Book Review: Embers in the London Sky by Sarah Sundin

This was such an engaging read. Sundin knows how to pull a reader into the story very quickly and take them on an emotional roller coaster ride using her characters.

Aleida’s situation is fraught with all manner of difficulty; having escaped war torn Holland, she lands in London desperately seeking to locate her son who has been abandoned by his father, and Aleida’s husband. It’s incredible that parents did this during the war, literally passing their children through car windows to escape likely death or imprisonment if they stay.

Aleida gets a job in the Health Ministry helping London parents who have sent their children to the country for safety. It works well for her as she can use it as means of potentially finding her son, Theo.

Hugh Collingwood is a radio broadcaster, much to the disappointment of her wealthy parents. Hugh loves reporting on the war. He figures if he’s unable to be on the frontlines holding a gun, he can serve as well holding a microphone. He does his job very well and is well liked by his BBC audience.

Aleida and Hugh meet accidentally through his work. He’s looking to interview people who have suffered through the war. The attraction is immediate but Aleida is recently widowed and doesn’t want to make a poor decision like she did first time. Aleida hardly meets the profile of the privileged society ladies which his parents would prefer him to meet.

Sundin keeps us turning pages as our characters evade falling bombs, chase scoops, run from murderers, and search for Aleida’s boy in what seems a lost cause from the outset. I loved Aleida’s never-say-die attitude in the pursuit of her son.

It’s clear significant research has gone into the preparation of this story which adds to the authenticity of it and makes one wonder what is indeed fact and what is fiction at some key moments. The descriptions of war-torn London are brilliantly captured for our imaginations and the emotional highs and lows we go on with both Aleida and Hugh’s stories keep our hearts pumping.

I feel very fortunate to have received an early ebook copy from Revell as part of their Revell Readers program via Net Galley. However, this has had no bearing on my review.

Book Review: ‘The All-American’ by Susie Finkbeiner

This is an absorbing story of 2 sisters, Bertha and Florence (or Flossie) growing up in 1952 small town America. Bertha, the 16 year old, is level headed but from an early age has a dream of one day playing professional baseball in the all girls American league that has been operating for almost a decade. She’s very good and matches it with the boys she plays with.

Flossie is a precocious 11 year old. At times, she acts a little younger than her age, but she is blunt and in your face in such a charming way that she’s hard not to fall in love. Flossie has a lovely relationship with her dad, William Harding. Dad happens to be a very well known author with a number of bestselling books under his name. He spends most of his time writing in the shack in the backyard, inspired each day by a bust of Shakespeare watching over him. Dad is very restrained, mild-mannered and devoted to his daughters and their mother, Mam.

The Harding family’s stable life is uprooted as a vengeful neighbour publicly accuses William of being a Communist. This makes the news and the family are effectively run out of their Bonaventure Park home. Fortunately, for them William’s brother, Matthew lives alone in a big house about an hour’s drive away and is happy to accommodate them.

Finkbeiner has a wonderful way of writing an engrossing story when not a lot happens. It’s very much character-driven and the manner in which the various characters interact with each other keeps you turning pages. These are tremendously drawn characters, all very realistic in their portrayals.

I enjoyed the baseball scenes, not just the games, but pre-and post-game interactions between the various players. Once again, very realistic and absorbing.

But it’s Flossie who will linger long in the memory. She’s such a character, playful, loves hard and has a fun sense of humour. Her willingness to learn, to sit with her Dad and listen to his restrained wisdom and insight is beautiful to behold. I especially enjoyed how Flossie closed the story with a snippet of her in the future.

I was fortunate to receive an early ebook copy of the story from Revell via NetGalley. This had no bearing on my review.

Book Review: The Songs that Could Have Been by Amanda Wen

Wen’s debut was a surprising delight and I was eager to read her follow-up. This one can be read stand alone, however, don’t miss the first one as it’s fabulous. This story revolves around Lauren Anderson and her Grandma Rosie and the loves of their lives. Lauren is early 30s and Grandma Rosie is 85 and living with dementia.

Rosie’s story really grabbed my heart. She fell in love with a black man, Ephraim James, in the last year of school. It was the mid-1950s and in Wichita, Kansas a mixed relationship was unheard of and in fact frowned upon on both sides. Wen’s powerful story telling combined with her empathy and grace plus some great research really shone when we saw Rosie’s world back then. I also loved how Wen gave us an insight into Rosie’s 85 year old dementia-muddled mind. It was brilliant and eye-opening giving the reader a much better insight into the mind of one who has dementia.

Lauren’s love was local weatherman, Carter Douglas. They’d had a crazy 10 week courtship when they were late teens both starring in a local production of Fiddler on the Roof. Their breakup left some deep wounds for both of them. But Wen also explores other wounds and how addiction can manifest itself as a consequence. She also explores identity and God’s grace in helping us heal and recover.

Lauren and Carter’s romance didn’t grab me like Rosie and Ephraim’s did. It felt a bit immature and a little forced for the purposes of story. Certainly, Wen’s portrayal of brokenness, of acceptance and loving wisdom from others (take a bow Garrett and Jim Ford) were well presented.

There is heartbreak, some great questions asked about love and reflections on God’s grace and His ability to help us with our brokenness. Once again, Wen delivers a beautiful story that will linger for days after finishing it.

I was very fortunate to receive an early ebook copy from Kregel via Audra’s Jennings PR with no expectation of a favourable review.

Book Review: The Catch by Lisa Harris

This final story pulls together all the loose threads the first 2 stories leftover. Like all Harris stories, this one starts fast and doesn’t let up. Going back to one of Harris’s stories is always a joy for this reason – it’s consistent pace. She keeps the reader turning pages.

I’ve thoroughly enjoyed Madison and Jonas’s characters arcs. The 3 stories provide the page depth to really develop characters and Harris does this marvellously with these two. We finally get to discover who killed Madison’s husband, Luke, and her stalker, but Harris sure keeps us guessing with this one.

This story had so much going on and Harris does a good job keeping the reader on top of it. It could easily have run out of control but Harris links the threads of the various plots really well. I was a little surprised by a couple of the end outcomes but they are all generally satisfying.

If you’re a romantic suspense reader who likes to be challenged in their reading you’ll enjoy this US Marshalls series. Start with Book 1 so you get the full picture.

I was very fortunate to receive an early ebook copy via NetGalley as part of the Revell Readers program but this had no bearing on my review.

Book Review: Until Leaves Fall in Paris by Sarah Sundin







This is my first Sundin novel and wow, I realise I’ve been missing out on a wonderful story teller. Set in 1941 in German-occupied Paris, we meet Lucie Girard and Paul Aubrey, two Americans who choose to stay in Paris to serve the war effort in different ways. Lucie, a ballerina at the esteemed Paris Opera Ballet, retires from her great love to purchase a bookshop of her much loved friends, the Greenblatts. They are Jewish and sensibly choose to return to America.

Paul, a widower, elects to convert his successful automobile factory into one that builds civilian trucks for the Germans. Or so he believes. But in so doing, he also elects to use his esteemed position in Parisian society to spy on the Germans and feed the information back to his American comrades.

On first meeting, Lucie and Paul have an immediate attraction but she is opposed to the fact he is a German collaborator. Gradually, circumstances change and she too becomes a willing member of the resistance using her bookshop as a front for the distribution of messages. Paul’s daughter, Josie, plays a pivotal role in capturing Lucie’s heart and in so doing forcing the two of them to keep meeting. But how can Lucie let down her strong stance against Paul being a collaborator?

Sundin writes beautifully and brings the Paris of 1941 alive. It’s definitely a bit more grim than one comes to typically expect from the City of Lights. I learnt much about the German occupation of this wonderful city that I wasn’t previously aware and its impact on its residents and society in general.

The romance is very special. Sundin brings the passion and beauty of new love and the hope and wonder that goes with it. It was wonderfully portrayed on the page.

There is suspense, some good conflict, and plenty of twists and turns that keeps the reader guessing as to what the outcome will be. Will our two lovers finally be able to declare their love and be united?

I must now read some of Sundin’s early works.

I was very fortunate to receive an early ebook copy of the novel from the publisher via NetGalley with no expectation of a favourable review.

Book Review: ‘The Girl who Could Breathe Under Water’ by Erin Bartels

Following her bestselling debut novel, Kendra Brennan, is in a writing slump. She puts it down to the receipt of an inflammatory note from “A Very Disappointed Reader”. Believing she had a hunch to the identity of the note writer, Kendra decides to return to her old holiday cabin on the lake. She now owns it having inherited it from her loving grandfather who had recently passed away.

The story starts with Kendra ‘thinking’ in the second person to her old best friend, Cami, who she spent many wonderful summers as teenagers. However, they haven’t seen each other since the last time Kendra visited the lake, eight years ago. It was an unusual method of sharing the story but I found it tremendous and worked relatively seamlessly when Kendra jumped into 1st person POV.

I was quickly engrossed by Kendra’s recollections of her past summers and her relationships with the Rainier family: father Robert, mother Beth, and adopted children: Cami and Tyler. ‘That Summer’, her breakout smash debut story included many fictionalised elements of these summers on the lake. All the Rainiers, bar Cami, have returned for the summer. Kendra realises she must confront each of them to ascertain which one of them may be the “Disappointed Reader.”

Kendra’s on a tight deadline for her second novel and as she endeavours to start it along comes a stranger, Andreas, who has arrived announced to translate her debut into German. They soon develop a friendship as well as a professional connection.

This is an emotionally gripping story as Kendra confronts people and issues in her past that are terribly challenging. She discovers much about each one of her relationships with the Rainier family. Some of them indeed are quite a shock. But it’s what Kendra discovers about herself which I found most stirring. Self-absorption is one of our great struggles as humans and it’s in both returning to her past and drafting her second story that Kendra is able to self-discover much about herself. Further, the notion of stepping into another’s shoes before casting judgement or criticism is another valuable insight for Kendra.

Kendra’s fortunate to have a supportive ally in Andreas who demonstrates so many positive attributes in his gentleness and kindness while a certain naivety in the romance department.

It’s a powerful story that was so pleasurable to read as Bartels deals with some tremendously important personal matters which many of us can all relate to.

Bartels characters are very beautifully crafted humans, no cardboard cutouts here. Robert and Beth’s marriage, Tyler’s struggles as a child, Kendra and Cami’s friendship, Andreas’ passion for stories and willingness to listen to someone tell theirs, are all wonderfully brought to the stage.

I loved this story for its intricacy, powerful themes, wonderful writing which kept us guessing and the cast of characters.

I fell very blessed to have received an early ebook copy of the story from Revell as party of their Readers Program via NetGalley. This has no influence over my review.

Book Review: “The Debutante’s Code” by Erica Vetsch

This was a delightful surprise for me. A Regency novel full of mystery and amateur sleuthing. I happily turned the pages as Lady Juliette, the debutante of the title, discovers her extended family is more than it seems.

Lady Juliette returns to London after 7 years at a Swiss school and is hoping to be met by her parents whom she hasn’t seen for the duration. However, they have disappeared to the family country estate on urgent business and Lady Juliette finds she will be escorted to her ‘coming out to society’ ball by her uncle, who has been tasked with looking after her.

It’s not long before mayhem erupts from one posh gathering to the next as a series of recently arrived artwork is being mysteriously stolen. It’s a lot of fun as our debutante gets stuck in the middle of it all and is thrown into the world of amateur sleuthing under the stewardship of her uncle.

Enter Daniel Swann, a local police detective who is tasked with investigating these thefts. But he is on his last chance to deliver for his pompous boss, or else he’ll be looking for a new vocation. It will take all of his intelligence and a share of good fortune for him to track down those responsible.

There a moments of madcap and suspense as a number of different players are caught up in the mayhem. Vetsch does a wonderful job keeping is on our toes with various layers of intrigue that keeps us guessing as to the culprit.

Juliette is a delightful character who is easy to like, so to Daniel, and we are left with many possibilities of what might eventuate in Book 2 of this fascinating and cleverly written series. I can’t wait to see where Vetsch takes us next.

I was very fortunate to be receive an early ebook copy as part of Audra Jennings blogging tour via NetGalley with no expectation of a favourable review.

Book Review: “Tacos for Two” by Betsy St.Amant

“You’ve Got Mail” is a movie I watch regularly as there is so much to like about it. ‘Tacos’ borrows from it in many ways including a romance that starts via online messaging (as against AOL email), the two lead characters duelling over similar career paths (this one Mexican food trucks), Rory Perez inspired by her great aunt and Jude Worthington coming from a rich pompous family, the patriarch of which is not a very nice fellow.

It was an easy fun read with two well crafted lead characters in Rory and Jude plus a supporting cast that had plenty of likeable people especially on Rory’s side. Like Rory and Jude looked forward to their ‘night time messaging date’ I looked forward to the next instalment in their cooking adventures and the will she/he, won’t she/he combative nature of their initial in-person connection.

One of the great aspects of the movie is that after initially sparring and hurting each other, the two characters: Kathleen Kelly and Joe Fox, spent time getting to know each other as regular friends do. This didn’t really happen in this story and St. Amant relied on the online connection to initiate healing in Rory and Jude’s relationship. Hence, it wasn’t as believable and tended to rely on the electricity of physical touch and passionate kisses.

Overall, I enjoyed Tacos for Two and if you’re someone who loves ‘You’ve Got Mail’ you’ll certainly enjoy whiling away some hours reading this enjoyable romance.

I was fortunate to receive an early ebook copy from Revell via NetGalley as part of the former’s ‘Revell Read’s” bloggers program with no expectation of a positive review.

Book Review: The Paris Betrayal by James R. Hannibal

This novel started with a bang just like you want a spy thriller to start. Bullets flying, bad guys fleeing, good guys mission isn’t as successful as planned and the fate of the world is in Ben Calix’s hands. Plus, we get some inside tips from the ‘How to be a Successful Spy Training Manual’ (in italics) which I really enjoyed.

We’re soon taken on a series of fast chases throughout Europe and Hannibal’s descriptions of the various settings were tremendous in helping us feel we were in the scene. Having travelled a few times to Paris I particularly loved ‘going back’ especially to my favourite cathedral, Notre Dame, and to be taken inside while it’s being repaired was a special treat.

The pace is relentless as Ben’s mission keeps being thwarted by both the bad guys but also apparently by his employer who has ‘set him afloat without a paddle’. The obstacles he confronts become increasingly dire especially as his support crew seem to have abandoned him or get seemingly eliminated.

In the background, we get a very cagey sense of the bad guys, a nefarious organisation dubbed Leviathan led by someone that goes by the moniker, Jupiter.

Surprisingly, I found after the first 100 or so pages I was struggling to stay interested. And this stayed with me for most of the novel which bothered me. As I would usually love this kind of story. By the end of the story I realised why I had this strange experience. Three reasons:

  • I really wasn’t that invested in Ben and his mission. I think all the action and obstacles denied Ben and the reader sufficient time to breathe so we could get to know the guy.
  • the bad guys were too nebulous for me. They only appeared a handful of times in discreet conversations between Jupiter and his side kick, Terrance, so we really didn’t get to know why they were doing what they planned.
  • the supporting cast were many and only flitted in and out of the story for a short period so again we never invested in them. Ben has a love interest in Giselle and then Clara, and perhaps did a few years back for Tess, but we really never learn much about any of them. I really wanted to like Clara, in particular, and we get some insight into her when she gets to tell the story for a chapter or two, but it didn’t continue to maintain my interest.

I thought the ending was clever as it surprised me. The author’s note at the back gives some insight into the background behind Ben’s development but it didn’t quite gel for me.

Overall, this is a quality spy story and judging by the many other positive reviews is one that appeals to many people.

I received an early ebook copy from Revell via NetGalley with no expectation of a favourable review.

Book Review: Present Danger by Elizabeth Goddard

This is a quality romantic suspense story with lots of moving parts that at times were a little hard to keep track of. With multiple investigative agencies involved, a fascinating story involving trafficked historical artifacts plus involved character backstories, there is a lot for the reader to juggle. Oh, and then there’s some romance.

I enjoy learning as I read and I appreciated the trafficked artifacts storyline as it was one I didn’t realise was still hot property (excuse the pun) in FBI circles.

The pace is good from page one and doesn’t really let up. There were a lot of ‘near misses’ that can become a little repetitive and loosen the suspense a little but it was a fun story that kept me guessing. I had no idea how it all connected and was pleasantly surprised when all was revealed.

I really enjoyed Terra and Jack’s characters. I liked their personal struggles and how they’d dealt with them in the years they were apart. I wasn’t convinced of their romance though but I’ll allow the fact they had previously been romantically involved to be the reason for that. Terra’s initial lack of trust was very understandable and Jack had to earn that back.

The story wrapped up a little too quickly but overall it was very easy to turn the pages as new information kept being revealed.

I’ll certainly keep reading Goddard’s stories.

I received a complimentary early ebook version from Revell via NetGalley with no expectation of a favourable review.