The Artisan's Wife by Judith Miller

This book is third in the Refined by Love series by Judith Miller. The first book is the older brother Ewan of the Irish family that came to America with big dreams. He marries into a brickmaking family. The second book is about his sister Rose whose dream is a pottery factory. This final book is about Ainsley who is running a tile factory in another town and Levi, the artisan who comes to work for her and designs some very beautiful tiles.

The book is a history rich story about labor in the late 1800s and about insane asylums during that time. Ainsley gets involved with making a library for the inmates, many of whom are there just because a family member (often husband) and had them committed.

I love the way Ms. Miller brought all the three books together and tied up loose ends without taking away from the integrity of the current story. I love the simple faith of the characters. It’s an unembellished, matter-of-fact trust in God and I am so glad that Bethany House’s authors have learned to make this just part of the character’s lives and not added preachy stuff that doesn’t ring true as in some earlier Christian fiction that I have read.

I received a copy of this book from Bethany House in exchange for a fair and honest review. I would have come by my own copy one way or another anyway because I enjoyed the previous book so much this one just had to find its way into my bookshelf.

Deadly Encounter by Diann Mills

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Veterinarian Stacy Broussard becomes unwillingly involved in a puzzling situation that leaves people ill and even dead. FBI Agent Alex LeBlanc is working the case and finds himself spending a lot of time worrying about Stacy’s safety.

This story has an intricate plot and it leaves you guessing to the end. The characters are very well developed and very likeable. I found myself cheering for Alex and Stacy as a couple, but also for each of them in their careers and life choices. The fact that both of them were of Cajun background made an interesting twist to the story.

Diann Mills never disappoints with her crime novels. I find myself skulking about Amazon trying to figure out when the next one will come out and how soon I can get a copy. Tyndale gave me a copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review. I was thrilled to do it because it meant I got the book sooner but I would have gotten it by hook or by crook. I’m saving every one of Diann Mills books for a delicious rereading if I ever have a lull in all the new great fiction that comes out of Tyndale and other sources.



Author's Website

No Way Up (The Cimarron Legacy Book 1) By Mary Connealy

This is the first book of a new series by my favorite author, Mary Connealy. However, it brings in one of the characters from the previous series (The Kincaid Brides), Heath Kincaid. So much fun!


Chance Boden of the Cimarron ranch in New Mexico is injured in a rock slide and has to be taken by train to Denver to try to save his leg. His wife goes along, but their three grown children are left in charge of the ranch with a little extra incentive from Chance to stay put (he will give the ranch to someone else entirely if any of them leave). Heath Kincaid is one of their top cowhands and he and the two Boden sons and the daughter, Sadie, team together to try to figure out who was trying to hurt Chance after they discover that it was a set-up and not an accident.


I love this book and I love all the characters. I can’t wait for the next two installments. This is Mary Connealy at her best. Her books are always suspenseful but also funny and endearing. That is my most favorite aspect of her writing – it makes me laugh all the way through.


I received this book from Bethany House in exchange for an honest review but it was on my Amazon queue anyway so I would have had it on my shelf in a month or so anyway. I have all of Mary’s books and will continue to as long as she will write them.

Delilah: Treacherous Beauty (A Dangerous Beauty Novel) by Angela Hunt

This is the story of Samson & Delilah told in Angela Hunt's own unique style. It remains true to the Biblical account, but is fleshed out with additional characters and lots of historical / cultural insight. Delilah is betrayed by a step-brother and begins her own personal journey for justice. Samson is the Judge in Israel that travels around where Delilah is living. The story of how they became involved and how it led to the conclusion that we see in the Bible account is relayed through Angela Hunt's wonderful, imaginative telling of this tale. Delilah doesn't look like quite as much of a villain as she is usually portrayed, and the reader has a little more kind feeling toward her in spite of the conclusion.

Bethany House provided me with a copy of this book for the purpose of an honest review.


See my review of another book in this series here: Esther: Royal Beauty

Traces of Guilt (An Evie Blackwell Cold Case) by Dee Henderson

This was another great story by Dee Henderson. Evie Blackwell is an Illinois State Police detective who is joining a Task Force ordered by the Governor to take a fresh look at Cold Cases in each county. Her first pilot project is on two cold cases in Carin County where Gabe Thane is the local sheriff. Other friends and family are characters in the book, some of which we have met in other Dee Henderson books. The Cold Cases involve a local Sheriff’s Deputy and his family who went missing and a little girl who was kidnapped from a hotel when her family was passing through town.


I love the way Dee Henderson builds on the facts and events to the ending conclusion. These stories are fascinating and keep me wanting to read all day or all night until I find out what happened. She keeps me guessing throughout but satisfied with the conclusion.


If you like this genre, I highly recommend this author! If you are like me after you read one you won’t be satisfied till you own the whole collection and when you finish reading those you will be waiting anxiously for Ms. Henderson’s next book.


I received this book from Bethany House in exchange for a fair and honest review. If they had not offered it to be reviewed, it would have been the first thing in my Amazon cart the minute it came out!

The Midwife’s Dilemma (At Home in Trinity #3) By Delia Parr

This book is the 3rd in a series about a midwife in a town called Trinity. It takes place in the early 1800s. Martha Cade is the midwife in question, and she is a widow with a grown son and daughter. She is following in the footsteps of her grandmother who was also a midwife. She is also keeping company with Thomas Dillon, a local businessman who was her childhood sweetheart. This books ties up some loose ends from the previous books and details a few midwifing situations, but mostly deals with Martha’s indecision on if and when to marry Thomas. I found it quite tedious and it was difficult to understand her line of reasoning in all these meandering indecisions. While I enjoyed reading it, I would have enjoyed it more without all the soul searching and silly excuses. Probably Thomas would have as well.
I received this book from Bethany House in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Faith (Book 3 in the Quaker Brides Series by Lyn Cote)

This book is last in the Quaker Brides trilogy by Lyn Cote. I have read the two previous : Honor (about Faith’s parents) and Blessing (about Faith’s sister). These books all explore the Quakers’ strong stance as abolitionists in the North and in this last book the Civil War is in full swing and Faith is a nurse that is helping as General Grant’s troops move through the South. She meets Colonel Devlin Knight who is a Northern officer but also a slave owner. Together they work through their thoughts and feelings while serving in the war and searching for Faith’s friend Shiloh, a free black that was kidnapped in the North and sold into slavery in New Orleans before the war.


The author did a lot of research to make this authentic and it shows. The characters are well thought out and the conflict between is real and insightful. I really enjoyed this series. I received my copy of Faith from Tyndale in exchange for a fair and honest review.




Author bio from Tyndale:


Lyn Cote, known for her "Strong Women, Brave Stories," is the award-winning, critically-acclaimed author of more than 35 novels. Her books have been RITA Award finalists and Holt Medallion and Carol Award winners. Lyn received her bachelor's degree in education and her master's degree in American history from Western Illinois University. She and her husband have two grown children and live on a small but beautiful lake in northern Wisconsin. Visit her online at Author's website


Book Synopsis from Tyndale:


The Civil War battlefield is the last place Quakeress Faith Cathwell thought she’d find herself. But with a gift for nursing, Faith seizes this opportunity to join the fight for abolition—and to search for Shiloh, a freeborn childhood friend who was kidnapped and sold south by unscrupulous slave catchers.


Knowing it’s much too dangerous for her to search enemy territory alone, Faith enlists the help of Colonel Devlin Knight, who is indebted to her for saving his cousin’s life. A career soldier, Dev is committed to the preservation of the Union but conflicted about freeing his own slave and confidant, who plans to enlist as soon as Dev gives him manumission papers.


Blazing a trail east with the rest of Grant’s army, Dev and Faith fight their personal battles—and a growing attraction to each other. When beliefs clash and passions flare, they quickly find that the only thing more dangerous than the war surrounding them is the battle within their hearts.