Brianna Kelly was abandoned at Ballymacool House and Boarding School as an infant. She has worked there since she was a wee girl and will likely die there. Despite a sense that she was made for something more, Brianna feels powerless to change her situation, so she consoles herself by exploring the Ballymacool grounds, looking for hidden treasures to add to the secret trove beneath the floorboards of her room.
When Michael Wray, the son of local gentry, is sent to Ballymacool to deal with his unruly cousin, he finds himself drawn to Brianna, immediately and inescapably. There is something about her that feels so . . . familiar. When Brianna finds a piece of silver in the woods, she commits to learning its origins, with the help of Michael. What they discover may change everything.
Fan favorite Jennifer Deibel invites you back to the Emerald Isle in the 1930s for this fresh take on the Cinderella story, complete with a tantalizing mystery, a budding romance, and a chance at redemption.
About the Author
Jennifer Deibel is a middle school teacher and freelance writer. Her work has appeared on (in)courage, on The Better Mom, in Missions Mosaic Magazine, and others. With firsthand immersive experience abroad, Jennifer writes stories that help redefine home through the lens of culture, history, and family. After nearly a decade of living in Ireland and Austria, she now lives in Arizona.
My Impressions
Most of us Americans would say we have a decent grasp on US history. But, alas, how many of us know much about other country’s historical struggles? Jennifer Deibel returns us to Donegal County, Ireland, to learn of Irish War of Independence in 1919, and the preceding years.
What better way to learn history than through a story, complete with a beautifully recounted love tale reminiscent of Cinderella. Deibel is a wordsmith, putting the reader in the forest to smell the musty earth, see the majestic trees, and hear their whispering in the wind. This makes meeting a secondary character, Finnuala, all the more mysterious and slightly spooky.
Do you love to have an antagonist that you can take out all your negative emotions on? If so, Deibel provides the perfect scapegoat. Oh, how I enjoyed the negative emotions that that person evoked, making my anger feel righteously justified!
The occasional Irish phrases, words, and slang, never exactly interpreted, but given great contextual clues; allgive great authenticity and local color to the novel.
Perhaps what I appreciate most, though, was that Deibel shows that there are evil and righteous people on both sides of the conflict. This is a truth our own country would do well to remember.
If you read only one foreign-set novel this year, consider The Maid of Ballymacool. If you are a fan of faith that produces growth, fairy-tale-like love stories, historical fiction of foreign countries, this is a book you won’t want to miss! I highly recommend anything Jennifer Deibel pens!
I received a copy of this book from Revell Reads, via NetGalley, plus I won a copy through For the Love of Books Giveaway, plus I bought my own ecopy. Keeper shelf material! No positive opinion was required, and all opinions are my own.
Notable Quotables:
“All she needed were her walks in the woods, her treasures, and the good Lord.”
“She had never really had minded the cold. It was all she had known in many ways.”
“No, he was dangerous because he awakened something far more treacherous in her. Something she couldn’t afford to cultivate. Something deadlier than any poison or illness. Hope.”
“We were not blessed with our position in the community in order to lord it over others. On the contrary. We must use our authority to stand up for those who cannot do so for themselves.”
“Yer purpose in this world has precious little to do with what job ya hold. It’s to do wi’ the way ya impact the people around ye.”
“tis only One who knows the whole truth, and it’s not our job to take that mantle upon ourselves. We’d crumble under the weight of it.”
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?
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.
More from Kimberley
It is such a thrill to be able to bring readers A Mark of Grace, book three in my Secrets of the Canyon series. These books have been near and dear to me since 2009, right from the moment the idea of setting a Harvey Girls series at the El Tovar on the rim of the Grand Canyon first hit me.
Ever since the release of A Deep Divide, book one in the series, I’ve received tons of messages from readers who hoped Ruth would have her story. All along, the plan was for the final installment to be hers.
Ruth has been a strong character throughout the series. A mentor. A friend. A headwaitress. But when a crisis hits her life, it affects every area—emotional, physical, and spiritual—and her confidence in everything she thought she knew crumbles.
Life isn’t easy for any of us, and I love a good story that I can grow and learn through. I pray A Mark of Grace is that for you.
My Impressions
Third in her series Secrets of the Canyon, Kimberley Woodhouse creates a masterpiece for A Mark of Grace. I would suggest reading all three books in sequence.
Taking place in 1907 at the El Tovar, a Harvey House hotel and restaurant at the brink of the Grand Canyon, this is head waitress Ruth Anniston’s story. A tragic accident has changed the trajectory of Ruth’s life and causes her to retreat from everyone close to her. At the same time, nefarious plans are afoot at the El Tovar. Will Ruth and her friends wait on God and His timing, or lean upon only themselves?
I cannot say how much I love this novel. Woodhouse hits home on several fronts. How often do we say we trust God… until the going gets rough?
How often do we look for our value in something tangible? We often say we find our value in Christ, but when something valuable is taken away, we often feel worthless and “less-than.”
I love that several of Ruth’s relationships are highlighted:her special friendship with Frank, her love for her parents, her friends like Emma Grace, Julia, Charlotte, and Tessa. These relational elements realistically presented against the backdrop of the beautiful canyon weave together with a strong faith component to create a truly memorable and inspirational novel. Being able to relate to one of the tragic issues in the novel, I loved how Woodhouse’s character finds the strength to deal well with it. That was such an encouragement to me.
I received a copy of the book from Celebrate Lit through NetGalley. No positive review was required, and all opinions are my own.
Notable Quotables:
“Lord, give me strength to handle whatever comes. The prayer grew frailer with each repeat.”
“When would she see how valuable and cherished she was?”
“She’d been pouring out her heart to the Lord for so long. Time was always the word that came to her. Time and wait.”
Clue meets Indiana Jones with a fiction-loving twist only Grace Percy can provide.
Newlyweds Lord and Lady Astley have already experienced their fair-share of suspense, but when a honeymoon trip takes a detour to the mystical land of Egypt, not even Grace with her fiction-loving mind is prepared for the dangers in store. From an assortment of untrustworthy adventure-seekers to a newly discovered tomb with a murderous secret, Frederick and Grace must lean on each other to navigate their dangerous surroundings. As the suspects mount in an antiquities’ heist of ancient proportions, will Frederick and Grace’s attempts to solve the mystery lead to another death among the sands?
Pepper Basham is an award-winning author who writes romance peppered with grace and humor with southern Appalachian flair. Both her historical and contemporary novels have garnered recognition in the Grace Awards, Inspys, and ACFW Carol Awards. Her historical romance, The Thorn Healer, was a finalist in the 2018 RT Awards. Her historical romance novels, My Heart Belongs in the Blue Ridge and The Red Ribbon, and her contemporary novels, the Mitchell’s Crossroads and Pleasant Gap series, showcase her Appalachian heritage, as well as her love for humor and family. She currently resides in the lovely mountains of Asheville, NC where she is the mom of five great kids, a speech-language pathologist to about fifty more, and a lover of chocolate, jazz, hats, and Jesus.
You can learn more about Pepper at her website http://www.pepperdbasham.com or connect with her on FB, IG, or Twitter
Read an Excerpt from the Book!
February 1914, Havensbrook
Gunfire erupted from outside, sending Frederick Percy, Earl of Astley, leaping from his chair. The seat crashed against the floor behind him in time with another shot. What on earth! He grabbed the first weapon-like item he could find—his grandfather’s cane—and dashed toward the sound, nearly colliding with his butler moving in the same direction.
“Did you hear the gunfire, Brandon?”
The older gentleman’s brows rose as high as they could go without becoming part of his snowy hairline. “Indeed, my lord. From the south garden, if I guess correctly, sir.”
“My thoughts exactly.” Frederick tapped the cane against the floor and took a step in the direction of the garden door. Then stopped, a sudden sense of dread forming a lump in his stomach. His butler’s response was much too cavalier for an emergency. “Have you seen Lady Astley of late, Brandon?”
“Not since after breakfast, sir.”
“Well, then.” Frederick returned to his office for his own pistol and prayed whatever inspired a gunshot near his home would prove more benign than dangerous. After surviving several near-death experiences over the past Christmas season, Frederick was quite finished with drama for a while. Though drama seemed to follow his new bride in spades.
He met the butler back in the hallway.
“Might I offer an insight, sir?”
Frederick pivoted in his approach to the door and turned back to Brandon. “Insight?”
“Yes, sir.” The man released a deep sigh which pulled his pristine posture into a slight slump. He then sent Frederick a look which somehow inspired a grimace before Frederick even heard the man’s words. “Her ladyship was speaking with Mr. Blake after breakfast, sir.”
“Mr. Blake?” Frederick rolled his gaze heavenward, the tension in his jaw uncoiling into a slight annoyance that manifested in an ache over his right eyebrow. He loved his cousin. There was no man Frederick trusted more. But for some reason, the idea of Blake and Grace together followed by the sound of gunfire did not bode well.
For anyone.
“About pistols, my lord.”
And the answers emerged, along with an increased throbbing in Frederick’s head. “Thank you, Brandon.”
Setting a slower pace, he moved toward the south side of his manor house, another shot reverberating nearer. Within a month since Christmas, his American wife had learned how to drive the car and throw knives, two skills she appeared to excel in more than knowing the fashion of the season or how to address the complicated hierarchy of the aristocracy. His lips almost split into a grin as he recalled her stumbling over addressing the Duke of Westonbridge two weeks ago by calling him “Your Honorable Lord” and then in quick correction, “Your Grace, or at least I hope you are since I fumbled your title so atrociously.”
Of course the duke had fallen under Grace’s spell within five minutes, as everyone else who met her seemed to do since she’d moved to his crumbling Derbyshire estate two months earlier. Well, everyone except the villainess who’d tried to kill them just before Christmas. But that was hopefully a distant story, and their next chapter would be a lovely, peaceful belated honeymoon—he increased his steps at the idea—with a little surprise tagged on for his lovely Lady Astley.
Frederick nodded a good afternoon to the police officer inconspicuously posted near the house so that Frederick’s mother could work out her sentence of house arrest in connection with his father and brother’s deaths. He released a sigh. No, she was no murderess, unless glares and harsh words counted, but she’d harbored information that could have protected others. The law had been gracious with her due to her age and status, merely revoking her freedoms from leaving Havensbrook, so his mother’s life stayed very much as it had since Frederick’s father’s death; however, the added blemish of “criminal” to her reputation ensured she spent her days away from the public eye.
And if the police officer appeared in no great distress over the gunfire, Frederick knew all too well what must be happening.
Just around the edge of the house, a large garden opened to the south, its walls still well intact, though ivy-grown and tangled. Another shot reverberated through the damp air, followed quickly by laughter and his wife’s exuberant exclamation of “I hit it.”
Frederick’s lips pinched into a frown. Why he ever expected his cousin Blake to mind Frederick’s subtle requests was beyond him! The garden gate stood open, welcoming him forward into an even more tangled array of vines and twined greenery, the winter roses, a remnant of the garden’s healthier days, sleeping until spring.
He hadn’t had the means to make things right with Havensbrook before but, with Grace’s wealth and her generous heart, he could now. Another way to make amends for the past, he hoped, though
God had already bestowed on him much more than he deserved.
His cousin stood to the right, hands on the hips of his gray suit jacket, but Frederick’s gaze followed Blake’s focus to the woman in the center of the garden. Her bright auburn hair was twisted up beneath a deep purple hat that matched her coat, both in contrast to her pale skin. Her laughter echoed toward him, so filled with joy and hope. Two things he’d thought lost forever before he’d met her.
Yes, God had given him much more than he deserved, and sometimes, he wondered if God had given him more than he could manage.
My Impressions
Thank you, Pepper Basham! How else can I start a review of The Cairo Curse, a book that flew to the top of my faves for 2023?
What surprised me about this is, that I was not a super fan of the Mistletoe Countess, the first book of the series. But The Cairo Curse? It blew me away, like the sandstorms that would sweep across the desert, covering ancient tombs.
Speaking of ancient tombs, Basham’s book sees plenty of malfeasance and disaster at the Egyptian pyramids, where Grace and Frederick have gone to visit his cousin, Georgia, whose husband is financing a dig. One of the guests of Georgia and her husband is a tipsy fortune teller, who predicts that the group will incur the wrath of the gods for interfering with the pharaoh’s burial grounds.
I loved Grace. She loves her husband with all her heart, she loves God and puts her faith in Him when times are bad. Grace is adventurous (which lands her in trouble- some hilarious and some not!) and always ready to sleuth. She is no wall flower. “Lady of Fire.” “Lady of Fire?” “Yes, Sitt.” Akeem patted his head. “You have fire hair and fire spirit.” Grace is also very optimistic. As Zahra says, “She paints sunshine with her words.”
My fave secondary characters are Zahra, the street urchin that Grace rescues and Frederick’s butler, Elliot. Both are testimony to the fact that God and love can change anyone, and everyone deserves a second chance.
I received a copy of this book from Celebrate Lit and Net Galley. No positive review was required, and all opinions are my own.
Notable Quotables:
“The wrong marriage can make all the difference in the world to a person’s life and demeanor.”
“…it all reminded Grace how people carried darkness with them. They rarely needed to go in search of it.”
“Everyone needs a second chance. You are no exception.”
“Bitterness has a tendency to speak in a loud voice.”
My Rating
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Magnificent!! Historical CF, Romance, Faith, Great Humor, & a Trouble-prone Spouse!! Lead me on, Pepper Basham!!
Chewie is too tired from all the excitement of reading Alaskan Avalanche Escape to attempt any escape OR rescue!! Yikes!!
Sabotage in the mountains…
Can this K-9 sniff out the truth?
After surviving a sudden avalanche, mountain survival expert Jayla Hoyt and her search-and-rescue K-9 discover that it was no accident—someone deliberately triggered the mountain explosion. To uncover the culprit, she’ll have to partner with Alaska park ranger Bryson Clarke, a man she doesn’t trust. But when the investigators become targets, can they capture the criminal mastermind…before they’re buried alive?
From Love Inspired Suspense: Courage. Danger. Faith.
K-9 Search and Rescue
Book 1: Desert Rescue by Lisa Phillips Book 2: Trailing a Killer by Carol J. Post Book 3: Mountain Survival by Christy Barritt Book 4: Search and Defend by Heather Woodhaven Book 5: Following the Trail by Lynette Eason Book 6: Dangerous Mountain Rescue by Christy Barritt Book 7: Wilderness Hunt by Lisa Phillips Book 8: Alaskan Mountain Search by Sarah Varland Book 9: Alaskan Avalanche Escape by Darlene L. Turner
My Impressions
Darlene L Turner starts Alaskan Avalanche Escape with a heart-stopping mountain tragedy and the action never lets up from that moment on. If you’re a fan of search and rescue dogs, the Alaskan wilderness, and romantic suspense, you’ll want to grab up this book!
When mountain survival expert Jayla Hoyt’s team loses an important member,
the ranger sent to help her is one she considers useless.
Slowly we see why Bryson Clarke has a failure in his past, and how hard he works to earn both Jayla’s trust and that of his earthly father. Yet, he needs to turn over his one paralyzing fear to his Heavenly Father and trust Him to get out of some very bad situations.
“He was tired of trying to redeem himself to everyone around him, including his father.”
We also see the failure in Jayla’s past, as well as a couple of very traumatizing events that are sure to haunt her for life if left undealt with. Will Jayla find the strength to face her past, while trying to keep herself and her team alive?
While I started out liking Jayla much more than Bryson because of her distrust of him, I ended up liking Bryson much better by the end of the novel. Both Jayla and Bryson work through their issues and discover they need help beyond themselves. Bryson is able to make great headway on repairing several human relationships. Yet, at the end of the novel, it seems to me Jayla values her dog’s life equally as much as a human life. Maybe that’s because of the close connection between a SAR officer and her dog.
Turner includes a lot of great themes in her novel. Guilt, fear, surrender, trust, facing our fears, and forgiveness are all displayed. A recommended read with a warm blanket and a dog!
I received a copy of this book from the author, plus I purchased a copy. No positive review was required, and all opinions are my own.
Notable Quotables:
“What did I do to deserve this? It’s all my fault.”
“She worked hard at redeeming herself for those mistakes, but had failed miserably. Redemption is not your job.”
“A shiver flowed through his body—not from the cold but a wave of peace. God’s reassurance that He was there with him. No matter what happened.”
My Rating
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Great!! I always get a Darlene L Turner book! I know I won’t be disappointed!!
About the Author
Darlene L Turner
Darlene L. Turner is an award-winning author and lives with her husband, Jeff in Ontario, Canada. Her love of suspense began when she read her first Nancy Drew book. She’s turned that passion into her writing and believes readers will be captured by her plots, inspired by her strong characters, and moved by her inspirational message. You can connect with Darlene at http://www.darlenelturner.com where there’s suspense beyond borders.
Genre: Christian Fiction / Romance / Historical Fiction
Release date: January 1, 2023
DNA Test Unlocks a Family Mystery
Sephardic Jew Mathilda Nissim watches in horror as the Germans invade her beloved city of Salonika, Greece. What angers her most is the lack of resistance her people put up to their captors. In secret and at great risk to her life, she continues to publish her newspaper, calling her people to action. She doesn’t trust God to help them. When she and her husband find out they are expecting a child, Mathilda may have to resort to desperate measures to ensure her daughter’s survival.
Three generations later, college student Tessa Payton and her cousin take a popular DNA test only to discover they don’t share any common ancestors. In fact, the test shows Tessa is a Sephardic Jew from Greece. This revelation shakes Tessa’s tenuous faith and sends her on a journey to discover what happened to her great-grandmother and how all this relates to her faith and her life today.
Liz Tolsma is the author of several WWII novels, romantic suspense novels, prairie romance novellas, and an Amish romance. She is a popular speaker and an editor and resides next to a Wisconsin farm field with her husband and their youngest daughter. Her son is a US Marine, and her oldest daughter is a college student. Liz enjoys reading, walking, working in her large perennial garden, kayaking, and camping. Please visit her website at http://www.liztolsma.com and follow her on Facebook, Twitter (@LizTolsma), Instagram, YouTube, and Pinterest. She is also the host of the Christian Historical Fiction Talk podcast.
More from Liz
Take a Trip to Greece with Me
I was privileged to travel to Greece last year to research my upcoming WWII novel, What I Would Tell You. God orchestrated it so beautifully. Because of Covid, we weren’t sure my daughter would be able to travel there for the summer internship she had applied for. Eight weeks before her scheduled departure, Greece reopened to foreign visitors. Around that same time, I sold What I Would Tell You, which is set in Thessaloniki, Greece, to Barbour Publishing. I had to go and visit!
Greece is a beautiful country. The pictures you see don’t do it justice. And to someone like me, the history is one of the best parts. My daughter and I explored the old city wall, built in the 1400s, many churches that predated the Ottoman Empire, and many excavated Roman ruins that have been dug up in the city’s process of putting in a subway system.
Because this is a WWII book, we also spent a great deal of time learning about the history of the Jews in the city. The Kapani Market, just down the street from our apartment, was a vibrant mix of colorful fruits, fragrant spices, and a cacophony of languages. I could well imagine what this old Jewish market was like prior to the war with people hawking olives, fish, and oregano.
We wasted no time in visiting the Jewish museum. I was shocked by the heavy security presence with armed guards outside of the building. Once inside, we had to show our IDs and were required to turn in our phones. Antisemitism is alive and well in Greece. But what a place. There were displays after displays tracing the history of the Jewish people in Thessaloniki from 1492 until WWII. The most breathtaking was the room with stone-covered walls, the names of all 48,000 Salonikan Jews killed in the Holocaust carved into the marble. There’s an entire scene in the book that deals with this room.
What saddened me most was what we saw when we visited the trainyard where the Jews were herded into cattle cars and shipped to Auschwitz. Before we got to where the station once stood, there was a wall on which someone had painted a mural covered with black-and-white figures in their striped uniforms, their eyes and mouths wide in horror. As if that weren’t difficult enough to view, what sickened me was the blue swastikas someone had painted over them.
We also trekked to the other side of the city to visit what had once been the Jewish cemetery, now the grounds of Aristotle University. All that remains to testify that half a million people were once buried here is a small, ill-kept memorial. There were two dead Christmas wreaths placed there. We visited in August.
In addition to a moving and thought-provoking story, I hope to also introduce you to the amazing city of Thessaloniki and give you a peek into the people and the culture of this amazing place. If you ever find yourself in Greece, plan some time in Thessaloniki. Many Americans miss this gem, but it’s packed with charm and history.
My Impressions
“You must be ready. The story of the Jews in Thessaloniki, or Salonika as they called it at the time, is not happy. It is sometimes hard to hear. Sometimes it rips your heart right from your chest. You saw the names on the wall. They each represent a person. They are not just letters written on a piece of stone.”
I must begin my review with this quote, because it sets the tone of much of the book. Yes, there is hope infused by the faith that Liz Tolsma includes, but it must shine out of a very dark time.
“This is the day I dreaded, the day I feared might come, the day I prayed never would. Greece will never be the same.” So writes Mathilda Nissim in her diary in 1941 Salonika, Greece, in Liz Tolsma’s What I Would Tell You. Wow!! My question would be, can I or you, read this book, and be the same? I cried. I think I may cry some for days to come. The historical part of this powerful dual timeline focuses on a young Jewish woman and how her life changes as the German occupation begins and bears down on her people.
Mathilda and her friends are so real with their fears and their love for each other, the way they bolster each other up as needed. I can taste their fears and feel their hunger. My feet freeze and I worry how to keep a young child quiet. Who to trust? And the biggest question, why is God turning His back on His people?
In the present-day timeline, I enjoyed the modern sites and tastes of Thessaloniki with Tessa. Tolsma has sold me on the idea of a trip to Greece. But what a discovery Tessa starts in motion when she visits the Jewish museum in Thessaloniki!! Will discovering the roots of her past lead her to a new and improved future?
A must-read from Barbour Books!
I received a copy of the book from Celebrate Lit via NetGalley. No positive review was required, and all opinions are my own.
Notable Quotables:
“I am more afraid of what will happen if we do nothing than of what will happen if we do something.”
“We can’t live in a land where we made different choices. That’s a place where only crazy people live. What we have to do now is face what is to come with our heads held high. We can’t allow them to rob us of our dignity.”
My Rating
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Chillingly Magnificent!! I learned so much about Greek Jews in WWII.
Inquisitive, detail-oriented, Veterinarian Kristin Keller prides herself on winning over any dog. But has this self-proclaimed dog whisperer finally met her match in a Sheltie named Remington who has just won the Texas state agility course competition? The champion pooch is acting out of sorts—almost as if he is not the same dog. Has he, by chance, been switched out with another dog just before the next big competition? Kristin and the other Lone Star employees will do anything to help the Atkinson family figure out this mystery surrounding their beloved Remington.
Janice Thompson, who lives in the Houston area, writes romantic comedies, cozy mysteries, nonfiction devotionals, and musical comedies for the stage. She is the mother of four daughters and nine feisty grandchildren. When she’s not writing books or taking care of foster dogs you’ll find her in the kitchen, baking up specialty cakes and cookies.
More from Janice
Barking up the Tree is book three in the Gone to the Dog series. Kathleen Y’Barbo and I are writing six books, in total, and we’re very excited about this series. I happen to be in the dog rescue business. I’ve worked with multiple Houston-based dog rescues over the past five years and have been blessed to care for over fifty dogs in nearly every shape, size, and breed. I am always interested in dog-themed stories.
As a Texan I wanted to place this series in my neck of the woods. Kathleen and I settled on Brenham, Texas, a town not far from where we both live. It’s the home of Blue Bell ice cream (yum!) a favorite here in the Lone Star state. We created a large fictional cast of characters and placed them in a town we know and love.
Along with writing books I’m also a baker and run a baking blog (www.outoftheboxbaking.com). With that in mind I would love to share a recipe from the book. Enjoy!
Nanny’s Coconut Pecan Cake (aka Italian Cream Cake)
Ingredients
FOR THE CAKE:
1 white cake mix
1 yellow cake mix
6 eggs
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 stick butter
1 cup water
1 cup milk
1 cup chopped pecans
1 cup sweetened coconut (flakes)
2 tsp vanilla
1 small box instant vanilla pudding (powder)
FOR THE FILLING/TOPPING:
Toasted coconut
Toasted chopped pecans
FOR THE FROSTING:
1 cup (two sticks) salted butter (softened)
1 block cream cheese (softened)
1 rectangle Crisco (can omit if you prefer traditional cream cheese frosting)
1 bag (7-8 cups) powdered sugar
Clear vanilla extract
Instructions
MAKING THE CAKE:
Combine all ingredients except nuts and coconut. Mix well.
Work in the nuts and coconut.
Grease and flour three 9” pans.
Divide batter between the three pans and bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes (approximately) until cake springs back to the touch.
MAKING THE ICING:
Bring ingredients to room temperature.
Mix butter and cream cheese until soft and creamy.
Add Crisco and continue to beat until incorporated. (You can leave out the Crisco if you prefer traditional cream cheese frosting.)
Add extract and then lower the speed of your mixer to add powdered sugar (more or less to desired consistency).
FILLING AND ICING THE CAKE
Level all three cakes.
Put one cake on your cake board and add a layer of cream cheese frosting.
Pipe a ring around the edge of the cake and add some toasted pecans and coconut.
Continue to stack and fill.
Turn the top cake upside down, so that it’s bottom up.
Ice the cake with a crumb coat and chill.
Once chilled, ice liberally with frosting.
Add chopped (toasted) pecans and coconut to the sides and top then pipe trim or rosettes to add further décor.
My Impressions
“Dogs weren’t the only ones who responded to love. People did too.”
In this third installment in the Gone to the Dogs Mysteries, Janice Thompson has accomplished exactly what she set out to do. Barking Up the Wrong Tree had me thoroughly engrossed in the mystery, loving the focus on the rescue dogs and the Lone Star Vet Clinic gang. I loved how Thompson highlighted her knowledge of dog shows, agility competitions, and the love between dogs and their devoted owners.
I was a bit surprised to find Dr. Kristin Keller to be the first person narrator. Somehow, I expected the series to continue to revolve mostly around Trina and Mari. We do get to see them, and quirky Grandma Peach figures into the equation as a side character.
Kristin’s family is having trouble releasing her to be her own person and allowing her to leave the family. Kristin is having trouble appreciating her family. How often we don’t appreciate our flawed, but more than adequate (actually blessed) backgrounds until someone close points out how much we’re taking for granted. Kristin also learns from Tyler and others how to truly give of herself to others.
We eventually see more of Mari and gain a deeper appreciation of this young vet tech. A real encourager and team player, Mari goes out of her way to help others. Hopefully, as the series progresses, she will come to understand that she can’t save every dog or person. Nor is that her responsibility.
Great twists are a tool Thompson wields well, and I found myself talking back to the book on more than one occasion.
I belly-laughed often. Barking Up the Wrong Tree is great medicine for a troubled soul! A few times I wondered if situations resolved themselves too simply, but then, this is a cozy (and zany) world!
I would highly recommend this book, read in order of its publication. Each book in the series builds on the next.
I received a copy of this book from Celebrate Lit and NetGalley. I also bought my own copy. No positive review was required, and all opinions are my own.
My Rating
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Magnificent!! I absolutely loved the emphasis on a rescue dog effort and the vet clinic!! Few cozies really get into the dog business as much as this one and yet remain clean!!
Title by Darlene L Turner, subject of review: Abducted in Alaska
Publisher: Love Inspired Suspense
Genre: Romantic Suspense
Author: Darlene L Turner
Release: January 2023
Saving a boy who has escaped his captors puts Canadian border patrol officer Hannah Morgan right into the path of a ruthless child-smuggling ring. Now with help from police constable Layke Jackson, she must keep the child safe. But can they rescue the other abducted children and bring down the gang…all while protecting a little boy and keeping themselves alive?
About the Author
Darlene L. Turner is an award-winning author and lives with her husband, Jeff in Ontario, Canada. Her love of suspense began when she read her first Nancy Drew book. She’s turned that passion into her writing and believes readers will be captured by her plots, inspired by her strong characters, and moved by her inspirational message. You can connect with Darlene at http://www.darlenelturner.com where there’s suspense beyond borders.
My Impressions
As with all of Darlene L Turner’s books, Abducted in Alaska, her contribution to Ambushed in Alaska, starts out with a bang! Hannah Morgan is a Canadian border patrol officer who finds a very frightened 8-yr-old boy in a blizzard by her station. Hannah works with her boss, Superintendent Doyle Walsh, who is like a father to her, and police constable Layke Jackson to keep young Gabe safe and discover more about a a child labor ring.
There is plenty of snow and cold in this beautiful setting, and you will both realize the awesomeness and the fearsomeness of the Yukon as Ms Turner depicts it so vividly.
Both Hannah and Layke have sworn off a romantic relationships due to their past. It will take much trauma, prayer, and togetherness before they can consider a relationship with each other.
I loved seeing how God is working in Hannah’s life, to bring about her heart’s desire, when all she can see is that desire has been stolen from her. Why is it always so much easier to see God at work in other people’s lives, than to trust Him with our own?
Layke will have quite the journey before he can trust God. His past has made him bitter and sure that God was absent in the hard times of his life. I must admit, it was hard reading about Layke’s background as well as Gabe’s difficulties because they both involved innocent children.
While I thought I had the mastermind of the ring figured out, the ending pleasantly provided several surprise twists. Bravo!!
Two notes: I am reviewing only the first book of this 2 book compilation. Also, Ms Turner’s book was previously published separately.
I received this book from the author. No positive review was required, and all opinions are my own.
My Rating
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Magnificent!! All the beauty and fierceness of the Yukon, plus the fierceness of protecting precious young children, mixed with action, romance, and faith.
In 1715, Lady Blythe Hedley’s father is declared an enemy of the British crown because of his Jacobite sympathies, forcing her to flee her home in northern England. Secreted to the tower of Wedderburn Castle in Scotland, Lady Blythe awaits who will ultimately be crowned king. But in a house with seven sons and numerous servants, her presence soon becomes known.
No sooner has Everard Hume lost his father, Lord Wedderburn, than Lady Hedley arrives with the clothes on her back and her mistress in tow. He has his own problems–a volatile brother with dangerous political leanings, an estate to manage, and a very young brother in need of comfort and direction in the wake of losing his father. It would be best for everyone if he could send this misfit heiress on her way as soon as possible.
Drawn into a whirlwind of intrigue, shifting alliances, and ambitions, Lady Blythe must be careful whom she trusts. Her fortune, her future, and her very life are at stake. Those who appear to be adversaries may turn out to be allies–and those who pretend friendship may be enemies.
My Impressions
“Silk and fire dinna mix well.”
“Neither do we, milord.”
“Good things come to those who wait.” This summarizes my thoughts on The Rose and the Thistle by Laura Frantz.
First of all, I (and many other Frantz fans) have been waiting over a year for this latest offering from Frantz, a highly skilled author who writes excellent, authentic historical romantic fiction.
I had to wait in another regard. This is one of the few Frantz novels that I have not been enamored with from the start. However, as I kept reading, I eventually got so caught up in the intrigue of the divided loyalties and the beauty of the impossible romance that I give this book five stars. I tend to rate books by how completely sated my reading soul is when I finish. Let me say, I am well-satisfied with the faith factor, enemies-to-lovers romance and political suspense. Don’t forget the appeal of a child!!
Which brings me to my last point. Frantz, through Lady Blythe Hedley and Lord Everard Hume, teaches me several things through Scripture and its application. I used one quote last night in my own life. “Prayer may be the best weapon we have.” What an immense relief as I relax my own troubled mind and realize “God’s got this” as I pray for my personal heartache. God is indeed in control. Thank you for the reminder, Ms. Frantz!!
And as I talked to a person dear to me today, I referred to another quote. “Tell me something good about her…Surely there are praiseworthy things about her, as she was made in the Lord’s image.” Sometimes we can only see the negatives in another person, and yet, even the worst person is made in God’s image. If we look hard enough, we can find good in almost all people.
I received a copy of the book from the publisher, plus I bought a couple of copies to share. No positive review was required, and all opinions are my own.
My Rating
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Magnificent!! Good things may come to Everard and Blythe for waiting, and they came to me! The Scriptures and quotes spoke directly to my heart and life!
About the Author
Christy Award-winning author, Laura Frantz, is passionate about all things historical, particularly the 18th-century, and writes her manuscripts in longhand first. Her stories often incorporate Scottish themes that reflect her family heritage. She is a direct descendant of George Hume, Wedderburn Castle, Berwickshire, Scotland, who was exiled to the American colonies for his role in the Jacobite Rebellion of 1715, settled in Virginia, and is credited with teaching George Washington surveying in the years 1748-1750. Proud of her heritage, she is also a Daughter of the American Revolution. When not at home in Kentucky, she and her husband live in Washington State.
According to Publishers Weekly, “Frantz has done her historical homework.” With her signature attention to historical detail and emotional depth, she is represented by Janet Kobobel Grant, Literary Agent & Founder, Books & Such Literary Agency of Santa Rosa, California. Foreign language editions include French, Dutch, Spanish, Slovakian, German & Polish.
*Subscribe to Laura’s seasonal newsletter and receive new release information, news about contests, giveaways, and reader events, sneak peaks and teasers, signings and appearances, and more! To subscribe, copy and paste this into your browser’s address window:
When a young boy’s life is threatened, his dad will do anything to keep him safe, including eliciting the help of his single and beautiful school teacher.
One of Hope Creek, Montana’s most desired single men has his hands full this Christmas with a new puppy litter, work, and a rambunctious young son. Now, someone has threatened to harm his son if he doesn’t reveal the location of a mystery woman.
Second grade teacher, Bethany Evans, loves her job, but she wants more. Could Toby and his dad hold the key to making this Christmas extra special, or will the trouble they are facing not only ruin Christmas but destroy their lives in the process?
From Selah award winning author, a Christian romance novella with a touch of mystery and suspense.
About the Author
Award winning author Kimberly Rose Johnson married her college sweetheart and lives in the Pacific Northwest USA. From a young child Kimberly has been an avid reader. That love of reading fostered a creative mind and led to her passion for writing. She especially loves romance and writes contemporary romance and romantic mystery and suspense with a heart.
Kimberly holds a degree in Behavioral Science from Northwest University in Kirkland, Washington, and is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers.
Are you in need of a perfect romantic suspense story for Christmas? Found: an Almost Perfect Christmas by Kimberly Rose Johnson, may be your answer.
Elements that attracted me to the novel were several. Bethany Evans, one of the main characters, is an elementary teacher who understands how to teach with heart. Her students, especially 8-yr-old Toby, adore her.
I love the friendship and “I’ve got your back” relationship between Ty and Joel. So essential when protecting those one loves, endangers one’s own life!
Dog lovers will enjoy the inclusion of the Ty and Toby’s dog and puppies. Just something to sweeten the pot.
The reality of the ending was refreshing. Not all pieces tied up neatly, yet healing could still occur because the damaged person is willing to forgive, whatever the future holds.
I received a copy of the book from the author. All opinions are my own, and no positive review was required.
My Rating
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Magnificent! Many great elements, deftly combined, to make a suspenseful and sweet story!
The next in a delicious new culinary cozy series featuring a grilled cheese eatery owner who must solve murders in her small town before someone is cheddar off dead
Winter in Balsam Dell is a snowy affair, and to add in some cheer after the holidays Carly’s former classmate Klarissa Taddeo is hosting her extravagant bridal shower at the historic Balsam Dell inn. That is, until a double-booking throws some mold in the cheese and leaves Klarissa scrambling. With the venue moved to the maid of honor’s family mansion and Carly rinding to create a new delicious treat it seems the group is going to pull off the shower without a hitch.
That is, until a rowdy band of groomsmen crashes the event. Klarissa is furious with her groom-to-be and when a loud argument ensues, everyone is shocked by what they hear. When the groom is later found dead at the bottom of the stairs, his drink spiked with a hefty dose of poison, Carly must put her nose to the rind and save Klarissa from being suspect #1.
Because you know what they say: it’s always the (almost) wife.
About the Author
Armed with a degree in Criminal Justice, Linda Reilly once contemplated a career in law enforcement. But life took a twist, and instead she found her niche in real estate closings and title examinations, where the dusty tomes in the Registry of Deeds enticed her into solving mysteries of a different sort. A dyed-in-the-wool New Englander, Linda lives in southern New Hampshire with her husband and her rescue cat. A member of Sisters in Crime, Mystery Writers of America, and Cat Writers’ Association, she loves solving mysteries of the cozy type. When she’s not pounding away at her keyboard, she can usually be found prowling the shelves of a local bookstore or library. Visit her on the web at lindasreilly.com
My Impressions
I am always on the lookout for clean cozies! Let me tell you about Cheddar Late Than Dead by Linda Reilly. First, while third in the series, I jumped into this one without reading Reilly’s others and still caught on quickly.
I enjoyed the idea of a grilled cheese restaurant, a unique-to-me setting. I loved the special recipe idea Carly has as a centerpiece for the book. Unfortunately for my taste, Carly was able to be gone too often from her restaurant as her capable staff takes over. I prefer a cozy where the sleuth does not take lots of time off from her work to pursue the crime.
I like the thread involving Valerie. She sounds like a gem, a great find for the restaurant as well as a really sweet person. She will be a welcome addition to Carly’s “support group,” so to speak.
I did think the sudden attitude changes following the revealing of the perpetrator were a bit unrealistic. Too many people suddenly changed their tunes.
Read Cheddar Late Than Dead for yourself and let me know what you think. I read an ARC through NetGalley, but you can pre-order your copy, due January 31, 2023, here:
Babbling Becky L’s Book Impressions 