by Crystal Caudill | Aug 31, 2024 | Reading Challenge
It’s another month our challenge: Unlocking Ecclesiastes 3. I’m so excited to join you again this year with guest reviews from our reading challenge participants. If you want to submit a review for upcoming months, feel free to email me using my contact form. If you are looking for reading suggestions, I’ve cultivated a page just for that. (Note that it is still being updated throughout the year, so feel free to message me with suggestions.) I recommend you also checking Inspirational Historical Fiction Index or the Facebook Group Avid Readers of Christian Fiction or my Facebook group Crystal Caudill’s Reading Friends. I’ll also include a short list at the bottom of this post.
Don’t forget to comment at the bottom of the post for your chance to win a book off my prize shelf. *The list of prizes available from my prize shelf can be found here.*
Unlocking the Past: Ecclesiastes 3
Just as Ecclesiastes has two opposites in each verse, most months will leave you with two options to choose from.
“For everything there is a season,
a time for every activity under heaven.”
August Verse: A time to search and a time to quit searching.
Challenge Theme: A mystery or a theme of someone searching for family
September Verse: A time to tear and a time to mend.
Challenge Theme: A Tailor/Seamstress character
The Lost Melody
by Joanna Davidson Politano
Review by: Crystal Caudill
Joanna Davidson Politano has long been a blow-my-mind-away, favorite author. Her gothic-feeling novels are always so steeped in God that I cannot help but sit in awe and wonder for long moments after. This book was no different, and yet so different. With a plot that takes place mostly in an insane asylum, the setting was unique. While heavy, it also had a beauty to it that I would never have expected. The characters were heart-rending, memorable, and cherished. Every person seemed so real, and each character gave a wholeness of understanding that I’d previously lacked. I’ve grown up surrounded by mental illness, treated and untreated. I know that people are so much more than the labels and struggles they face, but this also brought a new understanding and almost healing to some areas where I still struggle. I had to take the book slowly, but I cannot say enough about just how absolutely beautiful and human each character is–no matter their struggle. This is definitely a book that will stick with me for a long time. No wonder it won a Carol Award. I highly recommend this book to anyone I meet.
Genre: Historical, England 1885
Plot Overview:
When concert pianist Vivienne Mourdant’s father dies, he leaves to her the care of an adult ward she knew nothing about. The woman is supposedly a patient at Hurstwell Asylum. The woman’s portrait is shockingly familiar to Vivienne, so when the asylum claims she was never a patient there, Vivienne is compelled to discover what happened to the figure she remembers from childhood dreams.
The longer she lingers in the deep shadows and forgotten towers at Hurstwell, the fuzzier the line between sanity and madness becomes. She hears music no one else does, receives strange missives with rose petals between the pages, and untangles far more than is safe for her to know. But can she uncover the truth about the mysterious woman she seeks? And is there anyone at Hurstwell she can trust with her suspicions?
Purchase Links:
Amazon | Baker Bookhouse | Barnes & Noble | Christianbook.com
Giveaway
For your chance to win a print copy, comment with what book YOU read for this month. Use the Rafflecopter below for extra entries and to mark that you left a comment. Entries end on the 7th of each month at midnight EST, and the winner will be drawn sometime that week and notified by email. The winner will be announced on the Rafflecopter widget.
*Open to all residents of the contiguous USA, legally able to enter, and an e-book format or Amazon Gift Card will be awarded to those outside that range who are legally able to enter.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Recommendations for September:
- The Seamstress of Acadie by Laura Frantz
- The Paris Dressmaker by Kristy Cambron
- Love from Afar by Penny Zeller
- After a Fashion by Jen Turano
- A Tailor-Made Bride by Karen Witemeyer
- A Heart Most Worthy by Siri Mitchell
What did you read for the challenge? What were your thoughts on it? Would you recommend it?
by Crystal Caudill | Jul 5, 2024 | Reading Challenge
It’s another month our challenge: Unlocking Ecclesiastes 3. I’m so excited to join you again this year with guest reviews from our reading challenge participants. If you want to submit a review for upcoming months, feel free to email me using my contact form. If you are looking for reading suggestions, I’ve cultivated a page just for that. (Note that it is still being updated throughout the year, so feel free to message me with suggestions.) I recommend you also checking Inspirational Historical Fiction Index or the Facebook Group Avid Readers of Christian Fiction or my Facebook group Crystal Caudill’s Reading Friends. I’ll also include a short list at the bottom of this post.
Don’t forget to comment at the bottom of the post for your chance to win a book off my prize shelf. *The list of prizes available from my prize shelf can be found here.*
Unlocking the Past: Ecclesiastes 3
Just as Ecclesiastes has two opposites in each verse, most months will leave you with two options to choose from.
“For everything there is a season,
a time for every activity under heaven.”
June Verse: A time to grieve and a time to dance.
Challenge Theme: A book with a funeral or with a character who is a dancer.
July Verse: A time to embrace and a time to turn away.
Challenge Theme: Second Chance Romance or Family/Friend Reconciliation
A Midnight Dance
by Joanna Davidson Politano
Due to deadlines and family needs, I did not get my challenge book read, although I’ve made it 1/3 of the way through and have been enjoying it. So I snuck over to GoodReads and stole some reviews from friends. 🙂
Review by: Multiple people
“This book held within its pages as much grace and drama as ballet itself. Politano is an artist who painting pictures with her words and digging deep into far corners of every reader’s heart. I loved this unique view into the history of theater and ballet and how we can worship God in the form of dance. The mystery woven within kept me turning the pages until the very last with a satisfied sigh.” – Sarah Monzon
“Politano crafts the world of the Victorian ballet with depth and beauty. Her writing is evocative and immersive. All of her characters are well-rounded and layered, but this stirring story best highlights the faith of a young woman in a time when it was believed God and the theatre could never mix. Well-paced and thoroughly mesmerizing, I both savored and devoured every page.” – Stephenia McGee
“The prose of A Midnight Dance is gorgeous. There’s a lyrical flow to this book as graceful as a ballet itself. Highly recommended.” – Rachel McDaniel
Genre: Historical Romance
Plot Overview:
All theater romances are tragedies. Ella Blythe knows this. Still, she cannot help but hope her own story may turn out different than most–and certainly different than the tragic story of the Ghost of Craven Street Theater. Yet as she struggles to maintain her tenuous place in the ever-shrinking ballet company, win the attentions of principal dancer Philippe, and avoid company flirt Jack, Ella cannot deny the uncanny feeling that her life is mirroring that of the dead ballerina.
Is she dancing ever closer to the edge of her own tragic end? Or will the secrets that are about to come to light offer release from the past?
Mystery and romance make the perfect dance partners in this evocative story from fan-favorite Joanna Davidson Politano.
Giveaway
For your chance to win a print copy, comment with what book YOU read for this month. Use the Rafflecopter below for extra entries and to mark that you left a comment. Entries end on the 7th of each month at midnight EST, and the winner will be drawn sometime that week and notified by email. The winner will be announced on the Rafflecopter widget.
*Open to all residents of the contiguous USA, legally able to enter, and an e-book format or Amazon Gift Card will be awarded to those outside that range who are legally able to enter.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Recommendations for July:
- Counterfeit Love by Crystal Caudill
- Shadow of Truth by Susan Sleeman
- The Sea Before Us by Sarah Sundin
- The Metropolitan Affair by Jocelyn Green
- Curse of Misty Wayfair by Jaime Jo Wright
- Flight of Fancy by Laurie Alice Eakes
- Butterfly Palace by Colleen Coble
- “A Flood of Love” by Tracie Peterson in Serving Up Love: A Harvey House Brides Collection
- Remembered by Tamera Alexander
- The Lady of Bolton Hill by Elizabeth Camden
- A Life Once Dreamed by Rachel Fordham
What did you read for the challenge? What were your thoughts on it? Would you recommend it?
by Crystal Caudill | Nov 12, 2019 | Book Reviews
Finding Lady Enderly by Joanna Davidson Politano
I just absolutely love the books Joanna Davidson Politano writes. She is truly the only first person POV author I can count on to pull me in and never let me go. Her latest release is no different for me in that regard. Though life was busy and I had to rely on taking sips of the story in the car rides in between picking up and dropping kids off, I thoroughly enjoyed it. In fact, the audio was so great, when hubby and I finally had a couple hours alone with nothing to do, I read the print copy as I listened to the audio while cuddled up against my hubby. TV shows just have no appeal when you can be reading one of Joanna’s books. Her lovely complexity of writing and keeping the reader guessing is well displayed and I loved following the mystery of it all. It’s definitely one I recommend and will be giving copies away at Christmas.
Genre: Historical Romance, Victorian England
Plot Overview:
Raina Bretton is a rag woman in London’s east end when a handsome stranger appears in a dank alley and offers her a glittering smile and a chance for adventure. Rothburne Abbey has a unique position for her, one that will take her away from her hardscrabble life and give her a chance to be a lady. Things she could only dream of might be coming true. But some dreams turn out to be nightmares.
Though Raina has traded squalor for silk and satin, something about the abbey is deeply unsettling. As she wrestles with her true identity, the ruin, decay, and secrets she finds at the heart of the old mansion tear at her confidence and threaten to reveal her for who she really is. Only one man stands between her and the danger that lurks within–and only if he decides to keep her biggest secret hidden.
What I loved:
Finding Lady Enderly is a multilayered story. I love the mystery behind the story, the twists revealed, and the spiritual parallels which can be drawn. And who of course doesn’t love Sully? The poor man just wants to love and keep this stubborn woman safe. I’m sure my husband can relate to Sully. I’m always getting into trouble.
Favorite Character and Why: I really love Raina. You understand her struggle and fears, as well as get to grow with her. She really as a beautiful growth arc. And I can’t not mention Sully. The man is the sweetest thing, and hearing his voice on the audio? I still hear his swoony accent in my head.
Who would like this? If you love mystery, subtle romance, and literary connections, you’ll love this book. The way Sully and Raina communicate is absolutely amazing. It makes me want to sneak one of my husband’s books away, mark a page, and underline something to say him.
Of course, he reads ebooks, and the print books aren’t exactly romance, so sigh. I guess I probably shouldn’t underline the threats of death. Not unless, he forgets to pick up the dirty laundry again. 😉
Rating and Why: Five stars. I really love the way you just get swept into the story into another time and place. It doesn’t even feel like you are reading first person, which is an amazing accomplishment in my opinion.
PURCHASE LINKS
Amazon.com Barnes and Noble Christianbook.com Joseph-Beth Target Walmart
by Crystal Caudill | Sep 24, 2019 | Book Reviews
A Rumored Fortune by Joanna Davidson Politano
If you’ve not read Joanna Davidson Politano, YOU HAVE TO READ HER. LIKE NOW. GO!
There are very few authors (okay only two) whose books I will preorder without even knowing what the story is about, but Joanna is one of them. She has such depth of insight, such richness of story, character, and mystery that you are left pondering her book for years afterwards. Yes. Years.
When I went to write the review for her newest book Finding Lady Enderly, I realized I failed to let you know about A Rumored Fortune, which by the way is up for the 2019 Christy award. (Totally deserving of it.) So I decided to back track and do this one first.
*If you are an on-the-go person, I definitely recommend the audiobook. The narrator was perfect for the story. *
Because it has been over a year since I’ve read her book, I’m not going to follow my normal format, but I will tell you WHY you HAVE to read this book now.
The simple answer? A Rumored Fortune will leave you personally changed. Without even knowing how she did it, you are drawn closer to God and have a greater understanding of who you are in Him. You can’t read her books and NOT walk away changed.
On the plot level, it is an amazingly rich story in love, finding your worth, and enduring the hard seasons of pruning to become a fruitful branch of the vine. Woven with amazing details of vineyard care, you are drawn into a story of gentle romance where two people learn to grow toward God and toward each other. I simply adore the relationship between Tressa and Vance. He is a swoon-worthy hero who helps others and teaches Tressa a great deal about herself. He’s not perfect, but he is a hero worth loving.
The Blurb
Tressa Harlowe’s father did not trust banks, but neither did he trust his greedy extended family. He kept his vast fortune hidden somewhere on his estate in the south of England and died suddenly, without telling anyone where he had concealed it. Tressa and her ailing mother are left with a mansion and an immense vineyard and no money to run it. It doesn’t take long for a bevy of opportunists to flock to the estate under the guise of offering condolences. Tressa knows what they’re really up to. She’ll have to work with the rough and rusticated vineyard manager to keep the laborers content without pay and discover the key to finding her father’s fortune–before someone else finds it first.
Award-winning author Joanna Davidson Politano welcomes readers to Trevelyan Castle, home of the poorest heiress in Victorian England, for a treasure hunt they’ll not soon forget.
– Blurb from Amazon.com
Purchase this irresistible treat at:
Amazon.com Barnes and Noble Christianbook.com
by Crystal Caudill | Oct 3, 2017 | Book Reviews
Lady Jayne Disappears by Joanna Davidson Politano
Lady Jayne is one of those rare books that I will absolutely force everyone I know to read. There is so much more this story than an intriguing and surprising plot line. This is a book so decadent and rich that if it were a food, your waist line would suffer from this irresistible treat.
The plot itself is intriguing and full of wonderful surprises, and my little writer’s heart just eats up all the emotions and struggles of Aurelie Harcourt as she takes up her father’s pen name. Plot twists abound, and when you are finished reading it, I would LOVE to talk about it with you, but I absolutely refuse to ruin the mystery now.
What really adds to the story for me is Joanna’s voice. It is so fresh, yet reminiscent of literature classics, that I absolutely cannot get enough of her writing. As I read, I feel like I am floating through a fantastic Gothic novel, although it is neither horror or truly dark, but it was the same awestruck feeling that I have only managed to have in those type novels.
The heroine of the story is Aurelie Harcourt, daughter of and scribe for the famous serial author, Nathaniel Droll. When her father passes on, she must take on the pen name and finish the mysterious story of her mother’s disappearance. After having grown up in debtor’s prison, she is brought into her father’s rich family and the setting of the novel. But Lynhurst Manor is a house built on secrets, and her arrival might reveal them all.
Oh my goodness, friends! I cannot rave about this book enough. So much mystery! So much intrigue! And a hero that makes me swoon. If that isn’t enough to entice you, I am doing something a little different with this book review. Below you will find a few more of my favorite quotes from the beginning of the book (because going any farther will reveal too much).
So here it is, a sample of this delectable treat that will not expand your waistline, only your mind.
When Aurelie Harcourt’s father dies in debtor’s prison, he leaves her just two things: his wealthy family, whom she has never met, and his famous pen name, Nathaniel Droll. Her new family greets her with apathy and even resentment. Only the quiet houseguest, Silas Rotherham, welcomes her company.
When Aurelie decides to complete her father’s unfinished serial novel, writing the family into the story as unflattering characters, she must keep her identity as Nathaniel Droll hidden while searching for the truth about her mother’s disappearance–and perhaps even her father’s death.
– Blurb from Amazon.com
Purchase this irresistible treat at:
Amazon.com Barnes and Noble Christianbook.com and other fine retailers
Check out last week’s interview with Joanna herself, and then check out her website.
Congratulations to last week’s winner of a copy of Lady Jayne Disappears, Paula S.!
So which quote was your favorite? What do yo think of this story? Are you intrigued yet?
*I received an advance copy of this novel from the publisher. The opinions and ravings about this book are completely mine, without regard to how I received the book. But seriously, ya’ll it is AMAZING!!!*
