Sarah Sundin's Anchor in the Storm ~ Reviewed

ANCHOR IN THE STORM
Sarah Sundin
Series: Waves of Freedom (Book 2)
Paperback: 400 pages
Publisher: Revell (May 3, 2016)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0800723430

Description:

One Plucky Female Pharmacist + One High-Society Naval Officer = Romance--and Danger

For plucky Lillian Avery, America's entry into World War Ii means a chance to prove herself as a pharmacist in Boston. The challenges of her new job energize her. But society boy Ensign Archer Vandenberg's attentions only annoy--even if he is her brother's best friend.

During the darkest days of the war, Arch's destroyer hunts German U-boats in vain as the submarines sink dozens of merchant ships along the East Coast. Still shaken by battles at sea, Arch notices his men also struggle with their nerves--and with drowsiness. Could there be a link to the large prescriptions for sedatives Lillian has filled? The two work together to answer that question, but can Arch ever earn Lillian's trust and affection?

Sarah Sundin brings World War Ii to life, offering readers an intense experience they won't soon forget.



Review: 

Anchor in the Storm takes place during World War II. Lillian Avery is a young woman who has studied to be a pharmacist and has persevered through many ordeals, including the loss of a leg at a young age, resulting in wearing a prosthesis. This has caused her to keep to herself and not trust any man, after a bad experience she had in college. Arch Vandenberg is best friends with Lillian's brother, Jim. He is an Ensign in the Navy, and the heir to the Vandenberg fortune, which he is trying to get away from. He has an immediate attraction to Lillian, but soon realizes that not only is she not interested in him, but the lure of his fortune means nothing to her. That is refreshing to Arch, who is used to women wanting him just for his money. Through his experiences on a Navy destroyer and Lillian's observations in the pharmacy she is working at, they discover a drug ring and attempt to work together to bring it down.

I loved this book. The storyline flowed well, the characters were great, and I loved the time period. There were some twists and turns I didn't expect that made it even more interesting, and, of course, the budding romance between Lillian and Arch. This is a great book. I highly recommend it!

Reviewed by: Sarah Meyers

Michelle Griep's The Captive Heart ~ Reviewed

The Captive Heart
Michelle Griep
Paperback: 320 pages
Publisher: Shiloh Run Press; Gld edition (October 1, 2016)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1634097831


Description: 

Proper English governess Eleanor Morgan flees to the colonies to escape the wrath of a brute of an employer. When the Charles Town family she’s to work for never arrives to collect her from the dock, she is forced to settle for the only reputable choice remaining to her—marriage to a man she’s never met. Trapper and tracker Samuel Heath is a hardened survivor used to getting his own way by brain or by brawn, and he’s determined to find a mother for his young daughter. But finding a wife proves to be impossible. No upstanding woman wants to marry a murderer.


Review: 

Michelle Griep knows how to get a reader's attention from page one. We open the page to find Eleanor panicked over the worst of scenarios. She has stepped well over her position and is going to pay a consequence she cannot afford. The lesser of two evils is thrown at her like a rope to a drowning woman and she grasps hold. This rope takes her to an unknown land across a foreboding body of water and a journey through a near hell in the belly of a ship. 

When she arrives her placement evaporates and she is quickly joined in marriage to a frightening man. An angry half-wild man who is looking for a mother for his child, nothing more. Bound by societal rules she has no choice but to go with him to the virtual wilderness. Only trained to be a governess she has no training in cooking, or even the proper clothing. 

As the plot thickens, Samuel's truth is slowly revealed, as are his enemies. Eleanor is forced to protect Samuel's child from new-to-Eleanor terrors and she has to face the possibility that this little one might need protection from her own father. 

Griep can write a beast of a bad guy. Whew. And she always manages to torture her heroes. I'm not even kidding you. Every one of her novels there is a secondary character who gets a royal beating at best, or a tragic death at worst. This one is no different. People die in Griep's novels, yet it is impossible for me not to finish one. 

I loved a couple of story line's that were nice little teasers and sure hope their stories end up being shared in future books. If you love historical romance this little gem is right up your alley. Especially if you don't mind a dead character or two. Shoot. Maybe I don't want her to write the other stories, more people will die, and the townsfolk are pretty charming. 

Reviewed by: Kelly Klepfer