Category: Book Reviews

Here are the book reivews by our review team.

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Hope Between the Pages by Pepper D. Basham

 The audio version of this review was first shared in Episode 36: Guest Parker J. Cole & a Review of Hope Between the Pages by Pepper Basham

THE BOOK

Clara Blackwell can’t lose her family’s one-hundred-year-old bookshop, but with the deed missing, there’s a chance her father’s legacy could fall into the hands of her greedy uncle. In an attempt to locate the missing deed, Clara uncovers an unusual love note which leads to the discovery of a long-lost romance. Forced to step outside her predictable bookish world, Clara embarks on an adventure with only the name Oliver as a hint of the man’s identity in her great grandmother’s unknown history. From the beautiful North Carolina Vanderbilt estate to a hamlet in The Lake District, England, can Clara put the pieces of an ill-fated romance together in order to save her bookshop…and maybe even find her own bookish happily-ever-after in the process?

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A Review of: On the Cliffs of Foxglove Manor  by Jaime Jo Wright

The audio version of this review was first shared in Episode 34: Lynn Austin and a Review of On the Cliffs of Foxglove Manor by Jaime Jo Wright

THE BOOK

1885.

Adria Fontaine has been sent to recover goods her father pirated on the Great Lakes during the war. But when she arrives at Foxglove Manor–a stone house on a cliff overlooking Lake Superior–Adria senses wickedness hovering over the property. The mistress of Foxglove is an eccentric and seemingly cruel old woman who has filled her house with dangerous secrets, ones that may cost Adria her life. 

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The Sound of Diamonds by Rachelle Rea Cobb

THE BOOK

The audio version of this review was first shared in Episode 33: Guest KarenWitemeyer & The Sound of Diamonds by Rachelle Rea Cobb

With the protestant Elizabeth on the throne of England and her family in shambles, Catholic maiden Gwyneth seeks refuge in the Low Countries of Holland, hoping to soothe her aching soul. But when the Iconoclastic Fury descends and bloodshed overtakes her haven, she has no choice but to trust the rogue who arrives, promising to see her safely home to her uncle’s castle. She doesn’t dare to trust him…and yet doesn’t dare to refuse her one chance to preserve her own life and those of the nuns she rescues from the burning convent.

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Review of Shadows in the Mind’s Eye by Janyre Tromp

The audio version of this review was first shared in Episode 32: Guest Jody Hedlund & a Review of Shadows in the Mind’s Eye by Janyre Tromp

THE BOOK

Charlotte Anne Mattas longs to turn back the clock. Before her husband, Sam, went to serve his country in the war, he was the man everyone could rely on–responsible, intelligent, and loving. But the person who’s come back to their family farm is very different from the protector Annie remembers. Sam’s experience in the Pacific theater has left him broken in ways no one can understand–but that everyone is learning to fear.

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Where the Road Bends by Rachel Fordman

The audio version of this review was first shared in Episode 31: Guest Karen Barnett & a Review of Where the Road Bends by Rachel Fordman.

About the book

As Norah King surveys her family land in Iowa in 1880, she is acutely aware that it is all she has left, and she will do everything in her power to save it–even if that means marrying a man she hardly knows. Days before her wedding, Norah discovers an injured man on her property. Her sense of duty compels her to take him in and nurse him back to health. Little does she realize just how much this act of kindness will complicate her life and threaten the future she’s planned.

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When the Day Comes

This review was originally shared in Episode 30: Guest Jaime Jo Wright & a Review of When the Day Comes by Gabrielle Meyer

About the Book

Libby has been given a powerful gift: to live one life in 1774 Colonial Williamsburg and the other in 1914 Gilded Age New York City. When she falls asleep in one life, she wakes up in the other without any time passing. On her twenty-first birthday, Libby must choose one path and forfeit the other–but how can she possibly decide when she has so much to lose?

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Long Way Home by Lynn Austin

This review was originally shared in Episode 29: Guest Ann H. Gabhart & a Review of Long Way Home

About the Book

In this gripping portrait of war and its aftermath from bestselling author Lynn Austin, a young woman searches for the truth her childhood friend won’t discuss after returning from World War II, revealing a story of courage, friendship, and faith.

Peggy Serrano couldn’t wait for her best friend to come home from the war. But the Jimmy Barnett who returns is much different from the Jimmy who left, changed so drastically by his experience as a medic in Europe that he can barely function. When he attempts the unthinkable, his parents check him into the VA hospital. Peggy determines to help the Barnetts unravel what might have happened to send their son over the edge. She starts by contacting Jimmy’s war buddies, trying to identify the mysterious woman in the photo they find in Jimmy’s belongings.

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The Souls of Lost Lake by Jaime Jo Wright

About the Book

Wren Blythe has long enjoyed being among the Northwoods, helping her father with programming at a youth camp. But when a little girl in the area goes missing, an all-out search ensues, reviving the decades-old campfire story of Ava Coons, the murderess, who still roams the woods. Joining the search, Wren stumbles upon the Coons cabin ruins and a rotting porcelain doll. But even more terrifying is seeing her name etched on the doll’s foot like a sinister omen.

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Never Leave Me by Jody Hedlund

THE BOOK

In the last stages of a genetic disease, Ellen Creighton has decided to live out her remaining days at the estate of her longtime friend Harrison Burlington. Harrison cares deeply for Ellen, but as a wheelchair-bound paraplegic, he’s never allowed himself to get serious in a relationship. However, he’s desperately trying to save her by finding the holy water that is believed to heal any disease.

When he locates two flasks, Ellen refuses to drink one of them because she believes the holy water killed her sister and father. In an effort to convince her to take it, Harrison ingests the contents first, and when Ellen witnesses the effects, she can no longer deny the power of the substance in the bottles. Dangerous criminals are also seeking the holy water, and Ellen soon learns they will go to any lengths to get the powerful drug–including sending her back into the past to find it for them.

Bestselling and award-winning author Jody Hedlund plunges you into the swiftly flowing river of history in a race against the clock in this breathtaking, emotional second Waters of Time story.

THE REVIEW

This book was eagerly anticipated after reading Hedlund’s first book in the series, Come Back to Me. This second novel spends most of its time in the present tense, but does dip into the past for some perilous encounters.

The concept of healing waters from the first book splash onto these pages also with Ellen and Harrison using the healing water to aid with their own healing. Their sweet romance was enjoyable with a few slightly steamier scenes, but still docile compared to the first book. Even with the Middle Ages thrown in, the violence was minimal. The struggle to let go of past worries is difficult for Ellen due to her sudden lifestyle change brought on by the healing and she’s plagued by the ethical dilemma of the holy water. The characters mesh well with the story, and with the author’s writing this hard to believe tale seems plausible.

If you’re in the mood for a time-traveling romance that will take you beyond the realms of reality, Never Leave Me should be at the top of your TBR queue.

Listen to our review on Episode 25: Guest Crystal Caudill and Review of Never Leave Me by Jody Hedlund.

Listen to Jody’s interview featuring Come Back to Me on Episode 16 and a you can read our full review of Come Back to Me here.

Disclaimer: The publisher offered a complimentary copy of this book. The review was given freely, without payment. All views expressed are only the honest opinion of a member of the Historical Bookworm Review Team.

THE AUTHOR

Jody is the bestselling author of over 30 historical novels for both adults and teens and is the winner of numerous awards, including the Christy, Carol, and Christian Book Awards. She shares about her new time travel novel Come Back to Me, her love of cats, and the fun of writing. Learn more about her at her website JodyHedlund.com/ and her ReaderRoom Facebook group.

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A Midnight Dance by Joanna Davidson Politano

The Book

https://amzn.to/3Owk4r3All theater romances are tragedies. Ella Blythe knows this. Still, she cannot help but hope her own story may turn out different than most–and certainly different than the tragic story of the Ghost of Craven Street Theater. Yet as she struggles to maintain her tenuous place in the ever-shrinking ballet company, win the attentions of principal dancer Philippe, and avoid company flirt Jack, Ella cannot deny the uncanny feeling that her life is mirroring that of the dead ballerina.

The Review

Every book Politano writes gets better and better and this one certainly tops the list. This story is filled with twists and turns that don’t stop all the way to the end, and a very sweet love story thread throughout. The characters are woven together in such a way to have their own distinct story, which also culminates into a lovely tapestry of life at the end. The history of the ballet and the spirit with which Ella dances highlight the author’s intensive research and masterfully weaves together history and plot in an intriguing way.

Romance: The romance is sweet with some tender moments. (Loved the interactions between the main two characters, which isn’t always clear initially)

Violence: Very minimal. One scene, really.

Christianese: There are Bible verses sprinkled throughout and Ella’s relationship and perception of God is a steady conversation during the entire story but it never feels preachy. It adds depth to her character and the way she interacts with others in her environment.  Acceptance and grace are big themes.

Highly recommend this book to readers who are in the mood for a charming romance and a story that pulls apart a preconceived life and fills it with God’s better plan.

This review was originally shared on episode 22.

Disclaimer: The publisher offered a complimentary copy of this book. The review was given freely, without payment. All views expressed are only the honest opinion of a member of the Historical Bookworm Review Team.

The Author

Joanna Davidson Politano freelances for a small nonfiction publisher but spends much of her time spinning tales that capture the colorful, exquisite details in ordinary lives. Her manuscript for Lady Jayne Disappears was a finalist for several contests, including the 2016 Genesis Award from ACFW, and won the OCW Cascade Award and the Maggie Award for Excellence. She is always on the hunt for random acts of kindness, people willing to share their deepest secrets with a stranger, and hidden stashes of sweets. She lives with her husband and their two babies in a house in the woods near Lake Michigan and shares stories that move her at www.jdpstories.com.