ReviewsByErin

 


They were once teenage friends together. Now back in each other's presence for the first time in ten years, the carefully guarded secrets of the past threaten to rise to the surface and destroy their fragile attempts at reconnecting.

Elle never wanted to go back to her hometown and face her demons, but her fiance's family insisted that a destination wedding at the place where they first met would be romantic. In fact, her fiance's family is insisting on a lot of things that Elle wishes they would leave alone. She desperately wants to marry Travis, but she fears if the truth about her ever becomes known he and his affluent family will drop her like a hot potato.

Tucker spent years chasing everything he thought might make him happy - specifically women, thrilling adventures, and alcohol. Awash with guilt and emptiness, he eventually found Jesus, and even though he feels unworthy he seeks to serve Him faithfully. Still, returning to the place of his sister's tragic death and facing his old friends feels like it might be more than he can handle. 

Lyndie is a successful but emotionally unavailable songwriter. She really wishes she had said no when Elle asked her to be her maid of honor, especially since the wedding falls on the same week as the ten-year anniversary of Tucker's sister's death. Her carefully guarded heart is in danger of being exposed unless she doubles down on her facade.

Each harboring guilt and shame, these three return to the site of their best memories and deepest regrets. I thought Courtney Walsh did a great job bringing each character to life, drawing a complex and hopeful story out of this web of secrets. Some of the things the characters are harboring are fairly easy to guess, but others caught me by surprise when they were revealed. Truth and hope and forgiveness are waiting to shine through - but only after the bravery of speaking the things that have been left unsaid in their lives. 

Novellas offer us a chance to see different sides of authors we enjoy. While occasionally I find the short form holds some drawbacks, there are other stories that rise to the top and leave their mark with the depth they are able to achieve. Here are three such that I read this year.

Click on any title for more information on each story.




 Bound and Determined by Regina Jennings

She's determined to stop her father from bringing home a train of camels, but the Army officer assigned to assist her father has a lot at stake if the job is not accomplished. Two stubborn people and a group of unique animals - what a great cast of characters!





Unlucky in Love & Lyrics by Tracy Joy Jones

Amelia Mayberry has been gifted with a beautiful singing voice, but the moment she steps on stage she cannot remember song lyrics. Can help come from an unlikely source? A fun story with a St. Patrick's Day theme.





Then Came You by Becky Wade

This was a very different kind of read, as it was written in epistolary form. Containing no traditional dialogue, interaction, or narration, it still captivates one's attention. Though not for young readers due to content, it really stood out for its uncommon approach.

As far as I am concerned, Katie Ganshert is in a class by herself when it comes to tackling sensitive issues in fiction. If you haven't read her books yet, please consider checking them out!

"No One Ever Asked" tells the story of three women whose lives are connected by the merging of two school districts. Camille Gray is a go-getting mom of 3 whose life seems to be unraveling by the seams. Her husband is pulling away, her oldest is about to drive her to distraction, and when she speaks up at a school meeting she is branded as a racist.

Jen Covington's dreams of motherhood finally came true when she and her husband brought home their daughter from Liberia, but being Jubilee's mom is more difficult than anything she could have imagined. Was international adoption really the right choice for them?

Anaya Jones is just beginning her career as a teacher, and feels like she's turning her back on her father's legacy by accepting a position at a more upper class, mostly white school. She wonders if she can find her voice and make a difference or if she'll be marginalized and unheard.

This story deals with a lot of deep and delicate issues. How race is perceived in America. Adoption. Violence. Assumption of guilt. Marital problems. Sexual harassment. This is not a book to curl up and read on a rainy day. It's a book that will make you think, that will make you weep over divisions and preconceived notions between people. It's a book that aims to tear down walls and facilitate both self-reflection and discussion. 

This is a book everyone should read. And then let it make a difference in their lives.

Kate Dearborne has loved growing up in a weaver's family. From a young age she's helped set dyes and do whatever she could to assist her father and brother. But times are changing with the ongoing Industrial Revolution, and cloth mills are quickly making the weavers' business obsolete. Kate's own beloved brother has left the family to work for Stockton Mill, and her father has never forgiven him for it, nor spoken to him in three years.

While Kate has no ill will against the millers, and has kept up her relationship with her brother Charles, she's fiercely loyal to her father and generally keeps her association to those within the weaving community.

Returning home after years serving his country in war, Henry Stockton sees the village of Amberdale with new eyes. He's ready to learn from his grandfather and prepare to take over Stockton Mill one day. Yet the people and activities that once captured his attention no longer do so. He's aware that everyone expects him to continue pursuing Frederica Pennington, but his time away has changed him enough that he desires more than a marriage of alliance between powerful mill families.

Henry and Kate soon find themselves in an Amberdale that is upturned, as violence breaks out between the weavers and millers. Loyalties will be tested on all sides, and right and wrong must be weighed anew. Kate's past and her future hopes lie solidly with the weavers, but her heart is drawing her in another direction. Meanwhile, Henry sees in Kate someone who can help him find peace and healing in his war-torn spirit.

This book would appeal to anyone who is familiar with Elizabeth Gaskell's North and South, and I thought I caught tones of Poldark, as well as Romeo and Juliet. The story takes a bit of time getting off the ground, but once the action begins you'll find yourself glued to the pages. This is another delightful Regency tale from Sarah E. Ladd!

It's always fun to look back at my favorite books on the year! It was hard to select only one for each genre, as there were so many good reads from 2017. You can click on any of the titles below to read my full review.

Historical Fiction




The Road to Paradise by Karen Barnett

This story set in 1927 in Mt. Rainier National Park has all the charm of classic literature, including a heroine who is a true lady while also standing up for what she believes. 


Young Adult Fiction




The Lewis & Clark Squad Series by Stephen Bly

I revisited these childhood favorites and thoroughly enjoyed them! This is a six-book series about a group of teens participating in a summer basketball league. It's all about fun, faith, and friendship!


Contemporary Fiction




"Life After" by Katie Ganshert

The sole survivor of a terrorist bombing tries to come to terms with her new lease on life while being wracked with guilt that she lived when others did not. Very thought-provoking and well-written.


Non-Fiction




"Women Who Move Mountains" by Sue Detweiler

While this is supposed to be a book on prayer, I found it more to be a book on walking confidently and securely as God's child. So much good encouragement!


Classic Literature




"A Christmas Carol" by Charles Dickens

This tale may be short, but it is packed full of wonderful lines and thoughtful reminiscing. Ebeneezer Scrooge's gratefulness to be alive and able to change his ways gets me every time!


Novella





"One Enchanted Noel" by Melissa Tagg

Delightful characters with emotional depth set in a charming fictional small town. The whole Enchanted Christmas Collection is a real gem!

 


Readers and fans have been waiting a long time for this final installment in the Walker Family series. We first met Raegan and Bear in the prequel novella Three Little Words, and followed them as minor characters through the stories of Walker siblings Kate, Logan, and Beckett. Raegan is the only Walker sibling who has never left home, keeping things lively in Maple Valley as she works her multiple part-time jobs, enjoys the wisdom of her father, and tries not to think too much about the man who broke her heart when he moved to Brazil.

South America has not been as kind to Bear as he was hoping it would be. Hounded by guilt and shame, this was supposed to be his way of righting wrongs from the past. The mission board sees otherwise, and Bear finds himself back in the States with the suggestion that he take care of the issues that keep coming up. Everything gets ten times more complicated when he's asked to take charge of his niece and nephew for a while. Knowing he at least has an apartment in Maple Valley, Bear loads the kids in his rental car and heads to Iowa.

Raegan has done her best to keep her life stable, with only a modicum of necessary change, and that seems to have helped her debilitating panic attacks. Her heart cries out for more, and Rae is beginning to explore her forgotten passion of making art. She is shocked when an opportunity comes up that would bring her art into the public eye, if she only has the courage to say yes. She needs courage for so very many things.

I think this may be my new favorite of Melissa Tagg's books, which is really saying something! Raegan's decision to go to counseling and address her anxiety plumbs deep into issues that readers might recognize from their own lives. This line about Bear really struck a chord in me: "Did he even know how to operate without carrying the world on his shoulders?" This novel is about two people with their fears, insecurities, desires, and dreams, and their journey to bridge the broken pieces of who they are into the people God is calling them to be. There's romance, there's suspense, there's Maple Valley charm. I loved this book and feel like all of Melissa's fans would feel the same way. We've been blessed to know the Walkers, and they will forever have a home on my bookshelf.

 


Willow Tree Cafe represents everything to Robin - her plans, her dreams, her hopes. She opened it after her young husband's unexpected death, and it has kept her going through her grieving process. Now condominium developer Ian McKay wants to buy out Willow Tree and the surrounding businesses in order to put in a new project for his father's company. Robin's a fighter who isn't about to give up everything so quickly.

One thing I liked about this novel was that it took the main characters a while to come to understand each other. This isn't a "love at first sight" story, which felt refreshing. One thing I didn't like about the book was that it seemed to be lacking the Katie Ganshert depth and insight I've come to expect from her more recent releases. A Broken Kind of Beautiful is about a fashion model who finds herself floundering when the only identity she's ever known is slipping from her grasp. The Art of Losing Yourself is the story of two sisters raised by an abusive mother and how each took their pain and let it shape them in very different ways. Life After tells of one young woman's journey after being the sole survivor of a bombing. Each of those stories so unique and packs an emotional intensity that I felt was lacking here. This was Ganshert's sophomore release and I can tell she has grown since then.

I would highly recommend each and every one of the novels linked above, and I can't wait to see what Katie is going to publish next!

I have been drawn to Katie Ganshert's vulnerable writing style ever since I was first introduced to her, and "Life After" is a wonderful addition to her published works. With much depth and feeling, Katie explores what it means to continue living when your reality has been shattered beyond recognition.

Autumn Manning was taking the train home one spring evening when a bomb went off. Twenty-two people were killed in the blast. Autumn was the only survivor. This novel picks up on the one-year anniversary of the bombing, and while Autumn has healed physically, she remains broken and scarred emotionally. She feels unable to move on with life in any form, even though circumstances are going to force her to confront certain things, like the fact that after next month she will no longer be able to pay her rent. The time has come to consider getting a job and going out in public again.

Her reintroduction to society is sped up when a 12-year-old girl knocks on her door. It's Reese, a girl who lost her mom in the train explosion and who has been writing letters to Autumn all throughout the last year. Desperate in her own way for help and healing, Reese has come to Autumn in hopes that they can find something in a relationship with each other. 

Reese's father, Paul Elliott, can't believe his daughter has chosen Autumn Manning, of all people, to seek out. The more he tries to refocus his daughter away from the woman she has obsessed over, the more Reese shuts him out. He wants to help his daughter, yet is Autumn really the right person? 

At Reese's suggestion, Autumn begins putting together a video tribute for the victims of the bombing. This means contacting each family and sitting down for an interview. To Autumn's surprise this actually goes much smoother than she is expecting, but Paul pulls Reese away from the project and is adamant that their family will not be taking part. As the big day approaches for the video memorial's big screening, will Paul and Autumn be able to get on the same page? Will Reese be able to accept the things she can change and the things she can't?

I had a very hard time putting this novel down. It was very thought-provoking and gripping, even with such somber subject matter. Secrets and pain played a big part in the plot, but so did learning about life in the midst of tragedy. This is a story I won't be forgetting, and one I look forward to rereading in the future.

I received an advanced reading copy of this book from the publisher. All opinions in this review are my own.

Stephen Ames became estranged from his identical twin brother when they were 18 years old, after half a dozen tumultuous years when they were lived in separate states following their parents' divorce. He wasn't happy that Sam decided to join the military instead of following through on their plans to go to college together, and then one thing led to another so that they stopped speaking to each other altogether.

When Sam is killed on deployment in Afghanistan, Stephen feels the weight of regret. Wanting to get to know more about his brother's final years, he seeks out Sam's widow to ask questions and try to make up for missing so many years. But there's one thing he didn't count on, and that was that Sam had never told Haley about Stephen!

Living day to day trying to adjust to widowhood and the idea of being a single mother to her unborn baby, Haley is so shocked to learn about her husband's identical twin that she pulls a gun on him the first time he shows up. There were many things that were not perfect about their marriage, including Sam's frequent deployments, but she never guessed that he would have held back such pertinent information about his childhood. At first Haley wants nothing to do with Stephen, as it's too hard and strange to see the mirror of her husband, but he persists in showing up, bringing gifts for the baby, and helping with projects around the house.

Haley is an independent, tough-it-out tomboy, but Stephen can see that underneath the strength there's a woman who really needs help making sense of this time of her life. As he begins to understand why his brother fell in love with her, he fears she'll never be able to look at him and see anything other than Sam and the shadows that marred their marriage.

This book was a little bit slow taking off, as the characters have a lot of walls around their hearts. As the plot draws you in and the walls start coming down, I found the story impossible to put down and ended up reading the last 150 pages in one sitting. The themes were deep and thoughtful, especially having an estrangement in my own family, and the story was well-written. I quite enjoy Beth. K Vogt's contemporary fiction.

This Jazz Age tale tells the story of Mable Ringling, wife of famous circus master John Ringling. From her humble upbringing as a dreamer in Ohio to being part of the greatest show on earth, Mable's life is testament to those who think big and have the courage to try something new.

Told alongisde is the journey of fictional character Lady Rosamund Easling, a gifted horsewoman who forsakes her homeland when she is about to be forced into a marriage to help her father's estate. Her beloved horse was being sold to the Ringling Brothers Circus, and Rosamund goes along to make sure Ingenue is properly settled. But circus manager Colin Keary hasn't merely been recruiting a good horse - he's out to inspire and captivate the woman he believes can be a star.

Rosamund agrees to join the circus, and is encouraged by her conversations with Mable Ringling. She is not warmly welcomed by the rest of the cast, and in fact soon begins receiving threats that suggest she should return to England. Rosamund battles to find her place amidst hostility and her own insecurities. She'd be happy to simply make it through the season and leave star billing for those who crave the spotlight.

While I enjoyed this story, I was a bit confused about the dual storylines. The portions focusing on Mable's life take place between 1885 and 1929, while Rosamund's story, interspersed with Mable's narrative, is set in a much more concentrated time period, mostly 1926 and 1927. It's not my favorite method of storytelling, although Cambron seems quite drawn to it, as all her releases have used it so far. Maybe she'll switch it up with her upcoming Harry Houdini book, but whether she does or not, I'm looking forward to reading it in 2017!