"Victoria" by Daisy Goodwin

"Victoria"

by Daisy Goodwin

I received a copy of "Victoria" from SheSpeaks to read and share about before it's release date of November 22nd!  I'm just digging in, about halfway through and I can not put it down!  I want to know what happens next -  an excellently written book that provides a fascinating glimpse into the English Monarchy and all that goes with it - back in 1835!

What a story, based on Victoria's own diary entries.

A marvelous historical fiction, with romance and suspense!

Full review to come!

"I do not like the name Alexandrina.  From now on I wish only to be known by  my second name, Victoria."

-Victoria by Daisy Goodwin

#SheSpeaksUp #ad #StMartinsPress #VictoriaNovel

"Someone Like You" by Victoria Bylin

"Someone Like You"

by Victoria Bylin

Are you a fan of Christian Fiction?  A fan of second-chance romance, contemporary fiction, a love story sprinkled with fun, problems, and a delightful cast of characters? Then you will enjoy "Someone Like You", an easy to read, relaxing novel.

We are introduced to the two main characters, Zeke and Julia, who were in love back in their college days.  Zeke falls short of perfection, misunderstandings, and they went their separate ways.  

Zeke is the manager of a failing resort Caliente Springs and he needs something big to happen to draw back the crowds.  He loves Caliente Springs and he loves all it's employees.  He feels the weight of the resort and the need to keep it going oh his shoulders.  

Julia is a single mother, starting a new event planning business, Dare to Dream, she needs this business to work to support her son and herself.  She has decided not to marry the father of her son as he is not a nice person or a good example for their son.

Back in college Zeke was an energetic and active christian, Julia not so.  After their parting, Zeke has lost his faith, while apart Julia has found faith.

Caliente Springs is owned by a brother and sister, once a star singing duo.  One is ready to sell, the other is holding on.  Enter their 'adopted' daughter who is getting married, but must get married in 30 days - before her husband is away in the service.

Can a huge, beautiful wedding be put together in 30 days?  Can Zeke find a qualified wedding planner that can do it?  Can this event save Caliente Springs?

A whole lot of work, a few problems, a little fun, sprinkled with love and faith!  And a little bit of Daniel!

A great story!

I was given a copy of "Someone Like You" through the Bethany House Blogger program to read, review, and share!  

I enjoyed this book thoroughly! 

Here is the summary from the Bethany House website - reprinted here with permission through the program, and a link for you to check out for yourself!

http://bakerpublishinggroup.com/books/someone-like-you/375550

"Someone Like You"

by Victoria Bylin

Single mom Julia Dare has a lot on her plate. A brand new Christian, she's busy trying to run her own business, spend time with her widowed mother, and raise her young son, Max, despite his father's less-than-ideal influence on him. When a big account from her event-planning business sends her to the Caliente Springs resort, she's shocked to come face-to-face with Zeke Monroe, the resort's general manager and her college sweetheart.

With his faith in tatters, Zeke Monroe is determined to keep the historic Caliente Springs resort running despite financial difficulties. But when Julia walks back into his life, he can't ignore the feelings she stirs up. As they work together on an important client's dream wedding, the fate of the resort soon depends on their success. When Zeke and Julia are pushed to their limits both personally and professionally, will their history put up walls between them or bring them together?

"The Inheritance" (Secrets of the Shetlands) by Michael Phillips

"The Inheritance" 

(Secrets of the Shetlands)

by Michael Phillips

If you are a big fan of sweeping historical fiction - this is an excellent book for you!  I'm a huge reader of generational sagas, historical details, and a christian theme, so I was right at home reading this book.  I also love it when I fall for a book, that it's not really over when it's over!  A series - yay!  I'm looking forward to reading Book 2, which just came out in October!  

I give this book all the stars - it may have had a slow start but to be fair there were so many characters and details to introduce, which included multi-generations!  So it was a lot to establish in your mind before proceeding!  I was very glad to see there was a 'family tree' included in the front of this book!  I found myself flipping to it many times to clarify or discover certain facts as I was reading!  

This was a fun book for me, I am writing this now, so that I can proceed to book 2 - 

"The Cottage"!

Here are my thoughts:

I loved this book! I am a big historical fiction fan and love reading books that illuminate a period of time, a place, and the people that lived it. This book takes place on Whales Reef, a tiny Shetland Island. It takes a couple chapters or more to establish the characters and get comfortable with the dialect and what is going on. The book flips from past to present, which took me a while to grasp and connect the dots. The writing was phenomenal and the storyline is deep and when you think you have all the facts, another layer is introduced!  I did find myself going back to previous chapters to confirm my thoughts. Once I grasped who was who, this book took me in! A death, no will, an inheritance and an unlikely heir all make for a great sweeping story! The community, the characters, and the history of all of them is given to you in bits and pieces until it all comes together! The story is detailed and well written! I'm also a fan of a book with a christian theme, it's there but does not overshadow the epic drama of this time and place! I enjoyed this book and was compelled to put off other things in order to continue reading! Great read and I am now a big fan of Michael Phillips! Can't wait to read book 2!

I was given a copy of this book free from Bethany House to read and share a review!  Thank you!

Here is the description of "The Inheritance" from BethanyHouse.com:

This is not written by me but I'm permitted to share their summary!

About

"The death of clan patriarch Macgregor Tulloch has thrown the tiny Shetland Islands community of Whales Reef into turmoil. Everyone assumed Tulloch's heir to be his much-loved grandnephew David. But when no will is discovered, David's calculating cousin Hardy submits his own claim to the inheritance, an estate that controls most of the island's land. And Hardy knows a North Sea oil investor who will pay dearly for that control. 

While the competing claims are investigated, the courts have frozen the estate's assets, leaving many of the locals in dire financial straits. The future of the island--and its traditional way of life--hangs in the balance.

Meanwhile, Loni Ford enjoys a rising career in a large investment firm in Washington, D.C. Yet, in spite of outward success, she is privately plagued by questions of identity. Orphaned as a young child, she was raised by her grandparents, and while she loves them dearly, she feels completely detached from her roots. That is, until a mysterious letter arrives from a Scottish solicitor. . . .

Past and present collide in master storyteller Michael Phillips' dramatic new saga of loss and discovery, of grasping and grace."

bethanyhouse.com