A Regency Romance Filled with Highwaymen and Danger

Abigail Gilbert hopes that her life is finally turning around. The daughter of a well-to-do merchant and his first wife, she has been treated in a Cinderella-like manner by his second wife. Unexpectedly she has caught the eye of a baronet, one of the best catches in England. However, the marriage is to be at his estate. Angrily, Abigail’s stepmother sends her off on a journey across England with only her maid and a driver.

The trip, although tiring, is proceeding according to plan until the coach is attacked by highwaymen on Hounslow Heath. Luckily a troop of Bow Street Runners sees the altercation, and Abigail is rescued. Captain Samuel Thatcher, leader of the troop, finds it hard to believe that her parents sent Abigail on such a journey with hardly any protection. He’s tired of crime and wants to retire to a farm, but he needs money to buy land.

Abigail is not deterred from her wedding journey, but she needs protection. She convinces Samuel with the promise of money to protect her on the remainder of her journey to the baronet. The is the start of many trials as the pair journey together and who know what they will find at their destination.

This is the last book in the Bow Street Runner’s Series, however, it can be read as a standalone. Abigail and Samuel are strong characters who exhibit their Christian faith without being overbearing about it. They have both been tested by life, and it stands them well as they face the perils of the journey.

Although I liked Abigail and Samuel, my favorite character was the baby Samuel and Abigail agree to deliver to her aunt. Her antics provide a needed touch of fun to the book. If you enjoy a Regency romance with plenty of action, you’ll enjoy this book.

I received this book from Shiloh Run Press for this review.

An Historical True Crime Mystery involving the Tennessee Adoption Scandal in the Early 1930s

The only thing widowed Cecile Dowd has left from her marriage is her daughter Millie Mae. It’s hard bringing up a child by yourself when you have no money and are having trouble finding a job. However, Cecile loves Millie and tries to do the best for her.

When Cecile leaves Millie with a neighbor while she’s job hunting, she returns to find Millie gone. The neighbor has signed her over to the Tennessee Children’s Home Society run by Georgia Tann. Cecile is appalled when Tann tells her that she’s an unfit mother and vows to do everything she can to get her daughter back.

The book exposes the story of Georgia Tann and the corruption of the Tennessee Children’s Home Society. The children who were removed from their homes were sold. The money was used to line the pockets of Tann, a corrupt judge, and a scheming politician. The story follows Cecile’s attempt to find her daughter and get her back. In this she’s helped by an attorney for the society who risks everything to help her.

The is the second book I’ve read in the True Colors series of Historical Crimes. I thoroughly enjoy historical mysteries and this is well worth reading. I liked Cecile and her determination to get her daughter back. Tann and the characters connected with the society were suitably evil. They were almost caricatures of evil. I found that a little over the top, but the story was well done. The book has a Christian background, but it is subtle and not the main focus of the story.

I received this book from Barbour Books for this review.

A Love Story Illustrates the Tension Between Good and Evil

Aven Norgaard is in love with her husband, Thor, in spite of his deafness knowing that he is a good man. She was once tempted by his younger brother, Haakon. After their disastrous encounter, he ran away to sea and has not been home for four years.

Taking part in a study of the deaf, Thor and Aven learn that their enemies from the neighboring farm are back. Now Thor must be on his guard to protect his family. The surprise is that Haakon arrives home. He’s the prodigal returning, but can he be accepted back and receive the gift of forgiveness?

This sequel to Sons of Blackbird Mountain, is a perfect follow-on to that novel. If you loved the first book, the second is the equal. The characters are beautifully drawn. You can’t help loving Aven and hoping that everything will turn out well for the brothers.

The book is beautifully written. I loved the descriptions of the country surrounding Blackbird Mountain. The characters draw you into the story to the extent that it’s hard to put the book down. The Christian element exposes the nature of good and evil. It’s a very fulfilling story to read. I highly recommend it.

I received this book from Book Look Bloggers for this review.

Two Women, One Man, and a Hurricane

Tessa is looking forward to a romantic weekend with her husband. His call destroys that hope. He has to stay an extra day on his business trip. The approaching hurricane doesn’t make things better. Tessa isn’t thrilled about being alone. After securing the house she searches for her ipad, finds her husband’s instead, and sees shocking pictures of a nude twenty-six-year old beauty.

Tessa is furious. She needs to meet this woman and find out what’s wrong with her relationship with her husband, Ethan. She calls and Lindsey, Ethan’s mistress, thinking she’s meeting Ethan drives to the house through the fury of the hurricane, and the confrontation begins begins.

This is the story of betrayal, but even more it speaks to how our self-images are based on how we perceive ourselves in relation to others. Tessa thinks there must be something wrong with her for Ethan to stray this way, but perhaps the better question is what's wrong with Ethan.

The story is fast paced and if you’re into revenge on the other woman, it’s very satisfying. The main characters, particularly Tessa, are pretty much out of control. For me, this makes it more of a fantasy than a story about real life. However, I enjoyed the story and recommend it, particularly if you’ve been cheated on It can be a cathartic experience.

I received this book from Net Galley for this review.

Bruno Solves the Case of a Missing Art Student

When Claudia, a wealthy American art student, doesn’t return to her lodging after a lecture, Bruno is called in to find out what happened to her. There are few clues in her room, so he proceeds to the castle where the lecture was held. Finding no obvious clues, he sets his basset hound, Balzac, on the trail. Balzac is attracted to the plaintive cries of a kitten trapped in the well that has not been carefully covered by the workmen who are restoring it. Unfortunately, the kitten is clinging to the body of the dead girl.

At first it appears to be a case of suicide, or accident perhaps brought on by drugs. However, Claudia has a wealthy father who is friends with the American president and he wants answers. As Bruno digs into the case he is led to a famous art historian, Monsieur de Bourdeille, who Claudia was working with. Just before her death she had suspicions that some of the paintings authenticated by Bourdeille were falsely attributed.

The Perigord region of France where the Bruno books are set is delightful, and the author does an excellent job presenting the region, the wines, the food, and the small town atmosphere. This is one of the strengths of the book. The other strength is Bruno. He is a lover, makes wonderful meals, and enjoys hiking, canoeing and horseback riding. Bruno and his friends make you keep coming back to the series.

I also enjoyed the French history the author threads through the story. That with the art history makes the book well worth reading. The plot in this book is quite complex. It’s easy to see the underlying complications early in the story. However, the author does a good job of fleshing the reasons for the murder. If you enjoy murders with a French background, you’ll want to get to know Bruno.

I received this book from First to Read for this review.

A Summer of Growth for Three Women

Jessie McBride is glad to be back on Glory Road where she grew up. After her marriage failed due to her husband’s infidelities, she moved back with his daughter, Evan, and bought a house next door to her mother, Gus. Included with Jessie’s house was a shop. She’s turned it into Twigs, a garden shop that she runs with the help of her mother.

It’s summer and while Jessie is thrilled with her home and her shop, she knows she needs to make more money. When Sumner Tate, a wealthy man asks her to do the flowers for his daughter’s wedding, she thinks this may be the start of a new venture. It’s not only the flower arranging that attracts Jessie, she also enjoys the attention from Sumner.

Sumner is not the only man in Jessie’s life. She’s ambivalent when her high school boyfriend, Ben Bradley, moves to Glory Road. Evan, too, is having growing pains. She’ll be in high school in the fall. There’s a cute guy down the road, but she’s not sure how she feels about boys.

Gus, Jessie’s mother, is a pistol. She bakes delicious goodies and says what she thinks, but she’s also having a transitional summer. She’s starting to forget things and Jessie’s worried.

This book pulls you into summertime in the South. The author has done an excellent job with descriptions of the climate and surrounding area particularly the flowers and trees. I loved the quotes from gardening books at the start of each chapter.

The characters are realistic. I could sympathize with Jessie trying to deal with her mother’s and daughters’ changes and feeling pulled in new directions herself. This book is different from Hurricane, another book by the author, but it’s equally worth reading.

I received this book from BookLook Blogggers for this review.

Friendship Leads to Growth and Acceptance

Southern California may seem like a dream local to many, but Emily wasn’t so sure. She and her husband, Trevor, had relocated from North Carolina where they were embraced by a family circle. Here they have a small apartment in which Emily struggles to feel at home.

Just before Christmas Emily is invited to join four other women for a pre-Christmas party. Emily is shy and feels uncomfortable in a setting where the other women are relaxed. She particularly feels like an outsider because they all have babies and toddlers while her daughter is ten. It’s particularly stressful because of the infertility problems Emily and Trevor have experienced.

This is a story of Christian friendship. The five women band together to share life stories and support each other. They name their group, Daughters of Eve. For readers familiar with Gunn’s previous books, Christy and Sierra will be old friends.

This is a gentle book. The plot is not exciting or thrilling. It’s the story of women and friendship. Many of the scenes are the women, either in pairs, or all together sharing their tears and joy. It’s a story that encourages women to realize how important friendship is. No one has to feel alone in trying circumstances.

I received this book from Waterbrook Multnomah for this review.

Finding Love at the Atlanta Cotton Exposition of 1895

Laurel Millard is eighteen and dreaming of love and starting a family. She’s the youngest of seven children, and she learns that her siblings have other plans for her. She is expected to stay at home and care for her widowed mother. Her feisty mother, however, has different ideas and encourages Laurel to pursue her dreams.

With the cotton exposition, Laurel sees a chance to meet an eligible man and takes a job as a silk weaver. Here she does meet Langdon Rochester, a wealthy man whose parents insist that he marry or lose his inheritance. Laurel fills the bill as a perfect wife, and he woos her. However, Langdon plans to trade on Laurel’s naivety to pursue his wild life style with his friends.

Willie Sharp is poor. He takes a job as a security guard at the cotton exposition to help his family. He meets Laurel when providing extra security for the Women’s Building. He enjoys her friendship and as he gets to know her, his feelings deepen.

This is a well done historical novel. Atlanta in 1895 is accurately described including the feelings for blacks in the South. People could applaud someone like Booker T. Washington, but feel repugnance for a worker like Quincy, a black friend of Willie’s.

The characters are a bit of a disappointment. They seemed stereotypical. Laurel is naive and captivated by the dashing Langdon, who turns out to be a rogue. Willie exemplifies the poor, hardworking, honest man. Quincy is a foil for the black problems of the era.

The plot is interesting and moves at a reasonable pace for a historical novel. If you enjoy historical romances with a Christian background

, you may enjoy this book.

I received this book from Waterbrook Multnomah for his review.

The Story of a Hollywood Treasure

The Chateau Marmont has a long and varied history. Improbably, the first owner, Frank Horowitz, who built the Chateau, sited it on a dirt road. In 1929, this was far from the action in Hollywood. He had seen the Chateau d’Amboise when on a visit to the Loire Valley and wanted to recreate it on his land.

The initial plan for the Chateau was to have a series of luxury apartments. When it became too difficult to fill the apartments, the new owners turned it into a hotel. The hotel has had a series of owners each giving it a slightly different character.

Over the years, the hotel has been patronized by celebrities who wanted a more private place. Some wanted the restful ambiance; others wanted to pursue their often illicit pleasures outside the glare of publicity. The list of the famous who stayed there is extensive. It makes titillating reading to discover how the famous stars cavorted within it’s halls.

The book starts somewhat slowly with the description of how the hotel was built and what the early owners did to keep it afloat. The story becomes much more interesting when the stars, particularly those from the 30s, 40, and 50s, took up residence. This is definitely a book for history buffs interested in Hollywood’s heyday.

I received this book from Net Galley for this review.

Bringing Men Closer to God

Ken Harrison, an ex-policeman in one of LAs worst areas, uses his experiences to illustrate and make real his relationship to God. Ken tells stories of encounters that affected him deeply and relates them to his experience of God.

The encounter I found most moving was Ken’s story of holding a dying girl in his arms. She was on her way to her brother who had suffered a motorcycle accident and was dying in the hospital. She was a passenger another motorcycle that was crushed under a car. She was thrown off and killed. This is a sad, but beautiful story and leads Ken to a discussion of death and evil.

The stories make this an easy book to read. It is also filled with discussions designed to give men an understanding of what it means to be the kind of man God intended you to be. In this day when men are being put down for being men, I think this is an excellent book. The stories and discussions illustrate how men can come closer to expressing the ideals of the Christian men living as God would like them to live.

I received this book from Penguin Random House for this review.

The Three Musketeers from Milady’s Perspective

In this novel, the arch-villainess of the Three Musketeers, Milady de Winter, tells her own story. She began as a simple country girl, Clarice, and rose to the highest courts in Europe. Much of the novel is devoted to her early life giving the background that made her the woman she became. Once she meets the Musketeers, the story takes some liberties with the original Dumas book. It’s good to be familiar with the story before reading this novel.

The story is clearly told from a feminist perspective. Milady is seen as a clever, strong woman, who uses her beauty and brains to accomplish her ends. The novel is filled romance, murder, betrayal, spying, and palace intrigue. It is not a romance novel, although there is sex and romance. The novel is a historical adventure with plenty of action.

I enjoyed the book, but was rather disappointed by the amount of license the author used in presenting the characters of the Three Musketeers. In Dumas book, they are not particularly nice people. They were representative of the fighting men of the era. In this book they become much more villainous to highlight Milady’s virtue in intriguing against them.

I recommend reading the book as an historical adventure. The historical figures, like the King and Cardinal, are reasonably accurate. However, don’t try to tie the book too closely to the original Dumas work. They are told from different points of view and understandably each side presents itself in the best light.

I received this book from First to Read for this review.