Recent Reads - No Safe Harbor

No Safe Harbor by Elizabeth Ludwig - Cara Hamilton leaves Ireland and arrives in New York hoping to find the twin brother she'd thought dead. Eoghan's only communication with her was a few lines of a letter and he warned her not to trust anyone, so she is very guarded with what she shares. A kind stranger points her to a boarding house and she meets a fellow Irishman named Rourke who seems trustworthy and like a good friend to her. But she heeds her brother's warning and lets everyone believe she has no living relations. For now.

Rourke and his family have been looking for Eoghan Hamilton in order to take revenge, and Rourke senses that Cara must be a sister to the man he seeks. If he can get information from her, he can get to Eoghan, but he is finding it difficult to stomach seeing Cara come to any harm and his loyalties and instincts are torn.

Cara discovers that she may have an enemy within the boarding house, and realizes that whoever is hunting Eoghan probably wishes her harm as well. Her questions may be leading her to her brother, but is she also leading an enemy closer to him at the same time? She wrestles with whether to trust and believe Rourke, just as he is wrestling with his growing feelings for Cara and growing discomfort with the path of revenge he's on.

I really enjoyed this story and the suspense throughout. Cara's desperation to find her brother made her over-cautious to share information at times, and led her to make some reckless choices in her search, but both made sense in context. She and Rourke are both very likeable characters, even as Rourke's motives fluctuate and he seems to waffle between wanting vengeance for his father's death and wanting to live in an honorable way that would have made his father proud. Even Eoghan's character is in question at times, which adds to Cara's tension. The ending isn't quite what I expected, and did set up a sequel (it is Book One of a series, after all), but I was satisfied that it didn't leave too many loose ends that it shouldn't have.

From the publisher:

Lured by a handful of scribbled words across a faded letter, Cara Hamilton sets off from 1896 Ireland on a quest to find the brother she'd thought dead. Her search lands her in America, amidst a houseful of strangers and one man who claims to be a friend―Rourke Walsh.

Despite her brother's warning, Cara decides to trust Rourke and reveals the truth about her purpose in America. But he is not who he claims to be, and as rumors begin to circulate about an underground group of dangerous revolutionaries, Cara's desperation grows. Her questions lead her ever closer to her brother, but they also bring her closer to destruction as Rourke's true intentions come to light.

This is a book featuring a found family trope (#22) for The 52 Book Club's 2025 Reading Challenge.

#the52bookclub #the52bookclub2025

This is fourth in The 52 Book Club's Connections Challenge. It was published in the same year as the previous book, 2012.

This post will be linked at the current BookWorms Monthly link-up hosted by At Home A Lot, and at  the Historical Fiction Reading Challenge 2025 hosted by The Intrepid Reader and Baker.

#histficreadingchallenge

©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/ 

 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.

Recent Reads - The Highland Heist

The Highland Heist by Pepper Basham - Frederick and Grace have had several exciting adventures on their honeymoon trip to Egypt and Italy, but before returning to England, Frederick surprises Grace with a visit to her family home in America. But the home has been sold and upon their arrival at her sister's house, there is another shock ― Lillias's husband has just been stabbed and she is the prime suspect and the household is in turmoil. Frederick and Grace try to take charge of the situation and find the real murderer. This is complicated by untrustworthy household staff, a phony police officer, and Lillias's uncooperative attitude.

Amidst all this drama, a solicitor arrives to inform the sisters that their late mother left them an inheritance in Scotland, and they need to claim it together. He has been delayed in finding them, and now time is of the essence if they are to claim the property before it is sold. Lillias grasps at this hope of salvaging her finances, but her name must be cleared before they can depart, so Frederick and Grace race to find out who killed Tony and keep themselves alive. It seems that someone wants to keep them from ever reaching Scotland and finding the original copy of the will!

When Lillias recklessly leaves for Scotland by herself, the pressure is really on Frederick and Grace to get there as quickly as possible not only to find the will but to rescue Lillias from the villain they realize is following her. More surprises await them all as they confront a ruthless killer and hunt for a will in a castle rumored to be haunted.

Coincidences and danger seem to follow Grace everywhere she goes, but her sense of adventure and love of books keeps her optimistic and high-spirited. As a character, she has matured over the series, but still seems very young, showing a childlike quality that borders on naivete at times, but her cheerful boldness and determination make her a very appealing and likeable character. She and Frederick are still in the early days of their marriage and both often reflect on the good fortune of their relationship and the devotion is accompanied by some starry-eyed newlywed behavior as well.

The adventures, coincidences, and character quirks are just exaggerated enough to provide drama and humor, although stretching credulity a bit. Grace's love of story and penchant for viewing everything through the lens of books she has read brings a lighthearted quality to the suspenseful situations, and one can't help but cheer for the fairytale happy endings along with her.

From the publisher:

Grace Storms a Scottish Castle to Save her Sister

Lord Astley surprises his wife with a trip to America to see her family before they end their honeymoon adventures. But just as they arrive, they find Grace's sister, Lillias, is the prime suspect in her husband's murder. To add to the confusion a solicitor arrives to tell the sisters they are needed in Scotland immediately to claim their mother's inheritance.

The clock is ticking to clear Lillias of suspicion, but someone is determined to keep the sisters from reaching the Scottish Highlands. When Lillias disappears, Freddie and Grace race to Scotland, sure the answers will be found in a long-forgotten castle.

With a ghost from Frederick's past leaving threatening clues along the way, the mysterious Mr. Kane waiting in the wings to grab the inheritance for himself, and an apparition haunting the infamous castle, Lord and Lady Astley must capture the castle, save Lillias, and not die in the process.

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

 

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

#TheHighlandHeist #NetGalley

By the same author: The Juliet Code, 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

This is a book featuring a character with red hair (#2) 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, and at  the Historical Fiction Reading Challenge 2025 hosted by The Intrepid Reader and Baker.

#histficreadingchallenge

©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/ 

 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.

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.

©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/ 

 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.

Recent Reads - The Lady of Bolton Hill

The Lady of Bolton Hill by Elizabeth Camden - In the opening pages, Daniel's family faces tragedy when his father is killed in a factory accident. Daniel is comforted by his unlikely best friend, Clara, the daughter of a minister in one of the wealthiest neighborhoods of Baltimore. The two are separated by time and circumstance and years later Clara has made a name for herself as a journalist in London, but her articles exposing the truth about child laborers in the mines has landed her in prison, and when she's released, she must return to Baltimore and continue her work there.

In the intervening years, Daniel has become successful and wealthy as an inventor and businessman, but he is still driven by a desire to punish the man he holds responsible for his father's death. Daniel and Clara renew their friendship and rekindle the budding romance of their youth, but Daniel cannot give in to Clara's belief that he should listen to God's voice and forgive those past wrongs.

Between Clara's journalistic efforts and the machinations of Daniel's rival and an enemy, he is faced with difficult choices and having to deal with growing unrest from the labor unions. When Clara goes missing and her life is in danger, Daniel goes into action to rescue her but saving her will mean making choices to do hard things, to forgive, and to trust God.

Clara is a strong and opinionated lead character who makes mistakes and has fears, but not very many flaws. Her character does grow and change, but it is a more subtle development from good to better. Daniel, however, is a wonderful romantic hero with one major flaw - his stubborn refusal to do business with a man he considers an enemy. The danger to Clara, and the surprising way she escapes it is Daniel's crisis moment, and the catalyst is the surprising transformation of an enemy. Courage and grace are themes throughout. 

From the publisher:

Female journalists are rare in 1879, but American-born Clara Endicott has finally made a name for herself with her provocative articles championing London's poor. When the backlash from her work forces a return home to Baltimore, Clara finds herself face-to-face with a childhood sweetheart who is no longer the impoverished factory worker she once knew. In her absence, Daniel Tremain has become a powerful industry giant and Clara finds him as enigmatic as ever. However, Daniel's success is fueled by resentment from past wounds and Clara's deeply-held beliefs about God's grace force Daniel to confront his own motives. When Clara's very life is endangered by one of Daniel's adversaries, they must face a reckoning neither of them ever could have foreseen.

*********************

By the same author: A Daring Venture, A Dangerous Legacy, Beyond All Dreams, To The Farthest Shores, Against the Tide, Summer of Dreams, From This Moment, Until the Dawn, Into the Whirlwind

This is a title starting with the letter L (#12) 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.

Recent Reads - Once Upon A Prince

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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

©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.

Recent Reads - Silencing The Siren

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Silencing the Siren (Ever After Mysteries) by Denise L. Barela - This novel is part of the Ever After Mysteries, a series of fairytale retellings with a mystery element. It is also a debut novel for author Denise L. Barela. It is a retelling of The Little Mermaid, set in 1920s New York City. I was curious as to how the character Annabelle would be similar to a mermaid, and how figurative that aspect would be. Annabelle has a disability - she has a deformity in her legs which confines her to a wheelchair, but as part of a Coney Island "freak show" she dons a costume and performs as a mermaid. Andrew Grayson is the "prince" who is mesmerized by the mermaid's beauty and quickly falls in love with her. Since he is from a wealthy upper crust family with domineering, controlling parents, he sneaks away from home to visit Coney Island and spend time with his little mermaid and her troupe. 

It's the prejudice and snobbery of Andrew's parents and the young lady they want him to marry that puts the challenges in the way of his relationship with Annabelle. The Graysons view Coney Island and the freak show troupe as being socially so far beneath them that they are horrified that Andrew spends time there. They are especially repulsed by Annabelle's disability. Andrew, however, has found friendship and acceptance with the troupe, and is determined to marry Annabelle. Instead, the Graysons arrange a marriage for Andrew to a wealthy socialite, Valerie. Andrew is trying to figure a way out of his dilemma when Annabelle suddenly goes missing and her father is told she is dead. In his grief, Andrew determines to find out what really happened, and he has to finally stand up to his parents to do so.

I loved that the female lead character, Annabelle, was shown as a strong and gracious heroine who happened to have a disability and was in a wheelchair. I also loved that despite his pretentious and sheltered upbringing, Andrew was a kind young man who wasn't deterred by Annabelle's much lower socio-economic standing or her disability. Both are likable and sympathetic characters who rise above the limitations and obstacles they face. In contrast, Andrew's parents and Valerie were more like stereotypical and one-dimensional fairytale villains. Andrew's age was a bit of a puzzle to me, as he was old enough to drive and to be married, but at times he acted like a very young teenager in his compliance with his parents' demands. He withdrew his own funds from a bank and opened a new account of his own, and engaged an investigator, but obeyed when he was sent to his room as if he was a small child. I would have liked to see his character developed with a bit more emotional depth and consistent with his age and circumstances.

I felt that I did need to keep in mind that this is a fairytale retelling, and as such, the characters were not as fully developed as one might expect in a novel, and there were plot devices that were coincidence straight out of a fairytale rather than fully believable occurrences in a more realistic world. It's a sweet and clean fairytale quality romance, and in my opinion would be suitable for young readers.

From the publisher:

Andrew Grayson thought he had everything . . . until he met her.

The indulged son of wealthy parents, Andrew has always gotten whatever he wanted almost before he knew he wanted it - clothes, gadgets . . . even a car! What more could a young man desire?

Enter Annabel Thompson. Freakshow mermaid extraordinaire . . . in a wheelchair!

Of course, her beauty attracts him. How could it not? Add to that a kind heart, and Andrew can't help but fall for her.

Annabel's connection with the freakshow repels his parents and their society friends. They want him to sever all ties with her and his new friends. Oh, and marry the "right" girl with the "right connections." But he won't do it. He'll defy them and marry his little mermaid.

When Annabel turns up missing, declared dead, things don't add up, andrew begins asking some difficult questions, the most important being, "What happened to the little mermaid of the Coney Island freak show?"

Find out in this next book in the Ever After Mysteries, combining beloved fairy tales and mysteries. Silencing the Siren offers a retelling of "the Little Mermaid" that will keep you gripped to the edge of your seat as you watch the story unfold.

I received a digital copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

This is a book that includes a wedding (#44) for The 52 Book Club's 2024 Reading Challenge.

#the52bookclub #the52bookclub2024

©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.

Recent Reads - The Vanshing at Castle Moreau

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The Vanishing at Castle Moreau by Jaime Jo Wright - From the opening lines, this story paints a mysterious picture of Castle Moreau and of all the characters associated with it. A nameless young girl in the early 1800s is facing the illness and death of her mother when a ghostly woman with a crooked hand starts appearing in her room. In another timeline, Daisy François, an orphan, comes in 1870 to become a housemaid at Castle Moreau, hoping to escape the abuses she faced in her past life. So there's a mystery surrounding Daisy's past and why she came to the castle, and what she finds when she arrives makes her wonder whether she's made the right decision. She is frightened of the formidable Madame Tremblay and her tales of Gothic horror, and concerned because there are no other servants and her own duties are quite vague. She also hears tales that women have disappeared and the locals believe that the castle and its eerie residents have something to do with it.

In yet another timeline, the current day, Cleo Clemmons is hired by the grandson of his reclusive grandmother to help clean up Castle Moreau, which is full of the grandmother's (who goes by Virgie) hoarded possessions. It suits Cleo to disappear to the mysterious castle, because she is running from something in her past too. Between the daunting task of trying to organize a huge collection of generations while navigating Virgie's changing moods, and managing her own weaknesses and guilt, Cleo wants to run away from the castle too, but she has nowhere to go. Then she is drawn into the century-old mystery of the missing women when someone gives her some clues to one of the last women to disappear and Cleo reluctantly partners with Virgie's celebrity grandson to try to put the rumors to rest. 

The stories of these two young women, and the elderly mistresses of Castle Moreau that they encounter, have many parallels, and although Daisy and Cleo each have their own fears to overcome, they find themselves unable to walk away from the mysteries within the castle walls. Both young women grapple with whether the grandson they deal with can be trusted, and both are oddly compelled to try and discover what happened to the missing women and whether there really was a connection to Castle Moreau.

Suspense and mystery hover throughout the story, as each character struggles to discern what is real and what is imagined or legend, and grapples with their own fears and past hurts. Is there any light and hope within these castle walls, or will Daisy and Cleo become part of the dark legends?

There are hints of the possible solution to the mystery, but it's teased out enough so that it's still a surprise twist, and a really satisfying one. 

From the publisher:

A haunting legend. An ominous curse. A search for a secret buried deep within the castle walls.

In 1870, orphaned Daisy François takes a position as housemaid at a Wisconsin castle to escape the horrors of her past life. There she finds a reclusive and eccentric Gothic authoress who hides tales more harrowing than the ones in her novels. As women disappear from the area and the eerie circumstances seem to parallel a local legend, Daisy is thrust into a web that could ultimately steal her sanity, if not her life.

In the present day, Cleo Clemmons is hired by the grandson of an American aristocratic family to help his grandmother face her hoarding in the dilapidated Castle Moreau. But when Cleo uncovers more than just the woman's stash of collectibles, a century-old mystery and the dust of the old castle's curse threaten to rise again . . . this time to leave no one alive to tell the sordid tale.

Award-winning author Jaime Jo Wright seamlessly weaves a dual-time tale of two women who must do all they can to seek the light amid the darkness shrouding Castle Moreau.

This is a book told in non-chronological order (#10) for The 52 Book Club's 2024 Reading Challenge.

#the52bookclub #the52bookclub2024

©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.

 

Recent Reads - A Louisiana Christmas To Remember

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A Louisiana Christmas To Remember - a novella collection by Morgan Tarpley Smith, Betsy St. Amant, and Lenora Worth - This sweet trilogy of novellas is like a Hallmark Christmas movie weekend in print! The stories center around a family of women in Moreau, a fictional small town in Louisiana as they come together to plan some very special holiday events. Each one finds love and a renewed connection to their town and to each other, and their faith plays a big role as well.

A Louisiana Snow gets things started with Mattie who is one of the key planners for a holiday marketplace that will also be a fundraiser for some important restoration work that needs done as the town is recovering after hurricane damage. On her team is Paul, a school friend that she saw as a rival. As they are forced to work together, Mattie learns to let go of her need for control as she gets to know Paul again and their friendship is rekindled. Mattie plans to have a mural painted and revealed for the marketplace but the artist is injured . . . 

Enter Mattie's cousin Jolene, who just happens to be an artist! Jolene has been away from Moreau for years and has a reputation for being flighty and unreliable, but when she comes home for the holidays, Mattie is able to talk her into taking over the mural project in the second novella, Restoring Christmas. Jolene reluctantly takes on the project under the supervision of Cameron, and they get off to a very rocky and combative start. They establish a truce, and Jolene's attempts to find inspiration for the art help her work through her guilt and fears. And the truce becomes a romance as Cameron sees Jolene for who she is and wins her trust. 

With the marketplace and the mural project looked after, the attention turns to the holiday ball and the third story picks up the thread. A Christmas Reunion focuses on Jolene's mother, Adale, a beautiful widow whose contribution to Moreau's holidays is planning the ball. She's caught completely off guard by the architect that has come to oversee the restoration work on the chapel, and who has been placed on her planning committee. Remy is not just any architect - he is the boy who stood her up in Paris when she was sixteen years old. And she suspects that her own mother, Eloise, had a hand in bringing Remy to Moreau. While Remy has never forgotten Adale and wants to make amends and earn a second chance with her, Adale is reluctant and fearful of being hurt again. It's only when she finally learns the truth about why Remy never met her that last day in Paris that she is able to fully forgive and allow herself to accept the second chance for happiness with him.

Despite being by three different authors, the stories are well coordinated and follow chronologically. Eloise, or Granny as Jolene and Mattie call her, is the matriarch of the family, and her presence in each story helps tie them all together as well. The characters and storylines work together so well that there's not a jarring change in style when a new author takes over. The viewpoint characters simply change, and this does allow a little bit more character development than most novellas have time for, since the four women appear in each story, even though they may be more in the background. 

Charming, heart-warming, light holiday reading with sweet romances and small town characters.

From the Publisher:

A Rare Snowfall Leads to a Christmas to Remember

Three heartwarming, interconnected stories of faith, love, and restoration, brought to you by three Louisiana-native authors. Will a rare snowy Louisiana Christmas bring restoration and hope to the hometown and hearts of three women from the town's founding family?

In A Louisiana Snow by Morgan Tarpley Smith, meet Mattie: A passionate visionary who learns to forgive and finds love in unexpected places . . . 

In Restoring Christmas by Betsy St. Amant, meet Jolene: An artist and prodigal daughter who discovers love exists in the very place she once called home . . . 

In A Christmas Reunion by Lenora Worth, meet Adale: A beautiful widow who finally dares to love again . . .

And don't forget Granny, whose feisty spirit, blunt dialogue, and quirky ways play an important and endearing role.

Visit Barbour Publishing for more info on where to buy.

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

#ALouisianaChristmastoRemember #NetGalley

This is a book with a contemporary setting (#44) for The 52 Book Club's 2023 Reading Challenge. Because it's three stories, I'm also counting Restoring Christmas as an enemies-to-lovers plot (#38) for the 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.

Recent Reads - Rebecca

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Rebecca (Daughters of the Lost Colony Book 3) by Shannon McNear - This third novel in the series invites the reader to imagine the possible background stories of the characters whose names we know from history books―John Smith, Pocahontas, and John Rolfe. We have some facts about their lives, but many of the details are disputed or unknown, and what we think we know is probably shaped by legends and Disney films. Author Shannon McNear's detailed research is the framework for her imaginative but very plausible reimagining of the people and their emotions and joys and struggles.

The story is told in three parts―and from the viewpoints of these three main characters and others. In the first section, Captain John Smith is the focus character. He is a key member of the leadership in the new Jamestown settlement, but is very often in conflict with the other leaders, some of whom are corrupt or short-sighted. Smith has prepared by learning some of the Powhatan language and wants to communicate and cooperate with the various native groups in the area. He does form an alliance with the powerful chieftain Wahunsenecawh, but there is still plenty of conflict that arises because the English are slow to plant and provide their own food, preferring to buy―or take―bread from the natives. Smith does meet the favored daughter of Wahunsenecawh, the young girl known as Pocahuntas (or Mato'aka), and she is curious and fascinated by the red-haired Englishman. Smith, Wahunsenecawh, Pocahuntas, and Winganuske (Wahunsenecawh's favored wife and Pocahuntas' mother) are viewpoint characters throughout this section, and Part One ends with a gravely injured John Smith on a ship back to England.

Part Two focuses on John Rolfe, picking up his story as a member of the group of colonists that were blown off course and shipwrecked in Bermuda while on the way to Jamestown. Pocahuntas is now a young woman, respected by her people, but while visiting a neighboring chieftain she is tricked into going aboard an English ship and kidnapped. She is mistreated brutally while on the ship and taken as a captive to Jamestown, where the governor believes that she can be used as a bargaining chip to negotiate with Wahunsenecawh. The governor also insists that she should live and dress as an Englishwoman and be instructed in the Christian faith. His version of this is harsh and would force her into submission, but Rolfe and the minister, Reverend Whitaker, intervene and take Pocahuntas into their care and under their protection. Rolfe provides lodging for Pocahuntas, and arranges for his housekeeper to assist; and makes sure that she will not be attacked by any of the men. Whitaker undertakes her Christian instruction, and patiently teaches her the stories from the Bible. A young man who had previously lived with the Powhatan serves as interpreter and helps with instruction and protection. As Pocahuntas learns more of the English God and learns to trust Rolfe, she becomes more open to accepting Christianity and to a relationship with her protector.

In Part Three, Pocahuntas as viewpoint character becomes even more prominent. Having accepted the death of her native husband, Koko'um, when she was first taken captive, she and Rolfe fall in love. And having heard the entire gospel, and realizing that the description of Christ in Revelation matches the dream she had of a great spirit king many years earlier, she decides to be baptized. It's at this time she takes the name Rebecca. After her marriage to Rolfe, they travel to England where she is treated as royalty and finally reconnects with Captain John Smith. 

The entire story is skillfully told, and is very believable. Despite the large cast of characters and details that seem dense at times, the humanity of the characters is compelling. Pride, folly, misunderstanding, and deception are the downfall of both English and native characters. Some of them attempt to understand and respect the beliefs and customs of very different people groups, and some are narrow-minded and refuse to see any viewpoint but their own. Just like many people today, I suppose. You'll meet villains and heroes and perhaps be persuaded to consider other ways of seeing these historical characters and their lives, and perhaps to wonder―as I did―what it will be like when we meet some of them in heaven someday.

This book can be read as a standalone, but I highly recommend reading at least Book Two, Mary, because its Epilogue really sets up the opening of Rebecca, and will introduce the pivotal role of Winganuske.

From the publisher:

The Lost Colony of Roanoke: discover an alternate view of their fate alongside the life of Pocahontas.

Born the daughter of a Powhatan chieftain and a woman of unknown origins, Mato'aka enjoys a carefree life. When strange men from across the eastern waters appear near her home, she regards them at first as a mere curiosity. Soon, though, she finds herself torn between fascination for one of their leaders and the opinions and ways of her people―then becomes a pawn in their delicate and dangerous game of politics. Drawn to a young Englishman, John Rolfe, who has lost a wife and baby daughter, she shares his griefs . . . and perhaps something more.

Could she have a future among the English of Jamestown, accepting their ways and even changing her name? Could her destiny be a part of the lasting legacy of the Lost Colony of Roanoke?

Author Shannon McNear portrays history with vivid authenticity.

Visit Barbour Publishing for more info on where to buy.

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

By the same author: The Rebel Bride, Mary (Daughters of the Lost Colony Book 2)

This is a book with the word "Lost" in the title (subtitle) for the Summer Reading Challenge.

This is the final book in a series, at least as far as I know now (#39), 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.

Recent Reads - Beneath A Peaceful Moon

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Beneath A Peaceful Moon by Debby Lee - Mary Wishram, a Yakima tribe member, and John Painted Horse, a Navajo tribe member, meet while serving at Camp Pendleton during WWII. Mary's only remaining family member, her brother, is in a POW camp in the Philippines and she wants to do whatever she can to find out if he's safe and bring him home. As her friendship with John develops, she volunteers for additional training so she can use her language skills as a spy.

John has a lot of mixed feelings about his service in the Marines. He loves his country and wants to serve, but he is worried about his mother and young siblings and how they will be provided for if something happens to him. He wrestles with the decision to join the Code Talker program but eventually agrees and is deployed to the South Pacific as the conflict there intensifies.

The extremely short notice and secrecy of their deployments means that Mary and John have no way of staying in touch while they are serving, and their faith and courage are tested as they face danger and each worries for the other's safety. Mary looks for opportunities to gather information about her brother, and risks discovery in order to help the men in the POW camp, but she must not jeapordize her mission or the lives of those she's trying to help. Will she and John escape the peril they find themselves in, and will they be able to find each other once they return home?

This was a great story in terms of exploring the service of native Americans during WWII, especially the roles women were able to take on. Mary and John are both likeable and sympathetic characters, and as I read of course I was cheering for them to make the right decisions and accomplish their missions safely so they could find their loved ones and each other and continue on to their happily ever after. However, if you're looking for insight into the Code Talkers program, there's not a lot of that, and there's almost nothing about what kind of training Mary receives to be a spy. I actually felt like the story just needed the characters to be in those programs in order to get them to the setting, but was not about the programs or training at all. The story as a whole relies quite heavily on somewhat improbable coincidences, at least in my opinion. That John and Mary are both assigned to the same region in the South Pacific and on short notice is believable, but the "near misses" where they don't quite find each other despite being in very close proximity started to stretch belief, and (Possible Spoiler Alert!) when they both go missing and are presumed dead in separate incidents that involved improbable and daring escapes from peril, I thought it was a bit much. Especially when it happens twice to John. In places I thought the writing was a bit choppy and I wasn't sure whether it was intentional or not.

Overall, a very good story that invites some thought about how the native Americans that served patriotically during this time were treated, and the ambivalence many must have felt at putting their lives on the line for a country that had marginalized them. Enjoy the story with its light romance, heroic characters, and real dilemmas, but be prepared to suspend disbelief during some of the action.

Mary's Language Skills Could Help End the War in the Pacific

Full of intrigue, adventure, and romance, this series celebrates the unsung heroes―the heroines of WWII.

Mary Wishram, an orphaned Yakima tribal member, aches for her brother who suffers in a POW camp in the Philippine Islands and her Japanese friends who languish in a relocation center. Determined to end the war by any means necessary, she employs her language skills to become a spy. Leaving Camp Pendleton for the South Pacific, she faces escalating threats of peril to help bring her loved ones home.

John Painted Horse, a proud Navajo, struggles with the loss of his father who died in WWI for a country that didn't consider him a United States citizen. Though his home state didn't offer him the right to vote, he joins the Code Talker program at Camp Pendleton. Thrust into mounting danger in the South Pacific, he hopes to bring long overdue recognition and honor to his people, no matter the cost.

Will these two wounded souls find healing from their past traumas and a deeper relationship with God, before it's too late? Or will they lose their chance at love, and everything they hold dear?

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.

#BeneathaPeacefulMoon  #NetGalley

This is a book set at the beach for the Summer Reading Challenge.

This is a book in which chapters have cliffhangers (#36) 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.