A Tree, A Book, and A Breeze

The End of the Magi Patrick W. Carr Bethany House Publishers Following his vision of the coming Messiah, the prophet Daniel creates a select group of men who will count down the calendar to the arrival of Israel’s promised king. Centuries later, as the day nears, Myrad, a young magi acolyte, flees for his life when his adoptive father and others are put to death by a ruthless Parthian queen. Having grabbed only a few possessions, Myrad escapes the city, and searching for a way to hide from the soldiers scouring the trade routes, he tries to join the caravan of the merchant Walagash. The merchant senses that Myrad is hiding secrets, but when the young man proves himself a valuable traveler, an epic journey filled with peril, close escapes, and dangerous battles begins. With every day that passes, the calendar creeps closer to the coming Messiah. And over everything shines the dream of a star that Myrad can’t forget and the promise that the world will never be the sam...

The Spice King Elizabeth Camden Bethany House Gray Delacroix has dedicated his life to building a successful global spice empire, but it has come at a cost. Tasked with gaining access to the private Delacroix plant collection, Smithsonian botanist Annabelle Larkin unwittingly steps into a web of dangerous political intrigue and will be forced to choose between her heart and her loyalty to her country.      After being a bit underwhelmed with this author's last series, I was pleased to find myself thoroughly enjoying The Spice King . Elizabeth Camden has a way of expertly handling history in her novels, spotlighting events of the past we've often forgotten about or overlook. This one focused on the intersection of politics, science, and business at the turn of the century, specifically on the purity of canned and processed food produced throughout the country. The politics of the Spanish-American War the the country's relationship with Cuba also play a role i...

The Words Between Us Erin Bartels Revell A reclusive bookstore owner hoped she'd permanently buried her family's sensational past with a new name. But when the novels she once shared with an old crush begin appearing in the mail, it's clear her true identity is about to be revealed, threatening the new life she has painstakingly built.      This might be the most melancholy book I've read this year.      "Melancholy" as a descriptor isn't a bad or a good thing; more a matter of taste. The writing in this novel is lovely, and it's easy to get caught up in Robin's life in the novel's dual timeline plot. Literature, and people's perceptions and reactions to it, also play a large part in the story; Erin Bartels reads a bit like Katherine Reay's more wistful cousin.      For me, personally, I've never liked stories about couples (even teenage sweethearts) who only reunite after years of separation due to misunderstandi...

The Number of Love Roseanna M. White Bethany House Publishers Three years into the Great War, England’s greatest asset is their intelligence network—field agents risking their lives to gather information, and codebreakers able to crack every German telegram. Margot De Wilde thrives in the environment of the secretive Room 40, where she spends her days deciphering intercepted messages. But when her world is turned upside down by an unexpected loss, for the first time in her life numbers aren’t enough. Drake Elton returns wounded from the field, followed by an enemy that just won’t give up. He’s smitten quickly by the too-intelligent Margot, but how to convince a girl who lives entirely in her mind that sometimes life’s answers lie in the heart? Amidst biological warfare, encrypted letters, and a German spy who wants to destroy not just them, but others they love, Margot and Drake will have to work together to save them all from the very secrets that brought them toge...

Wooing Cadie McCaffrey Bethany Turner Revell After four years with her boyfriend, Cadie McCaffrey is thinking of ending things. Convinced Will doesn't love her in the "forever" way she loves him, Cadie believes it's time for her to let him go before life passes her by. When a misunderstanding leads to a mistake, leaving her hurt, disappointed, and full of regret, she finally sends him packing. But for Will, the end of their relationship is only the beginning of his quest to figure out how to be the man Cadie wanted him to be. With the dubious guidance of his former pro-athlete work friends and tactics drawn from Cadie's favorite romantic comedies, Will attempts to win her back. It's a foolproof plan. What could possibly go wrong? Bethany Turner is back with more of the heart and humor readers love. Anyone who enjoys a good romance or binges romantic comedies on Netflix will devour this delightful story Well. This is awkward. So...I h...

Coming off of the wedding of the century to Batman, Selina Kyle stars in an all-new solo series written and illustrated by Eisner Award nominee Joëlle Jones! The wedding night's barely over, but Catwoman's back on the streets, this time to expose a copycat who's pulling heists around Gotham City. As Selina cracks the whip on her former criminal cohorts, she's attracting unwanted attention from one of Gotham's most dangerous groups. The mob? Nope. Try the GCPD. And as if the Bat-Bride didn't have enough problems, don't miss the debut of an all-new villain determined to make trouble for all nine of Selina's lives. Fresh off of her run on Batman with superstar writer Tom King, creator Joëlle Jones writes and illustrates this dynamic new series. Collects issues #1-6.      Even though Catwoman is one of my favorite DC characters, I hadn't read any of her solo comics before this. However, I knew I had to read this run when I saw that it wa...

The Sky Above Us Sarah Sundin Revell Numbed by grief and harboring shameful secrets, Lt. Adler Paxton ships to England with the US 357th Fighter Group in 1943. Determined to become an ace pilot, Adler battles the German Luftwaffe in treacherous dogfights in the skies over France as the Allies struggle for control of the air before the D-day invasion. Violet Lindstrom wanted to be a missionary, but for now she serves in the American Red Cross, where she arranges entertainment for the men of the 357th in the Aeroclub on base and sets up programs for local children. Drawn to the mysterious Adler, she enlists his help with her work and urges him to reconnect with his family after a long estrangement. Despite himself, Adler finds his defenses crumbling when it comes to Violet. But D-day draws near. And secrets can't stay buried forever. Bestselling author Sarah Sundin returns readers to the shores of Normandy, this time in the air, as the second Paxton brother pr...

The Curse of Misty Wayfair Jaime Jo Wright Bethany House Publishers Left at an orphanage as a child, Thea Reed vowed to find her mother someday. Now grown, her search takes her to Pleasant Valley, Wisconsin, in 1908. When clues lead her to a mental asylum, Thea uses her experience as a post-mortem photographer to gain access and assist groundskeeper Simeon Coyle in photographing the patients and uncovering the secrets within. However, she never expected her personal quest would reawaken the legend of Misty Wayfair, a murdered woman who allegedly haunts the area and whose appearance portends death. A century later, Heidi Lane receives a troubling letter from her mother--who is battling dementia--compelling her to travel to Pleasant Valley for answers to her own questions of identity. When she catches sight of a ghostly woman who haunts the asylum ruins in the woods, the long-standing story of Misty Wayfair returns--and with it, Heidi's fear for her own life. As ...