Bookish Thoughts: The Love Note

 

Isn't this cover beautiful?

Description:

Focused on a career in medicine and not on romance, Willa Duvall is thrown slightly off course during the summer of 1865 when she discovers a never-opened love letter in a crack of her old writing desk. Compelled to find the passionate soul who penned it and the person who never received it, she takes a job as a nurse at the seaside estate of Crestwicke Manor.

Everyone at Crestwicke has feelings--mostly negative ones--about the man who wrote the letter, but he seems to have disappeared. With plenty of enticing clues but few answers, Willa's search becomes even more complicated when she misplaces the letter and it passes from person to person in the house, each finding a thrilling or disheartening message in its words. 

Laced with mysteries large and small, this romantic Victorian-era tale of love lost, love deferred, and love found is sure to delight.

About the Author:

Joanna Davidson Politano is the award-winning author of Lady Jayne Disappears and A Rumored Fortune. She loves tales that capture the colorful, exquisite details in ordinary lives and is eager to hear anyone's story. She lives with her husband and their two kids in a house in the woods near Lake Michigan. You can find her at www.jdpstories.com

My Thoughts:

I’ll go ahead a say it - I adored this story!  I haven’t read anything from Joanna Davidson Politano since her debut novel, something I shall have to rectify very soon.  I was drawn in from the very first page and couldn’t wait to see where the story was going to go!  The complexity kept me wondering and the beauty in so many of the lines had me wishing I had a pen and paper nearby to write them down.  I definitely have a “book hangover” from this one and I don’t regret one moment of it.

As it’s been a while since I’ve read anything from this author, I had no recollection to create expectations.  That being said, I had also forgotten what a great storyteller she is!  From the mystery surrounding the letter, to the many characters whose hearts were revealed through an anonymous letter, I was captivated by this story of love lost, love found, and so many questions of what true love looks like.  Much of this story comes from the perspective of Willa Duvall as she searches for the writer of the letter, as well as answers to the many questions she has regarding her life and purpose.  I loved watching her grow in compassion and wisdom, as well as finding answers that surprise and challenge her.  The story also comes from a few other characters, as the letter makes its rounds through a household of broken and hurting people.

There’s so much of this novel that pulled on my heart, but I think my favorite part was the hope that is woven through a telling that is at times difficult and broken, while also somehow being beautiful and healing.

I would highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys historical fiction full of twists, turns, and so much hope.

As always, thanks so much for stopping by!  I'm not sure if I'll manage another review before Thanksgiving, so just in case -

Have a Happy Thanksgiving!

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Bookish Thoughts: To Steal A Heart

 

Happy Release Day to this new book baby 

of Jen Turano's!

Description:

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.

About the Author:

Named one of the funniest voices in inspirational romance by Booklist, Jen Turano is a USA Today bestselling author, known for penning quirky historical romances set in the Gilded Age. Her books have earned Publishers 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. She and her family live outside of Denver, Colorado. Readers can find her on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter, and at jenturano.com.

My Thoughts:

This book was a much needed respite during frustrating and anxiety-inducing times.  I always so appreciate Jen Turano’s sense of humor and the crazy antics found in her stories, but seldom have I needed it more so than right now.  With a world in chaos, finding some rest in a fictional world where I know a happy ending is waiting after all the twists and turns . . . it’s a gift.  And I loved every minute of it!

As always, Ms. Turano kept me smiling and laughing throughout the story!  It does have some serious moments and somewhat dark themes at times (cue, the villain), but overall, it’s a fairly lighthearted read and just what this tired mind needed.  I adored getting to know a new cast of characters and am already so excited for the next book!  Gabriella and Nicholas are old friends who lost one another for a time and I greatly enjoyed their reunion.  Daphne is quite a trip and I’m exceedingly curious regarding Eunice’s story, which I’m hoping will be explained more in future books.  The mystery kept me intrigued, though I did have a fairly decent idea of “whodunit,” and I enjoyed reading about some of the cases the Bleeker Street Inquiry Agency took on.

My only mildly negative comment is that I found a bit of the ending rather superfluous.  But it did tie things up quite nicely, so it worked out in the end.

Overall, I greatly enjoyed this story and would highly recommend it to anyone who likes zany historical fiction.

I really need to think of something more creative to write here . . . but I have a 7 1/2 month old who is an expert crawler.  So all of my creativity goes to keeping her out of trouble.  

As always, thank you for stopping by! If you're looking for a distraction from the craziness of this world and you haven't bought a book yet today, maybe consider adding this one to your list!  Links are below, if you're interested!

Have a lovely day!

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