Julie Klassen A Castaway in Cornwall

...from the publisher...

Set adrift on the tides of fate by the deaths of her parents and left wanting answers, Laura Callaway now lives with her uncle and his disapproving wife in North Cornwall. There she feels like a castaway, always viewed as an outsider even as she yearns to belong.

While wreckers search for valuables along the windswept Cornwall coast--known for its many shipwrecks but few survivors--Laura searches for clues to the lives lost so she can write letters to next of kin and return keepsakes to rightful owners. When a man is washed ashore after a wreck, Laura acts quickly to protect him from a local smuggler determined to destroy him.

 As Laura and a neighbor care for the survivor, they discover he has curious wounds and, although he speaks in careful, educated English, his accent seems odd. Other clues wash ashore, and Laura soon realizes he is not who he seems to be. Despite the evidence against him, the mysterious man might provide her only chance to discover the truth about her parents' fate. With danger pursuing them from every side, and an unexpected attraction growing between them, will Laura ever find the answers she seeks?

...my thoughts... 

 A Castaway in Cornwall is an intriguing story for the glimpse it gives us into another way of life in Cornwall.  The taking of plunder was so common, the residents of that coastline never considered the loss shipwrecked items were to the rightful owners.  A lost bible, a crate of rum, all for the taking and who would be the wiser.  It appeared to be a sport that gathered many to the shoreline in the hopes of finding something worthwhile.

For Laura, it was an altogether different thing.  She searched for life, and would be a healer for anyone who needed care.  I admired her spirit.  Wise beyond her years, she had an innate ability to see what others could not see.  She did discover treasures on the shore, but her treasure trove was stored until such time she could restore those treasured items to those rightful owners.  The arrival of the stranger, handsome and mysterious set the stage for a poignant love story that sets Laura onto a path that she was destined to take. 

The setting of this story is colorful and well described.  I would love to visit this area and the vast cliffs and stormy seas.  One could almost feel the storms and see the raging sea.  This is a book for those who enjoy historical fiction and a bit of adventure!

When Twilight Breaks Amazing Historical Fiction by Sarah Sundin

 ...from the publisher...

Munich, 1938. Evelyn Brand is an American foreign correspondent as determined to prove her worth in a male-dominated profession as she is to expose the growing tyranny in Nazi Germany. To do so, she must walk a thin line. If she offends the government, she could be

expelled from the country--or worse. If she fails to truthfully report on major stories, she'll never be able to give a voice to the oppressed--and wake up the folks back home.

In another part of the city, American graduate student Peter Lang is working on his PhD in German. Disillusioned with the chaos in the world due to the Great Depression, he is impressed with the prosperity and order of German society. But when the brutality of the regime hits close, he discovers a far better way to use his contacts within the Nazi party--to feed information to the shrewd reporter he can't get off his mind.

This electric standalone novel from fan-favorite Sarah Sundin puts you right at the intersection of pulse-pounding suspense and heart-stopping romance.

 ...my thoughts...

I had a hard time putting When Twilight Breaks down.  From start to finish this book was a gripping story set just as Nazi Germany was about to pounce on the rest of the world.  Intrigue was at its highest and the pure hate deeply embedded within, showed its ugly head like a snake slithering into the very lives of the vulnerable.  Sarah Sundin has done it again with her standalone novel When Twilight Breaks.  Impeccable research with the gift of masterful writing, this reader was captivated by the story of Evelyn and Peter.

Unlikely as suitors, Peter and Evelyn are thrown into a whirlwind as danger escalates in Germany. Evelyn lived by a code she established as a woman correspondent trying to succeed in a world with doors open to men only.  She was highly motivated to get the best stories and was very aware of the danger posed in Munich in 1938.

Peter was engaged in groundbreaking work in language studies at the university while pursuing his PhD. He fit into society, and was immune to the threat posed by the Nazi regime.  After all, the overall country appeared to be doing so well since he visited as a youth. Nothing impeded his work and he enjoyed the freedoms he was accustomed to at home in America.  However, once his eyes were opened to what lay beneath the prosperous land, he and Evelyn embarked on quite a gripping journey together. It was full of suspense that kept me turning pages to see how far they could go to escape the clutches of those who wanted to stop them. 

What an amazing story.  I recommend this to all who enjoy historical fiction mixed with a bit of suspense and romance.  A five star book that is destined to become a bestseller. 

The Moonlight by Suzanne Woods Fisher is Wonderful and Inspiring

...from the publisher...

Haunted by her sister's mysterious disappearance, Lucy Wilson arrives in Rowan County, Kentucky, in the spring of 1911 to work for Cora Wilson Stewart, superintendent of education. When Cora sends Lucy into the hills to act as scribe for the mountain people, she is repelled by the primitive conditions and intellectual poverty she encounters. Few adults can read and write.

Born in those hills, Cora knows the plague of illiteracy. So does Brother Wyatt, a singing schoolmaster who travels through the hills. Involving Lucy and Wyatt, Cora hatches a plan to open the schoolhouses to adults on moonlit nights. The best way to combat poverty, she believes, is to eliminate illiteracy. But will the people come?


As Lucy emerges from a life in the shadows, she finds purpose; or maybe purpose finds her. With purpose comes answers to her questions, and something else she hadn't expected: love.

Inspired by the true events of the Moonlight Schools, this standalone novel from bestselling author Suzanne Woods Fisher brings to life the story that shocked the nation into taking adult literacy seriously. You'll finish the last page of this enthralling story with deep gratitude for the gift of reading.

 

 

 

 

 

...my thoughts...

I just finished reading Suzanne Woods Fisher's latest historical fiction novel The Moonlight School.  I enjoyed the book very much in many ways.  The historical aspect of one woman's mission to eradicate illiteracy in hills and hollers of Kentucky was phenomenal. It is incredible that Cora Wilson Stewart was able to rouse a culture to an action that improved the lives of so many.  Literacy changes a way of life forever.  

The story unfolds when a reluctant Lucy is sent to Rowan County Kentucky to become her aunt Cora's assistant.  Fresh out of finishing school, she had no idea she was in for the culture shock of her life.  Suzanne Woods Fisher is a master at character development, and the Moonlight School is a canvas of characters waiting to develop.  Lucy is just one example of a character who came to life between the pages and grew to become an amazing woman.  She is an inspiring fictional character who proved to be an able assistant to the real life Cora Wilson Stewart, by overcoming her city ways to see the wonderful people of the hollers with full lives and stories of their own.

I recommend The Moonlight School as one of the important good books for the year.  It is inspiring, uplifting and a joy to read.

A Cowboy For Keeps Engaging Story With Delightful Characters

 ...from the publisher...

Greta Nilsson's trip west to save her ailing little sister, Astrid, could not have gone more wrong. First, bandits hold up her stagecoach, stealing all her money. Then, upon arriving in Fairplay, Colorado, she learns the man she was betrothed to as a mail-order bride has died.

Homeless, penniless, and jobless, Greta and her sister are worse off than when they started.

Wyatt McQuaid is struggling to get his new ranch up and running and is in town to purchase cattle when the mayor proposes the most unlikely of bargains. He'll invest in a herd of cattle for Wyatt's ranch if Wyatt agrees to help the town become more respectable by marrying and starting a family. And the mayor, who has promised to try to help Greta, has just the candidate in mind for Wyatt to marry.

...my thoughts...

Digging into Jody Hedlund's A Cowboy for Keeps was an easy prospect for me.  I enjoy her books and was curious to start her new Colorado Cowboys series. It wasn't long before I found myself fully engaged in the story.  Marriages of convenience are a popular topics and sometimes dismissed as lightweight fiction.  Not so when you dig deeper.  These men and women endured a hard life and their rewards were very different than what we expect for ourselves today. I enjoy reading these stories because they remind me that this was how many parts of our country were settled into communities.  Communities with families, schools and churches became the fabric of life for the men and women who had the gumption to work hard and build homes on their ranches or farmed their land.

Greta was a courageous young woman for leaving her home behind to forge a new life in an unknown territory to marry a perfect stranger.  A stranger who promised to also support her ailing little sister Astrid, whose life depended on this move.

Watt hadn't planned to saddle himself with a wife, but the mayor's proposition to help him increase his herd was too good to overlook.  The conditions of the deal were another story, but he had plenty of time to meet the requirements so he agreed.  Time, though, is a funny thing as it slips by day by day until finally something has to happen and it all happened as predicted.  Yes, this story was predictable but I didn't mind because the characters were likable and the author wove the tale together in a unique way. 

The location was also a character in this story with descriptions that are picturesque and engaging.  I don't  think Greta could  have found her new home in a better place. It seemed to have it all with plenty of hills, plains and of course, hot springs. I think this is one of those books that would appeal to any reader who enjoys good, clean historical fiction.  I am already looking forward to the second book in this series.