Bethany House

To Steal A Heart

About the Book

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After a childhood as a street thief, Gabriella Goodhue thought she’d put her past behind her until a fellow resident at her boardinghouse is unjustly accused of theft. In the middle of breaking into a safe that holds the proof to prove her friend’s innocence, Gabriella is interrupted by Nicholas Quinn, the man she once considered her best friend–until he abandoned her. 

After being taken under the wing of a professor who introduced him into society and named him as heir, Nicholas is living far removed from his childhood life of crime. As a favor to a friend, Nicholas agreed to help clear the name of an innocent woman, never imagining he’d be reunited with the girl he thought lost to him forever.

As Gabriella and Nicholas are thrown together into one intrigue after another, their childhood affection grows into more, but their newfound feelings are tested when truths about their past are revealed and danger follows their every step.  

My Thoughts

This book made me smile. The ladies at the Bleecker Street Inquiry Agency are a delightful if forward thinking, bunch who come into themselves as they unite to help others. All of the things you love about Ms. Turano’s stories are present including laugh out loud moments, witty and sometimes over the top dialogue, and character with whom you want to be friends. If I lived in 1886, I would want to live in that boarding house.

The sweet slow burning romance between Nicholas and Gabriella had enough twists and turns to keep you guessing while confident that all would turn out happily ever after. Even the characters that I wasn’t so sure about showed in the end that they’re coming around.

Despite the fact that there are A LOT of characters, I didn’t have a problem keeping track or remembering who is who. They support the story well without overwhelming Nicholas and Gabriella’s growing friendship. While I guessed a bit of the mystery part of the book early, it was a delightful ride seeing how it all came together in the end. After a satisfying end, I closed the book with a big smile on my face.

While I was provided a copy of this book by the publisher, I was not required to post a positive review. All thoughts are honestly my own.  

About the Author

Named One of the Funniest Voices in Inspirational Romance by Booklist, Jen Turano is a USA Today Best-Selling Author, known for penning quirky historical romances set in the Gilded Age. Her books have earned Publisher Weekly and Booklist starred reviews, top picks from Romantic Times, and praise from Library Journal. She’s been a finalist twice for the RT Reviewers’ Choice Awards and had two of her books listed in the top 100 romances of the past decade from Booklist. When she’s not writing, she spends her time outside of Denver, CO. She can be found on Facebook, Instagram, and www.jenturano.com

A Portrait of Loyalty

“The world may still look dark, but if photography had taught her anything, it was that there was always more light to be found.”

Series: The Codebreakers (Book 3)
Paperback: 377 pages
Publisher: Bethany House Publishers (September 8, 2020)


He sees patterns in what she deems chaos.
She sees beauty in a world he thought destroyed.

Zivon Marin was one of Russia’s top cryptographers until the October Revolution tore apart his world. Forced to flee to England after speaking out against Lenin, Zivon is driven by a growing anger and determined to offer his services to the Brits. But never far from his mind is his brother, whom Zivon fears died in the train crash that separated them.

Lily Blackwell sees the world best through the lens of a camera and possesses unsurpassed skill when it comes to retouching and re-creating photographs. With her father’s connections in propaganda, she’s recruited to the intelligence division, even though her mother would disapprove if she ever found out.

After Captain Blackwell invites Zivon to dinner one evening, a friendship blooms between him and Lily that soon takes over their hearts. But both have secrets they’re unwilling to share, and neither is entirely sure they can trust the other. When Zivon’s loyalties are called into question, proving him honest is about more than one couple’s future dreams–it becomes a matter of ending the war.

My Thoughts

Roseanna hits another story out of the park with this tale of forgiveness, mercy, and joy during the darkest of days. She also does an excellent job of showing how in war, there are often mixed motivations and that people on each side are doing the best they can with what the have/know. There are no real winners in war.

“Look for the beauty in a thousand silent moments.”

I enjoyed getting to know Zivon. Roseanna introduced his exacting ways in On Wings of Devotion and I wasn’t sure what to think of him. We learn why he’s so neat, some of his cultural oddities, and the pain of his past. He is a different kind of hero, but honorable to the core.

Lily has been a fun character since the beginning of the series. I have been wondering how she goes about “Photoshopping” her photos, and I finally learned how! Seeing a glimpse into her world of struggles and skills was fascinating; photographers see the world differently and that comes across well on the page.

“A reminder that He had been Lord long before she entered the world, and He would be Lord long after. That history would always march on, humanity living and dying, loving and losing, praising and cursing, but that He was unchanging.”

This quote! I love it. It’s a timely reminder in the midst 2020. Never did I think I’d still be working from home when the leaves are starting to change, but here I am. And God is still the same.

I encourage you to pick up a copy now; escape from laundry woes for a while. While you can read this story as a stand alone, I’d encourage you to read The Number of Love and On Wings of Devotion first as it’ll give you a deeper connection to some of the characters. We also get to revisit characters from her last two series: Shadows Over England and Ladies of the Manor.

I received a complementary copy of this book from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review. All opinions are honestly my own.

About the Author

Roseanna M. White is a bestselling, Christy Award nominated author who has long claimed that words are the air she breathes. When not writing fiction, she’s homeschooling her two kids, editing, designing book covers, and pretending her house will clean itself. Roseanna is the author of a slew of historical novels that span several continents and thousands of years. Spies and war and mayhem always seem to find their way into her books…to offset her real life, which is blessedly ordinary. You can learn more about her and her stories at www.RoseannaMWhite.com.
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Storing Up Trouble

About the Book

When Miss Beatrix Waterbury’s Chicago-bound train ride is interrupted by a heist, Mr. Norman Nesbit, a man of science who believes his research was the target of the heist, comes to her aid. Despite the fact that they immediately butt heads, they join forces to make a quick escape.

Upon her arrival in Chicago, Beatrix is surprised to discover her supposedly querulous Aunt Gladys shares her own suffragette passions. Encouraged by Gladys to leave her sheltered world, Beatrix begins working as a salesclerk at the Marshall Field and Company department store. When she again encounters Norman on a shopping expedition, he is quickly swept up in the havoc she always seems to attract.

But when another attempt is made to part Norman from his research papers, and it becomes clear Beatrix’s safety is also at risk, they soon discover the curious way feelings can grow between two very different people in the midst of chaos.

My Review

First, if you haven’t heard, Jen’s welcomed a new family member: Remee. She’s cattle dog rescue, is as adorable as can be, but apparently doesn’t like cats. It’s ok Remee, we love you anyway. I stole this photo from Jen’s Instagram account where you can learn all about her royal cuteness.

Now on to the review.

I enjoyed traveling outside of New York to a new setting with Beatrix: Chicago! This story opened with intriguing action and a very annoyed heroine. It made me smile and wonder what was in store for Beatrix and Noman, but I knew they had to get along somehow.

Norman made me smile right away, from his ungainly ride on a horse to his devotion to running past a certain house. While it made him endearing to both me and the heroine, there were times when he got her in trouble at work that I wanted to yell at him to leave. Learning about the disparity in women’s wages and how they were judged differently made me thankful for the century of progress of women’s rights in the workplace.

The house full of women was a new home life setting for Jen’s books, but I loved all the women and their interactions. The way they embraced whoever came their way (except the villain) put them right in my heart. I enjoyed the variety of personalities and how they were each unique.

You have your usual quirky banter, slapstick comedy, and animal antics that make her unique style shine. Though, there were a few times that I felt like the banter was over-the-top in the no-one-would-ever-come-up-with-that-good-of-comeback kind of way that is the beauty of being able to write what one says rather than come up with it on the spot.

Bonus: you also get a small secondary love story with the delightful Theodoasia.

If you’re looking for a fun read that’s clean with enough faith but not getting preachy, give this one a read. I received a copy from the publisher, but was not required to post a positive review. All opinions are my own.

About the Author

Named One of the Funniest Voices in Inspirational Romance by Booklist, Jen Turano is a USA Today Best-Selling Author, known for penning quirky historical romances set in the Gilded Age. Her books have earned Publisher Weekly and Booklist starred reviews, top picks from Romantic Times, and praise from Library Journal. She’s been a finalist twice for the RT Reviewers’ Choice Awards and had two of her books listed in the top 100 romances of the past decade from Booklist. When she’s not writing, she spends her time outside of Denver, CO. She can be found on Facebook, Instagram, and www.jenturano.com

Giveaway

To celebrate Jen’s new release, I’m giving away a print copy of Flights of Fancy, Book 1 in the American Heiresses series. U.S. addresses only. Please see my giveaway page for rules. Giveaway ends June 22 at midnight.

Enter via Rafflecopter. For extra entries, hop over to Instagram!

On Wings of Devotion

“‘You’ll either be a hero or a villain, Phil.
Try to pick the right one, will you?'”

Series: The Codebreakers (Book 2)
Paperback: 390 pages
Publisher: Bethany House Publishers (January 7, 2020)

Against Every Warning, She’s Drawn Ever Closer to the Man Known as “Black Heart.”

All of England thinks Major Phillip Camden a monster–a man who deliberately caused the deaths of his squadron. But he would have preferred to die that day with his men rather than be recruited to the Admiralty’s codebreaking division. The threats he receives daily are no great surprise and, in his opinion, well deserved.

As nurse Arabelle Denler observes the so-dubbed “Black Heart,” she sees something far different: a hurting man desperate for mercy. And when their families and paths twist together unexpectedly, she realizes she has a role to play in his healing–and some of her own to do as well.

With Camden’s court-martial looming, an old acquaintance shows up, intent on using him in a plot that sends the codebreakers of Room 40 into a frenzy. With their fragile hopes for the future in the cross hairs, Arabelle and Camden must hold on to hope–and to each other–if they want to survive.

My Thoughts

Roseanna hits another story out of the park with this tale of forgiveness, mercy, and joy during the darkest of days.

“Angry was angry. There was comfort in it. In clinging to the only thing one could trust-one’s own raging bitterness. The one thing in the world guaranteed not to leave without warning, whose promises to hold one close could be counted on.”

“Oh, Phillip. You have the weight of the world on your shoulders and I just want to wrap you in a hug.” This is what I thought when I first met Phillip Camden in The Number of Love. I haven’t stopped loving him since. On the surface, Phillip appears to be your typical cocky broody pretty boy, but it hides a heart that feels deeply. Through the course of the story Roseanna takes him on a journey of learning the importance of not only asking for God’s forgiveness but forgiving himself.

“‘My sparkling personality has convinced you that I’m just the sort of person you need for a friend.'”

Then Phillip meets Arabelle Denler. Arabelle is sunshine itself. I admire the way she is practical and realistic but also is so full of grace and joy. And I mean JOY; the kind that only comes from resting in the confidence of your Heavenly Father. I was humbled by her reactions to situations again and again; they challenged me to ask “would I react so compassionately in that situation?”

I was on pins and needles until the very end wondering if the story would turn out with the happy ending my heart craved. Until the last second I was wondering how it was going to work out. But, Roseanna wrote a beautiful ending at just the right speed to satisfy your “awww” factor while bringing true healing to her characters, even if not in the way you expect.

I encourage you to pick up a copy now! While you can read this story as a stand alone, I’d encourage you to read The Number of Love first as it’ll give you a deeper connection to some of the characters. We also get to revisit character from her last two series: Shadows Over England and Ladies of the Manor.

I received a complementary copy of this book from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review. All opinions are honestly my own.

About the Author

Roseanna M. White is a bestselling, Christy Award nominated author who has long claimed that words are the air she breathes. When not writing fiction, she’s homeschooling her two kids, editing, designing book covers, and pretending her house will clean itself. Roseanna is the author of a slew of historical novels that span several continents and thousands of years. Spies and war and mayhem always seem to find their way into her books…to offset her real life, which is blessedly ordinary. You can learn more about her and her stories at www.RoseannaMWhite.com.
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The Number of Love – Roseanna M. White

Three years into the Great War, England’s greatest asset is their intelligence network–field agents risking their lives to gather information, and codebreakers able to crack every German telegram. Margot De Wilde thrives in the environment of the secretive Room 40, where she spends her days deciphering intercepted messages. But when her world is turned upside down by an unexpected loss, for the first time in her life numbers aren’t enough.

Drake Elton returns wounded from the field, followed by an enemy who just won’t give up. He’s smitten quickly by the intelligent Margot, but how can he convince a girl who lives entirely in her mind that sometimes life’s answers lie in the heart?

Amid biological warfare, encrypted letters, and a German spy who wants to destroy not just them but others they love, Margot and Drake will have to work together to save themselves from the very secrets that brought them together.

My Thoughts

“‘God understands how you’re feeling – that you’re mourning, that you’re angry, that you can’t accept the way this has happened. But He’s still there. His hand is still sheltering you. He’ll wait for you.'”

I was intrigued by Margot when I first met her on the pages of A Song Unheard as a strong young lady figuring out life amidst the Great War; her intelligence and love for her family shown through. Now that she has grown into a young woman of 18 with an old soul and started spreading her wings, it was enjoyable as a reader to watch her her own golden ratio, even as more heartache comes her way.

Drake. Sigh. I love a hero that falls fast and hard determined to hold on and wait for the woman he loves. His patience and steadfastness waiting for Morgot to be ready was swoon worthy.

I enjoyed the excellent research I can always count on from Roseanna as well as the way she weaves history through a fictional story in a way that makes it come alive. Between peaks into the villain’s perspective and check-ins with my favorite motley band of siblings, I was drawn into a story of blooming where God has planted and learning to rely on His strength.

I received a complementary copy of this story from the publisher. I was not required to write a review. All opinions are my own!

About The Author

Roseanna M. White Roseanna M. White is a bestselling, Christy Award nominated author who has long claimed that words are the air she breathes. When not writing fiction, she’s homeschooling her two kids, editing, designing book covers, and pretending her house will clean itself. Roseanna is the author of a slew of historical novels that span several continents and thousands of years. Spies and war and mayhem always seem to find their way into her books…to offset her real life, which is blessedly ordinary. She and her family make their home in the beautiful mountains of West Virginia. You can learn more about her and her stories at www.RoseannaMWhite.com.

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Can you relate to Margot’s feelings of grief and wondering if God will wait for you?
I know I have.