Bringing Maggie Home Review

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Decades of Loss, an Unsolved Mystery, 

and a Rift Spanning Three Generations

Hazel DeFord is a woman haunted by her past. While berry picking in a blackberry thicket in 1943, ten-year old Hazel momentarily turns her back on her three-year old sister Maggie and the young girl disappears.

Almost seventy years later, the mystery remains unsolved and the secret guilt Hazel carries has alienated her from her daughter Diane, who can’t understand her mother’s overprotectiveness and near paranoia. While Diane resents her mother’s inexplicable eccentricities, her daughter Meghan—a cold case agent—cherishes her grandmother’s lavish attention and affection.

 

When a traffic accident forces Meghan to take a six-week leave-of-absence to recover, all three generations of DeFord women find themselves unexpectedly under the same roof. Meghan knows she will have to act as a mediator between the two headstrong and contentious women. But when they uncover Hazel’s painful secret, will Meghan also be able to use her investigative prowess to solve the family mystery and help both women recover all that’s been lost?

Bringing Maggie Home by Kim Vogel Sawyer is another amazing book by one of my favorite authors. The story of the DeFord women was a touching story that is sure to resonate with every reader in some way. The heartbreak and second chances mixed with the intrigue and mystery made this book hard to put down once I picked it up. Each women's story will hit you in a different way and you won't be the same after reading Bringing Maggie Home.

5 out of 5.

I received this book from Blogging for Books for this review.

These Healing Hills Review

Francine Howard has her life all mapped out until the soldier she planned to marry at WWII's end writes to tell her he's in love with a woman in England. Devastated, Francine seeks a fresh start in the Appalachian Mountains, training to be a nurse midwife for the Frontier Nursing Service.

Deeply affected by the horrors he witnessed at war, Ben Locke has never thought further ahead than making it home to Kentucky. His future shrouded in as much mist as his beloved mountains, he's at a loss when it comes to envisioning what's next for his life.

When Francine's and Ben's paths intersect, it's immediately clear that they are from different worlds and value different things. But love has a way of healing old wounds . . . and revealing tantalizing new possibilities.

These Healing Hills by Ann H. Gabhart was an enjoyable read. Set in the Appalachian Mountains I loved getting to know about the Frontier Nursing Service through Fran's story. Fran was a character that I immediately connected with and I also loved the many secondary characters throughout the story. The historical detail in These Healing Hills was also wonderfully weaved into Fran and Ben's fictional story. It's a perfect read for these first few days of fall, just look at that cover! 

5 out of 5.

I received a copy of this book from Revell for my honest review.

All She Left Behind Review

Already well-versed in the natural healing properties of herbs and oils, Jennie Pickett longs to become a doctor. But the Oregon frontier of the 1870s doesn't approve of such innovations as women attending medical school. To leave grief and guilt behind, as well as support herself and her challenging young son, Jennie cares for an elderly woman using skills she's developed on her own. When her patient dies, Jennie discovers that her heart has become entangled with the woman's widowed husband, a man many years her senior. Their unlikely romance may lead her to her ultimate goal--but the road will be winding and the way forward will not always be clear. Will Jennie find shelter in life's storms? Will she discover where healing truly lives? 

All She Left Behind by Jane Kirkpatrick was not my favorite book from this author but it was wonderfully written. I've enjoyed her writing style in past books by her but with this book I just couldn't seem to be able to invest myself in Jennies story as much as I wanted to.  The writing is the same historically rich style that I've come to expect of Jane Kirkpatrick's books and while I din't connect with Jennie I enjoyed the history involved in her story. 

4 out of 5. 

I received a copy of this book from Revell in exchange for my honest review.

The Day the Angels Fell Review

It was the summer of storms and strays and strangers. The summer that lightning struck the big oak tree in the front yard. The summer his mother died in a tragic accident. As he recalls the tumultuous events that launched a surprising journey, Samuel can still hardly believe it all happened. 

After his mother's death, twelve-year-old Samuel Chambers would do anything to turn back time. Prompted by three strange carnival fortune-tellers and the surfacing of his mysterious and reclusive neighbor, Samuel begins his search for the Tree of Life--the only thing that could possibly bring his mother back. His quest to defeat death entangles him and his best friend Abra in an ancient conflict and forces Samuel to grapple with an unwelcome question: could it be possible that death is a gift? 

The Day the Angels Fell by Shawn Smucker was a different kind of book then I usually like to read. And I really loved it! I enjoyed the style Smucker wrote in and I really enjoyed how he used the dual perspectives of both older and younger Sam. This supernatural tale is full of suspense and mystery as well as hope. The Day the Angels Fell is a classic good vs. evil story and I can't wait for a sequel.

5 out of 5.

I received a copy of this book from Revell for a honest review.

The Two of Us Review

After two broken engagements, nurse practitioner Mia Robinson is done with dating. From now on, she only trusts herself and God, and she's focused on her eighteen-year-old sister, Lucy, and caring for patients. Just as she applies to work for an international aid organization, a phone call from Lucy, who's pregnant and running off to marry her twenty-one-year-old boyfriend, throws a wrench into all of Mia's plans.

Jake Tanner may have recovered from the physical injuries he sustained on the job as a police officer, but his heart has yet to heal from losing his former partner in the tragedy. He's poured himself into starting a camp for the sons of fallen officers and mentoring Sam, the adult son of his deceased partner, who's asked him to be his best man at his wedding. 

Mia is expecting a mess when she arrives to sort out the situation with Lucy, but she wasn't expecting Jake. And Jake, who can't help envying Sam and Lucy, doubts he'll ever experience their happiness for himself. But maybe Jake's courage and Mia's caring spirit are just what they need to bring them a lifetime of healing and a forever kind of love. . . 

The Two of Us is another amazing read by by Victoria Bylin. I loved reading about Jake and Mia as well as Lucy and Sam. Mia struggles to let herself trust others after past situations and I enjoyed watching her growth throughout the book. The author also did an amazing job portraying the reality of Alzheimer's with her writing of Jake's parents journey.  Another thing I absolutely loved was the epilogue. I'm the kind of girl who always wants a happy ending and I adore it when the author gives me an "a few years later" kind of epilogue. It always makes it a little easier to close the book.

5 out of 5. 

 I received a copy of this book from Bethany House in exchange for my honest review.

Over Maya Dead Body Review

FBI Special Agent Serena Jones arrives on Martha's Vineyard with her family, ready for a little bit of R&R and a whole lot of reminiscing as they celebrate the engagement of an old family friend. But crime doesn't take a vacation, and she's soon entangled in an investigation of a suspicious death tied to an antiquities smuggling ring.

When her investigation propels her into danger, Serena must stay the course and solve this case before anyone else dies. But just how is she supposed to do that when the two men in her life arrive on the scene, bringing with them plenty of romantic complications--and even a secret or two?

Over Maya Dead Body by Sandra Orchard was an amazing addition to the Serena Jones Mysteries. I loved, loved, loved it. Serena is such an easy character to relate with and her family, especially a certain Aunt, make it easy to fall in love with this series. Also, no spoilers, but I fully agreed with Serena's choice at the end. The only complaint I have is that it feels like this is the last book in the series and I still want more. I could easily read a three more books focused on Serena.

5 out of 5. 

 I received a copy of this book from NetGalley and Revell in exchange for my honest review.  

The Road to Paradise Review

An ideal sanctuary and a dream come true–that’s what Margaret Lane feels as she takes in God’s gorgeous handiwork in Mount Rainier National Park. It’s 1927 and the National Park Service is in its youth when Margie, an avid naturalist, lands a coveted position alongside the park rangers living and working in the unrivaled splendor of Mount Rainier’s long shadow. 

But Chief Ranger Ford Brayden is still haunted by his father’s death on the mountain, and the ranger takes his work managing the park and its crowd of visitors seriously. The job of watching over an idealistic senator’s daughter with few practical survival skills seems a waste of resources.

When Margie’s former fiancé sets his mind on developing the Paradise Inn and its surroundings into a tourist playground, the plans might put more than the park’s pristine beauty in danger. What will Margie and Ford sacrifice to preserve the splendor and simplicity of the wilderness they both love?

The Road to Paradise by Karen Barnett in an enchanting novel featuring a national park that, while I have not yet had the pleasure of visiting in person, felt as thought I had time traveled there while I turned the pages. I love national parks and the beauty that is contained in them and can't help but fall in love with Karen's portrayal of this past version of Mount Rainier. But while the pictures Karen painted of the park were enthralling the character. The Road to Paradise is an amazing read for national park lovers or really anyone who love a good story. 

5 out of 5. 

I received this book from Blogging for Books for this review.

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