Book Review – In Every Heartbeat, by Kim Vogel Sawyer

I’ve been putting off writing this review for ages because I just don’t enjoy writing negative reviews.  In Every Heartbeat, by Kim Vogel Sawyer is presented this way in the synopsis from the publisher:

“As three friends who grew up in the same orphanage head off to college together, they each harbor a special plan for the future.  Libby Conley hopes to become a famous journalist.  Pete Leidig believes God has called him to study to become a minister.  And Bennett Martin plans to pledge a fraternity, find a place to belong and have as much fun as possible.  But as tensions rise around the world on the brink of World War I, the friends’ differing aspirations and opinions begin to divide them, as well.
When Libby makes a shocking discovery about Pete’s family, will it drive a final wedge between the friends or bond them in ways they never anticipated?”

In reading the book, I found very little of WWI ever mentioned, and it certainly did not play as strong of a role in the plot as I had assumed and hoped.  This was disappointing.

I also found the story hard to get into, and I really had to force myself to finish it.  The characters did not “feel” real.  Libby especially was a bit unreal.  Apparently we are supposed to believe that she grew up as more of a tomboy than a “girly-girl” (the type of girl she disdains on every other page in the beginning of the book); however, she is constantly on the brink of tears, rolls her eyes an awful lot, has stomach flutters as she reads a romance story, does some angry stomping off, has a few cute temper tantrums, and all in all behaves like a young, and pretty immature, girl. 

I may digress here a bit, but I really wonder about books like this with young women who are not happy being women and seem to think other women (who act “girly”, which honestly is not great either if “girly” means silly and mindless) are somehow less than men.  I’m not sure it sends a healthy message to the young ladies who might read this book and other books like this.  It would be wonderful to have a female character who aspires to great heights but remains okay with her femininity at the same time.  Anne of Green Gables comes to mind… in my opinion Libby is nothing like Anne, although I suppose she does mature a bit in the end, and perhaps we are meant to believe that she becomes more wholly herself, comfortable with both her ambition and her femininity.  Let’s hope so.

{I do think, after some reflection, that at a younger age (most likely the age this story was written for), I would have “connected” with Libby a bit more and would have even found parts of this book inspirational.}

Another problem I had with this book is that it gets a little “preachy” about romance stories – which is a bit strange, when you see that this is basically a romance novel – and, in the context of the story, opines that perhaps they aren’t the best reading material for young minds.  But then you have Libby “aware” of the nearby presence of one of the male characters; and there’s a lot of “husky voices” and “senses thrumming”, as well as embraces and long kisses.  I mean, is this not the same kind of thing?  Romance is in part these physical feelings… good grief, it has to be since we are human beings in physical bodies.  I don’t think gratuitous descriptions of romantic encounters is great – among other things, it usually makes for pretty bad writing – but pretending that the physical aspect of romance doesn’t exist or isn’t “right” is just… strange, in my opinion.  Libby begins writing these kinds of stories, and from what I could tell her stories weren’t much worse than the book itself in describing the romance between characters.  For the record, the scenes were not gratuitous at all, in either the book or the stories Libby wrote.  However, a little romance is a little romance is a little romance, and reading about it conjures up certain feelings, so why preach against them in the same book?  That was very odd for me and something that I couldn’t get past (obviously).

This is the only book I’ve read by this author.  I do plan to read others and, from what I’ve heard, look forward to a better reading experience than I had with this particular one.

Thank you to Bethany House Publishers for sending me a complimentary copy of this book for review purposes.

Review – Masquerade by Nancy Moser

This was a fun and fast read for me.  I really enjoyed the story of two friends switching places. 

Charlotte is the heiress of a once-wealthy English family, whose father has made some bad decisions in both business and morals.  Charlotte is offered marriage into one of New York’s wealthiest families and sets sail for America with Dora, who is her maid and confidante.

It is Charlotte’s idea for the two girls to trade positions, and Dora willingly goes along with it, thinking this is her chance to live the life of those she has always had to serve.


Both girls face serious dilemmas as they carry out their deceptive plan.  Charlotte has her money and jewels stolen and ends up living with an Italian family in some of the worst tenements in the city.  She learns about the needs of the poor and her eyes are opened to their plight in a way she’d never imagined.  Dora struggles with guilt as she learns to care for the man she (as Charlotte) is supposed to marry, and is pulled between him and another man she met aboard ship on their way to America.

This book gives a good account of how life was for many immigrants in the latter part of the 19th century.  It also helps one see the foolishness of trying to be anyone other than who one is, and the hurt that can be caused when deceiving others.

This was a good story, historically accurate, with many layers of wisdom in its pages.   I thoroughly enjoyed it and definitely recommend it!

Thank you to Bethany House for providing me with a complimentary copy of this book to review.   
 

Book Review – Whisper on the Wind, by Maureen Lang

I received an advance copy of this book on Thursday evening and finished reading it Friday night.  It is 300 pages of compelling action and drama, from the very beginning right through to the end.

Set in Belgium, which is occupied by German forces during World War I, this is the story of an underground newspaper named La Libre Belgique (“Free Belgium”).  The secret newspaper brings encouragement and hopeful news of the war to the citizens of Belgium, who are otherwise given only the biased views of the German government’s newspaper.


This book was interesting on so many different levels – it is a thoughtful commentary on the power of words to fight oppressive forces; a small lesson that love will not wait until a convenient time; and just an all-around good story of suspense and intrigue as the main characters work to keep the newspaper going while knowing their lives might be the price paid.

(Warning: spoiler ahead!)
The characters are nicely developed and of course I always enjoy a good romance, especially one where the hero, finally realizing his feelings,  rescues his love from the firing squad.  Really, what more could you want?  ;)

This book will be released in September – be sure to put it on your reading list!

Thank you to Tyndale House Publishers for the complimentary copy of this book to review.

Book Review – She Walks in Beauty, by Siri Mitchell

The golden age of New York, the late 1800’s and early 1900’s, has always captured my imagination.  Balls and gowns and opulence… lots of pretty, sparkly things. :)  I loved this book.  It made me laugh and cry, and if you know me, you know there is no better recommendation.

Clara is a young and somewhat naive debutante, who in fact becomes the debutante of the season, and while she is supposed to be pursuing the heir to a well-known family’s fortune, she is drawn to his younger brother instead.  The story is a mystery as well as a romance – Clara is not completely sure why her family is pressuring her to reclaim their honor by marrying the heir, and she learns some unpleasant things about her father’s life and the death of her mother. 

There is a social commentary going on in the book as well.  It describes the gap between the wealthy of the city and the very, very poor who reside in dirty tenements and live like animals; as well as the status of women as decoration and no more, made to fit into a too-tight corset both literally and figuratively.

I could criticize a few areas… the suicide of one young man comes as a bit of a surprise and the way in which it’s treated seems a bit unrealistic.  It’s mentioned in passing, in one paragraph, and seems mainly to be an attempt by the author to get rid of a minor character that has served his purpose, and for whom she could not think of a better conclusion.  Clara brushes the death off lightly, which seems completely out of keeping with her character.

At other times I felt that the story was a bit contrived to suit the purposes of the author, and some of the characters weren’t as well developed as I had hoped they would be.  However, all in all, it was a fantastic book that I could not put down.  The romance between Clara and Harry was played out very well, and ends very satisfyingly.  There were lots of sighs and tears here as I read the final pages. 

There’s nothing like a good love story, and this one is very good.

Thank you to Bethany House Publishers for sending me this book to review free of charge.

Book Review – Somewhere to Belong, by Judith Miller

This story is set in the late 1870’s in the Amana Colonies in Iowa.  Having visited the Amanas Colonies several times, I was very excited to read this book!  It did not disappoint.

The story centers on two young women, Johanna and Berta.  Johanna has lived in Amana her entire life.  Her brother, upon reaching adulthood, left the Amana way of life and moved to Chicago, and this has left Johanna curious about life outside of the colonies.  Her parents are very protective, having lost one son to the outside world, and another son to an ice-skating accident that ended his life. 

The other girl, Berta, is from Chicago and used to the privileged lifestyle of her wealthy family.  She is all about fun, not rules.  Her family has moved to Amana for reasons Berta can only guess, and she struggles with the rebelliousness in herself and the many rules of community life that she encounters in Amana.

These young women are on a journey to discover themselves and although they are on much different paths, the friendship they form is a help and encouragement to them both.  There is a bit of mystery playing out in each of their families… for Johanna it has to do with the circumstances of her brother’s death and why her other brother moved away.  For Berta, the mystery surrounds her father and why the family moved to Amana in the first place.

There is also a welcome bit of romance for both girls.   But the main story is how each of them comes to an understanding of who they are, what they believe, and where they belong. 

I enjoyed this book, but felt it was geared towards teenage girls and young women who are suffering from a lack of peace within themselves… wondering what God has to do with them and what life has in store for them.  It was a quick and entertaining read, and I would recommend it to young women (16 to 21) as a wholesome alternative to many secular books.

Thank you to Bethany House for providing me with a free copy of this book to review.

Book Review – Hunter’s Moon

To be honest, I had some difficulty really getting into this book.  The beginning is set against a very promising backdrop - a grandfather dying and a family with too many secrets reuniting at the old family home as he passes away.  However, it's pretty slow-moving through the entire first half of the book, and I was often left wondering where, if anywhere, the story was going.

It seemed to me that the author tried to set up too many mysteries among the family members, without bringing half of them to any sort of resolution.  

The last few chapters were satisfyingly action-packed and I couldn't turn the pages quickly enough, but truthfully getting there was painful and there were several times I was tempted to not bother finishing it at all.  I have read my share of complicated and detailed novels that take some time to get into, but are well worth the wait; unfortunately I can't include Hunter's Moon in that group.   

Thank you to Bethany House Publishers for providing me with a free copy of this book to review.

Book Review – Beguiled by Deeanne Gist and J. Mark Bertrand

I wasn’t sure exactly what to expect with this book… it’s written as a collaboration between two authors, I’ve never read anything by either of them, and I tend to think co-authored fiction sometimes ends up feeling too forced, with characters that have no depth.  However, I was pleasantly surprised with this book.
Rylee is a dog-walker for elite homeowners in Charleston.  (I love reading books set in Charleston, and this is what drew me to this book in the first place).  A mystery surrounds the area she works in – a “Robin Hood” type thief is stealing items from the homes of Rylee’s clients.  Eventually she becomes the prime suspect. 
However, there’s more to the robberies than meets the eye, and there’s more to Rylee’s past than she’s aware of.   The robberies and her childhood memories are intriguingly intertwined.
And there’s a little chemistry going on between Rylee and Logan, the lead investigative reporter for the case.  (Really, with names like Rylee and Logan you just know something’s going to happen, right?)  They aren’t sure  they can trust one another, yet they are drawn to each other and eventually work together to find the answers they are looking for.
I have to say, I guessed the antagonist extremely early on in the book, but this didn’t keep me from enjoying the chase and how Rylee and Logan solved the mystery.  The book was well written, and definitely kept me turning the pages with it’s fast-paced action scenes. 
Thank you to Bethany House Publishers for giving me a free copy of this book to review.

Book Review – The Silent Governess by Julie Klassen

I recently received this book and I am so glad I did! This was an excellent read, and I enjoyed it very much .
I am a fan of British literature and Jane Austen happens to be one of my favorite authors. Julie Klassen has been compared to Jane Austen, and normally I do not enjoy books that are written in imitation of someone else’s writing style. I have to say, though, that Julie Klassen is a fine author in her own right, and has a wonderful style all her own. She has a good understanding of the time period about which she writes and the characters in this book were extremely well developed and “real” to me. I could hardly put this book down and ended up reading it within 2 and a half days of receiving it!
Olivia Keene is fleeing from her hometown and a secret involving something horrible she believes she has done. In the course of finding her way to a new home she overhears a secret regarding Lord Bradley of Brightwell Court. Lord Bradley discovers her and after some thought (and an incident in which Olivia is nearly strangled and thereby temporarily loses her voice) decides to place her in his home as a servant so he can keep an eye on her. She is ordered to remain silent and all the other servants believe she is a mute.
This book is full of mystery regarding Olivia’s past, and this is interwoven into the mystery surrounding Lord Bradley’s birth. The mistrust that the two initially feel for one another eventually turns into something quite different as their secrets bring them together.
I enjoyed the suspense, the mystery, and the romance of this book very much and look forward to reading more books by this talented author.
Thank you to Bethany House Publishing Company for sending me this book to review!