The Lacemaker by Laura Frantz

From the publisher:

When colonial Williamsburg explodes like a powder keg on the eve of the American Revolution, Lady Elisabeth "Liberty" Lawson is abandoned by her fiancé 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.

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Laura Frantz is a writer that always makes me want to pick up her books.  The story plot interests me.  The covers to her book are beautiful.  However, I had trouble getting into this book.  It isn't anything wrong with the time period but instead I felt that the story didn't pick up enough to stay as engaged as I would like.

Readers who enjoy the American Revolution will want to check this book out because Laura Frantz always does her homework on the time period and it is still worth reading. 

I received this book from the publisher. All opinions are my own.

Missing Isaac by Valerie Faser Luesse

From the publisher:

There was another South in the 1960s, one far removed from the marches and bombings and turmoil in the streets that were broadcast on the evening news. It was a place of inner turmoil, where ordinary people struggled to right themselves on a social landscape that was dramatically shifting beneath their feet. This is the world of Valerie Fraser Luesse's stunning debut, Missing Isaac.

It is 1965 when black field hand Isaac Reynolds goes missing from the tiny, unassuming town of Glory, Alabama. The townspeople's reactions range from concern to indifference, but one boy will stop at nothing to find out what happened to his unlikely friend. White, wealthy, and fatherless, young Pete McLean has nothing to gain and everything to lose in his relentless search for Isaac. In the process, he will discover much more than he bargained for. Before it's all over, Pete--and the people he loves most--will have to blur the hard lines of race, class, and religion. And what they discover about themselves may change some of them forever.

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This debut is one you will want to read.  Racial tensions are stirring in the 1960's and while is isn't the same as what is happening now, I truly believe that this book can continue to open our eyes to prejudices and the harm it does to everyone on both sides.

This is a book to help you think and to also help you see the beauty in relationships. This story allows the readers to see relationships at their best and worst.

Definitely a work that you will want to read and share with others.

I received this book from the publisher. All opinions are my own.

All Things Now Living by Rondi Bauer Olson

From the publisher:
Sixteen years ago, the year Amy was born, a devastating pandemic wiped out most of the world's population. Now, a new disaster threatens the lives of millions, but Amy, like everyone else in her home of Old Lithisle, has accepted New Lithilse's impending doom as God's judgement.The people of New Lithisle did, after all, trade their souls for immunity to the swine flu virus by adding pig genes to their own. Then,on a scavenging trip with her father, Amy gets stuck in New Lithisle.When Amy meets Daniel, she begins to question how less-than-human and deserving of death he really is. 

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This YA book is a quick fast paced story.  For those who enjoy YA literature this is a book that they will want to pick up.  This is the first book in a series so it is a perfect one to begin with.  With all the dystopian novels out to day, this novels gives readers a chance to enjoy that type of novel, while keeping it Christian.

I received this book from the publisher. All opinions are my own. 

The Austen Escape by Katherine Reay

                   From the publisher:Mary Davies finds safety in her ordered and productive life. Working as an engineer, she genuinely enjoys her job and her colleagues—particularly a certain adorable and intelligent consultant. But something is missing. When Mary’s estranged childhood friend, Isabel Dwyer offers her a two-week stay in a gorgeous manor house in England, she reluctantly agrees in hopes that the holiday will shake up her quiet life in just the right ways.
But Mary gets more than she bargained for when Isabel loses her memory and fully believes she lives in Jane Austen’s Bath. While Isabel rests and delights in the leisure of a Regency lady, attended by other costume-clad guests, Mary uncovers startling truths about their shared past, who Isabel was, who she seems to be, and the man who now stands between them.
Outings are undertaken, misunderstandings arise, and dancing ensues as this company of clever, well-informed people, who have a great deal of conversation, work out their lives and hearts.

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You don't have to be a fan of Jane Austen to enjoy this book but if you are an Austen fan you will absolutely adore this tale!  It's a delish mix of the past and present.  Modern day Mary Davies has work pressures mounting in the possibility of her losing her hard fought for job in technological design.  At the same time her estranged best friend Isabel begs her to go on a once in a life time trip to "Austen Land" where they can live as characters in the Jane Austen novels.  Mary has no intention of going along until her father pleads with her to have mercy on Isabel.  Upon arrival at the beautiful estate in England Mary immediately begins to feel the tension and distance intensely between herself and Isabel.  As Isabel tries to break down the barriers between them Mary shuts the gate to her heart.  An unexpected incident causes Isabel to lose her memory but strangely during this time many hidden truths are finally brought out to the open.  The way this changes things for Mary and Isabel make the ending chapters of this book an amazing and profound look into what it means to love, forgive and cherish one another.  This book is fun but definetly not frivolous.  It's adorable but not trite

Maybe It's You by Candace Calvert

From the publisher:
ER nurse Sloane Ferrell escaped her risky past―new name, zip code, job, and a fresh start. She’s finally safe, if she avoids a paper trail and doesn’t let people get too close. Like the hospital’s too-smooth marketing man with his relentless campaign to plaster one “lucky” employee’s face on freeway billboards.

Micah Prescott’s goal is to improve the Hope hospital image, but his role as a volunteer crisis responder is closer to his heart. The selfless work helps fill a void in his life left by family tragedy. So does a tentative new relationship with the compassionate, beautiful, and elusive Sloane Ferrell.

Then a string of brutal crimes makes headlines, summons responders . . . and exposes disturbing details of Sloane’s past.

Can hope spring from crisis?
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Do you enjoy medical dramas on TV? This book, this series is the place for you to be! In the book before this one, in the Crisis Team series, you are introduced to Sloane, and already you feel a connection with her. 

This book allows Sloane's history and depth of character to come to light.  The tension in this book will give you just the right edge to keep you invested in the story all the way through. There will not only be tension with Sloane's history and the brutal crimes, but also from the romance between Sloane and Micah. I felt the addition of the romance only added to the story.

Even if you haven't read any other Crisis Team books you can still read this book and enjoy it.

I received this book free from the publisher. All opinions are my own.