Just A Second: Europe

Showing posts with label Europe. Show all posts

Thursday, May 14

Recent Reads - Oracle of Philippi

Oracle of Philippi by Catherine Ensley (ARC) - It was a real pleasure to be able to read an ARC of this novel from Catherine Ensley. The novel explores the possibilities around an encounter described in the New Testament book of Acts, when the apostle Paul sets a slave girl free from an evil spirit. What the Bible tells us is that the slave had been some kind of prophet and that her owners profited from her telling fortunes, so they were very angry to lose their source of income. We know that this confrontation led to Paul and Silas being imprisoned, and that the jailer and his family were baptized. And we know that the church in Philippi met in Lydia's home. If you're like me, you might know all these Biblical facts, but haven't considered that it's possible, or even likely, that all these Philippian believers knew each other.

In this story, Mynestra is the slave girl, a young woman brought up to be a Pythian prophet in service to the Roman gods. In an encounter with Paul and Silas, Paul sets her free from the dark spirit that speaks through her, and Mynestra finds her own voice for the first time. She becomes a believer in Jesus but knows little about the new faith and rarely has an opportunity to attend their meetings. She struggles to reconcile her position as a slave forced to give oracles from Apollo with her desire to serve and obey the one true God.

Clement is the other main character, the son of Jewish parents who are Roman citizens. Clement is rising in the ranks of Roman government and is skeptical of the new faith, but when his mother and his close friend's (Epaphroditus, the son of the jailer) whole family claim the faith, he is also curious and reluctant to carry out any Roman punishments against them. Clement is also a friend of Mynestra's, and has been saving to buy her freedom. The more he observes the faith, kindness, and mercy shown by the believers, the more he grapples with his own beliefs and whether he is willing to take a stand, even if it costs him security and position.

I loved how this story gave names to these early believers, and created very plausible connections among the characters mentioned in the Bible. Since we have only a few sentences of Scripture telling us about the slave girl and her owners, the jailer and other officials in Philippi, and the names of the believers in Philippi, it's tempting to think they encountered the gospel and became believers and that's that. But it's likely that they struggled with their roles within their community, their changing loyalties, and the steep learning curve about the one God. All the things the apostle Paul addresses in his letters to the churches are questions or conflicts that the real people in those early Christian communities had to address, and the answers weren't always easy.

Beautifully written and well-researched, challenging and thought-provoking. I'm delighted when an enjoyable story also encourages me to dig into my Bible a little further and reminds me that the characters mentioned in Scripture were real people with real families and real feelings. The time and place they lived in is very different, but many of their experiences and dilemmas in living out their faith may not be all that different from ours.

From the publisher:

A Novel of Faith, Freedom, and the Cost of Truth

She was freed. But freedom cost her everything.

In first-century Philippi, a Roman colony built on power, loyalty, and control, a slave girl once valued for her visions loses the role that defined her―and the place she once held in the world. Mysnestra now stands between two worlds. Rejected by those she once served and uncertain among those she now follows, she must learn what it means to live without the identity that once shaped her―and discover whether her voice still has a place.

Clement, a rising Roman citizen, has everything to gain within the empire. But as he is drawn toward a truth he cannot ignore, he faces a choice that may cost him his future, his standing, and the life he has been trained to pursue.

As new faith begins to spread through Philippi, fear and resistance grow. Because in a city built on control, even a single transformed life can become a threat.

Oracle of Philippi is a richly layered historical novel of awakening, identity, and the cost of truth―for readers drawn to stories that linger long after the final page.

I received a digital ARC of this book from the author in exchange for my honest review.

This is a book set in an ancient civilization (#1) and has a title that starts with the letter O (#6) for The 52 Book Club's 2026 Reading Challenge.

#the52bookclub #the52bookclub2026

This post will be linked at the current BookWorms Monthly link-up hosted by At Home A Lot.

©2008-2026 Just A Second. All rights reserved. All text, photographs, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written consent of the author. This post was written by a human. http://justasecondblog.blogspot.com/

This post contains affiliate links - using affiliate links from Just A Second helps supply books and coffee. We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.

Sunday, May 3

Recent Reads - Life From Scratch

Life From Scratch: A memoir of food, family, and forgiveness by Sasha Martin - Sasha Martin is the food writer and blogger who became very well-known for her mission to cook a meal from every country in the world, which she shared on her blog Global Table Adventure. That project eventually introduced Martin to the world, but in this memoir she tells her own story, how her growing up years were marked by instability and uncertainty, loss and grief. She grew up with only her mom and her older brother, and were often living in poverty, but her mom was creative and resourceful, and they were happy. Sasha and her brother were eventually cycled through a series of foster homes before going to live with her mother's friends as their guardians. Though well provided for and loved, their personal struggles continued, especially when coping with the tragedy of her brother taking his own life. Many years later, after moving around Europe with the family, and returning to the USA and beginning to reconnect with her mother, Sasha was inspired to go to culinary school. (I found it fascinating that it was the movie Babette's Feast that gave her the idea. It's one of my favorite movies.) She had always enjoyed cooking with her mother and relished opportunities to get into a kitchen and experiment.

Later, Sasha met the man known as "Mr Picky" on the blog and they married. Sasha's relationship with her mother and other family members was still complicated and often unpredictable. She renewed her love of cooking and came up with the idea to cook a meal from a different country every week, encouraging her husband to try new foods and raising their daughter to be adventurous and open to mulit-cultural experiences. Over the course of four years, Sasha researched and cooked her way around the world, blogging about it to a growing audience, and the experience helped her reconnect with family, cope with the lingering pain and questions and complicated emotions from her past, and build new friendships and bridges in her community.

I came across Global Table Adventure partway through its journey and followed with great interest. I was homeschooling my kids and wanted to try foods from other countries occasionally as part of our educational experience so the whole idea of the blog and its recipes resonated with me. It took me all these years to finally read the book and found it poignant and moving, and it renewed my appreciation for the power of sharing a meal to connect friends and family and build community. Food is much more than just functional and utilitarian, eating just to survive, but can also be an emotional, communal, and cultural experience. Sasha's journey while cooking the world is testimony to that.

From the publisher:

Witty, warm, and poignant, food blogger Sasha Martin's memoir about cooking her way to happiness and self-acceptance is a culinary journey like no other.

Over the course of 195 weeks, food writer and blogger Sash Martin set out to cook―and eat―a meal from every country in the world. As cooking unlocked the memories of her rough-and-tumble childhood and the loss and heartbreak that came with it, Martin because more determined than ever to find peace and elevate her life through the prism of food and world cultures. From the tiny, makeshift kitchen of her eccentric, creative mother, to a string of foster homes, to the house from which she launched her own cooking adventure, Martin's heartfelt, brutally honest memoir reveals the power of cooking to bond, to empower, and to heal―and celebrates the simple truth that happiness is created from within.

This is a book that spans a decade or more (#10), and has a subtitle with a comma (#15) for The 52 Book Club's 2026 Reading Challenge.

#the52bookclub #the52bookclub2026

This is #9 in the Connections Challenge. It shares a narrative technique with the previous book (first person with internal dialogue). (I'm continuing the connections from the 2025 challenge)

This post will be linked at the current BookWorms Monthly link-up hosted by At Home A Lot.

Sunday, February 15

Recent Reads - A Certain Darkness

A Certain Darkness by Anna Lee Huber - If Verity and Sidney thought they were going to get some downtime and a refreshing break from investigations and intrigue, they were mistaken. Verity has had a little time to recuperate after the injuries suffered in their last investigation, and agrees to go with Sidney when French authorities contact him saying that a prisoner has requested a meeting with him. A woman that had been an informant during the war had been imprisoned in France and specifically asked to speak to Sidney in an attempt to negotiate her sentence, and claimed she had information she would only pass on to him. Verity's experience in British intelligence comes into play as she recognizes Miss Baverel's ploys and suspects where she is speaking in "code" and where her weaknesses may lie. After their meeting with Miss Baverel, they consider what to do with the vaguely worded claims she made, but before they can see her again, she is assassinated and it's meant to look like a suicide and also casts suspicion on Verity.

Sidney and Verity decide to travel to Miss Baverel's home to follow up on a hunch, and find they are in danger - someone is following them and means them harm. About this time, Verity receives contact from her former British Intelligence superiors, asking her to investigate the murder of a Belgian lawyer who had also worked with British Intelligence. He had been carrying a report with shocking information and evidence of potential treason, and it is missing. British Intelligence wants Verity to find the portfolio and destroy it. Despite many qualms about the investigation, Sidney and Verity take on the challenge, and soon question whether the two situations are actually linked. Was the information Miss Baverel claimed to have related to the missing report, and is their nemesis Lord Ardmore involved in both?

This mystery involves more espionage and secret statecraft than the previous ones and I found it a challenge to follow the different threads and links in the chain as Sidney and Verity unravel it. The personal dangers and impossible choices they face, and the ramifications of the information in the missing report being made public are immense, and this adventure is fraught with suspense and intrigue.

From the publisher:

March 1920: Life has turned unsettlingly quiet for former British Intelligence agent Verity Kent and her husband, Sidney. But even that false calm is about to end. As threats remain, the French authorities soon request Sidney's help with a suspect who claims to have proof of treason―shortly before she is assassinated. And Verity, too, is called to investigate a mystery . . .

The murder of a Belgian lawyer aboard a train seems at first to be a simple case of revenge. But the victim was connected to British Intelligence, and possessed papers detailing the sinking of a gold-laden German ship during the war.

As Verity and Sidney dig deeper, they discover their cases are intertwined―and a lethal adversary persists. Officially, the Great War may be over, but this is a battle of nerves and wits they cannot afford to lose . . .

This is a book featuring a conspiracy (#5) for The 52 Book Club's 2026 Reading Challenge.

#the52bookclub #the52bookclub2026

This is related to "crime" for Prompt #2 of the February Mini-Challenge

This is #8 in the Connections Challenge. The cover shares an item from the cover of the previous book (the railing). (I'm continuing the connections from the 2025 challenge)

This post will be linked at the current BookWorms Monthly link-up hosted by At Home A Lot.

Monday, July 14

Recent Reads - The Mysterious Case of the Missing Crime Writer

The Mysterious Case of the Missing Crime Writer by Ragnar Jónasson - When a bestselling crime author goes missing, the young detective Helgi is given the challenge of finding her or finding out what happened before the press and public realize there's a problem. Helgi hopes to prove his mettle with the case, and maybe his own love of crime and mystery fiction will help him make sense of the few clues available. He faces challenges in his personal life too, with his former girlfriend stalking and threatening his new love interest and his struggles to handle the situations.

There's one flashback timeline in which the author, Elín Jónsdóttir, is being interviewed by an unknown person. We're given the transcript of this interview, and there's a sense that there must be clues for the reader that Helgi doesn't have access to, and it does add to the tension. The sections of transcript are interspersed throughout the story.

In another alternate timeline, the detective that Helgi replaced, Hulda, is doing follow-up work on a bank robbery and murder case. It was apparently the last case she was working on before she disappeared. Again, there's a sense to the reader that the cases or maybe even the disappearances must be related, but at the beginning it's not clear just how.

The tension builds throughout, as Elín's few close friends maintain hope that she is still alive and has just chosen to be incommunicado for reasons of her own. There are some clues that don't fit this solution, so Helgi keeps working at it, and the bits of interview transcript start to fall into place for the reader as well. There are some twists and turns in the solution.

There's some good payoff in how Hulda's investigation has a connection to Helgi's case, but those threads seem loosely woven together, and the way Hulda's timeline concludes makes me wonder if there is more to come in a sequel. Likewise with how the book ends on a cliffhanger, and such an abrupt one that I'm still not sure how I feel about it! I was actually startled that there was not another chapter and I really had reached the end of the book. I enjoyed the read, putting together the clues as best I could, and the rising suspense and subsequent satisfaction of the pieces coming together. However, that abrupt ending was very unsettling and left me puzzled and feeling like I'd missed something important.

This book is a sequel to Death At the Sanitorium: A Mystery, which I understand has a similar layout of Helgi following up on Hulda's previous investigation after her disappearance. I don't think it's necessary to read these in order, but given Hulda's disappearance and the drama in Helgi's personal life, I assume it would probably be very helpful to read in order.

From the publisher:

The next thrilling golden-age-style mystery from the #1 Icelandic bestseller Ragnar Jónasson, author of Death at the Sanatorium and Reykjavik.

One winter evening, bestselling crime author Elín Jónsdóttir goes missing.

There are no clues to her disappearance and it is up to young detective Helgi to crack the case before its leaked to the press.

As Helgi interviews the people closest to her―a publisher, an accountant, a retired judge―he realizes that Elín's life wasn't what it seemed. In fact, her past is even stranger than the fiction she wrote.

As the case of the missing crime writer becomes more mysterious by the hour, Helgi must uncover the secrets of the writer's very unexpected life.

I received a complimentary copy of this book through NetGalley and was under no obligation to post a review.

#NetGalley

By the same author: Reykjavik: A Crime Story (with Katrín Jakobsdóttir)

This is a book set in a country with an active volcano (#49) for The 52 Book Club's 2025 Reading Challenge.

#the52bookclub #the52bookclub2025

This post will be linked at the current BookWorms Monthly link-up hosted by At Home A Lot.

©2008-2025 Just A Second. All rights reserved. All text, photographs, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written consent of the author. This post was written by a human. http://justasecondblog.blogspot.com/

Sunday, June 8

Recent Reads - Killers of a Certain Age

Killers of a Certain Age by Deanna Raybourn - Billie, Mary Alice, Helen, and Natalie have certainly earned their retirement, having worked their entire adult lives as professional assassins for a secretive agency known as the Museum. And so in the opening pages of this thriller, they are meeting on board a cruise ship for an all-expenses paid vacation to mark the end of their active employment, and they have some mixed feelings about it. Their training is everything though, and they recognize a Museum operative among the crew members and quickly deduce that they are the next targets. First order of business is to get off the ship alive, and the next is to figure out why the Board of the Museum wants them dead. And naturally, if they want to survive, they will need to kill those who have signed their death warrants.

What follows is a thrilling global chase, as these four sixty-somethings disguise themselves, track down information and leads, and hunt down the hunters. Every skill they've learned in their decades-long careers, their long years of experience, and their trust in each other will be put to the test in a kill or be killed mission.

Billie is the main viewpoint character, and the present-day narrative is punctuated occasionally by flashback scenes that provide insight into Billie's recruitment and training with the Museum, and the early missions the foursome completed. It feels strange sometimes to be rooting for cold-blooded killers, but Billie and her friends are definitely likeable and the epitome of sympathetic characters. Besides, the Museum has always exercised great discretion in the targets they remove, which only adds to the tension of why the organization has now turned on its own assets.

From the publisher:

"This Golden Girls meets James Bond thriller is a journey you want to be part of." -Buzzfeed

Older women often feel invisible, but sometimes that's their secret weapon.

They've spent their lives as the deadliest assassins in a clandestine international organization, but now that they're sixty years old, four women friends can't just retire ― it's kill or be killed in this action-packed thriller by the New York Times bestselling and Edgar Award-nominated author Deanna Raybourn.

Billie, Mary Alice, Helen, and Natalie have worked for the Museum, an elite network of assassins, for forty years. Now their talents are considered old-school and no one appreciates what they have to offer in an age that relies more on technology than people skills.

When the foursome is sent on an all-expenses paid vacation to mark their retirement, they are targeted by one of their own. Only the Board, the top-level members of the Museum, can order the termination of field agents, and the women realize they've been marked for death.

Now to get out alive they have to turn against their own organization, relying on experience and each other to get the job done, knowing that working together is the secret to their survival. They're about to teach the Board what it really means to be a woman―and a killer―of a certain age.

By the same author: A Murderous Relation, A Dangerous Collaboration, A Treacherous Curse, A Perilous Undertaking, A Curious Beginning, Night of a Thousand Stars, Bonfire Night, Twelfth Night, City of Jasmine, Whisper of Jasmine, Midsummer Night; A Spear of Summer Grass, Silent in the Grave, Silent in the Sanctuary, Silent on the Moor, Dark Road to Darjeeling, The Dark Enquiry, Silent Night, The Dead Travel Fast

This is a book with cover font in a primary color (#41) for The 52 Book Club's 2025 Reading Challenge.

#the52bookclub #the52bookclub2025

I've picked this as the first book in The 52 Book Club's Connections Challenge.

This post will be linked at the current BookWorms Monthly link-up hosted by At Home A Lot.

Friday, September 6

Recent Reads - Find Momo Across Europe

Find Momo Across Europe by Andrew Knapp - Let me start by saying I bought this book with the intention of sharing it with our dog-crazy granddaughter. When we showed her the book she recognized Momo (the dog) because she has a 'find Momo' book geared to children. We have spent some time with our granddaughter picking out Momo in the photographs, and some are quite challenging. I initially hesitated on including this book in the 52 Book Club Reading Challenge because it looks like a children's picture book, but it's full of information and insights about traveling in Europe.

Author and photographer Andrew Knapp travels with his faithful border collie named Momo and has a series of Find Momo books about their adventures. The photos feature breathtaking landscapes, rural villages, bustling cities, historic sites, and more; and in each photo the reader is invited to find Momo posing somewhere. It's not always easy! I found myself studying the details of architecture and landscapes and even the people while wondering where Momo might be.

Knapp includes brief commentary on the places visited, giving tips on places to see that might be off the usual beaten path of tourists, and he makes a point of telling readers which places are dog-friendly. I don't have a dog and don't have plans to travel in Europe in the near future, but I found it interesting that it seems like European cities are much more amenable to patrons bringing their dogs into cafes and other places than most American cities.

This book has a cover without people on it (#24) for The 52 Book Club's 2024 Reading Challenge.

#the52bookclub #the52bookclub2024

This post contains affiliate links - using affiliate links from Just A Second helps supply books and coffee.

©2008-2024 Just A Second. All rights reserved. All text, photographs, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written consent of the author. http://justasecondblog.blogspot.com/

We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.

Friday, July 19

Recent Reads - Once Upon A Prince

This post contains affiliate links - using affiliate links from Just A Second helps supply books and coffee.

Once Upon A Prince by Rachel Hauck - I've had this book in my Kindle library for a very long time and finally decided it was time to read it. And I'm glad I did. It's a sweet romance that combines fairy tale charm with a contemporary setting and strong characters.

Susanna considers herself just an ordinary young woman, working hard to succeed in her career and waiting patiently for years to marry her high school sweetheart (now a Marine). But all her carefully laid plans for her life crumble in the opening pages when he breaks up with her instead of proposing. Susanna is disturbed to realize that she was more in love with her plan than with her young man, and sets out to figure out what she really wants to do with her life. And then she meets Nate when she's in need of help, and he seems to show up as a sort of knight in shining armor for her, leading to a friendship.

While on holiday in America, Prince Nathaniel isn't looking for a romance, especially since there are restrictions on who a member of the royal family can marry. He enjoys lending a helping hand to Susanna though, and getting to know her. They do seem to get along so well, and as the days go by they both find themselves considering the possibility of love . . . but Susanna doesn't even know Nate is really a prince.

Both Susanna and Nathaniel have many choices to make and must learn to trust God's purpose and timing for their lives. Both character arcs feature loyalty, honoring commitments, and being willing to obey God and follow him in everything.

From the publisher:

The story that inspired the Hallmark Original movie! He's a royal prince. She's an ordinary girl. But this holiday could change everything.

Susanna Truitt never dreamed of a great romance or being treated like a princess―just to marry the man she has loved for twelve years. But life isn't going according to plan. When her high-school-sweetheart-turned-Marine-officer breaks up with her instead of proposing, Susanna scrambles to rebuild her life.

The last thing Prince Nathaniel expects to find on his American holiday to St. Simons Island is the queen of his heart. The prince has duties, and his family's tense political situation means he won't be able to marry for love or even choose his own bride.

When Prince Nathaniel stops to help Susanna, who is stranded with a flat tire under the fabled Lover's Oak, he is immediately enchanted by her. And even though he's a total stranger, Susanna finds herself pouring her heart out to him.

Their lives are worlds apart, and soon Nathaniel must face the ultimate choice: his kingdom or her heart?

This is a character-driven novel (#9) for The 52 Book Club's 2024 Reading Challenge.

#the52bookclub #the52bookclub2024

We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.

Saturday, February 10

Recent Reads - The Juliet Code

This post contains affiliate links - using affiliate links from Just A Second helps supply books and coffee.

The Juliet Code by Pepper Basham - Frederick and Grace have certainly had a very exciting time during their honeymoon! After their thrilling time in Egypt, which involved a mystery and a lot of danger and intrigue, they have carried on to Venice and are enjoying the beauty and history of the city when they are drawn into another adventure and mystery. Their friend Detective Jack Miracle enlists their help in tracking down some stolen paintings and figuring out whether the deaths of former owners were simply coincidences. As you might imagine, there's a lot to unravel, and mystery-loving Grace is thrilled to be part of the investigation team. Even Frederick is learning to appreciate the excitement of solving mysteries together with his bride.

The investigation takes them all to an eccentric millionaire's private island, where they find secret rooms and a whole cast of characters who may not be who they say they are. Their host, Laraby, seems to be treating it all as a game, even though there are murders connected with the paintings. Frederick and Grace are certain that someone among Laraby's friends, servants, and houseguests is lying about their identity, and is willing to commit murder in order to obtain all the Juliet paintings, which contain clues to the location of a treasure. But Frederick, Grace, and Detective Jack are determined to find the thief and to decode the clues before any more lives are lost.

Grace's character is the driving force in the story, and she is still mischievous and almost childlike in her enthusiasm for stories and mysteries. She is also clever and resourceful, and has a big heart. Frederick has a much more reserved demeanor, but a recurring theme for his character in the story is his desire to see his young wife safe and happy - which do not always seem to be compatible outcomes! I enjoyed the characters and how they all interacted, and am looking forward to more in this series.

From the publisher:

Newlyweds Lord and Lady Astley Finally Reach Their Honeymoon Destination Only to Encounter a New Mystery in Need of Solving

Frederick and Grace Percy finally make it to Italy to enjoy a delayed honeymoon and explore the beauties of the historic city of Venice. To their surprise, their friend, Detective Jack Miracle, is also in the city, investigating a series of art heists starting at the house of eccentric millionaire, Laraby Covington. Drawn into a world of boat races, mysterious houses, and parties of the rich and unusual in Venice, Frederick and Grace learn of the existence of the Juliet paintings (Renaissance paintings featuring Shakespeare's tragic heroine), rumored to hold a secret code to an underground vault of similarly treasured artwork assumed lost over the centuries. As Freddie and Grace are pulled deeper into the mystery and their beloved Detective Jack disappears, can they use their wits and work as a team to find the thieves and Jack before it's too late.

The Juliet Code is a Freddie and Grace Mystery, sequel to The Mistletoe Countess and The Cairo Curse.

Visit Barbour Publishing for more info on where to buy.

By the same author: The Cairo Curse, The Heart of the Mountains, Hope Between the Pages; The Red Ribbon; My Heart Belongs in the Blue Ridge: Laurel's Dream

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Barbour Publishing and was under no obligation to post a review.

This is a book featuring the ocean (#8) for The 52 Book Club's 2024 Reading Challenge.

#the52bookclub #the52bookclub2024

We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.

Tuesday, October 10

Recent Reads - The Starlet Spy

This post contains affiliate links - using affiliate links from Just A Second helps supply books and coffee.

The Starlet Spy by Rachel Scott McDaniel - Amelie Blake has built a successful career as a Hollywood actress, but she is weary of being stereotyped as a dumb blonde. Those are the roles she plays and how most people view her, but she has a brilliant mind and an incredible photographic memory. So when a movie producer approaches her for a role in a spy effort in her homeland of Sweden, she's intrigued. She will need to continue allowing the world to believe she is empty-headed, but her keen mind, knowledge of languages, and remarkable gift for memorizing what she sees are needed in order to recover missing atomic research before the Nazis find it.

Once in Sweden, Amelie meets her contact, code named Wolf, and her assignment begins at a glamorous fundraising event where she must charm the shipping magnate Finn Ristaffason and find a way to search his property for the top secret files. She has a connection to his family and finds it easy to like his grandmother, but must remain on her guard around Finn - can he be trusted, or is he a double agent? What about Wolf and the way he shows up unexpectedly and warns her of potential danger? Is he truly protecting her, or does he have ulterior motives?

Amelie uncovers clues to where the files might be, and as the danger around her increases, she must make some split-second decisions about who to trust and which way to turn, and when her mask slips, will it cost her the mission or even her life?

During WWII, some actors and actresses had roles to play that were not credited on the silver screen. This fictional story about Amelie was inspired by some of these stories and rumors. Amelie is a likeable character, and in many ways reminded me of Hedy Lamarr - a brilliant mind but needing to hide her intelligence in order to survive and serve her country. Amelie and her mother have a family secret that puts her at risk, and old wounds that keep Amelie cautious. There are sparks between her and Wolf, and between her and Finn, and not surprisingly, a romance develops, but given the circumstances it's a real test of trust and patience before the happy ending. Overall, this is a compelling and entertaining story full of action and intrigue that reads a little like an Indiana Jones adventure, stretching credulity at times.

Hollywood Star Turns Spy

In 1943, movie producer Henrik Zoltan approaches Amelie Blake under the guise of offering the Hollywood star a leading part in his upcoming film, but he has a more meaningful role in mind. Amelie's homeland of Sweden declared neutrality in the war, but Stockholm has become the "Casablanca of the North." When top-secret atomic research goes missing in Sweden, the Allied forces scramble to recover the files before they fall into Nazi hands.

The United States Office of Strategic Services (OSS) needs someone who's subtle enough to spy on the Swedish elite without triggering suspicion. Who better than the "all beauty, no brains" Scandinavian starlet? Fluent in three languages and possessing a brilliant memory, Amelie loathes being labeled witless but uses the miconception as her disguise. She's tasked with searching for the crucial files, but Finn Ristaffason keeps getting in her way. Is the charming shipping magnate after the missing research? Or does he have other reasons for showing up at her every turn?

With the Gestapo on her heels, Amelie must rely on her smarts in addition to her acting skills to survive and world of deadly spies and counterspies.

Visit Barbour Publishing for more info on where to buy.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Barbour Publishing through NetGalley and was under no obligation to post a review.

#TheStarletSpy #NetGalley

This is a book featuring a fashionable character (#25) for The 52 Book Club's 2023 Reading Challenge

#the52bookclub #the52bookclub2023

©2008-2023 Just A Second. All rights reserved. All text, photographs, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written consent of the author. http://justasecondblog.blogspot.com/

We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.

Thursday, March 9

Coming Soon - The Journey: A Music Special from Andrea Bocelli #TheJourneyTBNMIN

This post contains affiliate links - using affiliate links from Just A Second helps supply books and coffee.

The Journey: A Music Special from Andrea Bocelli - Coming to theaters April 2-6, 2023

It's been awhile since I saw a movie in the theater, but here's one that I am really hoping to see! The music and scenery and the promise of interesting conversations is capturing my attention already. I love Andrea Bocelli's voice, and with artists like Tori Kelly, Michael W. Smith, and Tauren Wells among the musical guests that I'm already familiar with, I'm expecting a variety of styles. Other guests include instrumental groups 2CELLOS and 40 Fingers. And I'm especially interested to see Beatrice Venezi after seeing that she is one of the few women to conduct orchestras of international standing.

"Bocelli and his wife Veronica travel on horseback along Italy's Via Francigena, an ancient road traveled by pilgrims for centuries . . . joined by friends Michael W. Smith, Tori Kelly, Tauren Wells, and TAYA for world-class musical performances in some of Italy's most magnificent venues and majestic locations."

Synopsis: Combining world-class musical performances with intimate conversations across the awe-inspiring Italian countryside, THE JOURNEY: A Music Special from Andrea Bocelli is an exploration of moments that define us, songs that inspire us, and relationships that connect us to what matters most in life.

Join in a sacred pilgrimage of hope, beauty, and song with this special theatrical event opening on Palm Sunday and continuing through Holy Week: April 2, 3, 4 & 6. In addition to Bocelli, you'll hear Michael W. Smith, Tori Kelly, Tauren Wells, TAYA, and many others in amazing musical performances across majestic locations. Get your tickets at TheJourney.movie.

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Monday, February 13

Recent Reads - What I Would Tell You

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What I Would Tell You by Liz Tolsma - Mathilda and her husband are Sephardic Jews building a life in Salonika, Greece in 1941, when the Nazis march in and their world changes. Mathilda uses the small Jewish newspaper she publishes herself to urge the people of their community to be brave and to not give in to fear, even to resist, but what can they do against such a relentless enemy? Their movements are restricted, businesses confiscated, and eventually most of the men are sent away to labor camps. Mathilda helps the council come up with a plan to ransom the men back, but the cost is tremendous, and soon the Jews are all forced into ghettos and the transportations to Poland begin. As things get more bleak each day, Mathilda is anxious for the future of the baby she carries, and grateful for the help and support of one Greek Christian friend who takes her own risks to offer hope.

In 2019, Tessa is a college student struggling with the awkward dynamics in her family when she and her cousin get the results from genetic testing to find out their family background. Tessa is puzzled when hers doesn't match her cousins at all, and that she has Sephardic Jewish heritage. With no answers from her mother, and her grandparents gone, she impulsively decides to travel to Greece and research her family's roots there. With help from a guide at the museum, she digs into the little information she has in hopes of finding relatives of her great-grandmother that still lived in the area. And she realizes she must answer for herself the questions of whether she could be Christian and Jewish, and what her Jewish heritage might mean.

This novel tells the story of the Jewish people in Greece and what they suffered during World War II in a poignant way, with its focus on the character Mathilda. She is a courageous and decisive character, and through what she writes in her diary and in her little newspaper, the horrors and uncertainties of the time are made very real and personal. The modern character Tessa and her complicated family with all its tensions is a relatable and sympathetic character as well. She borrows Mathilda's translated diary from the museum in her effort to understand what happened to the Jews in Thessaloniki around the time her grandmother was born, and in this way the two stories unfold together. Both characters keep a diary or journal, and excerpts from these writings are what mark the shift from one viewpoint character to the other.

The story is well-written and very moving, and although I found it hard to read at times because I knew what the likely outcome would be for Mathilda and her loved ones, it was carefully told so that it was honest but not graphic. While telling a piece of history that many are not familiar with, the story also draws on the themes of a mother's powerful love and the importance of family and loyalty.

From the Publisher:

Determined to resist the invading Nazis, a Greek Jewish woman's greatest dream has become her worst nightmare, and now she faces an impossible choice whose consequences echo across the generations.

1941 - The pounding of Nazi boots on the streets of Salonika, Greece, reverberates in Mathilda Nissim's ears, shaking her large community of Sephardic Jews to its core and altering her life forever. If only her people would rise up and resist their captors. At great risk to herself and those around her, she uses the small newspaper she publishes to call them to action, all to no avail. Her husband encourages her to trust God to watch over them, but God has once again deserted His people. Amid the chaos, Mathilda discovers she's expecting a longed-for child. Still, nothing stops the occupier's noose from tightening around their necks, and she may have to resort to desperate measures to ensure her daughter's survival.

2019 - College student Tessa Payton and her cousin take a popular DNA heritage test only to discover they don't share any common ancestors. In fat, the test reveals Tessa is a Greek Sephardic Jew. This revelation threatens her tenuous faith. Always the overlooked child in her family, she empties her savings account and jets off on a journey to Greece to discover where she belongs and which God demands her allegiance. The enchanting curator at the Jewish museum guides her as she navigates life in Thessaloniki, helps her with her genealogical research, and loans her a fascinating journal written by a Jewish woman during WWII. Tessa's search, however, may open old wounds and uncover long-hidden secrets that could fracture her family forever and leave her with more question than when she started.

Based in part on true accounts of Jews in Salonika, Greece, What I Would Tell You traces two women's journeys, delving into what faith looks like and where it leads us as they navigate difficult circumstances and impossible choices that have ripple effects across the years.

Visit Barbour Publishing for more info on where to buy.

By the same author: A Promise Engraved, The Silver Shadow, The Gold Digger, The Pink Bonnet, The Green Dress

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Barbour Publishing and was under no obligation to post a review.

This is a book with a dedication (#9) for The 52 Book Club's 2023 Reading Challenge

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