The Lost Melody // Book Review

 

About the Book:

When concert pianist Vivienne Mourdant's father dies, he leaves to her the care of an adult ward she knew nothing about. The woman is supposedly a patient at Hurstwell Asylum. The woman's portrait is shockingly familiar to Vivienne, so when the asylum claims she was never a patient there, Vivienne is compelled to discover what happened to the figure she remembers from childhood dreams.

The longer she lingers in the deep shadows and forgotten towers at Hurstwell, the fuzzier the line between sanity and madness becomes. She hears music no one else does, receives strange missives with rose petals between the pages, and untangles far more than is safe for her to know. But can she uncover the truth about the mysterious woman she seeks? And is there anyone at Hurstwell she can trust with her suspicions?

My Review:

The Lost Melody. I’m not really sure what I thought of this book. 

It wasn’t my favorite book by Joanna Davidson Politano but I still did enjoy certain aspects. Like all of this authors books, it kept me guessing and trying to figure out how everything would come together. 

It definitely had more of a heavier tone to the story. Like I said, I enjoyed parts but it definitely isn’t a favorite. 

**Thank you to Revell for the book in exchange for my honest review

Beneath the Bending Skies // Book Review

About the Book:

Mollie Sheehan has spent much of her life striving to be a dutiful daughter and honor her father's wishes, even when doing so has led to one heartbreak after another. After all, what options does she truly have in 1860s Montana? But providing for her stepfamily during her father's long absences doesn't keep her from wishing for more.

When romance blooms between her and Peter Ronan, Mollie finally allows herself to hope for a brighter future--until her father voices his disapproval of the match and moves her to California to ensure the breakup. Still, time and providence are at work, even when circumstances are at their bleakest. Mollie may soon find that someone far greater than her father is in control of the course of her life--and that even the command to "honor thy father" has its limits.

My Review:

I like the cover of Beneath the Bending Skies and I kind of liked the more old fashioned feel to the story. To me it felt like an older book but I’m not sure why. Unfortunately that is about all I liked. 

This was not my favorite book at all. I had a harder time with the writing style. I’ve never read a book that was written in such a way. So much time passed throughout the story and usually it jumped ahead in years in just a very short amount of time. 

I also could not stand Mollie’s father. 

**Thank you to Revell for the book in exchange for my honest review

Among the Innocent // Book Review

 

About the Book:

When Leah Miller's entire Amish family was murdered ten years ago, the person believed responsible took his own life. Since then, Leah left the Amish and joined the police force. Now, after another Amish woman is found murdered with the same MO, it becomes clear that the wrong man may have been blamed for her family's deaths.

As Leah and the new police chief, Dalton Cooper, work long hours struggling to fit the pieces together in order to catch the killer, they can't help but grow closer. When secrets from both of their pasts begin to surface, an unexpected connection between them is revealed. But this is only the beginning. Could it be that the former police chief framed an innocent man to keep the biggest secret of all buried? And what will it mean for Leah--and Dalton--when the full truth comes to light?

Among the Innocent was super intriguing!

It did have some creepy moments.

It does deal with a serial killer which is definitely a hit or miss topic for me, but it wasn’t super disturbing to me personally.

The main character Leah was good. She definitely had a tragic past though.

Dalton was another good main character. I was definitely a fan of him and Leah.

There was definitely some twists and turns. I did have a pretty good guess about how I saw some things coming to a close and I was right about certain things, but there was still that level of unknown. 

**Thank you to Revell for the book in exchange for my honest review

Where the Road Bends // Book Review

 

About the Book:

As Norah King surveys her family land in Iowa in 1880, she is acutely aware that it is all she has left, and she will do everything in her power to save it--even if that means marrying a man she hardly knows. Days before her wedding, Norah discovers an injured man on her property. Her sense of duty compels her to take him in and nurse him back to health. Little does she realize just how much this act of kindness will complicate her life and threaten the future she's planned.

Norah's care does more than aid Quincy Barnes's recovery--it awakens his heart to possibilities. Penniless and homeless, he knows the most honorable thing he can do is head on down the road and leave Norah to marry her intended. But walking away from the first person to believe in him proves much harder than he imagined.

Rachel Fordham invites you to experience the strength and beauty of love forged in the crucible of hardship in this heartwarming story.

My Review:

Where the Road Bends is the first book that I have read by Rachel Fordham. I would like to give more of her books a try in the near future.

This story was pretty enjoyable. It wasn’t quite what I was expecting, although I’m not too sure what it was that I was expecting. The characters were nice and the story moved at a nice pace. I surprised myself with how fast I read it. 

I felt like some aspects of the story seemed rushed but overall it was a pretty good book that kept my interest. 

**Thank you to Revell for the book in exchange for my honest review

The Sweet Life // Book Review

About the Book:

Dawn Dixon can hardly believe she's on a groomless honeymoon on beautiful Cape Cod . . . with her mother. Sure, Marnie Dixon is good company, but Dawn was supposed to be here with Kevin, the love of her life (or so she thought).

Marnie Dixon needs some time away from the absolute realness of life as much as her jilted daughter does, and she's not about to let her only child suffer alone--even if Marnie herself had been doing precisely that for the past month.

Given the circumstances, maybe it was inevitable that Marnie would do something as rash as buy a run-down ice-cream shop in the town's tightly regulated historic district. After all, everything's better with ice cream.

Her exasperated daughter knows that she's the one who will have to clean up this mess. Even when her mother's impulsive real estate purchase brings Kevin back into her life, Dawn doesn't get her hopes up. Everyone knows that broken romances stay broken . . . don't they?

Welcome to a summer of sweet surprises on Cape Cod--a place where dreams just might come true.

My Review:

I think the cover of The Sweet Life is so fun! 

The story wasn’t my favorite but not my least favorite either. I wasn’t a huge fan of the characters and just had a hard time connecting with them. 

The setting of a coastal town was great. It was fun reading about the characters getting their new creamery up and running. 

I did really love how that at the beginning of each chapter there was a quote about ice cream!

Overall it was a good book, just not a favorite.

**Thank you to Revell for the book in exchange for my honest review

The Catch // book review

About the Book:

After a harrowing attempt on a judge's life at the courthouse, Deputy US Marshals Madison James and Jonas Quinn are tasked with finding a missing woman and an endangered child in connection to the murder of the judge's wife. What seems like a fairly straightforward case becomes hopelessly tangled when the marshals discover that the woman they are searching for is not who they think she is.

Madison and Jonas are forced into a race to find the woman and the child before the men who want her dead discover her location. And in a final showdown that could cost her everything, Madison will come face-to-face with the person who murdered her husband.

USA Today bestselling author Lisa Harris concludes her thrilling US Marshals series with this breathless tale of secrets kept, lies exposed, and ultimately, justice prevailing.

My Review:

The Catch was on my list for my most anticipated books for 2022 and it was worth the wait. Ever since I read The Escape (book 1 in the US Marshall’s series) I’ve been hooked on Lisa Harris’s books. 

The Catch is a great conclusion to the US Marshall’s series. 

In this book you get thrown in to a new case that US Marshall’s Madison James and Jonas Quinn are working on. 

The Catch also continues with the intriguing storyline of trying to figure out who killed Madison’s husband. 

This book (really the whole series) was super fast paced and interesting!

I look forward to seeing what Lisa Harris writes next!

**Thank you to Revell for the book in exchange for my honest review

Looking for Leroy // book review

About the Book:
It's official: Brynna Phillips is done with men. They only break your heart. But just when she makes this declaration, her friend Jan convinces Brynna to join her on a camping vacation in Sonoma Wine Country. As they wind their way toward their destination, spanking-new mini camper in tow, Brynna recalls her teenage camp romance with a boy named Leroy. How can it have been nearly 30 years ago? All she remembers is that Leroy was a genuinely good guy and that his family owned a vineyard--in Sonoma. She doesn't even remember his last name. Jan insists they look for him, and the search begins.

Beyond the slim chance they'd ever be able to find him are questions that have haunted Brynna for decades, including What is the point of digging up the past? and Can Leroy ever forgive me for losing touch?

Bestselling author Melody Carlson invites you on a trip to rediscover the carefree days of youth and, just maybe, to get a second chance at love.

My Review:

Looking for Leroy was just an okay book for me.

The storyline had potential, but for some reason I had a hard time staying engaged. I found it kind of boring. I did enjoy that a good chunk of the book was set at a vineyard. The setting sounded so pretty. 

I’m also not a huge fan of stories where it takes forever for the main guy and girl to cross paths and there’s many misunderstandings along the way. 

**Thank you to Revell for the book in exchange for my honest review

I Got A Puppy!

 On Monday I got a puppy! I’m so excited! She is a 13 week old Newfoundland. Her name is Finley Grace.

She is so adorable and I love it when she wants to cuddle. 

She can also be rambunctious and quite the handful most of the time. 

She loves to be outside and play around and take naps out in the spring weather. 

Now for a couple more pictures of Finley!

Until Leaves Fall in Paris // Book Review

 

About the Book:

As the Nazis march toward Paris in 1940, American ballerina Lucie Girard buys her favorite English-language bookstore to allow the Jewish owners to escape. Lucie struggles to run Green Leaf Books due to oppressive German laws and harsh conditions, but she finds a way to aid the resistance by passing secret messages between the pages of her books.

Widower Paul Aubrey wants nothing more than to return to the States with his little girl, but the US Army convinces him to keep his factory running and obtain military information from his German customers. As the war rages on, Paul offers his own resistance by sabotaging his product and hiding British airmen in his factory. After they meet in the bookstore, Paul and Lucie are drawn to each other, but she rejects him when she discovers he sells to the Germans. And for Paul to win her trust would mean betraying his mission.

Master of WWII-era fiction Sarah Sundin invites you onto the streets of occupied Paris to discover whether love or duty will prevail.

My Review:

Wow! I really enjoyed Until Leaves Fall in Paris! I think it’s my favorite book by Sarah Sundin so far. Not only is the cover beautiful but the story is so amazing! The storyline is really intriguing and interesting. I really liked Paul. His character was great and Lucie was great too. She did drive me slightly crazy at times in the beginning, but I understood why she was doing what she did but it was frustrating that she believed things people said instead of forming her own opinion. I liked her a lot better as the book went on.

Josie was a sweet character too. She was quite adorable. 

Also, the main couple from Sarah Sundin’s previous book, When Twilight Breaks, made a brief appearance which was fun. 

When Calls the Heart

 Happy Valentine's Day!

It wouldn’t quite be Valentines Day on my blog if I didn’t talk about When Calls the Heart ;)

If you aren't caught up on the show, there will be some spoilers mentioned...

Honestly season 8 kind of drove me crazy with how much Elizabeth kept going back and forth between Lucas and Nathan. It wasn’t fair to either guy.

Season 9 premiers on March 6th and I am quite excited. I have been for Team Lucas so I was happy about the way season 8 ended.

I’m hoping that in season 9 Elizabeth will be back to her old self. I’m looking forward to seeing her and Lucas’s relationship. 

I’m also excited to dive back into the other characters lives (mostly Lee and Rosemary!!). I sure hope this is the year Lee and Rosemary have a kid! They’ve been married since season 3 and really want kids so I’m hoping they can get pregnant or adopt!!

Now for a short season 8 recap!

Florence and Ned had a bit of a whirlwind romance and got married but they really go quite well together.

The Canfield family is the newest family in town. Joseph and Minnie and their kids Angela and Cooper have been nice to get to know. 

Carson and Faith ended up parting ways. They’re relationship was kind of weird in my opinion and I was sad about that because in the prior seasons I did like the two of them together, but this season Faith really got on my nerves. I actually kind of wish that Faith would’ve been the one to leave town because I really liked Carson.

Lucas’s mother, Helen, came to town for a visit and she was interesting to meet. I’m not sure how I feel about her honestly.

I feel like we didn’t get to see a ton of little Jack this season which was sad. I really would like to see him and Elizabeth together more. Although based off of the season 9 previews it does appear that we may be seeing more of him.

Jesse and Clara had some rough times with their marriage. I am looking forward to seeing their relationship grow more. 

We found out that Nathan actually did have a connection to Jack even though he had lied to Elizabeth about it. I wasn't happy about him lying like that, but they did work things out.

Henry Gowen's son came to town! It was very interesting to meet him....

Rosemary and Lee's niece came for a visit and ended up staying with them for a time. 

Now onto a short photo dump!

Lucas and Elizabeth's kiss!

💗

Constable Grant

My favorite Hope Valley couple!!

This picnic scene was so sweet!

Lucas and Henry have an interesting work relationship and I'm curious how that story will play out.

What were your thoughts on season 8? Are you excited for season 9?

What are you most looking forward to in the new season?! :D

Life Flight // Book Review

About the Book:

EMS helicopter pilot Penny Carlton is used to high stress situations, but being forced to land on a mountain in a raging storm with a critical patient--and a serial killer on the loose--tests her skills and her nerve to the limit. She survives with FBI Special Agent Holt Satterfield's help. But she's not out of the woods yet.

In the ensuing days, Penny finds herself under attack. And when news reaches Holt that he may not have gotten his man after all, it will take all he and Penny have to catch a killer--before he catches one of them.

Bestselling and award-winning author Lynette Eason is back with another high-octane tale of close calls, narrow escapes, and the fight to bring a nefarious criminal to justice.

My Review:

After much deliberation I have decided to not finish Life Flight. 

When I first heard about this book I thought it sounded super intriguing. While I am usually pretty sensitive to the topic of serial killers I wasn’t too worried because I read a series by a different author last year that dealt with a serial killer and had no problem with it.

Unfortunately I found Life Flight to be way too disturbing. Parts were definitely intriguing and I’d love to know how everything came into place but the serial killer parts were so sick and disturbing to me, to the point where I couldn’t think about the intriguing parts I could only think about the creepy parts. I really don’t enjoy reading into the mind of a serial killer or knowing details of what happened to a victim.

I do know this is a fictional story but stuff like this can happen and I enjoy reading fiction for enjoyment, so when a book makes me very creeped out/dwell on disturbing things I feel it’s time for me to walk away from a book and move on to something else.

**Thank you to Revell for the book in exchange for my honest review