Sunday, November 20, 2011

A Wedding Invitation by Alice J. Wisler


Samantha Bravencourt is working in her mother’s clothing boutique after returning from her position as a teacher in a refugee camp. Things seem calm until she receives a wedding invitation from an old college classmate. Samantha travels from Falls Church, Virginia to Winston-Salem, North Carolina to attend the wedding. Problem is the bride is not her friend, but someone with the same name.  Rather than return home immediately she spends more time with her Aunt Dovie and her boarders. Dovie is very active in the area and invites Sam to join her at a butterfly release at a memorial service for children who passed away. While there she meets one of her former refugee camp students. This opens a doorway for the reader into the events that took place in the camp during Sam’s time there. The book chapters alternate between those refugee camp years and present day so at no point is the reader left wondering what happened.

Sam is reunited with former fellow teacher, Carson Brylie, and another former student who wants to find her mother who gave her up and later emigrated to the United States. Carson and Sam work with Lien to find her mother and arrange a reunion.

And to think it all started with a wedding invitation.

  I received this book to review for no cost from Bethany House.

Love on the Line by Deeanne Gist

 
 
Georgie Gail enjoys her job as the rural switchboard operator in Brenham, Texas. She doesn’t understand why Southwestern Telegraph and Telephone Company has sent out a salesman who will also be doing line repairs. Gail knows her subscribers and would immediately know if there was a problem. Well Luke Palmer is there and she has to give him access to her telephone records and accounts. What she does know is that Frank Comer, a local outlaw, is held in high esteem by the townspeople because he is a sort of Robin Hood, robbing the rich and giving to those who do not have as much. As the story develops, Georgie finds that Luke is not all he appears to be, in fact he is a Texas ranger on the look for Frank Comer. As the story develops, Georgie and Luke find they must work together to find Frank and the members of his gang. Of course they fall in love and Luke does propose.

What I particularly enjoyed about this book was that the author did research on the old telephone switchboard systems, Texas train robberies, the Texas rangers, the town of Brenham as well as several other items that Deeanne included in the book. The character Luke Palmer, alias Lucious Landrum, is based on several Texas Rangers and incidents from their lives. The historical accuracy lends a depth to the story that draws the reader and keeps them engaged.


  I received this book to review for no cost from Bethany House.