Book Review: Honor Redeemed by Loree Lough

Honor Redeemed by Loree Lough is her second book in the First Responders Series. I read From Ashes to Honor last year (my review) and liked it so I was excited to read this one as well and I wasn’t disappointed. There were many characters from the first novel that were included in this one and it was nice to see them back and find out how they were faring. With that being said you don’t have to read the first one to enjoy this one but I think it adds a lot more enjoyment to the second novel by doing so. Honor Redeemed is a novel about sacrifice and love and it will definitely tug at your heart!

Honor Mackenzie has been dealt some rough blows both in childhood and in her adult years but she’s tough and she picks up and keeps going. She began working as a firefighter after losing her fiance in the days after 9/11 but soon nasty rumors began circulating about her and both her reputation and career were soon in the dumps. Because she wants to give back and honor those who lost their lives in the line of duty she decides to volunteer in search and rescue with her dogs Rowdy and Rerun and also trains both dogs and their owners in search and rescue.

Honor isn’t one for relationships so when she meets Matt she is really cautious for more than one reason – he is also a reporter and it was a reporter who had initially spread all the awful rumors about her. Matt is charming though and she is drawn to him and his sons. Yet there is always those niggling thoughts and for Honor she wonders what will happen when Matt’s little family is exposed to all the awful stories about her and for Matt his first priority is his sons and he starts to shy away from a relationship with Honor because he doesn’t want his boys hurt. Will love and faith conquer all or will Honor and Matt be torn apart?

I was pulled into this story right off and it’s because I really enjoy the author’s writing. It’s simple and just flows and I like that. I enjoy the characters she writes about and while I got frustrated with Honor more than once I still felt very drawn to her and her struggles with letting anyone close to her. I found myself very invested in the lives of those in this book and caring about where they would end up in the journey of life. I like that God and faith play a big role in everyone’s life as well. My only complaint would be that the ending was rushed and I wanted more from it. I’m looking forward to the next novel in the series as I’ve come to really enjoy Loree Lough’s work!

I read Honor Redeemed by Loree Lough for her book tour with Pump Up Your Book. Be sure to check out all the other tour stops as well and you can find Loree at her website, blog, Facebook or Twitter. Your own copy of Honor Redeemed can be purchased here in the US and here in Canada.  I’ll leave you now with the Book Trailer…

 

Source:  Review copy provided by Pump Up Your Book and the Publisher via NetGalley.  No compensation was received for this review and all opinions are my own.

Book Review: By the King’s Design by Christine Trent

By the King’s Design by Christine Trent is why I love historical fiction! What a fabulous read! There is nothing I like better than when an author can weave fact with fiction and have me so glued to the pages that I can’t put the book down. By the King’s Design has it all – greed, vengeance, and love!

Annabelle Stirling is a very strong and determined woman for the era she was living in which was the 1800′s. After Belle’s parents died in a fever epidemic she took over running the family draper shop (cloth merchants) even though her brother Wesley is the true heir. Unfortunately Wesley doesn’t take much of an interest in the shop and would rather be out and about while Belle is truly good at what she does and loves it. In an effort to get more cloth produced in a day Belle installs a gig mill. However this doesn’t go over so well in the community as it will take away work from those who need it and Belle’s shop ends up being destroyed by none other than her own fiance and her brother. Belle is incensed and not only calls off her wedding but heads off to Parliament to make sure someone hears her case and puts a stop to this kind of thing happening to people just trying to earn a living.

Belle is turned away at every stop in London but she is not a woman to be stopped and finally ends up being heard by the Parliament. Of course they pretty much laugh her off but one thing they don’t forget is how spunky, passionate, and outspoken she is and this is what happens to reach the Prince Regent’s (the future King George IV) ears and he is intrigued. When he meets her, he is impressed and decides to have her provide the fabrics for his Royal Pavillion. Belle has already found a shop and her brother Wesley has brought all her supplies to London so she accepts of course – it is quite the honor. As word spreads, so does Belle’s business and soon enough her shop is thriving and she is more busy than ever. She even meets a man -a cabinetmaker – and while she’s attracted to him she’s also worried as she refuses to give up her independence for anyone. Just as things are going well her brother Wesley begins acting stranger than ever and all of a sudden things aren’t quite as stable as they once were. Will she fall in love? Will her flourishing business be ruined by her brother?

I can’t say enough about this novel. I enjoyed it so much. I loved all the details on being a draper and on cabinetmaking – you learn just what was and wasn’t popular back in this time period. It was all really fascinating. I also enjoyed the vivid details that the author provided when describing just what the Prince Regent was looking for in the design of the Pavillion. There is a lot of historical detail regarding the Prince Regent who eventually became King George IV and on the Regency period. For me this was a plus and I didn’t find it overwhelming at all as I didn’t previously have a lot of knowledge on this time period. When I read historical fiction I look for those details as I want to learn as much as I can while having a story to enjoy. Christine Trent achieved this and more with By the King’s Design and I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend it those who love historical fiction and I can’t wait to read more of her work!

 

I read By the King’s Design by Christine Trent for her book tour with Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tours. Be sure and check out the other tour stops to see what other’s thoughts are on the book. You can find Christine at her website and on Facebook. Your own copy of By the King’s Design can be purchased here in the US and here in Canada. Better yet you can head over and enter the giveaway I have running right now for By the King’s Design and win a copy!

Source: Review copy provided by Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tours and the Publisher. No compensation was received for this review and all opinions are my own.

Book Review: Night Swim by Jessica Keener & Giveaway

Just what constitutes a perfect family? Is it having both a mother and father? Is it belonging to the country club and having lots of money? In Night Swim, debut novelist Jessica Keener gives us an in-depth look into a so called ‘perfect family and what sometimes lurks behind the facade?

To the outside world sixteen-year-old Sarah Kunitz’s life looks pretty good. Her parents live pretty high with parties, expensive cars and even a live-in maid to take care of the chores and help with Sarah and her three brothers. Looks can be deceiving though and much of the time the kids sit nervous and waiting for the next blowup from their father who likes to have complete order and control of his household. Sarah’s mother, who blames her children and arthritis for making her give up a career playing the violin handles things by popping as many pills as she can manage and always having a drink at hand.

When Sarah’s mother dies in a car accident the lives of the Kunitz family are forever changed. Yet for Sarah she has felt her mother slipping away for a long time, trying to leave them. She had finally succeeded. Her father, already more concerned with himself than his kids, begins to see a younger lady friend who had been friends to both of her parents at one time. None of the kids are happy with this but Sarah especially so. This woman can’t take the place of her mother and Sarah is angry with her father for starting to see someone so soon after her mother’s death.

Drifting along Sarah, anxious to grow up and having no guidance to steer her otherwise delves into a few relationships with boys. Sarah, normally a level headed girl, doesn’t foresee the all of the consequences of jumping into relationships that she really isn’t quite ready to handle and ultimately she is faced with decisions that a girl of her age shouldn’t have to make.

Night Swim is a beautifully written novel and one I enjoyed. There are many passages that are worth reading over and over just for the beauty of the sentence itself. Sarah, even being in the midst of her confusing teenage years, is an easy girl to like and you find yourself very invested in her life and future. You find yourself feeling her pain over the loss of her mother and then her struggle to find herself in a world that doesn’t make much sense to her anymore. Night Swim is a coming of age story but even more than that it is a story of a broken people trying to find a way to heal and move on.

I read Night Swim by Jessica Keener for her book tour with TLC Book Tours. You can pop into the other tour stops and see the thoughts of others on this novel. Be sure to check out Jessica’s website and you can find her on Facebook and Twitter as well. Your own copy of Night Swim can be purchased here in the US and here in Canada.

 

GIVEAWAY DETAILS

I have one copy of Night Swim by Jessica Keener to share with my readers. To enter…

• For 1 entry simply leave me a comment entering the giveaway.
• For 2 entries, follow my blog.  If you already do, thank you, and please let me know so I can pass the extra entry on to you as well.
• For 3 entries, blog or tweet this giveaway and spread the word.

This giveaway is open to US and Canadian residents only (no PO boxes) and I will draw for the winner on Saturday, March 10/12.  Good luck to all!

Source:  Review copy provided by TLC Book Tours and Fiction Studio Books.  No compensation was received for this review and all opinions are my own.

Book Review: The Night Strangers by Chris Bohjalian

The Night Strangers by Chris Bojalian – can I just stop here and say wow! This book kept me on the edge of my seat and my heart pounding more than a few times. It has all the makings of a creepy story that I really love – noises in the night, secret ceremonies, suspected witches, and ghosts. There isn’t much more that I ask for in a good thriller and The Night Strangers delivered it all to me and more.

The novel opens with the crash of pilot Chip’s plane due to a flock of geese flying into the engines. Despite his efforts to save his passengers, many perish but some do survive. Chip is tormented by nightmares and guilt, not to mention that he can’t seem to go anywhere without being recognized. Chip and his wife Emily feel it’s best to move with their two girls Hallie and Garnet and start somewhere fresh. It is with this thought that they end up in Bethel, New Hampshire and find a beautiful Victorian home that seems perfect for them. All except for that strange door in the basement that has been sealed up forever with 39 bolts – even stranger is that is the exact number of passengers that perished in the crash.

Soon after they move in they begin to notice strange things about the house and even the neighbors. It’s not that they haven’t been welcomed because they certainly have especially after some of the townsfolk learned that the Chip and Emily had twin girls. The thing that was really strange was the interest these people were taking in their twin girls. As time goes on they discover that their girls aren’t’ the first twins to live in the home. There were twin boys at one point; one of who committed suicide. Emily seems most bothered by these women who have taken such an interest in her girls and even more she is disturbed by the reputation she is beginning to find out that these women have as suspected witches. They call themselves herbalists but their mixing of all kinds of potions for this and that along with their suspicious behavior has caused other townsfolk to label them as witches. Other than being obsessed with the twins they also seem obsessed with baking goodies for the family to eat and for some reason they focus this attention on Chip.

As for Chip he is understandably suffering from depression. He holds himself responsible for the lives lost on his plane even though it wasn’t his fault. Worse yet though is that it seems that some of those ghosts have followed him to his new home and insist on communicating with him. Most dominant is a father and daughter and what the father is demanding of Chip is unbelievably horrifying. Yet Chip feels such guilt and he feels like he needs to help these people. As time moves forward though Chip is becoming increasingly tormented by this father and he feels he is losing his mind. He begins to investigate and as he uncovers more and more about his house and the townspeople, he becomes even more scared for his family.

The Night Strangers really kept me turning those pages. It’s a story that unfolds slowly, yet steadily and keeps you completely in its grip as it does. The novel builds and builds right up to the ending that shocked the pants of me. I’m still thinking about it. I don’t think I’ve been that surprised by an ending in a while. This book is well worth reading in my opinion! Beware though of reading it alone at night with the lights out – you may get more than a little creeped out!

Source:  My own copy.  Review first posted on Book Trib.