Things We Cannot Keep by Amanda Cox

 

Thank you to @amandacoxwrites, @revellfiction, and @greatreadsbookpromo for the gift copy of Things We Cannot Keep.

Do you have a special item from a friend or relative that helps you remember them?

Tess Holcomb has built a business with a partner, Amos, in Alabama to repair time pieces and other family treasures.  She has kept her past in her past and has moved on with her life. That is until Elliot Sullivan appears at her shop.  Is he looking for forgiveness after eighteen years or does he have an ulterior motive?

My thoughts on this novel:

·       I was intrigued by Tess.  I wanted to know more about her past and why she wanted to start a new life.  I like how the story unfolded and gave me all the details.

·       Timeless Restoration was such a unique shop.  The stories of the items that were to be restored were so interesting in themselves.

·       I enjoyed the mysterious package and how they worked together to solve the mystery.

·       This novel had great characters, especially Tess, Elliot, and Amos.

·       I enjoyed the themes of forgiveness, redemption and choosing happiness.

·       I would categorize this book as second chance romance, contemporary romance, road trip, clean read, and inspirational.

·       I loved thinking about the history of the mysterious watch and all the lives it impacted. 

·       There is trauma in this novel from childhood abuse.

·       I think this would be a great book club pick as it would prompt a lot of discussion.

Overall, Things We Cannot Keep by Amanda Cox is a compelling, heartfelt story with great characters.

The Heiress and the Woodsman by Christine Hill Suntz

 

Title:  The Heiress and the Woodsman

Author:  Christine Hill Suntz

Narrated by:  Cassandra Campbell

Publisher: Tyndale Fiction

Length: Approximately 10 hours and 25 minutes

Source: Thank you to, @christinehillsuntz, @tyndalehouse, @crazy4fiction, and @greatreadsbookpromo for the gift copy of physical version of The Heiress and the Woodsman.  I purchased the audiobook copy from Audible.

What is the setting of your current read?

Charlotte Carruthers is trying to hold her family estate near Toronto together.  Her mother died years ago, and the family fortunes have foundered.  Her brother Simon left, and rumor has it that he has joined the rebels.  Reputation is everything to Charlotte’s ailing father, the famed hero Major Carruthers of the Battle of Waterloo.  Charlotte runs off into the wilderness to find her brother to bring him home to help restore the family’s fortunes and standing.  She hires guide, Joshua Robertson.  Joshua needs the money to buy out his brother’s indentured servant contract.  His farm in the bush is not producing enough to afford this extra expense.  Will Charlotte find her brother?  Will Joshua free his brother?  Will these two find a connection?

My thoughts on this novel:

·       I liked Joshua and Charlotte’s relationship through the story.  They slowly grew to know and understand each other.  They are both caring people that like to help others.

·       I enjoyed the novel The Lawyer and the Laundress last year and I liked that some of the characters from that novel made an appearance in this novel.

·       The setting is 1830s Canada near Toronto and the wilderness north. I was very interested in the Canadian history.

·       I would label this book as a historical romance, adventure, clean read, and inspirational.

·       I liked the look at community and how it is important.  I also enjoyed the look at what makes a family.

·       I loved the relationship between Charlotte and Scarlett the horse she raised.

·       This book had great characters.  I liked Fulton.  He works at Charlotte’s family estate and helps to care for her.

·       I listened to audiobook, and it was very engaging.

·       I do wish there was a map in the physical version. I would have liked to track their travels through the wilderness.  I know where Toronto is, but I wasn’t sure where the bush or wilderness discussed where at.

·       I liked the journey in this book and also enjoyed the aftermath.

Overall, The Heiress and the Woodsman by Christine Hill Suntz is an engaging historical romance adventure set in the wilderness of Canada in the 1830s.  I recommend it!

Happy Wife by Meredith Lavender and Kendall Shores

 

Title:  Happy Wife

Author:  Meredith Lavender and Kendall Shores

Narrated by:  Saskia Maarleveld

Publisher: Random House Audio

Length: Approximately 9 hours and 43 minutes

Source: Audiobook from Amazon Music and physical copy checked out from the Kewaunee Public Library.  Thank-you!

What genre of books do you like to read for your book clubs?

Nora Davies at twenty-eight is married to a prominent forty-six-year-old lawyer, Will Somerset.  They live in Winter Park, an elite coastal town in Florida.  Nora is having a hard time fitting in with the old guard, but she throws a birthday party for Will inviting them all.   The party goes well, but Will disappears after the party. Where is Will?  Is he working a case or has something nefarious happened to him??

My thoughts on this novel:

·       This was the July read for the Rogue Book Club.  I think everyone enjoyed it as a fun summer read type of book. It had great characters and an interesting mystery.

·       This is a Read with Jenna selection.

·       I listened to the audiobook in July, and it was an engaging story with a good narrator.

·       My favorite quote from the audiobook was something like “I’ll have to add a category of friends made while looking for my husband’s killer to my Christmas card list.”

·       The story switches from the present time frame to flashbacks showing how Nora and Will first got together.

·       I did like the inner look into high society in this domestic thriller.

·       As the story progresses, it is discovered that not everything is always as it seems.

·       This was a fast faced light and entertaining mystery.

·       I did not guess the ending.  It seemed rather random.

·       I liked how Will swept Nora off her feet but as time went on, she discovered that not all that glitters is gold.

·       I liked being surprised by the plot, so I don’t want to get into too many details and ruin it for others.

Overall, Happy Wife by Meredith Lavender and Kendall Shores was a light and fun domestic thriller perfect for a summer read.

A Thousand Painted Hours by Barbara O’Neal

 

Title:  A Thousand Painted Hours

Author:  Barbara O’Neal

Narrated by:  Sneha Mathan

Publisher: Brilliance Audio

Length: Approximately 15 hour and 22 minutes

Source: Thank-you to @barbaraonealauthor @amazonpublishing @tlcbooktours for both the audiobook and physical review copies.

Do you have a favorite artist?  I enjoy art, and Monet’s paintings have always been “happy place” art that lifts my spirits.

Elsie Turner grew up in India in the early 1900s and was separated from her great love Tanveer, when her parents moved back to England during her teenage years.  The one bright spot was that she was able to go to art school and make new friends.

In a second timeline in 1940, the London Blitz is ongoing and Elsie remembers the past and what has led her up to that moment in time.  Will Elsie survive?  And can she thrive and have the future she longs for?

My thoughts on this novel:

·       The novel was written in short chapters which I found easy to read.  Many of the chapters were letters written primarily between Tanveer and Elsie.

·       Tanveer and Elsie had an epic love story that stretched through time, distance, and marriage to other people.  They respected each other’s minds, while also being wildly attracted to one another.

·       I loved the descriptions of India, especially the tigers.  It was a great setting.

·       The Blitz was horrifying and seemed to parallel Elsie’s careful life imploding with her precarious relationship with her husband and mother.

·       It was an interesting look into the prejudice at the time that would not allow a relationship between an Indian man and an English woman.

·       I loved how all the pieces of the puzzle of Elsie’s life came together perfectly at the end.

·       I listened to about half the book on audio and read half of the book in the physical copy. Both were enjoyable and I liked the audiobook narrator.

·       The book included discussion of the Indian independence movement which I enjoyed.

·       I would classify this book as slow burn, character driven, first love, historical fiction, and historical romance.

Overall, A Thousand Painted Hours by Barbara O’Neal was a beautifully written novel set in India and London during the first half of the 20^th century that told the story of an enduring forbidden love.

Twilight Tactics by Lynette Eason

 

Dawn or twilight?  Which do you prefer?  I am not a morning person and will always prefer twilight!

Thank you to @lynetteeason, @revellfiction, and @greatreadsbookpromo for the gift copy of Twilight Tactics.

FBI agents Sully Sulivan and Piper Whitaker are taking are care of and hiding 14-year-old witness Ollie Callahan.  Ollie witnessed a mob hit and is being hid until the trial.  As each of their locations has been compromised, Sully hopes that Broken Chain Ranch, which is the home of an old cousin and friend, will be a safe place.

Maya runs Broken Chain Ranch as a miliary vet retreat, a place where veterans can heal from PTSD and gain tools to deal with their lives.  Her friend and fellow vet, Elana, teaches wilderness skills at the ranch.  Elena bonds with Ollie but has secrets of her own. When the ranch comes under attack, is it Ollie or Elena the mysterious attackers are after?

My thoughts on this novel:

·       This was an action-packed book that you can’t put down!

·       This was a contemporary romance suspense novel.

·       It was a clean read and Christian.

·       Twilight Tactics was the first in the new series, Soldiers in Shadows.  I can’t wait for the next book.

·       I really liked the relationships between characters such as Sully and Ollie, Elena and Ollie, and Sully and Elena.

·       This book also investigated the dark world of prepper and cult lifestyles.  How can you get out of such a situation?

·       The overall theme of the book was that you can be broken, but you can take control of your life, heal, and have a fresh start.  I liked this theme.

·       Ollie is an orphan that has been shuffled through foster care and has experienced things that no teen should have experienced.  I really felt for her.

·       This book is set in the rural Tennessee mountains.

·       It was told through multiple point of views: Elena, Sully, and Ollie.

·       This story was fast paced and kept from on the edge of my seat from the first page through the end.

Overall, Twilight Tactics by Lynette Eason is an action packed contemporary romantic suspense novel with great characters that kept me on the edge of my seat.  It was a great start to a new series.

A Mismatch Made in London by Melanie Dickerson

 

What is the last book you read in a day?  I didn’t quite finish A Mismatch Made in London in one day while on vacation, but it was close!

Thank you to @melaniedickerson123, @bethanyhousefiction, and @greatreadsbookpromo for the gift copy of A Mismatch Made in London.

Amelia Moore has been invited by her aunt to the social season in London.  As the oldest of twelve, it would help her family if she made an advantageous marriage.  She immediately makes a new friend, Juliet, but Juliet’s older brother, Jeremy, questions her motives for the friendship.  He is the most eligible bachelor of the season.  Is Amelia befriending Juliet to get closer to Jeremy?  Amelia is offended and vows not to talk to him again.  Will Juliet and Amelia find their matches?  Will Jeremy and Amelia mend their differences?

My thoughts on this novel:

·       This was an enemies-to-lovers story.  It reminded me of Pride and Prejudice with an initial misunderstanding and dislike which eventually became friendship and love.  I enjoyed Jeremy and Amelia’s relationship. 

·       The novel had an interesting dual narrative structure.  Amelia narrated most of the book in first person and Jeremy narrated part of the book in 3^rd person.

·       I greatly enjoyed the friendship between Juliet and Amelia.  It felt like a real relationship.

·       This was a good story of forgiveness.

·       A subplot in the novel made me think about how easily it was to ruin a woman’s reputation and make it so she couldn’t marry, especially if a woman didn’t have male protection.

·       I just loved this story – it was a great escapism read.

·       I would classify this novel as slow burn, regency, historical romance/fiction, clean read, Christian, inspiration, and enemies to lovers.

·       I loved the snippet at the end of the book of “A Proposal Reconsidered” which looks like a great second chance romance and I can’t wait to read it!

Overall, A Mismatch Made in London by Melanie Dickerson is great escapism reading with a lovely Pride and Prejudice inspired regency romance story with great characters and world building.