Book Review: The Whipping Club by Deborah Henry

The Whipping Club by Deborah Henry
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

From the book:

Deborah Henry's new historical novel, THE WHIPPING CLUB (T.S Poetry Press, March 2012, available in print and e-book formats) is a literary page-turner and a tale of redemption, set against the backdrop of violence and deeply entrenched prejudice in 1960s Ireland as told through the heartrending experience of one inter-faith family. In it, an Irish Catholic woman, Marian, in love with a Jewish journalist hides the birth of her out-of-wedlock child to save her future marriage. The child she has relinquished does not end up with an American family as promised. Instead, he is committed to a notorious Catholic orphanage where there is little hope for his survival.

Tormented by feelings of remorse and guilt that have plagued her throughout her marriage to the boy's father, the woman must confront the truth and reveal her long-buried secret. While putting her marriage and family at risk, she determines to save her son and in so doing correct the terrible wrongs of her own past and challenge a system that chronically serves up children to abusive clergy.

My review:

This was a very interesting read for me, something that was completely outside of my comfort zone.

I felt that the author did a very good job of developing her characters from the good Catholic mother Marian, the Jewish father Ben, sister Johanna and Adrian, the child that was given away. It was easy to relate to their personalities and behaviors. The story begins with Marian being rejected by Ben's mother and deciding to enter a "convent" to deal with the baby she felt was unwanted. As the story goes on, it's revealed that Ben knows more than he let on. Johanna, the "kept" child, begins to sense that there's something going on and gets involved when she overhears some conversations. Adrian has no clue that he has a family and it comes a surprise when they come to visit. Unfortunately this is not a happily ever after story and there are quite a few horrible scenarios spelled out.

I thought the book was a bit long. It took 40 chapters (although some were really short) to get to the point of the title. I think the story could have been told in much less words. I related to the characters and enjoyed the development of the personalities. I did think this was something that could and probably did happen during the time period related to the book. Overall, I thought the book was well done and the story was told in an engaging manner.

I received the galley of this book from the publisher on NetGalley, for the purpose of review. Opinions expressed are my own.

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Book Revier: Smitten

Smitten by Colleen Coble
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The story takes place in a town called, what else, SMITTEN! The town just went through an economic downturn and the women banded together with a plan to save the town. Each is opening a new business but still making time to find love along the way.

This was such a sweet, fun read! And it was CLEAN!!! The four main characters are Natalie, Reese, Julia and Shelley. The four authors each tell one of their stories of falling in love, finding their perfect mate, who in most cases happened to be there in front of them all along. Each story is separate but intertwined with the others. So wonderful!

I have to say my favorite couple was Natalie and her beau. Their story was so sweet! Actually all of them were sweet. Even though the stories are traditional in the romance sense, I love how the story lines were clean. There was some mention of faith, enough to know it was important to the couples but not enough to sound preachy to the non-Christian reader. The sub-stories were wonderful as well! I really enjoyed this book.

I received a copy of the book from Thomas Nelson for the purpose of review. Opinions expressed are my own.

Love and Blessings!

Margaret

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Book Review: A Sound Among the Trees By Susan Meissner

A Sound Among the Trees by Susan Meissner

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


About the book:
A house shrouded in time.

A line of women with a heritage of loss.


As a young bride, Susannah Page was rumored to be a Civil War spy for the North, a traitor to her Virginian roots. Her great-granddaughter Adelaide, the current matriarch of Holly Oak, doesn’t believe that Susannah’s ghost haunts the antebellum mansion looking for a pardon, but rather the house itself bears a grudge toward its tragic past.


When Marielle Bishop marries into the family and is transplanted from the arid west to her husband’s home, it isn’t long before she is led to believe that the house she just settled into brings misfortune to the women who live there.


With Adelaide’s richly peppered superstitions and deep family roots at stake, Marielle must sort out the truth about Susannah Page and Holly Oak— and make peace with the sacrifices she has made for love.   


My review:

I was drawn to this book because I love Historical fiction.  I know war is not romantic, but to be able to find love amongst the rubble just makes me ... SIGH!  I really wanted to LOVE this book.

Overall the book is very slow moving, I really struggled to get through it. The most engaging part of the book is the letters.  I found out so much about the character writing them and really felt a connection with her. 

As for the characters, I have to say I wanted to really like Marielle but even after reading the book, I don't feel like I know her or Carson.  Also, Adelaide, who I would have thought was a main character was more an "accessory" until the very end.  I felt in the epilogue is where I had the most connection with her.

This wasn't an unpleasant read, I think I learned a little more about the time period.  I recommend it for readers who like Civil War era fiction. 

If you would like to learn more about this book, take a peek at Chapter One here.


Disclaimer: Thank you to  WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for providing this book for review.

Love and Blessings!

Margaret

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I Cheated...

Sigh...  I have a confession to make.  I cheated... had an affair...

I feel terrible about it, but I can't take back what I've done.  But at least if I share it here, I'll be held accountable.

It all started on Christmas.  My husband gave me a surprise gift (we weren't supposed to be exchanging gifts).  It was a Kindle Fire.

Picture courtesy of Amazon

Now prior to this gift, I mostly read Christian fiction, romance, cookbooks and Christian non-fiction.  Sigh... this is so HARD!  While I still read the aforementioned genres, I have branched out more into thrillers, murder mysteries, and ghost stories.  I know, I know, how could I.  I don't know, I just can't help myself!  I found sites like this which feed my addiction:

Ereader IQ

Pixel of Ink and Pixel of Ink Young Edition

The Vessel Project

New Free Kindle Books Discovered for you Daily

They are all list of free books that Amazon has available.  How could I NOT download them, they are free!  So now my paperbacks are being ignored, I'm reading about trips to Thailand and unrequited love.  Oh for shame for shame!

Please tell me I'm not alone!  Have you ever "cheated" on your favorite genre? 

Do you download a lot of free ebooks?

Love and Blessings!

Margaret

Book Review: Code Blue by Richard Mabry

Code Blue by Richard L. Mabry

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Code Blue was a pleasant surprise. When Dr. Cathy Sewell returns to her hometown, she faces many challenges to becoming one of the local doctors, including overcoming the shadow of her father's betrayal. But she soon finds out that not everything is what it seems. The author takes you on a trail that has some twists and turns but the surprise ending will really get you!

I thought the book was well written. There was romance, thriller and mystery all wrapped up in one. It starts off a little slow but really draws you in as you get further into the book. I think the character of Dr. Cathy Sewell is believable. The author does an excellent job of sharing her emotions and allowing you to see inside her character.

What I learned most from this book is that the journey to faith is not easy for anyone, no even doctors who seem to have to "play God" sometimes. Past challenges and hurts can serve to keep us from our destiny but if we trust in God, He will bring us through. Dr. Sewell's reconnection with her faith, was real. She went through many emotions that some of us can relate to as we are making our own journeys. I appreciate the way the author handled this topic.

Overall this was an excellent read, not only for the Christian reader, but for anyone who love a good thriller with a touch of romance thrown in!

This book was from my personal collection and opinions expressed are completely my own.

Love and Blessings!

Margaret

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Book Review: Beyond Molasses Creek by Nicole Seitz

Beyond Molasses Creek by Nicole A. Seitz

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

From the Book:  Having traveled to the ends of the earth as a flight attendant, Ally Green has finally returned to the Lowcountry to bury her father as well as the past. But Vesey Washington is still living across the creek, and theirs is a complicated relationship--he was once her best friend . . . and also part of the reason she's stayed away so long. When Ally discovers a message her father left behind asking her to quit running, it seems her past isn't through with her yet.

My review: I think this was a touching story with wonderful characters and a believable storyline for the time setting.  I thought Ally was a little odd at first but as her story came out, I got a deeper understanding of her character.  I believe the pain she felt was something that was not unusual for the time that she grew up, but it was still sad.  I thought Vesey was a beautiful character and reminiscent of the way I viewed men from back then.  He was strong and faithful and I loved him.  He reminded me a lot of my grandfather.  My heart broke for Sunila and then rejoiced for her!  I would love to see a book about her "new" life!

Overall, I thought this was an interesting read.   I enjoyed the characters and the settings.  It's not one of the best of the recent books I have read, but it's a nice weekend read.

Disclaimer:  I received a free copy of this book as part of the Thomas Nelson Booksneeze program.  The opinions expressed are 100% my own.

Love and Blessings!

Margaret

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Book Review: The Christmas Singing: A Romance From the Heart of Amish Country by Cindy Woodsmall

The Christmas Singing by Cindy Woodsmall

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


The Christmas Singing is a lovely story about an Amish young woman Mattie, who is torn between two beaus, the one that left her heartbroken and the one that would never hurt her.  In the end she chooses between the two, but is it the right choice? 

The character of Mattie was bold and creative.  Mattie is a successful cake decorator, a business she started when Gideon broke her heart and she moved from Pennsylvania to Ohio.  When Mattie faces a tragedy, she is forced to go back to PA and to face Gideon.  Mattie's new love Sol, stands by her throughout it all, but in the end he knows that Mattie needs to make a decision.


This was definitely a quick and pleasant read. I love Amish stories, just the peaceful sense of life unencumbered. I think the author did a wonderful job of developing the characters and weaving them each into the story.  What I enjoy most about Amish fiction, is the wonderful sense of family and community these books promote.  I look forward to more books from this author! Oh and the recipes at the end of this book look wonderful!  I'll have to try one or two!


Disclaimer: This book was provided to me by Waterbrook-Multnomah as part of the Blogging for Books program.  The opinions expressed are 100% my own. 

Love and Blessings!

Margaret





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