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Sisterhood and Resilience in WW2: A Review of If I Were You
About the Book From bestselling and eight-time Christy Award–winning author Lynn Austin comes a remarkable novel of sisterhood, self-discovery, and romance set against the backdrop of WW2. 1950. In the wake of the war, Audrey Clarkson leaves her manor house in England for a fresh start in America with her young son. As a widowed war bride, Audrey needs the support of her American in-laws, whom she has never met. But she arrives to find that her longtime friend Eve Dawson has been impersonating her for the past four years. Unraveling this deception will force Audrey and Eve’s secrets―and the complicated history of their friendship―to the surface. 1940. Eve and Audrey have…
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When the Waters Came Book Review
About the Book Pastor Montgomery Childs has tended his flock in Johnstown, Pennsylvania, for two years. While his pews are full every Sunday, he most desires to see a reckoning between God and the kings of industry who recreate on Lake Conemaugh. The pleasure grounds, flowing alcohol, and business dealings of the South Fork Fishing and Hunting Club taunts Monty as he works to heal the wounds inflicted from his own privileged childhood among Pittsburgh society. Like Noah, Monty prays against the evil surrounding him, but he never expects God to send a flood. It takes five days for the Red Cross to respond to the Johnstown flood disaster, but…
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For a Lifetime Book Review
About the Book Grace and Hope are identical twin sisters born with the ability to time-cross together between 1692 Salem, Massachusetts, and 1912 New York City. As their twenty-fifth birthday approaches, they will have to choose one life to keep and one to leave behind forever–no matter the cost. In 1692, they live and work in their father’s tavern, where they must watch helplessly as the witch trials unfold in their village, threatening everyone. With the help of a handsome childhood friend, they search for the truth behind their mother’s mysterious death, risking everything to expose a secret that could save their lives–or be their undoing. In 1912, Hope dreams…
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The Secrets Beneath Book Review
About the Book Anna Lakeman has spent her life working alongside her paleontologist father, drawing intricate sketches at every dig. When they find dinosaur bones near their home in Wyoming Territory, they’re swiftly caught up in the era known as the Bone Wars. But when her father becomes sick and an old beau, Joshua Ziegler, returns for the summer, Anna’s world is upended and the practical, orderly life she has made for herself shatters. Medical student Joshua Ziegler left his hometown to forget the one woman he truly loved and deeply hurt–Anna Lakeman. But when he returns, time hasn’t erased the feelings they’ve always had for each other. When Joshua’s…
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The Accidental Guardian Book Review
About the Book When Trace Riley finds the smoldering ruins of a small wagon train, he recognizes the hand behind the attack as the same group who left him as sole survivor years ago. Living off the wilderness since then, he’d finally carved out a home and started a herd–while serving as a self-appointed guardian of the trail, driving off dangerous men. He’dhoped those days were over, but the latest attack shows he was wrong. Deborah Harkness saved her younger sister and two toddlers during the attack, and now finds herself at the mercy of her rescuer. Trace offers the only shelter for miles around, and agrees to take them…
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Review Rewind – The Colonel’s Lady by Laura Frantz
About the book: Laura Frantz’s The Colonel’s Lady is historical fiction at it’s best, capturing readers with a powerful story of love, a search for the truth and, finally, forgiveness. It’s 1779 when Roxanna arrives from Virginia to the Kentucky fort commanded by Colonel Cassius McLinn. Told that her officer father has died, Roxanna suddenly finds herself penniless and destitute and is forced to take her father’s place as the fort’s scrivener. It soon becomes clear that Cassius is attracted to her, but she realizes the colonel has secrets of his own, some of which have to do with her father’s sudden death. Can Roxanne ever love Cassius as long as the…
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Top Ten Books from 2023
Did you have a great reading year? I certainly did! It’s a miracle that this list has been whittled down to just 10 because I could easily add at least 5-10 more books to it! 2023 has been a spectacular year for Christian fiction, and I have been so impressed with the quality of books that continue to be published in this genre. For those who have wondered whether they should dip their toes into Christian fiction genre, believing it to be your grandma’s kind of stories, I think you’ll find that things have changed – and definitely for the better! This list has a consistent theme of historical fiction…
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Top Ten Tuesday – Atmospheric Books
It has been ages since I last participated in a Top Ten Tuesday post. Today’s prompt sounded like a load of fun, so I couldn’t resist. What comes to mind when you think of Atmospheric Books? I honestly have never given it a second thought, but after looking back in hindsight, there are definitely some books that have had an uncanny way of completely transporting me to a particular place and time. Hopefully, there will be 10 books by the time we get to the end of this list! This description is mentioned at That Artsy Reader Girl today — The Novelry explains this concept as: “A novel feels atmospheric when…
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Millie’s Treasure Book Review
I hardly know where to begin in describing how much I LOVED this book! I’ve read a lot of books by Kathleen over the years, and by far, this has been my favorite one. I may be a little biased because the majority of the story takes place in my (nearby) hometown of Memphis, TN, but the story itself stands on its own merits regardless of the setting. So, if you don’t know anything about Memphis history, a lot of the landmarks, streets, and descriptions will not mean much to you. However, after living here almost my entire life, I had no trouble visualizing every bit of it. Adams Avenue…
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Luther and Katharina Mini Book Review
About the book 2016 ECPA Book of the Year for Fiction! 2016 Christy Award Winner for Historical Romance! Katharina von Bora has seen nothing but the inside of cloister walls since she was five. In a daring escape, Katharina finds refuge with Martin Luther and seeks his help to pair her with the noble, wealthy husband she desires. As class tensions and religious conflicts escalate toward the brink of war, Martin Luther believes that each day could be his last and determines he will never take a wife. As the horrors of the bloody Peasant War break out around them, the proud Katharina and headstrong Martin Luther fight their own…