Second Time Around

Second Time Around by Melody Carlson

Thanks to Revell, a division of Baker Publishing, sending me this book to read and review. This book is my third read of this author’s. I really enjoyed The Happy Camper and Looking for Leroy. This was an OK read. A little to contrived. The premise was a little to unbelievable. Home designer inherits aunt’s tourist shop in ocean side town. She decides to start over her life… hence second chance. She remodels and reinvents her aunt’s store and 2nd floor apartment. Reopens the store as a home decor store and starts “romancing the home” for her new community. Romance occurs in other areas than just the homes.  

 

Everything Is Just Beginning

 

Everything Is Just Beginning 

By Erin Bartels

Thank you to Revell, a division of Baker Publishing, for sending me this book to read and review. 

Another great read by a great author- 4⭐️

I love this author… that is why I wanted to read the book- didn’t even know what I was getting into. Erin Bartels blends historical fiction with a contemporary story telling style. This book did take place in the 80’s and bonus Detroit music scene vibe throughout. 

Michael’s dream is to tour with his/a band and get out of living in the trailer with his Uncle Mike- his namesake. This trailer is positioned across the street  from the Wheeler home- Deb Wheeler, former star/singer, her husband Dusty- music producer, and their daughter Natalie. 

New Years Eve brings Natalie and Michael together. From there the story takes the reader through the story of how music is made and through that music making Michael and Natalie find each other and find themselves. 

Alicia’s Happy Day

Sometime life just gets away from you… 1/26/23 was Multicultural Children’s Book Day. Apologies for my late review. I’ve had the honor to be gifted books in past years to read and review.

 This year my books comes from author Meg Starr and her publisher @starbrightbooks. 

This year’s book is a children’s picture book titled Alicia’s Happy Day. Through reading the story you come to realize it isn’t just any Happy Day it is Alicia’s birthday. The story line/writing was pretty short and to the point.  I would have liked more depth in the story. What I truly loved about this book were it’s rich colors that were present throughout the pages. Illustrators Ying-hwa Hu and Cornelius Van Wright have won numerous awards for books they have illustrated and this book is evidence of why. 

I was asked by publisher  @starbrightbooks to take a picture of me reading this book to a child. I hope the pics of Goose being read the story is OK. Both of my children are quite grown up and no longer can fit on my lap to be read too. 

#readyourworld #bookreviewer #luvmyreadinglife #iowabookgirl #iowareads #coralvillereads

 

The Secrets of Emberwild

4 stars…Thank you to Revell, a division of Baker Publishing, who sent me this book to review. I love a good horse story especially when it involves a woman who loves horses. I also love a good feminist and Nora definitely is out of the norm as she wears pants, rides horses, wants to run the farm, and doesn’t want to marry for anything, but love- in 1905. At the beginning of the story Nora and her father have a discussion on his death bed that leaves an initial mystery. The mystery grows as a new horse trainer arrives to the farm searching for answers to his own mystery: what was the situation regarding his father’s death, and where did his father’s prized horse go after his death. The mysteries bring Nora and Silas together. I liked the relationship between the two. 

 

Beneath the Bending Skies

Thank you to Revell, a division of Baker Publishing, for sending me this book to read and review. I love historical fiction and bonus when the protagonist is a leading lady who is brave, intelligent, and courageous. Mollie Sheehan Ronan is that type of lady. The story begins (1860s) with her and her father traveling from the Midwest to Montana, Idaho and California. Side note-Her father drove me NUTS! This story had a “coming of age” feeling to it as you see Mollie grow up throughout. I loved the female relationships that were highlighted throughout the story. I knew little about the “agencies” that were set up by US government to “help” the Indians… I believe this was the beginning of assimilation efforts which again I know very little.

The book focuses on how parents can affect their children’s life course, how love does sometime prevail challenges/road blocks, and side story of what the US government and what the “white man” did to the American Indians.

Overall great read, felt a little lengthy, and again I just was so annoyed with Mollie’s father.

 

The Last Way Home

 

The Last Way Home by Liz Johnson

3stars. Thanks to Revell, a division of Baker Publishing, for sending me this book to review. 

Loved the setting in Prince Edward Island. Two leading characters in this one; each with their own past and baggage to make the story interesting. Liked that one of the characters, Eli Ross, is a former NHL player who was let go of his team for unknown reasons. He comes back to his home town because honestly he has no where else to go. 

Violet is working in Eli’s mom’s pottery shop. She creates the pieces for sale and helps with the everyday ins and outs of the business. She too comes with her own secrets, which she is trying to hide from. 

They are brought together by two circumstances: one related to the pottery shop and the other in regard to the local hockey team needing a coach. 

A great read for summertime. 

Where The Road Begins

 

Where the Road Begins by Rachel Fordham

4stars. Thanks Revell, a division of Baker Publishing, for sending me this book to read and review. 

A lovely summer read- romance, strong personalities, and some challenges along the way. Bonus takes place in Iowa (I think fictitious)…but resembles the 1800’s midwestern pioneer days I grew up watching on Little House on the Prairie. 

Norah is our protagonist and a second major character Quincy keep this story rolling. This story highlights the plight of women in the 1800’s. Struggles for women, children, and those of lesser means is throughout this story. Perseverance despite gender, age, or financial status is a major theme. 

 

The Sweet Life

The Sweet Life by Suzanne Woods Fisher

4 stars.  Thanks to Revell, division of Baker Publishing, for sending me this book to read and review. Perfect read for the summer. If you like Cape Cod- added bonus. As you probably can tell ice cream is definitely a player in this book. Side note- I knew very little about making ice cream before this book and the author did her research-learned it’s not an easy task. 

Two main leading ladies in this read, mom/daughter duo. Daughter is trying to make partner in accounting firm, mom just survived breast cancer and learning to live as widow (husband died almost year ago).  Dawn, daughter, recently broke up with fiance’ ( really he left her). She couldn’t get her honeymoon deposit back so her mom goes with her to the hotel in Cape Cod.  While there her mom decides to buy an ice cream shop and rebuild her life in this quaint little town.  As one could expect there were roadblocks to the opening of the ice cream shop.  Good story and not over-fluffy. 

Bonus- had to get ice cream to set up a perfect pic to promote this book  

Looking for Leroy

Looking for Leroy by Melody Carlson

4 stars. Thanks to Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group, for sending me this book to read and review. I first “met” this author in her book The Happy Camper. I like her writing style… Hallmark movie in a book. Sometimes I need a break from the heavier reads and her books are easy to jump into, go by quick, and leave me feeling satisfied in the end. 

Looking for Leroy did not disappoint. I enjoyed the story line: girl meets boy at summer camp, they fall in love, she returns home and ends up back with jerky boyfriend from high school who ends up being jerky husband, now ex-husband present day. The boy returns home from summer camp and writes to the girl, but then his life up-ends when his father dies suddenly. He has to leave college to come home and run his family’s vineyard. He ends up marrying a local girl, has three daughters, and then loses his wife and is a widow present day. Leroy is the guy and Brynna is the girl. 

Brynna and Leroy are brought back together by fate.I appreciated the ups and downs of the story. An enjoyable,  light hearted read. 

The Master Craftsman

 

The Master Craftsman by Kelli Stuart

3 stars. Thanks to Revell, a division of Baker Publishing, for sending me this book to review. 

I’m always amazed at how much I can learn about history via historical fiction. I knew little to nothing about the House of Faberge’, St. Petersburg, Russia. I knew even less about the creative artists and minds that helped Peter Karl Faberge’s  eggs be so iconic and priceless. 

This story goes between present day and early 1900’s. 

I really enjoyed the “past” story. It follows Peter Karl Faberge, his family, and specific employees that were the masterminds behind the House of Faberge’. Specifically it highlights a young girl, Alma Pihl, and her growth as an artist along with her help to hide one of Faberge’s eggs. Bloody Sunday, the fall of the Romanov family, architecture of St. Petersburg, and the hard times for the Russian “common people” are highlighted in this story line

The present day story was not my favorite. Ava Laine and her estranged father, Nick, come together to find the missing Faberge’ egg. The story is too predictable, hard to believe, and I didn’t feel invested in this story line. Hence the 3 star rating. 

The Girl WHo Could Breathe Under Water

 

The Girl Who Could Breathe Under Water

by Erin Bartels

4 star Read.  Thanks to Revell, division of Baker Publishing group, for sending me this book to review. I love this author’s story telling style. I previously read “We Hope For Better Things” by this author and recommend it. 

I was taken into the story very quickly. I wanted to keep reading to figure out what was going to happen.

The protagonist is 26 year old Kendra who is an author and has pressure to meet her 2nd novel’s publishing deadline. Her debut novel was a huge success. Although it was fiction those that knew her knew it was based on real life place, people and that led to assuming the experience was real too. The debut unearthed years of secrets. Those secrets unearthed, although therapeutic for her- the author,  had negative affects  and repercussions for others.

Favorite lines from the book:
Pg 112 “Human societies may change here and there. But human nature? Nah. People are always people. And people are broken.”

Pg 222 “all fiction is based in reality. That’s why we read it. That’s why we write it. To process reality. To deal with all the crap that happens to us.”

I will say that the Title and cover for this book initially made me question whether I was going to like it.  It made me wonder is this fantasy- mermaids- a girl breathing under water?  However, once you get into the story the title does make sense.  I wonder if there was any discussion about the use of this title and cover art by publisher and author before it went to final print.

Labyrinth of Lies

                 Labyrinth of Lies By Irene Hannon

 3 stars. Thanks to Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Company, for sending me this book to read and review. I was intrigued by the story line- Cate Reilly detective goes undercover to investigate a missing person case at a prestigious boarding school and Deke Sloan also is undercover DEA investigating drug trafficking at the same school. The story just was a little too far fetched for me- Cate who is 33 goes undercover as a high schooler, and Deke is the long term Spanish substitute.  Cate and Deke have old history (8 years before they were in love and Deke picked his job over Cate and left Cate heart broken). Their relationship was not my favorite part of the story. I enjoyed the detective an investigative work more. I also enjoyed Cate’s relationship building with her roomie Kayla. I just struggled to by into the story as a whole and it was just an OK mystery for me. 

The Secret Keepers of Old Depot Grocery

The Secret Keepers of Old Depot Grocery

 by Amanda Cox

4 stars. Thank you to Revell, a division of Baker Publishing, for sending me this book to read and review. 

A story that shows how the secrets we keep definitely impact our lives and others. Three strong women share their story and secrets through the pages. Glory Ann, aka Nan to Sarah and mother to her daughters Rosemary and Jessamine, is where the story begins and the secrets start. Her high school love is enlisted in the army and goes to Vietnam. Shortly after he leaves he dies in battle and she comes to the realization she is pregnant with his child. Her parents pretty much disown her. I can’t give away too much but she is taken away and an arranged marriage is set up to save her parents face and Glory Ann only goes through with it to give her unborn child (Rosemary) the best life she can. 

I thought the story flowed very easily and I liked the way the author went back and forth between present day and the past to tell the story in full. 

This is my second read by Amanda Cox. Look forward to more by her in the future. 

A Christmas in the Alps

 

A Christmas in the Alps 

By Melody Carlson

3 stars. Thanks to Revell, a division of Baker Publishing for sending me this book to read and review. 

First I think this sort of read is best read in the season. It would have been more enjoyable if I was curled up by the fire with a cup of cocoa. Instead I read this book in 24 hours, of which most of the time the temp was 90. Kind of hard to get in the Christmas mood when it’s so humid out. 

I liked the premise: Simone Sophia Beaumont, who’s named after her great grandmama, finds a letter after her namesake’s passing that had never been opened and is addressed to her. The letter sends her on a treasure hunt in Avre, France. (When I looked Avre, France up in Google it is a River that runs close to the Italy,Switzerland, and Germany border- the Alps- not an actual city). 

The trip is filled with meeting new family she wasn’t aware she had and also a young man who is traveling to learn about the old art of watch and clock making. You guessed right that young man is of interest to Simone Sophia in more than a platonic way. 

I liked the story, but felt there could have been much more depth and exploration of both plot and character development. It read very quick ( around 160 pages) and left me wanting more to this story. 

 Under The Bayou Moon by Valerie Fraser Luesse

4 stars. Thanks Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group, for sending me this book to read and review. 

This is my third book by this author to read. I have enjoyed all of them and always walk away from the reading experience with her books feeling like I learned a little about history. This book takes place in the Louisiana Bayou starting in 1947. I learn about the Acadian/Cajun/Creole people who migrated from Canada. They speak French because, well they were from French Canadian Provence’s. The main leading lady is Ms. Ellie Fields. She is fleeing an engagement gone bad in her native Alabama to Bernadette, LA- not far from NOLA but miles different than that hopping city. She is challenged by becoming a teacher- the teacher- for the children of Bernadette. This book looks at the cultural challenges and the racism brought against them being French speaking. Previous teachers had used corporal punishment if French words slipped from the children’s mouths. Ms. Fields wants to make a change and make attending school a positive experience. She faces other challenges to in the Bayou- I encourage you to read the book to find out what she faces. 

An easy read that flowed well. I really enjoy this author’s storytelling. 

Beyond the Tides by Liz Johnson

4 stars read!  Thanks to Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group, for sending me this book to read and review.  It was a great read for my 12 hour read-a-thon this past Monday.  I like stories that have  love, friendship, life challenges, and wraps up nicely.  This book hit all of those marks.  It is a easy summer read.  Finished it in the day I had reading along with others so I'd say it goes by quickly.

Meg Whitaker is living the good life: in her home town, teaching and making a difference in her student's lives.  However, she is also facing struggles with her mother's health deteriorating (multiple doctor's visits and no one can figure out the cause/diagnosis).  Her father is also aging and can't care for her failing mother along with running his lobster business. 

 Bonus- this book takes place on Prince Edward Island (yep Anne of Green Gables fans that PEI).

Her father has a potential buyer who wants to take over his lobster business.  The only problem- it is Meg's arch nemesis from high school.  The guy who ruined her science project her Senior year and likely prevented her from getting into the college of her dreams.  Oliver Ross is that guy.  

As can be expected Meg wants Oliver to have nothing to do with her or her family, let alone her family's lobster business.  So she challenges her father to let her take over the lobster business, which side note- she has no idea to run.  Her father decides to give them both a chance to "win him over" and become the ultimate owner of the business.  The catch is he requires them to work together so that Meg can learn from Oliver.  Oliver has worked for her father for the past 6 years and knows the business side of things well.

I enjoyed learning about the lobster business.  I could truly feel the physicality the labor of a lobster man/woman takes when doing that type of job day in and day out.  

Lovely summer read.  

 

Along a Storied Trail

 

Along a Storied Trail By Ann H. Gabhart

4 stars.  Thanks to Revell, a division of Baker publishing, for sending me this book to read and review.

I love stories that incorporate history into fiction (AKA Historical Fiction... Just kidding, but not).  I even more so love when I learn something about history I didn't know about.  A few years ago I was introduced to the history lesson of packhorse librarians by Kim Michele Richardson's book The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek.  Since that book I feel like there has been explosion of stories about these brave women- pack horse librarians.  

This book follows Tansy Calhoun who is throughout the book the main "breadwinner" for her family.  Her father has "left" the family for work and Tansy was able to get a job as a pack horse librarian.  She loves books and loves encouraging and introducing reading to those on her library route.  This story is mainly about her, but some may argue it is also about Perdita Sweet- Aunt Perdie- the widower who whittles musings out of wood.  Aunt Perdie and Tansy are brought together physically when Aunt Perdie's house burns to the ground due to a ill functioning chimney.  Aunt Perdie not only moves in, but she brings a long some baggage with her (sorry can't say more as I really hate when people spoil stories).  

This story highlights both Tansy and Aunt Perdie's daily lives, desire for being purposeful, and also them both figuring out their love lives with men they have known and one that recently entered the picture.  

I appreciated that you got a glimpse of this Kentucky mountain living while being introduced to packhorse librarian career.  I enjoyed that Tansy and Aunt Perdie stayed true to themselves throughout the story.  A quick, easy , perfect summer read.  

 

The Paris Betrayal by James R. Hannibal

3 stars.  Thanks to Revell books, a division of Baker Publishing Company, for sending me this book to review.  

Ben Calix has been a "Company Man" (American spy) for awhile.  He has been dependable and team player.  His luck soon changes when this book begins.  First mission starts in Rom and I'm not giving much away, but it is a mission "gone bad".  NO only are people dying but there is a mysterious virus that kills.  (No it isn't Corona Virus, however, the author dose reference "when Corona virus" happened a few years ago.  Ben leaves Rome and hits more badness in Paris.  Ben soon finds himself severed from "The Company" and he is on a hunt to figure out why he's been accused of being a traitor and oh yeah stopping a bioterrorism plot. 

I found this book too predictable and too far fetched. I did enjoy Ben Calix's character: grit, perseverance, physicality and brains.  I also enjoyed his pseudo conversation either in his head or out loud with former Captain Hale, who trained him for "The Company".  I liked hearing about his previous training that brought him to his current day spy status.  

Mere Extinction

Mere Extinction by Evie Christie

3 stars. 

Thanks to ECW Press for sending me this book of poetry to read and review. 

Sometimes poetry is too literary for me... aka I don’t get the lines of words, don’t comprehend,  or can’t follow the poem. I struggled with this book of poetry. I think it’s the reader,me, not the author. These poems are full of emotion ( hurt, sadness, grief, disappointment).  There are a lot of layers to these poems. I always wonder when reading poetry how much does the author draw from her/his own life. I wondered that through the reading of this book.  Though a short book it was a challenging read.

 

Blackberry Beach

 

                Blackberry Beach by Irene Hannon

4 stars. Thank you to Revell, a division of Baker Publishing, for sending me this book to read and review. 

Kat (Katherine Parker) has escaped to Hope Harbor, Oregon, to get some perspective on her life and figure out what she wants her life to look like. Zach Garrett is the owner of The Perfect Blend, Hope Harbor’s coffee shop. He decided after a life altering loss that he couldn’t continue to climb the corporate world ladder in Chicago, IL. So he moved to Hope Harbor and created the “almost” perfect life running his own coffee shop. It was “almost” perfect as he didn’t have someone to share it with. 

In walks Kat, a lady of secrets, to his coffee shop and just maybe he’s found the person to make his life just “perfect”. 

A beachside Christian romance (prayer is mentioned throughout story line) that reads quickly. Not a heavy book but some fun characters added into Zach and Kat’s story.