The Lawyer and the Laundress by Christine Hill Suntz (Austenprose PR Book Tour)

 

What country would you set a new book?  I realized that while I love L.M. Montgomery, I don’t read many books set in Canada.  The Lawyer and the Laundress by Christine Hill Sutz is set in Toronto Canada in 1837.  I read this while on a camping trip to Duluth, Minnesota.  I just returned this evening and I am a bit late with my post.

Sara O’Conner is a young widow trying to make ends meet as a laundress.  She befriends a motherless child, Evie, and through her, her father James.  After Evie falls ill with scarlatina, Sara nurses her back to health and stays on as her governess.  Sara’s new role in the home causes scandal across town.  Why is a laundress so educated?  What secret is she trying to hide?

My thoughts on this novel:

·       I loved the romance between Sara and James.  It was slow burn, and a marriage of convenience.

·       I loved Sara and Evie’s relationship.  It was made all the more special as Sara had lost her own mother as a child. She sympathized with Evie and did not want her to have the hard life that she herself endured.

·       I loved Henry, a poor young waif, who is sharp and knows all that is going on around town.  He helps Sara, Evie, and James through many pickles.  They help him too.

·       Ivanhoe is featured prominently throughout the novel and the characters enjoy reading and discussing it.  I still need to read Ivanhoe!

·       I had never heard of the Upper Canada Rebellion of 1837.  I enjoyed learning about it in the story and the author’s note at the end of the novel.

·       This is my first book by Christine Hill Suntz and it won’t be my last!  It is hard to believe this was her debut novel.  It was very beautifully written with great characters.

·       Sara has lost her faith through life’s trials, but James has kept his own faith.  Sara has a journey back to faith in this novel. 

·       This was a clean read.

·       There were great discussion questions at the end of the book.

Overall, The Lawyer and the Laundress by Christine Hill Suntz was an engaging historical romance with wonderful characters set in Toronto in 1837.  I highly recommend this fabulous debut.

Book Source:  Thank-you to @christinehillsuntz @tyndalehouse @crazy4fiction @austenprose for the review copy as a part of the Austenprose PR Book Tour.

The Rushworth Family Plot by Claudia Gray (Austenprose PR Book Tour)

 

Which fictional character makes you feel safe and happy?

Jonathan Darcy and Juliet Tilney would like to take their relationship to the next level, but their families would like them to forget about each other and find a more appropriate love. Unbeknownst to their families, they have both been sent to London to experience the season. After a murder occurs, they are once again on the case. Will they be able to find the killer and convince their families that they should be together?

My thoughts on this novel:

·       I LOVE this series.

·       Jonathan and Juliet are great characters and I love their romance.  Jonathan is neurodivergent and Juliet understands him.

·       I loved that this was a continuation of the Mansfield Park story.  Maria reappears with a child and Mr. Rushworth is thinking about remarrying her, but Henry Crawford is still on the scene.

·       Fanny has the heartbreak of losing a child and being told she can never have a child.  She feels jealous over the fact that Maria has had a child.

·       I still love that Catherine Tilney is an authoress and that she feels comfortable traveling to London to do her own business.

·       This was a clean read and a cozy mystery.

·       The Rushworth Family Plot is the fourth book in the series.  It is best to read the entire series in order.

·       Jonathan and Juliet have both a slow burn and a friends to lovers’ romance.  They had a few romantic moments in this novel. The former Caroline Bingley is back on the scene to try to split them apart.  I admit, at this point, it is feeling contrived to keep them apart.  I think they should just be together engaged or married and solving mysteries.

·       Austen’s characters feel like Austen’s characters in this book.  Author Claudia Gray writes them perfectly.

·       I did not guess the murderer in this book, and I thought the mystery had a satisfying ending.

Overall, The Rushworth Family Plot by Claudia Gray is a terrific addition to the Mr. Darcy and Miss Tilney Mystery Series with an intriguing mystery and great characters. I cannot wait for the next book!

Book Source:  Thank-you to @claudia_gray @ireadvintage @austenprose for the review copy as part of the Austenprose PR Book Tour.

 

Jane of Lantern Hill by L.M. Montgomery

 

Title:  Jane of Lantern Hill

Author:  L.M. Montgomery

Narrated by:  Lauren Saunders

Publisher: Dreamscape Media, LLC

Length: Approximately 8 hours and 1 minutes

Source: Purchased from Audible

Have you reread any childhood favorite books lately?  I haven’t read Jane of Lantern Hill by L.M. Montgomery since my teen years, and it was a job to read it again this month as part of the What the Dickens Book Club.

Jane Stuart lives with her grandmother, aunt, and mother in a sad and cold mansion in Toronto.  She discovers that her father is alive, and he wants her to visit him for the summer in Prince Edward Island.  Her world opens and is alive in PEI.  Why did her parents separate?  Will Jane find a way to live a happy life?

My thoughts on this novel:

·       I loved how Jane figured out how to cook, clean, and garden on her own and enjoyed doing it.  She enjoyed the small things of life and was a sensible girl.

·       This was a hopeful story that is written for younger audiences (tween and teen).

·       I loved the mystery of the parents’ (Andrew and Robin) relationship both as a kid and reading it again now as an adult.

·       Jane ages from eleven to thirteen in this book.

·       Grandma is a true villain in this book.  How lonely and sad Jane was growing up in her cold home.  I wonder if this character was based on anyone that L.M. Montgomery knew?

·       As I’ve come to expect from L.M. Montgonery the novel had beautiful descriptions of nature, the ocean, Prince Edward Island, the house.  I loved that the lantern hill house was “alive” and had “magic.”

·       It was also interesting reading the difference between Toronto (cold, dreary, etc.) and Prince Edward Island where everyone is loving.

·       This was a coming-of-age novel as Jane really grows up on the island.

·       The cats and dogs in the novel were delightful.

·       This novel was published in 1937 and was set in the 1930s, later than the Anne books.  It was interesting that cars and airplanes are mentioned.  Jane’s dad is a WWI veteran.

·       This story seems scandalous for the times that it was written with the parents being separated and talk of divorce.  Grandma and her aunt made me angry with their meddling in Jane’s parents’ marriage.  The ending is the dream of every divorced child in the vein of The Parent Trap.

·       The ending was good, but abrupt.

·       This is a stand-alone novel and was one of the first L.M. Montgomery books I read because of the movie.  I just recently rewatched the movie after I finished the book.  It strays a lot from the book but was still enjoyable.

·       I enjoyed listening to this book on audiobook and the narrator had a pleasant voice.

Overall, Jane of Lantern Hill by L.M. Montgomery is an inspiring and charming comfort read.

Go Tell it On the Mountain by James Baldwin

 

Title:  Go Tell it On the Mountain

Author:  James Baldwin

Narrated by:  Adam Lazarre-White

Publisher: Blackstone Publishing

Length: Approximately 8 hours and 45 minutes

Source: Checked out from the Kewaunee Public Library through Libby

What is the worst birthday you’ve had?  I had a couple in a row where I had the stomach flu and then hypomesis gravidum when pregnant with my daughter. This pales in comparison to John Grimes birthday in Go Tell it On the Mountain.

John Grimes is celebrating his14th birthday and struggles with his faith over the course of a day.  The book explores the complexity of his family.  Set during the depression in New York City, will John find his morality and purpose in life?

My thoughts on this novel:

·       I read this book as part of the Classics Buddy Read for June with @Dees.reads.

·       Go Tell it On the Mountain was James Baldwins first published novel in 1953.  He was thirty years old when it was published.  He did well as this novel has been ranked by Time magazine as one of the top 100 English language novels.

·       This seems to be a semi-autobiographical novel as much of it is based on Baldwin’s own life.  He was born out of wedlock to an unwed mother.  His mother never told him who his biological father was.  She married a Baptist preacher.  He and his father had a difficult relationship.  He didn’t like that James like to read and had white friends.

·       This is complex story of an unhappy family.

·       This was a very well written novel, but also a very bleak story.

·       This was a coming-of-age story for 14-year old John Grimes, but it also delves into the past of his father, Aunt Florence, mother, and grandmother.

·       It was interesting look at the struggle between faith and living the life you want to live and faith versus sexuality.  As part of their faith there was no cards, music, dancing, etc. and it a struggle for the young people.

·       John’s mother Elizabeth had a tragic love story with Richard, John’s biological father.  He was arrested for a crime he didn’t commit.  It broke him and caused his suicide.

·       John’s father, Gabriel, is a pastor, but greatly struggles with following his faith and avoiding sin.  He drove me insane.  He judges Elizabeth for having a child out of wedlock, something he himself also did, but never acknowledged.  The hypocrisy and double standard for sexual morality of women versus men was astounding.

·       The audiobook had a great narrator with a deep voice who was perfect for the preaching sections.

Overall, Go Tell It On the Mountain by James Baldwin was a bleak, but well written coming of age novel about the struggles between faith, racism, and sexism.

The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame

 

Title:  The Wind in the Willows

Author:  Kenneth Grahame

Narrated by:  Callum Hale with music by Dylan Allcock

Publisher: Findaway Voices

Length: Approximately 6 hours and 8 minutes

Source: Checked out from the Kewaunee Public Library through Hoopla

If you were represented by an animal in fiction, what would you be?  I would like to be represented by a cat.

The Wind in the Willows is the story and adventures of Mole, Rat, Badger, and Toad.  Toad is incorrigible and gets into lots of scraps.  Luckily, he has friends to help him out in times of trouble.

My thoughts on this novel:

·       I loved the audiobook version.  It had a great narrator, sound effects, and music.

·       This book had a lot of songs in it, and I liked how they were sung in the audiobook.

·       This was the May selection for the Back to the Classics Book Club, although we did meet the first week of June this time.  I finished just in time!

·       We all agreed that this was a nice, mellow, and happy book.

·       Kenneth Grahame told these stories to his son while he grew up.  He didn’t write any other books after this.  I was hoping for a The Wind in the Willows book two.

·       It was strange when the animals eat a stew and list all the various creatures in it.  Aren’t you eating your friends?

·       I read that either you are a toad fan or a everything else fan.  I like the book, but I really felt the story lighted up whenever Toad entered the room with his escapades.

·       The hard cover copy illustrated by Michael Hague had beautiful pictures.

·       This book had great friendships between the animals.

·       This novel was first published in 1908.

Overall, The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame is a perfect book to read to unwind, relax, and escape to another world.

 

Pride and Puppies by Lizzie Shane

 

Do you like books that feature animals?  If so, what type of animals do you like to read about?

Dr. Charlotte Rodriguez has just ended her latest relationship.  She blames Jane Austen for writing heroes that do not exist in reality but raise her expectations in real life.  Charlotte decides to not date and remain single for a while.  She instead adopts a new puppy.  George Leneghan is Charlotte’s neighbor and co-worker.  He has a crush on her, but as soon as he finds out she’s single, he learns that she has sworn off dating.  They do things together as friends, but when George starts talking about moving away, will Charlotte be ready to move their relationship to be more than a friend?

My thoughts on this book:

·       This was a JASNA Northwoods Book Club selection for our June meeting.  Everyone at book club seemed to enjoy this novel.

·       This book was good escapism reading and would make good Hallmark movie.

·       There were Jane Austen quotes at the start of each chapter, although at least one is a movie quote.

·       This is the fourth book in the Pine Hollow series, but it can be read as a standalone.

·       This was a clean read.

·       This was a very slow-moving contemporary romance novel and romance.

Overall, Pride and Puppies by Lizzie Shane is a light contemporary romance and clean read.

Book Source:  Review copy from NetGalley.  Thank-you!

Murder on Black Swan Lane by Andrea Penrose

 

Title:  Murder on Black Swan Lane

Author:  Andrea Penrose

Narrated by:  James Cameron Stewart

Publisher: HighBridge, a Division of Recorded Books

Length: Approximately 11 hours and 50 minutes

Source: Purchased from Audible

What is the weirdest thing you have used as a bookmark?

The Earl of Wrexford is a scientist with a sharp mind.  Reverand Josiah Holwarthy publicly accused him of debauchery, and which started a feud between them.  Satirical cartoonist A.J. Quill makes the most of this feud to increase their audience.  When the Reverand Holwarthy is found dead, Wexford is the main suspect.  Who murdered the reverend and why?

My thoughts on this novel:

·       I read this book in May for the JASNA Northwoods book club.  We met in early June, and everyone seemed to enjoy this novel.

·       This is the 1^st book in the Wrexford and Sloane historical mystery series.  I want to read more in this series.

·       The audiobook narrator had good accents for all the different characters.  It was an entertaining audiobook.

·       I enjoyed the Regency era setting.

·       I loved how chemistry and science was involved in this story.

·       I appreciated that A.J. Quill was actually a woman.  Charlotte is a widow and artist that has had to take over after his death to make ends meet.  She was a smart and strong character.

·       Wrexford and Charlotte become an unlikely investigative duo.  They worked well together.  They had a good friendship and there was no romance between them.

·       I loved the street urchins, Raven and Hawk, that Charlotte takes in. 

·       Wrexford was a moody and intelligent man and intriguing hero.  I didn’t feel like I really knew him by the end of the novel.  I hope he is more fleshed out in future novels.

·       The mystery was interesting and included what happened to Charlotte’s husband and how it was related to a mysterious club.

Overall, Murder on Black Swan Lane by Andrea Penrose was an interesting historical mystery.  I look forward to reading the rest of this series.

The Professor by Charlotte Bronte

 

Title:  The Professor

Author:  Charlotte Bronte

Narrated by:  Frederick Davidson

Publisher: Blackstone Publishing

Length: Approximately 9 hours and 24 minutes

Source: Checked out from the Kewaunee Public Library through Hoopla

What is your weirdest reading habit?  I used to love to read in trees when I was younger.

William Crimsworth is an orphan and becomes a clerk for a schoolmate’s brother.  He faces abuse at the job and decides to make a career change, moving to Brussels and becoming a professor.  Once a professor, he finds himself conflicted in love and caught in a bit of a love triangle.  Will he find love and a future in Brussels?

My thoughts on this novel:

·       The Professor was the May pick for the What the Dickens Book Club.  We have an interesting discussion on Facebook on it.

·       I hadn’t read this book since high school.  In high school, I did my senior research paper on Charlotte Bronte.  I read all her novels and watched all of the adaptations of her work that I could get my hands on.

·       The book is the person narrative of William Crimsworth.

·       Most of the book takes place in Brussels.  French is spoken and not translated at times in the book.

·       The main character is very anti-Catholic and seems to look down on the Belgian people that he is teaching.

·       It’s kind of creepy when he and another professor rate and talk about their female students looks. 

·       It’s crazy to think that in the 19^th century, one could beat your employee with a whip!

·       I would rank this as my fourth out of four of Charlotte Bronte’s novels.  It’s worth reading, but it lacks the polish and passion of Jane Eyre.  This was the first novel that Charlotte Bronte wrote in 1845-46 before Jane Eyre.    Bronte used a lot of her own experiences at a school in Brussels for inspiration for this novel.

·       The audiobook was a bit dry and boring to listen to, and strangely about halfway through it, I suddenly couldn’t listen to it anymore.  Hoopla said it was no longer available through my library.  I have never had this happen before, have you?  I had to purchase it on Audible to finish it up.

Overall, The Professor by Charlotte Bronte is worth reading, but it is a bit dry and lacks the passion of Jane Eyre.

The Page Turner by Viola Shipman

 

Title:  The Page Turner

Author:  Viola Shipman

Narrated by:  Katharine Chin

Publisher: Harlequin Audio

Length: Approximately 9 hours and 49 minutes

Source: Audiobook and ebook review Copy from NetGalley.  Thank-you!

 

Where is your favorite setting for a book?  The Page Turner by Viola Shipman is set in South Haven Michigan with action also taking place in the Hamptons and New York City.  I loved the South Haven, Michigan, setting as I grew up in southwest Michigan.  Our family loved to visit South Haven and swim at the beach.  My Great Uncle and Aunt lived in a beautiful historic home in South Haven.  It’s a beautiful community.  I now live in a Lake Michigan Community in Wisconsin.  The lake vibes in this novel were very relatable.

 

Emma Page has just graduated from the University of Michigan and is trying to figure out what to do with her life.  Her parents own The Mighty Pages publishing house, which prints literary fiction.  Emma has secretly written a romance novel and loves romance just as her grandmother did.  When Emma discovers a family secret, how will it affect them and the man who is trying to take their family down?

 

My thoughts on this novel:

·       Viola Shipman is the pen name of Wade Rouse in honor of his beloved Grandma.  He writes the best female characters that really speak to me.  His Grandma taught him well!

·       I read this novel in May as part of the Brenda Novak Book Group.  I loved Wade Rouse’s interview as part of the Brenda Novak Book Group.  He is delightful and his interview was so interesting.

·       GiGi, Emma’s Grandmother, was a wonderful character.  She is the type of loving and sassy Grandma everyone should have.  I was blessed to have one myself.  I loved how she loved to foster the love of reading in her kids and grandkids.

·       There were interesting literary discussions and allusions throughout the novel.  Who gets to decide what is the great American novel?  Why is romance always looked down upon as a genre?

·       The novel was a love letter to Michigan with blueberries, the state flag, roadside farms, lighthouses, Lake Michigan beaches, etc.

·       Jonathan Livingston Seagull is mentioned a lot.  I have never read it, but it has been on my TBR forever.  Have you read this novel?  If so, what do you think?

·       This novel also highlighted family dysfunction and pulling together to protect your family overall.

·       I am looking forward to his next book that will be set in Palm Springs.  It is called Thank-you for Being a Friend and seems to be Golden Girls inspired.

·       I enjoyed listening to this book on audiobook.  It was entertaining and captured my interest on long drives.

Overall, The Page Turner by Viola Shipman was a perfect summer read with great characters, a love of literature, beaches, and a sinister villain.

Home of the Happy: A Murder on the Cajun Prairie by Jordan LaHaye Fontenot

 

Title:  Home of the Happy:  A Murder on the Cajun Prairie

Author:  Jordan LaHaye Fontenot

Narrated by:  Christine Lakin

Publisher: HarperAudio

Length: Approximately 13 hours and 10 minutes

Source: Audiobook review Copy from NetGalley and physical book review copy from #MorrowPartner and Mariner Books.  Thank-you!

 

Do you have any family stories that you think would make good books?  I think my great grandparents had interesting lives and they would make good stories. 

 

In 1983, banker Aubrey LaHaye was found dead, floating in a bayou.   He had been kidnapped ten days before.  A man was arrested, tried, and convicted of his murder – but was he guilty?  Aubrey’s great granddaughter investigates his murder as a cold case.  Will she find clues that were overlooked in the original investigation?  What will she learn about her own family?

 

Thoughts about this book:

·       Home of the Happy is a perfect book for lovers of true crime and true crime podcasts.

·       This book was great on audiobook with an interesting narrator.

·       Besides being a true crime book, it was also a memoir of the author’s family and community.   It was a personal story.

·       I learned a lot about the Cajun culture.  The book gave the history of the Acadian Cajuns and included discussion of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s poem, Evangeline:  A Tale of Acadie. 

·       The book went through the impact of the murder on the entire LaHaye family through the years and how it changed them.

·       It also detailed the trial of John Brady Balfa.  Some people still think he is innocent.  It really made me ponder the justice system.  It’s up to the victim’s family to keep going to the parole hearings to keep someone in jail.  But what if they are innocent?  The author grapples with this and whether her family has kept an innocent man in jail.  Luckily, she has resolution by the end to feel like they did keep the right man in jail.

·       The physical copy of the book has a great insert of pictures related to the family and the crime.

Overall, Home of the Happy:  A Murder on the Cajun Prairie by Jordan LaHaye Fontenot was an interesting true crime book that was unique with the intersection of a memoir of a family, people, and place in time.