⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Long Way Home by Lynn Austin is a beautifully written novel that tugs at the heart and offers a hopeful message about healing after trauma. Set in the wake of World War II, the story follows Jimmy Barnett, a shell-shocked veteran confined to a VA hospital, and Grace, a quiet young woman determined to uncover the truth behind his silence. As Grace digs into Jimmy’s past, she uncovers a moving tale of love, sacrifice, and the unseen wounds soldiers carry home. The book also weaves in a second powerful storyline: that of Gisela Wolff, a young Jewish woman trying to survive the horrors of Nazi Germany. Her family’s journey—from […]
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A Time-Crossed Tale of Duty and Destiny
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️½ Book One in the Timeless series What if you had to choose between two lives? I’ve always been a sucker for time travel—especially when it’s wrapped in history, heart, and just enough tension to keep you flipping pages past bedtime. Gabrielle Meyer’s When the Day Comes does exactly that. I loved this story so much. The setup is gold: Libby lives two lives—one in 1774 Williamsburg, the other in 1914 New York. On her 21st birthday, she has to choose which life to keep living. I mean… talk about a high-stakes birthday. Both timelines are richly drawn. In colonial Virginia, Libby faces an arranged marriage and the sparks of revolution. In […]
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Fascinating History Unveiled in Armstrong’s Touching Debut
The Light of Luna Park is a historical fiction novel that intertwines the lives of two women from different eras—1926 and 1950. In 1926, Althea Anderson, a young nurse at Manhattan’s Bellevue Hospital, feels horrified as she witnesses the death of a premature baby caused by the callousness of the doctors. Althea saves a baby girl by entrusting her to Dr. Martin Couney, who incubates premature infants while exhibiting them at a sideshow at Coney Island’s Luna Park. Fast forward to 1950, where we meet Stella Wright, a special-education teacher fighting for the rights of students with disabilities. When Stella discovers a hidden letter from her late mother, she unravels […]
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The Letter Tree: A Sweet Blend of Romance and Mystery in 1920s New York
“Sometimes folks don’t want to let go of their hate, even if they know they’re being watched. They hold it tight, like they would any other vice.”—Rachel Fordham, The Letter Tree. 3.5 stars The Letter Tree by Rachel Fordham blends a dash of Romeo and Juliet with a pinch of You’ve Got Mail. In the 1920s, the Campbell and Bradshaw shoe companies are bitter rivals after their founding fathers fall out. Heirs to the companies, Laura Bradshaw and Isaac Campbell are raised to despise with each other. The novel unfolds as Laura Bradshaw finds refuge in the letters hidden within the letter tree after losing her mother. Her correspondence with an anonymous […]
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Symphony of Secrets
With his background as a music educator and performer, Brendan Slocumb brings a unique authenticity to his storytelling that shines through in this novel. Bern Hendricks, a musicology professor, is asked to authenticate a newly discovered piece by Frederick Delaney, a renowned 20th-century composer. Little does he know; this assignment will lead him down a rabbit hole of secrets and lies. With the help of a computer whiz, he uncovers evidence suggesting Delaney may have stolen his most famous work from a young Black composer named Josephine Reed. Determined to right this wrong, Bern finds himself in the crosshairs of a powerful organization that will stop at nothing to protect […]
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Trust by Hernan Diaz
Trust takes readers on a journey through the intricate world of high finance during the 1920s and 1930s in New York City. The book is about Andrew Bevel, a fictional financier who outsmarts the market just before the fateful stock market crash of 1929. When everyone else is losing their shirt, he converts his investments into cash mere weeks before the Great Depression hit. Author Hernan Diaz divided his book into four distinct sections, some of which worked better than others. First there is a short, unflattering novel written by author Harold Vanner about an investor named Benjamin Rask and his mentally ill wife. The character is obviously based […]
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The 6:20 Man
I’ve read twenty-seven books written by David Baldacci, some I gave two stars, some earned five. I’m thinking four stars is just right for The 6:20 Man. Every day without fail, former Army Ranger Travis Devine boards the 6:20 commuter train to Manhattan, where he works as an entry-level analyst at Cowl and Comely, the city’s most prestigious investment firm. He gazes out the train window at the lavish homes of the uberwealthy, dreaming about joining their ranks. Then one morning Devine receives an anonymous, untraceable message which reads: “She is dead.” Sara Ewes, Devine’s coworker and former girlfriend, is found hanging in a storage room of his office […]
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