When the Day Comes (Timeless Book 1) by Gabrielle Meyer

source: Bethany House / Twitter
title: When the Day Comes
author: Gabrielle Meyer
published: May 3, 2022
pages: 373
genre: Christian historical fiction romance
first line: For as long as I could remember, my mama had told me that my life was a gift.
rated: Sweet historical fiction with a dash of romance and time travel.
4 out of 5 stars



blurb:
Libby has been given a powerful gift: to live one life in 1774 Colonial Williamsburg and the other in 1914 Gilded Age New York City. When she falls asleep in one life, she wakes up in the other without any time passing. On her twenty-first birthday, Libby must choose one path and forfeit the other–but how can she possibly decide when she has so much to lose?

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my thoughts:
I meant to read When the Day Comes by Gabrielle Meyer last year and I’m glad I finally got to it. This was a sweet, moving, historical romance with a dash of time-travel in the mix that had me hooked until I turned the final page. This is book 1 in the Timeless Series.

At the heart of the story is Libby who is turning 21 in about a year. Libby is a time-crosser which means she lives simultaneously in two different time periods. She wakes up 1774 Colonial Williamsburg one day and then goes to sleep at night and wakes up in 1914 as a socialite in New York City the next day. She awakens daily alternating between these two time periods, which are so different from one another. In one time frame she is wealthy but unhappy, in the other time period her family struggles financially but she’s happy. On her 21st birthday, which is 13 months away, Libby needs to pick a time period to stay in permanently. This means she will have to leave one of her lives behind, including her friends and family in that life. In the timeline Libby chooses to leave behind she’ll pass away in her sleep on her 21st birthday, so it’s a hard choice for her to make knowing she’ll be breaking her loved one’s hearts in the process.

I can’t really say too much without including spoilers but the American history nerd in me loved this book through and through. The author does a fantastic job at doing her research in setting the story up in Williamsburg Virginia 1774 on the cusp of the American Revolution and in New York City and England 1914 as WW1 is about to begin. The 1914 and the 1774 settings both jump to life within these pages. Libby is pretty much experiencing two pivotal wars in history at the same time. American history and the sacrifices people have made for liberty is also at the center front of the story. Libby works hard to help others in both of her timelines.

The story flowed and the descriptive settings transported me through time and place. The cast of supporting characters like Libby’s mom and her father and her 1774 love interest Henry, all added to the storyline. The story had plenty of twists and turns and I wondered how Libby would choose a permanent era to stay in.

This is also Christian fiction and the main theme in this story is that what is meant to be, will be. Libby’s faith gets her through the tough times and on looking back in the end, she sees why things turned out the way they did. As Libby’s story comes to a conclusion, the ending also leaves it wide open for the next book in this series.

I loved the heartfelt way the story turned out and how the author wrapped it all up and gave us a nice surprise at the end. In reading the afterword I discovered Gabrielle Meyer began writing When the Day Comes in 2020 while having some health issues herself and I can see how this influenced the way the story went. I recommend When the Day Comes if you enjoy well researched historical fiction with faith, romance, time travel and family drama in the mix. I really enjoyed this one.

“Just ahead, the Raleigh Tavern loomed. It was a large establishment by Williamsburg’s standards, but it was even larger in my imagination. It was one of the most important places in American history and would play a part in the outcome of democracy.
A group of men exited the building as I approached, including George Washington and Henry Montgomery, among others.”– p,150, When the Day Comes by Gabrielle Meyer

“Freedom isn’t stagnant or guaranteed. It lives and breathes and must be defended constantly. Don’t take it for granted. Fight for it, both in the public and private spheres of your life. And always look for ways to help.”- p. 311 When the Day Comes

about the author
Gabrielle Meyer grew up above a carriage house on a historic estate near the banks of the Mississippi River, imagining real and make-believe stories about the occupants who had lived there. She went on to work for the Minnesota Historical Society and loves writing fiction inspired by real people, places, and events. She currently resides in central Minnesota on the banks of the Mississippi River, not far from where she grew up, with her husband and four children. By day, she’s a busy homeschool mom, and by night she pens fiction and non-fiction filled with hope. Learn more about Gabrielle and her writing by visiting http://www.gabriellemeyer.com. – quoted from Goodreads

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Disclaimer: This review is my honest opinion. I did not receive any kind of compensation for reading and reviewing this book. I am under no obligation to write a positive review. Special thanks to Bethany House for my copy of When the Day Comes by Gabrielle Meyer.

The Soulmate by Sally Hepworth

source: ARC via St. Martin’s Press/NetGalley
title: The Soulmate
author: Sally Hepworth (Instagram/ Twitter)
genre: psychological thriller
published: April 2023
first line: “Someone is out there.”
rated: 4 out of 5


blurb:
Get ready for a thrilling, addictive novel about marriage, betrayal, and the secrets that push us to the edge in Sally Hepworth’s The Soulmate.

There’s a cottage on a cliff. Gabe and Pippa’s dream home in a sleepy coastal town. But their perfect house hides something sinister. The tall cliffs have become a popular spot for people to end their lives. Night after night Gabe comes to their rescue, literally talking them off the ledge. Until he doesn’t.

When Pippa discovers Gabe knew the victim, the questions spiral…Did the victim jump? Was she pushed?

And would Gabe, the love of Pippa’s life, her soulmate…lie? As the perfect facade of their marriage begins to crack, the deepest and darkest secrets begin to unravel.

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my thoughts:

Happy New Year! I tried getting this review posted yesterday to finish off my 2022 reviewing year, because The Soulmate by Sally Hepworth was the last book I read in 2022 and it was a great way to end my reading year. This story took right off from page one and had me hooked until I turned that final page.

Gabe and Pippa live a seemingly nice life in their dream home located on a cliff by the sea. However, so far 7 people have gone to the cliff’s edge to attempt suicide while the couple has lived there. Gabe has talked all 7 back from the ledge, it’s become his calling of some sort. He’s saved all except one woman named Amanda. When the suicide is investigated, detectives start to dig deeper because things don’t seem to add up and Gabe and Pippa’s lives are suddenly upended.

I enjoyed this entertaining psychological thriller. Author Sally Hepworth sets up the mood just right, then executes the story perfectly. The lovely cottage by the sea with a cliff nearby was a great backdrop for this mystery.

I can’t say too much more in order to avoid spoilers, but as the story flows we read the alternating POV’s of two of the main characters. The characters involved are well fleshed out and seem like they could be real people. Pippa tells us how she came to meet Gabe and you can see the red flags everywhere. She often doubts her own truths because of Gabe and the way he presents things to her throughout their married life. I also found that the author did a nice job at portraying how mental illness can affect a marriage.

I find so many psychological thrillers like this focus on the fact that you never really truly know a person. So often people show us what they want us to see instead of what is reality. The author does a great job at portraying the dynamics of married life and at how things can quickly spiral out of control if you’re living in denial. As the story went along several bombs were dropped that I did not see coming. The way the author goes back and forth from the two main characters POV’s added to the tension throughout the book and had me on the edge of my seat while reading.

I recommend The Soulmate if you enjoy a twisty thriller centered around family, married life and how far you would go to protect the ones you love. Lastly, I love the cover and the eye-catching vibrant blue.

“I’m not the kind of person who lies to the police. I am the epitome of a good citizen. I have no unpaid fines of any sort.”-The Soulmate by Sally Hepworth

“People always talk about love like it’s a magical thing, a gift from the gods, a sunbeam of euphoria from above! But it’s horrible, being in love. The vulnerability it exposes. The person it makes you.”-The Soulmate by Sally Hepworth

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Disclaimer: This review is my honest opinion. I did not receive any kind of compensation for reading and reviewing this book. I am under no obligation to write a positive review. I received a copy of The Soulmate by Sally Hepworth was courtesy of St. Martin’s Press/NetGalley in exchange for my thoughts on it.

The Little House by the Sea (Pennystrand Village Book 1) by Tracy Rees

source: ARC via NetGalley/Bookouture
title: The Little House by the Sea (Pennystrand Village Book 1)
author: Tracy Rees
pages: 277
published: August 24, 2022
genre: fiction
first line: Kitty, it’s time to go home now.
rated: 4 out of 5 stars

about:
Bluebells bob in the salty sea wind and the cottage gate swings open to reveal the inky-blue cove. It’s exactly how Kitty always pictured it… except in her head, she wasn’t standing here alone.

Kitty Roberts spends her days searching for the perfect home for two… until her boyfriend dumps her. Devastated, she flees to a tiny seaside village called Pennystrand, where she spent golden summers as a child, before her family fell apart.

At first, Kitty’s dramatic escape proves to be exactly what she needs – golden sunsets over warm, sandy beaches, lovably eccentric new neighbours and even a blush-inducing run-in with Cory Hudson, a floppy-haired local surfer with a heart-stopping smile.
But just as Kitty feels herself beginning to heal, Cory reveals that his time in Pennystrand is nearly up. What’s more, some strange reactions to Kitty in town make her wonder if her connection to this place might go deeper than she thought.
What is this tranquil little village hiding? It seems there’s a secret in Kitty’s past that is about to turn her life on its head once more… Is she ready for the truth? And will it bring her and Cory closer together, or drive them apart?

A page-turning story full of unexpected twists and turns. It will make you smile, laugh and wish you could visit Pennystrand! Absolutely perfect for fans of Jenny Colgan, Heidi Swain and Carole Matthews.

my thoughts:
The Little House by the Sea (Pennystrand Village Book 1) by Tracy Rees is a light, summery book and I breezed right through it.

As the story starts off, Kitty Roberts spends her days working at a job she doesn’t really like but saving her money to buy her dream home with her live in boyfriend Mitch. That is until she and Mitch suddenly break up leaving Kitty totally heartbroken. She decides to visit a psychic who suggests she should move to a house by the sea and so she does. She ends up renting a house for 6 months in Wales in the small town of Pennystrand where she would visit as a child with her parents and sisters. She has her savings to count on for now until she decides what to do next but she starts looking for work in Pennystrand in the meantime. What she finds there is a small community of locals, gorgeous views and a lot of time to self reflect.

“Running away to find myself in a beautiful new place was a romantic-sounding idea. But this is real. I’m hurt, scared and alone, my dreams in smithereens, and I’ve displaced myself further by coming here.”- The Little House by the Sea by Tracy Rees

The story moved along quickly and I rooted for Kitty, she’s a down to earth relatable type of character. I wondered how it would end up for her as she tries to meet new people in Pennystrand and tries to move on with her life. What a nice idea, to pack it up and move to a quaint little beachside town right? Pennystrand is described so nicely I could easily envision the small town setting and the sounds of the ocean waves. The supporting cast of characters was well written and the story moved at a steady pace and held my interest throughout. The plot took a few twists and turns as Kitty settles into Pennystrand life and there is also a secret woven into the storyline that I did not see coming. It all wraps up nicely in the end while leaving it open for the next book in the series. This is a story about starting over and second chances.

The Little House by the Sea is one of those feel good stories best read in your comfy pajamas while sipping a warm cup of tea and enjoying homemade cookies which is exactly how I read most of it.

“I crack the window open an inch and smell the sea, though I can’t see it. A fresh, sweet breeze drifts in. It’s the sky that seals the deal for me-pale blue, like old, ironed sheets, stretched across a faintly glowing lemon sun, with scuds of cloud and gleams of light. I’ve never seen so much sky.”- The Little House by the Sea

We fall quiet, jokes forgotten, and take in the immensity of the ocean around us. Sharp cliffs rear into the sky, and I can see a coast path and the tiny figures of walkers. Above, the sky is vast and blue and white, an endless canopy. The most hypnotic thing is the lap and hiss of the water retreating and renewing, sighing and seething.-The Little House by the Sea


about the author:
Tracy Rees is a Cambridge graduate with a degree in Modern and Medieval Languages. After an eight-year career in nonfiction publishing, she worked as a counselor for people with cancer and their families. Amy Snow is her first novel. She lives in Swansea, Wales.

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Disclaimer: This review is my honest opinion. I did not receive any kind of compensation for reading and reviewing this book. I am under no obligation to write a positive review. My copy of The Little House by the Sea (Pennystrand Village Book 1) by Tracy Rees came via NetGalley/Bookouture.

Knit of the Living Dead (A Knit & Nibble Mystery Book 6) by Peggy Ehrhart

source: free review copy via NetGalley/ Kensington Books
title: Knit of the Living Dead (A Knit & Nibble Mystery Book 6)
author: Peggy Ehrhart
genre: cozy mystery
published: August 2020
pages: 171
first line: Pamela Paterson was feeling unimaginative.
rated: 3 1/2 out of 5 stars



Blurb:
When a spooky celebration in Arborville, New Jersey conjures real scares, can Pamela and the Knit and Nibble Club sink their teeth into a bone-chilling mystery that just won’t rest in peace?

Among the countless revelers at the town’s much-anticipated Halloween parade, a woman dressed as Little Bo Peep is the only one making people scream bloody murder. In a scene straight out of a horror movie, the Knit and Nibblers find the nursery rhyme character dead with thick strands of yarn looped around her neck. Pamela and her best friend, Bettina, are set on pinning down who wanted the woman gone forever, but it’ll take every trick they can muster to catch the culprit without becoming the next poor souls to join Little Bo Peep’s dark, endless sleep . . .

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My thoughts:
Knit of the Living Dead is book 6 in Peggy Ehrhart’s Knit and Nibble mystery series. Okay, first off, how cute is the cover? This one is set in the fictional town of Arborville, New Jersey. Without giving too much away there’s a knitting group, a yarn blogger, a Halloween murder, a set of friends who play mystery sleuths and plenty of mention of cozy comfort foods. What more could you want from a cozy mystery?

As the story begins, friends Pamela, Bettina and Nell and are dressed up on Halloween night attending the town’s parade down Arborville Avenue which ends with a bonfire in the park. During the festivities a body is discovered nearby behind trees. The victim is dressed as Bo-Peep. Not too satisfied with the local police investigation, the ladies decide to do some investigating of their own. As the story flows there’s a few people who seem suspect and I didn’t guess who dunnit it until the author revealed it.

This is book 6 in the series and while this one reads as a stand-alone I would have liked to read the first book to get more of a feel for these characters. I ended up downloading book 1 Murder, She Knit. I haven’t read it yet but I know it will make a fun cozy read one of these evenings. It’s available on Amazon Prime reads if you’re interested.


Knit of the Living Dead was a quick and easy read and I would recommend it to fan of cozy mysteries revolving around knitting. I don’t knit, I crochet but the knitting group in the story Knit and Nibble sounds like fun and I enjoyed the descriptions of the yarns and the stitches etc.

I could also envision the Autumn setting and all the good food mentioned was making me hungry. The book ends with knitting instructions for a Halloween tote as well as a couple of simple recipes for a few of the goodies featured in the story.

“Though fall had been lovely so far, with the afternoon sun still warm despite its autumnal angle, the air had a golden tinge and laves had begun to turn. Halfway up the block, one particular tree glowed luminous scarlet.” -Knit of the Living Dead by Peggy Ehrhart, 11% Kindle



“Before anyone could start eating, butter had to be passed for the mashed potatoes. Once she’d sculpted a little hollow into the peak of her mashed potatoes and slipped in a pat of butter, Pamela picked up her own fork. The cubes of beef, seared to a rich brown, were bathed in a gravy whose russet hue hinted at the red wine and tomato paste that had supplemented pan drippings of beef broth. Here and there among the beef cubes was a chunk of carrot, a mushroom slice, or a glossy little pearl onion.”-Knit of the Living Dead, 55% Kindle


Visit the author’s website and check out her blog where she posts about her love of knitting, crochet, thrifting and estate sales. https://peggyehrhart.com/category/yarn-mania/

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Disclaimer: This review is my honest opinion. I did not receive any kind of compensation for reading and reviewing this book. I received a free review copy of Knit of the Living Dead (A Knit and Nibble Mystery Book 6) via NetGalley/ Kensington Books. I am under no obligation to write a positive review. If you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive a small affiliate commission.

The Four Winds by Kristin Hannah

source: purchased
title: The Four Winds
author: Kristin Hannah
genre: historical fiction
pages: 464
published: February 2, 2021
first line: Hope is a coin I carry: an American penny, given to me by a man I came to love.
rated: 5 out of 5 stars

Blurb:
The Four Winds is a rich, sweeping novel that stunningly brings to life the Great Depression and the people who lived through it―the harsh realities that divided us as a nation and the enduring battle between the haves and the have-nots. A testament to hope, resilience, and the strength of the human spirit to survive adversity, The Four Winds is an indelible portrait of America and the American dream, as seen through the eyes of one indomitable woman whose courage and sacrifice will come to define a generation.-quoted from Amazon

My thoughts:
The Four Winds was my first foray into author Kristin Hannah’s work and it won’t be my last. I picked this one up after seeing a few book bloggers rave about it.

This book was my vacation read last week and I was transported as I read. I could not put it down, reading as many as 200 pages in one day which is alot for me since I usually tap out at maybe 100 pages a day.

Without giving too much away, the story takes place during the 1930’s Dust Bowl and the Great Depression. The book centers around Elsa Wolcott who by age 25 has been written off by her family as an old maid. She is born in Texas to a well off family since her father owns a tractor business. Elsa loves to read and wants to have fun and be a flapper and become a writer one day. Everything changes for her and she becomes a mom and suffers through the Dust Bowl and the Great Depression. With themes of family, motherhood, the bonds women form, poverty and American life during the 1920’s and 30’s this was an epic story that utterly drew me in. I could not turn the pages fast enough.

The author writes about the Dust Bowl and the storms so vividly I could easily imagine it. Of course while reading I had to google the Dust Bowl to familiarize myself with the details and I was shocked at what I learned and what so many people suffered at that time. The images of these dust storms look like something out of a nightmare. The dust from the Plains region even reached up as far as Washington DC and New York City at one point. The author paints such a vivid picture of what people went through at that time and of the poverty people suffered that it both shocks you and pulls at your heartstrings as you read.

Kristin Hannah’s descriptive writing style and the way she shaped these characters had me enthralled. I felt for them and I wanted them to be alright. The relationships within the story are what grab ahold of you as you read. Elsa is a good mother trying to survive it all and take care of her children. The people she meets who are going through similar struggles become like family to her. This is a story about strong women and about surviving against all odds and pushing forward no matter what.

The Four Winds is definitely one of my top reads for 2021 and I highly recommend it if you are looking to get swept away into a well written historical family saga. Have a box of tissues handy.
As per the photo below, my reading view last week was perfect. I’m so glad I chose The Four Winds as my vacation book. Have you read this one?



“Books had always been her solace; novels gave her the space to be bold, brave, beautiful, if only in her own imagination.”– p14, The Four Winds by Kristin Hannah

“Heartache had been a part of her life so long it had become as familiar as the color of her hair or the slight curve in her spine. Sometimes it was the lens through which she viewed her world and sometimes it was the blindfold she wore so she didn’t see.”- p.117, The Four Winds

“Love is what remains when everything else is gone.” -p.425, The Four Winds

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About the author:
Kristin Hannah is the award-winning and bestselling author of more than 20 novels including the international blockbuster, The Nightingale, which was named Goodreads Best Historical fiction novel for 2015 and won the coveted People’s Choice award for best fiction in the same year. Additionally, it was named a Best Book of the Year by Amazon, iTunes, Buzzfeed, the Wall Street Journal, Paste, and The Week.-quoted from Amazon


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Disclaimer: This review is my honest opinion. I did not receive any kind of compensation for reading and reviewing this book. I am under no obligation to write a positive review. I purchased my copy of The Four Winds. Some of these links are affiliate links. If you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive a small affiliate commission. The book photo here is my own.