A Light on the Hill Book Review

                                                                                         A Light on the Hill by Connilyn Cossette takes place right after the third book in the Out of Egypt series, Wings of the Wind. I loved the Out of Egypt series and was looking forward to the next series. I love that she continued the characters in the companion series.

Cossette’s writing immediately encaptures you into the stories and time period. You feel for the character and what she's going through. Right for chapter one you are thrown into the head first and it doesn’t stop. I read this book within two day, it was that good!

I also love that Cossette’s books are historically and Biblically accurate. As I was reading I could see how much research she put into this. Being the history nerd I am, I love to know that the historical fiction novels I read are historically accurate. I loved getting to know the culture and the cities of refuge more.

The complexity in this story is amazing! As more events start to unfold and layers of the story surface it's hard to put down. You just want to keep reading and reading, until before you know it, you’re finished.

I hated to see this book end. I loved Moriyah and Darek’s story and how there seemed no solution in the end. And at times I was questioning whether or not her story would end well. I loved this book to the very end and am greatly looking forward to reading the next one in the series.   I received this book from Bethany House for my honest opinion.

Out of the Ashes Book Review

                Out of the Ashes by Tracie Peterson & Kimberly Woodhouse is the second book in the Heart of Alaska series. Although I have not read the first book in this series, In the shadow of Denali, this is a series where you don’t necessarily have to read them all. That being said, I usually prefer reading series from start to finish, but in this case I didn’t.

                I sort of have mixed feelings about this book. And most of those feelings are not good ones. I have read several Tracie Peterson books in the past and have enjoyed them.  They tend to be light, quick reads, which is great. But Out of the Ashes just wasn’t doing anything for me. It defiantly had potential in the beginning. But once I got further in to the story I became disinterested.

                When I read the synopsis of this book I was assuming that they story would focus around the main characters, Jean-Michel and Katherine. But instead most of the book is centered on the characters from book one, Cassidy, Allan, and others. When I just wanted to read about Katherine and Jean-Michel, it would shift to other characters that frankly, I didn’t care about. I get that it is a second book in the series and that the characters carried over to this one, but I would have liked the influence to have heavily been on Katherine and Jean-Michel, with the other characters sprinkled in. I also felt like there were a lot of unnecessary characters that the story didn’t really need to keep it flowing.  

                So I had a lot of problems with this book unfortunately. I liked the “main” characters Katherine and Jean-Michel, but the others not so much. I was more interested and Katherine and Jean-Michel’s past and felt like that could have been delved into deeper and made for more of a substantial read.

I received this book from Bethany House for my honest opinion.

The House on Foster Hill Book Review

                                                                       The House on Foster Hill by Jamie Jo Wright is a fast-paced compelling mystery that kept me turning the pages. Right from the start you’re engrossed into two different story-lines, each one equally mysterious.

                I love a good mystery novel and one definitely didn’t disappoint. From the very first chapter I was invested into the story and characters. I love how Wright wove these two stories together, even though they were separated by a century, it was beautiful and seamless.

                The amount of creepiness this book had was outstanding and definitely added to the overall feel of the book.  I other words, it’s not a book you want to read alone in a dark, abandoned home.  But even if you’re reading this in the middle of bright beautiful day, it still can make the hairs on the back of your neck go up on edge. Who doesn’t like a nice a creepy read every once and while.

                I love Sherlock Holmes and something about this reminded me about the BBC mini-series.  So if you’re a fan of the man that lives at 221B Baker Street, then I have feeling you’ll really like this. I, for one, loved it.

I received this book from Bethany House for my honest opinion. 

The Sound of Rain By Sarah Loudin Thomas

                                                            One of my favorite genres of books to read is historical fiction. I was excited for The Sound of Rain because it was historical fiction, but it was set in a time period that haven’t read much from; the 1950s.

                The Sound of Rain by Sarah Loudin Thomas is a novel set in 1950s South Carolina. Larkin Heyward lives a relaxed life in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. But she dreams of one day leaving and helping the people in Appalachia. When she tells this to newcomer Judd Markley, he laughs in her face. He knows how life in the Appalachia can be. He’s lived there all his life and he finds it difficult to believe the privileged daughter of his boss. The whole point of coming to South Carolina was to escape his life in Kentucky. But he feels drawn to Larkin, despite his annoyance of her dream to help the poor people of Appalachia.

                I will say this book started out kind of slow for me. I wasn’t too invested into the characters and the storyline was dragging a little. I was waiting for it to pick up, but it didn’t for me. I felt like the story wasn’t going anywhere. It was quite frankly, and I hate to say this, boring. I really didn’t like any of the characters. I thought Larkin was childish and unlikable. Judd was stupid for liking Larkin. I really couldn’t stand anything about this book. It was just a big bore. There was no solid plot.

                I hate to give my opinion so harshly about a book that I know the author worked hard on, but it just wasn’t my cup of tea. I know some people will like this book; I just wasn’t one of them.

                I received this book from Bethany House for my honest review. 

A Dangerous Legacy Book review

                                                                                                                                                                                                        A Dangerous Legacy by Elizabeth Camden is set in the early 1900s and centers around Lucy Drake, a telegraph operator. For years now her family has been tangled up in a lawsuit against her uncle. After her father’s death it is up to her and her brother to win this lawsuit and see justice being made. She doesn’t want her father’s death to be in vain. It’s the least she can do for her father.

                This lawsuit slowly begins to enrapture her life without even her knowing. It’s all she thinks about and lives for. Her life consists of the lawsuit and only the lawsuit. She will do anything to see her father’s name be put to rights; even if that means being a twenty-something women with no husband and children.

                This is the second book of Elizabeth Camden’s I have read. The first one, To the Farthest Shore, was amazing. I loved it. And this one did not disappoint either. Just like the first book I’ve read of hers, the plot is interesting and like nothing I’ve ever read. There’s something about the plot of her stories that are just so fresh and excited and complex all at the same time. I also love that she intertwines real history within the fictitious story. Being a lover of history myself, I greatly appreciate that.

                I’d highly recommend reading this book if you never read Elizabeth Camden books. They’ll keep you guessing to the end.   

                  

I received this book from Bethany House for review. 

The Two of Us Book Review

                I’ve never been a big of the contemporary genre. But here recently I’ve slowly been reading more and more contemporary and I find myself enjoying it. The Two of Us by Victoria Bylin has made me a fan. This was my first read from Victoria Bylin and definitely not my last. The way she writes her characters is amazing. They’re believable and relatable. You instantly fall in love with the characters and feel empathy for them and their situation.

                The Two of Us centers around two main characters, Jake and Mia. Jake is an ex-cop that sustains an injury in the line of duty. Mia is a nurse looking to put her skills to the test by applying for a nursing job overseas. She also has the issue of her pregnant younger sister getting married in Vegas. Both Mia and Jake’s lives intersect when Mia attends her sister’s wedding and Jake is the friend of the groom.

                I was hooked the very first chapter. I got right into the story and kept my attention the whole way through. You get to know the characters so well and find out everything about them. Once you think you everything there’s more. I enjoyed how she wove Jake’s mom into the story. I can see how people would love her characters because their just so relatable with the struggles they go through and face.

                I loved this book and would highly recommend it, even if you’re not a big fan of contemporary. You’ll be one after reading this.

                 I received this book from Bethany House for my honest opinion.

A Name Unknown Book Review

                                                                                                                              A Name Unknown by Roseanna M. White is set in 1914 in England right before World War I begins. The two main characters are Rosemary and Peter. Rosemary has had a hard life ever since her parents died when she was a child. She did what she could to survive, even if that meant breaking the law. Now, even as an adult she is willing to do just about anything to see her ‘family’ thrive in a life of crime. When she is approached by a man to investigate into Peter Holstein’s life and to see if he’s loyal to the crown, she jumps at the offer. This assignment could set her for life if she can prove Peter’s name disloyal. So she poses as a librarian for the Holstein estate. But as she tries to dig up dirt on Peter’s name she is soon unsuccessful. As Peter and Rosemary grow closer she sees Peter is loyal to the British crown, despite him from being of German decent. But is he still hiding something?

                I was surprised how much I loved this book. It was wonderful! From the very beginning it kept my attention and it didn’t stop until it ended. I couldn’t stop reading it! It definitely gave off a Downton Abbey vibe that I immensely appreciated. I loved both of the characters and the chemistry they had for one another. I will say that the romance portion of this book was a long time coming, but totally worth it when it did come. The ending I definitely did not see coming. It surprised me, but in a good way.

                I can’t wait to read on in this series and I hope that there is plenty of Rosemary and Peter in the next book. I would love to see a continuation of Peter and Rosemary’s story since the war is about to begin. I'm excited to read the next book in the series when it comes out.

                I received this book from Bethany House Blogger Review Program for my honest opinion.