Book Review: Through Waters Deep

Through Waters Deep. (Waves of Freedom #1) Sarah Sundin. Revell. 384 pages. [Source: Review copy]

Sarah Sundin is one of my favorite authors. She writes historical romances set during World War II. I enjoy many historical romances; some more than others perhaps. I enjoy reading novels set during World War II--romance or not. So Sarah Sundin is a definite treat for me. I look forward each year to reading her newest book. Often her books are released in August, and anything that you can look forward to in August is a GOOD thing in my opinion.

Through Waters Deep is the first book in her new series. Readers meet  Mary Stirling, a secretary for Boston's Navy Yard, and Jim Avery, an ensign in the Navy. These two knew each other--though not well--in high school. They've bumped into each other in Boston after several years apart, and are now on ever-increasing friendly terms.

World War II has not started yet, but, that doesn't mean there's not a lot of activity. Boston is a city full of opinionated people. Some anxious to have the United States join the war. Some determined to avoid war at all costs. When the two groups meet and mingle, well, trouble is the result. (The novel opens in March 1941, and ends shortly after the bombing of Pearl Harbor in December 1941).

Through Waters Deep is a great read. Readers meet plenty of characters, the main characters, of course are Jim and Mary. Other novels may explore other characters introduced in this one perhaps. (I hope so!) I loved the characterization. I loved the romance. I enjoyed the mystery. Yes, MYSTERY. For Mary is a smart woman good at detecting trouble and solving crimes. She knows that SOMETHING is going on at the Navy Yard, and believes it to be serious…

I definitely recommend this one!

© Becky Laney of Operation Actually Read Bible

Book Review: The Innocent

The Innocent. Ann H. Gabhart. 2015. Revell. 400 pages. [Source: Review copy]

I really loved, loved, loved Ann Gabhart's The Innocent. I was a tiny bit surprised by how much I loved it since it is set during the Civil War, well, directly after the Civil War. But from the start, Gabhart had me hooked. I think one of the reasons I loved it so much--cared so much--was the characterization.

Carlyn Kearney is the heroine of The Innocent. The war has left her a widow, a widow hesitant to declare herself a widow. Her husband is missing in action, has been missing for several years now. Part of her truly wants him to come back home, and expects just that. Another part of her realizes that if he was alive, he'd have found a way to at the very least write her and let her know that he's alive. Carlyn is in a predicament because she cannot make payments on the house, and, the man who loaned her husband the money is a scoundrel not above making threats. The novel opens with him bringing the sheriff to evict her. The sheriff. Well. He's something. He's a big part of why this one works so very well.

Having nowhere else to go, Carlyn Kearney joins the nearby Shaker community. Will she be a permanent Sister of the community? Or is this a temporary fix? Will she get along with the other women? Will she meet their expectations? Will they meet hers? This decision isn't one that is taken lightly.

The Innocent is part mystery novel--I LOVED the mystery element--and part romance novel. I won't say a word about the mystery, but, it's GOOD.

© Becky Laney of Operation Actually Read Bible

Book Review: As Love Blooms

As Love Blooms. Lorna Seilstad. 2015. Revell. 320 pages. [Source: Review copy]

As Love Blooms is the third book in the Gregory Sisters trilogy by Lorna Seilstad. The first book, When Love Calls, focuses on the oldest sister, Hannah. The second book, While Love Stirs, focuses on the middle sister, Charlotte. In the first book, readers are introduced to the three now-orphaned sisters. When the first sister finds happily ever after, the other sisters find an instant family and move in with his suffragist aunt (Lincoln's Aunt). Also readers should know that in the first book, the sisters pledges to help one another's dreams come true.

So Tessa's settled on a dream. She's a horticulturist. She wants to be hired as a gardener at Como Park in Saint Paul, Minnesota. The problem? Well, the man in charge, Mr. Nussbaumer, doesn't want to hire her because she's a woman. He doesn't want to discourage her from gardening--private gardening. But there's a small chance she can change his mind…

Reese King has met Tessa and been wowed. He was equally wowed by her gardening designs. His idea? To work on the garden together at the park, taking credit for the design and the work, and then if his boss LOVES it, he'll confess it to be her design. The two hardly know one another, and it does seem like a risky agreement--at least to me--but she's desperate for a chance. It turns out he is as well.

Will these two fall in love as they work side-by-side? Perhaps. But if so, it won't come easily. For Tessa likes to spend time with another young man with ambitions of his own…

I liked this one. I didn't love it as much as While Love Stirs. For one thing, I thought the book was a little too dramatic in places, especially towards the end.

I would still recommend all three books, however.

© Becky Laney of Operation Actually Read Bible

Book Review: Anna's Crossing

Anna's Crossing: An Amish Beginnings Novel. Suzanne Woods Fisher. 2015. Revell. 336 pages. [Source: Review copy]

I enjoyed reading Anna's Crossing. This historical fiction novel is set, for the most part, on the ship the Charming Nancy. Anna König did not want to go to the New World, at least not at the start of the novel. She was happy to remain with her grandparents in Germany. But she makes peace with the situation the best she can. (However, she's insistent that if she goes, her rose goes with her.) She's traveling with several Amish families. (There are also Mennonite families on board the Charming Nancy, but, for the most part they don't interact with one another.) Conditions are less than ideal. But a few things make life better: her friendship with the mischievous Felix, and, her friendship with Bairn, the ship's carpenter.

I liked this novel very much. I liked getting to know the characters. Felix gets plenty of time--time which he uses to get in and out of trouble. I really liked getting to know Anna. She was a great heroine. And Bairn, well, he was GREAT. There was just something satisfying about this book.

© Becky Laney of Operation Actually Read Bible

Book Review: The Trouble With Patience

The Trouble with Patience. (Virtues and Vices of the Old West #1) Maggie Brendan. 2015. Revell. 336 pages. [Source: Review copy]

Did I love The Trouble With Patience? Probably not love, I can easily say I liked it however.

Patience Cavanaugh has inherited her grandmother's boardinghouse. It isn't in perfect condition, there is much to be repaired and updated if she wants it to thrive. But she's willing to give it her all. She finds a handful of people in the community supportive and friendly.

Jedediah Jones is the local marshal in town. He is sometimes supportive and sometimes friendly. At least in her eyes. Readers perhaps have an easier time recognizing Jed for the hero he so obviously is.

One of the first scenes in the novel is a bit odd, in my opinion. Patience interrupts Jedediah in the middle of an arrest. He's caught a man trying to steal a horse. Patience interferes and then gets all upset when he tells her to mind her own business! She walks away with the impression that he is rude and obnoxious and oh-so-impossible.

He's just confused by Patience's sudden appearance and outspokenness. What kind of lady comes out onto the street during an arrest--with at least one gun drawn--and interrupts the scene so she can speak her mind?! In his opinion, a crazy one. Oh, she's pretty enough, he notices. But his opinion of her is not improved when she later comes by the jailhouse insisting that he apologize to her immediately!

Can these two learn to get along? Can they learn how to help one another? For the truth is, he needs her. And she needs him…

I liked this one well enough. Especially in the moment. As I was reading this one, it was easy to enjoy.

© Becky Laney of Operation Actually Read Bible

Book Review: The Crimson Cord

The Crimson Cord: Rahab's Story (Daughters of the Promised Land #1) Jill Eileen Smith. 2015. Revell. 368 pages. [Source: Review copy]

I enjoy reading biblical fiction. Some authors I tend to love more than others. I do tend to like Jill Eileen Smith's books. I haven't "loved" every single novel. But for the most part, I eagerly anticipate each new release. How did I like The Crimson Cord? Well...

I loved, loved, LOVED Jill Eileen Smith's The Crimson Cord. It was WONDERFUL. The Crimson Cord is Rahab's story. It is fiction, of course. The author imagines what Rahab's life might have been like. Why was she a prostitute? Was this something she chose for herself? Or was it forced upon her? Is it a lifestyle she enjoyed? Or was it a burden, of sorts, for her? Was she trapped and weighed down by it? Why did she choose to help the two spies? Why did she trust them and their God? Was it easy for her to convince her family to stay with her in her house? How did they view her lifestyle? What happened to them after Jericho's fall?

Jill Eileen Smith excels at storytelling. This story is captivating from start to finish. It is faithful to Scripture--what is clearly revealed in Scripture. Yet at the same time it is creative fiction. Nothing in the  novel contradicts Scripture, but, so much of the novel is imaginative speculation. I loved Smith's Rahab.   I found Rahab an intriguing character, easy to love and sympathize with. And her love story, well, it was wonderful.

© Becky Laney of Operation Actually Read Bible

Book Review: The Christmas Cat

The Christmas Cat. Melody Carlson. 2014. Revell. 169 pages. [Source: Review copy]

I found The Christmas Cat to be cute and charming. Exactly what I expected it to be for the most part. Garrison Brown is the hero. When his grandmother dies, he returns to Vancouver, Washington to handle her estate. His grandmother's lawyer has very specific instructions for him to follow. She had six cats. Six cats too many for the very-extremely-allergic-to-even-just-one-cat Garrison Brown. He's to find homes for all six before he receives his inheritance. But the cats can't go to just any home. Among the rules, 1) must be adopted by someone in her own neighborhood, 2) that neighbor must have lived in the neighborhood over a year, 3) that neighbor must be a homeowner and not a renter...and that's just three of the many rules!!! Will Garrison Brown find homes for the cats? What will he do in the meantime?

I enjoyed this one. I enjoyed getting to know Garrison. I enjoyed hearing about his experiences and his dreams. I enjoyed meeting his neighbors. I liked spending time with all the characters. I liked this one. It was just a satisfying read. 

© Becky Laney of Operation Actually Read Bible

Book Review: Love At Any Cost (2013)

Love At Any Cost. Julie Lessman. 2013. Revell. 416 pages.

I definitely enjoyed reading Julie Lessman's newest novel, Love At Any Cost. This is the first in her new series, The Heart of San Francisco. I am not sure that I exactly loved it more than A Passion Most Pure, the first Lessman novel I ever read. But I definitely enjoyed it more than her more recent historical romances. Lessman's romance style is something. Readers will either love, love, love it or find it not exactly to their tastes. Not that one's reaction has to be either love or hate. (Few books merit those extremes!)

In Love At Any Cost, readers are introduced to Cassidy McClare a former heiress with a big broken heart. Her broken heart and embittered attitude towards men in general and handsome men in particular make her practically immune to the charming attentions of an oh-so-handsome young man, Jamie McKenna. But. For him, it is L-O-V-E at first sight. (But is it really?) He wants her, and the more she protests the more he wants her. Eventually, Cassie allows a friendship to grow between them. But both know that he wants more and that she may even need more herself. But she does not know how to trust in any man. Jamie has trust issues of his own. Oh, he hasn't any problems trusting his heart and mind, and he doesn't Cassie for an instant. But Jamie does NOT trust in God...at all. Perhaps doubting God's existence at all, but at the very least doubting God's goodness. This is NOT good news for their romance, for Cassie will NOT go to extra lengths to trust her heart to someone who is an unbeliever. She might be willing to trust God with both their hearts, with their love story, but otherwise she feels she has to play it smart and ignore the incredibly intense attraction.

It would perhaps be easy to take sides and focus on either her brokenness OR his brokenness. (I haven't really explained his in this review. But trust me, he's flawed.) But. I think the message of this one--if indeed there is a "message" is that we are all flawed and broken and have made mistakes in the past and  are perhaps struggling with making the "right" decision in the present. The hero and heroine have more in common than you might at first suspect. Both need God to heal them. I liked that these were "weak" characters that did need God in order to strengthen them and make them whole. It wasn't human effort or more willpower that was needed, but God.

I would recommend this one.

© Becky Laney of Operation Actually Read Bible

Book Review: Moonlight Masquerade

Moonlight Masquerade. Ruth Axtell. 2013. Revell. 352 pages.

I enjoyed reading Ruth Axtell's historical romance novel, Moonlight Masquerade. The novel is set in Regency England. Rees "MacKinnon" is Lady Wexham's temporary butler, her regular butler being an elderly gentleman who broke a leg while visiting relatives in the country. 

There are plenty of reasons that the book's couple should not be together: he's a British agent sent to spy on a widowed Lady suspected of being a spy for the French; she's actually a French spy risking her life passing along information that she hopes keep Napoleon in power and the exiled royals out. He knows she's a spy. She knows that he's watching her, suspects that he's spying on her even. But. The attraction is so very strong for both... 

The novel is told from both of their perspectives. It has drama, adventure, and, of course, romance.

While Moonlight Masquerade is published as Christian romance, it is not as mild as some in the genre. There is in fact a moonlight masquerade scene where the hero and heroine meet masqueraded and share a passionate first kiss. 

© Becky Laney of Operation Actually Read Bible

Book Review: The Dilemma of Charlotte Farrow (2013)

The Dilemma of Charlotte Farrow. Olivia Newport. 2013. Revell. 320 pages.

"Kiss Henry for me."
Momentarily startled by hearing the words aloud, Charlotte Farrow glanced around, seeking assurance the moment was private. 

Readers first met Charlotte Farrow in Olivia Newport's The Pursuit of Lucy Banning. In this second novel, Charlotte's story is told. The novel opens with Lucy and Will preparing to leave for their honeymoon. Charlotte, who is a maid in the Banning household, will miss her friend, but she will have plenty to do since she'll be training or helping to train a new maid, Sarah. Lucy has especially asked Charlotte to help Sarah keep her position until she returns that winter. It won't be an easy task for Sarah hasn't the inclination to be in service to others. Life becomes complicated when Charlotte's secret son, Henry, is left at the Banning house. The woman Lucy has been paying to keep her maid's son has had a family emergency. She can't take the baby with her and she has no idea when she'll be back in Chicago. Charlotte allows the other servants to think the baby is an abandoned baby. This is tough for Charlotte, of course, especially since Sarah the newest maid is appointed to be nanny. Charlotte has to watch a mindless seemingly heartless woman care for her son, or NOT care for her son as the case may be. Charlotte's life is not only emotionally complicated but physically exhausting: it seems she's to do the work of three maids now. (Her own tasks, the tasks Sarah would have done, and being a lady's maid to the Banning's house guest Emmaline.) And when she does have a moment to herself, well, Archie is there trying to woo her. But though she loves the wooing, she's worried that it will just be too hurtful in the end.

I definitely enjoyed The Dilemma of Charlotte Farrow. I really liked Archie and Charlotte. I pitied Emmaline. I loathed Sarah. I would be interested in Emmaline's story or possibly Sarah's story. Can the author redeem Sarah and make me feel sympathetic towards her?

© Becky Laney of Operation Actually Read Bible

Book Review: Where God Finds You

Where God Finds You: 40 Devotions Bringing Bible Characters to Life. Anita Higman. 2012. Standard Publishing. 240 pages.

I enjoyed reading Anita Higman's new devotional, Where God Finds You. Each devotional entry begins with a fictional sketch inspired by a character from the Bible. These entries are told in the first person; the entries are creative and dramatic. Usually occurring just minutes or hours away from a miracle, revelation, or realization. Most capture  or try to capture a person's wonder of God. But the entries are not solely fictional. Each entry also includes the passage of Scripture the story is drawn from, personal reflection from Anita Higman, and reflective questions. Not every devotional includes questions for the readers after every entry, but, I think it works. I think they can help the reader make a deeper connection with the text (the Bible) and its author. Perhaps realizing that these men and women did in fact exist, and these were ordinary men and women whom God used to reveal His glory.

For those that do read biblical fiction, this one will prove interesting I believe. It will also be good for those that do enjoy devotional reading.

• The Woman Who Touched His Cloak
• Joseph, Son of Jacob
• Mary, Mother of Jesus
• Peter
• Leah
• The Man at Bethesda
• Pilate's Wife
• Lazarus
• Hagar
• Paul
• Ruth
• The Woman Who Anointed His Feet
• Jonah
• Martha
• Rahab
• Eve
• Thomas
• Esther
• Zacchaeus
• Elizabeth
• Daniel
• Rebekah
• John the Baptist
• Hannah
• Job
• Miriam
• Tabitha
• Mary Magdalene
• Elijah
• Lydia
• The Queen of Sheba
• Noah's Wife
• Hosea
• Jonathan
• The Woman of Samaria
• Stephen
• Manoah
• Puah
• Bathsheba
• Simeon

As you can see, these characters are taken from both the Old Testament and the New Testament, being also a good blend of men and women.

© Becky Laney of Operation Actually Read Bible

Book Review: Christmas Roses

Christmas Roses. Amanda Cabot. 2012. Revell. 174 pages.

I definitely enjoyed this one! For readers who enjoy short, lovely, delightful, oh-so-satisfying, holiday-themed novels/romances, this one will prove just right. It's historical romance set in Wyoming Territory in 1882. The heroine is a widow who runs a boarding house. She's got an infant daughter, and the hero, well, he just happens to save the baby's life early in the novel. The heroine, Celia Anderson, wasn't looking for love, wasn't looking to remarry. But. The more she spends time with her new boarder, a man named Mark, the more likely she is to change her mind. Mark wasn't exactly searching for a wife--or a child--either. He WAS searching for the father he never knew. But how can he help falling for her?!

It's a quick read, a bit predictable perhaps, but quite satisfying in some ways!

© Becky Laney of Operation Actually Read Bible

Book Review: The Christmas Pony

The Christmas Pony. Melody Carlson. 2012. Revell. 170 pages.

I really enjoyed this Christmas-themed novel. In some ways, it is a romance seen through a child's eyes. The heroine, Lucy Turnbull, is living with her mother and grandmother who run a boarding house. She knows that times are hard--it's set in 1937--and that Christmas presents are unlikely, especially since Lucy's dreaming big, a PONY! But she's got a good heart, and she's praying that things will get better. Her mom has specifically asked her to pray that the boarding house will get more guests because they are struggling to make ends meet. So Lucy is THRILLED that she's the one to bring two paying guests home. An oh-so-glamorous woman on her way to California, and the gentleman who rescued her and is giving her a ride in his car. The two appear to be stranded for the holidays, and it may just be the best news ever for Lucy...who sees that her mother and George might have something special...if given enough time to develop.

This is a satisfying read! I love the perspective and the setting. It is more than just a romance. It's a feel-good story that would be a good fit for readers of many ages.

© Becky Laney of Operation Actually Read Bible

Book Review: Twice Promised

Twice Promised. Maggie Brendan. 2012. Revell. 332 pages.

Love gets a little messy in Maggie Brendan's new historical romance, Twice Promised. Greta Olsen is mourning the loss of her fiance, Bryan Gifford. Her heart far from mended, still, she can't help but respond to an ad for a mail-order bride. After some correspondence, she decides to take a chance on Jess Gifford. On the way to Central City, Colorado, she meets another woman, Cora Johnson, who is running away from her disapproving family. (They can't accept her faith and her new calling.) The two become friendly only to learn that they've both been lied to by the same man. Zach Gifford thinks his brother, Jess, should get married. So he places an ad in his brother's name and corresponds with two women arranging for both to come. An arrangement is reached that they will both meet Jess, and that they will both work in Jess' store until a decision has been made. (He'll either like one of them and want to marry or won't. There are plenty of other single men in town OR they can go back home.) So what happens when a hasty suggestion from Granny interferes with the natural progression of true love?

The relationships in this book are messy, in my opinion. Deciding on a whim based on who picks up what pattern of tea cup and letting that be the sole factor in who officially courts one another is silly. Within a few days, Zach clearly prefers Cora to Greta and Jess clearly prefers Greta to Cora, yet no one is honest because they don't want to break hearts or engagements. That doesn't stop Cora and Zach from kissing each other, or Jess and Greta either. Messy, messy, messy. It's predictable in that you know all will be righted by the end, but, in my opinion, it doesn't get cleared up quick enough.

But while I may think it's a little too messy, I did enjoy it to some extent. I definitely liked Greta and enjoyed getting to know her better.

© Becky Laney of Operation Actually Read Bible

Book Review: All Things New

All Things New. Lynn Austin. 2012. Bethany House. 416 pages.

Historical fiction set in Virginia in the weeks and months following the end of the Civil War. All Things New is told from multiple perspectives. Lizzie and Otis are slaves who have just learned of their freedom, they are the only former-slaves to choose to stay at White Oak Plantation. Lizzie wants what is best for her family, since the Freedmen's Bureau has opened up a school she has decided it is best they stay there so her children can attend school and learn to read and write. Josephine Weatherly is the oldest daughter. She is mourning the death of her father and brother and struggling to make peace with her brother who returned from the war a very different man. She misses the luxuries of the old life, in a way, but she's a practical no-nonsense woman who'd rather survive and learn to change to fit the new times. Eugenia (Josephine's mother) is so unlike her daughter. She's lost her husband and one son, all her wealth, and she wants things to go back to the way they were before, she wants things to go back to normal right now, she's had enough change, enough loss. Why should she change in order to make sense of this crazy world? All Things New is all about conflict and tension. Will the white families allow the former slaves their freedom, their independence, their right to make decisions for themselves...or will they do whatever it takes to keep them in their "rightful" place? Will these months lead to peace or strife? Is more violence around the corner? Or can a community start to heal?

All Things New is also a romance between a Southern woman, Josephine, and a Yankee, Alexander Chandler...

I liked it. I didn't love it or hate it. I'm not as interested in the Civil War and Reconstruction period as I am in other historical periods. (I just love Lynn Austin novels set during World War II). This wasn't a novel I could feel comfortable with.


© Becky Laney of Operation Actually Read Bible

Book Review: Sarai

Sarai. Jill Eileen Smith. 2012. Revell. 320 pages.

Ur, 2051 BC
Sarai glanced across the courtyard, catching Abram's gaze. His half smile and the twinkle in his eye warmed her more than the wine she had tasted at the start of the ceremony. Music drifted around them as the bridal couple--their nephew Lot and his new wife, Melah--took their seats on the bench beneath the canopy and accepted rich foods from the hands of the servants.

I really LOVED Jill Eileen Smith's first trilogy (Wives of King David). While I didn't love, love, love Sarai as much as I loved, loved, loved some of her previous books, I definitely enjoyed it! (Bathsheba and Abigail were some of the best, best, best  books in their genre--biblical fiction.)

I don't think it's a horrible thing that I didn't love and adore it. I really don't. Because I am not one of those readers that demand the same thing from each and every book I read. Some books wow, yes, but most are just satisfying and enjoyable.

Sarai spans decades. We first meet the hopeful wife in Ur many, many years (if not a decade) from Abram's first call to leave the land and his family behind him to go to a new land, a promised land. The book concludes with the long-awaited, much-hoped-for, much-prayed-for birth of the couple's son, Isaac. The book covers all the decades in between. All the highs and lows of this couple and their family. Readers are introduced to Lot, his wife, and in a very, very limited way their two daughters. Lot's wife is one of the characters that we spend quite a bit of time with. And her story parallels Sarai's in a way. Her choices--from the start--make her a very, very, very different kind of wife and mother. But both women are presented as all-too-human. Sarai is not presented as a saint, a flawless woman beyond temptation, doubt, despair, and anger.

I definitely liked the characters in this one. I liked the writing too. I think I just have always liked King David more than Abraham. So the novels about King David's wives have more appeal to me perhaps. But Sarai is a good book.

© Becky Laney of Operation Actually Read Bible

Book Review: A Most Unsuitable Match

A Most Unsuitable Match. Stephanie Grace Whitson. 2011. Bethany House. 336 pages.

Kneeling before the tombstone, eighteen-year-old Fannie Rousseau retrieved the scrub brush from the water bucket she'd just settled in the grass. First, she attacked the dried bird droppings on the back side of the stone, then moved on to the deep grooves carving the name Rousseau into the cool gray surface. She'd just finished cleaning out the second s when a familiar voice sounded from across the cemetery.

I just LOVED, LOVED, LOVED Stephanie Grace Whitson's Sixteen Brides which I reviewed last year. So I was super-excited to read her newest novel, A Most Unsuitable Match. And I must say it did not disappoint! It was just as wonderful.

The heroine of this historical romance is Miss Fannie Rousseau of St. Charles, Missouri. The novel opens soon after her mother's death. Though her mother's death is more recent, it is the loss of her father that has broken her heart or spirit. Now with her mother's death, she's being forced to wake up a bit, to realize that she needs to start taking charge of her life, to start managing the house--or managing the staff--and looking into her financial situation. The family lawyer isn't one for talking--or at least not talking honestly and openly with her. His advice has been--for months and months--just get married, when you get married your husband will take care of you and your finances, I'll work with him about your estate. Needless to say, Miss Fannie does NOT want to take his advice. And she doesn't want him to pick out her husband for her.

After a failed burglary attempt, Miss Fannie is urged to gather her mother's jewels to put in a safe under her lawyer's keeping. While going through her mother's things, she discovers a secret. She finds over twenty letters from a woman, Edith LeClerc, and a photograph. It seems her mother has a twin sister. Why didn't her mother ever tell her about her aunt? Why keep something so big a secret? She takes the photograph and the letters to her lawyer, and his advice is whatever you do, don't try to contact her. She may want your money if she finds out her sister is dead. And besides there is probably a good reason your mother wanted nothing to do with her. So leave it alone.

While she went into the lawyer's office wanting to write her aunt a letter at her last known address, she leaves his office almost determined to do something more! What if she were to go looking for her aunt herself....

So Miss Fannie Rousseau and Hannah, her faithful servant, a woman who has almost always been dearer to her than her mother, decide to travel by steamship. On the ship, they meet a young man, Mr. Samuel Beck, and thus this romance begins. He is on a quest as well. He's looking for someone too.

I loved this one. I just LOVED this one. I loved the characters. I loved the story. I though Miss Fannie was just a lovely heroine. And I loved seeing her grow up a bit on her journey. I loved seeing her deepen her faith as she gave up her comfortable life and trusted God to lead her. I loved Sam Beck (or Brother Sam). I loved seeing him grow into his mission and discover his gift for reaching people right where they are with the gospel. And I also loved so many of the characters we meet along the way, Lamar, Doctor Lamotte and his son, Patrick, Honest Abe Valley, etc.

This one is set in 1869/1870.

© Becky Laney of Operation Actually Read Bible

Book Review: Pompeii: City On Fire

Pompeii: City On Fire. T.L. Higley. 2011. B&H Publishing Group. 368 pages.

In the prologue, readers meet Ariella, a young Jewish woman fleeing a fallen Jerusalem. She's witnessed the destruction of the temple and was devastated by the loss of her family. Taken into slavery by the Romans, Ariella's nightmare is just beginning.

The text picks up nine years later, readers witness Ariella's brave escape from her cruel master, Valerius, where she takes the place of a young boy--a gladiator. With this gladiator troupe, maybe just maybe, she can escape from slavery completely. If she survives long enough.

The gladiator troupe is journeying to Pompeii. And that is where most of the novel is set. In the months leading up to its destruction. Readers learn of Ariella and are introduced to Cato and his family.

Cato first becomes interested in Ariella--whom he knows as Ari--soon after the gladiators arrive. He's drawn to "the boy" but doesn't know why. He's newly moved to the city himself. He's embarrassed by something in his past--a business failure or political failure, I'm not sure which. But he's looking to find a new start. There are plenty in town who welcome him. Some even see him as a possible savior. Could this newcomer be the one to rescue the city from the cruel politician Maius? Can they convince him to run for office? He's got his doubts. But after witnessing Maius' cruelty time and time again, he's convinced that someone has to do it.

Ariella and Cato's stories connect, of course, and her truth is revealed.

Throughout the book readers hear from Vesuvius herself, the volcano destined to destroy the city and leave few survivors. These paragraphs were the hardest for me to read. Why? I'm not sure that much foreshadowing was needed. And it's just not natural for volcanoes or mountains to talk let alone have a story to tell.

I liked Pompeii. I didn't love it. But I didn't dislike it either. I've struggled the past two months with reading Christian fiction, and it was nice to not have to struggle with this one. It was nice to not have to do battle with another book.

© Becky Laney of Operation Actually Read Bible

Book Review: Courting Morrow Little

Courting Morrow Little by Laura Frantz. 2010. Revell. 368 pages.

First line from the prologue:

Red River, Kentucke

July 1765

Morrow paused on the river trail to wipe her brow with the hem of her linsey shift. It was a true Kentucke July, and the woods were hot as a hearth, the leaves of the elms and oaks and sycamores curling for lack of water, the dust beneath her bare feet fine as flour. Even the river seemed like bathwater, its surface still and unbroken as green glass.

From the first chapter:

Fort Pitt, Pennsylvania

June 1778

Morrow took out a painted paper fan, her gloved hands trembling, and recalled the look of horror on her aunt's face moments before when she'd embarked, as if she'd stepped into a coffin instead of a keelboat.

Morrow Little, our heroine, was just a young girl when Shawnee warriors murdered her mother and baby sister and kidnapped her brother Jess. Morrow and Pa were spared--being away from the cabin--but they're haunted nonetheless by what they found that summer day. When the novel opens, Morrow is a young woman. She's had a few years in the East with her aunt. She's learned how to be a lady, a woman. Now, she's returning to her father, to Kentucke.

If it was up to her aunt, she'd never step foot on the frontier ever again. But Morrow feels her place is with her father, who's not in the best of health.

Once she arrives, Morrow finds many men in the community are smitten with her. Though not all think she's equally prepared for the harshness of frontier life. No one is more smitten than the determined soldier, Major McKie. But McKie would not be her choice for her husband. Nor her father's choice. Yet he has a way of intimidating Morrow's other suitors.

Her father wants to see his daughter married. Not because he doesn't love her. He does. But because he knows he's dying. And before he dies, he wants to be sure that his daughter will have a home, will have someone to care for her, someone to provide for her, cherish her. He doesn't want her to marry just anybody. He wants what is best for his daughter. And he has a good idea that Major McKie is not the one.

Who is her choice? The answer might just surprise you! It certainly surprised the community!

I just loved Laura Frantz's The Frontiersman's Daughter. It was one of my favorite reads of the year. So I was super excited to read Courting Morrow Little. And it didn't disappoint me. I loved Morrow. I loved Red Shirt. I loved the richness of this historical novel. I found it very satisfying.

© Becky Laney of Operation Actually Read Bible

Book Review: The Sister Wife

The Sister Wife. Diane Noble. 2010. HarperCollins. 343 pages.

Mary Rose refused to let the sting at the back of her throat turn to tears. Instead, she drew in a deep breath and reached over her swollen stomach to pluck weeds from between the rows of cabbage seedlings.

If ever a woman had cause to cry, Mary Rose does. Her husband, Gabriel MacKay, is about to marry another woman. And not just any woman, her best friend, Bronwyn. True, both claim--for now--that it will be a marriage in name only. Both claim that they're not in love with the other. But Mary Rose suspects that a day will come, a time will come, when all that will change.

Should she leave her husband? Should she leave the faith? Would leaving 'the faith' condemn her for eternity? Mary Rose has plenty of questions. Her marriage didn't start out this way. Her love didn't start out this way. She had every reason to hope for a happily ever after. Both her and her husband were recent--very recent--converts to the faith. Neither expected that faith to come between them and their happiness. But when the Prophet mandates Gabriel to marry the recently widowed Bronwyn, their future happiness comes into question. It's not that Mary Rose doesn't love Bronwyn. She does. She loves both mother and child. But why does caring and providing for her friend mean marriage? Why should she have to share her husband not just for this life but for all eternity?

I have mixed feelings on The Sister Wife. It is the first in a series. It has more questions than answers. I'm curious enough to want to know what happens next. But I can't say that I loved this one. I'm not even sure that I liked it.

© Becky Laney of Operation Actually Read Bible