Tag: Historical Fiction

The Filling Station + Giveaway

Two sisters. One unassuming haven. Endless opportunities for grace.

During Jim Crow America, there was only one place Black Americans could safely refuel their vehicles along what would eventually become iconic Route 66. But more than just a place to refuel, it was a place to fill up the soul, build community, and find strength. For two sisters, the Threatt Filling Station became the safe haven they needed after escaping the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre.

After looking in the face of evil and leaving her whole world behind, Margaret Justice wants nothing more than to feel safe and hold tight to what she has left. Her sister, Evelyn, meanwhile, is a dreamer who longs for adventure and to follow her heart, even though she’s been told repeatedly to not dream too big.

As they both grapple with love, loss, and racism, Margaret and Evelyn realize that they can’t hide out at the filling station when Greenwood and their father’s legacy needs to be rebuilt. Going back will take strength they’re not sure they have. But for the love of Greenwood, they will risk it all and just may be the catalyst to bring Black Wall Street back to its former glory.

My Review:

I am really struggling to find the words to do justice to this novel. I’m still a chaotic mess of emotions and it’s been almost a week since I finished ‘The Filling Station.’ This is a story that has settled into my soul and will be remembered forever.

It’s a tough read. Miller doesn’t mince words when it comes to describing the events of the Tulsa Race Massacre. I felt the terror and keen sense of injustice and disbelief right along with Margaret and Evelyn. Seeing everything unfold through their eyes made for an emotional assault on my senses. But the author doesn’t abandon us there.

She shines a light on the resilience of a people who refuse to be beaten down. She infuses faith and hope in the midst of the impossible. It’s never easy. Everything isn’t all tied up in a bow by the end. Some gaping wounds are still festering while others have healed over. Margaret and Evelyn deal with their trauma and grief in very different ways and that means that sometimes they clash, but the bond of their sisterhood can never be severed. They are survivors and overcomes and their story, while fictional, represents the real life experience of hundreds of men and women.

And that’s what stops me cold. Because it seems so impossible. I should be reassured that the massacre happened a hundred years ago. And yet, I can’t help but feel like we are back sliding, losing ground in battles already won and it makes me so sad and mad and feeling helpless. But what gives me hope is that people like Margaret and Evelyn didn’t give up. They didn’t succumb to fear, exhaustion or despair. They focused on doing the next right thing, many placing their faith in a God others might think had forsaken them. So much to learn and admire about this kind of tenacity and courage.

And the people who stepped up to stand in the gap for them. There’s huge lessons to be learned about what it means to actively be the hands and feet of Christ. So many wonderful secondary characters, some based on real people, who give me hope for humanity. God isn’t finished with us yet.

‘The Filling Station’ is an absolute MUST READ as far as I’m concerned. And it would make an incredible book club selection because there are so many important talking points.

I was privileged to be able to listen to the audible edition narrated by Angel Pean who did a stupendous job conveying the depth of emotion in this story. And she really captured the unique personalities of both sisters and all the secondary characters as well. Would highly recommend the audio edition of ‘The Filling Station.’

My thanks to Thomas Nelson, Zondervan Fiction Audio and Net Galley for providing me with an audio edition of this book.

GIVEAWAY OPPORTUNITY:

This giveaway is for a print or ebook copy. Winner’s choice.

US – available in print or ebook — winner’s choice

Canada – available in print or ebook or audible (if available) — winner’s choice

International – ebook copy if you have a US Kindle account.

If you would like a chance to win a copy of The Filling Station, leave a comment below or email me at kavluvstoread AT yahoo DOT ca. If you add an email to your comment, remember to use AT and DOT instead of @ and . in order to protect yourself from spammers. If you enter the draw via email, please add the title to the subject line so it’s easy to spot your entry. Draw will be held and winner announced on Saturday March 15 2025.

A Death in Diamonds

The royally brilliant fourth book in the Her Majesty the Queen Investigates mystery series!

1957 – The young Queen is finding her way in a challenging world as the United Kingdom adjusts to being a country without an empire, without a place in post-war Europe, and without a reliable friendship with America. 

As she travels the world to try and build bridges, she is advised by the ‘men in moustaches’, as Philip calls them – her father’s old courtiers, who may or may not have her best interests at heart. One of them is trying to sabotage her: that much she is sure of. 

And then two bodies turn up, horribly murdered, in Chelsea, and the Queen finds herself unwillingly used as the alibi for somebody very close to her. 

She knows she can’t face these challenges alone. She needs the help of someone clever, discreet and loyal, someone she can trust. Then she meets ex-Bletchley Park code breaker, Joan McGraw …

My Review:

In a word: brilliant! This coming from a decidedly non-Royal watcher. But there’s just something about Queen Elizabeth and the way the author has captured her and life as a royal in general that is so engaging. And I love the clever way she has incorporated the amateur sleuthing while staying true to the reality of the Queen’s obvious logistical limitations.

The first three books in the series are contemporary novels but this fourth one takes us back to 1957 when a much younger Queen Elizabeth is juggling royal duties, family life and finding her way in a new post-war / Cold War world. Fascinating historical details and insights into what it must have been like for the young queen to gently break away from her trusted but oh so stuffy staff. Lots of pompous, moustached gentlemen who would prefer to remain in the past, keeping the Queen as a figurehead while they ‘wisely’ guide her path.

Only, there seems to be a saboteur in the palace and the astute Queen has her suspicions but lacks the freedom to find the evidence. And that’s where beleaguered typist (with an interesting war history) Joan comes in. She’s Watson to the Queen’s Sherlock.

Argh — there were times I wanted to scream over the insufferable chauvinism and backward 50s ideologies. But then I’d be chuckling over how the Queen deftly works around all those well-meaning men to solve not one, but two mysteries and all with them none the wiser. I dearly wished she could stand up and shout “Ta da! I figured it all out for you!” and take the credit instead of cleverly orchestrating the investigations behind the scenes.

A complicated mystery with lots of complex layers and multiple points of view kept me invested in the read right to the end. And left me hoping that we won’t have long to wait for the next ‘Her Majesty the Queen Investigates’ book to release.

Of note: Some mild language.

I listened to the audio edition, narrated by Samantha Bond who did a tremendous job with all these characters. From a young Queen to all the stuffy gentlemen and everyone in between. She made an already stellar story that much more engaging. Highly recommend the audio book if you are a listening kind of reader.

My thanks to Dreamscape Media and Net Galley for providing me with an audio copy of this book.

Shadows of Ladenbrooke Manor

Random Retro Read

When Heather Toulson returns to her parents cottage in the English countryside, she uncovers long-hidden secrets about her family history and stumbles onto the truth about a sixty-year-old murder. 

Libby, a free spirit who can’t be tamed by her parents, finds solace with her neighbor Oliver, the son of Lord Croft of Ladenbrooke Manor. Libby finds herself pregnant and alone when her father kicks her out and Oliver mysteriously drowns in a nearby river. Though theories spread across the English countryside, no one is ever held responsible for Oliver’s death.

Sixty years later, Heather Toulson, returning to her family’s cottage in the shadows of Ladenbrooke Manor, is filled with mixed emotions. She’s mourning her father’s passing but can’t let go of the anger and resentment over their strained relationship. Adding to her confusion, Heather has an uneasy reunion with her first love, all while sorting through her family’s belongings left behind in the cottage. As Heather digs, she finds a mysterious journal that belonged to a woman she never knew and it contains clues that lead to the truth about a mysterious drowning decades ago. What she uncovers will change everything she thought she knew about her family’s history. 

Award-winning author Melanie Dobson seamlessly weaves the past and present together, fluidly unraveling the decades-old mystery and reveals how the characters are connected in shocking ways. Set in a charming world of thatched cottages, lush gardens, and lovely summer evenings, this romantic and historical mystery brings to light the secrets and heartaches that have divided a family for generations.

My Review:

published in 2015

I’m feeling a bit pensive and sad after finishing this novel. It’s an amazing story but not everyone gets a happily ever after. Three generations of women in the same family, all repeating the same mistakes and it just hurt to see how easily history can repeat itself.

It starts with Heather in present day and then flashes back in time, first to Maggie and then to Libby. Melanie Dobson is a genius at connecting the separate stories in a dual timeline novel, slowly giving her readers tiny pieces of the puzzle but not nearly enough to prevent a few earth shattering “aha” moments.

So, I was captivated and compelled to non-stop listen to ‘Shadows of Ladenbrooke’ (great narration by Nancy Peterson. Highly recommend the audio book.) Family history and mystery, a second chance romance and the very real, raw, messiness of broken people doing their best. I definitely need to follow this read up with a rom/com to lighten my spirits!

Truth Be Told + Giveaway

Denver’s newest detective. A garden’s deadly secrets.

On a lovely June night in 1924, amateur detective Annalee Spain is mingling bravely at a high-class political fundraiser in the lush backyard garden of famed political fixer Cooper Coates, one of the wealthiest men in Denver’s Black neighborhood of Five Points. When Coates’s young daughter discovers a pretty stranger dead in her father’s garden shed, Annalee is thrust onto the baffling new case just as she’s reeling from another recent discovery―a handwritten letter, found buried in her own garden, that reveals the identity of her mother.

Not ready to face the truth about her hidden past, Annalee throws herself into solving the mystery of the young woman’s demise. With the help of her pastor boyfriend Jack Blake, her orphaned buddy Eddie, and her trustworthy church friends, Annalee follows the clues to three seemingly disconnected settings―a traveling carnival set up downtown, a Black civic club, and a prestigious white seminary on the outskirts of Denver. Intriguing advice also comes from a famous, real-life Denver visitor. But is Annalee on the right track or just running in circles, fleeing from conflicts racing in her heart?

In a taut, heart-gripping narrative driven by secrets, romance, and lies, Annalee must unravel a case with higher stakes than she imagined―one where answers about a lovely woman’s death point to truths and tensions still throbbing today.

My Review:

This series just keeps getting better and better! I love the way we’ve seen so much growth in Annalee over these three books. She is more sure of herself, clearer in her purpose, more resolute in her faith. And she needs to be all that and more as she faces some of the toughest situations she’s experienced since arriving in Denver.

The author incorporates historical facts with unflinching honesty. No sugar coating here as Annalee seeks justice for an unknown murder victim. Racism, violence and corruption brings danger at every turn…and from unexpected places. It’s brutal and confounding – especially as Annalee is confronted by the social bigotry within her own Black community.

This is the kind of story you feel your way through. It’s impossible to be a detached observer. I lived every heartbreaking, infuriating and gut-wrenching moment right along with Annalee and Eddie and Pastor Jack and Mrs. Mason and all the people I hold so dear. And, oh my goodness, the cameo appearance of a revered historical figure who counsels Annalee and brings such hope….I got goosebumps!!!

The mystery is complex but Annalee is relentless and has the backing of loyal friends and unexpected strangers. It’s layered in tragedy and deceit, perpetuated by legions of ‘good people’ who chose to do nothing while atrocities were committed. A mystery with history and heart — the kind of novel that changes a reader for the better by the time she reaches the end.

I listened to the excellent audible edition narrated by Zakiya Young. She brought such energy and enthusiasm to the story and enhanced my ‘reading’ pleasure that much more. She has narrated the entire series so far and these books will definitely be ones I listen to again. Keeper shelf material for sure.

GIVEAWAY OPPORTUNITY:

This giveaway is for a print or ebook copy. Winner’s choice.

US – available in print or ebook — winner’s choice

Canada – available in print or ebook or audible (if available) — winner’s choice

International – ebook copy if you have a US Kindle account.

If you would like a chance to win a copy of one of the Truth Be Told, leave a comment below or email me at kavluvstoread AT yahoo DOT ca. If you add an email to your comment, remember to use AT and DOT instead of @ and . in order to protect yourself from spammers. If you enter the draw via email, please add the title to the subject line so it’s easy to spot your entry. Draw will be held and winner announced on Saturday July 13 2024.

When the Day Comes

How will she choose, knowing all she must sacrifice? 

Libby has been given a powerful 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. 

In Colonial Williamsburg, Libby is a public printer for the House of Burgesses and the Royal Governor, trying to provide for her family and 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. But the only work she cares about–women’s suffrage–is discouraged, and her mother is intent on marrying her off to an English marquess. The growing talk of war in Europe only complicates matters. 

But Libby knows she’s not destined to live two lives forever. On her twenty-first birthday, she must choose one path and forfeit the other–but how can she choose when she has so much to lose in each life?

My Review:

I feel like I’m the last person on the planet to start this innovative series but better late than never, I guess. 🙂 Brilliantly clever time travel theme and the author even manages to include a faith thread! I’m beyond impressed. Especially at the way she developed the time travel elements and still fit the story into the Christian Fiction genre.

I think one of the reasons I hesitated to read ‘When the Day Comes’ is that I hate love triangles and I figured this one would be a doozy but — phew — it really isn’t. However it’s all kinds of complicated and heart wrenching with enough gasp-out-loud moments to give me unsettled nights for a while (I tend to carry my fiction over into my dreams.)

And that’s about all I can say because the things I want to comment on are major spoiler-y so I’ll sum up by saying this novel is unlike anything I’ve read before. Unique and compelling and so, so emotional! Now I’m eyeing book two but there are…yikes, three timelines (!) and I’m not sure my heart can handle that!

The Italian Ballerina + Giveaway

At the height of the Nazi occupation of Rome, an unlikely band of heroes comes together to save innocent lives in this breathtaking World War II novel based on real historical events.

Rome, 1943 . With the fall of Italy’s Fascist government and the Nazi regime occupying the streets of Rome, British ballerina Julia Bradbury is stranded and forced to take refuge at a hospital on Tiber Island. But when she learns of a deadly sickness that is sweeping through the quarantine wards—a fake disease known only as Syndrome K—she is drawn into one of the greatest cons in history. Alongside hospital staff, friars of the adjoining church, and two Allied medics, Julia risks everything to rescue Italian Jews from the deadly clutches of the Holocaust. But when one little girl who dreams of becoming a ballerina arrives at their door, Julia and the others are determined to reunite the young dancer with her family—if only she would reveal one crucial secret: her name.

Present Day . With the recent loss of her grandfather—a beloved small-town doctor and WWII veteran—Delaney Coleman returns home to help her aging parents, even as she struggles to pick up the pieces of her own life. When a mysterious Italian woman claims she owns one of the family’s precious heirlooms, Delaney is compelled to uncover what’s true of her grandfather’s hidden past. Together with the woman’s skeptical but charming grandson, Delaney learns of a Roman hospital that saved hundreds of Jewish people during the war. Soon, everything Delaney thought she knew about her grandfather comes into question as she wrestles with the possibility that the man she’d revered all her life had unknown ties to Rome and may have taken noble secrets to his grave.

Based on true accounts of the invented Syndrome K sickness, The Italian Ballerina journeys from the Allied storming of the beaches at Salerno to the London ballet stage and the war-torn streets of WWII Rome, exploring the sometimes heart-wrenching choices we must make to find faith and forgiveness, and how saving just one life can impact countless others.

My Review:

Phew! This one was a heartbreaker! I’m a bit of an emotional mess now that it’s all over. A vulnerable mix of aching and hope and everything in-between.

Kristy Cambron is known for writing complex dual timeline novels full of rich layers and important bits of history that should never be forgotten. She accomplishes that again with ‘The Italian Ballerina’ though I will admit to sometimes getting lost in the un-chronological yo-yoing in the past timeline. This might have been because I listened to the audible edition (expertly narrated by Barrie Kreinik by the way.) It probably would have helped to see the dates/places printed out every time we broke away from the present day. It’s not like there was a huge leap of decades — more like a 5-6 year span — but we’d be in 1943, then the next time in 1939 and then 1941 — and in the POV of two different characters so I was always scrambling to properly place the character and situations. I really enjoy dual timeline stories but I am finding that I enjoy them more when the historical story unfolds chronologically.

Amazed once again to discover yet another aspect of World War II that I knew nothing about. That an Italian hospital created a fictitious highly contagious sickness in order to hide Jews in quarantine wards is — well it sounds like it could only happen in fiction! And Cambron has cleverly woven it into a story that bridges decades and continents. How on earth does she keep it all straight in her mind as she writes?! Sheer genius!

I liked the contrast in the present day timeline. Not without its own emotional upheavals, but it was still lighter and served to highlight the powerful impact the choices of the past have on our present.

This book gutted me though — so not a light read but an important one.

GIVEAWAY OPPORTUNITY:

This giveaway is for a print or ebook copy. Winner’s choice.

US – available in print or ebook — winner’s choice

Canada – available in print or ebook or audible (if available) — winner’s choice

International – ebook copy if you have a US Kindle account.

If you would like a chance to win a copy of one of the Secondary Target, leave a comment below or email me at kavluvstoread AT yahoo DOT ca. If you add an email to your comment, remember to use AT and DOT instead of @ and . in order to protect yourself from spammers. If you enter the draw via email, please add the title to the subject line so it’s easy to spot your entry. Draw will be held and winner announced on Saturday June 1 2024.

The Berlin Letters + Giveaway

Bestselling author Katherine Reay returns with an unforgettable tale of the Cold War and a CIA code breaker who risks everything to free her father from an East German prison.

From the time she was a young girl, Luisa Voekler has loved solving puzzles and cracking codes. Brilliant and logical, she’s expected to quickly climb the career ladder at the CIA. But while her coworkers have moved on to thrilling Cold War assignments—especially in the exhilarating era of the late 1980s—Luisa’s work remains stuck in the past decoding messages from World War II.

Journalist Haris Voekler grew up a proud East Berliner. But as his eyes open to the realities of postwar East Germany, he realizes that the Soviet promises of a better future are not coming to fruition. After the Berlin Wall goes up, Haris finds himself separated from his young daughter and all alone after his wife dies. There’s only one way to reach his family—by sending coded letters to his father-in-law who lives on the other side of the Iron Curtain.

When Luisa Voekler discovers a secret cache of letters written by the father she has long presumed dead, she learns the truth about her grandfather’s work, her father’s identity, and why she has never progressed in her career. With little more than a rudimentary plan and hope, she journeys to Berlin and risks everything to free her father and get him out of East Berlin alive.

As Luisa and Haris take turns telling their stories, events speed toward one of the twentieth century’s most dramatic moments—the fall of the Berlin Wall and that night’s promise of freedom, truth, and reconciliation for those who lived, for twenty-eight years, behind the bleak shadow of the Iron Curtain’s most iconic symbol.

My Review:

I’ve been mulling over what to say in a review for a few days now, trying to find the words to convey the impact this story had on me. Maybe because of the political times we live in world wide — so many people are living out their own Iron Curtain situations, or can see the threat looming on the horizon. And even in countries where democracy is supposedly safeguarded, the perils of exclusion, book bans, groups of people being treated as ‘other’ etc. is very real. So, to say ‘The Berlin Letters’ got me thinking would be an understatement. This is definitely the kind of read that will sit with me for a long time to come.

Reay has done an exceptional job of merging two timelines into a cohesive whole with the kind of block buster ending worthy of an Oscar. In fact, I could easily imagine this novel in cinematic splendour. The author’s descriptions of setting and character emotions brought everything into sharp focus and made me feel my way through to the spectacular ending.

The espionage/thriller aspects had me gasping out loud and I was so invested in Luisa’s family history mystery I couldn’t stop reading…well listening. (I highly recommend the audio book. The multi-narration delivered by Saskia Maarleveld, Ann Marie Gideon and P.J. Ochlan is stunning. Their portrayal of these characters really added to my emotional investment in the story.)

I read a lot of fiction and love most of what I read but, once in awhile a spectacular novel comes my way and I know it’s spectacular because I am changed for having read it. ‘The Berlin Letters’ is that kind of book. The author challenged some of my preconceived ideas and opened my heart to being more understanding and accepting and I am grateful for that.

My thanks to Harper Muse audiobooks and Net Galley for providing me with an audio edition of The Berlin Letters.

GIVEAWAY OPPORTUNITY:

ebook copy available to anyone with a US Kindle account (.com) 

Canadians will have a choice of receiving an Amazon.ca gift card towards the purchase of an ebook OR the option of an audible.ca edition.

If you would like a chance to win a copy of The Berlin Letters , leave a comment below or email me at kavluvstoread AT yahoo DOT ca. If you add an email to your comment, remember to use AT and DOT instead of @ and . in order to protect yourself from spammers. If you enter the draw via email, please add the title to the subject line so it’s easy to spot your entry. Draw will be held and winner announced on Saturday March 9 2024.

Appalachian Song + Giveaway

Forever within the memories of my heart.

Always remember, you are perfectly loved.

Bertie Jenkins has spent forty years serving as a midwife for her community in the Great Smoky Mountains of East Tennessee. Out of all the mothers she’s tended, none affects her more than the young teenager who shows up on her doorstep, injured, afraid, and expecting, one warm June day in 1943. As Bertie and her four sisters tenderly nurture Songbird back to health, the bond between the childless midwife and the motherless teen grows strong. But soon Songbird is forced to make a heartbreaking decision that will tear this little family apart.

Thirty years later, the day after his father’s funeral, Walker Wylie is stunned to learn he was adopted as an infant. The famous country singer enlists the help of adoption advocate Reese Chandler in the hopes of learning why he was abandoned by his birth parents. With the only clue he has in hand, Walker and Reese head deep into the Appalachian Mountains to track down Bertie Jenkins, the midwife who holds the secrets to Walker’s past.

For fans of historical and Southern fiction comes a poignant story of love and sacrifice set in the heart of Appalachia, from award-winning author Michelle Shocklee.

My Review:

“Livin’ life ain’t about seein’ and doin’. It’s about lovin’ and takin’ care of those who’ve been put in your path.” (p. 180)

Words to live by right there — and this book is full of like-minded wisdom so it’s the kind of read that requires savouring. Time to bask in bookish wonder and sit a spell with these characters. Especially Bertie and her sisters.

I was particularly drawn to the relationship that developed between Bertie and Songbird. Found family at it’s finest. But even as I devoured all that goodness, an ominous sense of foreboding hung over me. Because I didn’t know the whole story yet, but I knew it had to be heartbreaking since we meet Walker thirty years later in search of his past and then, well, whoooaaaa, I couldn’t turn the pages fast enough despite the desire to linger over all the sweet moments.

Appalachian Song is a dual timeline story set in two historical eras and the author did an amazing job of intertwining both stories. Rich with history and emotion and inspiration. The kind of faith that gives a sensitive reader goosebumps and provides teary-eyed moments. Over and over again. Just…indescribably wonderful!

GIVEAWAY OPPORTUNITY:

This giveaway is for a print or ebook copy. Winner’s choice.

US – available in print or ebook — winner’s choice

Canada – available in print or ebook or audible (if available) — winner’s choice

International – ebook copy if you have a US Kindle account.

If you would like a chance to win a copy of Appalachian Song, leave a comment below or email me at kavluvstoread AT yahoo DOT ca. If you add an email to your comment, remember to use AT and DOT instead of @ and . in order to protect yourself from spammers. If you enter the draw via email, please add the title to the subject line so it’s easy to spot your entry. Draw will be held and winner announced on Saturday March 9 2024.

Counted With the Stars + Giveaway

RANDOM RETRO RE-READ

Sold into slavery by her father and forsaken by the man she was supposed to marry, young Egyptian Kiya must serve a mistress who takes pleasure in her humiliation. When terrifying plagues strike Egypt, Kiya is in the middle of it all.

Choosing to flee with the Hebrews, Kiya finds herself reliant on a strange God and drawn to a man who despises her people. With everything she’s ever known swept away and now facing the trials of the desert, will she turn back toward Egypt or surrender her life and her future to Yahweh?

My Review:

published in 2015

I am not a huge fan of biblical fiction so I pick and choose which titles I read with care. I am so grateful that this one caught my eye and I took a risk by reading out of my comfort zone. Counted With the Stars is a stunning debut novel. The story delivers what the beautiful cover promises and, oh my goodness, such a meaningful title tie-in! Love that kind of attention to detail.

Cossette brings this time period to life. Rich details and the author’s vivid imagination make for a memorable read. I love that the story is told through the eyes of an Egyptian slave. Kiya is such an interesting character. Raised in opulent wealth, she has a lot of adjusting to do as she struggles within the bonds of slavery. She feels like her gods have forsaken her so when she befriends a Hebrew slave she becomes intrigued by the notion of worshiping only one God. In fact she’s incredulous. Especially when Egypt is suddenly inundated with plagues reported to be delivered by the hand of this omnipotent God.

Despite her circumstances, Kiya doesn’t shuck her spoiled persona easily. She is a product of her upbringing — a distinctly caste conscious one. It takes untold hardships and wandering through the wilderness for Kiya’s transformation to be complete. And, oh mercy, what a moving conversion story. Goosebump-inciting. A powerful surrendering to Yahweh that left me breathless.

Side Note: My second read of this book — this time I listened to the Audible edition (available on Audible Plus right now) and Sarah Mollo-Christiensen’s narration is exquisite! She brought such vibrancy to the story. I was spellbound.

GIVEAWAY OPPORTUNITY:

This giveaway is for a gently read paperback and is available to any reader, any where — so, yay, another International Giveaway!

If you would like a chance to win a copy of Counted With the Stars , leave a comment below or email me at kavluvstoread AT yahoo DOT ca. If you add an email to your comment, remember to use AT and DOT instead of @ and . in order to protect yourself from spammers. If you enter the draw via email, please add the title to the subject line so it’s easy to spot your entry. Draw will be held and winner announced on Saturday March 2 2024.

All My Secrets + Giveaway

Bestselling author Lynn Austin returns with a luminous work of historical fiction set amid the opulence of Gilded Age New York, where three generations of women in one family must reckon with the choices they have made and their hopes for the future.

New York, 1898. The only thing more shocking than Arthur Stanhope III’s unexpected death is the revelation that his will bestows his company―and most of the vast fortune that goes with it―to the nearest male heir, leaving his mother, wife, and daughter nearly impoverished. His widow, Sylvia, quickly realizes she must set aside her grief to ensure their daughter, Adelaide, is launched into society as soon as the appropriate mourning period passes. If Sylvia can find a wealthy husband for Addy before anyone realizes they’re practically destitute, there will be little disruption to the lifestyle they’re accustomed to.

Sylvia’s mother-in-law, Junietta, believes their life could use a little disruption. She has watched Sylvia play her role as a society wife, as Junietta once did, despite what it cost them both. Junietta vows to give her granddaughter the power to choose a path beyond what society expects.

But for Addy to have that chance, both mother and grandmother must first confront painful truths about their own choices. Only in bringing their secrets to light can they hope to reshape their family inheritance into a legacy more fulfilling than they ever dared dream.

My Review:

I’m gobsmacked and teary-eyed and quite reluctant to leave Gilded Age New York and the characters I’ve grown to love . ‘All My Secrets’ is the kind of rich, absorbing story that leaves a reader feeling bereft once she reaches the end. I’m still experiencing the aftershocks of joy and heartache and hope and I just want to sit with it all in quiet contemplation for awhile.

There’s no doubt that Lynn Austin is a masterful storyteller. The combination of descriptive writing, deeply layered plot and characters who take on a life of their own is so alluring! The historical details are illuminating as we follow three generations of Stanhope women at a pivotal time in American history.

The story is told from three points of view as Junietta, Sylvia and Adelaide are forced to come to terms with the sudden change in their circumstances. While most of the story takes place in ‘present day’ (1898) we are given flashbacks into the early lives of Junietta and Sylvia, so this is kind of a dual timeline as well. And oh my, those back stories!!!! The lessons learned (and not!) Powerful and moving and Christ centred. Loved the faith elements shared in this book.

Then there’s Addy, a young woman who has spent her entire life doing what is expected of her. Now she’s torn between duty to her mother and the disruptive ideas of her grandmother. Riveting stuff. The kind of all-consuming read that leaves you with a book hangover by the end!

I enjoyed listening to Sarah Zimmerman’s excellent narration. She’s a familiar voice in my audiobook library and I love the feeling of being invited back into a favourite storyteller’s circle once again.

My thanks to the publisher and Net Galley for providing me with an audio edition of All My Secrets.

GIVEAWAY OPPORTUNITY:

This giveaway is for a print or ebook copy. Winner’s choice.

US – available in print or ebook — winner’s choice

Canada – available in print or ebook or audible (if available) — winner’s choice

International – ebook copy if you have a US Kindle account.

If you would like a chance to win a copy of All My Secrets , leave a comment below or email me at kavluvstoread AT yahoo DOT ca. If you add an email to your comment, remember to use AT and DOT instead of @ and . in order to protect yourself from spammers. If you enter the draw via email, please add the title to the subject line so it’s easy to spot your entry. Draw will be held and winner announced on Saturday February 10 2024.