With Every Breath by Elizabeth Camden

United in a quest to cure tuberculosis, can Trevor and Kate overcome past secrets and current threats to find hope for a future together?

In the shadow of the nation's capital, Kate Livingston's respectable life as a government worker is disrupted by an encounter with the insufferable Trevor McDonough, the one man she'd hoped never to see again. A Harvard-trained physician, Trevor never showed the tiniest flicker of interest in Kate, and business is the only reason he has sought her out now.

Despite her misgivings, Kate agrees to Trevor's risky proposal to join him in his work to find a cure for tuberculosis. As Kate begins to unlock the mysteries of Trevor's past, his hidden depths fascinate her. However, a shadowy enemy lies in wait and Trevor's closely guarded secrets are darker than she ever suspected.

As revelations from the past threaten to destroy their careers, their dreams, and even their lives, Trevor and Kate find themselves in a painfully impossible situation. With everything to lose, they must find the strength to trust that hope and love can prevail over all.

With Every Breath by Elizabeth Camden was an interesting and insightful novel that delved into the history of medical research and the jobs available to young women in the early 1900's. I was inspired by the dedication, hard work, and willingness to accept disease that drove the young researchers in this novel, and I was also slightly shocked by the methods and 'cures' that were experimented with in an attempt to cure tuberculosis. In addition, I also appreciated the perseverance of Kate and other young women who strove to break new ground and to work in the scientific and medical world that only accepted men at the time. 

While the back story and research were well done and interesting, the plot line was also compelling and enjoyable. There was a good mixture of a struggling romance, a past and crippling pain, crushing secrets, and an unknown danger. I was completely drawn in by the story, and I enjoyed the suspense of how the novel would actually play out. The characters were also well developed and interesting. I loved both Kate and Trevor, especially their sometimes humorous reactions to one another and their family members.They both had their own personal struggles to work through, and it was very inspiring to see them learn from their mistakes and to begin to trust and to follow God's leading for their lives. Overall, I enjoyed With Every Breath immensely, and I would highly recommend it to those who love a good historical mystery/romance.

I received this novel from Netgalley and Bethany House Publishers in exchange for an honest review.

The Wishing Season by Denise Hunter

Living side-by-side, a fledgling chef and a big-hearted contractor find a delicious attraction.

Trouble is, their chemistry could spoil their dreams.

Spirited PJ McKinley has the touch when it comes to food. Her dream of opening her own restaurant is just one building short of reality. So when a Chapel Springs resident offers her beloved ancestral home to the applicant with the best plan for the house, PJ believes it’s a contest she was meant to win.

Contractor Cole Evans is confident, professional, and swoon-worthy—but this former foster kid knows his life could have turned out very differently. When Cole discovers the contest, he believes his home for foster kids in transition has found its saving grace. All he has to do is convince the owner that an out-of-towner with a not-for-profit enterprise is good for the community.

But when the eccentric philanthropist sees PJ and Cole’s proposals, she makes an unexpected decision: the pair will share the house for a year to show what their ideas are made of. Now, with Cole and the foster kids upstairs and PJ and the restaurant below, day-to-day life has turned into out-and-out competition—with some seriously flirtatious hallway encounters on the side. Turns out in this competition, it’s not just the house on the line, it’s their hearts.

The Wishing Season by Denise Hunter is the third novel in the Chapel Springs Romance series, and it was a sweet and enjoyable read. While the novels are connected within the series, it is possible to read them out of order and understand what happens as I accidentally skipped the second one when I read this novel. The plot of The Wishing Season is well written and includes moments of romance, sadness, humor, and enduring even when life is difficult. The main characters, Cole and PJ, were developed well and easy to connect with. I enjoyed learning more about each of them and how they related to each other and with other people. They each had their own struggles and difficulties to work through, but I found their growth as characters to be inspiring as they began to trust and to rely on God and family more instead of trying to do or to fix everything themselves. Overall, I enjoyed this novel, and I look forward to reading the fourth novel when it comes out next year!

I received this novel from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Sister Eve, Private Eye by Lynne Hinton

Two decades into her calling at a New Mexico monastery, Sister Evangeline Divine (pronounced Diveen) breaks her daily routine when a police officer appears, carrying a message from her father. Sister Eve is no stranger to the law, having grown up with a police captain turned private detective. She's seen her fair share of crime—and knows a thing or two about solving mysteries.

But when Captain Jackson Divine needs her to return home and help him recover from surgery, Sister Eve finds herself taking on his latest case.

A Hollywood director has disappeared, and the sultry starlet he's been running around with isn't talking. When the missing man turns up dead, Captain Divine's case escalates into a full-blown murder case, and Sister Eve's crime-solving instincts kick in with an almost God-given grace. Soon Sister Eve finds herself soul-searching every step of the way:

How can she choose between the vocation in her heart and the job in her blood?

Sister Eve, Private Eye by Lynne Hinton was an interesting novel but did not really hold my attention that well. I had trouble identifying with the characters, particularly the main character, Eve. I thought that the mystery was scattered, unimpressive, and weirdly complicated at times. While I did enjoy the interaction between Ivy and her father, I had trouble connecting to the storyline and the other aspects of the story. Overall, I was not a huge fan of this novel, which is unfortunate because I do like the other Lynne Hinton novels I have read.

I received this novel from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Buttermilk Sky by Jan Watson

Read an excerpt here

Weary of the expectations imposed on her by her strict upbringing, eighteen-year-old Mazy Pelfrey prepares to leave her home in the Kentucky mountains for the genteel city of Lexington, where she’ll attend secretarial school. She knows her life is about to change—and only for the better. Everything will be blue skies from now on.

But business school is harder than she thought it would be and the big city not as friendly, until she meets a charming young man from a wealthy family, Loyal Chambers. When Loyal sets his sights on her, Mazy begins to see that everything she’d ever wished to have is right before her eyes. The only hindrance to her budding romance is a former beau, Chanis Clay, the young sheriff she thought she’d left firmly behind.

Danger rumbles like thunder on a high mountain ridge when Mazy’s cosseted past collides with her clouded future and forces her to come to terms with what she really wants.

If you have read Skip Rock Shallows or Tattler's Branch, you will be excited to finally read a novel that focuses on primarily Mazy, Lilly's younger sister, and Chanis. Both of these characters have appearances in previous novels, but this is the first time they are the main characters. While Buttermilk Sky could be read on its own, I felt like the character development in this novel was rather limited. I understood more about these characters from previous novels, there was certainly more character development for both Chanis and Mazy in this novel. The other characters in this novel received absolutely no development at all, and at several points I thought they completely detracted from the story because I was too busy trying to figure out how they connected and what their role was. Loyal was a terrible addition as a potential beau because he completely lacked dimension and was completely unbelievable in his role as a result. Cinnamon was a cute character, but I thought she completely detracted from the story at hand and could have been developed into the story in a much better way.

The pace of this novel was also rather drawn out, and it was hard for me to stay involved in the story at times. However, once the story reached the climax, the speed picks up so much that I had no idea what was going on and the resolution seemed completely unbelievable. I wish the story had moved at a quicker pace to begin with so that the author could have spent more time on the ending. The epilogue was disappointing at best.

Overall, I was not a huge fan of Buttermilk Sky. I have loved all of the other Jan Watson novels I have read, so if this is your first time reading her novels, I would highly recommend reading her other works instead if you are disappointed with this read.

I received this novel from Tyndale House Publishers in exchange for an honest review.

Son of Hamas by Mosab Hassan Yousef with Ron Brackin

Since he was a small boy, Mosab Hassan Yousef has had an inside view of the deadly terrorist group Hamas. The oldest son of Sheikh Hassan Yousef, a founding member of Hamas and its most popular leader, young Mosab assisted his father for years in his political activities while being groomed to assume his legacy, politics, status . . . and power. But everything changed when Mosab turned away from terror and violence, and embraced instead the teachings of another famous Middle East leader. In Son of Hamas, Mosab reveals new information about the world’s most dangerous terrorist organization and unveils the truth about his own role, his agonizing separation from family and homeland, the dangerous decision to make his newfound faith public, and his belief that the Christian mandate to “love your enemies” is the only way to peace in the Middle East. - See more at: http://www.tyndale.com/Son-of-Hamas/9781414333083#.VFj9Qskyuqg

Since he was a small boy, Mosab Hassan Yousef has had an inside view of the deadly terrorist group Hamas. The oldest son of Sheikh Hassan Yousef, a founding member of Hamas and its most popular leader, young Mosab assisted his father for years in his political activities while being groomed to assume his legacy, politics, status . . . and power. But everything changed when Mosab turned away from terror and violence, and embraced instead the teachings of another famous Middle East leader. In Son of Hamas, Mosab reveals new information about the world’s most dangerous terrorist organization and unveils the truth about his own role, his agonizing separation from family and homeland, the dangerous decision to make his newfound faith public, and his belief that the Christian mandate to “love your enemies” is the only way to peace in the Middle East.

Son of Hamas is now available in softcover with an all-new chapter about events since the book’s release such as the revelation of Mosab’s Israeli intelligence handler’s true identity, and Homeland Security’s effort to deport the author.
Since he was a small boy, Mosab Hassan Yousef has had an inside view of the deadly terrorist group Hamas. The oldest son of Sheikh Hassan Yousef, a founding member of Hamas and its most popular leader, young Mosab assisted his father for years in his political activities while being groomed to assume his legacy, politics, status . . . and power. But everything changed when Mosab turned away from terror and violence, and embraced instead the teachings of another famous Middle East leader. In Son of Hamas, Mosab reveals new information about the world’s most dangerous terrorist organization and unveils the truth about his own role, his agonizing separation from family and homeland, the dangerous decision to make his newfound faith public, and his belief that the Christian mandate to “love your enemies” is the only way to peace in the Middle East. - See more at: http://www.tyndale.com/Son-of-Hamas/9781414333083#.VFj9Qskyuqg

Son of Hamas by Mosab Hassan Yousef with Ron Brackin was an illuminating book that displayed the intricacies of the Hamas organization, the IDF, and the tensions between Israel and Palestine. I enjoyed the clarity of this book as Yousef outlined the different fights that broke out between Israel and Palestine, the rise of Hamas, and the political decisions that only increased the strife between the two groups. I did not know that much about Hamas, and I appreciated being able to understand and experience the movement through the eyes of Yousef, an inside and very influential member. I did not realize how much of the conflict between Israel and Palestine was influenced by corrupt Palestinian leaders who pushed the conflict forward for their own goals. I also was shocked by the conditions that existed in both the Palestinian and Israeli prisons; the amount of power that Hamas was still able to demonstrate from inside prison was incredible.

 I also loved the relationship that grew up between Yousef and the Israeli captain who first led him to become a spy for Israel. I appreciated the integrity of both men as they sought to reduce the deaths of both Israelis and Palestinians alike through the removal of dangerous Hamas men. Yousef is an incredible man who found himself in very dangerous circumstances, but who still chose to pursue honesty and eventually the Bible and God. I loved seeing his relationship with God grow and develop, even as he risked being ostracized from his family and even death. Overall, I found Son of Hamas to be an excellent read and thoroughly showed both the intricacies of the Hamas movement and the conflict that still exists between Israel and Palestine.

I received this book from Tyndale House Publishers in exchange for an honest review.

Revolutionary by Krista McGee

Back in the hands of the State after months above-ground, Thalli, Berk, Alex, and Kristie find themselves caught in a horrible game of power . . . with consequences reaching farther than they ever imagined.

After months in New Hope and Athens, Thalli had almost forgotten what living in the State was like. Programmed to be without emotions or curiosity, she was always an anomaly there. Too emotional. Too curious. Citizens of the State should behave exactly the way the Scientists designed them to behave: working in their assigned fields, maintaining productivity.

Now, a pawn in a mad game of manipulation, held hostage and tortured in the name of the State, Thalli can barely summon the strength to hope that the future of humanity could be any better. She clings to her new faith in the Designer. But when Thalli discovers that even the surviving above-ground villages are in danger of State domination, her fragile faith begins to crumble.

As Thalli, Berk, and Alex make plans to overthrow the evil Dr. Loudin, a chilling secret explains why they have been left alive at all . . . a personal secret that will haunt Thalli forever. And as she struggles with this new truth, she also struggles with decisions of the heart.

Can the State’s expansion be stopped? Or will humanity—above and below the surface—be irreparably damaged? 

Revolutionary by Krista McGee is the third novel in the Anomaly trilogy, and it brings the story to a close in a powerful way. The plot line of the novel is interesting and well written, and it includes mystery, suspense, betrayal, romance, and pain. The story picks up right where Luminary ends, and it continues to add more complexity and intrigue to the issues already at hand. The themes of the novel were well developed and poignant, and it included topics such as trusting God and others, showing love rather than hate to enemies, being willing to show emotion, and having faith in God even when it seems impossible.

The characters of the novel were all characters from the first two novels, but they continued to develop more and show more depth in Revolutionary. I was torn between Alex and Berk for Thalli, but I found that once this novel began that I thought the resolution was very predictable. And I was right. However, despite that I enjoyed Berk and Thalli's growth as individuals, and I appreciated Thalli's attempts to reach the good in Dr. Loudin and to love instead of hate him. I did wish that more time had been spent on developing Alex as I still did not feel like he was a very strong character when he easily could have been. I also really liked the development between Rhen and Dallas as they were very different yet helped make each other better. I also appreciated the changes that Dr. James experienced as the novel continued. 

Overall, I enjoyed Revolutionary, and I appreciated the inspirational approach that Krista McGee took to the dystopian genre with this trilogy.

I received this novel from BookLook Bloggers in exchange for an honest review.

A Triple Knot by Emma Campion

Joan of Kent, renowned beauty and cousin to King Edward III, is destined for a politically strategic marriage. As the king begins a long dynastic struggle to claim the crown of France, plunging England into the Hundred Years’ War, he negotiates her betrothal to a potential ally and heir of a powerful lordship.

But Joan, haunted by nightmares of her father’s execution at the hands of her treacherous royal kin, fears the king’s selection and is not resigned to her fate. She secretly pledges herself to one of the king’s own knights, one who has become a trusted friend and protector. Now she must defend her vow as the king—furious at Joan’s defiance—prepares to marry her off to another man.

A Triple Knot by Emma Campion was an interesting novel that wove an intriguing story about the enigmatic Joan. The plot is full of danger, death, betrayal, intrigue, and, of course, secret romances. I was very interested to read this novel because I have not read many novels set during the Hundred Years' War, and I enjoyed learning more about the power struggles that occurred during this time period. I enjoyed the character clashes, and I was saddened during the times of betrayal and hurt that happened during the novel. I thought the characters were fairly well developed, and I enjoyed learning more about the main characters as the story developed and their true personalities came to light. I found this novel to be a little slow at first and hard to connect with, but I thought the plot was more enjoyable as I continued to read. Overall, I thought A Triple Knot was an interesting read about a very intriguing character.

I received this novel from Blogging for Books in exchange for an honest review.