Author: Stephenia H. McGee

Publisher: Bethany House

Release Date: May 2, 2023

An exciting historical romance that exceeded my expectations!

Lillian Doyle is a high-society girl who thought her father died when she was a little girl. She learns that he only recently passed and now she is becoming the heir to all he is leaving behind. She has to go to take possession of her father’s house and when she arrives in Georgia she finds another woman saying it belongs to her son, Jonah. In the struggle to figure out where to go from there, Lillian finds out more about her father, their past, and the not so simple family business left to her.

This is the first book by McGee I have read and after a long string of historical romance novels on my list, this one went in with the rest of the stack. The problem for me with historical romance is they tend to blend together and seem the same after a while. The story was a quick read and full of wholesome content that is great for anyone looking for a clean read without any of the bad stuff so often included in books.  I would recommend this to readers that want a historical romance that can be read quickly and easily.

I received a complimentary copy of this title from the publisher.  The views and opinions expressed within are my own.

Author: Regina Jennings

Series: Joplin Chronicles #3

Publisher: Bethany House

Release Date: December 13, 2022

The third book in the Joplin Chronicles is a great addition to the series that readers will not want to put down.

Olive Kentworth loves architecture but has kept it to herself for years. She gets offered a job for a home expansion which isn’t going to keep her love of architecture a secret, except her cousin poses as the builder. On top of that, she takes a position as a nanny for Joplin’s top architect Maxfield Scott who is a widower. It doesn’t take long for Maxfield and Olive to have a connection with each other as she helps with his family and his work unbeknownst to him. With each passing day, Olive’s involvement becomes harder to keep others from finding out and messing up all she has dreamed of.

As the third book in the Joplin Chronicles, it is not necessary to read the first two to enjoy this one as a good clean read. This is a nice easy read, like most of the historical romance I’ve read recently. The romance was woven in with the tension of Olive wanting to pursue her dream, or what she thought was her dream, until she met Maxfield and her view of what her future could be changed. I enjoyed the dynamic of the characters and what they were going through and how it affected them. I recommend this book to those that have read the series and even if they haven’t read the previous in the series this will still be a fun read.

I received a complimentary copy of this title from the publisher.  The views and opinions expressed within are my own.

Author: Tracie Peterson

Series: Pictures of the Heart #1

Publisher: Bethany House

Release Date: March 1, 2023

The start of another great series by Tracie Peterson!

Addie Bryant was forced by her father and brothers up to the Alaskan territory when they wanted to search for gold, but she never thought that her brothers would sell her to the highest bidder just to have some gambling money.  Being sold to the owner of a brothel was horrible, but fortunately for Addie the owner only wanted her for himself and took her as a wife.  After he is killed in a gambling incident, Addie discovers that everything is left to her and she is a wealthy woman, much to the scorn of her brothers that want her money.  She manages to slip away out of Alaska entirely and hopes to never see them again.

Years later in Seattle, Addie is working as a camera girl at the Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Expo.  Her brothers were arrested for burglary but have been released for good behavior while moving pieces to the expo.  They also pick up jobs as custodians at the expo and pick a few pockets while they are there, hoping to run into Addie and her money.  Addie’s first true love, Isaac, also shows up at the expo with his class of children and can’t believe he has found her after years of searching.  But the past doesn’t heal all wounds and Addie isn’t sure who or what she can trust.

As always, Tracie Peterson crafts a fantastic story where she brings history to light with lovable characters that must overcome hardships.  Having this set up in the Pacific Northwest was a nice change and I love how she managed to bring the expo to life for her readers.  I also love how she molded Addie and Isaac into who they needed to be to move past hardships brought to them.  I know they may not be in the next book, but I can’t wait to see where this goes.

I received a complimentary copy of this title from the publisher.  The views and opinions expressed within are my own.

Author: Amanda Cabot

Series: Secrets of Sweetwater Crossing #1

Publisher: Revell

Release Date: March 21, 2023

Amanda Cabot takes her readers on a journey as she transports them to the Texas Hill Country in the late 1800’s on a wonderfully delightful novel.

When her husband is killed in a bar fight, Emily Leland has no sorrow. Her husband was abusive and with no husband she heads home to Sweetwater Crossing, Texas. Going home is not as easy as she expects; her father has mysteriously passed away and she has no home to return to. After a fight with her sister, she is left alone and with no money. With a broken heart and the mystery of her father’s death, Emily turns to the aid of Craig Ferguson, the schoolmaster that is widowed and the only one willing to help her.

Amanda Cabot always finds a way to thrill me with her writing. She has a way of writing historical romance where I feel pulled into a different time and place seeing myself right alongside these characters and the struggles they face. I’m from Texas so seeing a story set in the hill country close to me was fun and very engaging. Emily is a strong female protagonist even with all she has had to suffer through, and I found myself rooting for her to find love and succeed. All great stories have that one moment that feels different from the rest and this story had that with a few chapters left. I recommend this book to fans of Cabot’s writing and those that love historical romance.

I received a complimentary copy of this title from the publisher.  The views and opinions expressed within are my own.

Author: Stephanie Landsem

Publisher: Tyndale House

Release Date: March 7, 2023

Landsem connects the darkness of the rise of the Nazi party on home turf in the USA.

During the summer of 1933, Germany has just named the new chancellor, Adolf Hitler.  The Great Depression has been affecting people across the globe and the United States has felt its effects.  In the film industry in California, people are losing their jobs, but there is also growing tension between Germany and the film industry due to several of the studio owners being Jews.  Liesl Weiss loses her job as a secretary and finds herself begging an unknown stranger, Leon Lewis, for a job.  She discovers that he is a Jewish lawyer who has been watching the change of tides as Germany’s new Nazi party has come into power.  He asks Liesl to take a job as a spy with the Friends of New Germany group and report to him what she discovers using her new code name, Edelweiss.  As she places herself and her family in danger, the information is too dangerous to ignore, and she knows that she must stand for what is right.

This is my first book by Landsem and as someone who loves this era of fiction, it will definitely not be my last.  She quickly pulled in my attention with the Liesl’s story and that of some of her counterpart spies with what was happening in the Los Angeles area during the 1930s.  I’ve always heard that not much emphasis was put on the war until after Pearl Harbor, but discovering this was based on a true story with sleeper Nazi Germany cells throughout the United States was really unnerving.  The character development was great and I would love to see more come out of this story in the future!

I received a complimentary copy of this title from the publisher.  The views and opinions expressed within are my own.