Fiction

Review: Keeping Lucy by T. Greenwood

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T. Greenwood has done it again. She’s written a story so complex, so emotional that it sticks with you long after the last page has been turned.

The year is 1969. A different time, different beliefs. Ginny is heartbroken when her newborn is ripped from her arms and given over to a “special school” before she even knows what’s happening. Her husband, Ab, and his father convince her it’s for the best. After all, what do they know about raising a child with Down Syndrome?

So Ginny tries to move on. She continues to be a good wife and mother to their other child. But Lucy is always in her heart and on her mind. Then she sees an article on Willowridge, the school where Lucy has been sent. And the stories coming from Willowridge are not good.

Acting on instinct, she takes a trip to see it for herself. What she sees isn’t good. It certainly isn’t a place anyone should willingly want their child to live. Determined to save Lucy this time, she sets out on a cross country journey while trying to convince Ab that their baby belongs at home with them. Along the way she finds that, while Lucy may have been out of her hands for the last two years, she’s never been out of her heart.

This is another outstanding story from one of my favorite authors. It’s heartbreaking but also historical in that it captures the attitudes from the time period perfectly. It’s a story of despair and hope, a story of family and love. This is one I won’t soon forget!

~Thalia

Buy It Now: Keeping Lucy

Review: The Lady in the Coppergate Tower by Nancy Allen Campbell

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A sweet friends to lovers romance with suspense thrown all around. When a man shows up claiming he’s Hazel’s uncle and she has a twin that needs her help, Sam volunteers to go with her on her journey. They’re both leery but Hazel has been having these crazy dreams all her life and now things are starting to click into place after finding out she’s a twin. But things aren’t always as smooth as you’d hope.

My stomach was in knots as I tried to figure out what was happening. Definitely a wild ride. As Hazel and Sam try to discover the real reason they’re on this journey, it was fun to watch as they realize that their feelings for each other are way stronger than just friends. It was sweet actually. They knew they cared for each other, but being forced to rely on each other more brought out their true feelings.

I’m happy to say that the steampunk aspect didn’t distract me like it usually does. I was able to focus on the story and not all the movable parts. Yay, me!

I enjoy that these Steampunk Proper Romance stories are interconnected standalones. When past characters pop in, I don’t feel like I’m missing anything, since I don’t remember their stories. I am curious about a few characters and hope they get stories as well.

~Melpomene

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Review: Home for Erring and Outcast Girls by Julie Kibler

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I enjoyed this story for several reasons. The setting, central Texas, is familiar to me. It’s historical fiction, which is always a favorite. And it’s about something I wasn’t familiar with, homes designed to help wayward females get their lives back on track. The author holds nothing back as she describes the hardships of the era. No glossing over things that are unpleasant. The story follows the lives of a couple of main characters, tracing their paths over a period of several years. Children born, children lost, friends and family gained and forgotten. It was a little drawn out in parts and occasionally had me wondering where the story was going. Still, it was an interesting read! 

~Thalia

Buy It Now: Home for Erring and Outcast Girls

Review: The Secret Letter by Debbie Rix

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Trust me when I say, this one does come together at the end. There’s a lot going on, and a long cast of characters to keep straight.

There’s young Magda in Germany, struggling and rebelling against the war. And there’s young Imogene in Europe, trying to concentrate on school while bombs fall all around her. And we have downed English pilots and Nazi officers. Oh and don’t forget the past and present narrative.

But yes, it’s worth it.

~Thalia

Buy It Now: The Secret Letter

Review: The Red Ribbon by Lucy Adlington

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Looking for your next can’t-put-it-down book? If historical fiction’s your thing, this one from Lucy Adlington is perfect.

Presenting yet another take on WWII fiction, this tale takes us into the world of a young seamstress caught up in a Nazi concentration camp. It has tragedy and triumph, hope and despair, friendship and loneliness.

Fans of WWII era stories, grab this five-star read!

~Thalia

Buy It Now: The Red Ribbon

Review: The Poppy Field by Deborah Carr

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I’m a huge fan of historical fiction, especially stories set in the WWII era. I do believe, however, this may be my first WWI era book. And it’s a good one!

Two women, both nurses, both dealing with loss and change. Their stories, although 100 years apart, connect through a series of letters left behind in an old farmhouse.

Beautiful story, well-written, and a unique perspective.

~Thalia

Buy It Now: The Poppy Field

Review: Mrs. Everything by Jennifer Weiner

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Looking for the perfect beach read this summer? Well look no further. This latest offering from Jennifer Weiner is just the thing for lounging with your toes in the sand. Actually, that’s exactly where I started it and finished it two days later. It was that good!

Bethie and Jo, Jo and Bethie. Sisters. Such a complicated word full of implications. Their lives have not been easy, and their relationship has not been ideal. But they’ve always been there for each other through a multitude of tragedies and dramas.

Over the course of their lifetimes, their paths crisscross back and forth between what they dreamed for themselves and what reality gives them. Each sister finds herself at odds with what she’d imagined for her life. There are struggles with sexuality, childhood traumas, family deaths, difficult and overbearing parents, lost loves, and so much more.

This book is so much. It’s a reflection on changing times as we begin in 1950’s era Detroit and end in the year 2016. Society changes, both a lot and not so very much at the same time. It’s a tale of family, whatever that may be. I found myself pulled in from the very first page. When the journey came to an end, I was at a loss. Definitely five stars!

~Thalia

Buy It Now: Mrs. Everything

Review: Tinfoil Crowns by Erin Jones

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Interesting story…very believable in today’s world of social media obsession. Fit is an up and coming social media star. She’s quickly building quite a following with young fans following her everyday life. She sees it as her way out of a small town existence and road to nowhere. But when her estranged mom is suddenly thrust back into her life, everything gets a lot more confusing. Especially since her mom tried to kill her as a young child in a moment of postpartum psychosis. Fit is the only one in her family who’s unable to find forgiveness in her heart. That determination is put to the test, however, when her future career is on the line. Good story, fun characters, a little quirky at times.

~Thalia

Buy It Now: Tinfoil Crowns

Review: My Daughter’s Secret by Nicole Trope

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This one started off in a big way…two young women stumble upon a body hanging from a porch. And even though Julia’s death is immediately ruled a suicide, her mother Claire just can’t let it go. So she begins to dig into Julia’s life, looking for answers. Why would her daughter kill herself? Eventually this question changes to, DID Julia actually kill herself? Although the story lost a bit of momentum about halfway through, it’s still a gripping, twisty story up until the very end.

~Thalia

Buy It Now: My Daughter’s Secret

Review: The Better Sister by Alafair Burke

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I don’t even know where to begin with this one. It begins with a betrayal, one sister turning her back on the other. And then, over the course of 14 years, there’s more betrayal culminating in a murder that brings everything back full circle. Two sisters, estranged for years, now find themselves on the same side fighting to save their shared son. I’m not joking when I say I read this one in a day, it was that good. Lots of twists and turns up to the very end!

~Thalia

Buy It Now: The Better Sister