Most Anticipated Books for Fall 2018

Kelly Bridgewater

With September upon us, I wanted to share with you my most anticipated books for Fall 2018. There aren't as many for the fall. I think the publishing companies take a break in December, which is fine by me. Time to catch up.

But without further ado, here are my most look forward to books this fall: (All images come from Amazon unless noted!)

 Steven James: Every Wicked Man

 

Hidden Among the Stars by Melanie Dobson

An Hour Unspent by Roseanna M. White

 

Hidden Peril by Irene Hannon

 Wait for Me by Susan May Warren

 

 The Bride of Ivy Hill by Julie Klassen 

 

Melanie Dobson: Hidden Among the Stars

By Kelly Bridgewater

The year is 1938, and as Hitler’s troops sweep into Vienna, Austrian Max Dornbach promises to help his Jewish friends hide their most valuable possessions from the Nazis, smuggling them to his family’s summer estate near the picturesque village of Hallstatt. He enlists the help of Annika Knopf, his childhood friend and the caretaker’s daughter, who is eager to help the man she’s loved her entire life. But when Max also brings Luzia Weiss, a young Jewish woman, to hide at the castle, it complicates Annika’s feelings and puts their entire plan―even their very lives―in jeopardy. Especially when the Nazis come to scour the estate and find both Luzia and the treasure gone.

Eighty years later, Callie Randall is mostly content with her quiet life, running a bookstore with her sister and reaching out into the world through her blog. Then she finds a cryptic list in an old edition of Bambi that connects her to Annika’s story . . . and maybe to the long-buried story of a dear friend. As she digs into the past, Callie must risk venturing outside the safe world she’s built for a chance at answers, adventure, and maybe even new love.

From Amazon

My Thoughts:

Time-slip novels are becoming a popular way to combine a historical romance story with a contemporary timeline. Authors like Kristy Cambron, Rachel Hauck, Heidi Chiavaroli , and Melanie Dobson have used them in their writing. I do enjoy Dobson's stories because they take place during World War II and the present. As a fan of the horrors of World War II, I have come to adore these stories Dobson crafts. Her newest book, Hidden Among the Stars, is no exception.

I love the plot. A treasure hunt in a castle by a lake. How interesting. The past timeline captures my attention and doesn't let go. I love learning about Annika, Luzi, and Max as the story unfolds, showing their troubles and their dilemma. I loved each of the characters and enjoyed spending time with them as they moved through the issues arising during the Nazi's reign of terror. As for the contemporary timeline, I really love how Dobson introduces Callie and Brie with the bookstore. It reached out to my book-loving heart and made me want to visit a bookstore with a castle in the back. What would be better than to slide down a slide in a bookstore? I want to visit this bookstore in Ohio. The present story didn't disappoint either. It flowed nicely, and I loved following Callie as she hunts for answers from her copy of Bambi.

The romance in the past is a love triangle. Max loves someone. Annika loves someone. But does Luzi love someone? Have to read to find out. The romance wasn't overdone. It moved at a natural pace, even though there were plenty of roadblocks in the way. The present day romance is not too forceful either. I do think the ending was a little rushed for Callie and a certain someone, but I bought it because the story was leaning toward that way anyway.

Overall, Hidden Among the Stars by Melanie Dobson is a nicely woven together plot featuring a treasure hunt from World War II that affects the modern day timeline. The end result is a truly unforgettable story populated with heroic characters, a love of literature, and the God who holds the key to true beauty.

I believe fans of Dobson's other works, Sarah Sundin, Kristy Cambron, and Susan Anne Mason would love spending time lost in this story. I know I sure did.

I received a complimentary copy of Hidden Among the Stars by Melanie Dobson from Tyndale Publishing, but the opinions stated are all my own.

My Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

Melanie Dobson's Author Bio:

From Goodreads.com

Writing fiction is Melanie Dobson's excuse to explore abandoned houses, travel to unique places, and spend hours reading old books and journals. The award-winning author of twenty novels, Melanie enjoys stitching together both time-slip and historical stories including Catching the Wind, Enchanted Isle, Beneath a Golden Veil, and the Legacy of Love novels. Chateau of Secrets received a Carol Award for historical fiction, Catching the Wind's audiobook won the 2018 Audie for Inspirational Novel, and The Black Cloister was ForeWord's Book of the Year for Religious Fiction. Her next time-slip novel, Hidden Among the Stars, comes out in September.

Melanie and her husband, Jon, have two daughters. After moving numerous times with Jon's work, the Dobson family has finally settled near Portland, Oregon, and they love to travel and hike in both the mountains and the cliffs above the Pacific. When Melanie isn't writing, she enjoys exploring ghost towns and dusty back roads, dancing, and reading stories with her girls.(From Amazon)

Connect with Melanie Dobson:

Facebook

Amazon Author Page

Website

Goodreads

Where to purchase Hidden Among the Stars:

 Amazon

Christianbook.com

Barnes and Nobles

Sarah Clarkson: Book Girl

By Kelly Bridgewater

When you hear a riveting story, does it thrill your heart and stir your soul? Do you hunger for truth and goodness? Do you secretly relate to Belle’s delight in the library in Beauty and the Beast?

If so, you may be on your way to being a book girl.

Books were always Sarah Clarkson’s delight. Raised in the company of the lively Anne of Green Gables, the brave Pevensie children of Narnia, and the wise Austen heroines, she discovered reading early on as a daily gift, a way of encountering the world in all its wonder. But what she came to realize as an adult was just how powerfully books had shaped her as a woman to live a story within that world, to be a lifelong learner, to grasp hope in struggle, and to create and act with courage.

She’s convinced that books can do the same for you.

Join Sarah in exploring the reading life as a gift and an adventure, one meant to enrich, broaden, and delight you in each season of your life as a woman. In Book Girl, you’ll discover:

• how reading can strengthen your spiritual life and deepen your faith,
• why a journey through classic literature might be just what you need (and where to begin),
• how stories form your sense of identity,
• how Sarah’s parents raised her to be a reader―and what you can do to cultivate a love of reading in the growing readers around you, and
• 20+ annotated book lists, including some old favorites and many new discoveries.

Whether you’ve long considered yourself a reader or have dreams of becoming one, Book Girl will draw you into the life-giving journey of becoming a woman who reads and lives well.

From Amazon

My Thoughts:

Book Girl by Sarah Clarkson's synopsis sounded right up my alley. I define myself as an avid bookworm. I mean, who else besides bookworms finish 200 books every year. It is a lot of books, but I love reading. So the description sounded just like me. I really couldn't wait to get my hands on the book. Right away, the book filled me with good feelings as it appeared to be describing me as someone who discovered reading at a young age. I remember traveling to the library every week and coming home with at least ten books. Then the fun part was deciding what to read when I returned home. Then Clarkson started to create chapters with lists of books to appeal to a certain audience, such as, imagination stories or women power stories. I think eighty percent of the book appeals to an audience that doesn't read a lot and couldn't recommend books but wants to jump into the book life but doesn't nowhere to start. As she started listing the different books in different genres, I skimmed through the list by reading the titles. Not that many appealed to me or I already read them. A side note . . . why does everyone recommend Jane Austen for everything? I can't stand her books. She bored me to tears. No action. Just heads bopping around. Doing nothing. But I did like that she recommend Tolkien, Lewis, and Rowling. Some of my favorite writers.

Overall, Book Girl by Sarah Clarkson is, I believe, a book for people who want to incorporate more reading into their life. Not for me since I do a lot of reading already. Her lists can introduce readers to some new authors they have never heard of.

I received a complimentary copy of Book Girl by Sarah Clarkson from Tyndale Publishing, but the opinions stated are all my own.

My Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

About the Author:

From Amazon

 Sarah Clarkson is an author, a blogger, and a student of theology. She graduated from Wycliffe Hall, in Oxford, with a bachelor's degree in theology, where she also spent a proud year as president of the Oxford University C. S. Lewis Society. She's the author of several books on reading including the upcoming Book Girl (a woman's guide to the reading life). Through blogs, books, and her current research, she explores the theological significance of story, the intersection of theology and imagination, and the formative power of beauty. She writes regularly about her adventures at sarahclarkson.com and is at slow work on a novel. She can often be found with a cup of good coffee in one of the many quaint corners amid Oxford's "dreaming spires," where she lives in a red-doored cottage with her husband, Thomas, and their daughter, Lilian.
You can follow Sarah's literary adventures on her blog at sarahclarkson.com and over at:
instagram.com/sarahwanders
twitter.com/thoroughlyalive
facebook.com/Sarah-Clarkson-513431008791193 
(Taken from Amazon)

Labor Day

Kelly Bridgewater

Labor Day

I'm glad it is here. It means that summer is almost over. But in Indiana, it will still be in the seventies for another two months. Maybe get to the fifties by Thanksgiving. Then forty by Christmas.

I wish it would turner cooler by now.

Summer has been, and always does, drags by. Heat too long. Too many bugs. Too many weeds. Why bother planting flowers. Weeds overtake them pretty soon anyway. (Don't worry! I have lots of flower beds. But I think I spend more time pulling weeds then actually enjoying the flowers.)

Anyways.

Enjoy your "last" moment of summer. Even though for me, it really isn't.

Happy Labor Day!!!

Michelle Griep: A Tale of Two Hearts

By Kelly Bridgewater

London, 1853: Innkeeper’s daughter Mina Scott will do anything to escape the drudgery of her life, for there’s nothing more mundane than serving customers day after day. Every minute she can, she reads and dreams of someday becoming a real lady—and catch the eye of William Barlow, a frequent guest at the inn.

William is a gentleman’s son, a charming but penniless rogue. However, his bachelor uncle will soon name an heir—either him or his scheming cousin. In an effort to secure the inheritance, William gives his uncle the impression he’s married, which works until he’s invited to bring his wife for a visit.

William asks Mina to be his pretend bride, only until his uncle names an heir on Christmas Day. Mina is flattered and frustrated by the offer, for she wants a true relationship with William. Yet, she agrees. . .then wishes she hadn’t. So does William. Deceiving the old man breaks both their hearts. When the truth is finally discovered, more than just money is lost.

Can two hearts survive such deception?

From Amazon

My Thoughts:

Christmas. London. Victorian era. What could be the better makings for a novel? Maybe some suspense. But Michelle Griep creates a wonderful short story that fits in with the makings of a true Dicken's novel. I enjoyed the first book in the series entitled 12 Days at Bleakly Manor, and I couldn't wait to get my hands on A Tale of Two Heart too. Boy, am I glad I did. The story comes to life and brings the good feelings that Christmas brings only a couple of months earlier.

I really enjoy traveling to London during the Victorian age with Griep. She wove together a timeless love story filled with intrigue and romance. I loved how well-described Griep make London. I have never been there, but she did a wonderful job at bringing London from a long time ago to life. She dove into the characters personalities and allow me to see how the characters feel and perceive things.

The plot kept me spellbound. The top item on my bucket list is to visit London during the Christmas time. I loved how Griep created a story with a fake marriage to win an inheritance from an uncle. The competition between the two cousins captured my imagination. I couldn't wait to see how the story ended. I finished the novel in under a day. It didn't feel like a novella because Griep does a good job at diving into the characters and intermingling them with the plot.

The romance was not the typical Victorian romance. I mean, what girl allows herself to pretend to be someone marriage to help them earn an inheritance? What does she get out of it? Slowly, through all the conflicts and moments that could have blown their cover, the romance between Mina and William blossomed into true love.

The theme of second chances is created and fulfilled by the uncle and passed onto his nephews. What person does not need a second, or even a third or fourth chance from their past mistakes or encounters?

In conclusion, TheTale of Two Hearts is a wonderful, Christmas-type of feeling story. With a different type of plot, Griep captures my attention by creating another keeper for the shelf. I anxiously await the next installment in the story, which is teased at in the final pages of the book. Fans of Johanna Davidson Politano would enjoy this novel.

I received a complimentary copy of A Tale of Two Hearts by Michelle Griep from Barbour Publishing, but the opinions stated are all my own.

My Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

About the Author:

From Amazon

 I hear voices. Loud. Incessant. And very real. Which basically gives me two options: choke back massive amounts of Prozac or write fiction. I've been writing since I discovered blank wall space and Crayolas. I seek to glorify God in all that I write--except for that graffiti phase I went through as teenager. (Taken from Amazon)