#WWII Historical Book Review: #The Other Cipher (Soli Hansen Mysteries book 2) by #Heidi Eljarbo

Summary: The Other Cipher (Soli Hansen Mysteries book 2) by Heidi Eljarbo

In the captivating second book of the Soli Hansen Mysteries, two women—separated by more than three hundred years—are connected through their love of art.

1613: Fabiola Ruber has been wed to a man she does not know and must live in a country with a new language and different customs. The memories of a lost love in her hometown Malta haunt her, and she sets out to find an artist who can do her portrait and recapture the feelings she had when she once modeled for a renowned Italian master painter.

1944. Four years into World War II, art historian Soli Hansen works with the Norwegian resistance to locate significant artwork and safeguard the pieces from the Nazis. When she finds out the Germans are after a hidden baroque depiction of a seventeenth century woman, she must muster all her courage and skills to decipher encrypted codes and preserve the mysterious art before it’s too late.

Both women are determined to do what they can to bring healing and redemption to their otherwise ominous future. Through tangled, bewildering clues and an eye for detail, Soli’s bond to Fabiola grows closer by the day. She must find the missing painting before the enemy does.

Ranging from a privileged life in seventeenth century Antwerp to Oslo during the German occupation of the Second World War, this dual timeline is a historical mystery thriller that will keep you guessing until the very end (from Amazon).

My review of this exiting WWII historical mystery

In German occupied Oslo, art shop owner and art historian Soli Hansen and her resistance friends risk their lives on a mission to protect valuable paintings from being stolen by the Nazis.

The Other Cipher is book 2 in the Soli Hansen Mysteries series written and published by Heidi Eljarbo. The dual time plot is set in Oslo 1944 and Antwerp 1613. We follow art historian Soli Hansen and her resistance friends in their effort to keep Jewish owned art from being shipped to Gernany. Soli puts her life in danger to prevent the Nazis from stealing the valuable painting for Hitler’s planned museum in Austria. The underground deciphering group help decrypt secret messages which help her stay ahead of the Germans.

Main character, Soli, Hansen is the art shop owner and member of resistance. She is a shy, introvert who struggle to collect information the resistance needs. I feel she is a relatable and well put together character for a Norwegian woman of the 1940s.

Supporting character is Hedvig, Heddy, Vengen is the leader of the resistance group The Art Club. She seems idealistic, forceful and prepared to live a lonely life on the run from the Nazis for the duration of the war. She seems to struggle to find people to trust but really appreciates the good people around her, which is why she is my favorite of this story.

I feel the plot is captivating and entertaining, written in a down-to earth manner anyone can follow. I love that the story is based on, which I have not come across in any other historical before. The story easily reads as a standalone including the intriguing and unique art element. Readers of book 1, Of Darkness and Light, will recognize characters as well as get to know new ones. Continuing is Soli’s charming friendship (or relationship) with Detective Nikolai Lange and her fear of ruthless German Lieutenant Colonel Heinz Walter. Walter’s presence in the story makes an excellent dramatic element and I got a knot in my stomach every time he appeared. I enjoyed the surprising element of the disappeared young cryptographer and what he had discovered. This made a vital contribution to the progress of the plot. The tid-bits of information about life in war-time Oslo and the vibe of looming danger and uncertainty while in the process of finding and hiding the art, made the story come alive for me. They were my favorites, as I felt these parts were particularly well written.

Readers of historical fiction in general and WWII plots in particular, will enjoy this one. As will readers of Heidi Eljarbo’s previous works. Similar authors to explore might be Andrea Penrose or Mimi Matthews. Thank you to @heidieljarbo for this opportunity to share my honest review. All opinions are completely my own.

Conclusion: The Other Cipher is the captivating dual-time mystery about art historian Soli Hansen who collaborates with Norwegian resistance in a dangerous race to keep valuable art from being stolen by the Nazis. I am already looking forward to Soli’s next mystery in wartime Oslo.

Rating: 4 stars / 5

You can get your copy here

Amazon Paperback

Amazon Kindle

Book Details

Publisher : Independently published (November 27, 2020)
Paperback : 247 pages
ISBN-13 : 979-8572286533

About The Author

Heidi Eljarbo is the bestselling author of historical fiction and mysteries filled with courageous and good characters that are easy to love and others you don't want to go near.
Heidi grew up in a home filled with books and artwork and she never truly imagined she would do anything other than write and paint. She studied art, languages, and history, all of which have come in handy when working as an author, magazine journalist, and painter.
After living in Canada, six US states, Japan, Switzerland, and Austria, Heidi now calls Norway home. She and her husband have a total of nine children, thirteen grandchildren--so far--in addition to a bouncy Wheaten Terrier. Their favorite retreat is a mountain cabin, where they hike in the summertime and ski the vast, white terrain during winter. Heidi's favorites are family, God's beautiful nature, and the word whimsical (from Amazon). Check out author's website: https://www.heidieljarbo.com/                                                                                                      

 

 

 

#Historical Romance Book Review: #Dreams of Savanna by #Roseanna M. White

Summary: Dreams of Savannah by Roseanna M. White

Cordelia Owens can weave a dream around anything and is well used to winning the hearts of everyone in Savannah with her whimsy. Even when she receives word that her sweetheart has been lost during a raid on a Yankee vessel, she clings to hope and comes up with many a romantic tale of his eventual homecoming to reassure his mother and sister.

But Phineas Dunn finds nothing redemptive in the first horrors of war. Struggling for months to make it home alive, he returns to Savannah injured and cynical, and all too sure that he is not the hero Cordelia seems determined to make him.

As the War Between the States rages ever nearer and Savannah’s slaves start sneaking away to the islands off the coast to join the Yankees, both Phin and Cordelia get caught up in questions they never thought they’d have to ask–questions that threaten the very dreams of a future they’d cherished (from author’s webpage).

My thoughts about this captivating historical romance

When Cordelia Owens’ sweetheart Phineas enlists to fight against the Yankees, she tries to keep up hope by writing heroic stories. Phineas gets wounded in a raid on his vessel and struggles for months to make it home to Delia. They both have to get real on the issue of keeping slaves as well as deal with the future of their relationship.

Dreams of Savannah is the standalone novel written by Roseanna M. White, published by Bethany House Publishers. Setting of the plot is Savannah, Georgia 1861 and we get to follow Cordelia Owens as her sweetheart Phineas Dunn has gone off to serve in the Confederate navy. He gets shot, swept aboard and lost, but in spite of bad news, Cordelia writes heroic, hopeful stories and does not accept he is dead. Seriously wounded, Phineas gets washed ashore in Cuba where free black, British Vicar Luther Bromley, agrees to nurse him back to health in return for Phineas’ help finding his illegally sold wife. As war rages ever closer to Savannah, increasing numbers of slaves run away to join the Yankees and be declared free. Cordelia and Phineas have to get real on the issue of keeping slaves as well as deal with the future of their relationship.

Main character is Cordelia, Delia, Owens, enjoys a super privileged lifestyle. She has an impressive imagination she uses to raise funds for Confederacy and keep up hope in others. Her character shows a healthy set of values as the plot progresses.

British Vicar, Luther Bromley, is my favorite character of this story. He finds himself in a very challenging position as a free black in an area where people like him are slaves. Description of the relationship developing between Phineas and Luther were my favorite part of the plot.

As a European, this is a very interesting plot from a new to me author. I loved the amusing and lighthearted writing and dialogue. I particularly found the written Gullah-English of the slaves very entertaining and felt this added uniqueness to the plot. I loved how the Lucas Bromley character taught me more about the difference between a free black and a slave.

Delia’s cousin Julius contributed drama to the plot as he was a threat to both Delia and her lady’s maid slave Salina, while trying to present himself as a worthy suitor for Delia. He made my skin crawl every time he was present in the plot. For this, I found his character both excellent and believable if not exactly likable.

Anyone who enjoys who enjoys historical romance, specifically set in the Civil War would enjoy this one. Fans of Roseanna M. White would definitely love it, I think. Similar author to explore might be Tamara Alexander.

Thank you to #Bethany House Publishers, @roseannamwhite and #NetGalley for this opportunity to share my honest review. All opinions are completely my own.

Conclusion: Dreams of Savannah is the captivating novel by Roseanna M. White about Delia and Phin’s privileged life as war breaks out. He enlists, everything changes and she tries to keep up hope by writing heroic stories. They both have to get real on the issue slavery and deal with the future of their relationship. 

Rating: 5 stars / 5

Here is where to get your copy

Amazon Paperback
Amazon Kindle
Amazon Hardcover
Barnes & Noble Paperback
Barnes & Noble e-book
Barnes & Noble Hardcover

Book Details

Publisher : Bethany House Publishers (January 5, 2021)
Paperback : 400 pages
ISBN-10 : 0764237470
ISBN-13 : 978-0764237478

About The Author

Roseanna M. White is a bestselling, Christy Award nominated author who has long claimed that words are the air she breathes. When not writing fiction, she’s homeschooling her two kids, editing, designing book covers, and pretending her house will clean itself. Roseanna is the author of a slew of historical novels that span several continents and thousands of years. Spies and war and mayhem always seem to find their way into her books…to offset her real life, which is blessedly ordinary. You can learn more about her and her stories at www.RoseannaMWhite.com.

#Historical Romance Book Review: #The Vanishing at Loxby Manor by #Abigail Wilson

Summary: The Vanishing at Loxby Manor by Abigail Wilson

Her friend is missing.

After five years abroad, Charity Halliwell finally returns to Loxby Manor, the home of dear friends—and her lost love. No longer a young girl, she is now haunted by a painful secret and the demise of her dreams. Instead of the healing and happiness she hopes to find, she encounters a darkness lurking in the shadows of the once-familiar house. When her friend, Seline, disappears the very night of her arrival, Charity is determined to uncover the truth. 

Her only hope is the man who broke her heart.

Branded a coward, Piers Cavanagh has lived the last five years as an outcast far from his family home. When his sister presumably elopes with a stable hand, Piers joins forces with an unlikely partner—the one woman he thought he’d never see again. Together they launch an investigation that leads to strange nightly meetings in the ruins of an old abbey and disturbing whispers of a secret organization. The more they learn, the more desperate the situation becomes. 

The house seems determined to keep its secrets.

As they struggle to piece together the clues, Charity and Piers also endeavor to rebuild their friendship. One cryptic letter changed everything between them. To find happiness they will have to overcome the grief and shame keeping them apart. But first they must discover why Seline vanished and confront the growing fear that she may never return. (from Amazon).

My thoughts about this mysterious historical romance

The Vanishing at Loxby Manor is the standalone by Abigail Wilson, published by Thomas Nelson. The story is set in Kent, England 1816, and is about gentlewoman Charity Halliwell who has returned from Ceylon to stay as the Cavanagh family’s guest. She finds them terribly distraught because their daughter has misbehaved and disappeared and keeps seeing lights from the nearby Abbey. Locals are scared and keep away from it while some mysterious activity seems to be going on. She gets help from her close friend and heir to the Manor, Piers Cavanagh, to investigate what has happened to his sister and if the disappearance is part of a lager mystery.

Main character is gentlewoman Charity Halliwell seems a vulnerable woman who has suffered a blow to her self-worth she tries to keep secret. She is relatable and I feel for her, but she also frustrates me as she keeps things hidden and gets in her own way. She seems a well developed character who is easy to like and is my favorite of this story.

Supporting character is heir to the Manor Piers Cavanagh who is a botanist. Having been ostracized from Society following rumors of cowardice, he seems a really good person. Circumstances have not been on his side and he has suffered the harsh, unfair judgment of The Ton.

Main dramatic element of this story is the mysterious disappearance which makes Charity and Piers investigate local matters left alone for years. Rigging of horse races is an interesting element I have not read about before.

The writing has a deliciously dark and mysterious vibe which I love to read this time of year. Charity lands in kind of an investigator role.  A“Miss Marple Light” if you will.

Charity and Piers have strong feelings from five years ago before Charity went to Ceylon. I enjoyed the process as complications in their relationship get a chance to be straightened out and feelings rekindled. This is my favorite part of the story.
The faith element is weaved into the last part of the plot as Charity and Piers have to trust God to help them with their struggles.

The ending to this story deserves a few sentences of its own as it was surprising beyond belief. I had my eye on several of the characters, but never the actual culprit. I really loved that.

This is the second book I have read by Abigail Wilson and I have loved them both. She is firmly on my radar now and I am eagerly awaiting what she comes up with next. Readers of Historical romance and Historical mystery I’m sure will enjoy The Vanishing at Loxby Manor. Fans of Abigail Wilson will definitely love it. Similar authors to explore might be Sarah E. Ladd or Michelle Griep.

Thank you to Thomas Nelson and NetGalley for this opportunity to share my honest review. I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Conclusion: The Vanishing at Loxby Manor is the intriguingly mysterious historical which includes disappearance, murder and the rekindling of lost love. All tied together in an enjoyably unexpected ending.

Rating: 4 stars / 5

Where to get your copy

Amazon Paperback

Amazon Kindle

Amazon Audio CD

Bannes & Noble Paperback

Barnes & Noble e-book (NOOK book)

Barnes & Noble Audio mp3 on CD

Audio CD

Book Details

Paperback : 336 pages
ISBN-10 : 0785232958
Publisher : Thomas Nelson (January 26, 2021)
ISBN-13 : 978-0785232957

About The Author

Abigail Wilson combines her passion for Regency England with intrigue and adventure to pen historical mysteries with a heart. A Registered Nurse, chai tea addict, and mother of two crazy kids, Abigail fills her spare time hiking the National Parks, attending her daughter's gymnastic meets, and curling up with a great book. In 2017, Abigail won WisRWA's Fab Five contest and in 2016, ACFW's First Impressions contest as well as placing as a 2017 finalist in the Daphne du Maurier Award for Excellence in Mystery/Suspense. She is a cum laude graduate of the University of Texas at Austin and currently lives in Dripping Springs, Texas, with her husband and children.(from Amazon). Read more on authors website http://www.acwilsonbooks.com/about-2/

#Cozy Mystery Book Review: #A Portrait of Peril (Victorian Mystery book 5) by #Laura Joh Rowland

Summary: A Portrait of Peril (Victorian Mystery book 5) by Laura Joh Rowland

London, October 1890. Crime scene photographer Sarah Bain is overjoyed to marry her beloved Detective Sergeant Barrett--but the wedding takes a sinister turn when the body of a stabbing victim is discovered in the crypt of the church. Not every newlywed couple begins their marriage with a murder investigation, but Sarah and Barrett, along with their friends Lord Hugh Staunton and Mick O'Reilly, take the case.

The dead man is Charles Firth, whose profession is "spirit photography"-- photographing the ghosts of the deceased. When Sarah develops the photographs he took in the church, she discovers one with a pale, blurred figure attacking the victim. The city's spiritualist community believes the church is haunted and the figure is a ghost. But Sarah is a skeptic, and she and her friends soon learn that the victim had plenty of enemies in the human world--including a scientist who studies supernatural phenomena, his psychic daughter, and an heiress on a campaign to debunk spiritualism and expose fraudulent mediums.

In the tunnels beneath a demolished jail, a ghost-hunting expedition ends with a new murder, and new suspects. While Sarah searches for the truth about both crimes, she travels a dark, twisted path into her own family's sordid history. Her long lost father is the prime suspect in a cold-case murder, and her reunion with him proves that even the most determined skeptic can be haunted by ghosts from the past.

My review of this cozy mystery

When crime photographer and news reporter Sarah Bain gets married to
Detective Sergeant Thomas Barrett, the ceremony gets interrupted by a murder. The victim is a photographer specializing in taking scam photos of ghosts. Sarah investigates the technology and tricks used to con grieving people. 

A Portrait of Peril is book 5 in the Victorian Mystery series by Laura Joh Rowland, published by Crooked Lane Books. The setting is London 1890 and we follow newspaper photographer Sarah Bain, her police husband and her news photography/reporter team as they investigate how some members of the spiritualist community use a combination of new technology and tricks to con grieving people. Sarah and Thomas’ wedding ceremony is interrupted when

a scam photographer is found murdered in the church crypt. Later his publisher is found dead too. A member of Sarah’s team is standing over the body with blood on his hands and he ends up in jail charged with the murder. Besides investigating the two murders, Sarah secretly looks into the murder case relating to her own family.

Main character is crime photographer and reporter Sarah Bain. She is very self sufficient and has a hard time controlling her temper and struggles with the relationship with her late mother. She seems a complex and believable character who is my favorite of this story. 

Supporting character is detective Sergeant Thomas Barrett. He seems a bit bland to me, and I struggle to connect with him. But I picked up on his deepest respect/fear for his mother. I wonder what that might mean for his relationship with fiercely independent Sarah.

I enjoyed how this story starts where similar reads have ended- with marriage. I found it strange and surprising that Sarah and Thomas didn’t find it terribly disturbing to have their wedding ceremony interrupted by a murder. They seemed to go on with things like on a normal day. 

The plot contained details of previous stories which made it function as a standalone, but I would have preferred to read the series from the beginning to get to know the characters and follow their development through the series. As I jumped in at book 5, I felt I had missed out on this.
My favorite part of the story was descriptions of the living arrangements with Sarah’s group of unlikely friends and co-workers.  The least favorite part was descriptions of an autopsy procedure.

Anyone who loves historical crime fiction will enjoy this. As will fans of Laura Joh Rowland. Similar authors to explore might be Anna Lee Huber or Erin Lindsey.

Thank you to Crooked Lane Books and NetGalley for this opportunity to share my honest review. All opinions are completely my own.

Conclusion: A Portrait of Peril is the interesting and entertaining story about a wedding ceremony interrupted by the murder of a photographer specializing in ghost photos to con grieving relatives.

Rating: 3 stars / 5

Where to get your copy

Amazon Kindle

Amazon Hardcover

Barnes & Noble Hardcover

Barnes & Noble e-book

Book Details

Publication date : January 12, 2021
Publisher : Crooked Lane Books (January 12, 2021)
ASIN : B0871KXYY6

About The Author

Laura Joh Rowland is a bestselling author of historical mystery novels. Her newest series stars Miss Sarah Bain, a photographer in Victorian London. The latest book is The Hangman's Secret. The Woman in the Veil will be published January 7, 2020. Laura's previous series, which is set in medieval Japan and features samurai detective Sano Ichiro, has been published in 21 countries, been nominated for the Anthony Award and the Hammett Prize, won RT Magazine's Reader's Choice Award, and been included in The Wall Street Journal's list of the five best historical mystery novels. Laura has also written a historical suspense series about Charlotte Bronte, the famous Victorian author. Laura holds a Bachelor of Science and a Master of Public Health degree from the University of Michigan. She is a former aerospace scientist, a painter, and a cartoonist. She lives in New York City with her husband Marty. http://laurajohrowland.com/