Reviewing: To Capture a Mountain Man by Robin Lee Hatcher

 

Reviewing: Until Leaves Fall in Paris by Sarah Sundin

 ...from the publisher...

As the Nazis march toward Paris in 1940, American ballerina Lucie Girard buys her favorite English-language bookstore to allow the Jewish owners to escape. Lucie struggles to run Green Leaf Books due to oppressive German laws and harsh conditions, but she finds a way to aid the resistance by passing secret messages between the pages of her books.

Widower Paul Aubrey wants nothing more than to return to the States with his little girl, but the US Army convinces him to keep his factory running and obtain military information from his German customers. As the war rages on, Paul offers his own resistance by sabotaging his product and hiding British airmen in his factory. After they meet in the bookstore, Paul and Lucie are drawn to each other, but she rejects him when she discovers he sells to the Germans. And for Paul to win her trust would mean betraying his mission.

...my thoughts...

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It is a heart wrenching, suspenseful novel of such a time when the world was so uncertain. Times when worlds collided, and people were praying that the war would end and somehow the world could return to peace once more.

Until Leaves Fall in Paris, by Sarah Sundin is a compelling read, especially today. Full of wonderfully complex characters, once again Sarah has done impeccable research. Lucie did her best to keep Green Leaf Books open until she had to return home to the states. But until that time, she was creative in her ways to keep customers coming back to her little haven among the shelves. It was just that spirit of creativity that captured Paul's attention when he took his young daughter Josie to the story hour. Filled with puppets regaling children’s tales, Paul took notice in how Josie came to life at the bookshop and resolved to return each week to give her some joy. 

 It was amazing how Paul and Lucie found each other under trying circumstances as the situation became ever so dangerous in wartime Paris. To the outside world, they led double lives in order to survive. Their courage and love are captured by an author who can keep you in suspense while making you keep turning those pages until the very end.

I recommend Until Leaves Fall in Paris, a story as timely today as it was close to eighty years ago. A time when so many lives were changed forever by a world that was out of control.

Reviewing: Things We Didn't Say by Amy Lynn Green

...from the publisher....

 

Headstrong Johanna Berglund, a linguistics student at the University of Minnesota, has very definite plans for her future . . . plans that do not include returning to her hometown and the secrets and heartaches she left behind there. But the US Army wants her to work as a translator at a nearby camp for German POWs.

Johanna arrives to find the once-sleepy town exploding with hostility. Most patriotic citizens want nothing to do with German soldiers laboring in their fields, and they're not afraid to criticize those who work at the camp as well. When Johanna describes the trouble to her friend Peter Ito, a language instructor at a school for military intelligence officers, he encourages her to give the town that rejected her a second chance.

As Johanna interacts with the men of the camp and censors their letters home, she begins to see the prisoners in a more sympathetic light. But advocating for better treatment makes her enemies in the community, especially when charismatic German spokesman Stefan Werner begins to show interest in Johanna and her work. The longer Johanna wages her home-front battle, the more the lines between compassion and treason become blurred--and it's no longer clear whom she can trust.

...my thoughts...

Things We Didn't Say is Amy Lynn Green's debut novel and I expect it to be the first of many.  I was intrigued by this story line because it seemed to be a well kept secret that there were as many German P.O.W. camps in our country during World War II.  At least, it was certainly never mentioned in any history books I had, and that was one subject I didn't slack off on my homework.  The first time I heard of these camps, I was an adult and heard someone tell of a relative whose father had spent time in a camp within my own state.  So, years later, I found myself intrigued by Amy's book I found myself not only enjoying the story but doing a little research, only to find there were many camps within our country.

Amy did a wonderful job on her research and her characters are well developed.  Johanna, and Peter's correspondence make up a lot of the story and it was intriguing to see the story from each viewpoint.  Johanna, a linguist specialist, strives to do the best she can at a job she clearly didn't want in the beginning of the book.  As time goes, she gets more and more involved in the lives of the prisoners as she translates their own correspondence from their families and does her best to improve their lot within the confines of the camp.  Stefan Werner, who seems to represent his fellow prisoners, seems to have a pulse on everything that goes on inside.  Johanna, for her part, seems to become more distant to her community, the more involved she becomes in her work.

Peter, Johanna's close friend, is my favorite character. He is a young, Japanese American, whose family was cruelly placed in an internment camp at the start of the war.  His desire to fight for his country is hampered by his being recruited to a Japanese language school.  His letters have a calming effect on Johanna and the true meaning of his friendship is mired in her desires to go study in Oxford, long her goal but now sidelined by this war and her job.  She is brilliant, but, as with many who are brilliant, there are some things she just didn't see.  This book is compelling, and gives you a ringside seat into a very real piece of our country's history. 

We Hope For Better Things A Strong Debut Novel by Erin Bartels

...my thoughts....

I enjoyed reading We Hope for Better Things,  a compelling time slip novel that easily slips between three very different times in our country, specifically in Detroit.  From the Civil War to racially charged Detroit in the sixties to present day unrest.  Each time centers on a strong female character who is faced with finding her voice in circumstances beyond her control.

Erin Bartels has woven the subject of race discrimination among beautiful descriptions of the big family farm that is almost its own unique character in the story.  We meet Mary Balsam, a young, barely married wife sending her husband off to war, not knowing how she will manage the crops or the big house.  Mary's granddaughter, Nora, married a black man in the sixties after a Martin Luther King Jr. rally in 1963. They found refuge at the abandoned farm after she was disowned by her father.  Forbidden love is all the sweeter when it is requited in the smallest way.  Nora, after seeing the big picture said, "William was the right man, all right. But it was the wrong time, that's all."  Elizabeth Balsam, Nora's great-niece found a reclusive Nora after losing her job as a journalist at the Detroit Free Press. A generation is skipped between each woman's story and each is so tightly woven the reader will keep reading to see what is going on next in each era.

The stories of the Civil War and its aftershocks were still a bit freshly written when I was a child.  While most of the players were long gone, the stories were rich but not always pleasant.  That was a terrible time for our country.  When we think we cannot emerge stronger or better today, we can look back on how bad things were after President Lincoln was killed and the war ended. 

I remember the turmoil of the sixties although I lived far from those hot spots of the time.  We did not have cable news and in a way, I am glad of that.  Today, with news at the ready, it seems we get so many theories and guesses that it still takes a few days to sort things out.  The turmoil in our country today is not new.  We may have thought we were past some of the injustice handed to others based on their race, politics or faith.  We have not, though, I pray some day we will. 

This book is a gentle reminder that we need to tell our stories so that our family history continues to the next generation.  I am grateful for the stories that my mother wrote down and eagerly share stories with my grandchildren. We Hope for Better Things is an engaging family story that was worth telling.  While it is fiction, it could be pieces of many stories.  I recommend this book with 4 stars. 

...from the publisher... 

When Detroit Free Press reporter Elizabeth Balsam meets James Rich, his strange request--that she look up a relative she didn't know she had in order to deliver an old camera and a box of photos--seems like it isn't worth her time. But when she loses her job after a botched investigation, she suddenly finds herself with nothing but time.

At her great-aunt's 150-year-old farmhouse, Elizabeth uncovers a series of mysterious items, locked doors, and hidden graves. As she searches for answers to the riddles around her, the remarkable stories of two women who lived in this very house emerge as testaments to love, resilience, and courage in the face of war, racism, and misunderstanding. And as Elizabeth soon discovers, the past is never as past as we might like to think.

Get Ready for this Book in 2018!

I am excited to read this upcoming collection  by some of my favorite authors!  Historical Fiction is a genre that has been near and dear to my heart.  

From Amazon's Description:  

Four top historical romance novelists team up in this new collection to offer stories of love and romance with a twist of humor. In Karen Witemeyer's "The Love Knot," Claire Nevin gets the surprise of her life awaiting her sister's arrival by train. Mary Connealy's "The Tangled Ties That Bind" offers the story of two former best friends who are reunited while escaping a stampede. Regina Jennings offers "Bound and Determined," where a most unusual trip across barren Oklahoma plains is filled with adventure, romance, and . . . camels? And Melissa Jagears' "Tied and True" entertains with a tale of two hearts from different social classes who become entwined at a cotton thread factory. 

Pick up your copy when it is released in January and add it to your reading list.

Reviewing: Gladden the Heart by Olivia Newport

Gladden the Heart  by Olivia Newport, gives us a glimpse of the revivalism movement in America in 1847.  When our story begins, Susanna Hooley is gathering roots and wildflowers to create dyes for fabric.  In the clearing is a large tent for one of Reverend Braxton's revival meetings.  The hot July afternoon brought a large crowd to hear her friend Patsy's father preaching a powerful message. Susanna's Amish community was not immune to the impassioned messages that poured from the good reverend's tongue. Such things were not heard in the long three hour meetings she experienced every other Sunday. Intrigued by what she heard, coupled with seeing so many Amish from her district, she steeled herself away.

Not long after this, however, her life is turned upside down by her cousin Noah. During a normal conversation on an ordinary Sunday afternoon, he fell under a spell.  The normally quiet man began to preach from the book of John.  His message was so powerful and strong, many gathered to hear, including the bishop.  The bishop fully believes that Noah is wakeful and willful with his preaching and orders him to stop. Noah was unaware that he gave such stirring sermons straight from the bible. When he woke from his trances he was exhausted and slept for hours.

It isn't long before Susanna discovers Noah's unpredictable behavior has happened before.   She is determined to help Noah's wife Phoebe keep him safe, disregarding opinions from her mother, the bishop and even Adam Yotter, her intended.  The situation becomes a controversy as many in the community begin congregating at Noah's house daily to hear him preach.  It is only when a near tragedy occurs that Susanna, Adam, his uncle and the bishop come together to help Noah and find common ground. 

I enjoyed this book.  Many people were yearning for meaningful spiritual experiences they didn't find in their usual long, dry services.  A powerful message such as those delivered under the big tent seemed to offer more.  While traditional clergy may have argued that nobody could gauge a true enlightened experience, I disagree. How can anyone know what another truly experiences.  The human experience is amazing and sometimes the true picture cannot be told by looking at someone.  The sleeping preacher phenomenon was real, something I was unaware of.  In the midst of this time in America, great changes were taking place. It is ironic that even the Amish, who lived separate from others would experience such things. Enlightening.  

Reviewing Moonbow Night by Laura Frantz

Laura Frantz' latest book Moonbow Night is set in the days of Daniel Boone when our country was largely unexplored.  With a lush backdrop one could hardly expect trouble to find its way into peaceful meadows and spectacular waterfalls.  Yet, in 1777, the Revolutionary War was being fought on the one hand and surveyors were marking off land to be taken by settlers eager to own acreage. Danger surrounds the world of Temperance Tucker and  her family.  Fronting the Shawnee River, her family built the Moonbow Inn, a haven for travelers and traders alike.  Her father had trouble with surveyors and lived well hidden beyond the inn. He trained Tucker to hunt, shoot and track better than most men. Her brother, mother and dear friend cooked and cared for weary travelers.

Sion Morgan led a surveying team over the dangerous territory. Weary and hungry his team stopped at the Moonbow and here is where the story really begins.  As fate would have it, the group needs a guide into dangerous areas filled with Native Americans who have no patience for these  surveying "land stealers." Temperance is charged with guiding the team at the behest of her father.  The danger is great but it doesn't take long for Sion to realize she can hold her own to his skill with tracking and shoots as well as he.  She is an unwilling guide but the story provides her a rich journey and the love of a man worthy of her.  

I received a copy of Moonbow Night from Revell for an honest review and I enjoyed many hours reading it.   I was intrigued by the title and all the more so when I learned that "Moonbows or lunar rainbows are rare natural atmospheric phenomena that occur when the Moon’s light is reflected and refracted off water droplets in the air."   

I would love to see a moonbow!  Laura Frantz is a wonderful story teller, weaving history into the lives of the rich characters she creates.  If you enjoy historical fiction I recommend you reserve a copy of this book for your collection. I am in awe of the men and women who settled our country and faced countless trials with more courage than I can imagine. 

It Happened In This Road We Traveled

When I finished reading This Road We Traveled by Jane Kirkpatrick I put it down and said "Wow." This is yet another book about the Oregon Trail but what sets it apart is that it is written about a very real woman who at 66 years old set out to find what she would do with the rest of her life. Not content to stay behind in Missouri, Tabby took a leap of faith, bought a wagon, hired a driver and crossed a continent of unknowns. Tabitha Moffit Brown is called the Mother of Oregon and her journey is written of with great care by Jane Kirkpatrick.

About an hour ago my husband and I returned from a trip down along the Oregon Trail.  Considering I had just finished reading this book Friday evening it was fitting to pause and visualize those wagons heading in our direction. I admit the experiences seem daunting to me. Could I have made this trek?  Walking beside a wagon for hours, then trying to bake cornbread on the lid of a cast iron dutch oven seems a trial. Anticipating what the conditions would be like and finding the path narrowing onto a cliff above deep canyons takes my breath away as it must have for the emigrating families. Continually weeding out possessions to lighten the load would be so difficult. After carefully choosing what to bring and what to leave behind would have already been a painstaking process. Tabby's daughter Pherne, unsure of the journey to begin with left behind her fine furnishings and books that she treasured.

Tabby Brown began the journey with her family and were led by her oldest son Orus. He had taken this journey before and the plan was to follow the Columbia.  Tabby's wagon was driven alongside her daughter Pherne and son-in-law Virgil, their family and Tabby's brother-in-law John.  They were separated from Orus with the distance growing day by day. Eventually they were two weeks behind Orus. Tabby and her group were approached by the Applegates and a Mr. Scott who sold them the idea of avoiding the dangerous Columbia by following a new trail from the bottom of the territory, working up to where Orus had built a cabin.  They were convinced this shortcut would land them at their destination before the experienced Orus arrived. 

After careful consideration the group followed the Applegate Trail and from there on the journey went from difficult to brutal.  The slow pace of travel on roads that were carved during the journey was hard on everyone. Provisions ran short along with tempers. Sickness and near starvation made it difficult for the travelers to persevere.  Broken wagon tongues and wheels, dying oxen and the death of family members are hard for me to imagine. I admire all who made it to their destination because they were courageous people whose indomitable spirit paved the way in which the west was settled.  

Jane Kirkpatrick has once again used her talent in a compelling way to bring the story of a woman who could have just been one of a group who survived a harrowing journey along the Applegate Trail.  What is important is that there are many people who took what they experienced and shaped an important part of the history of our great western states. Many people who courageously made their way west for 640 acres lost their lives or were separated from their families. A whole group of young people were impacted by this. Also about this time the Whitman Massacre devastated the area and left more orphans. Tabby Brown now saw her purpose at the end of the trail and while she could have retired in comfort with either Orus or Pherne she founded an orphanage and school in Forest Grove, not far from what is today known as Portland Oregon.  She enlisted the help of missionaries Harvey and Emmaline Clark and founded what is known as Pacific University today.  She did finally move in with her daughter Pherne, but only a few months shy of her death at 78. 

Journals, diaries and notes on scrap paper have brought to light many bits and pieces of what happened on the great migration west. Many thanks to those who have revered these glimpses to the past and to authors like Jane Kirkpatrick who bring these important stories to light.  I received this book from Revell for review and thank them for the opportunity to read it and learn from it.  

Nothing Is Certain In A Heart Most Certain

This book called me while I was reading another. It was hard to practice self control and finish the first one but you see I have truly enjoyed all of Melissa Jagears books and I knew I was in for a good read.  The problem was I still had that other book I needed to finish first. Does that happen to anyone else?  But as luck, or fate would have it, I was caught with time on my hands without a book so grabbed my phone. Every book lover has the Kindle App on their phone right?  

A Heart Most Certain begins with Lydia King, a lovely young woman of good character challenged with seeking a donation from Mr. Nicholas Lowe, the richest, stingiest man in Town.  She accepted the challenge from Mrs. Little, President of the Teaville Moral Society and mother of her almost betrothed, Sebastian Little. If she can procure the donation, it would be enough to cover the price of two sewing machines to make blankets for those in need. Getting the donation from Mr. Lowe seemed impossible but she was determined. She wanted to help the needy but Mrs. Little declared that she would be deemed worthy to join the Little Family if she succeeded.

   Although she was nervous to take on the challenge, she would do so because a marriage to Sebastian would secure her future and help her dying mother live more comfortably. Of course, her no account father could benefit, but he was the least of her worries. Mrs. Little was a powerful force to reckon with anyway.  She found herself before Mr. Lowe, made her request and was flatly refused.and the man of business left her abruptly with no indication of whether or not he would return. She found herself waiting in his office for him but he ducked out without a word. She decided then that she would get a donation from her and wouldn't rest until she did. It was his Christian duty to donate such a small amount when he had so much. After all, she never saw him tithing at church. He became many evil things in her eye based on rumor and conjecture. She made it  her business to greet him on the street and let him know she would pursue him until he agreed to buy the sewing machines. 

I love to be entertained when I read a book but it is another thing altogether when we are challenged or learn something in the process.  Good works are good in themselves but it is important that we don't get so caught up in the good works that we miss the reason behind the good works. Lydia loved being part of the Moral Society. Her family was not well connected. Her father drank and gambled most of  their money. Her mother was unwell. She wore hand me down clothes from a wealthy family in her congregation. Yet with all her trials she was a cheerful giving woman who had a pure  heart and steadfast convictions. 

Over the course of time, she encountered Mr. Lowe several times and as promised, each time she met him she asked him for the donation. Mr. Lowe agreed, eventually to help her but not in a way that she expected.  The lessons he taught her shook her faith in her church family, led her to places she should never have gone and brought her a richness she couldn't have found by simply being a dutiful member of the Teaville Moral Society under the guidance of Mrs. Little.

The book ventures into the red light district of the era and the difficulties many women had trying to leave that profession. Women and girls often were forced into that lifestyle and treated miserably by the very people who could have  helped them. Today we are still faced with this human trafficking and it is a big problem. I am glad Melissa chose to tackle this issue in her book.  

Throughout the story we see how Lydia influences Nicholas but it is surprising how he influences her. He gives her a voice that was silent for most of her life. He inspires her by showing her how other people live. She learns that you cannot judge others by what you see. While the story has many lessons, it is, first and foremost, a love story.  Love for others, respect for ourselves and love that is tough enough to give strength and build character.  

I heartily recommend this inspiring book worthy of 5 stars! Award wining author Melissa Jagears has a way of telling a story that keeps one turning pages looking for what happens next. Isn't that just what we want out of a book?

  

Look for Love, War and Intrigue In The Magnolia Duchess

Fiona Lanier was riding her horse Bonnie on the beach that August day in 1814 when suddenly the horse stopped in front of a pile of seaweed, refusing to go on. "Wait, not seaweed. Material. Clothing. A body. A roll of surf washed up, stirred by the folds of cloth, but the body did not move.  Dead?"

Our story begins here on the beach where Fiona finds a badly injured young man lying face down in the sand, barely alive.  After a struggle, she manages to get him home where she will ultimately nurse him back to good health.  The mysterious young man, however, is not entirely unknown to Fiona.  He is Charlie Kincaid, whom she met years ago while visiting England.  

When Charlie regains consciousness, Fiona quickly realizes he has lost his memory. What was he, an Englishman, doing at Mobile Point so far from his home?  Set in the midst of the War of 1812, the Magnolia Duchess brings to life fictional characters whose stories intertwined with historical places and events of that era.  The book mentions General Andrew Jackson several times leading up to the Battle of New Orleans and the ultimate surrender of the British that ended the war.  

As the war rages, though, we are still faced with Fiona and Charlie.  As they meet challenges brought about by the war, they both grow in ways unexpected. The Magnolia Duchess is the third book in the Gulf Coast Chronicles, by Beth White. The series follows the Lanier family for over one hundred years where men and women of courage helped shape our country.

Sunday Review: The Memory Weaver, By Jane Kirkpatrick

Now and then you come across an author who makes you look deeper into the lives of those between the coves of the books. Jane Kirkpatrick has done this now with all of the books I have read by her. It started with A Light In The Wilderness, spread to the novella A Saving Grace and now with The Memory Weaver. I could have simply read biographies on the strong women of who she writes, but I didn't know about them beforehand.  I simply stumbled onto her books when I signed up to review them with Revell.

I live in the Inland Northwest and love the rich history of our region. Through reading I have mined a treasure trove of stories that are worth retelling future generations.  I admire authors like Jane Kirkpatrick  who keep these stories going. The Memory Weaver is an exceptional book about love, forgiveness and learning to move on from the most tragic situations.

Eliza Spalding Warren was the oldest daughter of Eliza Hart Spalding and Henry Harmon Spalding, early missionaries who came west with Marcus and Narcissa Whitman.  Eliza is distinctive as the first white child born in the Northwest who survived. She is also distinctive for being a survivor of the Whitman Massacre of 1847.  She had been sent to school there by her parents, who remained at their mission at Lapwai, on the Clearwater River in Idaho.  Her story touches me still, several days after finishing the book.

The book toggles between Eliza's life after the tragedy at Waiilatpu and entries of her mother's diary. Her mother Eliza journaled their life at Lapwai among the generous, peace loving Nez Perce tribe. She also recounts the horrific aftermath of the massacre and the subsequent trial of the Cayuse where young Eliza is taken by her father to recount what she saw. The stories of the daughter interwoven with her mother's diary are compelling and bring both women alive once more as only a skilled author can tell.

"A novel allows one to speculate about the why and how one felt regarding an incident. Biography or nonfiction allows one to explore what and when but must hesitate about exploring people's feelings. Novels are meant to move people, to bring emotion to the surface and enable us to see our lives in new ways."  - Jane Kirkpatrick as written in the author interview for The Memory Weaver.  I have been moved by this book and enjoyed researching more about the Spaldings and their role in shaping the Oregon Territory.  I hope to visit Brownsville and Aurora Oregon one day soon as well as the Nez Perce Museum at Spalding Idaho.  Books are powerful and keep our minds sharp. The gift of a good book is incomparable. My recommendation is that you purchase two copies of this book, one to give and one to keep so that you will have someone to discuss this amazing story with.