The White Giraffe (Legend of the Animal Healer #1) - Lauren St. John

I'm finally getting around to reading the books recommended by my kids for my 2015 challenge.  This particular book was suggested by my younger daughter, who has a passion for giraffes.  She has read all the books in this series and is one of her favorites.

Martine has lost both her parents in a tragic fire and is sent to live with her grandmother on a wildlife reserve in Africa.  Life is much different than it was in England and Martine feels lonely and afraid, especially since her grandmother has made it clear she isn't pleased Martine is living with her.

Late one night she sees the impossible: a white giraffe.  She sneaks out to meet the animal and becomes friends with him.  Encounters with injured animals show Martine that she has a special power to heal those animals, a gift.  When her classmates see her gift, they suspect her of being a witch.

I thought this was a neat story, and the illustrations are beautiful.  As a mother, the amount of sneaking out and danger that 11-year-old Martine encounters bothered me, but I don't think it would be too scary for kids.  There's also a woman that reads bones to predict the future, so that might bother some people.

The book is recommended for ages 8-12, and I think that's pretty spot on.  For a kid's book, this was a decent length, 180 pages. Some of the animals mentioned I'm not sure that age group would be able to identify, but it's a well written book.  There are 3 other books in the series: Dolphin Song, The Last Leopard and The Elephant's Tale.

For my first book recommended by my kids, this one is a thumb's up!

Rules of Murder (Drew Farthering Mysteries #1) - Julianna Deering

I've seen this book advertised and recommended for me numerous times, so when it popped up for free, I decided to give it a chance.

It's the 1930's and Drew is a lighthearted English gentleman.  Returning to his home, he is distressed to find the man rumored to have had an affair with his mother in his bed!  When the man is later murdered and his mother is found dead, secrets are uncovered and both Drew and his stepfather, Mason, are under suspicion.

Madeline has come from America to visit Uncle Mason and is drawn to Drew.  He doesn't take much seriously, but when the strange happenings don't stop at just the murder, they're both sucked into the mystery.

The rules of murder are broken time and again while the mystery gets more and more complicated.  Not everyone is as they seem, and Drew, Madeline and Drew's friend, Nick, band together determined to find the truth.

While I found Drew's humor to be out of place at times, it was his way of coping with things and overall he's a fun character.  I think my favorite out of the lot was Nick, he had such a great personality.  The author's note at the end about the "Rules of Murder" list created by Father Knox was really cute.

There are two more books in this series.  Death by the Book is the second and Murder at the Mikado is the third.  If you like Agatha Christie novels with unique mystery story lines, you would probably enjoy this book.  If you're not sure, this is available for Kindle for FREE until the end of August.  Pick it up!  I'm going to place the other two on my watch list and see what happens!  Good Book!

Not by Sight - Kate Breslin

It’s WWI and Grace is doing what she can to support the effort.  With her brother serving, she feels his absence and doesn’t understand the titled and wealthy who shirk their responsibility to their country.  In an effort to shame them into serving, she sneaks into a ball to hand out white feathers of cowardice.

Jack is on the receiving end of that gesture but is more amused than offended.  He’s at the ball working undercover to find a spy.  Grace’s beauty distracts him from his purpose and he loses his quarry, and later that night, his sight.

Fast forward a few months and these two meet again.  Jack initially suspects Grace of spying on him since her father is under suspicion of being a traitor, but the more time he spends with her, the more he realizes that her heart is genuine and it’s possible there’s someone out there who can see past his scars.  He’s willing to believe in her, but his friend isn’t so sure that she isn’t at least a pawn in her father’s scheme.

This book is well written and the characters in it are deep and convincing.  I especially like how things happen in a believable way with a few little twists and turns.  I did have the traitor figured out pretty quick, but I was totally wrapped up in the plot and couldn’t wait to see how it all ended.  I normally don’t read books in this era, but the war isn’t a major part of the story so you don’t end up reading a lot about the battles.  It’s more focused on the espionage aspect.

While this is my first read by this author, I do have her first book, For Such a Time, waiting on my Kindle.  I look forward to reading it in the near future!  Good Book!

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

Among the Fair Magnolias - Dorothy Love, Tamera Alexander, Elizabeth Musser, Shelley Gray

While I don’t read a ton of novella collections, this one caught my eye.  I’ve enjoyed reading a couple of the authors in the past and I’m always up for a good love story!  After reading it, I was happy with two of the stories – the other two, not so much.

       A Heart So True – Dorothy Love

Pawleys Island, South Carolina – 1860

Abby’s heart belongs to Dr. Bennett, while her family is urging her to consider an alliance with a neighbor, Charles.  Abby’s heart is set, but will she choose love or duty?

This was basically an okay story.  If I read a summary and see the words “love story,” I have the expectation of reading about two people coming together.  Technically, this did happen, but I felt that more interaction between Wade and Abby was necessary to make me care about their relationship.  I wished there had been less “random moments” and more detail about their relationship.

      To Mend a Dream – Tamera Alexander

Nashville, Tennessee – 1870

This is the story of Savannah, a minor character in To Win Her Favor, a full-length novel by Tamera Alexander.  In the novel, Savannah is searching for something her father had hidden away for their future.  Now, she’s struggling for money and trying to provide for her brother and sister.  When she’s given the task of helping the new owners of her former home redecorate, she has the opportunity to search for what she seeks, but dealing with the man of the house and his fiancée might be the hardest part.  Aiden is also questioning his future and meeting Savannah helps him put his priorities in order.

I really liked this story.  I remembered Savannah from the novel and was pleased to read more about her.  This was a well-balanced story that I heartily recommend.

      Love Beyond Limits – Elizabeth Musser

Wilkes County, Georgia – 1868

This is the story of Emily, a plantation owner’s daughter, who fancies herself in love with a freedman.  She’s being pursued by her childhood friend, but thinks of him more as a brother.  As things get more dangerous in Georgia, Emily is vocal about where her loyalties lie and tries to put off her suitor, Thomas, who doesn’t hold the same political views she does.

After reading this one, I had to go back and make sure these were all supposed to be LOVE stories.  This one felt more like a history lesson on what life was like after the Civil War in Georgia.  I had the same issues with this story that I had with A Heart So True: where is the love story?  Yes, you have a happy ending, but getting there was painful since I had to wade through so many historical facts and random nonsense.  I didn’t even like Emily’s character.  Something about her just grated on my nerves.  I don’t like to give negative reviews, but I seriously did not like this story.  The last few pages were the best part.

       An Outlaw’s Heart – Shelley Gray

Texas - July 1878

Russell was forced to leave his home when he was fifteen.  Now, seven years later, he’s come back to reconcile himself to what happened before leaving forever.  He risked it all to save the girl he loved, then was turned away by those he thought would stand beside him.  He became an outlaw, but he’s walking the straight path now.  Coming back home, he finds Nora, his one true love.  Something is off about her new suitor, and Russell decides to remain in town until he determines that the man will make her happy.  Either that, or he’ll run him out of town.

I really liked this story, probably the best balanced one I read.  Nora is sweet and Russell has a kind heart, making it easy to love these characters.  The story is complete and doesn’t feel rushed.

There was a strong finish to this novella collection, but liking only two out of the four stories leaves me wondering how to rate it overall.  I think To Mend a Dream and An Outlaw’s Heart definitely earn 5 stars on their own, while the other two I’d give 2 or 3 stars.  So, I’ll go with the average and give it 4 stars.  Semi-good Book

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

Dangerous Passage (Southern Crimes #1) - Lisa Harris

This popped up for free and I decided to read it for my 2015 challenge for a new author.

Avery is a busy detective trying to balance her career and her family.  She's also trying to solve her brother's death in her spare time.  Girls with magnolia tattoos are turning up dead, and she wants to find the killer before he strikes again.  The killer starts making things personal and Avery is more determined than ever.

Jackson is a coroner and falling in love with Avery.  They have trouble finding time to spend together and wonder if they'll ever be able to make things work.  Jackson finds a key piece of evidence that takes Avery's case in a totally new direction.  When Avery's life is on the line, he wants to be there to help her.

This book has a lot of twists and turns and was well written.  I found myself getting wrapped up in the tension and mystery of it all.  The romance side of it was balanced well with the action, and I enjoyed the book.  Be aware that there's the topic of human trafficking in there.  Also, there's a particularly sad moment in there, but it's well handled. While this book seems to stand on its own, the case involving Avery's brother leaves you with something of a cliffhanger, so that will lead you into the next book if you decide to keep going.

The second book in the series is called Fatal Exchange and is about Emily (Avery's sister) and Mason, the man Avery thinks is responsible for her brother's death.  The third book is called Hidden Agenda.  I find myself intrigued and am putting these other two books on my watch list.  I was a little disappointed when I saw the characters for the third book, because I felt like I had accidentally read a spoiler.

Anyway, this was a good book and I look forward to reading more by this author.  Good Book!

Little Dorrit - Charles Dickens

This is one of my books for my 2015 challenge.  I broke one of my reading rules with it, but I felt it was warranted.  Normally, I will either read the book or watch the movie.  I rarely do both, because I'm almost always disappointed.  I think the worst example of that was Timeline by Michael Crichton.  Awesome book, horrible movie!  Anyway...

I've seen BBC's miniseries of Little Dorrit numerous times, it's one of my favorites, and parts of the end have always remained a little confusing in my mind.  In an effort to clear those up, I decided to read it for my classic.

The story of Little Dorrit is a long and complex story with numerous threads that don't seem to relate to each other.  In the end, though, you can see how each thread was part of a large tapestry that created a complete story.

Amy Dorrit was born in the Marshalsea prison and has been caring for her father her entire life.  Her siblings have been able to create lives for themselves outside the prison walls, but Amy is devoted to her father.  She meets Arthur Clennam, a man twice her age and notices his beautiful spirit.  Arthur sees her as a child, while she sees someone she can lose her heart to.

There's so much to this story that I can't really give a full description without getting too wordy, but I can tell you there's so many aspects.  Intrigue, mystery and secrets abound, but so do the descriptions.  Dickens can weave a great tale, but about halfway through, I found myself skimming a lot, especially when I hit the two complete pages of a single paragraph.  With 533 pages, I knew it was going to be a long one, but it wore on me after a while.

In the end, I found that, for the most part, the miniseries was pretty close to the book in all the ways that mattered.  Things here and there had been changed, but I was pretty content overall.  I have to say that I still prefer the BBC version.  It was a masterfully done series and the acting was great.  Also, the TV version was less than 8 hours, while it takes more than twice that long to read the book.

The Curiosity Keeper (Treasure of Surrey #1) - Sarah E. Ladd

I’ve read this author’s books in the Whispers on the Moors series – The Heiress of Winterwood, The Headmistress of Rosemere, and A Lady at Willowgrove Hall.  I liked those and was happy to have the chance to read this one.  This is the first in a new series called Treasure of Surrey.

All Camille knows is working in her father’s curiosity shop in London.  He has a head for adventure, not business, but her father’s strange behavior is making her uneasy.  When a strange man comes to the shop and harasses her about her father’s whereabouts, she finds herself in a dangerous situation.

Jonathan is at the shop to ask after a ruby that was stolen from his father.  The fate of his family’s estate and his sister’s upcoming marriage are on the line.  Even though he is quite happy as an apothecary living in his modest cottage, he’s the heir to the estate and wants to help his father.  When he hears the scuffle inside, he rushes in to save the day.

Camille soon discovers that her father doesn’t care for her and takes up Jonathan on his offer to take her to the country and start a new life at a local school.  Her past won’t leave her alone, and she can’t tell whether Jonathan’s family truly likes her or is trying to get information from her.  When her past finally catches up, both Camille and Jonathan will choose what they think is the most important to them.

This was a pretty good book.  I liked the characters and liked how unusual and unique the story was.  The next book in the series is due out May 10, 2016 and is called Dawn at Emberwilde.  I look forward to it!  Good Book!

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