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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 Long March Home” by Marcus Brotherton & Tosca Lee

I hope the authors receive interest from producers to make this powerful story into either a movie or 8-part drama series. It’s simply riveting and the authors bring this extraordinary story alive in its visual intensity which makes it simply breathtaking.

I didn’t know about the Bataan Death March in the Philippines and how the Japanese invaded the country immediately after bombing Pearl Harbour. But now I feel sufficiently informed having read Jimmy, Hank and Billy’s firsthand account of the sheer horror of the war. The three men, all still teens, enlist and are immediately sent to the Philippines where they train and wait for the war to reach them, having no appreciation of what they’ve signed up for. They’re mates, great mates, and they are committed to staying together, surviving the unimaginable atrocities, and returning to Mobile Alabama which they call home.

The story for the most part has a dual timeline as Jimmy, whose eyes the story is told, takes us back to life before the war in Mobile as well as being in the trenches with them in the Philippines. Three boys who’ve known each other pretty much all of their lives as well as Billy’s sister, Claire. Jimmy, Billy and Claire spend much of their early years together as best buddies while Hank, the eldest, comes and goes. He’s Jimmy’s hero and mate. We’re given an insight into Jimmy’s character, his struggles with his faith and his preacher dad who sounds like a ‘fire and brimstone’ man behind the pulpit as well as at home. His father wants him to follow in his footsteps as a preacher and is dumbfounded when Jimmy enlists.

I loved the friendship between Jimmy and Claire. It’s rare and very special. And even though there’s a lot of heartache between them, it’s their friendship that Jimmy holds onto so tightly when he’s in his worst moments as a POW.

This story isn’t for everyone. It’s at times very grim reading as the authors show us the brutality of war. I was often brought to tears by both the horror but also the incredible bravery of these 3 young men who loved each other dearly. But they’re also young men who don’t know how to communicate with each other the hurts that they have inflicted on one another from time to time through life. Until it’s almost too late.

Jimmy’s a complex character. The authors reveal a young man learning how to be an adult, how to express himself, to be confused with what he wants to do with his life, and how to be friends with the girl of his dreams. And then there’s the bond he shares with Claire that undergirds the entire story. It’s so rare to read of such a deep love that began when playing as kiddies in their respective backyards. It’s beautiful and often heartbreaking for them both and we the reader.

Bravo Marcus Brotherton and Tosca Lee.

I was very fortunate to receive an early ebook copy as part of the Revell Readers Program via NetGalley. This has had no bearing on my review. I expect I will purchase my own copy so I can treasure it on my bookshelves.

Book Review: “Shadows in the Mind’s Eye” by Janyre Tromp

Tromp’s debut was a pleasant surprise and I especially enjoyed the Southern voice she adopted. It’s the 1940s in the small town of Hot Springs and Sam Mattas has just returned from war suffering with combat fatigue (which we now know as PTSD). He arrives unexpectedly to an empty house which sets the scene for much of the early tension of the story.

Annie, his wife, returns from town to find Sam asleep in the barn and even though warmly welcomed it’s clear not all is as it should be. Annie has been well supported in Sam’s absence by his brother, Peter, and best friend, Doc and immediately he senses he’s the misfit. Sam also returns to his daughter, Rosie, who he hasn’t met, she being born soon after his departure for war.

The first half of the story focuses on the tension between Annie and Sam as they seek to settle into their new lives together. But his combat fatigue keeps getting in the way making both of them question his sanity and her safety. Doc’s strong friendship with Annie also adds cause for unease.

In parallel, there’s this undercurrent of corruption that is rife within the town and how Sam, at one point, was involved in it to some extent being employed by Annie’s father, The Judge, who happens to be up to his eyeballs in no good working for the Mayor who encourages it. Or is he?

A lot can happen in 3 years; people change, towns change.

A story that starts as a relatively sleepy small town tale of a marriage reunion suddenly takes off in the second half to a thrilling suspenseful one that makes the reader keep turning the pages. It’s tremendous writing as the twists and turns keep on coming. Who are the good guys and who can you trust?

The characters are rich in their portrayal and Tromp demonstrates her story telling skills with the deftness in which we are kept guessing.

I was very fortunate to receive an early ebook version of the story from Kregel via NetGalley as a result of being part of Audra Jennings PR Blogging tour. This had no impact on 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: ‘Under the Bayou Moon’ by Valerie Fraser Luesse

This was a charming story of Ellie Fields who leaves her Alabama home to take up a solo teaching position in Bernadette, a small town situated on one of many bayous of the Atchafalaya Delta Basin in Louisiana. Ellie is a fish out of water and perhaps settles in a little too easily for someone who is new to the mixed culture of the area.

I delighted in reading the Cajun history and sampling a small element of its unique and varied culture through Ellie’s eyes. And the bayou, its sounds, smells and sights were a joy to behold. At times, Luesse took my breath away. And then there was the white alligator – the piece de resistance. Oh what a gorgeous creature and what a beautiful connection it had with Raphe who seemed to be the only human it dared to be seen by.

There is so much to like about this story and it was such an easy read even though Luesse often led us in the Cajun dialect and French as well. The plot was quite simple and as another reviewer stated, there were a number of threads that just fizzled out. The romance between Ellie and Raphe was a little unrealistic – full of sweetness but for two who came from such diverse backgrounds didn’t seem to struggle as a couple.

There were some good themes explored: racism, the clashing of multiple cultures, the hardship of poverty but the trauma both Ellie and Raphe experienced either before this story or during it were superficially handled when there was a lot more that could have been explored.

It was a good read and I’m thoroughly pleased to have spent some time Under the Bayou Moon.

I received an early ebook copy from Revell as part of their Revell Reads Program via NetGalley with no expectation of a favourable review.

Book Review: Stories that Bind Us by Susie Finkbeiner

This is my first Susie Finkbeiner story and gosh, what a delightful surprise it was. It starts slowly and never really increases in pace which is unusual for the stories I mostly read. But it wasn;’t long before I was captivated by this story of family.

We meet Betty Sweet, recently turned 40, in the early 60s. Her husband, Norman, dies suddenly and there is a void in her life. Small town LaFontaine, not too far from Detroit, is the setting featuring a Main Street with the family-owned and run bakery: The Sweet Bakery, Betty’s in-laws where Norman also worked.

Norman’s family comes around Betty in her grieving and we get to meet Albert, his brother and Marvel, his sister plus Pop, the patriarch of the family. We could meet these characters on the street, there’s no frills, simply true to life people. Marvel has twin ten year old boys: Nick and Dick, who are full of energy and mischief as one expects of twins at that age.

Finkbeiner writes short chapters which typically are split between Betty telling us a story of the past: her mom, her childhood with sister Clara, meeting Norman and their courtship and then the current time. They’re usually linked in some manner and so what gradually builds is a family portrait, one full of the love, loss, struggles with mental health and the everyday meanderings of life. Nothing much happens but it’s engrossing.

And then there’s Hugo. He shines a light into Betty’s world. He’s a special little boy, and Finkbeiner ever so gracefully deals with issues of race and prejudice with this innocent child. It’s beautiful to read.

I was sad the book ended even though not much happened but Finkbeiner’s soft touches with the character’s faith, familial love and gentle portrayal of mental health are captivating. I feel privileged to have read this beautiful story.

Now to locate Susie’s earlier ones.

I received an early release ebook copy from the Revell Reads programs enabled by NetGalley with no expectation of a positive review.