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Carrie Fancett Pagels Author Publish Date November 1, 2021 Publisher Barbour Fiction Print Length 256 pages Amazon Buy Link

My Review

I am really enjoying the series, Doors to the Past Barbour Publishing has out.
This one is written by one of my favorite authors, Carrie Fancett Pagels.
Her love for Michigan and Mackinac Island is very apparent in her writing and thorough research she does for her books. Her enthusiasm really shines through.
Behind Love’s Wall, as many of her other books are has most of it’s setting on Mackinac Island from 1895 to 2020 in this dual time-line novella. I enjoyed reading this as it revisited many of her past books through characters that show up in this book.
This book kept me happily turning pages past my bed time as I was intrigued by the mysterious past that so perfectly meshed with the present. I loved all the historical details and be sure to read the author’s notes at the back of the book for more information.
Highly recommended!

I was given a complimentary copy of this book. Thank you.
All opinions expressed are my own. 

GoodReads Synopsis

Visit historic American landmarks through the Doors to the Past series. History and today collide in stories full of mystery, intrigue, faith, and romance.

Two successful women, a hundred-and-twenty-years apart, build walls to protect their hearts. Modern-day Willa, a successful interior decorator, is chosen to consult for the Grand Hotel’s possible redesign. She discovers a journal detailing the struggles of a young woman, Lily—which reveals dark secrets. The renowned singer wasn’t who she pretended to be. As Willa reaches out to Lily’s descendant, a charismatic and prominent landscape artist, she lets down her guard. Should she share the journal with him, or once again erect a wall as she struggles to redesign both the Grand and her life? 

 

About The Author

Carrie Fancett Pagels, Ph.D., writes stories about overcoming with God’s help (including a Romantic Times Top Pick inspirational novel). She has eighteen published romances. Carrie is an ECPA-bestselling award-winning author of Christian historical romance. She won the Maggie Award for Excellence medallion in 2018 for her novel, “My Heart Belongs on Mackinac Island”. Twenty-five years as a psychologist didn’t “cure” her overactive imagination.

Thank you for visiting today. I hope you have a wonderful day!

Can’t-Wait Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted here, at Wishful Endings, to spotlight and discuss the books we’re excited about that we have yet to read. Generally they’re books that have yet to be released. It’s based on Waiting on Wednesday, hosted by the fabulous Jill at Breaking the Spine. If you’re continuing with WOW, feel free to link those up as well! Find out more here.

I Love historical fiction and was so excited to see another book by Posy Lovell. My pick this week is,

The Kew Gardens Girls at War publishing 19 Apr 2022 G.P. Putnam’s Sons Publisher Posy Lovell Author Paperback edition 448 pages

Summary

Inspired by real events, a touching novel about a new class of courageous women who worked at London’s historic Kew Gardens during World War II.

In the face of war, gardening is their duty…

When Daisy Cooper’s new husband joins the RAF to fight the Battle of Britain, she’s terrified she’s going to lose him. So when her mother Ivy suggests she join the gardeners at Kew to keep busy, Daisy’s intrigued. After all, Ivy worked at Kew during the last great war and made lifelong friends along the way.

Louisa Armitage, not ready to hang up her gardening gloves just yet, and Beth Sanderson, an aspiring doctor looking to make a difference, decide to enlist as well. When tragedy strikes, the women are forced to come together to support one other during their darkest hours. But can the Kew Gardens Girls survive the horrors of war-torn London this time?

Have you read any books by this author? Which books are you waiting to read?

September 28,2021 Publication Publisher Kengsington Authors Shelley Shepard Gray; Rachel J. Good; Loree Lough Paperback 320 pages Amazon Buy Link

My Review

What a wonderful book! My favorite authors have come together to write three novella length Christmas stories revolving around Rebecca’s Porch, a bakery shop in Lancaster County,Pennsylvania.
All the stories have some of the stress and business of Christmas in them but with help,tenderness,kind words,understanding,forgiveness and a community coming together the stories have wonderful,happy endings. This really put me in the holiday baking mood and made me feel good while reading it. I was actually smiling while reading it, I had a warm happy feeling. I made a connection with the characters and am looking forward to reading much more from these talented authors.

Pub Date 28 Sep 2021
I was given a complimentary copy of this book. Thank you.
All opinions expressed are my own. 

GoodReads Synopsis

USA Today bestselling authors Shelley Shepard Gray, Rachel J. Good, and Loree Lough celebrate the spirit of the season, the warmth of simple traditions, and of course, the joy of holiday treats, with this faith-affirming collection of three connected holiday novellas about the Christmas surprises in store for those who work and shop at a charming Amish bakery.

As the most joyful holiday draws near, three couples discover the recipe for love includes faith, hope, and the sweetest blessings…

A CHRISTMAS CAKE FOR REBECCA by New York Times and USA Today Bestselling Author Shelley Shepard Gray
When carpenter Aden returns to Lancaster after twenty years away, bakeshop owner Rebecca is dismayed to find he’s still as handsome and kind as ever. He broke her heart when he left the community back then. Will a holiday emergency provide a second chance at love, this time forever?

BEST CHRISTMAS PRESENT EVER by USA Today Bestselling Author Rachel J. Good
When a lonely widower with a sick daughter and a new cake decorator meet at the bakeshop, they discover they were once childhood playmates. But as each of them helps the other care for family, their neighborly kindness inspires a gift that only love could make possible…

THE CHRISTMAS CUPCAKE by USA Today Bestselling Author Loree Lough
A builder who never learned to read believes he must hide his fond feelings for a kind schoolteacher. But after they run into each other at the bakeshop, she offers to teach him–and as Christmas approaches, each of them learns a lesson about the great gift of love…

The Authors

Shelley Shepard Gray is the Holt Medallion Award-winning, New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of over eighty novels. Her novels have been translated into multiple languages and highlighted in the Philadelphia Enquirer, The Washington Post, Time Magazine, NPR and USA Today. An active member of her church and the mother of two young adults, Shelley lives with her husband in Colorado and writes full time. Please visit her online at ShelleyShepardGray.com.
 
Rachel J. Good is the USA Today bestselling author of inspirational fiction series, including Surprised by Love, Unexpected Amish Blessings, Love & Promises, and Sisters & Friends, as well as two books in the Hearts of Amish Country series and the Amish Quilts Coloring Book. She grew up near Lancaster, Pennsylvania, the setting for her Amish romances, and she frequently visits Amish friends, who help to ensure the accuracy of her novels. Good speaks regularly at schools, libraries, and conferences across the country. Rachel can be found online at RachelJGood.com.
 
Loree Lough is the USA Today bestselling author of more than 115 books, with nearly nine million copies sold. She and her husband divide their time between Baltimore and the Allegheny Mountains. She loves hearing from her readers, and answers every letter, personally. You can connect with her on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram, and LoreeLough.com.

Thank you for stopping by today. Would you read this book? Let me know in the comments.

It’s Tuesday!  It’s time to share your excerpts and teasers from books we are currently reading, have read or are planning to read.  So, feel free to join us by sharing the first paragraph or (a few) of a book you are reading or thinking about reading soon.  This meme is guaranteed to increase your TBR 🙂

I, also, participate and link up to Teaser Tuesdays.  Here’s info about that meme:

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, now being hosted by Ambrosia at The Purple Booker. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:


* Grab your current read

* Open to a random page

* Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page

* BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)

* Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

The excerpt is from a library book

First Chapter…….

“I’m not sure there’s enough gift wrap left in Mistletoe to cover all these toys,” I said,setting another heaping bag of donations onto a precarious pile in my office.

Teaser

My feet breached the treeline and I heard a low, guttural wail. It was undoubtedly the sound the Hendersons had heard,. I’d worried the first time I’d heard it too,but that was years ago…….

Synopsis From GoodReads

Maine innkeeper Holly White returns to sleuth another seasonal slaying in the third Christmas Tree Farm mystery from bestselling author Jacqueline Frost.

Reindeer Games Christmas Tree Farm is going into the B&B business, and Holly White is looking forward to her new role as innkeeper. Even better, Mistletoe, Maine’s sheriff, Evan Gray, has deputized his little sister Libby to help Holly wrap presents for Mistletoe’s toy drive. But a cold wind ruffles the cheery holiday decorations when a new guest checks in: Karen, a vicious B&B critic, who could make or break the new inn. And the short December days turn even darker when Evan and Libby find Karen’s dead body in the gift-wrapped toy donation box.

The suspect list is longer than Santa’s naughty list, and local resident Cookie is on it, since her fingerprints are all over the murder weapon, a metal nutcracker that she gave to Holly. So is Libby, who recently moved to town from Boston in less-than-savory circumstances. But cranky Karen was an oh-holy-nightmare to lots of the townsfolk, such as Evan’s reporter friend Ray; Christopher, the inn’s former contractor; and confectioner Bonnie, whose Gum Drop Shop was a direct target of Karen’s scathing prose.

To figure out the killer’s identity and clear Cookie’s name, Holly and her friends brainstorm at The Hearth, the farm’s café, while her mother keeps them fueled with Christmas goodies fresh from the oven. But if they can’t put the culprit on ice, Holly may never see another Christmas.

Would you keep reading this book? Let me know in the comments.

Mailbox Monday is the gathering place for readers to share the books that came in their mailbox during the last week. Warning: Mailbox Monday can lead to envy, toppling TBR piles and humongous wish lists. This past week I’ve received some lovely books and will have to choose which to read first. Not an easy choice.

Which of these would you choose to read first? Tell us about your new books in the comments.

Thank you for stopping by.

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? a place to meet up and share what you have been, and are about to be reading over the week. It’s a great post to organise yourself. It’s an opportunity to visit and comment and er… add to your groaning TBR pile! So welcome in everyone. This meme started on J Kaye’s blog and then was hosted by Sheila from Book Journey. Sheila then passed it on to Kathryn here at The Book Date.Jen Vincent, Teach Mentor Texts, and Kellee of Unleashing Readers decided to give It’s Monday! a kidlit focus. If you read and review books in children’s literature – picture books, chapter books, middle grade novels, young adult novels or anything in those genres – join them.

October has really flown by. Not only that but the whole year has seemed to fly by. A very nice thing that happened this week is our daughter is here from Iowa to visit for a few days. So excited to see her before she is off again. We went to see the beautiful Fall leaves, will go hiking and went out to lunch several times. Time just goes too fast.

Last Week I Read

All of these were excellent

My Current Read

And Up Next

Have you read any of these books yet? What are you digging out of your reading pile to read next? Let me know in the comments.

Thank you for stopping by. Have a wonderful day.

Pub Date 05 Oct 2021 Bethany House Publishers Paperback, 384 pages

My Review

I am really enjoying the Colorado Cowboys series! Because of her unconventional upbringing Linnea Newberry doesn’t feel like anything should be off limits to her including doing things typically limited to males in her time period. She is thrilled to be on the trip of a lifetime. Traveling with her grandfather, she is an extremely brilliant botanist studying all the flora she comes across. Though not taken seriously except by her grandfather she is out to prove not only her intelligence in her chosen field but she’ll prove she can keep up with the men and not fall behind or get hurt on this trip on Santa Fe Trail. Oops, she hasn’t counted on the mishaps that have put her life in danger a few times and in doing so holding the trip up. Unknown to her, her grandfather hires a man to keep her safe on the trip so she can continue on with the expedition. Flynn McQuaid is the man for the job, this cowboy is delivering cattle to his older brother and there’s the task of caring for his younger siblings. Can he manage the added responsibility of being Linnea’s bodyguard as well? Who will guard Flynn from himself whenever he starts falling for his charge though? Flynn and Linnea both have secrets that could have pretty strong repercussions if not handled the right way. Such a beautiful story about acceptance,trust,repentance,faith,understanding and love. The author has done it again! This is an absolute must read author for me! Published October 5th 2021 I was given a complimentary copy of this book. Thank you. All opinions expressed are my own.

GoodReads Synopsis

Brilliant scientist Linnea Newberry is on the adventure of a lifetime, traveling the Santa Fe Trail with her grandfather, Dr. Powell, on a botanical expedition to Colorado Territory. She longs to be taken seriously by the other team members, but at every calamity she faces, her grandfather threatens to send her home.

After watching his ma suffer and die in childbirth, Flynn McQuaid has sworn off women and marriage forever. Headed west to start a new life, he has his hands full not only taking care of his younger siblings but also delivering cattle to his brother. He doesn’t need more complications.

When Flynn rescues Linnea from drowning during a river crossing, Dr. Powell promptly hires Flynn–unbeknownst to Linnea–to act as her bodyguard for the rest of the trip. As Flynn fights against the many dangers of the trail, he soon finds himself in the greatest danger of all–falling for a woman he’s determined not to love. 

About The Author

Jody Hedlund (www.jodyhedlund.com) is the bestselling author of more than thirty historical novels for both adults and teens, including Come Back to Me, and is the winner of numerous awards, including the Christy, Carol, and Christian Book Awards. Jody lives in Michigan with her husband, busy family, and five spoiled cats. She loves to imagine that she really can visit the past, although she’s yet to accomplish the feat, except via the many books she reads.

Amazon Buy Link

Thank you for stopping by today. Do you enjoy cowboy stories? Let me know in the comments if you’ve read this or any author’s cowboy stories/ Westerns.

Pub Date 08 Jun 2021 St. Martin’s Press Hardcover, 320 pages Anne Sebba

My Review

This is a nonfiction book and by the way it’s presented we can tell Ethel Rosenberg’s life has been meticulously researched by author Anne Sebba.
In June 1953, married couple Julius and Ethel Rosenberg who had two young sons were led separately from their cells on death row and electrocuted just moments apart. As they were being led to the chair they did not cry out or fight it they went calmly.
We see Ethel’s life as it unfolds for her as a child and teen and feel the coldness of her mother’s betrayal and rejection. She didn’t want her. One thing was very clear, how much Ethel adored her children. It was interesting reading the details of her trial for espionage-related crimes, of which I didn’t see any hard evidence presented. Because of deep love for her husband Julius, she refused to say anything negative against him in court essentially courageously facing the death penalty which left her children orphans after her execution.
Eyeopening tragedy!

Pub Date 08 Jun 2021
I was given a complimentary copy of this book. Thank you.
All opinions expressed are my own.

GoodReads Synopsis

New York Times bestselling author Anne Sebba’s moving biography of Ethel Rosenberg, the wife and mother whose execution for espionage-related crimes defined the Cold War and horrified the world.

In June 1953, Julius and Ethel Rosenberg, a couple with two young sons, were led separately from their prison cells on Death Row and electrocuted moments apart. Both had been convicted of conspiracy to commit espionage for the Soviet Union, despite the fact that the US government was aware that the evidence against Ethel was shaky at best and based on the perjury of her own brother.

This book is the first to focus on one half of that couple for more than thirty years, and much new evidence has surfaced since then. Ethel was a bright girl who might have fulfilled her personal dream of becoming an opera singer, but instead found herself struggling with the social mores of the 1950’s. She longed to be a good wife and perfect mother, while battling the political paranoia of the McCarthy era, anti-Semitism, misogyny, and a mother who never valued her. Because of her profound love for and loyalty to her husband, she refused to incriminate him, despite government pressure on her to do so. Instead, she courageously faced the death penalty for a crime she hadn’t committed, orphaning her children.

Seventy years after her trial, this is the first time Ethel’s story has been told with the full use of the dramatic and tragic prison letters she exchanged with her husband, her lawyer and her psychotherapist over a three-year period, two of them in solitary confinement. Hers is the resonant story of what happens when a government motivated by fear tramples on the rights of its citizens.

About The Author

Amazon Buy Link

Thank you for visiting my author page. It’s a great opportunity to be in touch with my readers, to hear your response to my books and to say thank you for your support and interest. I really appreciate feedback so do please get in touch via twitter @annesebba or via my website http://www.annesebba.com.

I was born in London and went to London University where I read History, specialising in 20th century French History. I then lived in Rome where I worked as a foreign correspondent for Reuters followed by a couple of years in New York, where I started my freelance career.

I have written nine non- fiction books for adults since then mostly biographies of iconic women such as Mother Teresa, Laura Ashley and Jennie Churchill, Winston’s American Wife. In 2011, I published That Woman a life of Wallis Simpson, Duchess of Windsor based on a hidden archive of letters that I discovered in an attic and in 2016 Les Parisiennes: How the Women of Paris Lived, Loved and Died in the 1940’s (Weidenfeld & Nicolson UK )or Les Parisiennes How the Women of Paris Lived, Loved and Died under the Nazi Occupation according to the US version. (St Martin’s Press US) It was described as ‘fascinating and beautifully written’ by the Spectator. http://www.spectator.co.uk/2016/07/keeping-up-appearances-in-1940s-paris/

I am thrilled finally to be writing about France in the 1940s after all those years when I studied it at University. I hope you find it a fascinating story too.

Thank you for visiting today. Do you read much nonfiction? Let me know in the comments if this sounds like a book you’d enjoy reading.

Happy Friday. This weekend our oldest daughter is coming home for a visit and we haven’t seen her since July because she lives in Iowa. I probably won’t get much reading done but we are really looking forward to this visit. For my First Line Friday, I am choosing an author that is an automatic read for me when she publishes a new book. This one is her upcoming release, Marry Me, Millie.

“Who’s that?” At her aunt’s question, Millie Bauman stopped pouring water into the little foam cups and gazed out across Thomas Kurtz’s yard.

GoodReads Synopsis

Award-winning, USA Today bestselling author Amy Lillard’s uplifting new series unites a “Widows Club” of women who share solace, friendship, and faith in the Amish community of Paradise Valley, Missouri. In this series starter, a young pregnant widow running a B&B meets a handsome outsider who begins to make her believe in love again.

When her young husband died unexpectedly, Millie Bauman thought her life was over too–until she learned she was carrying his child. Now, as she awaits the baby’s arrival, Millie’s sure her future will revolve around motherhood, the B&B she runs with her Aunt Sylvie, and the beloved Whoopie Pies her Widows Club whips up each week. But when a handsome newcomer arrives in town, Millie is intrigued, and the club wonders if Millie might find a second chance at love…

Henry King plans to stay in Paradise Valley long enough to take care of some family business, and hopefully mend the heartache of his own lost love. As Henry and Millie cross paths, it’s clear their neighbors are gently trying to play matchmaker. Not wanting to disappoint, the two pretend to play along–but life gets complicated when a true and tender affection grows. As Millie gets ready to welcome her baby, they must rely on faith and fate to decide if they should risk their hearts on love again…

What is your First Line Friday?

This is a fun meme to do hosted by Freda’s Voice. If you’d like to join on the fun go to The Friday 56.

Rules:
*Grab a book, any book.
*Turn to page 56 or 56% in your eReader.
*Find any sentence that grabs you.
*Post it.
*Link it here.

It’s that simple.

This week my choice is

Another 4 a.m. wake up call. “Raus Raus!” is screamed into the room, accompanied by the hammering of a baton on the walls. After a visit to the bathroom to wash away as many fleas and bedbugs as they can,Cibi and Livi receive their first breakfast in Auschwitz, a ration of bread the size of their palms, and a drink of lukewarm liquid they were told was coffee, but which bears no resemblance to any coffee they have tasted before.

Synopsis From GoodReads

A promise to stay together.
An unbreakable bond.
A fierce will to survive.

From international bestselling author Heather Morris comes the breathtaking conclusion to The Tattooist of Auschwitz trilogy.

When they are girls, Cibi, Magda and Livia make a promise to their father – that they will stay together, no matter what.

Years later, at just 15 years old, Livia is ordered to Auschwitz by the Nazis. Cibi, only 19 herself, remembers their promise and follows Livia, determined to protect her sister, or die with her.

In their hometown in Slovakia, 17-year-old Magda hides, desperate to evade the barbaric Nazi forces. But it is not long before she is captured and condemned to Auschwitz.

In the horror of the death camp, these three beautiful sisters are reunited. Though traumatised by their experiences, they are together.

They make another promise: that they will live. Their fight for survival takes them from the hell of Auschwitz, to a death march across war-torn Europe and eventually home to Slovakia, now under iron Communist rule. Determined to begin again, they embark on a voyage of renewal, to the new Jewish homeland, Israel.

Rich in vivid detail, and beautifully told, Three Sisters will break your heart, but leave you amazed and uplifted by the courage and fierce love of three sisters, whose promise to each other kept them alive. Two of the sisters are in Israel today, surrounded by family and friends. They have chosen Heather Morris to reimagine their story in her astonishing new novel, Three Sisters. 

How does this book sound to you? What are you sharing today?