The Heart's Appeal (London Beginnings #2) - Jennifer Delamere

The Heart's Appeal is the second book in this series about three sisters.  The first one, The Captain's Daughter, was about Rosalyn, and book 3, The Artful Match, is about Cara.

This book is about Julia, the sister who strives to become a doctor.  She's lost her benefactor, but she trusts God to provide for her.  An accident on the Underground brings her together with Michael.  He's a barrister, and he's working on a case that might affect Julia's future.  He's also letting his sister set him up with a woman who would give them a higher social standing.

After Julia saves Michael's life, she appeals to his sense of honor and asks him to tutor her in her hardest subject: Latin.  He agrees, and they start spending more time together.  No one seems to approve, especially Michael's sister (and I felt super bad for her downtrodden husband).  It's a matter of whether these two can adjust their dreams to be together.

I liked this book, even though Julia seemed a bit too preachy at times.  Both Rosalyn and Cara show up, but you just get a sense of how close the sisters are.  The elusive father is an overarching story, but it doesn't affect my opinion of being able to read these alone/out of order.

Overall, I enjoyed this one and look forward to reading about Cara.  Good Book!

A Desperate Hope (Empire State Novel #3) - Elizabeth Camden

This is the third book in the Empire State Novel series.  The first book is called A Dangerous Legacy, and the second is A Daring Venture.

Eloise is headed back to Duval Springs, where she spent much of her childood, but it's the last place she wants to go.  Twelve years ago, she left because of her relationship with Alex Duval, and she hasn't looked back since.  She's made herself into a rule-abiding CPA and enjoys her structured life.

Alex is a dreamer, but he's never forgotten the spunky redhead who stole his heart.  He's been committed to saving the town, but he's lost.  Now, the town's scheduled to be destroyed to make way for a reservoir.  When Eloise shows up to help buy off the town's residents, Alex doesn't recognize the icy person in front of him.

These two are complete opposites, but they still have a spark.  Unfortunately for Alex, Eloise has no intentions of staying with Alex.  When they come up with a plan for the removal of the town, Eloise donates her time to the dream, but she still plans on returning to her structured life.  Unless Alex can convince her to trust him and be a bit daring.  There's also a snitch in town feeding information to the town's most hated man, and sabotage threatens Alex's plans.

I liked this book, and I liked the characters.  I like the way Alex's impulsiveness balanced out Eloise's straight-laced nature and vice versa.  I also appreciated the research the author did, because it shows.  Nick and Rosalind show up, but you don't have to be familiar with A Daring Venture to keep up with what's going on.

I'm glad that I stuck with this series, even though I wasn't a huge fan of the first book.  This book was entertaining, and I enjoyed reading it.

*I received a copy of this book from Bethany House through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

The Secret Adversary - Agatha Christie

Originally published in 1922, The Secret Adversary is the first adventure for Tommy and Tuppence.  These characters show up in a total of 4 novels and a collection of short stories.  I've personally read a few of Christie's novels.  My favorite up to now is And Then There Were None.

Tommy and Tuppence have been friends since childhood.  They've met back up and form their own business called the Young Adventurers to try and earn some money.  They end up searching for a missing woman and a paper that could threaten the British government.

I liked this book a lot.  I loved the way the mystery was paced.  When Tommy's in danger, the reader knows he's in danger, but ends up reading about Tuppence.  The whole time, the reader worries about what's happened to Tommy. 

Many times, with a novel this old, it reads dated and a bit boring.  I was really impressed with this one.  Other than some phrasing that's definitely out of date, it was a real page-turner!  I loved the characters, and every time I thought I had the identity of Mr. Brown figured out, something would happen to make me doubt myself.  And that's the best kind of mystery novel.

This is listed as an Illustrated edition.  What this actually means is that there are pictures at the end, mostly revolving around Agatha Christie and her life.  I found them to be pretty interesting.  Definitely gets a Good Book! review.