When Gordon Hooper meets Dorie Armitage—the sister of his college buddy, Jack—he's instantly smitten. She's got a zest for life that is hugely appealing to his more sedate self. Before their romance makes it farther than a few flirty letters, Pearl Harbor is bombed, pulling the U.S. into war. As a Quaker, Gordon refuses to fight. Dorie is outraged at his cowardice and even more enraged that Gordon has convinced Jack to be a conscientious objector as well. She refuses to speak to either one of them ever again.

Three years later, Gordon and Jack have been assigned by the Civil Public Service (CPS) to work as smokejumpers in an Oregon forest. Although not everyone is happy about their presence, mostly the pacifists are left alone to do their jobs. As a member of the Women's Army Corps (WAC), Dorie also faces her share of prejudice. Still, she loves doing her part for the war effort by working as a mechanic at Fort Lawton, volunteering at a nearby hospital, and being a charming date for lonely, homesick soldiers-in-training. 

When Jack is badly burned in a suspicious wildfire, Gordon is devastated. And angry. He knows there's more to the story than his superiors are letting on. When he shares the awful news in a letter to Dorie, he never expects her to reply let alone show up at his strike camp on a phony Army assignment. Together, the two form a tense, secret partnership to find out what really happened to Jack. What they uncover shocks them both. With the fate of the nation hanging in the balance, they must examine the deepest parts of their hearts and souls as they decide what to do with a very dangerous secret.

I've been seeing nothing but rave reviews for The Lines Between Us by Amy Lynn Green, so I was thrilled when Bethany House sent me a copy of the book for review. I've read a lot of World War II novels, but only a few that take place entirely within the U.S. The Lines Between Us offers up a new perspective on what it was like for American soldiers who were given non-combatant assignments, whether by choice or not. Through Gordon, Jack, and Dorie, Green examines the roles and ideals of conscientious objectors versus those of a gung-ho soldier who's proud to fight for her country, even though her gender prevents her from serving on the front lines. This contrast provides plenty of tension and conflict to keep the story interesting, while also giving the reader some intriguing food for thought. Beyond that, The Lines Between Us is also a compelling mystery that brings to light a piece of WWII history I knew nothing about. The novel's characters are a likable bunch, whose flaws make them relatable, while allowing all to grow throughout the tale. Surprisingly, given that the book starts with a budding romance, the love stories here are subtle and not a major part of the tale. This is a Christian novel, so faith plays a central role. Still, the book never gets overly preachy or cheesy. In fact, characters are shown wrestling with the tenants of their various religions, struggling to understand what is right when their convictions are being challenged on every side. This questioning makes the characters both believable and relatable, while also prompting readers to ask themselves what they would do in a similar situation. For all these reasons and more, I very much enjoyed The Lines Between Us. I'm going to recommend it to my book club because it's a clean, interesting, well-written novel that is brimming with discussion-worthy material. You better believe I'm also going to be checking out the author's previous book as well as everything she writes in future.

(Readalikes:  Reminds me of Promise to Return by Elizabeth Byler Younts)

To the FTC, with love: I received a print copy of The Lines Between Us from the generous folks at Bethany House in exchange for an honest review. Thank you!

Sisters Meg and Sylvie Townsend have a lot on their plates.  Not only do they run their family's bookshop in downtown Chicago, but they also have to keep a close eye on their widowed father, Stephen.  His experiences as a POW during the Civil War still haunt his mind and soul, making him paranoid, confused, and prone to wandering—sometimes carrying a loaded weapon.  Stephen is always warning his daughters of danger on the horizon.  This time, he's right.  As a raging fire engulfs the city, the family must scramble to save their bookshop and themselves.  Although the women get separated from their father in the chaos, their business is destroyed, and Meg suffers debilitating burns on her artist's hands, all three survive the deadly fire.  As the dazed family tries to figure out where to go from here, they receive another shock—Stephen has been accused of murder.  Witnesses say he shot Hiram Sloane, one of his oldest friends, on the night of the fire.  Since Stephen is obviously not in his right mind, he's forced into an insane asylum, despite his daughters' vehement protests.  No matter how sick their father is, he would never murder someone in cold blood.  Would he?

Meg knows her gentle father won't survive another incarceration, especially in a place as soulless as the asylum.  The only way to get him released is to prove him innocent, which Meg vows to do.  Enlisting the help of Nate Pierce, a sympathetic newspaper reporter, she and Sylvie set about investigating the murder of Hiram Sloane.  While doing that, they also have to figure out how to live with no money and little hope of rebuilding their bookshop.  With everything in ashes around them, how will they survive?  Can they free their father before what little is left of his sanity is gone completely?  As their beloved city is being rebuilt around them, can Meg and Sylvie find the strength, the courage, and the hope to go on?

I love me a sweeping family saga, so I was naturally drawn to Jocelyn Green's historical trilogy set in 19th Century Chicago.  The first installment, Veiled in Smoke, introduces the atmospheric setting as well as the likable Townsend family.  Vivid historical detail, especially concerning the Great Fire of 1871, brings the city to life while viewing it all through the eyes of our admirable, root-worthy heroes makes the event and its aftermath feel intimate and personal.  Although there is a murder mystery at the heart of this novel, it's more family saga than thriller so the story moves along at the pace of the former rather than the latter.  The tale does get overly long and the mystery really isn't very mysterious, but I still found Veiled in Smoke compelling enough to keep me reading.  Because this is a Christian novel, it's clean, uplifting, and faith-promoting.  Although it gets preachy in places, the religious themes are not super heavy-handed, which is something I appreciate when reading in this genre.  All these things considered, I found Veiled in Smoke to be an engaging, edifying novel that I liked but didn't absolutely love.  Even still, I've already read the second book and am looking forward to the third.

(Readalikes:  Reminds me of I Survived the Great Chicago Fire of 1871 by Lauren Tarshis and The Nature of Fragile Things by Susan Meissner)

To the FTC, with love:  Another library fine find

(Image from Barnes & Noble)

It's been two decades since Eliza Carmody left her hometown of Kinsale and she's not thrilled to be going back.  Especially because her visit is in her official capacity as a lawyer—for Colcart, the company locals blame for the devastating, deadly wildfire that nearly destroyed the town.  As Public Enemy Number One, her plan is to sneak in and out of Kinsale with no one, not her family, not the few friends she has left, being the wiser.  Stealth goes out the window when Eliza witnesses a startling crime committed by an old acquaintance.  Soon, her presence is known by everyone, forcing her to confront her estranged sister, her father—a former cop who's been in a vegetative state for a year following an accident—and the anger of a town simmering with grief and searching for answers.

When Eliza learns that human remains have been found near a local historic home, she's too curious to leave Kinsale.  She knows the place has secrets, secrets that may be tied to the disappearance of her best friend back in high school.  Against her better judgment, Eliza finds herself becoming deeply embroiled in these hometown dramas.  Determined to find the truth behind the bones, the fire, and the disappearance of her best friend, she must decide whom she can trust and how far she will go to uncover the long-held secrets of the town to which she never wanted to return.

Second Sight by Aoife Clifford is a taut, twisty Australian thriller that kept me totally engrossed.  It's atmospheric, compelling, and surprising.  I didn't see the murderer coming, which is always a bonus.  The novel is unrelentingly depressing and bleak, true, but I still quite enjoyed Second Sight.  I'm looking forward to reading more from Clifford.

(Readalikes:  Reminds me of books by Jane Harper, including The Dry, Force of Nature, and The Lost Man)

Grade:

If this were a movie, it would be rated:

for language, violence, and sexual content

To the FTC, with love:  Another library fine find

(Image from Barnes & Noble)

If this were a movie, it would be rated:

for brief, mild language (no F-bombs), rude humor/innuendo, and depictions of underage drinking

To the FTC, with love:  Another library fine find

(Image from Barnes & Noble)

Even though Cassie Hanwell is surrounded by men all day, she's never been on a date, let alone been kissed.  The 26-year-old EMT/firefighter/paramedic just doesn't "do" love.  Even if she wanted to, she doesn't dare act the least bit girly—endless teasing from her male colleagues would absolutely, horrifyingly, ensue.  She can't allow that.  As a woman in a man's world, Cassie has to be thought of as one of the guys.  That means no makeup, no high heels, no crying, no throwing around words like "tampon," and absolutely no flirting with her colleagues.  Ever.  

When a public confrontation with an important city leader gets Cassie tossed from the Texas firefighting job she's had for four years, she's devastated.  What is she going to do now?  Then she learns that her estranged mother is ill.  When she asks Cassie to come to Massachusetts to help her, Cassie decides to go.  Especially since Cassie's former employer has put in a good word for her at a fire station near her mother's house.  Unfortunately, Cassie's new work crew is nothing like her old one.  She's used to the teasing and off-color jokes—she can tease and joke with the best of them—but her new colleagues' ribbing carries a cruel and defeating edge, obviously aimed at grinding her down until she quits.  Cassie's not about to give in.  She will prove herself, no matter what it takes.  

Then a major complication walks through the firehouse door.  Owen Callaghan is an easygoing, good-natured rookie who turns not just Cassie's head, but also her traitorous heart.  She's a goner pretty much from the get-go.  Dating a fellow firefighter is professional suicide.  Cassie will not risk everything she's worked so hard to gain just to lose her heart to a handsome face.  And an irresistible smile.  And a warm, charming personality.  And some mad culinary skills.  And ...  Yeah, she's in trouble.  

It only took a few pages of Katherine Center's Things You Save in a Fire for me to know it was going to be one of my favorite reads of the year.  From start to finish, it's a funny, upbeat, heartfelt novel that is simply a joy to read.  It's so engaging that not only did I inhale it in (almost) one sitting, but I also immediately missed everything about it as soon as I closed the book.  As humorous as the story is, it's also poignant, affecting, and sweet as Cassie learns some important lessons about family, forgiveness, friendship, and, of course, love.  Things You Save in a Fire has gotten all kinds of positive buzz—trust me when I say there's a reason for that.  It's a delightful read that I absolutely loved.

(Readalikes:  Center's style reminds me of Joshilyn Jackson's, whose books I also adore.)   

Grade:  

If this were a movie, it would be rated:

for language (a dozen or so F-bombs, plus milder expletives), innuendo, sexual content, and violence

To the FTC, with love:  I bought a copy of Things You Save in a Fire from Amazon with a portion of the millions I make from my lucrative career as a book blogger.  Ha ha.

(Image from Barnes & Noble)

Fourteen years ago, the secret relationship between a preacher's daughter and the son of the town drunk was discovered, setting off a conflict that ended with one father killing the other.  Although Roy Beckett insisted he was innocent, he was sent to prison for the murder of "Brother" Strickland.  A decade and a half later, Roy is pardoned and set free, to the horror of the victim's family.  

Brenna Strickland Hertzog is having a hard enough time dealing with a nasty custody battle between her and her powerful ex-husband.  The last thing she needs right now is to deal with the shocking release of her father's killer.  Brenna's drinking too much as it is—how is she going to cope with this new development in her already stressful life?  Then Roy's son, Nate Beckett, shows up on her doorstep for the first time in 14 years, rekindling all the feelings she had for him when they were kids.  Their innocent, but clandestine teenage romance led to her father's death; renewing it now could be even more dangerous ...

Forced to take a break from his job as a smokejumper after he sustains second degree burns over 20% of his body, Nate returns home to recover and see his father.  Nate has always believed in Roy's guilt, but when his father begs him to find Brother Strickland's true killer, he feels obligated to dig into the murder.  A major complication comes in the form of beautiful, broken Brenna who needs him now more than ever.  What will Nate's sleuthing uncover?  Can Brenna ever forgive, let alone love, the son of her father's alleged murderer?

I have to say upfront that romantic suspense is really not my genre.  Add in Christian elements and it often leads to a perfect storm of cheesy, far-fetched, overwritten drama.  No, thanks.  Still, something about the premise of Smoke Screen by Terri Blackstock made me agree to read and review it.  Did it change my mind about this genre?  Um, no.  While I appreciate that the novel's clean and faith-affirming, its flat characters, dull prose, and melodramatic plotline made me a little crazy.  While Brenna's a sympathetic character, she's not a super likable one.  I couldn't understand Nate's interest.  Their resulting romance, therefore, seems forced and sparkless.  As far as the suspense portion, there's not a lot as the plot focuses mainly on Brenna's personal problems.  The lackluster mystery at the heart of the story is thin and implausible, especially since the "twists" are obvious from miles away.  Overall Smoke Screen is definitely not the worst Christian romantic suspense novel I've ever read, but for me, it was a so-so read at best.  To be fair, this is how I feel about most books in this genre.  Still, I would have liked for Smoke Screen to change my mind; unfortunately, that just didn't happen.  Bummer.

(Readalikes:  Reminds me of other Christian romantic suspense novels, but no specific titles are coming to mind.  You?)

Grade:

If this were a movie, it would be rated:

for violence

To the FTC, with love:  I received an e-ARC of Smoke Screen from the generous folks at Thomas Nelson via those at Celebrate Lit in exchange for an honest review.  Thank you!

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(Image from Barnes & Noble)

The Library Book by journalist Susan Orlean has gotten so much buzz this year that you probably already know exactly what it's about.  Just in case you've been living in a remote cave on the edge of civilization, here's the blurb from the back of the book:

Brimming with her signature wit, insight, compassion, and talent for deep research, The Library Book is Susan Orlean’s thrilling journey through the stacks that reveals how these beloved institutions provide much more than just books—and why they remain an essential part of the heart, mind, and soul of our country. It is also a master journalist’s reminder that, perhaps especially in the digital era, they are more necessary than ever. 

for language (1 F-bomb, plus milder expletives), violence, and references to sex and illegal drug use

To the FTC, with love:  I bought a copy of The Library Book from Barnes & Noble with a portion of the millions I make from my lucrative career as a book blogger.  Ha ha.