Welcome to the first edition of Books with Dienece!
I thought we could start off by giving a shout out to all the books I've read this past month. So, strap in and hold on tight!
The Love Script by Toni Shiloh
The Songs that Could Have Been by Amanda Wen
Angelina’s Resolve by Cindy Ervin Huff (this one is listed below in book mentions!)
The Hours We Regret by Chelsea Michelle
Chaos We Unravel by Chelsea Michelle
To Spark a Match by Jen Turano
There's a Bear in Your Book (Oh, wait! That a kid's book I read to my youngest)
Peck Pocket by Susan J Bruce (a subscriber only short story)
Muskoka Shores by Carolyn Miller
Falling Between the Pages by A. M. Heath (see below)
In Too Deep by Lynn H. Blackburn
In Sheep's Clothing by Pegg Thomas
On the Edge of the Dark Sea of Darkness by Andrew Peterson (okay, so technically I read this to my teenager, but I enjoyed it, so it counts.)
And that's all the books I can remember. There might have been more... Did you know I love to read? ;)
FYI, we are not going to talk about the books I bought.
What books have you read lately that you loved? Let me know!
Book Mentions
Angelina’s Resolve (Village of Women Book 1)
I've read this, and it was good!
Part of the reason I choose this book was because I loved Karen Witemeyer's book about a women's only town. This is not a rehash of that book, and I'm so glad. It has several distinct and enjoyable differences.
First, we get to be there from the moment Angelina decides to make the town of Resolve (a place where women can own businesses and run the town) through to the building of Angelina's dream. Second, it's about equality not exclusivity. So, men are allowed, married or single. The hero works alongside Angelina to create her dream (aw, melt my heart!) And... well, there was so much to love about this book. Why not check it out?
Angelina's Resolve by Cindy Ervin Huff
Proving her skills are equal to a man’s may cost her more than she ever imagined.
Modern-thinking Angelina DuBois is determined to prove her cousin Hiram wrong. He fired her from the architect firm she helped grow when her father’s will left the business to Hiram. Using her large inheritance and architectural degree, she sets out to create a village run by women—Resolve, Kansas.
Carpenter and Civil War veteran Edward Pritchard’s dream of building homes for Chicago’s elite must be put on hold until he gains references. Serving as a contractor under Angelina’s well-known DuBois name provides that opportunity. But can Angelina trust her handsome new carpenter to respect her as his boss? Will the project take Edward one step closer to his goals, or will it make him a laughingstock? Can these two strong-willed people find love amid such an unconventional experiment?
Katarina's Dark Shadow (Book 1)
Here's what drew me to this story:
This book is partly based on the author's own family's flight from war torn Ukraine when the Mennonites were being oppressed.
I asked myself, Would this help me understand what's going on in Ukraine now?
I read the sample, and I still wanted to know more. So, here we are. :)
THE ONLY UNCERTAINTY IN WAR IS UNCERTAINTY.
1915-1917: Katarina is a fifteen year old girl with big dreams. Her German Mennonite family has more traditional plans in mind for her. But there's a war on and trouble is brewing within Ukraine. Everything is changing and no one can be trusted. As Katarina tries to make sense of it all, her world starts to implode. Life has never been so scary.
1951: Peter stumbles on his adopted mother’s diaries from the Russian Revolution. What happened during those early years that prompted Katarina to go back to Ukraine during WW2? What secrets lie behind the Iron Curtain?
Set in Ukraine during the Russian civil war, Katarina’s Dark Shadow prequels the courageous human struggle inside a distinct faith during violent political times. This is a continuing saga with an ending that will have you reaching for Book two.
Inspired by true stories and actual events based on the harrowing tales of the author's ancestors, this book will particularly interest those with German-Prussian, Ukrainian, or European Mennonite ancestry.
Falling Between the Pages
This book was so good! It's like a rom com, time travel, and a historical romance all at once.
Two authors have to write a book together, and you get to watch their 'fictional' characters time travel into the past and fall in love alongside the authors themselves. It's so sweet and funny. And I mean, oh so funny!
Somehow this author turns a disaster date where the dude showed up an hour late and ran over her cat into a dream hero. That takes some work!
All’s fair in love and fiction.
If Wendy Sutton has an antagonist in real life, it’s Peyton Gentry. Being forced to co-write a serial novel with her nemesis spells disaster. Working with the far-too-attractive and way-too-confident Peyton is guaranteed to push Wendy over the edge. But this assignment is the only way to prove herself and provide for Nana.
Peyton has had his eye on Wendy for years. After ruining their first date, he’s finally been given a second chance … but only if she’ll read between the lines of the romance he’s been writing just for her.
It’ll take forgiveness and faith if these two writers are ever to find themselves on the same page in matters of life and happily-ever-afters.
Will Wendy and Peyton end up writing their own love story? Find out in this can’t-miss rom-com. Buy today and get ready to laugh, fall in love, and stay up way past your bedtime! (Dienece here, I second this. I stayed up way past my bedtimes... two nights in a row!)
That's all until next time. Thanks for joining me on our first Books with Dienece!
