Tag Archives: book-review

“The Elusive Truth of Lily Temple” by Joanna Davidson Politano

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Peter Driscoll, an underground investigator to the wealthy, has never met anyone like Lily Temple. The beautiful silent-film actress spins fairy tales and plays frivolous roles in front of the cine-camera, but beneath the costumes and stage makeup is a woman with a quick wit–and a murky past. 

Peter has been tasked with locating the legendary Briarwood Teardrop, an exquisite sapphire, which Lily wears beneath her gown. In order to stay close to her and hopefully unravel the mystery of her story–and the sapphire–Peter employs Lily’s help on a case, which leads to a useful partnership. But as they are investigating together, Peter is also investigating Lily. The closer he gets to the truth, the more danger they face. And the closer he gets to Lily, the clearer it is that he needs her even more than she needs him.

I have been anticipating this book for a few months now. Mrs. Politano is in my top favorite authors list. I know I can always count on her for a multilayered, thought provoking story, with at least one good twist that makes me catch my breath in surprise. This one is no different.

The characters are complex (Lily) and compelling (Peter). You aren’t quite sure what to think about Lily, and it takes quite a while to put together all the pieces of her, hence the title. I loved the fact that Peter was a gentleman PI.

The theme of the book is imparting truth through story telling, and the fact that Lily recognizes the value of this, and is the main actress in a story of which she doesn’t even recognize the deeper truth is such a great example of how we are so often blind to the things playing out right in front of us.

The garden/storytelling theme, the gospel message, the characters, the mystery, and ultimately the resolution of it all, once again left me in amazement at how the author can weave such wonderful, and yet different stories every single time.

Definitely 5 out of 5 stars!

*Disclaimer: I received a complimentary copy of this book from Revell in exchange for my honest review.

“Never Fall Again” by Lynn H. Blackburn

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If you’ve been a follower of my blog for a while (I mean before my extended hiatus), then you should be quite familiar with Lynn H. Blackburn. This is the fifth book of hers that I have reviewed on here, though the sixth or seventh that I’ve read. She is one of my top favorite romantic suspense authors!

“Landry Hutton has spent three years rebuilding her life behind the secure gates of The Haven, an exclusive resort on the outskirts of Gossamer Falls, North Carolina. After serving as the artist-in-residence, Landry is finally ready to settle in permanently to give her daughter, Eliza, a safe home in which to grow up. 

Former Marine Callum Shaw always knew he would someday join his family’s construction business in Gossamer Falls. He longs for a family of his own but has almost given up on that ever happening. The beautiful artist who has hired him to build her new house is funny, gifted, and everything Cal could ever want in a partner, but he vows to keep his distance. He’s loved–and lost–someone like her before.

When Landry’s pottery is destroyed in a suspicious fire, it becomes clear that Landry and Eliza are in grave danger–but from whom? Cal will have to risk his heart again if he has any hope of protecting them.“

As I mentioned above, Ms. Blackburn is a favorite, but it has been at least a couple years since I’ve gotten a chance to read one of her books and “a lot of water has gone under the bridge” in various aspects of my life since then, and my taste in books has changed just a bit in that time, some authors having dropped lower down on my favorites list and other’s dropping off completely, so I must admit, I was curious to see if I still enjoyed her stories as much as formerly. I am happy to say, she did not disappoint! I was hooked in the first few pages.

First of all, the setting: a fairly small town in the mountains of North Carolina. (I have been through the Carolina’s a few times, but they’re definitely some of the states that I would love to spend time in and do some sightseeing). Her scenic descriptions are just enough to get a clear picture in my mind’s eye, without getting bogged down and losing the thread of the story.

Next up, the characters: Landry Hutton, a potter, and Callum Shaw, a construction contractor, and of course all the others that help fill in and flesh out the story (and one of my goals is always to figure out as quickly as possible the main characters in the sequel books of her trilogies).

Okay, now for a little more detail. I loved the fact that Landry made her living in pottery, because that is one of my favorite forms of art. Her character overall was really good, and her little girl, Eliza, is adorable, of course! Callum, better known as Cal, is exactly what you would expect in a classic, Southern gentleman with a former military career.

The storyline was very good! I liked the fact that their backstories came out a little along, not clear right from the beginning, but also not strung out to the very end. It kept the story moving at a good pace, with the mystery interwoven throughout.

And now for my favorite part: Cal’s big, extended family raised with Southern manners and stereotypical hospitality. Not stereotypical in the forced, obligatory sense, but from a heart of genuine generosity, and Christian love. It was so reminiscent of my own family roots!

In short, I loved the book, and I’m ready for the next ones to be out already, but I guess I’ll console myself by going back and reading some of her others that I missed along the way. 5 out of 5 stars!

*Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from Revell Publishers in exchange for my honest review.

“Embers in the London Sky” by Sarah Sundin

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Hello my Dear Readers,

It has been two and a half years since I posted a book review, and a lot of water has gone under the bridge. The purpose of this post is not to fill you in on all those details, but by way of a short explanation, I’ve had two changes of address since my last review, and figuring out how to update my address to continue to receive books somehow fell by the wayside, but I must admit, I’m quite happy to be back at it, and look forward to sharing more regularly in the future.

“As the German army invades the Netherlands in 1940, Aleida van der Zee Martens escapes to London to wait out the Occupation. Separated from her three-year-old son, Theo, in the process, the young widow desperately searches for her little boy even as she works for an agency responsible for evacuating children to the countryside.

When German bombs set London ablaze, BBC radio correspondent Hugh Collingwood reports on the Blitz, eager to boost morale while walking the fine line between truth and censorship. But the Germans are not the only ones Londoners have to fear as a series of murders flame up amid the ashes. 

The deaths hit close to home for Hugh, and Aleida needs his help to locate her missing son. As they work together, they grow closer and closer, both to each other and the answers they seek. But with bombs falling and continued killings, they may be running out of time.“

There’s a few different angles to unpack in this review, and it’s hard for me to know where to start. First off, I quite enjoyed it overall, but I was 1/3 to 1/2 the way through, before I was “hooked”. Two elements that I enjoyed right from the start were the character of Hugh Collingwood as a BBC news reporter and the fact that his first scene is at the Evacuation of Dunkirk. These elements were uniquely enjoyable to me because we listened to the BBC radio station for many of my growing up years, and it was lovely to get a little ‘behind-the-scenes’ of how they worked in WWII. I could easily picture the Dunkirk scene, as well as the setting of the book in general because it correlated perfectly with one of our family favorite movies “Mrs. Miniver”.

I will say the overarching elements of the love story weren’t my favorite, because it was a bit cliche and Hallmark-y. I can’t say anymore than that because of spoilers.

The mystery was probably my favorite part of the story, because Ms. Sundin did an excellent job weaving the different clues and keeping me guessing till almost the climax. Though the person who ended up being the perpetrator, crossed my mind a couple times, I didn’t actually “figure it out” until more evidence came to light.

The spiritual elements and growth of the characters was very good! They each have a struggle to work through and learn to overcome, and in different ways they were both relatable to me. The themes of working through health struggles, surrendering control, and doing the right thing even when it was difficult were excellent.

Overall, I would rate this book 3 1/2 out of 5 stars.

*Disclaimer: I received a complimentary copy of this book from Revell in exchanger for my honest review.