An Ivy Hill Christmas (Tales from Ivy Hill) by Julie Klassen

 

Richard Brockwell is the spoiled youngest son of his family.  His brother is the head of the family and lives with his family and his mother in the family mansion back in the small village of Ivy Hill where they are the local gentry.  Richard has been living in their London townhouse and is living the bachelor dandy lifestyle.  Richard's mama is tired of him staying away at the holidays and has summoned him home for Christmas.  They are hosting a houseparty.  Reluctantly, Richard travels there, bringing his lap dog and his best friend and his valet to liven it up for him.  His reputation proceeds him to Ivy Hill.  People there know of his escapades in London but they also remember him from his childhood. 

I love this story.  It's a perfect picture of the holiday season in an English village 100+ years ago. And the picture of their faith and values is heartwarming. I can't wait to read more about Ivy Hill.  

I have voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book which I received from NetGalley. All views expressed are only my honest opinion.

Unveiling the Past by Kim Vogel Sawyer

 

Kim Vogel Sawyer has been a favorite author of mine for years. She is the queen of historical romance in my opinion but I just developed a new fascination with her. This book is set in the modern day and is about two detectives with the cold case unit. This is my 2nd favorite type of fiction / stories. It's like finding a new author. I find myself daydreaming about this book having a sequel or two. I fell in love with these characters and want to know more about them. What happened after this?

This is the story of Meghan and her husband, Seth, who are Cold Case detectives. Meghan was raised by a single mother and never knew her father. But then we learn the story of Meghan's mother Diane and Kevin, Meghan's birthfather. And thrown in there is the story of Seth's childhood and Kevin's childhood and Diane's mother, Hazel and her sister, and Kevin's life thus far including his adopted son. In addition, we have the history behind the two cold cases the detectives are working on and even the lives of the other detectives and their chief. It sound like a lot but it is all part of a wonderous story! I want to give it more than 5 stars. I want to give it five stars and five exclamation points. I might even reread it, which is something I rarely do because there are so many new books to read. Kudos, Kim Vogel Sawyer. You hit this one out of the ballpark. Please write a few more of this genre.

I have voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book which I received from NetGalley. All views expressed are only my honest opinion.

First Light in Morning Star (Maidels of Morning Star #2) by Charlotte Hubbard

 

This book carries on the story of the group of maidels in the first Morning Star book.  The one featured this time is  Lydianne Christner. She is the new teacher at the newly built schoolhouse.  She used to work in the local furniture shop but recently applied for the open teaching position. Bishop Jeremiah Shetler, a widower, is taking a special interest in her.  All the maidels got together and came up with the idea of turning an old barn into a marketplace.  Now they all have stalls in the market as well as other local craftsman.  The proceeds go to the fund their church uses to help members that have medical bills or other needs and also finance projects such as the new schoolhouse.  Lydianne is also the bookkeeper for the market.  This is a fun story that takes up the tale of the basically the whole village of Morning Star.  I’m sure there will be more to the series.  Charlotte Hubbard has a knack for making these characters real and interesting and making the reader feel part of the whole group. 

I have voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book which I received from NetGalley.  All views expressed are only my honest opinion.

Point of Danger (Triple Threat #1) by Irene Hannon

 

Eve Reilly is a radio personality with a big following. She is an activist for conservative causes and has a large fan base but also have a crowd of people that detest her. When one of them leave a fake bomb on her porch and the police are called in to secure the neighborhood she meets detective Brent Lange who is the lead on her case.  As more threats come in and Detective Lange works to find some clues that will help solve the case, Eve starts to fall for the detective and vice versa. This is a real whodunnit with surprising twists and turns. I read it in record time and pretty much didn’t put it down from beginning to end. 

I have voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book which I received from NetGalley.  All views expressed are only my honest opinion. 

The Librarian of Boone’s Hollow by Kim Vogel Sawyer

 

As I was finishing this story I couldn’t wait to tell my daughter about it. This is what I wrote: “You have to read Kim Vogel Sawyer’s new book. It’s called The Librarian of Boone’s Hollow.  It takes place in 1936 (the year my parents got married) in Kentucky. It’s about the Carnegie libraries and the WPA program (Works Progress Administration) that created jobs for people during the Great Depression.”  

 

This story touched my heart. Some people in the story were nursing old grudges and superstitions. Others loved God and their neighbors and showed love no matter what they were faced with. It’s a lesson a lot of folks still need to learn in our day and time. 

 

I have voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book which I received from NetGalley.  All views expressed are only my honest opinion.

The Blended Qult by Jean Brunstetter and Wanda E. Brunstetter

 

This book is essentially about Sadie and Wyman’s long and sometimes stalled courtship.

 

I found this book a little hard to read. There were a lot of unconnected things that didn’t add to the story and the male love interest, Wyman, was pretty boring and much like a large child that wanted everything his way. There wasn’t much of anything likable about him.   The most interesting character in the book was Grace, Sadie’s mother.  She had a very good outlook on life and seemed content with her life and truly loved her family. 

 

I read every word, hoping it would get interesting at some point but the main thing I found interesting was the quilting references. 

 

I like Wanda Brunstetter’s books but just found this one to be a little less compelling than most of her books

 

I have voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book which I received from NetGalley.  All views expressed are only my honest opinion.

 

Jingle All the Way by Debbie Macomber

 

This is a fun book.  Everly (Daisy) is a partner in an up and coming real estate agency in Chicago.  When her partner’s niece, who is working at the agency, sets Everly up for a cruise to take some time off, instead of the luxury cruise Everly was expecting she found her self on a tour down the Amazon river exploring the rain forest with a naturalist (Asher) in charge of the tours.  Everly falls head over heels for Asher and he falls head over heels for her but they cannot see their lives meshing over time due to the fact that she loves the fast paced city life and he loves his job in the Amazon.   It’s fun watching them work it all out and finding a happy solution.

This is one of those feel good stories that has some fun twists and turns included.  And a Christmas theme makes its way in as well.

I have voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book which I received from NetGalley.  All views expressed are only my honest opinion.