Raw, Elegant, and Wonderful ~ A BOUND HEART by Laura Frantz, 5-star BOOK REVIEW

Posted on December 31, 2018 by marykaymoody

Laura Frantz’s A BOUND HEART is a raw and elegant tale set on a wonderfully wild and moody Scottish isle.

The back cover bids us enter ~ Though Magnus MacLeish and Lark MacDougall grew up on the same castle grounds, Magnus is now laird of the great house and the Isle of Kerrera. Lark is but the keeper of his bees and the woman he is hoping will provide a tincture that might help his ailing wife conceive and bear him an heir. But when his wife dies suddenly, Magnus and Lark find themselves caught up in a whirlwind of accusations, expelled from their beloved island, and sold as indentured servants across the Atlantic. Can they make a new beginning in this New World? Or will their hopes be dashed against the rocky coastline of the Virginia colony?

Frantz quickly draws us into the world and life of Lark and Magnus. Rife with clashes of cultures, values, and loyalties, this setting is as turbulent as a stormy sea against Kerrera’s rocky coast. In such an uncertain time, can anyone find sure footing?

The teaser on the back cover reveals some plot turns and challenges Lark and Magnus face, but in truth it barely hints at the perils the two endure. Or the stunning grace offered. As these two straddle competing wants, responsibilities, and expectations of others, their integrity and faithfulness is tested.

The characters are well-drawn, layered, and compelling. We don’t so much read about them as walk with them—elbow to elbow. We see and feel the moods of the sea, the heavy consequences of ignoring the law, the complete end of self-reliance with only God’s guidance and grace to rescue us. We ache at the consequences of some choices. And along with Lark we catch our breath and pull our shoulders in as we navigate the narrow spaces allowed us. Narrow spaces such as:

~ the precarious cliffside trail between croft and castle

~ between propriety and expressing longing

~ between love for the laird and Lark’s duty of service

~ between freedom and imprisonment

~ between ship and dropping into the sea

~ between safety and death as people go about their duties

~ between hardship and comfort (Bought at what price?)

When all appears lost and the parted sweethearts seem drained of energy and options, I felt keen sadness and some anxiety about the next steps Lark and Magnus might take. Confidence in Frantz’s skill and remembering her commitment to providing a HEA* urged me to ignore the clock and keep reading!

Frantz’s skill continues to impress me. Settings that come alive, plot twists that ambush a reader, a worthy hero and heroine ~ she has it all. And more ~ the ability to portray characters with flaws as well as strengths, and always with respect. You’ll not find stock characters or stereotypical minorities in her stories. And she has an uncanny ability to convey a universal truth while giving us a peek into the private recesses of a heart, as when Lark thinks Oh, what a joy it was to be wanted. Chosen. [page 55]

And all is marinated in rich (Dare I say new and fascinating?) historical detail such that one particular strand of historical truth cannot be pulled out of the story’s fabric without leaving a hole.

A BOUND HEART ~ an intriguing title. BOUND. An interesting word. It can mean held against one’s will. Enslaved. It can also mean by one’s will one chooses to fasten, attach, tether oneself to something. Or someone.

A BOUND HEART is a perfect title because in this story both definitions are true. Body and actions are NOT free for Lark and Magnus because they are bound first to demands of their stations in life and later the master who holds their indentures.

But, their hearts and spirits ARE free, and they choose to tether themselves to God and each other. [As I write, Alfie Boe singing “Come What May” is curling through my mind. An apt background you can listen to here:

Alfie Boe by Linda W

Once again Laura Frantz brought her story alive in my living room ~ more as if I watched a fabulous film than read a book. With economy of words, she spins the story, displaying the impact of an experience and the depth of a character’s feeling.

This is a raw and elegant story that calls forth our better angels. A triumph for Frantz; a gift to her readers.

To meet Laura in cyberspace, visit her website www.laurafrantz.net. A BOUND HEART is available at bookstores and on-line.

*happily ever after

[Photo credits: Mary Kay Moody, Lenora Genovese, Tom Donald,William Jackson, Gilt Edged, Linda W.]

The WONDER of Christmas

Posted on December 17, 2018 by marykaymoody

Today, the photo on the BING search engine page is of Wilbur Wright gliding above Big Kill Devil Hill in North Carolina in 1903.* IMAGINE THE AMAZEMENT from his perspective.

Wilbur Wright, Big Kill Devil Hill, Kitty Hawk NC. Dec 17, 1903

And it touches what I’ve wanted to write to you about.

As I contemplate Christmas and read Scripture of the birth of Jesus, our cause for celebrating ~ a sense of wonder washes over me.

Angel Appearing to the Shepherds – G Flinck 1639

First the fact he chose to enter the world as a human (I mean, just think of all that entails!). And then the details ~ Mary & Joseph in Bethlehem because of a royal decree. No room at an inn so they sheltered in a barn … with the animals. Angels announce the birth. Of a Savior! To shepherds! (Did you know shepherds occupied such a low rung of the social ladder, they could not even testify in court?) These are just a few specifics that arouse amazement for me. But all those things are in the past.

By far the greatest truth that spurs wonder in me is a present fact:

God is WITH me.** Every delight, every sorrow, every challenge … I don’t face alone. God is with me. God is WITH you. This is a truth that comforts. It encourages. It makes me pause. And it fills me with wonder.

What types of experiences spur wonder in you? I’d love to hear.

Here’s a link to part of a Christmas story by Tolstoy where you’ll meet a shoemaker who had an encounter that provoked wonder in him. I hope you enjoy it as much as our family does. Merry Christmas, friends. May you always see many reasons to celebrate the wonder of this season.

*photo copyright Library of Congress **Matthew 1:23

A POPPY IN REMEMBRANCE by Michelle Ule ~ Book Review

Posted on October 29, 2018 by marykaymoody

A Poppy in Remembrance Michelle Ule cover As World War I breaks out, Claire Meacham struggles to carve out a place in the male-dominated world of journalism. She struggles to hang on to hope while war tears her world apart. When she meets Oswald and Biddy Chambers, she adds another challenge—how to live out the teaching of Scripture. As the war grinds on, her new-found faith is tested and stretched.

I usually like stories where I’m drawn into the story world so well that I feel like I’m there. Consider this description from page 306:

“Cranes and longshoremen toted loads from transport ships. The oily ship smell, raucous seabird calls, and salty ocean moisture pervaded the busy dock. Farther down the quay, they found a line of ambulances waiting to offload patients to a ferry. Soldiers stood in formation, nursing sisters scurried and a moaning fog horn underscored it all.”

Are you there? An author’s ability to do this can be a problem in stories with ugly or painful settings. And WW I was certainly that. But Michelle Ule’s skill keeps this from being a depressing read. Much like Kristy Cambron’s novels of WW II and the Holocaust, Ule balances gritty historical fact with storylines that include tenderness, humor, and insight.

POPPIES SYMBOLIZE 2 Ule has done an amazing job of braiding together stories that could each be a book unto itself: history, biography, romance, and an interesting coming-of-age tale. She weaves the various elements with sparks of beauty, wit, and wisdom.

Her characters are realistically drawn with a wide variety of personalities, points of view, and burdens. Dialog is crisp, never superfluous. Ule’s descriptions are gripping, fresh, and engage the senses. The settings are captured so well that, rather than simply reading, at times I seemed to look at a painting. Other times, the sights and sounds were so real, I felt as if I’d stepped into a new land.

Claire’s journey is a poignant, powerful one. When her mother asks if Claire’s experiences and losses in the war won’t allow her to write about it honestly, we see the impact the war is having on her:

“Claire didn’t know. Everything about her life seemed untethered. She wasn’t sure what was important and what didn’t matter.” [page 342]

The story’s end is deeply satisfying.

NEWTON & POLLY by Jody Hedlund ~ Book Review

Posted on October 11, 2018 by marykaymoody

COVER - Newton + Polly by Hedlund

Even the cover is captivating ~ a serene woman drawn to the light is cast against a ship struggling on a dark, stormy sea. And just as on the first page Susanna drags Polly toward a farmhouse door, we are compelled to enter the story of Polly Catlett’s tumultuous relationship with John Newton.

We join them as they seem to fall immediately in love, yet go through eight years learning about each other, faith, and God. It’s a relationship that is as turbulent and strong as the ocean storms Newton encounters.

With insight and at times painful clarity, Hedlund shows us Newton the scoundrel as he struggles with disdain for God and right Christian living, while yearning for the love and respect of the devout Polly and her family.

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA Hedlund’s rich, detailed descriptions bring the scenes alive. We are immersed in the story world, whether we are pitching about onboard a ship in a dark storm, a raucous bar, a quiet midwinter eve in the forest, a steamy African jungle, or the glowing warmth of the Catlett parlor.

Newton was such a reprobate, making disastrous decisions, receiving grace from authorities, and then repeating the cycle that at times I’d huff and think “He’s going to do it again?” But against Newton’s foolishness and sin, the patience and unfailing love of God shines brightly ~ a reminder to us all that God has a plan, a use for each of us, and grace for our every need. The hymn “Amazing Grace,” written by John Newton, continues to bear witness to that.

As I read, I wondered what in the story was true and what was fiction. I love that Hedlund graciously includes an Author’s Note to tell us.

CHATEAU OF SECRETS by Melanie Dobson – Book Review

Posted on September 20, 2018 by marykaymoody

Imagine a beautiful June in 1940 and you’re living in a chateau in Normandy, France with your nobleman father. You awake one morning to learn you are ruled by Hitler and at the mercy of Nazi soldiers because some government officials in Paris decided to surrender. In World War II, life was upended like that. And life-altering, split-second decisions had to be made.

Chateau of Secrets by Melanie Dobson is a rich, intriguing book that draws the reader into this astonishing place, exploring a labyrinth of emotions. Dobson weaves present and WWII stories into an intricate, well-balanced tapestry. Gisèle Duchant navigates those precarious WWII days fraught with danger, betrayal, and the ironies of courage, secrets, and choices made for survival. The depth of the struggle is exemplified as young Gisèle ponders how to continue:

German soldiers, Paris, June 14, 1940

“Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.
The Germans had killed … and now they were destroying her country. How was she supposed to care for the men who had killed him? And even more, how was she supposed to love them—love evil? She despised everything they were doing.” [p 191]

Years later her granddaughter Chloe Sauver tries to unravel the stories into truth and piece together facts, hidden for decades, as she assists a documentary filmmaker.

I often find split-time novels slightly disappointing when the story or people of one era are not as interesting as the other, or following storylines is confusing. Chateau never falls into those but is always clear, crisp, and compelling.

I’m drawn to stories set during the 1940’s, have read many, and seen movies of even more. Yet Chateau introduced me to startling and new things I’d never learned about WWII. In telling this story, the “Sophie’s Choice” type decisions people faced are so real, I ached for them.

* photo credit: Bundesarchiv, on Wikipedia

MIST OF MIDNIGHT by Sandra Byrd ~ Book Review

Posted on August 22, 2018 by marykaymoody

A deeply evocative tale that will lure you in and wrap itself around you like a cloak.

COVER MIST OF MIDNIGHT by Sandra Byrd

From the back cover: Rebecca Ravenshaw, daughter of missionaries, spent most of her life in India. Following the death of her family in the Indian Mutiny, Rebecca returns to claim her family estate in Hampshire, England. Upon her return, people are surprised to see her…and highly suspicious. Less than a year earlier, an impostor had arrived with an Indian servant and assumed not only Rebecca’s name, but her home and incomes.

That pretender died within months of her arrival; the servant fled to London as the young woman was hastily buried at midnight. The locals believe that perhaps she, Rebecca, is the real impostor. Her home and her father’s investments reverted to a distant relative, the darkly charming Captain Luke Whitfield, who quickly took over. Against her best intentions, Rebecca begins to fall in love with Luke, but she is forced to question his motives—does he love her or does he just want Headbourne House? If Luke is simply after the property, as everyone suspects, will she suffer a similar fate as the first “Rebecca”?

Sandra Byrd has presented us a delicious tale of mysterious characters in a complicated situation, and we are compelled to try to determine who is actually who they say they are and what are their motives? We know the future for Rebecca is by no means secure from the moment we read Chapter One’s opening line:

“Dusk had begun to smother daylight as we walked…”

And with Byrd’s skill at creating a foreboding atmosphere, we know when Rebecca faces a threat on the page, other more sinister threats are still ahead.

“The dark approached and the silence encircled me, tomblike in its absolute hush; if it were possible to hear quiet, to hear absence, then I heard it.” [p164]

Mist of Midnight is an intriguing story, a richly-woven tapestry of emotions and cultures, danger and surprises. Byrd has created a novel that captivates and will keep you up reading long past the time you intended.

Book Review – CONFESSIONS OF AN IMAGINARY FRIEND by Michelle Cuevas & Jacques Papier

Posted on August 2, 2018 by marykaymoody

Jacques Papier is a charming new voice in fiction ~ whimsical and philosophical by turns, making his memoir the perfect book for any age reader. CONFESSIONS OF AN IMAGINARY FRIEND makes me wish I still had littles around to read stories to.

As the book says on the back cover, poor “Jacques has a sneaking suspicion that nobody like him. Teachers ignore him when he raises his hand, he is never chosen for sports teams, and Francois the family dog won’t stop barking at him! Thank goodness for Fleur, his sister and constant companion, who knows what he’s thinking even before he does. Then Jacques discover a devastating truth: He isn’t Fleur’s brother; he is her imaginary friend!”

This shocking discovery sends Jacques on an existential, life-changing journey of discovery to learn what makes us us? What is important? Braided with simple yet clever observations and naïve interpretations are mature insights.

As I share a few of my favorite morsels, I don’t have to worry about spoiling your experience when you read the story. This book is chock full of delight, whimsy, and wisdom.

Jacques says our world has a deficit of words. He gives us a list of things he’s observed that have no word. Like Jacques, they exist but somehow they are also lacking identification. Such things as “a square of light on a floor made by the moon … secret messages in alphabet soup … ships that want to stay sunken.” And this snippet shows just how much he loves his sister (despite his being imaginary): “There also is no word for … when someone has a smile that looks so lit up, there must be a lightning bug caught in their head. (For the record, I would petition this word be called Fleur.)”

In chapter 53 Jacques ponders what makes people different and/or valuable. He comes to the conclusion that every person is amazing ~ and most people don’t realize that about themselves because of their perspective, “like a flower that looks down and thinks it is just a stem.”

This story is delightfully creative and filled with things we adults, busy with important stuff as we are, don’t take time to notice. Sounds, for instance. Jacques remembers “the hum of Father’s lawnmower, ticking of clocks, sizzling pans and clicking spoons … the sound of my parents’ voices through the floorboards.” And light, “the shapes of the sleeping furniture.”

Kudos to Michelle Cuevas for bringing readers this book (and humbly taking second billing to Jacques). The cover so aptly portrays the essence of the story. Probably the best I’ve seen! CONFESSIONS OF AN IMAGINARY FRIEND is captivating. I enjoyed it twice: Once as I read it and another as I shared story and quotes with my husband. Jacques may be imaginary, but he has come to live at our house.

I was going to bundle the review of this short book (168 pages) with a couple others, but it is too good for that, It deserves its own space!

Book Review – THE SEA BEFORE US by Sarah Sundin

Posted on June 27, 2018 by marykaymoody

A 5-star read, I loved The Sea Before Us and read many passages to my husband, an avid reader of World War II history. The story opens with a bang (one of the best I’ve read!) and captivated me with appealing characters, a compelling plot, and settings that shimmered with life in my living room. Here are just some of the things I liked about it.

In The Sea Before Us, Sarah Sundin has crafted a rich, gripping tale of love, loyalty, and duty thriving despite opposition. U.S. Naval officer Wyatt Paxton and British Wren Dorothy Fairfax are thrown together while working on the Allies’ preparation for D-Day. Complications and confusion come at them from every side—family, friends, culture, the military, romance, duty, personal and professional values. As the world hurtles toward the critical turning point of D-Day, Wyatt and Dorothy hurtle to their own turning point and must learn to trust each other if success is to be won.

BIG BEN by Laura Climent

Each character faces intense personal challenges. As their lives intersect, the challenges are magnified. Skills, perceptions, priorities, and alliances shift. Yet Sundin always keeps us near the beating heart of the story ~ as when Wyatt and Dorothy look at her paintings, she says, “I liked watercolors then, so sheer and ephemeral. But they’re naïve…. Oils, the density … show the world the way it is.” We feel with aching clarity that the world has cracked open and memory will be forever split into BW, before the war, and AW. Sundin weaves this absorbing tale so well that all surprises flow reasonably from the story line and characters. No groaner-coincidences here. But plenty of tension and jaw-dropping moments.

I love World Ward II stories, and The Sea Before Us carried me away to dark, uncertain days in England. Sundin braids new, riveting history into the characters’ journeys. And her research is so thorough that she was able to surprise my husband (that WW II buff). No easy task. The D-Day preparations are fascinating to read; the training and battle scenes come to life. Sundin skillfully displays various skirmishes in detail sufficient to make you chilly as survivors are pulled from the cold Channel waters, but with a restraint that protects readers from gruesome detail such as in the opening scenes of “Saving Private Ryan.”

Under Sundin’s pen, fact and fiction meld seamlessly. As I noted in my April 2018 review of Kate Breslin’s For Such a Time, I’m grateful when authors inform readers exactly where that dividing line falls. This is my first Sarah Sundin novel, though she’s been on my authors-to-read list for a long while. I won’t make the mistake of putting many books ahead of hers in the future! And because this is book 1 in her Sunrise at Normandy series, I won’t have to wait too long.

Book Review – MIRAMAR BAY by Davis Bunn

Posted on May 16, 2018 by marykaymoody

When Connor Larkin boards a late night bus in downtown L.A., he’s not sure where he’s going or what he’s looking for. Putting his acting career—and his fiancée—on hold, he’s searching for a part of himself he lost on the road to success. Now, with his wedding day approaching, Connor finds himself stepping into the sleepy seaside town of Miramar Bay—where one remarkable woman inspires him to rethink all of his choices . . .

Unlike the pretentious starlets back in Hollywood, Sylvie Cassick has had to work hard for everything she has. When Connor hears familiar music drifting out of her restaurant, he can’t escape a feeling of finally coming home. Sylvie isn’t sure what to think when this impossibly handsome stranger applies for a waiter’s job. Yet once he serenades her customers—and slowly works his way into her heart—she realizes there’s more to him than he’s letting on. But as the world outside Miramar begins to threaten their fragile bond, Connor will have to risk losing everything to gain the life he longs for—and become the man Sylvie deserves.

Miramar Bay is the story of mid-list actor Connor Larkin, who’s escaping Los Angeles, and restaurateur Sylvie Cassick, who’s hanging on to her last thread of hope after someone uses her historic eatery as a cover for illegal activity. These two people must find the courage and community to live out their true selves.

The story pulled me in immediately. Bunn is a true craftsman who makes his stories come alive. His settings unfurl before our eyes such that we can almost step into the story, be it a glitzy Hollywood world or the sleepy coast town of Miramar Bay. “The light held a cathedral quality, spilling through the ocean mist like heaven’s own stained glass.” Who would not pause at such a place?

Or describing a place near sunset: “There was a breathless hush to the air, neither any wind nor the faintest ripple to mar the ocean’s surface. The Pacific stretched out in blue-gold majesty to join with the cloudless horizon. The air was a mix of sunlit heat and the water’s biting chill. The result was a champagne headiness.”

Bunn’s enchanting way with words continues throughout. He draws clear and complex characters who exhibit courage and spunk in the face of opposition, life-altering opposition, with their freedom and lives on the line. And he displays a tenderness that respects his characters, making it easy for readers to have compassion toward them even when they make choices we’d prefer they don’t.

I love Davis Bunn’s novels. He is equally skilled whether writing contemporary or historical, romance or suspense. His stories are captivating and rich in detail while flowing right along, never lagging or lacking. Miramar Bay is another in a long line of successes and I highly recommend it.

Book Review – FOR SUCH A TIME by Kate Breslin

Posted on April 18, 2018 by marykaymoody

In 1944, Jewess Hadassah Benjamin feels abandoned by God when she is saved from a firing squad only to be handed over to a new enemy. Pressed into service by the SS, she is able to hide behind the false identity of Stella Muller. However, in order to survive and maintain her cover, she is forced to stand by as her own people are sent to Auschwitz.

Suspecting her employer is a man of hidden depths and sympathies, Stella cautiously appeals to him on behalf of those in the camp. His compassion gives her hope, and she finds herself battling a growing attraction for this man she knows she should despise as an enemy.

Stella pours herself into her efforts to keep even some of the camp’s prisoners safe, but she risks the revelation of her true identity with every attempt. When her bravery brings her to the point of the ultimate sacrifice, she has only her faith to lean upon. Perhaps God has placed her there for such a time as this, but how can she save her people when she is unable to save herself? [from back cover]

Kate Breslin’s debut novel For Such a Time is a compelling and beautiful story of a Jewish woman whose blonde hair and blue eyes not only allow her to pass for Aryan, but convince many Germans that she is Aryan despite the stamp on her papers that says she’s a Jew.

Breslin drops the reader into WW II at Thereseinstadt, the Nazi transit camp in Czechoslovakia, where the cold, starvation, brutality, and hopelessness are portrayed in piercing clarity. (The gift of telling a story that pops off the page and into your living room sometimes doesn’t feel like a gift when what appears is a world such as Thereseinstadt.)

Also dropped into this place is the young woman Hadassah Benjamin whose papers say she is Stella Muller. She’s forced to serve as secretary to the SS commander, resulting in her having heart-breaking knowledge and being in jeopardy of discovery if even a slight ill-timed frown is ever seen. Excruciating decisions must be made, and innocents from infant to elderly are in jeopardy.

This tale is one of surviving harsh circumstances through the power of love, will, faith, and community. Also clearly on display despite the setting are flashes of kindness, tenderness, courage, sacrifice, and of love emerging and tentatively trusting, then provoking more courage and kindness.

A satisfying ending awaits those who read Breslin’s powerfully-told story. She seamlessly weaves fact and fiction and I was grateful that she included in the author’s note which parts of the story were true and which were fiction.

Mary Kay Moody

Writing at the Intersection of Our Plans and God's Purpose

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