Search for Adventure Turns Deadly

 Paul Slater, a former Green Beret sniper, now works at the steel mill outside of Pittsburgh as his father and grandfather before him. He has a skilled job as a pattern maker, but it offers little stimulation. He’s married to his high school sweetheart and has two children. In the evenings he attends the men’s clubs around the mill, but on a whim he decides to try the night life in Pittsburgh.

One day after his work partner tells Paul about the murder of a young woman in a Pittsburgh park, he unaccountably leaves work and heads to Pittsburgh. There he stumbles on a film crew making a movie. He becomes entranced with a young intern, Suzy, and begins to see her. Then the director of the movie and his wife are killed. Suzy is questioned and Paul is pulled into the investigation.

This book gives beautifully written descriptions of the Philadelphia area. The characters are realistic for the area and the seventies time frame. However, the plot is convoluted. I found it difficult to relate to the diverse characters and follow the several plot lines.

The book does have some important themes. Paul’s overriding problem is the boredom of living a predictable life. He also appears to suffer from PTSD. Racism and drug abuse as well as the sexual abuse of women are secondary themes. The surprising violence at the end comes as rather a surprise.

I received this book from Net Galley for this review.

A Pharmaceutical Plant is the Site of Ricin Poisoning

Stroud Pharmaceutical manufactures natural stomach remedies among other natural products. The company is well respected and a major employer in Mayville, West Virginia. Then tragedy strikes. Six people are dead from ricin poisoning and others are hospitalized. This could be the work of terrorists, but why strike a small town manufacturer?

Laura Smith and Jace Cantrel from the Tactical Crime Division (TCD) are assigned to go undercover in Mayville as newly weds. They’ll be working at the plant in the executive offices and on the production floor in the hopes of finding how the crimes were committed. The only problem is that Laura is uptight and proper and Jace is laid back. Can they actually put on a believable show as newly weds?

This a quick read. The budding romance between Laura and Jace is the highlight of the story. The perpetrators of the crime are fairly easy to guess given the dearth of suspects. However, the author handles the clues well to keep the tension high.

The small town setting is interesting and filled with unique characters. This is a good addition to the TCD series as Book 4.

I received this book from Harlequin for this review.

A Band of Jane Austen Lovers

In the mid 1940’s many great, and not so great families were selling their inherited treasures. The Austen family was no exception. Several of Jane Austen’s belongings including jewelry, a writing desk, and letters were up for sale at a Sotheby’s auction. The items are purchased by a wealthy admirer of the famous actress in the audience and presented to her after the sale. The actress, a lover of Austen’s books, takes the items with her to her home in Clawton, the site of Jane Austen’s home.

Visitors come to Clawton to venerate Austen, but the town itself, has many Austen enthusiasts. A diverse group composed of a farmhand, a doctor, a school teacher, a solicitor, a maid, the famous actress, and an Austen relative comes together to try to save the Austen legacy and to discuss the books.

The book has a great many characters each with his or her own story. It’s the love of Austen’s works that binds the group together. While we learn about their individual lives, I found the most interesting part their discussions of Austen’s works. Sometimes, the characters are even able to see themselves in the books.

The pace of the book is gentle, as befits a book about Austen lovers. I enjoyed it very much. I highly recommend it if you too are an Austen lover.

I received this book from St. Marin’s Press for this review.

Sisters Locked in a Dark Psycho-Drama

Eleanor is not attractive, but she is employed. On his deathbed, her mother who favors her other daughter, Amy, berates her husband for leaving his money to Eleanor. Eleanor has a job. Amy needs the money. Eleanor happens to be listening outside and hears the dreadful truth. The man she has always thought of as her father is not her biological father. She’s the product of an affair her mother had years ago with the man she worked for.

With her new knowledge, Eleanor becomes obsessed with finding her real father. He turns out to be a wealthy developer. He also has a daughter just Eleanor’s age. Victoria is everything Eleanor wants to be: wealthy, beautiful, and married. Eleanor insinuates herself into Vicky’s life. At first it seems they’ll become best friends, but the story is filled with twists.

Most of the story reads like typical women’s fiction. Sisters seem to always have jealousy problems and these siblings are not an exception. At first, I felt sorry for Eleanor. She seemed to be trying so hard to better herself, but the further I read the more I could see her as manipulative and intent on revenge.

The end has a serious twist that it’s hard to see coming. The author drops hints, but you have to be very quick to catch them. I can’t say I loved the book, but it was an interesting read.

I received this book from Harlequin for this review.

A Second Chance at Love

Once an architect working long hours to design Love Story Bridge, Mitchel now spends his days as a maintenance man cutting off the padlocks hung by lovers on the bridge to symbolize their devotion. Mitchel no longer believes in love. His dearly loved wife died while he was working so hard. He quit as an architect and took the maintenance job to take care of his daughter Poppy.

One hot day while cutting padlocks off the bridge, Mitchel spots a woman falling from the bridge. He leaps in and rescues her, but she disappears. Mitchel becomes a hero for the rescue. He discovers that the woman is the sister of Lisa, his daughter’s music teacher. Lisa tells him her sister has been missing for over a year and together they begin the search for her.

I loved the characters in this story. Mitchel started as a grump with a tightly regimented life. Getting to know the lively Lisa changed all that. However, my favorite character is Poppy. She’s a delightful child and to me makes the story come alive. The story was a fun read, perfect to curl up with and forget the world’s problems.

I received this book from Harlequin for this review.

How Communities Bias School Availability

It’s no secret that most parents want the best education possible for their children. The excellence of the school in a community can influence the parents' choice of where to purchase a house. If they have the means they will opt for the community with the best schools.

DeRoche points out that lines are drawn in communities indicating which areas are serviced by which schools. He believes this is unfair and points out some ideas such as lotteries that could function to give all students a chance to attend the best schools. This is possibly one solution to the problem. However, it doesn’t address other issues about under-performing schools. One problem is often the lack of parental involvement, another is that teachers often prefer the better schools and hence the better students.

At one point forced busing was touted as a solution to the problem. However, it was unpopular with many parents who wanted their children to remain in the neighborhood as well as expensive.

This is an interesting book, well-written and easy to follow. His solution has been tried in some areas and can be made to work. However, I think the book misses the big picture focusing on one aspect of the problem.

I received this book from Net Galley for this review.

A Collaborative Effort to Give Experimental Proof of Einstein’s General Relativity Theory

During WWI, Einstein developed the General Theory of Relativity. He was isolated from most scientific interaction by his residence in Germany. He was even separated from his sons, who were in Switzerland with his wife. The war devastated the scientific community as well as the rest of the country. The book gives us a grim perspective of what it was like. With his ability to concentrate, Einstein was able to complete the General Theory of Relativity and work with some other mathematicians like Grossman who were still in Germany.

For Einstein, the most important aspect of a theory was experimental confirmation. Photos taken during an eclipse were the way to prove that gravity deflected light the same way as if it had mass. The first attempt failed. However, Einstein learned of a British astronomer, Eddington, who might be convinced to make another try. After much study, Eddington felt he understood the complex theory and arranged for two teams, one in Brazil, the other in Africa, to attempt the observation. The shift observed by the team in Africa, which included Eddington, was able to verify the shift that supported Einstein’s theory.

This book covers the lives of both Einstein and Eddington during WWI. It gives a detailed picture of the suffering and waste crated by the war. It also highlights the problems of scientists who wanted to work together across national boundaries. In the aftermath of the war, Britain wanted to close it’s doors to anything German. It’s a remarkable story of how Einstein and Eddington were able to work across national prejudices to accomplish a great scientific feat.

I received this book from Dutton for this review.

A Sweet Amish Love Story

Caleb Miller’s brother, Ryan, has been accused of stealing valuable coins from his employer, the city museum. Having been suspended from his job because of the accusation, he wants Caleb to help clear his name in the hope he can get his job back. Ryan received a flyer from a small lakeside Amish camp in Serenity, Maine. A note on the flyer suggested that he might find the coins there. He wants Caleb to pose as an Amish groundskeeper so he can search for the coins.

Caleb, although fluent in German, doesn’t want to pretend to be Amish. He feels it would be an insult to the owners of the camp. However, he finally agrees.

Rose Allgyer has taken over running the camp for the summer while her aunt and uncle get medical treatment. Having been betrayed by her last suitor, she’s not interested in a relationship with Caleb, besides she can’t help but believe he’s hiding something. However, Caleb has a winning personality and Rose finds herself thawing toward him.

This is a delightful romance. The main characters are well developed and likable. You can’t help rooting for them to get over their differences and get together. The mystery is mostly in the background. It drives some of the action, but the focus of the story is on Caleb and Rose.

I received this book from Harlequin for this review.

Struggle and Sacrifice to Achieve a Cherished Goal

Susannah Ramos at fourteen took a gold medal in the FINA World Aquatics Championships in Budapest, but it’s not the Olympics and that’s Susannah’s goal. It looked achievable, but then her body changed. Growing six inches made her feel less comfortable in the water still she was determined to forge ahead and get her speed back.

Harry is also a swimmer. He meets Susannah and they become friends with the tantalizing romance of teens. He’s struggling also. He became a swimmer not like Susannah because he loves it, but because he was diagnosed with bipolar disorder. The doctors thought swimming would give him an outlet to take his mind off the side effects of the medication.

This is a beautiful story of struggle, success, and courage. Looked at from the outside being a sports star may seem glamorous, but in reality it calls for self-sacrifice including sacrifice from the ones close to you. It takes grit and determination and the ability to work through pain. I thought the author did an excellent job with Susannah’s character. She has the desire to push herself to success, but it takes a toll on her self-esteem and relationships.

I also thought Harry’s character was well portrayed. He’s calm, compassionate, and loving, but he struggles with the problems of his mental illness and the side effects of medication. Without doing a data dump, the author did a good job of explaining bipolar disorder in an understandable way.

I highly recommend this story of courage, struggle, and love.

I received this book from Harlequin for this review.

A Kidnapping Reunites Lovers

Ana Ramirez walked away from Benning Reeves after a case she worked on where she lost the victim. Blaming herself, she tries to hide from relationships. That case also put her position with the Tactical Crime Division (TCD) at risk and she very much wants to rehabilitate her image.

When Benning’s twins are kidnapped, he knows Ana is the person he needs to get them back. He requests that she be the agent assigned to the case. She’ll be working undercover posing as his lover, but it’s really not a pose.

The case that Ana failed to solve still haunts her, and it appears to be related to the kidnapping of the twins. Now she needs to solve the old case as well as get the twins back before it’s too late.

This is the third book of the TCD series. However, it’s easy to read as a standalone since most of the characters don’t appear in the first two books. The story is filled with violence as both Benning and Ana experience vicious attacks. However, the romance in this book is very strong, in fact at times it threatens to become the center of the story.

This is one where it’s hard to guess what’s behind the kidnapping until the end, but the resolution is satisfying. If you like a fast pace crime novel with a strong female lead, you’ll enjoy this book.

I received this book from Harlequin for this review.

A WWII Story of a Norwegian Nazi and the Jews He Tortured

To keep remembering the names of Jews tortured and killed during WWII, a German artist, Gunter Deming, cast cobblestones in bronze engraved with the names of Jews and embedded these stones outside the houses where the Jews lived. This story starts with the author showing the stone outside his wife’s grandfather’s house to his son and explaining the meaning. It’s a powerful way to start the story and prepare for the questions it raises.

The story revolves around Henry Oliver Rinnan, a cruel Norwegian Nazi who set up a torture chamber is a suburban house where he took Jews belonging to the resistance. The author tries to see into his mind and answer the questions of what made an ordinary person turn into a monster. The other players in the story are the family of Hirsch Komissar. He was killed during the war. In a surprising twist, one of his sons with his wife and two daughters move into the house of horrors. Their story is the struggle to deal with this.

This is a beautifully written book on an important topic. The world must never forget the horrors of WWII. The book is divided into chapters each starting with a letter of the alphabet. The author uses this letter to provide several paragraphs setting the stage for the rest of the chapter. For me this device worked well to move gracefully through five generations of stories.

I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in WWII. I hope a great many people will read it.

I received this book from Knopf for this review.

Change Comes to the Rutledge Family

Having trumpeted her independence when she went to California, Linnea is returning to Sullivan’s Island in a chastened frame of mind having lost both job and boyfriend. Of course, the first place she stops when she returns is Primrose Cottage where her Aunt Cara lives. Cara also returned to the island sixteen years ago having lost a job. It’s another bond between aunt and niece.

Cara’s life is changing again as she plans for her wedding to the wealthy David Wyatt. Although she’s pleased to be marrying David, their ideas of what the wedding should be like aren’t in sync. Linnea’s parents are doing well after Palmer’s bankruptcy. He is building a house and loving it. Julia is also finding ways to express herself.

With all the changes there is a serious health problem that must be dealt with and, of course, there are the turtles.

This book is part of the Rutledge family saga, but it can be read as a stand alone, as can the other books in the series. However, getting to know the family makes you want to keep on finding out more about their lives and the beautiful setting on Sullivan’s Island.

The plot focuses on hope and how well second chances can turn out. It’s not a quick read. It’s a book to savor as you get to know the characters or become reacquainted with the family. If you want a beach read, this is a good choice.

I received this book from Net Galley for this review.

A Wager Between Blocked Writers

January Andrews, a best selling romance writer, is broke and disillusioned with romance. Although she never guessed, her father had a long term affair. When he died, he left her his beach house love nest. January hates being there, but she has a novel to finish and she’s blocked.

Things get worse when she recognizes her next door neighbor, Gus Everett. He is an acclaimed literary novelist, but their acquaintance goes back to college where they were rivals. January felt he didn’t take her writing seriously. Gus is also trying to finish a novel and he’s blocked.

One night they hit on a solution to getting unblocked. January will write Gus’ novel. He’ll tackle her romance. To spur each other on they take a series of field trips: romantic sunsets for Gus, hard hitting dark interviews for January. In the process their attraction blooms, but can they finish the books?

This is a summery romance novel. January and Gus have an almost love/hate relationship fueled by competition. There is plenty of amusing dialog as they get to know each other better and try to work in each other’s genre.

The plot moves at a good pace. As we get to know the characters and learn about the childhoods they become real people. I found the ending very satisfying, not unexpected but satisfying.

I received this book from Net Galley for this review.

Visit a Summer Theater with an Ex-Star Hoping for a Comeback

Charlie Savoy, an ex-super-star, thought she was content with her life running an art theater in Boston until under the influence of an Ambien, she drives her car in to Boston Harbor. At her trial, the judge orders community service at the Chamberlain, a summer theater where she got her start. The problem is it’s run by Nick Blount, her former lover and partner. They made movies together until a major flop ended both of their careers.

When Charlie arrives, she finds things are much better than she imagined. She makes friends with the other actors, mentors the students, and gets back into her acting groove. All this is delightful, but Nick is there and they can’t deny the spark that is still between them.

This is a story with lots of working parts. The interactions both positive and negative between the cast, students, and director are full of past hurts and present feelings. With the plays as background, it’s easy to get immersed in the lives of the characters.

For me, one of the best parts of the book was the glimpse behind the scenes of a summer theater and how the actors and technical staff interact to put on productions. This is a great summer read, particularly if you can’t physically attend the theater.

I received this book from Graydon House Books for this review.

Life on Martha’s Vineyard is not as Perfect as it Seems

Heddy Winsome, is on her way to what she hopes will open the future for her. She has a job as a nanny for the summer on Martha’s Vineyard. The poverty in her background leads her to yearn for the glamorous life she sees unfolding on the Vineyard. Her desire for this kind of life becomes more overwhelming when she realizes she’s lost her scholarship to Wellesley. It was to be her ticket to a better life.

On the Vineyard, she is entranced by her employers Jean-Rose, Ted and their two children, Anna 4 and Teddy 6. Jean-Rose is always going about and inviting people to the house. Ted is a wealthy business owner. They seem the perfect couple, but as the summer advances Heddy begins to wonder what lies beneath the facade.

Anther girl, Ruth, works as the housekeeper. She lives on the island with her alcoholic father and is more clear-eyed than Heddy about what their employers are really like. I quite liked her. I was not as fond of Heddy, who I thought tried too hard to fit into a world she was not a part of. Instead of looking on from the outside she tried to become one of the glamorous people hoping her romance with a handsome lifeguard and a quiet college student would open doors for her.

The descriptions of the setting were wonderful If you can’t get to the beach, you can relax with this book and enjoy the scenery.

I received this book from Net Galley for this review.

An FBI Agent Goes Undercover

 Davis Rogers, a new addition to the Tactical Crime Division TCD) and ex-elite ranger, watches a video where a unit led by a friend is mowed down even though they’re wearing Petrov body armor. Davis volunteers to lead the investigation by going undercover at Petrov. Not only was his friend killed, he was one of the original testers of the armor and gave it an enthusiastic endorsement.

Leila Petrov at thirty is the new head of Petrov. Three weeks ago her father was killed in a mugging gone wrong. Her father wanted her to be the one to take over the company, but some of the other corporate managers aren’t so sure, like he ex and her uncle.

Leila doesn’t like the idea of Davis being undercover in the company, but she wants to know who was responsible for the defective armor. Davis for his part starts by thinking Leila may be responsible, but as he works with her, he isn’t so sure.

This is another fast paced TCD novel. The investigation has a number of twists. It’s not clear until the end who is responsible. Davis and Leila are well matched characters who work together is a complimentary fashion. A bonus is the attraction they feel for each other, but it’s not the main focus of the story.

This is the second book in the TCD series, but it reads easily as a standalone.

I received this book for Harlequin for this review.  

Reopening a Cold Case Rocks a Small Town

When Chief Digby asks to see her, Maggie O’Keefe is sure he’s going to put her on desk duty or suggest she take maternity leave early. She is, after all, almost eight months pregnant. After the trouble they had getting pregnant, her husband, Sean, wants her to take it easy and not risk the baby.

Chief Digby has a rather different assignment. New evidence has been found in the cold case of murdered teen, Eve Knox. Eve was Maggie’s best friend. Twenty-five years ago Maggie and Eve’s sister, Nola, found Eve’s body in one of the caves around Grotto, Iowa, where the teens lived. There were two suspects: Nola, who had weird behaviors, and Nick, Eve’s boyfriend, who had an explosive temper. Neither was charged and both are still in town.

As the case progresses, Maggie wonders if someone in town knows something they want to keep hidden. She tries to ask her father, the previous chief of police, but he has dementia and talk of the case upsets him. Maggie worries about her involvement in the case, but she can’t let it go.

This is a dark story filled with strange characters and plenty of twists. The pace is not particularly fast, but the twists in the case keep you reading. The story switches between time periods, 1955 and the present. In the present, Maggie tells the story in the first person. In 1955 Eve gives the back story. While I don’t often like books that switch between time periods, I thought it was effective in this book. Both women are character that you can relate to. If you enjoy a police procedural with a dark plot, this is a good one.

I received this book from Harlequin for this review.

A Hostage Situation with Children

Annalise Taylor, a computer teacher at Sandhurst School for gifted and underprivileged students, is working with three of her best students when armed gunmen storm into the classroom. She pleads with them to let the children go, but the leader is adamant. The children stay.

When the Tactical Crime Division (TCD) hears of a hostage situation with children, Evan Duran, their best hostage negotiator, knows he has to go. When he learns that Annalise, a woman he was involved with and still loves, is with the children, it becomes personal.

The characters in this novel are great. Annalise is strong and resourceful. She protects the children as best she can and manages to grab her phone to communicate with the negotiators. Evan is under tremendous pressure both because of the children and Annalise, but worse the gunman won’t talk to him and answers his questions with gunfire.

The pace is very fast with several problems in addition to getting the children out unharmed. The romance between Evan and Annalise adds to the tension. It’s hard to put the book down when so much is happening. Although some parts of the plot were not very realistic, overall it’s a good crime story.

I received this book from Harlequin for this review.

A Secret May Derail a Second Chance

Addie and Evan were high school sweet hearts. Now ten years later they’re back in the small Colorado town where they grew up. Addie has been married and divorced. She has a two-year-old son, Sawyer, who is quite a handful. She’s trying to renovate the B and B her family once owned, but it’s more of a challenge than she realized.

Evan is back to renovate his mother’s house so he and his brother can put it on the market. When he meets Addie at the hardware store old memories flood back and he offers to help her with the B and B. Addie accepts the help and working together the old closeness returns, but she has a secret. If she shares what happened in the past, she fears she may lose Evan again.

This is a lovely story to just curl up with and enjoy. Addie and Evan are likable characters. You can’t help rooting for them. Sawyer, however, steals the show. He’s a perfect counterpoint to the rush of feelings experienced by his elders.

The book is number four in the Colorado Grooms series. However, the author fills in the backstory without letting it overwhelm the present. If you want an easy read with characters you’ll enjoy getting to know, this is a good one.

I received this book from Harlequin for this review.

A Graduation Weekend

Meredith is proud, anxious, and sad all at the same time. She’s loved raising the twins, Cody and Dawn, but now they’re graduating and going to live in other states. Her husband, Joel, is strong and supportive. She loves him and knows he’s right about letting the twins start their own lives, but still she feels loss. It’s worse because this weekend she’ll be subjected to her wealthy ex-husband, Roger, and his gorgeous new wife, Lily.

Cody and Dawn have their own worries about graduation and how their behavior may affect their parents and even their graduation and future. Lily, too, is not as secure as she seems. Everyone worries, and everyone plans to be on their best behavior.

This is a good depiction of a college graduation from the parents both proud and worried about having an empty nest to the children getting ready to face the world with tension and excitement. The story is told from several viewpoints: Meredith, Joel, Cody, Dawn, and Lily. This allows us to see how each person is reacting to the events in contrast to how the other characters see them. This is particularly true for Meredith and Lily.

The plot lines intersect to keep the story moving, but the focus is on the characters and their emotions at this important juncture in their lives.

I received this book from Harlequin for this review.

Building a Blended Family

Flora, a talented florist, finally has what she always wanted, an apartment of her own, but now it somehow feels empty. She’s an orphan who was raised by an aunt who was a difficult person. Secretly she longs to be a part of a family. Then she meets Jack.

Jack is a widower with a two daughters: Izzy, a teenager, and Molly who is seven. Izzy has been taking care of the family ever since her mother’s death and she’s jealous of her place in the family. When Flora is introduced to the family and even more when Jack wants her to be part of their annual vacation with Becca’s long term friend, Clare, in the Lake District in England, Izzy is angry and resentful.

This is a well developed character driven novel. The major characters have lessons to learn in how to be a family. Flora grew up as a people pleaser. She finds that she has to be less accommodating to come across as a real person. Izzy has to deal with her anger, which as a teen, is right on the surface. Molly is delightful. She brings pure love into the story. Jack is an excellent character. He loves his family, but he loves Flora too and wants to make the new family succeed.

The story starts in New York, but the most delightful descriptions of the setting take place in the Lake District. Clare’s family has a lovey estate with a renovated boat house that is used for guests. I would love to visit there. This is a heartwarming story about making blended families work. I recommend it if you enjoy well developed characters.

I received this book from Harlequin for this review.

A Child Makes the Difference

Niko Mylonnas had two sons: Javiero Rodrigues by his wife, and Valentino, Val, Cascale by his mistress. Neither son likes his father although Niko tried to give them equal opportunities. Both have rejected him, but now he’s dead and it’s time to read the will.

Val, who gave up his claim to his father’s fortune years ago, doesn’t even know why he has to attend. When he arrives, he finds out. A single night of love with artist, Kiara O’Neill three years ago produced a daughter he didn’t know existed. Niko made secrecy the price of helping Kiara provide for the baby.

Now that Val knows about his daughter things change. He has long felt the stigma of illegitimacy and he doesn’t want that for his daughter, but dealing with Kiara, who he feels betrayed him, is not so easy.

The characters in this novel are hard to like. Val is withdrawn and emotionally abusive. Kiara seems weak. She gave in to whatever Niko wanted. Val finds it hard to forgive her although he knows she had very limited resources to care for the baby. Still there was that night of passion between them that keeps drawing them together.

This is an unusual love story. Both characters have reasons to reject each other, so the question is whether they can find their way back to the passion they shared for the sake of themselves and their daughter.

I received this book from Harlequin for this review.

The Secrets of Two Trunks

Jillian, a genealogist, is fascinated by family treasures that tell stories. She has a trunk that belonged to her mother whose secrets she has been unsuccessful in probing. Nolan, her father and a legal mediator, is contacted by a museum about a trunk they have in their collection, When she sees it, Jillian is itching to find it’s story. The trunk was left at Union station over a hundred years ago and still contains the wardrobe and personal articles of the woman it belonged to.

In a parallel story taking place in the 1900s, Lynelle Bendeure, travels from the East on a mission from her father. She’s the owner of the trunk. It’s her story that Jillian tries to unravel. Is it possible that she was the victim of a crime and someone stole her identity?

This is the third book in which Jillian and her father solve a mystery involving genealogy. It’s filled with fascinating information about genealogy research. In this book, there is also a great deal about the cooking Nolan loves to do.

Lynelle’s story is well researched with lots of historical information about train travel in the early 1900s. The two stories meshed nicely with plenty of twists on the way to solving the mystery. Both Lynelle and Jillian are strong, determined women. In this book we learn more about Jillian and Nolan’s family and there is even a hint of romance.

I received this book from Barbour Publishing for this review.

Belatedly Coming to Terms with Grief

From the outside, Jennalyn has it all: a handsome husband, two bright children, and a lovely home, but she also has a long withheld grief. When they had just moved to their home and life was busy and challenging, Jennalyn lost her mother. Now with life more settled, she finds herself at times overwhelmed with grief. She’d like to talk to her husband, Joel, but he’s very busy with his restaurant so she retreats into her melancholy cave.

An important part of Jennalyn’s life is her circle of friends. They call themselves the Daughters of Eve (DOE) or the Haven Makers. This is a Christian circle and the women meet regularly to share their faith and provide support for each other. This time two members, Jennalyn and Tess, are dealing with friendships with men they fear may be becoming too entangling.

The characters in this book are very real. As young married women, they are easy to relate to. Their friendship is so loving and supportive you find yourself wishing you could be part of the circle. Because Jennalyn is dealing with difficult problems that she finds hard to share, she sometimes comes across as prickly and difficult, however she also acts as peace-maker in the group. Although this is the second book in the series, the author provides enough background the backstory for the characters is easy to follow.

The characters in this book are young married women, but it can be read by all ages and enjoyed. Older women can look back on their struggles and find rapport with the characters. If you aspire to a Christian life with supportive friends, you’ll enjoy this book.

I received this book from Waterbrook Multnomah for this review.

A Dream Apartment Becomes a House of Horrors

Freya is desperate. The husband who betrayed her is dead. She’s had to sell her house and now she and her daughter, Skye, have no place to go. When Dr. Marsden shows her the flier on the apartment he is planning to rent in Adder House, it seems like a miracle.

Marsden tells her she and Skye will be a good fit for the other residents, so the rent will be what she can afford. The apartment is perfect, exactly what she wants, but once she and Skye move in things start to happen. Strange noises and smells are the most innocent. When Freya discovers a security camera in the ceiling, she suspects something is very wrong. Now she wonders if she’s made a terrible mistake.

The novel moves from a fairy tale to creepy. Adder House is described in lavish detail, but from the start Freya thinks something is off. She puts her feelings aside because she needs the apartment and wants it to be perfect for the new start she and Skye need.

Although the story was creepy, it was also rather slow. The strange occurrences build slowly making the end feel rushed. The problems are building, but suddenly the characters are in a full blown disaster.

I enjoyed Freya, but I thought she was very slow to see the evil in the other characters. The saving grace is Skye. A five-year-old, she is delightful and very attuned to the problems, but unable to express them.

I received this book from Net Galley for this review.