Kristy Cambron

Dear Readers,

 

After reading The Butterfly and the Violin by Kristy Cambron I could hardly wait to see what she was going to do next.  Finally A Sparrow in Terrezin arrived and I was so excited to get started.  I waited until I was headed out on vacation and disappeared once again into the story of Sera and William.

 

Once again Kristy blends a contemporary story with a historical story.  Using WWII as the backdrop we meet Kaja this time.  She is a young lady whose parents risk everything to send her and her sister out of Poland as the Germans march in.  She finishes her education in Palestine and moves to England to work.  Her heart is back in Prague with her parents, but she knows she is safer in London.  That is until she reads the headlines about the death camps and how thousands of Jews are being killed.  She know she needs to return to try to save her parents. 

 

Sera and William are in for their own battle.  One that may cost William his freedom.  Someone in the company sold several pieces of art without the board of director's permission and seems to have pocketed the money. All the evidence they have points to William.   Sera needs to find the evidence that will correct the mistake and may also answer some of her questions about what happened between her husband and his father. It is a story that no one will talk about. 

 

I was just talking to a fellow employee about wars on our home soil.  We here in America have no idea what that is really like.  What is it like to have an enemy army march onto our land and tell us they are taking over and we are now all required to do what they tell us.  That may even include turning in our neighbors because of their religion or family background. 

 

Neither one of us had answer to what we would do if that would happen here.  The thought of running and leaving everything we own behind to try to save ourselves and our family was just not something we could really relate to.  But books like this make you remember that throughout history, people have been trying to save their families in the best way possible and sometimes it meant that they all ended up in a prison camp together. 

I have said this before and just recently, I love when fiction books generate conversations like this.  Suddenly history comes alive and we can maybe actually learn something from it.  I would love to say that we have learned from what the Nazis did, but history since then has proven that it not true.  There are still things going on in the world today that we know are the same as during WWII, maybe not huge death camps, but still one set of people trying to rid the world of another set of people and the rest of the world stands by and watches. 

 

And all that from a fiction book. Amazing.

Happy Reading,

P.S. I received a copy of this book from book look bloggers for my honest review.

New Release - Married Until Monday - Denise Hunter

Dear Readers,

Sunshine, warm temps, and a chair next to your favorite lake/pond/pool, what can be better than that.  In my book (no pun intended) nothing except a really good book to go along with it.  Married Until Monday by Denise Hunter is that perfect summer read.  Light, full of laughter and fun it is an easy fit in a beach bag and one you will want to share with your friends after finishing it.

Ryan tried to move on from his divorce but he didn't do a very good job of it.  He sulked, got angry and even bought her dream house.  Now he rambles around in that big old two story all by himself, missing her more than before.  He just needs a chance to win her back and he may have just received the golden opportunity.

Ryan and Abby are both invited to her parents 35th wedding anniversary celebration.  Abby has never told her parents that they had divorced  and Ryan sees this weekend as a chance to prove to Abby he still loves her. 

Now we all know that plans like these never go well.  With loads of laughter, some tears and romance Denise takes us down that rocky road of love and marriage in one short little weekend. 

Pull up a beach chair, get out the sun glasses and enjoy.

Happy Reading,

New Release - Direct Hit - Mike Hollow

Dear Readers,

Fresh from a trip to London, I have been enjoying several TV shows set there.  Including Sherlock starring Benedict Cumberbatch.

It is always fun to read a book that has landmarks you have seen yourself.  That is one of the reasons I am looking forward to reading Direct Hit by Mike Hollow.

Set in London just as the Blitz starts.  Detective John Jago is called to a scene of a body discovered in a van.  Before he can start his real investigation the Blitz starts and wipes out the crime scene.  He will have to do all his investigating by asking questions about the deceased and what he finds is a man with many secrets and more than one person who has a reason to kill him.

There is nothing better that a murder with more than one person who could be guilty.  This looks like it is going to be a great start to a historical mystery series.  I can hardly wait to get started and figure out who-dun-it.

Happy Reading,

New Releases - June 8 - 13

Dear Readers,

Schools are out for the summer.  The pace of life seems to slow down a bit for a couple of months and that outdoor reading chair is begging to be filled.  Need a couple of ideas?  Here a few new titles that will make excellent companions for those warm summer nights.

Happy Reading,

Until Shiloh Comes - Karl A. Bacon - #1 the Shiloh Trilogy - At the battle of Shiloh during the Civil War Stanley is shot and wounded along side Aaron a Confederate soldier.  When Aaron's family comes looking for him, Stanley, on the condition of receiving help, tells them where to find him.  When the Matthews bring him home, everything begins to change.

Day of Atonement - David A. deSilva - What happened in Jerusalem between the pages of Malachi and Matthew?  The story of Jason is written about the time leading up to the Maccabean revolt.

Direct Hit - Mike Hollow - The Blitz Detective - (from the backcover) - A corpse is discovered in a van in the backstreets of West Ham.  Detective Inspector John Jago recognizes the dead man as a local Justice of the Peace... But then a German bomb Obliterates all Evidence.

Summer's List - Anita Higman - Even though Summer has her bookstore and her beloved granny, she longs for something... someone more.  An unexpected trip open the door once again for romance for Summer.  Will it all work out this time for Summer?

London Tides - Carla Laureano - #2 the MacDonald Family Trilogy - After the death of a close friend, Grace returns to London hoping to rekindle the flames of romance.  But Grace hurt Ian once before when she chose her career over him and he isn't ready to trust her again.

Empire's End - Jerry Jenkins - The story of Paul.  What was the apostle really like?  What was it like to walk along side Paul before and after his conversion?  With great research Jerry gives us a glimpse of the answers to those questions.

Married Until Monday - Denise Hunter - Chapel Springs Romance #4 - A chance to win back the love of his life.  Ryan is given a golden opportunity to win back his ex-wife when they are both invited back for her parents anniversary party.  How hard could that be?

Murder Freshly Baked - Vannetta Chapman - Amish Village Mystery #3 - Amber thinks she has seen it all, until notes warning that some of the pies at the Amish bakery are poisoned.  Who would want to poison a pie? and then write notes warning people about it.  With the help of Hannah Amber is determined to figure out the mystery before anyone gets hurt.

Katie Ganshert

Dear Readers,

Sometimes you read a book and it touches a cord in your heart and you are not sure what the connection is.  I had that recently with The Art of Losing Yourself by Katie Ganshert.  I still wonder if part of the reason I liked the book so much is because my Grandparents used to help take care of a family owned hotel here in Grand Rapids.  Ironically it was on the corner across the street from where I work now.  No hotel anymore, just a strip mall.

To my young heart there was something romantic about living and working at a hotel.  The family my grandparents worked for had their home as part of the hotel.  That is where their children grew up and of course there was a wonderful pool in the summer for us to use and horses out back.  Hard to believe when you drive by here now.

But anyways, that has nothing to do with Katie’s book which was so much fun to read.   I love her characters and how honest they are.  They have real emotions that deal with the big issues they are facing.  Even though it was a sad moment of the book, I completely enjoyed when Carmen had a bit of a break down in the parking lot of a store.  She ran over the sign for parking for expectant mothers.  Then she backed up and did it again.   Now that is a real person’s reaction to the stress of having to buy yet another baby gift when you are unable to have children.

Carmen on the outside looks like she has it all together.  Her TV audience loves her and she has the reputation for getting the weather right all the time.  People invite her into their homes every morning and feel like they know her.  Carmen would be the first to tell them, they don’t.  They have no idea that she longs with her heart to have a baby.  They have no idea that she and her husband are barely speaking and she has no idea how to fix that and heaven forbid they find out she has an alcoholic mother. 

Gracie on the other hand seems to be easy to read.  She is a gothic, lost child who fights against authority.  But is she really?  When she runs away from home in search of the one place she always felt loved and ends up at her older sister Carmen’s home, we start to see another side of her also.  The one she doesn’t really want anyone else to see.

I think that is why I so enjoy Katie’s books.  She writes characters that reflect who we all are behind the scenes.  Her characters are people we all know and Katie gives us a chance to really learn who they are and maybe even get a chance to learn how we can help them.  Alcoholic parents? Nope.  Struggle with infertility? Nope.  But with this book I got a chance to see what that was like and how to walk alongside them, helping in ways I may have never thought of. 

I love when fiction books do that. 

Happy Reading,

New Release - 5 Brides - Eva Marie Everson

Dear Readers,

As I look over the different books that Eva Marie Everson has written, I realize what a versatile author she is.  Mystery, romance, contemporary, humor and historical.  She has written is almost every genre and I have to say I have not read them all, but the ones I have read, I loved.  So 5 Brides, Eva's newest release got my attention, not only because I love her writing, but because it has a beautiful cover.

Just after WWII 5 very different women share a flat in Chicago. Some to follow their own path, some to find a husband and one to support her family.  Each one is very different and yet they are all enjoying a bit of freedom and the new rules for women after the war.

One Saturday afternoon they are window shopping in Chicago and spot a wedding dress that they all fall in love with.  After trying it on and dream about what ifs... they decide to pool their money and buy the dress.  Each with a different dream in mind.  Will each be able to wear the dress when she marries the man of her dreams?

The 50's was a very different time in America's history.  We are home from any world wars and women have found a new strength to stand on their own.  Because of the work most of them or the mothers and sisters did during the war, they are ready to stretch their wings and see if there are other things available to them besides a husband and kids.

Eva gives us 5 very different stories to give us 5 different views of what that would be like.  Her characters are real and usually someone I would like to meet.  That is probably why I like her writing so much.  She makes me want to move into her books and live there. 
I am looking forward to meeting these woman and making new friends.

Happy Reading,

New Release - The Case of the Sin City Sister - Lynne Hinton

Dear Readers,

The Case of the Sin City Sister is book #2 in the Divine Private Detective series by Lynne Hinton.  They are a fun little series about a nun who finds out that like her father, she has a knack for solving mysteries.

For Sister Eve she isn't sure if it is actually a calling or a temptation meant to draw her away from her true calling.  She needs time to figure out which direction to go and so she takes time off from the convent and becomes a PI along side her father. 

When her troublesome sister, Dorianne, seems to go missing, Eve takes matters into her own hands to find her and make sure all is okay.  The search for Dorieanne leads to Sin City itself and becomes are race for her life.  Will Eve be able to understand the clues before something sinister happens?

Written with a bit of roughness around the edges, Lynne captures some very interesting characters.  Eve and her father has this certain quirk that makes them very believable as PIs.  They are fun to read about and it is entertaining to walk along side them and solve the mysteries. 

The mysteries themselves are not easily solved and that make for a very fun read. 

Happy Reading,