COME DOWN SOMEWHERE by JENNIFER L WRIGHT

Publication date 6/9/22

COME DOWN SOMEWHERE by JENNIFER L WRIGHT is the poignant story of two young girls who meet at school in Alamogordo in New Mexico in 1944, both feeling the effects of rejection by their families, 
In spite of their differences, with Jo Hawthorne’s Christian faith and Olive Alexander’s rejection of God, they become friends when Olive realizes that Jo’s loneliness and difficult situation is every bit as bad as her own. We see how the war affects everybody and everything, especially with the military base in the area and the way the government takes over farms to house those involved in secret military activities, especially  in the development of the bomb that wiped out Hiroshima and changed the nature of warfare forever. We see the infiltration of communism and Russian spies, even amongst American citizens.
The story moves seamlessly between 1945 and 1952, with many twists and turns, including the bomb which explodes at Trinity causing long lasting disease and death.
In 1952 we see a disillusioned Jo who has allowed bitterness and pain to come between her and God, and between her and her dying father. Finding Olive, who she looks upon as her sister, but who she feels has also let her down, leads to finding truth at last, but also danger …………
I love the way the author expresses the characters’ emotions and the strong Christian message of redemption, forgiveness and restoration. We see how hard it is to feel Christ’s presence and even how hard it is to pray when harbouring bitterness, hatred and resentment. We see broken people trying to make sense out of life, as well as those who use and betray others.  We see walls going up and sometimes walls going down. We also see the results of choices that are made, both nationally and personally.
There is some wonderful imagery which backs up the truth of God’s word running through the book.
Come Down Somewhere is beautifully written and a most worthwhile read. Although it is heart breaking in parts, there is a strong promise of hope running through the book. and I found it thought provoking and inspirational.
I was given a free copy of the book by NetGalley fromTyndale House Publishers. The opinions in this review are completely my own.

THE HEART OF THE MOUNTAINS by PEPPER BASHAM

Publication date 1/7/22

THE HEART OF THE MOUNTAINS by PEPPER BASHAM is a beautifully written historical romance novel which takes place in the Blue Ridge Mountains in 1919. I love the characters and the strong Christian message. The story is set after WW1 and we see the often fatal effects the war has on so many people.

Jeb McAdams overcomes his memories of the battlefields by keeping busy. He is a family man, strong and capable, with a subtle sense of humour. Cora Taylor finds him calming, especially when he saves her life on several occasions. She has also gone through a great deal during the war as a nurse on the battlefields of France, but nothing has prepared her for the adventures she will have in this harsh and dangerous land. She longs to help the people with her nursing skills and to learn from them, especially from Granny Burcham, but “Nurse Woman” is looked upon with suspicion by some of the fiercely superstitious inhabitants.

Both she and Jeb are determined to live well in this hard place, and as Jeb says, “Maybe we can’t choose our hard, but I reckon we can choose how to live with it in the right way.” 

It is a story about second chances, healing, restoration, forgiveness and the redemption of lost souls. We are reminded that God’s plans are best and that He can bring good out of any situation. A quotation I like from Cora is: “ From what the Bible says, we are all broken, Willa, and that is why we need a rescuer.” 

There is plenty of adventure and beauty in these mountains and the story is not only enjoyable but also inspirational. I highly recommend The Heart of the Mountains to anyone who enjoys this genre.

I was given a free copy of the book by NetGalley from Barbour Publishing. The opinions in this review are completely my own.

 

BY WAY OF THE MOONLIGHT by ELIZABETH MUSSER

Publication date 2/8/22

BY WAY OF THE MOONLIGHT by ELIZABETH MUSSER is a beautifully written novel in which the author’s Christian beliefs form a strong foundation for the main characters in the story. I also love the horse theme and the fact that each horse has its own character and is cherished by its owner.

Allie Massey has always had a close relationship with her feisty grandmother, Nana Dale, which is largely based on their love of horses. This leads to Allie’s determination to carry out her grandmother's dream of turning Hickory Hills into an equine healing centre. This hope is dashed when Nana Dale’s will is read.

Allie digs deep to uncover Nana Dale’s well hidden secrets. The author moves easily between the present day and the 1930’s and war years, gradually uncovering the mysteries of the past and giving us insight into the characters’ emotions.

This book, with its wonderful cast of characters, touches on so many topics such as dysfunctional relationships between mothers and daughters, forgiveness, being thankful for what one has rather than wishing for the next thing, an answered prayer which brings encouragement to many, WW11 and the Battle of the Atlantic where the Sand Pounders patrol the coast, and so much more, including some heartwarming romance.

i highly recommend By Way of the Moonlight as an enjoyable and inspirational read.

I was given a free copy of the book by NetGalley from Bethany House Publishers. The opinions in this review are completely my own.

LIFEMARK by CHRIS FABRY

Publication date 23/8/22

The message that came through strongly to me in LIFEMARK by CHRIS FABRY is, that not only is nobody a mistake, but also that God can take our failures and turn them into a message of redemption and grace. Lifemark is a book that will really touch your heart as you follow the life of David Colton, which so very nearly didn’t happen, and the effect of this life on his birth and adoptive parents, his best friend Nate and all those who hear David speak about his experience and who watch the documentary filmed by Nate. As David says, “Our stories are given to us to steward. And we can decide to keep them hidden or release them into the world.”

I love the honesty of the characters and the way the author takes us through the fears and emotions which lead to the choices they make. We see courage, forgiveness, gratitude, unselfishness and sacrificial love, together with the redemptive love of Christ, shining through the story.

I highly recommend Lifemark as a heartwarming and inspirational read.

I was given a free copy of the book by NetGalley from Tyndale House Publishers. The opinions in this review are completely my own.

A FEELING OF HOME by SUSAN ANNE MASON

Publication date 7/7/22

A FEELING OF HOME is the third novel in the Redemption’s Light series by SUSAN ANNE MASON. It is a lovely read with exceptional characters whose emotions are very real, and with a strong Christian message of grace, forgiveness and redemption on which the novel is based. We are reminded that everyone is precious in the sight of God. The subject of what finding a home entails is beautifully brought out by the author.
The story takes place in 1944 in Toronto. The Bennington Maternity Home and its owners, Ruth and Olivia, play a big part in the story. Although the book can stand alone, I suggest you read the second novel for pure enjoyment and in  order to get more background. 
Isabelle Wardrop’s demand that Dr Mark Henshaw leave his patient in labour at the Bennington Maternity Home, risking both her life and the baby’s, and go with her to attend to her dying mother, who refused to go by ambulance to hospital, shows us, not only her love for her mother, but also the result of her entitled upbringing.
However, we see what she is really made of when she loses her fortune and home and she and her seventeen year old  sister Marissa end up living near the tenements with Fiona, a devoted servant, and Fiona’s Aunt Rosie. Isabelle struggles to find employment, but ends up getting a maid’s job at a hotel. She is determined to do all she can to give Marissa a future,  but her sister is behaving strangely and will not cooperate by working hard at school. She soon sees the fickleness of her society friends and finds Mark Henshaw extremely helpful and forgiving.
Mark’s brother, Josh, is rebellious and angry, and Mark worries that his brother is going to lose his chance of studying medicine at university the way he is missing classes. His Friend Olivia from the maternity home gives him some good advice. Like Isabelle with her sister, Mark is worrying too much about his brother…..
I cannot recommend A Feeling of Home strongly enough as a most enjoyable, inspirational and thought provoking read.
I was given a free copy of the book by NetGalley from Bethany House Publishers. The opinions in this review are completely my own.

IN HONOR’S DEFENSE by KAREN WITEMEYER

Publocation date 7/6/22

IN HONOR’S DEFENSE is thr third novel in the Hanger’s Horsemen series by KAREN WITEMEYER, and although it can easily stand alone I suggest you read the whole lovely series if you possibly can.

The story starts in 1895 in St Louis Missouri where Damaris Baxter, the unassuming and almost invisible youngest of eight children, hears of her older brother Douglas’ death and learns that she is named as his fourteen year old son Nathaniel’s guardian. She moves to Madison county where she is faced with an angry, rebellious boy who does not respond to her affection. Luke Davenport, who comes from a broken and abusive childhood, sees himself in Nate, who is acting out badly after losing both his parents and seems to be asking for trouble.

Luke, or Preach as he is called by the rest of Hanger’s Horsemen, is employed by Nate’s neighbour Oliver Grimes to catch the rustlers who are stealing his cattle. I like the way Luke relies on his relationship with the Lord and his vast knowledge of scripture verses to guide him. The Horsemen are his only family and he has never really had a home. He wonders if someone with his past will ever be able to settle down and have a family. He is fiercely protective by nature and sees something in Damaris that others have not seen. In fact they bring out the best in each other.. 

Add to this a large company wanting to buy Nate’s land, false accusations against him and the mystery surrounding his father’s drowning “accident”, and you have an exciting and suspenseful read.  There is also a sweet romance, some unforgettable characters and a strong Christian message.. I highly recommend In Honor’s Defense to anyone who enjoys this genre.

I was given a free copy of the book by NetGalley from Bethany House Publishers. The opinions in this review are completely my own.

WRITTEN ON THE WIND by ELIZABETH CAMDEN

Publication date3/5/22

WRITTEN ON THE WIND is the second novel in the Blackstone Legacy series by ELIZABETH CAMDEN, but it can easily be read as a stand alone. It is a book that will really stay with you as you read of the strong friendship between Natalia Blackstone, a leading analyst in her father’s New York bank, and Russian Count Dimitri Sokolov. In spite of them communicating with one another from opposite parts of the world they really understand one another. It is inspirational to see how far he is prepared to go in order to follow his conscience and how far she is prepared to go in order to help him.

I really love the characters, especially Dimitri, with his strength, heroism, sense of the dramatic, flirtatiousness,  hypochondria, and poetic nature. I like to see how he is prepared to stand up to the Czar in order to have the 1858 Treaty of Aigun reinstated and protected. I like to see how committed Natalia is to her family, especially her baby brother Alexander, and to her work. After her Russian ballerina mother died, her father married Poppy, a woman close to her own age, who never misses an opportunity to put Natalia down.  It is interesting to see how similar the entitled upper classes are in America and Russia, and the growing unrest among the lower classes in both countries.

I do not want to tell you any more for fear of spoiling the read for you. 

I found Written on the Wind inspirational, interesting and exciting and cannot recommend the book highly enough for the unforgettable characters, great story and underlying Christian message.

I was given a free copy of the book by NetGalley from Bathany House Publishers. The opinions in this review are completely my own.