Review: Glimpses of Paradise
Description:
Two high school kids in small town Nebraska have their dreams. Zee, a minister’s daughter, wants to be a movie star. Doyle, the son of a wealthy lawyer, is expected to follow in his father’s footsteps and practice law. But World War I explodes and changes everyone’s plans. When Doyle ends up on the battlefields of France, though he performs ably, he comes out disillusioned. Rejecting his parents’ pleas to return to school, he finds himself in Los Angeles on the bottom rung of society.
Unknown to him, Zee Miller is also in L. A., having run away from her father and the religion of her youth. But when Doyle gets back into law, and Zee is arrested for murder, their lives will intersect again, in a way that may shatter them both.
My Review:
This is a spectacular historical epic with vivid dialogue and characters. James Scott Bell is a master of storytelling and this was a true dive into the early 1900s and the dawn of Hollywood.
Once I started this book, I simply couldn’t put it down.
Zee is a fantastic character with so many ups and downs, you’ll think you’re strapped in at Six Flags. Still, you can’t help but love her. The same goes for Doyle, from the battlefields of Europe to the rails of the west coast.
This one of Bell’s few historicals—he is most well known for his suspense and mystery writing—but I’ll be sure to get every one of his historical fiction. It was simply an experience I want to relive again and again. If you’re looking for an escape into another time and place, pick up Glimpses of Paradise.
Read MoreReview: The Silent Order
Description:
Rural America – 1928. After the murder of his partner, Detective Rollin Wells hides away in an Amish home near Sugarcreek, Ohio, to find out who in the police force is collaborating with Cleveland’s notorious mob.
While Rollin searches for answers to his partner’s death, he befriends an elusive young Amish woman named Katie and her young son. As Rollin learns about Katie’s past, he’s shocked at the secret Katie is hiding – a secret that has haunted Rollin for eight years.
My Review:
Oh this book is right up my alley. I was hooked from the beautiful cover, to the premise itself. I also know the author, Melanie Dobson, through my local writing group and her writing is always superb.
I was not let down.
Right away, The Silent Order hooks and doesn’t let go until the last page. The characters, the location, the dialogue—everything rings true of the time period. Dobson does a wonderful job of immersing the reader into the era.
I loved Katie’s character and her struggles with both herself and trusting others. The hero, Rollin, is memorable and lovable. Overall, each character was unique and left an impression. I’ve always loved mafia stories and this was certainly one of the best.
I highly recommend this to anyone looking for an adventure and journey back to depression-era America.
Read MoreReview: My Foolish Heart
Description:
Unknown to her tiny town of Deep Haven, Isadora Presley spends her nights as Miss Foolish Heart, the star host of a syndicated talk radio show. Millions tune in to hear her advice on dating and falling in love, unaware that she’s never really done either. Issy’s ratings soar when it seems she’s falling in love on-air with a caller. A caller she doesn’t realize lives right next door.
Caleb Knight served a tour of duty in Iraq and paid a steep price. The last thing he wants is pity, so he hides his disability and moves to Deep Haven to land his dream job as the high school football coach. When his beautiful neighbor catches his eye, in a moment of desperation he seeks advice from My Foolish Heart, the show that airs before his favorite sports broadcast.
Before he knows it, Caleb finds himself drawn to the host—and more confused than ever. Is his perfect love the woman on the radio . . . or the one next door?
My Review:
This book came to me at the most opportune time. I’d finished several “deep” novels—darker historicals and a crime novel or two. Diving into Susan May Warren’s Deep Haven Novel “My Foolish Heart” felt like a refreshing plunge into the creek on a hot day.
Warren is the master of memorable characters and the seamless read. I purely enjoy reading her writing, which goes beyond the story and players. In this novel, Warren confronts the many ways someone can react to a traumatic incident—whether it is a car crash, war or relationship gone awry.
Through a cast of broken, beautiful people, Warren presents a message that we all must remember—through God we can do all things. I enjoyed the small town atmosphere (grew up in one myself and dearly miss it!) and the witty twists and turns.
I also must admit, I’m as far from a football fan as they come, but in this book, I found myself actually paying attention to all the plays and rooting for them all along. I think that’s a record, actually. 
This was a fantastic read and I highly recommend it to anyone looking for a bright, enjoyable springtime read.
Disclosure: Tyndale provided me with an advance reader copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion. That is what you’ve got here.
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Review: The Shape of Mercy
Description:
Expected to gracefully embrace a life of privilege, a young woman cuts the purse strings that bind her to plot a new life course. But startling self-realization challenges everything she knows as she begins to study the diary of a seventeenth-century victim of the Salem witch trials.
My review:
My first experience with Meissner’s writing was “Lady in Waiting” and I was hooked. So when the opportunity to read this came up, I jumped on it.
Meissner expertly weaves the past and present into a beautiful work of art with characters that leave lasting impressions. In this story, Lauren Durough must confront her own misconceptions in life and grow as a person through her helping an old librarian transcribe a priceless diary from the Salem witch trials.
Themes of acceptance, prejudice and truth ring out through the paths of contemporary Lauren and 1600s Mercy Hayworth. It was easy to fall in the rhythm between the two stories, and this novel moved forward much faster than “Lady in Waiting.”
I found myself relating to Lauren in many ways. Her views of the world and of the people around her ring true to everyone, in some degree. This story will leave you questioning your own perceptions.
The diary of Mercy reminds us of a dark time in our country’s history and the ripples it caused during the time and even now, four hundred years. If you’re a history lover, put this on your list.
Disclosure: WaterBrook Press gave me a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. I didn’t have to say good things about it—it just happened that way.
Read MoreBook Review: Journey to Riverbend
Description:
Michael Archer is nothing if not a man of his word. Though he was unable to save Ben Carstairs, Michael is determined to carry out Ben’s dying wish: to be reconciled with his father. Unfortunately, Sam Carstairs, one of the most ruthless businessmen on the frontier, has no use for his own son, much less a man of God seeking reconciliation.
Soon after arriving in Riverbend, Michael meets and falls for the stunning Rachel Stone while waiting for Sam to return from a business trip. Beautiful yet guarded, Rachel seems to be running from a past as dark as Michael’s.
When word reaches town that Sam has been kidnapped on the stagecoach home, Michael offers to join the search party formed by the local sheriff. With a budding romance behind him and a dangerous rescue ahead of him, he sets out on the trail, determined to complete his journey no matter the cost.
My review:
This one was a hard one to put down. I’ve always got a soft spot for a good western and this exceeded my expectations.
McLaughlin is a suburb writer and wove a handful of characters together to create memorable stories and faces. There are many different messages portrayed and realistic situations—nothing in the plot feels constructed or forced. In fact, it is a bit slow at times, but so realistic that I didn’t have any trouble with it. Everything fit so well with the time period, where sometimes authors take liberties that stretch the limits of even fiction.
The main hero and heroine have an interesting relationship and I enjoyed their interaction. McLaughlin also did a great job of humanizing the antagonists and making them dynamic beings rather than the evildoers.
While this is the author’s debut novel, it is easy to see how it won the prestigious Jerry Jenkins Christian Writer’s Guild Operation First Novel Contest—I look forward to McLaughlin’s next book as well!
Disclosure: I received a copy of “Journey to Riverbend” through publisher Tyndale in exchange for my honest opinion and review.
See Henry McLaughlin’s “Story behind the Story” here and learn what inspired his award-winning novel!
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