Friday, January 19, 2018

Review: The Ladies of Ivy Cottage by Julie Klassen


Book Two in the Tales from Ivy Hill series

Heidi Reads... The Ladies of Ivy Cottage by Julie Klassen

My rating: 5 stars / It was amazing

http://www.amazon.comhttp://www.amazon.comhttp://www.barnesandnoble.comhttp://www.bookdepository.comhttp://www.goodreads.com

Synopsis

Return to Ivy Hill in The Ladies of Ivy Cottage as friendships deepen, romances blossom, and mysteries unfold.

Living with the two Miss Groves in Ivy Cottage, impoverished gentlewoman Rachel Ashford is determined to earn her own livelihood . . . somehow. When the village women encourage her to open a subscription library with the many books she has inherited or acquired through donations, Rachel discovers two mysteries hidden among them. A man who once broke her heart helps her search for clues, but will both find more than they bargained for?

Rachel's friend and hostess, Mercy Grove, has given up thoughts of suitors and fills her days managing her girls' school. So when several men take an interest in Ivy Cottage, she assumes pretty Miss Ashford is the cause. Exactly what--or who--has captured each man's attention? The truth may surprise them all.

Meanwhile, life has improved at the coaching inn and Jane Bell is ready to put grief behind her. Now if only the man she misses would return--but where is he?

As the women of Ivy Hill search for answers about the past and hope for the future, might they find love along the way?


My Review

Just lovely! It's not fast-paced or terribly exciting, but the women of Ivy Hill have a gentle strength that made this book a pleasure to read. I recommend reading the first book in the series, The Innkeeper of Ivy Hill, to more fully understand and appreciate the backgrounds of the various community members. The perspective switches often between Jane (the innkeeper), Rachel (the librarian), Mercy (the teacher), and Thora (Jane's mother-in-law). We learn more about Timothy, Rachel and Jane's childhood friend and beau, Mrs. Haverhill, the mysterious recluse, and Mr. Grant, the businessman, and their pasts and secrets are slowly revealed throughout the book in intriguing layers which propelled the story forward. By the conclusion of the book we have happy endings for some, and interesting prospects for others, making me wish the third book was already out! The Ladies of Ivy Cottage is definitely a book to savor as it's read.

(I received a complimentary copy of the book; all opinions in this review are my own)



Don't miss the first book in the Tales from Ivy Hill series . . .

Heidi Reads... The Innkeeper of Ivy Hill by Julie Klassen
 
Read my 5 star review here

http://www.amazon.comhttp://www.amazon.comhttp://www.barnesandnoble.comhttp://www.bookdepository.comhttp://www.goodreads.com

Synopsis

On a rise overlooking the Wiltshire countryside stands the village of Ivy Hill. Its coaching inn, The Bell, is its lifeblood--along with the coach lines that stop there daily, bringing news, mail, travelers, and much-needed trade.

Jane Bell lives on the edge of the inn property. She had been a genteel lady until she married the charming innkeeper who promised she would never have to work in his family's inn. But when he dies under mysterious circumstances, Jane finds herself The Bell's owner, and worse, she has three months to pay a large loan or lose the place.

Feeling reluctant and ill-equipped, Jane is tempted to abandon her husband's legacy and return to her former life of ease. However, she soon realizes there is more at stake than her comfort. But who can she trust to help her? Her resentful mother-in-law? Her husband's brother, who wanted the inn for himself? Or the handsome newcomer with secret plans of his own . . . ?

With pressure mounting from the bank, Jane struggles to win over naysayers and turn the place around. Can Jane bring new life to the inn, and to her heart as well?




Thursday, January 18, 2018

Link-up: Free / Bargain Books



Sharing the Love of Books
Enjoy our selection of New Releases / Free & Bargain Books this week

Authors please feel free to add your own books
Readers please free to add your own finds
(any genre except erotica welcome)

This weekly link up is hosted by Beck Valley Books & these awesome book loving blogs...
Monday
 Leels Loves Books
Tuesday
Celticlady's Reviews | First Time Mommy Adventures 
Wednesday
Beck Valley Books | Between the Coverz | Bookalicious Traveladdict
Thursday
Miki's Hope | Heidi Reads...
Friday
Ebook Addicts | I Love Romance |
Colorimetry | Futures
Saturday
3 Partners in Shopping | I Create Purty Thangs | Wishful Endings 
Sunday

For Pre-orders post - PRE-ORDER / genre / title /author
For New Releases post - NEW / genre / title / author
For Free Books post - FREE / genre / title / author / end date 
For Bargain Books post - SALE / price / genre / title / author / end date
(Strictly no Erotica please.  Steamy romance is fine but watch those covers people, in case any underage child is viewing it!)

Here is this weeks awesome selection!

Would you like to share our linkup on your site? click here
Would you like to become a weekly host? sign up here


Come back and check out the new selection every week!


Tuesday, January 16, 2018

Review: The Lacemaker by Laura Frantz


Heidi Reads... The Lacemaker by Laura Frantz

My rating: 5 stars / It was amazing

http://www.amazon.comhttp://www.amazon.comhttp://www.barnesandnoble.comhttp://www.bookdepository.comhttp://www.goodreads.com

Synopsis

When colonial Williamsburg explodes like a powder keg on the eve of the American Revolution, Lady Elisabeth "Liberty" Lawson is abandoned by her fiance and suspected of being a spy for the hated British. No one comes to her aid save the Patriot Noble Rynallt, a man with formidable enemies of his own. Liberty is left with a terrible choice. Will the Virginia belle turned lacemaker side with the radical revolutionaries, or stay true to her English roots? And at what cost?

Historical romance favorite Laura Frantz is back with a suspenseful story of love, betrayal, and new beginnings. With her meticulous eye for detail and her knack for creating living, breathing characters, Frantz continues to enchant historical fiction readers who long to feel they are a part of the story.


My Review

Wow. This is a book that kept me thinking about it long after I finished. The pace is somewhat slow, but steady as the characters are developed and events occur that lead us to the heart of the story. The historical details are ones to savor as the world of Colonial Virginia is richly laid out and I felt like I could step right into the setting. It was fascinating to witness the shift Elizabeth experiences from opulence to desperate circumstances, although her faith prevented her from feeling truly desperate. I admired her fortitude in making her own way as seamstress and lacemaker, and the change of her name to Liberty marked an important transition in her life. The details of  the turbulence and politics of the country as it heads into war made me apprehensive for Liberty and Noble and I worried for the upheaval that would inevitably disrupt their relationship. Their romance is as slow-building as the plot, being held back because of Noble's patriotic politics and Liberty's background as a Tory, but the anticipation builds and it is worth the wait! I loved their sweet moments together and the sacrifices they make for each other. I can't imagine the fullness of the courage and grit that these Patriots must have had to stay strong and hold to their convictions. This book made the revolution really come to life and made me ponder the gravity of what our forefathers (and foremothers) did to prepare the way for our country. It made me consider that the movers and shakers of the time were really just regular people in extraordinary circumstances, but there were also countless other regular citizens supporting the cause that aren't remembered by name but sacrificed as well. Highly recommend!

(I received a complimentary copy of the book; all opinions in this review are my own)


Cover Reveal: Veins of Gold by Charlie N. Holmberg


A new historical fantasy novel from Wall Street Journal bestselling author Charlie N. Holmberg

http://amzn.to/2DCflQT
Release date: July 17, 2018
Now available for pre-order! 

http://www.amazon.comhttp://www.amazon.comhttp://www.goodreads.com

Synopsis

Desperate to save her siblings from poverty, a young woman discovers magic fueled by gold . . . and a love for the man who wields it.

Abandoned by their father for the gold rush, Gentry and her siblings labor to survive alone in the inhospitable west. When bizarre natural disasters begin wreaking havoc on the land, Gentry discovers a world of magic. Desperate for help, she accepts aid from a mysterious stranger.

Winn not only sees the magic, but controls its hunger by feeding it gold—the very thing Gentry’s father left to acquire. But the earth’s unrest only grows worse, and Gentry’s fear leads her to a terrible choice: marry a wealthy man she does not love, or trust in Winn’s unpredictable power to save her family.
Other Books by Charlie N. Holmberg
 
The Paper Magician
The Glass Magician
The Master Magician
The Plastic Magician
Followed by Frost
Magic Bitter, Magic Sweet
The Fifth Doll