New Novel Set at the Biltmore Estate

 

These Tangled Threads  by Sarah Loudin Thomas

The Biltmore estate is the site of industries supporting the tradespeople of the Appalachian mountains.  Lorna is a grieving, accomplished weaver who is teaching orphaned Gentry the trade. Arthur is a talented wood carver.  The three of them become woven together as the story progresses.

Lorna is desperate to keep her job by designing an unusual fabric.  She comes across some beautiful patterns belonging to Gentry’s dead mother.  Can she use them to rescue her position? 

Arthur has loved Lorna but she seems not to notice him.  Can he forget her and move on with his life?

Gentry is desperate to find the woman whom she has thought dead for years, but hardly knows where to start.

The questions keep the reader involved in the plot as these threads become even more tangled as the story progresses.  The characters are lovable but flawed.  The setting is interesting, letting the reader experience what the life and times on the Biltmore was like.

The most difficult part of the book was keeping up with the timeline.  It kept shifting from past to present in the different characters’ lives.  The setting often changed too.  Even though it was clearly marked, it still was confusing.

Readers who have enjoyed Sarah Loudin Thomas’ other books will likely enjoy this one, too.  I am grateful to the publisher for this arc in exchange for my honest opinion. 

New Novel by a Michigan Writer

 

The Lady with the Dark Hair by Erin Bartels

Esther Markstrom is the curator of an art museum featuring the work of her famous ancestor, Francisco Vella.  She runs the museum and cares for her mentally ill mother.  She wonders if she is destined to live an uneventful, boring even, life, when she encounters her former college art professor, who turns her world upside down by a recent discovery.

Bartels skillfully weaves the two storylines of Esther and Vivienne, a 19^th century artist together to reveal the mystery of the lady with the dark hair.  Not only does she tell the story skillfully, but she illuminates the process by which artists paint and how the pigments themselves were created and distributed.

The main point of the story is the struggle that women painters encountered as they tried to break into an art dominated by men in the late 1800s.  The spiritual content of this book seemed a little lighter than Bartels’ other works, but Vivienne especially references Him in her trials.  However, this was a very enjoyable and clean novel and should be palatable to readers who may be offended by spiritual references.  It doesn’t contain pithy life lessons like a Lynn Austin novel or showcase spiritual growth like a Jamie Langston Turner novel, but it does contain two women who come to terms with what they want from life and take action to get it.

I enjoyed this novel and appreciate the arc I received from the publisher in exchange for this, my honest review.

 

 

 

 

 

The Berlin Letters by Katherine Reay

This book reads like a spy novel because, well, it is!  Luisa Voekler remembers very little of her childhood in East Berlin.  And she knows only that her parents died in an automobile accident and her grandparents cared for her as she was growing up.  Then she finds something that turns everything that she knows about her family upside down.  Secrets-- or are they lies-- cover her past and now she must return to East Berlin to uncover the truth.

This novel is set in East Berlin during the tumultuous years prior to the wall being torn down.  No one is what they seem and danger looms around every corner.  The suspense keeps readers turning pages and wondering who Luisa can trust.

The characters are well-drawn and three-dimensional.  Luisa is strong and determined but not overly confident.  The supporting characters are much easier to understand as Luisa uncovers her past more completely.  There are also some unique characters who play a pivotal role in the plot.

This is my favorite type of book, with lots of action, interesting characterization and a satisfying conclusion.  I have enjoyed the author’s other novels, but this is my favorite.  I am grateful to the publisher for a complimentary arc in exchange for this, my honest review.

New Book on Noah's Wife

 

The Ark and the Dove by Jill Eileen Smith

Have you ever wondered what it would be like if God gave your husband an unusual command to keep your family safe?  The author has given this much thought and study as she wrote this novel.  It gave me a new respect for Noah and his family and the unusual task God gave them.

Jill Eileen Smith uses her sanctified imagination and research at the Ark Encounter to flesh out a story of obedience to God against the background of the culture’s unbelief.  Scripture does not name the wives who made this journey with their husbands.  Nor is it specific with the types of technology that would have been necessary to house, feed and dispose of waste from an ark full of animals.  With her research she enables readers to see what life aboard the ark would have looked like.  Those of us who lived through 2019 and 2020 can appreciate what life in a confined space with just your family was like, let alone needing to care for the many animals that daily depended on them.

I could really empathize with Noah’s wife.  Her desire was to have a healthy relationship with each of her daughters-in-law.  (I do not have a Keziah among mine!)  As a woman, I am sure she valued the relationships with her family and made it a priority to maintain them, even with a difficult family member in close proximity.  I also appreciated how she trusted her husband and didn’t try manipulate him even when she didn’t understand him.

This book seemed very realistic in the way the characters related to each other.  Even though the outcome was already known, it was still very interesting to read about their daily life.  Readers who enjoy Biblical fiction will enjoy this book and the way it brings Noah and Zara’s story to life.  I received an arc from the publisher, in exchange for this, my honest review.

New Fiction on the What ifs of Life

 

Between You and Us by Kendra Broekhuis

Leona must choose between 2 versions of her life.  Either her relationship with her husband is broken or together they have suffered unimaginable loss.

How does a woman choose?  This book will have the reader wondering.

Although the quantum physics part lost me and I wondered at the credulity of such a story, I got caught up in the book and realized that it raised some fascinating questions.

Leona and David’s banter was entertaining and added light to what could have been a dark situation.  The characters were well-developed and grew as the story progressed.  The plot kept me reading and guessing what Leona would decide.

 Readers who have experienced the death of a child may want to know that this book covers that horrific loss.

I am grateful to the publisher for this complimentary arc in exchange for this, my honest review.

New Author Brings First Century to Life

 

Up From Dust by Heather Kaufman

Mary, Martha and Lazarus are some of the most famous siblings mentioned in the Bible.  Heather Kaufman writes this story from Martha’s point of view, as pieced together from scriptural accounts.  She makes some assumptions to fill in the details of Martha’s life, but the resulting story rings true.  The reader comes away with a renewed appreciation for the relationship the siblings had with each other and with Jesus.  As with good Biblical fiction, this story made me want to pay greater attention to the details mentioned in scripture and it made the familiar story come to life.    

Heather writes beautifully.  The story’s rich details transport the reader to life in Bethany.  And best of all, the story ended with Martha’s heart being healed and her relationship restored with Mary.  I look forward to reading more of Heather’s work to transport me into the first century AD again.  I am grateful to the publisher for this complimentary arc in return for this, my honest review.  

Lovely Children's Book Featuring Israel

 

A Feather, a Pebble, a Shell by Miri Leshem-Pelly

The author invites reader to “explore the landscape of Israel through the small, treasured objects a child finds in nature.”  The tenderly illustrated book takes the reader throughout the landscape of Israel, showcasing beautiful natural features that a child can appreciate.  Laced with facts regarding the topography and natural items, this book is a treasure itself.  As a teacher, I would enjoy sharing it with my students and as a grandmother I look forward to sharing it with my grandchildren, introducing them to a land that I have come to love.

I highly recommend this beautifully written and illustrated book and I am grateful to the publisher for a complimentary copy in exchange for this, my honest review.