All Things Hidden - A Book Review

All Things Hidden by Tracie Peterson and Kimberly Woodhouse is a well written historical fiction book that takes place in Alaska.  In 1935 during the great depression 200 families chosen by the government are sent to Alaska as pioneers to start a new colony.  The conditions are rough and many of the colonists face sicknesses and trials that they never expected.  Even though the Indian people that are native to the area offer their help, there are a few people that do not trust them and try to stir up trouble.

Gwyn Hillerman and her doctor father have lived and loved the Alaskan territory for years.  Gwyn's mom and sister abandoned them years earlier for Chicago and high society.  Gwyn also works along side her father as a nurse and she loves to serve others.  Even though Gwyn has a strong bond with her father she is constantly worrying and has a fear of being abandoned again.  She does not accept change well and the thought of her beloved Alaska becoming civilized brings on a whole new set of fears and worries.

Jeremiah is a young dedicated doctor living in Chicago.  When he loses a patient and his medical license is stripped from him, he finds his life turned upside down.  The beautiful Sophia whom he is engaged to quickly calls off their engagement when she learns of the loss of his medical license because she does not want it to reflect badly on her.  On top of that Jeremiah's parents turn their back on him as well.  When he hears that Dr. Hillerman is in need of a doctor to help him in Alaska Jeremiah decides to go.  He also decides to keep the fact that his license was suspended a secret.  On top of that he decides not to mention that his former fiance was Gwyn's sister.

Then there is the terrible bank robber that also heads to Alaska to hide out and soon sets his sites on Gwyn.  There is lots of suspense including murders, natural disasters, prejudices and so much more.  The story is a mixture of romance, action
and historical facts that all together make for an excellent book.  I loved that the authors included true historical facts at the end of the book and I found it quite interesting to learn about a piece of history that I had no prior knowledge of before reading this book.

I'd love to read more about Gwyn and Jeremiah and hope this book will be the beginning of a series.

***This book was provided to me by the publisher in exchange for my review.

Echoes of Mercy - A Book Review

Kim Vogel Sawyer has officially become my favorite author.  I have never read a book of hers that I didn't like and lately I have absolutely loved every one.  She never disappoints me and she has a style of writing the speaks straight to my heart.    I love the way she combines history, romance, action and faith.

Echoes of Mercy is my favorite book of hers yet.  At least for now anyway.  I'm sure that I'll say the same thing about her next book because each one seems to get better and better.

Caroline is an undercover agent who works to stop child labor in factories.  After a previous agent turns up dead while on assignment Caroline takes his place at the Dinsmore Chocolate Factory.  Her job is to investigate the death to see if there was foul play and finish the job that he started.  She quickly finds out the the factory manager is a rotten scoundrel who likes to bully the workers, especially the women.

Ollie Moore is also a new worker at the factory.  Even though he is just a janitor he is very friendly and seems well educated.  He becomes a quick ally to Caroline (who goes by Carri while undercover).  He joins forces with her and helps her investigate the death of the "previous worker".  There are sparks igniting between the two of them, but it seems as if they both of them have secret identities.  When they find out the truth about each other will they be able to pursue their relationship or will their differences be to much to overcome?

There is so much more to this story line than what I can write about in a short review.  Believe me when I say this is an excellent book that is so well written.

Even though it is a historical fiction story it is rooted in true events from history.  I love it when an author takes true events and writes a well written story that could easily of fit into that time period.

***This book was provided to me by the publisher through the Blogging for Books book review program in exchange for my review.