When the Day Comes (Timeless #1) by Gabrielle Meyer

  

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Category: Adult, Christian Fiction
Genre: Romance, Clean romance, Historical Fiction, Historical Romance
Content: Marital rape, Abuse by a parent

 

How will she choose, knowing all she must sacrifice?

Libby has been given a powerful gift: to live one life in 1774 Colonial Williamsburg and the other in 1914 Gilded Age New York City. When she falls asleep in one life, she wakes up in the other. While she's the same person at her core in both times, she's leading two vastly different lives.

In Colonial Williamsburg, Libby is a public printer for the House of Burgesses and the Royal Governor, trying to provide for her family and support the Patriot cause. The man she loves, Henry Montgomery, has his own secrets. As the revolution draws near, both their lives--and any hope of love--are put in jeopardy.

Libby's life in 1914 New York is filled with wealth, drawing room conversations, and bachelors. But the only work she cares about--women's suffrage--is discouraged, and her mother is intent on marrying her off to an English marquess. The growing talk of war in Europe only complicates matters.

But Libby knows she's not destined to live two lives forever. On her twenty-first birthday, she must choose one path and forfeit the other--but how can she choose when she has so much to lose in each life?

  

I thoroughly enjoyed this book despite the fact that the a huge portion of the 1914 timeline infuriated me, but more on that in a minute. From almost the very beginning we know that the 1774 timeline is the timeline that our main character, Libby feels she belongs in and she is planning to choose that timeline to stay in permanently on her 21st birthday. I enjoyed reading about Colonial Williamsburg and I liked the way the author wove that part of history into the story. I enjoyed the characters from this timeline a lot. I loved how supportive Libby's mother in this timeline is, and the fact that she gave up a lot to live her life there with her children was admirable. 

As for the 1914 timeline, Mother Wells was a real piece of work, the complete opposite of the mother Libby has in 1774. The emotional, psychological, and physical abuse she perpetrated was bad on it's own, but the father in this timeline infuriated me just as much by totally failing to protect his daughter. He acted powerless in a time when men had all the power. As for the marriage contract, I'm not buying that a contract signed on his behalf by his wife would have been held as valid. Libby loves her father throughout the book and never comes to see that he could and should have done more to protect her. It bothered me that this was never addressed in the book. 

Having faith, following Gods will, and forgiving others were big themes in this book and I struggled with the way some of this was applied. Particularly on the subject of forgiveness. At one point in the book when Libby is writing letters to her family, we find out that she is writing to mother Wells. Why?! Forgiving someone doesn't mean you have to let them back into your life if they are a toxic and abusive person. I liked the way God's will played a part in some of the twists in the story, but not how it was portrayed all the time. At times I thought that got too heavy-handed. 

I did end up predicting pretty much every plot twist in this book but despite that I enjoyed how they enhanced this story. I found the end particularly impactful and it had me crying just a little bit. If some things had been addressed that weren't, like Libby's father; if some of the characters had been a bit more nuanced, instead of so black and white; and if the Christian themes had been presented slightly different, then I think I would have given this 5 stars. That being said, 4 stars means I really liked this and will be reading more in this series. Be sure to read the author's note at the end of the book where she tells about how she got the idea for this book and the inspiration for the main character in the colonial era.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Collector of Burned Books by Roseanna M. White

  

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Category: Adult, Christian Fiction
Genre:  Romance, Historical Fiction 
Content: Clean

In this gripping World War II historical about the power of words, two people form an unlikely friendship amid the Nazi occupation in Paris and fight to preserve the truth that enemies of freedom long to destroy.

Paris, 1940. Ever since the Nazi Party began burning books, German writers exiled for their opinions or heritage have been taking up residence in Paris. There they opened a library meant to celebrate the freedom of ideas and gathered every book on the banned list . . . and even incognito versions of the forbidden books that were smuggled back into Germany.

For the last six years, Corinne Bastien has been reading those books and making that library a second home. But when the German army takes possession of Paris, she loses access to the library and all the secrets she’d hidden there. Secrets the Allies will need if they have any hope of liberating the city she calls home.

Christian Bauer may be German, but he never wanted anything to do with the Nazi Party—he is a professor, one who’s done his best to protect his family as well as the books that were a threat to Nazi ideals. But when Goebbels sends him to Paris to handle the “relocation” of France’s libraries, he’s forced into an army uniform and given a rank he doesn’t want. In Paris, he tries to protect whoever and whatever he can from the madness of the Party and preserve the ideas that Germans will need again when that madness is over, and maybe find a lost piece of his heart. 

 

"Books didn’t burn. Books ignited. They lit the burning in others. Not with paper and match. With ideas."

  

Roseanna M. White has become one of my favorite authors. I love the historic details that she includes in her books. I very much enjoyed this one. This is one of her rare standalones and it was a departure from her previous books in that it takes place during WWII. I liked this change, although I have to say that I still enjoyed the books set during WWI the most. 

I liked the slow burn of the romance in this book. I thought the characters were very well drawn, and I genuinely liked them. There are times when I felt like certain characters got away with things they probably wouldn't have during the Nazi occupation. Things felt a little too easy, although I appreciate the fact that this was meant to be a romance that left me feeling good, so it was a more gentle read than a historical fiction book set in this time would have been. 

There were also some actions taken by the main female character that I thought didn't make a lot of sense, like hiding coded messages in books that were banned and could possibly be confiscated. Still, despite those quibbles I enjoyed the story and the author's excellent writing. I think besides the romance, the thing I appreciate the most about this author's books are how historically accurate they are. The Christian themes are always present as well and those give the books an inspirational aspect that I enjoy. I especially like that this author includes historical accuracy in the religion that is included in each of her stories. 

Most of this author's books have some connection in one way or another, and I was looking forward to seeing how this one would be connected to her other works. When it happened it was such a treat!

I'm looking forward to reading the next historical Christian romance by this author. 

 

"When a people stopped entertaining opposing ideas, when they condemned the different as evil, then it was a short step from closed-minded to violently oppressive."

 

 

 Thanks to NetGalley and Tyndale House Publishers for providing me with a copy of this book.

 

 

 

 

 

A Winter by the Sea (On Devonshire Shores #2) by Julie Klassen

  

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Category: Adult, Christian Fiction
Genre: Romance, Clean Romance, Historical Romance
Content: Clean

 

When the Duke and Duchess of Kent rent neighboring Woolbrook Cottage for the winter, the Summers sisters are called upon to host three of the royal couple's male staff in their seaside house. But they soon realize they've invited mysterious secrets and the sweet possibility of romance into their home.

Meanwhile, Emily Summers approaches a local publisher in hopes of fulfilling her dream of becoming an author. When he turns her down, his dashing competitor promises to consider her novel if she will first write a new Sidmouth guidebook for him. Emily accepts and begins researching with the help of the Duke of Kent's handsome private secretary. But a surprise visitor from her past shows up at Sea View, leaving Emily torn between the desires she used to hold dear and her budding dreams for the future.

Return to the Devonshire coast with the Summers sisters, where loyalties are tested, secrets come to light, and new love emerges.

This is one of the books I was looking forward to reading the most at the end of the year, but I ended up not getting to it until January. This series is about sisters who move to Devonshire with their mother after their father dies. They've fallen on some rather hard times as a male relative has inherited their family home, so they end up buying a house in Devonshire and turning it into a guesthouse to make money. Even before the death of their father and the move they experienced other losses as well. 

There are two twin sisters in the family plus two older sisters and a younger one. The oldest is away living with an aunt for reasons I won't divulge because that would be a spoiler for book one. Book one focused mostly on one of the twins, and this book focuses mostly on the other. I liked that there were still parts about the other characters in the books. It felt rather episodic in nature, the way it switched from one character to another. This could also feel a bit like we were just skimming the surface of things at times as well, but overall I still enjoyed the way this was written. 

In the beginning this book felt a bit slow to me, but once it got going I couldn't put it down. The romance was full of longing and conflicted feelings, which made it fun to read, and it was hard to wait for Emily to get her first kiss from the man she loved. When it finally happened it was magic.

There's also the Duke and Duchess of Kent with their baby, the future Queen Victoria, visiting the town. This brought an interesting historical element to the novel, and I appreciated the author's notes at the end of the book about this visit and how it was based on real happenings. 

 

 

 

 

Yesterday's Tides by Roseanna M. White

  

My rating: No rating at this time
Category: Adult, Christian Fiction
Genre: Romance, Historical Romance, Historical Fiction, Clean Romance
Content: Clean

 

In 1942, Evie Farrow is used to life on Ocracoke Island, where every day is the same--until the German U-boats haunting their waters begin to wreak havoc. And when special agent Sterling Bertrand is washed ashore at Evie's inn, her life is turned upside down. While Sterling's injuries keep him inn-bound for weeks, making him even more anxious about the man he's tracking, he becomes increasingly intrigued by Evie, who seems to be hiding secrets of her own.

Decades earlier, in 1914, Englishman Remington Culbreth arrives at the Ocracoke Inn for the summer, but he doesn't count on falling in love with Louisa Adair, the innkeeper's daughter. When war breaks out in Europe, and their relationship is put in jeopardy, will their love survive?

As Evie and Sterling work to track down an elusive German agent, they unravel mysteries that go back a generation. The ripples from the Great War are still rocking their lives, and it seems yesterday's tides may sweep them all into danger again today.

 

 

I've been trying to get through this book all month and I'm 65% in. I've tried not to push it, and just picked the book up when I felt in the mood for it, but I'm at the point now where I just don't want to pick it up anymore. So, I made the decision to stop reading it. Maybe I'll eventually get back to one day, but with a big list of books to read, I'm setting it aside for now.

This book incorporates two timelines. I'm not a huge fan of romances with dual timelines. The timelines in this book are set in 1942 and 1914. Originally, I decided to read this because I was hoping it would have the same type of feel as the Shadows Over England Series, and the Codebreakers series; romance and espionage with some historical fiction mixed in. Unfortunately, I found this one to be rather boring, and the stories from the two different timelines were too similar. There wasn't enough romance or espionage to make the story spark. Also, the characters in the 1914 timeline frustrated me. I know there were lies told by someone that they both wanted to trust, but I feel like one of them would have done more checking into the story. Why wouldn't Rem have contacted the Inn at least? Anyway, I'm not finished with the book, and maybe he eventually does, but from where I am, it doesn't seem like it. 

I do think that the author had a great idea to include characters from several of her series in this book. They make appearances at different points, and it was a nice surprise. It was probably the thing I liked the most about this book. It put a big smile on my face when Margot De Wilde from The Number of Love was mentioned.

This author's books are all over the spectrum for me. I absolutely love two of her series and count them as favorites. Then there is one series that I liked a lot, but didn't love. There are also two that I never finished, and now this standalone that I've decided to give up on. Usually, when I love something by an author, I consistently love most everything they write, or at least like everything they write enough to keep reading, so this is an odd case here. I'll continue to read her books though, because I absolutely love them when they click with me, and there are some beautiful messages in her Shadows Over England and Codebreakers series.

How I Did in August 2022

I had a pretty ambitious list of books to read in August that included two epic fantasy books, and I'm actually pleased with how many of them I got read. I read all but two of them! The two I didn't get to were Dragonfall, and The Icarus Plot. I wasn't really surprised that I didn't get to Dragonfall. Two epic fantasies in one month is a lot for me with all the other books I needed to get through. I've pushed them to September now. 

 

 

On the other hand, I was really happy that I finally got The Offering read! I liked it but didn't love it and I'm starting to feel like this is a take it or leave it series for me. I've only got one more book to read, and then I'll be caught up. I may reevaluate whether or not I want to keep going with this series after I'm caught up. 3 out of 5 stars.

 

 

Along with the planned reads, I also ended up reading two Lady Darby books instead of one. I'm really loving this series! It seems like it just gets better and better with each book. 4 stars for both of these.

 

And there was one book that I forgot to add to my August list, and that was the book my book club picked to read. It was Pastwatch by Orson Scott Card and I've already posted my review for it. 

 

August 2022 Bookclub: Pastwatch: The Redemption of Christopher Columbus

 

My rating: 2.5 of 5 stars

Category: Adult
Genre: Historical Fiction, Sci-fi, Fantasy
Content: Talk of raping women, An off page rape and murder, People being sold into slavery

 

In the not-too-distant future, a major scientific breakthrough has created a way to open windows into the past, and a scientist believes she can alter human history from a tragedy of bloodshed and brutality to a world of hope and healing.

This was our book club book this month. It's sort of a sci-fi/fantasy, with the time travel and the Pastwatch organization, but leans very heavily toward historical fiction. I found parts of this to be interesting and other parts to be downright boring. The beginning engaged me enough and so did the end, but it sagged in the middle. I enjoyed history when I was in school, but I'm not a fan of novels that are about real people, and all that entails. I'm also long past wanting to spend my recreational reading time on history in general, and this was too heavy on the history and too light on the sci-fi and fantasy. 

There's a whole lot of philosophy and speculation in this book and those are the parts that bored me the most. I thought there would be more adventure, but there wasn't. It was mostly a lot of talking. I personally like time travel stories that have a lot happening in them with the time travel itself, and the direct and indirect consequences of it. This really had none of that, and I honestly wasn't all that interested in reading about the subject matter. There were some points brought up that resonated with me and made me think, and a couple of the characters were engaging, but I'm not sure I liked everything about their solution to "fixing" the past. I think one of the things I disliked most about this book was all the manipulating that went on. I can also think of a lot of other events in history that they could go back and fix as well, some of which I think would have been more compelling to read about.

If you liked Doomsday Book, you might like this. It felt similar in some ways, mainly the time travel to way back in history and the heavy historical fiction aspect of it.

A Portrait of Loyalty (The Codebreakers, #3) by Roseanna M. White

 

 

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Category: Adult, Christian
Genre: Historical Fiction, Romance
Content: Clean

 

Zivon Marin was one of Russia's top cryptographers, until the October Revolution tore apart his world. Forced to flee after speaking out against Lenin and separated from his brother along the way, he arrives in England driven by a growing anger and determined to offer his services to the Brits.

Lily Blackwell sees the world best through the lens of a camera--and possesses unsurpassed skill when it comes to retouching and recreating photographs. With her father's connections in propaganda, she's recruited to the intelligence division, even though her mother would disapprove.

After Captain Blackwell invites Zivon to dinner one evening, a friendship blooms between him and Lily. He sees patterns in what she deems chaos; she sees beauty in a world he thought destroyed. But both have secrets they're unwilling to share. When her photographs reveal that someone has been following Zivon, his loyalties are called into question--and his enemies are discovered to be far closer than he'd feared.

I was intrigued by Lily in the previous book and was really glad that this one was about her and also Zivon, who we met in the last book as well. I enjoyed reading how their love blossomed, and the way they were able to help and comfort each other through the different ways they saw the world. 

One thing I liked about this book and the one before it is that we didn't have the typical 'misunderstanding between love interests' trope where there is a lack of communication involved. It was so refreshing to read a romance without that, where the love interests had faith in each other and never doubted each other, even if they didn't have all the information about something. Thank you Roseanna M. White for writing your characters this way!

Yet again I enjoyed the historical aspects of this series, which included the Russian Revolution, Russian cryptographers, early photography, and the Spanish Flu epidemic. This was a great conclusion to the series and I'll miss it, but I still have other books to read by this author. Up next will be the Ladies of the Manor series.

If you are interested in reading books by this author I would suggest reading in the order they were published:

Ladies of the Manor
Shadows Over England
Codebreakers

That way you will meet the characters in the order they are introduced and won't miss out on knowing who they are when they make appearances in other books. 

Thanks to NetGalley and Bethany House Publishers for providing me with an ARC of this book.

On Wings of Devotion (The Codebreakers #2) by Roseanna M. White

 

 

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Category: Adult, Christian
Genre: Historical Fiction, Romance
Content: Clean

 

All of England thinks Phillip Camden a monster—a man who deliberately caused the deaths of his squadron. But as nurse Arabelle Denler watches the so-dubbed "Black Heart" every day, she sees something far different: a hurting man desperate for mercy. And when their paths twist together and he declares himself her new protector, she realizes she has her own role to play in his healing.

Phillip Camden would have preferred to die that day with his squadron rather than be recruited to the Admiralty's codebreaking division. The threats he receives daily are no great surprise and, in his opinion, well deserved. What comes as a shock is the reborn desire to live that Arabelle inspires in him.

But when an old acquaintance shows up and seems set on using him in a plot that has the codebreakers of Room 40 in a frenzy, new affections are put to the test.

 

I thoroughly enjoyed this second book in the Codebreakers series, more so than the first one. Phillip was an interesting addition to the last book, although not very likable, so I was apprehensive about him being a main character in this book. I ended up being really glad his story was told here, and I got to see a different side of him. I also loved how his romance with Arabelle began and progressed in this story. 

This is a story of love and redemption, and the characters were all very well drawn. There are characters from the two previous series that are tied to this one, Shadows Over England, and Ladies of the Manor that make brief appearances. It would have been nice to know who Brook, Rowena, and Ella were from Ladies of the Manor, but I haven't read that series yet. Needless to say I'm looking forward to reading that series when I'm done with this one.

This is Christian historical fiction with romance, and I love the mix of romance, espionage, and history. As usual for this author, there was lots of great historic detail, that included real events and real historic characters. This time there is a character who is a spy and assassin for the German's who was heavily inspired by both Mata Hari and Beatrice Von Brunner. If you don't know much about them I suggest looking them up. That's one thing I've come to love about this series. It inspires me to find out more about people and events I don't know a lot about.

 

 

April 2019 Book Club: Doomsday Book

Doomsday Book by Connie Willis

My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Category: Adult
Genre: Historical Fiction, Fantasy
Content: Pertaining to the 1400s- A couple is caught having sex in the barn, A 50 year old man lears at and gropes a 12 years old girl he is betrothed to.


For Kivrin, preparing an on-site study of one of the deadliest eras in humanity's history was as simple as receiving inoculations against the diseases of the fourteenth century and inventing an alibi for a woman traveling alone. For her instructors in the twenty-first century, it meant painstaking calculations and careful monitoring of the rendezvous location where Kivrin would be received.

But a crisis strangely linking past and future strands Kivrin in a bygone age as her fellows try desperately to rescue her. In a time of superstition and fear, Kivrin - barely of age herself - finds she has become an unlikely angel of hope during one of history's darkest hours.

This was our book club book for April. I'll be honest and say that I went into this book pretty uninterested. I had seen this book before and the blurb didn't sound very exciting. It's weird how my gut instinct on whether or not I will like a book is usually right. This time was no exception. My biggest issue with this book is that it's so incredibly boring. There are pages upon pages of nothing happening, of people trying to get in touch with other people and not being able to - people tied to landlines no less. This was published in 1992. Cell phones existed and were on the cusp of becoming a common thing. You would think that this author would have had the foresight to include some sort of mobile communication in this book. There are also pages upon pages of trying to find a drop spot; trying to get the opportunity to speak with someone in person; wondering what type of illness people are coming down with, and how they got it; and last but not least, wondering if there will be enough toilet paper to last out a quarantine. This all goes on for 400 plus pages until something finally starts to really happen.

This is a time travel book so there are two different time periods represented here. There is the future one where historians have the ability to time travel, and where they sent an inexperienced young woman back to the 1400s. Unfortunately, this part of the book felt like it was getting in the way of the more interesting part, which was the part back in the 1400s, where our time traveler Kivrin is. I also need to say, that although this part of the book is supposed to be set in the future where time travel is possible, it doesn't feel like it's set in the future at all. In fact it barely felt like it was set in the decade the book was written. The part of the book set in the 1400s was slightly more interesting, but unfortunately, other than Kivrin - who I thought was crazy for wanting to go back to the 1400s in the first place - there is no one that I felt attached to. There were maybe three other characters that were mildly likable. Even the children that Kivrin is put in charge of annoyed me. I did develop some sympathy for Rosamund much later in the book, but it was too little too late.

The book does indeed improve greatly after the 400 page mark and I did begin to see how the contrast and also similarities between the past and present were used by the author in the story. The differences in how they dealt with the epidemic in the present and the plague in the past were interesting. The modern day people worrying about toilet paper when they didn't even have clean rags in the 1400s drove the point home. Then there is the point illustrated about how people behave the same way no matter what time period they are from. Just about every character from the future had one that mirrored him or her in the past behavior-wise. As interesting as those things were, the book still was boring, and it was a real slog to get through. I actually ended up feeling kind of depressed after reading it.

In the end I think I can see what the author was trying to do, but the execution was terrible. I don't know why this won the Hugo and Nebula awards. Other than someone traveling back in time, there is no science fiction or fantasy in it. I would say it's more historical fiction with a small fantasy element to it. If you love historical fiction you might like this book, unfortunately it didn't work for me.

 

 

 

Girl in Disguise by Greer Macallister

My rating: 3.5 of 5 stars

Category: Adult
Genre: Historical Fiction
Content: a mild sex scene


For the first female Pinkerton detective, respect is hard to come by. Danger, however, is not.

In the tumultuous years of the Civil War, the streets of Chicago offer a woman mostly danger and ruin-unless that woman is Kate Warne, the first female Pinkerton detective and a desperate widow with a knack for manipulation.

When I picked up Girl in Disguise I was expecting a mystery novel, but this turned out to be more solidly in the historical fiction category. I also wasn't aware that it was about a real person. Kate Warne really was the first female Pinkerton detective and very little is actually really known about her, besides a few of the cases she was instrumental in solving. She also played a part in seeing President Elect Abraham Lincoln safely to Washington D.C. for his inauguration when there were threats on his life, and acted as a spy during the war.

The cases that were included in the book were all interesting, but since there isn't a whole lot known about Kate Warne's personal life there was a lot of creative license taken by the author with her story. Of course that was necessary to create a book and this is fiction, but I'll be honest and say that I'm not always crazy about reading made up things about real people, even if we do know very little about them. I wasn't completely on board with the way Kate was portrayed in this book, but there were things I did like about her. Despite that, this book was very readable and at times difficult to put down.

If anything, reading this book made me want to know the real stories behind the Pinkerton agents mentioned in this book. I had to look them up and find out which ones were actually based on real people and how the book diverged from the real stories .

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The Ladies of Ivy Cottage by Julie Klassen

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Category: Adult, Christian
Genre: Historical Fiction, Historical Romance
Content: Clean

 
Living with the two Miss Groves in Ivy Cottage, impoverished gentlewoman Rachel Ashford is determined to earn her own livelihood . . . somehow.

Rachel's friend and hostess, Mercy Grove, has given up thoughts of suitors and fills her days managing her girls' school. So when several men take an interest in Ivy Cottage, she assumes pretty Miss Ashford is the cause. Exactly what--or who--has captured each man's attention? The truth may surprise them all.

Return to Ivy Hill in The Ladies of Ivy Cottage as friendships deepen, romances blossom, and mysteries unfold.

The Ladies of Ivy Cottage is the second book in Julie Klassen's Ivy Hill series. I enjoyed the first book, but this one was even better. I loved reading about the different characters in the village of Ivy Hill. This time around the main focus is on Rachel and Mercy and I found their stories pretty compelling. The way Rachel ends up supporting herself was brilliant and I enjoyed reading about her as she started this endeavor and eventually gained more confidence in herself. Mercy was also an interesting character to read about. I loved how she cared so much for the girls in her school, and felt for her as she struggled with wanting a family of her own.

There is more romance in this book and quite a bit more focus on religion, both of which were woven into the story really well without being overly romantic or preachy. As for the romance, I loved the way Rachel's love interest ends up declaring his love for her, even though I wanted to hit him over the head few times along the way. Also Jane, who was the focus of book one finds love as well, and I'm just going to say that I love him, and one scene in particular was very romantic.

There are some plot threads that have not been resolved, Mercy's story being one of them, so I am eagerly looking forward to the next book. This book felt a bit like reading a classic at times. If you like books like Cranford, or Jane Austen's books you might like this series.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher Bethany House for giving me a copy of this book in exchange for a review.

Here's a photo of a cottage I took in Lacock. It reminds me a lot of the one on the cover.

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The Innkeeper of Ivy Hill by Julie Klassen

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Category: Adult
Genre: Historical Fiction
Content: Clean


On a rise overlooking the Wiltshire countryside stands the village of Ivy Hill. Its coaching inn, The Bell, is its lifeblood--along with the coach lines that stop there daily, bringing news, mail, travelers, and much-needed trade.

Jane Bell lives on the edge of the inn property. She had been a genteel lady until she married the charming innkeeper who promised she would never have to work in his family's inn. But when he dies, Jane finds herself The Bell's owner, and worse, she has three months to pay a large loan or lose the place.

The innkeeper of Ivy Hill is the first series Julie Klassen has written and so far I like it. I was expecting this to have more romance in it since Klassen is known for writing historical Christian romances, but the focus here is more on other types of relationships, with the main focus being on telling Jane's story, while touching on other characters in the town of Ivy Hill as well. There is also very little focus on religion in the book, making this a straight up historical fiction. The author mentioned classics like Cranford as inspiration for the series. The author also said she used the cute historic town of Lacock as the layout for the town of Ivy Hill. That was helpful to me when it came to picturing the town since I've actually been there.

Except for a few details that I would have liked to have been included in the book, one being why and how Jane fell in love with John - an innkeeper - to begin with, I think the author has done a good job. I look forward to reading more.


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The Caged Graves by Dianne K. Salerni

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Category: Young Adult
Genre: Mystery, Historical Fiction 
Content: Clean


17-year-old Verity Boone expects a warm homecoming when she returns to Catawissa, Pennsylvania, in 1867, pledged to marry a man she has never met. Instead, she finds a father she barely knows and a future husband with whom she apparently has nothing in common. One truly horrifying surprise awaits her: the graves of her mother and aunt are enclosed in iron cages outside the local cemetery...Perhaps the cages were built to keep grave robbers out . . . or to keep the women in...

The Caged Graves really grabbed me from the very beginning. It was not as creepy as the description made it sound, but that was ok with me. There was a mystery to figure out and while I figured most of it out pretty early on I still enjoyed reading this. The book is meticulously researched. The time period felt authentic and the characters felt well developed. There is a love triangle in this book, but I actually liked it. It was well done and didn't feel just thrown in for no good reason. It was actually an important part in the development of the main character. In the beginning liked things about both love interests, but the one she ends up choosing in the end was definitely the best choice. I won't spoil it by saying why though.

The mystery surrounding the graves is what drew me to this, and the fact that there really are caged graves near the town in this book. No one knows why the real graves have cages around them. I liked the fact that the author actually used the names on the real headstones in the book and created a history and a reason for the cages.



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The Magician's Lie by Greer Macallister

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Category: Adult
Genre: Historical Fiction, Magical Realism, Mystery
Content: Strong Language and a few mild sex scenes


The Amazing Arden is the most famous female illusionist of her day, renowned for her notorious trick of sawing a man in half on stage. One night in Waterloo, Iowa, with young policeman Virgil Holt watching from the audience, she swaps her trademark saw for a fire ax. Is it a new version of the illusion, or an all-too-real murder? When Arden’s husband is found lifeless beneath the stage later that night, the answer seems clear.

The Magician's Lie kept me hooked pretty much from start to finish. It's historical fiction and magical realism with a touch of mystery thrown in. I was actually expecting much more investigation of that mystery, but instead we get the back story of the main character after she is arrested as she tries to explain what happened and why. The story was very interesting and I got sucked into it right along with the police officer in the book, it kind of felt like Scheherazade spinning her tale all through the night to save her life. It really left me wondering throughout most of the book whether or not she was telling the truth and what the lie is that the title eludes to.

Probably the biggest flaw of the book for me was the police officer didn't seem very competent. Nothing he did seemed very much in line with what a police officer would do, even back in the early 1900s. I could also probably pick the book apart and say that the way men and women acted around each other wasn't always in line with the way they would have behaved around each other during that time period, but it really didn't bother me in this particular story. I'm happy to say that this one lived up to my expectations.



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The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova

My rating: 1 of 5 stars

Category: Adult
Genre: Historical Fiction, Paranormal




Breathtakingly suspenseful and beautifully written...

The search for the truth becomes an adventure of monumental proportions...

A feat of storytelling so rich, so hypnotic, so exciting that it has enthralled readers around the world.

Um, was I reading the right book? Because I got none of that from this story.

While I like books that are rich in historic detail, I found that The Historian had too much of that in it. I began to feel like I was reading a history text book at times. I got really impatient and wanted to have the story move along at a faster pace. For me it seemed like every time the book would pick up pace, it would get bogged down again by another history lesson. The history parts were essential to the book and some of it was interesting, but there was just too much rambling on and on...and on. It was a very long book, over 900 pages. I don't necessarily mind very long books. I've read quite a few of them, but I didn't feel like this one needed to be so long. This book needed more editing for sure.

Another thing I disliked about this book was the fact that every time something exciting started to happen I would get disappointed because it ended all too soon. At one point there were bad guys after two characters and then the point of view switched right in the middle of it. When we get back to the two characters they are somewhere else and no explanation is given to how they got away. It felt like the bad guys in the book were there to just 'mug for the camera' so we wouldn't forget they were there and then leave so we could get back to all the history.

Also the whole reason behind what is going on in the book was ridiculous enough to be funny. I truly cannot believe that is why Professor Rossi was taken and all those mysterious books were given to people.

On the up side, I do think the idea of Dracula being real and alive, and the main character finding out she is descended from him was a good idea. It just should have been way more exciting than this. This was an incredibly boring and disappointing read.



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The Noble Servant by Melanie Dickerson

My rating: 3.5 of 5 stars

Category: Young Adult, Christian
Genre: Fairy Tale, Historical Fiction
Content: Clean


She lost everything to an evil conspiracy . . . but that loss may just give her all she ever wanted.

First I would like to thank NetGalley and the publisher Thomas Nelson for giving me a copy of this book.

The Noble Servant is the third book in the Medieval Fairy Tale series. I haven't read the first two yet, but this works fine as a stand-alone. The story begins with Lady Magdalen traveling to marry the Duke of Wolfberg in an arranged marriage. Magdalen had met the Duke once two years before and developed a bit of a crush on him, so she is happy about the arrangement, as she is penniless and wasn't expecting anyone to want to marry her without a dowry. However, things do not go as planned while on the way and Magdalen is forced to switch places with her maidservant who steals her identity. Little do they both know that more deception is afoot at the Duke's castle.

This is a retelling of The Goose Girl, a Fairy Tale I am not all that familiar with so I can't say how true to that story this is. I did enjoy reading when she was tending the geese and when she met Steffan who just happened to be tending the sheep. I thought it was a little ridiculous that they didn't just tell each other who they were, especially after a certain point. Of course just like most of these historical romances, there are some misunderstandings and characters who don't tell each other how they really feel because they think the other person doesn't feel the same way. It got a little old after a while, and while nothing new, it was a sweet romance and I still enjoyed the book

This is also Christian fiction and I knew that going into the book. I felt it got a bit heavy handed with the scripture quoting and praying. Don't get me wrong, I don't mind those things in general, but as I've said in other reviews, I usually just prefer them to be added to the story in a more subtle way. I think the thing about it that bothered me a bit was that the religious aspect of the book felt too modern and evangelical for the time period and medieval setting in the way it was presented. This kind of pulled me out of the story a couple of times.

I will probably read the other two books in this series as they are nice to read when I just want something light.


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Walk on Earth a Stranger by Rae Carson

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Category: Young Adult
Genre: Historical Fiction, Magical Realism
Content: Clean


Leah Westfall has a gift; she can sense gold. She has kept this gift a secret her whole life from everyone but her parents, but after tragedy strikes, Lee discovers someone else does know and she ends up running away to join the California Gold Rush to avoid him. This is the beginning of an adventure for Lee that includes lots of hardship and tragedy, but also earns her new friends as well, as she makes the trek all the way from Georgia to California.

Walk on Earth A Stranger was a very fast read for me. Considering the fact that it is mostly historical fiction with just a small amount of fantasy thrown in, I honestly wasn't expecting to be so glued to it. The best thing about this book is Lee. She's a girl who is tough because she's had to be. As one of my buddy reads friends said, she reminded her of the girl in True Grit.

I liked that the good things balanced out the bad things that happened in the book. There would be a scene where the worst in humanity is portrayed, but then it would be followed up by one full of generosity and hope. Quite a few of the characters in the book really evolved on the journey. One in particular who was hard to like in the beginning, becomes very likable in the end.

There is a hint of romance in the book and I liked that it is a very slow burning one that didn't interfere with the plot. Jefferson is Lee's best friend and that is how the relationship is mostly portrayed throughout the book.

If there is one thing I'm disappointed about, it would be that the whole book is spent traveling. Don't get me wrong though, this traveling is not boring. It's filled with adventure and tragedy. I was just eager to see what would happen when they finally got to California.[ I was really disappointed that her uncle finds her immediately after she arrives in California. I thought it was a little far-fetched that he would find her so easily. But I loved the way her new found "family" stood up for her.  (hide spoiler)]

I will most certainly be reading the next book in the series.



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Ivory and Bone by Julie Eshbaugh

My rating: 2.5 of 5 stars

Category: Young Adult
Genre: Historical Fiction
Content: Clean



Ivory and Bone is a YA historical fiction set in prehistoric times. That description by itself doesn't sound like something I would normally be interested in, but add in the words "allusions to Pride and Prejudice" to the description and I'm interested. Unfortunately I was under the impression that this was more of a retelling than it actually was. I guess I should have paid attention to the word "allusion" more closely. There was a similar theme to Pride and Prejudice used in this book, but it was very loosely applied.

I'm not altogether sure how I felt about the execution of the prehistoric setting. I think some parts were well done, but others not so much. There were words included in the story that didn't feel right for the time period, like kitchen and parka and that bothered me.

Out of all the characters in the book I think I liked Kol the best. I wanted to like Mya, but she was just written in such a dull and uninteresting way. Plus, the way the story is told didn't help with that. Most of the book is written in second person with Kol telling Mya the story of what happened from his perspective, with him referring to her as "you" throughout the book. It sort of felt like I was reading something meant for someone else and I didn't like the effect.

I think the thing I disliked about this book the most is that it wasn't very compelling. There were a couple of times when I wished I was reading something else. That much more interesting looking stack of library books I have was calling my name, but I stuck it out and made it to the end of this. There were some enjoyable moments near the end when something finally happens, so I didn't feel like it was a complete waste of time.

I think I'm done with prehistoric stories for a long while now, maybe for good as they are not really my cup of tea.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher through a Goodreads giveaway in exchange for a review.


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