Monday, February 12, 2024

Dear Mrs. Bird by AJ Pearce (Review)

Series: Emmy Lake Chronicles #1
Genre: Historical Fiction 
Publisher: Scribner
Released: April 5, 2018
276 pages
About the Book:

London, 1941. Amid the falling bombs Emmeline Lake dreams of becoming a fearless Lady War Correspondent. Unfortunately, Emmy instead finds herself employed as a typist for the formidable Henrietta Bird, the renowned agony aunt at Woman’s Friend magazine. Mrs Bird refuses to read, let alone answer, letters containing any form of Unpleasantness, and definitely not those from the lovelorn, grief-stricken or morally conflicted.

But the thought of these desperate women waiting for an answer at this most desperate of times becomes impossible for Emmy to ignore. She decides she simply must help and secretly starts to write back – after all, what harm could that possibly do?






My Rating & Thoughts:    ⭐⭐⭐⭐


Set in London in the early days of the world war two. Air raids have become a common occurrence. We meet Emmy, who is in her 20s, volunteering at a firehouse as a dispatcher. She dreams of being a war journalist and takes a job as a typesetter at a magazine, not realizing exactly what the job was. We follow her everyday life and watch her grow and learn along the way. She makes some unwise decisions, she had the best of intentions but knew it was wrong and did it anyway. Eventually, she has to deal with the consequences of her actions. I especially enjoyed following her friendship with Bunky and reading the numerous letters throughout. There are some difficult situations that happen, but the story is told with a lightheartedness that it wasn't a heavy read. I really enjoyed the ending and feel like Emmy grew over the course of the story.
(I received a copy of this book from a friend; opinions expressed 
in this review are my honest opinion and completely my own.)
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Friday, February 9, 2024

Blackberry Beach by Irene Hannon (Review)

Series: Hope Harbor # 7
Genre: Contemporary Romance 
Publisher: Revell
Released: April 6, 2021
336 pages

About the Book:

Katherine Parker is on the cusp of having everything she ever wanted--fame, money, and acclaim. So why isn't she happy? In search of answers, she comes incognito to Hope Harbor on the Oregon coast for some R&R. Maybe in her secluded rental house overlooking the serene Pacific she'll be able to calm the storm inside.

Coffee shop owner Zach Garrett has found his niche after a traumatic loss--and he has no plans to change the life he's created. Nor does he want to get involved with his reticent new neighbor, whose past is shrouded in mystery. He's had enough drama to last a lifetime. But when Katherine and Zach are recruited to help rehab a home for foster children, sparks fly. And as their lives begin to intersect, might they find more common ground than they expected . . . and discover that, with love, all things are possible?





My Rating & Thoughts:    ⭐⭐⭐⭐


Zach is the owner of the local coffee shop, Kat has arrived in town incognito and is trying to keep to herself while trying to make some decisions. They are neighbours and Zach tries to befriend her so she isn't always alone. I really enjoyed getting to know these characters and following along with them while they tried to figure out the future. It was fun to return to Hope Harbor and learn what's going on in the community now and have mentions of previous characters. Charlie continues to provides wisdom to those around him and make you think. Kat's hobby is making chocolate truffles so there is a lot of references to this, if you have a sweet tooth this may make you want some for yourself. I enjoyed having two possible relationships to root for. I enjoyed the insight of both Charlie and the pastor, each made the characters think. One has made a decision about their aspirations in life and the other is trying to figure out their dreams and God's plan for them. I was invested in all these characters and enjoyed getting the four different points of view. I also liked seeing a reconciliation happen and getting glimpses into what past characters have been up to since we interacted with them in the earlier books.
  
Favourite Quote: 

“I expect most dreams are reachable, if a person's willing to pay the price. The question is whether the goal is worth the cost - and whether the return on investment is positive or negative.”

(I purchased my copy of this book; opinions expressed 
in this review are my honest opinion and completely my own.)

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Wednesday, February 7, 2024

Shadow of Doubt by Terri Blackstock (Review)

Series: Newpointe 911 #2
Genre: Romantic Suspense
Publisher: Zondervan
Released: January 1, 1998
368 pages
About the Book:

A poisoned past. A bitter present. Is Celia a murderer ... or a victim? Detective Stan Shepherd lies comatose in the hospital, a victim of arsenic poisoning. The Newpointe police have a Celia Shepherd, Stan's wife. Celia is no stranger to such charges. When her first husband died of poisoning, a technicality scuttled the case against her and Celia got of scot-free. Now it looks like the same old story---only this time, the motive appears plain. An old flame has moved into town under circumstances bound to raise suspicion. And that's just for starters. More evidence is gathering that can put Celia away for good. But attorney Jill Clark thinks the pieces of the puzzle fit together a bit too neatly. Either her client's Christian faith is a sham or she's the victim of a deadly frame-up---and the real killer is still afoot.






My Rating & Thoughts:    ⭐⭐⭐⭐


I really enjoyed the character of Aunt Aggie. She is a feisty fighter, I laughed so hard when she used her purse to get herself locked up. Her neice Celia has been accused of poisoning her husband with all the evidence pointing to her. Aunt Aggie is one of the few characters who believed her and stuck by her amid all those who questioned. I felt like the police were lazy and didn't even consider the fact that the evidence seemed too obvious. However, Celia's sneaking around didn't help her at all. She made some pretty dumb moves. I figured out who was setting her up very early on. I liked Stan. Even though he had a brief period of doubt, he was determined to trust what he knew. He was vocal and questioned his coworkers' findings. I was invested in the story and the characters. I enjoyed the faith element and how Celia put her trust in God during a really difficult time. Also, it was fun to catch up with characters from book one.

(I purchased my copy of this book; opinions expressed 
in this review are my honest opinion and completely my own.)

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Sunday, February 4, 2024

The Cross Examination of Jesus Christ by Randy Singer (Review)

Genre: Non-Fiction
Publisher: Waterbrook Press
Released: March 21, 2006
201 pages
About the Book:

Sit in the Courtroom as the Savior Testifies.

Witness the disturbing display of events as Jesus stands against His detractors and the unbridled might of the Roman Empire. In this unsparing up-close account, you will experience the greatest injustice in history — the trial and punishment of Jesus of Nazareth — and gain a fresh appreciation for the enormity of the stakes.

His innocence convicted Him .

But you will also travel with Jesus in the years leading up to His final trial as He reveals eternity’s greatest truths in response to hostile questions from the religious leaders of His day.

· Can you prove that you’re the Messiah?
· How can you defend a woman caught in adultery?
· What does it take to reach heaven?
· How can we know God?
· What is truth?

Whether you embrace the claims of Christ or your verdict is still out, you’ll gain provocative insight into the driving passion behind the carpenter from Nazareth. As you take a juror’s seat in this monumental case, you’ll realize that as Jesus answers His accusers, He’s not just talking to them, He’s talking to you.

My Rating & Thoughts:    ⭐⭐⭐

I took my time reading this book to absorb what I was reading. The first and last chapters are a fictionalized version of the Biblical account of the trial and crucifixion of Jesus from the point of a Roman officer, the in-between chapters are insights into the teachings and examples of Jesus with Mr. Singer's personal experiences or research added in. The details of the crucifixion was hard to read, but really exposed Jesus' love and sacrifice for us. I enjoyed reading some of the personal stories that Mr. Singer shared but a lot of the other information felt like it was a textbook sharing works from others (the sources are credited). The first and last chapters are the ones that I will remember. 


(I purchased my copy of this book; opinions expressed 
in this review are my honest opinion and completely my own.)

Check out my reviews of other books by this author: 

   

The Judge 

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Friday, February 2, 2024

Embers in the London Sky by Sarah Sundin (Review)

Genre: Historical Romance
Publisher: Revell
Releases: Feb. 6, 2024
363 pages

About the Book:

As the German army invades the Netherlands in 1940, Aleida van der Zee Martens escapes to London to wait out the Occupation. Separated from her three-year-old son, Theo, in the process, the young widow desperately searches for her little boy even as she works for an agency responsible for evacuating children to the countryside.

When German bombs set London ablaze, BBC radio correspondent Hugh Collingwood reports on the Blitz, eager to boost morale while walking the fine line between truth and censorship. But the Germans are not the only ones Londoners have to fear as a series of murders flame up amid the ashes.

The deaths hit close to home for Hugh, and Aleida needs his help to locate her missing son. As they work together, they grow closer and closer, both to each other and the answers they seek. But with bombs falling and continued killings, they may be running out of time.
  

My Rating & Thoughts:    ⭐⭐⭐⭐


A world war two story filled with mystery, suspense, and romance. The opening was heartbreaking for both main characters. Aleida arrives in London searching for her son and meets Hugh, a correspondent for the BBC who is intrigued by her story but restricted by his editor on what he can broadcast. I liked both characters as I got to know them, but Hugh was definitely my favorite. My heart broke for Aleida when she made a very difficult decision, but it also made me respect her all the more. A beautiful example of what Christ did for us. I did feel like the story dragged a little at times and there were parts where I struggled to follow what exactly was happening at times or how they got where they were, but by the 50% mark I was fully invested. I needed to know if Aleida would find her son and who was responsible for the other stuff that was happening. There were a couple of things I suspected would happen, but that did not take away my enjoyment of the story. I learned a lot about life in London during this time period. I enjoyed my time with this story.

(I received an ARC of this book from Revell; opinions expressed 
in this review are my honest opinion and completely my own.)

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