Daughter Of The House Book Review

Title: Daughter Of The House


Author: Victoria Cornwall

Genre: Fiction, Romance, Historical Fiction, Series,

Plot: Twelve year old Evelyn Pendragon is young, spirited and curious about the world around her but hedged in by society's rules, expectations and opinions of her gender. She adores her gentle governess Miss Brown but longs for her parents' love and attention. Still, she is content with the company of her loving older brother Nicholas.

Right as her life is about to drastically and tragically change, Evelyn makes a new friend. Drake Vennor is a year older than Evelyn with ambitions to become the greatest landscape gardener of the century. To accomplish this, he becomes an apprentice gardener on the Pendragon estate and slowly falls in love with the lonely daughter of the house.

As the years crawl, creep and fly by, society and the expectations of a bygone era will test Evelyn and Drake to the breaking point.

Likes/Dislikes: I'm not entirely sure what I expected from this book and am still not completely sure I liked what I got. The bulk of the story occurs when Evelyn and Drake are teenagers, laying the foundation for the rest of the story but making me wonder when they would grow up and fight back like adults. Once that happened, the sense of timing was weird. They really should have waited a day or two before trying to elope - they probably would've succeeded with more planning in that regard. And the final twist at the end with Mawgan was predictable. I also didn't care for the cliche of one night together leads to a baby but I liked how it tied in with all the other dads and babies running around in the story. All in all, while it is not my favorite story, it wasn't a bad story either.

Rating: PG-17 and up, mainly for reading level and content (one rather mildly graphic sex scene and lots of implications and suggestions sprinkled throughout)

Date Review Written: April 12th, 2019

I received a copy of this book courtesy of Choc Lit. Publishers and wasn't required tow rite a positive review. The opinions expressed in the above review are my own.

The Bride of Ivy Green Book Review

Title: The Bride Of Ivy Green


Author: Julie Klassen

Genre: Christian, Historical Fiction, Romance, Series, Regency England

Plot: Mercy Groove has closed down her precious little school and anxiously awaits the arrival of her brother and his new wife from their honeymoon. Life soon settles into a new uncomfortable groove for them and Mercy decides to take the only option left open for her. So she moves to Fairmount House with Mr. Drake and his newly discovered little daughter as the governess. This position puts her closer to her handsome carpenter crush. Sadly, he doesn't seem to have much time for her right now and Mr. Drake does.

Meanwhile, Jane is torn between the man she loves and the inn she rebuilt and depends upon. But when a tragic accident occurs, Jane must make her decision before she waits too long and misses her one chance at happiness again.

With so much life crammed into one small village, not many secrets are left to spill. But one newcomer might just change all of that. The conclusion to the many intertwined adventures in Ivy Hill will have readers swooning.

Likes/Dislikes: I loved this book! It was so good to be back in Ivy Hill and I really hope more books set here will be forthcoming. I loved having Mercy as the main character more so than Rachel this time, and so pleased with her happy-ending. Jane was a touch annoying to me; she procrastinates her decision and then changes her mind so fast I'm surprised she didn't give everyone whiplash. Thankfully (as with all clever writings), her story ends beautifully. I liked Victorine but was confused by her arrival in the beginning and didn't care for the circus tie-in. I hate circus stories. All in all, a wonderful story!

Rating: PG-14 and up, mainly for reading level and content (some veiled discussion of pregnancy, miscarriages and a brutal assault on a minor character several years ago in the story's history but nothing graphic).

Date Review Written: December 22nd, 2018

I received a copy of this book courtesy of NetGalley and I wasn't required to write a positive review. The opinions expressed in the above review are my own.

The Ladies of Ivy Cottage Book Review

Title: The Ladies of Ivy Cottage

Author: Julie Klassen

Genre: Christian, Historical Fiction, Romance, Sequel

Plot: Since the scandal of losing all the family money and then her father's sudden death, Rachel Ashford has felt adrift in her social circle, unsure of where her place is meant to be now that so many things have changed. She's currently living with her friend Mercy Grove and Mercy's aunt, helping out with the girls' school as best she can but it's not enough to support herself. So she takes the advice of the local businesswomen and opens a subscription library with her father's vast collection of books and several donations. With the flood of attention at Ivy Cottage, Mercy finds herself the center of attention from two different men and must make a painful choice that will destroy her future as she knows it.

Meanwhile, James Drake learns some secrets of his own that cause a bit of an uproar in several local lives and Jane Bell finally has her coaching inn under control. She's made peace with her broken heart and thinks she's ready for love again but she suffered more than just the loss of her husband. Will the other losses keep her heart broken and cause her to reject the promise and hope of new love?

Likes/Dislikes: It took  me awhile to get started on this book, partly because my kids kept taking the iPad away and partly because it was a sequel and I couldn't remember who all everyone was. Once I got them straight in my head and the story started picking up pace, it was an easy read. I didn't like Rachel though; in the first book she had a lot of mystery about her but in this one she just came across as very whiny and pity me, I'm poor Rachel. It was annoying after awhile. I kinda want Jane to stay single and in control cause if she marries either James or Gabriel they'll just disrupt her life now that she's found her groove. And I'm rooting for a happy ending for Mercy cause the poor thing really needs it. I related to her the most. All in all, an excellent book. I'm just bummed I can't get the next one already.

Rating: PG-12 and up, mainly for content {romance, past miscarriages, etc. nothing graphic}

Date Review Written: December 30th, 2017

I received a copy of this book courtesy of the publishers for my honest opinion. I wasn't required to write a positive review and the opinions expressed in the above review are my own.

Lady Jayne Disappears Book Review

Title: Lady Jayne Disappears

Author: Joanna Davidson Politano

Genre: Christian, Historical Fiction, Romance, Mystery,

Plot: Aurelie Harcourt grew up in debtor's prison with her father who beguiled away the days with stories of her mother, Lady Jayne. But he died before he could reach the end and finally tell her what actually happened to her mother. Released from the only home she's ever known, Aurelie is forced to stay with her father's stony cold relatives who do everything in their power to keep her from digging too deeply into the past and unearthing their dirty secrets. Meanwhile, she has a job to do. Her father wrote and published the stories he told her under the name of Nathaniel Droll and now, with a deadline approaching, it's up to Aurelie to take up the pen and finish the story. But how does it end?


Likes/Dislikes: The summary of this book intrigued me when it was up for review so I requested it and was sorely disappointed to find it was not what I'd hoped it would be. The writing is so weird. The descriptions come in jabs and broken fragments at badly placed moments {like the ridiculous wet skirt in the opening pages} and I couldn't relate to Aurelie as a writer at all. She kept getting stuck and picking the wrong moments to mentally drift off. It just jarred with me. I actually skipped ahead to see what happened next and it still didn't sit too well. There seemed nothing graphic or overly bad in it, just the writing style. Maybe I'll try again at a future date and see if time fixes our first impression.

Rating: PG-12 and up, mainly for reading level.

Date Review Written: November 18th, 2017

I received a copy of this book courtesy of the publishers for my honest opinion. I wasn't required to write a positive review and the opinions expressed in the above review are my own.

The Innkeeper at Ivy Hill Book Review

Title: The Innkeeper at Ivy Hill

Author: Julie Klassen

Genre: Christian, Historical Fiction, Romance, Community, Drama,

Plot: The young widow Jane Bell spends her days in a solitary haze, overlooking her inn with mild interest, still wondering why her husband left it to her in the first place. She was born a gentlewoman and doesn't feel cut out for the hard work of landlady. She's nothing like her fierce mother-in-law Thora, whose unexpected arrival coincides with the announcement of bad news from the banker.

Now Jane and Thora must work through their differences and combine their strengths to save their beloved inn in three months or watch it - and their futures - crumble under the weight of secrets and debt.

Likes/dislikes: a wonderful book and an excellent start to a series, though I was a bit distracted by trying to figure out which minor characters will show up in following books. I really hope we learn more about Gabriel, he was intriguing, and Rachel seemed very interesting. All of the cleaning done by the characters was very inspiring and I felt so sorry for Jane when we learned the heartbreaking extent of her losses. Overall a great book.

Rating: PG-16 and up mainly for reading level and content (one bloody miscarriage scene and some suggestions but nothing graphic)

Date Review Written: Dec 23rd 2016

I received a copy of this book courtesy of the publishers. I wasn't required a write a positive review and the opinions expressed in the above review are my own.

The Books of 2015

I read a lovely grand total of fifty-seven books in 2015 {possibly fifty-eight; we'll see if I finish my current book before the New Year begins}, and some of those books admittedly were baby books but I still had to read them. I only counted them once though; the other twelve times were the baby's doing. *wink* So I'm putting all the books here, like I did last year and you can also see the neatly organized Year in Books that GoodReads put together for me. Happy Reading!

The Unassisted Baby by Anita Evensen

Read from December 27th, 2014 - January 3rd, 2015

Little Bunny's Bible by P.J. Loyns

Read in January

Honey for a Child's Heart by Gladys Hunt

Read January 8th-14th

The Secret of Pembrooke Park by Julie Klassen

Read January 14th-19th.

Four books read in January {one baby book}

Tiny Bear's Bible by Sally Llyod-Jones

Read in February 2015

Biscuit Visits the Pumpkin Patch by Alyssa Satin Capuilli

Read on February 12th

One Fish, Two Fish by Dr. Seuss

Read on February 14th

Turn Up the Heat by Dr. Kevin Leman

Read from February 12th-20th

Beatrix Potter's Gardening Life by Marta MacDowell

Read from February 11th-23rd

Spot Goes Shopping by Eric Hill

Read in February

Six books read in February {four baby books}

Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brown

Read in March

The Night Before Christmas by Clement C. Moore

Read in March

Spindle's End by Robin McKinley

Read from February 6th-March 5th

The Prepper's Pocket Guide by Bernie Carr

Read from March 27th-28th

Four books read in March {two baby books}

Dinosaur Roar by Paul Stickland

Read on April 12th

Jamberry by Bruce Degen

Read on April 12th

Oh, The Places You'll Go! by Dr. Seuss

Read on April 13th

Nobody's Cuter Than You by Melanie Shankle

Read from April 18th-23rd

Four books read in April {three baby books}

Miss Manner's Guide to Domestic Tranquility by Judith Martin

Read from April 30th-May 4th

Smith of Wootton Major by J.R.R. Tolkien

Read in May

Dragon Hunter by Charles Gallenkamp

Read from August 20th, 2014-May 17th, 2015

The Complete Tales of Beatrix Potter by Beatrix Potter

Read from May 19th-27th

Four books read in May

Rebel Queen by Michelle Moran

Read from June 4th-10th

What is Love Biscuit? by Alyssa Satin Capuilli

Read in June

Thumper's Fluffy Tail by Laura Driscoll

Read in June

Three Little Mermaids by Mara Van Fleet

Read in June

Good Dog Carl by Alexandra Day

Read in June

Five books read in June {four baby books}

A Year of Pies by Ashley English

Read in July

Love on a Dime by Cara Lynn James

Read from June 16th-July 4th

Who-ology by Scott Cavan

Read in July

Three books read in July

The Runaway Bunny by Margaret Wise Brown

Read in August

I Love You, Goodnight by Jon Buller

Read in August

Lady Maybe by Julie Klassen

Read from August 3rd-4th

The Curiosity Keeper by Sarah E. Ladd

Read from July 23rd-August 5th

Not by Sight by Kate Breslin

Read from August 7th-9th

God Bless Our Fall by Hannah C. Hall

Read in August

Biscuit Loves the Library by Alyssa Satin Capuilli

Read in August

Seven books read in August {four baby books}

Biscuit's Pet and Play Christmas by Alyssa Satin Capuilli

Read in September

Happy Thanksgiving Biscuit by Alyssa Satin Cauilli

Read in September

Biscuit's Snowy Day by Alyssa Satin Capuilli

Read in September

Thumper Counts to Ten by Kitty Richards

Read in September

Hot Mama by Kathi Lipp and Erin MacPherson

Read from September 6th-8th

But Not the Hippopotamus by Sandra Boynton

Read in September

Owl Babies by Martin Waddell

Read in September

Harry Potter and The Sorcerer's Stone by J.K. Rowling

Read from September 17th-21st

Eight books read in September {six baby books}

Goodnight Manger by Laura Sassi

Read in October

Annabeth's War by Jessica Greyson

Read from October 13th-18th

Soulless by Gail Carriger

Read from October 21st-23rd

52 Ways to Love Your Body by Kimber Simpkins

Read from October 27th-30th

Four books read in October {one baby book}

Get Yourself Organized for Christmas by Kathi Lipp

Read in November

The Painter's Daughter by Julie Klassen

Read from November 6th-9th

Call Me Maybe by Ellie Cahill

Read in November

Three books read in November

Doctor Who: Deep Time by Trevor Baxendale

Read from November 10th-December 2nd

A Baby's Guide to Surviving Dad by Benjamin Bird

Read in December

The Pharaoh's Daughter by Mesu Andrews

Read From December 4th-8th

Christmas Tree Lane by Debbie Macomber

Read in December

The Time Chamber by Daria Song

Read in December

Five books read in December {one baby book}

Stick around next year for 2016's books!