Beverly Lewis' The Tinderbox Holds a Past That is too Hot to Handle

...from the publisher...

With her Amish parents' twentieth anniversary approaching, eighteen-year-old Sylvia Miller stumbles across a surprise--the old brass tinderbox her clockmaker father keeps in his Lancaster County shop has been left unlocked. Against her better judgment, Sylvia opens the cherished heirloom, not realizing that what she is about to discover will splinter apart her happy life.

Sylvia's bewilderment grows when her father confronts her about snooping in the box. To her amazement, the respected convert to the Old Order reacts as if he has something to hide.

Burdened by the weight of his deception, Earnest Miller decides he must reveal the details about his past to his beloved wife, Rhoda. The long-kept secret alters everything for the close-knit family, jeopardizing Earnest and Rhoda's relationship, as well as threatening Sylvia's recent engagement to the preacher's grandson.

Can the Millers find a way forward through the turmoil to a place of forgiveness and acceptance?

...my thoughts....

I liked The Tinderbox by Beverly Lewis very much and it hooked me right away.  The love shared between Earnest and Rhoda Miller spills over into the lives of their five children.  Sylvia, the oldest, has dreams of having a close relationship like her parents have with her new fiancee, Titus. It was her curiosity about the one heirloom her father kept locked on a shelf in his shop that niggled at her imagination and tempted her since childhood.  One day, by the merest chance, the box was left unlocked and because of that burning curiosity, she opened it and the ensuing can of worms had a ripple effect on her family and her relationship with Titus.

While the secrets in the box cuts deeply into the fabric of their lives, Sylvia begins to notice things about her own relationships along the way to healing her family.  Titus, whom she thinks the world of, may not be the man she believed him to be.  She is second guessing a lot of things that she took for granted yet she remains the kind, generous spirit her parents raised her to be.  As she grows, she begins to think much  more independently and I felt myself cheering her on.

At the heart of the matter is her father, and his sin of omission before joining the Amish community in Hickory Hollow.  The family may never be the same and yet in the midst of it all, they begin to look at their faith in new ways.  Beverly Lewis has created characters that have depth and appeal. They are alive with the tension and love that comes from facing serious challenges.   I recommend this book for its strong characters, good plot and the promise of hope for better things to come.

Far Side of the Sea by Kate Breslin: A Story of Espionage During World War I

...from the publisher... 
In spring 1918, Lieutenant Colin Mabry, a British soldier working with MI8 after suffering injuries on the front, receives a message by carrier pigeon. It is from Jewel Reyer, the woman he once loved and who saved his life--a woman he believed to be dead. Traveling to France to answer her urgent summons, he desperately hopes this mission will ease his guilt and restore the courage he lost on the battlefield.

Colin is stunned, however, to discover the message came from Jewel's half sister, Johanna. Johanna, who works at a dovecote for French Army Intelligence, found Jewel's diary and believes her sister is alive in the custody of a German agent. With spies everywhere, Colin is skeptical of Johanna, but as they travel across France and Spain, a tentative trust begins to grow between them.

When their pursuit leads them straight into the midst of a treacherous plot, danger and deception turn their search for answers into a battle for their lives.

 ...my thoughts....
This book is quite an escapade for  intrigue. I liked the two main characters, Colin Mabry and Johanna Reyer.  They played nicely against each other since he was fast becoming a wallflower with his war injuries and she with her devil may care attitude for her cause.  As they joined forces to find the missing Jewel Reyer, it was easy to see how their chemistry made them a formidable team.

Kate Breslin's characters come alive and their complexities make this suspenseful novel one that is hard to put down.  I was surprised to learn how much carrier pigeons were used in World War I to convey intricate details for intelligence.  Colin may have had a debilitating injury when he lost his hand but that did nothing to stop him from playing an important role in deciphering the coded messages sent from allies.  Johanna pioneered women when she donned tunics and slacks to drive her motorcycle in and out of danger to deliver messages.  I enjoyed her spirit and her first hand experience handling the pigeons who carried messages across the channel.

The two were joined together on a mission that grew larger than life. Kate kept the story going with several twists and turns to make this one big caper for freedom.  There is a good bit of faith and values in this story that brings together a man who was grounded in his faith and a woman who never before heard the word of God.  The love Colin begins to feel for Johanna is built within his faith and as she grows to love him, she opens her  heart to a new and simmering faith.  I enjoyed this story very much and recommend it to the reader who enjoys mysteries of an espionage nature.