A Tree, A Book, and A Breeze

The Governess of Highland Hall Carrie Turansky Multnomah Books Missionary Julia Foster loves working alongside her parents, ministering and caring for young girls in India. But when the family must return to England due to illness, she readily accepts the burden for her parents' financial support. Taking on a job at Highland Hall as governess, she quickly finds that teaching her four privileged, ill-mannered charges at a grand estate is more challenging than expected, and she isn't sure what to make of the estate's preoccupied master, Sir William Ramsey. Widowed and left to care for his two young children and his deceased cousin Randolph's two teenage girls, William is consumed with saving the estate from the financial ruin. The last thing he needs is any distraction coming from the kindhearted-yet-determined governess who seems to be quietly transforming his household with her persuasive personality, vibrant prayer life, and strong faith. The book descri...

Harvest of Gold Tessa Afshar Rover North The scribe Sarah married Darius, and at times she feels as if she has married the Persian aristocracy, too. There is another point she did not count on in her marriage-Sarah has grown to love her husband. She has wealth, property, honor, and power, but her husband's love still seems unattainable. Although his mother was an Israelite, Darius remains skeptical that his Jewish wife is the right choice for him, particularly when she conspires with her cousin Nehemiah to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem. Ordered to assist in the effort, the couple begins a journey to the homeland of his mother's people. Will the road filled with danger, conflict, and surprising memories, help Darius to see the hand of God at work in his life-and even in his marriage? I came into this novel with rather high expectations, because I really enjoyed the previous book, Harvest of Rubies . However, though this book did have its high points, I can...

The Tale of Mally Biddle M.L. LeGette Smashwords When Mally Biddle agreed to spy upon the King of Lenzar and his overbearing knights she knew she was heading into danger. She didn't know she'd find a family unlike any other. Posing as a servant in Bosc Castle, Mally serves tea and restocks the fires for the most dangerous men in the kingdom. Her goal is to learn the truth of what happened sixteen years ago, when the infant princess met her death ... a death that has more questions than answers.  Along her search for the truth, Mally meets the energized Lita Stump, the strict and matriarchal Meriyal Boyd, and the opinionated Archibald Diggleby. Then of course there are the knights: Sir Leon Gibbs who is slicker than a greased hog, Adrian Bayard, hot tempered and violent, and the worst of the lot: Sir Illius Molick, Captain of the Knights. And then there is Maud, a mysterious woman who just might know everything... I decided to try this book because it seemed lik...

Rules of Murder Julianna Deering Bethany House Publishers I was so excited when I discovered this book: it sounded just like a combination of Jeeves and Wooster and an Agatha Christie mystery! Rules of Murder intentionally breaks all the "rules" of mystery writing- a fact its own characters seem completely aware of. This book was just, despite the murder theme, really fun. True, sometimes it seemed that the author was trying almost a little too hard to get into the 1930s British vernacular, but this was mostly near the beginning, and the book eventually won me over. The romance between Drew and Madeline developed fast; however, I did appreciate the fact that despite the flippant culture and time period, the were serious about their relationship. I do think that the setting did influence me on their relationship: most of the time I don't care for "whirlwind" type relationships, but with the rest of the book, it just seemed to fit . And of course, t...

A Bride For All Seasons Margaret Brownley, Debra Clopton, Robin Lee Hatcher, and Mary Connealy Thomas Nelson I’ve come to the conclusion that I’m just not a fan of novella collections- at least, not when they are romances. The romance aspect just ends up feeling way to shallow, because there is so little time to give the characters a well-done relationship. The stories themselves weren’t terrible; I didn’t find them memorable, but I didn’t feel like it was a complete waste of time (although I admit I would have much rather been reading something else). And I will admit the concept behind each of the novellas was interesting: it’s a about a mail order bride service that “tweaks” it’s clients letters so they sound more desirable- which causes a lot of problems and misunderstandings once the bride and groom finally meet! Out of the four stories, I probably liked the second ( An Ever After Summer ) and fourth ( Winter Wedding Bells ) the best; I found they had the more likable a...

Harvest of Rubies Tessa Afshar River North At first, I thought this book might be a little tedious- it began with a bit of backstory, and though it wasn't exactly boring, I must admit I wasn't expecting much. However, as the book went on, I really got hooked- if I had to leave the book for a moment, I was eager to get back to it! Unlike a lot of historical fiction- especially Biblical/ancient history fiction, I felt this book was a lighter read- not that it didn't have story depth, but in the fact that it wasn't bogged downed with lots of historical information or hard language. It was a little romanc-y for me (mainly near the end) and there were a few scenes I skimmed over because of it. However, overall, I really enjoyed this book. objectionable content: there are several kisses near the end (although it is between two married people, so it didn't bother me quite so much as it would have otherwise) Rating: 8 I received this book for free from ...

Between the Lines Jodi Picoult & Samantha Van Leer Simon and Shuster Okay, so wow. When I discovered  this book and found out what it was about, I seriously just gaped and wondered, why didn’t I think of that ?! It’s a truly out-of-the-box story: it’s about a character in a book who falls in love with a reader of his story. Yes, it sounds strange…but it was also kind of cool, and I was a little jealous that I hadn’t come up with the idea myself. The book is a mix of the hero’s original story and then narration by both him and the heroine. On top of that, it has illustrations! It was such a novelty of a book it was hard not to enjoy it. Of course, like any story (especially a non-Christian one) there were a few cons (in this book's case, several). Though from a secular perspective this book didn’t have anything too terrible in it (it’s not steamy or riddled with language or violence) from a Christian perspective there were several small things that added up: mai...

Into the Whirlwind Elizabeth Camden Bethany House After her father's death, Mollie Knox takes over his watchmaking company and uses her head for business to solidify the good name of the 57th Illinois Watch Company. Her future looks bright until the night her beloved city is destroyed in the legendary Great Chicago Fire. With her world crumbling around her, Molly must do whatever it takes to save her company in the aftermath of the devastating fire. Zack Kazmarek is an influential attorney with powerful ties to the political, mercantile, and ethnic roots of Chicago. His only weakness is Mollie Knox, a woman who has always been just beyond his reach. However, all bets are off after the fire destroys Chicago, and Mollie is in desperate need of assistance. Just as Zack finally begins to pursue the woman he loves, competition arises in the form of a hero from her past who can provide the help she needs to rise from the ashes. I'm fast becoming a fan of Elizabeth Ca...