Review of "Obedient Unto Death" by Liisa Eyerly

 

Breath-taking intrigue abounds in this novel that takes place in ancient Ephesus during a time of Roman rule and persecution of the early Christian church. Debut author Liisa Eyerly weaves a mesmerizing tale of murder and treachery in a city that rises up vividly from history. As Sabina, the story’s heroine, wrestles with her own personal faith and longings, she also finds herself thrown into the mystery of who committed a terrible murder in which a man is poisoned and dies right before her eyes. There are reasons to become involved, and most definitely reasons not to. Compelled to try, Sabina is opposed by enemies lurking within and without her circle of family and friends, and sometimes it’s hard to know who can be trusted and who serves their own nefarious purpose. Meanwhile, the clock ticks against the execution of an innocent apostle as well as Sabina’s own future happiness.

I was astounded at the historical authenticity of the story, but never felt like information had been dumped over my head. Rather, the author deftly plucked me out of my 21st century comforts and plopped me deeply into the lifestyle, customs, and sometimes-frightening beliefs of those ancient times.

Layer upon layer is slowly peeled back, revealing friend from foe and sub-plots that made every character more alive. I kept turning the pages into the night even after my eyes were burning to find out who the killer was in this race against time and evil. Readers of such Biblical fiction like that of Connilyn Cossette, Lisa Tawn Berggren, and Barbara Britton will definitely want to take note.

 

Though no strings were left untied, I think Obedient Unto Death begs a sequel. I look forward to reading more by this new author.

Review of "A Heart Adrift" by Laura Frantz

 

Set along the eastern seaboard, this latest historical by Laura Frantz is a slight step away her frontier stories. With only mentions of the war raging in the wilds, Frantz focuses instead upon a heart’s longing and the undercurrents of war from the viewpoint of a nearly-spinster shop owner in York, Virginia. Distance truly makes the heart grow fonder for Esmee Shaw as she awaits the return of a sea captain who she’s fallen in love with for the second time—or never really fell out of love with on the first go-around. With Frantz’s flare for elegant prose, she sets a large part of the story on an island in a newly-built lighthouse—such a dreamy setting—and readers even experience a hurricane from that vantage point while human dangers lurk as well. I love the title, so very apropos. The only thing I wished more for in this particular story was more of the hero’s point of view while he was at sea. Otherwise, your heart too will set sail on this romantic tale. I received a copy of A Heart Adrift from Netgalley. The views expressed are my own.

Review of Mrs. Witherspoon Goes to War by Mary Davis

This latest installment in the Heroines of WWII series was another winner. It’s been so fun to discover how different each author’s voice and style is in these stories!

 

In Mrs. Witherspoon Goes to War (such an interesting title!) war-widowed mother of two, Peggy Witherspoon, hasn’t let go of the ambition she’s held onto since she was a little girl--to fly planes. Not only does she get to fulfil her dream, but she does it on a grand scale when she joins the first Women’s Airforce Service (WASPs).

I love reading a good stateside story of WWII, because I want to understand what times were like here on the home front for the generation that preceded mine. Without being set on the front line, this story showed the wartime effort everyone was involved in back in the U.S., some, like Mrs. Witherspoon, more than others. I felt like the author did her legwork when it came to researching this story too, from the technicalities of repairing and operating a plane, to what was going on with the WASPs at that time.

Okay, now onto the romance. The hero, Army Air Corp Major Howie Berg, was a good egg. Coming to terms with being grounded after his own war wounds, his position in supervising the WASPs under his command made for a good setup in how he and Peggy meet and eventually fall in love. Their romance was a slow build, careful and tender—realistic considering she’s a widow and a mother, and she’s not as young as most romance heroines in fiction. I liked that. The gently developed realism in their relationship worked for me.

Then there was the dangerous rescue attempt. Okay—no spoilers—but this is when the story really had me turning pages. If you’ve been enjoying the Heroines of WWII series, don’t miss Mrs. Witherspoon Goes to War.

Buy it here.  

Thanks to Netgalley and Barbour for the ARC. Opinions are my own.