LAUNCH PARTY at Chautona Havig – Just the Right Escape – Prizes all day long! Enter to win the any or all of the hourly giveaways and then enter to win the grand prize afterward. Good stuff! Deepest Roots of the Heart I’ve been waiting for this one! The author is a friend and actually gave me an advance copy to read, but I was only a couple chapters into it before it was officially available today. I don’t have time to sit down and read right now, so first thing this morning, I bought the audiobook. At $7.95, it’s cheaper than a movie ticket and eleven hours long. I understand that the reader has a smooth voice with a Hispanic accent – just perfect for this story. “Deepest Roots of the Heart” is the first in the “Legacy of the Vines” series: A legacy of faith, love, and family that spans a century of change. This eleven book saga begins with Deepest Roots of the Heart, a combination prequel and sequel–the tale of a Mexican soldier who escaped death at the Battle of San Jacinto and the heritage he began in the lives of a Californio family and an Read More
Category: Reviews
Bite-Size Book Reviews
I had sewing and cleaning to do this week, so I have more audiobooks than printed ones, and it’s quite a variety of genres! This collection has a little of everything: Historical fiction, action/adventure, Amish romance, a fun mystery and a classic detective story from Agatha Christie! Which is your favorite genre? Let me know in the comments. 1. Against the Tide, audiobook, by Elizabeth Camden “Against the Tide” is the first Elizabeth Camden book I have read. It’s set in Boston at the turn of the 20th century. This novel is creative at every step – the heroine is a Turkish orphan, the hero was raised by the villain, she works as a translator for the military and he fights the opium trade. It depicts the financial insecurity of middle-class workers (especially women)in that era, drug addiction in children and adults, and significant religious differences between the two main characters. Wow. I immediately picked up another of her novels and will review that one later. 2. N or M? paperback, by Agatha Christie RETRO READ! This is the third of Agatha Christie’s Tommy and Tuppence detective novels. The first, “The Secret Adversary”, was set immediately Read More
Bite-Size Book Reviews
I haven’t published a “weekly” book review since the end of October. Oops. Excuses… NaNoWriMo, followed by Christmas. I read at least 15 books in that time, even if I didn’t get much writing done. The following, except for the Mary Stewart book, are all Christian fiction in a variety of genres. 1. Last Light, Paperback, by Terri Blackstock Last Light is the first book in the Restoration series, about a Y2K-style event happening in the suburbs. That setting made it unusual. It wasn’t in the country, where it’s easier to improvise water, heat, and food, and it wasn’t exactly like Y2K, which was a predicted event. This was a devastating event that happened with no warning. The characters were interesting, with believable responses and relationships for that setting. The mystery seemed like a secondary event, but it was wrapped up neatly at the end. I am looking forward to the rest of the series. 2. Grandmother’s Letters, Kindle, by Rebekah Jones This is a sweet story with unexpected plot twists. Several story lines run separately for most of the story, gradually connecting near the end. Ms. Jones is good at writing about relationships. The characters are well-defined Read More
Crime of Fashion by Chautona Havig
Crime of Fashion by Chautona Havig My rating: 5 of 5 stars This is one of the few mysteries I have read in which I did not guess the villain ahead of time. I did wonder, about ten pages before the denouement, but it seemed so unlikely! I like this series. It’s clean (I mean, well-written without a lot of furbelows) and entertaining, and the characters have depth to them. You can understand their motivations. Many of us want to be as independent and free-spirited as Alexa. Do keep reading the series! In subsequent books, we begin to understand how she became the person she is. View all my reviews