Set against the tapestry of a changing China, All the Flowers in Shanghai is an epic story about love, forgiveness, choices, and consequences. Feng is a vulnerable girl, happy to be the second-born without the pressures of her older sister. Feng’s abrupt removal from her peaceful life drew me into the story, evoking my sympathy and capturing my attention. The narrative, which covers several decades, is touching and gripping, but the story is not without faults. The primary expectation of Feng is that she will produce a male heir. The details surrounding this responsibility were entirely too graphic. As many of you know, I often review Christian fiction titles for this site, so I feel I must warn you about the descriptive scenes found in this book. While I am glad I finished the story, I was close to putting the book down on multiple occasions. Although I could have done without these scenes, I appreciated the historical context and the real consequences that Feng faced because of her actions. While Feng’s bitterness is understandable, her heartless choices are devastating. As the years go by, Feng moves forward, finding a measure of happiness, but a reckoning awaits. In the end, Feng must learn to live with her choices, while searching for peace in the midst of a country engulfed in a fast-moving revolution.

All the Flowers in Shanghai is a fascinating novel, and one I enjoyed. Although I recommend it with caution, Duncan Jepson has created a moving story and a dramatic glimpse into a world that is far removed from our own.

Lauren is a wife, mother of two, and an avid reader. She thanks William Morrow for the review copy of this book. Lauren blogs at Baseballs and Bows.

In Chasing Mona Lisa, Gabi and her beloved Eric travel into France near the end of the German occupation. Throughout the war, German officers have stolen valuable art from the French, but the top prize, the Mona Lisa remains safe. With the clock ticking, Reichsmarschall Hermann Göring is determined to find the beloved painting, and Gabi and Eric find themselves in a race to save the treasure.

As usual, Tricia and Mike masterfully blend intriguing historic details with a thrilling plot and interesting characters. Everyone wants to find the painting, and although many of the characters have good intentions, their personal relationships and alliances add to the suspenseful twists and turns throughout the story. For fans of historical fiction, Chasing Mona Lisa is a fantastic read. Goyer and Yorkey captured my attention from page one, and I enjoyed following Gabi and Eric’s adventure while learning fascinating information about World War II. Chasing Mona Lisa is exactly what historical fiction should be.

I am excited to say that we have TWO giveaway copies to share with you. Please leave a comment if you are interested in winning.

• The winner of Cherry Blossom Capers is #10 Linda Kish.

Don’t miss a thing: Check out our current giveaways. Subscribe to our feed or video reviews on YouTube. Follow us @5M4B on Twitter or on Facebook.

*****

Additionally, you can help Gabi and Eric protect the Mona Lisa by entering The Chasing Mona Lisa Giveaway!

One passionate protector will receive:

• iTouch (The must-have device for any spy. Camera, Maps & Music.)
• Starbucks Gift Card (For all those late nights.)
• Moleskin Notebook (For those important notes.)
• Invisible Ink Pen (Don’t want anyone reading those important notes.)
• Chasing Mona Lisa by Tricia Goyer & Mike Yorkey (Great handbook and intriguing tale for any spy-in-training!)

Enter today by clicking one of the icons below. But hurry, the giveaway ends at noon on January 31st. The winner will be announced at the Chasing Mona Lisa Facebook Party on 1/31. Tricia and Mike will be hosting an author chat (on Facebook and Live from Tricia’s website) and giving away their books and a Book Club prize pack! (Ten copies of the book for your small group or book club AND a LIVE Author Chat for your group with Tricia and Mike.)

So grab your copy of Chasing Mona Lisa and join Tricia and Mike on the evening of the 31st for an author chat, spy training (do you know how to pick a lock?) and lots of giveaways. 

Don’t miss a moment of the fun. RSVP today and tell your friends via FACEBOOK or TWITTER and increase your chances of winning. Hope to see you on the 31st!

Lauren is a wife, mother of two, and an avid reader. She blogs at Baseballs and Bows.

The slaves and the plantation’s family are tied together in more ways than just the master-slave relationship (as was often the case). As slaves and owners deal with demons from the past, tensions on the plantation reach a boiling point. Lydia depends on the wise slaves in the loom room for guidance and support, but the pain and frustrations seem more than she is able to bear. Lydia leaves everything she knows to chase freedom. With her light skin, she is able to pass as a white woman, and she uses this to her advantage. When she agrees to marry a neighboring plantation owner, her deception leads to a series of problems, causing her to risk her own life and the lives of those she loves.

Although I thought that some parts of this story were poorly developed and tenuous, the subject matter and the relationships between the characters were fascinating to me. Whether the characters were black or white, the relationships they developed and the choices they made led to an interesting look at slavery and the many issues surrounding it. Additionally, Lydia’s pursuit of her greatest desire and her deceitful actions opened the door to potential disaster. Isn’t it true that we often think we want something until we get it?

The Loom is a fast-paced novel, and a fine debut from Shella Gillus. While I did think some parts of the plot were underdeveloped, I enjoyed the novel, and I look forward to more works by this new author.

Lauren is a wife, mother of two, and an avid reader. She thanks Summerside Press for the review copy of this book. Lauren blogs at Baseballs and Bows.

Unfortunately, the oldest boy of the current Goddess-incarnation, Ariadne’s brother, is disfigured, misformed, gigantic, mentally-simple, and as a result is viewed as a monster. Kept in rooms beneath the palace because he is a menace to others, his attempts at playing with other children have resulted in their deaths. From this has sprung the legend of the Minotaur. “It isn’t true what they say about my brother—that he ate those children,” begins the prologue. “He never did; he didn’t mean to even hurt them. He wept…”

Meanwhile, we turn to Theseus’ point of view. He’s grown up different from the other boys in his home town, and his mother claims he was sired by a god. One day he finds things left to him by his father—an old sword, a pair of sandals—and sets out to find the truth. When he discovers he is the son of the king of Athens, a man who looks bored and a new queen who looks murderous, he embellishes his adventures along the way. They in turn send him off to Krete, where he plots to overthrow the government, only to find out it’s not what he thought it was. It’s all too easy to see how fact can turn into myth.

Tracy Barrett’s retelling of the myth of Theseus and the Minotaur is inspired. She looks dispassionately at where the myth could have sprung form, and comes up with a plausible origin. She even comes up with a new twist on the story of Medueus, who famously killed her own children. Along the way, she includes plenty of historic settings and glimpses into ancient religions. I found Dark of the Moon really well-done. It has wide appeal—anyone who enjoys a well-told tale, not only those interested in myths and legends or history, will like it. I highly recommend it.

“It was a good book—nicely told and very interesting,” says Ilsa, 14. “I liked how creative it was, and I liked seeing things from a different point of view. I liked the character of Ariadne, and how she dealt with conflicts in her life.”

Tracy Barrett is also the author of King of Ithaka, an imaginative retelling of the Odyssey from the point of view of Odysseus’ son Telemachos. I hope she continues to bring her outlook and fresh perspective to bear on other myths and legends; I look forward to reading more from her.

Elizabeth loves books that offer a fresh look at old tales. Read more at her blog Planet Nomad.

Wonderland Creek by Lynn Austin is Alice’s story. I confess that I am a Lynn Austin fan, so I was bound to like this story from the beginning. As usual, Austin has crafted an engaging storyline, charming characters, and a touch of suspense. I have to say, however, that I was surprised by the humor. As soon as I started the book, I was laughing! I also related easily to Alice. She is naive, she enjoys her easy life, and she interprets the world through the pages of her books. When thrown into an extremely challenging living situation, she whimpers and whines at first (sadly, I would probably do this). But Alice determines to make the best of things and meets the challenges with gusto (I hope I would do this as well).

Wonderland Creek is a delightful novel. If you are a fan of Christian fiction or historical fiction, I highly recommend it to you. Lynn Austin is one of Christian fiction’s best writers, and Wonderland Creek is a unique and enjoyable addition to her collection of titles.

We have one copy of Wonderland Creek to give to one of you. Please leave a comment if you are interested.

• The winner of The Book of (Holiday) Awesome, a great host or hostess gift, is #4 RiTa.
• The winner of Three Cups, a book to encourage kids to give and save, is #3 Annette W.

Don’t miss a thing: Check out our current giveaways. Subscribe to our feed or video reviews on YouTube. Follow us @5M4B on Twitter or on Facebook.

Lauren is a wife, mother of two, and an avid reader. She thanks Bethany House for the review copy of this book. Lauren blogs at Baseballs and Bows.

In The Unexpected Miss Bennet, author Patrice Sarath provides readers with the opportunity to visit Jane, Lizzy, Mary, Kitty, and Lydia one more. As the story opens, Jane and Bingley are living in London, Lizzy and Darcy are at Pemberley, and Lydia is far away, banished with Wickham. Kitty and Mary are left at home. Kitty is interested in society and eager to enter London’s social scene with the help of Jane, but shy Mary is not expected to follow suit. Although she prefers piano and books to balls and suitors, Mary worries about life as a spinster. Determined to give Mary a chance at happiness, Lizzy invites Mary to Pemberley for a season. During this time, Mary explores an independence that is new to her. As she learns about herself and her own desires, Mary surprises everyone, including well-known characters such as Mr. Collins and Lady Catherine de Bourgh.

The Unexpected Miss Bennet is a delightful continuation of Pride and Prejudice. At times, I felt that the author tried to copy Miss Austen’s style too closely (and who can truly copy Jane Austen?), but reading the novel felt like a visit with old friends. When I think of the Bennet sisters as depticted by Jane Austen, Mary and Kitty are the least memorable. I enjoyed following along as Patrice Sarath developed Mary into an accomplished young woman. I appreciated that most of the characters from Pride and Prejudice appeared in the tale, some with more prominent roles, and I thought the new characters added to the appeal as well.

The weather is colder–it is the perfect time to snuggle with a good book. The Unexpected Miss Bennet is a wonderful choice, and it would make a great gift for an Austen fan.

We have a copy to give away to one of you (U.S. and Canadian addresses eligible). Please leave a comment if you’d like to win. We’ll announce the winner in our giveaway column on December 14.

The winner of Hurry Less, Worry Less at Christmas is #6 Joy. If you didn’t win I (Jennifer) highly recommend that you buy this short but sweet guide paperback or ebook.

Don’t miss a thing: Check out our current giveaways. Subscribe to our feed or video reviews on YouTube. Follow us @5M4B on Twitter or on Facebook.

Lauren is a wife, mother of two, and an avid reader. She thanks Penguin Group for the review copy of this book. Lauren blogs at Baseballs and Bows.

Most of the book is the story of Hanna, a woman with synthesia who “hears” colours. Occasionally we slip back to modern-day Laurel and Isabella. I loved that Isabella did not know all of her mother’s story. Usually in books like this, it seems that somehow the modern person knows everything that happened, and that’s not how life works, especially with someone like Hanna, who was a reticent person not given to spilling her thoughts and emotions.

We follow Hanna’s life, from her ‘escape’ from her parents’ farm to working as a maid in the home of rich Jewish art collector and gallery owner Moses Fleischmann. Hanna becomes a personal maid to Fleischmann’s second wife, the sickly Helene, and fills her free time life-modeling at a nearby art school where she meets some of the same artists who come for dinner at Fleischmann’s. After Helene dies, Hanna and Moses fall in love and honeymoon in Italy. Hanna, educated in art by Moses, becomes an expert in modern art. She works in the gallery and has personal relationships with such luminaries as Kandinsky and Franz Marc. She is also the one to turn down a young, aspiring artist, whose work isn’t up to par and lacks vision. She remembers his name; A. Hitler.

Hanna and Moses have one son who is mentally handicapped. After her return from a visit to her sister in America, on which she meets a young Swiss banker and art lover, she gives birth to a daughter, Isabella.

As the storms of Hitler’s rise to power gather on the horizon, Hanna takes her children to America to live with her sister and returns to take care of Moses, whose health is failing. Although she longs to join her children in America, leaving Germany proves difficult. She’s caught up in Hitler’s regime and reverts to her maiden name, Schmid. Hitler, of course, hated modern art—viewed it as Jewish and subversive and vulgar—and promoted “wholesome” art of country scenes and such. Under his rule, thousands of priceless paintings were destroyed, while others were stolen and claimed by the Nazis.

Did Hanna help the Nazis steal art or not? Laurel, hearing bits and pieces from Isabella, still isn’t sure, and she continues to look for clues in the tale.

The Woman Who Heard Color makes it clear that circumstances can force people into making less-than-ideal choices, yet holds out the ideal that one can always choose the best within limited possibilities. Hanna emerges as a courageous, spirited, and quick-thinking woman. It’s a thoughtful book, rich in history, and an engrossing read. I thoroughly enjoyed it.

A word on the cover. I’m pretty sure that the art department was told “This is a book about a young woman who life-modeled and loves art” and the person in charge of the book cover never cracked the manuscript open. I can, off-hand, think of several covers that would have been better—atmospheric pictures of Germany in WWII, or perhaps something by Klimt or Kandinsky, or someone looking at pictures in a gallery. All these would have had something to do with the actual story-line. Also I advise you to ignore the quote on the cover by Nicolas Sparks—this book isn’t a silly romance, but a serious novel. I think Hanna Schmid Fleischmann would have hated the cover. But don’t let that stop you from reading this excellent book.

Elizabeth thinks you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover but she does it all the time anyway. Read more at her blog Planet Nomad.

Claire Laurent is a young, talented artist. Unfortunately, her father forces her to work as a forger to support their family. After a break-in that leaves her father injured, Claire flees from New Orleans to Nashville. She finds herself in a strange city with no one to turn to for support. After spending the night in a church, Claire learns of an opportunity to work for Adelicia Acklen, one of Nashville’s wealthiest women. With the help of the local minister and his wife, Claire is hired as Mrs. Acklen’s personal liasion. Even though Mrs. Acklen is willing to offer Claire new opportunities, her other employees are not happy about Claire’s new role. They love Mrs. Acklen and are determined to protect her and her wealth, which happens to include a vast art collection. Mrs. Acklen’s attorney, Sutton Monroe, is particularly worried about Claire’s presence, and he vows to look into her background. Claire works to prove herself a worthy and devoted employee, while also hiding the secrets from her past.

The storyline of this novel is fast-paced and captivating. The characters are believable and well-developed. The setting, post-Civil War Nashville, is depicted with great detail (I live in the Nashville area, so I especially appreciated the historical accuracy). Although the main characters are fictional, Adelicia Acklen did live in Nashville, and her home, the Belmont Mansion, is preserved on the campus of Belmont University. While I have seen the exterior of the mansion, I can’t wait to tour it so I can learn more about Adelicia Acklen and explore the setting of the novel (I need to see if it matches the images in my mind!). Tamera Alexander has written a beautiful, compelling story, and I highly recommend it. I eagerly await the second book in the Belmont Mansion series!

Tamera is celebrating the release of A Lasting Impression with a Facebook party and a Kindle Fire giveaway. Be sure to click on the image below for more details.

Lauren is a wife, mother of two, and an avid reader. She thanks Litfuse Publishing and Bethany House for the review copy of this book. Lauren blogs at Baseballs and Bows.