The Lady and the Mountain Man

Author: Misty Beller
Genre: Christian / Historical Fiction
Publisher: Misty M. Beller Books, Inc., 2014
Pages: 288
Rating: Recommend

Synopsis: Leah Townsend, a recently orphaned heiress, flees Richmond after discovering her fiance's plot to kill her after their wedding. She needs a safe place to hide, and finds herself accepting a newspaper marriage proposal from a God-fearing young rancher in the Montana Territory. But when Leah arrives at the mountain ranch, she learns her intended husband was killed by a grizzly, leaving behind a bitter older brother and a spunky younger sister.

When Gideon Bryant finds a city girl standing in his log cabin, his first thought is to send her back where she came from. He's lost too many people to the wild elements of these mountains - his parents, his wife, and how his brother. his love for this untamed land lives on, but he's determined not to open his heart to another person.

When when an accident forces Leah to stay at the ranch for seven more months, can Gideon protect his heart from a love he doesn't want? Has Leah really escaped the men who seek her life?

Review: Really fun read for this genre. Lots of adventure and romance. Thoroughly enjoyed.

The Palace Papers

Author: Tina Brown
Genre: Non-Fiction
Publisher: Crown Publishing Group, 2022
Pages: 592
Rating: Recommend

Synopsis: "Never again" became Queen Elizabeth II's mantra shortly after Princess Diana's tragic death. More specifically, there could never be "another Diana" - a member of the family whose global popularity upstaged, outshone, and posed an existential threat to the British monarchy.

Picking up where Tina Brown's masterful The Diana Chronicles left off, The Palace Papers reveals how the royal family reinvented itself after the traumatic years when Diana's blazing celebrity ripped through the House of Windsor like a comet.

Brown takes readers on a tour de force journey through the scandals, love affairs, power plays, and betrayals that have buffeted the monarchy over the last twenty-five years. We see the Queen's stoic resolve after the passing of Princess Margaret, the Queen Mother, and Prince Philip, her partner for seven decades, and how she triumphs in her Jubilee years even as family troubles rage around her. Brown explores Prince Charles' determination to make Camilla Parker Bowles his wife, the tension between William and Harry on "different paths," the ascendance of Kate Middleton, the downfall of Prince Andrew, and Harry and Meghan's stunning decision to step back as senior royals. Despite the fragile monarchy's best efforts, "never again" seems fast approaching.

Review: I had eye surgery last week so I have to listen to audio books right now. I took full advantage and chose a long book that would likely take me weeks to read in hard copy. 

This book was so good on audio, although I imagine some parts would drag in print. 

Brown is a royal family expert and I thoroughly enjoyed this comprehensive look at Queen Elizabeth, nearly her jubilee, Camilla, Kate,  Meghan, and other royals.

The Turn of the Key

Author: Ruth Ware
Genre: Thriller
Publisher: Gallery/Scout Press, 2020
Pages: 384
Rating: Recommend

Synopsis: When she stumbles across the ad, she's looking for something else completely. But it seems like too good an opportunity to miss - a live-in nannying post, with a staggeringly generous salary. And when Rowan Caine arrives at Heatherbrae House, she's smitten - by the luxurious "smart" home fitted out with all modern conveniences, by the beautiful Scottish Highlands, and by this picture-perfect family.

What she doesn't know is that she's stepping into a nightmare - one that will end with a child dead and herself in prison awaiting trial for murder.

Writing to her lawyer from prison, she struggles to explain the events that led to her incarceration. It wasn't just the constant surveillance from the home's cameras, or the malfunctioning technology that woke the household with booming music, or turn the light off at the worst possible time. It wasn't just the girls, who turned out to be a far cry from the immaculately behaved model children she met at her interview. It wasn't even the way she was left alone for weeks at a time, with no adults around apart from the enigmatic handyman.

It was everything.

She knows she's made mistakes. She admits that she lied to obtain the post, and that her behavior toward the children wasn't always ideal. She's not innocent by any means. But, she maintains, she's not guilty - at least not of murder - but somebody is.

Review: I struggle getting into the print versions of Ruth Ware novels, but Imogen Church brings Ware's stories to life with her reading/narration of the audio versions. I found this book to be so entertaining and sometimes creepy. The end was strange with unanswered questions, but still a satisfying novel.

Ruth Ware Novels
The Death of Mrs. Westaway
The It Girl
The Lying Game - review coming soon
The Woman in Cabin 10

Then She Was Gone

Author: Lisa Jewell
Genre: Thriller
Publisher: Dreamscape Audio, 2018
Pages: 384
Rating: Recommend

Synopsis: Fifteen-year-old Ellie Mack was the perfect daughter. She was beloved by her parents, friends, and teachers. She and her boyfriend made a teenaged golden couple. She was days away from an idyllic summer vacation with her whole life ahead of her. And then she was gone. Now, her mother Laurel Mack is trying to put her life back together. It's been ten years since her daughter disappeared, seven years since her marriage ended, and only months since the last clue in Ellie's case was unearthed. So when she meets an unexpectedly charming man in a cafe, she is surprised at how quickly her flirtation develops into something deeper. Before she knows it, she's meeting Floyd's daughters-and his youngest, Poppy, takes her breath away. Looking at her is like looking at Ellie. And now, the unanswered questio
ns she has tried so hard to put to rest haunt her anew. . .as well as some new ones about Floyd and Poppy. . .

Review: I had cataract surgery on Monday, but didn't want to give up reading for the weeks in between surgery on the first eye and surgery on the second. I chose this book because it was free on Audible.

I was reading reviews on Goodreads and it seems like quite a few readers had figured out the connection. I did as well, but it didn't seem as obvious to me as it seems to have been for others.

This was a little farfetched, but it was interesting too if you can get past some of the improbabilities. If the goal is entertainment, this is a winner.

A Fire Sparkling

Author: Julianne MacLean
Genre: Historical Fiction
Publisher: Amazon Publishing, 2019
Pages: 432
Rating: Recommend

Synopsis: After a crushing betrayal by the man she loves, Gillian Gibbons flees to her family home for a much-needed escape,but when she finds and old photograph of her grandmother in the arms of a Nazi officer, Gillian's life gets even more complicated. Rattled by the discovery, Gillian attempts to unravel the truth behind the photos, setting her off on an epic journey through the past.

1939. England is on the brink of war as Vivian Hughes falls in love with a handsome British official, but when bombs begin to fall and Vivian's happy life is destroyed in the blitz, she will do whatever it takes to protect those she loves. . .

As Gillian learns more about her grandmother's past, the old photo begins to make more sense. But for every question answered, a new one takes its place. Faced with a truth that is not at all what she expected, Gillian attempts to shine a light not only on the mysteries of her family's past but also on her own future.

Review: There was something about this book the drew me in immediately. I latched onto the story and didn't let go. I had sworn off World War II novels for awhile because it was starting to feel like that if you read one, you read them all. This was different.

I also felt the dual timeline worked for this novel. I still say it's an overdone literary device, but this author made it work.

I fall short of giving this a highly recommend rating simply because some parts were predictable, and it was light on historical fact. Yes the events in the novel actually happened, but that's where the "historical" ends. This is primarily a novel of fiction. Still a good read.

Golden Girl

Author: Elin Hilderbrand

Genre: Fiction
Publisher: Little, Brown and Company, 2021
Pages: 384
Rating: Highly Recommend

Synopsis: On a perfect June day, Vivian Howe, author of thirteen beach novels and mother of three nearly grown children, is killed in a hit-and-run car accident while jogging near her home on Nantucket. She ascends to the Beyond where she's assigned to a Person named Martha, who allows Vivi to watch what happens below for one last summer. Vivi also is granted three "nudges" to change the outcome of events on earth, and with her daughter Willa on her third miscarriage, Carson partying until all hours, and Leo currently "off again" with his high-maintenance girlfriend, she'll have to think carefully where to use them.

From the Beyond, Vivi watches "The Chief" Ed Kapenash investigate her death, but her greatest worry is her final book, which contains a secret from her own youth that could be disastrous for her reputation. but when hidden truths comes to light, Vivi's family will have to sort out their past and present mistakes - with or without a nudge or help from above - while Vivi finally lets them grow without her.

Review: This was my choice for May's reading challenge, "beach read." I can't believe it's already May 16, and I've only finished one book. I started walking 6 miles a day and that's cut into my reading time in a big way. However, I do feel better physically so I guess it's worth it.

This has been on my to-read list since before it's release in 2021, and I loved it. One of my Hilderbrand faves. 

Other Elin Hilderbrand Novels:
The Five-Star Weekend
Summer of '69
The Blue Bistro
The Hotel Nantucket
The Island
The Castaways

The Winter Street Series
Winter Street
Winter Stroll
Winter Storms
Winter Solstice

The Winter in Paradise Trilogy
Winter in Paradise
What Happens in Paradise
Troubles in Paradise