Review: Ember Island by Kimberley Freeman

A riveting story of secrets and scandal

1890: Orphaned as a small child, Tilly Kirkland found a loving, safe home with her grandfather in Dorset. But nineteenth-century England is an unforgiving place for a young woman with limited means and as her grandfather's health fails, it seems perfect timing that she meets Jasper Dellafore. Yet her new husband is not all he seems. Alone in the Channel Islands, Tilly finds her dream of a loving marriage is turning into a nightmare.

2012: Bestselling novelist Nina Jones is struggling with writer's block and her disappointing personal life. Nothing is quite working. After a storm damages Starwater, her house on Ember Island, she decides to stay for a while and oversee the repairs: it s a perfect excuse to leave her problems behind her on the mainland. Then Nina discovers diary pages hidden in the walls of the old home. And a mystery unravels that she is determined to solve.
Though the two women are separated by years, Starwater House will alter the course of both their lives. Nina will find that secrets never stay buried and Tilly learns that what matters most is trusting your heart.

Paperback, 432 pages

Published April 15th 2014 by Touchstone (first published August 20th 2013)

Terri's Thoughts

I have been on a Kimberley Freeman as of late and have slowly been going through her library.  The reason I say slowly as I have chosen to do so via audio books which can take a painfully long time to get through.  For sure I could get through her books way faster if I chose to read them but somehow this way I can savor each story since I am unable to rush through it.

I always knew I enjoyed Freeman's work as I had read a couple over the years but have just recently been reminded why I should read her more often.  Any fan of historical fiction is probably already aware of her, and if not, should get acquainted with her work.  The way she weaves a tale between the past and the present to keep the reader hooked is simply amazing.

As suggested by the summary, the story of Ember Island tells Tilly's story back in 1890 while switching to Nina's story in present day.  I have to be honest that I did not at first identify the connection between the two stories.  I am not sure if I had missed it altogether or if I actually realized it at the correct time that Freeman disclosed it.  Regardless, it was a stunning story.

I found myself running the gamut of emotions as Tilly's story unfolded.  Sadness, joy, and anger are the one that come to mind.  Sometimes I ask myself why I torture myself with these stories and then I need to remember that this is my favorite genre for a reason.  I don't pick these books up for a good laugh, I do it to feel something and feel a connection with the characters.  In the case of Tilly, I was invested from the get go.  In comparison, Nina's story was rather dull and I am glad the majority of the novel is about Tilly.

I can't say enough how much I enjoy the work of Kimberley Freeman.  While the narrator of this particular audio book was not my favorite (I listen at 1.25 speed and the narrator sounded a little like a chipmunk at this speed), it did not impact my enjoyment of this book.  I think I will continue my journey of exploring Freeman's work and select another one for my next audiobook.

About the Author

Kimberley was born in London and her family moved back to Australia when she was three years old. She grew up in Queensland where she currently lives.

Kimberley has written for as long as she can remember and she is proud to write in many genres. She is an award-winning writer in children’s, historical and speculative fiction under her birth name Kim Wilkins. She adopted the pen name Kimberley Freeman for her commercial women’s fiction novels Duet and Gold Dust to honour her maternal grandmother and to try and capture the spirit of the page-turning novels she has always loved to read. Kim has an Honours degree, a Masters degree and a PhD from The University of Queensland where she is also a lecturer. She lives in Brisbane with her young family.

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Review: The Kommandant's Girl by Pam Jenoff

"Krakow, the City of Kings, was no longer mine. I had become a foreigner in the place I had always called home."

September 1939. Overnight, Jewish nineteen-year-old Emma Bau's world is turned upside down when Germany invades Poland. And after only six weeks of marriage, her husband Jacob, a member of the Resistance, is forced to flee.

Escaping the ghetto, Emma assumes a new, Christian identity and finds work at Nazi headquarters. As secretary to the charismatic Kommandant Richwalder, Emma vows to use her unique position to gather intelligence for the Resistance, by any means necessary.

Poignant, affecting and gripping, Kommandant's Girl is the beautifully written story of one woman's struggle to survive one of the darkest periods in human history.

Audiobook
Series: The Kommandant's Girl #1
Genre: Historical Fiction

Kristine's Thoughts:

I listened to Kommandant's Girl on audibook. I decided to give it a try after listening to The Orphan's Tale and really liking it.

I enjoyed this story but I had a lot of mixed emotions as I listened to it. First of all, Emma/Anna came across as quite young and naive and I suppose she was. She was young and married only briefly before her husband had to go into hiding with the resistance. However, I did feel that there were numerous times that she put herself and others at risk without much thought during a scary and dangerous time for the Jewish population. There were many times that I got annoyed at her character.

The fact that Emma and Jacob were married only a short time and he wasn't an active part of the story made it hard to connect to their love story and see Jacob as the love of her life. When the Kommandant was introduced I could see the turn the story was going to take and I thought it was quite interesting. It was difficult to accept how easily Anna agreed to help the resistance because of what it meant that she had to do but I enjoyed the complexity of their relationship. He was the enemy and although he was partly a product of the times, he was no angel. I enjoyed the complicated relationship and the fact that Anna was developing feelings for the enemy while married to someone else. It made for some interesting reading and was the material that book clubs could spend hours discussing and dissecting.

In the end I enjoyed this story and will be reading or listening to The Diplomat's Wife next. I do feel like I would have enjoyed the book more if I read it instead of listened to it because I was not a fan of the narrator. I found her voice annoying and I think it may have affected how much I got lost in the story and my overall rating of the book.

About the Author

Pam is the author of several novels, including her most recent The Orphan's Tale, an instant New York Times bestseller. Pam was born in Maryland and raised outside Philadelphia. She attended George Washington University in Washington, D.C., and Cambridge University in England. Upon receiving her master’s in history from Cambridge, she accepted an appointment as Special Assistant to the Secretary of the Army. The position provided a unique opportunity to witness and participate in operations at the most senior levels of government, including helping the families of the Pan Am Flight 103 victims secure their memorial at Arlington National Cemetery, observing recovery efforts at the site of the Oklahoma City bombing and attending ceremonies to commemorate the fiftieth anniversary of World War II at sites such as Bastogne and Corregidor.

Following her work at the Pentagon, Jenoff moved to the State Department. In 1996 she was assigned to the U.S. Consulate in Krakow, Poland. It was during this period that Pam developed her expertise in Polish-Jewish relations and the Holocaust. Working on matters such as preservation of Auschwitz and the restitution of Jewish property in Poland, Jenoff developed close relations with the surviving Jewish community.

Having left the Foreign Service in 1998 to attend law school at the University of Pennsylvania, Jenoff is now employed as an attorney in Philadelphia.

Pam is the author of The Kommandant's Girl, which was an international bestseller and nominated for a Quill award, as well as The Diplomat's Wife and Almost Home.

Connect with Pam

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Review: Santa's on His Way by Lisa Jackson, Maisey Yates, Stacy Finz and Nicole Helm

Open your heart to the holidays with these stories of unexpected love . . .
A BABY FOR CHRISTMAS * Lisa Jackson
The uneventful Christmas Annie McFarlane expected is suddenly anything but. First, there's the adorable baby left on the snowy doorstep of her Oregon cabin. Second, there's the extremely attractive, yet extremely angry man claiming to be the father. Liam O'Shaughnessy may be intimidating, but this is one precious gift Annie isn't giving up so easily . . .

WHAT THE COWBOY WANTS FOR CHRISTMAS * Maisey Yates
When Meg O'Neill's longtime boyfriend lets her down, again, on Christmas no less, she braves an Oregon blizzard to get to her best friend Noah's comforting arms. But this time Noah's not telling her what she wants to hear--he's telling her the truth, from his heart. And his words just might be the gift Meg's been wishing for all along.

SNOWED IN * Stacy Finz
Rachel Johnson has found the perfect spot for her second Tart Me Up bakery in Glory Junction, California. Except she's in fierce competition with hunky bar owner Boden Farmer. Worse, while the icy rivals await the city's decision, they end up catering the same Christmas Eve mountaintop wedding--and getting snowed in. But sometimes a loss of electricity generates a different kind of heat . . .

A COWBOY WEDDING FOR CHRISTMAS * Nicole Helm
Big city art teacher Lindsay Tyler isn't just back home in Colorado for her brother's wedding at the Barton Christmas Tree Farm and Ranch. She's back for good. She just hasn't told anyone yet--including Cal Barton, the ex-boyfriend she left behind. Will it take a Christmas miracle for him to welcome her back with open arms? . .

Paperback, 320 pages

Expected publication: September 25th 2018 by Zebra

Terri's Thoughts

I received an advanced copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.  Thank you!

This book is a compilation of four Christmas themed stories by four authors who are very familiar to me.  While you may be asking why I am reviewing a Christmas story in September my answer to that would be if you haven't started you shopping yet you are already too late :-).  I will provide a short review for each.

What the Cowboy Wants for Christmas by Maisey Yates

This short read really had nothing to do with Christmas aside from falling on Christmas Eve.  This is a story for those who seek steam in their books since that is what mainly occurs.  The plotline outside of the bedroom scenes is pretty limited which can happen in such a short story.  Personally I prefer the full length stories I have read by Yates.

Snowed In by Stacy Finz

I was excited for this one as it features characters from the Garner Brothers series of which I had read the entire series and loved.  This featured two characters who were in each book and were simply needing a story of their own.  Although the story was short, it seemed to have some substance simply because I was already familiar.  It take place over the Christmas/New Year period and was a joy to read.  Finz never disappoints!

A Cowboy Wedding For Christmas by Nicole Helm

This story also featured characters from a series I have read by Helm.  While I liked Lindsey I found I really struggled with Cal.  I think he was supposed to come off as troubled and hurt by his past, to me he came out lacking a personality.  Even so, this was a story about redemption and moving ahead with the future.

A Baby For Christmas

This story seemed a little bit far fetched to me.  It could be due to its short length as I feel this would have worked well in a regular length book where there would be more opportunity to develop the characters and plot.  It felt like there was simply too much packed in to the short story.

About the Authors

Lisa Jackson is the number-one New York Times bestselling author of more than 85 novels, including Afraid to Die, Tell Me, You Don’t Want to Know, Running Scared, Without Mercy, Malice, and Shiver.  She is also the co-author of the Colony Series, co-written with her sister, Nancy Bush. There are over 20 million copies of Lisa Jackson’s books in print in twenty languages. 

Before she became a nationally bestselling author, Lisa Jackson was a mother struggling to keep food on the table by writing novels, hoping against hope that someone would pay her for them. Today, neck deep in murder, her books appear on The New York Times, the USA Today, and the Publishers Weekly national bestseller lists.

With over thirty bestsellers to her name, Lisa Jackson is a master of taking readers to the edge of sanity – and back – in novels that buzz with dangerous secrets and deadly passions.  She continues to be fascinated by the minds and motives of both her killers and their pursuers—the personal, the professional and downright twisted.  As she builds the puzzle of relationships, actions, clues, lies and personal histories that haunt her protagonists, she must also confront the fear and terror faced by her victims, and the harsh and enduring truth that, in the real world, terror and madness touch far too many lives and families.

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New York Times and USA Today Bestselling author Maisey Yates lives in rural Oregon with her three children and her husband, whose chiseled jaw and arresting features continue to make her swoon. She feels the epic trek she takes several times a day from her office to her coffee maker is a true example of her pioneer spirit. In 2009, at the age of twenty-three Maisey sold her first book.

Since then it’s been a whirlwind of sexy alpha males and happily ever afters, and she wouldn’t have it any other way. Maisey divides her writing time between dark, passionate category romances set just about everywhere on earth and light sexy contemporary romances set practically in her back yard.

She believes that she clearly has the best job in the world. 

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Stacy Finz is an award-winning former newspaper reporter. After more than twenty years covering notorious serial killers, naked-tractor-driving farmers, fanatical foodies, aging rock stars and weird Western towns, she figured she finally had enough material to launch a career writing fiction. She is the author of the Nugget Romance series (Kensington/Lyrical Press) about a small mountain town that has a strange way of giving people unexpected reasons to start over--and find the most irresistible chances to fall in love. Look for her Garner Brothers series (Zebra) in 2017.

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Nicole Helm is the bestselling author of down-to-earth contemporary romance and fast-paced romantic suspense. From farmers to cowboys, midwest to the west, she writes stories about people finding themselves and finding love in the process.

She lives with her husband and two young sons in Missouri enjoying Cardinals baseball and dreams about someday owning a barn.

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Review: Hard Sell (21 Wall Street #2) by Lauren Layne

He’s a Wall Street wolf. She’s been hired to tame him. From New York Times bestselling author Lauren Layne comes a wildly sexy novel of business and pleasure.
Twenty-eight and filthy rich, Matt Cannon is the youngest broker on Wall Street. He may be a “boy wonder,” but he’s every inch a man. Ask any woman—any night. But when Matt’s latest fling makes scandalous headlines, his clients get anxious, and his bosses at Wolfe Investments level an ultimatum: keep his assets zipped, get a “real” girlfriend, and clean up his act. Only one woman can help Matt with something this hard.
For PR genius Sabrina Cross, the best fixer in Manhattan, playing Matt’s steady is going to be a challenge, even if it’s just for show. They already have an explosive history, she can’t stand the cocky party boy, and worse—she can’t stop thinking about him. So who’ll dare to break her “no touching” rule first? Because when that happens, Matt and Sabrina’s game of let’s pretend will get so hot it could set both their reputations on fire.

Kindle Edition, 252 pages

Expected publication: September 4th 2018 by Montlake Romance 

Series: 21 Wall Street #2

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Kristine's Thoughts:

** I received an advanced readers copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Thank you!**

Hard Sell is the second book in the 21 Wall Street series but it can be read as a stand alone.

I was thrilled to return to 21 Wall Street and the characters that I got to know in Hot Asset which was book one in the series. The first book was about Ian and Lara where Hard Sell was about Matt and Ian's best friend Sabrina. Fans of Lauren Layne know that she is not new to writing about people in an office setting and that she is really, really good at it. Needless to say, that trend continued with this series.

Matt got some very public and negative publicity when a Wall Street Journal journalist took some not so favourable pictures and did a story about his weekend in Vegas attending a bachelor party. Needless to say, his bosses were not happy and his clients were concerned about someone like him handling their millions. He was told that he needed to clean up his act in order to prove to his clients that he was responsible and capable of caring for their life savings. He needed to regain their trust. He was told to get a girlfriend to show that he was beyond partying and throwing money at strippers and capable of being a responsible grown up. Of course a real girlfriend and love was not something Matt wanted or believed in so along with his colleagues and friends he decided to get a fake girlfriend to clean up his image. He didn't want to run the risk of a girl falling for him in the process so he asked the only person he trusted could get the job done. A girl who hated him, a girl he had a history with and a girl who was as against love as he was. He needed the Fixer or in other words Ian's best friend Sabrina.

Hard Sell was an enemies to lovers story sort of but not really. Although there was a lot of anger and hurt between Matt and Sabrina, there was a lot of chemistry and an almost friendship buried in there. The hate was really just a mask to cover up a past misunderstanding that caused a lot of pain and frustration.

In typical Lauren Layne style, she managed to perfectly capture the chemistry between the two characters and flawlessly time it so that the anticipation on the readers end was spot on. There is a fine line between a book being sexy and a book being cheesy and she understands this very well in her writing. There is always some sexy time in her books but she manages to build the story up first so that when it comes it is hot and and meaningful to the story and not just a bunch of words on a page about sex. This is one of my favourite things about her writing. Anticipation is key in my enjoyment of a story and she is a master at it. The chemistry and banter between Matt and Sabrina was classic Lauren Layne and always a joy to read. She is at the top of my guilty pleasure list for romantic comedy authors.

I really enjoyed getting to know Matt and Sabrina in Hard Sell. I also enjoyed Ian and Lara in Hot Asset. I feel like I know the players of 21 Wall Street and I now feel like they are old friends. I won't lie though... I am most excited about the potential for a Kate and Kennedy story in the future. Will we get one? I really hope so!

About the Author

Lauren Layne is the New York Times bestselling author of romantic comedies. She lives in New York City with her husband.

A former e-commerce and web marketing manager from Seattle, Lauren relocated to New York City in 2011 to pursue a full-time writing career. She signed with her agent in 2012, and her first book was published in summer of 2013. Since then, she's written over two dozen books, hitting the USA TODAY, New York Times, iBooks, and Amazon  

Connect with Lauren

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Review: Mostly Sunny by Jamie Pope

When trauma shapes your life, how do you risk making a change—and finding love? 

As a child, Sunny Gibson was abandoned by her mentally-ill mother, who left no trace behind. Now a social worker, Sunny is dedicated to helping children find loving homes—though she's still haunted by the past. So when she finds clues that her newest charge might be her younger sister, she sets out to track down the little girl’s mother. But the powerful attorney she needs for the search is proving as inexplicable and distant as he is irresistible . . .

From pro football player to high-powered lawyer, Julian King has succeeded at everything he’s aspired to. But he still needs to make partner. Not only does he know nothing about family law, Sunny can’t even pay him. If only her irrepressible caring and sweetness wasn't drawing him much too close—or making him hunger to keep her in his life. And as wrenching remembered pain on both sides threatens to shatter the delicate trust he and Sunny begin to forge, they will need more than courage to face down their pasts—and seize forever together. 

Kindle Edition, 320 pages

Expected publication: September 25th 2018 by Dafina

Terri's Thoughts

**I received an advanced copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.  Thank you!**

When I picked up this book I didn't realize how heavy this story would be.  Not heavy in a bad way, just a lot more serious than this genre can sometimes be.  It was a nice change.

On the lighter side of the story, I was instantly in love with the pairing of Sunny and Julian.  For two very different people, their chemistry was evident at their very first meeting.  Although different people, they shared the same core values, family drama, and general need to do good.  I particularly love Julien who proved through and through that he was a kind and generous soul.  The way these two managed to heal each other was nothing short of magical.

On the heavier side, the story deals with some very serious topics such as child abuse, abandonment, foster care and the long term impacts of each.  Although the story was fiction, it makes you very aware that these types of situations happen everyday all over the world.  My heart broke over and over again every time the story turned to Sunny and Julien's past, in particular Sunny's history.  I kept reading to find out how their stories would unfold and when and if there would be resolution or closure.  Add to the mix the story of Soren and I was hooked.

After reading this story it is continuing to stay with me which I have to admit is a little unusual for me with this genre.  It makes me want a little bit more.  Luckily as I finished the story I saw that there is going to be a part two.  This pleases me as I felt there was some unresolved topics within the pages of this book.  I look forward to reading the next "chapter" to see how it turns out.

About the Author

Jamie Pope first fell in love with romance at thirteen when her mother placed a novel in her hands. She became addicted to love stories and has been writing them ever since. When she's not writing her next book, you can find her shopping for shoes or binge-watching shows. 

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Review: Salt to the Sea by Ruta Sepetys

World War II is drawing to a close in East Prussia and thousands of refugees are on a desperate trek toward freedom, many with something to hide. Among them are Joana, Emilia, and Florian, whose paths converge en route to the ship that promises salvation, the Wilhelm Gustloff. Forced by circumstance to unite, the three find their strength, courage, and trust in each other tested with each step closer to safety.

Just when it seems freedom is within their grasp, tragedy strikes. Not country, nor culture, nor status matter as all ten thousand people—adults and children alike—aboard must fight for the same thing: survival.

Hardcover, 393 pages

Published February 2nd 2016 by Philomel Books 

Genre: Historical Fiction/Young Adult

Kristine's Thoughts:

Salt to the Sea was another great book by Ruta Sepetys. What I enjoy about her work is the geographic area that she wrote about. It is an area that I was not overly familiar with in relation to the war. It was also an area that was truly left without hope. With Stalin on one side and Hitler on the other, the people of these areas were left with no real choice or help during that horrific time. The suffering and fear was real. Although it was a work of fiction there were elements of the story that were not. The ship and what happened to it being one of them and the theft of the Amber Room is still a mystery to this day.

This story was told from Joana, Emilia, Florian and Alfred's point of view in short little two or three page chapters. It was easy to get lost within the pages and I tore through the book, finishing it quickly. Joana was not an unfamiliar character although I didn't make the connection until I was a couple chapters in. Readers were first introduced to her in Between Shades of Gray as the main characters cousin. Each character was completely different with different circumstances but with equally tragic stories.

Salt to the Sea is marketed as a young adult book but it would definitely appeal to readers of all ages. It was beautiful and tragic at the same time and it left me with a desire to know more. This is one of the things that I love about historical fiction. It leaves me with a thirst to learn more about an area or event and I end up researching it after I finish the book. This book did that for me.

I highly recommend this book. I absolutely loved it.

About the Author

Ruta Sepetys was born and raised in Michigan in a family of artists, readers, and music lovers. As an author of historical fiction, Ruta is drawn to stories of strength through struggle. Her award-winning debut novel, "Between Shades of Gray" was inspired by her family's history in Lithuania and is published in 45 countries. Her second novel, "Out of the Easy" is set in the French Quarter of New Orleans in 1950, and her third novel "Salt to the Sea" exposes one of the greatest hidden disasters of World War II. Ruta lives in a treehouse in the hills of Tennessee.

Connect with Ruta

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Review: Don't Touch My Petunia (The Holloway Girls #2) by Tara Sheets

Pine Cove Island is the kind of enchanting place where anything is possible . . .
The Holloway women each have a special gift, passed down through generations, each one a little different. Juliette possesses a magical green thumb, which makes her job managing the local florist shop a dream. She may be a bit wild, but she knows what she wants: to save enough money to buy the shop from her boss. Then in marches Logan O'Connor, more annoyingly handsome than ever, turning all her plans upside down.

Logan hasn't been back on Pine Cove Island since he was eighteen and broke Juliette's teenage heart. Now it turns out he's her boss's nephew--and will be spending his days remodeling the shop and barking orders. At her.

For the sake of the business, Juliette will have to ignore their simmering attraction and work with Logan. But that doesn't mean she has to make things easy for him. Because no one knows better than she that one tiny, perfectly planted bit of garden magic could uproot Logan's own plans and keep him out of her way. And nothing would make her happier. At least that's what she thinks . . .

Paperback, 304 pages

Expected publication: September 25th 2018 by Zebra Shout

Terri's Thoughts

** I received an advanced copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.  Thank you!**

I took a gamble on this story as it is the second in a series of which I had not read the first installment.  All I can say is that it made me wish I had read the first as I enjoyed this one immensely.  I will need to make a point to go back and read it!

This story was packed with every emotion imaginable in its short 304 pages.  While it was a true romance it was also full of humour and a little bit of magic.

I particularly enjoyed the whole "houseboat" crew as I found them extremely funny in how clueless they were.  I imagine a lot of us would be just a let down should we meet our favorite celebrity heartthrobs.  Although most were clueless, I was intrigued by Kat who I felt had a story of her own, and sure enough, when I got to the end of the book I found that the next story will focus on her.

I loved Logan from the beginning as well as Juliette for the most part.  Aside from her childish behavior (in my opinion) when the story reached its peak, she was a fun character.  Her quick retorts with the cast and crew of the Houseboat reminded me of myself when I am not impressed with peoples behavior or personalities.

Sheet is a new author to me but I really enjoyed her easygoing writing style.  I am adding her to my list of author to be on the lookout for when selecting future reads.  I definitely want to read Kat's story.

About the Author

Tara Sheets is an award-winning author of contemporary romance and women's fiction. Her debut novel, Don't Call Me Cupcake, is a winner of the 2016 Golden Heart® award sponsored by Romance Writers of America®. It is the first in The Holloway Girls series, available from Kensington Publishing.

Tara began her career as an author in the Pacific Northwest, inspired by the rain and the misty mountains and the rivers of Starbucks coffee. She now lives in the warm, wonderful South where she can stand outside with no coat on, and she finds that pretty inspiring too.

When not writing, Tara enjoys life with her book-loving family and a book-eating dog named Merlin. 

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