A Wonderful Story!--"The Lost Story of Via Belle" by Melanie Dobson--Review

 

My Review: 

“The Lost Story of Via Belle” by Melanie Dobson is a wonderful dual-timeline story!  The book has such great mystery and faith content.  The mystery kept me guessing until the end.  The two timelines are 1940 and 2006.  I loved how the timelines tied together and the characters in each were great.  “The Lost Story of Via Belle” is a great story about stories and a love note to clean, inspiring books.  I love that in the author’s note at the end, Ms. Dobson says that the plot of this book was inspired by the lives of Grace Livingston Hill, Agatha Christie and Dorothy Sayers.  The book does deal with some heavier topics, but it is done well and from a Christian perspective.  The author weaves in messages about grief and other beautiful Christian truths and messages.  I especially love how she shares the message that God speaks through story to help people sort out their questions.  If you love a clean mystery with great faith content, you’ll love this wonderful story!

Content: I give this a low PG-13 rating.  Some examples of the content: mention of gambling and alcohol; pregnancy out of wedlock; mention of sharing a bed.

TW: loss, grief, past loss of a child and spouse; infidelity; orphan; mention of past su*cide; alcoholic; domestic violence; emotional abuse and gaslighting; adoption; attempted child abduction.

I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book which I received from the author. All views expressed are only my honest opinion.

 

A Fantastic New Favorite Historical with Steampunk Vibes! —"A Lady's Handbook to Gadgets and Guile" by Angela Bell—Review

 

My Review:

“A Lady's Handbook to Gadgets and Guile" by Angela Bell is a fantastic new favorite historical fiction book with whimsical steampunk vibes! This was just incredible! The author says this book is like “Little Women” meets “Inspector Gadget.”  This is the first in the “Daughters of Genius Society” series and has some connections to the author’s previous book, “A Lady’s Guide to Marvels and Misadventure.” “The Daughters of Genius Society" is a women’s club of books, tea, and blue stockings on the outside—concealing an elite team of lady inspectors. Our heroine, Margaret Kingsley, is an ambulatory wheelchair user who is also a gadget inventor for the D.O.G.S. I have never seen the experience of chronic pain/illness described so true to life. Living with chronic illness and pain myself, I almost seemed at times to be reading my own experience on the page and have never felt so seen in a book. I highlighted so many parts and was encouraged in my own pain and faith journey. I also loved that the FMC is older than is typical in this genre. There is also mental health representation, awesome family relationships, and adorable animal companions. I love how the author shows the beauty of God, and His comfort and sustaining grace. The faith content is awesome. The main character prays, leans on the Lord and gives thanks in hardships. The story and action are amazing, with an invention gone out of control and a daring chase that ensues. Our hero deals with panic attacks and loves music. I love how he worshipped God with his music. The romance was ever so sweet! I cannot wait for the next book in the series! Do yourself a favor and read this inspiring, fun, and whimsical story! You will not be disappointed.

Content: I give this book a PG rating. See trigger warnings below for examples of the content.

TW: anxiety and panic attacks; past miscarriages.

I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book which I received from the author. All views expressed are only my honest opinion.

 

A Wonderful Devotional Companion!--"GraceLaced Seasons" by Ruth Chou Simons--Review

 

My Review: 

“GraceLaced Seasons: A Guided Companion” by Ruth Chou Simons is a gorgeous devotional companion and journal, meant to accompany her popular “GraceLaced: Discovering Timeless Truths Through Seasons of the Heart.” I loved “GraceLaced” when it first came out and cherish my beautiful copy. I have thoroughly enjoyed going back through it along with “GraceLaced Seasons.”  The guided companion can be used alone or with the original “GraceLaced” book. This journal has Ruth’s gorgeous signature watercolor artwork of flowers and nature throughout, which really enhances the reading experience and draws your mind to the beauty of God’s creation. There are Scripture and questions on each spread, which correspond with the “GraceLaced” book. The questions are thought-provoking and there is a lot of room on each page to journal your answers, thoughts, or prayers. I really appreciated the questions, because I do not always know what to write in a journal and it deepened the devotional and reading experience. Writing out my answers really helped to cement the truths in my heart and to be available to reflect, pause and slow down. I love that it is focused on God’s faithful promises. It really encouraged me and brought me closer to the Lord! I highly recommend this book and the original! It would be a great gift as well!

I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book which I received from the author. All views expressed are only my honest opinion.

A Sweet Historical Romance with "Persuasion" Vibes--"A Love Once Lost" by Jennie Goutet—Review

 

My Review:

"A Love Once Lost" by Jennie Goutet is the first book in “The Bridwells’ Grand Tour” series. This is such a sweet historical romance with "Persuasion" vibes. This delightful second-chance romance features older and more mature main characters, wonderful writing, and unique historical details. I love that the heroine and her family are going on their own Grand Tour, and their first stop (and the location of this book) is the resort town of Spa, Belgium. It was neat to learn more about the resort town of Spa and the Georgian era. I love that the author writes about a unique period and location that you do not often see in historical fiction (18th century European life). There were also some nods to Austen’s “Sense and Sensibility.”  It was fascinating to read about the history of Spa, especially the rituals surrounding bathing and drinking of mineral waters. The love story was so precious and filled with yearning. The characters are good and noble. This is such a wonderful and clean historical romance. I am so excited to read the next book in this series that I highly recommend!

Content: I give this a low PG rating and would consider this a clean read. Some examples of the content: mention of gambling; mention of infidelity.

I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book which I received from the author. All views expressed are only my honest opinion.

 

A New Favorite Mystery! --"The Inklings Detective Agency" by John R. Kelly—Review

 My Review: “The Inklings Detective Agency" by John R. Kelly is a new favorite mystery of mine and worthy of the literary greats that inhabit its pages! I could tell just from the first few chapters that this book was a winner. The incredible writing pulled me in, along with the awesome characters (many beloved literary legends) and its premise. The author obviously knows his stuff and would make any die-hard Inklings fan proud with this book (I am a huge Tolkien nerd myself and loved the many literary quotes and Easter eggs). The story is rich with history and some great settings, from the Kilns to the Bodleian library, Oxford, London, and Scotland. I love that other literary figures also make cameos—Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Dorothy Sayers, and Agatha Christie. I think this book will be loved equally by men and women (I must hide it from my husband). The actual mystery is exciting and kept me on my toes. The author’s notes at the end were fascinating and a lot are based on historical people and events, including a detective club with Agatha Christie, Sayers, and Chesterton. The mystery itself does involve some darker aspects, including the occult (see content notes below), but it never got too dark for me, and it is all told from a Christian perspective. I love that Lewis prays with one of the people he interviews when the person gets emotional. There is a great theme of the light shining through the darkness. Now I feel like the Inklings are lovable friends. Please, please let there be many more mysteries for the Inklings to solve! I am so excited to read about their next case and to see if their “Moriarty” will show up again. All the stars!

Content: I give this a PG-13 rating. Some examples of the content: characters drink alcohol and mention of people being drunk; mention of smoking and gambling; prostitutes and a mistress; substance abuse; joke about a seance; pipe smoking; mention of a ghost; the words “bloody” and “bastard” are used; mention of divination; mention of the occult; mention of insanity and an asylum; mention of someone being bisexual.

TW: speculation of su*cide; past depression; talk of beating a child; past abuse; past addict.

I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book which I received from the author. All views expressed are only my honest opinion.

 

A Dazzling Regency! --"The Light of Stars" by Jenelle Hovde—Review

 My Review: 

"The Light of Stars" by Jenelle Hovde is a dazzling new Regency romance! I had high expectations for this book, and it did not disappoint! I love our main characters Kitty and Sebastian. There is great banter and intellectual sparring between the two. Kitty loves studying stars and astronomy. I love that Sebastian is supportive of Kitty’s bluestocking endeavors. Kitty wonders why God allows things to happen and must trust in God to chart her path, like she charts the stars. Kitty learns that God arranges our paths no matter how much others try to control them. The faith content is amazing in this book with lots of Scripture and you can tell the characters live out their faith. I love the India storyline (especially when they travel to India) and the astronomy aspect. There are so many great historical details and I appreciated the references to real life characters like William Wilberforce and William Carey. It was fun picking up on references to Austen’s “Pride and Prejudice.” There are some great scenes with Sebastian and fencing that will have the ladies swooning! Another scene I loved is when Kitty takes Sebastian to a bluestocking salon. Will Kitty and Sebastian fall in love as they question the British Empire’s rule and influence over India and the ideas of reform? Will they be able to see God’s handiwork in their lives and circumstances? I highly recommend this Regency romance to lovers of history and swoon-worthy romance!

Content: I give this book a low PG-13 rating. Some examples of the content: mention of a past affair and drinking; mention of gambling and opium.

TW: child abduction; past hallucinations.

Spice: closed-door; vague references and implications to the “intimacies of marriage” between a married couple.

I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book which I received from the author. All views expressed are only my honest opinion.

 

Witty Historical Romance--"A Deal with a Debutante" by Chelsea Bobulski—Review

 

My Review:

“A Deal with a Debutante" by Chelsea Bobulski is a witty and engaging historical romance set in Edwardian London. It is the first book in the “London’s Most Eligible” series. I love the humorous writing style in this story. The chemistry between our main couple is sizzling and the first kiss is perfection! It’s impossible not to love the characters. Calliope Hart, our FMC, is so funny! She is a lover of history and politics, a writer, stubborn and vivacious. She is an American heiress in London, on a mission to find a husband, but she really wants to stay in New York. Edward Chase, the Earl of Hayward, needs to marry someone wealthy to save his family and estate. The two form a deal of convenience, but sparks start to fly. Will it turn into a match of love? I love Edward and his yearning. The banter between the two is chef’s kiss. I especially loved the letters and newspaper clippings at the end of each chapter. I recommend this book to lovers of witty historical romance. I cannot wait to read the next book in the series!

Content: I give this book a high PG rating. Some examples of the content: characters drink alcohol and get a little drunk; mention of a prostitute; allusion to the “physical aspect” of marriage.

TW: loss; alcoholic side character.

I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book which I received from the author. All views expressed are only my honest opinion.