The Warsaw Sisters by Amanda Barrett

The Warsaw Sisters by Amanda Barrett is a story of WWII Germany and how the Jews and Poland were treated at this time under Hitler’s rule. The Warsaw Sisters are Polish sisters and they tell the happenings of their country in each of their personal accounts for many years.

They watch as their homeland is destroyed and their Jewish friends being imprisoned. The book gets into graphic details at times, and is very overwhelming. I don’t recommend it to any one that is struggling with depression or cannot handle what lies in these pages, as it is very emotional.

The story is written in a narrative perspective from both girls, Helena and Antonia. Their life is changed immediate as their father goes off to war and their home and belongings are bombed. They live with their aunt, who works as a nurse. They soon find a mission for helping the Jewish children. The three women should how they have the courage and faith through God to keep moving forward.

I did enjoy this book, but it was a little graphic. The details are very important and significant, even now, as we see the Jews being persecuted even now. We must support God’s chosen people and help where and when necessary. No race or creed should ever endure cruel punishment for who or what they are by blood or skin color. This is not in God’s plan.

I want to thank the publisher for giving me the opportunity to read this book for my honest opinion. I hope to see you next time.

Have a great holiday season!

The Prince and the Prodigal by Jill Eileen Smith

Happy 2022! Well… We are three months in but never too late to say it. 🙂 Today we are going to be reviewing our first book of 2022, The Prince and the Prodigal by Jill Eileen Smith. This is a Biblical historic fiction novel, set in the late 1800s BC of Canaan and Egypt at Jacob’s camp.

This is a retelling of the story of Joseph and also about his brother Judah. As we know, Joseph was sold into slavery by his own brothers and had many challenges to face in the days that followed him, but he was soon richly blessed as one of the most powerful men in the world because of God. Judah was the brother who had the idea to sell Joseph and paid dearly for his choices along the way in life. He lost two sons and impregnated his daughter-in-law by prostitution. Judah’s choice of selling Joseph gave him great guilt and he suffered from it. Both learned to rely on and listen to God for the answers.

What I liked about this book is that we got to know and fill in the blanks on the lives of these two brothers and how their situations evolved. The writing was great and as I got further into the novel, I wanted to read more. However, the beginning few chapters were slow and dragged out. As the reader, I was not enthused to keep reading at first, but once I got through the first few chapters it gained momentum and my interest.

I recommend this book to adults, because their are some adult situations mentioned through out the book with not a lot of detail but enough that would not be entirely suitable for a young teenager, especially the when the author wrote about Tamar and Er’s sexual relationship. Otherwise, I give this book 4 stars and loved reading a book about two strong, Biblical, male characters. I look forward in reading more from this author.

Lastly, I want to thank the publisher and author for giving me the opportunity to read this book. I received this complimentary book and was not compensated for leaving a review. I just love sharing my books with you and reading too. 🙂

I hope you enjoyed my review today and look forward to more in the coming months of 2022. See you again very soon!

~Happy Reading~

The Nature of Small Birds

Hello, everyone. Sorry for the delay I have been extremely busy with odds and ends in my world and adjusting to new changes, which leads to our book review today.

Today we are looking at the book The Nature of Small Birds by Susie Finkbeiner. This the story of Minh Matthews. Adopted from Vietnam as a young girl to an all American family, the adjustment and acceptance took many year. We see the story through three different perspectives and also different decades -Bruce, the father, is modern day; Sonny-the sister, is teenage/high school years, Linda, the mother, the elementary years.  We see how Minh grows and how her family changes as time goes by. We discover things that mold Minh into who she becomes, and we learn that she has always grieved the differences she possesses and the family she left behind in Vietnam.

The novel was wonderful and I couldn’t put down the book, because I was yearning for more answers and more of the story. However, there were quite a few questions that were never answered.  There were struggles and issues I wanted to know more about. The book even left a slight cliffhanger, too. Although I enjoyed the book, I felt disappointed and curious about the parts that the reader didn’t get to learn about.  Nevertheless, I want you to read the book for yourself and let me know what you thought in the comments below.

I want to thank Revell publishing and the author for giving me the opportunity to read this wonderful story about adoption. It was a fantastic book and made you realize that family is truly where the heart is and with the people that care about you, even if you aren’t related. This book was very different from others I have recently read. I hope that you enjoy this book, as much as I have.

Have a wonderful day and I hope that you enjoyed hearing a little bit about this book!

The Black Midnight by Kathleen Y’Barbo

Hello, everyone. I’m here again with another book. Today’s read is The Black Midnight by Kathleen Y’Barbo. This was another True Colors Crime novel, which if you have known I really enjoy this series. (You can see my other reviews here and here) Any opportunity I can get one of these books to read I’m happy. I’ve also read Y’Barbo’s works before (The Pirate Bride by Kathleen Y’Barbo) and I enjoyed the books she has written. This one was no different.

** Please be aware this review may contain a few spoilers. :-)**

When we first dive in to the first chapters of the book, we meet Alice Anne von Wettin, the great granddaughter of Queen Victoria. She is a Pickerington Agent in Austin and her partner is Isaiah Joplin, a lawyer with a good investigator sense. Together they are trying to solve the crime of the mysterious midnight murders in Austin, Texas. Isaiah and Alice Anne interview many people and find the organization The BLACK MIDNIGHT. This organization is also on the hunt for this murderer.

During this time, Isaiah and Alice Anne grow close as friends and a budding relationship begins. However, Alice Anne doesn’t have the nerve to tell Isaiah that she is a queen’s great grand daughter, as it might change how he feels about her. Nevertheless, when Alice Anne gets the courage to tell Isaiah, she is ordered out of the investigation and ordered home to England.

Six years later, Jack the Ripper is on a rampage across London and the victims have similar wounds to the assassin in Austin, Texas years earlier. The Queen relies on her great granddaughter to find this murder and put an end to the suspicions that the royal family is involved. The Queen orders Isaiah Joplin to come to England to assist in the investigation. However, will Isaiah and Alice Anne’s meeting spur old feelings or will they brush them aside once again? Will they capture Jack the Ripper once and for all?? You will have to find out for yourself, but I think you can guess. 🙂

Here are some locations where you might find this book:

Walmart: $12.99 Paperback

Amazon: $12.99 Paperback; $12.34 Kindle

Christianbook: $9.99 Paperback; eBook $8.99

I’m so happy I was able to read this book. I received this book complimentary from the publisher and was under no obligation to post a review, positive or negative. It was a good read and I recommend it for anyone that likes a little clean crime.

Next time, I will be sharing with you a couple of new books. One is a Suspense and another a sweet Christmas tale. Yes, it is that time of year for early print Christmas novels. 🙂

Happy Reading and Happy Labor Day!

What Momma Left Behind

Oh boy! I’m so excited to share with you the book I just finished this afternoon. What Momma Left Behind by Cindy K. Sproles was a different kind of novel. It wasn’t romance, but more historical.

Set during the flu pandemic of 1877, spirited Worie Dressar finds herself burying her mother, after she commits suicide. Confused and bewildered, Worie is left to fend for herself against her two brothers- Justice, who is always drunk, and Calvin, who has a plain mean streak.

When Worie discovers her mother didn’t just leave behind her children, but several orphans in the process, Worie has some growing up to do. With help of her pastor friend, Pastor Jess, and her free-from-slavery friends, Ely and Bess, she has enough to fend off her evil brother Calvin, who is after a jar with paper and some red stones. Worie must come to grips with reality and lean more on God than herself. She must learn to be beyond self-fishness and learn to rely and care about others.

I really enjoyed this book. At first, it was hard to get into the book , as it was written in Appalachian slang and it made it difficult to read. However, as I read it more everyday the book became more interesting. I really loved the message of family is what you make it and you don’t need to be blood or the same color to be family. 🙂 I recommend this to any one that is interested in something other than the typical love story novel. This was a great book and I want to thank Revell publishing and the author for giving me the opportunity to give my honest review to such a great book. I was not under any obligation to post a review, I just enjoy sharing books.

Here are some locations where you can find this awesome book.

Amazon: Kindle $9.99; $15.99 Paperback

Walmart: $15.19

Christianbook: $11.99 paperback; $9.99 ebook

Have a great weekend. Keep cool! Happy Summer everyone! We made it!

A Worthy Pursuit by Karen Witemeyer

Hello, Happy day 36 of quarantine for the New England and New York areas. Today we are going to talk about a book that has been on my shelf for about a year. I have a pile of books I go to when I don’t have any new reads to review. Today we are going to talk about A Worthy Pursuit by Karen Witemeyer.

This is one of my favorite novels so far. We meet Charlotte Artheron at the Sullivan Academy and she takes care of three children. She is a silent guardian to Lily Dorchester, a Chinese boy named John, and a boy named Stephen. When the Academy suddenly closes for suspicious reasons, Charlotte does the unthinkable. She plans to run as fast as possible. Mr. Dobson, a school grounds janitor, helps her escape with the children to a safe location.

Several Months go by until a young man named, Stone Hammond sends up on Ms. Atherton’s front stoop. Stone has been hired by Lily’s ruthless grandfather to find his grand-daughter for his evil plans. However, Stone does not realize the real situation until he meets Charlotte, as strong willed and determined woman to keep her children safe.

They soon discover they need to work together in order to protect the children, but will they find more than they bargaining for? I won’t reveal any spoilers.

I really enjoyed this book. It had me hooked from the start. I loved the story line and the writing was excellent. I felt like I was there with them. It was a great book!

I purchased this book in a mystery novel box, and I wasn’t disappointed. I recommend this book for anyone that likes a little suspense and historical romance.

If you would like to find a copy for yourself, please check out your local retailers.

Have a great evening!

Another True Colors Crime Novel-

Hi, everyone. I hope you all have had a wonderful start the year 2020. Today we are going to be looking at the book The Gray Chamber by Grace Hitchcock. This book is part of the True Colors series. I read a previous book a few months ago called the Yellow Lantern. You can find that review here. Nevertheless, this book, although not as intense, was equally captivating.

Edyth Foster is nearing her 25th birthday and has been very self-absorbed after her parents untimely death when she was a child. She has a way to get the things she wants by flaunting her money around. Edyth sees no need for a husband or to blend in with society norms. However, her Uncle Boris has some other plans.

By taking notice to some of Edyth’s peculiarities (dressing unusual, fencing with her friend Bane, collecting orphan cats, showing a short tempered, and drawing three hands reaching out to each other), her Uncle Boris decides to have some doctors inconspicuously spy on her whereabouts in order to gain Edyth’s wealth.

Edyth is soon committed to the women’s lunatic asylum on New York’s Blackwell Island. The accommodations are horrendous, but she soon finds a friends named, Nellie and Poppy. However, the situation doesn’t get better for Edyth. She wonders if anyone will find her in this awful place.

When Edyth’s long time friend, Bane, discovers the oddities of her disappearance, Bane starts going on a hunt to look for her. Will Bane find Edyth in time? Or will Edyth escape on her own? Will Boris be able to cover up a conspiracy and gain the inheritance? You will have to grab a copy for yourself.

Amazon: Paperback $12.99; Kindle $12.34

Walmart: Paperback $10.57

Christianbook: Paperback $9.99; ebook $8.99

Barnes and Noble (Please note some BN.com links are not working right now): NOOK $10.99; Paperback $12.99

I’m happy to say I really did enjoy this book as much as I enjoyed the previous book in the series. It was thrilling and exciting. I even wanted more to read. This book was a easy read and was something a person that likes history might want to read.

I want to thank Barbour Publishing and the author for allowing me to be able to share this book with all of you. I received a complimentary copy of the this book from Barbour Publishing and the was under no obligation to post a review. I hope you enjoyed the book review today and will purchase a copy to read or go to the library and find this great novel series.

Until next time.. Happy Reading!

The dead letter office

Hello, Sorry for the delay I have several of reviews coming this week. I got behind and I need to catch up before the new year arrives. So today we are going to look at the book Yours Truly, Thomas by Rachel Fordham.

In the story , we first meet Penny Erenbeck, who has been working in the dead letter office since her father’s untimely death. Penny works hard in order to get food on the table for herself and her mother. Life is much better and they are not priviledge individuals anymore and Penny’s mother hates being in poverty and longs for the social society. Penny’s Uncle shows up and gives Penny an ‘opportunity’ to have fortune and a suitor, but Penny is not interested. Penny longs for true romance, like the ones she reads in the dead letter office.

When Penny reads letters to a Clara Finley, from a man named Thomas, Penny is on a mission to find Clara and tell her that Thomas longs to have her by his side in Azure Springs, Iowa. However, when Penny discovers what has become of Clara, she has an urgency to write Thomas back and tell him. Although, Penny has her own issues and wants to escape and decides to not only send Thomas a letter, but maybe even meet him in person.

Thomas is a very heartbroken man. His past haunts him and he wants nothing other for it to disappear. He never liked to make roots, but Azure Springs seemed to draw him in. The people and the community seem to like him and he feels comfortable. Thomas mourns his beloved Clara and writes to her often. Will she forgive him of the past? Until this strange new woman comes to town, Thomas begins to see his life differently than before.

Will Penny tell Thomas the truth about who she really is? Will Thomas be able to except of the news of his beloved? Or will Thomas and Penny continue to be both heartbroken souls?

You will have to grab a copy for yourself. Please consider the retailers below for more information:

Amazon: Paperback $10.23; Kindle $9.99

Christianbook: Paperback and eBook both $9.99

Barnes and Noble: Paperback $14.95; Nook $10.99

This book was wonderful to read and I really enjoyed the premise. I enjoy old time stories of the 1800s and early 1900s and what life was like. It was a different kind of story and you had to wait and see what was going to happen. It was a different twist than some books I’ve read recently. Lastly, I like to thank the publisher, Revell , and the site, NetGalley, for allowing me the opportunity to read this lovely story. I hope you will enjoy the book too.

Have a great evening and I’ll see you next time!

Book Review- A Song of Joy by Lauraine Snelling

Happy Fall and Back to School! Today we are going to look at one of Lauraine Snelling’s newest works, A Song of Joy.

In the Song of Joy, we follow a Norwegian farm girl, named Nilda Carlson. who has recently moved to America in the mid- 1910s. She is working as a secretary for a woman named Mrs. Schoenleber. Two men are trying to pursue Nilda. Jeffery and Fritz are both nephews of Mrs. Schoenleber. However, Jeffery might be not be genuine in his advances toward Nilda, nor understands her heart-felt compassion.  Fritz on the other hand can understand Nilda and her passion for helping other immigrants like her self. Nevertheless, who will Nilda choose?

Caught between her farm life and trying to adapt to her new way of life, Nilda longs to help the immigrants that come to the area have an easier start. Although the task is difficult for her to accomplish on her own, she comes up with a plan to help not only others but also her family, too. Which man will genuinely agree with her dreams, Jeffery or Fritz? Will her family still be her number one support system and accept the new person she is becoming or will becoming a part of the society change their opinion of young Nilda? You have to grab a copy for yourself to see.

Here are some locations:

Amazon: Kindle $8.53; Large Print edition ($19.99)

Barnes and Noble: Paperback $11.75, Nook $9.99

Christianbook: $9.49 Paperback

Walmart: $10.43 Paperback

This was my second Lauraine Snelling book (You can read my review on Half Finished here). Although it was good and I jumped right in again, the book had some parts that just lost my interest and it became hard to read. It must be something with the writing style Ms. Snelling uses. However, I enjoyed the book because it was different than some of the others I’ve been reading. I enjoyed the story about immigrants making their way in this country in the early 1900s. I hope that you will enjoyed the book, too.

Please note that I chose to read this book complimentary through the NetGalley program. This is a neat program that allows you to read and access books before they come to the market in a digital form. If you want more information, comment below. Have a great day!

Next time we will look another great book, I have four to share with you so I can’t wait. Until next time…

The Yellow Lantern

Hello, everyone and welcome to another edition of bookluvr book reviews. I hope you are enjoying the last week of summer vacation. Some areas are starting school next week! 😦 I can’t believe it. Anyway… Let’s dive into our latest read.

Today we are looking the latest publication of the True Color Crime series. The Yellow Lantern by Angie Dicken does not disappoint. This is the first book I’ve read from this author and this particular series. Escaping being buried alive and almost being killed by Dr. Chadwick, Josephine Clayton must start a new life of grave robbing and paying off her father’s debtors. Josephine, now Josie Clay, goes to work at a cotton mill Gloughton to make money to pay off debts. Soon she discovers she must part-take in the robbing of graves with her father’s farm hand, Alvin. However, there may be a few obstacles for her when the mill girls become unexpectedly ill. Josie’s caring spirit may not only help the ill girls, but also capture the eye of the mill manager, Braham Taylor, when she cares for his dying Aunt Myrtle.

Braham Taylor has enough blood on his hands. Every so often a mill girl either is severely injured or dies under his watch. When his cousin Gerald Bates, puts Braham under a watchful eye to dismiss him from managerial duties, Braham becomes ever more determined to make sure nothing goes wrong. When he suddenly decides to hire a new mill girl, Josie Clay, he finds her interesting and suspicious, but it attached to her caring spirit and help to aid the ill. When Aunt Myrtle becomes ill and needs care, Josie helps her in her last days.

Will this peculiar mill girl capture Braham’s broken heart or will he find out that she holds a secret that could hurt everything he feels for her? Will Josie continue to part-take in the act of grave robbing just to save her self and her father’s land? You will have to check it out for yourself. 🙂

Here are some locations where you can find The Yellow Lantern by Angie Dicken:

Amazon: $11.69 Paperback; $11.11 Kindle

Barnes and Noble: $12.99 Paperback

Christianbook: $9.99 Paperback; $8.99 ebook

Walmart: $15.19 Paperback (currently out of stock Aug 19, 2019)

This book was awesome and I really enjoyed this genre of historic fiction. It took me a few chapters to get into it. I was a little lost for the first 4 chapters, but then I was hooked. It had a little romance and a little suspense. I really recommend the True Colors Historic American Crimes Series. There is a lot of history in this book and it is very interesting to learn about. I’m excited to say that there are more to the series coming soon. You can check out the series at http://www.truecolorscrime.com/ . 🙂 I can’t forget to mention that I want to thank the publisher and the author for giving me the opportunity to read this book. Please note that I recieved a complimentary copy of this book from Barbour Publishing and was under no obligation to post a review. I just like to share the books I read with you. 🙂

I can’t wait until next time, because I’ll be telling you about the next book I’ve enjoyed by Lauraine Snelling, Song of Joy. 🙂

Happy end of summer, everyone!