The Brickmaker's Bride book review

The Brickmaker's  Bride 

by Judith McCoy Miller (Goodreads Author)

 

Yearning for a fresh start, Ewan McKay travels with his aunt and uncle from northern Scotland to West Virginia, promising to trade his skills in the clay business for financial assistance from his uncle Hugh. Hugh purchases a brickmaking operation from a Civil War widow and her daughter, but it's Ewan who gets the business up and running again. Ewan seeks help from Laura, the former owner's daughter, and he feels a connection with her, but she's being courted by another man--a lawyer with far more social clout and money than Ewan. Besides, Ewan has resolved he'll focus on making the brickmaking operation enough of a success that he can become a partner in the business
and be able to afford to bring his sisters over from Scotland.

But when Hugh signs a bad business deal, all Ewan's hard work may come to naught. As his plans begin to crumble, Laura reveals something surprising. She and her mother may have a way to save the brickworks, and in turn Ewan may have another shot at winning Laura's heart.


My Review: 6/10
This was an enjoyable read. But I think it would have been refreshingly unique if a couple of things were different. I wished that Ewan's point of view wasn't included. It wasn't always believable (come on, no man would remark to himself that he "noticed a scent of Jasmine.") and it would have added some suspense to not be so confident of his feelings. That might have made Laura's uncertainties more believable.

But even more so, it would have been refreshing to have a poor Scots-Irishman with some pride, thinking he may have been poor, but he could be any man's equal. He could prove genteel, intelligent, hardworking, successful, without being born to priviledge. I just really don't like the self-pitying that's chalked up to rank and unfortunately for me, that seems to be the most popular mode of conflict in this genre. Come on, ladies! Give me a strong, confident, charming lead character!

Apart from that, there was so much to love about this book. I'm a Pittsburgh native, so despite the less than flattering commentary, I loved the history from beginning to end. I agreed with and appreciated many of the Christian themes. Some of the ones chosen were not the usual choices: waiting on God, not judging another person's faith/standing with God, honesty and integrity in every situation, God working all things- even suffering, loss, and death- for good, being disappointed in God's answers, and healing your relationship with God. So much truth in these pages.

Ewan was one of the most upright men after God's heart that I've seen depicted in print. I realize that he was human and made mistakes. But I felt that a couple of his inconsistencies should have been addressed as mistakes. He did enter into a deception with Kathleen, when providing her with information on the dinner party that she did not attend. Why didn't he just turn around and take her home? Yes he would have been late, but better to be late than assist Kathleen in compromising herself. And while he did not specifically instruct her to lie, I've learned that the state of the heart matters as much as the words themselves when it comes to God's standards. Just as being angry with someone is as severe in His eyes as murder, a deceitful heart and carefully worded omissions are equal to lies (Matthew 5:21-22). Ewan is careful not to technically utter a lie himself, but never seems to realize that a deceitful heart and following actions are still guilty of the sin.

I didn't like the kiss between Ewan and Laura. Despite their feelings, she was in a relationship with Winston. Harboring feelings for another man is bad enough and then you add in kissing. I lost some respect for them both.

Hugh's conversion was a little too abrupt for me, but I'm glad that it happened.

I look forward to checking out more books by this author.

Playing By Heart book review

Playing by Heart

by Anne Mateer (Goodreads Author)

 

Lula Bowman has finally achieved her dream: a teaching position and a scholarship to continue her college education in mathematics. But when she receives a shocking telephone call from her sister, Jewel, everything she's worked for begins to crumble.

After the sudden death of Jewel's husband, Jewel needs Lula's help. With a heavy heart, Lula returns to her Oklahoma hometown to do right by her sister. But the only teaching job available in Dunn is combination music instructor/basketball coach. Neither subject belongs anywhere near the halls of academia, according to Lula!

Lula commits to covering the job for the rest of the school year, determined to do well and prove herself to the town. Reluctantly, she turns to the boys' coach, Chet, to learn the game of basketball. Chet is handsome and single, but Lula has no plans to fall for a local boy. She's returning to college as soon as she gets Jewel back on her feet.

However, the more time she spends in Dunn, the more Lula realizes God is working on her heart--and her future is beginning to look a lot different than she'd expected.


My Review: 6/10
 
I really enjoyed much of this book. My favorite part was the humanity of Lula. As the oldest in my family, I couldn't immediately relate, but before long, my heart was twisting right along with Lula's as she worked herself to the bone trying to earn the respect of those who should have been her biggest cheerleaders and supporters. I guess a lot of it was the age difference and the time period, but it was still so hard to swallow.

Lula had no easy choices and I really appreciated her growth as she struggled to let God's love and direction be enough, trading the temporary for the eternal.

Though I wasn't clear on the exact time period for most of the book, I loved the historical aspects. At first I thought the tornado was too melodramatic, and then I did a little research and read about the tornadoes that touched down during World War I. Fascinating. The author clearly did a lot of research and found natural ways to have the information sprinkled throughout the pages. She did a great job of staying consistent to the time and attitudes.

The things I didn't like about the book were just specific to my own tastes; I didn't like Jewel's romance. It was obvious, but more than that, I just couldn't picture it myself. While being pregnant with her deceased husband's child, she starts a romance with his best friend, just months after laying him to rest? I realize that, especially for the time, this kind of thing was much more necessary and common, but it just didn't appeal to my steadfast personality. Not at all.

I thought the end was kind of abrupt too. I'm glad that the author didn't write Chet a loophole to get out of the commitment he made, but I was surprised that it pretty much cut to epilogue right after; I'd have liked to hear a little more about his experiences there.  Their's is a story that might make a good sequel- seeing the shape Lula's life continues to take and experiencing Chet's maturity and growth as he experiences war himself and learns that it has little to do with glory. The family dynamics could be fleshed out even more, in both Lula's and Chet's families. Blaze and Nannie would make a good substory. So much potential.

Becoming Bea book review

Becoming Bea 

by Leslie Gould (Goodreads Author)

 

Ben and Bea have always irritated each other. But when their friends push them together, can they cease bickering long enough to fall in love?

 

 

My Review: 8/10

 

This book is the best of it's kind. I've read some Amish fiction before, and I'd read the previous book, Minding Molly, and I felt like the author did a really great job of showing another side to the story; both Molly and Bea have distinct voices.

The book is aptly named and you really get to see a transition as a young woman grows up. I thought her changes were natural; being thrown into helping raise children with no previous knowledge, accidentally overhearing some brutally honest words about your character from a friend, being separated from your family, all of these are things that would naturally mature and grow a person. So well done.

I don't know how realistic Don's character/situation is for the Amish, but I thought Bea's reaction to him and his actions was appropriate. I could have done without him as a subplot, but perhaps there will be some redemption for him a subsequent book.

The themes of forgiveness and trust and vulnerability were all beautifully done. I could understand where Bea was coming from in her fear and frustration and doubt. And I thought it was a little ironic that she was called overbearing. Perhaps Molly rubbed off on her more than she realized?

The storyline is interesting and the characters and their relationships are engaging, but ultimately, the charm of this book comes from Bea's voice: her introspection, prayers to God, her flaws and growth and insights along the way.

Miracle in a Dry Season book review

Miracle in a Dry Season 

by Sarah Loudin Thomas (Goodreads Author)

 

It's 1954 and Perla Long's arrival in the small town of Wise, West Virginia, was supposed to go unnoticed. She just wants a quiet, safe place for her and her daughter, Sadie, where the mistakes of her past can stay hidden. But then drought comes to Wise, and Perla is pulled into the turmoil of a town desperately in need of a miracle.
Casewell Phillips has resigned himself to life as a bachelor...until he meets Perla. She's everything he's sought in a woman, but he can't get past the sense that she's hiding something. As the drought worsens, Perla's unique way with food brings both gratitude and condemnation, placing the pair in the middle of a maelstrom of anger and forgiveness, fear and faith.


My Review: 3/10
 
This book was more contemporary than I usually go, but I thought I'd step outside of my normal and give it a try. I wondered if perhaps this was a new time period for the author as well; a couple of things struck me as just not right. For example, I just couldn't see a serious fear of witchcraft being used as a subplot for a story set in 1954.

I liked that Perla never revealed the details about Sadie's conception, not even to herself.

I liked the themes of forgiveness, applied in different ways, each unique to the situation.

I liked that Casewell was human, often not even realize his faults, like bing judgmental, when he thought he was being morally strong. I liked the honest portrayal of this man, who has an interest in Perla, but then upon hearing the truth, writes her off. His struggle in learning how to forgive Perla for betraying him before she belonged to him, was a new concept, definitely Christian. I thought it was well done.

And I thought it was interesting for a Christian book to paint a villain into a pastoral position. This would have been refreshing and an excellent opportunity to teach that that sometimes wolves wear sheeps clothing, that just because someone professes to be of God does not mean that they are impervious to sin and corruption, etc. Instead this character took a story that was sweet and made it taste rotten.

*SPOILER* Attempted rape from a pastor?! I know that it happens. I just wasn't expecting to stumble across it in this book based on the synopsis. Just because it didn't go very far, didn't mean i was able to gloss over it like it never happened. And it seemed to serve no other purpose in the book than to paint Perla as a victim and add drama to the story. Completely unnecessary.

And the sermons... where the pastor was telling the congregation that they needed his, not God's, but his forgiveness- why did no one contradict him?! This was 1954, not the dark ages, most people could read and had access to the Bible. The moment when he had them drop to the ground, face first, and crawl up to his feet... Oh it was nauseating. Even after he had been driven from town and Casewell took over preaching, I never felt like those things were properly addressed or any attempt was made to rectify the numerous wrongs. The snake was removed, but it wasn't enough; the poison needed sucked out too.

Balancing It All book review

Balancing It All: My Story of Juggling Priorities and Purpose

by Candace Cameron Bure

 

“How do you do it all?”

That’s the question that wife, mom, actress, and best-selling author Candace Cameron Bure is often asked. And it’s a question that women everywhere are asking themselves as we seek to balance all of our roles, responsibilities, and opportunities.

So, how do we do it? Working since the age of 5, Candace has been in a balancing act for nearly her entire life. She is the first to tell you that there is no miracle formula for perfect execution in every area of your life, but there definitely are some lessons to be learned, lessons that come to life in Candace's story.

Come along and dig into Candace’s story from her start in commercials, the balance-necessitating years on Full House, to adding on the roles of wife and mom while also returning to Hollywood. Insightful, funny, and poignant, Candace’s story will help you balance it all.

 My Review: 9/10

I recently read Candace Cameron Bure's previous book Reshaping It All and enjoyed the family stories and recipes and Biblical motivation. I guess I expected this book to be exactly the same format but with the focus on balance this time. It is entirely different and I liked it better! I got it on loan from the library, but I think I'm going to have to get my own copy because there was so much I want to be able to refer back to. It's stuffed full of advice with personal application, ideas and wisdom.

I thought it was great that she shared her private journal entries when they were applicable. It showed me that no matter how great your love for God is, we all have moments when we feel super distant and like we're messing everything up. I think sometimes we might be afraid to let those feelings out, thinking that if we say it or write it, then they become a permanent truth. But that's just the devil at work, trying to make us fearful, ashamed, guilty, etc. The truth is that we need to acknowledge our feelings and deal with them, work through them and then we can move on. Then we can see that those times of weakness did not define us and they did not last.

I also loved her remarks on marriage and child rearing, especially: "People talk about marriage being a 50-50 give and take situation, but it's more than that. It's more than compromise. It's about giving 100%, finding your role in that relationship and honoring all aspects of it." Yes! I just had to explain a smaller scale of this to my two girls. I explained that while compromise is awesome, sometimes they need to sacrifice- that's what love is. And being completely unwilling to love one another is what was causing a lot of their fights. Ms. Bure is right on about this. Her Biblical wisdom on respecting your husband was also exactly right. It also happens to be a very unpopular viewpoint in our culture, which makes me appreciate her speaking up even more. Those gems are quotes that I might make into art or include in wedding cards.

Lastly, I was very strongly impacted by her illustration of a prayer partnership with her friend. Immediately, I thought, what a great way for me to grow closer to God, keep perspective of my prayers and blessings and also be held accountable; it's easy to pray something like, "God, please help me to get in better shape and eat right!" and then forget about it, do nothing to change your life, your habits, your self discipline. But having someone to whom I'm sharing my prayers with, knowing that they are praying for me too, and updating each other on prayers that have been answered, reminds me of the things I say I want, and helps motivate me to make changes too. I've implemented this with my sister in law in the last week and it has already been making a difference in my life, in ways I wasn't expecting.

In short, I recommend  this book so much that I will likely buy it for others. It has been a God send.

Rachel book review

Rachel 

by Jill Eileen Smith (Goodreads Author)

 

Can true love overcome a legacy of betrayal?

Rachel wants nothing more than for her older half sister Leah to wed and move out of their household. Leah wishes her father would find a good man who would love her alone. Unbeknownst to either of them, Jacob is making his way to their home, trying to escape a past laced with deceit and find the future God has promised him.

But the past comes back to haunt Jacob when he finds himself on the receiving end of treachery. The man who wanted only one woman ends up with sisters who have never gotten along and now must spend the rest of their lives sharing a husband. In the power struggles that follow, only one woman will triumph . . . or will she?

Combining meticulous research with her own imaginings, bestselling author Jill Eileen Smith not only tells one of the most famous love stories of all time but will manage to surprise even those who think they know the story inside and out.



My Rating: 9/10

 
I don't really have any complaints with this novel. It's not a full star simply because I wouldn't want to read it again. That is not a reflection of the writing, just that this story is so painful.

Ms. Smith did a wonderful job bringing the characters to life. I felt like she did them justice, presenting their strengths, weaknesses, struggles, and victories without prejudice, without bias. As a result, it really showed me the condition of my heart. I've always known I have an unforgiving spirit, but I'd thought I'd been getting better. Not so. Watching the sisters struggle, I heard my own heart responding in kind, taking up arms, and thinking about how I would feel, what I would do. And it was never to my own sacrifice, never for the good of others over myself. At least Rachel felt occasional guilt and eventual repentence and remorse. I have a long way to go.

In addition, this retelling really made me aware of how differently this story could have gone. Every step of the way, if they had chosen another path, things could have been so different. From the getgo, if just one of the sisters had chosen to love the other, regardless of how they were treated, I don't think Leah could have done what she did. I wonder if Rachel could have refused the marriage? I know she wouldn't have wanted to, but if she was trusting God and his ways, and I wonder if she would have been allowed to break her own marriage contract since Jacob had taken her sister by mistake? Hm. What a different story that would have been.

I completely understood her fear of allowing Jacob and Leah to spend any time together, to be close. How different it would have been, if she had even just chosen to love her sister herself- respond in kind words, compliments, companionship, encouragement, and ultimately forgiveness.

And I don't know if this part was accurate (will have to reread the Bible story myself now) but I noticed that Rachel did not turn to God much, except to beg for a child. But like so many of us, instead of trusting His silence (and perhaps pouring herself into her nephews), she attempted anything she could to make the decision herself. When will we learn that we cannot force God's hand?

Though so painful to read, this story was full of hard-earned wisdom. It was a colorful, vivid retelling.

Full Steam Ahead book review

Full Steam Ahead

by Karen Witemeyer (Goodreads Author)

 

When Nicole Renard returns home to Galveston from an eastern finishing school, she's stunned to find her father in ill health. Though she loves him, he's only ever focused on what she's "not." Not male. Not married. Not able to run their family business, Renard Shipping.

Vowing to secure a suitable marriage partner, Nicole sets out with the Renard family's greatest treasure: a dagger personally gifted to Nicole's father by the pirate Jean Lafitte. Many believe the legend that the dagger is the source of all Renard Shipping's good fortune, though Nicole is sure her father's work ethic and honorable business practices are the keys to their success. Before she can board the steamer to New Orleans, Nicole finds her father's rivals—the Jenkins brothers—on either side of the gangplank, ready to grab her and steal the dagger. Quickly, she decides to instead travel north, to Liberty, Texas, where she can decide what to do next.

Darius Thornton needs a secretary—someone to help him get his notes in order. Ever since the boiler explosion aboard the "Louisiana," Darius has been a man obsessed. He will do anything to stop even one more steamship disaster. The pretty young socialite who applies for the job baffles him with her knowledge of mathematics and steamships. He decides to take a risk and hire her, but he's determined her attractive face and fancy clothes won't distract him from his important research.

The job offer comes at exactly the right time for Nicole. With what Darius is paying her, she'll be able to afford passage to New Orleans in mere weeks. But Mr. Thornton is so reclusive, so distant, so unusual. He can create complex scientific equations but can't remember to comb his hair. And his experiments are growing more and more dangerous. Still, there are undeniable sparks of attraction between them. But Nicole is leaving soon, and if she marries, it must be to a man who can manage a shipping empire. Darius certainly doesn't fit that description. And the Jenkins brothers have not given up on kidnapping Nicole and seizing the Lafitte dagger for themselves.

My Review: 7/10

I'm a fan of Karen Witemeyer, but this one fell just a little short for me.

It was still a page-turner, still captivating, from the very first words to the very last. And I really loved the first half of the book. Nicole was intelligent, strong, and sassy, but with some understandable insecurities of her own. Darius was confident and lovable in his mania. I liked the way he respected her and treated her as his partner, his equal.

But some details didn't add up. Nicole's mother's parting words were to choose the right man for her, not her father's business, yet she talked herself out of Darius being the right choice. I got the impression that her father wasn't as concerned with someone with loads of shipping experience, so much as some brawn to protect the family. So I was a little confused as to why Nicole was so adamant on that point.

Despite references to God and scripture, and despite Nicole praying for God to direct her path and lead her to the right man, she did not turn to God when she realized she'd fallen for Darius. She tried to blaze ahead on her own, which almost ended in disaster. I thought this was an excellent portrait of the way we try to solve our problems without God- thinking that if He didn't respond in the way we wanted, He just must not be listening. In her broken relationship with her father, I would have loved to see Nicole turn to her Heavenly Father for love and acceptance, and through Him, finally believe that she is enough and loved as is. Then, to see her step out in faith, trusting God to have worked everything for her good, without having to see proof of it first. These characters were human and relatable, but sometimes I want ones that inspire me, that make hard choices and encourage me to do the same.

I was also surprised at the amount of time spent fantasizing about or pursuing physical things- looks, touches, kisses, etc. It took up a decent amount of pages and more of the relationship than I was expecting.

I loved the historical aspects and Darius' struggle to face his obsession and turn it over to God. I thought that was really well done. I'd recommend this book to fans of this genre and fans of this author.

Love's Sweet Beginning book review

Love's Sweet Beginning

by Ann Shorey (Goodreads Author)

 

It wasn't Cassie Haddon's fault that she had managed to reach the age of twenty-five without possessing any useful skills. Until the war, she had always had servants to wait on her. Since then, she and her widowed mother had moved from place to place, relying on family to care for them. Now she's forced to find work to support them both. What isn't in her plans is falling for Jacob West, a local restaurateur and grocer. She needs a job and he needs help. But what they both need is love.

My Review: 2/10 
 
I appreciated the attempt to show a character struggling to obey scripture. But there were too many glaring problems. The romance itself was the biggest one. Cassie and Jacob were so hot and cold, it was like every other paragraph one of them was storming out, then thinking about marrying them, then crying, then thinking they didn't deserve the other, et cetera. The constant back and forth was giving me whiplash. Then you add in all the secrets, lies, omissions, jealousy, insecurities... ugh.

Then there were the issues with scripture. When Patrick first announces his intentions, he owns that the verse referred to a man's widow. By the end of the book both he and Cassie seem to have forgotten this? Not to mention the fact that she initially rebuffs him by stating the passage refers to Old Testament. Why did she not stand firm on this? Not to mention the fact that the verse states the man's obligation to the woman. She is not required to accept. All of this is irrelevant. Cassie states that she's been told her soul hangs in the balance if she doesn't comply... She should know that there is only one Way to God, to Heaven, for salvation. And if she didn't, then the author should have taught her.

Her struggle to follow the commandment to honor her parents was not flushed out either. Honoring your parents is not simply obeying their every single command. And her duty to obey Christ and His directions come first.

I had other issues with the plot and subplots and the characters and their histories, but these were the most important ones.

A Death-Struck Year book review

A Death-Struck Year

by Makiia Lucier (Goodreads Author)

 

A deadly pandemic, a budding romance, and the heartache of loss make for a stunning coming-of-age teen debut about the struggle to survive during the 1918 flu.

For Cleo Berry, the people dying of the Spanish Influenza in cities like New York and Philadelphia may as well be in another country--that's how far away they feel from the safety of Portland, Oregon. And then cases start being reported in the Pacific Northwest. Schools, churches, and theaters shut down. The entire city is thrust into survival mode--and into a panic. Headstrong and foolish, seventeen-year-old Cleo is determined to ride out the pandemic in the comfort of her own home, rather than in her quarantined boarding school dorms. But when the Red Cross pleads for volunteers, she can't ignore the call. As Cleo struggles to navigate the world around her, she is surprised by how much she finds herself caring about near-strangers. Strangers like Edmund, a handsome medical student and war vet. Strangers who could be gone tomorrow. And as the bodies begin to pile up, Cleo can't help but wonder: when will her own luck run out?

Riveting and well-researched, A Death-Struck Year is based on the real-life pandemic considered the most devastating in recorded world history. Readers will be captured by the suspenseful storytelling and the lingering questions of: what would I do for a neighbor? At what risk to myself?
An afterword explains the Spanish flu phenomenon, placing it within the historical context of the early 20th century. Source notes are extensive and interesting.



My Review:  5/10 *Spoiler alert!*

Solid, middle of the line effort. I really liked the first few chapters, especially the bantering in Latin. I enjoyed the setup of scenery and characters. For a book that only covered about a month in total and spent about 20-40 pages on any particular day, it moved fast enough. It was engaging, kept my interest, and was easy to finish.

Some major things got in the way for me though:

*The romance. I love a good love story. I have never said this before and I hope to never say it again, but when Edmund was introduced and Cleo reacted, I could feel my eyes rolling and my lips mumbling "oh come on!" of their own accord. It would have gone down better if one of three things happened. 1. Edmund died. 2. In the panic and desperation of the epidemic/war, they had a quickie wedding or one night stand and had to work through the muck of the aftermath. 3. The book followed up with them both years down the road and showed that it amounted to nothing, that the romance that flared between them was sparked by the circumstances. It was special, but incapsulated in that time, never to be fanned to life again.

As it was, none of those things happened. Edmund was a perfect gentleman with no faults and everything going for him. He was immediately taken with her and promptly took up the role of solicitous fiance, making arrangements on her behalf and putting her best interests ahead of his own. The humor about the birth control pamphlet (fascinaing!) had me chuckling to myself, but nothing even came of that, despite being built up so much.

*Cleo herself. It was interesting to read about the spanish flu through the eyes of a 17 year old orphan of priviledge (strange indeed). But then Cleo morphed into a superhero, saving men, women, and children, scaring away burglers with a withering stare and idle threat, digging graves, and rescuing the nearly departed from the mortuary. Cleo's only faults, lying to her family and being reckless with her own health/safety, were not faults so much as "the indirect boast" (Jane Austen) because they were done for the benefit of others. I couldn't relate to her and she got on my nerves. Even when she made stupid, rash decisions that likely would have had serious consequences in real life, everything worked out.

*The death toll. While there were occasionally deaths, Cleo saved many more lives than were taken. Of her family and the primary characters, only one died. Doing the math from the historical notes, it seemed that only 1 in 15 died of the spanish flu (at least in Portland... really a 7% mortality rate? That can't be right... ) so I guess the lack of immediate characters succumbing wasn't inaccurate. But still, no one personally connected with her went down, with the exception of Margaret (we only meet her briefly in the beginning) and Kate (whom Cleo only knew for a few weeks and didn't even start to learn anything personal about her until just a few days before she died). Even the patients that were brought in- those who died got a passing line and those who slowly regained health were checked up on throughout the whole book. With the focus on life over death, it gave the impression that the spanish flu actually wasn't that bad. Which brought me to...

*The point. What was the point of the story? It was not a death-struck year, but a flu-ridden month. It seemed to me that Cleo was altered more by her personal tragedy as a child than by the events of either the war or the spanish flu.

Love Comes Calling book review

Love Comes Calling 

by Siri Mitchell

 

Dreaming of becoming an actress, Boston socialite Ellis Eaton captures Griff Phillips' attention. But while filling in for a look-alike friend at the telephone exchange, she overhears a call that threatens Griff's safety. With handsome policeman Jack Flanigan investigating - and her heart in a muddle - will she discover what might be the role of a lifetime? 

 

 

 

My Review: 7.5/10

 

This book is a full submersion into the roaring twenties- the language, attitudes and history is all there. As a reader, you feel transported back in time, which is why I love historical fiction. I love learning about the way daily life was in any given period of time that is far enough removed from the one I live in. The Author's notes show just how much she prepared for this novel and shows you how much truth was weaved into the fiction- I loved it!

Ellis took some getting used to for me. Initially, though I found her insecurities annoying, I appreciated that Ms. Mitchell was consistent in her characterization and I respected her uniqueness as a heroine. For a while, every time Ellis despaired of not measuring up, I felt more and more irritated... until I met her family. While I didn't understand why they treated her the way they did, I (finally) did understand how Ellis got it into her head that she was a disappointment, a failure, and a constant source of exasperation.

After I warmed to her, I really enjoyed the humor she brought to most situations and appreciated her honesty. I liked that she didn't always have an answer, that she sometimes felt confused, and that not everyone liked her (and that they, in turn, weren't written off as evil or useless for not being TeamEllis). Even when I found her reasoning flawed, I still could see how she got there and I appreciated such an authentic point of view. Reading the Author's note on how ADHD played a role in this was fascinating to me and, while it made total sense, it made me want to go back and read it again with that in mind. So well done.

There were only two things that kept this book from perfection for me.

The first and most important thing: I never bought into Ellis' refusal/avoidance of Griff's affections; it just did not seem natural at all to me. I have never known someone to reject love because they thought they didn't deserve the person. I've seen such insecurities manifest themselves in jealousy, fear of losing the other person, clinginess, trust issues, etc., inevitably destroying the relationship, but I have never seen them stop the relationship -before- it starts. It's human nature to dream of the fairy tale ending (getting more than we deserve) so I just didn't buy it.

Secondly, Jack Feeney was a little (sometimes a lot) too naive/trusting. Bless her, but Ellis did not do a very good job of fishing information from him subtly, so how did he not suspect anything? Or if he did, then why didn't he do anything about it? It seemed to me that someone who was so afraid of crossing those he "owed favors to" wouldn't risk incurring their wrath by overlooking her rather obvious display of memory, interest, and connection. And what was with his somewhat random spilling of his past? I felt like they hardly knew each other and these weren't the things you confided in someone you've only hung out with/talked to a couple of times.

On the whole though, I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I'd recommend it to anyone who loves historical fiction, particularly set in the twenties and anyone who is itching for a fresh, strong female lead.