The first thing that drew me to this novel? That cover. I think it perfectly captures the vintage spirit of the novel 🙂.
11 years ago
Showing posts with label karen barnett. Show all posts
Showing posts with label karen barnett. Show all posts
Sunday, November 5, 2017
"The Road to Paradise" by Karen Barnett
The first thing that drew me to this novel? That cover. I think it perfectly captures the vintage spirit of the novel 🙂.
Saturday, June 4, 2016
"through the shadows" by karen barnett
Historical fiction lovers will enjoy this look into San Francisco as it recovers from the 1906 earthquake in Through the Shadows, the third book in Karen Barnett's Golden Gate Chronicles.As San Francisco rises from the ashes, an age-old battle looms between corruption and the promise of new beginnings.
The devastating earthquake is just two years past, but the city of San Francisco is still trying to recover. Destruction of this magnitude is not so easy to overcome—and neither are the past regrets shadowing Elizabeth King's hopeful future.
Hoping to right her wrongs, Elizabeth dedicates herself to helping girls rescued from slavery in Chinatown brothels, even if it means putting her own life at risk to sneak through the gloomy alleys and rooftops where dangers lurk.
Putting her life on the line for a worthy cause is admirable. But opening her heart is even more terrifying. So when Elizabeth meets attorney, Charles McKinley—a man who dreams of reforming San Francisco's crooked politics—Elizabeth begins to doubt: Can she maintain her pretense and hide her past? Or will her secret jeopardize both their futures?
I've long been interested in the 1906 San Francisco earthquake. (Just ask my poor high school classmates, who had to suffer through a speech I wrote about it. Trust me: no one back then would have ever believed I'd spend 12 years coaching high school speech!) So when I learned that Karen Barnett, whose Mistaken I really enjoyed, had written a series centered around the earthquake, I knew I wanted to read it. The first two books, Out of the Ruins and Beyond the Ashes, were both enjoyable reads. I loved the plots, but I felt a bit ambivalent toward the heroines. Still, the strong writing was enough to keep me coming back for more.
Through the Shadows features the same vivid writing found in Barnett's previous novels, but I liked it even better for one reason: I loved the heroine! Elizabeth is a spunky young woman unafraid to stand up against evil but terrified that she can never be forgiven for her past mistakes. I really appreciate that Barnett chose to gave Elizabeth a real past—she's not feeling guilty about circumstances out of her control; rather, she's regretting her sin. She moves to San Francisco to help the girls at the Mission Home, but she also believes that maybe, just maybe, if she does enough good, that will get her back into God's good graces. As danger swirls around her, she finally understands that God's grace is freely offered, not something she must work to attain.
I also enjoyed Elizabeth's romance with Charles. When Elizabeth was tentative, Charles was patient and kind, and all the roadblocks to their happily ever after made sense. (One of my biggest pet peeves in romance is when the hero and heroine are kept apart due to ridiculous miscommunication.) In the beginning, I wasn't so sure that I'd like Charles, as he was quick to take his (obviously shady) uncle at his word. But Charles quickly grew on me, and just as I rooted for Elizabeth to accept God's grace, I rooted for Charles to stand up to his uncle and make his own way in the world. Also, I enjoyed the look into law office politics.
The bulk of the novel takes place at the Mission Home, a refuge for girls rescued from forced servitude and prostitution in Chinatown. I loved reading about Elizabeth's interactions with the girls, as well as the rescue missions—so to learn the Mission Home was a real place (that still exists today!) and mission director Donaldina Cameron was a real person was just the icing on the cake. You can learn more about the mission—renamed the Cameron House—here.
Through the Shadows is Barnett's best book yet. I loved every second I spent reading it, and I highly recommend it! 5 stars.
See what others are saying.
Buy the book.
Read my reviews of Barnett's Beyond the Ashes (3-1/2 stars), Out of the Ruins (4 stars), and Mistaken (4 stars).
Enter the giveaway here.
Karen Barnett is the author of Beyond the Ashes, Out of the Ruins, and Mistaken. Named the 2013 Writer of Promise by Oregon Christian Writers, Karen lives in Albany, Oregon, with her husband and two kids. When she's not writing novels, she loves speaking at women's events, libraries, and book clubs.
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Litfuse Publicity Group. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. Also, some of the links in the post above are “affiliate links.” This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."
Tuesday, July 7, 2015
"beyond the ashes" by karen barnett
Where better to rebuild and face one's fears than in 1906 San Francisco, a city rising from the ashes?
Ruby Marshall, a young widow, is certain she'll discover new purpose assisting her brother Robert with his cancer research, but she doesn't anticipate finding new love.
Dr. Gerald Larkspur dreams of filling his empty home with family, but he'd always hoped it would be a wife and children. In the aftermath of the great earthquake, the rooms are overflowing with extended family and friends left homeless by the disaster. When Robert's widowed sister arrives, the close quarters seem close indeed.
Ruby and Gerald's fledgling romance is put at risk when Gerald develops symptoms of the very disease they're striving to cure. Together they must ask---is it worth a second chance at love when time might be short?
Beyond the Ashes is the second book in Karen Barnett's Golden Gate Chronicles, but it can be read without having first read Out of the Ruins. This novel picks up in the months following the devastating 1906 San Francisco earthquake as the city and its citizens are trying to recover from the tragedy.
Gerald and Ruby are both interesting characters, and I especially enjoyed reading about Gerald's work with cancer patients. One patient in particular, a young woman named Dee, especially caught my attention. Her story was heartbreaking, but I loved the way she handled her illness and looming death. I did struggle to like Ruby in the beginning, but she grew on me as the book progressed, and she ended up being a very sympathetic character.
The romance in this book, though sweet, does suffer from what I like to call "just talk about it already!" syndrome—where if the hero and heroine would simply have a conversation about their problems, they could easily be resolved. But this is one of those books that I enjoyed for things other than the romance, and Barnett's description of medicine at the time is particularly strong. I also liked Gerald's story line, and I'll be very interested to see what happens to him in the future.
While Beyond the Ashes didn't grab me in the same way as Out of the Ruins did, it still is a good story that looks back on a fascinating time in our nation's history. I'll certainly be looking for the third book in the series next year. 3-1/2 stars.
See what others are saying.
Buy the book.
Read my reviews of Barnett's Out of the Ruins (4 stars) and Mistaken (4 stars).
Find Karen online: website, Twitter, Facebook
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Litfuse Publicity Group. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. Also, some of the links in the post above are “affiliate links.” This means if you click on the link and purchase an item, I will receive an affiliate commission. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."
Wednesday, June 4, 2014
"out of the ruins" by karen barnett
While her sister lies on her deathbed, Abby Fischer prays for a miracle. What Abby doesn't expect, however, is for God's answer to come in the form of the handsome Dr. Robert King, whose experimental treatment is risky at best.
As they work together toward a cure, Abby's feelings for Robert become hopelessly entangled. Separated by the tragedy of the mighty San Francisco earthquake, their relationship suddenly takes a back seat to survival. With fires raging throughout the city, Abby fears for her life as she flees alone through burning streets. Where is God now? Will Robert find Abby, even as the world burns around them? Or has their love fallen with the ruins of the city?
My take: Ever since I read Promise Me the Dawn
by Diane Noble (writing as Amanda MacLean) as a young teen, I've been interested in the 1906 San Fransisco earthquake. When I learned that Karen Barnett, whose Mistaken
I enjoyed reading last summer, had written a book about the disaster, I jumped at the chance to read it.Out of the Ruins is not what I expected ... in a good way. I thought most of the book would center around the earthquake, and while a large portion of it does, the first third of the book does a great job of introducing the characters and helping the reader understand exactly why Abby is so angry with God. Barnett also offers a fascinating glimpse into the early use of radiation to treat cancer.
The second part of the book takes place over four days, beginning with the earthquake on April 18, 1906. The action shifts back and forth between Robert and Abby as they each search for loved ones following the quake. I found this section to be the heart of the book, and Barnett did an excellent job of bringing the reader into the chaos following the quake.
I have to say that I wasn't a huge fan of Abby through most of the book—I thought she was a bit flighty at times, and sometimes her reasoning didn't make sense to me. But Barnett has stated that she didn't want to write the typical heroine, and I think she definitely succeeded. Just because Abby wasn't my favorite doesn't diminish the quality of Barnett's writing.
Out of the Ruins is the first in a planned trilogy, and you can bet I'll be coming back to read the rest!
My rating: 4 stars
See what others are saying.
Buy the book.
Read my review of Barnett's Mistaken.
Karen can be found at her website, Twitter, Facebook, and Pinterest.
About the giveaway: Don't miss the debut book, Out of the Ruins, in Karen Barnett's new series, The Golden Gate Chronicles. Set against the backdrop of early 20th century San Francisco, Out of the Ruins will remind readers that no matter who we are or what we’ve done, God is still as close to us as our next breath.
Karen is celebrating with a fun giveaway and Facebook author chat party.
One winner will receive:
- A Kindle Fire HDX
- Out of the Ruins by Karen Barnett
So grab your copy of Out of the Ruins and join Karen on the evening of June 19th for a chance to connect and make some new friends. (If you haven't read the book, don't let that stop you from coming!)
Don't miss a moment of the fun; RSVP today. Tell your friends via FACEBOOK or TWITTER and increase your chances of winning. Hope to see you on the 19th!
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Litfuse Publicity Group. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. Also, some of the links in the post above are “affiliate links.” This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."Saturday, July 6, 2013
"mistaken" by karen barnett
Since booze and prohibition have made criminals out of every man in her world, Laurie Burke resolves to find at least one honorable man to fill her life. Convinced that handsome newcomer Daniel Shepherd is connected with her brother’s rum-running gang, Laurie quickly scratches his name off her list.
Daniel has mixed feelings about returning to the dirty mill town of his youth, but grudgingly agrees to manage his grandfather’s drug store until a replacement can be found. The moment he meets Laurie on the windswept bluff overlooking the beach, he knows that if he can earn her love, he might have a reason to stay. But when Laurie pushes him away—for none other than Federal Agent Samuel Brown—Daniel wonders if Laurie really is the upstanding woman he thought her to be.
The Strait of Juan de Fuca, just off the beaches of Port Angeles, Washington, was treacherous water for reckless rum-runners—and the agents who tried to catch them. So when she realizes her brother is in danger, romance is the last thing on Laurie's mind. Yet the people she believes she can trust may not be so honorable after all.
My take: You know how sometimes a book cover is so good that you just have to read the book? That's how I felt about Mistaken—the instant I saw the cover, I knew I wanted to read it. Happily, the book lives up to the cover.
Mistaken is the story of Laurie, a young woman who loves her family to the point of doing stupid things to protect them—things like eavesdropping on private phone conversations, getting mixed up with rum-runners, and creeping around late at night looking for evidence. Laurie also has a propensity for dating the wrong type of man, so when she meets Daniel and realizes he is a rum runner, she knows she should stay away, but she can't deny the attraction she feels.
I greatly enjoyed watching Laurie and Daniel's story unfold, and I appreciated how Laurie grew throughout the novel—from a girl who would do anything (even illegal things) to keep her brother out of jail and protect her father's reputation to a woman who learned that she could only be responsible for her own actions, and she needed to leave everything else in God's hands.
I did find myself wanting to shake both Laurie and Daniel a few times, as a simple conversation could have cleared up the misunderstanding about who was really rum running. (Those "just talk about it already!" misunderstandings drive me crazy.) But aside from that, I really enjoyed this novel. It dealt with some weighty topics, including alcoholism, domestic violence, and corruption, yet it never failed to entertain.
My rating: 4 stars
Watch the book trailer.
Buy the book.
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free for review from Abingdon Press through its early reader program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. Also, some of the links in the post above are “affiliate links.” This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”
Posts
