newest release, Midnight on the Scottish Shore. As is typical with her books, this one is set during World War Two. Cilla van der Zee is struggling to survive in German-occupied Netherlands. As she reaches a point where she can't take it anymore, she volunteers to become a spy for the Nazis. In doing so, she hopes to escape to England and connect with some distant family members there. However, things don't go as planned. Cilla washes up along the Scottish shore where she is discovered by naval officer Lt. Lachlan Mackenzie near his family's estate. He believes she is a spy and turns her over to the authorities to be executed. However, British Intelligence believes she is more useful alive than dead and she becomes a double agent. Soon after that, Lachlan is forced to provide her with naval intelligence and they must work together to outsmart the Germans as part of England's M15 prog...

Of Gold and Shadows   by Michelle Griep is the first book in the new Time's Lost Treasures series. This book is set in Victorian England in 1888. Ami Dalton is a respect Egyptologist. However, she leads a dual life and also helps save black market artifacts from the wrong people. Edmund Price is one of Oxford's most eligible bachelors. He is also searching for an Egyptologist to value a newly acquired collection. It is through this search that he becomes acquainted with Ami.  Of Gold and Shadows is a historical mystery with a slow burn romance. This is my first book by this author but it won't be my last. I think it is interesting to read about Egyptian artifacts. I also enjoy reading other details about the Victorian age. The relationship issues were also interesting. I like how Edmund and Ami both overcome issues that they struggle with personally. I also like that the book has some humor in their banter. If you enjoy Victorian age books with a dash of mystery and romanc...

  One of my favorite Lynn Austin novels is All My Secrets . If it is one of yours too, then you will be glad to know the story of Adelaide and Howard continues in this Christmas novella, Waiting for Christmas . If you haven't read All My Secrets , I think you would still enjoy Waiting for Christmas . Waiting for Christmas features a young orphan boy named Jack who comes into Howard and Adelaide's life suddenly. Adelaide has a heart for the orphans in the city. When they get to know Jack, they learn that he has been separated from his younger sister. He also has a father who is at sea and doesn't know that Jack's mother passed away and the children have no place to go. Adelaide and Howard are trying to help Jack. I enjoyed this uplifting story set during the Christmas season and featuring the season of Advent with an emphasis on hope. I like how Howard and Adelaide learn to work out some of the kinks in their early marriage as they get to know each other. I also liked t...

  If you enjoy historical fiction that has depth and humor, I encourage you to read a Jen Turano Book. Her latest book, Meeting Her Match , will keep you turning pages. In Meeting Her Match , Renowned Matchmaker Miss Camilla Pierpont has vowed never to marry after heartbreak as a young woman. However, she recently meets Mr. Owen Chesterfield, who travels to see her to entice her to sponsor his sister, who needs social assistance desperately. She doesn't want to do it--until she realizes that she is in a tight spot and this may just be her way out. Camilla travels with Owen to West Virginia.  I enjoyed the nuanced humor and banter between Owen and Camilla throughout the book. I also enjoyed the secondary characters. This is a fun historical read and conclusion to the Matchmaker series. I did not read the second book, which may have made it even better, but it did not keep me from enjoying this one. If you enjoy historical fiction that has a lighter side, then I think that you w...

  Joann by Donna Jo Stone is part of the Apron Strings book series that each feature a special cookbook. However, they don't have to be read in order and I enjoyed this book as a stand-alone. Joann Kinkaid grew up with her sister, Barb, in the grocery business that her dad owned. Joann enjoys the grocery business and has had plans to run the store someday with Barb. This is the 1960s and women aren't taken as seriously as business owners at that time so she faces some challenges of that era. She also struggles when Barb decides to get married and start a family. How will she run the grocery store now? And why won't her dad realize how hard she tries at the job and how capable she is?  Joann also likes Nathan. Nathan runs a produce farm so he supplies some food for the store. He also helps out at the store when Barb gets married. Can Nathan and Joann form a relationship and she still continue her family's legacy store? Joann is set during the Vietnam era and there is som...

  These Tangled Threads by Sarah Loudin Thomas is a historical fiction novel set around the famous Biltmore Estate in North Carolina. These Tangled Threads features three main characters: Lorna, Arthur and Gentry. These Tangled Threads is a good title for this book as the story weaves back and forth and through different times with the different characters. There is also an element of deception that needs to be righted and that thought is woven in the story.Then the book actually talks about the weaving that historically took place at that time. So the title is quite fitting for the story. For me, this story was a little confusing and a little slower. However, it was rich in history and description, which was well done. There is also a spiritual theme that is well done through the story. These Tangled Threads would be most enjoyed by readers who like history and rich descriptions. The characters and the setting are big in this story. The plot is slower paced. I received a copy of t...

The Irish Matchmaker by Jennifer Deibel is the fourth Irish tale from this author that I have read--all have been stand-alones. At the back of this book, Diebel shares how she got this idea and the history behind matchmaking in Ireland. Be sure to read that as I think it will enrich your love for the story. The Irish Matchmaker starts out a well-known matchmaker and his daughter talking about the local matchmaking prospects at the local matchmaking festival held each spring. Along with her father, Catriona also makes matches for others--and this year she is hoping for one of her own that will get her away from this sleepy village and into a more exciting life.  At the same time, cattle farmer Donal Bunratty is considering going to the matchmaking festival. His wife died several years ago and he is struggling to make ends meet on a farm with his young daughter. Her birthday wish is a new mother. Will he go to the festival and try to make that wish come true? I'll be honest, at fir...

  All My Secrets by Lynn Austin is set during the gilded age and features women of three generations within the same family. There is Mimi Junie Stanhope, daughter-in-law Sylvia Stanhope and granddaughter Adelaide Stanhope. When Sylvia's husband passes away unexpectedly, the Stanhope ladies all must embrace changes in their lives. I have struggled to write this review because I enjoyed All My Secrets so much. I like how well the stories flowed from one woman to the next. I enjoyed each of their stories and watching them change and grow through their grief. I especially liked how well woven the faith element was in this story. I also enjoyed one of the young men that Adelaide dated. I liked how the women worked to solve their problems. Initially, they weren't working together but as time went on things changed between them. In All My Secrets , there were themes of forgiveness and redemption, overcoming challenges and making the best of circumstances, dealing with ...

    In 1940, Germany invaded The Netherlands and Aleida van der Zee Martens escaped to London. At that time, she was separated from her three-year-old son, Theo. She is a young widow desperately searching for her little boy. Embers in the London Sky by Sarah Sundin starts right out in the nitty gritty of war and all of the difficulties. In the beginning, readers also learn that her husband was abusive to her and her son. It is because he handed the child off to someone else, without her knowledge, that Aleida does not have her son. Aleida soon gets a job with an agency evacuating children to the countryside to help her search for her son. During this time, she also meets BBC radio correspondent Hugh Collingwood. Together, they search for her son and deal with the daily London bombings during the war.  At the same time, there is also a mystery as Hugh's uncle is murdered and the pair seek to help the police find the killer. This case becomes more complicated as the book go...

    A Family Christmas by Sally Britton tells the story of Cyril Grant's return to his grandparents at Christmastime after years abroad following his father's death. As he struggles to fit in, Jane Allen, his grandmother's younger companion, gives him a warm welcome. This was a great start to the book. I enjoyed watching Cyril and Jane get to know each other. I also liked how family life was portrayed in 1816. Christmas Forevermore by Sarah M. Eden was a sweet tale of matchmaking gone awry during the Christmas season. Or did it go awry? In this sort of re-imagining of Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol, Mrs. Jackson sets up spinster Minna Schofield with three potential suitors. I loved the sweet ending to this one. Christmas at Cranfield by Ashtyn Newbold brings two childhood friends together—Hannah and Samuel as adults. Samuel is Hannah's brother's good friend, and she has admired him for years. There are some twists and turns in this story th...

  The Legacy of Longdale Manor by Carrie Turansky is a split time novel set in 1912 and 2012. It has been awhile since I read a split-time novel and I felt this one was well done with smooth transitions.  In 2012, Gwen Morris is working as an art appraiser for her grandfather's business when she is sent to England's Lake District to appraise the painting and antiques of an old family friend of her grandfather's. While she is there working, she meets David Bradford, the owner's grandson who is helping her keep her estate in good working order. Gwen also searches for her father, whom she has never met, with some interesting results. In 1912, Charlotte Harper is struggling after her father passes away and she discovers he hid an affair from her mother and their family. What makes this even worse for Charlotte is that he was also a pastor. After she finds out, Charlotte struggles with both her faith and trusting in male relationships. After her father's death, Charlott...

  I have read Jennifer Deibel's books from the beginning with a Dance in Donegal and The Lady of Galway Manor. I think The Maid of Ballymacool may be my favorite so far. Brianna Kelly has worked at Ballymacool Boarding School since she can remember. She was left on the doorstep of the headmistress and knows very little of her family. Still, Brianna feels she was made for something more--something different.  Michael Wray, the son of a contributing family to the school, is sent to Ballymacool to deal with his unruly cousin. Michael is drawn to Brianna and has a sense that he has met her before. Then Brianna finds a platter int he woods and Michael might know something about it. I enjoyed the developing relationship between Michael and Brianna. Of course, I did not like the evil people and they were evil in this book. I kept turning pages to solve the mysteries of who Brianna is, where the platter came from, and more. It was a good story and I read it fairly quickly. The Christi...

  The Sound of Light by Sarah Sundin is another great read for those who enjoy World War 2 Historical Fiction. The Sound of Light is set in Denmark. Baron Henrik Ahlefeldt decides to live a secret life and help the Danish Resistance. At the same time, American physicist Dr. Else Jensen works in Denmark. They both live at the same boarding house for a time. Henrik disguises who he is. Else learns lessons in courage. As the war goes on, the two start to come together. Can they get past the war? Can they be real with each other? I enjoyed The Sound of Light and getting to know Henrik, and all that he is through his disguise, as well as Else. The book moved quickly and I thought the pacing was well done. I could understand the secrecy during the war. I liked the romance. I enjoyed how Sundin wove the mermaid fable into The Sound of Light . There is also a wonderful undercurrent of redemption and forgiveness which was inspiring. I liked the ending SO much and getting to see some of th...

  One of my favorite high school courses was English Literature. I really enjoyed the sonnets and we tried our hand at writing them. So when given the chance to read and review Secret of the Sonnets by Samantha Hastings I was glad to read it. It did not disappoint. Secret of the Sonnets is a mix of history, mystery and romance. Miranda Hatch is a scholar looking for some lost Shakesperean papers. She inquires about them and ends up meeting a Marquess, Lord Robert Hamilton. Lord Hamilton is in need of money after his father left the estate in debt upon his passing. Together the two set out to find out if the historical papers they are searching for exist. Secret of the Sonnets is a slow burn romance and primarily a character driven novel. I enjoyed the verses of sonnets at the beginning of each chapter. Hastings writes with rich description of the era. I especially enjoyed her sense of humor and the witticisms among the characters. If you enjoy history and a slow burn romance, th...

  All the Lost Places is the first book that I have read by Amanda Dykes. It is a time slip novel with the story of a book within a book--different than other time slip historical novels that I have read in the past. Part of All the Lost Place s is set in 1807 when a baby is set in a basket and floats through a canal to a new home as in the way of Moses. Sebastian Trovato is then raised by a guild of artisans who all teach him a variety of trades. He is well loved but he doesn't really feel like he knows who he is and where he belongs. In 1904, Daniel Goodman is fortunate to get a work assignment in Venice as he seeks to make restitution for past mistakes and to help his mother out of a predicament, which is also feels somewhat responsible for. Goodman goes to Venice and meets Vittoria, a bookshop keeper, and together they begin to unravel the mystery of a book, the mystery of Sebastian, and the mystery of who he is and his place in the world. I'll be honest, it took me awhile...

  I have heard so many good things about this author that I felt compelled to try Joanna Davidson Politano's new book, The Lost Melody . The Lost Melody starts out with Vivienne Mourdant's father passing away and her talking about a life of more freedom as a result However, that was not to be. Unfortunately, she also finds out she is to care for a patient at Hurstwell Asylum that she had no idea about until her father passed and she is left to care for her. As she tries to figure out who the mystery woman is, she is unfortunately drawn in to the asylum herself. Now she is trying to figure out her own situation as well as who the mystery woman is. With books, I think timing plays a part in how much the reader enjoys it. I have been looking for lighter reads lately and this wasn't a light read at all. The Lost Melody was much heavier than I expected in its storyline. I do have an interest in music as a piano player so I should add that the title also drew me in along with t...