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An Unexpected Christmas Helper–support dog
An Unexpected Christmas Helper
By Lee Tobin McClain
This book checks off lots of boxes for me, especially:
Thanksgiving
Christmas
Support Dog (Snickers)
Inspirational Romance.
When Evan’s ex-wife drops off a toddler he didn’t know he had, he heads to Chesapeake Corners to get advice from Gramma Vi who raised him. Unfortunately, she is in the hospital. Her caregiver Vanessa and her son Declan live with Gramma Vi. There is immediately conflict because Vanessa had broken Evan’s heart when they were in high school. They now have some troubled waters to navigate as they try to coexist in Gramma Vi’s house.
Both Vanessa and Evan had troubled homes as children that caused trust issues as they became adults. Vanessa is caring, kind, and a good mother to her son Declan. Evan is smart and generous and wants to be a good dad to his neglected daughter Lily. They are both Christians, but that doesn’t mean they are perfect. Sadly, Vanessa’s past causes self-worth issues, and Evan has a judgmental streak. They need to work on individual issues before they can have a successful relationship.
The dog Snickers and the two children, Declan and Lily, are key characters throughout the book. All three are delightful and realistically portrayed. Both Vanessa and Evan make their children’s well-being a priority in all of their decisions. This is a great read (or listen) for the holiday season.
I received a complimentary copy of this audio book in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
Rating: 4/5
Category: Romance, Fiction
Notes: 1. #38 in the K-9 Companions series which seems to consist of standalone books dealing with K-9 companions.
2. Narrated very well by Tanya Eby
Publication: October 28, 2024—Harlequin Audio
The Guest House by the Sea–difficult situations
The Guest House by the Sea
by Faith Hogan
Esme, with the help of Marta, an energetic Basque woman, operates the Willows, a 200 year old guest house, following the tradition of the women in her family. The Guest House by the Sea focuses on several weeks during “the season” and the guests who abide there.
Esme is in a high state of frustration because she broke her leg and is mostly blind. So she spends her days in a dome chair welcoming guests and sharing wisdom with those who stop to chat with her. Some of the wisdom comes from the guest register that starts each page with a handwritten quote. When Esme has a guest read a quote, it always seems to apply to that person even though they were written in the book prior to the season’s start.
The cast of characters is diverse and each will tug at your heartstrings as they arrive at Ballycove hoping for space and peace in which to get a grip on their problems. Joel is a lonely engineer staying for weeks to help on expensive repairs to the church’s roof. Cora is a homemaker and teaching assistant with a husband set in routines. After thirty years together, she wonders if she has only staleness left in her future. Phyllis is watching her husband slip away in the same dementia that stole his father. Their son Rob, a widower, and his son Josh join them. As the result of a pregnancy test, Niamh comes to the Willows by herself with a pill to “take care of it” in the words of Jeremy. She is his long-time mistress and co-worker, but she learns a lot about Jeremy, herself, and their relationship through this process.
All of these guests are people you would want to know; they will pull you into their stories. Not all of them will have happily ever afters, but they are all seeking fulfilling lives and you will want that for them. Nothing in this book says that life is easy, but it doesn’t moan and whine while the characters deal with their problems either. Ballycove and the Willows are a great backdrop for their stories and their growth.
Faith Hogan is an Irish writer with lots of books to her credit. I plan on reading more by this author.
I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
Rating: 5/5
Category: Fiction, Romance, Women’s Fiction
Publication: June 8, 2023—Aria
Memorable Lines:
Her heart had missed a beat, in the way it does when you’re young and it feels as if the simple things are absolutely momentous.
She was blessed to have a husband like him. Michael was a true blue. He’d be sleeping in that same bed until the day he died, if he had a choice. So why did she feel this heavy weight of emptiness instead, as if her marriage was some black hole and she was in danger of falling in and suffocating while life went on without her? Perhaps being out here in Ballycove would do her good, give her some perspective on things.
“Maybe, but I think you’ve attracted good people to you because you’re kind and you have a generous spirit. You have probably helped more people than you know over the years, with your wise words.”
The Engineer’s Wife–P.T. Barnum’s inclusion disappoints
The Engineer’s Wife
by Tracey Enerson Wood
Historical fiction is a difficult genre for both writer and reviewer. The writer has to juggle how much history should be included with the amount of fictitious information needed to establish the setting and especially to flesh out the characters. The reviewer then must judge the book based less on plot, which is to some degree predetermined, than on the author’s ability to combine history and fiction into a package that is both believable and pleasing.
In many ways I appreciated Tracey Enerson Wood’s The Engineer’s Wife. The subject is interesting. Emily Warren Roebling, a woman restricted by the social conventions governing the women of the mid to late nineteenth century, marries a Union officer. After he resigns his commission, he dedicates his life to his father’s project, the construction of the Brooklyn Bridge. This is a controversial project that proves dangerous to many, including her husband Wash who is an engineer. Rather than choosing to devote herself to the project after Wash is injured, Emily is subtly and progressively sucked into supervising the construction to completion.
The author has a wonderful way with words, and her research into the engineering aspects of the bridge is thorough. My only complaint of this work of historical fiction is the inclusion of Emily’s extended friendship and romance with the famous P.T. Barnum. Given that they lived and worked in the same city, their paths probably did cross, but in her notes at the end of the book the author freely admits that she had no basis for the creation of their relationship. It is such a major part of the story that I felt cheated as a reader. This is a work of fiction with a real setting rather than fictionalized history. Perhaps this work simply lies at the opposite end of a continuum from my preferred reading tastes in this genre.
I would like to extend my thanks to Netgalley and to Sourcebooks Landmark for giving me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.
Rating: 3/5
Category: Historical Fiction
Notes: Contains two added sections: Reading Group Guide and A Conversation with the Author
Publication: April 7, 2020—Sourcebooks Landmark
Memorable Lines:
Autumn had painted the trees with brilliant oranges, reds, and yellows. Soon, cold, clear nights would rob the forest, leaving the trees to face the winter stark and barren.
Her lips were drawn tight enough to sling the arrows her eyes aimed at us.
The panic I had successfully tamped down returned like a lion for the kill.
education pathways 