Thursday, October 19, 2023

Review: The Lines Between Us by Amy Lynn Green

Genre: Historical Fiction 
Publisher: Bethany House
Released: Aug. 31, 2021
374 pages
About the Book:

WWII novel of courage and conviction, based on the true experience of the men who fought fires as conscientious objectors and the women who fought prejudice to serve in the Women's Army Corps.

Since the attack on Pearl Harbor, Gordon Hooper and his buddy Jack Armitage have stuck to their values as conscientious objectors. Much to their families' and country's chagrin, they volunteer as smokejumpers rather than enlisting, parachuting into and extinguishing raging wildfires in Oregon. But the number of winter blazes they're called to seems suspiciously high, and when an accident leaves Jack badly injured, Gordon realizes the facts don't add up.

A member of the Women's Army Corps, Dorie Armitage has long been ashamed of her brother's pacifism, but she's shocked by news of his accident. Determined to find out why he was harmed, she arrives at the national forest under the guise of conducting an army report ... and finds herself forced to work with Gordon. He believes it's wrong to lie; she's willing to do whatever it takes for justice to be done. As they search for clues, Gordon and Dorie must wrestle with their convictions about war and peace and decide what to do with the troubling secrets they discover.


My Rating & Thoughts:    ⭐⭐⭐

I loved the letters at the beginning but then the attack on Pearl Harbor happens and war is declared. This changes things for the characters and I struggled to get invested in the story. I knew nothing about the conscientious objectors before reading this. I liked Gordon and could understand his view on war and I understood what motivated Dorie to do what she did, but I just did not connect with either character. At times I was bored, it wasn't until the 50 pages or so that things picked up a bit and I wanted to keep reading to find out what was going to happen.

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

Other books from this author that I have reviewed:   

   

 

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Tuesday, October 17, 2023

Review: Trial and Error by Robert Whitlow

Genre: Legal Fiction 
Publisher: Thomas Nelson
Released: Feb. 2, 2021
432 pages
About the Book:

A small-town lawyer has been searching for his daughter for eighteen years. Now another young woman is missing, and he’s determined to find them both—no matter the cost.

Buddy Smith built his law practice around tracking down missing children. After all, he knows the agony of being separated from a child. Not long after his daughter’s birth, her mother ran away and Buddy never saw either one again.

Gracie Blaylock has known Buddy her entire life, and now that she is clerk of court for the county, their paths cross frequently. When Gracie hears that a teenager in town, Reagan, has gone missing, she knows Buddy is the one for the case.

Reagan’s parents are desperate for answers. Together with Gracie and Mayleah—the new detective in town—Buddy chases all leads, hoping to reach Reagan before it’s too late. And as he pursues one teen girl, he uncovers clues that could bring him closer to the girl he thought he lost forever: his own daughter.


My Rating & Thoughts:    ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐


I loved these characters and quickly became invested in wanting to spend time with them. We first meet Buddy as a high-school student in the hospital awaiting the birth of his child, and then it then jumps forward 17 years and Buddy is now a lawyer who specializes in tracking down missing children. We follow him trying to find 3 different kids (his own being one of them), each situation is different so it was easy to distinguish between them. Along with Buddy, we meet Gracie - who grew up with Buddy and works at the courthouse, and Mayleah - a new detective in town, and Buddy's widowed mom. While we follow Buddy trying to find the kids we also get aspects of everyday life of these characters, such as Gracie's baseball practices. Gracie's prayer life is prominently displayed, and faith is a large topic. There are difficult and sad situations addressed. There was a scene near the end where I literally gasped while reading what was happening. It was a good scene but took me by surprise. There is romance in this book, but it is not the focus of the story and there are no kissing scenes. A relationship with God is really the focus. I didn't want to say goodbye to these characters but am pleased with the way it ended. Highly recommended.

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

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Saturday, October 14, 2023

Review: True Devotion by Dee Henderson

Series: Uncommon Heroes #1
Genre: Romantic Suspense
Publisher: Tyndale House
Released: Jan. 1, 2000
329 pages
About the Book:

Kelly Jacobs has already paid the ultimate price of loving a warrior; she has the folded flag and the grateful thanks of a nation to prove it. Navy SEAL Joe “Bear” Baker can't ask her to accept that risk again—even though he loves her. But the man responsible for her husband's death is back; closer than either of them realize. Kelly is in danger, and Joe may not get there in time.













My Rating & Thoughts:    ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

I was hooked from the first scene. I loved the characters of Kelly and Joe. Their debate about moving beyond friends to something more and what was best for the other person felt real and understandable. The pacing of the story kept me invested and intrigued to know where it was going to go. I did not like Charles and was wishing Kelly would stay away from him, but I did like his son Ryan. There were some scary moments that had me asking if they would make it out of the situation uninjured? Kelly has been through a very difficult time period in her life that affected her relationship with God, but we see her realize this and work to improve her relationship with God. She was a character that was easy to root for. I hurt for her at times, but also cheered and smiled for her at other times. I really enjoyed listening to the audio narration of this book.

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

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Thursday, October 12, 2023

Review: The Fifth Avenue Story Society by Rachel Hauck

Genre: Contemporary Romance
Publisher: Thomas Nelson
Released: Feb. 4, 2020
378 pages
About the Book:

An invitation to join The Fifth Avenue Story Society gives five New York strangers a chance to rewrite their own stories.

Executive assistant Lexa is eager for a much-deserved promotion, but her boss is determined to keep her underemployed.

Literature professor Jett is dealing with a broken heart, as well as a nagging suspicion his literary idol, Gordon Phipps Roth, might be a fraud.

Uber driver Chuck just wants a second chance with his kids.

Aging widower Ed is eager to write the true story of his incredible marriage.

Coral, queen of the cosmetics industry, has broken her engagement and is on the verge of losing her great grandmother’s multimillion-dollar empire.

When all five New Yorkers receive an anonymous, mysterious invitation to the Fifth Avenue Story Society, they suspect they’re victims of a practical joke. No one knows who sent the invitations or why. No one has heard of the literary society. And no one is prepared to reveal their deepest secrets to a roomful of strangers.

Yet curiosity and loneliness bring them back week after week to the old library. And it’s there they discover the stories of their hearts, and the kind of friendship and love that heals their souls. 


My Rating & Thoughts:    ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐


This was a reread for me and I was invested in the characters this time through just as much as I was the first time.

The book starts out by introducing the reader to five separate characters. Each character has their own storyline and are strangers to one another with the exception of two (who have a strained past). They each receive a mysterious invite to the story society. No one know who sent the invite or why them. I loved that the story was told through each character's point of view, this allowed me to really get to know them, and it was easy to follow the switch between points of view. I enjoyed each one of the characters and was invested in getting to know them and see them embrace this friendship opportunity. Each character comes from a different background and age group, but a friendship is formed during their Monday night meetings and impacts their everyday lives. The healing that these individuals go through as they learned to open up, be vulnerable, and grow was inspiring. I recommend this book.

Favourite Quote: 
“If we love when it's easy, it's of no credit to us. Anyone can love when it's easy. But if we love when it's hard, then we are all the better. We gain what we cannot see.”
(I purchased my copy of this book; opinions expressed 
in this review are my honest opinion and completely my own.)

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