A Deep Divide (Secrets of the Canyon, #1) by Kimberley Woodhouse

 

Emma Grace had come to the edge of the Grand Canyon to be a part of the new Harvey House that has opened there.  She has been a Harvey Girl since she ran away from home at 17.  She is trying to escape the people who are looking for her since her father died and left her an heiress who was tied up in legal contracts for marriage to her father's investors which was a major scam. Meanwhile, Ray, a wealthy young gentleman who is trying to please his father so he can take over his father's business.  His father wants him to take pictures of the local sites and do some research for him.  

I love reading about the Harvey House hotels / restaurants in the early 1900s.  This book was especially interesting and there was intrigue and surprises enough to satisfy fans of that genre.  It was well researched and well written.  

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

Every Knee Shall Bow (Constantine's Empire #2) by Bryan M. Litfin

 

Flavia is a nun during the time of the Emperor Constantine.  Constantine became a Christian and started spreading Christianity in Rome and all his Kingdom.  Pope Sylvester used Flavia, an heiress, and her mother and a priest to travel to Constantine to get funding for building Catholic edifices in Rome and creating a Bible for his use after having a council determine which manuscripts should be included for the New Testament.  Flavia and her party get hijacked along the way and pressed into slavery.  Rex, a former soldier for Constantine, who has fallen into disfavor and who was in love with Flavia before all the drama started (see book 1 of this series), has problems of his own but manages to come through and rescue Flavia.  Their adventure continues as we learn some of the problems of the early church and learn about the culture and religious thought.  The Gnostics are part of the "bad guys" and their view is well explained.  I love all the research that went into this book and the author's grasp of this history.  This series is worth having on your bookshelf.  It will help you learn more about early Christianity in a non-boring and very entertaining way.  

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

Love on the Range (Brothers in Arms #3) by Mary Connealy

 

What can I say that I haven't already said about Mary Connealy's books?  She is a master of plot, intrigue and hilarious characters.  This third book in the series ties it all together and is full of surprises and humor.  Ever since Mary Connealy started writing I have been following her series and I am always waiting (rather impatiently) for the next book to come along.  You can't go wrong here.  Put her at the top of your favorite author list!

This one is the story of Wyatt and Molly and makes the Hunt family complete.  If you've read the first two books of the series you have been waiting for this one!  If you haven't read them, go back and get them and catch up on the story and then read this one.  This is one of this author's best series so far.  She doesn't have an actual best because they are all entertaining in their own way.  

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

Behind Love's Wall (Doors to the Past) by Carrie Fancett Pagels

 

This was a fun story centered at the Grand Hotel on Mackinac Island. (Lake Huron) .  Willa is a modern day interior designer whose roots are in this area.  Lily is a singer who is hired by the Hotel  back in its heyday and she too had roots in this area.  What they have in common is a desire to figure out who their living relatives are.  Willa is also intrigued with Lily's story as  she finds historical references and documents that start to tell the story.   The story goes back and forth between the two time periods as they work out their genealogies.  

I have been a genealogist for many years and frankly the relationships that were mentioned in the book were somewhat confusing to me.  I would never have figured it all out from the narrative if I hadn't diagrammed it out.  I'd prefer not to work that hard to get the details when I am reading for entertainment.  In addition, it seemed like pieces were missing. It suddenly jumped from one day to another with no transition.  I was wondering how they changed their mind about things so quickly when in the last section they had a totally different point of view about what was happening and I wasn't privy to how they made that decision. That said, I still enjoyed this book and would pick it again if I had a do-0ver . 

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

 

Little Souls by Sandra Dallas

 

Originally from Iowa, Lute and Helen are sisters who live in Denver since their parents died and left everything to them. Lute is a fashion ad artist for a local department store and Helen is a nurse. Lute is engaged to a divinity student who has gone to France in the war (WWI). Helen's fiance is Gil, a local physician. The city is plagued by the Spanish Flu epidemic of 1918 in addition to the war effort going on on the home front.

This book expertly expresses the culture and angst of the time period. It is well researched and informative as well as a riveting story. I couldn't put it down. Put it at the top of your reading list!

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

The Santa Suit by Mary Kay Andrews

 

This book was surprising and fun!  Ivy is a divorcee from Atlanta who has decided to move where the living is slower and easier.  She has purchased a farmhouse and two acres through the internet has come ready to move in.  Ezra is the realtor who handled the sale. He meets her with the keys and introduces her to the house she has purchased.  The house belonged to a couple who for many years had been the local Santa and Mrs. Santa for all the towns Christmas celebrations.  Their home was famous for the lights and decoration.  As it turned out, everything had remained with the house when their descendants sold it.  Ivy finds lots of surprises in the house and finds friends and becomes part of the local culture almost immediately.  I highly recommend this story.  It was very enjoyable.

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

A Season on the Wind by Suzanne Woods Fisher

 

Penny Weaver and her brother Micah run a small birder retreat on their deceased Grandmother's farm.  Ben Zook, famous world bird explorer and author of best selling bird books, comes to find a very special bird that Micah has sighted.  This bird is way out of its normal territory and this is exciting to avid birders.  Ben was Amish once and grew up very close to this farm, but he had never planned to come back to this area until he heard about the sighting of this rare bird.  Penny had visited her grandmother's farm when she was a young girl and made friends with Ben and passed on all her bird knowledge and enthusiam to him.  There are some subplots too that are interesting and the story is strong.  A highlight is also all the birding knowledge that is passed along.  Please read this book!  You will be so glad you did.

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