Levi's Vow by Penny Zeller Review

 

Levi's Vow is another wonderful, faith-filled story by Penny Zeller. 

I loved getting to know Norah and Levi and Norah's family, her children and mother. I only wish this hadn't been a short, stand-alone story, because I would have loved spending more time with them in Idaho territory in the late 1800s. 

Both Norah and Levi have been struggling. Norah because her husband left her and her young children, and she now is trying to raise the children and take care of her farm while not being able to find reliable help, a hired hand who won't steal from her. Not to mention what the townspeople think of her because of her being divorced, though it wasn't even her fault. And then there is Levi, who is on his own, after being disowned by his family after being arrested unfairly. 

Norah hires Levi as her new farm hand, though she isn't sure she is able to trust him. Levi needs to prove to Norah that he is someone she can trust, but he now has time-spent-in-jail in his background. 

I really enjoyed getting to know these characters. The author did a wonderful job making me care for these characters in the short time I spent with them. Not only do we have the relationship between Norah and Levi, but from the very first chapter we see that Norah is dealing with some nefarious characters who are trying to get her farm from her, though she doesn't understand why.  The author has included a couple of tense situations to add to the suspense.

I really enjoyed this book and highly recommend it. 

I received an ARC of this book as a member of the launch team and was not required to write a favorable review. These are my own honest thoughts.

Heart of a Royal by Hannah Currie Review

 

Heart of a Royal by Hannah Currie is not your usual royal romance type story. I’ve seen where the girl finds out she’s a princess. Or the girl isn’t a princess but falls in love with a guy and then finds out he is a prince. In this story the girl, Mackenna Sparrow, knows the guy is the prince. She’s been brought up in the castle with Prince Thoraben and Princess Alina, they are close friends, and Kenna has been treated almost like royalty herself. However, once Princess Alina gets engaged, it’s back to being a commoner for Kenna. What she didn’t anticipate was the way she was going to be treated. She also didn’t realize she was falling in love with the prince, Thoraben, or Ben. Though she keeps trying to deny it. And of course she feels inadequate and believes there is no way the prince could love her. Could he?

One of the things that sort of drove me nuts in this book was the lack of communication between Ben and Kenna, and all the jumping to conclusions. I also didn’t understand why Kenna was hated by a certain character so much.

During this time the kingdom of Peverell is threatened by rebels, and has been for years. At least that is what Kenna believes and worries about, especially after she is no longer protected by the walls of the castle.

Kenna at times seemed to be so prone to crying. Though I guess I may react the same way if my life was upended the way hers was. She supposedly has characteristics that make the people think she will make a great future queen. I just wish we had gotten to see more of that side of her. I guess there are just some things that don’t add up for me.

I also questioned throughout the majority of the book how the book was actually Christian fiction. There wasn’t any mention of God until the very end. Oh, it is a clean book where morals take precedence. But I was confused when it came to the lack of mention of God. However, once you get to the end of the book, all is made clear. So yes, this is Christian fiction. It is meant for young adults, but I really enjoyed it. There are a couple of instances of leering looks, so I may prefer to have my older teens read it as opposed to my younger teen.

I can’t wait to read the remainder of the series. It’s definitely grabbed my attention.

I received a copy of this book as a member of the review team and was not required to write a favorable review. These are my own honest thoughts.

Embers in the London Sky by Sarah Sundin Review

 

Another wonderful WW2 story by Sarah Sundin. It's a historical fiction story with a murder mystery, search for a missing child, and love story woven in.

Embers in the London Sky opens in the Netherlands where Aleida is making preparations to get herself and her son away from her abusive husband. However, her plans are dashed as her husband tells her they must flee the Nazis. On the road that will hopefully lead them to safety from the Nazi, things don’t go as planned, and Aleida finds herself all alone. Her new goal is to find her missing son while living in England.

Along with Aleida, the story is told from the perspective of Hugh Collingworth, a BBC radio correspondent who desires to be right in the action, yet has to hide an embarrassing handicap to do so. And he also has to deal with censorship issues while wanting to report the full truth as he reports on the Blitz.

Along with being right in the middle of the devastating destruction in 1940 London during the Nazi bombings, the author has included a murder mystery that hits close to home for one of our main protagonists. And while Aleida is searching for her son, we are learning of the desperate straights of refugees and children sent out to the countryside during the war. And of course, there is that relationship between Aleida and Hugh. Will they be able to open up to each other and to others to trust them and God.

I loved this story and all the twists and turns. I loved learning more about this time in WWII and feeling like I was right there in the midst of it, from the safety of my couch. The author did a wonderful job bringing this time period and these characters to life. Though, I admit, I had trouble keeping all the side characters straight in my head.

Definitely a book a recommend.

I received an e-copy of this book through NetGalley and was not required to write a favorable review. These are my own honest thoughts. 

Friday Fun - March 1, 2024

Welcome to my Friday Fun post. This is where I share with three different book parties that post on Fridays: Book Beginnings on Fridays, the Friday 56, and First Line Friday.

This week I have three books to share with you.

I zinged through Dani Pettrey's newest book, One Wrong Move. I wasn't even going to read it right away, as I had other books I needed to read. But once I picked it up, I could not put it down. Plus it worked for one of my reading challenges. 

I just finished The Reckoning at Gossamer Pond by Jaime Jo Wright. Yes, I was reading this for one of my reading challenges. I've now read all of Jaime Jo Wright's books. Well, until the newest one is released in April.

I am currently in the middle of reading Levi's Vow by Penny Zeller as a member of her launch team. This book released today. 

        Book Beginnings on Friday     

(Please join Gilion Dumas for Book Beginnings every Friday to share the first sentence (or so) of the book you are reading, along with your initial thoughts about the sentence, impressions of the book, or anything else the opener inspires. Please remember to include the title of the book and the author's name.)

and

First Line Friday

(Please join C arrie for First Line Friday.)

Here are my Book Beginnings/First Line Friday selections:

  One Wrong Move by Dani Pettrey:

"He inhaled the stiff resolution of her death."

Well, someone is dead or is going to die. 

The Reckoning at Gossamer Pond by Jaime Jo Wright:

"Libby Sheffield had never stopped to wonder what she would take specific note of if she ever stumbled upon a dead body."

Can't say I've ever wondered that myself. But looked like I was starting another book that began with a death.

Levi's Vow by Penny Zeller:

"Norah wrote the details on the blackboard just inside the door at Winrow's Mercantile, placed the chalk on the ledge, then stood back to peruse her slanted handwriting."

My first thought was that Norah worked at the merchantile and was just doing her job. 

Now for:

The Friday 56

The Friday 56 is normally hosted over at Freda's Voice. But Anne from My Head is Full of Books is taking over for a while. 

Rules:

*Grab a book, any book.
*Turn to page 56 or 56% in your eReader
(If you have to improvise, that's ok.)
 *Find any sentence, (or few, just don't spoil it) that grab you.
*Post it.
*Add your (url) post below in Linky. Add the post url, not your blog url. It's that simple.

Here are my Friday 56 selections:

One Wrong Move by Dani Pettrey:
 

"Christian studied their body language, expressions, and tight gazes on one another. What was up between them, and how did they know each other? From a past heist investigation? No. That didn’t make sense. He worked the heist cases. Deckard handled the cons and scams."

The Reckoning at Gossamer Pond by Jaime Jo Wright:

"Mitch had told her one paper he'd read said Sunday was so 'raw' that they refused to print his words. He used language unfit for feminine dispositions, and even some men were so stricken by his preaching, they were taken from the tent on stretchers, having swooned like a femaile whose corset was tied too tight."

Levi's Vow by Penny Zeller:

"Never once in all of her twenty-six years had she ever lied to Mama. Not once in her twenty-six years had she been less than forthright. But Mama and the children's lives depended on her obeying the man's orders."

Reviews:

Last week I shared two books in my Friday Fun post. I haven't quite finished reading Fake Engagement at the Rusted K by Cali Black, so I'll share the link to that review next week. However, if you would like to read my other review, I invite you to click on the link below.

Assaulted Caramel by Amanda Flower

One Wrong Move by Dani Pettrey Review

 

Wow, what a great romantic suspense by Dani Pettrey. I loved her Alaskan Courage series, but I hadn't read anything by her since then, which was about three years ago . When I saw One Wrong Move on the "new inspirational fiction" shelf at my small rural library, I had to grab it up. I actually have other books I should be reading, but once I opened it to check it out, I could NOT put it down. I love when a book grabs me from page one and just keeps going.

This is a story about second chances. We see the story from multiple points of view, both the good guys and the bad guys.

Christian O'Brady is a former con-artist/thief, raised that way by his parents, and he continued his life of crime until turning his life around thanks to Jesus. He's now involved in installing security systems and finds himself called in to figure out how the crooks in a current string of heists has gotten past his security in art galleries. Of course, he himself is a suspect because of installing the security systems, and because of his background.

He teams up with Andi Forester, an insurance investigator who used to be with the FBI, but she was accused of royally botching some evidence.

They join with Christian's siblings Deckard and Riley, Andi’s best friend Harper, and Greyson who used to own the P.I. business, to not only track down these art thieves, but also to clear Andi’s name. I had to wonder throughout the book whether the two cases were connected or not.

There was great suspense, and there were twists and our protagonists were in peril multiple times. The author knows how to get her readers on the edge of their seats and get the blood pumping, that's for sure. I love how the story unfolded and how everything came together. And I loved seeing Christian and Andi's relationship evolve. Plus there were a couple other maybe-relationships brewing. Knowing this was the first book of a series makes me hope we'll see more of these same main characters and get to see relationships grow. This is a wonderful book and one I highly recommend. And now I need to get my hands on more of her books.

Assaulted Caramel by Amanda Flower Review

 

Assaulted Caramel by Amanda Flower is an enjoyable cozy mystery with just a bit of suspense. Though not "Christian fiction" there was nothing objectionable. And it did talk about people praying, plus the main characters grandparents are Amish and they have Christian friends who go to the church across the square.

The mystery of who the killer was kept me guessing. I didn't figure it out until right before it was revealed. And just who was the second person involved? The reveal did take me by surprise though there are definite hints in retrospect. But still, there were some great twists. Plus a couple of cute pets that have cute parts in the story.

The mystery took place while Bailey, an up and coming chocolatier from NYC was helping her Amish grandparents prepare desserts for a wedding in the small town of Harvest, Ohio. A wedding they figured would be postponed after the murder occurred right in her grandparents shop. Especially considered who the deceased was. And she, along with her grandparents were suspects. So, of course, Bailey was desperate to clear her name.

I really enjoyed this book and even put the next book on hold right away. This was a book I read for a reading challenge, but I realized after I took it out from the library that this was the series my son had recommended several months ago. I should have listened to him sooner.

Friday Fun - February 23, 2024

Welcome to my Friday Fun post. This is where I share with three different book parties that post on Fridays: Book Beginnings on Fridays, the Friday 56, and First Line Friday.

This week I have two books to share with you.

I am reading Fake Engagment at the Rusted K by Cali Black as a member of the launch team. The book released today!

I am also reading Assaulted Caramel by Amanda Flower for one of my reading challenges.

        Book Beginnings on Friday     

(Please join Gilion Dumas for Book Beginnings every Friday to share the first sentence (or so) of the book you are reading, along with your initial thoughts about the sentence, impressions of the book, or anything else the opener inspires. Please remember to include the title of the book and the author's name.)

and

First Line Friday

(Please join C arrie for First Line Friday.)

Here are my Book Beginnings/First Line Friday selections:

  Fake Engagment at the Rusted K by Cali Black:

"Thirty minutes from Jackson Hole on the straightest, most deserted and beautiful road in the country, Ren Connor pushed the pedal to the floorboard and watched the speedometer needle circle right."

Why in the world is Ren going so fast? Is she in a rush because she's late? Just being reckless? Out for a joyride? Is there going to be a cop around?

Assaulted Caramel by Amanda Flower:

"'I still can't believe you left!' Cassandra Calbera shouted into my ear."

Okay, why is Cassandra shouting? What's the big deal?

Now for:

The Friday 56

The Friday 56 is normally hosted over at Freda's Voice. But Anne from My Head is Full of Books is taking over for a while. 

Rules:

*Grab a book, any book.
*Turn to page 56 or 56% in your eReader
(If you have to improvise, that's ok.)
 *Find any sentence, (or few, just don't spoil it) that grab you.
*Post it.
*Add your (url) post below in Linky. Add the post url, not your blog url. It's that simple.

Here are my Friday 56 selections:

Fake Engagement at the Rusted K by Cali Black:
 

"She slid under the covers, the feathered trim tickling her ankles. She hugged the shirt to her chest and breathed out a prayer. A somewhat desperate prayer that Cash wouldn't hurt her. A pleading prayer for Ellie's safety. And a doubtful prayer that she would one day find the love she longed for."

Assaulted Caramel by Amanda Flower:

"She stepped back and her eyes narrowed. In an instant, all the goodwill I had won by complimenting her pretzels was lost. 'Pardon me?'"

Reviews:

Last week I shared two books in my Friday Fun post. If you would like to read my reviews, I invite you to click on the links below.

The Captive Heart by Michelle Griep

Embers in the London Sky by Sarah Sundin

Also, I never shared the link to my review of  Reverence in the Wilderness by Andrea Byrd. Here is my review.