Book Review

Brighten Your Corner by Michelle L. Levigne

/ sandramervillehart

Reviewed by Sandra Merville Hart

Book & Mug Mysteries

Book Three

After reading the first two books in the series, I was excited to read the third one and it didn’t disappoint me!  

Melba and Cilla, two cousins actively working to open a new candle shop, have trouble right away from Ernie, the last shop owner who had been evicted. Ernie feels the cousins have stolen the shop they’re now renting, and complains he didn’t have enough notice to remove all his possessions.

To make matters worse, Melba and Cilla’s cousin, Charlotte, insists that the shop was her idea in the first place and she’s the business owner. Charlotte has been a thorn in their side for decades and her erratic demands cause no end of trouble for Melba and Cilla, yet Ernie’s threats are even worse.

The author does a great job building tension through twists and turns I didn’t anticipate. This cozy murder mystery snagged my attention right away. I love when a small-town cast of believable—mostly lovable—characters collide in a cozy mystery. The author does a great job at making the characters relatable, and I already had my favorites when I began reading this latest novel.   

There are a variety of characters in this book, and several have scenes written in their own point-of-view. While reading the third book, it was less challenging to remember family connections, though I still had to pay close attention at times.

Levigne has delivered another well-written cozy mystery that kept me turning pages.

I hope this isn’t the end the series!

Amazon

The Bake Shop by Amy Clipston

/ sandramervillehart / 3 Comments

Reviewed by Sandra Merville Hart

Amish Marketplace

Book One

Christiana Kurtz is thrilled to open a bake shop in a local market. It’s a wonderful opportunity to serve even more of the delicious desserts she’s become well-known for baking.

Jeff Stoltzfus sells wood and leather goods in the shop beside Christiana. The pretty baker catches his eye but he’s still trying to grow beyond a prior relationship, that his fiancé had ended. She’s married now. Jeff won’t allow himself to be hurt like that again.

Friends and family notice the spark between them, but Christiana’s father may be the biggest hurdle of all.

The Amish romance is light-hearted and easy to read. Readers of this genre will enjoy the book!

Amazon  

The Gamekeeper’s Reluctant Bride by Elva Cobb Martin

/ sandramervillehart

Reviewed by Sandra Merville Hart

Charleston Brides, Book 6

Helena Allston tries to run away from the man her father has arranged for her to marry and nearly drowns in the river.

Gideon Falconer, a gamekeeper, rescues an unconscious woman from the river but can’t return her to her family until she can tell him her name. By then, they’ve been alone together overnight and her father insists Gideon proposes to her.

Helena’s belief that Gideon marries her to obtain one of her father’s plantations puts up a roadblock in their relationship.

This story had many twists that snagged my attention and kept me turning pages.

I enjoyed this story! Several characters have secrets that add to the conflict and a need for forgiveness.

Recommended for readers of inspirational historical romances.

I was given a copy of the book by the author. A positive review was not required. The opinions expressed are my own.

Amazon

Home Where She Belongs by Penny Frost McGinnis

/ sandramervillehart / 1 Comment

Reviewed by Sandra Merville Hart

Abbott Island Series, Book 1

Sadie Stewart moves the property she’d inherited on Abbott Island, to escape her ex-boyfriend’s abuse at her father’s company. Happy childhood memories of summers spent with her grandparents are overshadowed by her fear that Bryce will follow her.

Sadie’s childhood friend Joel Grayson is now a policeman on the island. She’d once had feelings for him but can’t trust anyone now—her own father refused to protect her from Bryce.

Joel, who had fallen in love with her while in high school, is determined to protect her.

Danger escalates and it seems that Sadie isn’t safe anywhere from Bryce.

My heart went out to Sadie. I found myself pulling for the characters that I learned to love. Many twists and turns led to escalating danger.

This story kept me turning pages. Recommended!

This is a new-to-me author. It won’t be the last book I read by her!

Amazon

Narrative of Sojourner Truth

/ sandramervillehart

Reviewed by Sandra Merville Hart

Narrative of Sojourner Truth by Sojourner Truth

Isabella Baumfree was born into slavery in New York in 1797. That state passed a law freeing all slaves 40 years and older 1817. Everyone younger than 40, which included Isabella, were to be emancipated ten years later.

Isabella endured many hardships and cruelty during part of that time. Her mother raised her to have faith and to pray to God before she was sold away from her parents at nine. She spoke Dutch only as a young child and didn’t understand English, which made it impossible to understand the new owners. Isabella endured many hardships and cruelty after her separations from her parents just a few miles away.

She wasn’t allowed to marry a man from a neighboring home. Her husband was much older and she had children with him. After her emancipation, Isabella parted from him.

This her story in her words, as dictated to Olive Gilbert, after Isabella changed her name to Sojourner Truth. Sojourner became an inspiring speaker, sharing her faith as well as advocating for black freedom, women’s rights, and temperance.

A powerful story about a powerful woman. Her story held my attention from page one.

Definitely recommend!

Amazon

Vicksburg 1863 by Winston Groom

/ sandramervillehart

Reviewed by Sandra Merville Hart

Excellent resource book for the battle and Siege of Vicksburg!

To capture the city on the bluffs of the Mississippi River was the goal of Union General Ulysses S. Grant as well as President Abraham Lincoln.

Mississippians were equally determined to hold it. They held back an attack of the Union navy from the Mississippi River in 1862, a barrage that lasted 67 days.

The Union navy left but everyone knew they’d be back. The next time, Grant brought his army too.

This book gives an excellent history from the viewpoint of both the Union and Confederate military leaders.

I especially appreciated learning more about what the citizens of Vicksburg experienced before, during, and after the battle and siege.

I purchased this book to discover the history for the siege. I was researching the background for my Spies of the Civil War Series, Streams of Courage, Book 4 and River of Peril, Book 5.

Recommended for readers of American Civil War history and American history.

Amazon  

My Cave Life in Vicksburg

/ sandramervillehart

Reviewed by Sandra Merville Hart

My Cave Life in Vicksburg, with Letters of Trial and Travel By A Lady.

The anonymous author is Mary Webster Loughborough, who arrived on April 15, 1863, for a pleasant visit to Vicksburg. She became an unwilling guest during the bombardment and siege.

Excellent account of the trials and hardships suffered by the townspeople who endured the Siege of Vicksburg in 1863.

Mary’s husband paid to have a cave dug in the city of Vicksburg for her and their toddler. The Union navy shelled the city, sending the citizens scurrying for the relative safety of the caves. Some died from shells that penetrated the ceilings. Others died when they ventured out during lulls in the shelling.

Parrott shells came directly toward their cave often and danger was everywhere.

Food ran low as the siege continued. There is no sense of time in the book so the days and hours must have run together into a nightmare from which they couldn’t awaken.

I purchased this book to discover the history for the siege. I was researching the background for my book, River of Peril, Book 5 in my Spies of the Civil War Series.

Recommended for readers of American Civil War history and American history.

Amazon

The Case of the Stolen Memories by Deborah Sprinkle

/ sandramervillehart

Reviewed by Sandra Merville Hart

A Mac & Sam Mystery Series, Book 3

Private Investigator Mackenzie Love witnesses a thief running away from a robbery in a park. A body is found that same day. She and fellow investigator Sam are hired to recover items stolen from a time capsule. They need customers to keep their business afloat so they agree, little knowing the danger.

Detective Jake Sanders is assigned to the case and then learns his feisty girlfriend Mac is a witness. Since she’s investigating the crime for a client, the two work separately and share findings with one another.

Escalating mystery and danger at every turn kept me turning pages. Many twists and turns held my interest. Danger faced by multiple characters that I’d grown to love had me on the edge of my seat.

This suspenseful story will keep readers turning pages. Recommended for those who enjoy mystery and suspense novels!

I received an advanced copy from the author and happily endorsed the book. All opinions are my own.

Amazon

Behind Love’s Wall by Carrie Fancett Pagels

/ sandramervillehart

Reviewed by Sandra Merville Hart

Doors to the Past, Book 5

The author skillfully weaves together the stories of two women living in two time periods in this novel.

In 1895, Lily is singing at The Grand on Mackinac Island. Her piano accompanist is her cousin, who has often protected her from unwanted male attention in the past. However, she’d welcome Dr. Stephen DuBlanc’s courtship if not for a terrible secret in her past, one that prompts her to change her name to hide from the Pinkertons.

In 2020, Willa has made a name for herself as an interior decorator, a reputation that lands her at the Grand Hotel to consult for a redesign. She wants to work with Michael, a gifted landscape artist, but must protect her heart. She has too much baggage from her childhood to pursue a relationship.

Then she finds a journal written by a singer at The Grand in 1895 that opens a slew of questions…and secrets.

Lovable, believable characters drew me into their story. Their heartache tugged at my emotions. Many twists kept me turning pages as the story progressed.

Story complexities increase with each chapter with lots of names in common between time periods. For that reason, I’d suggest reading the novel within a week or so to remember the details.

I enjoyed this well-written dual timeline mystery.  

Amazon   

The Case of the Stolen Memories by Deborah Sprinkle

/ sandramervillehart

Reviewed by Sandra Merville Hart

A Mac & Sam Mystery Series, Book 3

Private Investigator Mackenzie Love witnesses a thief running away from a robbery in a park. A body is found that same day. She and fellow investigator Sam are hired to recover items stolen from a time capsule. They need customers to keep their business afloat so they agree, little knowing the danger.

Detective Jake Sanders is assigned to the case and then learns his feisty girlfriend Mac is a witness. Since she’s investigating the crime for a client, the two work separately and share findings with one another.

Escalating mystery and danger at every turn kept me turning pages. Many twists and turns held my interest. Danger faced by multiple characters that I’d grown to love had me on the edge of my seat.

I received an advanced copy from the author and happily endorsed the book. All opinions are my own.

This suspenseful story will keep readers turning pages. Recommended for those who enjoy mystery and suspense novels!