Christmas at Hope Hall - Pam Rhodes

Pam Rhodes’ ‘Hope Hall’ trilogy has been a joy to read from the start, and Christmas at Hope Hall doesn’t disappoint.  (OK, just to reassure you, it’s not strictly a Christmas story, despite the title, but as well as a good read at any time, it’ll make a nice Christmas present.) 

It’s been lovely to follow the characters who visit Hope Hall and to pick up their stories.  Ray begins to come to terms with his grief with a little help from a small dog which unexpectedly bounces into his home, and there are life-changing moments for several of the characters we’ve come to know through the series, including wedding bells!  We also find out that the slightly scary Ida may not be as formidable as she has appeared previously. 

Harvest Festival sees tensions between traditional and new ways, and the forthcoming panto introduces even more stresses. In between there’s a quiz at which Percy, the man everyone thinks Ida loathes, has an accident and Ida’s reaction leaves her friends with more questions than answers!

In my view Hope Hall is one of Pam’s best series yet.  I was so desperate to keep reading that I even read this book while walking on the treadmill! My only complaint is that this is the last. I would really love to read more about the people of Hope Hall – I’m especially curious about Brenda. Pam and Lion – any chance this could become a four book series?

9781782642893, Lion Fiction, out now, £8.99

Note: for transparency, I was sent an advance copy of this book, but I was not required to write any specific or favourable review. All views herein are my own. 

When the Day Comes - Gabrielle Meyer

While fiction genres are pretty well established, from time to time there do seem to be trends, and for a while now one of them has been ‘dual time’ stories.  When the Day Comes is a dual time story with a difference.  Libby is a ‘time-crosser’, someone who lives the first twenty one years of her life in two time periods.  She loves her life and close family relationship with her time-crosser mother in 1774 colonial Williamsburg, but when she sleeps there she wakes in 1914 ‘s ‘Gilded Age’ New York where though more prosperous her life is harder.  

 

In 1774 she falls in love with Henry Montgomery, a man with dangerous secrets as revolution approaches, but in 1914 her status-chasing and self-obsessed mother is determined to marry her off to a titled man she doesn’t love.  She tries to follow her heart, but circumstances and time are conspiring against her.

 

This book has been instantly catapulted into my top five of the year so far. Everything about it is superb. The characterisation of both of Libby’s families (especially her 1774 mother, whose ‘other time’ was two hundred years later than the 1770s where she settled), the sense of place and time, the feeling of impending ‘big events’ approaching and the complexity of the plot. What’s more, it’s absolutely believable and credible.

 

It's really exciting to find an author who writes as beautifully and compellingly as Gabrielle Meyer, and I’m thrilled  that there are another two books to come in this series.  When they do I’ll be shutting out the world so that I can do some uninterrupted reading.

9780764239748, Bethany House, June 2022, £9.99

Note: for transparency, I was sent an advance copy of this book, but I was not required to write any specific or favourable review. All views herein are my own. 

The Dove Stone - P S Daunton

I don’t review many children’s novels, but more because I don’t see that many from Christian publishers than anything else.  This one, from Dernier, caught my eye in a post on Instagram.  I enjoy historical novels and this one is set in post-Roman England, with the sense of place and time very well described.

 

Rhiannon is free spirited and adventurous, but some of her adventures go wrong – like the time she and her dog Wolf are almost drowned in the river near their home.  They’re rescued by a stranger in a brown robe, but before the mystery of who he is can be answered, there’s the terrifying problem of Torsa and his dog Pilot. Torsa is a violent bully who particularly hates Rhiannon’s friend Donan and his little brother Nico. 

 

Prayers to the Roman gods Rhiannon is familiar with aren’t working. Can the mysterious man in the woods – someone from a new tribe called ‘Christians’ – help them? Will the Father God he speaks of rescue them when Torsa’s hatred reaches its peak? And what is the significance of The Dove Stone?

 

This is an excellent story for pre-teens and confident early readers.  There is plenty of pace and intrigue and the characters are clearly defined and distinct and well pitched for children. It addresses issue of faith, friendship, and overcoming fear very well and completely absorbed within the story.  It would be a perfect book for a Sunday school story, and there are useful extra resources on the publisher’s website.

My only negative comment is that it finishes slightly abruptly. I would love to read another story about Rhiannon and her friends, and about Ronin, so I hope another is in the offing.

9781912457519, Dernier Publishing, June 2022, £8.99

Note: for transparency, I was sent an advance copy of this book, but I was not required to write any specific or favourable review. All views herein are my own. 

Enchanting the Heiress - Kristi Ann Hunter

The Hearts on the Heath series has been an enjoyable series to read, and in this third volume was have a novel in which fans of Emma may notice a number of familiar elements.

 

Harriet Hancock likes to meddle in her friends lives to make them happier – whether they like it or not. She’s surprised to find her friend Sophia Whitworth (whose own story is told in Winning the Gentleman) is set on improving the happiness both of Harriet, and of Jonas, Sophia’s brother.  

 

Jonas isn’t at all keen on this idea, as he thinks Harriet interferes in his sister’s life far too much. He would rather live a quiet life among the horses he loves. 

 

When Harriet finds out Jonas’ gift for words she asks for his help to write a book. But there is far more behind this request than first appears, and the bubbly and engaging Harriet has a secret of her own.

 

This is an entertaining story, with enough intrigue to keep this reader interested.  (I prefer suspense to romance, so like my romance reads to have a good helping of mystery!)  It flows on very nicely from the earlier two books in the series, but it would be possible to read it as a stand alone novel, although I would recommend reading the others first, for background detail.

 

As an English reader who has spent quite a few years riding and working with horses, there are some ‘horsy’ elements I found jarring.  We don’t say ‘shall we run’ when we mean ‘shall we canter or gallop’, we don’t refer to ‘stirrup straps’, and some of the racehorse training described didn’t ring true. For the largely US readership though, and probably for ‘non-horsy’ readers elsewhere, these elements won’t even be noticed.

 

More likely to raise eyebrows is the idea of a high born English Lady pursuing a serious relationship with a stable hand. I found this a huge stretch of my credibility, even though we do know that his background certainly wasn’t as a stable hand. That said, the story survived these glitches, and I really do enjoy Kristi Ann Hunter’s storytelling skills. Her characters are all well rounded and feel ‘real’ and her descriptions bring places to life in the reader’s inner eye.

I very much look forward to seeing what comes next from Kristi Ann’s pen (or laptop!).

9780764235276

Bethany House, out now

Note: for transparency, I was sent an advance copy of this book, but I was not required to write any specific or favourable review. All views herein are my own.