High As The Heavens by Kate Breslin

A British nurse in WWI German-occupied Brussels, Evelyn Marche spends her days at the hospital and her nights working at a café… or so it seems. Eve’s most carefully guarded secret is that she also spends her nights carrying out dangerous missions as a spy for a Belgian resistance group.

When a plane crashes as she’s en route to a rendezvous, Eve is the first to reach the downed plane and she is shocked to recognize the badly injured pilot as British RFC Captain Simon Forrester, her “dead” husband. She risks her life to conceal him from the Germans, but as the secrets between them grow and the danger mounts, can they still hope to make it out of Belgium alive?

Okay. First off… the cover is gorgeous. I absolutely love the cover. Kudos to Kathleen Lynch! It definitely made picking this book an easier choice. 😉

The second reason I picked this book was because it was about La Dame Blanche. That network has intrigued me ever since I first heard about it. It was composed of 30% female agents… something unheard of at the time and by the end of the war, its 1,300 agents gathered an estimated 70% of all military intelligence. Amazing or what?

High as the Heavens starts off well. Because of Edith Cavell’s (yeah, also look up her. Amazing woman!) work, Evelyn, also a British nurse, has to be extremely careful in her dealings with La Dame Blanche. It helps that she has an Iron Cross to make the soldiers trust her more. She brings home the information to her mother, who then codes the information into lace and sends it to the British. She’s playing with fire as her double-agent relationship with Major Reinhardt. To top it all off, members of her local resistance are being arrested because of, she thinks, a traitor in the network. But who?

And then her dead husband arrives.

Yes, the story starts off well.

However, I feel it stalls. I’m sure there are many people who wouldn’t agree with me, but it seems like more of the book is about Eve and Simon’s relationship than about La Dame Blanche or her other work. I can definitely see how having a resurrecting husband can be a little… interesting, but I picked it up to read about La Dame Blanche!

Other than that little hitch, I loved the book. The plot was amazing, the characters vivid, the traitor devastating, and the ending strong. I liked the peek into the world of La Dame Blanche, learning about the different ways that messages were sent and received, about the ingenuity of people and such. Eve’s mother used lace, Zoe used shopping lists. There were hollowed out broomsticks, hastily given messages passed from person to person. Somehow, they made it all the way to safe territory where they could be used for good.

If you like a bit of romance mixed together with the suspense of being an agent, definitely pick this book up. Hopefully, it’ll become a new favorite!

 

*I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest opinion. All views are my own.*

Behind the Scenes by Jen Turano

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After spending the last six years banished to the wallflower section of the ballroom, Miss Permilia Griswold has finally figured out a way to pass the time at all the New York high-society events she attends. Under the pseudonym “Miss Quill”, she is the author of society gossip columns filled with tidbits only an insider in society–albeit one on the fringes–would know.

When she overhears a threat against Mr. Asher Rutherford, the owner of one of the most up-and-coming department stores in the city, she’s determined to warn him. But the irritatingly handsome man doesn’t believe her, leaving her no choice but to take matters into her own hands. What she doesn’t anticipate is that she’ll end up putting herself at risk in the process–or that she and Mr. Rutherford, a man with secrets of his own, just might end up joining forces after all.

Pursued by Lisa Harris

When the dust settles, Nikki discovers that the woman who had been seated next to her on the plane is missing–and no one will admit she was ever there. Then she learns that Erika Hamilton had been flying to Nashville with an air marshal as a key witness in an upcoming grand jury trial. Nikki wonders if her disappearance from the crash site means she’s running from trouble or straight into it. Before Nikki can even see her family or recover from the crash, she and her team are pulled into a missing persons case where the motives are as unclear as the suspects. Can she get to Erika before anyone else does?

Bestselling and award-winning author Lisa Harris has planted danger around every turn in this can’t-put-it-down thrill ride that will leave you stunned.

Shadows of the Hersweald

This is the first time I’ve read anything by Hope Ann, and it will not be the last. I thoroughly enjoyed the story. It was a delightful fantasy story in which you could also see the redemption of our Prince and Savior.

Folks… whoever likes fairy tales or fantasy interwoven with tales of Christianity… definitely check this story out.

I demand it of you.

(Lol. Jk, jk. Not really.)

Murder is No Accident

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What happens in the past stays in the past.

Sometimes.

Dementia has Miss Fonda living as a time traveller. Sometimes she’s here, sometimes she’s then. When she finds the body of Geraldine Harper at the bottom of her steps, she’s transported to the past, to her sister’s death.

It was an accident then, and it was an accident now too… or is it?

When a second body shows up, it’s obvious that something caused Geraldine’s fall. But with all the new people in Hidden Springs, who was it? And when Alex comes to town… will Michael be able to handle her leaving again?

It you like your small-town America sweet and quirky–with a dash of sinister–you’ll love this latest whodunit from deft storyteller A. H. Gabhart.

Moving Target

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When Maddy McKay and Quinn Holcombe don’t show up for Quinn’s birthday party, his friends know that something is very wrong. Their search turns up little beyond the fact that Maddy and Quinn have vanished. And it soon becomes apparent that they did not leave of their own accord.

Maddy awakens in a cement room with absolutely no idea where she is. But it’s not long before she realizes she’s in the clutches of a madman who exacts revenge through games–hunting games. His prey of choice? Humans. Now Maddy and Quinn must run for their lives and outwit their killer when their game begins. 

Because if they don’t win this game… well, they die.

Justice Delayed

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Eighteen years ago, Stephanie Hollister, a flight attendant, was murdered in her apartment. Now, Jimmy Shelton is sitting behind bars, his execution date only three days away. Yet out of nowhere, a letter surfaces from one of Stephanie’s roommates, stating that Jimmy Shelton did not murder Stephanie Hollister. Andi is determined to get to the bottom and figure out who actually killed her sister. However, when the roommate it found dead and a hit is called on Andi, things get a teeny bit complicated. And diamonds? What do diamonds have to do with anything? Will she bring justice to the real and finally get Will to notice her? Or will her sister’s killer get to her first?

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Patricia Bradley, Justice Delayed had a great plotline. I will definitely give you that. I thoroughly enjoyed the plotline, the way you thought you knew who JD was until the end when it was all shattered, seeing the different paths Stephanie’s friends had taken after her murder… That was all great. And like a topping on ice cream, I love reading about cold cases. Digging back through the files, trying to figure out what happened ages ago… pure awesomeness.

However, it was Cookies and Cream ice cream (awesome), topped with Twizzlers (perfection) and Reese Cups (ew). *spoiler* Andi and Will’s romance throughout the book is… oh how do I put it? Awkward. Distracting. It takes away from the plotline, draws away from the race to prove Jimmy’s innocence. As soon as I would get into the plotline, Andi’s random thought or Will’s random bunny trail would lead me away from the main plot. Their romance seemed childish and annoying to me.And the romance was everywhere! A little thought here, a little thought there… I couldn’t get away from it. Sorry, Patricia. *end spoiler*

Overall, I give this book a three-star rating. I loved the plotline, the characters, the… all of it except for that spoiler mentioned. If another Memphis Cold Case comes out, I’ll probably try it out since Andi and Will are already together by then. But for this book… eh… nah.

*I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. The thoughts expressed here are my own.*

The 100 Most Encouraging Verses of the Bible

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Normally, I don’t do the non-fiction that’s offered via the blogging programs. Yet I made an exception for Troy Schmidt’s The 100 Most Encouraging Verses of the Bible was an exception. I’m glad I made that exception too.

It was a great book to read through. If you glance through my copy, you’ll see sentences that I highlighted, little thoughts that Troy Schmidt brought up that I never thought of before or just a phrase that I need to remember throughout my daily life.

Numbers 11:23 – Once His arms are there, they won’t let go.

Isn’t that just an incredible thought?

The format of the book was great. The first thing you saw was the verse; then his thoughts laid out like a short two minutes devotional. While I don’t like the idea of “five-minute devotionals,” I think this would be a great addition to a longer devotional or a small group lesson or something.

One thing I think would make this book better is if he would have added the references to other verses pertaining to the same things. That would make it a much more indepth study. Like with the 1st verse, he talks about God’s promises. Okay, so at the end of that little devotional, add verses about God’s promises or the verses where we can find God’s promises.

Other than that, however, it was an excellent little book. I would definitely recommend it.

Red Queen

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Mare Barrows– pickpocket and trouble maker. Red blooded. Inferior.

As is customry, the officers are Silvers, and Silvers have nothing to fear from us Reds. Eveyone knows that.

She’s always going to be inferior, she knows. That’s why the Red blooded people don’t have powers. That’s why they’re the slaves of the Silver blooded. There’s no jobs that she can find… everyone has taken one so that they aren’t conscripted into the army. Which leaves her.

When everything goes wrong and her best friend is about to be conscripted, she tries to pick the pocket of the wrong… or maybe right… person. Either way, he catches her.

“Thief,” he says, a strange surprise in his voice.

I blink at him, fighting the urge to laugh. I don’t even have the strength to protest. “Obviously.”

And instead of getting her into trouble. He gives her coin and asks about her life. For some reason, she opens up. Tells him about the hard stuff. The next day she has a job in the palace of the Silvers. When Evangeline attempts to kill her as part of her show, she finds out that she has powers too.

And her life flips upside down.

I opened it up and started to read. First I thought it was going to be a simple twist on The Hunger Games, but it was not so. Then I thought it would be The Hunger Games and The Diabolic mixed together. But that was not so either. Then I realized it was a wonderful collection of dozens of stories all mixed together and topped with awesomeness.

The only reason I’m giving it a four is the love triangle thingy. First, it seemed a little wishy-washy. You’re surrounded by Silvers, you’re scared out of your wits, you… have plenty of time to ponder whether you like Cal or Maven better? Wouldn’t it be much better to think about how to avoid, um, brutally dying? Then, <spoiler>once she and Maven are engaged… are we supposed to feel happy when she’s kissing Cal? Uhhhhh…Even if she didn’t love him, she still agreed to a commitment. End of story. But I guess the fun of this story is backstabbing. <end spoiler> Yeah, okay, whatevs, Mare.

Other than that, I loved it. It’s 383 pages long and the only reason I didn’t finish it in one afternoon was because we had company over. I would most definitely pick it up if you ever get a chance.

The Shattered Vigil–The Darkwater Saga

A single terrible choice faces the Vigil. 

Hide in safety and let darkness take over the land… or face the growing danger and risk all of their lives.

Their victory over the dark forces during the feast of Bas-Solas should have guaranteed safety pos the continent. Instead, Willet and the rest of the Vigil discover they’ve been outsmarted by those seeking to unleash the evil that inhabits the Darkwater.

To make everything worse… a deadly new threat has emerged. Can the Vigil survive?