A Darker Reality is the third title in Ms. Perry’s Elena Standish series and it is definitely worth reading. Those who enjoy the Maggie Hope or Maisie Dobbs series will want to give the Elena Standish stories a try. They are best read in order. That having been said, this third novel may be my favorite.

In A Darker Reality, Elena is in Washington DC; the earlier books were set in Europe. She has traveled there with her parents in order to attend her maternal grandparents’ sixtieth anniversary party. While there, she meets the absolutely stunning, charismatic and intelligent Lila Worth. Lila’s fate, what she was doing and who she was propel much of the narrative. How do Elena’s grandfather, Elena and others become embroiled in these events? No spoilers, so no more.

The novel takes place before WWII but when Germany is showing its ugliest side. How do events there connect with the story? What is America’s role in the history that is unfolding? Pick up the book to find out.

Readers will learn about an isolationist movement in the novel. And yes, there are parallels with more current events in the U.S.

Elena is a photographer. This feels like an apt metaphor for her keen way of viewing the world and those around her. She is a most likeable protagonist.

I think that this series may be my current Anne Perry favorite. For those who don’t know, she has also written the Thomas and Charlotte Pitt mysteries, the William Monk stories, the Daniel Pitt investigations and a series of Christmas novellas. She also has a series that begins just prior to WWI. All are worth exploring.

I highly recommend this title to those who enjoy good characters, good plot and good pacing. I also enjoy some of the truths that are in Ms. Perry’s sentences.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher. All opinions are my own.

From the Publisher

#TheMoontheStarsandMadameBurova #NetGalle

I absolutely adored Ruth Hogan’s novel, The Wisdom of Sally Red Shoes, so I was quite eager to read The Moon, The Stars and Madame Burova.

Around the plot, Ms. Hogan looks at some emotionally resonant issues. These include identity, race, the nature of love, how to treat others and also how to treat one’s self. All is skillfully done and is not too heavy handed.

Madame Burova’s mother, Shunty Mae, was a reader of tarot cards, palms and crystal balls. Her daughter, Imelda (aka Madam B) has taken on her mother’s vardo and profession. She is very good at it and her booth becomes a confessional for many. In the present, Imelda Burova is considering retirement; in the past she led an active life.

Imelda spent time at Larkin’s, a family holiday camp, when she was a young woman. There were many people and acts there. Imelda was close to Jeannie, a talented young singer and to Cillian Burke, a man who was of great importance to her. Readers will find out how Cillian influenced the title of the novel. Also at the camp is Vivienne; she wants Cillian and is used to taking whatever she feels that she needs.

In the present, Billie’s parents have recently died. She finds something out in a note that her father left her. This leads her to connect with Imelda and connect they do! In the present, Imelda offers Billie some answers and all the wonderful aspects of the kind of person she is. Readers will root for both of them.

This book is not a cliffhanger. It is a slow-ish read that I enjoyed and recommend. Not quite as good as Sally but very good nonetheless.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher. All opinions are my own.

From the Publisher

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Steve Jobs

My First Steve Jobs

by Maria Isabel Sanchez Vegara

#SteveJobs #NetGalley

This title is an entry in the Little People, Big Dreams series for the very youngest children. The story is simply told and filled with illustrations. Young listeners will learn about Steve’s interests and curiosity, and how these led to his and his friend’s creation of the home computer. They will see that Steve changed the world in ways that had not previously been imagined.

The first pages mention that Steve had been adopted. I feel that perhaps a bit more (like the next page or so) could have said something about his family life. As it is, the fact just hangs there a bit.

I liked this entry in the series. However, it felt a bit like an ad for Apple to me. Nonetheless, young listeners will have been introduced to an original and an icon.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this title. All opinions are my own.

3.5 stars

#MyHome #NetGalley Pub Date 19 Oct 2021

This is a sweetly illustrated book that includes pictures with labels that teach vocabulary to very young children. The pages are organized by places including the kitchen, the garden, the bath and more. In addition to naming objects, feelings and verbs are included as well. These are notated with colored dots.

This is a colorful, appealing title. It should appeal to the littlest ones and their adults.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher. All opinions are my own.

Becoming Mrs. Lewis by Patti Callahan…5 stars

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What a beautiful, complex, heartbreaking and uplifting novel this is!  I rate this story about C.S. Lewis and Joy Davidman highly.

Many people know who C.S. (Jack) Lewis was.  The first thing that often comes to mind is his children’s (Christian) book series about Narnia.  But of course he was and accomplished so much more than this.  An Oxford and later Cambridge professor, a writer on many Christian topics, a heartbroken child who lost his mother, a caretaker for a brother whom he loved deeply and a believer in four types of love.  (Readers will learn about these in reading the novel.)  C.S. Lewis was also a veteran, a person loyal to his commitments and a friend to many including Dorothy Sayers and J.R.R. Tolkien.

Joy Davidman Gresham Lewis was a child of an exacting father, a highly intelligent and well-educated woman, a wife to the dysfunctional Bil, a mother to beloved sons Davy and Douglas, a writer, editor, poet and more.  She lived her life fully and complexly.

How did these two, one British and the other American come together?  Readers learn fairly early in the novel that Joy had a profound and life changing religious experience.  This led to her writing to C.S. Lewis.  No spoilers so readers must go to the novel to learn about Joy and Jack’s uniquely evolving relationship.

The settings of the book are so beautifully evoked, both in New York and Vermont, also in London and Oxford.  Oxford, in particular, is so lovingly described that Anglophiles will truly rejoice at the sections of the book that are set there.

The full meaning and impact of the title, Becoming Mrs. Lewis, becomes deeply affecting the deeper one travels into Joy’s world.  It was a very clever name for the novel, even as it is deceptively simple.

Becoming Mrs. Lewis is published by a press that describes itself as one that publishes “stories that inspire, illuminate, and transform. Stories that captivate the imagination, enlighten the mind, and strengthen the spirit.”  They are the right ones for this title.  The novel made me think about the complexity of life choices and the meaning of many kinds of love.  It has inspired me to learn more about these two remarkable people.

I found the novel to be one that did not read especially quickly but I enjoyed the time that I spent with it.  The end definitely touched my emotions.

In this paperback edition of the book, there are many extras.  These include a map of Oxford, comments by the author, a bibliography, a timeline, discussion questions and more.

I received a complimentary copy of this book.  Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.  Many thanks to NetGalley and Thomas Nelson for this amazing read!

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