White Rose, Black Forest - Eoin Dempsey

This was one of my Kindle First books that I picked up.  Lately, I haven't been getting many of them, I've been disappointed one too many times.  This title interested me, and I decided to give it a shot, even though I wasn't overly find of the cover.

Franka is on her way to die when she comes across a man with two broken legs.  Being deep in the Black Forest of Germany, she isn't happy to see he's part of the Luftwaffe, but she's a nurse and can't turn her back on him.  While he's recovering, she hears him cry out in English and wonders who he really is.  Once he wakes up, he's not willing to reveal his secrets, but he's stuck until his legs heal.

Overall, I really did like this book.  I have one issue with it, and that's the backstories.  Franka decides to reveal her past to the man she's rescued, but it isn't a seamless story.  Instead of making it part of a conversation between the two, the author changes it so it's more third person storytelling.  The author does the same with the man's story.  It was pretty annoying and a HUGE missed opportunity.  Those stories could have been pared down and given me enough backstory without breaking the flow of the book.  It saddened me, but once I was past that part, I was able to wrap myself up in the lives of those two people, and the book finished strong.

Other than that, it was a great tale.  Based on a true story, I wish the author had included some additional information at the end.  How much of it was true?  I'll probably never know, but stories like that interest me.  I would've loved to know more about the people it was based on. 

As a Kindle First book, this was a major win.  I enjoyed it a lot more than I expected and wouldn't hesitate to recommend it to someone interested in that time period.  A surprising find that definitely gets a Good Book! rating.

Follow the Heart (Great Exhibition #1) - Kaye Dacus

This is the first book in the series.  I've already read the second one, An Honest Heart.

Kate's family is ruined.  At 27, she's now the only hope of bringing some cash into the family.  Her father sends her to England, where she'll stay with her uncle. hoping to catch a wealthy suitor.

It isn't in her nature to be flirtatious and have meaningless conversations and remember the names of countless people, but Kate puts on a brave face and tries to ignore her feeling for the landscape architect, Andrew.  He shares her love of plants, but he'll never be able to provide her with the money she needs to save her family.  She's attracted the attention of a viscount, but she can't make herself stop thinking about Andrew.

Christopher, Kate's brother, has also come to England.  He's hoping to either find a wealthy heiress or a job to support himself.  Instead, he falls in love with the governess.  While the book is mainly about Kate, I liked the additional story of Christopher and Nora.  I also liked that it was developed enough that it didn't feel crammed in there for no reason.

This book was a treat.  It has a nice message of learning to listen to God and not just asking for things all the time.  It wasn't overly preachy, and I liked it a lot.  Caddy (from book 2) is briefly mentioned, but I still believe you can read these out of order and be just fine.  I seemed to be a bit on the fence about An Honest Heart, but I have no qualms giving this a Good Book! review.

Side note: I found it interesting that, in the back of the book, the author describes what drew her to write about the Great Exhibition.  Mention is made of my favorite miniseries, North and South (BBC, not the Civil War one).  She loved the scene of the Great Exhibition, and it's one of my favorites as well.  It was just one of those things that enhanced my enjoyment, knowing I had a kindred spirit out there.

Ross Poldark (Poldark Saga #1) - Winston Graham

I'm a big Poldark fan.  I've watched the first 3 seasons on PBS, and you'll find me tsking at characters when I think they're misbehaving and shouting at others I don't like.  I also love listening to the soundtrack, especially the songs that Eleanor Tomlinson (Demelza) sings.

I used to say I won't watch the show/movie and also read the book.  Well, I might have to stop saying that.  This isn't the first time I've broken that rule, and it probably won't be the last.  When there's a show or movie I just can't get enough of, I can't help myself.  I have to read the book.

If you're familiar with the show, you'll get more depth to characters you already know and love.  While point of view changes can sometimes be abrupt, I found it didn't bother me.  I also didn't mind the changes or omissions between the show and the book.  A small timeline change with Demelza makes sense and doesn't affect the overall story.

The most surprising thing for me was the writing.  I found the descriptions to be detailed, but not boring.  The images Graham painted in my mind gave me a greater appreciation for him.  I really did enjoy his style.  For example, one of my favorite descriptive moments was: "he rode straight home, reaching Nampara as the first threads of daylight were unpicking the clustered clouds of the night."  But there's also moments that make you think: "But one cannot turn one's back on the truth.  One cannot wish it away, or pray it away, or even live it away."  Just love his way with words.

My one complaint (and it's so small as to be insignificant) was Polly Choake.  Oh my goodness, trying to decipher her speech was a real test of my puzzle-solving abilities!

Be warned, that there's 12 books in this saga, so it's going to be a long-term commitment.  Now that I'm hooked, I'll definitely be keeping an eye on them.  Demelza is the next one in the series, and I can't wait for more Cornwall.  Great Book!

Thirst of Steel (Tox Files #3) - Ronie Kendig

Make sure you read these in order.  It's what I would consider a continuous series.  This is the third and final book of the series.  There's a novella to start off with, The Warrior's Seal.  Then we have the other two books, Conspiracy of Silence and Crown of Souls.

The sword of Goliath is the new threat facing the team.  But Tox isn't at the helm this time, he's undercover.  There's lots of twists and turns, and it's difficult to talk about what's going on without revealing spoilers.  To sum it up, it's a well written book and up to par with Kendig's other books.

I really wasn't fond of Tzivia in this book, and she's a main character.  It made it harder to get through the book since I didn't sympathize with her.

Talking about the series as a whole, I wasn't a fan of the supernatural aspects of these books.  Also, the flashbacks to the past interrupted the flow of the story, but since it wasn't all the time, I was able to deal with it.  Overall, not my favorite series, but still well written.  3.5 stars.

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

Caught by Surprise (Apart From the Crowd #3) - Jen Turano

This is the third book in the series.  First is a novella, At Your Request.  Then the first two books of the series are Behind the Scenes and Out of the Ordinary.  This book wraps up the series in a neat little bow with an epilogue at the end, so if you’ve read the first two, you’ll get resolution for everyone.  If you haven’t read the other two, you’ll still be able to read this one and not feel lost.

Temperance Flowerdew has been abducted.  Trapped in a coffin, she discovers that her bumbling kidnappers have the wrong Flowerdew.  Apparently, her cousin has taken it upon herself to trap Temperance’s good friend, Gilbert, into marriage.  Now that Temperance and Gilbert have been thrown together again, and in such circumstances, Gilbert insists that they need to be married.

Gilbert doesn’t just want to marry Temperance to save her reputation.  His feelings for her are growing, but she keeps insisting they aren’t suited and would kill each other within a few weeks if they married.  Lives are in danger, and unraveling this mystery will involve not one, but two, families.

I liked this book.  As usual, the characters are quirky and lovable.  If I had to pick a favorite for this series, I’d have to say it was Out of the Ordinary.  I just really loved the tale of Harrison and Gertrude.  Back to this one, it’s a good tale and definitely worth reading.  Good Book!

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

Dead Drift (Chesapeake Valor #4) - Dani Pettrey

This is the fourth, and final, book in the series.  The first three are Cold Shot, Still Life, and Blind Spot.  If you read her Alaskan Courage series, you might remember that series had a total of five books.  I'm not sure why this one had only four, but I'm always excited to read something by Pettrey.

In this book, Griffin and Finley are on their own, chasing down a serial killer.  The rest of the team is working together to try and stop Ebeid for good.  Luke is going to have to do something he hasn't done for quite some time: work on a team.  He's also trying to win back the love of his life, Kate, all while dodging explosions, bullets and death.

You're definitely going to want to read these in order.  I think you'd be more than a bit lost if you started the series here.  It hadn't been that long since I'd read Blind Spot, but I needed those little reminders in there of "previously, in the Chesapeake Valor series..."

I enjoyed this one, but I almost wish is had been possible to break up the two main drama story lines so that things didn't feel so rushed at the end.  It is what it is, though, and I did like the book.  I'll still be on the lookout for the next series, Coastal Guardians.  Not my favorite, but still a good book.

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

Formula of Deception - Carrie Stuart Parks

Dakota “Murphy” has been in hiding.  She’s pretending she knows about law enforcement so she can make a few bucks, but she gets wrapped up in a series of seemingly unrelated events and murders.  She has the feeling they’re all connected, but she doesn’t know how.

Between Murphy trying to stay hidden from her sister’s killer and the mystery surrounding the past, she’s constantly on the run.  She’s not sure who she can trust, and everyone around her ends up injured or dead.  Everything points to a connection with WWII, but she just can’t figure out why it’s important.

This book confused me for the most part.  There’s memories mixed in with the present, but without any transition or indication I’d jumped to the past/dream, I was left feeling lost and confused.

The writing was good, but I didn’t connect with Murphy.  Had I been able to do that, I think I would’ve liked the book better.  The ending was unexpected, which is good, but it was also a bit confusing as well.

The end was my favorite part, but it felt a bit rushed.  There were a lot of coincidences that came together at the same time.  I’m used to that in the suspense novels I read, but this one had a ton of things happen at once.

I seriously wanted to like this book.  I’ve loved the Gwen Marcey series and was so excited to read this.  In the end it wasn’t for me, and I’m saddened by it.

*I received a complimentary copy of this book from Thomas Nelson through NetGalley.  Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.