What Are You Reading?
Weekly Roundup November 7th, 2021-November 12th, 2021 by Latisha Sexton
I know it has been a minute since I’ve posted here. I’ve been busy doing life, which for me includes homeschooling three munchkins-or gremlins depending on the day-finishing the first draft of my debut novel, and then editing, editing, and still more editing!
Needless to say, it’s been a very hectic few months.
But, in between the housework, homeschooling, and writing, I have been making time to read. A LOT. And I thought the perfect way to get my blog back on was to start a weekly roundup of the books I’ve read that week.
Before you read any further though, I do have to warn you…I have a varied taste in books. So, you will see a mixture of historical, contemporary, fantasy, and everything in between. The two genres I never read are erotica and thriller. The majority of the books I read are Christian fiction or clean reads. In each review, I will let you know what category it falls under. The worst thing is picking up a book expecting it to be clean and having it be not-so-clean.
Also, not all of the books I will be reading will be new releases. Actually, I prefer to read series that are already completed because I hate having to wait months to find out what happens next. Especially if the book ends on a cliffhanger!
**Note** Affiliate links are used in this blog. These links don’t charge you extra, they only give me a small percentage if you purchase through my link. 
With that said, let’s see how this week panned out for my choice of books.
The first three books I read this week were part of The Irish Angel series by author Jill Marie Landis. I’d never heard of this author, but saw someone recommend this series in a reading group I’m in. I get most of my books from Libby and they had all three of them available with no wait (this does not happen often).
The series is a historical fiction set in the mid-1800s about four Irish sisters who are separated after their parents die. Their extended family cannot afford to keep them and separates them in very unfortunate events.
Book one of the series is called, Heart of Stone. This book lays the foundation for the entire series and is the story of the oldest sister, Lovie. The life she is thrown into is not a good one and as an adult, she is able to gain her independence. She moves away and changes her name to Laura Foster, in an attempt to put her dark past behind her. Although she is charitable and caring to those around her, she has also put up walls to keep anyone from getting too close. Until she catches the eye of Reverend Brand McCormick.
Brand is a widower with two young children and finds himself drawn to Laura’s upstanding character. And as much as Laura tries to push him away, circumstances and her own heart keep pulling them together. When her past comes knocking on her front door, will they be able to withstand the oncoming storm?
My Thoughts:
Overall, I really loved this book. It dealt with some really ugly things that people do to one another, but also shows how these people can pull themselves out of the muck. Because it does deal with some hard issues, it could be triggering to some who have experienced trauma in their life.
I do have a few complaints about the book. Although Laura works to change her life, it’s all about how “she” changed her life. Not God. She also obtained a good amount of wealth in a not-so-great-way, but she keeps the money. That didn’t sit well with me.
The last complaint is one I see often in Christian books and some people may disagree with me and that’s okay. Reverend Brand is set on winning Laura. **Small spoiler alert** At one point in the book, she literally tells him she was only going to church to “appear the part” and asks him if he’s okay with her believing differently than he does. And he says yes, that he’s totally fine with it. This isn’t a small theological difference. This is literally her admitting to not being a Christian and a Reverend is saying that’s fine with him.
Also, for those that are sensitive to language, it does use the “D” word once in it. It actually surprised me since it’s considered a Christian read.
I do wish the book would have focused more on the repentance of the characters and how God forgave them. It would have made this book pretty perfect.
Okay. On to book two, Heart of Lies. I think this was my favorite book of the series. It’s no less heartbreaking than book one but in a completely different way. Maddie is the second oldest sister, although she doesn’t remember her early years. She doesn’t even know her real name or where she came from. Her earliest memories are of being part of a tribe of street urchins. Now that she’s an adult and the tribe is no more, she has sworn off a life of thievery. Instead, she is enjoying her quiet life on the bayou with her twin “brothers”. One day, her brothers do the unthinkable and bring trouble right to her doorstep.
When Pinkerton agent, Tom Abbott, shows up trying to solve the crime her brothers pulled her in the middle of, she must decide whether to change her life and do the right thing for once. Maddie’s entire life is turned upside down when Tom believes her to be the missing girl from twenty-some years ago that he’s been hired to find.
My Thoughts:
This was a great read and had so many twists and turns. I loved seeing the chemistry between Tom and Maddie. And some of the side characters were really awesome too!
There is one particular scene that is pretty hard to read (not graphic, just extremely heartbreaking.)
As with the last book, the Christian element just didn’t ring true. There was a brief mention of God and the characters said one or two prayers, but that was pretty much the extent of it.
The last book of the series takes a bit of a different turn. Heart of Glass was probably the easiest book to read. This book focuses on the third sister, Kate. Unlike the other sisters, Kate was adopted by a very wealthy couple. She wasn’t without her share of heartaches though. Her parents gave her all of the material things she wanted, but they weren’t loving. She spends her childhood summers at her best friend’s house, where she falls in love with her friend’s older brother, Colin Delany.
When word comes to Kate that Colin has returned from war, injured and a reclose, she takes it upon herself to take care of him and his family estate that is falling apart due to the aftermath of the war.
Upon seeing Colin, she quickly realizes that he is not the man he once was. Can she bring him out of the pit he’s dug himself? When Colin’s dying sister shows up on the doorstep with her two children in tow, will Colin and Kate learn to work together to take care of the grieving children?
My Thoughts:
The last book wasn’t as compelling as the two previous books. It had some really great moments, but some of it seemed to fall flat. Some of the character’s reactions to situations didn’t feel natural.
My biggest complaint about this book? It leaves on a major cliffhanger involving the fourth sister and apparently, the author never wrote a fourth and final book. So, it will be up to the reader to create their own story on what happens next!
Okay, now that I’ve gotten through that series, let’s move on to the next book!
I read the first book in The Cadence of Grace series by Joanne Bischof a couple of weeks ago. I won’t go into a lengthy explanation, but it was a good read. But, the second book, Though My Heart is Torn, was absolutely amazing. I cried. I mean, literal tears streaming down my face.
I really, really don’t want to give too much away on this one, so I’ll keep it short.
What happens when it’s the early 1900s and you’ve just found out that your husband, who has hurt you in more ways than one, has another wife?
My Thoughts:
This book has heartache, misplaced trust, and grace upon grace. I wanted to throw it a few times. But, it was an ebook and I didn’t want to destroy my Kindle. 
I am patiently waiting for the third book to become available from Libby and hope to have an update for you in the next couple of weeks.
Check out Book One, Be Still My Soul.
This is for all my sci-fi, fairytale, and fantasy lovers! The Tales of Goldstone Wood series by Anne Elisabeth Stengl is one of the best Christian fantasy series I’ve ever read. I read the first four books several years ago. The past month or so I have been re-reading the first four books and this week was the first time I read the fifth book, Dragonwitch. Just when I thought a series couldn’t get any better, it does!
The world-building in this series is magnificent. I really wish someone would pick this series up for a movie series. It has everything you could ever want, dragons, warriors, fairies, goblins, dwarfs, and so much more!
My Thoughts:
Honestly, I don’t want to say much because if you love all things fantasy, you need to go read this series…RIGHT NOW!
Check out the first book in this powerful series, Heartless.
Whew! It’s been a week of books!
My last book for the week was a short and sweet novella, At Your Request, by Jen Turano. This novella is the first of Turano’s Apart From the Crowd series.
Wilhelmina Radcliff’s father has lost everything leaving the family thrown out of New York society. After finding out there is no longer a family fortune, Wilhelmina’s fiancé calls off the wedding. She begins working as a social secretary to help with her family’s expenses. During a ball where she is supposed to be working, Wilhelmina finds herself face-to-face with her childhood best friend and the man she refused to marry, Edgar Wanamaker. After years of separation, will sparks fly?
My Thoughts:
This novella is sweet and funny in true Jen Turano form. I’m not a huge fan of novellas and I do think this would have been better if it was in the middle of a series (where we already knew the characters) instead of the beginning of the series. However, it is funny and a cute little story.
I would love to hear from you about which books you’ve been reading. If you’ve read one of the books in this blog, what are your thoughts? Do you agree with my review or disagree?
And be sure to follow me on Instagram @sincerely.latisha.
Thanks for dropping by and I hope to see you next week!
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