Summary One night in the Ardennes Forest will change everything she holds dear... December, 1944, Malmedy, France. Annie Rawlings, an army nurse, spends her days and nights patching up the American boys who are fighting the Krauts. Soldiers so young they should be back home, playing baseball and flirting with girls on a Saturday night. Annie can't help but hate the Germans, especially when she hears about the atrocities at the Baugnez crossroads, where Nazis shot the American wounded. All Annie wants is for the war to stop long enough so she and Lieutenant Keith Mitchell can have their longed-for honeymoon in Paris over Christmas. But aircraft continue to roar overhead. Trucks, tanks, and personnel carriers rumble in the distance. More casualties pour in. Then, one snowy night, Annie and her friend Mouse drive an ambulance into the middle of no-man's-land on a desperate mission.... Positives The emotion in this book is what astounded me. This book grappled with some hard questions, made even harder by the fact that the characters were going through excrutiating losses. It was the type of thing that made me think of losses in my own life and to wonder the same questions about myself. Also, the author did a great job writing from a woman’s perspective. I really shouldn’t, but sometimes, when I see a male author has a female as a main character, I get a little skeptical. (To be fair, I’m sure there’s men out there that would look skeptically at my male main characters.) Honestly though, the author wrote her perspective better than some female authors. He also did a great job making me care about some characters in a very short amount of time. This isn’t a long book, but he set up the whole cast succinctly at the beginning, which meant when the action was underway and those characters were threatened, I sat up and took notice. His villain is the most annoying person ever. Just saying. (Annoying in a good way. He did all the things a villain should.) I’m honestly divided about the ending. Part of me wanted more closure. Part of me glanced skeptically at it. But most of me thinks it is just perfect—leaving a lot to my imagination. Negatives If you do find a copy of this book to read, please, please, PLEASE skip the prologue. In my opinion, it spoils the whole story and basically lets you know who makes it out alive and who doesn't. I wish it had been left in chronological order and that scene had not been in there until the end. Conclusion Dear Enemy is a worthwhile read. It touches the deep and painful places in our lives while also keeping me turning pages.
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Summary A WWII novel of courage and conviction, based on the true experience of the men who fought fires as conscientious objectors and the women who fought prejudice to serve in the Women's Army Corps. Since the attack on Pearl Harbor, Gordon Hooper and his buddy Jack Armitage have stuck to their values as conscientious objectors. Much to their families' and country's chagrin, they volunteer as smokejumpers rather than enlisting, parachuting into and extinguishing raging wildfires in Oregon. But the number of winter blazes they're called to seems suspiciously high, and when an accident leaves Jack badly injured, Gordon realizes the facts don't add up. A member of the Women's Army Corps, Dorie Armitage has long been ashamed of her brother's pacifism, but she's shocked by news of his accident. Determined to find out why he was harmed, she arrives at the national forest under the guise of conducting an army report . . . and finds herself forced to work with Gordon. He believes it's wrong to lie; she's willing to do whatever it takes for justice to be done. As they search for clues, Gordon and Dorie must wrestle with their convictions about war and peace and decide what to do with the troubling secrets they discover. Positives THIS. BOOK. First off, the smokejumper thing is cool. I’ve never read a book with smokejumpers in it, and I didn’t know there were CO smokejumpers before this book either. The descriptions drew me in. Dorie is amazing. While some of her antics made this introvert cringe, I also liked her fire and her refusal to be kept down. Gordon was also fantastic in his own way, and I appreciated that a quiet, peace-loving character like him finally got his chance in the spotlight. I related a lot to his struggle to know when to step up and act and when to stand down and wait. The mystery definitely kept me going. I had no idea who it could be, all the ones I had figured out got knocked out one after the other. Never would have guessed the true culprit. I really appreciate how much she explores viewpoints in her story. She didn’t set one up as the good guy and the other as the bad guy. She took a look at ALL angles of an issue. She showed bad guys who believed good things and good guys who believed bad things. That alone would be enough for me to recommend this book. We need more books that make us think instead of hitting us over the head with morals. (Personal opinion, for what it’s worth. ;) ) She also didn't try to talk her main character out of his opinion. It was nice to see someone stand firm in the beliefs they know to be true, the things that matter, even as they grow and change. On the other hand, it was balanced out with the characters' willingness (or eventual willingness) to admit when and where they were wrong and make amends. Negatives None. Conclusion The Lines Between Us did not disappoint after her debut novel. It made me think about my own lines while it quickly made a line to my bookshelf. Summary Evelyn Brand is an American foreign correspondent as determined to prove her worth in a male-dominated profession as she is to expose the growing tyranny in Nazi Germany. To do so, she must walk a thin line. If she offends the government, she could be expelled from the country--or worse. If she fails to truthfully report on major stories, she'll never be able to give a voice to the oppressed--and wake up the folks back home. In another part of the city, American graduate student Peter Lang is working on his PhD in German. Disillusioned with the chaos in the world due to the Great Depression, he is impressed with the prosperity and order of German society. But when the brutality of the regime hits close, he discovers a far better way to use his contacts within the Nazi party--to feed information to the shrewd reporter he can't get off his mind. Positives My favorite thing about this book was how she depicted Evelyn’s struggle in the journalism world as a woman. The “jokes” that Evelyn lived through brought to mind some teasing and not so teasing remarks I have received. Not only did this have me rooting for her character, but it encouraged me as well as I watched Evelyn excel at what she did and prove them all wrong. The plot was brilliantly done. It never got boring between their missions of espionage, the threat of being expelled if they spoke the wrong word, and their escape from Germany. (Several times I found myself wondering how the author had crafted such a smooth plot.) The inclusion of Peter as Evelyn’s informant drew me in even more. I loved how much Peter had to sacrifice throughout the book. So many stories (I’m looking at some of my drafts, too) leave that element out. It really does make for a brilliant book when the characters have to give up something they love dearly to make a better choice. Negatives While handled extremely tactfully, those teasing remarks I mentioned above are still cruel jokes about a woman nonetheless. I was slightly confused by Peter at the beginning. At first, he just seemed like a guy with a lot of hurt in his past he was struggling to overcome. Then it seemed like I was smacked with the fact he bought into Nazi ideology in the next chapter he appeared in. But, to be fair, first chapters aren’t easy, and there was a lot of ground to cover. Meaning this could have easily been pushed to the next chapter. The important thing was I did figure out his beliefs early in the story and it didn’t confuse me for long. Truly, my only real complaint is . . . the title has nothing to do with the story. Unless I missed something. But I asked someone who is an even greater fan of Sarah Sundin than I am, and she was confused as well. It is a beautiful title, though. Conclusion All that to say, When Twilight Breaks still remains a shining star in World War II fiction. Summary
In spring 1918, Lieutenant Colin Mabry, a British soldier working with MI8 after suffering injuries on the front, receives a message by carrier pigeon. It is from Jewel Reyer, the woman he once loved and who saved his life--a woman he believed to be dead. Traveling to France to answer her urgent summons, he desperately hopes this mission will ease his guilt and restore the courage he lost on the battlefield. Colin is stunned, however, to discover the message came from Jewel's half sister, Johanna. Johanna, who works at a dovecote for French Army Intelligence, found Jewel's diary and believes her sister is alive in the custody of a German agent. With spies everywhere, Colin is skeptical of Johanna, but as they travel across France and Spain, a tentative trust begins to grow between them. When their pursuit leads them straight into the midst of a treacherous plot, danger and deception turn their search for answers into a battle for their lives. Positives The inclusion of Colin’s disability was very interesting. I really only noticed it when Colin did—when he brought up his gloved hand, it was like “Oh, right, he has a prosthetic hand.” While some of the plot was his struggle to overcome his injury, it was also nice to see a disability not treated as an oddity or something to be overcome. The portrayal of his PTSD was so well done, showing how it really is while also showing the light at the end of the tunnel. I liked Joanna from the very first scene. (Come on! She rides a motorcycle! How often does that happen in historical fiction?) Her interest in motorcycles, pigeons, and her inability to be completely put together helped her stand out from the mold and caught my attention. This espionage story had so many twists and turns. It had me suspecting every character that came along, wondering if Colin and Joanna could really trust them or not. The characters I expected to be allies betrayed them. The characters I thought were evil turncoats turned out to be their closest allies. And a few characters here and there were exactly what they were supposed to be, to throw me off the trail. Colin and Joanna faced both success and fallbacks in their journey to find Jewel. Negatives None. Conclusion This spy story was definitely worth it—unique characters, spies, plot twists, and pigeons. I mean, who could ask for more? Dressmaker Lila de Laurent flees into the forest wounded. She’s just come from a hotel where the murder of an important German official just took place. She’s been playing a dangerous game and the officials are onto her. And she’s about to run into the person she thought she killed—a person playing a dangerous game of his own. But Lila wasn’t always a spy. In fact, she used to be an up-and-comer on the Paris fashion scene along with her friend Amelie. Forced into assisting with the sorting of art by the Germans and rescuing what she can, Sandrine intercepts an unusual crate alongside her assistants. Inside the crate is a blush-colored couture gown. No one knows what it means—only that it means something. But Sandrine didn’t always sort art undercover. She once said goodbye to a husband headed for war. A husband who she can’t believe is dead. A husband she believes has a connection to the dress. How did they get where they were? And how will Lila, Sandrine, and the other spies in Paris cross paths in these years of war? Oh. My. Goodness. I had heard Kristy Cambron speak at a conference about outlining this book, and was excited when it came to our church library (where I volunteer) with glowing reviews from the lady who purchases for our library. I processed it quickly and will neither confirm nor deny that I was the first person to check it out. I was not disappointed. This. Book. Is. Brilliant. First off, there are four different plotlines going throughout The Paris Dressmaker. Each of them brilliant in their own way and juggled masterfully. (It blew my mind. Really. How on earth did she do it?) Even when I would groan because I couldn’t figure out what happened to the spies until a few chapters later, I would still hurry ahead to get another clue to unlock the protagonists’ pasts. Truly, I had no idea what had happened or what would happen until I reached the last page. I’m hoping to buy my own copy so I can comb my way through it two or three more times and get the full picture. It’s not a light read. Juggling four plotlines as well as Cambron’s gorgeous poetic prose keeps the brain active. And, as if it needed any more points in its favor, the cover is beautiful, too! I loved all the characters so much—I was rooting for the spirited women who led the pages as well as the side characters who lent their own spark to the story. Amelie and Lila’s relationship broke my heart for reasons that I can’t describe without spoilers. The plot was incredible. I was engrossed in a world of espionage and never knowing what might be lurking around the next corner. (Including the death of a character that I very much loved . . . sniff.) The Paris Dressmaker has quickly made one of my top reads for this year. I’m eager to try more of Kristy Cambron’s books as well as get my own copy of this novel. I highly recommend it to anyone and everyone. It’s not every day that you get hired to protect the President.
Or the First Lady, for that matter. But that’s where Nathaniel is at. Security at the White House is abysmal and tensions are rising. Never mind that Nathaniel would rather be hunting down counterfeiters . . . or his past failures to protect those who meant the most to him. If he’s to protect this president, every rule has to be followed to the letter. Unfortunately, no one warned him about Caroline Delacroix, the one person who can put up/deal with the particular First Lady. And the one person who seems determined to break every rule she knows exists. Whether that be challenging Nathaniel’s new expectations . . . or hiding her brother’s criminal past from Nathaniel’s investigations. I’d heard a lot about Elizabeth Camden, and it seemed she wrote books much the same as Roseanna M. White’s—historical plots usually involving espionage or some other mayhem with a romance on the side. I wouldn’t say this book was quite to a Roseanna White level for me (although, really, what is?), but it was definitely a good read. Yes, I did read the second book first . . . I found it at a bookstore and wanted to give it a try. Now I’m hoping to get the rest of the trilogy. I understood Nathaniel’s desire to protect. I feel like it’s something that runs in oldest children (which I am one), but also something that can be understandable to many other people. I loved how the author let me see him break . . . and come back together. Those truly were some of the most powerful scenes in the book to me. Man, Caroline could get under my skin. But on the other hand, she was strong and ready to fight for what mattered to her. I had so many suspects! I had no idea who I was supposed to trust and who I wasn’t. Even though I knew it was a book about the McKinley assassination, I was on the edge of my seat whenever the McKinleys went out in public like “Is this it? Is it going to happen? Or are they going to stop it somehow?” The whole plot with Caroline’s brother had my head spinning, too. Very interested to see how it plays out. It broke my heart how much Luke wanted to do the right thing and how much it hurt when he was broken for it. While not quite as fast-paced as I expected, A Gilded Lady is an excellent addition to a bookshelf. Ariadne comes from a stellar family background. Her mother is verbally abusive and left her father for reasons Ariadne still doesn’t know. Her grandfather is just the same, and all too willing to marry Ariadne off to a man who drinks too much and regularly beats any women he comes across. There is the bright spot of Theo—the adopted son whom Ariadne’s mother always hated. At her father’s wish, he accompanied Ariadne when her parents split. And despite beatings from Ariadne’s grandfather, he has stayed with her. And he is the one who helps disguise Ariadne as a boy, helps her escape her grandfather, and brings her to her father’s home in Corinth. But once in Corinth, Ariadne discovers her father isn’t the hero she always thought. Or at least not in the way she always thought. Her father is the infamous Honorable Thief, known for robbing nobles in the name of justice and writing humorous letters exposing them to be read in public. Ariadne was a very interesting character. Outspoken and daring, she made her own decisions and moved the plot forward in the book. She didn’t have any of the normal hobbies of girls—instead being drawn to athletics—but she was still shown to have her feminine side. As well as another side broken by the divorce of her parents and the abuse she has suffered. The family dynamics were so intertwined and kept the story tangled up in knots I was interested to untie, while also being sensitive to hurting families in real life. It explored each character’s perspective and the hurt they suffered, but never excused their wrong and sometimes downright evil actions. I was super intrigued by Theo and wanted to know more about his backstory and how he was processing his own hurt. I was rooting for him in the love triangle. And I mean, really, that shocker secret at the end of the book? He has to have his own novel sometime. The climax rocked. All I can say without spoiling it, but that villain got what he deserved but in all the right ways. And the protagonists were clever in all the right ways. Not as much of the book as I thought was actually about the thief thing, though. Which was a little disappointing. That was the premise I had picked the book up on and the one I was hoping to see carried out. Or maybe I’d just watched Aladdin way too close to picking up this book. But that’s really the only complaint I have about this book (especially since Biblical fiction isn’t something I read as often as other historical fiction). Thief of Corinth is not a thief of your money, nor your time, nor your reading pleasures. Hannah’s husband left with the Revolutionary Army and didn’t come back, executed falsely on charges of spying. But still she stays at the lighthouse, putting up with her mother in law and church congregation who find fault with her every move. Besides that, her headstrong sister Lydia has come to stay, as much in love with brutal Loyalist Galen Wight as ever. Still, Hannah tends the lighthouse every night. Until one. Threats of a British ship that wants to blow the lighthouse to splinters keeps her away from the light, but not away from the shore. Which is when Birch Meredith’s ship wrecks and he washes up ashore. Hannah believes he’s a Loyalist captain. But really, he’s a Patriot spy bent on revenge. When it comes to Colleen Coble’s historical fiction books, this one didn’t quite hit all the same beats. While we’ve got a little bit of action when it comes to the spies, there’s not much in the name of mystery, suspense, or adventure. Which is unusual. It is however an earlier manuscript that was just recently brought out to the publishing eye, so it’s interesting to see how her style has developed. Lydia was super annoying. I didn’t relate to her at all. Hannah and everyone else in her life tried to warn her and she didn’t listen. Then when she got in trouble, she came back crying and couldn’t understand how it happened to her. Plus, I don’t know. I think I’m just wearing out on the “guy wants girl because he’s romantically attracted to her and will do anything to possess her” trope (namely, Galen being after Hannah). I mean, sure, it’s usually the villain doing so, but I’d like to see other reasons. What if he wanted her because she was super smart? Or had something he needed? Or knew some deep dark secret about his past that he didn’t want revealed? I feel like there’s so many ways this trope could go without falling back on this threadbare one. Or at least, if this trope is included, I want to see more of the girl breaking out of that abuse. That being said, it was a sure-fire way to get me to hate the villain. The dynamic between Hannah and her church congregation was very interesting. In an infuriating way. The legalistic church at one point went so far as to have Hannah publicly whipped because she took in an orphaned baby. I would have liked to see more with that subplot play out in the book. It’s a good reminder to those of us today to stand strong in our convictions as Hannah did, while never stooping to the abuse that her church dished out. Churches aren’t perfect, and the inclusion of one that was so far from it was something that I think needed much addressed. But what’s brilliant about this book is that it didn’t dampen the Christian messages in this book. It actually was done so well it bolstered it, especially when helped by other good Christian examples in the book. This was a topic that needed approached with a lot of care, and the author nailed it. Freedom’s Light is a bit of a slower read, but it doesn’t slow down the historical detail and themes that will have you thinking long after you close the book. Butterflies are great and all, but Butterfly Palace takes it a little too far. See, the owner of the house is obsessed with butterflies. Huge collections of the things. Some of them flying and flapping around. Some of them . . . not. The only thing he’s more obsessed with is his political aspirations. Unfortunately, it seems like there are quite a few other people obsessed with those aspirations as well. Not to mention the Servant Girl Killer whose path keeps swerving towards Butterfly Palace. Yes. Welcome to Butterfly Palace. The setting of Butterfly Palace was so intriguing—equally gorgeous and eerie. There were so many plots going on and so many suspects running around that I had no idea what to expect. Then the ending came and smacked me out of nowhere. The theme was especially beautiful, and woven in so neatly. I loved how it connected back to the butterflies. I also loved Drew’s journey to overcome revenge against the man he thought killed his father. It was interesting reading about the Secret Service at that time—it’s a subject I haven’t seen pop up in too many historical fiction books. At first I didn’t like Belle at all. But her character arc drew me in and kept me guessing until I was able to applaud her in some of the final scenes. I felt like she didn’t get as much closure in the resolution and would have liked to see a bit more of what her world looked like after the fact. Butterfly Palace may not be a place you’d stay in real life. But within the pages of a book? Absolutely. Imagine investigating your sister’s murder . . . under a fake name. Yep, that’s exactly what Olivia Stewart is doing. She suspects her sister’s fiancé killed her, so she can’t exactly go barging in, announce her last name is Stewart, and demand to know what happened. No, she has to be more . . . stealthy. Because being thrown off the boat to Mercy Falls by a mysterious assailant is stealthy. Because being saved by her sister’s fiancé, Harrison, is stealthy. Because falling in love with him is stealthy. Naturally. First off, may I just say that cover is GORGEOUS. This is actually the third installment in Colleen Coble’s Mercy Falls series. The library didn't have the second installment, so I will have to track it down elsewhere. (I reviewed the first installment here:https://racheljleitch.weebly.com/rachels-reads/the-lightkeepers-daughter-by-colleen-coble) Of the two, I enjoyed the first installment more—perhaps it was the utter lack of drama. Still, Olivia’s greater inclination towards drama did keep it interesting. As did her grief for her sister. It was brilliantly portrayed and an element that not only drew me into the story, but that I believe would touch many readers going through their own grief. I did have to question Harrison a little bit . . . I mean, he suspected his fiancé was murdered and he didn’t ask the girl he fell in love with her first name? He just rolled with it? On the other hand, it kept things so humorous and intriguing, though . . . It was Eugene’s character that got me, though. I thought he was a very well-developed side character anyways, but the developments in the climax left me reeling and desperately hoping he wasn’t evil. I was very pleased with his ending, and would love to see a future book involving him. The Lightkeeper’s Ball might just be one you want to attend. |
Rachel's Reads
Hi there! Rachel again. Check out this section for book reviews and cover reveals of some of my favorites! Archives
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