When the Day Comes by Gabrielle Meyer

When the Day Comes
by Gabrielle Meyer

ISBN-13: 9780764239748
Paperback: 384 pages
Publisher: Bethany House
Released: May 3rd 2022

Source: ebook review copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

Book Description, Modified from Goodreads:
Libby has been given a gift: to live one life in 1774 Colonial Williamsburg and the other in 1914 Gilded Age New York City. When she falls asleep in one life, she wakes up in the other. While she's the same person at her core in both times, she's leading two vastly different lives. On her twenty-first birthday, she must choose one path and forfeit the other.

In Colonial Williamsburg, Libby is a public printer for the House of Burgesses and the Royal Governor, trying to provide for her family and quietly support the Patriot cause. The man she loves, Henry Montgomery, has his own secrets. As the revolution draws near, both their lives--and any hope of love--are put in jeopardy.

Libby's life in 1914 New York is filled with wealth, drawing room conversations, and bachelors. Her mother is intent on marrying her off to an English marquess in hopes that she'll gain in her own social status. The possibility of war in Europe only complicates matters.


My Review:
When the Day Comes is a historical set in 1774 in Williamsburg, Virginia and 1914 in New York City. It was extremely predictable. At about a third of the way into the story, I told someone the setup and predicted "I bet these people die, this happens, she has to choose this way, but this happy ending is highly hinted at." Yup, it all happened. What I didn't predict was that the 1914 timeline went from her self-centered mother verbally abusing and emotionally manipulating her to, worse, a stranger husband that got drunk and raped her more than once. While the actual rapes were not a detailed scene, we're shown how Libby was emotionally devastated.

Male time-crossers are apparently told this gift allows them to be heroes in one timeline with the knowledge that, if they die, they'll still have a second life to live. They're encouraged to make history (and, I assume, stand against evil). The women are told to be very careful not to change history to the point they just kind of observe it. We're told that this important event or that one happened, but we mainly got scenes of Libby longing miserably for Henry, trying to financially support her indebted 1774 family, and a few social events. She was a part of one major historical event, yet I never felt immersed in the history. Libby was also told that if women time-crossers got pregnant, they must give up their choice of paths in order to sacrificially have and raise their children.

Libby believes that God placed her to be born to this cruel mother, and she must honor her mother. Libby's even told that, if she acts to change her circumstances, she will be playing God and going against God's plan for her. The message seemed to be that she should submit in abusive relationships to prove that she trusted God over wanting her own way. Well, I don't agree that it's wrong to try to get away from abusive relationships. And while I'd say that sinful people do harmful things and God can bring good even from things that happen due to living in an evil, fallen world, that's not really the message here. // There was no bad language.


If you've read this book, what do you think about it? I'd be honored if you wrote your own opinion of the book in the comments.


Excerpt: Read an excerpt using Google Preview.

Written on the Wind by Elizabeth Camden

Written on the Wind
by Elizabeth Camden

ISBN-13: 9780764238444
Paperback: 352 pages
Publisher: Bethany House
Released: May 3rd 2022

Source: ebook review copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

Book Description, Modified from Goodreads:
Natalia Blackstone is a rarity in Gilded Age America. As a trusted analyst for her father's bank, she is helping finance the legendary Trans-Siberian Railway. From her office in New York City, Natalia relies on a charming Russian aristocrat to oversee the construction of the railroad on the other side of the world.

But while overseeing the work, Count Dimitri Sokolov witnesses the deadly result of the Russian Monarchy's will to see the railway built. To silence him, the state has stripped Dimitri of his title, his lands, and his freedom, but Dimitri has a key asset the czar knows nothing about: his deep friendship with Natalia Blackstone and his assets still invested at her father's bank.

From the steppes of Russia to the corridors of power in Washington, Natalia and Dimitri will fight against all odds to share the truth of what happened, but how can their newfound love survive the ordeal?


My Review:
Written on the Wind is a romance set in 1900 in New York, Washington, and Siberia. The characters reacted realistically, were complex, and I cared about what happened to them. Historical details about banks, the Trans-Siberian Railway, and politics were woven into the story. The setting and historical details immersed me in the story, bringing it alive in my imagination. It's a well-written story.

However, I was annoyed with Dimitri. He respected Natalia as a businesswoman but still felt totally justified in demanding that she cater to his every desire. He never really believed her when she told him that her father would fire her from the bank if her actions (on his behalf) made the bank look bad. I was relieved that Natalia wasn't willing to do everything Dimitri demanded and tried so hard to find a solution that would work for both her and Dimitri. But he kept pressuring her to make his wants her priority (as a Russian aristocrat who felt his cause was important would do) and only conceded where Natalia's reputation and desires as a woman became important. He did change some as time went on and always supported her skills as a businesswoman, but I didn't really understand her intense attraction to him during this time when he was essentially threatening the life that she loved.

Anyway, this was quite suspenseful. The first part was Dimitri's arrest, escape off the very railway that he'd helped build, and his dangerous journey through Siberia in winter. He faced danger from animals, people, and the weather. Natalia struggled with people who resented her and the changes happening in her life. Then they had to work together to do the impossible: force the czar to acknowledge what Dimitri had witnessed and confirm that the killing wouldn't happen again. There was no sex or bad language. Overall, I'd recommend this interesting historical romance.


If you've read this book, what do you think about it? I'd be honored if you wrote your own opinion of the book in the comments.


Excerpt: Read an excerpt using Google Preview.

Surviving the Wilderness by Maggie K. Black

Surviving the Wilderness
by Maggie K. Black

ISBN-13: 9781335555045
Paperback: 224 pages
Publisher: Love Inspired Suspense
Released: May 24th 2022

Source: ebook review copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

Book Description, Modified from Goodreads:
When masked figures take his daughter, Master Corporal Jeff Connor will stop at nothing to rescue her—even if it means working with wilderness guide Quinn Dukes. As Quinn’s thrown into the line of fire too, Jeff will do everything in his power to uncover the kidnapper’s identity…and protect them both.


My Review:
Surviving the Wilderness is a Christian romantic suspense novel. Quinn is a skilled wilderness guide who learned some of her skills from Jeff before starting her own company. Jeff had a crush on Quinn, but his last serious relationship ended with the woman telling him that he was garbage and hiding the fact that she was pregnant. He doesn't feel worthy of a loving relationship with an amazing, talented woman like Quinn. He's now caring for his young daughter when she's kidnapped. Quinn's wilderness tour group gets caught in the middle of the armed kidnapping, and she helps Jeff go after his daughter.

Quinn and Jeff admired each other and worked well together. They really were better together as Jeff was extremely impulsive and often charged into a situation rather than thinking out a plan or working with others. (This also caused him problems when in the military.) Jeff realized that he needed to change if he was going to be a good father and a good husband, so he asked God's help with becoming a better man and with rescuing his daughter. The suspense came from the attacks by the bad guys, the danger to the child and others, and the danger created just by being in the wilderness. There was no sex or bad language. Overall, I'd recommend this exciting novel.


If you've read this book, what do you think about it? I'd be honored if you wrote your own opinion of the book in the comments.

Fatal Code by Natalie Walters

Fatal Code
by Natalie Walters

ISBN-13: 9780800739799
Paperback: 320 pages
Publisher: Revell
Released: May 3rd 2022

Source: ebook review copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

Book Description, Modified from Goodreads:
In 1964, a group of scientists called the Los Alamos Five came close to finishing a nuclear energy project for the United States government when they were abruptly disbanded. Now the granddaughter of one of those five scientists, aerospace engineer Elinor Mitchell, discovers that she has highly sensitive information on the project in her possession--and a target on her back.

SNAP agent and former Navy cryptologist Kekoa Young is tasked with monitoring Elinor. This is both convenient since she's his neighbor in Washington, DC, and decidedly inconvenient because . . . well, he kind of likes her.

As Elinor follows the clues her grandfather left behind to a top-secret nuclear project, Kekoa has no choice but to step in. When Elinor learns he has been spying on her, she's crushed. But with danger closing in on all sides, she'll have to trust him to ensure her discoveries stay out of enemy hands.


My Review:
Fatal Code is a Christian romantic suspense/mystery. This is the second book in a series, but it works as a stand alone and didn't spoil events from the previous novel.

The characters reacted realistically to events and came across as real people with genuine struggles. Kekoa wasn't able to protect his little brother and has never forgiven himself. When it's clear that Elinor's in danger, he's terrified that he won't be able to protect her, either, especially since he's a computer expert, not a warrior. As Kekoa and Elinor spent time together, they became friends and cared about each other. They shared interests and supported each other. The suspense came from lots of different people wanting the plans and program codes that Elinor possessed and their willingness to hurt and kill to get them.

Kekoa needed to release his feelings of guilt, accept forgiveness, and trust God was in control. There was no sex or bad language. Overall, I'd recommend this exciting novel.


If you've read this book, what do you think about it? I'd be honored if you wrote your own opinion of the book in the comments.

An Unfamiliar Duke by Sian Ann Bessey

An Unfamiliar Duke
by Sian Ann Bessey

ISBN-13: 9781524419912
Paperback: 290 pages
Publisher: Covenant Communications
Released: May 16th 2022

Source: ebook review copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

Book Description, Modified from Goodreads:
At eleven years of age, Rosalind Ainsworth was convinced that Sebastian Lumley, the future Duke of Kelbrook, wanted nothing to do with her. And ten years later, after having had no contact with the nobleman in the intervening time, her opinion of him has not changed. Unfortunately, neither has the marriage contract their fathers signed soon after her birth.

As Rosalind’s twenty-first birthday and the appointed wedding day approaches, Sebastian makes a rare appearance in London. His first meeting with Rosalind since childhood goes less than perfectly, but both are willing to do their best to make their marriage work. After a quick wedding, the new couple relocates to Finley Park, where their acquaintanceship slowly blossoms into affection. But Sebastian’s time consuming work in his private workshop threatens their fledgling relationship. When Rosalind’s life is placed in jeopardy because of that work, Sebastian finds himself forced to choose between the man he has pledged to help and the woman he has come to love.


My Review:
An Unfamiliar Duke is a romance set in 1782 in England. Sebastian and Rosalind were betrothed at birth and didn't gain a positive impression of each other when they met as children. Sebastian still doesn't like social events and idle chatter (though he loves numbers and talking with inventors). However, he realized that he ought to do a little courting to get to know his bride before they married. Both agreed to have patience with each other's mistakes, and they did make mistakes as two people learning to join their lives together. They were willing to recognize and admit to mistakes and gave forgiveness when needed. Rosalind even tried to think of a good trait or action by Sebastian for every misstep he made so she wouldn't focus only on the negative.

Sebastian and Rosalind were thoughtful, kind, likable characters who reacted realistically to events. I cared about what happened to them. They found shared interests and came to appreciate and love each other. Some historical details were woven into the story, mainly about inventions, clothing, and manners. There was no sex or bad language. Overall, I'd recommend this enjoyable story.


If you've read this book, what do you think about it? I'd be honored if you wrote your own opinion of the book in the comments.

Guarding His Secret by Jill Kemerer

Guarding His Secret
by Jill Kemerer

ISBN-13: 9781335759290
Paperback: 224 pages
Publisher: Love Inspired
Released: May 24th 2022

Source: ebook review copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

Book Description, Modified from Goodreads:
When a family crisis leaves rancher Randy Watkins caring for a surprise baby nephew, he turns to longtime friend Hannah Carr for help. But Randy has a heart condition—a secret he’s determined to hide…until Hannah’s clever retired service dog threatens to expose it. As friendship turns to something more, can Randy trust Hannah with the truth?


My Review:
Guarding His Secret is a Christian romance. Hannah is a caring woman who tries very hard to meet her carefully planned, high expectations. Just as she takes on a retired service dog and a puppy to train toward becoming a service dog, her friend Randy also asks for her help with minding his store and then his baby nephew. Nothing's going as planned. Since Randy inherited a heart condition from his dad, he needs to avoid stress. The retired service dog was trained to pick up on certain signals and can tell when Randy needs help and then acts to help calm him. Hannah sees that Randy and the service dog need each other more than she needs the dog as a pet, but it isn't until nearly the end that she actually learns about his heart problem.

Randy didn't want to pass his condition on to any children and knew Hannah would constantly worry if she knew. They enjoyed being together, but Hannah and Randy had to come to a place where they could trust God with an unknown future. There was no sex or bad language. Overall, I'd recommend this sweet romance.


If you've read this book, what do you think about it? I'd be honored if you wrote your own opinion of the book in the comments.

The Woman in the Library by Sulari Gentill

The Woman in the Library
by Sulari Gentill

ISBN-13: 9781464215872
Paperback: 288 pages
Publisher: Poisoned Pen Press
Released: May 10th 2022

Source: ebook review copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

Book Description, Modified from Goodreads:
The ornate reading room at the Boston Public Library is quiet, until the tranquility is shattered by a woman's terrified scream. Security guards take charge immediately, instructing everyone inside to stay put until the threat is identified and contained. While they wait for the all-clear, four strangers sitting at the same table, pass the time in conversation and friendships are struck. Each has his or her own reasons for being in the reading room that morning—it just happens that one is a murderer.


My Review:
The Woman in the Library is part romance and part mystery. There's the woman's scream mystery story and a "real" (fictional) series of letters at the end of each chapter where a helper in Boston provided details about Boston and and a critique of the story to the author. This wannabe writer increasingly tried to influence the writing of the main story, so we see a battle begin as the author resisted certain suggestions. I began to wonder if the intended ending (from initial clues) might change because of this "outside" influence.

In the main story, it's a well-written story about four very different people becoming friends and a romance or two growing from this friendship. They talked about the woman's scream but didn't really play detective. The clues were still all there, and I did guess whodunit and how (though not why) right before the big reveal. The characters were engaging and reacted realistically to events. It's an unusual story and written in present tense, which I didn't even notice until nearly halfway through.

There was a fair amount of bad language. There was a brief sex scene that wasn't graphically, body-part described except for one sentence. Overall, I'd recommend the story.


If you've read this book, what do you think about it? I'd be honored if you wrote your own opinion of the book in the comments.

An English Garden Murder by Katie Gayle

An English Garden Murder
by Katie Gayle

ISBN-13: 9781803140667
ebook: 264 pages
Publisher: Bookouture
Released: May 5th 2022

Source: ebook review copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

Book Description, Modified from Goodreads:
Recently divorced and reluctantly retired, Julia Bird has fled London to enjoy idyllic rural life in the Cotswolds. Determined to have the perfect English garden, her first job is to tear down the old shed, where she unearths much more than she’d bargained for… A body, apparently buried for decades. But who could it be, and who killed them? The police draw a blank, and even the gossip-fest that is the local bookclub can’t remember anyone going missing in the village.

Unable to get on with her garden until the mystery is resolved, Julia decides to conduct her own investigations. So, together with her wayward chocolate Labrador puppy Jake, Julia begins a whirlwind tour of the local residents. And everyone, it seems, has something to hide in this village. As she gets closer to the truth, Julia uncovers something even more shocking… Another body, this time of someone she actually knows.


My Review:
An English Garden Murder is a cozy mystery. It's a clue-based mystery, and I correctly guessed whodunit shortly before Julia. She listened to the village gossip and used her skills learned as a social worker to track down information about the identity of the old murder victim. She made friends with the detective on the case and combined what they knew to come up with theories. The detective immediately pointed out the flaws in some of her ideas and looked into others. They made a good team with the unique information that each could gather. Whodunit was guessable but not immediately obvious.

I loved the heroine. There's an underlying humor to how the author portrayed her foibles and thoughts. Julia's a nice, intelligent person. She adopted a "bad boy!" puppy and liked to think about what a good boy he was when given a firm hand...oops! Off after a bird! Well, a very good boy when he's not being a bad boy. Charming puppy. There was some bad language (though much of it was British bad language). There was no sex. Overall, I'd recommend this delightful mystery.


If you've read this book, what do you think about it? I'd be honored if you wrote your own opinion of the book in the comments.

When the Meadow Blooms by Ann H. Gabhart

When the Meadow Blooms
by Ann H. Gabhart

ISBN-13: 9780800737221
Paperback: 384 pages
Publisher: Revell
Released: May 1st 2022

Source: ebook review copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

Book Description from NetGalley:
If any place on God's earth was designed to help one heal, it is Meadowland. Surely here, at her brother-in-law's Kentucky farm, Rose and her daughters can recover from the events of the recent past--the loss of her husband during the 1918 influenza epidemic, her struggle with tuberculosis that required a stay at a sanatorium, and her girls' experience in an orphanage during her illness. At Meadowland, hope blooms as their past troubles become rich soil in which their faith can grow.

Dirk Meadows may have opened his home to his late brother's widow and her girls, but he keeps his heart tightly closed. The roots of his pain run deep, and the evidence of it is written across his face. Badly scarred by a fire and abandoned by the woman he loved, Dirk fiercely guards his heart from being hurt again. But it may be that his visitors will bring light back into his world and unlock the secret to true healing.


My Review:
When the Meadow Blooms is a Christian historical set in 1925 in Kentucky. Rose was told by her husband that his brother wanted to be left alone, so she's tried to manage being widowed and having tuberculosis by putting her daughters in an orphanage. It was only meant to be for a month or two while she recovered at a sanatorium, but years have past. She's started to suspect that her daughters are being abused, but her doctor doesn't want to release her unless she has someplace to continue to heal. In desperation, she asks her brother-in-law to help. To her surprise, he's willing to bring her family to Meadowland.

The first half of the story was suspenseful as the adults tried to work out how to retrieve the children from the abusive orphanage. We see events from the point of view of Rose, Dirk, and the children. Historical details were woven into the story which helped bring the story alive in my imagination. The characters were complex and grew as people as they faced the present difficulties and past events. There was some romance between Rose and Dirk as they spent time together. But Dirk had to heal from the past first, so much of the second half focused on what had happened to the girl he had intended to marry.

The children prayed to God for help and saw those prayers answered. There was no sex or bad language. Overall, I'd highly recommend this enjoyable historical.


If you've read this book, what do you think about it? I'd be honored if you wrote your own opinion of the book in the comments.

Death in a Blackout by Jessica Ellicott

Death in a Blackout
by Jessica Ellicott

ISBN-13: 9781448306527
Hardcover: 256 pages
Publisher: Severn House
Released: May 3rd 2022

Source: ebook review copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

Book Description, Modified from Goodreads:
1940. Britain is at war. Rector's daughter Wilhelmina Harkness longs to do her duty for her country, but when her strict mother forbids her to enlist, their bitter argument has devasting consequences. Unwilling to stay in the village she loves, Wilhelmina - reinventing herself as Billie - accepts a cousin's offer to come for a visit to the British coastal city of Hull.

The last thing Billie expects on her first evening in Hull, however, is to be caught in the city's first air raid - or to stumble across the body of a young woman, suspiciously untouched by debris. If the air raid didn't kill the glamorous stranger, what did? Billie is determined to get justice, and her persistence earns her an invitation to the newly formed Women's Police Constabulary. But as the case unfolds, putting her at odds with both high-ranking members of the force as well as the victim's powerful family, Billie begins to wonder if she can trust her new friends and colleagues or if someone amongst them is working for the enemy.


My Review:
Death in a Blackout is a mystery set in 1940 in England. It's more of a historical as the first two-thirds of the story didn't focus on the mystery. At that point, newly-sworn-in police constable Wilhelmina and her partner actively asked questions, followed up on leads, and put things together. Historical details provided a distinct sense of time and place, but they were so heavily added that they slowed the pacing. For example, Wilhelmina was supposed to ask questions while a woman did her mending, but instead she watched a sock get mended (in detail) then thought about how people were now encouraged to mend things and why. This could have been cut without changing the story.

The characters were likable but I got little sense of their personalities. We're told a bit about them, but their thoughts and speech patterns were similar and rather monotone. Wilhelmina was extremely observant, focused to the point of not noticing danger, and devoted to justice, but we're never told why she's like this. While the mystery was complex enough that the solution wasn't obvious, this feeling that the characters were stilted and had no real, personality- and motive-forming past beyond the beginning of the book dropped my enjoyment of the story.

There was no sex. There were a couple uses of bad language. Overall, I might recommend this to fans of historical novels that contain a mystery.


If you've read this book, what do you think about it? I'd be honored if you wrote your own opinion of the book in the comments.

A Promise Engraved by Liz Tolsma

A Promise Engraved
by Liz Tolsma

ISBN-13: 9781636092492
Paperback: 224 pages
Publisher: Barbour Fiction
Released: May 1st 2022

Source: ebook review copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

Book Description from Goodreads:
Young, spirited Josie Wilkins' life is about to take a turn when faced with political turmoil and forbidden love in San Antonio of 1836. John Gilbert has won her heart, despite being a Protestant preacher who is forbidden to practice his faith in Texas. Will either of them survive an epic battle for liberty to create a legacy of love?

Nearly 200 years later, Kayleigh Hernandez takes breaks from her demanding job as a refugee coordinator working with Mexican migrants to attend flea markets where she has found a uniquely engraved ring. Enlisting the help of appraiser Brandon Shuman, they piece together a love story long forgotten. But will dangers linked to Kayleigh’s work end her own hopes for leaving a legacy built on hope, faith, and love?


My Review:
A Promise Engraved is set during two time periods: the fight for Texan independence in 1835 to 1836 and the present day. In 1835, Josie faced danger as an enemy Mexican soldier kept trying to rape her. (There were no rape scenes because either she's resourceful enough to get away, her love interest saved her, or rape was referred to in the past without details.) She was also in danger because the Texans were fighting for their independence and she worked as a scout and messenger for them. She underwent a lot of pain and loss, but she found healing as she trusted God to carry more of her hurts and fears. Her romance with John started as mutual admiration and grew as they spent time together. They supported each other.

In the present day, Kayleigh bought a used ring which she later learned was used by Josie to carry military messages. Kayleigh worked with jewelry store owner Brandon to research the ring's past. Then someone started stalking her. Since Brandon was always nearby to come to her aid, a cop questioned if Brandon was the stalker and not a man from Kayleigh's past. Or maybe the attacks had something to do with her job. As much as she liked spending time with Brandon, he also had a claim on the ring and she didn't want to give it up. This prevented her from really trusting him until the attacker could be identified and stopped.

There were no sex scenes or bad language. Overall, I'd recommend this enjoyable romance and interesting historical.


If you've read this book, what do you think about it? I'd be honored if you wrote your own opinion of the book in the comments.