Winter Rose

Last year I discovered Melanie Dobson who has written numerous books. Several, but not all of the books, have been World War II fiction and individuals who read my blog frequently know that I rarely pass up WW2 books. Her most recent book The Winter Rose combines the WW2 genre with timeslip into a unique and well-developed story. I so appreciated how Dobson demonstrates that the events of World War 2 and the experiences of people who were caught in this horror continue to impact people and the world today. In brief, Dobson creates a marvelous story involving Jewish refugess children who end up in America, throws in a love story, and adds in a mystery in the form of a family drama which extends to the modern day. Dobson also shows how the problems of one generation can be passed to the next generation but that those problems do not define who someone is or how they will live their lives. With all of these different strands taking place, Dobson manages to weave an immensely satisfying and enjoyable story that demonstrates the power of God's love to transcend circumstances.

I received a complemtary copy of The Winter Rose from Tyndale House via NetGalley. I am not required to provide a positive review.

Daughter of Rome

Daughter of Rome by Tessa Afshar
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Tessa Afshar has written numerous works of Bible-based fiction so when I saw Daughter of Rome, I knew I wanted to read it. What I didn't realize until I started reading is that it is the story of Priscilla and Aquila. While our information on Priscilla and Aquila from the Bible is limited, Afshar does a marvelous job of doing extensive Biblical and extra-biblical research to have the fictional story be as historically accurate and real as possible and includes numerous other characters from the Bible and history that they did or might have crossed paths with. Beyond historical accuracy, one of the aspects I really enjoyed about Daughter of Rome is that Afshar's characters model Christian character and show the changes that occur in their lives due to knowing Christ.

Highly recommended for anyone who enjoys well-written, historically accurate Christian fiction!

I received an ARC of this book from Tyndale House via NetGalley.

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The Tea Chest

The Tea Chest by Heidi Chiavaroli
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The Tea Chest is a split-time novel set in present-day and Revolutionary War-era Boston, Massachusetts. As the title suggests, a tea chest plays an important role in the story and serves as the main connecting point between the modern and historical characters. The modern day character, Hayley, comes from a dysfunctional family and has tried to find herself through a Navy career and attempting to become a Navy Seal. The home life of Revolutionary War character Emma isn't much better and she struggles to decide if loyalty or liberty is a greater virtue. The story centers around Emma and her involvement in the war effort. Hayley learns of Emma's story while researching the tea chest and discovers Emma's story is more important personally than she first anticipated.

The Tea Chest is a well-done historical novel that uses the split-time technique effectively to introduce the story and to provide a backdrop which sets the stage for each new development in addition to a interesting sub-plot. While published by Tyndale House, a Christian publisher, the story is not overly Christian or religious beyond the characters praying and a few references to Jesus and heaven which don't stand out much as they are fit into the historical time period. If I was not aware that I was reading a book from a Christian publishing house, I would not have realized it is supposed to fall into the "religious/Christian fiction" category.

I received an ARC of this book from Tyndale House via NetGalley.

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Claiming Mariah

Pam Hillman's most recent novel Claiming Mariah did not disappoint. From page one, the story pulls readers in to discover what is going to happen to Mariah, her grandmother,and their beloved ranch. In addition, Slade, one of the antagonists and the leading man in this novel, makes readers wonder what is causing him to be so demanding. As the story progresses, Slade's background is disclosed bit by bit which allows a deeper understanding of why he makes the choices he does.

Throughout the story, a definite tension exists between Slade and Mariah. Beyond the expected and growing romantic tension, the larger tension exists over their differing approaches to faith. Mariah and her grandmother are devout Christians and prayer warriors who draw strength from prayer in every situation. Slade does not share their religious viewpoints and is portrayed as hostile to Christianity for a large part of the book. As expected in a novel from a Christian publishing house, Slade and another character both choose to become Christ-followers by the end of the book.

While reading Claiming Mariah, information on Mariah's sister Amanda is witheld until much later in the story. In the beginning, Amanda is mentioned only as the sister who is away at school. A great deal of assumptions are made concerning Amanda's purpose and motives for being away and the time is never right for Mariah to explain the true situation. However, not being able to inform Slade of the truth also keeps this important piece of information a secret from the reader although a few hints are provided.

While the story primarily focuses on Mariah and Slade, another aspect is some shady business that has been going on with the ranch. This mysterious undercurrent involves a variety of individuals close to Mariah who are not quite as they seem. This mystery ends up in a dangerous situation which forces the hand of the main characters.

Being a western themed novel, there is some gun violence, but it is not glorified or grotesque. I would not have issues with my middle school daughter reading Claiming Mariah, although it certainly holds the interest of adult readers. As expected everything is wrapped up neatly by the end of the novel. I would enjoy reading more of Mariah's story as I feel her story has been completely told.

Keep in mind Claiming Mariah, available via Tyndale House, is only available as an e-book via Amazon, Christian Book Distributors, and Barnes and Noble. As such it will unfortunately not be available to borrow at your local library anytime soon as a print book or as a downloadable ebook via a platform available to libraries. I would encourage authors and publishers to keep in mind that not everyone has access to or is choosing to use e-readers at this point in time. I have several individuals to whom I would give this book as a gift, but since they do not use e-readers of any type I am unable to do so.

Disclaimer: Tyndale House provided me with a free copy of this ebook via NetGalleys. I was not required to give a positive review.