The Kitchen Daughter

Author: Jael McHenry

Genre: Fiction

Publisher: Gallery Books, 2011

Pages: 304

Rating: Highly Recommend

Synopsis: After the unexpected death of her parents, painfully shy and sheltered 26 year old Ginny Selvaggio seeks comfort in cooking from family recipes. But the rich, peppery scent of her Nonna's soup draws an unexpected visotir into the kitchen: the ghost of Nonna herself, dead for twenty-size years, who appears wit ha cryptic warning ("do no let her...") before vanishing like steam from a cooling dish.

A haunted kitchen isn’t Ginny’s only challenge. Her domineering sister, Amanda, (aka “Demanda”) insists on selling their parents’ house, the only home Ginny has ever known. As she packs up her parents’ belongings, Ginny finds evidence of family secrets she isn’t sure how to unravel. She knows how to turn milk into cheese and cream into butter, but she doesn’t know why her mother hid a letter in the bedroom chimney, or the identity of the woman in her father’s photographs. The more she learns, the more she realizes the keys to these riddles lie with the dead, and there’s only one way to get answers: cook from dead people’s recipes, raise their ghosts, and ask them.

Review: I didn't want to put this down, but bedtime called. What a fun little read. I don't know much about Asperger's Syndrome, but from what I've read in reviews, this author does a fantastic job capturing what life is like for someone with this condition. 

In many ways this was reminiscent of a Lisa Genova novel, which is high praise. Overall, far better than I expected.

One Less Problem Without You

Author: Beth Harbison

Genre: Fiction

Publisher: St. Martin's Press, 2016

Pages: 336

Rating: Recommend

Synopsis: Meet Prinny, Chelsea and Diana. Prinny is the owner of Cosmos, a shop that sells crystals, potions, candles, and hope. It’s also a place where no one turns down a little extra-special cocktail that can work as a romance potion or heal a broken heart. But Prinny is in love with her married lawyer and she’ll need nothing short of magic to forget about him.

Chelsea works as a living statue at tourist sites around Washington, DC. It's a thankless job, but it helps pay the rent. That, and her part-time job at Cosmos. As her dream of becoming a successful actress starts to seem more remote and the possibility of being a permanently struggling one seems more realistic, Chelsea begins to wonder: at one point do you give up on your dreams? And will love ever be in the cards for her?

Review: I found this novel while browsing shelves at the library while my daughters picked some out for themselves. I chose it based on the cover alone. Even though Harbison is a best-selling author, I hadn't heard of her before.

From what little research I've done, Harbison writes chick lit, but this book seemed too dark to me to be considered that. Based on what I read on Goodreads.com, many fans of Harbison agree. Apparently this was a departure from her typical stories. Ultimately, I really liked this and will be reading more Harbison novels in the future.

A Great Catch

Author: Lorna Seilstad

Genre: Historical Fiction

Publisher: Baker Publishing Group, 2011

Pages: 368

Rating: Recommend

Synopsis: It is the beginning of a new century at Lake Manawa Resort in Iowa, but some things never change. When 22-year-old Emily Graham's meddlesome aunts and grandmother take it upon themselves to find her a husband among the resort guests, the spunky suffragist is determined to politely decline each and every suitor. She has neither the time nor the need for a man in her busy life. 

Carter Stockton, a recent college graduate and pitcher for the Manawa Owls baseball team, intends to enjoy every minute of the summer at Lake Manawa, Iowa, before he is forced into the straitlaced business world of his father. When Emily crashes into Carter at a roller skating rink, neither could guess what would come next. Will Carter strike out? Or will Emily cast her vote for a love that might cost her dreams?

The perfect summer novel, A Great Catch will enchant readers with its breezy setting and endearing characters.

Review: This is definitely a summer/beach read. I preferred the first book in this series, Making Waves, to this one, but it's a cute story in its own right. At times it seemed a little over-the-top cheesy, but that's part of this genre too, I think.

Making Waves

Author: Lorna Seilstad
Genre: Historical Fiction
Publisher: Baker Publishing Group, 2010
Pages: 368
Rating: Recommend

Synopsis: When spunky Marguerite Westing discovers that her family will summer at Lake Manawa in 1895, she couldn't be more thrilled. It is the perfect way to escape her agonizingly boring suitor, Roger Gordon. It's also where she stumbles upon two new loves: sailing, and sailing instructor Trip Andrews. But this summer of fun turns to turmoil as her father's gambling problems threaten to ruin the family forever. Will free-spirited Marguerite marry Roger to save her father's name and fortune? Or will she follow her heart—even if it means abandoning the family she loves?

Review: I know, I know. I really need to get off this genre and into something else. I promise I am.

Anyway, I was drawn in by page 2. And seriously, a heroine by the name of Marguerite. Love it. There were some really funny parts/sentences early on and while that seemed to taper off as the story unfolded, it kept my attention until the very end. 

I love this time period in American History. The socialites, the gilded age, the excess, all of it. It makes for fun story telling. Lake Manawa was an actual resort in Iowa for the elite and I loved that this author re-imagined that world for a series.

I don't read historical fiction looking for errors or accuracy, but sometimes such things are unavoidable. For example, Marguerite receives an engagement ring in 1895, but rings didn't become a tradition until the 1900s. In one chapter Marguerite is said to be wearing a swim cap, but on the next page her hair somehow ends up in a bun from which some tendrils escape while swimming. In 1895, she most definitely would have worn a swim cap at a public pool/lake.

Marguerite and Trip's romance seemed unlikely for 1895. It was far too physical for a couple who had just met each other and were not promised to one another. This author tried a little too hard perhaps to make Roger as unlikable as possible too. These two situations didn't fit the times, but it's certainly relate-able to someone living in the 2000s so maybe it's okay in this instance. It's fiction so one shouldn't expect total accuracy.

Finally, I wouldn't classify this as Christian Fiction for several reasons. God and the Bible are smattered throughout but these references came across a bit disingenuous to me; as though the author felt that if she mentioned them enough, this could be considered Christian Lit and it just didn't work for me. If you want excellent Christian Lit, read Janette Oke instead.

I know it sounds like I have more negative than positive to say about Making Waves, but I truly did enjoy it, despite the obvious errors/inconsistencies. The characters and the author's writing style sold me.

TIP: Google images for Lake Manawa Resort for pictures/postcards.

A Bride for Keeps

Author: Melissa Jagears

Genre: Historical Fiction

Publisher: Baker Publishing Group, 2013

Pages: 336

Rating: Do Not Recommend 

Synopsis: Everett Cline will never humiliate himself by seeking a mail-order bride. Not again. He's already been jilted by three mail-order brides and figures a wife just isn't in his future. However, a well-meaning neighbor hasn't given up on seeing him settled, so she goes behind his back to bring yet another woman to town for him.

Julia Lockwood has never been anything more than a pretty pawn for her father or a business acquisition for her former fiance. A mail-order marriage in faraway Kansas is a last resort, but she'll do anything to leave her life in Massachusetts and the heartbreak she's experienced there.

Although Everett doesn't see how a beautiful, cultured woman like Julia could be happy sharing his simple life, he could really use a helpmate on his homestead. Determined to prove she's more than just a pretty face, Julia agrees to a marriage in name only. Faced with the harsh realities of life on the prairie and hesitant to explore the tentative feelings growing between them, can Everett and Julia ever let each other in long enough to fall in love?

Review: Trite, cliche, and quite fluffy, it's still a cute story and readers who love this genre will be quite happy with how the plot unfolds. This was a one-day read for me and I quickly moved on to the next book. I do not feel compelled to continue reading this series.

I didn't feel emotionally invested in any of the characters, nor was I drawn into their world. It's a nice, pleasant read and not much else.

If you want a little more depth to your novels or character development, skip this one.  

The Frontiersman's Daughter

Author: Laura Frantz

Genre: Historical Fiction

Publisher: Baker Publishing Group, 2009

Pages: 416

Rating: Do Not Recommend

Synopsis: Lovely but tough as nails, Lael Click is the daughter of a celebrated frontiersman. Haunted by her father's former captivity with the Shawnee Indians, as well as the secret sins of her family's past, Lael comes of age in the fragile Kentucky settlement her father founded. Though she faces the loss of a childhood love, a dangerous family feud, and the affection of a Shawnee warrior, Lael draws strength from the rugged land she calls home, and from Ma Horn, a distant relative who shows her the healing ways of herbs and roots found in the hills. But the arrival of an outlander doctor threatens her view of the world, God, and herself--and the power of grace and redemption.

This epic novel gives readers a glimpse into the simple yet daring lives of the pioneers who first crossed the Appalachians, all through the courageous eyes of a determined young woman. Laura Frantz's debut novel offers a feast for readers of historical fiction and romance lovers alike.

Review: Not Frantz's best work. Some of the events that unfolded were indeed plausible for this time period, but in this novel they felt like a matter of convenience for the author, rather than an integral part of the novel. The character of Captain Jack felt out of place and undeveloped. I just didn't buy his importance in Lael's life.

Diehard fans of Frantz will likely forgive her for this novel, but as someone who has read a lot in this genre as a whole, it was disappointing. This did not feel like the work of an experienced writer.

After writing this review I looked up the rating for the book on Goodreads.com. Frantz barely received a 4 star rating for this novel, which is inline with what I stated above.

Other Laura Frantz Novels
The Colonel's Lady
Counting Morrow Little 
The Mistress of Tall Acre
A Moonbow Night
A Bound Heart

The Ballantyne Legacy:
Love's Reckoning
Love's Awakening 
Love's Fortune

The Colonel's Lady

Author: Laura Frantz

Genre: Historical Fiction

Publisher: Baker Publishing Group, 2011

Pages: 416

Rating: Recommend

Synopsis: In 1779, when genteel Virginia spinster Roxanna Rowan arrives at the Kentucky fort commanded by Colonel Cassius McLinn, she finds that her officer father has died. Penniless and destitute, Roxanna is forced to take her father's place as scrivener. Before long, it's clear that the colonel himself is attracted to her. But she soon realizes the colonel has grave secrets of his own--some of which have to do with her father's sudden death. Can she ever truly love him?

Readers will be enchanted by this powerful story of love, faith, and forgiveness from reader favorite Laura Frantz. Her solid research and deft writing immerse readers in the world of the early frontier while her realistic characters become intimate friends.

Review: My Laura Frantz kick continues, although I think I've read nearly all of her books. I really enjoyed this novel. I don't know how historically accurate The Colonel's Lady is, but there was a solid story line for people who love this genre.