Historical Fiction

Through The Shadows by Karen Barnett

 

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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.

Through The Shadows by Karen Barnett was another great book in The Golden Gate Chronicles series.   This is the third book in the series, and I think it may be my favorite in the series. I loved these characters, and I felt like I could relate to them more than I could the other characters. I also loved the subject of this book because it reminded me of one of my favorite author’s and her books that take place in North and South Korea and even though that this book takes place in San Francisco it reminded me of those books and I know that made me fall even more in love with this book. I could see myself acting like Elizabeth and Charles because the things that they are fighting against are also things that I would be against and try to change. This is a fantastic historical fiction book that I know just about everyone will love just as much as I do.

Through The Shadows by Karen Barnett

About The Book

The devastating earthquake is just two years past, but the city of San Francisco is still trying to recover. Destruction of this magnitude is not so easy to overcome-and neither are the past regrets shadowing Elizabeth King’s hopeful future.
Hoping to right her wrongs, Elizabeth dedicates herself to helping girls rescued from slavery in Chinatown brothels, even if it means putting her own life at risk to sneak through the gloomy alleys and rooftops where dangers lurk.
Putting her life on the line for a worthy cause is admirable. But opening her heart is even more terrifying. So when Elizabeth meets attorney, Charles McKinley–a man who dreams of reforming San Francisco’s crooked politics–Elizabeth begins to doubt: Can she maintain her pretense and hide her past? Or will her secret jeopardize both their futures?

Karen Barnett

About The Author

Karen Barnett is the author of Beyond the Ashes, Out of the Ruins, andMistaken. Named the 2013 Writer of Promise by Oregon Christian Writers, Karen lives in Albany, Oregon, with her husband and two kids. When she’s not writing novels, she loves speaking at women’s events, libraries, and book clubs.

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The Bachelor Girl’s Guide to Murder by Rachel McMillan

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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 are 100% my own.

The Bachelor Girl’s Guide to Murder by Rachel McMillan was a fantastic book. When I opened the package that the book came in, I had to smile because there was a note that the author wrote tucked in the book, and it made me laugh. I also loved that some of the words had an asterisk by them and then at the bottom of the page it explains what it means or why she is using it. I loved that because it makes it easier to read because she explains parts of it, so you don’t have to stop reading to figure out what she meant. As I was reading this book, I had a constant smile on my face because the book just put me in a good mood. I love how well this book was written, and I loved that the main characters were doing things that women wouldn’t have been able to do during that time. I have read tons of historical fiction books, and this one is by far my favorite as of late, and I can’t wait for another book by this author to be released. It is an easy read, and it went by super quick. I love when I read books that are easy to read and go by fast because I don’t have to wait too long to find out how the story ends. I am sure most people would enjoy this book, and I recommend it everyone who is looking for a new book to read.

The Bachelor Girl's Guide to Murder by Rachel McMillan

About The Book

In 1910 Toronto, while other bachelor girls perfect their domestic skills and find husbands, two friends perfect their sleuthing skills and find a murderer.

Inspired by their fascination with all things Sherlock Holmes, best friends and flatmates Merinda and Jem launch a consulting detective business. The deaths of young Irish women lead Merinda and Jem deeper into the mire of the city’s underbelly, where the high hopes of those dreaming to make a new life in Canada are met with prejudice and squalor.

While searching for answers, donning disguises, and sneaking around where no proper ladies would ever go, they pair with Jasper Forth, a police constable, and Ray DeLuca, a reporter in whom Jem takes a more than professional interest. Merinda could well be Toronto’s premiere consulting detective, and Jem may just find a way to put her bachelor girlhood behind her forever–if they can stay alive long enough to do so.

Rachel McMillan

About The Author

Rachel McMillan is a keen history enthusiast and a lifelong bibliophile. When not writing or reading, she can most often be found drinking tea and watching British miniseries. Rachel lives in bustling Toronto, where she works in educational publishing and pursues her passion for art, literature, music, and theater.

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Playing The Part by Jen Turano

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FTC: I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.  I received no other compensation and the opinions expressed in this review are 100% mine.

Playing The Part by Jen Turano was an excellent book. I loved this book because so many strange and weird things happened throughout the entire book that I couldn’t help but laugh. If anything could go wrong, it did go wrong. I haven’t read a book like this for a while, and I am so glad that I got this one to review because it is going to be added to the books that keep after I am done with them. I was a huge fan of all of the characters that worked for Bram because you never knew what they were going to do next. Like when the shot a cannon to scare people away even though they were told not to do it. If you are looking for a fun historical fiction book to read I recommend this book one hundred percent because I think most people would enjoy this book. I loved the setting of this book and like I said before I loved the entire plot and all of the crazy but funny characters. I can’t say enough great things about this book, and since I don’t want to give anything away, I am going to end the review so that you won’t have any spoilers. If you do happen to check this book out, please let me know what you think of it.

Playing The Part by Jen Turano

About The Book

Lucetta Plum is an actress on the rise in New York City, but is forced to abandon her starring role when a fan’s interest turns threatening. Lucinda’s widowed friend, Abigail Hart, is delighted at the opportunity to meddle in Lucetta’s life and promptly whisks her away to her grandson’s estate to hide out.

Bram Haverstein may appear to simply be a somewhat eccentric gentleman of means, but a mysterious career and a secret fascination with a certain actress mean there’s much more to him than society knows.

Lucetta, who has no interest in Abigail’s matchmaking machinations, has the best intentions of remaining cordial but coolly distant to Bram. But when she can’t ignore the strange and mysterious things going on in his house, it’ll take more than good intentions to keep her from trying to discover who Bram is behind the part he plays.

Jen Turano

About The Author

Jen Turano is a graduate of the University of Akron with a degree in Clothing and Textiles. She pursued a career in management for nine years before switching to full-time motherhood after the birth of her son. When she’s not writing, Jen can be found watching her teenage son participate in various activities, taking long walks with her husband and dog, socializing with friends, or delving into a good book. She lives in suburban Denver, Colorado. Learn more at http://www.jenturano.com.

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Heliotrope by JC Miller

Book Review Tur

Heliotrope by JC Miller was another great book by this author.  I have read several books by this author, and I have yet to read one that I haven’t loved by her.  I liked Kit from the start, and I wasn’t a huge fan of Jonathan, and I wondered if I would end up liking him and as it turns out I still didn’t like him when the book was over.  It is funny how sometimes you do end up liking characters by the end of the book and other times you still hate them as much as you did from the start.  Let’s get back to this book.  I loved that this book takes place 1970’s because it was a fun change from books I have been reading lately.  I liked that this book took back to a slower pace, but it was crazy because I had to remind myself of the year because I wondered why they didn’t call a cell phone and email her paper in when she was sick.   I did enjoy this book, and I can’t wait to see what the author is going to write next.

Heliotrope by JC Miller

About The Book

Buckle up your Birkenstocks and travel back to 1975. Discover (or relive) the pre-digital age in Arcata, a remote Bohemian college town on the northern edge of California. Meet Kit, a hard-working, bookish senior, on track for graduation—that is, until she falls for Jonathan, one-time bestselling author, now her stand-in professor. Jonathan, a master in the art of deception, isn’t who he appears to be. As their bond grows, Kit’s desire blinds her to the truth— a shocking discovery shatters her faith and ultimately tests her integrity.

From the first blush of fall quarter to the final breath of spring, hard lessons will be learned. To “graduate” into an uncertain future, Jonathan and Kit must first embrace the present—including the injustices, ambiguities and absolute beauty of their lives. Beneath the ever-changing Humboldt skies they forge ahead; they stumble and sometimes fall.

Heliotrope, a coming-of age story for the ages.

JC Miller

About The Author

JC (Jeanne) Miller, M.A., is an educator and founding member of JAM, an editorial-consultation team. An avid reader, aspiring traveler and table tennis enthusiast, she resides in Northern California.

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Beyond The Silence by Tracie Peterson and Kimberley Woodhouse

Book Review Tur

Beyond The Silence by Tracie Peterson and Kimberley Woodhouse was an excellent book. The one bad thing I can say about this book is the fact that I did find a typo which bugged me. I am used to finding them from time to time because I do read a bunch or ARC or “advanced reader copies” where you see them because they haven’t been edited yet when we get those types. I shocked with this on because as far as I know it is the final copy that will be sold. It wasn’t a huge mistake it just made me read the sentence a few times to make sure that I wasn’t just reading it wrong.

Anyway, let’s get on with the review of this book. I liked Lillian from the first page right through the end of the book, but I was an even bigger fan of Woody because I felt so sorry for him and his son Jimmy. I saw a lot of the town I grew up in Angels Camp so I felt like I really could understand how hard it had to be on Woody to live in a town where people hate you for something you didn’t do or even who they assume you are. You can learn so much from this book while you are reading that I would recommend it to everyone. Not only did I learn things I actually enjoyed the story. This book was an excellent escape from real like for me.

Beyond The Silence by Tracie Peterson and Kimberley Woodhouse

About The Book

Lillian Porter has always wanted to fulfill her mother’s dream of going west, so when she hears about a nanny position in Angels Camp, California, she defies her grandfather and takes a chance on a new future. But she quickly wonders if she made the right choice. There are rumors in town that her new employer, Woodward Colton, caused the death of his wife. This accusation doesn’t match the man Lillian comes to know–and Mrs. Goodman, Woody’s long-time housekeeper, is decisively on Woody’s side–but many in town stay far away from Lillian because of her association with the Colton family.

Lillian’s six-year-old charge, Jimmy, was there when his mother died, and he hasn’t spoken a word since. Gently, Lillian tries to coax him out of his shell, hoping he’ll one day feel safe enough to tell her the truth about what happened. But the Colton olive farm is no longer a safe place. Lillian encounters suspicious characters on their land and mysterious damage done to the farm. Will Mrs. Goodman and Jimmy be able to speak what they know in time to save Lillian from tragedy?

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About The Authors

Tracie Peterson is the bestselling, award-winning author of more than 100 novels. Tracie also teaches writing workshops at a variety of conferences on subjects such as inspirational romance and historical research. She and her family live in Montana.

Kimberley Woodhouse is a multipublished author of fiction and nonfiction. A popular speaker/teacher, she’s shared her theme of Joy Through Trials with over 150,000 people at more than a thousand venues across the country. She lives, writes, and homeschools with her husband of twenty-plus years and their two awesome teens live in Colorado.

 

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At Love’s Bidding by Regina Jennings

Winter Book Review

At Love’s Bidding by Regina Jennings was a fun book to read.  I found myself smiling throughout the book because of the crazy things that kept happening to Miranda and her grandfather as they tried to find a painting that got sold on accident.    I truly enjoyed this authors style of writing and how she was able to make you feel as though you are there with the characters.  I loved all of the characters from the town in Missouri because they all have such big personalities that you couldn’t help but love them.  I loved this book because it was light hearted and super easy to read and I was able to get through it in a few days and I was left feeling good because of how light-hearted this book was.  If you love historical fiction than I would recommend this book to you be even if you don’t I would still check out this book because I am sure you will loved it.

At Love's Bidding by Regina Jennings

About The Book

After helping her grandfather at their Boston auction house, Miranda Wimplegate discovers she’s accidentally sold a powerful family’s prized portrait to an anonymous bidder. Desperate to appease the furious family, her grandfather tracks it to the Missouri Ozarks and makes an outlandish offer to buy the local auction house if they promise not to sell anything until he arrives.

Upon their arrival, however, they discover their new business doesn’t deal in fine antiques, but in livestock. And its manager, ruggedly handsome Wyatt Ballentine, is frustrated to discover his fussy new bosses don’t know a thing about the business he’s single-handedly kept afloat. Faced with more cattle than they can count–but no mysterious painting–Miranda and Wyatt form an unlikely but charged partnership to try and salvage a bad situation getting worse.

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About The Author

Regina Jennings is a graduate of Oklahoma Baptist University with a degree in English and a history minor. She has worked at The Mustang News and First Baptist Church of Mustang, along with time at the Oklahoma National Stockyards and various livestock shows. She now lives outside Oklahoma City with her husband and four children.

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