A lost treasure. A riddled quest. The healing power of friendship.
Legends are tucked into every fold of the Colorado mountains surrounding the quaint town of Mercy Peak, where residents are the stuff of tall tales, the peaks are taller still, and a lost treasure has etched mystery into the very terrain.
In 1948, when outsider Mercy Windsor arrives after a scandal shatters her gilded world as Hollywood’s beloved leading lady, she is determined to forge a new life in obscurity in this time-forgotten Colorado haven. She purchases Wildwood, an abandoned estate with a haunting history, and begins to restore it to its former glory.
But as she does, her every move tugs at the threads of the mountain’s lore, unearthing what became of her long-lost pen pal Rusty Bright, and the whereabouts of the infamous Galloping Goose Railcar No. 8, which vanished years ago–along with the mailbag it carried, whose contents could change the course of countless lives. Not to mention the fabled treasure that–if found–could right so many wrongs.
Among the towering mountains that stand as silent witnesses, the ghosts of the past entangle with the courage of the present to find a place where healing, friendship, and hope can abide amid a world forever changed. [back cover copy]
From the opening lines of Born of Gilded Mountains, Amanda Dykes drew me into her Rocky Mountain hamlet. No. In all honesty, I have to say she accomplished that with the light-sparked cover!
Meeting four boys “orbiting 10 years old” was like a reunion with cousins I knew well. And meeting the rest of the characters was as just as smooth and comfortable. As pages turned I joined old friends, and we walked paths to new places with expansive woodland vistas. Encountered new challenges and old roadblocks. Heartrending loss. Heartwarming sacrifice. Boundless gifts. And the pathway is strewn with glimmering surprises and beautiful turns of phrase.
We meet Mercy Windsor on the downhill slope of her Hollywood career. I find it remarkable how, in only a few pages of prologue, Amanda introduces Mercy to us. This excerpt from a newspaper account is an example:
“She arrived on a train and was on her first Hollywood set three hours later. In a world where aspiring actresses give up by the dozens each day … Mercy Windsor’s rags-to-riches … is the stuff of legends. ,,, Who would take on a 10-minute black-and-white scene in the last silent film? … [Owen Haskell] the famously severe film critic was moved until words evaded him. ‘Go and see it,’ he said simply.
‘The single tear that flooded the world.’ they called it. This unknown actress with the face of a waif … Dared to be understated [rather] than the overwrought twisting hands she was urged to employ. To let a single tear splash upon her hand, so empty of her child’s grip….
Soon, the film was everywhere…. The people’s message ‘Give us more of her!’ …and a star was born…. They loved her … The spotlight grew. Roles followed as Cinderella, Guinevere … She didn’t just live on their screens—she lived in their hearts….
Pinnacle Studios … to the press. ‘Mercy Windsor was a gem … but after an unpleasant set of circumstances, Pinnacle has found it unavoidable to prematurely end its relationship with Miss Windsor, who is, in fact, in breach of contract.’ The Mighty Mercy has fallen … and there does not seem to be anyone to catch her.”
In this marvelous tale characters forge unbreakable bonds as we accompany them through various adventures, explorations, and celebrations, all as we wend our way thru a setting as unique, engrossing, and wonder-filled as Oz, Middle-earth, or Narnia.
I ache to tell you detail of the physical adventures or adventures of the soul ~ but fear I cannot without spoiling some of Amanda’s clever surprises—which are glittering gemstones tucked in every fold of this tale.
But I can say I loved the characters and their relationships; the settings are beautifully rendered and real. I felt queasy at the heights, refreshed by cool breezes whispering through pines and over sparkling streams. I loved the journey. I love the heart in this story. It is packed with beauty, humor, kindness, light, compassion, faith, hope, and is a delight to savor!
ABOUT AMANDA: Amanda Dykes is a spinner of hope-filled tales who spends most days chasing wonder and words with her family. She’s the winner of the 2020 Christy Award Book of the Year, a Booklist 2019 Top Ten title, and the winner of an INSPY award for her debut novel, Whose Waves These Are. She’s also the author of Set the Stars Alight (a Christy Award finalist), Yours is the Night (recipient of the Kipp Award, Christy Award finalist), All the Lost Places (Christy Award finalist, starred reviews from Booklist, Library Journal, and Foreword), and three novellas. Find her online at amandadykes.com. Or on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/authoramandadykes or on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/amanda_spins_stories/.
Photo credit: Boys – section of Snap the Whip by Winslow Homer, 1872. Woman with Tear – from Photoplay Magazine, September 1915, Woodland gallery – Mary K. Moody.
I love books that stretch perspectives, give new insights…. Here are tidbits of some of the many books I’ve read that haven’t made it to reviews on my blog mainly because of time and health and family issues. Not because they didn’t deserve to be featured. I’m including some of my favorite covers because the art & beauty deserve a second glance too. Dive in. Hopefully you’ll discover some new reads that appeal to you.
I must begin with WORDS by Ginny Yttrup because it really captured me. So much about this novel is unusual and compelling and I just loved it. For one thing, I like a story that draws me completely into a new perspective of a character I like.
WORDS by Ginny Yttrup
WORDS is a unique and thoroughly engaging story.
Yttrup is superb at immersing us in a child’s perspective in this story that shows how perspective leads to persistent beliefs,
The back cover begins: “I collect words. I keep them in a box in my mind. There, he can’t take them.”
Definitely intriguing, isn’t it? Thus we meet 10 year-old Kaylee Wren who is surviving then escaping neglect and abuse.
Yttrup is masterful at showing us Kaylee’s painful world through the selective vision and magical thinking of a youngster. Kaylee engages not only the reader, but other adults in the story who scatter light and hope across the pages.
WORLD WAR II STORIES
WW II stories are numerous and I read a lot of them. Many are already reviewed on this blog, but I’m also including some which aren’t and highlighting some set in a wide variety of less-covered locations: Denmark, The Netherlands, Russia, England’s Lake District, Pyrenees & Spain, Germany, North Carolina’s Outer Banks, Russia.
I begin with one set in France, a fairly common WW II setting, because I loved Sarah Sundin’s UNTIL LEAVES FALL IN PARIS and can hardly believe I never posted a review of it!
When the Nazis march into Paris in 1940, American ballerina Lucie Girard must make the decision of her life ~ stay in France or leave? She stays and buys her favorite English-language bookstore, thus enabling the Jewish owners to escape. Challenges abound when she discovers the resistance uses the store to pass secret messages and Lucie must decide which customers she can befriend and which to be wary of. Surely the charming four-year-old daughter of one patron is safe to befriend. The dramatic story unfurls with unexpected twists, potential heartbreak, danger, and surprises galore. Who would imagine that lives might be impacted by an imaginary friend named Feenee?
THE SOUND OF LIGHT by Sarah Sundin
In April 1940, everyone in Denmark had a decision to make. Within 2 hours of the Germans marching in, they defeated Denmark. Henrik must disappear from Denmark, and Else stays to continue her research. Yet each faces challenges that spring ceaselessly from their work. As time passes, pressure increases and their undercover activities become more difficult to keep secret, and when a romance blossoms, the consequences of each decision multiplies. …continue reading review here
IN LOVE’S TIME by Kate Breslin
The title of IN LOVE’S TIME declares it’s a romance. What it doesn’t tell you is that it’s also packed with mystery, intrigue, heroes and villains. And like any good detective story, it’s loaded with surprises and twists throughout. (In fact, one of the biggest caught me totally off guard just pages from the end.) I thoroughly enjoyed searching for clues and guessing which were real and which were misdirection.
But let’s return to the beginning. The book opens amidst a dangerous search for not only the Russian tsarina and her son but also information about a plot to assassinate Lenin. The high stakes story is always engaging and keeps you turning pages. It’s well-balanced ~action never overpowers the romance, and the love story, filled with its own complications, never eclipses the war-time drama. (Continue review here)
UNTIL WE FIND HOME by Cathy Gohlke
“For American Claire Stewart joining the French Resistance sounded as romantic as the storylines she hopes will one day grace the novels she wants to write. But when she finds herself stranded on English shores, with five French Jewish children she smuggled across the channel before Nazis stormed Paris, reality feels more akin to fear.” Set in England’s Lake District in 1940, this is a compelling tale that explores how people respond when their values and expectations collide with evil and conditions they cannot accept—or easily change.
SECRETS SHE KEPT by Cathy Gohlke
“Secrets a mother could never share ~ consequences a daughter could not redeem.”
Hannah Sterling sets herself a task: to untangle the conundrum that was her mother. A woman who lived simply and was generous to a fault yet saved tin foil and rubber bands and never seemed happy. Following Lieselotte’s death, Hannah determines to unlock the secrets of her mother’s mysterious past and is shocked to discover a grandfather living in Germany. Thirty years earlier, Lieselotte’s father is quickly ascending the ranks of the Nazi party, and a proper marriage for his daughter could help advance his career.
Marvelous plot twists just continue to darken the shadows and confuse Hannah further.
CG makes the characters come alive and their feelings become ours. And she has a way of sprinkling her writing with gems that glisten, making every story a gift.
NIGHT BIRD CALLING by Cathy Gohlke
A rich and complex story that starts off with some hard good-byes, then hard decisions. As one character said: “Wishing comes easy. Change don’t.”
And so we join Lilliana Swope in a journey to healing, hope, and North Carolina. A journey filled with interesting folk who become friends. Or perhaps enemies?
CHASING SHADOWS by Lynn Austin
“A powerful novel from Lynn Austin about three women whose lives are instantly changed when the Nazis invade the neutral Netherlands, forcing each into a complicated dance of choice and consequence. The Nazi invasion propels these women onto paths that cross in unexpected, sometimes-heartbreaking ways. Yet the story that unfolds illuminates the surprising endurance of the human spirit and the power of faith and love to carry us through.” A captivating tale with Austin’s customary excellence.
THE WISH BOOK CHRISTMAS by Lynn Austin
Best friends Audrey Barrett and Eve Dawson are looking forward to celebrating Christmas in postwar America, thrilled at the prospect of starting new traditions with their five-year-old sons. But when the 1951 Sears Christmas Wish Book arrives and the boys start obsessing over every toy in it, Audrey and Eve realize they must first teach them the true significance of the holiday.
Searching for healing after tragedy, the story includes the joy, innocence, and exuberance of young children and a dog; the encouragement of a supportive community; and the possibility of new love relationships.
THE PARIS DRESSMAKER by Kristy Cambron
Based on true accounts of how Parisiennes resisted the Nazi occupation in World War II—from fashion houses to the city streets—comes a story of two courageous women who risked everything to fight an evil they could not abide.
Paris, 1939. Maison Chanel has closed, thrusting haute couture dressmaker Lila de Laurent out of the world of high fashion as Nazi soldiers invade the streets and the City of Light slips into darkness. Lila’s life is now a series of rations, brutal restrictions, and carefully controlled propaganda. Lila is drawn to La Resistance and is soon using her skills as a dressmaker to infiltrate the Nazi elite. She takes their measurements and designs masterpieces, all while collecting secrets in the glamorous Hotel Ritz.
Paris, 1943. Sandrine Paquet’s job is to catalog the priceless works of art bound for the Führer’s Berlin, masterpieces stolen from prominent Jewish families. But behind closed doors, she secretly forages for information from the underground resistance.
Told across the span of the Nazi occupation, The Paris Dressmaker highlights the brave women who used everything in their power to resist darkness and restore light to their world.
THE PAINTED CASTLE by Kristy Cambron
THE PAINTED CASTLE is a riveting braid of three stories from three centuries. Each captures the reader … and reveals the answer to a mystery or adds layers to the puzzle. Cambron masterfully entwines the tales, carrying the reader effortlessly along. Each story so engages that when a chapter ends and a new era begins the next, one experiences a brief moment of shock, as if rousing from a daydream. Then delight at returning to another circle of friends and the attendant mystery to be resolved.
THE PAINTED CASTLE is a tremendous read with engaging characters, intriguing multiple mysteries, and plenty of plot twists and romance. As usual, Cambron is masterful in creating a fascinating story that is a joy to read.
THE WINTER ROSE by Melanie Dobson Grace Tonquin is an American Quaker who works tirelessly in Vichy France to rescue Jewish children from the Nazis. After crossing the treacherous Pyrénées, Grace returns home to Oregon with a brother and sister whose parents were lost during the war. Though Grace and her husband love Élias and Marguerite as their own, echoes of Grace’s past and trauma from the Holocaust tear the Tonquin family apart. More than fifty years after they disappear, Addie Hoult arrives at Tonquin Lake, hoping to find the Tonquin family. For Addie, the mystery is a matter of life and death.
Dobson’s skill is on full display in this dual-time tale that ranges from France to Spain to the U.S Pacific Northwest.
CHATEAU OF SECRETS by Melanie Dobson
A rich, intriguing book that draws the reader into this astonishing place, exploring a labyrinth of emotions. Dobson weaves present and WWII stories into an intricate, well-balanced tapestry.
I often find split-time novels slightly disappointing when the story or people of one era are not as interesting as the other, or following storylines is confusing. Chateau never falls into those but is always clear, crisp, and compelling.
I’m drawn to stories set during the 1940’s, have read many, and seen movies of even more. Yet Chateau introduced me to startling and new things I’d never learned about WWII. In telling this story, the “Sophie’s Choice” type decisions people faced are so real, I ached for them. (Continue reading review …)
YESTERDAY’S TIDES by Roseanna White
YESTERDAY’S TIDES is a gripping tale of fierce love, loyalty, and sacrifice that spans two world wars and half the globe.
Set largely on Ocracoke Island of North Carolina’s Outer Banks, it reveals some fascinating and new (new to me—but perhaps not to North Carolinians) historical episodes. And while the history is intriguing, the story and characters Roseanna weaves are even more so.
YESTERDAY’S TIDES is a dual-time novel and one of the best technically that I’ve read. The story is chock full of interconnections, immersing the reader in both stories such that each new detail reverberates in both eras. One tip I’ll give readers: tolerate the ambiguity. Even embrace it. Any “holes” you notice aren’t holes but really partial revelations with more to come.
Roseanna writes great stories with well-developed, memorable characters and twisty, involved plots in a wide variety of settings. They always surprise and delight me. (Read more of this review here.)
THE MEMORY HOUSE by Rachel Hauck
The inspirational story of two women whose lives have been destroyed by disaster but find healing in a special house.
When Beck Holiday lost her father in the North Tower on 9/11, she also lost her memories of him. Eighteen years later, she’s a tough New York City cop burdened with a damaging secret, suspended for misconduct, and struggling to get her life in order. When a mysterious letter arrives informing Beck that she’s inherited a house along Florida’s northern coast, she discovers something there that will change her life forever.
THE CHRISTMAS HUMMINGBIRD by Davis Bunn
Bunn draws clear and complex characters who exhibit courage and spunk in the face of opposition, life-altering opposition, with their freedom and lives on the line. And he displays a tenderness that respects his characters, making it easy for readers to have compassion toward them even when they make choices we’d prefer they don’t. … His stories are captivating and rich in detail while flowing right along, never lagging or lacking. Miramar Bay and The Hummingbird Christmas are more in a long line of successes and I highly recommend them both.
THE MEANS THAT MAKE US STRANGERS by Christine Kindberg
Home is where your people are. But who are your people?
A fascinating coming-of-age tale of a white girl, Adelaide, whose family lives in Ethiopia. She’s lived there her entire life and they are the only white people she knows. When in 1964 her father must return to the U.S., Adelaide goes through culture shock and doesn’t have any idea where to sit at lunch! As she forges a life and friendships, she will need to decide where she belongs when she graduates high school ~ the village where she promised to return or the U.S. where she’s begun to carve out a place for herself.
Labeled a YA tale, the story indeed focuses on a teen-agers, but the themes of identity, family, belonging, and race relations in a changing society are compelling and possibly perspective-shifting and will engage many readers of all ages.
A LONG TIME COMIN’ by Robin W. Pearson
“Granny B had had it hard, and there was no way her granddaughter could ever separate her from an ounce of her pain and suffering, not that anyone could. Evelyn believed that every morning, before Granny B got dressed, she put on this suit of armor—not her full armor of God because that never came off. Her past. And she buttoned it up tight. It protected her from all kinds of nasty things. Robin is a mighty wordsmith and captures the essence of her characters and their challenges in a compelling way.
FORGIVING PARIS by Karen Kingsbury
Ashley Baxter Blake is having her first professional art showing in Paris, a city filled with tormenting memories of foolishness and bad decisions she made when she was an intern there twenty years earlier. But revisiting remembered sites and encountering old acquaintances changes Ashley’s perspective radically and starts her on a journey of healing that where she learns some positive influences she had on others and how much God loves and protects her.
TRULY, MADLY, DEEPLY by Karen Kingsbury
Karen Kingsbury’s well-drawn characters take the reader on an emotional roller-coaster.
While Tommy and Annalee navigate their first—and planned forever—love, difficulties roll at them like a bowling ball to pins. Annalee faces a huge health challenge,[??] and Tommy supports her in every way he can also confronts opposition to his chosen career path upon graduation.
In the mix of romance and family drama, we see love and faith defined and refined.
WHERE THE FIRE FALLS by Karen Barnett
Stunning Yosemite National Park sets the stage for this late 1920s historical romance with mystery, adventure, heart, and a sense of the place John Muir described as “pervaded with divine light.”
This is a engaging hike with photographer and guide through the singular place of Yosemite National Park. I have loved traveling there many times, and enjoyed seeing it through new eyes and learning more of its history.
SHADOWS OF THE WHITE CITY by Jocelyn Green
Set in Chicago’s World’s Fair, this is a tightly woven tale that explores holding on or letting go ~ and discerning which to choose when you hit a turning point. Green draws realistic characters, well-nuanced and layered. We care about them. The reader walks with them until there is no turning back. The journey may begin as a stroll, but soon we’re swept up in the mysteries replete with surprises until the satisfying let-out-your-breath finish.
The settings came alive. Clearly Green has done her research. She handles the ethnic variations in character and various neighborhoods well.
THE BEST IS YET TO COME by Debbie Macomber
Hope Goodwin wants a new beginning in a coastal village in Washington state to recover from grief after the death of her twin brother. Immersing herself in her teaching job is a start but not enough. Volunteering at an animal shelter introduces her to Shadow, a dog believed to be beyond rescue and destined to be put down. Hope invests time and energy into the dog, and as he begins to trust humans again, so does she—which draws the attention of another wounded person, ex-marine, Cade Lincoln, with whom a romantic relationship gradually grows. A story of wounded people learning to grieve yet trust and hope again.
A DANCE IN DONEGAL by Jennifer Deibel
“All of her life, Irish-American Moira Doherty has relished her mother’s descriptions of Ireland. When her mother dies unexpectedly in the summer of 1920, Moira decides to fulfill her mother’s wish that she become the teacher in Ballymann, her home village in Donegal, Ireland.
After an arduous voyage, Moira arrives to a new home and a new job in an ancient country. Though a few locals offer a warm welcome, others are distanced by superstition and suspicion. Rumors about Moira’s mother are unspoken in her presence but threaten to derail everything she’s journeyed to Ballymann to do. …”
Saturated with Irish atmosphere. You’ll feel as if you spent a few days on the Emerald Isle!
Reviews for books by LAURA FRANTZ, KATE BRESLIN, AMANDA DYKES, SARAH SUNDIN, ROSEANNA WHITE are numerous on my blog. Simply enter your favorite author’s name in the search bar in the upper right corner of my page and reviews for that writer will appear.
When all of Venice is unmasked, one man’s identity remains a mystery . . .
1807 When a baby is discovered floating in a basket along the quiet canals of Venice, a guild of artisans takes him in and raises him as a son, skilled in each of their trades. Although the boy, Sebastien Trovato, has wrestled with questions of his origins, it isn’t until a woman washes ashore on his lagoon island that answers begin to emerge. In hunting down his story, Sebastien must make a choice that could alter not just his own future, but also that of the beloved floating city.
Examples of the Venetian guilds: seafoam satin, printers, lace, Murano glass.
1904 Daniel Goodman is given a fresh start in life as the century turns. Hoping to redeem a past laden with regrets, he is sent on an assignment from California to Venice to procure and translate a rare book. There, he discovers a city of colliding hope and decay, much like his own life, and a mystery wrapped in the pages of that filigree-covered volume. With the help of Vittoria, a bookshop keeper, Daniel finds himself in a web of shadows, secrets, and discoveries carefully kept within the stones and canals of the ancient city . . . and in the mystery of the man whose story the book does not finish: Sebastien Trovato. [back cover copy]
ALL THE LOST PLACES comes alive under Amanda’s hands, skilled at spinning history and imagination into magical gold like old fairy-tale Rumpelstiltskin.
The characters are captivating and took immediate residence in my heart and mind. (Well, one only in my mind, not heart! But he has so much to tell.) They are flawed and real and resonate as the shimmering story unfurls like a spool of satin ribbon wending its way through the implausible islands, the mirroring rivers, the unyielding social order.
The tale begins with a dilemma to be solved, but each step toward resolution leads to another conundrum. And like all good puzzles, pieces and clues gathered must be turned this way and that to discern where they fit. IF they fit. Or we must simply be patient and let the story emerge. And like sunshine beaming upon a foggy mist ~ this story will reveal hidden longings and questions. And the great love of The One Who Made You.
Umbrellas. Have to read the story. 🙂 Mosaic. Torcello Cathedral, Venice Murano Glass Chandelier
Amanda’s storytelling is poetic and powerful such that one cannot turn pages fast enough to satisfy the desire to know what happens next. Yet as the end drew nearer, I ached at leaving it behind. I highly recommend this book to all those who love stories laced with history, intrigue, romance, and hope.
The flags on the book pictured below indicate spots that touched me, shimmered in a special way. The 60 pages early and late unbedecked reflect the reading done before I found flags and after I ran out of the colorful heralds.
And if it touches you like it did me, you can purchase ALL THE LOST PLACES where ever books are sold, but often the best deal is from Baker Book House: https://bakerbookhouse.com/products/431757
Amanda Dykes is a drinker of tea, dweller of redemption, and spinner of hope-filled tales who spends most days chasing wonder and words with her family. She’s the winner of the 2020 Christy Award Book of the Year, a Booklist 2019 Top Ten title, and the winner of an INSPY award for her debut novel, Whose Waves These Are. She’s also the author of Set the Stars Alight (a Christy Award finalist), Yours is the Night (recipient of the Kipp Award, Christy Award finalist), All the Lost Places (starred reviews from Booklist, Library Journal, and Foreword), and three novellas. Find her online at amandadykes.com.
I received a complimentary copy from the publisher and was not required to provide a positive review. All opinions are my own.
A mysterious song in the forest . . .
A discovery in war-torn France . . .
A journey toward hope. The trenches of the Great War are a shadowed place. Though Platoon Sergeant Matthew Petticrew arrived there with a past long marked by shadow, the realities of battle bring new wounds–carving within him a longing for light, and a resolve to fight for it.
One night, Matthew and his comrades are enraptured by a sound so pure, a voice so ethereal, it offers reprieve–even if only for a moment. Soon, rumors sweep the trenches from others who have heard the lullaby too. “The Angel of Argonne,” they call the voice: a mysterious presence who leaves behind wreaths on unmarked graves. Raised in the wild depths of the Forest of Argonne, Mireilles finds her reclusive world rocked when war crashes into her idyllic home, taking much from her. When Matthew and his two unlikely companions discover Mireilles, they must embark on a journey that will change each of them forever . . . and perhaps, at long last, spark light into the dark.
[back cover copy]
Trench Art of WW I
Yours is the Night, latest book by Amanda Dykes, is set against the dark days of World War I but it’s an amazing book that shimmers with courageous souls, generous hearts, noble spirits, and the fight for light. A reader might have concern about reading a tale set during World War I, especially since Amanda is known for bringing characters and settings to life. I’ve read many books set in wartime. A few I’ve stopped reading. Some I gritted my way through but felt assaulted in the reading. Amanda is almost unique in her ability to keep the story real while finding and focusing on glints of light and life that not only balance out intense images of battle but make the tale a thing of hope and beauty.
She fills her cast with characters from diverse backgrounds ~ a New York horse farm, Oxford University, a woodland cabin. And I’ve fallen in love with every one of our band of travelers. Each is unique, totally likeable, and has no intention of joining the war. But as we journey with them, each is impacted by some aspect of the conflict and must deal with it or be crushed by it.
As I’ve mentioned in reviewing Amanda’s previous books, she writes delightful, lyrical tales with beauty and tender understanding of the broken places in a person. She writes of the impact of choices and how consequences echo into the future. And always, the fight for light and The Light. This book continues that lovely, powerful writing filled with imagery, symbolism, and surprises. I’ll share just a sample.
…a flock of sheep bleated, eating grass like all was as normal as could be …. The scene sliced clean away when I blinked, that green grass flashing into colorless dirt, the blue sky swallowed up by dark. How long, I wondered, would memory keep doing this? Showing up and slashing into the present? [p 141]
This country so deeply scarred by trenches and terror is beginning to feel its wounds stitched together by Allied forces … victory by victory. [p. 174]
The sticks and curves and letters arranged themselves into words that shattered my world. [p. 205]
… Characteristics that stuck out like odd limbs on a person bumbling through the corridors of life, until he found that they weren’t odd limbs at all, but rather the carefully crafted shape of himself, molded to fit like a puzzle piece into this moment. [p. 257]
At times, writing a book review is difficult because a so-so story or cliché characters don’t inspire. But writing a review for this one is difficult because the story is so good that my words fall so very short of conveying the beauty, the power…the light & joy the author has infused into it. I heartily recommend Yours is the Night for a stellar read (and re-read). Join the journey through fear and fog of war, yearning for life and love and peace, and most of all discovery. Who knows? You may, like me, even want to begin carrying a box of matches with you.
Trench Art photo credit: http://www.trenchartofww1.co.uk/images/Lights_Out_Candle_2014.JPG?298
Some links to sources for a copy of Yours is the Night if you’re so inclined:
THE KISSING TREE is four distinct love stories, from the pens of four skilled authors, inextricably entwined by the grandfatherly oak and family.
In this Texas-sized romance novella collection, courting couples, decades apart, leave a permanent mark of their love by carving their initials into the same oak’s bark.
Regina Jennings’ Broken Limbs, Mended Fences: When a young man from her past returns and upends their small town with a new invention, schoolteacher Bella Eden is reminded of the heartbreak she suffered years ago under the old oak tree.
Karen Witemeyer’s Inn for a Surprise: Determined to keep love alive for others, Phoebe Woodward builds an inn that caters to couples. When her father sends a property manager to help make it a success, she finds her whimsical vision thwarted.
Amanda Dykes’ From Roots to Sky: WWII airman Luke Hampstead found comfort in letters from the sister of a lost compatriot. When he visits Texas to thank her, he discovers her constructing a project with surprising ties to his letters.
Nicole Deese’s Heartwood: Abby Brookshire’s world is turned upside down when the historic tree she’s strived to preserve as groundskeeper at the Kissing Tree Innis put in danger of removal. The only way to protect it is to partner with the man she’s been ignoring since he left town years ago. [from back cover]
And that cover! A perfect reflection of romance inside with a hint of the tree that arcs over the stories.
The tree, a massive live oak, stands resolute as a judge, strong as a longshoreman, and as kindly and captivating as Aslan. Like a kindly grandfather, it welcomes, shelters, and inspires generations of an entire town.
The characters in these novellas are as clearly-drawn as any full-length novel, and just as dear. Phoebe Woodward is described as “kind-natured and bookish, two qualities generally admired;” Hannah as “hard to keep track of;” and Luke as having “the sort of smile that took its time finding its way to the surface.” (Can’t you just see that slow-growing radiance?!)
The tales span over a century and are four delicious romances ~ but so much more. Built around the tree, they also contain connections and references to earlier people, and therefore build on each other.
Though all share the tree as a central element, the tales are amazingly varied, not contrived, and carry deep insights. And they’re great fun. The meet-cutes are some of the best I’ve read, especially—well, I can’t tell you. I’d spoil your enjoyment.
I heartily recommend this collection to anyone who enjoys romance and family sagas.
Thank you to Bethany House for a free review copy of this book. I was under no requirement to write a positive review.
Photo credits: Amazon, Gareth Davies, Chris Pruitt
In an aged brick cottage in London, the magic of the past comes alive each night for the family of a humble watchmaker. In her father’s fireside stories, Lucy Claremont’s fascination with the high seas begins, leading her to devote her life’s work to discovering the whereabouts of a legendary lost ship. But when tragedy strikes, it’s childhood friend Dashel and his knowledge of the stars that may help her solve the puzzle.
Two hundred years earlier, three young lives are altered forever when a shepherd rescues the privileged son of a powerful admiral. As the children grow, war leads to unthinkable heartbreak, deep love, and a story of betrayal, sacrifice, and redemption that fades into obscurity as centuries pass.
As Lucy and Dash explore mysterious ruins on the East Sussex coast, their search leads them to a community of souls and a long-hidden tale that may hold the answers–and the healing–they so desperately seek.[back cover]
In SET THE STARS ALIGHT Amanda Dykes has penned a story that captivates completely from page one. I couldn’t have been more absorbed if I watched the tale unfurl while flying over it with Peter Pan.
Settings come alive with Amanda’s use of specific, sensory details. Whether an ancient, sooty match factory or a wireless, fairy-tale-like farm ~ the reader is there, hearing the song of the bells and feeling the breeze, tasting the flavors it carries. Amanda’s poetic, lyrical writing evokes memories of fables and fairy tales, enticing readers to ignore the thrum of our frenetic planet, and fall into life with Lucy and Dash.
Characters are so well developed, that it takes no time at all to bond with them. To feel the excitement when Papa begins a riddle or a story. Or the breath-stealing, carved-out realization that a loved one is … gone.
And though this book is only the second of Amanda’s published novels, she’s already a master not only at spinning stories, but balancing the mechanics of producing a dual-time book. Like the storytellers in this yarn, Amanda sprinkles clues to links between the two timelines. And the story flows unimpeded even when she switches between the nineteenth and twenty-first centuries. I dare say, no reader will have to flip back to an earlier chapter to reconnect with a storyline in order to move ahead.
Amanda displays great skill in story craft, but SET THE STARS ALIGHT is so much more than the sum of these skills. This story is art. Magic. Delightful. Full of imagery, symbolism, and surprises! The intriguing characters—on quests for belonging, truth, love, forgiveness, lost things, or answers to mysteries—deliver us to wonder and light. And to the reward of learning that everyone’s actions reverberate through time. That every single life matters. The journey introduces us to The Maker of Wonder, Light Himself.
I could fill pages with favorite quotes. (I nearly wore out the yellow marker!) But lest I rob you of the joy of discovering your own, I include below just a few. An appetizer if you will. This gem of a story will satisfy on every level.
“When things seem dark, Lucy, that’s when you fight for the light.” p 21
For who were they to one another now? A shadow. An outline. A question mark. p 67
The woman … gave the impression that she’d been born and raised in a confectioner’s shop and trailed a dusting of sweetness wherever she went. p 73
“Looks as if he ate anger for breakfast.” p 79
“I wonder if it’s even possible to overestimate the significance of a single life … Words spoken, hearts changed, a meal provided to a hungry sojourner, who knows? Who knows how far everyday actions reach?” p 196
As if every moment between then and now had been leading up to this, the homecoming of their hands. p 178
[image credit: Peter Pan, disney; couple by Vecteezy]
SET THE STARS ALIGHT releases June 30, 2020. I’m blessed to have read an early copy from NetGalley for review. Usually I don’t find the e-versions of a book nearly as engaging as paper. But STARS knocked that problem to the curb! This is a 5-star recommendation. I feel my words don’t to this fabulous story justice!
You can meet Amanda on social media, where she likes to hang out and talk about wondrous things. So visit her on Instagram or Facebook if you want to learn more about this amazing author.
Links to some places you can purchase SET THE STARS ALIGHT if you’re so inclined. And a word from Amanda: Available in Paperback, Audiobook, and Hardcover. May we encourage you to support an independent and/or local bookstore with this purchase? Even one book can help these cherished stores regain their footing amid the COVID-19 circumstances. Thank you, fellow bookstore lovers!
In the wake of WWII, a grieving fisherman submits a poem to a local newspaper: a rallying cry for hope, purpose . . . and rocks. Send me a rock for the person you lost, and I will build something life-giving. When the poem spreads farther than he ever intended, Robert Bliss’s humble words change the tide of a nation. Boxes of rocks inundate the tiny, coastal Maine town, and he sets his calloused hands to work, but the building halts when tragedy strikes.
Decades later, Annie Bliss is summoned back to Ansel-by-the-Sea when she learns her Great-Uncle Robert, the man who became her refuge during the hardest summer of her youth, is now the one in need of help. What she didn’t anticipate was finding a wall of heavy boxes hiding in his home. Long-ago memories of stone ruins on a nearby island trigger her curiosity, igniting a fire in her anthropologist soul to uncover answers.
She joins forces with the handsome and mysterious harbor postman, and all her hopes of mending the decades-old chasm in her family seem to point back to the ruins. But with Robert failing fast, her search for answers battles against time, a foe as relentless as the ever-crashing waves upon the sea. [from back cover]
In Whose Waves These Are Amanda Dykes has constructed the woodsy seaside village of Ansel-by-the-Sea so clearly we can see the wind-pushed ripples and waves, smell the wood smoke, and hear the silvery sound of DIY wind chimes.
Ansel is a place where God’s presence and provision hovers over the residents like the fog hovers over the coast, and gossip is shunned but residents are not. Each one’s well-being is valued by the townsfolk who see beyond behavior and into a person’s heart, needs, and broken spots—which are handled respectfully and tenderly. Ansel residents help each other find ways to stitch together the rent pieces. In short, it’s a place anyone would like to live in.
The characters ring true as we accompany them on the journey of living and losing, finding and forgiving, heartbreak and reconciliation; learning the importance of each decision made, each step taken, and the impact of the consequences. Because a person chooses his actions but not his consequences. And make no mistake—there will be consequences.
Whose Waves These Are is a dual-time story. For those put off by dual-time stories, there’s no need to avoid this one. Dykes has mastered the techniques, and this story slips from World War II era and contemporary smoothly. It’s the easiest to follow of the many dual-time stories I’ve read.
Dykes tells this tale in a lovely, lyrical style. And displays a keen understanding of loss, pain, grief, guilt; and the courage required to make peace with them and move into hope and living again. A few quotes serve to prove my point—and whet your appetite.
“If everything around you is broken, it’s time to unbreak something.” [p 75]
[Annie arrives at her uncle’s home after a twenty-year absence] “A step inside feels like she’s trespassing, the house assessing her every step as if to say Who … are you …?” [p 60]
“She’s learning that this guy is never in a hurry. Whatever he’s thinking, he gives it time to be thought.” [p 92]
[conversation Robert observes about a man missing after World War II]“Your husband,” Eva says gently. “He hasn’t returned … yet?” Her wording is hopeful but gentle and Robert wants to kiss her for it. He would have blundered that question a thousand ways. [p240]
“Fire dimming … He drops to his knees, grips earth, grips jagged hope.” [p 348]
Themes of brokenness and mending, hope, purpose, and light are woven through the stories of these realistic, flawed characters as they struggle and prevail. The journey through this story is thought-provoking and light-filled; a trip you’ll want to repeat with a second and third read. Whose Waves These Are is a captivating story that is sure to become a classic. I heartily recommend this glorious story.
You can meet Amanda on her website here and share all sorts of beauty and bookish things. You’ll also find links to her other cyber-spaces.
I thank Baker Publishing Group for a free review copy of this book. I was under no requirement to write a positive review.
At times, writing a book review is difficult because a so-so story or cliché characters don’t inspire. But writing a review for this one is difficult because the story is so good that my words fall so very short of conveying the beauty, the power…the light & joy the author has infused into it. I heartily recommend Yours is the Night for a stellar read (and re-read). Join the journey through fear and fog of war, yearning for life and love and peace, and most of all discovery. Who knows? You may, like me, even want to begin carrying a box of matches with you.
In SET THE STARS ALIGHT Amanda Dykes has penned a story that captivates completely from page one. I couldn’t have been more absorbed if I watched the tale unfurl while flying over it with Peter Pan.
For who were they to one another now? A shadow. An outline. A question mark. 
“Looks as if he ate anger for breakfast.” 
Ansel is a place where God’s presence and provision hovers over the residents like the fog hovers over the coast, and gossip is shunned but residents are not. Each one’s well-being is valued by the townsfolk who see beyond behavior and into a person’s heart, needs, and broken spots—which are handled respectfully and tenderly. Ansel residents help each other find ways to stitch together the rent pieces. In short, it’s a place anyone would like to live in.
“If everything around you is broken, it’s time to unbreak something.” [p 75]
[conversation Robert observes about a man missing after World War II]“Your husband,” Eva says gently. “He hasn’t returned … yet?” Her wording is hopeful but gentle and Robert wants to kiss her for it. He would have blundered that question a thousand ways. [p240]