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.

Christmas with Miss Austen - Laura Briggs

Publisher's Description -

- from christianbook.com

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.

Miles from Where We Started - Cynthia Ruchti

Imagine being stuck in a car, with not only your husband who has asked for a separation, but also an 11-year-old kid whom you barely know, for a 3,000 mile road trip, where your lodging is a tear-drop camper that's mostly bed, and your nightly destinations are unknown until you arrive.  This is the situation that Mallory has found herself in, and while she sets out with high hopes that she can convince her husband, Connor, to rethink his separation question, it's going to take everything in her to get through this crazy trip facing a reluctant husband and a rebellious foster kid.

This was such a unique setting and plotline; it took me a little bit to get into it, but once they were on the road, I was so intrigued by the people they were meeting and the destinations the company sponsoring the road trip was sending them to, that suddenly a road trip and camping sounded like a great idea!  I love that this author makes her characters feel so real; Mallory and Connor are facing some hard stuff that they should be facing together, but they're each trying to deal with it separately and the reader gets to see how that plays out and their individual motivations for such.  In addition, Judah - the 11-year-old - adds the complicated dynamic of not being able to talk out their problems, and they have to figure out how to show this toughened kid that life isn't always going to kick him when he's down. 

I give this book 4 stars; I really enjoyed the trip itself and all of the characters along the way. Also, isn't that cover gorgeous?!

You can find Miles from Where We Started HERE.
You can find the author's page HERE.  Everything I've read from her has been unique and thought-provoking - I look forward to reading more!

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

Catching Christmas - Terri Blackstock

When Finn Parish takes a call from his cab dispatcher to pick up a customer, he doesn't expect an elderly lady in a wheelchair, who may not be completely lucid.  Nor does he expect to have to help her at the doctor's office, or to be called back to her house the following day.  Regardless of his expectations, Finn finds himself drawn into her life, and compelled to help her, whether out of guilt, or his conscience, he's not entirely sure.  He's also not sure what to make of Callie's grandaughter, Sydney, whom he at first takes to be detached and uncaring about her grandmother.  Sydney, however, is fighting her own battles of trying to save her position as a first-year associate at her law firm, while caring for her ailing grandmother.  As the two are drawn together through Callie's needs and wants, they each begin to see their own purposes in life with a new perspective.

Yes, it's only October, and that may seem too early to read a Christmas book, but probably not this one.  While the book has Christmas in the title, and Callie's goal is to spend a nice Christmas making sure that Sydney isn't alone for the holiday, Christmas itself was just sort of tangential to the important parts of the story.  Maybe it would feel more like a Christmas book if I were to read it at Christmas; who knows?

Finn was such an interesting character, I wish there were more to his story here.  But it was fun to watch him go from grumpy, reluctant cab driver to really being invested in Callie's well-being, and even the anger that provoked in him at finding out who was supposed to be helping her, and making sure that the doctors were taking care of her.  Sydney, also, was dealing with so much that it made her character feel more complex than the amount of information we were given about her.  Trying to balance an ever-increasing work load in a job that made her question herself, versus trying to care for the grandmother who'd shown her such love as a child was taking a toll on her, and it took Finn, the former haute-cuisine chef and current cab driver, to really point out to her the choices that she still had.  And, of course- Callie - even if she wasn't sure of everything going on around her, she was always kind and sweet, frequently redirecting conversations with "where are my manners"? She made it seem possible that the unlikely pairing of Finn and Sydney could be drawn together just to make her happy.

A cute book overall; I give it 4 stars.  If anything, I wished for more story to delve deeper into these characters' lives, past, present and future!

You can find Catching Christmas HERE.
You can find the author's page HERE.

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

Caught by Surprise - Jen Turano

In this third installment of the Apart from the Crowd series, Temperance Flowerdew comes front and center.  We learn that she's been kicked out of her distant cousin's, Wayne Flowerdew, house, after having lived there as basically a servant since her parents died.  She has recently decided, however, that she is done being the meek, servantile, poor relation, and is reclaiming her spunk and creative spark, thanks in no small part to the reappearance of her childhood friend, Gilbert Cavendish.  This newfound zest will serve her well as she and Gilbert encounter one strange situation after another.  With the whole city thinking that they are engaged, after being caught in what appeared to be a compromising position, can they salvage their reputations and escape gracefully, or will they even want to?

I adore Jen Turano, and her witty, spunky, clever female characters.  Temperance is just another in a growing list of Ms. Turano's heroines who have made me laugh out loud while following their stories.  Temperance and Gilbert's friendship is so precious; I loved how well they knew each other and looked out for each other.  I was glad to see the previous characters from this series making their appearances as well, both Temperance's friends Gertrude and Permilia, as well as their fiances and Gilbert's friends Harrison and Asher.  I feel like this trio of couples would be highly entertaining to spend an evening with.

Characters aside, however, this installment felt a little over the top for me.  The "twists" in the plot had a bit of a soap opera feel, with zany characters and dramatic turns that didn't fit the rest of the series' tone.  Perhaps if you approach the book expecting comedic drama, you'll be able to enjoy it from that point of view.

I give this book 3 stars, based on my enjoyment of the characters themselves, and leaning heavily on the previous books in the series to give this finale a bit more weight than it might deserve.

You can find Caught by Surprise 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.

The House at Saltwater Point - Colleen Coble

Ellie Blackmore is knee-deep in her renovation business, which she runs with her ex brother-in-law, and making plans to renovate a house for herself, when her sister Mackenzie goes missing.  There's a large bloodstain on the deck of her beloved sailboat, and now rumors of her involvement with a missing cocaine shipment are circulating. The main source of those rumors have swept into town with Coast Guard Intelligence Officer Grayson Bradshaw.  As Ellie and Grayson both seek answers to Mackenzie's disappearance, Grayson has family questions of his own to sort out.

This was a tough book for me to review; once again, I didn't realize this was part of a series, and thus I was not familiar with the characters and hints of backstories sprinkled throughout this book.  That always puts me at a disadvantage, but it does lead me to say that this is probably not best read as a stand alone novel.  Also, there was a lot going on in this book, and I feel like several of the plot lines could have been better served by having their own book.  It was a lot to try to get invested in as a reader, and it was hard to believe that any of the characters could have been dealing with that many major things at once. 

I could see how readers who enjoy suspenseful romance books, however, could enjoy this.  Grayson and Ellie were thrown together because of the case of her sister, but there were reasons for them to not just be at odds on opposite sides of the case.  These side storylines fed their relationship and kept it interesting.

While this book wasn't quite for me, I give it 3 stars.  Ellie's persistent faith in her sister, and a group of connected friends made me want to see how it all turned out.

You can find The House at Saltwater Point 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.