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Showing posts from 2017

The Lacemaker

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The Lacemaker Laura Frantz Revell When colonial Williamsburg explodes like a powder keg on the eve of the American Revolution, Lady Elisabeth "Liberty" Lawson is abandoned by her fiance and suspected of being a spy for the hated British. No one comes to her aid save the Patriot Noble Rynallt, a man with formidable enemies of his own. Liberty is left with a terrible choice. Will the Virginia belle turned lacemaker side with the radical revolutionaries, or stay true to her English roots? And at what cost? Historical romance favorite Laura Frantz is back with a suspenseful story of love, betrayal, and new beginnings. With her meticulous eye for detail and her knack for creating living, breathing characters, Frantz continues to enchant historical fiction readers who long to feel they are a part of the story.      This book was what I'd call a "gentle" read. It had its moments of suspense, but ultimately it was a quiet (though pleasant!) read for m

Nyxia

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Nyxia Scott Reintgen Crown Books Emmett Atwater isn’t just leaving Detroit; he’s leaving Earth. Why the Babel Corporation recruited him is a mystery, but the number of zeroes on their contract has him boarding their lightship and hoping to return to Earth with enough money to take care of his family. Forever. Before long, Emmett discovers that he is one of ten recruits, all of whom have troubled pasts and are a long way from home. Now each recruit must earn the right to travel down to the planet of Eden—a planet that Babel has kept hidden—where they will mine a substance called Nyxia that has quietly become the most valuable material in the universe. But Babel’s ship is full of secrets. And Emmett will face the ultimate choice: win the fortune at any cost, or find a way to fight that won’t forever compromise what it means to be human.      I was trying to remember the last time I read delved into the YA genre because it feels like it's been forever. It was

Death at Thorburn Hall

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Death at Thorburn Hall Julianna Deering Bethany House Publishers Drew Farthering finds a new mystery on his hands when he arrives at Thorburn Hall in Scotland for the 1935 British Open. His host, Lord Rainsby, asks Drew to investigate a suspected embezzler--then dies in a suspicious accident the next day. However, the house is full of guests with potential motives. Can Drew discover the killer among them?      I've been putting off writing this review because I'm in the middle of preparing for finals and my brain is mush and basically at the "what even is words?" stage, so writing anything has been a struggle, even if it's just a book review.      But in that craziness, it was nice to sit down and read a pleasure book, which is what the Death at Thorburn Hall was. I love old-fashioned mysteries, and a book like this was just what I needed. My main complaint with this one was that I didn't think the plot picked up until nearly the end; it was

The Austen Escape

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The Austen Escape Katherine Reay Thomas Nelson After years of following her best friend’s lead, Mary Davies finds a whimsical trip back to Austen’s Regency England paves the way towards a new future. Mary Davies lives and works in Austin, Texas, as an industrial engineer. She has an orderly and productive life, a job and colleagues that she enjoys—particularly a certain adorable, intelligent, and hilarious consultant. But something is missing for Mary. When her estranged and emotionally fragile childhood friend Isabel Dwyer offers Mary a two-week stay in a gorgeous manor house in Bath, Mary reluctantly agrees to come along, in hopes that the holiday will shake up her quiet life in just the right ways. But Mary gets more than she bargained for when Isabel loses her memory and fully believes that she lives in Regency England. Mary becomes dependent on a household of strangers to take care of Isabel until she wakes up. With Mary in charge and surrounded by new friends

Lady Jayne Disappears

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  Lady Jayne Disappears Joanna Davidson Politano Revell   When Aurelie Harcourt's father dies in debtor's prison, he leaves her just two things: his wealthy family, whom she has never met, and his famous pen name, Nathaniel Droll. Her new family greets her with apathy and even resentment. Only the quiet houseguest, Silas Rotherham, welcomes her company. When Aurelie decides to complete her father's unfinished serial novel, writing the family into the story as unflattering characters, she must keep her identity as Nathaniel Droll hidden while searching for the truth about her mother's disappearance--and perhaps even her father's death. Author Joanna Davidson Politano's stunning debut set in Victorian England will delight readers with its highly original plot, lush setting, vibrant characters, and reluctant romance.      I feel torn about this book because while not every aspect of it won me over, there were quite a few things I genuinel

A Dangerous Legacy

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A Dangerous Legacy Elizabeth Camden Bethany House Publishers Lucy is determined to keep working as a telegraph operator at a news agency, even though the arrival of Sir Colin Beckwith threatens her position. When she discovers Colin's shocking secret, she agrees to assist him if he helps her find her family's stolen inheritance--not realizing that the trail leads into a web of treachery, danger, and conspiracy.      This book had a lot of what I love about Elizabeth Camden's novels. Her historical settings are always absolutely fabulous, because she actually delves into what was going on politically and culturally in ways that relates to the characters. This book tackled telegraph system, mental asylums, the Panama Canal, early 20th century plumbing... I mean, it was great. And I did really like the mystery. As far as plot goes, it was an A.      However, I didn't always feel that way about the characters. I liked them at first, but as time went on some

What We See in the Stars

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What We See In The Stars Kelsey Oseid Ten Speed Press      This book had so much more information than I was expecting. I thought it would be more of a children's picture book for some reason, and while the illustrations are absolutely gorgeous, this book would please any adult who wants to learn about astronomy. I took an astronomy class at college last semester, but we didn't study the constellations very much, and I loved how this book went through the myths surrounding each of the best-known ones. My favorite section was the one on the planets, though- I especially loved how it mentioned the naming themes for their moons and geographical features. (for instance, Uranus's 27 moons are all named after characters from Shakespeare! How did I not know that?)      Of course, there are signs of the current times, with the obligatory jab at the "anti-intellectual" medieval Europeans (when will people discover you can praise one culture's accomplishmen

Queso!

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Queso! Lisa Fain Ten Speed Press A fun, full-color look at everyone's favorite cheese dip, with history, tips, facts, and 50 recipes from beloved food blogger Lisa Fain, "the Homesick Texan."  Queso (aka chile con queso) is a spicy, cheesy, comforting cult favorite that has long been a delicious addition to any party, barbecue, or family gathering. This appealing and accessible book features a mix of down-home standards and contemporary updates, from historical, regional, and Mexican quesos to vegan and dessert quesos, including Chile Verde Con Queso, Squash Blossom Queso Fundido, Fajita Queso, Cactus and Corn Queso Poblano, Frito Salad with Queso Dressing, Pulled Pork Queso Blanco, and Sausage Queso Biscuits. Whether you're relaxing with friends, having a few people over to watch the football game, or entertaining a hungry crowd, queso is the perfect party food for good times.       Who doesn't like cheese? I'm certainly a fan, and queso, wi

The Dishonorable Miss Delancey

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  The Dishonorable Miss Delancey Carolyn Miller Kregel   Will a damaged reputation and desire for society's approval thwart the legacy of grace?   Tainted by scandal and forced to leave London for the quieter Brighton countryside, the Honorable Miss Clara DeLancey is a shadow of her former society self. She's lost the man she loved to another and, in a culture that has no patience for self-pity, is struggling with depression. A chance encounter brings her a healing friendship with the sisters of an injured naval captain. But Clara's society mama is appalled at the new company she's keeping.  Captain Benjamin Kemsley is not looking for a wife. But his gallant spirit won't let him ignore the penniless viscount's daughter--not when she so obviously needs assistance to keep moving forward from day to day. Can he protect his heart and still keep her safe?  When they're pushed into the highest echelons of society at the Prince Re

The Book of Amazing Stories

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  The Book of Amazing Stories Robert Petterson Tyndale   You may have thought you knew the lives of famous people--such as Martin Luther King Jr., Howard Hughes, Mother Teresa, Muhammad Ali, Ronald Reagan, Susana Wesley, and many more. But, in The Book of Amazing Stories, you'll know so much more about Ronnie's faithful church-going single mom and William's early days as a humble shoemaker's apprentice. You'll marvel at how God used the lives of these ordinary people to change the course of human history. Life makes the strangest sharp turns and, sometimes, U-turns. Robert Petterson--popular speaker, storyteller, and author--has been a student for his entire life of what God is teaching us through those real-life U-turns. In this book, he compiles 90 amazing stories that teach lessons you won't easily forget. Each devotional ends with a compelling and hopeful take-away--a thought about what the story reveals about life and God. Be amazed.

The Massacre of Mankind

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The Massacre of Mankind Stephen Baxter Crown A sequel to the H.G. Wells classic THE WAR OF THE WORLDS, brilliantly realized by award-winning SF author and Wells expert Stephen Baxter It has been 14 years since the Martians invaded England. The world has moved on, always watching the skies but content that we know how to defeat the Martian menace. Machinery looted from the abandoned capsules and war-machines has led to technological leaps forward. The Martians are vulnerable to earth germs. The Army is prepared. So when the signs of launches on Mars are seen, there seems little reason to worry. Unless you listen to one man, Walter Jenkins, the narrator of Wells' book. He is sure that the Martians have learned, adapted, understood their defeat. He is right. Thrust into the chaos of a new invasion, a journalist - sister-in-law to Walter Jenkins - must survive, escape and report on the war. The Massacre of Mankind has begun.      I'm always a litt

The Space Between Words

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The Space Between Words Michèle Phoenix  Thomas Nelson "There were seconds, when I woke, when the world felt unshrouded. Then memory returned." When Jessica regains consciousness in a French hospital on the day after the Paris attacks, all she can think of is fleeing the site of the horror she survived. But Patrick, the steadfast friend who hasn't left her side, urges her to reconsider her decision. Worn down by his insistence, she reluctantly agrees to follow through with the trip they'd planned before the tragedy. "The pages found you," Patrick whispered. "Now you need to figure out what they're trying to say." During a stop at a country flea market, Jessica finds a faded document concealed in an antique. As new friends help her to translate the archaic French, they uncover the story of Adeline Baillard, a young woman who lived centuries before--her faith condemned, her life endangered, her community decimated by

Cloaked

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Cloaked Rachel Kovaciny She never imagined she'd need to flee for her life. Mary Rose feels uneasy around Mr. Linden from the moment she meets him on the stagecoach ride to her grandmother's ranch in Wyoming Territory. But he works for her grandmother, so that means he's trustworthy, doesn't it? Everyone else seems to view him as honest and respectable, and Mary Rose wonders if she's overreacting.  She tries to ignore her suspicions until one night, she discovers his real reason for being at the ranch. Now, if she's going to save her grandmother -- and herself -- she's going to need to run faster than she's ever run before.      I will almost never pass up an opportunity for a fairy tale retelling. It's one of my favorite subgenres, and I haven't gotten tired of it yet. Now westerns, on the other hand, aren't usually my thing, but after reading Rachel Kovaciny's The Man of the Buckskin Horse , I knew that she was someo

An Inconvenient Beauty

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An Inconvenient Beauty Kristi Ann Hunter Bethany House Publishers       I began reading Kristi Ann Hunter's Hawthorne House series when the first book came out, and I enjoyed it- I do like a good historical novel set in the Regency period, and while this series isn't written in true "Regency" style, it's lighthearted and fun, as well as often comedic.      However, the previous book in the series left me a little disappointed, and I'm afraid the same happened with An Inconvenient Beauty as well. I wasn't sure why the novel wasn't clicking with me, but by the end I think I had it narrowed down to that fact that the writing is a bit too repetitive and over-explanatory; it dragged the plot and the humor down.      There were some things I liked about the book, though: Isabella is a character who in any other romance novel might have been seen as the villain,  as she's beautiful and encourages multiple suitors that she never has any int

The Mountain Between Us

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The Mountain Between Us Charles Martin Broadway Books      I feel like I should preface this review by admitting that this novel isn't in a genre I normally read or am drawn to; contemporary fiction has never held much appeal to me. However, I saw the trailer for the movie version that's coming out soon, and thought it looked interesting (I mean, it's a survival story, right?). When I realized that the film was based on a book, and that that book was available for review, I thought I should try it- especially when I recognized the author's name. (I hadn't read anything by him before, but I've seen his books in CBD's catalogs).      However, within the first few chapters I knew that this book wasn't going to win me over. The dialogue seemed sentimentally unrealistic to me, and to be brutally honest, I found it boring and a struggle to drag myself through. Technically, this book isn't exactly a DNF for me, since I read the last five or so

Many Sparrows

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Many Sparrows Lori Benton Waterbrook When settler Clare Inglesby is widowed on a mountain crossing and her young son, Jacob, captured by Shawnees, she'll do everything in her power to get him back, including cross the Ohio River and march straight into the presence of her enemies deep in Indian country. Frontiersman and adopted Shawnee, Jeremiah Ring, promises to guide Clare through the wilderness and help her recover Jacob. Once they reach the Shawnees and discover Jeremiah's own Shawnee sister, Rain Crow, has taken custody of Jacob--renaming him Many Sparrows--keeping his promise becomes far more complicated, the consequences more wrenching, than Jeremiah could have foreseen.      There are a few authors out there who I will pretty much read no matter what. Lori Benton is one of them. Her stories are heartrending, powerful, and thick with meaning and emotion. Her newest novel, Many Sparrows , is no exception. I admit that the beginning of this book was a lit

Loving Luther

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Loving Luther Allison Pittman Tyndale Germany, 1505 In the dark of night, Katharina von Bora says the bravest good-bye a six-year-old can muster and walks away as the heavy convent gate closes behind her. Though the cold walls offer no comfort, Katharina soon finds herself calling the convent her home. God, her father. This, her life. She takes her vows--a choice more practical than pious--but in time, a seed of discontent is planted by the smuggled writings of a rebellious excommunicated priest named Martin Luther. Their message? That Katharina is subject to God, and no one else. Could the Lord truly desire more for her than this life of servitude? In her first true step of faith, Katharina leaves the only life she has ever known. But the freedom she has craved comes with a price, and she finds she has traded one life of isolation for another. Without the security of the convent walls or a family of her own, Katharina must trust in both the God who saved her and

The Promise of Breeze Hill

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The Promise of Breeze Hill Pam Hillman Tyndale Natchez, MS, 1791 Anxious for his brothers to join him on the rugged frontier along the Mississippi River, Connor O'Shea has no choice but to indenture himself as a carpenter in exchange for their passage from Ireland. But when he's sold to Isabella Bartholomew of Breeze Hill Plantation, Connor fears he'll repeat past mistakes and vows not to be tempted by the lovely lady. The responsibilities of running Breeze Hill have fallen on Isabella's shoulders after her brother was found dead in the swamps along the Natchez Trace and a suspicious fire devastated their crops, almost destroyed their home, and left her father seriously injured. Even with Connor's help, Isabella fears she'll lose her family's plantation. Despite her growing feelings for the handsome Irish carpenter, she seriously considers accepting her wealthy and influential neighbor's proposal of marriage. Soon, though, Connor re

A Name Unknown

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A Name Unknown Roseanna M. White Bethany House Publishers Edwardian Romance and History Gains a Twist of Suspense Rosemary Gresham has no family beyond the band of former urchins that helped her survive as a girl in the mean streets of London. Grown now, they concentrate on stealing high-value items and have learned how to blend into upper-class society. But when Rosemary must determine whether a certain wealthy gentleman is loyal to Britain or to Germany, she is in for the challenge of a lifetime. How does one steal a family's history, their very name? Peter Holstein, given his family's German blood, writes his popular series of adventure novels under a pen name. With European politics boiling and his own neighbors suspicious of him, Peter debates whether it might be best to change his name for good. When Rosemary shows up at his door pretending to be a historian and offering to help him trace his family history, his question might be answered.  But as

The Invisible Library

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The Invisible Library Genevieve Cogman Roc One thing any Librarian will tell you: the truth is much stranger than fiction... Irene is a professional spy for the mysterious Library, a shadowy organization that collects important works of fiction from all of the different realities. Most recently, she and her enigmatic assistant Kai have been sent to an alternative London. Their mission: Retrieve a particularly dangerous book. The problem: By the time they arrive, it's already been stolen.  London's underground factions are prepared to fight to the death to find the tome before Irene and Kai do, a problem compounded by the fact that this world is chaos-infested—the laws of nature bent to allow supernatural creatures and unpredictable magic to run rampant. To make matters worse, Kai is hiding something—secrets that could be just as volatile as the chaos-filled world itself. Now Irene is caught in a puzzling web of deadly danger, conflicting clues, and si

The Captain's Daughter

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The Captain's Daughter Jennifer Delamere Bethany House When a series of circumstances beyond her control leave Rosalyn Bernay alone and penniless in London, she chances upon a job backstage at a theater which is presenting the most popular show in London. A talented musician and singer, she feels immediately at home and soon becomes enthralled with the idea of pursuing a career on the stage. An injury during a skirmish in India has forced Nate Moran out of the army until he recovers. Filling his time at a stable of horses for hire in London, he has also spent the past two months working nights as a stagehand, filling in for his injured brother. Although he’s glad he can help his family through a tough time, he is counting the days until he can rejoin his regiment. London holds bitter memories for him that he is anxious to escape. But then he meets the beautiful woman who has found a new lease on life in the very place Nate can’t wait to leave behind.      I can'

New Look

     A Tree, A Book, and A Breeze has undergone a long overdue makeover. (And in revamping it, I also discovered that there are new blogger templates! Amazing.)      Also, one thing you may have noticed is that lately I've been leaving off official "ratings" on my reviews- this is because I'm continually frustrated by whether or not I'm giving out good ones. I always feel like I'm either being too generous or to harsh, and since I generally am a more picky reader, I was beginning to think my continual refusal to hand out 10 stars might be a little depressing for all of you! So, I've simply been leaving the star ratings off. However, if you are a tried-and-true fan of the star system, head over to my Goodreads page and follow my reviews there, since I still use them on that site.      So, have a look around! Hopefully everything is organized in a manner better and more convenient than before.

Jane of Austin

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Jane of Austin Hillary Manton Lodge Waterbrook Press Just a few years after their father’s business scandal shatters their lives, Jane and Celia Woodward find themselves forced out of their San Francisco tea shop. The last thing Jane wants is to leave their beloved shop on Valencia Street, but when Celia insists on a move to Austin, Texas, the sisters pack up their kid sister Margot and Jane’s tea plants, determined to start over yet again. But life in Austin isn’t all sweet tea and breakfast tacos. Their unusual living situation is challenging and unspoken words begin to fester between Jane and Celia. When Jane meets and falls for up-and-coming musician Sean Willis, the chasm grows deeper. While Sean seems to charm everyone in his path, one person is immune – retired Marine Captain Callum Beckett. Callum never meant to leave the military, but the twin losses of his father and his left leg have returned him to the place he least expected—Texas.  In this modern sp

Ice Cream and Friends

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Ice Cream and Friends Editors at Food52 Ten Speed Press      Seriously, who doesn't like ice cream? It's one of my favorites, and since my family owns an ice cream maker, I've been interested in trying out more recipes.       Ice Cream and Friends is, visually, a beautiful book, and there are several recipes that look delicious. There are also some that look weird (will I ever hazard spending money on the ingredients for Burnt Toast Ice Cream? I don't know) and some that just aren't to my taste (fruit is not my thing). The only recipe I've tried so far has been the honeyed walnut ice cream: it was okay, although the cream-to-milk ratio was a little different than I prefer, and gave the finished product more of a whipped cream taste than a true ice cream one. In addition, while I'm sure I'll be trying more recipes from this book, there aren't too many that really made me go, "wow, I HAVE to try this!" My flavor preferences tend

Bread of Angels

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Bread of Angels Tessa Afshar Tyndale Purple. The foundation of an influential trade in a Roman world dominated by men. One woman rises up to take the reins of success in an incredible journey of courage, grit, and friendship. And along the way, she changes the world. But before she was Lydia, the seller of purple, she was simply a merchant's daughter who loved three things: her father, her ancestral home, and making dye. Then unbearable betrayal robs her of nearly everything. With only her father's secret formulas left, Lydia flees to Philippi and struggles to establish her business on her own. Determination and serendipitous acquaintances--along with her father's precious dye--help her become one of the city's preeminent merchants. But fear lingers in every shadow, until Lydia meets the apostle Paul and hears his message of hope, becoming his first European convert. Still, Lydia can't outrun her secrets forever, and when past and present collide,

The Evaporation of Sofi Snow

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The Evaporation of Sofi Snow Mary Weber Thomas Nelson Ever since the Delonese ice-planet arrived eleven years ago, Sofi's dreams have been vivid. Alien. In a system where Earth's corporations rule in place of governments and the humanoid race orbiting the moon are allies, her only constant has been her younger brother, Shilo. As an online gamer, Sofi battles behind the scenes of Earth's Fantasy Fighting arena where Shilo is forced to compete in a mix of real and virtual blood sport. But when a bomb takes out a quarter of the arena, Sofi's the only one who believes Shilo survived. She has dreams of him. And she's convinced he's been taken to the ice-planet. Except no one but ambassadors are allowed there. For Miguel, Earth's charming young playboy, the games are of a different sort. As Ambassador to the Delonese, his career has been built on trading secrets and seduction. Until the Fantasy Fight's bomb goes off. Now the tables have tur

Wings of the Wind

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Wings of the Wind Connilyn Cossette Bethany House Alanah, a Canaanite, is no stranger to fighting and survival. When her family is killed in battle with the Hebrews, she disguises herself and sneaks onto the battlefield to avenge her family. The one thing she never counted on was surviving. Tobiah, a Hebrew warrior, is shocked to find an unconscious, wounded woman among the Canaanite casualties. Compelled to bring her to a Hebrew healer back at their camp, he is soon confronted with a truth he can’t ignore: the only way to protect this enemy is to marry her. Unused to being weak and vulnerable, Alanah submits to the marriage—for now. As she comes to know and respect Tobiah and his people, however, she begins to second-guess her plans of escape. But when her past has painfully unanticipated consequences, the tentative peace she’s found with Tobiah, the Hebrews, and Yahweh is shaken to the core. Can Alanah’s fierce heart and strength withstand the ensuing threats to her

The Maggie Bright

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The Maggie Bright Tracy Groot Tyndale England, 1940. Clare Childs knew life would change when she unexpectedly inherited the "Maggie Bright"--a noble fifty-two-foot yacht. In fact, she's counting on it. But the boat harbors secrets. When a stranger arrives, searching for documents hidden onboard, Clare is pulled into a Scotland Yard investigation that could shed light on Hitler's darkest schemes and prompt America to action.Across the Channel, Hitler's "Blitzkrieg" has the entire British army in retreat with little hope for rescue at the shallow beaches of Dunkirk. With time running out, Churchill recruits civilian watercraft to help. Hitler is attacking from land, air, and sea, and any boat that goes might not return. Yet Clare knows "Maggie Bright" must answer the call--piloted by an American who has refused to join the war effort until now and a detective with a very personal motive for exposing the truth.The fate of the war h

A Stranger At Fellsworth

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A Stranger at Fellsworth Sarah E. Ladd Thomas Nelson Could losing everything be the best thing to happen to Annabelle Thorley?  In the fallout of her deceased father’s financial ruin, Annabelle’s prospects are looking bleak. Her fiancé has called off their betrothal, and now she remains at the mercy of her controlling and often cruel brother. Annabelle soon faces the fact that her only hope for a better life is to do the unthinkable and run away to Fellsworth, the home of her long-estranged aunt and uncle, where a teaching position awaits her. Working for a wage for the first time in her life forces Annabelle to adapt to often unpleasant situations as friendships and roles she’s taken for granted are called into question.  Owen Locke is unswerving in his commitments. As a widower and father, he is fiercely protective of his only daughter. As an industrious gamekeeper, he is intent on keeping poachers at bay even though his ambition has always been to eventually purch

Pursued

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Pursued Lisa Harris Revell Nikki Boyd's flight into Nashville was routine--up until the crash landing at the airport. When the dust settles, Nikki discovers that the woman who had been seated next to her on the plane is missing--and no one will admit she was ever there. Erika Hamilton had been flying to Nashville with an air marshal as a key witness in an upcoming grand jury trial. When she flees from the crash, is she running from trouble or straight into it? Before Nikki can even see her family, she and her team are pulled into a missing persons case where the motives are as unclear as the suspects.      I have a habit of trying making myself try different things so I don't get into a rut. I'm a person generally opposed to change, and that includes my reading choices. But I started reading Lisa Harris's Nikki Boyd Files because I thought I needed to read some novels set in modern day. I never do, and I typically hate the morality and culture of "mod

When Tides Turn

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When Tides Turn Sarah Sundin Revell The last thing naval officer Dan Avery wants to see on his radar is glamour girl Quintessa Beaumont—even if she has joined the WAVES. When fun-loving glamour girl Quintessa Beaumont learns the Navy has established the WAVES program for women, she enlists, determined to throw off her frivolous ways and contribute to the war effort. No-nonsense and hoping to make admiral, Lt. Dan Avery has been using his skills to fight German U-boats. The last thing he wants to see on his radar is a girl like Tess. For her part, Tess works hard to prove her worth in the Anti-Submarine Warfare Unit in Boston—both to her commanding officers and to the man with whom she is smitten. When Dan is assigned to a new escort carrier at the peak of the Battle of the Atlantic, he’s torn between his lifelong career goals and his desire to help Tess root out a possible spy on shore. The Germans put up quite a fight, but he wages a deeper battle within his heart. Cou

The Illusionist's Apprentice

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The Illusionist's Apprentice Kristy Cambron Thomas Nelson Publishers Harry Houdni’s one-time apprentice holds fantastic secrets about the greatest illusionist in the world. But someone wants to claim them . . . or silence her before she can reveal them on her own. Boston, 1926. Jenny “Wren” Lockhart is a bold eccentric—even for a female vaudevillian. As notorious for her inherited wealth and gentleman’s dress as she is for her unsavory upbringing in the back halls of a vaudeville theater, Wren lives in a world that challenges all manner of conventions. In the months following Houdini’s death, Wren is drawn into a web of mystery surrounding a spiritualist by the name of Horace Stapleton, a man defamed by Houdini’s ardent debunking of fraudulent mystics in the years leading up to his death. But in a public illusion that goes terribly wrong, one man is dead and another stands charged with his murder. Though he’s known as one of her teacher’s greatest critics, Wren

Murder on the Moor

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Murder on the Moor Julianna Deering Bethany House Publishers Mystery Awaits on the Mysterious Yorkshire Moors  At the urgent request of an old school friend, Drew and Madeline Farthering come to Bloodworth Park Lodge in the midst of the Yorkshire moors, a place as moody and mysterious as a BrontE hero. There have been several worrisome incidents out on the moor--property destroyed, fires started, sheep and cattle scattered--and worst of all, the vicar has been found dead on the steps of the church.  Drew's friend is obviously smitten with his bride of eight months, though it's hard to imagine what she sees in the awkward man. Drew can't help wondering if her affections lie more with the man's money and estate, while her romantic interests focus on their fiery Welsh gamekeeper. As the danger grows ever closer, it's up to Drew to look past his own prejudices, determine what is really going on, and find the killer before it's too late.      If you