Book Review Groups

My Father’s House by Rose Chandler Johnson

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FTC: I received a free copy of this book from Litfuse in exchange for my honest review. I received no other compensation and the opinions expressed in this review are one hundred percent true and my own.

My Father’s House by Rose Chandler Johnson was a book I wasn’t sure if I was going to like when I started it. I always hate when I am not certain if I will like because I hate forcing myself to read books that I don’t like but let’s get on to this book. By the end of the first chapter, I didn’t want to put the book down. I did feel so sorry for Lily, and I had to keep reading because I had to know how things worked out for her in the book. I love that this book covered a good amount of time, but it wasn’t super long and didn’t leave me feeling like things were rushed or as if things were missing in the story. I have read other books that they cut things out to keep the book shorter, but they didn’t in this book, and I loved that about it. I felt terrible for Lily most of the book, and I think that is because I can see a lot of myself in her. If you love books that seem like they are real stories than you need to pick this book up because it is one that I could see happening.

My Father's House by Rose Chandler Johnson

About The Book

My Father’s House (March 2016)

Growing up, life is idyllic for Lily Rose Cates due to one constant — her father’s love.

But in her sixteenth summer, all that changes without warning. There begins Lily’s struggle to find herself and the life she’s lost. . . . Marriage promises fulfillment, but her happily-ever-after barely survives the honeymoon. Her husband’s sophisticated façade hides a brooding man with even darker secrets.

When all illusions shatter, Lily must make hard choices — abandon her husband or risk losing much more than her marriage. She flees their home in Detroit and sets out on a fearful journey to a house in Georgia that her husband knows nothing about. This is one woman’s compelling tale of love and survival as she finds her way back home to who she’s meant to be . . . in her father’s house.

Rose Chandler Johnson

About The Author

Rose Chandler Johnson is the author of the award winning devotional God, Me, and Sweet Iced Tea: Experiencing God in the Midst of Everyday Moments. My Father’s Houseis her first novel. She happily makes her home near Augusta, Georgia.

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Bradstreet Gate by Robin Kirman

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FTC: I received a free copy of this book from Blogging For Books in exchange for my honest review. I received no other compensation and the opinions expressed in this review are one hundred percent true and my own.

Bradstreet Gate by Robin Kirman wasn’t the right book for me. When I first started reading this book, it reminded me of the book “Defending Jacob by William Landay” even though they aren’t about the same things the writing reminded me of that book but that is about all because I found myself getting lost in all the details. I couldn’t sit down and read this book for extended periods of time because I got distracted and just couldn’t keep my focus on this book. I am sure this book will be great to some people but for me it just bored me, and I couldn’t wait until it was over.

Bradstreet Gate by Robin Kirman

About The Book

A tour de force about three friends affected by a campus murder, for readers of Donna Tartt, Meg Wolitzer, and Jeffrey Eugenides

Georgia, Charlie and Alice each arrive at Harvard with hopeful visions of what the future will hold. But when, just before graduation, a classmate is found murdered on campus, they find themselves facing a cruel and unanticipated new reality. Moreover, a charismatic professor who has loomed large in their lives is suspected of the crime. Though his guilt or innocence remains uncertain, the unsettling questions raised by the case force the three friends to take a deeper look at their tangled relationship. Their bond has been defined by the secrets they’ve kept from one another—Charlie’s love and Alice’s envy, Georgia’s mysterious affair—and over the course of the next decade, as they grapple with the challenges of adulthood and witness the unraveling of a teacher’s once-charmed life, they must reckon with their own deceits and shortcomings, each desperately in search of answers and the chance to be forgiven.

A relentless, incisive, and keenly intelligent novel about promise, disappointment, and the often tenuous bonds of friendship, Bradstreet Gate is the auspicious debut of a tremendously talented new writer.

From the Hardcover edition.

Robin Kirman

About The Author

ROBIN KIRMAN earned a BA in philosophy from Yale College and an MFA in fiction from Columbia University, where she served as a writing instructor in the English department. Robin lives in New York City and Tel Aviv.

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Dawn At Emberwilde by Sarah E. Ladd

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FTC: I received a free copy of this book from Litfuse in exchange for my honest review. I received no other compensation and the opinions expressed in this review are one hundred percent true and my own.

Dawn At Emberwilde by Sarah E. Ladd was an okay book.   I have read quite a few of Sarah’s books and I always in enjoy them but do find them to be predictable, but that just comes with reading every book that an author has written. Even though I knew what was going to happen in this book I still really enjoyed it, but I assumed I would because I have enjoyed all the other books I have read by Sarah. I enjoyed the setting of this book and the characters in this book. If you love historical fiction, then you need to pick up this book because I know you will love it.

Dawn At Emberwilde by Sarah E. Ladd

About The Book

Dawn at Emberwilde (Thomas Nelson, May 2016)

Isabel Creston never dared to dream that love could be hers. Now, at the edge of a forest filled with dark secrets, she faces a fateful choice between love and duty.

For as long as she can remember, beautiful and free-spirited Isabel has strained against the rules and rigidity of the Fellsworth School in the rolling English countryside. No longer a student, Isabel set her sights on a steady role as a teacher at the school, a safe yet stifling establishment that would enable her to care for her younger sister Lizzie, who was left in her care after her father’s death.

The unexpected arrival of a stranger with news of unknown relatives turns Isabel’s small, predictable world upside down, sweeping her and her young charge into a labyrinth of intrigue and hidden motives.

At her new family’s invitation, Isabel and Lizzie relocate to Emberwilde, a sprawling estate adjacent to a vast, mysterious wood rife with rumors and ominous folklore—along with whispers of something far more sinister. Perhaps even more startling, two handsome men begin pursuing Isabel, forcing her to learn the delicate dance between attraction, the intricate rules of courtship, and the hopes of her heart.

At Emberwilde Isabel will discover that the key to unlocking the mystery of her past may also open the door to her future and security. But first she must find it—in the depths of Emberwilde Forest.

Sarah E. Ladd

About The Author

Sarah E. Ladd received the 2011 Genesis Award in historical romance for The Heiress of Winterwood. She is a graduate of Ball State University and has more than ten years of marketing experience. Sarah lives in Indiana with her amazing husband, sweet daughter, and spunky Golden Retriever.

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The Question by R. Breuer Stearns

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FTC: I received a free copy of this book from iReads in exchange for my honest review. I received no other compensation and the opinions expressed in this review are one hundred percent true and my own.

The Question by R. Breuer Stearns was an interesting book. When I read the back of this book, I was super interested to see what it was all about but after the first couple of pages, I was worried that I wasn’t going to like it. After I was a couple of chapters into the book, I didn’t want to put it down. It was a book that I would take breaks from because it did make me think and that didn’t bother me at all. I love that I spend a good amount just thinking while I was reading this book and in the end, I enjoyed the story and the characters in the book.  I also wanted to say that it is an easy read even though it did make me think.  If you love books that make you think but also have a great story to go along with than I know you will love this book as much as I do.

The Question

About The Book

THE QUESTION invites readers to consider this premise:

If you could have the answer to one question, and only one question, what would you ask… and who would try to stop you from asking it?

To what extremes would they go?

THE QUESTION is a thriller that explores a new way of thinking, a method powerful enough to answer very complex questions . . . perhaps powerful enough to solve the universe’s most fundamental mysteries . . . perhaps powerful enough to resolve religions’ most beguiling unknowns.

THE QUESTION is an adventure story . . . fiction that you may wish, may believe, may know, is true. The narrative occurs in the present, with scenes in California, Washington, D.C., Paris, Shanghai, New York, and Afghanistan.

THE QUESTION is ideal reading for anyone who is curious . . . for those who gaze into the cosmos at night and wonder . . . for those who look into the mirror and imagine . . . for those whose hearts beat faster when confronting the unknown . . . for readers who enjoy a fast paced, contemporary thriller that inspires them to think. R. Breuer Stearns

About The Author

R. Breuer Stearns is an investor and author.

Mr. Stearns graduated from Phillips Academy, Andover (1970), Harvard University (AB, 1974), University of Chicago (MBA, 1977), and DePaul University College of Law (JD, 1979). He rapidly ascended on Wall Street in the 1980’s, serving as Managing Director, Mergers & Acquisitions at Lehman Brothers and Head of Investment Banking (North America) at UBS Securities.  While living in New York, he founded “Terrific Teachers, Inc.,” a foundation dedicated to identifying and rewarding the best of the best of the city’s public high school teachers.

Shortly after the fall of the Berlin Wall, Mr. Stearns launched a private investment bank in the former Soviet Union.  He spent the early 1990’s seeking to marry emerging science, primarily emanating from Russia’s Defense sector, with Western capital.  During this period, Mr. Stearns made a small fortune, albeit from a larger one.  The venture provided a remarkable lesson in hubris, a tremendous reservoir of internal strength, and first-hand source material for Mr. Stearns’ first book, Winning Smart After Losing Big (Encounter Books, Beijing University Press).

Subsequently, Mr. Stearns served as Chief Financial Officer of The Dial Corporation, Chief Financial Officer of Columbia/HCA Corporation, Chief Financial Officer of PacifiCare, Inc., President and Chief Operating Officer of Vascular Genetics, Inc., and Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Quepasa Corporation (QPSA:Amex).

Mr. Stearns is a Founder of VestaPoint Capital LLC, a family of investment funds focused on real estate development.  He lives in Arizona with his wife, two dogs, two cats, and a horse.  He travels extensively and is intensely curious.

Connect with the author:   Website ~ Facebook

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A Daughter’s Dream by Shelley Shepard Gray

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FTC: I received a free copy of this book from Litfuse in exchange for my honest review. I received no other compensation and the opinions expressed in this review are one hundred percent true and my own.

A Daughter’s Dream by Shelley Shepard Gray was another great book. Just like I said in yesterday’s post about that author being my favorite for books that take place during WWII this author is my favorite for books having to do with the Amish. I have pretty much read all of her books and me when I see she is releasing a new book I know I have to pick it up because I love all of her books. This is the second book in the series, but you don’t have to read the first book if you don’t want to. I did review the first book, and you can click here to read that review if you are interested in that book. These characters weren’t my favorite of all the characters but I still actually enjoyed the book. I love that I got to check in with the characters from the first book because I liked them. I loved this book, and I can’t wait for the next book to come out. I recommend any of her books to you if you are looking for something new to read because I know you won’t be let down by any of her books.

A Daughter's Dream by Shelley Shepard Gray

About The Book

A Daughter’s Dream (Avon Inspire, May 2016)

A young teacher and farmer discover they have much in common, especially when it comes to healing old wounds from the past . . . and finding love in one another.


Rebecca Kinsinger has always dreamed of being a teacher. But when she’s given the opportunity she’s been waiting for at Charm Amish School, she’s dismayed to discover that teaching is hard work—work she’s afraid she’s not very good at.That is, until Lilly Yoder joins the class. A thirteen-year old who’s just lost her parents, Lilly is in need of someone like Rebecca. For the first time since starting her new job, Rebecca feels a sense of purpose. But when she meets Lilly’s uncle, Jacob, his good looks and sweet, easy-going temperament are hard to ignore. How can she even entertain romantic thoughts of Jacob when his niece is her student?

Suddenly becoming Lily’s sole caregiver, Jacob Yoder never thought he’d be a single parent—or a farmer. Having been living in Florida as a carpenter, Jacob feels more at home wielding a hammer than a backhoe. The only bright spot in his life is Rebecca Kinsinger. As Lily and Rebecca develop a bond, Jacob’s fondness for the pretty teacher grows, too.

But when a fateful accident brings them together, Rebecca and Jacob must choose between duty and desire. Will they follow the path before them? Or set out to find true happiness . . . and true love?

Shelley Gray

About The Author

Shelley Shepard Gray is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author, a finalist for the American Christian Fiction Writers prestigious Carol Award, and a two-time HOLT Medallion winner. She lives in southern Ohio, where she writes full-time, bakes too much, and can often be found walking her dachshunds on her town’s bike trail.

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Anchor In The Storm by Sarah Sundin

Anchor in the Storm Sarah Sundin

FTC: I received a free copy of this book from Litfuse in exchange for my honest review. I received no other compensation and the opinions expressed in this review are one hundred percent true and my own.

Anchor In The Storm by Sarah Sundin was a good book. This is the second book in the series, and I did review the first book so if you missed that review you can click here to read it.   If you have been around for a while, you know that I love books that take place during WWII, and this author is one of my favorites when it comes to books like this. I am ways excited when I see a book by her come up for review because I know I will love it. I love that you get to catch back up with the characters from the other books in the series as well. I think these characters might be some of my favorites that I have read about because they seemed the most relatable to me. I also love that this author makes all of her characters so different instead of making them all the same like some other authors do. If you love historical romance and books about WWII, I know you will love this book as much as I did.

Anchor In The Storm by Sarah Sundin

About The Book

Anchor in the Storm (Revell, May 2016)

One plucky female pharmacist + one high-society naval officer = romance-and danger

For plucky Lillian Avery, America’s entry into World War II means a chance to prove herself as a pharmacist in Boston. The challenges of her new job energize her. But society boy Ensign Archer Vandenberg’s attentions only annoy—even if he is her brother’s best friend.

During the darkest days of the war, Arch’s destroyer hunts German U-boats in vain as the submarines sink dozens of merchant ships along the East Coast. Still shaken by battles at sea, Arch notices his men also struggle with their nerves—and with drowsiness. Could there be a link to the large prescriptions for sedatives Lillian has filled? The two work together to answer that question, but can Arch ever earn Lillian’s trust and affection?

Sarah Sundin brings World War II to life, offering readers an intense experience they won’t soon forget.

Sarah Sundin

About The Author

Sarah Sundin is the author of Through Waters Deep, as well as Wings of the Nightingale and the Wings of Glory series. A graduate of UC San Francisco School of Pharmacy, she works on call as a hospital pharmacist. During WWII, her grandfather served as a pharmacist’s mate (medic) in the Navy and her great-uncle flew with the US Eighth Air Force. Sarah lives in California.

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