The Santa Claus Chronicles is a heartwarming glimpse into the life of Dan Short and his experiences serving as Santa Claus.  He tells stories of different interesting people he has met over the years and also sheds light on his personal journey to becoming Santa Claus.  His narrative makes it clear that Santa is an iconic figure who means so many things to so many people and in so many different ways.  This book would make a special holiday gift and reminds us all of the true meaning of the season.  

I received this book courtesy of Harvest House Publishers through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.  

This Tender Land should be a staple in American literature.  What an amazing, heartfelt and timely story!  It is a moving, engaging, immersive read that caused me to fall in love with each character along the way.  The writing is so vivid and the characters so well developed that everything jumps from the page.  A five star super star read for me!

This Tender Land begins in Minnesota at the Lincoln School in 1932.  Hundreds of Native American children are forcibly separated from their parents and sent to the Lincoln School to be 'reformed'. The school is also home to orphans Odie and Albert O'Banion. The superintendent finds Odie at fault for most any infractions at the school. It isn't long before Odie finds himself forced to flee the school, taking Albert, their best friend Mose and little Emily with them. Their journeys down river as they try to evade law enforcement and the school superintendent, all while headed toward the idea of a home in St. Louis, are rich with a host of colorful characters and experiences. 

I cannot stress enough how much I think everyone should run out and pick up this book immediately. I can definitely say that anything else William Kent Krueger writes will be on my must read list. 

I received this book courtesy of Atria Books through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.  

I've been wanting to read a Ruth Ware novel for quite some time and was so excited when I received The Turn of the Key.  Even with all the hype and excitement, The Turn of the Key lived up to my high expectations.  I didn't want to put it down and there were certainly several surprises along the way.

Rowan Caine is drafting a letter from jail to her lawyer, quite literally pleading her case of innocence.  As a reader, we only know that Rowan is in jail for a crime she says she didn't commit and that a little girl is dead.  As Rowan begins to detail her story from finding the ad for a nanny position to her first interview at Heatherbrae House, it is clear that everything isn't as it seems.  While she loves the idea of being wrapped up in the luxury of this recently remodeled historic home and snapping up the lucrative live-in nanny position, all of the "smart" features in Heatherbrae House are a little unsettling.  Is the job really too good to be true and why have all the previous nannies left so abruptly?  To add to the unease, the children in Rowan's charge are not exactly welcoming her with open arms.  It also becomes apparent that Rowan seems to be hiding something from her past as well. Rowan is soon left on her own with the girls, but it seems that someone or something is also not too happy to have Rowan at Heatherbrae House.  

I truly couldn't read this book fast enough.  The ending was somewhat ambiguous which normally leaves me dissatisfied, but in this case I felt it was spot on by leaving the reader to draw the lines to their own conclusion.  I was reminded of Mary Roberts Rinehart's novels with the way this book weaved the intricate plot and suspense together.  I will definitely be reading more Ruth Ware in my near future.    

I received this book courtesy of the publisher through Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review.  

I was absolutely in love with The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane so when I heard about The Daughters of Temperance Hobbs and realized it was going to revisit some of those same characters, I couldn't wait to read it.  And I'm so glad that I did!  This is the perfect fall read with just the right amount of mystery, magic and history.  

The main character Connie Goodwin is an expert on colonial American history, specifically witchcraft, and is on track for tenure at her university.  She just needs to finish up her book, but she encounters an unexpected twist in her personal life that makes her priorities change quickly.  She must solve the mystery involving a decades old curse surrounding her family and time is of the essence.  

While this book revisits the world of The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane, it can definitely be read as a stand alone novel. I was very intrigued with the character of Zazi, the young graduate student who becomes Connie's investigative partner.  It would be interesting to see a book featuring Zazi and of course, I'd definitely like to know more about what happens with Connie and Sam.  

I received a copy of this novel from Henry Holt & Company through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.  

I've discovered that Fiona Davis writes the kind of book that I just want to curl up in and stay for awhile.  The Chelsea Girls absolutely gave me all those feelings.

Hazel Riley and Maxine Mead meet when they are both serving as actresses in a USO tour in Naples, Italy.  The events that they witness and become a part of during that tour irrevocably change their lives all while forging a bond between them.  

After the war ends, their paths diverge and it is many years before they encounter each other again at the Chelsea Hotel in New York City.  Hazel is getting ready to mount her play on Broadway based on their experiences in Naples and Maxine manages to secure herself the lead role.  The novel provides insight into the McCarthyism prevalent during the time and also draws back the curtain on how Broadway was effected by it.  I loved learning more about the Chelsea Hotel itself and its history.  One of the things I appreciated the most was how the author kept surprising me with plot turns.  I also particularly enjoyed the way the relationship was depicted between the two women.  It felt real and genuine.  I alternated between sympathizing with Hazel and then relating with Maxine.  The book also excellently portrayed the strength and courage these women showed during that time period.  

This was a terrific five star read for me.  Fiona Davis is quickly securing a spot on my must read author list.  I highly recommend this engaging novel.  

I received this book courtesy of Dutton Penguin Group through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

A few years ago, my family and I were visiting Kansas City and I wanted to go by Rainy Day Books, a wonderful independent bookstore. They were having an author talk and book signing that night for Laura McHugh and her first novel The Weight of Blood.  I hadn't read the book and didn't know anything about it, but decided it would be fun to go.  I'm so thankful that we attended that night because Laura McHugh has quickly gained a spot on my favorite authors shelf.  

The Wolf Wants In is a suspenseful read that will keep you turning pages as you try to determine what factors are at play in the rural town of Blackwater, Kansas.  Sadie Keller just isn't satisfied that her brother died of natural causes.  His untimely death just doesn't ring true to Sadie.  While police try to tell Sadie everyone grieves differently, there seems to be something off about the way her sister-in-law is acting.  As Sadie digs deeper, the questions just keep stacking up and the answers aren't coming.  18 year old Henley Pettit just wants to escape the small town.  Henley thought her mother Misty had finally conquered her drug addiction, but Misty hasn't been home in days and Henley is beginning to worry.  Then a child's skull is found in the woods and the story keeps twisting and turning as the plot thickens.  

I could not read this book fast enough.  Laura McHugh does a great job of truly drawing you into the story and her pacing is phenomenal.  I truly enjoyed this book and it was a five star read for me.  

I received this book courtesy of Spiegel and Grau through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.  

Viola Shipman's previous novels The Charm Bracelet, The Recipe Box and The Hope Chest, have been among some of my favorite summer reads, filled with family, tradition and touching stories.  The Summer Cottage takes its place among them with good standing.  

Adie Lou Kruger has so many fond memories of her days at her family's cottage on Lake Michigan but she finds herself in the midst of a divorce and pressure being placed upon her to sell the property to settle her recently deceased parents estate.  Adie Lou finds that she can't part with the property that easily and sets a course to renovate the Cottage and her life in the process as she tries to leave her old life behind and start new.  

The Summer Cottage follows the journey that Adie Lou and the Cottage itself take.  There are many wonderful nostalgic pieces to the novel and it truly does make you wish for a summer on the lake.  Without giving away any spoilers, I did struggle with some portions of the storyline that dealt with unearthing historic items from the home, as I felt those were a little outside of the plot line, and there were times that I felt the book didn't flow as well as some of the previous books that I have read by Viola Shipman.  That being said, I did enjoy the cottage rules and how those were incorporated into the book.  Adie Lou is a very memorable character and it was interesting to watch her evolve and grow over the course of the novel.

I received this book courtesy of Graydon House through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Heather Gudenkauf novels are always suspenseful and Before She Was Found was certainly no exception.  

12 year old Cora Landry is having her friends Violet and Jordyn over for a sleepover so how does that end up with Cora found beaten and stabbed in the abandoned train yard, Violet covered in Cora's blood and obviously traumatized from what occurred and Jordyn back home but not quite acting normal.  Did the girls turn against each other or was some other person stalking them and responsible for Cora's injuries.  

Before She Was Found weaves a very tangled web that kept me turning pages at a rapid pace and guessing until the very end.  For those reasons, I rated this a four star read, however I was disappointed in the ending and without revealing any spoilers, I didn't quite feel that all the threads were connected or answered.  The ending left me a little underwhelmed and with unanswered questions, but the rest of the book had me on the edge of my seat.  

I received this book courtesy of Park Row through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.  

We've all watched the beautiful weddings of the royal family over the last several years, and I remember watching Princess Diana and Prince Charles wedding as well, so naturally a book about Princess Elizabeth's wedding gown intrigued me.  

The Gown goes back and forth between London in 1947 and Canada in 2016.  Ann Hughes and Miriam Dassin are two embroiders for fashion designer Norman Hartnell.  When news of Princess Elizabeth's engagement breaks, everyone is speculating if Mr. Hartnell will be designing the gown.  Ann and Miriam are tasked with the intricate embroidery on the special dress and they bond over this shared time together.  Their friendship evolves so beautifully during the novel and we learn more about the hardships they have both had to endure in their past.  

Fast forward to 2016, Heather Mackenzie has just learned that her beloved Nan passed away, leaving her with a box of embroidered pieces that remarkably resemble Queen Elizabeth's famed wedding gown.  Heather embarks on a journey to learn more about how her grandmother came to have these items and what their significance might be.  

I so enjoyed this historical fiction novel.  I felt that I was offered a glimpse into the fashion houses of the 1940s and the excitement over the royal wedding after such a bleak time of war.  My book club also selected this as one of our monthly reads and I think it will offer some interesting discussion.  The novel is so descriptive that I could picture the gown in my mind, but I did search the internet after reading the book to see pictures of the wedding.  I felt that deepened my appreciation for the novel.  The Gown is a wonderfully developed story that I will remember for some time.  A strong four star read for me.  I'm looking forward to reading other books by Jennifer Robson.  

I received this book courtesy of William Morrow through Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review.  

Fredrik Backman has become one of my favorite authors.  His writing is just so on point and he is truly an exquisite wordsmith.  Things My Son Needs to Know About the World is a novel very different from his previous writings, but I thoroughly enjoyed it.  The way he can take the every day experience and look at it in a way that I hadn't thought about before is just a gift.  Any parent can sympathize with the sentiments in this book and relate to each and every page.  It would make a perfect gift for any father or mother, new or experienced.  I know this is a book that I will enjoy re-reading again and again.

I received this book courtesy of Atria Books through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.