Sunday, January 6, 2019

Flights of Fancy - Jen Turano


Isadora Delafield has found herself in a position that many would envy, from the outside.  She has caught the attention of a duke, to the delight of her mother.  However, when she rebuff's the duke's intentions, she inadvertently places herself in danger, and suddenly becomes part of an insane plan to get her out of harm's way.  The plan involves hiding this great American heiress as a servant in an out of the way household in Pennsylvania.  The household in question is that of Ian MacKenzie, an industrial attorney who has worked hard to draw himself out of the poverty and abuse of his childhood.  Having worked his way into the circles of rich investors and industrial owners, his last goal is to marry up to gain entrance into the social circles of Pittsburgh.  However, a strange housekeeper with a distinct lack of housekeeping skills, and growing tension between the laborers and those who profit off of them may have Ian reevaluating his goals in life.

I have long enjoyed Jen Turano's books, but this may be one of my favorites.  The characters are delightful, and their journeys of self-discovery are so well intertwined that even though you know where the story is headed, you can't help but enjoy the road to get there.  As Isadora, Izzy in her new life, opens her eyes to the world she was always told she was above, she finds out parts of herself that she never knew were there - some good, and some to be left behind with her old life.  At one point, she has this realization about herself:
"She'd grown up in the lap of luxury, spoiled by her parents and raised with the expectation that her every whim would be met by people paid to see to her creature comforts.  She'd never once considered that her demands cast her in a less-than-pleasant light, but now, after having that brought to her attention, and rather matter-of-factly at that, she really had no choice but to agree that she, Isadora Delafield, was a demanding woman, which then suggested that she might not be very...likeable."  
To her credit, Izzy takes this revelation and turns those parts of herself around, becoming not just "likeable," but beloved by everyone around her.

 As Ian tries to figure out exactly why he's drawn to this oddly bespectacled house manager of his, "house manager" being a position he didn't realize existed, he also finds that perhaps he has let his new position in society cloud his view of the life he has been so desperate to escape.  With Izzy worming her way under his skin, and his Aunt and Uncle taking in orphans that will need his care, and his discomfort with his side of negotiations in the factory disputes, Ian also realizes he may need to make some changes.

Between Izzy and Ian's life-changing journeys, Aunt Birdie and Uncle Amos, the four Duffy children who come to live with them, and the animals on the farm who have such distinct personalities as to be their own characters in the book (including a cow who likes to come indoors), this book is filled with enjoyable characters and relationships.  There are, of course, several unsavory characters to drive the plot, but as hateful as they are, they provide a sharp contrast to the loving and God-seeking lives of the main characters.

I give this book 5 stars; it was such a delighful read, and I cannot wait to see what the rest of the series holds!

You can find Flights of Fancy HERE.
You can find the author's website HERE.
Or connect with her on Facebook HERE.

I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher, via NetGalley, in exchange for my honest review.

Tuesday, January 1, 2019

Christmas with Miss Austen - Laura Briggs



Publisher's Description -

Julia Allen is a waitress by day, painter by night, and a famous 1800s authoress on weekends. Moonlighting as Jane Austen for a historical open house is a strange hobby for a contemporary artist, but Julia loves the role—until she falls asleep and gets locked inside after all the visitors are gone! Rushing home from the dark, historical mansion, she collides with a stranger in the snowy park, and discovers later her shortcut cost her the rare copy of Austen's Northanger Abbey borrowed from a friend's treasured collection. Book historian Eliot Weston thinks he imagined the Regency-era figure, but the book he finds in her wake proves otherwise. The first edition of Jane Austen's novel is authentic and incredibly rare, but he fails to find any trace of its owner. Reminders of the unusual encounter keep popping up, however, like the pretty modern artist eager to buy an identical volume. Coincidence? Or Divine intervention making it clear this is anything but an ordinary Christmas for these two hearts?

This was a super cute, quick Christmas read.  Julia and Eliot were fun characters, and the misunderstanding of the lost book wasn't so drawn out as to feel tedious.  I enjoyed the juxtaposition of Julia's contradictory characteristics of modern artist and Austen portrayer, and I liked the addition of Eliot's sister's obsession with Austen to drive some of the connection.  The one thing that bothered me, though, was the question of if this historical open house is such a big deal in this town as to sell out its tickets, why did it never occur to Eliot that the figure in the park was an actress?  However, it was easily overlooked in the interest of the plot, and left the story still enjoyable.
I give this cute seasonal book 3.5 stars.  

You can find Christmas with Miss Austen HERE.You can find the author's page HERE.

I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher, via NetGalley, in exchange for my honest review.

Mind Games - Nancy Mehl



As the daughter of a convicted serial killer, Kaely Quinn, formerly Jessica Oliphant, has a unique perspective on the criminal mind.  Honing her skills as a profiler for the FBI, Kaely has come under scrutiny for her past, and has been forced to change locations to continue her career.  However, the evil in her childhood continues to pursue her, with a news reporter hounding her for her story, and now it seems, a serial killer is targeting her.  Can Kaely profile and find the culprit, or is she too close to the source and too far from her memories of that part of her life to see clearly?

Books about murderers are always tough to read, without feeling that shadow of darkness that clings to their stories.  Yet, within that dark place, there is so much room for the Light to shine.  Kaely Quinn has known so much darkness, and yet she manages to continue to cling to God, knowing that He is bigger than the evil she confronts on a daily basis.  She is a complex character, battling with not just the criminals she profiles, but with the nagging guilt that she should have seen that evil in her father, even as a child.  She may have trust issues, and she may choose her friends carefully, but she is trying to move forward and do her work well. 

While the plot of this book is a bit stomach-twisting, with innocent bystanders being put in jeopardy so that the villain can take out his or her anger on Kaely, the characters are really well written, and there are several plausible options for the suspect.  The author sends her reader down multiple paths of possibilities, while never outright hiding the true criminal.  Kaely's relationships served the purpose of giving insight into her as well, showing where she puts her trust and how she does what she does. 

I give this book 3.5 stars; I am intrigued by Kaely, and am interested in following the hints laid down at the end of this book into the continuing series. 

You can find Mind Games HERE.
You can find the author's page HERE.

I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher, via NetGalley, in exchange for my honest review.