Review: Always the Designer, Never the Bride by Sandra D Bricker

Two years and three months ago, Audrey Regan left Atlanta for New York, hoping to make a name for herself as a wedding dress designer, but Audrey is in desperate need of a career break to keep her dream alive.  She is now on her way back to Atlanta, to the Tanglewood Inn, where she will be acting as chief bridesmaid for her childhood best friend, Carly, whose dress she also designed.  With Audrey is Kat, her assistant, and she meets all the characters from Sandra Bricker’s two previous Wedding novels, including J.R., the handsome Harley-riding brother of Carly’s new husband.  But J.R. has a wanderlust that means he never stays long in any one place, which does not make him the ideal candidate for a relationship no matter what sparks there are between him and Audrey.

I have to admit that I got a bit confused with all the characters and their relationships once Audrey arrived in Atlanta, but once I got all the characters straight in my mind, I found Always the Designer, Never the Bride to be an enjoyable novel, funny and heart-warming with likeable characters, with a sweet romance and without the bittersweet aspect of Always the Wedding Planner, Never the Bride. I particularly liked Russell, the Australian movie star, who provided comic relief on the side. While Always the Designer, Never the Bridewas a good read, it was not particularly memorable, but those who read and enjoyed the first two books in the series will no doubt want to read this to find out how the characters are progressing.  The final book in the series is due to be published later in 2012.

Thanks to Abingdon Press and NetGalley for providing a free ebook for review.

Review: The Quakers of New Garden (Novella Collection)

The Quakers of New Gardencovers four generations of Quaker women from New Garden, Indiana, and provided interesting insight into their beliefs, as each novella shows how the Society of Friends react to the situations of the day. I don’t know much about the Quakers beyond their pacifism and opposition to slavery, and these stories brought out both these beliefs well, and gave me a better understanding of the beliefs of this group.

In New Garden’s Hope by Jennifer Hudson Taylor, Josiah Wall and Ruth Payne are engaged, but Josiah upsets Ruth by postponing the wedding - again. Ruth breaks their engagement, believing that if Josiah isn't prepared to marry her when he promised that he doesn't love her enough. Josiah has to decide where his priorities lie – with Ruth, or with his own interests (specifically, campaigning on behalf of the Federalist candidate in the 1808 US Presidential Election).

At one point, on of the characters says of the election “if the campaigns were not over and the votes cast. In a few months, we’ll know the results”. This delay between the end of polling and the final result being known was an interesting point I had never thought of, as in modern politics we almost always know the result the day the polls close, or a day after at the latest.

The second story, New Garden’s crossroads by Ann E. Schrock, follows Deborah, daughter of Josiah Wall, who is a furniture maker and abolitionist in Indiana. Nathaniel Fox is a slave hunter, a long way from his own Quaker roots. An accident brings them together, and they develop feelings for each other but Nathaniel must recommit to the Society of Friends before they could marry as Deborah will not leave the faith. I liked Nathaniel, because his apparent worldliness underpinned a pragmatic realism that I felt the Quakers perhaps lacked:

“Plain or lofty speech, plain dress or not, makes no difference to me.” He took another deep breath. “I’ve been out in the world and am not convinced that a man can be completely non-violent.”

In New Garden’s Inspiration by Claire Sanders, takes place during the War Between the States (the US Civil War), as the Quakers must decide if they will remain true to their non violent beliefs, or if they will fight to end slavery. Leah Wall marries widower Caleb Whitaker in order to care for his two children while he is away serving in the Union army in the war. This was a marriage of convenience story with a difference, in that Leah thought it was going to be a real marriage, so works to make it one.

The final story was my favourite, New Garden's Crossroads by Susette Williams. Set in the present day, it introduces Catherine Wall, a nurse who starts volunteering at a local youth centre after she meets the director, Jaidon Taylor, at a gang shooting. However, Jaidon is not a Quaker, so to marry him would mean leaving her church. I felt that this story gave a solid gospel message and showed the power of God to change lives.

I enjoyed The Quakers of New Garden, and I would be interested in reading more about the origins and practices of the Quakers (officially known as the Society of Friends), perhaps examining some of the companies they founded.

Thanks to Barbour Publishing and NetGalley for providing a free ebook for review.

Review: Lady Anne's Quest by Susan Page Davis

In the first book in this series, The Lady's Maid, Lady Anne Stone left England with her maid and friend, Elise Finster, to travel to America in search for her Uncle David after the death of her father. David Stone doesn’t know it yet, but he is the heir to his brother's earldom. Anne and Elise hear that David is in Oregon, so they join a wagon train, and The Lady’s Maid tells the story of the dangers they face from both the geographic challenges and from persons unknown. Lady Anne's Quest opens shortly after their arrival in Oregon (and Elise’s marriage to Eb). 

Lady Anne heads south from Eugene to Corvallis to search for her uncle, accompanied by Daniel Adams, who fell in love with her as hey journeyed across America in the wagon train. But the man they find claiming to be David Stone is an illiterate impostor, trying to claim an inheritance that is not his. Anne and Dan find that David owns a mining claim, so they continue to follow the trail. But it soon becomes apparent that they are not the only people searching for David, and that the dangers they faced in their first journey are still following them.

It has been a few months since I read The Lady's Maid, so I had forgotten some of the details. Normally, that wouldn't matter, except that Lady Anne's Quest jumped straight into the action, leaving me struggling to remember what was what and who was who. However, all became clear after a couple of chapters and I was able to start enjoying Lady Anne's Quest. Overall, it was a solid historical suspense with a hint of romance as Anne gets to know Dan better. I think I would have liked a bit more detail about the development of their relationship – I like the fact that it was build on friendship and respect, but I still would have liked a little more sizzle.

The third book in the series, A Lady in the Making, is due to be published later this year, which is good because there is still a mystery to solve, and, as Jane Austen says, a single man in possession of a fortune must be in need of a wife...

Thanks to Barbour and NetGalley for providing a free ebook for review.

Review: A Perfect Square by Vanetta Chapman

A Perfect Square brings us back to Shipshewana, to Callie and her Amish friends, and to what looks like another murder, when the Amish women find a teenage girl drowned in Reuben’s pond. Their discovery is observed by a hidden stranger, who escapes unseen and narrates his portion of the story through a series of flashbacks.

As A Perfect Squareunfolds, we find out that the victim is newly-wed Katie, and the reader is left to uncover the mystery that links her with the mysterious stranger, Reuben and the four women. In the middle of this, Callie receives a visit from an old man who wants her to find his daughter. The problem is that Ira Bontrager has dementia, and his son says he was an only child. This is potentially another mystery: is there a missing daughter, and how does this relate to the murdered girl?

There are aspects of Amish culture that I find strange, such as the way they answer direct questions but will not volunteer additional information even when it might be relevant. Reuben is particularly reticent. This has the potential to be misleading and could be seen as an obstruction of justice. And this time, withholding information is going to get Reuben into trouble. The rules of the mystery genre dictate that the culprit is a character we know. This gets a bit awkward, as we get to know the cast and don't want it to be any of them, not even Reuben, who is definitely hiding something.

One of the things I like most about these books is that the characters seem very real. Callie is reluctant to date either Andrew or Trent because she just feels herself pulling back. It seemed like the natural reluctance of a young widow, and I liked it. The characters are by no means perfect. Even the Amish have tempers and meltdowns and question God just like the rest of us (I say ‘even’ because so much Amish fiction romanticises the Amish to the point that they all appear to be ‘perfect Christians’). And I really liked the ending. It was beautiful, full of understanding, grace and forgiveness. But you’ll have to read it yourself to find out why.

A Perfect Square is the second in the Shipshewana series, following Falling to Pieces, and the third book, Material Witness, is due to be published in August 2012. More information about Vanetta Chapman can be found at her website or blog. Thanks to Zondervan and NetGalley for providing a free ebook for review.

Review: Cooking the Books by Bonnie Calhoun

Sloane Templeton has it all - a successful business, a handsome Greek boyfriend and a solid relationship with God. Well, she owns a bookshop but really wants to work in computer forensics. No one except her likes her Greek boyfriend (significant other?), and God seems to be out to lunch some days.  Not only has she inherited Beckhams Books & Brews and its offbeat manager from her mother, but she has also acquired a rare book that could be worth a lot of money – if she lives to see it. She is receiving cyber-threats but dismisses them as pranks, until the FedEx pack with the dead rat arrives. Then it becomes apparent that someone means to harm her if she doesn't obey - but obey what?

So begins a merry chase featuring two mysterious and valuable books, two violent exes, a bookclub called the Granny Oakleys who don’t seem to read any books, and a real estate agent who may or may not be working on the right side of the law. While most of the story is told by Sloane, there are scenes in the third person providing some background information and suspense. Sloane has a distinctive and engaging voice Sloane has a wicked sense of humour, which was one of the best aspects of Cooking the Books. She comments that her ex-husband tried to divorce her by way of the cemetery, her aunt is from the shallow end of the gene pool and when her uncle died of food poisoning, the coroner was careful to point out that the food poisoning was not the result of her aunt's cooking (which is apparently legendary, and not in a good way).

While Sloane is spunky, funny and generally likeable, she has poor taste in men and a tendency to try and do things herself rather than asking for help. This is not always wise and is occasionally annoying - independence is not a positive trait when being stalked by a violent ex.  Call 911, for goodness sake!

As with many current books there are a series of discussion questions at the end. The fact that Sloane is a flawed character who has made a lot of mistakes means that these are more thought provoking than most.  If you are looking for a light-hearted mystery with a cast of slightly suspicious characters (and a handful who are more for comic relief), then you will enjoy Cooking the Books.

Thanks to Abingdon Press and NetGalley for providing a free ebook for review.