It was a rare treat to be able to read about a young, British, twenty-one-year old woman during World War I. This fascinating story was in large part about a branch of the British service during World War I called the Women’s Land Army. The WLA was filled with young women who replaced men in all agricultural jobs in the country. The main character is a sweet young lady who wants to get away from her mother and father’s house and chooses to volunteer for her country. Lovely Emily Bryce meets a dashing Australian pilot and falls in love with him while he is recovering from an injury. Life is very hard for Emily but she must be independent and remain true to herself. I love historical fiction and this book did not disappoint me! Rhys Bown is an excellent author and captures the true essence of the Woman’s Land Army and life in England in 1918. Fabulous story and great characters make this a five star hit for me!

The Victory Garden by Rhys Bowen will be available February 12, 2019 from Lake Union Publishing. An egalley of this book was made available by the publisher in exchange for a honest review.

Daphne has received her mother’s 1968 yearbook (from her will) which was updated and maintained through the years by her mother. Her mother loved to attend class reunions and wrote comments about everyone who attended. Daphne did not see that it was something that she needed to hang on to so she put it into the recycle bin at her apartment building. A quirky neighbor who loves to scavenge the bin finds it and refuses to give it up. The neighbor sees herself as a documentary filmmaker and wants to use it as the basis of a film. Elinor Lipman is a good writer, I just found this book to have little substance with a plot that was not really something that I liked.

Good Riddance by Elinor Lipman will be available February 5, 2019 from Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. An egalley of this book was made available by the publisher in exchange for a honest review.

Laura Trentham leaves Cottonbloom, MS and her excellent Cottonbloom series to take on this stand-alone novel set in Kitty Hawk, NC. When the story begins, we are introduced to Harper Lee Wilcox. Harper lives with her five year old son and her mother after losing her husband in Afghanistan. Harper decides to go to Ft. Bragg to visit a friend and to try to find out information about how her husband Noah was killed. She is led to another Army friend of Noah’s, Bennett Caldwell, to find out vital information about his last maneuver. Bennett leads a solitary life and runs a wilderness survival company. The story revolves around the story of Harper and Bennett but there is another subplot about her friend Allison and her husband dealing with his PTSD. I appreciated how the author presented the topic of PTSD. She was thorough and thoughtful in the havoc that this disorder can cause. Ms. Trentham also showed her unchanging expertise for writing a tender, sensitive love story. She has once again written a terrific story that will be a great addition to the military fiction/contemporary romance genres.

The Military Wife by Laura Trentham will be available February 5, 2019 from St. Martin’s Griffin, an imprint of St. Martin’s Press. An egalley of this book was made available from the publisher in exchange for a honest review.

Wind River Valley, Wyoming is an awesome place! This area of Wyoming is filled with many large ranches that are operated by veterans of the US Armed Forces. Wind River Ranch is owned by a lovely couple who are proud of their outstanding record to hire vets with PTSD. Their foreman, Jake, must move his mother to the ranch for rehabilitation and healing following hip surgery. The word is put out for a nurse to be found for the short term job of being his mother’s caregiver. A newly detached nurse, Lily, who has a terrible case of PTSD is picked for the job. The story is about Jake and Lily’s relationship. I have read all of Ms. McKenna’s Wind River series. This one is number seven and I think that it’s one of my favorites. The author’s insight and dedication to presenting PTSD to the reader is admirable and successful. She spends time with meticulous descriptions of emotions and physical trauma that bring the reader to an in-depth understanding and realization of this disorder. This story had characters that were realistic and captivating who allowed this reader to actually “feel their pain” and their love! Kudos to Ms. McKenna for her beautifully written story that touched my heart!

Home to Wind River by Lindsay McKenna is available from Zebra, an imprint of Kensington Books. An egalley of this book was made available by the publisher in exchange for a honest review.

Flavia de Luce is once again right in the middle of a huge mystery! I love Flavia, the twelve-year-old chemist, sleuth, child extraordinaire! You’ll love this great story about Flavia investigating a severed finger that is found in her sister’s wedding cake! Add murder, more mystery and a cast of zany characters to bundle together for a great story that will have you reading and laughing into the night! This book is number 10 in the series (not the first that I’ve read) and I love reading Alan Bradley’s well-written and delightful prose.

The Golden Tresses of the Dead by Alan Bradley will be available January 22, 2019 from Delacorte Press, an imprint of Random House Publishing Group-Ballantine. An egalley of this book was made available by the publisher in exchange for a honest review.

A wonderful collection of seven Christian, historical romance stories that are sure to give you hours of enjoyment. Each story has its own version of runaway brides, or couples that elope. I enjoyed them all and I’m sure that you will too!

The Runaway Brides Collection by Rita Gerlach will be available January 1, 2019 from Barbour Books, an imprint of Barbour Publishing, Inc. An egalley of this book was made available by the publisher in exchange for a honest review

Cole Garrett is the oldest brother in the Garrett family. His family owns a huge ranch that borders the Dalton Ranch. The Daltons have hit on hard times and Misty Dalton has come back to town to take care of her younger brother and the ranch after devastating circumstances occur. Cole sees Misty and the two develop a relationship that grows with each problem and situation that Misty must take care of. Two strong and likable characters make this a sweet and interesting story. A good addition to the contemporary romance genre.

Hot Target Cowboy by June Faver will be available January 1, 2019 from Sourcebooks Casablanca. An egalley of this book was made available by the publisher in exchange for a honest review.

Sassy, wealthy Diana Somerville has been engaged to Rupert Lacy the entire time they were in Africa. They should have returned as man and wife but that was not the case. Now Diana is forced to share her house and possessions with Rupert since her brother died and left his share to Rupert. Diana is determined to get Rupert out of her house and her life. Unfortunately, Rupert has no intention to move out, he still wants Diana just as much as ever. A good addition to the historical romance genre.

Tempt Me with Diamonds by Jane Feather will be available January 29, 2019 from Zebra, an imprint of Kensington Books. An egalley of this book was made available by the publisher in exchange for a honest review.