Reading this week

I read a total of pages this week 574

Finished

The Copycat Mystery by Gertrude Chandler Warnerr (audiog)

That Churchill Woman by Stephanie Barron

In Defense of Andrew Jackson by Bradley Birzer

Reading

All Made Up by Kara Isaac

The Gown: A Novel of the Royal Wedding by Jennifer Robson

Non-fiction reading

Classic

Audio on the Way to Work

Getting ready to read

The Red Door Inn by Liz Johnson

Reviewing

Devotional reading

Did not Finish

Fight or Flight by Samantha Young

Famous in a Small Town by Emma Mills

Reviews Posted this week

Reading this week

I read a total of pages this week I forgot to keep track

Finished

The Lost Traveller by Sheila Connolly

Queen Victoria: Twenty-Four Days that Changed Her Life by Lucy Worsley

Drums of Autumn by Diana Gabaldon

Room for Cream by Erynn Mangum

Code of Ethics by Lynette Eason

The Copycat Mystery by Gertrude Chandler Warner

Reading

All Made Up by Kara Isaac

The Gown: A Novel of the Royal Wedding by Jennifer Robson

Non-fiction reading

Classic

Audio on the Way to Work

Getting ready to read

The Red Door Inn by Liz Johnson

Reviewing

Devotional reading

Did not Finish

Reviews Posted this week

Review of My Heart Belongs in the Blue Ridge: Laurel's Dream

Title:  My Heart Belongs in the Blue Ridge: Laurel’s Dream

Author: Pepper D. Basham

Series: My Heart Belongs

 

Chapters: 26

Pages: 256

Genre: Christian Historical Fiction with a hint of romance

Rating: 5 stars

My Heart Belongs in the Blue Ridge Laurel's dream is my first book by Pepper D. Basham but it will not be my last. It's the seventh book I've read this year and my second 5-star book. Set in Maple Creek North Carolina in the Blue Ridge Mountains part of the Appalachian Mountains chain.  Laurel is a mountain girl who has dreams of college to become a teacher and come back to her mountain home to help her people. Jonathan Taylor is from England and what the mountain people call a flat lander.  Though Laurel her mom and her siblings have a strong faith a lot of the mountain people   tend to be superstitious and not welcoming of outsiders. 

I enjoyed this book. It's the first book that I can remember reading set in this area and this time period.  Jonathan's faith at the beginning of the novel is there it's just not as strong as Laurel's.  What I think is funny is that both Laurel's and Jonathan's faith strength is shaped by their relationships with their earthly fathers.   Though Jonathan's weak because of the fact that he thinks God sees him the way his father does. While Laurel's faith in her Heavenly father is strong because she needs that faith to deal with the two sides of her earthly father. 

Even though my family didn't come from the mountains of North Carolina (in recent memory) or mountains of Kentucky.  I Imagine my great grandma’s up bringing was similar to Laurel’s though all she managed was an eight grade education much like her son's my grandfather. As I am the first in my family to go to college.  I can relate to Laurel wanting to "better herself" to help her family and community. She's a book worm who takes every chance she can get to sneak away to read. 

My Heart Belongs in the Blue Ridge Laurel's Dream has peaked my interest in finding other books set in the time period.  I also look forward to reading other books by Pepper D. Basham.  I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys historical fiction and Christian Historical fiction with a hint of romance. 

Reading this week

I read a total of 1,250 pages this week

Finished

Five Feet Apart by Rachael Lippincott

Slayer by Kiersten White

My Heart Belongs in the Blue Ridge: Laurel’s Dream by Pepper D. Basham

Reading

The Lost Traveller by Sheila Connolly

Non-fiction reading

Queen Victoria: Twenty-Four Days that Changed Her Life by Lucy Worsley

Classic

Audio on the Way to Work

Drums of Autumn by Diana Gabaldon

Getting ready to read

The Red Door Inn by Liz Johnson

All Made Up by Kara Isaac

Room for Cream by Erynn Mangum

Reviewing

Devotional reading

Did not Finish

Reviews Posted this week

Review of Code of Valor

Title:  Code of Valor

Author: Lynette Eason

Series: Blue Justice book 3

 

Chapters: 29

Pages: 336

Genre: Christian Romantic Suspense

Rating: 4.5 Stars

Code of Valor is the third book in the Blue Justice series, set in South Carolina that follows a family of cops by Lynette Eason. It takes place over a total of 18 days. This book focuses on Brady St John I believe the oldest St John son I could be wrong. He's a detective and a member of the dive team.  Brady's supposed to be on vacation at a family friend’s lake cabin when he literally pulls a case out of the water, when he saves a woman from drowning.  Emily Chastain who just happens to be a Financial crimes investigator whose life just happens to be in danger.  In the process of keeping her safe and trying to figure out what's wrong he ends up dragging his two brothers into Derek a Narcotics officer and member of the swat team a sniper, and Linc an FBI agent.  Along the way do to a trip to the hospital he drags his sister Ruthie a doctor into. Isabelle the baby of the family and Derek's twin gets drugged into as a detective that gets called to a shooting.  Even though she's now married Brady is still calling her St. John.  We see the other sister Chloe briefly with her dog hank. 

Even though there wasn't as much St. John family time outside of the job and case in this one as the other two. It still gave me the Blue Bloods feel of a close knit law enforcement family. I guess that because I come from my own blue family even though I didn't go into law enforcement myself.  I enjoyed this one and read it fairly quickly finishing it in about 12 hours. Over the course of two days.  I look forward to Ruthie's story in a novella called Code of Ethics.  and Linc's story in Vow of Justice the last book in the series though I am kind of sad that Derek won't get his own book.  Lynette Eason is one of my go to for Christian Romantic Suspense or Christian Suspense in general. 

I received a copy of this book from the publisher through netgalley. I was not required to write a positive review. All opinions expressed are mine alone.

Favorite Childhood Books

The Boxcar Children by Gertrude Chandler Warner

Nancy Drew by Carolyn Keene

The Little house books by Laura Ingalls Wilder

Heidi by Johanna Spyri

Goosebumps by R.L. Stine

Matilda by Roald Dahl

Little House: The Martha Years series by Melissa Wiley

Felicity An American Girl series by Valerie Tripp

Reading this week

I read a total of 1,431 pages this week

Finished

A Bound Heart by Laura Frantz

The Family Tree Scottish Genealogy Guide by Amanda Epperson

The Girl with the Broken Heart by Lurlene McDaniel

Code of Valor by Lynette Eason

Reading

Five Feet Apart by Rachael Lippincott

My Heart Belongs in the Blue Ridge: Laurel’s Dream by Pepper D. Basham

Non-fiction reading

Classic

Audio on the Way to Work

Drums of Autumn by Diana Gabaldon

Getting ready to read

The Red Door Inn by Liz Johnson

All Made Up by Kara Isaac

Room for Cream by Erynn Mangum

 Slayer by Kiersten White

Reviewing

Devotional reading

Did not Finish

Reviews Posted this week