Verity - Lisa T. Bergren

Verity is the second installment in The Sugar Baron's Daughters series, and continues the story of the Banning sisters, with the focus on the titular daughter, Verity.  As independent and stubborn as her older sister, Keturah, Verity longs to do her own thing and works to create her own business on the island.  Working to establish trade with the Colonies, Verity will need to decide where her allegiances lay, both those of her country, and those of her heart.

I think I enjoyed this segment of the Banning sisters' story even more than Keturah.  While I enjoyed the unique setting and introduction to the West Indies sugar cane plantations, I was glad that Verity's story brought the variety of the American Revolution.  The story of trying to export goods between the islands and the colonies, and the impact the blockade had not just on the characters' lives, but how it shaped their convictions and roles in the rebellion was well written. I especially appreciated how well the author demonstrated the pull between what felt right and where their loyalty threatened to pull them.  I'm sure that was not as easy as many books make it seem, and I felt the division here. 

I give this book 4 stars.  I'm interested to see where Selah's story takes this family, and I can only hope it's not too much to ask that Angus Shubert gets what's coming to him in the third book.  I definitely recommend reading these books in order!

You can find Verity HERE.
You can find the author's page HERE.

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

A Rumored Fortune - Joanna Davidson Politano

Tressa Harlowe has returned to her home, Trevalyan Castle, upon her father's summons.  Only, it wasn't her father who summoned her; he is believed to be dead, and his wife and daughter must take over the castle and vineyards.  However, the only money to run their lands and pay their workers with is that of the mysterious fortune that Tressa's father was believed to have hidden to keep it safe from greedy family members and fortune hunters - many of whom have now turned up at her door to seek.  Tressa's relationship with her father was mostly one-sided, with her following him around and taking in the vineyard's beauty and his teaching, yet with him keeping his emotional distance and refusing to give her any hints as to where he might have hidden the family fortune.  With time running out to pay those who are demanding their wages, can Tressa trust anyone to help her piece together the scant clues her memories and the house might hold?  What of Donegan Vance, the mysterious field manager who showed up claiming he'd been hired by her father?  Does he have ulterior motives? Is he as honest as he seems to be?

John 15:5 (NIV)

“I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.

What a delightful surprise this book was!  How could you not love Tressa, with her wounded little-girl heart, and her penchant for running barefoot across the vineyards?  My heart ached for her as those around her not only literally betrayed her, but also wanted her to betray the very essence that God gave her - her loyalty, her colorfulness, and her desire to be loved.  Yet in those betrayals, she was pruned back to the only Vine which could sustain her, and in Him she found abundance.

This was probably the best Christian fiction mystery I have read in a long time; it was well done with enough twists to keep you guessing, yet everything lined up logically in the end.  You could see how the actions of those around her would leave Tressa not knowing whom she could trust.  With all of the pointing fingers and greedy grasping hands, it's no wonder she misplaced her trust now and then.  Once she realized there was only One whom she could trust, her true path became much clearer.

I give this book 5 stars.  This was my first book by this author, but it most certainly won't be my last!  I am already looking forward to the book that was teased at the end of this one.  I only wish that I could hear more of how Tressa's life turns out from here!

You can find A Rumored Fortune HERE and HERE (This e-book version is currently only 79 cents! Check price before buying, as Amazon prices fluctuate frequently).
You can find the author's site HERE.

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

The White City - Grace Hitchcock

Winnifred Wylde is the daughter of an Inspector, and is known for seeing a crime around every corner.  However, when she thinks she sees a woman being taken during the Chicago World Fair, her father assigns a bodyguard, Jude Thorpe, and eventually allows her to go undercover to see what she can find out.

I have read many books centered around the Chicago World's Fair; knowing that this one was based on actual events gave it a very different feel.  I really appreciated the author's notes at the end, straightening out what was fact versus what she added to the story.  The slightly unsettling thing was that this book made it so easy to get wrapped up in Winnie's story and dilemma over Jude, that it was easy to lose sight of the fact that it was based on a real serial killer.  While the suspicious character was always depicted as shady, the depth of his evil nature didn't really come through until everything wrapped up in the end.  It certainly would have made it a more disturbing book to go more in depth along the way, but I think I would have liked some more hints or clues as to what he was really up to.

I'm not sure how much the police were looking into the case at the time, but maybe more of a tie in with a real investigation into the disappearances, laid against Winnie's amateur (and dangerous!) sleuthing could have given it more of a suspense and danger tone, rather than a romance book that happened to have a murder in it.

I did really enjoy Winnie's and Danielle's love of books, and Danielle's habit of taking Winnie's books to read herself.  I loved Winnie's few interactions with the bookstore owner, and that's the sort of relationship/character development I'd love to see more of.

I give this book 3.5 stars; I felt like it straddled the line of a romantic/fictitious suspense vs. a real-crime book.  Had it landed squarely on either side of the line, I think it would have fared better. (No pun intended).  I have already downloaded the next in the series, and I am looking forward (maybe with one eye closed!) to the continuation of the series.

You can find The White City HERE.
You can find the author's site HERE.

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

A Desperate Hope - Elizabeth Camden

In this third installment of the Empire State Series, Eloise Drake is tasked with assigning worth to all of the buildings and properties in the town of Duval Springs.  The town that she used to watch from afar, from the home of her guardian; the town whose current mayor, Alex Duval, was the recipient of more than her heart when she was only 16.  Alex, as mayor and descendant of the town's founding family, is desperately trying to keep his town, his family, and his family's legacy from being wiped off the map to make room to provide water for the people of New York.  Can Eloise follow her mathematical brain and keep her heart out of this job? What choices does Alex have to help provide for those who depend on him and look to him for leadership?

I was excited to read this continuation of the series; I enjoyed the character of Rosalind Werner in A Daring Venture, and I felt myself grow angry on behalf of the town that was going to be wiped out for the needs of the big city.  The solution that the town came up with was creative and risky, and I loved watching the town and the state workers come together to put it in action.  Eloise's character held so much promise.  As one of only six female CPAs in the state of New  York, her drive and love of math and logic appealed to me, and I was interested to see how that played out when she came back into the life of her childhood love. However, I found her changes of heart to be fickle, as she was courting one man while intending to return to a life that didn't include him. While I can understand her being unsure of what she really wanted, versus what appeared best for her, it seemed out of character to be misleading someone who cared for her. 

I also struggled to fit the pieces of the saboteur mystery into the story; when the culprit was named and the reason discovered, I felt like I'd missed something along the way.  It left that plot line feeling disjointed, and was a strange way to wrap up a story that was compelling enough to stand on its own - that of the town coming together to find a way to hope in the face of impending disaster.

I give this book 3 stars; I love Elizabeth Camden's intelligent, ground-breaking, female characters, but I didn't enjoy that, in this case, Eloise's brain became a bit secondary to her love interests.  I was fascinated by the idea of the reservoir displacing a town, though, and I wish a bit more of the true story would have woven its way into the novel.

You can find A Desperate Hope HERE.
You can find the author's website HERE.

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

The Secrets of Paper and Ink - Lindsay Harrel

Three women's struggles are woven together in this time hop novel. Sophia and Ginny are contemporary American women who meet and bond when Sophia escapes to England to heal and recover from the death of her abusive fiance. Sophia rents the apartment above the bookstore Ginny is valiantly trying to save after her husband ran away to London 6 months ago to “find himself.” Emily's story, from the mid 1800s, is woven within the modern women's journeys as Sophia attempts to discover if the story of Emily she has found in the bookstore is about a real person, or merely a fictional account by an unknown author.

Each of these three women's stories is compelling, and the weaving of the contemporary friendship as they bond and create a healing relationship helps tie the book and its characters together into a story of relationships and the need for both God and people to help you through the hard times. Both Sophia and Ginny learn that they don't have to do it on their own, and maybe the dream they thought they were following isn't the plan God has in mind for them. They also discover that if they can see the need for grace and forgiveness of one's self in their new friend's life, maybe they deserve the same.

I really enjoyed watching the friendship between Sophia and Ginny grow, as they gave each other the freedom to be vulnerable and honest. The supporting characters helped to enrich the story, and while I maybe wished for a little more interaction with the townspeople as Ginny realized they weren't against her, and as Sophia tried to settle in, there was enough to get the feeling of a community.

I give this book 4 stars; it grabbed my attention and kept me turning pages to find out the resolution of each woman's story. I think I'll find myself wondering how these characters are doing in the days ahead, only to have to remind myself they aren't real. You can find The Secrets of Paper and Ink HERE. You can find the author HERE.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Thomas Nelson through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Ladies of Intrigue - Michelle Griep

Ladies of Intrigue contains three novella-length stories:
"The Gentleman Smuggler's Lady," set in 1815 in Cornwall, England;
"The Doctor's Woman," set in 1862 in Mendota, Minnesota; and
"A House of Secrets," set in 1890 in St. Paul, Minnesota.

Three stories, involving three women with very different settings and backgrounds, yet they manage to fit together by their main character's pluck and dedication.  Helen, in "The Gentleman Smuggler's Lady," has come to England to care for her ailing father, with the generosity of the Seaton family enabling her to have left her job as a governess to do so.  However, she isn't sure she can trust her host, as her first experience with him has him kidnapping her off her newly arrived ship after having looted it.  "The Doctor's Woman," Emmy, is just about to travel to her aunt's home after her father, the town's doctor, has died, to return to a "civilized" life of dining and dancing.  Instead, she finds herself being called upon to use her medical experience within the nearby fort.  A temporary doctor arrives, and together, they see to the needs of the fort's occupants, and the large group of Sioux which has been led into the fort for temporary containment.  The third woman, Amanda, is happily betrothed to the city attorney, Joseph, in "A House of Secrets.  Yet, as she attempts to please her father by taking on a large charity project, she soon finds that the titular house is not the only thing hiding secrets.

I enjoyed this collection of stories more than I expected, with Helen and Isaac, perhaps, being my favorite characters.  I enjoyed the banter, and how the women in all three stores were strong, and spoke their minds, yet meshed well with the men who admired their spunk.  All three women were looking to serve, putting others' needs above their own.  The men in their lives supported and enhanced these pursuits, with encouragement and enthusiasm, rather than condescension or apathy. 

I give this book 4 stars.  It's really hard to feel invested in characters in such a short space, but I feel that this author did a service to her Ladies, and I wish only that there was more to their stories so I could read more about them!

You can find Ladies of Intrigue HERE.
You can find the author HERE.

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

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.