Summer by the Tides by Denise Hunter

  When Maddy learns her grandmother is missing from her beach house Maddy and her sisters arrive right away. The last time the siblings have been together was years ago, a summer that tore the family apart. Being back in the beach house opens old wounds and long buried secrets. Where is grandma? What secrets has she been keeping?

I am a big fan of Denise Hunter and I really enjoyed this story. The ties of family, secrets, sisters, second chances, love…. there was all of it. I read it in the autumn but it would make a perfect beach read. Denise Hunter has a way of writing real people with real lives. She makes me feel as if I am living right there with them and I love that.

 

*I received this book free from The Fiction Guild and Thomas Nelson in exchange for my honest review. What I have expressed are entirely my own thoughts and I was not compensated in any monetary way*

Parental Guidance Rating- PG for adult situations

My Star Rating- ***

The Redgrave Murders

    Evie Hampton is no stranger to death- her mother’s loss to cancer and her brother’s life to a WW2 battle- but when her father is murdered and series of dangerous events happen her world is turned upside down. Who could be behind these things? An angered student or client? Evie’s troubled boyfriend? Or someone from the past? Evie is determined to find the murderer but the closer she gets to the truth the more determined the murderer is to silence her.

This story gave me vibes of Nancy Drew meets film noir. A classic Whodunit filled with a list of suspects with motives. As one person states in the story, everyone has secrets. The question is, which secrets are deadly?

I enjoyed this story and had fun being part of the review team for it. Thank you to A.L. Sowards and Netgalley for the review copy of the book.

 

*I received this book free from Netgalley and the author in exchange for my honest review. What I have expressed are my own thoughts and I was not compensated in any monetary way*

The Pink Bonnet

    Cecile Dowd, a widowed mother struggling during the Depression, discovers her neighbor has given Cecile’s daughter to Georgia Tann, owner of the Tennessee Children’s Home Society. When Cecile goes to get her daughter back, explaining that she never gave her neighbor permission to give away her child, Cecile is told her daughter has already been adopted. There are no limits a mother will do for her child.

This is the second book I have read about Georgia Tann and her shady (to put it kindly) adoption methods. It is horrifying to think children were really taken from their families and sold to other parents. such a sad sad situation. This story showed not only the mother’s side of the tale but also the child’s. This was a good story but a little predictable for me. I like to be surprised in stories, this one did lack in the surprise factor for me. But overall it was not a bad story.

 

*I received this book free through Netgalley for review. What I have expressed are entirely my own thoughts and I was not compensated in any monetary way*

Secrets at Cedar Cabin

   When Bailey’s mother is murdered and then her husbnad’s secrets are revealed, Bailey wonders if she can trust anyone anymore, including herself.

After the death of her mom, and her own life being threatened, Bailey flees to the only place she can think of, a cabin her ex-husband deeded to her. However, the longer she stays there the more questions arise. How is Lavender Tides connected to her mom? What secrets what she keeping from her daughter and why? Why is the FBI in this seemingly quiet town? The further she falls into the mystery the more dangerous it becomes.

This is the first “It” book of 2019 for me. It kept me up late reading, it yanked hard on my emotions, to the point I cried at some spots. This is not a light read. On the contrary, it covers very serious topics- talking with strangers online, child kidnapping, sex trafficking. It is set in a small town where everyone knows everyone, where you would never suspect such atrocities happening. “Not in my town”, “not my neighbor”…. This is a very well-written novel and a very timely subject matter. Colleen Coble wrote this amazingly well.

* I received this book free from Fiction Guild and Thomas Nelson in exchange for my honest review. What I have expressed are entirely my own thoughts and I was not compensated in any monetary way*

 

My Parental Guidance Rating- PG13 due to subject matter

My Star Rating- ****

In the Shadow of Croft Towers

   Jane Austen meets Daphne du Maurier’s Rebecca in this debut novel that held me captive late into the night.

Sybil Delafield is on her way to her new position when her coach is robbed by highwaymen. Add in Mrs. Chalcroft, her employer, coming into her room at night speaking of secret messages and family members pretending to be who they are not and you have yourself a thriller that grips you and won’t let go. There are characters that had me guessing. There were times I started reading and I could not stop. It is riveting and exciting and a definite keeper!

 

*I received this book free from Fiction Guild and Thomas Nelson in exchange for my honest review. What I have expressed are entirely my own thoughts and I was not compensated in any monetary way*

Who I Am With You

    Jessica Mason has lost her husband and child. Still reeling from this she is preparing for the arrival of a new baby. Ridley Chesterfield is hiding out from the media after a false story leaked, tarnishing his name. Neither is looking for a relationship but they quickly become friends.

Meanwhile, Jessica finds her great-grandfather’s Bible and begins reading it. Inside he wrote notes, letting Jessica into his mind and heart. His story weaves with Jessica’s, helping her heal.

I really enjoyed this story. The multiple characters were a sweet mixture and I never got confused over who was who or what era the story was being set in. I love duo-time stories.

*I received this book free from Fiction Guild and Thomas Nelson in exchange for my honest review. What I have expressed are entirely my own thoughts. I was not compensated in any way.*

Never Let Go

    Willow Anderson, a forensic genealogist, is taking over her grandfather’s business after his death. Her first client asks her to find the daughter who was abducted from the hospital over twenty years ago. With the hep from her ex-boyfriend Austin McKade, who is an ex-FBI Agent, they follow the clues and soon discover there is more to this abduction than just a missing person. Lives are at risk. Can they find the truth, and the child, before more harm is done?

I am, as you know, a fan of mysteries, and I am a big fan of cold cases. So, I was pretty excited about this story. I fee that it was written well, the characters each had their own personalities, the plot kept me interested. This is also my first book by Elizabeth Goddard and I was pleased with it. I will be on the lookout for her other books. This particular one is the first in a series and I want to read the rest when they come out.

 

*I received this book from from Revell in exchange for my honest review. What I have expressed are entirely my own thoughts. I was not compensated in any monetary way.*

Becoming Mrs. Lewis

    Joy Davidman begins writing to C.S. Lewis looking for spiritual answers. She lives with her family, a husband and children, in America. Mr. Lewis replies and soon a friendship blossoms. Not long after that she goes to visit him in England. With that, she must make other choices that will change her life forever.

This story had moments that felt lyrical and captivating. There were moments my emotions were pulled in. The story itself was interesting to me, however, it did not hold my interest. I felt it dragged on too long. There were quite a few times I either had to take a break from it or skim through scenes (and that is never a good sign). I think, personally, I would have enjoyed it more if it had been shorter.

 

*I received this book free from the Fiction Guild and Thomas Nelson in exchange for my honest review. What I have expressed are entirely my own thoughts. I was not compensated in any monetary way.*

 

My star rating- **

Freedom’s Light

    Hannah Thomas has been married only a short time when her husband is killed in battle, leaving her alone to tend the lighthouse. She already feels out of place in this town and with her husband’s family and now she must prove herself to be capable of caring for the lighthouse. The lies of those on the ships depend on it. When a shipwreck does occur and the crew is washed ashore Hannah rushes to help. The Captain has survived and she takes him in to care for him. Soon, she realizes he is keeping secrets, ones that can be deadly.

I admit I went into this story not expecting much. Why? I honestly do not know. And shame on me for that. I was most definitely proved wrong. I was immersed into the story, I wanted to know what was going to happen, to the characters and to the story itself. The details were just the right amount to bring this story together without being overwhelming.

*I received this book free from Thomas Nelson and The Fiction Guild in exchange for my honest review. What I have expressed are entirely my own thoughts. I was not compensated in any monetary way.*

 

My star rating- 4 out of 5

Parental Guidance- PG due to shipwrecks, mentions of war battles, and adult content

Travel to Tomorrow

    Here are a few of my favorite things: 1950’s, time travel, best friends, and books. This story has all of it! It is the first in a series and I am so glad I have the entire collection because I don’t want to wait long to read more about these sock hop Fifties Chix.

In 1955 the five girls are given an assignment for History class. Instead of looking at the past they are to write about what they think the future will be like. And then they are living it. They wake up, same houses, same families, same school, but now it is the 2000’s. So much has changed, technology, fashion, words, politics. The girls need to learn how to navigate this new world while trying to figure out how to get back to 1955. After a while they begin wondering if they even want to go back in time.

This first book gives you such a great taste of the adventure that the girls are tossed into. The rich details of the 1950’s is superb, and the changes that the girls witness in the future was spectacular. We see how things have changed for African-American families, for immigrants, for children. We learn about little details we may never give second thought to- vehicles, fashion, food….

I had such a great time reading this book and it gave me a nostalgic high. I am really looking forward to reading the next book in the series and I will let you know how it is!

*I was given this book set as a gift from my mom and my review is entirely of my own choosing. Everything I have expressed are entirely my own thoughts. I have not been compensated in any monetary way.*