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Book Review: A Lady’s Guide to Marvels and Misadventure

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A Lady’s Guide to Marvels and Misadventure
by Angela Bell

My rating: 5 / 5
Genre: Christian historical romance

A failed engagement leaves Clara playing protector to her family of eccentrics, lest her ex-fiance have them committed as insane. When her grandfather takes in an apprentice for his clockmaking shop, a broken vagabond with a false name, Clara is certain he’s a spy sent by her ex-fiance. Then her grandfather takes to the skies in a flying machine he invented, bidding both Clara and Theodore, his apprentice, to follow his clues in a scavenger hunt across Europe. As Clara attempts to find her grandfather before the wrong people do, she may just have to let go of the idea that protecting everyone she loves is entirely up to her.

This book has everything I love in this genre and then some. Both of the main characters are complex, well-crafted characters. Side characters are colorful and fun. There’s adventure, symbolism, and romance that doesn’t take over the story. Though perhaps the heavy burdens that both Clara and Theodore carry throughout much of the story is a bit overdone, they both separately culminate in ways that I loved. There’s one scene in particular on Theodore’s side that brought tears to my eyes. There is quite a bit of Christian-related content in this book, but to me, it’s not the amount of references to God or the Bible that can make that content feel forced or preachy but the way it’s used, whether it’s well-infused with the story being told or not, and I felt Bell did a great job of having it all work together.

What really made this book fun and adventurous was the side characters, namely Clara’s mother (lovingly denoted “Mrs. S.” by Theodore), with her penchant for collecting abandoned or broken critters, and Clara’s grandfather (“Grand” to her and “Drosselmeyer” to Theodore), who isn’t present for much of the story overall, but drives the plot with his scavenger hunt and words of wisdom about Clara’s tendency toward self-reliance. I don’t know how realistic Grand’s automaton inventions were for that time period (or for modern times, even), but I truly do not care. They appealed to my escape-room-loving heart and added so much whimsy to the story.

I’m a fairly picky reader, but I loved this book and recommend it for fans of historical Christian fiction. If you enjoy this book, I strongly suggest checking out the author’s contribution to The Lassoed by Marriage Romance Collection, a book of short stories by different authors. Her story was my favorite in that collection (and also involved automatons) and what led me to look for other writings of hers just in time to read this debut novel, and I’m so glad I did!

Thank you to Netgalley and Bethany House for providing me a copy of this book to review.

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Book Review: Embers in the London Sky

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Embers in the London Sky
by Sarah Sundin

My rating: 4 / 5
Genre: Christian historical romance

While fleeing the Netherlands that has just been invaded by the German army, Aleida’s abusive husband sends their son with strangers, shortly before losing his own life to the Germans. Once in London, she starts a long, difficult search for her son. There, she meets Hugh Collingwood, a BBC radio correspondent trying to inform the public and boost morale while reporting on the Blitz. When his uncle and friend are murdered, it looks like the bombs falling on the city every night aren’t the only danger.

In a way, this book almost seems like two different stories. The first is a combination of Aleida searching for her son while also trying to shine light on the way some of the kids are treated as they’re evacuated out of London during the Blitz and Hugh trying to maintain integrity in his reporting while struggling against the threat of censorship. This main part of the story kept me engaged, and I liked seeing these different sides of London during this part of history. Then the book turns into a murder mystery as Aleida and Hugh, both apart and separately, try to solve a series of murders. I’m a fan of mystery, and the rest of the story was interesting enough that I didn’t need the mystery angle to be expanded on. Still the pacing of the mystery being in the background for a long time to then suddenly jump into the foreground threw me off just a little. 

I appreciated the development of the relationship between Aleida and Hugh and that it didn’t come across as the main point of the story. I prefer a subtle romance, and Aleida and Hugh developed a great foundation of friendship first. Though some of the drama involving their relationship felt too much like it was thrown in there just to prolong the inevitable declarations of love. I look forward to the next book, which appears to be about Aleida’s sister, who is still in the Nazi-occupied Netherlands, and I recommend this one to anyone who likes historical fiction from this time period in the Christian romance genre.

Thank you to Netgalley and Revell for providing me a copy of this book to review.

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Book Review: A Noble Scheme

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A Noble Scheme
The Imposters #2
by Roseanna M. White

My rating: 5 / 5
Genre: Christian historical mystery

Gemma Parks keeps to the shadows in her capacity as newspaper columnist writing about high-society functions, which is also useful for the investigative team she’s part of, the Imposters. The Imposters normally work for the wealthy, charging a lot of money for their services, but when a working man begs their help to find his kidnapped son, they can’t refuse. Unfortunately, this case puts Gemma in close proximity with Graham Wharton, one of the other Imposters, with whom she used to have a relationship before something went terribly wrong, and she’s been avoiding for almost a year since. Graham, for his part, hopes that this case will end both with a return of the boy to his parents and a return of Gemma to his side.

I loved this second book as much as the first, with the focus turning from Marigold and Merritt to Graham and Gemma. Marigold’s brother Yates, leader of the Imposters, again provides the third POV for the book, and I was happy to continue seeing his side of things. In the first book, we’re given allusions to something causing a rift between Graham and Gemma, but no details. I knew that would be brought out in this book, then, and I was a little annoyed when the “why” was danced around for over 1/4 of the book. Little hints were dropped, maybe even big ones, but I definitely missed the big picture until it was plainly stated (actually, I was spoiled by a review on Goodreads, so be careful what you read). When I did realize the full story, I understood completely why it was held back for so long. It broke my heart and made the journey for these two so much more than I imagined (I suppose what I imagined was an almost humorous tiff that just needed a quiet moment together to put to rights). The progression of their story brought tears to my eyes more than once, and I love the way their views of God were just as big a part of it as were their feelings for each other. Rather than a twisted idea that Graham’s reunion with God was somehow dependent on him (re)gaining the love of a good woman, which I’ve sadly seen in other Christian books, I felt this book had its priorities straight. That’s all the more I’ll say on this subject to avoid spoilers.

Like in the previous book, the case the Imposters work on isn’t a huge mystery, at least in regards to the culprit(s) involved. However, there were certainly facets to the villainy that were kept back and revealed at moments that allowed for suspense and even more emotion. The climax maybe got a little over-dramatic for my taste, but not even enough for me to lower my rating, because of how much I loved the book as a whole. I’m excited to see the next book in the series has already been announced; I love the synopsis so much, and I think that giving us little glimpses of Yates on the way to “his” book really heightens the anticipation of that third book. I highly recommend this book for fans of Christian historical mystery (this is set during the Edwardian era in London).

Thank you to Netgalley and Bethany House for providing me a copy of this book to review.

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Book Review: Once a Queen

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Once a Queen
by Sarah Arthur

My rating: 3 / 5
Genre: YA fantasy

When fourteen-year-old Eva Joyce visits her grandmother in England with her mom who’d left home after getting married and never returned before now, she doesn’t expect to find out that her grandmother might have been the subject of one of Eva’s favorite fairy tales growing up. The manor might even contain a portal to another world, but no one is willing to talk about it much, her grandmother least of all. Tragedy in her grandmother’s past overshadows the wonder and magic, and Eva begins to believe it’s her job to help her grandmother heal.

Packaged as a portal fantasy, this book is more about Eva’s grandmother’s past trauma, after losing someone close to her when she was a young adult. It’s difficult to separate what is part of the fantastical element of the other world(s) and what is just a reflection of the grandmother’s brokenness. There are questions about all of that that I never really understood and questions about whether Eva’s mom believed any of the tales or not, considering that she doesn’t want to talk about it now, doesn’t seem to believe it now, yet Eva grew up with the stories.

It’s clear that the author is heavily influenced by The Chronicles of Narnia books, though she makes no secret that she’s a major fan. I’ve only just recently read all of that series for the first time, and I saw some pretty obvious parallels. This book takes place almost exclusively in our world, though, with references to the other world(s), which wasn’t what I was expecting at all. Some history from the other world is told between chapters, but I wasn’t completely sure how much of it was important. In the end, this feels a lot more like a book for older teens or adults than teens around 14, with more of an emphasis on grief and trauma than fantasy adventure. The writing is poetic and elegant (and dialog and history related to the other world(s) is basically KJV-type writing, to put it simply), which is not really my preferred style and might be lost on the teens it’s meant for. Considering that the book is in 1st-person from the perspective of a 14-year-old girl, I question the style choice; perhaps if the narrator were to mention that she wrote down her memories decades after it happened, it would make more sense when she describes old manor houses using terminology I’d be surprised an American teen would know. The language also added to the slow feeling of the book as a whole. In the end, not much really happens, and while it sets up a series, it didn’t leave me wanting more. However, the other reviews for this book are generally positive, so please check them out if you’re interested. I wonder if people who have long been fans of Narnia would enjoy this more than I did or if they’d actually enjoy it less.

Thank you to Netgalley and WaterBrook & Multnomah for providing me a copy of this book to review.
Publication date: January 30, 2024

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Book Review: Tasty

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Tasty: A History of Yummy Experiments
by Victoria Grace Elliott

My rating: 3.5 / 5
Genre: Middle grade nonfiction, graphic novel

This history of certain foods told by “food sprites” in a colorful graphic novel is a fun, unique book for kids. It may work better for the age group it’s intended for than it did for me, not that I didn’t enjoy it overall. However, I had hoped for a little more of the science promised at the beginning of the book, especially at certain points when a statement is made that leaves me wanting to know more (like how does the wheel shape help cheese stay dry and avoid spoiling?). It makes sense that this wouldn’t be a comprehensive look at the foods chosen to be included—cheese, pickles, gelatin, etc., but some of the information goes by so fast, it’s hard to absorb it all.

Outside of the history told, there’s (sort of) a story going on with the sprites, but it’s really confusing to me. The main sprite, Peri, seems to have some kind of rivalry with a water sprite that pops in to talk about liquids sometimes, but why? I have no idea. I guess the author felt that giving the sprites a little of their own story would make it more engaging to kids, but I paid little attention to their little asides, other than the bizarre contention between Peri and Maia, which stuck out quite a bit. And there’s a place in the pickles section where the characters cry, “THE SAUCE” like a battle cry, like something we’re supposed to “get”…but I don’t. Maybe some of this connects back to the pervious book by this author, Yummy: A History of Desserts, but not having read that one, I can’t say for sure. While I do think that kids who are interested in food or cooking would probably enjoy this graphic novel, I don’t know that I’d recommend it for adults, unless they’re really into food history. Though in that case, they probably already know all of, or more than, what this book provides.

Thank you to Netgalley and Random House Children’s Books for providing me a copy of this book to review.

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Book Review: A Winter by the Sea

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A Winter by the Sea
On Devonshire Shores #2
by Julie Klassen

My rating: 3.5 / 5
Genre: Christian historical romance

When Prince Edward, the Duke of Kent and Strathearn, and his family come to spend the winter in Sidmouth, the Summers sisters’ guest house becomes host to three members of the prince’s staff. Emily Summers finds herself drawn to the duke’s private secretary, even though she is still holding out hope for a renewal of a relationship she’d left behind when the family first moved to Sidmouth. Meanwhile, Sarah Summers has to deal with the duke’s junior chef invading her kitchen, and the third guest harbors secrets that may lead the sisters into danger.

It’s a little difficult to boil this book down to a succinct summary, because there’s so much going on. Each book in the series so far has given insight into more than one of the sisters living at Sea View, while focusing in on one sister. In the previous book, we see Viola fall in love, and this time, the spotlight is on her twin sister Emily (and Viola is mostly in the background, comparatively). My favorite thing about this book is the way the author includes the real history of the duke’s family visiting Sidmouth and what transpires during that visit. The brief quotes from real history books at the beginning of each chapter give hints into what will be coming in each chapter, and sometimes they can be seen as spoilers, but I liked the way they ground the book in reality. Though I will admit that the inclusion of the fortune teller was a bit more than I would have preferred in a book of this genre, considering the weight Emily gives to the woman’s predictions, despite being warned against paying any attention to her by a woman who uses the Bible as her reference.

One of my biggest issues with this book, though, is the length. While in the previous book, there were 3 perspectives shown (Viola, Sarah, and Emily), there were only 2 in this book, yet it is just as long as the previous. I often felt like too much detail was included about things that aren’t important, and the book could have been considerably shorter without hurting the main story or any of the side plots. Though I also question if all of the side plots were needed as well. I read and enjoyed the Tales from Ivy Hill trilogy by the same author, which was a similar kind of series with an ensemble set of main characters, but this one hasn’t worked as well as the first one did, for me. I don’t know if I can really explain why, but I think part of it is that a trope I noticed in the earlier series is simply wearing on me more in this series. That being that when one of the female MCs has a dramatic moment or is in come compromised state, despite the fact that there is a house/town full of people, it just so happens that the potential love interest for that character is in the area, and usually the only one in the area, so that they can have a moment. It’s the kind of forced coincidence that I can let slide a few times, but it happens so often that it’s now become boringly predictable.

There are a few threads that have gone through both of the books in this series that could be tied up in the third book, and at least one of them I very much hope to see expanded on, so I definitely plan to read the third book in the series and see what comes of those threads. After that, I may stick to stand-alone books by Klassen, because I have loved those I’ve read by her, but I’m a bit more rocky with these ensemble-cast series. Based on past experience, though, I have good reason to believe that most fans of Regency-era Christian romance will enjoy this book.

Thank you to Netgalley and Bethany House for providing me a copy of this book to review.

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Book Review: A Beautiful Disguise

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A Beautiful Disguise
The Imposters #1
by Roseanna M. White

My rating: 5 / 5
Genre: Christian historical mystery

Lady Marigold Fairfax and her brother Yates, an earl, may have inherited a grand estate, but their father left no money to keep it running. He blew it all on entertainment, which fortunately included circus acts that gave Marigold and Yates the training they needed to earn money as private investigators. When Sir Merritt Livingstone brings them a case involving possible espionage and treason, the investigation brings the Fairfaxes a little too close to home. Marigold’s carefully cultivated disguise of wealthy, vapid noblewoman might just blow up in her face.

This book drew me in right away, and I loved it all the way to the end. The story alternates between 3 POVs—Marigold, Yates, and Merritt. I worried it might be too much at first, but I really appreciated all 3 of these perspectives. I enjoyed the balancing act that both Yates and Marigold had to perform as anonymous investigators hired by Merritt and as acquaintances in social settings. While there’s a subplot of romance, it is not a focal point of the book, in my opinion. In fact, I feel like there’s more of a friendship base before anything further develops than normally happens in a book where the romantic pair start off as strangers.

The mystery that Merritt brings to The Imposters, Ltd. is not super complex, yet was not easy for me to unravel on my own. It actually seemed a little too simplistic at first, but then it became more complex as it went. Overall, it kept me engaged, as did the unique lifestyle of the Fairfax siblings, living on their estate with circus performers, complete with a monkey, a peacock, and Marigold’s lion friend.

It is never difficult for me to explain what I don’t like about a book (and I’m usually the outlier, struggling with books that most others loved), but it is often difficult to put into words what I enjoy about a book. What I have expressed above doesn’t adequately explain my love for this book, but I liked it so much, I’m going to immediately add previous books by this author to my TBR list, plus I’m so excited to see the next book in the series has already been announced! I highly recommend this book for fans of Christian historical mystery (this is set during the Edwardian era in London), but be aware the romance is a fairly slow burn.

Thank you to Netgalley and Bethany House for providing me a copy of this book to review.

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Book Review: All’s Fair in Love and Christmas

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All’s Fair in Love and Christmas
by Sarah Monzon

My rating: 4 / 5
Genre: Christian Christmas contemporary romance

Mackenzie Graham wants nothing more than to do her job without drawing attention to herself and without having to talk to people any more than necessary. So when she’s put into the spotlight as a contender for a promotion, against a man she’s had a crush on for two years, for a boss who has a history of promoting the people who show the most Christmas spirit, she will have to force herself out of her comfort zone. Jeremy Fletcher really needs that promotion, since he’s raising his twin niece and nephew after the deaths of their parents, so he plans to use his penchant for meticulous planning to win the promotion. Mackenzie throws a wrench in his plans, though, by being much more than the quiet co-worker he’d never really paid attention to before, now that she’s been thrust front and center for him.

This is bizarrely the 2nd book I’ve read this holiday season that has a lot of overlap with my own life. Mackenzie’s mom has Alzheimer’s and has days where she doesn’t remember Mackenzie and/or is extremely agitated. My mom had Lewy body dementia, which declined quickly, but during that time, we dealt with a lot of memory issues and agitated states (even before we knew that she had dementia). Also, I have social anxieties similar to Mackenzie, though mine seem to be a different flavor, so to speak. While I recognized a lot of the inner monologue and choices made to avoid being in the spotlight, I don’t think I could bring myself to do some of what Mackenzie does to try to win the promotion—though possibly with such a powerful motivator (needing to pay for her mom’s care), I could. There was a certain thing she does a few times to try to push herself to be more confident that I know I would never do, and that angle doesn’t really go anywhere anyway, so it’s a little strange in the story anyway.

I was a little thrown off by the many references to TV shows and movies at first, but I think that’s just because I don’t actually read a lot of contemporary fiction—more historical or even SFF. But even in those references, there were a lot made to shows and movies I love, so it made me feel all the more connected to both main characters. Jeremy’s little shudder over thinking about his pre-teen charges spending countless hours watching other people play video games on YouTube made me feel as seen as the reference to Mackenzie’s half-print/half-cursive style of writing. If I could stop here, this would probably have been a 5-star read for me.

There were a couple of things that stuck out to me throughout the story, though, that brought the rating down: I don’t care for 1st-person, present tense for one POV and 3rd-person, past tense for the other. It’s kind of a pet peeve of mine, especially since it almost never seems necessary to do it that way. I suspect the author wanted to be more “in the head” of Mackenzie, with her social issues, and didn’t feel the need to do that for Jeremy, but even then, why the present/past difference? And the Christian content was weirdly paced. I had seen this was marked as Christian, which is why I was surprised to see absolutely no references to God by 15% of the way into the book. There is, though, flirting and suggestive movements, lots of secular music and such, and then suddenly there’s a prayer and biblical reference that seem to come out of nowhere. To be clear, I do not expect every book marked Christian to be chock-full of prayers and references to God or even to have a solid Christian message or moral. But other than Mackenzie’s belief that her lack of faith keeps her from getting past her social issues (which I kinda wish had been explored more), I would never really know that these characters are Christians. Overall, though, I enjoyed the book. It contains a lot of Christmas charm and is not too sappy, as Christmas romances go. I recommend it for fans of Christmas romance, especially with some Christianity involved.

Thank you to Netgalley and Bethany House for providing me a copy of this book to review.

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Book Review: The Porcelain Maker

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The Porcelain Maker
by Sarah Freethy

My rating: 3 / 5
Genre: Historical fiction

In 1993, Clara Vogel seeks an answer to the secret her mother kept from her—the truth of who her father was. Her only clue is a rare porcelain figure that her mother said had been made for her by Clara’s father, the Porcelain Maker of Dachau. Told in parallel with Clara’s search is the story of her mother, Bettina, and father, Max, who meet in Germany in 1929 and fall in love. But Max is Jewish, which means their relationship—and his very life—is in peril. When he is arrested and sent to Dachau, even working as an artist in the porcelain factory doesn’t assure his safety. Bettina will do anything she can to help the man she loves, even if it means putting herself in danger.

I always appreciate a book that gives me insight into something I didn’t know before, especially when related to a subject matter that a lot has already been written about. Historical fiction set during the Holocaust is prevalent, but the art and porcelain factory angles were new for me, and I did learn some interesting facts about the Nazis’ push for a certain style of art during their rise to power, mostly as a means of propaganda. Since I am not an artist and have never studied art or art history, a lot of the nuances of the different styles that were preferred by “degenerates” compared to the Nazis were lost on me, which is unfortunate, since it’s a big theme in the book. There are also several scenes about the making of porcelain figures that did provide some vague explanation, but not enough for a complete novice like me. So I definitely skimmed a lot of descriptions and discussions about expressionism, romantic realism, and other art styles that don’t mean much to me.

I felt for Max and Bettina, but I don’t think I got enough of a sense of their relationship—what brought and kept them together—to have quite the anguish the author would have preferred to provoke in the reader when they faced being apart. Of course, considering the circumstances of their forced separation, the reader doesn’t necessarily need a connection to the characters to understand how terrible it is. On top of that, though, the pacing of this book is very slow. I often found myself wondering if whole sections were really needed, such as a scene about a little girl and a rabbit that seemed completely unnecessary to me. I can’t even say I believe the more modern timeline with Clara added all that much to the story. Then, the last few chapters speed through the rest of the story, with very little detail given on matters I would have liked to know more about.

For those like me who like to know about graphic content before reading a book, there are references to a physical relationship (and Max and Bettina are not married), but nothing graphic, though there is one brief mention of nudity early in the book (Bettina during a party). I can’t recall a single bit of foul language, though God’s name is taken in vain a few times. I didn’t dislike this book, but overall, I think I wasn’t quite the right audience. I do think that most fans of historical fiction, especially WWII/Holocaust-related fiction, will like this book more than I did.

Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for providing me a copy of this book to review.

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Book Review: Children of the Shadows

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Children of the Shadows
Thorndike & Swann Regency Mysteries #3
by Erica Vetsch

My rating: 4.5 / 5
Genre: Christian historical mystery

While already working on a murder case, Bow Street runner Daniel Swann is brought a case of missing street children by more than one individual. With the Duke of Haverly’s help, he’s also attempting to prove his rightful status as Earl of Rotherhhide, and both his future with Lady Juliette Thorndike and his future as an agent for the Home Office are in question depending on the outcome of the suit. Lady Juliette has also been asked to re-examine her commitment as a spy and is given time to think it over, while not being allowed to work on any cases.

I don’t gush over a book often, but I don’t think I can avoid it with this book, especially considering that it is the end of a series that I have loved and also follows up another series that I loved (Serendipity & Secrets). Vetsch is hands-down my favorite writer of Regency fiction, and I am so very sad to see this series come to a close. It feels like it’s just getting started! I want more mysteries for Thorndike and Swann, especially since they didn’t really get to work together in this book. And I really want more Marcus Haverly! Though he was a side character in this book, he still stands strong as my favorite overall character from these 2 series. 

The mystery in this story is engaging and exciting. It works well as a wrap-up to the series, since it involves some of the characters that recurred throughout. I tried so hard to guess at the identity of the main villain, but even though the clues are right there, I totally missed them. I kept grasping at outlandish theories, but hey, that’s why I’m not an investigator. There was another hidden identity that I did guess correctly, though. Juliette’s forced break from any real spy work was the only reason I rated this slightly less than 5 stars—the series is all about them teaming up to solve mysteries, after all.

I’m already looking forward to starting back at the beginning of the Serendipity & Secrets series and going through to this final book again. And maybe by then, there will be more of Marcus, Daniel & Juliette, maybe even Sophia or Philippa Cashel or the Cadogans, to carry on with. I highly recommend this book and series for fans of this genre and time period, whether you like romance or not, because there is some, but it’s not the focus of the books. But I would also really recommend checking out Serendipity & Secrets, and maybe even consider reading that trilogy first.

I received a free review copy from the publisher in exchange for my honest unedited feedback.

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