©picture by scribbles (Marye McKenney)

Thursday, March 21, 2024

Another Beauty and the Beast Rendition

 


So this book is another look at the Beauty and the Beast fairy tale, but Rachel Fordham has done a masterful job in bringing all the bits and pieces of the tale to life.  She put the characters in the early 1900s, so while it is historical, it is also a bit more modern.  

Sadie West has been working at the feather duster factory in Monticello, Iowa, when she is turned out of her boarding house for someone who will pay more.  She finds an abandoned factory to shelter in, and bathes in a freezing cold creek, but it is the only water available to her.  She is found out and then given a position at the Taylor mansion to help clean it up and get it ready to sell.  This is in addition to her job at the duster factory.  She is sending money home to pay for her father's doctor bills after he had an accident on the farm.  She is also paying the mortgage on the farm so that her family doesn't lose their home. 

Otis Taylor is the only remaining Taylor alive and comes back to Monticello to settle his brother's estate.  He'd been sent away because he was scarred and disfigured and his father didn't want to look at him.  Otis has quite a chip on his shoulder for the way his family treated him, but he eventually finds that his chip is too heavy to carry. 

Alta is one of the lesser characters but she plays an important part in the movement of the plot.  She so wants to be the one that Otis courts when he returns to town.  She's a little bit of a gold digger and a bit entitled, and plays the parts well.  When she finds that Sadie has been working for Otis for a while, she throws a temper tantrum worthy of a two year old.  

Beyond Ivy Walls has everything a reader could desire--a little bit of romance, a little bit of mystery, hard decisions, and a coming to terms with circumstances. I love the Beauty and the Beast type stories I've read and other than one written by Robin McKinley, this is the best one I've read.  Robin's is an extremely well-done rendition of the tale, while Rachel's is a more modern retelling.  It is still a five star book with two thumbs up and a beast who cares about family troubles.  

Thomas Nelson Fiction provided the copy I read for this review.  All opinions expressed are solely my own.

Friday, March 15, 2024

The Song of Sourwood Mountain



Almira Dean has just found out that her teaching position has been eliminated.  That bit of news comes right after she finds out her landlady wants her room to give to a niece. A former classmate has come to town to promote the mission back in the Appalachians where his church is.  He asks Mira to marry him and come back into the hills with him to teach at the mission school.  

Ann H Gabhart has created a lovely story about the backwoods people of the Appalachians and their  lives in the early 1900s.  This particular novel is one that is one of the more enjoyable books I have read this year.  What begins as a marriage of convenience becomes a truly loving union.  Some of the children in the book are favorite characters.  The feels I had for Ada June were just too much at times.  She was alone in the world and was moved from pillar to post.  She spent most of her time outside in the woods or in a cave.  When Mira and Gordon offer her a bed to sleep in and regular meals, she begins to blossom in ways that are most rewarding.  Mira has a loving touch for all the children in the area and wants only the best for them--even the most misbehaved ones. 

The Song of Sourwood Mountain is populated with the churchy busy-bodies and the recalcitrant husbands who go through life just trying to live.  Most of these people don't have two pennies to rub together, but somehow they make life work.  These people are not afraid to work hard and keep goods stored up for the lean times.  The one telling point in their lives was the way they cared for others in need.  It was a beauty to watch the way they worked together.  

The book is easy to read and digest, but more importantly it is engaging to the reader.  Five Stars, Two Thumbs up and a bluebird of happiness to sing outside your window. 

Revell Publishing provided the copy I read for this review.  All opinions expressed are solely my own.   

 

These Tangled Threads


These Tangled Threads is an interesting novel about the Biltmore Industries, specifically the weaving industry.  Lorna Blankenship is the master weaver at the Biltmore, and she has been tasked with weaving a special fabric worthy of a wedding dress for Cornelia Vanderbilt.  The problem is that Lorna hasn't made an original weaving ever.  She has bought some patterns for weaving her cloth from a young girl, Gentry, who was working under her supervision and passed them off as her own.  Because she hadn't had a fresh idea in a while, she was tasked with making one more weaving--suitable for a wedding--and then she was being fired. She heads out into the back country of the Appalachians to find a specific weaver. 

Arthur is a friend Lorna has known for years and carves wooden items that the Biltmore sells to tourists who come and tour the mansion.  He finds that his parents have died and that he has a brother who has been in and out of trouble almost his whole life.  He wants to do his best for his brother and bring him to sobriety.  While both Lorna and Arthur travel, their paths cross frequently and Arthur has cared for Lorna for a long time,  He's just waiting for her to return his feelings.  

This is a time swap type novel but the times are so close together that it is confusing at times to figure out which era things are happening.  It might have been a bit more cohesive if Sarah Loudin Thomas had just made the book a narrative instead of jumping back and forth between times.  At least it would have been easier to read for me.  For this reason alone, I give the book four weak stars.  I wish I could do half stars, but the sites where I post won't allow half stars. 

Bethany House Publishing provided the copy I read for this review.  All opinions expressed are solely my own.  

Tuesday, March 5, 2024

Sandcastle Inn


This was an enjoyable book, but it has its drawbacks.  Irene Hannon has written a series taking place in the fictional seaside town of Hope Harbor. 

Matt's sister, Kay, has bought a Bed and Breakfast Inn that needs a lot of work to put it in usable order.  Vienna is visiting her mother and offers her skills as developer for inns and hotels in lieu of room and board at the end.  Matt finds a contractor who needs work and part of his pay is a room for the contractor and his wife.  

Much of the book deals with refurbishing the Inn and setting it up as a high-end romantic getaway rather than the interpersonal relationships.  The romance between Matt and Vienna really didn't develop through the vast majority of the book.  It wasn't until the latter portions of the book that romance bloomed.  I have read other books in this series and I wish that Charley had a larger role in this book.  He is the glue that holds the series together.  His role was underplayed, almost to the point of being non-existent.  

This is a four star book that doesn't reach the same heights as the other books in this series.  Pretty soon, though, Irene will have the whole town of Hope Harbor populated and developed. 

Revell Publishing provided the copy I read for this review.  All opinions expressed are solely my own. 

 

Friday, February 23, 2024

Their Second Chance at Love


Erin wants to buy Aunt Betty's Victorian house, but it needs work.  At the same time, Erin needs work to earn the money to buy the house where she and her children are living.  She has been commissioned to make a wedding cake, and her dreams fall apart when the handyman, Logan, Aunt Betty has hired and Erin's son throw a football inside the house and topple the cake.  Erin falls on her own sword to right the wrong she is ultimately responsible for, but ultimately it costs her the money she needs to buy Aunt Betty's house.  

Logan has been gone from town for several years because he had unresolved feelings that came up when his best friend and Erin's husband died of cancer.  He couldn't come to terms with the feelings he was having, so he thought the better choice was to leave.  

Kayla Tirrell has woven together a novel that explains how God is at work even in the background of our lives.  She also shows what second chances are like in God's family.  Their Second Chance at Love is a bit of a light-hearted book with some depth to it.  It moves the heart in ways that are unexpected.  This is a strong four star book.   

Books Go Social provided the copy I read for this review.  All opinions expressed are solely my own.

 

Friday, February 16, 2024

Just for the Summer


Ginny has messed up big time.  She double booked the hotel's event room with an anniversary celebration and a wedding reception.  The fact that the bride's family is friends with Ginny's boss makes the situation even worse puts Ginny's job on the line.  So Ginny signs up for a job swap for the summer.  

Jacqueline is a fish out of water, running her grandfather's fishing lodge.  Needing a change of scenery, she signs up for the same job swap as Ginny, and the plans are made.  

Ginny hits the ground running making some changes here and there that enhance the ambiance of the lodge and entices more clientele to the lodge.  Jacqueline very nearly destroys the hotel and enrages the owner in a way that Ginny never did. So the owner cancels the contract for Jacqueline and sends her home with her tail between her legs.  

While at the lodge, Ginny has made inroads with Jacqueline's grandfather and his summer fishing guide, while Jacqueline has attempted the same with the hotel owner's son with not as stellar results.  

Melody Carlson has built a most enjoyable book with places I know and believable characters who are real in the sense that they have real strengths and weaknesses.  This gives them an honest touch in how they come across throughout the book.  There is the man who continually seeks what he cannot have and is unwilling to accept what is offered.  There is the couple who are falling in love without even realizing what is happening to them.  There is the woman who wants to come across as stronger than she really is. All of these characteristics are part of the charm of the book that makes it all the more readable. Four Strong Stars.  

Revell Publishing provided the copy I read for this review.  All opinions expressed are solely my own.  

 

Tuesday, February 6, 2024

The Divine Proverb of Streusel


Nikki's father left her mother, married within three months of the divorce being final, and now wants back into Nikki's life.  With all the upheaval in Nikki's life, she decided to leave town for a few days to get her thoughts in order and get her head on straight. The place she runs to is her uncle's house and finds refuge as well as meaning and purpose to her life.  She offers to help her uncle refurbish his old farmhouse that has been in the family for many generations and with the summer off from her teaching job, she's got the time to do the work to help her uncle out.  In working with him, she finds a notebook full of her great-grandmother's recipes, along with some words of wisdom great-grandmother found along the way.  In choosing recipes to try and reading the wisdom that each recipe holds, Nikki comes to find that forgiving is a great burden reliever and healer for her soul.  In learning this, she passes the wisdom on to her Uncle Wes.  

The romances in this story are secondary to the depth of spiritual knowledge included, and secondary to the plot development itself. Sara Brunsvold has woven a depth into this book that makes it hard to read, but that is not a bad thing,  Sometimes hard is exactly what is needed by the reader.  It is far more rewarding because there is so much more substance to this novel.  

This is a five star book with two thumbs up and a homemade streusel for dessert. 

Revell Publishing provided the copy I read for this review.  All opinions expressed are solely my own.