The Letters by Suzanne Woods Fisher

The Letters is a story that you will wish you could keep reading beyond the end of  the book. The story follows Rose Schrock after her husband dies and she has moved in with her mother-in-law. She needs to repay the debts that her husband has left. Rose comes up with the plan to convert the basement into an inn.  The Inn is a success and we meet new characters who each add their own personalities to the story.  Galen is the next door neighbor who might just be a love interest for Rose. They just need a little encouragement and nudges from others to take the steps needed to open their hearts to the other. The Letters has many other stories within the main story and they all add to the fullness of another great book from Suzanne Woods Fisher. I highly recommend this book.

I received this book free of charge from Litfuse to read and review.

The Quarryman's Bride

The Quarryman's bride by author Tracie Peterson tells the story of love between two people who have been seperated by circumstances beyond their control. Emmalyne Knox and Tavin MacLachlan have always loved each other and planned to be married. Family obligations and a very strict father kept Emmalyne at home with her mother instead of with Tavin and building their own family. Years go by and then Emmalyne and Tavin meet once again. Will they finally marry and will their families respect their wishes? Nothing in life is ever that easy, but the problems that we face make us stronger.

This story is a really great read and you won't be sorry to buy this book and enjoy every word for yourself.

This book was provided to me by Bethany House  Publishers.

Time and Again by Deborah Heal

Time and Again by author Deborah Heal is the story of Abby and Merrideth. Merri is a teen aged girl with parental And personal problems. Her parents are divorced, with her mother working hard to take care of herself and Merri. Abby is a college aged young woman who takes on the job as a tutor, as part of a service project to help Merri who's school work has deteriorated along with her family structure. At first things are difficult between the teacher and her student, but things begin to get very interesting with inter-actions with various neighbors and a very odd computer program on the household computer.
This book was written for young adults but readers of all ages will really like the story and the many real characters from the 1800's in the USA and Illinois in particular. Abraham Lincoln is one character that everyone will enjoy reading about. The underground railroad is brought to life with the telling of some stories from several characters whose stories were similar to real experiences from real people who took their lives and freedom into their own hands and into the hands of the people who helped them to go north.

I recommend this book to everyone, it really has something for everyone.

Love in Disguise by Carol Cox

Ellie Moore has spent many years as the wardrobe mistress, make-up artist and general assistant to an actress who is about to leave for Europe. Ellie loses her job and must look for another one quickly as she hasn't much money to survive on, in wintry Chicago. As she tries to find new employment, she overhears two men discussing a job that needs another woman to pretend to be the niece of a widowed woman in the warmer area of Arizona. It sounds like the perfect opportunity for Ellie, so she follows the two men into what turns out to be the Pinkerton Detective Agency. After a few more encounters with the agency, she convinces them to hire her for the job to be a detective investigating the theft of silver shipments.
This book was fun to read. The woman that Ellie was supposed to play the niece to, throws a very big wrench into the works which leads to a real challenge for Ellie. Tell the truth to the Pinkertons and lose her new found job or pretend that all is fine and play more than one role. Although at times I had some doubts about things like the make-up and costuming all done by Ellie alone, it just didn't deter me from really enjoying this book very much. I do recommend this book to everyone.
This book was provided to me by Bethany House Publishers to read and review.

Deadly Image by Tamelia Tumlin

Lexi Yates and her 3 year old daughter Anna, have started a new life in the town of Gator Bayou in Louisiana. Lexi's husband died in a car crash and she just wants a new place to live away from all of the familiar scenes of her formerly happy life with her deceased husband and the sad ending to what should have been a long and wonderful life together. Little Anna disappears one day and the local police seem to believe that Lexi has done something to her young daughter. Even the FBI seem to distrust her words and actions. With all the stress of waiting for word about her daughter, dealing with the police, the FBI and family and neighbors has taken a toll on Lexi. She suffers from stress and recurring nightmares that seem to be more frequent and scary. She must find Anna and put an end to the bad feelings and fear of what is happening to Anna.

This book has several mysteries contributing to the story. Memories from the past, what her parents know but aren't saying contribute to a lot of questions but make the story more interesting. Although I was able to guess at what was haunting Lexi fairly early on, reading the story to verify what I thought was a good read. I do recommend this book to anyone who likes a mystery and some romance too.

This book was provided to me to read and review by the author. 

For more information about Tamelia Tumlin and her books please visit her website at http://www.tameliatumlin.com/ 

Tamelia will be giving away two $10.00 Amazon gift cards. So don't forget to visit her website and read about how to enter to win.

http://www.tameliatumlin.com/

Lucy Come Home 

by Dave and Neta Jackson

Lucy Come Home follows Lucinda Tucker in the year 1943. She is traveling with her family who are migrant farm workers moving from one farm to the next in the hope of finding work. The story also follows  "Bo" Bodene who works with the traveling circus along with his father James "Jeb" Bodene. Lucinda and Bo meet when the migrant farm workers and the circus both come to Lapeer, Michigan. The two young people get to know each other and really do like each other. As their story progresses, something really horrible happens which forces them to leave everything they know and care about and seek a safer place to live.

Historical fiction helps to give everyone a chance to learn about times from our past and to have a better understanding of various factual occurences. The dust bowl, WW2, migrant farm workers are some of the actual things told to us with fictional characters. The lives and times that many of our ancesters lived through are amazing to read about. Lucy Come Home has Lucinda/Cindy/Lucy Tucker as part of a migrant picking family. Bo Bodeen works with a traveling circus. They meet when they both come to Lapeer, Michigan to begin working. Although these two characters are fictional, their story could be anyone's who lived during those hard times in our history. I really enjoyed reading this book, but at first I was a bit surprised by the time leap from the '40's to the more recent times in our history. Who was this 80 year old woman telling about the Manna House where homeless women lived. Then I realized that this was Cindy who now called herself Lucy. The book was written by Dave Jackson and his wife Neta, and it appeared that one wrote the old parts and the other wrote the more modern parts. There seemed to be some differences in how Cindy and Lucy spoke, even though they were the same person. In spite of that slight problem, I did enjoy the book and the story it told. There is an underlying faith in God that kept popping up for Lucy, that sustained her even when she wasn't so strongly aware of the presence of God in her life.

This book was provided to me to read and review by Litfuse Publicity.

http://litfusegroup.com/blogtours/13501702/lucycomehome

The Messenger by Siri Mitchell

I am a big fan of both Siri Mitchell's writing and of historical fiction. The Messenger is a very well written story set in Philadelphia while occupied by British forces during the Revolutionary War. The two main characters who narrate the story are Hannah Sunderland a Quaker or Friend whose brother is being held by the British in a jail on Walnut Street. She wants to see her brother and help him but she is forbidden from taking sides or going to the jail. Conditions in the jail are squalid, cold and illness is prevalent. Jeremiah Jones has a grudge against the British for what happened to him while he fought during the French and Indian Wars. Hannah and Jeremiah become an unlikely pair of spies and helpers to assist our young nation struggling against the British. This story will draw you into the lives of the various characters and social expectations of that time. Hannah in particular has a real struggle with her family and with her faith as she does what she thinks is right for herself and for her brother. I do recommend this book to anyone who enjoys historical fiction. You can't go wrong with this interesting book. 

The Messenger by Siri Mitchell was provided to me by Bethany House to read and review.