PAGE~TURNERS: January 2021

Saturday, January 30, 2021

CALL TO LOVE

MY THOUGHTS:

This debut novel by this author was fantastic. I loved the flow of the story, it kept moving and, it kept me interested. I really liked Tracy and Tom and the depiction of them was heartwarming. This is a story of faith, love, hope, trust, family, and most of all forgiveness. This is one that is sure to warm your heart. The details of working in both law enforcement and nursing are spot on. The author’s writing of the trials and tribulations that the characters face, are so believable and are portrayed to the reader as very real issues. This makes you feel as if you are watching the story unfold right before your eyes. As Tracy and Tom work through the challenges of life, they come to rely on God and each other to move on from their past hurts.

This book will have you flying through the pages from cover to cover. I couldn’t wait to find out the ending but I wasn’t ready for it to end. It was such a great unputdownable read. I really enjoyed the author’s writing style. The flow of the story was so good. I hope to see more from this author, I’m hooked. Thanks Ms. Mary for such a great book. I will definitely read more of your stories.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

DESCRIPTION:

CALL TO LOVE

Author: Mary A. Felkins
Publisher: Pelican Book Group
Publication Date: November 15, 2019
Pages: 261
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Tracy Cassidy a self-reliant ER nurse has to choose between pursuing her dream job in another city or staying to help support her mother's faltering ministry...Even if it means falling in love with the kind of man she said she'd never marry.
Tom Delaney a hyper-vigilant cop and single father to an adolescent son is happy to keep his wounded heart protected behind his Kevlar. But he can no longer deny his growing love for Tracy. Problem is she's not looking to be the community's next cop widow. Like her mom.
In order to free his heart to answer God's call to love again he'll need to dump the years of bitterness he's carried toward his ex and offer her forgiveness. And should the call come to pursue Tracy's heart will he answer?

ABOUT MARY A. FELKINS

Mary A. Felkins is an inspirational romance author, administrator for Seriously Write writer’s blog, and contributor to an on-line Bible study magazine. In 2015, she was awarded a bronze medal winner for her scene submission to My Book Therapy’s Frazier contest. Call to Love is her debut, inspirational romance novel. She is a member of the American Christian Fiction Writers and My Book Therapy. Raised in Houston, Texas (and forever a Lone Star girl), Mary and her husband Bruce moved to the foothills of North Carolina in 1997. They are blessed to parent four young adult children. She can be lured from her writer’s cave if presented with a large, unopened bag of Peanut M&Ms or to watch an episode of Fixer Upper. A surprise appearance by her teen idol, Donny Osmond, would also do the trick, although she’d likely pass out. If, upon introduction, she likes your first or last name, expect to see it show up in one of her novels.

Tuesday, January 26, 2021

THE MEMORY KEEPER

MY THOUGHTS:

Jenny Hale is an author that draws you so far into the story, that you feel so much a part of it, and you forget where you actually are.

Hannah thought her life is so perfect, she’s living in New York City, has a great apartment on the upper west side, her dream job, and she thought she had the perfect boyfriend. She had plans to spend her 35th birthday in Barbados with Miles, her boyfriend, but then her whole world comes crumbling down. She finds out Miles is cheating on her, and is stranded at the airport, due to weather conditions and on her birthday no less. She receives a phone call from home that her Grandmother is not well. So her plans change from vacationing in Barbados to heading home to Franklin, Tennessee. With all the flights cancelled, she chooses to do a ride share with two other stranded people heading in the same direction.

This close-knit family can totally depend on each other and they are there for one other in good times and bad. Hannah will have you laughing out loud and grabbing for tissues at the turn of the page. The relationship that Hannah has with her Grandmother is sure to warm your heart. The friendships, old and new that Hannah makes will definitely pull at your heartstrings. Her will and ambition to make sure the flower shop survives shows that she is willing to do anything for her family. I laughed, I cried, I was happy and sad, but most of all felt joy for the true romance that it is.

This is a book to savor even though you will want to devour it. It is unputdownable, and phenomenal. You’ll want to absorb every word so that you don’t miss a thing. It read like a romance movie in my mind’s eye. Well done Jenny Hale, this is by far my favorite of all your books.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

DESCRIPTION:

THE MEMORY KEEPER

Author: Jenny Hale
Publisher: Harpeth Road Press
Publication Date: January 26, 2021
Pages: 298
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Hannah Townsend’s life is just as she’s always wanted it to be. She has the perfect job at a New York magazine, a small but elegant apartment in the upper west side, and an incredibly successful beau named Miles Monahan. This year, for her thirty-fifth birthday, she’s leaving the icy city . sludge for sunshine! She’s got tickets for two to Barbados, and she’s all packed and meeting Miles at the airport for a week of cocktails, sandy beaches, and the music of steel drums.
But her life is turned upside down in the span of that one morning. Hannah is rocked by the news that her beloved grandmother is very sick, and Hannah needs to come home to her small Tennessee town right away to be with her family and help run her gran’s dilapidated flower shop. It also means she has to face Ethan Wright, the best friend she’d left behind so many years ago. If that isn’t enough to deal with, she discovers her boyfriend is seeing someone else.
With flights grounded and rental cars in great demand due to the winter snowstorm, she’s stranded at the airport. On her birthday, instead of waking up in a stylish beachfront hotel in Miles’s arms like she thought, she finds herself packed like sardines into a car, with two passengers, on a ride-share from LaGuardia Airport to her hometown of Franklin, Tennessee.
When everything seems to be going wrong, it’s the kindness of a handsome businessman from Hannah’s past named Liam McGuire that might just save her. But a new development that threatens Gran’s shop and secrets surrounding Liam could alter both their lives forever.
A heartwarming, sweet romance that will have you laughing, crying, and best of all, hugging those around you a little tighter. If you loved the Christmas movies based on Jenny’s books and are looking for more feel-good, small town romance, look no further!

ABOUT JENNY HALE

Jenny Hale is a USA Today, Amazon, and international bestselling author of romantic contemporary fiction. Her books have sold worldwide, have been translated into multiple languages, and adapted for television. Her novels Coming Home for Christmas and Movie Guide Epiphany Award winner Christmas Wishes and Mistletoe Kisses are Hallmark Channel original movies. She was included in Oprah Magazine’s “19 Dreamy Summer Romances to Whisk You Away” and both Southern Living’s “30 Christmas Novels to Start Reading Now” as well as “Beach Reads Perfect for Summer 2020.” Her stories are chock-full of feel-good romance and overflowing with warm settings, great friends, and family. Jenny is at work on her next novel, delighted to be bringing even more heartwarming stories to her readers. When she isn’t writing, or heading up her romantic fiction imprint Harpeth Road, she can be found running around her hometown of Nashville with her husband, two boys, and their labradoodle, taking pictures—her favorite pastime.

Monday, January 25, 2021

THE THINGS WE DON’T SAY

MY THOUGHTS:

This compelling story of love and secrets is amazing. The flow of the story reads as if it is a poem, a love letter. I loved getting to know Emma not only as an older woman but also as her younger self. The escape to the South of France was exactly what I needed.

The story of the mystery behind the painting unfolds slowly and so specifically as to not miss any details that the author is conveying. It is amazingly written for the reader to enjoy. The love story of Emma and Patrick was very intriguing. Laura idolized her grandmother, Emma and I could feel the bond that those two shared.

The story spans across a period of sixty years, two World Wars and secrets so life changing that you can’t let go of them. This book totally engulfs you. You will be whisked away at the very beginning only to experience this wonderful story for yourself. There is so much I loved about this story, the emotional journey it took me on was fantastic.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

DESCRIPTION:

THE THINGS WE DON’T SAY

Author: Ella Carey
Publisher: Bookouture
Publication Date: January 25, 2021
Pages: 317
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What happens when the truths you have built your life on start to crumble?
Emma Temple sits looking out of the window in her beautiful apartment in the heart of London, surrounded by memories of her younger years as one of England’s most influential artists. Nearly ninety, it would be easy to overlook her as a forgetful older lady. But Emma’s past, including her great love affair which survived two world wars, is about to come crashing into the present.
When her granddaughter Laura arrives asking questions about the portrait that hangs above her bed, Emma is transported back over sixty years. The picture was painted by the only man she ever truly loved, the one soul on earth who knew her deepest secret. But when a newspaper claims that the portrait is a fake, everything Emma believed to be true starts to collapse. Suddenly she is transported back to a sunny house in the south of France in 1923 and the moment when her life changed forever…
An incredibly emotional and totally compelling historical novel about the relationships that shape us and the secrets we never forget. Fans of My Name is Eva, Fiona Valpy and Rhys Bowen will be completely transported from the very first page.

ABOUT ELLA CAREY

Ella Carey is the international bestselling author of The Things We Don’t Say, Secret Shores, From a Paris Balcony, The House by the Lake, and Paris Time Capsule. Her books have been published in over fourteen languages, in twelve countries, and have been shortlisted for ARRA awards. A Francophile who has long been fascinated by secret histories set in Europe’s entrancing past, Ella has degrees in music, nineteenth-century women’s fiction, and modern European history. She lives in Melbourne with her two children and two Italian greyhounds who are constantly mistaken for whippets. Ella loves to connect with her readers regularly through her facebook page and on her website.
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Saturday, January 16, 2021

RETURN TO THE ISLAND

MY THOUGHTS:

This is the third and final story in the Amherst Island trilogy. I could not wait to read this last book in the trilogy and I was not disappointed. Because there was such a connection with the characters in the first two books, you continue the bond with them in this book.

As World War I is coming to an end, former nurse Ellen returns, not to her house in Glasgow, but to her home on Amherst Island. The evidence of the war is present on the Island and the community is struggling to get back up on their feet. Ellen is not sure which direction her life will go, but she knows that Amherst Island is where she wants to be. It’s the only home she has ever known. The town was there for her when she needed them, and now she is there for them. I loved walking along with Ellen on her journey through life. She is a beacon of hope and her future is bright.

I truly loved this series. The trials and tribulations were very realistic. This author draws you so far into the book that you feel as if you are a part of the story. I cannot recommend this series enough. I didn’t want the series to end, however, I was very satisfied with the way it ended. Kate Hewitt is an author to definitely follow, and I look forward to reading more from her.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

DESCRIPTION:

RETURN TO THE ISLAND

Author: Kate Hewitt
Publisher: Bookouture
Publication Date: January 15, 2021
Pages: 268
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What would her life look like without her beloved island in it? Where would she go? Ellen had come back here-to the place she felt she belonged-thinking she would stay here. But was it home... or just a place to hide?
1918, Canada The First World War is over and those who have been fighting in Europe are heading for home, forever changed. Amongst the lost, the damaged and the broken, is former nurse Ellen Copley; who finds herself returning-not to her house in Glasgow, but to her childhood home on Amherst Island.
There, she feels sure, in the warm embrace of the McCafferty family, with her beloved Aunt Rose and her cousins, she will feel safe and loved. She will be able to escape the ghosts of the past and her loss, and find peace.
But the island is a changed place too. The war has affected life the world over, and Aunt Rose is struggling to keep their small farmstead going. The family's only hope is asking their neighbours, the Lymans, to help. But Jed Lyman is a broken man, both physically and emotionally, and his once-adoring brother Lucas is now more distant than ever.
And as Ellen fights to save the farm, she has to ask: what makes somewhere a home? And-when help comes from an unexpected place-she wonders, has the man she's destined to love been waiting for her out there all along?

ABOUT KATE HEWITT

Kate Hewitt is the bestselling author of many novels of women’s fiction, including the Hartley-by-the-Sea series set in the Lake District, the Willoughby Close series set in the Cotswolds, and Tales From Goswell written as Katharine Swartz. Her novel A Mother’s Goodbye has been called ‘unputdownable’ and ‘the most emotional book I have ever read’ by readers. Her latest novel, Not My Daughter, is out now, and No Time to Say Goodbye is available for preorder.

She lives in a small market town in Wales with her husband and five young(ish) children, along with their two Golden Retrievers. Join her newsletter for monthly updates and giveaways on her website, or be part of her Facebook groups Kate’s Reads.

Friday, January 15, 2021

THE GERMAN GIRL

MY THOUGHTS:

This World War II story is both heartbreaking and eye opening. This author has a gift of pulling you into the story and making you feel like you are living the life instead of reading a book.

This book was simply amazing. Lily Graham is an author that not only draws you in but also teaches you about history along the way. This is a story of young fifteen year old Jewish twins, whose parents were killed. Asta and Jurgen, who are brother and sister, who had to flee their hometown of Hamburg, Germany to seek refuge from the Nazis with their aunt in Denmark. When they get separated on their journey Asta is forced to go it alone. The friends and strangers they met along the way that help them was so heartwarming. The hardships that they endured were so terrifying yet every flip of the page gave hope. This time-slip tale paints such a vivid picture of survival and experiences are beyond comprehension. You’ll need to read this one with a box of tissues near by.

The fear, the loss, the courage and the endurance that these kids had to face was absolutely heartbreaking. This unputdownable, real life story is an absolute must-read. This author writes well beyond her years. I highly recommend Lily Graham and will definitely read anything this author writes. Bravo Lily, well done.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

DESCRIPTION:

THE GERMAN GIRL

Author: Lily Graham
Publisher: Bookouture
Publication Date: January 12, 2021
Pages: 266
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‘Our parents were taken. And if we go home, the Nazis will take us too…’
Hamburg 1938. Fifteen-year-old Asta is hurrying home from school with her twin brother Jurgen. The mood in the city is tense – synagogues have been smashed with sledgehammers, and Asta is too frightened to laugh as she used to.
But when she and Jurgen are stopped in the street by a friend, her world implodes further. Her Jewish parents have been dragged into the streets by German soldiers and if she and Jurgen return to their house, they will be taken too.
Heartbroken at the loss of her parents, Asta knows they must flee. With her beloved brother, she must make the perilous journey across Germany and into Denmark to reach their only surviving relative, her aunt Trine, a woman they barely know.
Jammed into a truck with other refugees, Asta prays for a miracle to save herself and Jurgen. Crossing the border is a crime punishable by death, and what she and Jurgen must embark on a dangerous crossing on foot, through the snowy forest dividing Germany and Denmark. And when barking dogs and armed soldiers find Jurgen and Asta escapes, she must hold on to hope no matter what. One day she will find her twin, the other half of herself. Whatever the price she has to pay…
A gripping and poignant read that will break your heart and give you hope. Fans of Fiona Valpy, Kristin Hannah and Catherine Hokin will be gripped by the story of a brave brother and sister seeking safety during one of the darkest times in our history.

ABOUT LILY GRAHAM

Lily Graham was born in Johannesburg, South Africa. She was a journalist before turning to writing fiction full-time. She moved to the U.K. with her husband and their dog, Fudge, five years before – to be closer to her parents. Her family is of British decent.

She has written seven novels including the bestselling, The Paris Secret, The Island Villa, and recently The Child of Auschwitz, which has been translated into multiple languages. Her novels have been published worldwide and translated into multiple territories.