Just for the Summer // Book Review

 About the Book:

Ginny Masters manages a popular boutique hotel in Seattle and manages it with aplomb. But the daily challenges and irritations of a fast-paced job and a demanding boss are starting to get to her. Jacqueline Potter manages her grandfather's fishing lodge in Idaho because it was the only job she could find after graduating with her hospitality degree. She's grateful for the work but longs for a more sophisticated and cosmopolitan life she's just not going to find in this backwoods town.

The solution to both their problems seems obvious. Just for the summer, they'll swap jobs and lifestyles. But they never anticipated swapping love interests . . .

In this fabulous new twist on an age-old fable, award-winning and bestselling author Melody Carlson introduces you to two career-focused women who are about to discover that there's more to finding happiness than just switching up the scenery.

My Review:

Just for the Summer was a quick read. I did have fun reading but towards the end I was ready for it to wrap up.

The story follows two women, Ginny and Jacqueline, who end up switching jobs temporarily. Ginny works as a hotel manager in Washington and Jacqueline works at her grandfather’s fishing lodge in Idaho. The two get the opportunity to swap jobs for 60 days. 

I liked Ginny and her storyline for the most part but was not a fan of Jacqueline and her story. Jacqueline was very annoying and manipulative. 

I wasn’t a fan though how Ginny let people bully her into doing something she didn’t want to do. I can’t say too much because I don’t want to give spoilers.

For the most part it wasn’t too bad but definitely not a favorite.

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

Embers in the London Sky // Book Review

 About the Book:

As the German army invades the Netherlands in 1940, Aleida van der Zee Martens escapes to London to wait out the Occupation. Separated from her three-year-old son, Theo, in the process, the young widow desperately searches for her little boy even as she works for an agency responsible for evacuating children to the countryside.

When German bombs set London ablaze, BBC radio correspondent Hugh Collingwood reports on the Blitz, eager to boost morale while walking the fine line between truth and censorship. But the Germans are not the only ones Londoners have to fear as a series of murders flame up amid the ashes.

The deaths hit close to home for Hugh, and Aleida needs his help to locate her missing son. As they work together, they grow closer and closer, both to each other and the answers they seek. But with bombs falling and continued killings, they may be running out of time.

My Review:

I’m honestly not sure how I feel about Embers in the London Sky…I was interested in the story in the beginning but after a bit I had a hard time staying interested. A little over halfway through the book I got reinvested and was curious where the story would go and what would happen involving the more mystery aspect of the storyline.

Aleida made me so frustrated at times though, especially at one point towards the end. I can’t say much due to spoilers but I did like Aleida’s character better in the first half of the book.

So overall I liked the book but it definitely was not a favorite.

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

The Seamstress of Acadie // Book Review

 

About the Book:

As 1754 is drawing to a close, tensions between the French and the British on Canada's Acadian shore are reaching a fever pitch. Seamstress Sylvie Galant and her family--French-speaking Acadians wishing to remain neutral--are caught in the middle, their land positioned between two forts flying rival flags. Amid preparations for the celebration of Noël, the talk is of unrest, coming war, and William Blackburn, the British Army Ranger raising havoc across North America's borderlands.

As summer takes hold in 1755 and British ships appear on the horizon, Sylvie encounters Blackburn, who warns her of the coming invasion. Rather than participate in the forced removal of the Acadians from their land, he resigns his commission. But that cannot save Sylvie or her kin. Relocated on a ramshackle ship to Virginia, Sylvie struggles to pick up the pieces of her life. When her path crosses once more with William's, they must work through the complex tangle of their shared, shattered past to navigate the present and forge an enduring future.

My Review:

I honestly wasn’t sure how much I would like The Seamstress of Acadie. I ended up enjoying it so much more than I anticipated I would! 

Sylvie was a great character and I really enjoyed reading about her. Will was a great character too and I really liked him. Bleu is also a character I really liked. Honestly all of the characters were so well written. 

At around 30% into the story it took a depressing turn and I wasn’t sure I’d enjoy it anymore. I did end up getting back into the story and found it less sad as I went. I felt like the author did a good job portraying light in the midst of darkness. Because while the story definitely dealt with some hard and sad stuff it also focused on hope too. 

I’m so glad I ended up reading this one!

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