Author Mimi Matthews is one of the best discoveries I’ve made this year. Her Regency era books are so fun and so unique. My favorite is The Work of Art, but Gentleman Jim now runs a very close second.
The plot can get a bit confusing because our male protagonist–a cross between Heathcliff of Wuthering Heights and Westly from The Princess Bride–uses three different names, but it is worth every bit of the reader’s attention. Meanwhile there is the long-suffering Maggie Honeywell, who, ten years before, sent her one true love, Nicholas Seaton, off into the world, never to return. Or did he?
There’s romance, action, witty banter, a plucky heroine, and a swashbuckling time from beginning to end. The supporting characters are well-developed and add great foundation to this story that pulls you in and carries you away to another period when birthright and honor reign supreme. A jolly good read!
When Brianna Hastings is asked to interview the oldest person in her family for a college assignment, she has no idea the impact it will have on her. The “interviewee” is her 98 year old great-grandmother, Daisy, whose teenage life in Boise, Idaho during World War II mirrors Brianna’s in ways she didn’t expect.
Most of the novel is set in the 1940s, as Daisy crushes on her older sister, Lillian’s, boyfriend, Brandan, right before he is deployed. A fateful choice brings next door neighbor, Todd Kinnear, to Daisy’s rescue. Todd, who is mature beyond his years but classified 4-F and cannot enlist, is as heroic as they come, yet has always been more like a brother to Daisy and Lillian. Still, he was the best part of the story.
I’ll Be Seeing You could be classified as Christian Fiction because of the amount of Biblical references and characters’ internal dialogue reconciling their actions with God’s teachings. However, the sisters’ immaturity and bad choices are so blatant that it appears they haven’t learned a thing, which makes the teachings feel heavy-handed and out of place.
The message of learning from others’ mistakes is fairly clear, as well as “those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it,” but it is plot-driven more than character-driven. My motivation to keep reading was finding the answers to certain questions, some of which, frustratingly, never materialized. In the end, it read more like a Young Adult novel (and not a great one) than any other genre.
Thank you to NetGalley and Thomas Nelson Publishing for the advanced copy.
Here are five books I’ve read recently with some brief thoughts. The ratings are based on the Goodreads 5 star system. All are available now.
In the Distance, by Hernan Diaz (a Pulitzer Prize finalist) is a book completely out of my comfort zone, but I’m still very glad I read it. The story of a young Swedish immigrant in the mid 1800s who gets separated from his older brother is nothing short of gripping. Over time he meets a myriad of people, all with their personal agendas. Greed, compassion, power, curiosity, love, loyalty–each are represented and all make an impression on him, molding his skills and character over the years. The narrator uses a singularly poetic style, softening an otherwise difficult journey. Available through online libraries.
The Next Thing You Know, by Jessica Strawser was odd and disappointing. It addresses mortality in a unique way, using an “end of life doula” and one of her younger clients as protagonists. Unfortunately, it fell short of the depth it was trying to accomplish.
Always and Forever, by Delaney Cameron–a cheesy title in an equally cheesy series. This is the only one I could finish, but I really liked it! It is sweet, clean, with wonderful characters. That “prince on a white horse sweeping you off your feet” kind of story. Sometimes a light romance like this is the perfect palate cleanser of a book after heavy reading. Available with a Kindle Unlimited subscription.
Starlight, by the beloved Debbie Macomber. Sadly, everything about this book is misrepresented–the Christmasy title, the whimsical cover, even the idea of calling it a love story. This is not a love story. There is verbal abuse, manipulation, codependency, and extreme dysfunction. This book is so terrible it baffles me how it was even published. Consider this a warning. Do not read it. A colossal waste of time.
Seaglass, by Chris Bridges, is a book that led me on quite a quest. It is not easy to find. When I did, I devoured the book in less than 3 hours. I truly loved it. Maddie and Knox are two banged up people from completely different backgrounds. They find each other in an unlikely way when Maddie moves from New York to Colorado to start her life anew. Alone, she is embraced by the loving Barrow family, connecting with their son who has recently returned from Iraq. A modern-day version of Pamela Nissen’s Rocky Mountain Match, which I also enjoyed very much. It tugs at your heart from start to finish.
I am so impressed with this book! Although I’m not a parent, I have taught hundreds of boys ages 4-11 in my teaching career. I could not help but think of the variety of personalities and levels of emotional strength in my young students.
The insights and tools in this book are excellent. It emphasizes the importance of teaching boys not only to manage their emotions, but to give themselves permission to have them in the first place. It talks about how essential it is for boys to see examples of other men being vulnerable, asking for help, losing a competition, and mourning a loved one, all without compromising their manliness. That is something I appreciated greatly, being married to a very masculine, but also a sensitive man.
I also thought about the other men in my life: my second generation absent father, my brother who broke that cycle and is an extremely involved dad to his children, an amazing grandfather who often stepped into the father role, cousins and uncles, circling back to my husband, who is one of the most emotionally strong men I know.
While I welcome them, I was not prepared for the amount of Biblical references. They may, unfortunately, limit the book’s audience. The author uses Christ as the ultimate example of emotional strength. Who better to pattern your life after?
This would make a great book club selection, a terrific gift, and an interesting read for parents, grandparents, and teachers. Thank you NetGalley and Bethany House Publishers for this advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.
“I’m not sure what God is going to do with my life, but I know that there are good things in store and that He has a purpose for me.”
I first heard about Scott Smiley a few weeks ago. He was a guest speaker at an event hosted by a state congressional candidate I follow on Facebook. I had no idea who he was and what made him so inspiring. As I learned more about him and his story, I was reminded how backwards this world is, in that so many famous people have done very little for others, basking in the light of their own glory, while those who truly deserve our attention are often relegated to smaller venues.
One of seven children, a West Point graduate who married his high school sweetheart, Tiffany, Scotty Smiley’s life dramatically changed on April 6, 2005. While leading a 40-man platoon in Iraq charged with finding car bombs stationed throughout a residential area, Smiley confronted a suicide bomber at the moment of detonation. At that instant his world went black. He was blinded and partially paralyzed.
This book tells of Captain Smiley’s journey from that day to recovery, rehabilitation, and finding a new purpose in life. Make no mistake, this man had his gloomy days–lots of them–despite being blessed with an incredible support system of family and friends. Going from an independent, highly motivated Army officer to a man who could get lost walking in a parking lot was a huge blow. It challenged his sense of self and his lifelong faith down to their very cores.
Certainly, his story is one like many veterans who return home with physical and emotional scars that can last a lifetime. Living in a country that hasn’t seen war on its own soil for such a long time can make us feel distanced from the sacrifices made on a daily basis by people who dedicate their lives to preserving freedom for ourselves and others. No doubt, his story, faith, and determination are worthy of 10 stars. As a piece of writing I do wish it was more linear with less detours. There were several, although it may be the style of his coauthor. But overall, Scotty Smiley does make you want to try harder and be better, remembering that through God, all things are possible.
After a couple of disappointing books that I refused to finish–my time is too valuable–I was pulled into the story of Olive and Jo in Come Down Somewhere. Now I’m in the midst of that awed exhaustion a reader gets after finishing an incredible book.
Beginning during World War II but set on US soil, the novel takes place in Alamogordo, New Mexico. I never knew the significance of that place. I do now. It was the site of the Trinity nuclear test–the first detonation of such a weapon–the fallout of which was much more than atomic.
Revolving around the lives of two teenage girls, Olive Alexander and Jo Hawthorne, we see war from the view of those on the American home front. Even those who are not enlisted and called up are affected. Everyone and everything is affected. Emotions are heightened, relationships are strained, allegiances are intensified.
Olive’s story takes place mainly in 1944 when her family’s ranch is taken over by the US Army. While her mother, uncle, and brother dutifully move into a small casita on the property, Olive is outraged–not only by the apparent apathy of her family, but because she is shuffled off to live with her grandmother sixty miles away.
Jo’s story mostly chronicles her return to the area in 1952. Once God-fearing and optimistic, Life has severely challenged her faith. She’s there to visit her father, Richard–Sargent Hawthorne–once the proud military leader who supervised activity on the Alexander ranch, who now lays dying, silenced by throat cancer.
Back and forth between these two timelines, we see an ebb and flow of friendship, beliefs, family, betrayal and loving sacrifice. The writing is beautiful, the characters are complex, and the story is singularly unique. This is one I will remember for a long time. I highly recommend this novel. It would make a great book club selection.
Thank you to NetGalley and Tynedale House Publishers for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review. Come Down Somewhere is a true winner.
“…maybe love is, at its core, about opening your heart to another person as opposed to taking their love for yourself.”
I could make this review nice and short and just emphatically say Read. This. Book. But I won’t. Instead, I’ll just say that after two frustrating days of starting (even finishing) a few books and being disappointed, finding How to Save a Life, by Kristin Harmel, was worth the wait.
It’s a novella–only 160 pages–but it is amazing how the right story in the right hands does not have to be long to make a significant impact.
Imagine being given the worst possible news. (I’ll let you decide what that will be.) Then imagine being given the gift of resetting one day again and again until you can make things right. For Jill, a 39-year-old pediatric oncology nurse, this is what happens.
I do not want to say too much, except, again, Read. This. Book. It will make you look at your life, your relationships, your time management, and your fears through new eyes. After all, what is “time” anyway, right? An abstract concept meant to measure our day? Or something over which we truly have control? Your opinion might change if you give this book a chance.
“…I feel sympathy: for your own loss, for your dislocation, for the difficulty of living with your former enemy and a husband you hardly ever see. It makes it easier to believe that you are more than just a bitter woman who is full of prejudice. You have your own pain…But there are others like you. Wake up! You are not the only one.” –Stefan Lubert
The Aftermath is book that looks at World War II from an entirely new angle. Beginning in Germany five months after V-E Day, we swirl in the dizzying orbit of Rachael Morgan, wife to Colonel Lewis Morgan, mother to sons Michael (deceased) and Edmund. The Morgans have taken up residence in the grand mansion of architect Stefan Lubert, and his teenage daughter, Freda. Requisitioned by the British army, the mansion’s main living area is now occupied by the Morgans, while the Luberts are resigned to live in an upper apartment. The victors and the conquered must learn to co-habitate. While Colonel Morgan is often empathetic to the plight of the Germans, Rachael is guarded, still strangled by the grief of losing her oldest son.
Rubble is everywhere, both literally and figuratively. Buried bodies are still being dug out from beneath the carcasses of buildings on a daily basis. Buried souls take even more effort to excavate. No matter which side they were on during the fighting, everyone is depleted. They have been conditioned not to think too far into the future. As such, many live in the moment, controlling what they can at the risk of morals, ethics, and personal integrity. Feeding their most basic needs is all that matters, using whatever currency possible.
Eventually the plot splinters into 4 storylines: Rachael and Stefan finding common ground and companionship, Lewis Morgan and his reconstruction efforts, Freda and Albert (her worldly boyfriend,) and Edmund and the “Ferals” (orphaned street children who live by their own set of dystopian rules.)
My tender sensibilities grapple with a book like The Aftermath because of its carnal approach to language and themes, but I appreciate the fact that they are nearly characters unto themselves at a time when nothing in the world makes sense. This is not a book for the faint of heart. Desperate people do not have the luxury of refinement.
The last thing I want to do is give the impression that I enjoy everything I read. Not so. Here are 6 books I’ve read recently–some advanced copies, some not–which made lesser impressions, although I’d still recommend the first three. The ratings are based on Goodread’s 5 star system.
Available now
I actually really likedThe Viscount and the Vicar’s Daughter, by Mimi Matthews. It tells of the rakish Tristan St. Claire and destitute lady’s companion, Valentine March. The pacing could’ve been better, but I enjoyed the unlikely bond between the two main characters. It’s worth checking out.
Available June 14, 2022
Scotsman in the Stacks is one of those fun romances for the intellectual girl who dreams of being whisked away by a handsome foreigner. It’s not groundbreaking literature, but it is light and cute with likable characters. A good vacation book.
Available July 12, 2022
The Best is Yet to Come is your typical escapist lit, of which Debbie Macomber is very proficient. It tells the story of dog rescuer Hope Goodwin. She takes on Cade Lincoln at the animal shelter as he does community service after an arrest. Both have their demons, finding friendship and understanding in the other. There is a side story of some high school kids and their nonsense that detracts from the main plot a bit, but it’s still worth reading.
Available now
Goodbye, Orchid is kind of a mess. There’s PG-13 language and the characters’ pride and lack of communication are constant obstacles. It could’ve been so much better. Not worth your time.
Available September 6, 2022
The Bachelor and the Bride was frustrating. I did a lot of skimming during the second half. Too many characters, too convoluted, and not the simple sweetness I had expected. Sadly skippable.
Available June 21, 2022
When It Falls Apart was (mostly) very good. It tells of Brooke Turner, who is picking up the pieces of her father’s life after he becomes aged and more dependent. She moves from Seattle to San Diego, CA and is embraced by the big Italian family who owns her apartment building and the restaurant below. There are wonderful characters and heartwarming dialogue. I knocked off two stars because of a steamy sex scene that seemed like it was from a completely different book. Too bad, because the rest was excellent.
Baxter Shaw is a forty-something widower of eight year old daughter, Mia. His grief after the tragic loss of his wife, Sofia, three years earlier has led him down a spiral of defensiveness and despair. He’s given up any close relationships, given up his creative outlets, and sleepwalks through work. Life has become meaningless and drab. It is seriously affecting Mia. Her schoolwork and social connections are suffering. Baxter already resigned himself to sorrow, but now he’s also a failure as a parent. Still, it is better than what he had as a child, he tells himself.
Then an email from DNA site 23andMe chimes on Baxter’s computer. Years ago he and his late wife submitted their information. Sofia was looking for her birth mother. The email is from Ester Arroyo and she is trying to find the daughter she gave up for adoption in Spain. This is the last thing Baxter needs right now. All of his efforts to move forward feel thwarted. How is he supposed to heal if painful memories keep getting dragged to the surface? Best to leave his old life behind and accept the new reality, right?
The rest of the novel chronicles the pilgrimage of Baxter, Mia, and the Arroyo family. It is beautifully written–a story that illuminated bright yellow within my soul. Yes, yellow. I cannot remember the last time a book resonated on such a personal level.
Author Boo Walker uses imagery with such gifted skill that I could see, hear, smell, and taste everything he described. He breathes a rare sensitivity into the characters plus subtle symbolism for the perceptive reader. And, as someone who suffered a sudden loss, has found relatives on DNA sites, and had the opportunity to meet a branch of my family tree in an enchanted foreign land (Guanajuato, Mexico,) I could relate a lot. But those are not prerequisites.
The author describes himself as a writer of “page turners for soul searchers.” Aren’t all of us searching? Even if you do not have similar experiences, the depth and vibrancy of this book will leave you with an afterglow long after reading the last page.
This is the first ARC to receive a rare 10 Stars on my book review blog. Very well-deserved! Boo Walker’s work will definitely get highlighted more often on this site. Thank you to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for the advanced copy.
10/10 Stars
**Boo Walker also writes thrillers under the pen name “Benjamin Blackmore.” A little more edgy, but still well-written. The 90 page novella Off You Go is a good place to start. All of his books are available for automatic download with a Kindle Unlimited subscription. (A great investment.)
A beautiful novel about the unlikely friendship between 11 year old Stewie and his older neighbor, Marilyn. He’s wise, polite, extremely literal, and sensitive to a fault. She’s defensive, lonely, emotionally exhausted, and embittered. Yet, they fill a void in each other and behave as equals.
It is unusual and always welcome to find a set of characters like these–a child and an adult who are not related, taking on the world together. There are lessons to be learned no matter the age of a person. There are great examples of the difference between talking TO a child and talking AT a child. The relationship that can develop when a child is respected instead of commanded is quite remarkable. (My favorite author, Roald Dahl, is an expert at this in his books.)
The supporting characters are also terrific in their development, especially Stewie’s nurturing older sister, Stacey, and optimistic brother, Theo. This story is a reminder that the definition of “family” can extend beyond blood relatives and that true loved ones are those who care, listen and are interested in our welfare.
I look forward to reading more books by this author. Thank you to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for the advanced copy.
Sixteen year old Kathy Holt is dead. That’s not a spoiler. It’s reality. It’s the catalyst for everything else that happens in Notes on Your Sudden Disappearance. If we haven’t experienced death of a young relative before, we’ve certainly heard of what it can do to families. Some take years to heal. Some never do, disintegrating into a shadow of their former selves. A slow, self-imposed suicide. Even tough people can crumble.
Narrated by Kathy’s younger sister, Sally, this novel explores a family’s grief over a period of fifteen years. It is like a letter to Kathy–the idolized, outgoing, courageous beacon in the Holt family. And that letter is BRILLIANTLY written. From angst-ridden teenager to confused college student to introspective adult, we follow Sally on her path as she supersedes her late sister in life’s milestones. Or is it mill stone? Because Kathy’s death weighs her down in everything she does. And, like a fateful boomerang, Sally continues to reconnect every few years with Billy, the only other witness of the tragedy. Billy Barnes. Bill. Kathy’s boyfriend.
There’s confusion, guilt, questions. So. Many. Questions. How can everything and everyone around me continue to move forward like nothing has happened? How can I ever be happy again? How can any of us live fully without feeling like we’re betraying the dead relative? Look at all the things she’ll never do.
I’m knocking one star off for language. I get that it’s teenagers. I get that swearing and talking about sex is a way for teens to experiment and sound cool with each other, but there was A LOT. I wasn’t comfortable with it. But Sally’s observations are so bittersweet and sarcastic, so determined in their clever efforts to lighten the load of loss, that I couldn’t help but keep reading. Even with the R-rated language it is one of the most well-written books I’ve read in a very long time. Believe me, a book has to be pretty amazing for me to be that forgiving. It was.
My thanks to NetGalley and Henry Holt & Company Publishing for the advanced copy.
9/10 Stars (If not for the language, I’d give it a 10.)
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