Unsinkable by Jenni L. Walsh

How could someone be so lucky to survive multiple sinkings of boats including the Titanic?

And how could someone be so unlucky to not have anyone to love her or to rely on, specifically her father?

We meet Violet who is a steward on ships and must keep going back even after the sinkings because she has to take care of her family and all she wanted to do was to make sure her family was taken care of.

We also meet Daphne, who is recruited for the SOE during World War II because she speaks many languages.  All she wanted to do was to get some praise from her father for her many accomplishments.

We follow both women in alternating chapters and experience their thoughts, their fears, and their triumphs.

UNSINKABLE shares these two stories of strong women and how they wouldn't give up - therefore both can be labeled "unsinkable."

Violet is based on an actual woman - Violet Jessop and Daphne is a fictional character.

A slow start for me as I was putting the story line together, but Ms. Walsh's wonderful writing style pulled me in for a good read. 

The ending was satisfying, and of course I looked up Violet Jessop. 4/5

Thank you to the publisher for a copy of this book.  All opinions are my own.

Book Blogger Hop - 1/19 - 1/25/2024

Question of the Week:

 

Have you ever loved a book that everyone else hated or hated a book that everyone else loved? (submitted by Billy @ Coffee Addicted Writer)

 

My Answer:

Oh yes.

 

The only one I can think of is WHERE THE CRAWDADS SING - I couldn't get into it.

 

Can't think of one that I loved and no one else did.

Friendly Fill-Ins - 1/19/2024

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FRIENDLY FILL-INS:

 

1. I am glad I got rid of _______.

2. I wish I had kept _______.

3. _____ would be ______ if ______.

4. ______ is too close for comfort.

  MY ANSWERS:

1. I am glad I got rid of all the papers from when I was teaching.

2.  I wish I had kept the names of all the students I had had during the first few years I had taught.

3.  Winter would be great if I were in a place with warm temperatures.

4.  ??? is too close for comfort.

Daughters of Warsaw by Maria Frances

We meet Zofia in 1942 Warsaw as she works during the day at the Social Welfare Department and helps rescue children from the Warsaw Ghetto after work.
 
She risks her life and the life of her family as she works for The Resistance, but she says it is worth it if only one life can be saved.

We then meet Lizzie, the great granddaughter of Zofia present day who is heartbroken after yet another miscarriage.  She goes to her childhood home and finds photos of her grandmother hidden in a trunk in the attic.

The photos peak her curiosity about her ancestry, and she begins a mission to find out what her great grandmother did during the war.  She finds out secrets and about the dangerous life led by her grandmother.

DAUGHTERS OF WARSAW is a marvelous read with strong female characters and cements how people were willing to help others even if their lives were in danger during this dark times in history,

Beautiful writing and a pull-you-in story line that introduces us to Irena Sendler who worked as a nurse in the Polish Underground and saved Jewish children.  5/5

Thank you to the publisher for a copy of this book.  All opinions are my own.

 

Spotlight and Blog Tour of Her Silent Bones by Pamela Fagan Hutchins

PHOTO SOURCE:
TYPORAMA
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HER SILENT BONES

PAMELA FAGAN HUTCHINS

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ALL INFORMATION IN THIS POST IS COURTESY OF MYRTO KALAVREZOU | CAMPAIGNS MANAGER | BOOKOUTURE

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Fans of Mary Stone, Kendra Elliot, Robert Dugoni and C.J. Box will love this heart-racing and totally gripping thriller from USA Today bestselling author Pamela Fagan Hutchins

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January 16

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ABOUT HER SILENT BONES:

Fifteen years ago I watched my father’s murder.

Now, having never truly recovered from losing her father all those years ago, Detective Delaney Pace is devastated when her brother and sister-in-law are killed in a car crash. Packing up her life she heads back to the rugged cowboy town of Kearney, Wyoming. Her niece Kateena is just eleven years old and Delaney will do anything to keep her safe…

Now there’s another killer on the loose, and he’s already taken his first victim.

New to the local police force, when a body is found on a secluded mountain trail Delaney is called to the scene. Surrounded by imposing pine trees, a young woman lies still in the moonlight. Gazing into her dark, unblinking eyes Delaney’s heart pounds wildly in her chest as she recognizes the victim. It’s her beloved sister-in-law: Kateena’s mother, Lila. But she died weeks before. Didn’t she?

There’s evil lurking in this town and I’ll stop at nothing to hunt down the truth and deliver justice.

With Kateena traumatized all over again, when Delaney links Lila’s murder back to the place where her own father was killed she realizes she must face her own dark past to catch the man responsible. But little does she know that the killer has already made their next deadly move. Back at home, Kateena should be in bed sleeping soundly, but her room is empty. Kateena is missing… 

Can Delaney uncover the truth behind the killings and save Kateena before it’s too late?

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Pamela Fagan Hutchins is a USA Today bestselling and Silver Falchion Best Mystery winning mystery/thriller/suspense author (and recovering attorney and investigator) who splits her time between an off-the-grid lodge on the face of Wyoming's Bighorn Mountains and a rustic cabin on Maine’s Lake Mooselookmeguntic with her husband, kids and grandkids, rescue pets and sled dog, and draft cross horses.

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Purchase link for Her Silent Bones: https://geni.us/B0CNTJ46LMsocial 

Purchase link for Book 2, Her Hidden Grave (also out on 16th Jan) is here: https://geni.us/B0CNTG9NHRsocial 

And for Book 3, Her Last Cry (also out 16th Jan) is here: https://geni.us/B0CNTG15KDsocial

Only If You're Lucky by Stacy Willingham

Set on a college campus, we follow roommates, who live in a house connected to a frat house.

Margot is the narrator and used to be a very responsible girl until she met up with Lucy, Nicole, and Sloane.  Lucy was especially poisonous.

Margot also arrived at college three weeks after her high school friend had passed away. That hangs over the storyline the entire time, and she is the gist of the book.

The book goes back-and-forth when Margo’s friend was alive and then back-and-forth current day when they tell what happened before one of the frat guys is murdered and after he is murdered.…very confusing.

It did give you something to think about, though.

Do you really know your friends?

Do you really make the right choices for your friends?

Things did become revealed in the end, but ONLY IF YOU’RE LUCKY just didn't cut it for me. 

There is a huge twist at the end, but not enough to raise up my rating.

It was not a book that I wanted to get back to. The college antics simply dragged. 2/5

Thank you to the publisher for a copy of this book.  All opinions are my own.

 

Spotlight of The Magic All Around by Jennifer Moorman

PHOTO SOURCE:
TYPORAMA
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THE MAGIC ALL AROUND

JENNIFER MOORMAN

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ALL INFORMATION IN THIS POST IS COURTESY OF CHLOE MOORE OF WUNDERKIND PR.

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Full of family, magic, food, and culture, these books will enthrall you on the very first page.

 

Readers are taken along on journeys of self discovery with emotional twists and turns as both main characters seek to find their place in their world, dream bigger and perhaps find love. 

 

The books are perfect for those who love to explore the depths of family ties, tradition, and complicated mother/daughter relationships.

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January 16th, 2024  

Harper Muse

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PRAISE FOR JENNIFER MOORMAN'S BOOKS:

"The Baker's Man is a charming recipe of magic, romance, friendship, and the importance of staying true to yourself." —Heather Webber, USA TODAY bestselling author of Midnight at the Blackbird Café

"Combine four parts love, two parts excitement, a dash of humor, and a pinch of magic and you have Jennifer Moorman's delightful The Baker's Man. Moorman's sweet, heartfelt confection will please anyone looking for a charming, witty, utterly delectable read!"—Lauren K. Denton, USA TODAY bestselling author of The Hideaway and A Place to Land

“In the world of magical realism, Jennifer Moorman is an important new voice. She is a sensitive, engaging, quirky, and soulful storyteller. Her characters speak their truths only to inspire us, the reader, to embrace and respect our own true gifts.  As a lifelong fan of Alice Hoffman, I am adding Jennifer to a short list of writers who can carry the torch forward to a new generation.”—Jane Ubell-Meyer, founder of Bedside Reading

“A sweet, magical coming-of-age tale about the best and hardest parts of love and friendship and family.” —Amy Impellizzeri, award-winning author of Lemongrass Hope and I Know How This Ends

"Like a charming Hallmark movie with a dash of magic and a little mayhem, readers will instantly fall in love. Enchanting and magical, Jennifer Moorman charms her readers with a strong storyline that intertwines magic, romance, and more sugar than a cup of sweet tea on a warm summer night. With all the sweetness of romance, with a helping of extra, dark chocolate to keep things intense, readers will devour this enticing read like a slice of Anna's Dark Chocolate Oreo Tart."—Amy Shane,  Dixon's Independent Voice

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ABOUT THE MAGIC ALL AROUND:

The Russell family members all seem to have–gifts. 

Eldest sister Penelope naturally infuses strength or joy or love into the fabric of the dresses she designs as a seamstress. 

Her younger sister, Lilith, is never without whatever she needs—there’s always a person nearby who just happens to have an apartment available to rent, or a part-time job open, or a car to borrow just when they need it. 

And Lilith’s adult daughter, Mattie, always seems to trigger the perfect song to mysteriously start playing. 

And at the heart of the family is their old Victorian home that sometimes seems to have a personality in and of itself. 

When independent, artistic Mattie Russell finds herself back in the family home after her mother’s unexpected death, she has no intention of sticking around the small town. 

But during the reading of the will, the family is shocked to learn Lilith included a testamentary trust that requires Mattie to stay in Ivy Ridge long enough to complete a series of seemingly absurd tasks in order to claim her inheritance. 

While completing the tasks, Mattie discovers that her mother had a well-thought-out plan for her daughter that would lead Mattie to finding her birth father, learn to keep her heart open for love, and discover that staying still long enough to sow seeds can produce a stunning garden and vibrant life.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Born and raised in southern Georgia, where honeysuckle grows wild and the whippoorwills sing, Jennifer Moorman is the bestselling author of the magical realism Mystic Water series. 

 

Jennifer started writing in elementary school, crafting epic tales of adventure and love and magic. 

 

She wrote stories in Mead notebooks, on printer paper, on napkins, on the soles of her shoes. 

 

Her blog is full of dishes inspired by fiction, and she hosts baking classes showcasing these recipes. 

 

Jennifer considers herself a traveler, a baker, and a dreamer. 

 

She can always be won over with chocolate, unicorns, or rainbows. 

 

She believes in love—everlasting and forever.

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CONNECT WITH JENNIFER:

 

Website: www.jennifermoorman.com 

 

Instagram: @jenniferrmoorman

 

Facebook: Jennifer Moorman Books

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