Burton Book Review

The Irish Healer: A Novel by Nancy Herriman

noreply@blogger.com (Marie Burton) — Fri, 25 May 2012 11:03:00 +0000

Loved this story of love, redemption and truth.

The Irish Healer: A Novel by Nancy Herriman
Worthy Publishing, April 2012
$14.99/£9.57
320 pages Paperback 9781936034789
Review copy provided by the publisher via HNR, thank you!
Review originally posted in Historical Novels Review Magazine, May 2012
Burton Book Review Rating:

An inspiring yet predictable story of love blooming between different social classes, The Irish Healer depicts the story of Rachel Dunne, accused murderer. Forced to flee Ireland, she finds work at the home of Dr. Edmunds in London. Dr. Edmunds is battling his own personal demons but falls in love with Rachel from the start. Rachel is an accomplished healer, and would be a perfect fit as Dr. Edmunds assistant if she allowed herself to work in the trade again. With shame on her sleeve, the doctor knows there must be more to Rachel’s story but she refuses to share the real reason why she left Ireland. However, the cholera epidemic of the 1800’s derails both the doctor’s and Rachel’s stubbornness and forces the two to work together.

The servants in Dr. Edmunds’ employ created atmospheric appeal, particularly with the depiction of the amiable house boy Joe’s dialect. From a loyal housekeeper to a pompous sister-in-law, the supporting characters and scenery of England enrich the sometimes stagnant love story along with themes of prejudice, redemption and faith, both in oneself and God. The Irish Healer is an encouraging debut and should be enjoyed by most readers of Christian historical fiction.

A Lasting Impression (Belmont Mansion Series #1) by Tamera Alexander

noreply@blogger.com (Marie Burton) — Wed, 23 May 2012 11:03:00 +0000

Loved this iridescent cover, to match its captivating storyline!

CBA and ECPA Bestseller
2012 Christy Award Nominee

A Lasting Impression (Belmont Mansion Series #1) by Tamera Alexander
Bethany House, November 2011
Christian Historical Fiction
$14.99/£8.99
Paperback 432 pages 0764206222

Review copy provided by the publisher via HNR, thank you!

A shortened review was originally created for Historical Novels Review, May 2012

Burton Book Review Rating:

To create something that will last is Claire Laurent's most fervent desire as an artist. It's also her greatest weakness. When her fraud of a father deals her an unexpected hand, Claire is forced to flee from New Orleans to Nashville, only a year after the War Between the States has ended. Claire's path collides with that of Sutton Monroe, and she considers him a godsend for not turning her in to the authorities. But when they meet again and he refuses to come to her aid, she realizes she's sorely misjudged the man. Trading an unwanted destiny for an unknown future, Claire finds herself in the middle of Nashville's elite society and believes her dream of creating a lasting impression in the world of art may finally be within reach.All that Sutton Monroe holds dear lies in ruin. He's determined to reclaim his heritage and to make the men who murdered his father pay. But what he discovers on his quest for vengeance reveals a truth that may cost him more than he ever imagined.Set at Nashville's historical Belmont Mansion, a stunning antebellum manor built by Mrs. Adelicia Acklen, the richest woman in America in the 1860s, A Lasting Impression showcases the deep, poignant, unforgettable characters that set Tamera's stories apart and provides an inspiring love story that will capture readers' hearts and leave them eager for more.

Historic Belmont Mansion leaves a lasting impression indeed with this start of Tamera Alexander’s newest historical series. Featuring the courageous Civil War figure Adelicia Acklen, the series begins with the risky romance between Adelicia’s newest personal secretary Claire Laurent and Adelicia's lawyer Sutton Monroe.

Claire is so gifted in oil painting that her father’s business was dependent upon Claire’s forgeries, and it wasn’t until the gallery was robbed and her father killed that Claire could find a way out of her thankless job. Working for Adelicia has its rewards, but the truth of her past could land her in jail and lose the man of her dreams. Keeping Adelicia’s best interests at the top of his list, Sutton has a hunch that Claire may be hiding something, yet he also starts to fall in love with her.

Claire does a fabulous job at ingratiating herself with the demanding Adelicia, which makes her feel even guiltier about her past. Claire could soon become the belle of the ball at the magnificent Belmont Mansion, but the art forgery case that Sutton Monroe is investigating threatens her future and their budding romance. It is through Claire’s faith in God that she finally begins the healing process and allows her to move forward in her journey, and the author takes her time with this development. A thorough historical novel with menacing characters from Claire’s past mingling with Tennessee’s finest folks and the inspiring Belmont Mansion, A Lasting Impression is a compelling story that doesn’t let go once it takes hold.

Mailbox Monday

noreply@blogger.com (Marie Burton) — Mon, 21 May 2012 11:57:00 +0000

Welcome to Mailbox Monday, the weekly meme created by Marcia from A girl and her books (formerly The Printed Page) where book lovers share the titles they received for review, purchased, or otherwise obtained over the past week. Mailbox Monday is now on tour, and May's host is Martha @ Martha’s Bookshelf

With thanks to my loving husband who pays attention to emails about buying your darling wife gift cards to HalfPrice Books..I bought these! I will go back during their 20% off Memorial Day Sale.

Masquerade by Nancy Moser

1886, New York City: Charlotte Gleason, a rich heiress from England, escapes a family crisis by traveling to America in order to marry the even wealthier Conrad Tremaine. She soon decides that an arranged marriage is not for her and persuades her maid, Dora, to take her place. What begins as the whim of a spoiled rich girl wanting adventure becomes a test of survival. As for Dora, she lives a fairy tale complete with gowns, jewels, and lavish mansions--yet is tormented by guilt and the presence of another love that will not die. Will their masquerade be discovered? Will one of them have second thoughts? Will love win out? There is no guarantee the switch will work. It's a risk. It's the chance of a lifetime.

A Flickering Light by Jane Kirkpatrick
(I am going to buy every single one of Jane Kirkpatrick's books, after reading her latest Where Lilacs Still Bloom)
This one was a Christy Award Nominee for Historical, 2010.

Returning to her Midwest roots, award-winning author Jane Kirkpatrick draws a page from her grandmother's photo album to capture the interplay between shadow and light, temptation and faith that marks a woman's pursuit of her dreams.

She took exquisite photographs,
but her heart was the true image exposed.
Fifteen-year-old Jessie Ann Gaebele loves nothing more than capturing a gorgeous Minnesota landscape when the sunlight casts its most mesmerizing shadows. So when F.J. Bauer hires her in 1907 to assist in his studio and darkroom, her dreams for a career in photography appear to find root in reality.

With the infamous hazards of the explosive powder used for lighting and the toxic darkroom chemicals, photography is considered a man' s profession. Yet Jessie shows remarkable talent in both the artistry and business of running a studio. She proves less skillful, however, at managing her growing attraction to the very married Mr. Bauer.

This luminous coming-of-age tale deftly exposes the intricate shadows that play across every dream worth pursuing–and the irresistible light that beckons the dreamer on.

Gathering of Finches by Jane Kirkpatrick

Based on historical characters and events, A Gathering of Finches tells the story of a turn-of-the-century Oregon coastal couple and the consequences of their choices, as seen through the eyes of the wife, her sister, and her Indian maid. Along the way, the reader will discover reasons to trust that money and possessions can't buy happiness or forgiveness, nor permit us to escape the consequences of our choices. The story emphasizes the message that real meaning is found in the relationships we nurture and in living our lives in obedience to God.

My Heart Remembers by Kim Vogel Sawyer

United by blood, divided by time, will three orphan train siblings ever find one another again?

Orphaned in a tenement fire, three Irish-immigrant children are sent to Missouri to be adopted. Despite eight-year-old Maelle's desperate attempts to keep her siblings together, each child is taken by a different family. Yet Maelle vows that she will never stop searching for her brother and sister... and that they will be together one day in the future. Seventeen years later, Maelle is still searching. But the years have washed away her hope... and her memories. What are Mattie and Molly doing now? Where has life taken them? Will she ever see her brother and sister again?

A Prisoner of Versailles by Golden Keyes Parson A Darkness to Light Novel, #2

I finally found this!! I have Book One but hate reading series books if I can't read the next one soon after! So now I can finally read In the Shadow of the Sun King!! (I've had it for over 3 years, smack my head).

Lavish and Luxurious VersaillesKing Louis XIV's burgeoning palace is the place to be--and be seen. And the last place on earth Madeleine wants to be.

She's trapped there as a pampered prisoner. If she stays in France, she'll be forced to deny her faith. By escaping the King's long arm, she may find freedom--but it will cost her everything she holds dear.

Madeleine will need courage, hope, and total faith in God to outmaneuver the Sun King and reach her true destiny--and love--in another country.

From PaperbackSwap:

Lady MacBeth by Susan Fraser King
Lady Macbeth as you’ve never seen her . . .

Lady Gruadh, called Rue, is the last female descendant of Scotland’s most royal line. Married to a powerful northern lord, she is widowed while still carrying his child and forced to marry her husband’s murderer: a rising warlord named Macbeth. Encountering danger from Vikings, Saxons, and treacherous Scottish lords, Rue begins to respect the man she once despised–and then realizes that Macbeth’s complex ambitions extend beyond the borders of the vast northern region. Among the powerful warlords and their steel games, only Macbeth can unite Scotland–but his wife’s royal blood is the key to his ultimate success.

Determined to protect her son and a proud legacy of warrior kings and strong women, Rue invokes the ancient wisdom and secret practices of her female ancestors as she strives to hold her own in a warrior society. Finally, side by side as the last Celtic king and queen of Scotland, she and Macbeth must face the gathering storm brought on by their combined destiny.

From towering crags to misted moors and formidable fortresses, Lady Macbeth transports readers to the heart of eleventh-century Scotland, painting a bold, vivid portrait of a woman much maligned by history.

Last week, I watched a chat with a few Christian & historical fiction authors, such as Olivia Newport and Katie Ganshert~ I had recieved Wildflowers From Winter for review and I enjoyed learning of the messages behind their books. Very inspiring ladies. Here is Katie's debut novel, which has already gotten rave reviews; I am so glad to have received a chance to review this!

May 8 2012

Wildflowers from Winter by Katie Ganshert
Like the winter, grief has a season. Life returns with the spring.

A young architect at a prestigious Chicago firm, Bethany Quinn has built the life she dreamed of during her teen years in a trailer park. An unexpected interruption from her estranged mother reveals that tragedy has struck in her hometown and a reluctant Bethany is called back to rural Iowa.

Determined to pay her respects to her past while avoiding any emotional entanglements, she vows not to stay long. But the unexpected inheritance of five hundred acres of farmland and a startling turn of events in Chicago forces Bethany to come up with a new plan.

Handsome farmhand Evan Price has taken care of the Quinn farm for years. When Bethany is left the land, Evan must fight her decisions to realize his dreams. But even as he disagrees with Bethany’s vision, Evan feels drawn to her and the pain she keeps so carefully locked away.

For Bethany, making peace with her past and the God of her childhood doesn’t seem like the path to freedom. Is letting go the only way to new life, love and a peace that she’s not even sure exists?

And now a personal rant:
I have now accumulated a mass library of my own. Full of fabulously fantastic books that I know I will enjoy and love.. but yet I will NEVER get to because I keep accepting review books.
It is time to really .. for once and for all .. reconsider the whole reviewing for publishers/authors thing.

Somehow, I have to make myself ignore all the new books that are just so awesome that 'I just have to have'. I have to be even more selective in my reads, and make sure I limit myself for each month. For the past few years, I have been able to choose the reads that I know I will enjoy, but turns out I must be easy to please, or there are some fabulous writers out there!!

I need a 12 Step Program, fast.. because it is so disheartening having this review schedule and seeing my library expand and taunt me. I must stop doing this to myself with this packed review schedule. It's like a form of masochism, accepting more review books when I have 600+ books that I own that I cannot read. I must stop. I must stop. I must stop. I must stop.

Saturday Snapshot

noreply@blogger.com (Marie Burton) — Sat, 19 May 2012 12:50:00 +0000

A lot of our trees have suffered or died due to the crazy drought here in Texas last year.

Half of this tree is dead.

The other half, is bearing fruit.

There is hope on one side, sorrow on the other.

Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein (GET THIS BOOK NOW!)

noreply@blogger.com (Marie Burton) — Wed, 16 May 2012 19:00:00 +0000

A unique gem of a gut wrenching war story

(Originally published February 6th 2012 by Egmont Press )

Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein
Hyperion reissue May 15 2012
Young Adult Literature Ages 14 +
Hardcover 352 pages
Review copy from NetGalley
Burton Book Review:

I have two weeks. You'll shoot me at the end no matter what I do.

That's what you do to enemy agents. It's what we do to enemy agents. But I look at all the dark and twisted roads ahead and cooperation is the easy way out. Possibly the only way out for a girl caught red-handed doing dirty work like mine — and I will do anything, anything, to avoid SS-Hauptsturmführer von Linden interrogating me again.

He has said that I can have as much paper as I need. All I have to do is cough up everything I can remember about the British War Effort. And I'm going to. But the story of how I came to be here starts with my friend Maddie. She is the pilot who flew me into France — an Allied Invasion of Two.

We are a sensational team.

Warning: My thoughts below cannot do the book justice. I apologize. Simply put, read this book.

'Young adult' is not a genre I would normally reach out to read.. but I saw Code Name Verity on several bloggers' sites and I had to see what the hype was. Some were really over the moon loving this one, so it was serendipity that NetGalley sent out a promo and said to download it now, and I did. I loved the tone of the novel in spite of the evil atmosphere of the Gestapo interrogating young ladies.. this young lady for the first half of the novel we'll call Queenie.. she is indeed of royal descent and is seemingly royally capable of doing covert operations during World War II, until she is captured.

The story begins with Queenie dictating everything she knows to her captors, who want all the secrets she can give regarding her British operations. She is a tough girl, though we can't really tell how old she is. Her voice is what you see in the synopsis: it is captivating, sad, haunting and yet still witty. She could make you cry and laugh in the same sentence. She writes of her comrade, Maddie, who is an awesome pilot despite being female and halfway through the book we switch to Maddie's story. And she spews her hatred of her captors that we have no choice but to hate them, too. It was really well done, with how everything going on around Queenie was impressed upon. And hovering throughout is the knowledge she is either going to be shot, burned alive or sent to some Nazi camp.. and it is just a silent torture that you keep reading and loving this story and loving these girls and knowing that this is not going to have a happy ending.. how could it?! You just want to curse out Engel and von Linden and his lackeys with the torture cigarettes... one of my thoughts while reading this was 'Sort of funny in a creepy sadistic kind of way'.. because of the brave voice of Queenie as she writes out this confession of sorts, as she knows with each word she prolongs her ultimate demise... yet she doesn't really want to give information to the enemy. And there I go, giving off too much information myself. I must stop.

Bring on Maddie's voice for the second half of the book. I already knew her because Queenie told us how she was the Ultimate FlyGirl. But what happened to her after they crashed? We know Queenie was captured. Did Maddie go down in a comet of flames? Did Maddie know that Queenie was captured by the Nazis and could she get her Secret Allied friends to save Queenie? So many options. And I am not about spoil it.

I can say that at this point I was on the edge of my seat, with an anxious stomach as I awaited the fate of these Awesome Gestapo Hating Fly Girls. My adrenaline pumped for them till I couldn't stand it and I wanted to cry. And then I did cry.

I want to say something provocative like this is the sh*t, gosh darn it... but intelligent words fail me. I feel completely ravaged after this adventure. Something like 'f-ing Gestapo' went through my head a zillion times and that is the prevalent thought in my brain. And I loved the French phrases that were scattered throughout. "Vite! Vite!" Quickly!

Utterly gripping story that I could not stop thinking about. Completely imaginative and creative way the author chose to portray this story, absolutely brilliant. Author's note explains inaccuracies, and I say brava! to this great story. Kudos to Disney-Hyperion for recognizing this gem and reissuing it. As soon as I can get my heart and stomach back in their right places, I'm buying this and re-reading it. Though Amazon Best Teen Books of the Month, May 2012: I think I'll wait till my daughter is about sixteen to share this gem.

Buy Code Name Verity

IndieBound

Stardust: A Novel by Carla Stewart

noreply@blogger.com (Marie Burton) — Tue, 15 May 2012 10:33:00 +0000

Intriguing read of a woman overcoming all odds, in a charming setting.

Stardust: A Novel by Carla Stewart
Hachette Book Group: FaithWords, May 15 2012
Literature & Fiction, Inspirational
Paperback 320 pages
Review copy provided by the publisher, thank you!
Burton Book Review rating:

Shortly after burying her unfaithful husband, Georgia Peyton unexpectedly inherits the derelict Stardust motel from a distant relative. Despite doubts from the community and the aunt who raised her, she is determined to breathe new life into it. But the guests who arrive aren't what Georgia expects: Her gin-loving mother-in-law; her dead husband's mistress; an attractive but down-on-his-luck drifter who's tired of the endless road; and an aging Vaudeville entertainer with a disturbing link to Georgia's past.

Can Georgia find the courage to forgive those who've betrayed her, the grace to shelter those who need her, and the moxy to face the future? And will her dream of a new life under the flickering neon of the STARDUST ever come true?

Faith, betrayal, loss, grief, humanity, death all play parts in this spunky novel set in early fifties East Texas. The neon sign from the motel/resort Stardust is a bit of a symbol for Georgia Peyton, as she comes full circle from once being abandoned at the Stardust as a child, and then being bequeathed the Stardust the same week she finds herself a widow with two young girls. Told in first person narrative, it is easy to become immersed in Georgia's story as her life is irrevocably changed when her cheating husband is found washed up in the bayou.

Embracing the chance of rebirth for herself and her little girls, Georgia throws herself full force into rebuilding the Stardust, much to the dismay of her Aunt Cora who had raised her. Unknown to Georgia, the Stardust holds the answers to all of Georgia's questions growing up. Before she can unravel the mystery of her own life, she comes face to face with her dead husband's mistress and her children, inserting themselves into Georgia's life she never thought imaginable. The fear of polio and the anxiety of becoming infected becomes center stage as Georgia has to defend her family and the Stardust from the physical and psychological stigma of polio.

Amidst the setting of the Stardust is the loving colored family who helps take care of the Stardust with Georgia; with Ludi becoming not only a maid but as much part of Georgia's family as ever, despite the color difference of their skin. Ludi and her children are a delight to read, along with several supporting characters in the town of Mahaw, Texas. Georgia is a strong woman that the reader roots for from the beginning, as we try to decipher the clues to Georgia's mysterious past along the way. Learning the answers to Georgia's ultimate question is an emotional journey that twinkles along with that Stardust sign, bringing redemption and renewal to Georgia and her family. Spirituality and faith is a subtle theme but does not glare out as a strong element in the book; those who look for Him will be rewarded with its nuances of faith and forgiveness.

Mailbox Monday

noreply@blogger.com (Marie Burton) — Mon, 14 May 2012 11:58:00 +0000

Hope you all had a beautiful Mother's Day yesterday!!

Welcome to Mailbox Monday, the weekly meme created by Marcia from A girl and her books (formerly The Printed Page) where book lovers share the titles they received for review, purchased, or otherwise obtained over the past week. Mailbox Monday is now on tour, and May's host is Martha @ Martha’s Bookshelf

This week I didn't get a whole bunch of different reads, and I am not going to include the many kindle freebies I downloaded.. but I did receive a few special ones in the mail:

The new Hogarth Press prize pack! Launch Edition 878 of 1500 ;)

Hogarth Press is being revived by Random House, and they sent out this little prize pack (With my first Tote bag EVER!) to help get the word out about this imprint that was first created by Virginia Woolf in 1917.

"Hogarth is a new home for a new generation of literary talent. Its list will be made up entirely of fiction; its intention is to publish contemporary, voice-drive, character-rich writing that entertains, informs, and moves readers."

On the inaugural list pictured above:
I Am Forbidden by Anouk Markovits (May 2012)
SO excited about this, as I had seen this around the blogs and getting great reviews!

A family is torn apart by fierce belief and private longing in this unprecedented journey deep inside the most insular Hasidic sect, the Satmar.

Sweeping from the Central European countryside just before World War II to Paris to contemporary Williamsburg, Brooklyn, I Am Forbidden brings to life four generations of one Satmar family.

Opening in 1939 Transylvania, five-year-old Josef witnesses the murder of his family by the Romanian Iron Guard and is rescued by a Gentile maid to be raised as her own son. Five years later, Josef rescues a young girl, Mila, after her parents are killed while running to meet the Rebbe they hoped would save them. Josef helps Mila reach Zalman Stern, a leader in the Satmar community, in whose home Mila is raised as a sister to Zalman’s daughter, Atara. As the two girls mature, Mila’s faith intensifies, while her beloved sister Atara discovers a world of books and learning that she cannot ignore. With the rise of communism in central Europe, the family moves to Paris, to the Marais, where Zalman tries to raise his children apart from the city in which they live.

When the two girls come of age, Mila marries within the faith, while Atara continues to question fundamentalist doctrine. The different choices the two sisters makes force them apart until a dangerous secret threatens to banish them from the only community they’ve ever known.

A beautifully crafted, emotionally gripping story of what happens when unwavering love, unyielding law, and centuries of tradition collide, I Am Forbidden announces the arrival of an extraordinarily gifted new voice and opens a startling window on a world long closed to most of us, until now.(

The Kissing List by Stephanie Reents (May 2012)
An inventive debut that recalls the imagination of Aimee Bender and the sardonic wit of Lorrie Moore.

The interlocking stories in The Kissing List feature an unforgettable group of young women – Sylvie, Anna, Frances, Maureen – as their lives connect, first during a year abroad at Oxford, then later as they move to New York on the cusp of adulthood. We follow each of them as they navigate the treachery of first dates, temp jobs and roommates, failed relationships and unexpected affairs – all the things that make their lives seem full of possibility, but also rife with potential disappointment.

Shot through with laugh-out-loud lines, yet still wrenchingly emotional and resonant, The Kissing List is a book about women who bravely defy expectations and take outrageous chances in the face of a life that might turn out to be anything less than extraordinary

The Watch by Joydeep Roy-Bhattacharya (June 2012)
Following a desperate night-long battle, a group of beleaguered soldiers in an isolated base in Kandahar are faced with a lone woman demanding the return of her brother’s body. Is she a spy, a black widow, a lunatic, or is she what she claims to be: a grieving young sister intent on burying her brother according to local rites? Single-minded in her mission, she refuses to move from her spot on the field in full view of every soldier in the stark outpost. Her presence quickly proves dangerous as the camp’s tense, claustrophobic atmosphere comes to a boil when the men begin arguing about what to do next.
Joydeep Roy-Bhattacharya’s heartbreaking and haunting novel, The Watch, takes a timeless tragedy and hurls it into present-day Afghanistan. Taking its cues from the Antigone myth, Roy-Bhattacharya brilliantly recreates the chaos, intensity, and immediacy of battle, and conveys the inevitable repercussions felt by the soldiers, their families, and by one sister. The result is a gripping tour through the reality of this very contemporary conflict, and our most powerful expression to date of the nature and futility of war.

The Dead Do not Improve by Jay Caspian Kang (August 2012)
Hailed as The Awl’s 2012’s novel to anticipate, this glorious debut stars hippie detectives, a singular city, and an MFA student on the run.

On a residential Bay Area block struggling with the collision of gentrifier condos and longtime residents, stymied recent MFA grad Philip Kim is sleeping the night away when bullets fly through a window in his apartment building and end up killing one of his neighbors. Philip only learns about the murder the next day when bored and Googling himself. But when he gets caught up in the investigation and becomes the focus of an elaborate, violent scheme, he will learn far more than he ever wanted to about his former four-eggs-at-a-time borrowing neighbor Dolores Stone, aka “The Grey Beaver,” and her shocking connections to an underworld only a city like this one could create.
Siddhartha “Sid” Finch, a homicide detective bitter about everything except his gorgeous wife, and his phlegmatic, pock-marked partner Jim Kim, land the case. Sid and Jim race after Philip through a menacing, unknowable San Francisco fending off militant surfers, vaguely European cafes, and aggressive Advanced Creative Writing students as they all try to figure out just who’s causing trouble in this city they love to hate.
Exceedingly unique, pulsing with vigor and heart, and loaded with fierce, fresh language, The Dead Do Not Improve confirms Jay Caspian Kang as a true American original as obsessed with surfing and surviving as with the power of unforgettable storytelling.

And that's all of the Hogarth Press ARC's... The next one is a beautiful hardcover that has such an intriguing synopsis:

The Orphanmaster by Jean Zimmerman June 19th 2012 by Viking Adult
From a debut novelist, a gripping historical thriller and rousing love story set in seventeenth-century Manhattan

It’s 1663 in the tiny, hardscrabble Dutch colony of New Amsterdam, now present-day southern Manhattan. Orphan children are going missing, and among those looking into the mysterious state of affairs are a quick-witted twenty-two-year-old trader, Blandine von Couvering, herself an orphan, and a dashing British spy named Edward Drummond.

Suspects abound, including the governor’s wealthy nephew, a green-eyed aristocrat with decadent tastes; an Algonquin trapper who may be possessed by a demon that turns people into cannibals; and the colony’s own corrupt and conflicted orphanmaster. Both the search for the killer and Edward and Blandine’s newfound romance are endangered, however, when Blandine is accused of being a witch and Edward is sentenced to hang for espionage. Meanwhile, war looms as the English king plans to wrest control of the colony.

Jean Zimmerman brings New Amsterdam and its surrounding wilderness alive for modern-day readers with exacting period detail. Lively, fast paced, and full of colorful characters, The Orphanmaster is a dramatic page-turner that will appeal to fans of Hilary Mantel and Geraldine Brooks.

Saturday Snapshot

noreply@blogger.com (Marie Burton) — Sat, 12 May 2012 11:47:00 +0000

To participate in the Saturday Snapshot meme post a photo that you (or a friend or family member) have taken then leave a direct link to your post in the Mister Linky at Alyce's blog At Home With Books.

After several sunsets/sunrises for my Saturday Snapshots, I will share a picture of two of my dear family members (Sweetie and Ollie), in my favorite room (library), with a favorite view (a green front yard).

My Favorite Things (DOES NOT include the actual huge cat tree!)

Click to enlarge.

Prize of My Heart by Lisa Norato

noreply@blogger.com (Marie Burton) — Fri, 11 May 2012 11:00:00 +0000

A heartwarming tale of adventure, love and family

Prize of My Heart by Lisa Norato
Bethany House, March 1, 2012
Paperback 299 pages
Christian Historical Fiction
Review copy provided by the publisher, thank you!
Burton Book Review Rating:

Rich in Historical Detail, This Is a Romance that Delivers!

An unsolved mystery separates ex-privateersman Captain Brogan Talvis from his lost son--his only living relation, his only family. Shortly before her tragic demise, his wife abandoned their infant to strangers, refusing to reveal the child's whereabouts. Now, three years later, Brogan has discovered the boy at the home of a shipbuilder's daughter, Lorena Huntley.

Lorena guards a dark secret about her young charge. She finds herself falling for the heroic captain who has come to claim his newly built ship, unaware his motive for wooing her is to befriend the boy he plans on reclaiming as his own--until the day another's evil deceit leaves her helplessly shipbound, heading toward England.

As the perfect opportunity to reclaim his son unfolds, Brogan is haunted by thoughts of Lorena in her dire circumstance, and he is forced to make a heartrending choice between his child and the woman who has begun to capture his heart. But only his unselfish sacrifice can win him the greatest prize of all--love.

Captain Brogan Talvis is a soft-hearted privateer who seeks the boy who is being passed off as Lorena's little brother. Lorena is really like a mother to this boy who was seemingly orphaned as a baby, but now his true father, the Captain, has finally learned of his whereabouts. He must find a way into the family of Lorena, and her wealthy father Nathaniel Huntley in order for his plan to take his son back with him to succeed.

Lorena poses an unforeseen problem for the now-hardened Captain, as she slowly breaks through his tough exterior. Lorena is a devout Christian, though harbors a secret about her own family and the boy's background. The secrets have to come out in the open eventually, but not before Lorena and the Captain get to know each other. A sudden sinister plot to abduct not the boy, but Lorena, forces the Captain to take action that puts everything in jeopardy. The plot line was swift and intriguing, as well as the characters easy to like, even though I could guess fairly easy the way the story would end.

Prize of My Heart was a short novel, and didn't beat around the bush filling in space; it is a fast-paced and enjoyable historical romance. I enjoyed the historical setting in Massachusetts and especially appreciated the journey of faith that the Captain undertook as he went through several periods of loneliness and doubt. A perfect Saturday read, and I wouldn't mind at all reading a sequel to this one if we could be so lucky to be honored with one.

My thanks to Bethany House (see my other reviews!) for providing this book for revew; I have yet to find an unenjoyable novel from them yet.

Where Lilacs Still Bloom by Jane Kirkpatrick

noreply@blogger.com (Marie Burton) — Mon, 07 May 2012 18:58:00 +0000

A NEW FAVORITE OF 2012!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Where Lilacs Still Bloom by Jane Kirkpatrick
WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing April 17, 2012
Literary/Historical Christian Fiction
Paperback 384 pages
Review copy from the publisher, thank you!
Burton Book Review Rating:

One woman, an impossible dream, and the faith it took to see it through.

German immigrant and farm wife Hulda Klager possesses only an eighth-grade education—and a burning desire to create something beautiful. What begins as a hobby to create an easy-peeling apple for her pies becomes Hulda’s driving purpose: a time-consuming interest in plant hybridization that puts her at odds with family and community, as she challenges the early twentieth-century expectations for a simple housewife.

Through the years, seasonal floods continually threaten to erase her Woodland, Washington garden and a series of family tragedies cause even Hulda to question her focus. In a time of practicality, can one person’s simple gifts of beauty make a difference?

Based on the life of Hulda Klager, Where Lilacs Still Bloom is a story of triumph over an impossible dream and the power of a generous heart.

“Beauty matters… it does. God gave us flowers for a reason. Flowers remind us to put away fear, to stop our rushing and running and worrying about this and that, and for a moment, have a piece of paradise right here on earth.”

The endearing and captivating prose of Jane Kirkpatrick vividly brings to life the whimsy of lilacs and the lives that they inspired in this story of love, loyalty, faith, friendship, and flowers. The novel follows the path of Hulda, of German descent, raising her family during the early 1900's in Washington State. Cross breeding plants was Hulda's passion, and she enjoyed bringing her family into her flowery dreams of improved apples, lilacs and daffodils.

The story is not all about Hulda, however. It reaches for a saga type nuance by bringing in new characters, such as Shelly and Bill Snyder in Baltimore, and Shelly's overbearing mother-in-law. Flowers are incorporated their story, too. The neighbor girls, their families, and Hulda's daughters all bring new characters to add to the all-encompassing feel of togetherness and community. And there was Fritz, the most loyal and dear son a mother could hope for.

And of course there is Hulda's husband Frank, who had an endearing way of saying "I submit" often. After horses trampled Hulda's precious garden, Frank empathized but said "But you'll make lemonade of it, after all, I submit. Yes, indeed, that's what I submit."

Imagery and metaphors - such as walking on lily pads when speaking to someone who was grieving for a loved one - graced the pages, and the spirit of Hulda's passion shone with glistening hope as I read and devoured this story. There is no way my simple words can express the level of emotion I felt while reading this story, which was fraught with ups and downs of a family, from happy moments to tragic events all happening to Hulda as she strove for that perfect creamy white twelve petal lilac. The story of Hulda Klager touched my soul as I cried during the floods and the deaths that Hulda had endured during her very long life. Touching upon the questions of faith versus nature versus God's creation, the tone of the book was such that I could not put it down. Where Lilacs Still Bloom is the epitome of a page turner.

Most of all refreshing and touching, Hulda was indeed a real person, and the author brilliantly brought this special person back to life. I was so enamored with the story that I wept right along with Hulda, just as if she were my own grandmother. I would be remiss if I didn't pay homage to the lilac: the fragrance of the flower that I can still recall after leaving behind my lilac bush seventeen years ago. I still think of that very lilac bush from time to time. I wish the lilac would bloom in Texas, but I will have to settle for the memories, which will now include this fantastic and mesmerizing novel.

With both historical details and factual details regarding flowers, Where Lilacs Still Bloom incorporates many elements which makes it indescribable. This book goes to top of my list as the Best of 2012. I can hardly contain myself as I want to go and buy all of Jane Kirkpatrick's books immediately. Where to begin?!

I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group in exchange for this honest review. I thank them wholeheartedly for this amazing experience.

You can help me get more amazing books like this by rating my review online:

Review: http://bit.ly/KE1KUv Where Lilacs Still Bloom by Jane Kirkpatrick

Thanks!

Mailbox Monday

noreply@blogger.com (Marie Burton) — Mon, 07 May 2012 11:01:00 +0000

Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein (See a review at the Historical Novel Society)
I have two weeks. You'll shoot me at the end no matter what I do.

That's what you do to enemy agents. It's what we do to enemy agents. But I look at all the dark and twisted roads ahead and cooperation is the easy way out. Possibly the only way out for a girl caught red-handed doing dirty work like mine — and I will do anything, anything, to avoid SS-Hauptsturmführer von Linden interrogating me again.

He has said that I can have as much paper as I need. All I have to do is cough up everything I can remember about the British War Effort. And I'm going to. But the story of how I came to be here starts with my friend Maddie. She is the pilot who flew me into France — an Allied Invasion of Two.

We are a sensational team.

This one is another I couldn't resist requesting,
The Wild Princess, by Mary Hart Perry(novel about Queen Victoria’s “wild child” daughter, Princess Louise, July 2012)
The marriage of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert produced nine children—five of them princesses, all trained for the role of marriage to future monarchs. However, the fourth princess, Louise—later the duchess of Argyll—became known by the court as “the wild one.” She fought the constraints placed on her brothers and sisters. She broke with tradition by marrying outside of the elite circle of European royals at a time when no child of the English throne had wed a commoner in 300 years. Some said she married for love. Others whispered of scandal covered up by the Crown.

In fact, many years after Louise’s death, a civil lawsuit claimed that the teenage princess secretly gave birth to a baby boy out of wedlock. One Henry Locock sought to prove through DNA evidence that his grandfather was Louise’s child, delivered by Queen Victoria’s gynecologist then secretly adopted by the doctor’s young son and his wife, thereby avoiding scandal and preserving the line of succession to the throne. But the mysteries and drama involving Louise’s life don’t stop there...This is her story.

I kept seeing this one at various Mailbox Monday blogs last week, so again I could not resist snagging a copy for myself:

Charlotte Markham and the House of Darkling: A Novel by Michael Boccacino (July 24, 2012)

Neil Gaiman meets Tim Burton in this debut-a Victorian gothic tale of the world beyond the living and the price you pay to save those you love
We bid you welcome to the House of Darkling…
When Nanny Prum, the nanny to the young Darrow boys, is found mysteriously murdered in the forest, Charlotte Markham, the recently hired governess, steps in to care for the children. During an outing in the forest, they find themselves crossing over into The Ending, the place for the things that cannot die, where Lily Darrow, the late mistress of Everton, has been waiting. She invites them into the ominous House of Darkling, a wondrous, dangerous place filled with enchantment, mystery and strange creatures that appear to be, but are not quite, human.

Through repeated visits with Lily, Charlotte and the boys discover the wonders of the House of Darkling, careful to keep the place and their mother's existence a secret from their father, Henry Darrow, lest the spell linking the two worlds together be broken. But when the boys and their mother become trapped in the enchanted house, Charlotte has no choice but to confide everything to Henry, to whom she finds herself increasingly drawn. Together they search to find a way to travel back into The Ending, but when they learn the price demanded by the creatures who inhabit the netherworld, Charlotte and Henry must decide if the sacrifice is worth the danger.

Not since Coraline unlocked a door and discovered a distorted world through a mirror has the simple act of walking through a dense fog revealed such a fantastic journey that is so splendidly strange, frightening, and exhilarating.

Hearts That Survive by Yvonne Lehman (Free Kindle download!) In April 1912, Lydia Beaumont is on her way to a new life with a boundless hope, against all that Craven Dowd desires for her and himself. Her friendship with Caroline Chadwick deepens as they plan Lydia’s wedding on board the “grandest ship ever built.” Then both women suffer tragic losses when the “unsinkable” Titanic collides with an iceberg and there are only 20 lifeboats for 2207 passengers. They struggle to keep their families and dreams together.

Decades later, Caroline’s granddaughter, working at the museum in Halifax, Nova Scotia, plans for the 50th memorial for the sinking and contacts survivors and descendants of survivors. Alan Morris feels like a failure until he discovers he is the descendant of an acclaimed novelist who lost his life when the Titanic sank. He becomes caught up in finding his identity in the past and must come to terms with his present and the meaning of true success.

Characters struggle to answer whether love is more powerful than the pain of loss and learn what it means for a heart to survive.

For Review, I received two huge galley manuscript things which are going to be so annoying to lug around. These are apparent reissues from the nineties which I wasn't aware of either when I accepted for review (which brings on a whole new discussion of why I do not want to review for publishers any longer):

Two Crosses by Elizabeth Musser
The glimmering Huguenot cross she innocently wears leads her deep into the shadows. When Gabriella Madison arrives in France in 1961 to continue her university studies, she doesn’t anticipate being drawn into the secretive world behind the Algerian war for independence from France. The further she delves into the war efforts, the more her faith is challenged. The people who surround her bring a whirlwind of transforming forces—a wise nun involved in the smuggling, a little girl carrying secret information, and a man with unknown loyalties who captures her heart. When she discovers a long hidden secret from her past, it all leads to questions about trust, faith in action, and the power of forgiveness to move beyond the pain of the past.

Two Testaments by Elizabeth Musser

The slightest spark will ignite an explosion. The tinderbox of broken political and racial relations in France and Algeria provides plenty of kindling. And the growing friction, especially in Algeria, will soon combust. A tentative ceasefire offers little to cool the heat. And in the midst of the turmoil, Gabriella Madison guards the orphans in her care, while battling jealousy when Anne-Marie Duchemin, David’s former flame, arrives in Castelnau, France. As they protect the little ones in their care amid rising discomfort in the community with the multi-cultural orphanage, each wonders who David will choose. Meanwhile, David is trapped in Algeria, caught in the turmoil of a country gone mad. He seeks a way to guard his life and, at the same time, protect the refugees he came to help. And escape seems impossible. Unable to predict what lies ahead, Gabriella and David learn that in life, waiting is the hardest part. The answers lie in two testaments.

Saturday Snapshot

noreply@blogger.com (Marie Burton) — Sat, 05 May 2012 11:48:00 +0000

To participate in the Saturday Snapshot meme post a photo that you (or a friend or family member) have taken then leave a direct link to your post in the Mister Linky at Alyce's blog At Home With Books.

Over the past few days, I've been reading a fantastic novel, Where The Lilacs Still Bloom, by Jane Kirkpatrick. Inspiring and mesmerizing, it has touched my soul and is a favorite book of 2012, probably number one on the list.

I can't capture the beauty the book has instilled, but I did want to capture the colors of the sunset last night. It is a shame though that I have so many trees blocking the view of the sun, yet I am still thankful for those very same trees.

Click on the photos for a larger view

The Maid of Fairbourne Hall by Julie Klassen

noreply@blogger.com (Marie Burton) — Fri, 04 May 2012 10:49:00 +0000

Absolute MUST read for lovers of Austen and Downton Abbey! A Favorite read of 2012!

2012 Christy Award Nominee!

The Maid of Fairbourne Hall by Julie Klassen

Bethany House (January 1, 2012)

9780764207099
416 pages paperback
Review copy provided by the publisher via HNR, thank you!
Review originally posted in Historical Novels Review Magazine, May 2012
Burton Book Review Rating: A FAVORITE OF 2012!

Pampered Margaret Macy flees London in disguise to escape pressure to marry a dishonorable man. With no money and nowhere else to go, she takes a position as a housemaid in the home of Nathaniel Upchurch, a suitor she once rejected in hopes of winning his dashing brother. Praying no one will recognize her, Margaret fumbles through the first real work of her life. If she can last until her next birthday, she will gain an inheritance from a spinster aunt--and sweet independence. But can she remain hidden as a servant even when prying eyes visit Fairbourne Hall?

Observing both brothers as an "invisible" servant, Margaret learns she may have misjudged Nathaniel. Is it too late to rekindle his admiration? And when one of the family is nearly killed, Margaret alone discovers who was responsible. Should she come forward, even at the risk of her reputation and perhaps her life? And can she avoid an obvious trap meant to force her from hiding?

On her journey from wellborn lady to servant to uncertain future, Margaret must learn to look past appearances and find the true meaning of "serve one another in love."

Julie Klassen has written a clever book that incorporates what readers love of Jane Austen, Downton Abbey and even a bit of Jane Eyre. The novel offers everything a historical romance reader looks for, and I was sad to let these fun characters go. Margaret Macy’s once spoiled life takes a turn for the worse after her father dies and her evil step-father wants to take control of her inheritance. She impulsively runs away, and finds herself becoming a maid in a household where two former suitors reside, Nathanial and Lewis Upchurch.

Margaret, masquerading as Nora, mimics the servants’ mannerisms and dons a wig to hide her identity, eventually finding an unexpected accomplice in the sister at Fairbourne Hall. Margaret matures as she is able to realize how blessed her life once was and acknowledges the hard life of a servant, as well as the missed opportunity with Nathanial. However, the disappearance of Margaret from the social set causes a stir, forcing her out of hiding. Is there hope that the right Upchurch brother could rescue Margaret? The atmosphere of the belowstairs administering to the upper crust, along with historical quotes annotating each chapter makes this an entertaining and inspiring read.

I loved this one and recommend it to lovers of either historical fiction, romance, regency or inspirational readers. There were small mentions of Margaret's doubts of spirituality, but it was barely a theme, so if you are one who does not like Christian Fiction, please do not let that label persuade you to not read this one. This was an entertaining read that I couldn't put down, and I already have The Girl in the Gatehouse, Lady of Milkweed Manor and The Apothecary's Daughter on my TBR shelf and will definitely be adding anything else of hers that she writes.

Julie Klassen is also the author of Lady of Milkweed Manor; The Apothecary's Daughter; The Silent Governess; The Girl in the Gatehouse.. all of these are going to be high on my TBR pile soon! She is a two time Christy Award winner, among other accomplishments. Check out some of the awesome reviews she has received over on Goodreads

Lady Anne's Quest by Susan Page Davis

noreply@blogger.com (Marie Burton) — Tue, 01 May 2012 11:22:00 +0000

A page-turning Western!

Lady Anne's Quest (Prairie Dreams #2) by Susan Page Davis
Barbour Publishing, April 1 2012
Paperback 320 pages
Historical (Christian?) Fiction
Review copy received from the publisher via NetGalley, thank you!
Burton Book Review Rating:

Love Lost. . .and Found

Lady Anne Stone believes her prayers are answered and she’s at last found her long lost uncle. Unwilling to let her meet him on her own, Daniel Adams accompanies her to her uncle’s ranch. But instead of answers, Anne is left with more questions. Both Dan and Anne are convinced the man introduced as her uncle is an impostor and decide to continue the search for the new Earl of Stoneford.

But now the swindler is on their trail, hoping to steal Uncle David’s inheritance. Dan has his hands full trying to protect Anne, but he finds he must guard his heart just as carefully. Even though he’s good at keeping her safe, he knows he’ll never convince Anne to become a farmer’s wife in Oregon when she has her sights set on returning to her home in England. But as Anne’s quest becomes even more difficult — and dangerous — Anne begins to see Dan differently. Will she soon be envisioning a new life in America?

This is the second book in Susan Page Davis' Prairie Dreams series, which I was unaware of until I started reading it. However, not reading the first book, The Lady's Maid, did not cause confusion with this novel. It seems the first novel followed more closely the story of Elise, the maid to Lady Anne, as they traveled to Oregon via wagon trail in search for Uncle David. This second installment picks up the story where the first left off, this time focusing on the story of Lady Anne and her ongoing search for Uncle David.

During the journey, Anne is accompanied by loyal friend and admirer Dan Adams, who protects and leads her as Anne gets closer to finding the elusive Uncle David. It's circa 1855, and a simple phone call just isn't possible to let Uncle David know that he is the new Earl of Stoneford back in England. Lady Anne is on Uncle David's trail, but she is impeded by impostors and reprehensible characters along the way. And it turns out that a murderer from the first book is also on Lady Anne's trail again. They come across some helpful folks to help them find the real Uncle David, until disaster occurs and the given trust proves unwarranted.

There are several intriguing characters in Lady Anne's Quest, including Millie and Sam being the two scoundrels that seek to hinder the journey of Lady Anne. Millie reaches Uncle David first, and the consequences of that meeting threaten everything that Lady Anne has worked for. Behind the scenes is Anne's fellow traveler, Dan, who we know loves Anne sincerely and deeply. The romance portion of the novel is very discreet and unnoticeable, as the key to this story is the search for Uncle David. With all the plot twists, it reads more like a mystery, with very gentle undertones of the Christian fiction theme. Lady Anne's Quest was a page-turner embracing the historical setting of the Oregon trail and the quaint hotels along the way. Very well-written, I would recommend Lady Anne's Quest for readers of historical fiction who would enjoy its Western theme.

If I could do it over again, I would read The Lady's Maid first. Chronological events are evident in book two that would probably hinder my ability of enjoying of the first book after the second. But, I will definitely look up the rest of the novels that are written by Susan Page Davis to see what others to add to my to-be-read pile. And I will be reading book number three, A Lady in the Making (October 2012), which finally follows more of Uncle David's character.

Mailbox Monday

noreply@blogger.com (Marie Burton) — Mon, 30 Apr 2012 11:10:00 +0000

Welcome to Mailbox Monday, the weekly meme created by Marcia from A girl and her books (formerly The Printed Page) where book lovers share the titles they received for review, purchased, or otherwise obtained over the past week. Mailbox Monday is now on tour, and April's host is Cindy's Love of Books.

I've got a great selection of books to review, and I bought a couple tht I just couldn't stand not having any longer =)

I purchased:

A Passion Redeemed by Julie Lessman (I've had the other two in the trilogy forever but could never find this book two, and I wouldn't start the series till I got this one! Can't wait!)
Graced with physical beauty, though shallow of heart, Charity O'Connor is a woman who knows what she wants. She sets her sights on the cantankerous Mitch Dennehy, editor at the Irish Times, who has unwittingly stolen her heart. And although the sparks are there, Mitch refuses to fan the coals of a potential relationship with his ex-fiancée's sister. But Charity has a plan to turn up the heat and she always gets what she wants--one way or another. Is revenge so sweet after all? Or will Charity get burned?
Full of intense passion, betrayal, and forgiveness, A Passion Redeemed will delight Lessman's fans and draw new ones.

A Heart Divided by Kathleen Morgan
It is 1878 and the Caldwells and Wainwrights have been feuding for decades. Still, Sarah Caldwell has misgivings when her father pressures her into distracting a ranch hand while he and her brothers rob the Wainwright place. When it becomes clear that hand is actually Cord Wainwright, Sarah realizes she needs to lay low. But Cord spots her in town and, with the sheriff away, makes a citizen's arrest, dragging her off to the Wainwright ranch until the sheriff's return. As the feud boils over, Cord and Sarah make a most inconvenient discovery--they are falling in love. Can they betray their families for love? Or will their families betray them?
Against the beautiful and wild backdrop of the Rocky Mountains comes this sweeping saga of romance, betrayal, and forgiveness from beloved author Kathleen Morgan.

(TWO books with the Vatican in their titles. Interesting!)
For Review, this first one was a surprise, but I read the last one so I'll probably get around to this one, too, especially because of the Vatican tie-in:

Oscar Wilde and the Vatican Murders by Gyles Brandeth (May 2012)

Oscar Wilde makes a triumphant return in the fifth novel in the critically acclaimed historical mystery series, featuring Wilde as the detective aided by his friend Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.

In 1892 Arthur Conan Doyle, exhausted by his creation Sherlock Holmes, retires to the spa at Bad Homburg. But his rest cure does not go as planned. The first person he encounters is Oscar Wilde, and when the two friends make a series of macabre discoveries amongst the portmanteau of fan mail Conan Doyle has brought to answer - a severed finger, a lock of hair and finally an entire severed hand - the game is once more afoot.

The trail leads to Rome, to the very heart of the Eternal City, the Vatican itself. Pope Pius IX has just died. These are uncertain times. To uncover the mystery and why the creator of Sherlock Holmes has been summoned in this way, Oscar and Conan Doyle must penetrate the innermost circle of the Catholic Church - seven men who have a very great deal to lose.

Requested for review:

Where Lilacs Still Bloom by Jane Kirkpatrick (April 17, 2012)

German immigrant and farm wife Hulda Klager possesses only an eighth-grade education—and a burning desire to create something beautiful. What begins as a hobby to create an easy-peeling apple for her pies becomes Hulda’s driving purpose: a time-consuming interest in plant hybridization that puts her at odds with family and community, as she challenges the early twentieth-century expectations for a simple housewife.

Through the years, seasonal floods continually threaten to erase her Woodland, Washington garden and a series of family tragedies cause even Hulda to question her focus. In a time of practicality, can one person’s simple gifts of beauty make a difference?

Based on the life of Hulda Klager, Where Lilacs Still Bloom is a story of triumph over an impossible dream and the power of a generous heart.

Prize of My Heart by Lisa Norato (I'm so happy to finally receive this one, after seeing it everywhere on the blogs!) March 1st, 2012
An unsolved mystery separates ex-privateersman Captain Brogan Talvis from his lost son--his only living relation, his only family. Shortly before her tragic demise, his wife abandoned their infant to strangers, refusing to reveal the child's whereabouts. Now, three years later, Brogan has discovered the boy at the home of a shipbuilder's daughter, Lorena Huntley.Lorena guards a dark secret about her young charge. She finds herself falling for the heroic captain who has come to claim his newly built ship, unaware his motive for wooing her is to befriend the boy he plans on reclaiming as his own--until the day another's evil deceit leaves her helplessly shipbound, heading toward England.As the perfect opportunity to reclaim his son unfolds, Brogan is haunted by thoughts of Lorena in her dire circumstance, and he is forced to make a heartrending choice between his child and the woman who has begun to capture his heart. But only his unselfish sacrifice can win him the greatest prize of all--love.

The Divorce of Henry VIII: The Untold Story from Inside the Vatican by Catherine Fletcher (June 19, 2012)

In 1533 the English monarch Henry VIII decided to divorce his wife of twenty years Catherine of Aragon in pursuit of a male heir to ensure the Tudor line. He was also head over heels in love with his wife’s lady in waiting Anne Boleyn, the future mother of Elizabeth I. But getting his freedom involved a terrific web of intrigue through the enshrined halls of the Vatican that resulted in a religious schism and the formation of the Church of England. Henry’s man in Rome was a wily Italian diplomat named Gregorio Casali who drew no limits on skullduggery including kidnapping, bribery and theft to make his king a free man. In this absorbing narrative, winner of the Rome Fellowship prize and University of Durham historian Catherine Fletcher draws on hundreds of previously-unknown Italian archive documents to tell the colorful tale from the inside story inside the Vatican.

Skip Rock Shallows (Copper Brown #3) by Jan Watson (June 1, 2012)

Lilly Gray Corbett has just graduated from medical school and decided to accept an internship in the coal camp of Skip Rock, Kentucky. Her beau, Paul, is doing his residency in Boston and can’t understand why Lilly would choose to work in a backwater town. But having grown up in the mountains, Lilly is drawn to the stubborn, superstitious people she encounters in Skip Rock—a town where people live hard and die harder and where women know their place. Lilly soon learns she has a lot to overcome, but after saving the life of a young miner, she begins to earn the residents’ trust.

As Lilly becomes torn between joining Paul in Boston and her love for the people of Skip Rock, she crosses paths with a handsome miner—one who seems oddly familiar. Her attraction for him grows, even as she wrestles with her feelings and wonders what he’s hiding.

Bees in the Butterfly Garden (The Gilded Legacy #1) by Maureen Lang

Raised in an exclusive boarding school among Fifth Avenue's finest, Meg Davenport has all she's ever needed . . . but none of the things she's wanted most, like family, or dreams of a future that includes anything other than finding a suitable match. So when her distant father dies, she seizes the chance to throw etiquette aside and do as she pleases. Especially when she learns that John Davenport wasn't the wealthy businessman she thought, but one of the Gilded Age's most talented thieves.Poised to lead those loyal to Meg's father, Ian Maguire knows the last thing his mentor would have wanted is for his beloved daughter to follow in his footsteps. Yet Meg is determined, and her connections to one of New York's wealthiest families could help Ian pull off his biggest heist yet. But are they both in over their heads? And in trying to gain everything, will they end up losing it all?

That's a big mailbox this week... Where do I begin...

Saturday Snapshot

noreply@blogger.com (Marie Burton) — Sat, 28 Apr 2012 12:23:00 +0000

To participate in the Saturday Snapshot meme post a photo that you (or a friend or family member) have taken then leave a direct link to your post in the Mister Linky http://athomewithbooks.net/ Photos can be old or new, and be of any subject as long as they are clean and appropriate for all eyes to see. How much detail you give in the caption is entirely up to you. Please don’t post random photos that you find online.

Alyce posted a gorgeous sunset, I posted this am's sunrise, complete with birds. The combination of noisy birds, and my cat, woke me this Saturday morning at 5:15 a.m.

Good Morning!

The Key on The Quilt by Stephanie Grace Whitson

noreply@blogger.com (Marie Burton) — Fri, 27 Apr 2012 11:15:00 +0000

Fabulous story set in an unlikely place! Love it!

The Key on The Quilt by Stephanie Grace Whitson
Barbour Publishing, March 1, 2012
Paperback 320 pages
Historical Christian Fiction
Review copy received from the publisher, thank you!
Burton Book Review Rating:

Enter a historic Nebraskan prison where three women find betrayal, love, and ultimate truth. Jane Prescott is serving a ten-year sentence for murder. Can a broken spirit be healed behind bars? Matron Mamie Dawson feels called to help the wounded women in her charge. Will a guard's attentions keep her from her mission? Warden's wife Ellen Sullivan has changed her preconceptions about these female prisoners. Will it be enough to save her from a life-or-death situation? Will the cryptic quilt connecting their lives expose the truth of one woman's past and ensure a better future for them all?

This was quite an unexpected adventure that centered around several people involved with a women's prison during the late 1800's. Ranging in character point of views from the warden and his wife to the prisoners, there is one woman who is the unlikely thread that weaves them all together. Jane Prescott is in prison for murdering her abusive husband, and little by little we learn more about Jane, her past and the aunt who is raising Jane's daughter. Meanwhile, Jane befriends almost everyone she comes in contact with, with her easygoing and helpful manner. She helps the other women serve their time as pleasantly as possible, while inspiring others in town as well. Meanwhile, Jane has to develop a bit of faith in herself in order to hope for the future, which at present seems dim from her cell.

The other characters have their own story to tell, from Dr. Max Zimmer who seems to be Jane's only hope, to the women's matron Mamie Dawson who would like to see the prisoners succeed. To round out the cast, there are not very nice characters with fellow prisoners and guards who bring an ominous shadow of doom over them as a battle of good and evil takes place. The historical details were subtle, but the inspiring story of many facets made up for it, with its fast pace and enchanting characters in a unique setting which made this a page turner for me. There is a bit of romance, redemption and hope wrapped up in this story of Jane's journey to hell and back. I loved the entire quilt symbolism and the tie in to the daughter that Jane left behind, which leaves a great option for a sequel in my opinion. The author's writing style flowed so well for me that I immediately started looking up her other work; I can't wait to see what I've been missing. The Key on The Quilt exhibits stellar writing and is a perfect novel for those eager for an inspiring story set in a very unlikely place.

Come a Little Closer by Dorothy Garlock

noreply@blogger.com (Marie Burton) — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 11:00:00 +0000

A bit of chilly suspense and sparkly romance in this quick read.

Come a Little Closer by Dorothy Garlock
Grand Central Publishing, November 2011
ISBN 0446540161
Review copy provided by the publisher via HNR, thank you!
Review originally posted in Historical Novels Review Magazine
Burton Book Review Rating:

America's Heartland, 1946. World War II has ended, and everyone is pursuing peacetime's bright promise with fresh energy and hope. Newly-arrived in a small Wisconsin town, Christina Tucker now dares to chase her long-cherished dreams: put her wartime nursing skills to use and reconnect with country life. But helping a shell-shocked veteran recover soon tests her determination and disturbs town memories best left buried. She has no choice but to turn to her patient's seemingly-irresponsible brother, Tyler Sutter. A restless ex-soldier, Tyler can't believe this pretty ladylike nurse can heal his family. Yet as Christina begins to understand Tyler's own fears, the two grow close, then closer still-as a terrible secret sparks one man's violent, vengeful spree. With both the guilty and innocent alike in harm's way, Tyler and Christina must face all their fears . . . or never live to see the future.

Author Dorothy Garlock is known for her novels set among America’s Heartland, just as this novel continues a series with the Tucker sisters (the previous novel focusing on Charlotte in Keep A Little Secret), this novel focuses on Christina Tucker. The set-up and plot are easy to follow as a stand-alone, as Garlock creates a new storyline following Christina’s path as a nurse in a new town.

Christina meets the nephews of her employer, and right away we know that there will be a love triangle that dominates the book. Tyler and Holden Sutter each take a liking to Christina and she has feelings for both of them for which she must deal with. Each of the boys has their own issues after returning from WWII, and Christina tries to help both without getting hurt in the emotional crossfire between the brothers. Instead of straight romance, though, there is a thriller side to it when Christina becomes subjected to the contemptible folks of her new town, as Christina becomes a prime target for revenge on those she becomes close to. The main characters could have used a bit more dimension and spark, although there was enough insanity amongst the two murderers in Christina’s midst. A quick and light read, there was a bit of predictability of the events but this is still good escapist fiction.

The Sumerton Women by D.L. Bogdan

noreply@blogger.com (Marie Burton) — Tue, 24 Apr 2012 11:00:00 +0000

The Sumerton Women by D.L. Bogdan
Kensington, April 24, 2012
Review copy provided by the author, thank you!
Burton Book Review Rating:

Orphaned at age eight, Lady Cecily Burkhart becomes the ward of Harold Pierce, Earl of Sumerton. Lord Hal and his wife, Lady Grace, welcome sweet-natured Cecily as one of their own. With Brey, their young son, Cecily develops an easy friendship. But their daughter, Mirabella, is consumed by her religious vocation—and by her devotion to Father Alec Cahill, the family priest...

Set at a fictional estate of Sumerton, Bogdan reenters the Tudor courts in a different fashion with this new novel. Fresh new characters breeze through the tyranny of King Henry VIII's reforms, but not everyone comes away unscathed. The root of this story is as the title suggests, with women who love the Earl of Sumerton. The Earl is a sweet man, with little faults, except for his inability to break through to his alcoholic wife, Lady Grace.

And herein lies the problem with the rest of the review. If I say much about his children, and his ward Lady Cecily, I would give away intriguingly spicy plot points which would otherwise ruin the story for the potential reader. I was warned ahead of time that the synopsis alone gave away a piece of the story, and I kept my promise to myself to not read the synopsis, and I have shortened the one above.

This is a story where the Church and one's own faith collides with that of the Kings' and their own family; this is a story where family ties are put to the test; this is a story that offers an intriguing slice of life set against a very tumultuous time in England. The political games are the backdrop, with the religious upheaval and the reforms more at the forefront, and they effect and inspire the Sumerton women differently. I loved the characters, their flaws, and their traits, and most especially enjoyed the family drama that was the focus as opposed to simply focusing on yet another Tudor figure. There are appearances by the King, and the Queens, and Cranmer, who are there to set the historical tone. There are births, deaths, and marriages.. where betrayal, trust and loyalty are all intertwined in a fast-paced saga that I would recommend to readers who appreciate the Tudor era. I enjoy Bogdan's writing style and always look forward to her work, (all of her Tudor books have been a delight) but I was thrilled how Bogdan channeled some V.C. Andrews for The Sumerton Women!

Read my previous reviews of Bodgan's Tudor novels
Read another review of The Sumerton Women at Historical-Fiction.com
The author's blog can be found at http://www.dlbogdan.blogspot.com/

Mailbox Monday

noreply@blogger.com (Marie Burton) — Mon, 23 Apr 2012 11:23:00 +0000

The Mermaid Garden: A Novel by Santa Montefiore (May 3, 2011)

The internationally bestselling author of The French Gardener presents a complex and irresistibly compelling novel that confirms the remarkable power of love to heal and transform. Ten-year-old Floriana is captivated by the beauty of the magnificent Tuscan villa that overlooks the sea just outside her small village. She likes to spy from the crumbling wall into the gardens and imagine that one day she’ll escape her meager existence and live there surrounded by its otherworldly splendor. Then one day Dante, the son of the villa’s powerful industrialist owner, invites her inside and shows her the enchanting Mermaid Garden. From that moment, Floriana knows that the only destiny for her is there, in that garden, with Dante. But as they grow up and fall in love, their romance causes a crisis, jeopardizing the very thing they hold most dear.
Decades later and hundreds of miles away, a beautiful old country house hotel on England’s Devon coast has fallen on hard times after the financial crash of 2008. Its owner, Marina, advertises for an artist to stay the summer and teach the guests how to paint. The man she hires is charismatic and wise and soon begins to pacify the discord in her family and transform the fortunes of the hotel. However, he has his own agenda. Is it to destroy, to seduce, or to heal? Whatever his intentions, he is certain to change Marina’s life forever.
Spanning four decades and sweeping from the Italian countryside to the English coast, this new story by Santa Montefiore is a moving and mysterious tale of love, forgiveness, and the past revealed.

The Innocents by Francesca Segal (June 5, 2012)
A smart and slyly funny tale of love, temptation, confusion, and commitment, "The Innocents" is a generous and deeply satisfying look at a close-knit society in which one young man's pre-wedding panic illuminates the universal conflict between responsibility and passion.

Newly engaged and unthinkingly self-satisfied, twenty-eight-year-old Adam Newman is the prize catch of Temple Fortune, a small, tight-knit Jewish suburb of London. He has been dating Rachel Gilbert since they were both sixteen and now, to the relief and happiness of the entire Gilbert family, they are finally to marry. To Adam, Rachel embodies the highest values of Temple Fortune; she is innocent, conventional, and entirely secure in her community—a place in which everyone still knows the whereabouts of their nursery school classmates. Marrying Rachel will cement Adam’s role in a warm, inclusive family he loves.
But as the vast machinery of the wedding gathers momentum, Adam feels the first faint touches of claustrophobia, and when Rachel’s younger cousin Ellie Schneider moves home from New York, she unsettles Adam more than he’d care to admit. Ellie—beautiful, vulnerable, and fiercely independent—offers a liberation that he hadn’t known existed: a freedom from the loving interference and frustrating parochialism of North West London. Adam finds himself questioning everything, suddenly torn between security and exhilaration, tradition and independence. What might he be missing by staying close to home?

This book looks so awesome!

So pleased that I won this from Book Drunkard
The Crown by Nancy Bilyeau
An aristocratic young nun must find a legendary crown in order to save her father—and preserve the Catholic faith from Cromwell’s ruthless terror. The year is 1537. . . Joanna Stafford, a Dominican nun, learns that her favorite cousin has been condemned by Henry VIII to be burned at the stake. Defying the sacred rule of enclosure, Joanna leaves the priory to stand at her cousin’s side. Arrested for interfering with the king’s justice, Joanna, along with her father, is sent to the Tower of London. The ruthless Stephen Gardiner, Bishop of Winchester, takes terrifying steps to force Joanna to agree to spy for him: to save her father’s life she must find an ancient relic—a crown so powerful, it may hold the ability to end the Reformation. Accompanied by two monks, Joanna returns home to Dartford Priory and searches in secret for this long-lost piece of history worn by the Saxon King Athelstan in 937 during the historic battle that first united Britain. But Dartford Priory has become a dangerous place, and when more than one dead body is uncovered, Joanna departs with a sensitive young monk, Brother Edmund, to search elsewhere for the legendary crown. From royal castles with tapestry-filled rooms to Stonehenge to Malmesbury Abbey, the final resting place of King Athelstan, Joanna and Brother Edmund must hurry to find the crown if they want to keep Joanna’s father alive. At Malmesbury, secrets of the crown are revealed that bring to light the fates of the Black Prince, Richard the Lionhearted, and Katherine of Aragon’s first husband, Arthur. The crown’s intensity and strength are beyond the earthly realm and it must not fall into the wrong hands. With Cromwell’s troops threatening to shutter her priory, bright and bold Joanna must now decide who she can trust with the secret of the crown so that she may save herself, her family, and her sacred way of life. This provocative story melds heart-stopping suspense with historical detail and brings to life the poignant dramas of women and men at a fascinating and critical moment in England’s past.

(Quickie Giveaway!) Need You Now by Beth Wiseman

noreply@blogger.com (Marie Burton) — Fri, 20 Apr 2012 13:00:00 +0000

When making bad choices can ruin your life...

Need You Now by Beth Wiseman
Thomas Nelson April 10, 2012
Paperback 320 pages
Christian Fiction
Review copy provided by the publisher, thank you!
Burton Book Review Rating:

When big-city life threatens the safety of one of their children, Brad and Darlene Henderson move with their three teenagers from Houston to the tiny town of Round Top, Texas.
Adjusting to small-town life is difficult for the kids, especially fifteen-year-old Grace who is coping in a dangerous way.
Married life hasn't always been bliss, but their strong faith has carried Brad and Darlene through the difficult times. When Darlene takes a job outside the home for the first time in their marriage, the domestic tension rises.
While working with special needs children at her new job, the widowed father of one of the students starts paying more attention to Darlene than is appropriate. Problem is, she feels like someone is listening to her for the first time in a long time.
If Darlene ever needed God . . . it's now.

This is the story of your average contemporary family: thirties something couple with three growing kids. They move to a quaint town in Texas and try to settle into a decently quiet life, and they seem to do okay for awhile. The kids are adapting differently, and the biggest issue is with their middle child Grace, who normally never causes any problems. However, Grace has taken to self-harm in order to release her pain, and it is a difficult topic to read about. The mother Darlene is the main character, and there are times I simply could not connect with her. She really had everything she could have hoped for with a fabulous house (living next door to a movie star), overall healthy kids (till the cutting part) and a husband who adored her. Instead of counting her blessings, she would instead think of the floors that needed replacing, that her husband would easily be able to afford as he had just made partner, and then she seemed to begrudge her neighbor's natural beauty.
Darlene decides to take another job for no real reason except for herself and self-satisfaction, and while doing so she becomes attracted to another person, and her family begins to fall apart around her partly due to her absence. Grace's self-mutilation shocks everyone in the family but they seek counseling for Grace while the parents blame each other. Darlene's temptation to stray comes and goes, and despite the warnings from her best friend, Darlene continues to ignore the ramifications of her flirtations. Through it all, she flip flops between asking for guidance through her faith, and then denying the faith that is a huge part of her very soul.

The characters are all very well written, especially in showing their dimensions and flaws, but I think I would've connected better with Darlene if she realized the importance of family and God first. Instead, Darlene seemed self-centered and expected everything handed to her, even when seeking advice from her best friend. My favorite characters were actually the friends: Darlene's best friend, Layla the movie star, and Grace's best friend Skylar who dressed in the non-conformist Goth fashion. The plot was strong, with several themes from faith and redemption to difficult topics such as cutting and adultery (which caused my stomach to physically ache!).

The novel is a quick read, with an ending I didn't quite expect as it made the whole read much more worthwhile. I must mention that I normally enjoy historical christian fiction very much, and this was my first Christian fiction in a "contemporary" setting, and as such has proven that the historical part is probably a required theme in my reads as opposed to a present-day setting. In judging the raving Amazon reviews, I am definitely in the minority here with not totally loving this novel, as there are quite a few glowing reviews there.

And you also have an opportunity to prove me wrong.. as I have a new copy to give away to one of my lucky followers of the Burton Book Review.
MANDATORY:

Follow this blog via Google reader/GFC whatever it's called these days

Then comment here with your email address.. and extra entries for each facebook and Twitter share to this post.
Open to USA residents only, and ends 04/24/12

I Love You to God and Back by Amanda Lamb

noreply@blogger.com (Marie Burton) — Tue, 17 Apr 2012 11:22:00 +0000

Give you and your kiddos a step in the right direction with this inspirational book!

I Love You to God and Back by Amanda Lamb
Published by Thomas Nelson April 17, 2012
Spiritual Growth & Christian Thought
Paperback, 272 pages
978-1400203918
Review copy provided by Thomas Nelson, thank you!
Burton Book Review Rating:

A Mother and Child Can Find Faith and Love Through Bedtime Prayers

Whimisical. Simple. Thankful. Profound.

One day at a time, one prayer at a time, a busy working mother and playful six-year-old daughter transformed their bedtime prayers. They started rushed and tired. Distracted, "It's late. Let's go."

And then, gradually, something happened. A thank you here. A vulnerable moment there. The perfunctory prayers became . . . opportunities.

"What did you do today? What did you learn? Anything else?"

Like a window into their relationship their prayers and reflections let us witness the growth, enjoy the childlikeness, and learn from their winsome faith. Discover how you and your child can find connection, humor, and a deeper understanding of God in the quiet last few minutes of each day.

This inspirational book by Amanda Lamb captured my interest with the description of a harried mother that is quite similar to myself. Busy, Distracted and Frustrated. Time to sit back and smell the roses and instill some peace into my family life. What better way than to bring God into a young child's routine with prayers, love and compassion. And to some, just doing that might seem like a chore. But taking baby steps, like starting with this book, you can achieve a brighter outlook.

At first glance, I had hoped this was a book I could share with one of my children, but instead it is a more of a self-help book that details the author's journey. And as one that shies away from self-help, I was disappointed. However, the author's non-condescending tone quickly drew me in. She writes simply, as she writes in diary fashion of her youngest daughter's prayer. It is heartwarming, and makes you wish you could hug young Chloe. She is an inspiration...to the reader and to the author, as the author thinks about the words her daughter is saying and spins them into a small lesson learned. She uses this quiet time with her daughter as a glimpse into her daughter's world, seeing the world through her eyes, and sharing with us the encouraging experience. And quite frankly, I feel like Amanda is my new best friend, she writes honestly and without overdoing the finer points on parenting.

As a working mother myself, I know I don't take enough time to fully comprehend the magnitude of the little things that occur in my children's lives. This book is an easy refresher course on how to take it one day at a time and incorporate the love of God into your routine in small ways, and you will be rewarded with a sense of well-being. I never really thought of the importance of daily prayers for my children, and because of this book I have mended my ways. I feel more in touch with myself, and now my children pray to God and Jesus just like Chloe does. I especially loved the format of the book, knowing that I can easily jump around from one entry to another and bookmark those of Chloe's prayers that were the most inspiring so I could go back to it and read for five minutes and take in that breath of fresh air. The book definitely exceeded its purpose to create a brighter spark of meaning into this thing we call life.

Thank you to Thomas Nelson and for the first BookSneeze book that I requested in a few years!

Mailbox Monday

noreply@blogger.com (Marie Burton) — Mon, 16 Apr 2012 11:25:00 +0000

Welcome to Mailbox Monday, the weekly meme created by Marcia from A girl and her books (formerly The Printed Page) where book lovers share the titles they received for review, purchased, or otherwise obtained over the past week. Mailbox Monday is now on tour, and this month’s host is Cindy's Love of Books.

Here are some of the free EBooks I downloaded, the images of the EBooks are in the slideshow since there were quite a few:
(*Some of these are not free any longer* but Gohlke's is..)

Promise Me This by Cathy Gohlke
Spanning the sinking of the "Titanic" to World War I, "Promise Me This" tells the story of one man's determination to fulfill a promise he made--and of thewoman he has grown to love in the process.

Child of the Mist (The Highland Hills Book 1) by Kathleen Morgan

In the harsh Scottish highlands of 1565, superstition and treachery threaten a truce between rival clans. It's a weak truce at first, bound only by an arranged engagement between Anne MacGregor and Niall Campbell-the heirs of the feuding families.

While Niall wrestles with his suspicions about a traitor in his clan, Anne's actions do not go unnoticed. And as accusations of witchcraft abound, the strong and sometimes callous Campbell heir must fight for Anne's safety among disconcerted clan members. Meanwhile his own safety in threatened with the ever-present threat of someone who wants him dead.
Will Niall discover the traitor's identity in time? Can Anne find a way to fit into her new surroundings? Will the two learn to love each other despite the conflict? With a perfect mix of a burgeoning romance and thrilling suspense, this book is historical fiction at its best.

The Marriage Pact by MJ Pullen

Marci Thompson always knew what life would be like by her 30th birthday. A large but cozy suburban home shared with a charming husband and two brilliant children. A celebrated career as an established writer, complete with wall-to-wall mahogany shelves and a summer book tour. A life full of adventure with her friends and family by her side.

Instead, Marci lives alone in 480 square feet of converted motel space next to a punk rock band, hundreds of miles from her friends and family. She works in a temporary accounting assignment that has somehow stretched from two weeks into nine months. And the only bright spot in her life, not to mention the only sex she’s had in two years, is an illicit affair with her married boss, Doug. Thirty is not at all what it is cracked up to be.

Then the reappearance of a cocktail napkin she hasn’t seen in a decade opens a long-forgotten door, and Marci’s life gets complicated, fast. The lines between right and wrong, fantasy and reality, heartache and happiness are all about to get very blurry, as Marci faces the most difficult choices of her life.

Heart of Gold by Lacy Williams

Wyoming, 1902--Ranch foreman Charlie Welch suspects his boss's daughter has returned home with purely selfish motives--she wants money.
After being estranged from her father for years, Opal Bright hopes her homecoming will result in both reconciliation and a solution to help the orphanage she sponsors back home in Omaha.
When Charlie and Opal find themselves mixed up with a ragtag group of bandits and trapped in an abandoned gold mine, they must risk everything to survive... including their hearts.

Of Moths and Butterflies by V.R. Christensen

Archer Hamilton is a collector of rare and beautiful insects. Gina Shaw is a servant in his uncle's house. Clearly out of place in the position in which she has been discovered, she becomes a source of fascination . . . and curiosity. A girl with a blighted past and a fortune she deems a curse, Gina has lowered herself in order to find escape from her family and their scheming designs. But when she is found, the stakes suddenly become dire. All Gina wants is the freedom to live her life as she would wish. All her aunts want is the money that comes with her. But there is more than one way to trap an insect. An arranged marriage might turn out profitable for more parties than one. Mr. Hamilton is about to make the acquisition of a lifetime. But will the price be worth it? Can a woman captured and acquired learn to love the man who has bought her?

Night Swim by Jessica Keener
Sixteen-year-old Sarah Kunitz lives in a posh, suburban world of 1970 Boston. From the outside, her parents’ lifestyle appears enviable – a world defined by cocktail parties, expensive cars, and live-in maids to care for their children – but inside their five-bedroom house, all is not well for the Kunitz family. Coming home from school, Sarah finds her well-dressed, pill-popping mother lying disheveled on their living room couch. At night, to escape their parents’ arguments, Sarah and her oldest brother, Peter, find solace in music, while her two younger brothers retreat to their rooms and imaginary lives. Any vestige of decorum and stability drains away when their mother dies in a car crash one terrible winter day. Soon after, their father, a self-absorbed, bombastic professor begins an affair with a younger colleague. Sarah, aggrieved, dives into two summer romances that lead to unforeseen consequences. In a story that will make you laugh and cry, Night Swim shows how a family, bound by heartache, learns to love again.

Walking on Broken Glass by Christa Allen

Leah Thornton’s life, like her Southern Living home, has great curb appeal. But a paralyzing encounter with a can of frozen apple juice in the supermarket shatters the façade, forcing her to admit that all is not as it appears. When her best friend gets in Leah’s face about her refusal to deal with her life, Leah is forced to make an agonizing decision. Can she sacrifice what she wants to get what she needs? Joy, sadness, and pain converge, testing Leah’s commitment to her marriage, her motherhood, and her faith.

Love's Sacred Song by Mesu Andrews
Standing in the massive shadow of his famous father, young king Solomon wavers between fear and bravado, wisdom and folly. In the uncertain world of alliances and treachery, Solomon longs for peace and a love that is true and pure--a love that can be his cornerstone.

A shepherdess in the northern city of Shunem, Arielah remembers the first time she laid eyes on Solomon in Jerusalem when she was just seven years old. Since then she has known that it was her destiny to become his bride. When her father, a leader of their tribe, secures a promise from King Solomon to marry Arielah as a treaty bride to help unite the kingdom, it seems her dreams may come true.

But how can this simple shepherdess live as part of Solomon's harem? Can Solomon set aside his distractions to give himself completely to just one woman? Or will he let duty, deception, and the daily routine divide his heart?

Out of Control (The Kindcaid Brides) by Mary Connealy

Julia Gilliland has always been interested in the natural world around her. She particularly enjoys her outings to the cavern near her father's homestead, where she explores for fossils and formations, and plans to write a book about her discoveries. The cave seems plenty safe--until the day a mysterious intruder steals the rope she uses to find her way out.

Rafe Kincaid has spent years keeping his family's cattle ranch going, all without help from his two younger brothers, who fled the ranch--and Rafe's controlling ways--as soon as they were able. He's haunted by one terrible day at the cave on a far-flung corner of the Kincaid property, a day that changed his life forever. Ready to put the past behind him, he plans to visit the cave one final time. He sure doesn't expect to find a young woman trapped in one of the tunnels--or to be forced to kiss her!

Rafe is more intrigued by Julia than any woman he's ever known, but how can he overlook her fascination with the cave he despises? And when his developing relationship with Julia threatens his chance at reconciliation with his brothers, will he be forced to choose between the family bonds that could restore his trust and the love that could heal his heart?

The Apothecary's Daughter (very excited about this one) by Julie Klassen
Lillian Haswell, brilliant daughter of the local apothecary, yearns for more adventure and experience than life in her father's shop and their small village provides. She also longs to know the truth behind her mother's disappearance, which villagers whisper about but her father refuses to discuss. Opportunity comes when a distant aunt offers to educate her as a lady in London. Exposed to fashionable society and romance--as well as clues about her mother--Lilly is torn when she is summoned back to her ailing father's bedside. Women are forbidden to work as apothecaries, so to save the family legacy, Lilly will have to make it appear as if her father is still making all the diagnoses and decisions. But the suspicious eyes of a scholarly physician and a competing apothecary are upon her. As they vie for village prominence, three men also vie for Lilly's heart.

Legacy Lane (Book One in the Harts Crossing) Robin Lee Hatcher

Angie Hunter left Hart's Crossing for college and never looked back. So when her widowed mother needs care following surgery, Angie is more than ready to hire a nurse rather than return to her antiquated hometown. But when she is passed over for a promotion at work, an angry Angie quits and heads home anyway.

Francine Hunter is both excited and nervous about having her daughter home for the next two months. She sees this as her chance to make a new connection with her estranged daughter. Will she be able to nudge Angie toward faith without overdoing it? Or will Angie pack up and leave for a new job as soon as Francine has recovered?

Sarai: A Novel (Wives of the Patriarchs, Book One) by Jill Eileen Smith

Sarai, the last child of her aged father, is beautiful, spoiled, and used to getting her own way. Even as a young girl, she is aware of the way men look at her, including her half brother Abram. When Abram finally requests Sarai's hand, she asks one thing--that he promise never to take another wife as long as she lives. Even her father thinks the demand is restrictive and agrees to the union only if Sarai makes a promise in return--to give Abram a son and heir. Certain she can easily do that, Sarai agrees.

But as the years stretch on and Sarai's womb remains empty, she becomes desperate to fulfill her end of the bargain--lest Abram decide that he will not fulfill his. To what lengths will Sarai go in her quest to bear a son? And how long will Abram's patience last?

Jill Eileen Smith thrilled readers with The Wives of King David series. Now she brings to life the strong and celebrated wives of the patriarchs, beginning with the beautiful and inscrutable Sarai.

A Texan's Honor (Heart of a Hero Book #2) by Shelley Gray
Shortest, lamest synopsis ever... but I do love the cover very much!
U.S. Marshal Will McMillan risks his mission to rescue Jamie Ellis. Will it cost him is life or just his heart?

Those were all just for me and my own addicting pleasure of free ebooks, bwahhaahaa... the next are for review:

Need You Now by Beth Wiseman, (April 2012) from Thomas Nelson (Reading now)

When big-city life threatens the safety of one of their children, Brad and Darlene Henderson move with their three teenagers from Houston to the tiny town of Round Top, Texas.
Adjusting to small-town life is difficult for the kids, especially fifteen-year-old Grace who is coping in a dangerous way.
Married life hasn't always been bliss, but their strong faith has carried them through the difficult times. When Darlene takes a job outside the home for the first time in their marriage, the domestic tension rises.
While working with special needs children at her new job, the widowed father of one of Darlene's students starts paying more attention to her than is appropriate. Problem is, she feels like someone is listening to her for the first time in a long time. If Darlene ever needed God . . . it's now.

Book of Summers by Emylia Hall (MIRA publication May 29, 2012)
For nine-year-old Beth Lowe, it should have been a magical summer-sun-kissed days lounging in rickety deck chairs, nights gathered around the fire. But what begins as an innocent vacation to Hungary ends with the devastating separation of her parents. Beth and her father return home alone, leaving her mother, Marika, behind. Over the next seven summers, Beth walks a tightrope between worlds, fleeing her quiet home and distant father to bask in the intoxicating Hungarian countryside with Marika. It is during these enthralling summers that Beth comes to life and learns to love. But at sixteen, she uncovers a life-shattering secret, bringing her sacred summers with Marika abruptly to an end. Now, years later, Beth receives a package containing a scrapbook, a haunting record of a time long forgotten. Suddenly, she is swept back to the world she left behind, forced to confront the betrayal that destroyed her-and to search her heart for forgiveness.

Sixty Acres and A Bride by Regina Jennings (February 1, 2012)

With nothing to their names, young widow Rosa Garner and her mother-in-law return to Texas and the family ranch. Only now the county is demanding back taxes and the women have only three months to pay.

Though facing eviction, Rosa can't keep herself from falling in love with the countryside and the wonderful extended family who want only her best. Learning the American customs is not easy, however, and this beautiful young widow can't help but catch wandering eyes. Where some offer help with dangerous strings attached, only one man seems honorable. But when Weston Garner, still grieving his own lost love, is unprepared to give his heart, to what lengths will Rosa go to save her future?

The Messenger by Siri Mitchell (March 1, 2012)
Hannah Sunderland felt content in her embrace of the Quaker faith...until her twin brother joined the Colonial cause and ended up in jail. She longs to bring some measure of comfort to him in the squalid prison, but her faith forbids it. The Friends believe they are not to take sides, not to take up arms. She is not allowed to visit him, even if she were able to secure a pass.

Jeremiah Jones, a Colonial spy, needs access to the jail to help rescue me important to the cause. Upon meeting Hannah, a plan begins to develop. Who would suspect a pious Quaker visiting a loved one?

But Jeremiah is unprepared for Hannah, for her determination to do right, to not lie. How can one be a spy and not lie? Hannah, in turn, is surprised by Jeremiah...for the way he forces her to confront her own beliefs, for the sensitivity and concern he shows her despite the wounds he still carries.

In a time of war, can two unlikely heroes find the courage to act?

The Not-So-Nude Ride of Lady Godiva: & Other Morsels of Misinformation from the History Books

by David Haviland (June 14, 2012)

It is said that history is written by the winners. However, the “winners” aren’t always the best historians. Enter David Haviland, to set the record straight. In his quirky, inimitable style, Haviland separates fact from fiction regarding some of history’s most well-known people and events, such as: Lady Godiva: By far, history’s most famous nudist equestrian. But how nude was she, really? And how did this same legend give rise to the term “Peeping Tom”? The Boston Tea Party: What was the cause of this famous “party” that wasn’t really a party? (Hint: If you guessed a rise in taxes, you’re dead wrong!) World War I: How did a directionally challenged chauffeur spark the Great War? Queen Victoria: Nowadays, the word “Victorian” is synonymous with stuffy prudishness. But would a prude pose nude for a provocative portrait, or become “close” with a young Indian servant? In The Not-So-Nude Ride of Lady Godiva, Haviland untangles fallacy, farce, and misrepresentation of historic proportions. The end result is a wholly fascinating, highly educational compendium of historical folly that will entertain readers young and old!

AND..... the last-but-not-least Review book, the sequel to Hilary Mantel's Wolf Hall "BRING UP THE BODIES".. Now how awesome of a title is that??? Here I am in all my dorky Saturday Glory when it came:

But I haven't read Wolf Hall yet. So, maybe I should. Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm.........
This one is not as chunky as Wolf Hall is though. It's description is:
By 1535 Thomas Cromwell, the blacksmith’s son, is far from his humble origins. Chief Minister to Henry VIII, his fortunes have risen with those of Anne Boleyn, Henry’s second wife, for whose sake Henry has broken with Rome and created his own church. But Henry’s actions have forced England into dangerous isolation, and Anne has failed to do what she promised: bear a son to secure the Tudor line. When Henry visits Wolf Hall, Cromwell watches as Henry falls in love with the silent, plain Jane Seymour. The minister sees what is at stake: not just the king’s pleasure, but the safety of the nation. As he eases a way through the sexual politics of the court, its miasma of gossip, he must negotiate a ‘truth’ that will satisfy Henry and secure his own career. But neither minister nor king will emerge undamaged from the bloody theatre of Anne’s final days.

In Bring up the Bodies, sequel to the Man Booker Prize-winning Wolf Hall, Hilary Mantel explores one of the most mystifying and frightening episodes in English history: the destruction of Anne Boleyn. From history’s darkroom, this novel offers a speaking picture to the modern world, a vision of Tudor England so recognizable it defies archaism. It is the work of one of our great writers at the height of her powers.

And from Paperbackswap, I received Mary Tudor: A Life by David Loades
Few English monarchs have a worse reputation than Mary Tudor. She has been seen both as a religious fanatic who tried against the will of her people to reverse the course of the Reformation and as the pawn of her husband, Philip II of Spain - her infatuation with whom led her to betray England's vital interests. How this pious, and by contemporary accounts, gentle woman aroused an antipathy that survives until the present is a central question in David Loades's sensitive biography, now in paperback. Based on research into the documents of the time (many newly uncovered) the compelling story of Mary's life is revealed here in unprecedented detail and depth, packed with incident and intrigue, and enmeshed in the politics of secular and religious struggle in England and Europe.

Yea, that was a Huge Mailbox. Huge. I predict four of these getting read in the next three months.

Illusion by Frank Peretti (Giveaway & Review)

noreply@blogger.com (Marie Burton) — Fri, 13 Apr 2012 12:00:00 +0000

Spellbinding mix of Science, Spirit, Afterlife, Thriller!

Illusion by Frank Peretti
Howard Books, March 6, 2012
Hardcover 512 pages
Review copy generously received from the publisher, thank you!
Burton Book Review Rating:

Dane and Mandy, a popular magic act for forty years, are tragically separated by a car wreck that claims Mandy’s life—or so everyone thinks. Even as Dane mourns and tries to rebuild his life without her, Mandy, supposedly dead, awakes in the present as the nineteen-year-old she was in 1970. Distraught and disoriented in what to her is the future, she is confined to a mental ward until she discovers a magical ability to pass invisibly through time and space to escape. Alone in a strange world, she uses her mysterious powers to eke out a living, performing magic on the streets and in a quaint coffee shop.
Hoping to discover an exciting new talent, Dane ventures into the coffee shop and is transfixed by the magic he sees, illusions that even he, a seasoned professional, cannot explain. But more than anything, he is emotionally devastated by this teenager who has never met him, doesn’t know him, is certainly not in love with him, but is in every respect identical to the young beauty he first met and married some forty years earlier.
They begin a furtive relationship as mentor and protégée, but even as Dane tries to sort out who she really is and she tries to understand why she is drawn to him, they are watched by secretive interests who not only possess the answers to Mandy’s powers and misplacement in time but also the roguish ability to decide what will become of her.
Frank Peretti has crafted a rich, rewarding story of love and life, loss and restoration, full of twists and mystery. Exceptionally well written, Illusion will soon prove another Peretti classic.

Peretti's marketing team had done a stellar job promoting this novel on Facebook, and I read an excerpt there which had me hooked. I have rarely every read samples or excerpts in their entirety before, but this one was good. When I finally got around to reading it, I really had no idea what to expect, even after the first chapter.

Married and professionally successful in the magic business for many years, Dane and Mandy Collins are in a horrific car accident which leaves only one alive. Sort of. Dane survived, and continues his grieving process in Mandy's hometown in a new house they were supposed to live in together. Soon enough, he meets up with the alter ego of Mandy. Going by Eloise, she is a young woman thinking she should be in the hippy 70's, but it's really 2010. When Dane meets Eloise, there is a connection, but neither one of them realizes the magnitude of it. Could it really be Mandy, reincarnated so to speak, as her former self at age nineteen?

Enter Corporal James Dose. Screeching tires sound effect because I really wanted him to go away since he just sort of inserted himself into the story which was gearing up towards love lost and found... now we have some sort of spygate/terrorist cell thing out of nowhere. Turns out, he is just one of a few of the ripple effect Eloise's sudden appearance causes.

Sixty year old Dane is grieving for his wife Mandy, and when Eloise walks up to his front door, he knows something crazy (but magical?) is going on. Convincing himself that Eloise is Mandy's former younger self/spirit doesn't take much. But Eloise doesn't know what's going on either, not does she know where she fits in the universe. It turns out there are many timelines, and Eloise is just one of them. And how is Eloise doing all these fantastic magic tricks, wowing everyone she sees? And who is she, and where did she come from? Enter a few mad scientists, trickery, deceit and a love that surpasses all odds, and you've got yourself a story like no other. I completely fell in love with Dane and Mandy, and her doves, and his loyalty and willingness to believe in the impossible.

I need to mention that when books fall into a paranormal or timeslip category, I don't read any further. If you read this review and feel like it something that you wouldn't normally enjoy, you might very well could be wrong. This was an awesome story for me well deserving of its five stars, even though it may not be something I would usually read. There is a Christian theme and a thriller theme, all blending seamlessly with this undying love for a spouse. Packed with fantastic storytelling, Frank Peretti lives up to his good name. Illusion is a bit of a magic show in itself: mystery, thriller, spirituality, romance.. and as Mandy/Eloise say to each other, "You are in for a ride!"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~GIVEAWAY!!!!!!!!!~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I have one new ARC to give away, courtesy of the publisher's marketing team (thank you!).

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Forever Amber by Kathleen Winsor

noreply@blogger.com (Marie Burton) — Tue, 10 Apr 2012 13:21:00 +0000

2000 reissue of a forbidden 1944 tale, Chicago Review Press

Forever Amber by Kathleen Winsor
Originally published 1944
Chicago Review Press, September 2000
Paperback 976 pages
Novel purchased from HalfPrice Books
Burton Book Review Rating:

Abandoned pregnant and penniless on the teeming streets of London, 16-year-old Amber St. Clare manages, by using her wits, beauty, and courage, to climb to the highest position a woman could achieve in Restoration England—that of favorite mistress of the Merry Monarch, Charles II. From whores and highwaymen to courtiers and noblemen, from events such as the Great Plague and the Fire of London to the intimate passions of ordinary—and extraordinary—men and women, Amber experiences it all. But throughout her trials and escapades, she remains, in her heart, true to the one man she really loves, the one man she can never have. Frequently compared to Gone with the Wind, Forever Amber is the other great historical romance, outselling every other American novel of the 1940s—despite being banned in Boston for its sheer sexiness. A book to read and reread, this edition brings back to print an unforgettable romance and a timeless masterpiece.

Forever Amber is one of those books that you either love or hate it. Some hate it because the main protagonist is a total dimwit with zero scruples. Others feel it is a total rip of Gone With The Wind. And, hey, if I were a critical woman I'd agree wholeheartedly, but the fact of the matter is that I simply do not care as long as I am being entertained. Instead of rereading Gone With the Wind over and over, I'd so much rather read rip-offs and garner a new experience with new characters. And what better setting then that of Restoration England?

Amber is a harlot and cares only about herself. Once I got past that icky fact, I let the scenery suck me into Amber's world during the seventeenth century. And lucky for us, the story is told omniscient so that we get a little taste of everyone, from Charles II and his Queen, to his mistress Barbara Palmer and but always back again to Amber. There are quite a few supporting characters and men to keep the story interesting, as Amber keeps that one man never far from our thoughts: Bruce Carlton (said as an epithet: Bruce Carlton!! $%#%$!!)

Halfway through the book, where in other novels heroines would finally have settle down and conduct themselves in a respectable manner, Forever Amber once again exhibits reasons why there are some who loathe it. I'll say it again: Amber is a harlot. Can I truly get past this fact four hundred pages later with even more to go? I will say that she actually does manage to redeem herself for half a moment when she takes care of Bruce, but I knew it wouldn't last long.

The background of the story (and its saving grace) is the magnificent era of the Restoration in all its glory. Charles II and his mistresses are featured, with the corresponding courtiers the likes of Samuel Pepys and the Duke of Hamilton/Buckingham/etc. The decadence, the plays, the plague, the privateers, the discontent of England and the distant hope of America are the novel's driving force as Amber becomes involved in them all.

Peggy Cummings, original star of Forever Amber, but sadly was replaced by Linda Darnell. This is exactly how I pictured her.

Lobby Card of the film

One of the amazing things that always gets me thinking is the original novel that Kathleen Winsor had written. Her original publisher is said to have cut her final draft to one-fifth its size. What was cut out? Why didn't they publish separate volumes if size was an issue? The author's other novels seem to be more themed as pure romance types, so I wonder if it was the romantic scenes that got the heave-ho. Even though the topic is scandalous enough for the 1940's when this was written, the sex scenes are completely skipped over. Fourteen US states banned the book for pornography.. from this typically prudish gal I'm like you've gotta be kidding me! Because even though Amber IS a harlot, the actual sex is not here. But, we're talking fifty years ago, so the ALLUSION of sex is evident and therefore ruffled prim and proper feathers.

The entire story of a girl sowing her oats in Restoration England is a memorable one, and I can understand the reasons why this novel has made the favorites list. The details are immense, and the narration of the story is done so well that the reader gets immersed in the era of Charles II and the Restoration. The final scene leaves us shaking our heads, and wondering what silliness Amber is going to embark on next. We can only imagine.