Pegg Thomas

A Lady Unrivaled

A Lady Unrivaled by Roseanna M. White
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Great finish to the series! I enjoyed seeing all the previous characters come back for a final appearance. “Ladies of the Manor” is definitely a series to read in the proper order. “The Lost Heiress” is first, then “The Reluctant Duchess.”

In “A Lady Unrivaled,” Lady Ella Myerston was devastated by the betrayal of her friend, Stella. She decides to compensate for her lack of judgment on that score by solving the problem of the Fire Eyes diamonds and their curse. Although dedicated to that cause, she can’t help but be drawn to Lord James Cayton. Despite his less-than-honorable reputation, well-earned as it was, she believes he’s not the man he’s thought to be. He has been, however, as poor a judge in friends as she was. When his friends come to stay, it’ll take all their cooperation to keep the diamonds out of the hands of those who would kill – again – to get them.

Plenty of romance and drama is this one. Perhaps a bit slower off the mark than the first two books, but well worth reading and what an ending! No spoiler here. Sit back and enjoy the countryside around Cotswold, England, in a time when so much was changing in the world.

This Road We Traveled

This Road We Traveled by Jane Kirkpatrick
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Another wonderful story based on real pioneers who suffered to build the United States of America. Jane Kirkpatrick brings these characters to life in her own insightful way. The reader journeys with the characters, surviving things we present-day hot-house lilies would not. She takes us back to a time when there were no “safe spaces” and people worked together – really *worked* – to build their own futures. Not romanticized history, it’s gritty and real.

Tabitha Brown won’t be left behind when her grown children move their families across the country from Missouri to Oregon by wagon train. At the age of 66, she embarks on a trail that will leave many unmarked graves in its wake. Determination and faith in God, together with an independent streak so vital to our pioneers, Tabby survives to help other survivors settle Oregon.

Inspiring story that’s well worth reading.

The Lazarus File

The Lazarus File by Donn E. Taylor
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Political intrigue isn’t generally my favorite read, but this one caught my eye. It’s set back in the 1970s, so that’s a bit of a twist. No cell phones. No computers. (Anyone else remember this as the good old days?) Back when spying was done with actual eyeballs. Back when technology didn’t own us and control our lives. It was fun to read about an era I can remember … and really doesn’t seem that long ago!

Mark Daniel is running with a bad crowd, a drug running crowd, the kind of people who would kill him in a heartbeat if they had any idea who he was. But not every enemy is in Columbia and Cuba. Under the name Carlos Ortiz, he’s in the perfect position to send intelligence back to the United States to contacts he trusts. As if his mission isn’t difficult enough, Mark stumbles into an attempted kidnapping of the beautiful Sol Agueda de Roca, the wife of a very important man in Columbia. Their lives become entangled because her family and the drug lord he works for are on opposite sides of the law. Things only get stickier when a major Cuban power player shows up.

No spoiler here. The book is a page-turner and well worth the time to read.

My Great Wheel

After years of looking and wishing, I finally found an intact Great Wheel on Craigslist at a price I could afford. I’m beyond thrilled to be spinning on this piece of history. It works great! Such a testimony

to craftsmanship in days gone by. Enjoy the photos.

Intimidator at home 8-29-16 — as it arrived

The Intimidator — cleaned up and spinning

spindle front — spindle view while spinning

The Intimidator and Suzie — gorgeous wheel beside the modern day Majacraft Suzie

interior wheel hub with metal reinforcements

wheel hub - spinning side — wheel hub – spinning side

The Bonfires of Beltane

The Bonfires of Beltane by Mark E. Fisher
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This story is set WAY BACK in time, before the Middle Ages, in ancient Ireland. The hero, Taran mac Teague, rebels against the Druids and their demonic gods. He’s banished from his clan’s island and set adrift to die at sea. But he calls out to the God he’s only heard rumors about, and he arrives on the mainland. He meets a stranger named Patrick who talks of a God who loves His people, a God who doesn’t require sacrifices, a God who sent His own sacrifice for all. We follow Taran as he travels with and learns from Patrick for years before being able to return to his own clan and bring the message of salvation to his people.

St. Patrick suffered much and yet survived to bring salvation to a barbaric people. The story is well-researched and written in story form that is easy to follow. There are a lot of words that I didn’t even try to pronounce. I read it as an e-book and I wish I’d had a paperback copy so I could have flipped back to the glossary at the back. For a better understanding of the language, I recommend a print version. But either way, it’s well worth reading!

Magnolia Moonlight

Magnolia Moonlight by Mary Ellis
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is the third book in the “Secrets of the South Mysteries” series. I’ve enjoyed each one, even though mysteries are not my go-to genre to read.

Private investigator Nate Price and Isabelle finally get their chance at a honeymoon, but it doesn’t turn into the cozy romantic getaway they’d hoped for. Isabelle’s ex-husband shows up in the same town. A frantic call from his current wife sends Isabelle looking for answers

While the boss is away, Beth Kirby is taxed with teaching PI new-hire Michael Preston the ropes on a seemingly cut-and-dried suicide case. But the case proves anything other than cut-and-dried when Michael’s computer sleuthing skills uncover more past than he bargained for.

I highly recommend reading these stories in order, beginning with “Midnight on the Mississippi” and then “What Happened on Beale Street” since the reader is introduced to many of the characters in this previous books. Judging by the ending of this one … there will be a book four in the future!

A Heart Most Certain

A Heart Most Certain by Melissa Jagears
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

An unabashedly Christian story that isn’t preachy, unrealistic, or predictable. The characters are flawed, not perfect, and not every loose end winds up in a tidy bow. Well done, Melissa Jagears!

Lydia King comes from what we’d call today a “dysfunctional” family on the wrong side of the tracks. Nicholas Lowe has money to burn, but is well-known for not parting with a penny. When Lydia’s potential mother-in-law charges her with getting a donation to the church’s Moral Society from Mr. Lowe, and intimates that an engagement might hang on her success, Lydia sucks up the courage to face the lion in his den. Nothing goes as she’s planned. Instead of squeezing money from the town’s miser, she finds herself knee-deep in his plans to help people Lydia would never speak to, people she’d never think of offering to help. Nicholas changes how she looks at the poor. But will it help her make a good marriage and be able to care for her ailing mother?

Some adult themes in here, although very delicately handled, makes this a good story for older teens on up. Well worth reading!

To Follow Her Heart

To Follow Her Heart by Rebecca DeMarino
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The final book in The Southold Chronicles, “To Follow Her Heart” wraps up the story of the Horton family. I highly recommend that you read these stories in order. “A Place in His Heart” and “To Capture Her Heart” are books one and two. There are a lot of characters to keep track of and reading out of order would be confusing as many of the names are similar. The names, however, are real. These stories are built on Rebecca Demarino’s own family history. How fun is that?!

Patience Terry has more than lived up to her name. After years of loving Captain Jeremy Horton, she’s finally received what she’s always wanted – his proposal. Nothing goes smoothly, however, as life continues in the young colony. Will they finally get married? Or is the new pastor a safer choice for her heart?

Well worth the read and a satisfying finish to this series.

Honor Redeemed

Honor Redeemed by Christine Johnson
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Another enjoyable historical romance by Christine Johnson! This is book two of her “Keys of Promise” series. One doesn’t need to read “Love’s Rescue” to enjoy “Honor Redeemed,” but since the characters of the first book reappear in the second, it will give more depth to the reader’s enjoyment to read them in order.

Prosperity Jones has lost everything that tied her to Nantucket Island. In a daring move, she spends what little money she has to travel to Key West to find David Latham, her fiance she hasn’t seen in two years. When she arrives, she finds David – and his wife! Left to fend for herself amid kindly strangers, Prosperity takes a job as a laundress at the local hospital. There she meet Dr. Clayton Goodenow. Can the Dr. heal her broken heart? Or will circumstances push her back into the arms of her former fiance?

Well worth reading! Looking forward to the next installment in the “Keys of Promise” series. 🙂

Courageous

Courageous by Dina L. Sleiman
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Another exciting adventure from Dina Sleiman. This is book three of her “Valiant Hearts” series and I’m hoping we’ll see a book four. (Because we need to know what’s happening to Sadie next, right?) The first is “Dauntless.” The second is “Chivalrous.” All are 5-star quality books!

Set during the Crusades, Sleiman takes us to the Middle East during a very turbulent time in history. Sir Randel Penigree and Rosalind of Ispswich are in charge of a troop of children who sail on ships filled with crusaders. They are following the leading of Lady Sapphira, herself a child, who has had a vision from the Lord. Along the way, they’ll see battle, lose loved ones, mingle with Muslims, and find that doing the Lord’s work doesn’t always end the way they assumed it would.

Engaging characters, beautifully expressed historical setting, and enough action to keep readers turning the pages. There’s even a bit of a mystery, a who-done-it, in the middle of it all. Young adults will love it, but please, don’t overlook these books just because you happen to be an adult!