The Kissing Tree By Karen Witemeyer, Regina Jennings, Amanda Dykes, and Nicole Deese

The Kissing Tree

by Karen Witemeyer, Regina Jennings, Amanda Dykes, and Nicole Deese

Publisher: Bethany House

ISBN: 9780764236129

Ok, I'm going to be honest here. I sometimes get twitchy when it comes to novellas. They are such a hit or miss for me. BUT when you have these four authors combined in one book, how could I resist joining Nicole Deese's launch team?! She sent me the book as part of the team. Whew, I wasn't disappointed!

Summary:

In this Texas-sized romance novella collection, courting couples, decades apart, leave a permanent mark of their love by carving their initials into the same oak's bark.  

Regina Jennings - "Broken Limbs, Mended Hearts"
When a young man from her past returns and upends their small town with a new invention, schoolteacher Bella Eden is reminded of the heartbreak she suffered years ago under the old oak tree. When her job is put on the line, can she trust the man who disrupted her life to help her fight for a brighter future?

Karen Witemeyer - "Inn for a Surprise"
Determined to keep love alive for others, Phoebe Woodward builds an inn that caters to couples. When her father sends a property manager to help make it a success, she finds her whimsical vision thwarted by his stodgy practicality. Finding the right blend of romance and reality is a challenge, and her spinster heart may be in for a surprise. 

Amanda Dykes - "From Roots to Sky"
WWII airman Luke Hampstead found comfort in letters from the sister of a lost compatriot. When he visits Texas to thank her, he discovers her constructing a project with surprising ties to his letters . . . and that she herself is even more surprising. While a promising opportunity awaits him elsewhere, will what they've shared be enough to give their future flight?

Nicole Deese - "Heartwood"
Abby Brookshire's world is turned upside down when the historic tree she's strived to preserve as the head groundskeeper at the Kissing Tree Inn is put in danger of removal. Making matters worse, the only way to protect its legacy is to partner with the man she's been ignoring since he left town years ago. Will she have the courage to move on from the past and start a new beginning?

My Review:

I'm going to say from the gate that this collection of novellas in The Kissing Tree exceeded my expectations! I was honestly surprised at how invested I became in the characters. By the time I reached novella three I was wondering about the characters from novellas one and two. And truth be told, I got a bit emotional as I began in the third one! By novella four, I wanted to carve initials into the tree!

We're introduced to the kissing tree in book one with Bella and Adam. I have to admit, one of my favorite tropes is when the characters have known each other in younger years. This story really sets us up for becoming fond of the story surrounding the tree, and let me tell you, Regina certainly does that! I became invested in the lives of those who are in the town and the tree.

The entire length of the book, you're given the chance to reflect on life in general. How it goes on around you, how it changes over the years, and really what your own legacy will be. I found myself very introspective while reading each novella.

Book two had me giggling so much! I've been a long time Karen Witemeyer fan and this might be one of my favorites! And a novella no less. Go figure. While I'm not typically a fan of people falling for each other "too soon", if it's well written, it works like a charm and it certainly did this time. Pheobe has met her match with Barnabas. Oh my goodness, the ways he refers to the Inn are hysterical! Probably my favorite part of this whole story!

Now, if you're into nostalgia, Amanda Dykes' story is for you! This one is on the deeper side and will pluck at your heartstrings! I loved how she weaves the letter and drawings from Luke and Danny into Hannah's world. I love it when I can see myself in a character, and I can definitely see a bit of me in Hannah. This story is sure to give you all the warm fuzzy feelings.

And lastly we have Nicole Deese's story. This one was a difficult one for me because I wasn't ready to leave the legacy of the kissing tree behind. I'd grown so fond of it I grew a bit teary eyed as I started her story. I'm pitiful. I know! This last book has two people coming back together to work together (hopefully) to save the kissing tree. Griffin and Abby are opposite sides of the same coin. I love how Nicole describes that what they do for careers may seem to work against each other, but actually work in tandem. As a gardener (would-be landscaper) I can actually appreciate what they both do. There's definitely humor in the story as well as pain and loss. Actually a lot of loss, and for more than just the main characters. It was a good, heartfelt ending to a wonderful collection of stories. I could honestly handle a lot more just like this one!

About the Authors:

Voted #1 Reader's Favorite Christian Romance Author of 2019 by Family Fiction Magazine, bestselling author Karen Witemeyer(www.karenwitemeyer.com) offers warmhearted historical romance with a flair for humor, feisty heroines, and swoon-worthy Texas heroes. She makes her home in Abilene, Texas, with her husband and three children.

Regina Jennings (www.reginajennings.com) is a graduate of Oklahoma Baptist University with a degree in English and a minor in history. She's the winner of the National Readers' Choice Award, a two-time Golden Quill finalist and a finalist for the Oklahoma Book of the Year Award. Regina has worked at the Mustang Newsand at First Baptist Church of Mustang, along with time at the Oklahoma National Stockyards and various livestock shows. She lives outside of Oklahoma City with her husband and four children.

Amanda Dykes (www.amandadykes.com) is a drinker of tea, dweller of redemption, and spinner of hope-filled tales who spends most days chasing wonder and words with her family. She's a former English teacher and the author of Set the Stars Alight and Whose Waves These Are, an INSPY award winner and a Booklist 2019 Top Ten Romance debut, as well as three novellas.

Nicole Deese's (www.nicoledeese.com) eight humorous, heartfelt, and hope-filled novels include the 2017 Carol Award-winning A Season to Love. Her 2018 release, A New Shade of Summer, was a finalist in the RITA Awards, Carol Awards, and INSPY Awards. Both of these books are from her bestselling Love in Lenoxseries. When she's not working on her next contemporary romance, she can usually be found reading one by a window overlooking the inspiring beauty of the Pacific Northwest. She lives in small-town Idaho with her happily-ever-after hubby, two rambunctious sons, and princess daughter with the heart of a warrior.

His Disinclined Bride By Jennie Goutet

His Disinclined Bride

by Jennie Goutet

Publisher: Independent

ISBN: 979-8693950528

Well, I've been swayed. lol After the few books I've read recently I've realized I'm open to clean reads! Shocker since I've always been a staunch "Christian only" reader. Not only that, I'm seriously digging independent authors! When Jennie's PR person reached out to me to review His Disinclined Bride I was happy to give it a go! She sent me the ebook for review!

Summary:

Theirs is not a love match. She’ll make sure of it.

Kitty Stokes never imagined she’d be so weak as to sacrifice herself on the altar of family obligations, but when the only alternative to marriage with Lord Hayworth is to play nursemaid to her brother’s children, Kitty reluctantly agrees. On her wedding day, she’s certain she has made a grave error, but it’s too late to back out.

Phineas Hayworth refrained from setting eyes on his new bride before their wedding day—the price he forced himself to pay for being so mercenary as to wed the sister of a wealthy merchant in a bid to save his estate from ruins. Her beauty, therefore, comes as a shock, as does her icy treatment, which he feels he deserves. He swears an oath he will not approach her for an heir unless the invitation comes from her.

As Phineas sets out to put his estate in order and present his new wife to Society, he finds her more enchanting than he could have hoped for, even in a love match. Kitty continues to hold him at arm’s length, although he suspects her feelings for him run just as deep. As Phineas’s love and desire for his wife grows, the oath he swore her begins to suffocate. It soon becomes clear that while he’d once been prepared to settle for a loveless marriage, he will not abide an unrequited love.

My Review:

What a terrific read! I couldn't sleep because I kept thinking about Kitty and Phineas so I stayed up until 3am finishing His Disinclined Bride. I enjoyed it so much, it was a one-day read for me. There was a great balance of characters to like and dislike throughout.

First there is Phineas who comes to the agreement with Kitty's brother to wed her, unbeknownst to her! Her older brother, honestly, is just out for himself and moving up in the ranks of society. His wife, Mary, annoyed me to no end! Pretty sure there isn't a kind bone in her body unless it comes to her immediate family.

Then we meet Kitty. Oh my. This poor girl's life is about to be disrupted in a way that she never imagined. She has to wed a man she's never met because her brother has literally sold her into marriage. Let's just say the wedding day is not what every little girl dreams of!

The story is well written and I enjoyed how the author seemed to truly capture the time period. Phineas' parents seem him so far above Kitty's family because they're not titled and only business people. I'll tell you, I wasn't a fan of his mother! Yikes. Not any kind of mother-in-law any of us wants. lol

Most of the story is about Kitty and Phineas figuring out their marriage and what it looks like to live together. There are different events thrown into their path that make the task even harder than expected. While Kitty seems to be rather confident in some regards, there are other times where she doesn't know how she's supposed to behave. That certainly doesn't help matters. The same goes for Phineas. While he can be rather sweet and kind, he can also be quite the dolt.

If you're a Regency period fan, this is a book you don't want to miss out on!

About the Author:

Jennie Goutet is an American-born Anglophile, who lives with her French husband and their three children in a small town outside Paris. Her imagination resides in Regency England, where her Regency romances are set. Jennie is also author of the award-winning memoir, Stars Upside Down, and the modern romances, A Sweetheart in Paris and A Noble Affair. A Christian, a cook, and an inveterate klutz, Jennie writes about faith, food, and life--even the clumsy moments--on her blog, aladyinfrance.com. You can learn more about Jennie and her books on her author website, jenniegoutet.com.

The Right Kind Of Fool By Sarah Loudin Thomas

The Right Kind of Fool

by Sarah Loudin Thomas

Publisher: Bethany House

ISBN: 9780764234019

Having only read one other Sarah Loudin Thomas novel, I really wanted to give another one a try. I enjoyed the first book I read (out of order from a series no less) so I thought I'd try something a bit different of hers this time. Oh my word am I glad I did! Thanks to Bethany House for sending this book for review.

Summary:

Thirteen-year-old Loyal Raines is supposed to stay close to home on a hot summer day in 1934. When he slips away for a quick swim in the river and finds a dead body, he wishes he'd obeyed his mother. Desperate for help, he runs to the mountain cabin of his mostly absentee father, frantically trying to communicate the news with his hands.

Driven away by fear and guilt over his son's deafness, Creed has played a distant part in Loyal's life and language. But when he's pulled into the murder investigation, he discovers that what sets his son apart isn't his inability to hear but rather his courage. As the impact of the murder ripples through their West Virginia town, both will learn what it took to kill a man and what it takes to become one.

My Review:

When I was in my 20s I decided to take some sign language classes to see if I even liked them. Oh my word, I LOVED them. Honestly, I had wanted to become an interpreter, but life got in the way. Anyhow, that is really what piqued my interest with The Right Kind of Fool. How does an author pull off a deaf character?

Oh my goodness, Sarah Loudin Thomas pulled it off beautifully! I was incredibly impressed by how she incorporated explanations of the signs (yes, I caught myself doing them as I read). I must overthink things because I thought that to explain the signs it would be too in-depth and clunky. Nope, the author made the signs simple and they fit smoothly into the story.

This was quite a unique story. With Loyal finding a dead body everything changes for him and those he knows. It was incredibly easy to be pulled into the little West Virginia town of Beverly. The way the author wrote the story, you feel as though you've already been part of the town because of how well she writes the relationship of the characters.

There are a lot of facets to the story and so many layers to peel back. With the murder, we follow along as the Sheriff, and what seems like his merry band of misfits, tries to unravel the mystery without all of the pieces. As the reader, we see pieces, but do they lead us to the murderer or away? Not only that, the relationship between Loyal and his father is a fascinating one to watch unfold. Creed has been so hands-off that when he's forced to spend time with Loyal it's interesting to see how he goes about it. And then there's Loyal and, well, everyone else. It seems as though Loyal has been, for the most part, sheltered from the townsfolk. They know him. Know of him. They don't KNOW him though.

When you live in a town as small as Beverly, you know that people have history. Most people know what people are up to and what their past relatives have been up to. There are reputations that come into play and certainly muddy the water on who might be the guilty party.

I also had a huge appreciation for Delphy, Loyal's mom. She learned sign language so they could communicate, sent him to a deaf school, and was for all intents and purposes a single mom. They had an incredibly tight bond so when Creed starts doing fatherly duties after being so distant for many years, I could understand how difficult it was for her. Her desire to keep Loyal safe.

This is going to be one of my favorite books of the year and I'll definitely be suggesting it to my book club for next year since we're taking a break for the next 2 months. I really can't recommend this book enough!

About the Author:

Sarah Loudin Thomas (www.sarahloudinthomas.com) is a fund-raiser for a children's ministry and the author of the acclaimed novels The Sound of Rain and Miracle in a Dry Season--winner of the 2015 INSPY Award. Sarah has also been a finalist for the Christy Award, the ACFW Carol Award, and the Christian Book of the Year Award. She and her husband live near Asheville, North Carolina.

Mercy's Refuge By Rita Gerlach

Mercy's Refuge

by Rita Gerlach

Publisher: Indie

ISBN: 979-8684517587

I honestly don't exactly know how I was blessed by seeing Rita posting on Facebook so much about her newest book that was releasing. It has been so fascinating learning about the people and the time period surrounding the Mayflower's voyage. What was even more fun was learning Rita doesn't live too far from me! She not only sent me the ebook version of Mercy's Refuge, she also sent me a paperback along with a handmade, gorgeous bookmark and two informational post cards!

Summary:

A young woman’s journey to the New World.

Inspired by William Bradford's 'Of Plymouth Plantation’, Mercy's Refuge is a sweeping historical novel of romance and adventure in the year 1620. Mercy McCrea, orphaned as a child and raised by her aging grandparents, lives in poverty. The only thing keeping her and her family from starvation is to work as a kitchen servant for a rich nobleman.

When catastrophe strikes and Mercy’s life is in danger, she flees England for her uncle’s farm in Holland. There she meets Caleb, a carpenter, and finds refuge among the Separatists who fled the wrath of the English King. Beginning in Ipswich, a North Sea port town in Suffolk, England, the novel takes the reader on a voyage across the English Channel to Holland, and then aboard the Mayflower.

When Mercy and Caleb face the dangers of the sea, their faith and love for each other is strengthened by the strong bonds of a people whose courage forged a nation.

My Review:

After learning so much about the people of the Mayflower, I had high expectations of Mercy's Refuge. I have to say, I wasn't disappointed! It was not at all what I expected, but so much more. While Mercy wasn't actually on the Mayflower, she was like our fly on the wall when they finally had their voyage.

What I wasn't expecting, but thoroughly loved was Mercy's story leading up to the journey. Rita's writing brought me smack dab into the time period of 1620. The way they spoke, the expectation of Mercy to submit to her grandparents, and how those of the lower class were treated were wonderfully done.

There was so much to love about Mercy. She wanted to honor her grandparents, who were her caretakers, but she also wanted to help them to not live so desperately. I understood her desire and it isn't surprising her grandfather was right in his assessment of how things would go serving at Lord Glenmont's home. I also appreciated her heart towards her family and her friends. While she would have times of being afraid or uncertain, she relied deeply on her faith and had a propensity to find the positive. She was such a great example of how to have peace and joy in the midst of hardship and uncertainty.

One of my favorite characters of the book is Martin. He's not in it much, but shows up throughout the story. I like him because he exemplifies true friendship. While Mercy conveys to him she's not the gal for him, he's still a devoted friend and stays that way to the end of the story.

I also really enjoyed Mercy and Caleb's meeting and their sweet relationship. While we all know that men can be cads, I love reading male characters who embody being a gentleman. Neither of these two had it easy to start with, to say the least!

The faith element was deeply rooted in this story and is seen through the characters. After reading the story, I understand more as to why they left England and then Holland. Nothing like a bit of history lesson in the book you're reading. :)

I look forward to reading more of Rita's books and here's to hoping for more stories based on true events!

About the Author:

Rita Gerlach lives in a historical town nestled along the Catoctin Mountains, amid Civil War battlefields and Revolutionary War outposts in central Maryland. She was born in Washington D.C. and grew up in a large family in the Maryland suburbs. 

"Romantic historical fiction that has an inspirational bent, is one way people can escape the cares of life and be transported back to a time of raw courage and ideal love," she says. "The goal of my writing is to give readers a respite from a stressful world and give them hope."

In many of her stories, she writes about the struggles endured by early colonists, with a sprinkling of both American and English history. Her genre - Inspirational Historical Romance / Drama.

Rita incorporates into her newer fiction what she learned through her journey --- courage, faith, and the precious gift of family and friendship.

Visit Rita's website at http://ritagerlach.wordpress.com/

Time-Slip Novels Not To Be Missed

I've read the occasional time-slip, but it doesn't seem like there's a huge selection of them in Christian fiction. Thankfully it seems as though this category is growing. After having read more in the past year or so I'm realizing how much I enjoy them! Here are a few that I've read and thoroughly enjoyed.

I was introduced to Amanda Dykes a year and a half ago when she released Whose Waves These Are. Wow! It was such a fantastic book. She has an exceptional gift for writing. She has a novella that goes along with that book called Up From The Sea. This summer she released Set the Stars Alight. I remember seeing her cover for the first time... I could not WAIT to read it!

Whose Waves These Are

In the wake of WWII, a grieving fisherman submits a poem to a local newspaper: a rallying cry for hope, purpose . . . and rocks. Send me a rock for the person you lost, and I will build something life-giving. When the poem spreads farther than he ever intended, Robert Bliss's humble words change the tide of a nation. Boxes of rocks inundate the tiny, coastal Maine town, and he sets his calloused hands to work, but the building halts when tragedy strikes.

Decades later, Annie Bliss is summoned back to Ansel-by-the-Sea when she learns her Great-Uncle Robert, the man who became her refuge during the hardest summer of her youth, is now the one in need of help. What she didn't anticipate was finding a wall of heavy boxes hiding in his home. Long-ago memories of stone ruins on a nearby island trigger her curiosity, igniting a fire in her anthropologist soul to uncover answers.

She joins forces with the handsome and mysterious harbor postman, and all her hopes of mending the decades-old chasm in her family seem to point back to the ruins. But with Robert failing fast, her search for answers battles against time, a foe as relentless as the ever-crashing waves upon the sea. 

Set the Stars Alight

Lucy Clairmont's family treasured the magic of the past, and her childhood fascination with stories of the high seas led her to become a marine archaeologist. But when tragedy strikes, it's Dashel, an American forensic astronomer, and his knowledge of the stars that may help her unearth the truth behind the puzzle she's discovered in her family home.

Two hundred years earlier, the seeds of love are sown between a boy and a girl who spend their days playing in a secret sea cave, while the privileged young son of the estate looks on, wishing to join. As the children grow and war leads to unthinkable heartbreak, a story of love, betrayal, sacrifice, and redemption unfolds, held secret by the passage of time.

As Lucy and Dash journey to a mysterious old estate on the East Sussex coast, their search leads them to a community of souls and a long-hidden tale that may hold the answers--and the healing--they so desperately seek.

What can I say about Jaime Jo Wright? She is an incredible author. I had a couple of her books for quite a while before I finally caved and read one. Let's just say, for this big ol' chicken, the titles of her books as well as the covers made me a little wary. Ha! I finally dove in with The Curse of Misty Wayfair. C'mon, The CURSE of Misty Wayfair. hahahaha It was SO good! Then when I saw the cover of her newest release The Haunting at Bonaventure Circus. yea, yea, yea, this one made me nervous, too! Well, we're reading it for my book club this month so you know I loved it! I also have her book Echoes Among the Stones (tombstones are on the cover... spooky) and The House at Foster Hill (creepy, dusty old house entryway) on my to-be-read shelves!

The Curse of Misty Wayfair

Left at an orphanage as a child, Thea Reed vowed to find her mother someday. Now grown, her search takes her to Pleasant Valley, Wisconsin, in 1908. When clues lead her to a mental asylum, Thea uses her experience as a post-mortem photographer to gain access and assist groundskeeper Simeon Coyle in photographing the patients and uncovering the secrets within. However, she never expected her personal quest would reawaken the legend of Misty Wayfair, a murdered woman who allegedly haunts the area and whose appearance portends death. 

A century later, Heidi Lane receives a troubling letter from her mother--who is battling dementia--compelling her to travel to Pleasant Valley for answers to her own questions of identity. When she catches sight of a ghostly woman who haunts the asylum ruins in the woods, the long-standing story of Misty Wayfair returns--and with it, Heidi's fear for her own life.

As two women across time seek answers about their identities and heritage, can they overcome the threat of the mysterious curse that has them inextricably intertwined?

The Haunting at Bonaventure Circus

1928
The Bonaventure Circus is a refuge for many, but Pippa Ripley was rejected from its inner circle as a baby. When she receives mysterious messages from someone called the "Watchman," she is determined to find him and the connection to her birth. As Pippa's search leads her to a man seeking justice for his murdered sister and evidence that a serial killer has been haunting the circus train, she must decide if uncovering her roots is worth putting herself directly in the path of the killer.

Present Day
The old circus train depot will either be torn down or preserved for historical importance, and its future rests on real estate project manager Chandler Faulk's shoulders. As she dives deep into the depot's history, she's also balancing a newly diagnosed autoimmune disease and the pressures of single motherhood. When she discovers clues to the unsolved murders of the past, Chandler is pulled into a story far darker and more haunting than even an abandoned train depot could portend.

I've only listened to one of Erin Bartels' novels on audiobook, The Words Between Us. That was a story that came with such a mystery! It was completely unexpected, but thoroughly enjoyable! I was torn between caring more about Peter and caring more about Robin. I also really liked the supporting characters!

The Words Between Us

Robin Windsor has spent most of her life under an assumed name, running from her family's ignominious past. She thought she'd finally found sanctuary in her rather unremarkable used bookstore just up the street from the marina in River City, Michigan. But the store is struggling and the past is hot on her heels.

When she receives an eerily familiar book in the mail on the morning of her father's scheduled execution, Robin is thrown back to the long-lost summer she met Peter Flynt, the perfect boy who ruined everything. That book--a first edition Catcher in the Rye--is soon followed by the other books she shared with Peter nearly twenty years ago, with one arriving in the mail each day. But why would Peter be making contact after all these years? And why does she have a sinking feeling that she's about to be exposed all over again?

With evocative prose that recalls the classic novels we love, Erin Bartels pens a story that shows that words--the ones we say, the ones we read, and the ones we write--have more power than we imagine.

Ok, I hate to admit this, but it's been forever and a day since I've read any books by Susan Meissner. In the late 2000s I took a long break from reading. I read here and there, but it wasn't much. I know she has a LOT of books out, many I want to read, but fitting them in... you should see my TBR shelves. They're packed with books that need reading. Heck, I might even have a couple of her books on them. Probably on audiobook or my Kindle. lol Anywho, back in 2009 I interviewed Susan when her book The Shape of Mercy came out. It's about the Salem witch trials. Oh man, this book tugged at my heart! Lady in Waiting is another of her books I read. She's so fantastic at split time novels!!

The Shape of Mercy

Leaving a life of privilege to strike out on her own, Lauren Durough breaks with convention and her family’s expectations by choosing a state college over Stanford and earning her own income over accepting her ample monthly allowance. She takes a part-time job from 83-year-old librarian Abigail Boyles, who asks Lauren to transcribe the journal entries of her ancestor Mercy Hayworth, a victim of the Salem witch trials.  

Almost immediately, Lauren finds herself drawn to this girl who lived and died four centuries ago. As the fervor around the witch accusations increases, Mercy becomes trapped in the worldview of the day, unable to fight the overwhelming influence of snap judgments and superstition, and Lauren realizes that the secrets of Mercy’s story extend beyond the pages of her diary, living on in the mysterious, embittered Abigail. 

The strength of her affinity with Mercy forces Lauren to take a startling new look at her own life, including her relationships with Abigail, her college roommate, and a young man named Raul. But on the way to the truth, will Lauren find herself playing the helpless defendant or the misguided judge? Can she break free from her own perceptions and see who she really is?

Lady in Waiting

Manhattan in the current day: Antique-store owner Jane Lindsay had never expected that her husband of 22 years would walk out on their marriage. But when it happens, she feels powerless to stop the course of events that follow. Then Jane finds an old ring in a box of ancient relics and discovers a Latin inscription in the band along with just one recognizable word: Jane. In the sixteenth-century: Lucy Day becomes the dressmaker to Lady Jane Grey, an innocent young woman whose fate seems to be controlled by a dangerous political climate, one threatening to deny her true love and pursuit of her own interests. As the stories of both Janes unfold, it becomes clear that each woman has far more influence over her life than she once imagined. It all comes down to the choices each makes despite the realities they face.

Cathy Goehlke came on my radar this summer and her writing blew me away! I had no idea what I was missing having not read her novels before. Now, I have only listened to her books on audio, but they were well worth the experience. I enjoyed the narrators on the books I've listened to. The Medallion was the first book I listened to and it was excellent! If I could give a book more than 5 stars this would be it! As soon as I finished The Medallion I immediately started listening to Secrets She Kept. Now, I will say that these books are incredibly emotional and realistic. They're set in WWII during the Nazi regime.

 

The Medallion

An illuminating tale of courage, sacrifice, and survival.

Two couples’ lives are ravaged by Hitler’s mad war but forever linked through the fate of one little girl.

Warsaw, 1939. The German blitzkrieg has shattered the city. As Sophie Kumiega awaits news of her husband, deployed with the Polish Air Force, she is determined to keep her unborn baby safe. She didn’t count on being drawn into the dangerous and all-consuming plight of her neighbors.

Rosa and Itzhak Dunovich never imagined welcoming their longed-for first child in the Jewish ghetto, or letting anything tear their family apart. But Rosa soon faces a terrifying reality: to save their daughter’s life, she must send her into hiding. Her only hope of finding her after the war—if any of them survive—is the half medallion she places around her daughter’s neck.

Inspired by true events of Poland’s darkest days and brightest heroes, The Medallion paints a stunning portrait of war and its aftermath, daring us to believe that when all seems lost, God can make a way forward.

Secrets She Kept

The secret a mother was forbidden to share . . . the consequences a daughter could not redeem—but will risk everything in her attempt.

All her life, Hannah Sterling longed for a close relationship with her estranged mother. Following Lieselotte’s death, Hannah unlocks secrets of her mother’s mysterious past, including the discovery of a grandfather living in Germany.

Thirty years earlier, Lieselotte’s father, ascending the ranks of the Nazi party, demands a marriage for his daughter to help advance his career.  But Lieselotte is in love—and her beloved Lukas secretly works against the Reich. How far will her father go to achieve his goal?

Both Hannah’s and Lieselotte’s stories unfold as Hannah travels to Germany to meet her grandfather, who hides wartime secrets of his own. Longing for connection, yet shaken by all she uncovers, Hannah must decide if she can atone for her family’s tragic past, and how their legacy will shape her future.

Right now I'm currently listening to my first book by Kristy Cambron. I seem to have an affinity for stories set in the time of WWII and didn't even realize it. I had been wanting to read/listen to a book by Kristy for a while and just grabbed this one. lol The narrator has quite the task of reading aloud in a couple different languages and genders with The Butterfly and the Violin. This book is part of a series. I also want to read her Castle series as well! The Paris Dressmaker just came out so that's on my tbr list now also!

The Butterfly and the Violin

A Mysterious painting breathes hope and beauty into the darkest corners of Auschwitz--and the loneliest hearts of Manhattan.

Manhattan art dealer Sera James watched her world crumble at the altar two years ago, and her heart is still fragile. Her desire fordistraction reignites a passion for a mysterious portrait she first saw as a younggirl--a painting of a young violinist with piercing blue eyes.
In her search for the painting, Sera crosses paths withWilliam Hanover--the grandson of a wealthy California real estate mogul--who maybe the key to uncovering the hidden masterpiece. Together Sera and Williamslowly unravel the story behind the painting's subject: Austrian violinistAdele Von Bron.

A darling of the Austrian aristocracy of 1942, talented violinist, and daughter to a high-ranking member of the Third Reich, Adele risks everything when she begins smuggling Jews out of Vienna. In a heartbeat, her life of prosperity and privilege dissolves into a world of starvation and barbed wire.

As Sera untangles the secrets behind the painting, she finds beauty in the most unlikely of places: the grim camps of Auschwitz and the inner recesses of her own troubled heart.

Which other time-slip authors have you been enjoying? I'm always looking for new suggestions!