The Lady with the Dark Hair ~ Review

The Lady with the Dark Hair

By Erin Bartels

This is a split-time book that follows Esther Markstrom, who lives in the present day, and Viviana Torrens, who called the later half of the 19th-century home. Ester's life has been dictated by her mother's artistic tendencies and their familial ties to Francisco Vella, a minor painter during the Impressionist Era. 

Vella is a bit of a mystery, with not much known about his work other than the collection of works shown at the museum run by Esther's family. But we, as readers get to see Vella and his "relationship" with Viviana. Viviana can no longer return to her home. She is an orphan who, through a series of events, finds herself seeking refuge and escape. We get to experience Viviana's journey as she discovers herself and the world through the eyes of an artist. 

Both these timelines are brought together as Esther begins a journey for answers, thanks to questions raised by her former professor. Who painted The Lady with the Dark Hair? Was it her ancestor as her family has long believed? Or was it another? But this journey will do more than answer questions about the past. It will help Esther discover truths about herself that she's never had the luxury to explore.

I love duel timelines and the way the story unfolds, revealing bits and pieces of the mystery. And there are so many facets that draw one attention to the world of art. I found the process of making paint in the late 1800s fascinating. I have to be honest, I had never before given any thought as to where paint came from. In my limited experience, it comes from a tube or a small pot. Overall, I would say, this was a good read. There's a mystery and a touch of romance, but nothing to keep you up all night. If you want a book you can read leisurely without the tension that suspense causes, you will love this book. 

I was provided a complementary copy of this book with no expectations but that I provide my honest opinion. All thoughts expressed are my own.                                                                                                                                                                       

About the Book:

Esther Markstrom and her artist mother have always been proud of their ancestor, painter Francisco Vella. They even run a small museum and gallery dedicated to raising awareness of his scandalously underappreciated work. But when Esther reconnects with her former art history professor, she finds her once-solid family history on shaky ground as questions arise about Vella's greatest work--a portrait entitled The Lady with the Dark Hair.

In 1879, Catalan orphan-turned-fugitive Viviana Torrens has found sanctuary serving in the home of an aging artist in Southern France. It is in his studio that she meets Francisco Vella, a Gibraltarian merchant who sells artists' pigments. When her past catches up to her, she is compelled to pose as Vella's sister and join him on his travels or be deported back to Spain to stand trial. Along the way she will discover that the many parts she has been playing in order to hide her identity have far-reaching implications she never could have foreseen.

This dual-timeline story from award-winning author Erin Bartels takes readers from the sleepy Midwest to the sultry Mediterranean on a relentless search for truth, identity, and the freedom to follow one's dreams.

Labyrinth of Lies and Sacrifice ~ Now Available

 Labyrinth of Lies and Sacrifice by C.F.E. Black is now available! This is the sixth and final book in the Sacrificed Hearts series,

Sacrificed Hearts Series Blurb: 

Monsters, Maidens, and Mayhem

Sparks fly and hearts are tested in this collection of short novels about girls who rise to the occasion to overcome the difficult circumstances thrust upon them.

A village maiden sacrificed to a dragon in a tale as old as myth.

A seafaring princess who must sacrifice her heart or lose her kingdom to a kraken.

A princess-in-hiding forced to save a masked man who is more than he seems.

A defiant peasant marked for death determined to outmaneuver a man branded a monster. 

An undercover assassin sent to assassinate a phoenix or die trying.

An unlucky bride-to-be sacrificed to a labyrinth and the madness within. 

 

These fantasy romance tales inspired by monsters of legend provide a sweet and swoony take on the Sacrificed to the Monster trope. Experience the magic today in the Sacrificed Hearts series, a collection of stand-alone short novels packed with enchanting romance, strong heroines, and sacrificial themes.

About Labyrinth of Lies and Sacrifice:

All Vera wants is to survive her wedding day without disaster striking, no easy task for a quarter-mage like Vera. But all her hopes fade when a stranger traps Vera, claiming she’s dangerous. The day gets worse when she is shoved inside the Labyrinth, an enchanted prison for the worst of criminals.

In this place, madness reigns. The monsters—both real and imagined—are all ruled by a terrible force that feeds on fear. Vera must keep her wits about her as she navigates this deadly place, searching for a way out.

When she meets another mortal trapped within, she doesn’t know if she can trust him. But as their paths continue to cross, it seems as if the maze is forcing them to work together. Can they help each other defeat the monsters and survive in this nightmare world? But in the Labyrinth, nothing is as it seems.

Sacrificed Hearts website: https://everlyhaywood.com/sacrificedhearts/

Order Labyrinth of Lies and Sacrifice at: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0CRP5TBY5

Night Falls on Predicament Avenue ~ Review

Night Falls on Predicament Avenue

By Jaime Jo Wright

Effie James never meant for her sister to see what she did. When they snuck out to check out the abandoned house at 322 Predicament Avenue it was just suppose to be a harmless late night lark. Instead her sister Polly is in shock from what she saw - a brutal murder. But there is no evidence of what Effie heard and Polly saw. Shepherd, Iowa doesn't believe them and their reputations are now called into question. It might be 1901, but proper young ladies don't go out at night to explore abandoned houses and then make up tales of murder. 

The present day finds this same house serving as a Bed and Breakfast, being run by Norah Richman. Norah wants to avoid thinking about rumors of ghosts and hauntings at 322 Predicament Avenue. And she definitely doesn't want to dwell on her own sister's murder, a murder also linked with the house. But with a visiting podcaster sharing he search into answers of the old murder, Norah's fears and pain are foremost on her mind. 

This book is told in a back-and-forth between the two timelines, drawing the reader's attention in from the first page. Two women, two sisters who need answers to events that alter their lives forever. Why and who? These are the answers they seek as they battle the fear that grips them. Effie needs to find evidence of a violent crime, while Norah needs to know why and who. As both work with the strangers who've entered their lives to discover the truth, both will learn exactly who they are and what they'll do and risk for those they love.

Night Falls on Predicament Avenue has some gothic moments and most definitely is not a book to read in bed if you want an 8-hour peace-filled sleep. Nope, this is a stay up all night book that will keep you engaged and reading. Just one more chapter won't work for this book - you need to give yourself all day, and maybe a long weekend to catch up on the sleep you are sure to lose. Not for the faint of heart, this is suspense and mystery at its split-time finest!

I was provided a complimentary copy of this book with no expectations but that I provide my honest opinion. All thoughts expressed are my own.

Book Description:

 

As the walls of the house at Predicament Avenue reveal their hidden truths, two women--generations apart--discover that fear and foreboding are no respecters of time.

In 1901, Effie James is committed to doing anything to save her younger sister, who witnessed a shocking murder, leaving her mute and in danger of the killer's retribution. Effie must prove what her sister saw, but when a British gentleman arrives, he disrupts Effie's quest with his attempts to locate his wife, Isabelle Addington, who was last seen at the supposed crime scene in the abandoned house at 322 Predicament Avenue. Just as Effie discovers what she seeks, she finds that the blood staining the walls will forever link her to a scandal she couldn't imagine, and to a woman whose secrets promise to curse any who would expose them.

A century later, Norah Richman grapples with social anxiety and grief as she runs her late great-aunt's bed-and-breakfast on Predicament Avenue. But Norah has little affection for the house and is committed only to carrying out her murdered sister's dreams until crime historian and podcaster Sebastian Blaine arrives to investigate the ghostly legacy of the house's claim to fame--the murder of Isabelle Addington. When a guest is found dead, the incident is linked to Isabelle's murder, and Norah and Sebastian must work together to uncover the century-old curse that has wrapped 322 Predicament Avenue in its clutches and threatens far more than death.

 

AUTHOR BIO

 

Jaime Jo Wright (JaimeWrightBooks.com) is the author of ten novels, including Christy Award and Daphne du Maurier Award-winner The House on Foster Hill and Carol Award winner The Reckoning at Gossamer Pond. 

She's also a two-time Christy Award finalist, as well as the ECPA bestselling author of The Vanishing at Castle Moreau and two Publishers Weekly bestselling novellas. Jaime lives in Wisconsin with her family and felines.

 

SOCIAL MEDIA HANDLES & HASHTAGS

 

X: @jaimejowright @bethany_house @Austenprose

Instagram: @jaimejowright @bethanyhousefiction @austenprose

Hashtags: #nightfallsonpredicamentavenue #jaimejowright #historicalfiction #historicalsuspense #inspirationalfiction #gothicfiction #newbooks #bookrecs #bookx #bookstagram #booktour #austenprosepr #bhpfiction

Be Still My Soul ~ Review

Be Still, My Soul

Mysteries of the West #1

By Faith Blum

Read by Brantley Brumley

Be Still, My Soul is an intriguing read. The story is told primarily from Carsten's viewpoint. As a young boy, Carsten was taught thievery by his father. Carsten was skilled at it until the night he was caught in the act. Since that day, Carsten has changed for the better. But after his father is caught and convicted, the townsfolk view Carsten with suspicion, and when a robbery occurs, Carsten is the one and only suspect. What's worse, the marshal seems to have no intention of finding the true criminal. 

Carsten is determined to clear his name, but accepting help isn't easy for Carsten, even when his friends offer it. When it becomes clear that more is going on than theft, Carsten and his friends soon find themselves in even more danger than they had ever expected and need help. But will the help they need arrive in time? Or will Carsten be convicted of a crime he didn't commit because of the crimes of his father? Trust is a two-way street and is a lesson that Carsten and his friends need to learn.

This book would, in my opinion, appeal to homeschoolers. The main characters are all young adults who are trying to figure life out but with a faith-based support system. I feel that Susan K. Marlow is the author whose work I would most closely compare the style and feel of this story to. Anyone familiar with her Circle C and Goldtown series should enjoy this first book in the Mysteries of the West series. 

I enjoyed this book in the audio edition, which was read by Brantley Brumley. The reading was well presented, though I played it 1.5 times the normal speed as I read faster than the playback speed. At less than 4 hours, this is a perfect road trip companion, especially for those "Are we there yet?" riders. 

I was provided a complimentary copy of this book with no expectations but that I provide my honest opinion. All thoughts expressed are my own.

About the Book

Title: Be Still, My Soul
Series: Mysteries of the West #1
Author: Faith Blum
Publisher: Wild Blue Wonder Press
Release Date: November 20, 2023
Genre: Christian Western

"Let him that stole steal no more: but rather let him labour." - Ephesians 4:28

When Carsten Whitford is arrested for a robbery he didn't commit, he struggles to clear his name that's already stained by his father's arrest from four years ago. Carsten is the sole supporter of his mother and he works the farm he has lived on his whole life.

The day after his arrest, Carsten's mentor gets him released until the trial. Carsten and his three friends work together to prove he didn’t rob the store since no one, especially the town marshal, seems interested in finding out who is truly guilty. The townspeople assume he is guilty because of his father’s past, including the girl Carsten wants to court.

Will Carsten and his friends find out who truly robbed the store or will they find something more sinister that could even lead to their own deaths? 

Vanishing Legacy ~ Review

Vanishing Legacy

Elite Guardians: Savannah #1

By Kate Angelo and Lynette Eason

The Elite Guardians have come to Savannah. Not for a visit but as a permanent fixture for the foreseeable future. What Alana Flores never expected was to have a case literally come out of her backyard shed.

Penny Thomas escaped a kidnapper only to be targeted again. Why would anyone target a terrified 7-year old girl is a question Alana, the Elite Guardians and Penny's father Cash want to know. Because until they can figure out the why they can't stop the kidnapping attempts. What's worse, Penny's autism makes the experiences even more terrifying and disruptive. And when Alana's son Rocco makes a connection with Penny he too is added to the danger.

Vanishing Legacy is the first book in the spin-off series Elite Guardians: Savannah. With a whole new cast of characters and a new setting this has a new feel to it while building on the same standards of the pervious one. This book offers some intense moments when Alana has to jump into action. Can I just say there are balloons involved? And that they float? Never mind, I just did. 

If you like Suspense that will keep you turning the pages late into the night, with a touch of clean romance thrown in, you'll want to give this book a try. It's fairly fast-paced and will grab and keep your attention from cover-to-cover! I know because I stayed up way too late for an early morning workday. My bad! But I had to know what was coming next and the who behind everything!

I was provided a complimentary copy of this book with no expectations but that I provide my honest opinion. All thoughts expressed are my own.

About the Book:

For this Elite Guardian, protecting her client’s daughter 
just got personal.

Elite Guardian Alana Flores, former LAPD underwater dive detective, just wants a fresh start in Savannah, Georgia, with her son, Rocco. Hoping to repair their broken relationship, and provide a safer, more stable life, nothing could be more disastrous to her hopes than when they find a terrified, autistic child in her shed.

Oh no.

Enter Cash Thomas, a widowed trauma surgeon struggling to raise his autistic daughter, Penny. He’s put his wife’s disappearance and presumed death behind him…until someone tries to kidnap his daughter. Terrified of losing Penny to the same cartel that supposedly killed his wife, he turns to Alana and the Elite Guardians.

But is Sonia really dead? Or is she behind the kidnapping attempts? Cash and Alana must keep their children safe, uncover the truth about Sonia, and find a way to outsmart the cartel before it’s too late.

And what about the spark between them? Could this be the fresh start they both long for? Certainly not while their children are in danger. And when their worst fears happen, will they lose everything?

With heart-pounding foot chases on River Street, underwater thrills off Tybee Island, and a climactic showdown at Forsyth Fountain, Vanishing Legacy will leave you breathless.

 Available for purchase at https://amzn.to/4ao9mwY

Tagline

Safety. Secrets. Sacrifice. What will it cost these Elite Guardians to protect the innocent?

The British Booksellers ~ Available Now

 Kristy Cambron's The British Booksellers is Now Available

Inspired by real accounts of the Forgotten Blitz bombings, The British Booksellers highlights the courage of those whose lives were forever changed by war—and the stories that bind us in the fight for what matters most.

 

A tenant farmer’s son had no business daring to dream of a future with an earl’s daughter, but that couldn’t keep Amos Darby from his secret friendship with Charlotte Terrington…until the reality of the Great War sobered youthful dreams. Now decades later, he bears the brutal scars of battles fought in the trenches and their futures that were stolen away. His return home doesn’t come with tender reunions, but with the hollow fulfillment of opening a bookshop on his own and retreating as a recluse within its walls.

 

When the future Earl of Harcourt chose Charlotte to be his wife, she knew she was destined for a loveless match. Though her heart had chosen another long ago, she pledges her future even as her husband goes to war. Twenty-five years later, Charlotte remains a war widow who divides her days between her late husband’s declining estate and operating a quaint Coventry bookshop—Eden Books, lovingly named after her grown daughter. And Amos is nothing more than the rival bookseller across the lane.

As war with Hitler looms, Eden is determined to preserve her father’s legacy. So when an American solicitor arrives threatening a lawsuit that could destroy everything they’ve worked so hard to preserve, mother and daughter prepare to fight back. But with devastation wrought by the Luftwaffe’s local blitz terrorizing the skies, battling bookshops—and lost loves, Amos and Charlotte—must put aside their differences and fight together to help Coventry survive.

 

From deep in the trenches of the Great War to the storied English countryside and the devastating Coventry Blitz of World War II, The British Booksellers explores the unbreakable bonds that unite us through love, loss, and the enduring solace that can be found between the pages of a book.

 

AUTHOR BIO

 

Kristy Cambron is an award-winning author of historical fiction, including her bestselling debut The Butterfly and the Violin, and an author of nonfiction, including the Verse Mapping Series Bibles and Bible studies. Kristy's work has been named to Publishers Weekly Religion & Spirituality TOP 10, Library Journal Reviews’ Best Books, RT Reviewers’ Choice Awards, received 2015 and 2017 INSPY Award nominations, and has been featured at CBN, Lifeway Women, Jesus Calling, Country Woman Magazine, MICI Magazine, Faithwire, Declare, (in)Courage, and Bible Gateway. She holds a degree in Art History/Research Writing and lives in Indiana with her husband and three sons, where she can probably be bribed with a peppermint mocha latte and a good read. 

You can connect with her at: kristycambron.com and versemapping.com.

What the Mountains Remember ~ Review

What the Mountains Remember

By Joy Callaway

Belle Newbold's life is a facade. It hides the truth of her past, all she lost when her father died and her mother remarried. Her present and past are about to collide when her stepfather is invited to join Henry Ford's Vagabond camping tour. For the first time in seven years, she will be returning to the mountains and all its hidden memories. 

But it is more than a chance of a rare outdoor excursion for the wealthy upper class that is behind Belle's participation. No, she is being offered a chance to reunite with the man she is engaged to, a man she has only once before met. Worth Delafield is her chance at having a family and the assurance that she can have a simple life but one with financial stability. And she can have a marriage without the fear of a broken heart should he die young. She wants no entanglements of the heart, and the marriage her stepfather has arranged is the perfect way to secure her future without involving her heart.

I love the title of this book, What the Mountains Remember. One just thinks of all the secrets the mountains hold and what they have witnessed over the years. And this camping tour certainly reveals many secrets, some of which will alter the lives of those who are participating in it. And Belle's cousin Marie Austen—well, let's just say she is a character and not my favorite person in the book, but she is pivotal in parts of the storyline. 

I feel for Belle and how she had to hide her true self. Fear is a powerful motivator, and it has held Belle and her mother in its grip for the last seven years. This is a book of rediscovery, second chances, and finding love.

I loved the cover of this book, and it perfectly suits the story, which is set in 1913 North Carolina. Perfect for those who love historical women's centric fiction. As in all life some people are more likable than others, and in this case, I found Belle, Worth, and Shipley Newbold (Belle's stepfather) to be the characters I liked best.

I was provided a complimentary copy of this book with no expectations but that I provide my honest opinion. All thoughts expressed are my own.

About the Book:

 

At this wondrous resort, secrets can easily be hidden in plain sight when the eye is trained on beauty.

 

April 1913—Belle Newbold hasn’t seen mountains for seven years—since her father died in a mining accident and her mother married gasoline magnate, Shipley Newbold. But when her stepfather’s business acquaintance, Henry Ford, invites the family on one of his famous Vagabonds camping tours, she is forced to face the hills once again—primarily in order to reunite with her future fiancé, owner of the land the Vagabonds are using for their campsite, a man she’s only met once before. It is a veritable arranged marriage, but she prefers it that way. Belle isn’t interested in love. She only wants a simple life—a family of her own and the stability of a wealthy man’s pockets. That’s what Worth Delafield has promised to give her and it’s worth facing the mountains again, the reminder of the past, and her poverty, to secure her future.

 

But when the Vagabonds group is invited to tour the unfinished Grove Park Inn and Belle is unexpectedly thrust into a role researching and writing about the building of the inn—a construction the locals are calling The Eighth Wonder of the World—she quickly realizes that these mountains are no different from the ones she once called home. As Belle peels back the facade of Grove Park Inn, of Worth, of the society she’s come to claim as her own, and the truth of her heart, she begins to see that perhaps her part in Grove Park’s story isn’t a coincidence after all. Perhaps it is only by watching a wonder rise from ordinary hands and mountain stone that she can finally find the strength to piece together the long-destroyed path toward who she was meant to be.

 

International bestselling author Joy Callaway returns with a story of the ordinary people behind extraordinary beauty—and the question of who gets to tell their stories.

 

AUTHOR BIO

 

Joy Callaway is the author of All the Pretty Places, The Grand Design, The Fifth Avenue Artists Society, and Secret Sisters. She holds a BA in journalism and public relations from Marshall University and an MMC from the University of South Carolina. She resides in Charlotte, North Carolina, with her husband, John, and her children, Alevia and John. Visit her online at joycallaway.com.