Lady of a Thousand Treasures by Sandra Byrd

Eleanor Sheffield is taking care of the family business as her elderly uncle is having health issues.   Women are not trusted in business in England in the Victorian Era (1866). She had hopes of becoming engaged to Harry, now Lord Lydney, but he has just returned from an extended visit to the continent where he had been with his father when he passed away and Eleanor is feeling uncertain about his affections. Meanwhile, the late Lord Lydney’s will states that Eleanor is to determine whether his extensive collection of antiquities will be passed on to his only heir (Harry) or donated to a museum.

This book was very interesting.  I could tell that the author had done her research well. I loved all the collections alluded to and the lengths people were willing to go to obtain something unique to add to their personal collections. I find this era of British history fascinating and this book provided a slice of that life – even including a sojourn in debtors prison.

I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who loves 1) Christian fiction, 2) Historical novels set in Victorian England, 3) and interesting read.  I was provided with a copy of this book by the publisher Tyndale in exchange for my own opinion on the book expressed in a posted review.

FBI Special Agent and hostage negotiator April Ramo finds herself in a hostage situation of her own when a stranger puts a baby into her arms and flees. April is soon confronted by the baby's pursuing father, Jason Snyder, who takes April hostage to help him solve the case of who kidnapped his daughter and who killed his best friend and business partner. April begins to believe Jason's side of the story and risks her job to help Jason solve the case. Local law enforcement is suspect in the case, which further complicates the situation.


Diann Mills writes great FBI stories and keeps me guessing to the end about who is involved and who is not. I believe I have read every book she has written since the beginning and I keep anxiously awaiting the next book to be published.


These are the kind of stories I like to read and I love that Diann puts the Christian faith of the characters in the forefront of the story.


I received a copy of this book from Tyndale in exchange for a review and I can recommend this book to anyone who likes a good suspense tale and I can also recommend Tyndale's whole line of fiction, as well as non-fiction.








Diann Mill's website

Jerusalem's Queen: A Novel of Salome Alexandra (The Silent Years) by Angela Hunt

Jerusalem's Queen is about Salome Alexandra who became the queen of Judah when her husband died. This story takes us from her early childhood to her reign as queen in her 60s. It sheds light on a lot of the scriptures in the Old Testament leading up to the New Testament when Messiah arrived on the scene. Like the book before this one in the series, the research has been done well and the story is well crafted -- so much so that I could not put this book down.  I read it through over two days time.


The story is not only about Salome Alexandra but also about her slave that was with her from childhood and throughout the rest of her life. Kissa, the slave, was sold into slavery in Egypt by her parents and brought to Judah and sold to the High Priest at that time (Salome Alexandra's uncle and guardian). The two girls became good friends and both benefited from the association.


Angela Hunt has always been one of my favorite Christian authors, but with the latest series of historical novels about the Jewish High Priests / Kings / Prophets she has really stepped up her game and I can't wait for the next installment.


I received a copy of this story from Bethany House through NetGalley.

The Reluctant Warrior by Mary Connealy

Cam is a former army officer who finds himself in a situation where he is snowed in with the folks who rescued his daughter and nephew from a wagon train massacre which killed his brother.  He and his sister came to claim the children and ended up snowed in for the winter with Gwen and her sister Deb and Deb's husband Travis. Deb and Travis met up in the first book of this series.  This is the second book.  In true Mary Connealy style, there is a crooked varmit that is trying to make everyone's life miserable and they have to end up tracking him down. Gwen and Cam are attracted to each other and repelled by each other at the same time because they both want the two children. 


I read this book in about 24 hours (not straight through but I started and finished the book in the same 24 hour period.  It was that good!  I couldn't put it down.  Mary Connealy is one of my favorite authors and I don't think she has written anything that I haven't read just as soon as it came out.  The only drawback to that is that I have to wait a few months for the next installment in a series like this.  I am eagerly anticipating the third book in this series!


I did receive a digital copy of this book from NetGalley and the publisher Bethany House in exchange for an honest review.

Hidden Among the Stars by Melanie Dobson

This story takes us back and forth between the present and a bookstore owner who gets an antique book with some intriguing notes in it and starts to research the origin and the people whose lives were affected by the circumstances surrounding the book.  The second part takes place in Austria leading up to WWII. 

I can’t say enough good things about this book.  The story was intriguing and solving the mystery was not a simple task.  This book kept me wondering throughout.  I am normally not a fan of WWII books, mostly because my daughter is a big fan and I’ve read way too many of them already, but this one was a cut above the rest.  The research this author must have done was phenomenal and her story-crafting was exceptional. I would definitely read another book by this author in a heartbeat.

I received this book from Tyndale in exchange for a review and I am so glad I did!

Thief of Corinth by Tessa Afshar

This story is set in Corinth and Athens in the time of Paul the Apostle.  Ariadne is a young girl with a difficult life.  She runs away from her mother and grandfather’s house in Athens to return to her father in Corinth. When she has been there for a while she discovers her father’s secret and begins to get involved in his activities.

The detail of the everyday life of the people in these two cities is exquisite. The reader feels like they are a part of this culture and daily life.  At some point in the story some of the characters convert to Christianity under Paul’s ministry and begin to turn their lives around. The theology is sound, if a stated more in modern terms to help the reader understand.  I love it when the stories in the Bible come to life and the early Christians become so much more real to us.

I have found a new favorite author and now I will pursue all the books she has written and will write in the future because I don’t want to miss any of the delicious detail.

This book was provided to me by Tyndale in exchange for a review. I am so grateful for this opportunity because it helps me discover new favorite authors and also keep up with my other favorite authors. 

More Than Meets the Eye by Karen Witemeyer

This is the story of three orphans that struck out on their own in Texas after the Orphan Train they were riding on was in a terrible wreck and they were facing being sent back to the East coast since they had not been selected by any interested people along the route.  Seth, Zach and Evangeline are all grown up and established in a house / farm of their own when Logan Fowler comes looking for Zach because he believes that his family was cheated out of the farm when he was a child and his father committed suicide as a result.  Some snarky church people and some bootleggers mix things up a little bit and it makes for a very fun story.

I love how Bethany House authors seamlessly include the characters’ faith as part of the story .  Ms. Witemeyer does a great job and her characters are real and interesting.

I received this book from Bethany House in exchange for a review.