Pegg Thomas

Sand Creek Serenade

Sand Creek Serenade by Jennifer Uhlarik
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

A deeply moving story set against the backdrop of a tragic moment in U.S. history. Even amid turmoil, however, love can blossom. When a young female doctor meets a Cheyenne brave, both their worlds expand. However, it’s a dangerous time to be on the plains. Blood has been spilled from both sides. Tensions are impossibly high. Some men aren’t to be trusted–even men in positions of authority. How can two people from such polar-opposite backgrounds find common ground that will allow them to help those who are hurting the most? Read this one and find out.

Les Misérables

Les Misérables by Victor Hugo
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

How can anyone give just three stars to a classic like Les Misérables? When it takes an avid reader almost six weeks to slog through it. Yes, I love the story! Who doesn’t? But the writing is not only old-world writing, it’s positively sloggy. For instance, there are four or five chapters that simply describe the sewer system in Paris and its history. Okay, Jean Valjean must walk through the sewer, but we don’t need chapters of description. (Tell us what time it is, don’t tell us how to build a watch.) There were also multiple chapters describing the street talk of the homeless youth of Paris. And – no – the reader didn’t need to know any of it. So while the story is excellent and the characters are fascinating, digging them out from amid the dross is a flat-out chore. Even for me … and I love reading the classics.

Now I’m ready to watch the new PBS Masterpiece Theater adaptation and I’m sure I will positively love it!

Songbird and the Spy

Songbird and the Spy by J’nell Ciesielski
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Romance with a healthy dose of intrigue that will keep you turning the pages. A young American music student is caught behind the lines in occupied France during WWII. Her French relatives try to shield her, but she winds up alone and afraid until a kindly brother and sister take her into their home. They run a local pub, and she sings for her supper–literally. They pass her off as a French girl. When a certain German captain catches her eye, she does everything in her power to avoid him, but he won’t go away. The German captain isn’t what he seems either, and that revelation starts a whole new round of tension, conflict, and danger. A wonderful story by the same author as “Among the Poppies.” Well worth reading!

Summer Plan and Other Disasters

Summer Plans–And Other Disasters by Karin Beery
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

What a fun story! Love the setting (a lighthouse!) and the humor. The characters were engaging and relatable while still having some deep-seated issues they needed to work through. Wonderful debut novel for this author. I’m looking forward to more Karin Beery books!

The Midwife’s Tale

The Midwife’s Tale by Delia Parr
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I enjoyed this tale by Delia Parr, an author I haven’t read before. The characters are engaging, the setting is very well done, the research into the topic was obvious but didn’t overpower the story. It included a twist that I sort of saw coming, but had talked myself out of. That was nice! I thought the end was a bit rushed, but it didn’t destroy the story or anything.

If you’re interested in the early 1880s, stories set in Pennsylvania, and/or stories dealing with early healthcare, this is the book for you. It’s not a romance, it’s historical, but there is a nice thread of romance that runs throughout. Mostly it’s about the midwife and her life, her disappointments, her achievements, and the lives of the people she touches. Well worth reading.

Beauty in Flight

Beauty in Flight by Robin Patchen
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Robin Patchen has brought out another book that kept me turning the pages! Harper isn’t someone I could identify with in any way other than Patchen’s magic in bringing such a character to life. A woman who has made so many truly terrible choices in her life, paid a heavy price, and is trying to pull herself together. But her past includes some very dangerous elements and at least one of those elements won’t let her go.

A Rush of Wings

A Rush of Wings by Kristen Heitzmann
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I don’t read many contemporary novels anymore but this one was recommended to me, and I enjoyed it. It has a nice mix of suspense, mystery, and romance. I connected with the characters pretty well, and the author kept me guessing as to who would shake out with whom, which was fun.

A Cast of Stones

A Cast of Stones by Patrick W. Carr
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This book has been in my to-read ebook file for almost 4 years. I think I dragged my feet on it because I knew it was the first of a series, and I never felt I had the time to devote to a series. Until now. And maybe I don’t really have the time now, we’ll see!

Mr. Carr did a good job of creating an alternate world within a world we all understand. I like that kind of fantasy. It’s sort of Piers Anthony without the slap-stick humor. The premise is – as is so often in fantasy novels because it works well – a run-of-mill village lad who turns out to be something else entirely, and the weight of the world falls on his shoulders. But the hero of this book is a little less than run-of-mill. It’s fun to read and watch as he develops into a character the reader can pull for, and speculate on just who he will turn out to be in the end. Which, of course, we don’t know as of the end of A Cast of Stones. One must continue the series with The Hero’s Lot to find the answer to that question. I’m looking forward to book two.

The Blessed

The Blessed by Ann H. Gabhart
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I’ve enjoyed all of Ann Gabhart’s shaker books and couldn’t believe I’d missed one … but I had! So I grabbed a copy and read it in a couple of days. As usual, it was full of the characters who had not always experienced the best things in life, had not always made the right choices, and these characters were living through the consequences of their actions. In short, Ann Gabhart writes real-people-type characters the reader can relate to.

What I love about these Shaker books is that while they deal with a group of people we’d label as a cult today, the author treats them with the dignity and respect they deserve as people trying to do their best with what they know and believe. She never demeans them or makes them into caricatures. They are fully-rounded characters with strengths and weaknesses, beauty and warts. And into the lives of these people, the author weaves a tale of hardship and hope.

Well worth reading.

We Hope for Better Things

We Hope for Better Things by Erin Bartels
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This story is actually the tale of three different women from three different times. Mary lives during the Civil War and deals with the fallout of an absentee husband, a farm to run, and helping escaped slaves. Nora lives during the turbulent times of the 1960s when race riots were reshaping inner cities. Elizabeth is a journalist struggling to land the big story that will cement her career in the modern world.

All three women are related, and all three go through some serious trials. There are a lot of characters in the book and that can be hard to follow at times. Time-slipping back and forth isn’t my favorite, but the author does a credible job with it.

This isn’t a happy read, it’s disturbing and thought-provoking, it’ll stay with you after you close the book. If you’re looking for something challenging rather than relaxing, this may be the book for you.