Conversations with Kav – Mothers in Fiction + Giveaway

Today seems like the perfect time to talk about our favourite fictional mothers. And I thought we could share childhood faves as well as mothers in our fictional reads.

Favourite Mothers in Children’s Books.

True story: I was raised in a very dysfunctional family. We were struggling immigrants and my mother suffered with what I know now to be an undiagnosed mental illness. So, not a lot of mothering going on in my house but I took solace in the storybook families I read about. In fact, books were my only experience with what a functional family actually looked like. I like to say I was raised by books and am so grateful to my public library’s extensive children’s collection that kept me immersed in imaginary worlds when my own was difficult to bear.

So, I have lots of favourite fictional mothers who played a part in raising me. I’ll try to corral my thoughts to just a few….

Mama from the All-of-a-Kind Family series by Sydney Taylor. These are sweet, simple family stories featuring five sisters at the turn of the century (early 1900s) in New York’s lower East Side. Mama is their anchor – especially when it comes to sharing their Jewish traditions and holidays. Interesting side note: These books were the first to depict traditional American Jewish life in children’s literature. A classic from the 1950s, the books have been reprinted multiple times over the decades but I love the original hardback illustrated copies that I managed to find at library sales over the years.

Mother from The Austin Family Chronicles by Madeleine L’Engle – 5 books starting with Meet the Austins starring Vicky Austin and her siblings. These are gritty, pre-teen/teenage angst kind of stories but with plenty of structured family life to fall back on. First published in the 1960s and reprinted countless times since then, parts can seem outdated (child discipline for one) but there’s something so comforting about this solid family working together to get through the tough stuff. I felt so terribly grown up reading these books! 🙂

Favourite Mothers in my Current Fiction

One author immediately springs to mind: Ruth Logan Herne. She writes kids and families with such truth and grace and humour. Her single mom heroines are independent and capable — no shrinking violets waiting to be rescued! And the way she writes the parenting aspects are spot on. No wonder since she has plenty of lived experience as a mother and grandmother. I always know I’m in for an emotionally satisfying read when I reach for one of her books.

Althea’s grandmother in Sweet Tea by Piper Huguley. Miss Ada steals every scene she’s in. I love that woman! Everyone needs a Miss Ada in their life, bossing them around and telling them what’s what and reminding them of where they come from and who God made them to be. I listened to the audio book but I need to get a print copy so I can underline a variety of Ada-ism to have on hand when I need a boost…or a shove!

Aleida in Embers in the London Sky by Sarah Sundin. This was a colossal ugly cry read for me as it showcases the depths of a mother’s love as Aleida desperately searches for her missing son. It’s heart wrenching and hopeful and everything in between. Definitely a book hangover kind of read…and my favourite Sarah Sundin to date.

Okay, now it’s your turn. What comes to mind when you think of fictional mothers — both from your childhood reads and your ‘grown-up’ ones? Share in a comment below to be entered to win a $10 Baker Book House gift card.

Draw will be held and winner announced on Saturday May 17 2025

May Giveaway – Week Two

Winners will be contacted if they left their email address, otherwise it’s up to the winner to contact me at kavluvstoread AT yahoo DOT ca (please note it’s ca as in Canada, not com.) From time to time a winner and I do not connect so I have a one month time frame on giveaway wins. If I haven’t been able to reach you within 30 days of your win, it will be forfeited. This has happened a few times now, so please, DON’T BE SHY — CONTACT ME IF YOU DIDN’T LEAVE AN EMAIL OR IF I HAVEN’T BEEN SUCCESSFUL IN REACHING YOU!

Conversations with Kav – a place for us to chat about bookish topics if anyone is so inclined. Sometimes there will be giveaways, sometimes there won’t. It will just depend on the topic of the day. Hope to see you there! Otherwise my inner book nerd and I will carry on by ourselves. Bwahaha!

Death at the Highland Loch

Move over, Inspector! Lady Poppy Proudfoot is here to solve her very first case.

Scotland, 1924: When Lady Poppy Proudfoot travels to the Highlands for a midsummer party, the last thing she and her fellow guests expect is for a body to wash up beside the loch.

Despite protests that it could have been an accident, Poppy is convinced it’s murder and decides to dust off her law degree and hunt for clues. But when the police arrive, the grumpy Inspector MacKenzie dismisses her evidence, insisting a crime scene is no place for a Lady. The nerve!

With the help of her trusted Labrador, Major, Poppy begins to unpick the case. But she soon has two mysteries to solve, as her host Lady Constance Balfour claims a diamond and emerald bracelet has been stolen. Could the two cases be linked? Was it Freddy the footman, a favourite of her ladyship? Or American actress Miss Cornett, with a keen eye for jewels? Or with such a dazzling guestlist, was someone from the local village tempted into the grounds by the party?

When a woman bearing an uncanny resemblance to Poppy is attacked, she realizes that someone wants her off the case. Someone connected to Balfour Houseis a murderer and a thief, but who? And can Poppy solve the mystery before she, too, washes up beside the loch?

A warm, unputdownable page-turning historical whodunnit, perfect for fans of Helena Dixon, Verity Bright, T.E. Kinsey and Catherine Coles.

My Review:

What a great introduction to a new cozy series! I love the combination of history and mystery. The 1920s is such an interesting era, the way it is sandwiched in between two world wars. And, be still my heart, the Scottish setting adds even more of a thrill.

Nothing says summer fun like a Highlands house party complete with a dead body. 🙂 And Lady Poppy just can’t keep out of the investigation, much to the consternation of a certain dour police Inspector. Great dynamics between these two and lots of tension which was fun.

Poppy’s penchant for keeping important evidence a secret from the Inspector irked me a bit though. It’s pretty standard cozy mystery fare, but I need there to be a good reason…or at least a plausible one…for the amateur sleuth to keep silent about important clues. Poppy is peeved because the Inspector wasn’t taking her seriously enough (at their first meeting, no less!) and so she holds back information which just made her seem childish and petty. Thankfully, she gets better at sharing as the story progresses.

One mystery morphs into two that may or may not be connected and Poppy’s in the thick of things all the way through. Great pacing and wonderful secondary characters kept me engaged right to the very end. Travers has a beautifully descriptive writing style and a knack for writing dialogue that zings which made this an easy book to breeze through.

This is the first in the Lady Poppy Proudfoot series, though it’s a wee bit of a spin off from the author’s previous Scottish Ladies Detective Agency series – at least the heroines from those books make some cameo appearances in this one. Not enough to confuse new to Lydia Travers readers (like me) but enough to tempt us to backtrack post haste to the earlier series.

I listened to the audio edition of ‘Death at the Highland Loch’ and really enjoyed Sarah Barron’s wonderful narration. She was great with the all the accents which really added to my listening pleasure.

My thanks to Bookouture Audio and Net Galley for providing me with an audio edition of this book.

Sometimes You Stay + Giveaway

For digital content creator Cretia Martin, home is wherever her carry-on suitcase lands. And it’s constantly landing in new places as she travels the world. She’s never been interested in settling in one spot–after all, houses are just places that collect junk and tie you down. But when she literally bumps into local dog breeder Finn Chaffey on Prince Edward Island and all of the tools of her trade end up in the harbor, she can’t exactly leave until she gets things sorted out.

Finn is horrified by the part he played in the accident and offers to help, arranging for Cretia to stay with a friend at the beautiful Red Door Inn. The longer Cretia is forced to remain in one place, the more she discovers what she’s been missing with life on the road–and the more she wants to see Finn and his business succeed. But helping him means staying put, the one thing she always swore she wouldn’t do, and risking the only thing she’s never put on the line–her heart.

New York Times bestselling author Liz Johnson invites you back to the Red Door Inn on Prince Edward Island for an inspiring story full of adorable puppies, sweet friendship, and unexpected romance.

My Review:

Well, this is embarrassing. I actually don’t have a review. I usually read a week or two in advance for the blog so my reviews are all scheduled to go and I don’t feel any pressure but sometimes I am soooooo looking forward to a book that I want to read it the second it comes out. ‘Sometimes You Stay’ is that kind of a book so I preordered it on audible (awesome preorder price!) and, thinking it released on May 6th, I went ahead and scheduled it for review this week. Only, oops, it doesn’t actually release until May 20th so we still have two whole weeks to wait! Sigh.

But I promised a giveaway, so here it is. I can also promise this will be an excellent read because…Liz Johnson! Prince Edward Island setting! Newfoundland dog on the cover! (Which is the only thing I like about the cover, FYI)

And, hey, if you have managed to nab a review copy, share a thought or two in the comments below and increase the ecstatic agony of our bookish anticipation!

My Foolish Heart + Giveaway

Unknown to her tiny town of Deep Haven, Isadora Presley spends her nights as Miss Foolish Heart, the star host of a syndicated talk radio show. Millions tune in to hear her advice on dating and falling in love, unaware that she’s never really done either. Issy’s ratings soar when it seems she’s falling in love on-air with a caller. A caller she doesn’t realize lives right next door.

Caleb Knight served a tour of duty in Iraq and paid a steep price. The last thing he wants is pity, so he hides his disability and moves to Deep Haven to land his dream job as the high school football coach. When his beautiful neighbor catches his eye, in a moment of desperation he seeks advice from My Foolish Heart , the show that airs before his favorite sports broadcast.

Before he knows it, Caleb finds himself drawn to the host―and more confused than ever. Is his perfect love the woman on the radio . . . Or the one next door?

My Review:

published in 2011

My Foolish Heart is pure romance and it was refreshing to read a story where the plot focused on just that — the romance between Caleb and Issy. This doesn’t mean the story is shallow or lacking in any way. In fact the simplicity of it allowed Warren to go deeper into the hearts and lives of two people struggling to overcome past tragedies. She does it so well that I can totally see this play out on the big screen — it’s the kind of feel good, triumphant story with a  mega football game ending that would move you to tears in the theater. Honestly, it would be a hit at the box office.

Football? I HATE football. I don’t understand it, don’t want to and have absolutely no interest in anyone who does…until Caleb…and Issy. I actually read the football talk! I actually got the football jargon!  That in itself is a miracle!

You will meet the most endearing furry, four-footed beast in the pages of this book. Roger/Duncan provides humour and comfort and a major goosebump moment. And secondary characters who steal the spotlight at times as they struggle…and conquer…their own troubled pasts.

And then there’s Issy. Warren approached her condition with compassion and understanding and somehow got into Issy’s heart and then shared it with her readers. I was really touched by Issy’s struggle and paralleled it with some of my own. Not that I have ever suffered from a full blown panic attack, but I have certainly experienced selected ‘mini’ ones. Haven’t we all? And being able to connect with that and watch Issy’s battle somehow made me feel stronger too.

A wonderful, inspiring read that packs quite a few surprises…just to keep things interesting!

A Hopeful Heart + Giveaway

Dowryless and desperate, Tressa Neill applies to the inaugural class of Wyatt Herdsman School in Barnett, Kansas, in 1888. The school’s one-of-a-kind program teaches young women from the East the skills needed to become a rancher–or the wife of one. Shy and small for her twenty-two years, Tressa is convinced she’ll never have what it takes to survive Hattie Wyatt’s hands-on instruction in skills such as milking a cow, branding a calf, riding a horse, and cooking up a mess of grub for hungry ranch hands. But what other options does she have?

Abel Samms wants nothing to do with the group of potential brides his neighbor brought to town. He was smitten with an eastern girl once–and he got his heart broken. But there’s something about quiet Tressa and her bumbling ways that makes him take notice. When Tressa’s life is endangered, will Abel risk his own life–and his heart–to help this eastern girl?

My Review:

published in 2010

This is such a fresh look at the mail-order bride trope. I love the whole concept of a Herdsman School. How brilliant is that?! And ‘Aunt’ Hetty nearly outshines the hero and heroine. She’s just such a solid, comforting, no-nonsense but compassionate woman, and her faith is unshakeable. She’s the anchor in this story.

Tressa Neill is a heroine after my own heart. She starts out so timid, cowed by emotional events from her past which have made her lose sight of God. Her lack of confidence makes her a scapegoat for some of the other young women at the school. Her redemption story adds emotional depth and just the right amount of faith to inspire without overwhelming the rest of the story.

Abel Samm’s prejudices against the Eastern women and reluctant attraction to Tressa is infuriating, funny and endearing. He has solid reasons for not being interested in an Eastern bride — or any woman for that matter — as he struggles to hold onto his ranch. And that includes foiling cattle rustlers which adds a bit of mystery to this historical romance.

Kim Vogel Sawyer is a mainstay in Christian Fiction and this kind of storytelling is exactly why.

Two Seconds Too Late + Giveaway

In the stark but beautiful wilds of northern New Mexico, a luxury spa and couple’s retreat turns into a chilling nightmare when a woman vanishes without a trace, just hours after a public fight with her boyfriend. Worried something sinister has happened, her friends reach out to investigator Riley MacLeod, an expert skip tracer, for help. The assignment means going undercover at the retreat, which means pairing up with private investigator Greyson Chadwick. Their partnership ignites a tumultuous mix of attraction and distrust as Riley’s unorthodox methods clash with Greyson’s meticulous approach.

As they delve deeper into the case and a ruthless hitman is unleashed upon them, Riley and Greyson find themselves fighting not only for justice but for their very survival. Staying one step ahead of danger, the pair discovers a hidden truth that rocks them to the core. In their race against the clock, they can only hope that they’re not too late.

With her signature pulse-pounding twists, Dani Pettrey weaves a gripping tale of love and survival in the face of unimaginable danger.

My Review:

Intense. Riveting. Unputdownable.

Pettrey delivers exactly what I’ve come to expect from her – a story full of emotional depth, intriguing suspense and explosive action. And I love the way the author combines all these elements into an impeccably paced pièce de résistance. Tons of tension, not only in the suspense but especially in the romance which adds an extra thrill of anticipation. Just sublime reading all around.

And speaking of the romance…two words. Fake Relationship. Eeeeppp! Riley and Grey go undercover at a couple’s retreat so cue the sizzling chemistry and some wonderful scenes where they are forced to confront inner feelings they might have been ignoring for way too long. Cue some emotionally charged toe-curling kisses. Happy sigh!

This second book in the Jeopardy Falls series reads excellently as a standalone but also contains a wonderful ensemble of secondary characters who add to the overall charm (Riley’s brothers and their banter!) I also enjoyed (well…that’s not quite the right word) the occasional nefarious villain POV. Those scenes added a bit of a creep factor and kept me engaged in conducting my own armchair sleuth investigation. Love immersing myself in a story like this!

I listened to the audible edition narrated by Jennifer O’Donnell who did an amazing job delivering all the emotion and tension of the story. A truly gifted voice performer.

Conversations With Kav – Swoonalicious Fictional Couples + Giveaway

I couldn’t resist Tracey’s suggestion this week so here we are talking about our favourite fictional couples. Easy peasy topic, right? Uh….not really. Not when you take into consideration that you have to pick fave hero/heroine combos which mean you have to…gasp…choose! And in order to do that you have to browse your bookshelves which leads to scanning all the toe-curling bits which just makes the decision-making even harder (though highly enjoyable!) and all that eats up your day (when you should have been working in the garden!)

Phew! So, let’s set our minds on romance. Epic love stories. Swoonworthy courtships. Toe-curling kisses. Fainting Couch level bookish delights. The kind of heroes and heroines who promise happily ever afters forever in your mind.

I’ll start….but oy, I could go on all day! It’s gutting me trying to pick just a few to start off the conversation but here we go (though please understand that I have been unduly traumatized by the whole selection process. Bwahahaha!)

Oh — and I just picked out excerpts from my reviews of these books to explain why I love these heroes and heroines so much because, honestly, my brain has been fried from re-reading so many heart palpitating scenes all day long that I can’t come up with an original though at the moment. 🙂

Romantically Swoonworthy Fictional Couples

(by no means is this a comprehensive list!!!!!!)

Ara and Phillip from On Wings of Devotion by Roseanna M. White – “Eeep! Squeal! Eeeepquealll!!! I have permanent creases on my face from all the nose-dive swooning onto my fainting couch. Phillip Camden is not a monster, y’all! Tortured soul? Yes. A bit sullen and brooding? Definitely. Running from God? You bet. But none of that makes him a monster and Ara knows that right from the start…and, of course, so did I. 🙂 Hence all the swooning.”

Amanda and Peter from Amanda by Sarah Monzon – “Peter is high up on my favourite heroes ever pedestal — might have bounced some of ’em right off the platform on his way up. This hero is the definition of integrity and honour. And grit and determination. Anchored in his faith and steadfast in living it out in his life. And when he sets his sights on Amanda…

Whimper, my fainting couch has scorch marks and I don’t even care! Squeallll…reunion romance alert! They both haven’t stopped loving each other but there’s all kinds of emotional junk in the way. The undercurrents sent my tummy into loop-de-loops. I was on the very romantical edge all the way to the end.

And sassy, smart-mouthed Amanda puts on a great front to the world, but the closer Peter gets, the more her facade cracks. Honestly, sometimes she went too far and I cringed a couple of times over what she said but Peter doesn’t let her get away with anything. He calls her on it and forces her to reassess. Pries the vulnerability right out of her while she’s kicking and screaming all the way.”

Adam and Persephone from Seeking Persephone by Sarah M. Eden – “Fainting couches, lace fans and smelling salts are definitely necessary accoutrements for this reading journey. Stock up and be prepared to be charmed by witty banter and the social graces of the day…well, maybe not so much when it comes to the Duke who has a somewhat beastly persona. In fact, I would actually classify this as a fairy tale retelling of Beauty and the Beast.

Disfigured in boyhood, Adam hides his heart behind a thick armor of indifference. He doesn’t need anyone. Especially a bride. So, though he begrudgingly accepts Persephone into his home, he bars her from his life. Or tries to. Persephone can be quite a force when necessary — the perils of being the eldest sibling of a motherless brood. Love how this beauty’s gentle spirit proves stronger than her Beast’s gruff stoicism!”

Holiday and Emmett from The Trouble With Love by Toni Shiloh – “One of the absolute delights of this novel is the witty banter between Holiday and Emmett. It’s fast a furious and full of teasing (Emmett) and snark (Holiday). My, but that girl can hold a grudge and she’s been nursing this one against Emmett since she was fourteen. Loved the crackling energy ziinging between these two every time they are together. My fingertips got singed from all that latent longing. :-)”

Ben and Marci from Pelican Point by Irene Hannon – “The romance is slow and steady and fraught with trepidation. I mean, I knew something was going to happen…but not that! Hannon kept me rabidly turning pages, alternately giggling and swooning and even edge-of-my-seating in places. Love how this once-bitten-twice-shy hero and heroine start to cautiously move towards romance. Reluctant describes them both but so does crazy-attracted-to-each-other. Such a dilemma! Be prepared for some fireworks and lots of sizzle right from the very first time they meet.”

Charlie and Ella from The Lady and the Lionheart by Joanne Bischof – “There’s an exquisite Beauty and the Beast quality to their love story. Charlie is seriously swoonworthy. Tough and determined. Gentle and kind. Passionate. Committed. Loyal. Fierce. And oh so tender! His faith is his anchor, his desire to share the power of God’s grace touched me in ways no other hero has. He has a servant’s heart and his powerful example of sacrificial love is mind-blowing. Sigh. There’s just something about Charlie. If I was into making lists and composed a Best Hero Ever in the History of the World one Charlie would be right at the top.

Caspar and Scarlett from The Captain and Miss Winter by Sally Britoon – “A hero with a troubled past set on putting things to rights. A wronged heroine doomed to be an outcast the rest of her life. The hope that tragedy might be overcome and a happily ever after possible. My heart is flip-flopping just thinking about it. And, oh, the dialogue, the shy glances, the yearning to fan the fires of that sweet spark of attraction…BUT…Scarlett has secrets, Caspar is on a quest and there’s danger lurking in the woods! Squeal! Eep! Squueeeepppp!!!!”

GIVEAWAY OPPORTUNITY

Now it’s your turn. Do you have a favourite fictional couple you like to swoon over? Share in a comment below and you’ll be entered in a giveaway from a $10.00 Baker Book House gift card.

Draw will be held and winner announced on Saturday May 10 2025.

May Giveaway – Week One

Winners will be contacted if they left their email address, otherwise it’s up to the winner to contact me at kavluvstoread AT yahoo DOT ca (please note it’s ca as in Canada, not com.) From time to time a winner and I do not connect so I have a one month time frame on giveaway wins. If I haven’t been able to reach you within 30 days of your win, it will be forfeited. This has happened a few times now, so please, DON’T BE SHY — CONTACT ME IF YOU DIDN’T LEAVE AN EMAIL OR IF I HAVEN’T BEEN SUCCESSFUL IN REACHING YOU!

LOOKING AHEAD TO NEXT WEEK:

Conversations with Kav – a place for us to chat about bookish topics if anyone is so inclined. Sometimes there will be giveaways, sometimes there won’t. It will just depend on the topic of the day. Hope to see you there! Otherwise my inner book nerd and I will carry on by ourselves. Bwahaha!

A Death on Corfu

Living in Greece at the turn of the twentieth century, widow Minnie Harper struggles to find her place in a swiftly changing world. But when a local woman is murdered, her resolve is put to the test in a race to shed light on the truth . . .

Minnie Harper isn’t used to putting herself first. Not after she moved away from England only to be left raising two children alone on the Greek Island of Corfu following her husband’s unexpected death. But with her daughter begging to be sent to school abroad and her son grasping at his own independence, Minnie realizes she must prepare for the next stage of her life.

When famous mystery author Stephen Dorian settles into a neighboring villa to escape writer’s block and hidden scandals, she is intrigued at first by the handsome Londoner—until he proves to be nothing more than a boorish grump. Determined to avoid the man as much as possible, Minnie is shocked when he offers her a well-paid job as his typist. She isn’t in a position to turn down work, even from a man she has sworn to hate.

But before Minnie can fully regret her decision to take the job, she makes a horrifying discovery that changes everything. A young maid has been murdered, and local authorities aren’t moving fast enough to bring justice to the terrible crime. Unwilling to allow the death to fade into obscurity like the stories of so many other women deemed unworthy by society, Minnie launches an investigation of her own—and reluctantly accepts Stephen’s help. As she embarks on a dangerous search for answers that reveals another side of Corfu, unsettling questions take shape about her employer-turned-confidant and the culprit who just might do whatever it takes to strike again . . .

My Review:

Eeeeppp!!!! So excited about this new series! Love the exotic locale and the historical timeline. The author transported me to turn of the century Corfu with captivating descriptions full of luscious details. I so enjoy armchair traveling through my fiction!

Minnie is a widowed British ex-pat raising her two children in Greece. It’s mostly an idyllic life within a small but thriving British community. The children attend the village school while Minnie occasionally finds office work to help expenses. But when she accepts a job typing for a temperamental visiting author, the comforting rhythm of her days morph into a series of unexpected events that are both exhilarating and confusing.

Murder and mayhem ensue in true Agatha Christie fashion along with a dash of romance. Perfect balance between cozy details and the mystery plot with lots of red herrings to sort through. Loved puzzling out the clues right along with Minnie and Stephen, but mercy, that ending! A bit of a cliff hanger in Minnie’s personal life but a lovely set up for the next book in the series…at least I hope there’s a series because I need more! Sooner rather than later. Please!!

I enjoyed listening to Siobhan Waring’s excellent narration. Her animated portrayal of these characters is really well done – especially the sniping/banter between Minnie and Stephen! So much fun! As well as authentic dialects of both the Greek and British characters. A real pleasure to listen to.

My thanks to RBMedia and Net Galley for providing me with an audio edition of this book.