Holiday Break Reading Challenge

Head over to the blog I co-host Edifying and Edgy for a fun time and great book prizes! It's a fun time to get to know other bloggers! Don't miss out on the fun!

Ring of Secrets by Roseanna M. White

It's 1779 and the Revolutionary war is in full swing as well as all of the spy rings for both the British and the Patriots. Winter Reeves is living in New York City with her grandparents. The Hampton's are not happy to have Winter with them. They never approved of her mother's marriage to her father and have resented it ever since. They are determined to get Winter married advantageously and getting her off their hands.

Winter has many secrets she is keeping. As part of the Culper ring of spies her life hangs in the balance. Not only is she in danger from her grandfather who threatens to dump her in Holy Ground(the part of town where prostitutes live), but she is also in danger of her cover as a spy becoming known.

Winter's grandmother wishes her to marry Bennet Lane, a wealthy Englishman who is set to inherit his uncle's estate in England. In order to gain his attention Winter's grandmother insists that Winter play the part of a flighty simpering young woman without an intelligent thought in her head. This works to Winter's advantage in that who would think of her as an actual spy?

Bennet has secrets of his own about why he is in New York when he longs to be in Connecticut teaching at Yale. Bennet sees through Winter's charade but is still confused. Is she really as clueless as she appears or underneath is there lurking an intelligent young woman? The more Bennet is around her the more he is convinced that there is more to Winter than meets the eye.

As Bennet and Winter slowly fall in love Winter is faced with revealing her deepest secret to Bennet and risk everything that he feels for her.

Having just finished another book on the Revolutionary war with a woman character passing secret letters I found it interesting that Ring of Secrets was next on my reading list. I really enjoyed it as the story line was much different. Ring of Secrets brought out a lot of emotions as I was reading. I found myself angry at Winter's grandparents for the way they treated her. I found myself laughing at some of Winter's antics as she played her part of the bored and clueless socialite. I found myself championing her bravery as she dedicated herself to passing along information to the Patriots. And I found myself sighing happily as Bennet and Winter's love grew for each other. A great historical read!

Sunshine Award

 

I was awarded the Sunshine Award from Melanie at Christian Bookshelf Reviews

Thanks Melanie for the award! I'm going to deviate from the rules(gasp) and just answer the questions that Melanie posted for the winners. While I love love love many blogs I pretty much know the ones I would like to pass this on to would not have the time to fulfill the rules of the award. So here goes:

1)What is your favorite TV show?

My favorite TV show would be Bones, or Psych, or Downton Abbey. They are pretty much the only ones I watch on TV. We don't get cable so I have to wait for them to be posted online or buy them when they come out on video.

2)Have you ever read a book based on a friend's recommendation alone? If so, what was it and did you like it?

A librarian friend was going on and on about this vampire series that she just loved. I finally said to her, "You do know that vampires are not real don't you?" She called me a smarty and handed me Twilight to read...I was hooked! Still love it and the movies. 

3)  What is your favorite Bible verse?

Isaiah 40:31-Yet those who wait for the Lord will gain new strength; they will mount up with wings like eagles, they will run and not get tired, they will walk and not become weary.

4)What is your least favorite food?

I despise fish! I think the reason being that when I was a kid my parents made me eat fish and not very good fish. I had to pick all of the bones out. Yuck! The only type of seafood I like is shrimp and that only if it is fried :)

5)  Who is your favorite professional sports team?

I'm not a sports fan. I guess if I had to pick it would be the Dallas Cowboys because my son-in-law is a fan. Whenever my husband is channel surfing and the Cowboys are on we watch and I text my SIL and commiserate with how well or how bad they are doing. I don't understand any of the jargon or the strategy that goes with the game, but I know what a touchdown is! haha!

6)  What is your favorite part about blogging?

Ummm...the free books? haha! Actually it is my way of communicating with the world. And also my way of journaling.  Plus I like to meet new people and authors through the blogospere.

7)What is your favorite Christmas song?

I always laughingly say " Grandma Got Ran Over By A Reindeer"! I really love "Mary Did You Know" and pretty much anything that talks about Jesus' birth.

8)What are five of your all-time favorite books?

Pride and Prejudice

Anne of Green Gables

Christy

Gone With The Wind

Jane Eyre

Do you know how hard it is to pick just 5? I have so many series that I love too! Check them out:

Trixie Belden

The Californians(by Lori Wick)

The O'Malley series by Dee Henderson

The Waterfall series by Lisa T. Bergren

The O'Connor series by Julie Lessman

The Cheney Duvall series by Gilbert and Lynn Morris

And so many more! I'm a series fanatic!

Thanks once again Melanie for the award!

The Messenger by Siri Mitchell

Hannah Sunderland and her family are Quakers. The Quakers are non-violent people. Hannah and her family have chosen not to take sides in the Revolutionary war. Hannah's brother Robert has gone against their beliefs and joined the Patriots, his family has disowned him.

Jeremiah Jones owns a tavern where he is able to keep tabs of what is going on with the British army. He has already lost an arm in one war so is considered useless by most people. When the job of being a spy for General Washington falls into his lap Jeremiah must enlist the help of someone to be able to get into the jail to visit the prisoners.

When Robert is taken prisoner his family refuse to visit him in jail. Jeremiah is able to talk Hannah into not only visiting her brother in jail but also is able to talk her into passing a message on to a particular prisoner. After all, nobody would expect a Quaker woman of duplicity and spying.

Through their dangerous liaison of providing the prisoners with food and a means to escape Hannah and Jeremiah must learn to trust each other. Because of Hannah's Quaker beliefs this endeavor proves to be even more dangerous than either she or Jeremiah first thought. The more Hannah visits the prisoners the more she begins to question the belief of the Quakers in disowning the prisoners in need. With corruption abounding the prisoners are starving and forced to live in squalor while others turn a blind eye. Can two people be the means of saving them without being caught and tried for treason?

I really liked this story and found myself hoping that through all of the obstacles in their way that Hannah and Jeremiah would find a love for each other. But the romance or love story of The Messenger was not the main thrust of the book. I liked the fact that it dealt mainly with Hannah's struggle with her conscience to remain true to her faith and the Quaker beliefs or to listen with her own heart to what God was telling her no matter that it went against everything that she was taught. I also am becoming a sucker for those men that want to change their waywardness because of the love and example of a good woman. Jeremiah was rough around the edges at first but through his association with Hannah found himself wanting to be a better person for her. If you like Historical fiction then this is definitely a book that will keep you on the edge of your seat.

Chocolate-Covered Baloney: Confessions of April Grace by K.D. McCrite

April Grace and her sister Myra Sue do not get along. Especially now that April knows that Myra has a secret. Myra has been sneaking out to the mailbox, writing mysterious letters in her room(pretending to be doing homework), and being cranky with everyone around her. Her family all chalk it up to "just a stage she's going through," but April thinks there is something more to it.

When a long-lost relative shows up unannounced things go from bad to worse. Now April and Myra have to share a room again. The girls are fighting more than ever and things in their home are topsy-turvy. And what about the mysterious hang-up phone calls?

April is as feisty and curious as ever which makes for some entertaining episodes in the story. Honest to a fault she does manage to bite her tongue to keep from saying even more than she already does. When the pastor of their church delivers a sermon on "change is coming" April tunes out. She feels that their family has had enough change to last her a lifetime.

Chocolate-Covered Baloney was an entertaining read. Once again the antics of April Grace and the things that come out of her mouth crack me up. Even though she and her sister fight constantly you can tell that April still has a loyalty to family and love and concern for them. Returning characters included Isabel, Grandma(and her multiple boyfriends), April's parents and the Freebirds. And introduced a new unexpected, and unwanted family member. April's parents have never thrown anyone out of their house before, but this guest may exceed that generosity. A fun book and I look forward to the next installment of the April Grace confessions.

Here's my review of Cliques, Hicks and Ugly Sticks the second book in the series.

Thanks to BookSneeze for my copy of Chocolate-Covered Baloney for my honest review.

The Tutor's Daughter by Julie Klassen

Mr. Smallwood and his daughter Emma run a tutoring school for boys. Over the years Emma has taken over a lot of the teaching. When Emma's mother passes away her father goes into mourning and doesn't seem to be his old self. When he is offered a tutoring job for two boys he jumps at the chance for a change and to move on with his life. Emma is not very happy about the job as two of the older boys in the Weston family were students of theirs in former years. The oldest boy, Henry tormented Emma continuously.

When Mr. Smallwood and Emma arrive at the Weston estate they aren't greeted as expected guests. It isn't long before Emma is hearing strange noises in the night and secrets are abounding among the Weston family.

Emma is confused about her feelings toward the Weston men. Philip Weston is her friend. He was always nice to Emma when he was in school with her father. Henry Weston always teased Emma and played practical jokes on her. Emma expects Henry to still act as his old self. Especially when strange things start happening to Emma.  The more Emma gets to know the "new" Henry the more her feelings for him begin to change. Emma knows though that Mrs. Weston would never approve of her and Henry getting married. She insists that Henry and Philip and their two younger brothers marry more advantageously. When events occur that put Emma in danger she and her father return home and Emma resolves to forget her feelings for Henry.

The Tutor's Daughter reminded me a bit of a Gothic novel along the lines of Jane Eyre, with the big home and the mysterious noises in the part of the house nobody is allowed to visit, and the family secrets. I really enjoyed it and look forward to reading more Julie Klassen novels. I liked the mystery and the romance in The Tutor's Daughter along with some suspense.

Available for purchase January 1, 2013. I received my copy for review from NetGalley and Baker Publishing Group. 

The Matchmakers of Butternut Creek by Jane Myers Perrine

This is the second book in the series. I didn’t read the first book, but don’t think it was necessary to keep up with the story in the second book. 

The Widows have been working to find a wife for Pastor Adam. They believe they have found the right woman in Gussie Milton. Adam would love to court Gussie, but Gussie has a traumatic event in her life that she has refused to deal with. For 13 years Gussie has been able to keep men at arm’s length, but she is finding that Adam is the first man that she would really like to get close to and that scares her to death. 

Although Pastor Adam and Gussie’s story are the main thrust of the novel there are other people in Butternut Creek that also captured my attention. Ouida and George Kowalski, neighbors to Adam, are having some marital issues. When George is forced out of his staid routine will it strengthen or crumble their marriage? 

Hector and his sister Janey are living with Adam while their father is in prison. Adam loves these two and tries his best to bring Janey out of her shell and be a father figure for Hector. 

Then there are The Widows! Oh my, they are a hoot! Especially “The Pillar” Miss Birdie, When she’s on the scene she’s sure to bring a smile! Adam would like the Widows to invite Blossom Brown to join their group. Blossom isn’t technically a widow though. Her husband has left her and she is on her own. Miss Birdie isn’t too happy at the idea of inviting this young woman to be a widow, but soon grudgingly finds that Blossom does add to their group. 

For the most part I enjoyed The Matchmakers of Butternut Creek. I found the events of small town life to be entertaining. I did have some issues with a few things. The author chose to make her characters more “real” by throwing in a curse word here and there. Even though Adam’s character was a pastor it almost seemed like he would have been willing to hop into bed with Gussie before marriage except for the fact that “pastor’s are held to a higher moral code” than others. So for the most part I enjoyed The Matchmakers of Butternut Creek and found the book entertaining. It brought a smile to my face several times and kept me turning the pages to see if the Widows’ plots and schemes to marry the pastor off would work.