The Sheepish Scribe

George Washington's Secret Six: The Spy Ring That Saved the American Revolution by Brian Kilmeade
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

History in a very readable format. Interesting tale of the spies who helped George Washington win the American Revolution. I knew the basics, about the Culper Ring, the messages written in invisible ink, and the risks they took for their country.

I didn't know about their names, or backgrounds, or how each person fit into the picture. They were all so different in personality and occupation, and yet, they came together... in the right place and at the right time.

I find that theme over and over again when I read or study anything about the American Revolution. God put the people where they needed to be, when they needed to be there, for the country to win an impossible war. Incredible. The stuff of fiction! Only... it isn't.

Into the Whirlwind by Elizabeth Camden
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Wonderful story! Set within the background of the Great Chicago Fire, Mollie and Zack are drawn together in an unexpected and sometimes clumsy romance. The business-minded daughter of a watchmaker and the son of patriotic Polish immigrants, they have nothing in common until the fire throws them together.

Mollie can't think of romance with the responsibility of her father's business and employees on her shoulders. Impulsive and powerfully-connected Zack can't get the straight-laced watchmaker out of his mind. Sparks fly and anger ignites until another man rides in on a white horse to save the business.

Elizabeth Camden does a beautiful job of bringing the terror of the fire, the heartache of the loss, and the energy of the reconstruction to life. You'll smell the smoke, feel the heat,and experience the despair. You'll meet some of Chicago's seedy residence, some of the aristocrats, a few scoundrels, and a lot of people who are just trying to put their lives back together.

Well worth reading!

The Redemption of Caralynne Hayman by Carole Brown
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Manipulative, vile, twisted... all good descriptions of the mindset of those who lead a cult. This book is a gritty - not for the faint of heart - look inside. Adult subject matter prevails, and although it is all "off screen," much of it involves sex with underage girls. This is presented as the abominable act it is, but still not for the younger reader. There are also scenes depicting graphic violence against women.

So why read it?

This isn't past history. These groups exists now. Today. In the United States and around the world. Eye-opening and disturbing, stories like this need to be told. This is fiction, but it's fiction taken off the newspaper pages.

Caralynne Hayman was married to a man she didn't love, a man she didn't want, a man who abused her horribly... at the age of 15. Years later, she finds herself in a fight for her life and the lives of her two surviving daughters. Can a man of God, a man raised in the same cult but educated outside, bring hope back into her life? Will the community's eyes be opened? Will the atrocities stop? Or will Caralynne have to take matters into her own hands. Again.

The Widow of Larkspur Inn by Lawana Blackwell
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

A refreshingly different novel. Julia Hollis discovers - the hard way - that her husband had gambled away the family's fortune. Alone except for one loyal maid, with three children to raise, and no skills for employment, she sets her mind to building a future from a dilapidated inn the solicitors couldn't sell.

I picked this book up because it was a free e-book and I received a tablet for Christmas. Quite likely, I'd never have discovered it otherwise.

Wonderful characters with delightfully different personalities, including some who are downright quirky. Julia's struggles, disappointments, and successes will keep the reader turning each page - or zipping a finger across the screen. Nicely illustrated life lessons are tucked organically between the pages. I highly recommend this one and look forward to reading the sequels.