The Woman In The Green Dress written by Tea Cooper – 3 Stars

I read the book in the evening before going to bed.  Then my kindle gave out. I had to wait for a new one to finish this book.  I was really struggling to keep with the book as she would be with one character from one time period and within the same chapter in the next paragraph, she would have changed time periods and characters without any break.  At least that is the way it came in kindle format.  Very hard to get caught up in, I never thought I would finish it.  I got used to the changing format when I got the new kindle and returned to the book the last half of the book seemed to move much faster and be more interesting.  I usually don’t mind stories that change time periods and characters but this was handled in such a strange way I didn’t enjoy it.  There was a ton of research that went into the book, much of the interesting things for me were in the latter half of the book and I don’t want to give it away.  This really wasn’t the book for me although from the reviews I saw that people loved it or really had a hard time with it.  I gave it three stars because I did find interest in it eventually but kept putting it down before my kindle gave out.  I fall into the latter category where the book just wasn’t for me.  Therefore, the three stars.  It may be the book for you if you enjoy these time periods and mysteries and don’t mind changing story lines mid chapter.  If you do give it a go.  It’s a slow starter but picks up very much towards the end.

I received this book through NetGalley and wasn’t required to write a review or to give it a positive one.  I wasn’t paid to read the book.  The words above are my own and freely given.

Description as found on NetGalley.com:

A cursed opal, a gnarled family tree, and a sinister woman in a green dress emerge in the aftermath of World War I.

After a whirlwind romance, London teashop waitress Fleur Richards can’t wait for her new husband, Hugh, to return from the Great War. But when word of his death arrives on Armistice Day, Fleur learns he has left her a sizable family fortune. Refusing to accept the inheritance, she heads to his beloved home country of Australia in search of the relatives who deserve it more.

In spite of her reluctance, she soon finds herself the sole owner of a remote farm and a dilapidated curio shop full of long-forgotten artifacts, remarkable preserved creatures, and a mystery that began more than sixty-five years ago. With the help of Kip, a repatriated soldier dealing with the sobering aftereffects of war, Fleur finds herself unable to resist pulling on the threads of the past. What she finds is a shocking story surrounding an opal and a woman in a green dress. . . a story that, nevertheless, offers hope and healing for the future.

This romantic mystery from award-winning Australian novelist Tea Cooper will keep readers guessing until the astonishing conclusion.

“Readers of Kate Morton and Beatriz Williams will be dazzled. The Woman in the Green Dress spins readers into an evocative world of mystery and romance in this deeply researched book by Tea Cooper. There is a Dickensian flair to Cooper’s carefully constructed world of lost inheritances and found treasures as two indomitable women stretched across centuries work to reconcile their pasts while reclaiming love, identity and belonging against two richly moving historical settings. As soon as you turn the last page you want to start again just to see how every last thread is sewn in anticipation of its thrilling conclusion. One of the most intelligent, visceral and vibrant historical reads I have had the privilege of visiting in an age.” —Rachel McMillan, author of The London Restoration 

“Refreshing and unique, The Woman in the Green Dress sweeps you across the wild lands of Australia in a thrilling whirl of mystery, romance, and danger. This magical tale weaves together two storylines with a heart-pounding finish that is drop-dead gorgeous.” —J’nell Ciesielski, author of The Socialite

Full-length historical story with both romance and mysteryStand-alone novelIncludes Discussion Questions for Book Clubs

The Librarian Of Boone’s Hollow – Kim Vogel Sawyer – 5 Stars

I loved this book I couldn’t put it down.  I love reading everything by this author and this book did not disappoint.  I’ve read another book about a librarian who delivers books by horse, but this book was very much different.  It was also as interesting in a very different way.  She puts a different slant on the subject, there is a love interest, conflict and jealousy.  Really a fun read I do recommend it to everyone!

I received the book from WaterBrook & Multnomah through NetGalley.com in the Kindle format.  I wasn’t required to write a review or paid to do so.  The words above are my own and freely given.

Description as found on NetGalley:

A traveling librarian ventures into the mining towns of Kentucky on horseback—and learns to trust the One who truly pens her story—in this powerful novel from the best-selling author of A Silken Thread.

During the Great Depression, city-dweller Addie Cowherd dreams of becoming a novelist and offering readers the escape that books had given her during her tragic childhood. When her father loses his job, she is forced to take the only employment she can find—delivering books on horseback to poor coal-mining families in the hills of Kentucky.

But turning a new page will be nearly impossible in Boone's Hollow, where residents are steeped in superstitions and deeply suspicious of outsiders. Even local Emmett Tharp feels the sting of rejection after returning to the tiny mountain hamlet as the first in his family to graduate college. And as the crippled economy leaves many men jobless, he fears his degree won’t be worth much in a place where most men either work the coal mine or run moonshine.

As Addie also struggles to find her place, she’ll unearth the truth about a decades-old rivalry. But when someone sets out to sabotage the town’s library program, will the culprit chase Addie away or straight into the arms of the only person who can help her put a broken community back together?

Growing Season (Book #1) by Melanie Lageschulte (Goodreads Author) – 4 Stars

After 25 years of working in the big city, Melinda Foster mut leave her job, big downsizing and no new jobs to be found. She and all of her friends are at a loss.  She receives a call from her Aunt and Uncle who own a small-town hardware store in Iowa. It’s been in the family forever and they really need her help as her Uncle had an accident and had to have surgery, he won’t be running the store any time soon and her Aunt can’t run the store as he needs much taking care of.  She sublets her place for the summer and turns up to help out. She finds a place out in the country with a for rent sign, a beautiful farmhouse that needs some TLC, when she calls, she decides to go and see it.  She agrees to take care of the place in exchange for a really low rent and finds that she’ll be taking care of the owner’s dog who has a main role in the book, along with chickens, sheep and a garden.  The owner agrees to go to the nursing home where his brother is living, he’s lost his room mate and is starting to lose his memory.  They feel if he goes there, he may want to stay there and also that he will help his brother remember some of the past and the present by being his room mate and helping him out.  The owner doesn’t want to leave his farm unless he feels his dog will have a keeper that will care about him and that someone will take care of the far with as much care as he would.  There are some twists and turns and I have always lived in a big community of Michigan and have family also in Iowa.  I always said after one visit that I would never return.  This book gave me more insight into small town living/country living and I see more why my family once moving there enjoys living there.  I still don’t plan to move, at 61 I don’t see a big change in my future but you never know. 

I thoroughly enjoyed the book.  I received it in a kindle format for free and my words above were my own freely given. I wasn’t required to give a review and wasn’t paid for my review.  I would love to read the next book in the series, “Growing Harvest!”

Enjoy the first novel in a heartwarming rural fiction series! Melinda Foster is already at a turning point when the "for rent" sign beckons her down a dusty gravel road. Facing forty and downsized from her copywriting job at a Twin Cities ad agency, Melinda is struggling to find her way forward when a phone call brings her home to rural Iowa. It's not long before Melinda is living in a faded farmhouse, caring for a barn full of animals, and working at her family's hardware store in the community of Prosper, whose motto is "The Great Little Town That Didn't." And just like the vast garden she tends under the summer sun, Melinda soon begins to thrive. Filled with memorable characters, from a big-hearted farm dog to the weather-obsessed owner of the local co-op, "Growing Season" celebrates the challenges and joys of rural life.