Happy Saturday! Are you looking for a great summer read for the cottage or back deck? 

I have just the book for you! I recently read this lovely Highlander romance from Harlequin Historicals. It’s been a while since I’ve read one and this story totally enamoured me. Here’s what you need to know…

When Royce wakes with no memories and suddenly blind, his situation seems dire. The only thing he remembers is being attacked by shadowy figures…but not the beautiful woman who came to his rescue. Now Iona MacKenzie’s every touch drives Royce wild. But when news of a manhunt for him reaches them, Royce must uncover his past if he has any chance of saving himself—and the woman he’s falling for…

Here’s my Review:

The post A Book Review of “A Laird Without A Past” by Historical Romance Author Jeanine Englert appeared first on Laurie Wood Author.

And we’re going to kick off January, 2022 with a dandy, short book by Christian clinical psychologist, Andrew J. Bauman, called “How Not To Be An *SS”.

I “met” Andrew Bauman on Facebook and was thrilled to be on his launch team because after following him for nearly a year, I realized he had much to say to men who’d grown up in evangelical Christianity.

While I’m not sure I would’ve titled the book this way (although it is eye-catching and that’s likely what he was going for), these short essays are such that you can open the book and browse through them and read them out of order, or in order, depending on your mood.

Here’s the back cover copy:

“I am a recovering ass. Of course, at times I still am one, but it’s less often. I now recognize my “assness” more quickly, recalibrate, and take action to make amends for my poor behavior. It’s important to acknowledge the truth of our mistakes without turning towards self-contempt, shame, or beating ourselves up for the harm we have caused to those we love. Yet, we must take full responsibility for our poor behavior and fully own what we have done and learn to live differently, becoming men who bring life rather than further heartache. This book is just as much for me as it is for you. I am in the process of learning to become a good and safe man and writing out these truths in this book has helped me immensely. I hope it will help you on your journey to becoming the man you most desire to be.”

What I love about Andrew is that he’s transparent with his own journey of addiction and recovery, and writes about it in such a way that the reader can’t help but feel he can relate – without the self-condemnation and shame that prevents healing and growth.

But that’s not all the book is about – it’s about healing childhood trauma because abused children grow up to be abusers. (Yes, women too, although this book deals with men) It’s about what domestic abuse/violence actually IS, and it’s not just black eyes and broken wrists. It’s much more insidious than that and comes from darker places.

Andrew takes on the evangelical church and it’s lack of nurturing for boys, the lack of “good and safe” role models for them to aspire to become, and it’s an eye-opener. He provides a “self-test” in case the reader wants to know where he might fall on the evangelical scale of “am I an abuser?”

People who’ve been deeply hurt, hurt other people. Even in the church – especially in the church. And this book has the statistics to back up that statement.

Women will also learn a lot from this book. If you’re in a relationship/marriage where things don’t feel right, where you’re walking on eggshells or don’t know when the shoe’s going to fall next, then this book is for you.

And, if you’re single, this book will give you a clear picture of what a “good and safe” man looks like so that you can use that ruler to watch for any red flags in your dating relationships. Of particular interest is an essay written by a female psychologist who gives training on domestic abuse, called “If I Were An Abuser, What Church Would I Go To?”.

As Christians, we can’t close our eyes to the fact that we have hurting families in our churches. The statistics for domestic abuse don’t stop at our doors and we’re not exempt from bad parenting, bad teaching, or dysfunctional relationships.

This book goes a long way towards opening up that conversation between men and women, wives and husbands, pastors and their boards/councils.

I highly recommend it.  *****5 Stars

You can buy it here:  https://amzn.to/3GaFF49

And you can find more of Andrew J. Bauman’s books at his website here:

 https://www.andrewjbauman.com

If you are in an unsafe relationship or marriage, please seek help from your local women’s shelter or the police.

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Everyone knows Lily Atwood―and that may be her biggest problem. The beloved television reporter has it all―fame, fortune, Emmys, an adorable seven-year-old daughter, and the hashtag her loving fans created: #PerfectLily. To keep it, all she has to do is protect one life-changing secret.

Her own.

Lily has an anonymous source who feeds her story tips―but suddenly, the source begins telling Lily inside information about her own life. How does he―or she―know the truth?

Lily understands that no one reveals a secret unless they have a reason. Now she’s terrified someone is determined to destroy her world―and with it, everyone and everything she holds dear.

How much will she risk to keep her perfect life? And what if the spotlight is the most dangerous place of all?

HER PERFECT LIFE by USA Bestselling Author Hank Phillippi Ryan is her latest domestic thriller. I enjoyed this book much more than I did THE FIRST ONE TO LIE, and it was worth the two months wait at my library to get it.

Hank Phillippi Ryan is a master at creating unreliable narrators and telling the story from more than one point of view so that we see what’s happening in real time but with the added benefit of being “in the know” of more than one character. I felt sorry for the secondary character of Greer, Lily’s over-worked and ignored producer, who rang truest as a “real” person out of all of the characters in the book.

Greer has no life outside of making Lily look perfect, coming up with their next big story, and keeping her secrets. While the above back cover blurb is so vague I wouldn’t have picked up the book if it wasn’t by Hank, the secrets are not as life-changing as they are tragic.

The best part of the book was that I didn’t figure out the villain until a few paragraphs before the reveal, and that’s all I ask of my domestic thrillers. Keep me reading, keep me interested, and keep me guessing! I was hoping for a better resolution to the story because I didn’t feel it was entirely realistic, so for that I give it 4 Stars.

You can buy it here at: https://amzn.to/3DWdDbe

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The Drowning Kind by Jennifer McMahon

Be careful what you wish for.

When social worker Jax receives nine missed calls from her older sister Lexie, she assumes that it’s just another one of her sister’s episodes. Manic and increasingly out of touch with reality, Lexie’s mental state has pushed Jax away for over a year. But the next day, Lexie is dead: drowned in the pool at their grandmother’s estate. When Jax returns to the house to go through her sister’s things, she learns that Lexie was researching their family’s and the house’s history. And as Jax dives deeper into that research, she discovers that the land holds a far darker history than she could have ever imagined.

In 1929, thirty-seven-year-old newlywed Ethel Monroe hopes desperately for a baby. In an effort to distract her, her husband whisks her away on a trip to Vermont, where a natural spring is showcased by the newest and most modern hotel in the northeast. Once there, Ethel learns that the spring is rumored to grant wishes, never suspecting that the spring takes in equal measure to what it gives.

A haunting, twisty, and compulsively readable thrill ride from the author who Chris Bohjalian has dubbed the “literary descendant of Shirley Jackson,” The Drowning Kind is a modern-day ghost story that illuminates how the past, though sometimes forgotten, is never really far behind us.

REVIEW:

I almost didn’t request this thriller because the plot above seemed to be the standard “girl returns home after sister dies in mysterious circumstances and she discovers deadly family secrets” trope and I wasn’t sure it would be interesting enough. However, the book’s blurb doesn’t do it justice.

The story is part mystery, part thriller, part family drama, part paranormal, and part horror story. It’s got layers upon layers upon layers that peel back like onion skin and couldn’t take the familiar trope further from its gothic roots. I even googled the setting of Brandenburg, Vermont to see if there had ever been “haunted” mineral springs there related to a hotel.

The author does an excellent job of portraying bipolar disorder in both Jax’s older sister and her father. So often this illness is mocked or belittled, and I was happy to see it written with an eye to how it affects both family members and the one’s who struggle to live with it.

The dual timeline of Lexie’s (older sister) research into their ancestor’s story and links to the mineral springs revealed the genetic link to mental illness, as well as the springs “haunted” lore and affects on people who came to use its waters as both cure and comfort.

The ending was one I didn’t see coming and that’s all I ask of a great thriller. Keep it rolling right up until the end and shock me. This book is SO much more than what the blurb gives it credit for…you won’t be disappointed!  I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley. All opinions are my own. 5 stars.

Egyptian Princess: A Story of Hagar by KD Holmberg

Two women, one ancient Egyptian harem, and the daring decision that changed the course of history.

In the opulent court of Egypt’s tenth dynasty, Princess Hagar has always known her destiny. One day, she will marry the Crown Prince Merikare and become the Great Royal Wife, the most powerful woman in Egypt. But dark dreams afflict Hagar the moment she hears of the latest addition to Pharaoh’s harem: the stunning, iridescent Sumerian, Sarai.  Princess Hagar feels a powerful presence around the Sumerian woman. Hagar suspects Sarai has brought black magic into the palace—but what can she do to convince Pharaoh?

The intrigue of Pharaoh’s court pales in comparison to that swirling in the Royal House of Women among the wives, children, and concubines of the king. Sarai’s arrival upsets the already precarious balance.  Loyalties divide, and betrayal, jealousy, and tragedy plague the once peaceful household. When a series of disasters befalls Egypt, Hagar must make a daring decision, and the stakes could not be higher. She could lose everything—her position, her power, her family, and even her life.

Torn between the silent gods of Egypt and the powerful presence that surrounds Sarai, Hagar’s world falls apart around her. She must acknowledge the terrible price of truth, and decide for herself who she will serve.

REVIEW:

I flew through this book in two days, and it’s not a short book. I read it on my phone when I couldn’t be on my Kindle. I’d never heard of the fact that Hagar, “Sarai’s Egyptian handmaiden”, as she’s described in the book of Genesis, was first a royal princess of Egypt and the twin of a Pharoah in the 10^th Century.

This is something not widely known in Christian denominations but is well known in Jewish and Islamic traditions. It’s written about in The Midrash (Gen. R. xlv.) which states: Hagar was the daughter of Pharaoh, who, seeing what great miracles God had done for Sarah’s sake (Gen. xii.17), said: “It is better for Hagar to be a handmaid in Sarah’s house than a mistress in her own.” The Midrash is an ancient Rabbinic interpretation of scripture. There is also reference to Hagar in the Ancient Book of Jasher, known as The Book of Wisdom. Jasher was in the original King James Version of the Bible in 1611 AD and in the Dead Sea Scrolls, but is no longer included in the Biblical Canon.

In Islamic tradition, Hagar and her son Ishmael (by Abraham) are considered to be ancestors of their prophet Mohammed, and there are many miracles attributed to Hagar, which neither the Torah nor the Midrashim refer to.

So, now that we know where the author got her fascinating premise for the book (and she explains her research more in detail at the back of it), her impeccable details of Egyptian life at the time of Abram and Sarai arriving during the famine are fascinating. When Abram lies about Sarai being his wife and says she’s his sister so that they might be spared death at Pharaoh’s hand, Sarai and Hagar become friends in The House of Royal Women.

If you love Biblical fiction, this book surpasses most in terms of its historical detail and research. I loved the care the author took in developing the characters and showing how limited a woman’s life was, even though she was one of the most powerful in the land. I can’t recommend this book highly enough. I bought my own copy on a whim, as I’m usually disappointed by the lack of depth in Biblical fiction. I’m anxious to read the next book in the series, which is coming out from Mountain Brook Ink in 2022. 5 Stars.

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If you’re a fan of Hallmark Christmas movies, you’ll love this Christmas romance set in the small Vermont town of Winterberry Falls. It has all the beloved attributes of a favourite Hallmark movie, meaning you can curl up with this romance and a cup of tea or hot chocolate, your favourite afghan, and snuggle in front of your fireplace for an afternoon of pure delight.

Small town snowed in by a nasty blizzard?  Check!

Heroine and Hero separated in the past by family secrets that need to be brought into the light?   Check!

Heroine is passing through the small town of Winterberry Falls when she crashes into the town sign in the blizzard, forcing her to seek help in the snow at the nearest building?   Check!

Hero is back home in said small town, struggling to keep his family’s newspaper and their legacy afloat in hard times?  Check!

Heroine is struggling to decide regarding her future with a supposedly suitable, all-around, “maybe-perfect” boyfriend in the big city?  Check!

Add to these a heroine who’s diabetic and from a wealthy family while our hero’s family is barely making ends meet, in a town where they celebrate Christmas in their businesses all year round, and you have the delicious recipe for a novel of opposites attracting and love denied for the past twelve years.

Debut author Ann Brodeur melts these traditional tropes into a story of hope and redemption and brings us along on the journey of two people who get their second chance through true forgiveness and leaning on God’s direction instead of following their own misguided ways. Best of all, she does it with a sub-plot of a light, cozy mystery about missing town Christmas decorations, delightful secondary characters, and a Christmas town setting you’ll want to return to again and again. I’m looking forward to her next book with anticipation.

Here’s the Back Cover Blurb and Buy Links to grab your own copy:

Unwrapping their past – one secret at a time.

Owning her own PR firm is all reporter Stephanie Clark wants for Christmas, but the idea of running a prestigious election campaign in the country’s capital throws her stomach into knots. A last minute vacation road trip to focus and seek God’s direction for her life ends up in disaster when she gets caught in the worst snowstorm to hit Vermont in over a decade, crashing her into a small town and the one person she’d rather forget.

Former photojournalist Jason Miller hadn’t planned on being solely responsible for saving his family business from financial ruin. He’s barely keeping the newspaper in print, his News Editor has gone AWOL during the town’s most celebrated holiday festival, and reports of missing Christmas decorations have everyone on edge.

When a desperate knock at the newsroom door brings a ghost from Christmas past back into his life, can Jason make up for his prior behavior without breaking his promise to Stephanie’s father? Will Stephanie’s quest to solve the town’s Christmas caper—and uncover the truth about Jason’s disappearance—cost her everything she’s ever wanted?

https://www.amazon.ca/Snowbound-Winterberry-Falls-Ann-Brodeur-ebook/dp/B08MBCNY7D/ref=sr_1_1?crid=1TRRUQI558XOH&dchild=1&keywords=snowbound+in+winterberry+falls&qid=1604351032&sprefix=snowbound+in+wint%2Caps%2C247&sr=8-1

https://www.amazon.com/Snowbound-Winterberry-Falls-Ann-Brodeur-ebook/dp/B08MBCNY7D/ref=sr_1_1?crid=25ACGSBC5DBUU&dchild=1&keywords=snowbound+in+winterberry+falls&qid=1604351070&sprefix=Snowbound+in%2Caps%2C183&sr=8-1

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The Monastery Murders moves to Canada when Antony is invited to lecture on the British saints who inspired the founding of Toronto and Felicity couriers an ancient manuscript connected with Saint Patrick to monasteries in Montreal and Vancouver.  A spectacular train journey across the breadth of the continent carries them even further away from the murder Felicity witnessed in England. Or does it?

5-Stars for this Cozy Read!

In Against All Fierce Hostility, Donna Fletcher Crow continues her signature brand of blending church history with the twists and turns of a cozy mystery as Antony and Felicity journey across Canada, dogged by shadowy people and circumstances. Crow sprinkles the clues and red herrings throughout the story so ably that I couldn’t figure out the villain until the shocking ending.

The marvelous details of Antony and Felicity’s trip across Canada give a glimpse into the country’s expansive geography and its youth as a country. Crow brings the Canadian setting to life–glaciers, mountains, northern lights, prairies filled with grain from horizon to horizon, lakes by the thousands–it’s a canvas that provides the perfect expanse to who’s after the original document from St. Patrick’s lifetime. And it provides the perfect crime scene for the astounding ending.

Lovers of PD James will enjoy this new twist on The Monastery Murders. Highly recommended!

Here’s some Praise for Against All Fierce Hostility to go along with my 5-Star Review:

In her signature lyrical prose, Donna Fletcher Crow crafts another tale full of contemporary mystery bound up in religious history. She weaves into an irresistible story fascinating academic references to early Christian fathers, evocative ancient poetry, and descriptions of liturgical practices exotic to this Baptist worshipper. Then she makes the whole thing even richer through the setting of a cross-Canada train trip, colourful as a glossy vacation brochure, that does justice to my home and native land. A thoroughly entertaining and satisfying read!

~Deb Elkink, The Third Grace and The Red Journal, Canadian award winners

Deception and intrigue at every turn, and we’re never quite sure who’s on the side of the angels until the very end. Someone wants the illuminated manuscript that Felicity and Anthony are carrying across Canada, and familiar faces keep showing up in unexpected places. As usual, Donna Fletcher Crow brings us a mystery wrapped in a fascinating cultural package. Her rich prose swept me along on the Canada journey and pulled me deeply into Felicity’s worship experiences despite my lack of liturgical background. Crow loves to bring in stories of the saints, and hear Anthony’s story-telling lecture series (the reason for the Canadian trip) does that brilliantly.

~Leanne Hardy, the Glastonbury Tor series

It’s an all-frills-and-chills-included journey— Janelle Watkins, The Scene in TO

You can buy it here:

Buy link Amazon.com https://www.amazon.com/Against-Fierce-Hostility-Monastery-Murders-ebook/dp/B08GJ8BXMM/&linkCode=as2&tag=themonamurd-20

Amazon CA https://www.amazon.ca/Against-Fierce-Hostility-Monastery-Murders-ebook/dp/B08GJ8BXMM/ref=sr_1_1?crid=19AFUHIVGKA0K&dchild=1&keywords=against+all+fierce+hostility&qid=1599079864&s=digital-text&sprefix=against+all+fierce+hostility%2Caps%2C217&sr=1-1

Donna Fletcher Crow, Novelist of British History, is a former English teacher, a lifelong Anglophile, and a native Idahoan who lives not far from the Canadian border. She is the author of 50 books, mostly novels of British history, including the award-winning Glastonbury, and three mystery series. Donna and her husband of 57 years have 4 adult children and 15 grandchildren—6 of them living in Canada.

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