Review

A Picture of Hope by Liz Tolsma

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Reviewed by Sandra Merville Hart

Heroines of WWII Series

American Journalist Nellie Wilkerson has been in London during the daily bombings, just waiting for a chance to get to France where the fighting is intense. She seizes the opportunity to disguise her identity to get there with her camera. The Allies are there now so she should be able to convince one of the units to take her along to the front lines. She doesn’t intend to accept no as an answer. She’ll snap photos to back up the story of what’s really happening.

Jean-Paul Breslau is determined to find his comrades but stumbles upon Nellie, alone in the French countryside with a dead soldier. He can’t turn his back on her any more than he can walk away from Claire, the little girl they find in a village, who is the sole survivor of terrible fire set by the Germans. Claire has Down Syndrome and the Germans will kill her.

Their paths cross with others who resist the German soldiers. Danger escalates with each chapter.

This book is a page turner! Readers will find themselves pulling for the children in this story to reach safety. The characters are likeable, strong, and determined—though the heroine’s insistence on having her own way frustrated me as a reader. She placed herself and her companions in more danger through her choices.

Recommended for readers who enjoy World War II stories.

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A Miser. A Manger. A Miracle. by Marianne Jordan

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This story is a retelling of Charles Dickens’s classic The Christmas Carol, done with creative twist.

Set in the time of Jesus, this novel transports the reader from the manger to the cross. In this beautifully written story, Jordan shows surprising parallels between the characters of Jesus’ day and the time of Dickens.

Reading this book prepared my heart for Christmas. A touching and powerful story.

Highly recommended!

-Review by Sandra Merville Hart

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Five & Dime Christmas

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Reviewed by Sandra Merville Hart

In the 1880s, the Woolworth’s Five and Dime department store has a home in Scranton, Pennsylvania. This nostalgic place is the setting for four historical novellas in the Five & Dime Christmas collection.

I enjoyed this collection! Of course, I had my favorites yet each story took me back in time. I thank the authors for the historical glimpses into this store. Likeable characters drew me into their heartache and struggles. I love reading Christmas books during the holiday!

There wasn’t a lunch counter in the 1880s, as the authors mentioned in their notes, yet this feature greatly added to the atmosphere of the stories.

In A Merry Little Christmas by Susanne Dietze, Hattie, a store clerk, discovers that her favorite customer inadvertently threatens her struggling brother’s job.

In A Home for Christmas by Patty Smith Hall, Essie, a socialite working as a store clerk, is intrigued by a pastor who has taken six homeless young boys into his home.

Alone this year, Lizzie’s job is her sole support in The Light of Christmas by Christina Lorenzen. Can she save her home on her salary? The new bookkeeper wonders how to help.

Lunch with Maggie by Cynthia Hickey finds Maggie, who works the lunch counter, making a friendship with a widower and his young daughter, regulars at her counter. Maggie, who’d been jilted on her wedding day, refuses to trust another man with her heart.

An enjoyable, nostalgic Christmas collection!

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The Holiday Arrangement by Dineen Miller

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Reviewed by Sandra Merville Hart

Joy to the World…until it falls apart

Corinne Carter’s divorce from her alcoholic husband is final. She’s got a fresh start back in her hometown in Florida, near her matchmaking mama.

Jeremy Payne hasn’t dated since his long-term relationship ended a year before and his mother is determined to change that. Corinne and Jeremy had been best friends in high school. When they meet again at a Christmas party, they decide to fake a dating relationship to protect themselves from their mothers.

I loved this well-written Christmas romance! It’s a short, enjoyable read. The characters are likable and the situations they face are believable.  

I enjoy stories set during the Christmas holidays and look forward to finding new ones every year. This one is a gem!

Highly recommended for readers of contemporary romance.   

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Christmas in Fair Creek by Cathy Shouse

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Reviewed by Sandra Merville Hart

Her Billionaire Cowboy’s Twin Heirs

Annie York, a single mother, works at her cousin’s diner to support her daughter. Chloe’s eighth birthday party is a couple of days before Christmas. 

Caleb Galloway doesn’t plan on staying in his hometown very long—until he meets Annie, whom he barely knew in school. He suddenly finds himself as the guardian of his twin infant niece and nephew and is grateful for Annie’s help.

This is a short read. All the action takes place in one day. Everything happens too quickly in the story and I had a hard time getting into it.

I do enjoy stories set during the Christmas holidays. It’s set in a small Indiana town where everyone knows everyone.  

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The Mistletoe Countess by Pepper Basham

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Reviewed by Sandra Merville Hart

Freddie and Grace Mysteries – Book 1

I love to read books set during the Christmas holidays. This 1913 book begins in November and ends at Christmas.

Grace Ferguson is more interested in the library at the mansion where her sister Lillias will marry an earl in a week’s time. The arranged marriage will save the earl’s England estate and Lillias is only marrying a man she doesn’t know to please her father.

Frederick Percy is trying to make up for his past by marrying Lillias. When she elopes after meeting him, Grace convinces him to marry her instead.

Attempts have been made on Frederick’s life and soon Grace is also threatened. She dearly loves solving mysteries—and she must solve this one before her new husband is murdered.

I enjoyed the story overall. The growing relationship between the newlyweds is very romantic and perhaps too quick. My interest was snagged by the mysterious attempts to kill Frederick and I tried to solve the mystery along with characters.

Some characters are as full of surprises as the twists and turns. The story left the door open to solve more mysteries in future books!

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The Scarecrow by Beth Ferry

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Reviewed by Sandra Merville Hart

Illustrated by The Fan Brothers

I’m always on the lookout for good picture books for my grandchildren. This book is a wonderful read for children aged 3 – 8.

The scarecrow stands alone in the middle of a field. No friends come to play.

Then one day a bird with a broken wing needs help.

I loved this story about how friendship can heal a broken heart!

Highly recommend this children’s picture book for young elementary grades.

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Season of My Enemy by Naomi Musch

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Reviewed by Sandra Merville Hart

Heroines of WWII series

Fannie O’Brien doesn’t want German prisoners of war helping with the work of her family’s Wisconsin farm. Because of her father’s recent death and her two older brothers off fighting the war in Europe, she accepts her mother’s decision. Fannie and her younger siblings can’t handle the workload. They’ll lose the crop without help.

German POW Captain Wolfgang Klonginger knows that he and seven others soldiers—most of them his former students—could have done far worse. He’s grateful for a chance to put in long days at the farm. As the summer passes, Fannie captures his attention. He admires her work ethic and her compassion.

But one of the soldiers isn’t grateful.

Musch has woven another mesmerizing tale that immersed me into the drama from the beginning. Believable characters tugged at my emotions in this well-written story.

The author dug deeply into the emotions of characters on both sides of the conflict. This page-turner gripped my attention. Well-done!  

This isn’t the first novel I’ve read by this author nor will it be the last. I love her ability to transport readers back in time.

I highly recommend this novel to lovers of WWII novels.

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The Rancher’s Want Ad Mix-Up by Megan Besing

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Reviewed by Sandra Merville Hart

Della Mae Wagner answers a want ad for a teacher and heads to Missouri, hoping to heal from a broken engagement.

Widower Hank Lamson doesn’t want a teacher for his three young sons, and especially not a wife, as his parents advertised to provide. Women only wanted his money. He was having no part in it.

I enjoyed Della’s interaction with the children, especially the youngest boy. For someone with no teaching experience, she showed lots of wisdom.

The characters were likable. Some scenes and situations dragged a bit. Hank’s parents had corresponded with Della before she came. I was as surprised at their warm welcome at the first meeting as I was at Hank’s continuing unfriendliness, though that was explained. My interest picked up a little later in the story.

I’m happy that Love Inspired Historical Inspirational Romances are being published again!

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