Remember Me by Tracie Peterson

Remember Me
by Tracie Peterson

ISBN-13: 9780764237393
Hardcover: 320 pages
Publisher: Bethany House Publishers
Released: March 7th 2023

Source: ebook review copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

Book Description, Modified from Goodreads:
Addie Bryant is haunted by her past of heartbreak and betrayal. After her beau, Isaac Hanson, left the Yukon, she made a vow to wait for him. When she's sold to a brothel owner after the death of her father, Addie manages to escape with the hope that she can forever hide her past and the belief that she will never have the future she's always dreamed of.

Years later, Addie has found peace in her new life as a photographer, training Camera Girls to operate and sell the Brownie camera. But during the Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Expo in Seattle, Addie is reunited with Isaac. And when her past catches up with her, Addie must decide whether to run or to stay and face her wounds in order to embrace her life, her future, and her hope in God.


My Review:
Remember Me is a Christian romance set in 1909 in Seattle, Washington. Isaac and Addie promised to marry each other one day, but Isaac left to get a college degree and Addie's brothers sold her to a brothel owner who married her. Once widowed, she went to Seattle to hide and make a new life for herself. The Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Expo not only brings Isaac back into her life but her scheming brothers who want her money and who plan to sell her again. Isaac and her friends helped her against her brothers. Her friends helped her to heal from her past when she finally admitted her shame to her Christian friends, expecting to be rejected. They pointed out that she was a victim, it wasn't by her choice, and even if it had been, God forgives sins.

The main characters were likable and generally behaved realistically. However, Isaac genuinely thought that when he found Addie, they'd immediately marry and it'd be like nothing had happened in the past ten years that they'd been apart. Various people told him that he needed to give her time, get to know her now, and talk to her about what's holding her back. Still, he kept pushing because he didn't care about her ruined reputation and didn't understand that she did.

Sweet, caring Addie felt unworthy of any love and questioned why God allowed bad things to happen. She came to see some good come from her past and learned to trust that God loved her even if He allowed evil things to happen. Interesting historical details about the Expo and life in the Yukon were woven into the story. There was no sex or bad language. Overall, I'd recommend this enjoyable 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.

The Metropolitan Affair by Jocelyn Green

The Metropolitan Affair
by Jocelyn Green

ISBN-13: 9780764239632
Paperback: 384 pages
Publisher: Bethany House Publishers
Released: March 14th 2023

Source: ebook review copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

Book Description, Modified from Goodreads:
For years her explorer father promised Dr. Lauren Westlake she'd accompany him on one of his Egyptian expeditions. But as the empty promises mounted, Lauren determined to earn her own way. Now the assistant curator of Egyptology for the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Lauren receives two unexpected invitations.

The first is her repentant father's offer to finally bring her to Egypt as his colleague on a new expedition. The second is a chance to enter the world of New York's wealthiest patrons who have been victims of art fraud. With Egyptomania sweeping the city after the discovery of King Tut's tomb, Detective Joe Caravello is on the hunt for a notorious forger preying on the open wallets of New York's high society. Dr. Westlake is just the expert he needs to help him track the criminal. Together they search for the truth, and the closer Lauren and Joe get to discovering the forger's identity, the more entangled they become in a web of deception and crime.


My Review:
The Metropolitan Affair is a Christian romantic mystery set in 1925 in New York City. And I can't tell you exactly why I like it so much without genuinely spoiling the story, so in general: Lauren loves her job, but she chose her profession in hopes of gaining her father's approval and a relationship with him. He's been absent on one excuse or another her whole life. Now he's moved nearby and is spending more time with her. She'll make time for him, even though a close childhood friend has asked her professional help with identifying Egyptian forgeries. She and Joe draw closer as they spend time working together.

The main characters were complex, well-developed people that I cared about. They struggled with real issues, and relationship tensions were created by realistic behavior (rather than manufactured obstacles). Lauren and Joe supported each other through hard experiences and built each other up. Interesting historical details were woven into the story and immersed me in the time and place. The mystery was clue-based and the reader can guess the bad guys (though Joe suspected as the clues piled up, so he's not dumb). Joe asked good questions and followed up on leads until he finally uncovered the truth along with proof.

By the end of the story, Lauren realized that God is the perfect Father that she's been looking for. There was no sex or bad language. Overall, I'd highly 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.

A Waltz with Traitors by A.L. Sowards

A Waltz with Traitors
by A.L. Sowards

ISBN-13: 9781524421120
Paperback: 328 pages
Publisher: Covenant Communications
Released: March 1, 2023

Source: ebook review copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

Book Description, Modified from Goodreads:
The Former Russian Empire, 1918. Czech soldier Filip Sedlák never wanted to fight for the Austro-Hungarian Empire. He defected to the Russians to help form the Czechoslovak Legion with others like him. Their goal: leave the chaos of Russia, sail to France, and help the Allies defeat the Central Powers, thereby toppling a hated empire and winning an independent Czechoslovakia.

With the fall of the tsar, Nadia Linskaya’s life is in ruins. Her family is dead, her lands are confiscated, and her aristocratic world is gone forever. But Nadia is determined to elude the Bolshevik agent who destroyed her family and find a way to survive in this changed world.

When Nadia takes refuge with the Czechoslovak Legion, the last thing she expects is an ally. But when Filip proposes a sham marriage to ensure her safe passage across Siberia, she takes it. Neither Filip nor Nadia expect real love, not when the legion has to take over the longest railroad in the world—and then hold it against Bolshevik counterattacks, partisan sabotage, Allied intrigue, and a set of brutal Siberian winters. At risk is the future of Czechoslovakia, the fate of Russia, and their hearts.


My Review:
A Waltz with Traitors is a historical suspense/romance set in Russia starting in March 1918. So much is going on that we need 3 male and 1 female point-of-view characters to tell the story of the Czechoslovak Legion. Between war, retribution, starvation, and disease, people were dying all over Russia, so this is a warning that a lot of bad things happen to the main characters and that non-POV characters may die. But the main characters hold on to hope even in the darkest times, so it's not depressing to read.

Vivid historical and setting details were woven into the story, bringing it alive in my imagination. The main characters were engaging, complex, and felt like real people. Though, at the very end when Nadia drives the car, things started feeling exaggerated to the point of being unrealistic. The action scenes went on forever with "if it can go wrong, it will go wrong" in full effect while the reconciliation scene resolved a world of hurt in no time.

Nadia held on to her faith in God and heaven throughout all she endured and lost, and Filip grew in his faith by witnessing hers. There was no sex or bad language. Overall, I'd recommend this interesting, suspenseful historical 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.

Wyoming Wild by Sarah M. Eden

Wyoming Wild
by Sarah M. Eden

ISBN-13: 9781639930920
Paperback: 256 pages
Publisher: Shadow Mountain
Released: March 7th 2023

Source: ebook review copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

Book Description, Modified from Goodreads:
Wyoming Territory, 1876. US Marshal John “Hawk” Hawking is one of the most respected lawmen in the West, so when a telegram arrives from the small town of Sand Creek warning him of a death threat against him, he immediately begins an investigation. Posing as a farmer, Hawk heads to Sand Creek, a town ruled by a violent and corrupt sheriff. Only one person is trying to stop him—Liesl, the sheriff’s own daughter. When she meets the self-assured and attractive new farmer, John, she hopes he might help her in the fight for justice.

John is completely unfazed by Sheriff Hodges’s attempts at intimidation, and Liesl is quickly swept up by Hawk’s courage and integrity. Just as quickly, Hawk finds himself falling for Liesl’s strength and bravery, as well as her grace and beauty. When Liesl discovers John’s true identity, she feels betrayed. Despite her lingering distrust of him, Liesl agrees to work with him to enact a dangerous plan that will put the criminals away forever. Liesl must put her life, and her heart, in the hands of his lawman if she has any hope of saving her family and her town.


My Review:
Wyoming Wild is a romance set in 1876 in Wyoming Territory. Characters from a previous novel are in this story, but you don't need to read that book to understand this one. Historical details were woven into the story, but they're mostly a Western backdrop to the action. The main characters were engaging and likable.

Liesl bravely worked behind the scenes to help protect the people of her town from her corrupt father, risking a beating or even being killed like her brother. After overcoming her distrust of lawmen (as having a corrupt sheriff for your father didn't help when the rescuing US Marshals started things off by deceiving everyone), Liesl agreed to testify against her father, help identify who was in his group of criminals, and help get proof of their wrongdoings. Hawk's known as not letting his emotions get in the way of doing his job, and he's determine to make Wyoming a safe, orderly territory. Liesl brought out his softer side, but he felt like he's got to be unfeeling and single to do his job well. As this is a romance, she obviously changes his mind with her lively banter and courage.

There was no sex or bad language. Overall, I'd highly recommend this 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.

A Gentle Murderer by Dorothy Salisbury Davis

A Gentle Murderer
by Dorothy Salisbury Davis

ISBN-13: 9781728271958
Paperback: 288 pages
Publisher: Poisoned Pen Press
Released: March 7th 2023

Source: ebook review copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

Book Description, Modified from Goodreads:
On a hot Saturday night in Manhattan, Father Duffy sits in a confessional, growing alarmed as he listens to the voice of a distraught young man who speaks of bloody hair and a dead woman and a compulsion to do things with a hammer that he does not understand. The priest tries to persuade the man to confess to the police, but the killer flees, still clutching the hammer.

The next day, Father Duffy learns that a high-class call girl on the East Side has been savagely murdered, and no suspect has been found. As he searches for the disturbed young man who he fears will kill again, cerebral New York Police detective Sergeant Ben Goldsmith takes the lead in the investigation of the call-girl murder, racing against the clock to catch a very clever killer who, when enraged, cannot control his need to swing a hammer.


My Review:
A Gentle Murderer is a mystery that was originally published in 1951. Father Duffy investigated the killer's past to try to track him down in the present. He learned that the killer's father was an abusive drunk while the mother was "too affectionate." I'm still not sure if that simply meant that she babied him or if she molested him. Duffy found plenty of reasons to believe the killer would kill again, but he didn't feel like he could share his knowledge with the police because it started out in a confessional. He's determined to find the man and convince him to turn himself in. At the same time, the police (mainly Detective Goldsmith) processed the crime scene, questioned people, and otherwise tried to identify and track down whodunit. He did a fine job even without Duffy's knowledge, and their paths converged at the end.

We know whodunit from the start, though, as the final point-of-view character was the killer. Women took one look at him and wanted to mother him, giving him (often free) room and board so he could pursue his attempts at writing poetry. He killed women he felt were leading other women astray or who were having affairs, so he seemed to feel that they deserved it. But he did know killing was a sin, thus the confession. His choices fed his desire to murder as he was often a temptation to lonely women. There was this weird "I want to mother him and have sex with him" vibe going on with his potential victims. Anyway, knowing he was close to killing again did add suspense, but I think I would have liked the mystery better without his viewpoint.

There was some bad language. There were no actual sex scenes. Any violence was minimally described, so it wasn't gory. Overall, I'd recommend this mystery to fans of "golden age" mysteries.


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.

Standing Dead by Margaret Mizushima

Standing Dead
by Margaret Mizushima

ISBN-13: 9781639102440
Paperback: 288 pages
Publisher: Crooked Lane Books
Released: March 7, 2023

Source: ebook review copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

Book Description, Modified from Goodreads:
Deputy Mattie Cobb and her sister, Julia, travel to Mexico to visit their mother, but when they arrive, they discover that she and her husband have vanished without a trace. Back in Timber Creek, Mattie finds a chilling note on her front door telling her to look for “him” among the standing dead up in the high country.

The sheriff’s department springs into action and sends a team to the mountains, where Mattie’s K-9 partner, Robo, makes a grisly discovery—a body tied to a dead pine tree. Mattie is shocked when she realizes she knows the dead man. And then another note arrives, warning that Mattie’s mother is in desperate straits. In a last-ditch gambit, Mattie must go into a killer’s lair to save her mother—or die trying.


My Review:
Standing Dead is a K9-detective mystery. It's the 8th in a series. You can understand this book without reading the previous ones, and this book didn't spoil the previous mysteries.

The main characters were likable and complex, and they acted realistically to events. I cared about what happened to them. They dealt with personal struggles while solving the mystery. Mattie and Robo (her loyal and talented working dog), Cole (the veterinarian who loves her), and the rest of the sheriff’s department worked to solve the crimes. This was a clue-based mystery. It also had a lot of suspense due to the danger to the good guys, especially Mattie's family.

The crime scenes were not described in gory detail. There were no sex scenes. The were a couple of uses of bad language. Overall, I'd highly recommend this interesting and 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.

The Secrets of Hartwood Hall by Katie Lumsden

The Secrets of Hartwood Hall
by Katie Lumsden

ISBN-13: 9780593186923
Hardcover: 352 pages
Publisher: Berkley
Released: February 28th 2023

Source: ebook review copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

Book Description, Modified from Goodreads:
It's 1852 and Margaret Lennox, a young widow, attempts to escape the shadows of her past by taking a position as governess to an only child, Louis, at an isolated country house in the west of England. But Margaret soon starts to feel that something isn't quite right. There are strange figures in the dark, tensions between servants, and an abandoned east wing. Even stranger is the local gossip surrounding Mrs. Eversham, Louis's widowed mother, who is deeply distrusted in the village. Lonely and unsure whom to trust, Margaret finds distraction in a forbidden relationship with the gardener, Paul. But as Margaret's history threatens to catch up with her, it isn't long before she learns the truth behind the secrets of Hartwood Hall.


My Review:
The Secrets of Hartwood Hall is a gothic historical set in 1852 in England. It had some very modern attitudes among the main characters, including Margaret having casual sex with a younger man and two lesbian women living together without comment by the staff who knew about it. Margaret's offered marriage by the young man but refused because of how controlling and abusive her husband had been. She liked sex and wanted children but wanted no commitments to a man.

I had expected a mystery novel, but it's not. It's just odd things happening around the Hall and Margaret getting very jumpy despite being reassured by a long-time servant that there's no danger there. Frankly, I got bored after a while of how cowardly Margaret acted. Her way of dealing with fear and stress seemed to be to run to her lover and have sex rather than really trying to fix things. The characters also were very stiff and stilted. We're rarely told why people acted the way they did, and even Margaret's motivating past was only very, very slowly revealed. Since the characters didn't come across as real, I didn't really care about what happened to them. Sorry, but this book wasn't for me.

There were many intense kissing scenes followed by fade-to-black sex, then fond thoughts of it afterwards. There were only a few uses of 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.