Dust By Kara Swanson

Dust

by Kara Swanson

Publisher: Enclave

Series: Heirs of Neverland

ISBN: 978-1621841265

Kara Swanson is a new-to-me author. I love the cover of her book Dust and the premise of connecting to the story of Peter Pan! I couldn't help but purchase the hardcover! Now I'm ready for book two, Shadow!

Summary:

The truth about Neverland is far more dangerous than a fairy tale.

Claire Kenton believes the world is too dark for magic to be real—since her twin brother was stolen away as a child. Now Claire’s desperate search points to London… and a boy who shouldn’t exist.

Peter Pan is having a beastly time getting back to Neverland. Grounded in London and hunted by his own Lost Boys, Peter searches for the last hope of restoring his crumbling island: a lass with magic in her veins.

The girl who fears her own destiny is on a collision course with the boy who never wanted to grow up. The truth behind this fairy tale is about to unravel everything Claire thought she knew about Peter Pan—and herself.

My Review:

What a fun story! While I liked the story of Peter Pan like the average Jane, I was never really drawn to the story. This story has given me a new interest, which I wasn't expecting!

I was a little bit lost at the beginning of the story, but as I started to get more and more involved it began to make sense and came together. Maybe I was just distracted.

We start off getting to know Claire. She has a strange skin condition that's made life difficult since she was little. On top of that, her brother, Connor, has been missing for years. She gets a lead on him thanks to a friend and she's off on an adventure to try to find him in London.

Once there, she dives right into the search and starts causing an upheaval. She also meets Peter Pan, who she can't stand, but he misleads her from the start as to his identity. I love how the author gave such depth to Peter and (Tiger) Lily as we get to know them. It is so creative to make characters from the original telling into somewhat "new" ones so they're contemporary.

As the story unfolds we begin to see how important Claire is to everyone from Neverland, but we don't know why or how. On top of that, more mysteries come up! It propels us to want to know more. Who is Claire really? Why is Peter Pan and everyone else from Neverland on Earth, but can't get back to Neverland?

I have so many questions so I'm immediately starting book 2. I listened to the audiobook, but also have the hardcover. The narrator did a great job.

About the Author:

As the daughter of missionaries, Kara Swanson spent her childhood running barefoot through the lush jungles of Papua New Guinea. Able to relate with characters dropped into a unique new world, she quickly fell in love with the fantasy genre. The award-winning author of The Girl Who Could See,Kara is passionate about crafting stories of light shattering darkness, connecting with readers, and becoming best friends with a mermaid—though not necessarily in that order. Kara chats about coffee, fairy tales and bookish things online (@karaswansonauthor) and at karaswanson.com.

What Happens Next By Christina Suzann Nelson

What Happens Next

by Christian Suzann Nelson

Publisher: Bethany House

ISBN: 9780764240409

I had the opportunity to read one of this author's previous stories and thought it was incredibly interesting so I didn't want to pass up another chance to read one of her books. The publisher sent me the book for review!

Summary:

Popular podcaster and ex-reporter Faith Byrne made a name for herself telling stories of greatness after tragedy--but her real life does not mirror the stories she tells. While her daughters spend the summer in Hawaii with her ex-husband and his new wife, she must manage life on her own. All of that changes when she's asked to spotlight her childhood best friend's missing person case on her podcast.

Dora Crane has never accepted that her younger daughter could be dead, keeping her home looking the same as when her daughter disappeared. But when her husband leaves her and her older daughter intervenes, she agrees to counseling and to pack up her missing daughter's belongings under one condition: Faith Byrne comes to Deep Valley and sheds light on the cold case.

As the long-abandoned investigation moves forward, old wounds and long-buried secrets are exposed. Will these two women, whose lives have never been the same, finally get the answers they need to reconcile the past and the future?

My Review:

Christina writes such interesting books. Her characters seem like someone who would be your neighbor, but then there's so much more. In What Happens Next, she's done it again.

Here you have a middle-aged woman, Faith, who has recently gone through a divorce. Her past comes back to greet her out of the blue in the form of her childhood friend's sister. Her friend, who she never heard from again after her family moved after the best summer of her 10 year old life, has been missing all these years.

We get three different perspectives and while sometimes that can be clunky or hard to follow along, this was done smoothly and it flowed perfectly. What I found especially interesting was getting to know Heather through her chapters. She's the missing friend/daughter. You can't help but love her spunk and curiosity.

I also felt like this author brought 1987 to life through the "past". It was like having deja vu reading those pages and I thoroughly enjoyed the trip down nostalgia lane! If you were around and a teen in those days, you'll enjoy the topics that are brought up.

The author also makes us work for it trying to figure out who might be connected to Heather's disappearance. Dora, Heather's mom, was incredibly relatable! She certainly had me stepping back wondering what my reaction would be. I'm pretty positive Dora could easily be me... or anyone of us us moms.

The faith of the characters comes through subtly, but it's there, but in different ways for each character.

I'm looking forward to what the next story will bring us!

About the Author:

Christina Suzann Nelson (www.christinasuzannnelson.com) is an inspirational speaker and Christy award-winning author. Her first novel, If We Make It Home, was honored as one of Library Journal's top five inspirational novels of 2017, and her 2021 novel, The Way It Should Be, won the Christy Award for general fiction.

In 2017, Christina was named the OCW Cascade's Writer of Promise and received a Cascade award for her novel Swimming in the Deep End. Her stories have been published in the Cup of Comfort for a Better World, Cup of Comfort for Adoptive Families, as well as other publications. 

Christina is over-the-top about her passions, including the stories created somewhere in the twists and turns of her less-than-focused brain. When she's not writing, Christina serves on the board of Every Child Linn-Benton, a nonprofit where she has the opportunity to influence the lives of families and children in the foster care system.

On a typical day, she chases escaped farm animals, reads, hikes with her dog, and enjoys her husband and six kids.

In Spotlight And Shadow By Rachel Scott McDaniel

In Spotlight and Shadow

by Rachel Scott McDaniel

Publisher: Barbour

Series: Doors to the Past

ISBN: 978-1636094762

I was excited to learn I was on the launch team for this new book by one of my favorite authors. To find out she was doing this split time thrilled me to no end. I didn't know how much I was going to enjoy it, but it was absolutely wonderful!

Summary:

A Gem of a Mystery Takes Center Stage

​Walk through Doors to the Past via a new series of historical stories of romance and adventure.

Elise Malvern has a habit of letting people down. Her former boyfriend who hoped she’d be his bride. Her grandfather who hoped she’d take over the family’s auction company. But mostly she’s disappointed herself. What’s the point of pursuing her passion as a violinist, if she is too scared to audition for a seat in the Pittsburgh Symphony? Her internship at the elegant Heinz Hall places her in the wings of the stage, but never on it. By accident, she discovers an old stage prop. Her instincts tell her there’s more to the paste necklace than meets the eye. Whether a good idea or not, she accepts help from a childhood friend, who happens to be country music megastar—Peirson Brooks. Peirson and Elise share a history; one she doesn’t care to repeat. The more involved they become in the mystery, the more things get tangled, including her heart.
 
A century earlier…
Sophie Walters longs for center stage, her name on the marquee, and all that jazz, but climbing her way into an acting career is more difficult than she imagined. Having spoiled all her chances in Hollywood, she returns to Pittsburgh, accepting an insignificant role in a popular production. She watches her dreams pass by from behind the curtain at the illustrious Loew’s Penn Theatre. She finally gets the coveted spotlight, but not for her talent. No, her surge to fame is all one terrible mistake. Somehow, she’s suspected to be a notorious jewel thief known around Pittsburgh as The Mirage. The man she pleads for help is none other than the man she jilted at the altar five years before, Sterling Monroe.

My Review:

I absolutely LOVED this story!! It's a split time and I loved both time periods equally.

If you like laughing out loud you'll LOVE the "current" time storyline. Of course, mix in a mystery, romance, and strong faith, and you've got the recipe for a fabulous story. If you like your heart strings being pulled and a second chance romance with a mystery thrown in, you'll be in seventh heaven with the historical story.

Elise is living life not knowing her father and her mother having passed away. With an unexpected run in with her former boyfriend, she ends up chasing after a mystery of an emerald necklace. I loved seeing the world through Elise's eyes. While she deals with anxiety when trying to perform, her work at Heinz Hall is important to her. With Pierson back in her life, and challenging her to do "scary" things, they become quite the team. I will admit that I laughed so much throughout their storyline. At one point it was loudly! Their banter was fantastic. Pierson was SO great at helping Sophie challenge herself!

Getting to know Sophie in the past was more heart wrenching and where the mystery starts. Sophie was a fun character to get to know and for the life of me I couldn't figure out a) why she left Sterling at the altar and b) how the timelines would be connected. When Sophie finally explains what happened in her past I was incredibly surprised. I liked Sterling's broody and strong presence in her life.

I enjoyed how both storylines unfolded and was absolutely absorbed in the story. The faith that was evident in the characters lives showed how God made an impact in their lives. I appreciate when authors use characters to share the Truth of the Savior. It was well done in this story.

About the Author:

Rachel Scott McDaniel is an award-winning author of historical romance. Winner of the ACFW Genesis Award and the RWA Touched By Love award, Rachel infuses faith and heart into each story. She currently enjoys life in Ohio with her husband and two kids. Rachel can be found online at www.RachelScottMcDaniel.com and on all social media platforms.

Yesterday's Tides By Roseanna M. White

Yesterday's Tides

by Roseanna M. White

Publisher: Bethany House

ISBN: 9780764240010

The cover of this book is what caught my attention. Isn't it stunning? Then, of course, knowing it's a Roseanna M. White book had me excited as well! As part of her launch team I received her book for review.

Summary:

In two world wars, intelligence and counterintelligence, prejudice, and self-sacrifice collide across two generations

In 1942, Evie Farrow is used to life on Ocracoke Island, where every day is the same--until the German U-boats haunting their waters begin to wreak havoc. And when special agent Sterling Bertrand is washed ashore at Evie's inn, her life is turned upside down. While Sterling's injuries keep him inn-bound for weeks, making him even more anxious about the SS officer he's tracking, he becomes increasingly intrigued by Evie, who seems to be hiding secrets of her own.

Decades earlier, in 1914, Englishman Remington Culbreth arrives at the Ocracoke Inn for the summer, never expecting to fall in love with Louisa Adair, the innkeeper's daughter. But when war breaks out in Europe, their relationship is put in jeopardy and may not survive what lies ahead for them.

As the ripples from the Great War rock Evie and Sterling's lives in World War II, it seems yesterday's tides may sweep them all into danger again today.

My Review:

Wow, I think I'm in love!

Yesterday's Tides was fanTASTIC! I've become a big fan of timeslip novels, and am usually a fan of one time period over another. Not so with this story. I loved both time lines equally!

First we meet Evie, who gives off the all-American young woman vibes in the 1940s. Her life seems the same every day but it's a life she's chosen. There seems to be a simplicity to her life as well. And then Sterling shows up, barely alive on her beach. He seems to be quite the special agent!

Then we meet Louisa in 1914. She's my kind of gal! She's more likely to pick up a "spanner" and fix an engine than sit around paining her nails. That summer one of her guests is Remington and she turns his world topsy-turvy just by being who she is!

For me, each storyline pulled me deeper and deeper in. The storylines are connected, but HOW? Are they connected in the way we hope? The author's writing kept dodging the answers and on more than one occasion I had to talk myself out of turning to the end for both timelines. Because of the unknown and not knowing how it could possibly all come together, I had a couple of very late nights reading.

There's intrigue, an awful mother-in-law, and characters from a number of other books that I adored by the author. I think this may have been my favorite part - seeing all of these familiar characters. You can 100% read this book as a standalone. There are just lots of "Easter eggs" for those of us who have read all of the other ones.

I almost forgot to mention that I think the author writes some of my favorite grandmas in her stories! Turns out there are a couple of great ones in this story as well. They give me something to aspire to as a somewhat new grandma!

I also have a deep appreciation of the author tackling the topic of mixed marriages which were looked down on for so many years. I felt like she handled it so well!

There were some surprising turn of events that happened throughout the story. Some had my heart racing and others had me FURIOUS! The author was able to pull out a LOT of emotions from me. I appreciated the author's inclusion of faith in her characters lives. They definitely relied on and turned to the Lord regularly. 

Hands down, I can't recommend this book enough. If you like reading WWI and WWII era stories, you do NOT want to miss this one!

About the Author:

Roseanna M. White(www.roseannamwhite.com) is a bestselling, Christy Award-nominated author who has long claimed that words are the air she breathes. She pens her novels beneath her Betsy Ross flag, with her Jane Austen action figure watching over her. When not writing fiction, she's homeschooling her two children, editing and designing, and pretending her house will clean itself. Roseanna is the author of numerous novels, ranging from biblical fiction to American-set romances to Edwardian British series. Roseanna lives with her family in West Virginia. Learn more at www.roseannamwhite.com.

A Mark Of Grace By Kimberley Woodhouse

A Mark of Grace

by Kimberley Woodhouse

Publisher: Bethany House

Series: Secrets of the Canyon

ISBN: 978-0764238024

Are you sad when a series comes to an end? I really enjoyed traveling west in the Secrets of the Canyon series! I was able to conclude the series thanks to the publisher since they sent me a book for review!

Summary:

When everything crumbles, her chance for a new beginning hangs in the balance.

Ruth Anniston survived an injury that left her physically scarred, broken, and angry at God. Now, she finds herself working behind the scenes as a kitchen and dining room supervisor at the El Tovar Hotel, hidden away from curious eyes and with little hope of finding love. When money begins to disappear from the hotel, Ruth's entire livelihood is put at risk when she lands on the list of suspects.  

Frank Henderson has at last succeeded in obtaining his dream job as head chef at the El Tovar. But competition in the kitchen is fierce, and one mistake could cost him his future. As the thefts at the hotel continue, and his affection for Ruth grows, Frank's career--and his heart--are in jeopardy. 

As tensions run high, Ruth and Frank must work together to save the El Tovar. They find themselves growing closer . . . but can their combined ingenuity overcome the odds against them?

My Review:

A Mark of Grace was a sweet conclusion to this series. If you like a story full of Truth and the Gospel message, look no further. It's there in spades and fit so perfectly into the story.

I've been waiting for Ruth's story because I loved her kind, generous spirit from the start. And of course, there's Frank. He's a strong tower compared to her gentleness. I loved the idea of the two of them together, but with Ruth's injury from the previous story and her recovery through this one made it incredibly difficult.

I thought it was so interesting to see how a person can change after a life altering injury. Ruth, tired of struggling with it all, is ready to try just about anything that will help her get better. Frank on the other hand encourages her and reminds her constantly that he still sees he as he did before her injury. It's quite the emotional, spiritual, and physical story for Ruth.

On top of that, Ruth and Frank have to work together to figure out wha't going on behind the scenes at the El Tovar hotel that might have them all losing their jobs!

While I liked the story, I felt like what was going on with Ruth went on a bit too long. It seemed to be stretched out. And then at the end with all of these crazy things happening all at once it had me shaking my head because it was a bit too much for me.

An overall sweet conclusion to this series and if you enjoy Harvey girl stories, you'll enjoy this one!

About the Author:

Kimberley Woodhouse (www.kimberleywoodhouse.com) is an award-winning, bestselling author of more than 30 fiction and nonfiction books. Kim and her incredible husband of 30-plus years live in the Poconos, where they play golf together, spend time with their kids and grandbaby, and research all the history around them.