#bookreviewblog – Rosepoint Publishing

Orphan Train by Christina Baker Kline #AudiobookReview #bookclub #TuesdayBookBlog

A Heartfelt Historical Novel Spanning Generations and Friendship

Nominee

The upper midwest experienced a bad T-storm that resulted in lots of tree loss, roads closed, and power outages, including our area residences and businesses. That included the YMCA where we missed having our regularly scheduled book club meeting last week. Rescheduled for this week, we had a smaller group than usual, but as always, a lively group.

This book club selection was a Goodreads Choice Award Nominee as well as a #1 New York Times bestseller. The author has eight bestsellers, has been published in forty countries, and is a prestigious award winner. (Not all of the books we’ve read for book club have been out for more than ten years, but I’ve become aware that few were recently released. They’ve stood the test of time and prevail on the charts.)

My Thoughts

Molly Ayer is about to age out of the foster care system and good riddance! Busted again for a minor theft, she is given the option of community service and she chooses to help an elderly woman clean out her attic. The woman is ninety-one and doesn’t want to part with anything, but as they go through boxes and share stories, the more Molly realizes that despite being generations apart, they have very similar experiences.

Vivian Daly lives in Maine, an Irish immigrant orphaned in New York City. A young red-headed Irish girl back when that was not cool, she was deemed a difficult adoption prospect and sent with others on the orphan train out west where the train stopped for prospective parents. Granted, many had no intention of being parents; their objective was to obtain young, free labor services.

Molly is a Penobscot Indian, unwelcome and abandoned young, who has also been in and out of foster homes, a couple of which she had to flee. She’s developed attitude, hardened to life, cynical. Both of them have questions about their past and harbor secrets.

It’s an epic tale told in emotional description, a story sincere and genuine, and it plays out with unexpected revelation.

Many thanks to our local well-stocked library for providing me with the opportunity to read this novel. The thoughts expressed here are my own as well as my interpretation of the consensus of the book club participants.

Book Club Thoughts

The publisher provided the questions for discussion at the book club, and we tackled Orphan Train after a quick introduction to next month’s book and interesting information about that author.

Among questions for discussion were:

► Both characters experienced several name changes depending on who or where they were—contrasted—the group acknowledged both had similar experiences with either their names being changed for convenience and ease of clarity or of their own choice (the marriage of Vivian). The impact of those changes probably impacted Vivian more so at the beginning, but both names reflected their heritage, a larger degree of identity loss.

► Vivian’s ghosts were a recurring theme in her POV (told as first person, while Molly’s POV was third). As Vivian was portrayed as a 91-year-old with many years of experiences, much of the story regarded her childhood.

► Interesting that adoption included the promise to send the child to both school and the church of their choice—which didn’t happen for either child and included debate whether or not it was either child choice or whether or not they cared. Yes on the education.

****SPOILER***

► Was the reader surprised by Vivian giving up a baby when her own childhood was that of an orphan? YES! But discussion led to much observation between social services back then and now, which would have been handled much differently. Still, it was an unsettling twist.

Memorable Quote:

Sometimes you don’t look for perfect. Sometimes enough is the most you can hope for.”

The heritage of both children set off an extended discussion of the current strides in DNA and interest in ancestral history. That discussion could have continued much longer were we not required to vacate the room.

Book Club and my star ratings

Book Details:

Publisher: Mariner Books
Publication Date: April 2, 2013

Title Link(s):

Amazon-US | Amazon-UK | Barnes & Noble | Kobo

The Author: A #1 New York Times bestselling author of eight novels, including The Exiles, Orphan Train, and A Piece of the World, Christina Baker Kline is published in 40 countries. Her novels have received the New England Prize for Fiction, the Maine Literary Award, and a Barnes & Noble Discover Award, among other prizes, and have been chosen by hundreds of communities, universities and schools as “One Book, One Read” selections. Her essays, articles, and reviews have appeared in publications such as the New York Times and the NYT Book Review, the Boston Globe, the San Francisco Chronicle, LitHub, Psychology Today, Poets & Writers, and Salon. Born in England and raised in the American South and Maine, Kline is a graduate of Yale (B.A.), Cambridge (M.A.) and the University of Virginia (M.F.A.), where she was a Hoyns Fellow in Fiction Writing.

Kline lives in NYC and Southwest Harbor, Maine. She serves on the advisory boards of the Center for Fiction (NY), the Jesup Library (Bar Harbor, ME), the Montclair Literary Festival (NJ), the Kauai Writers Festival (HI), and Roots & Wings (NJ), and on the gala committees of Poets & Writers (NY), The Authors Guild (NY) and Friends of Acadia (ME). She is an Artist-Mentor for StudioDuke at Duke University and the BookEnds program at Stony Brook University.

The YMCA Book Club

It’s Not Her by Mary Kubica #AudiobookReview #crimethrillers #TuesdayBookBlog

Book Blurb:

AN INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER AND GOODREADS TOP THRILLER OF 2026!

A scream shatters the silence…
Courtney Gray’s peaceful vacation turns into a nightmare when she discovers her brother and sister-in-law dead in their lakeside cottage. Her niece Reese is missing. Her nephew Wyatt is asleep upstairs—unharmed.

A town full of secrets…
As police swarm the quiet resort, dark truths about Courtney’s family—and the town itself—begin to surface. Is Reese a victim… or the killer?

A truth no one saw coming…
With everyone hiding something, Courtney races to uncover the terrible mystery. But the closer she gets, the harder it is to know who—or what—to trust.

My Review:

Is this Mary Kubica trying too hard? Okay, well, when I read She’s Not Sorry in 2025, I said I’d try another, but the hook at the beginning didn’t live up to the level at the end.

Getting into the heart of the story where multiple twists started happening was a bit deja vue. The POVs suggested contradictions meant to lead to suspicious narrators.

While the plot kept my attention well enough, I kept thinking, wait—Courtney just lost her brother and sister-in-law (also her best friend) in a horrific murder scene. Her brother! I couldn’t get past that she didn’t react in a normal way that would or should have elicited. And a missing teenage niece, yes, bad enough. And the nephew slept through it? Really?

Can’t trust the narrators or apparently anyone else in this narrative. They are all highly suspicious, made to appear more so with unexpected actions or inappropriate dialogue. I didn’t trust Courtney either, for that matter.

I guess the plot moved fast enough to provoke mountains of skepticism, confusion, secrets, and too many twists for me. The main characters are well developed, to the point where they generate a healthy distrust of any motive. The lake and cabins, remote location, generate a creepy vibe and it’s all engaging and entertaining.

Then the last twist hits. Way OTT. At least for me. If you’re a fan of Kubica, then you may very well enjoy the tension-filled novel, at least until the end.

Many thanks to my local library for providing me with the opportunity to listen to and review this audiobook. The thoughts expressed here are my own.

Rosepoint Publishing: Three point Five Stars

Book Details:

Genre: Psychological Fiction, Crime Thrillers, Domestic Thrillers
Publisher: Park Row Books
Narrators: Jennifer Jill Araya, Brittany Pressley, Gary Tiedemann
Release Date: February 3, 2026

Title Links:

Amazon-US | Amazon-UK | Barnes & Noble | Kobo

The Author: Mary Kubica is a New York Times bestselling author of suspense thrillers including The Good Girl, The Other Mrs., and Local Woman Missing. Her books have been translated into over thirty languages and have sold over two million copies worldwide. She’s been described as “a helluva storyteller” (Kirkus) and “a writer of vice-like control” (Chicago Tribune), and her novels have been praised as “hypnotic” (People) and “thrilling and illuminating” (L.A. Times). She lives outside of Chicago with her husband and children.

Visit Mary at http://www.marykubica.com/

Audiobooks

Broken Country, Whistler, Nothing Ventured, Surviving Savannah–Audiobook Mini-Reviews –– #LiteraryFiction #HistoricalFiction #TBT

Here are four more short reviews of audiobooks that will hopefully pique your interest. (Links on individual covers are to Amazon.)

Broken Country by Clare Leslie Hall

A Reese Book Club selection
A 2026 Audie Award Finalist for Fiction
Goodreads Choice Award Nominee for Readers’ Favorite Historical Fiction (2025)
Nominee for Readers’ Favorite Audiobook (2025)
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio
Narrator: Hattie Morahan

Ah, first love, now a thing of her past. Gabriel Wolfe was Beth’s first love and is now a successful writer who moved back to her rural community where she is married to Frank. Frank is a hard-working, caring, and devoted man who unfortunately bears the searing guilt of the loss of their son.

It’s also unfortunate that Gabriel has a son who is at the age that her son would have been, had he lived. She can’t help but be drawn to him. The problem that might foster, however, will weave an emotional, tension-filled storyline that grows with each chapter as it recreates that first love affair in a balancing act with the love she feels for Frank.

There is a split timeline, eloquently describing that earlier time with the present as secrets unravel a tale of tragedy and guilt and, ultimately, forgiveness.

The characters are fully developed, full of nuance, and the plot flows smoothly. The love triangle brought out a less attractive side of Beth and my sympathy went to Frank.

Whistler by Ann Patchett
Publisher: Harper
Narrator: Ann Patchett

Amazon Charts #9 this week

Sometimes those random happenings are not coincidences. Maybe it’s true—there are no coincidences. Everything happens for a reason. Such is the plot of this beautifully written story about Daphne Fuller and Eddie Triplett. Eddie was her step-father for two years during her childhood, whom she had come to love as deeply as a biological father.

It was purely by accident that Daphne was visiting the Metropolitan Museum of Art when he happened to be there and recognized the adult of the child who had truly been his daughter for such a short time.

The profound impact of their shared relationship stayed with both and now won’t be separated. Ever again. It’s a story of found familial relationships and the story of a horse named Whistler.

The characters feel real and as they share their stories of the past forty years, the narrative layers successes and losses, secrets and revelations. Daphne discovers the sudden absence of Eddie was not her fault..

It’s a lovely celebration of the memories and histories that shape us, the people who make a sincere and lasting impact, and that love never truly fades.

Nothing Ventured by Jeffrey Archer
Publisher: Macmillan Audio
Narrator: George Blagden

I struggled with this one. Big time. Somehow the character of William Warwick just didn’t click with me. Warwick joins London’s Metropolitan Police Force instead of being a lawyer like papa.

Lucky or well connected, he starts his first big case in Scotland Yard’s arts and antiquities squad. A blessing really as he has an uncanny knowledge of fine art. What follows is a romp in the art world, which did interest me, and the world of forging and art traffickers. Goodness!

Throw in the romance and a light-hearted, fast-paced almost tongue-in-cheek police procedural and you have the making of a new series for the author.

While the world of art history and forgery kept my attention, it tended to seriously wane with the balance of the book, creating some implausible situations or threads not tied off. Not sure this is one for me although I understand the author has quite the history and fan base. You might well enjoy.

Surviving Savannah by Patti Callahan
Publisher: Penguin Audio
Narrators: Brittany Pressley, Catherine Taber, Patti Callahan

Love it when I get into the history of these old ships! The Pulaski, then known as “the Titanic of the South,” sank off the coast of North Carolina in 1838. She was carrying some well-known and wealthy residents of Savannah. The novel is written with a dual timeline—1838 and the present.

Everly Winthrop is a curator and will help in the museum collection consisting of artifacts recovered from the sunken steamship. It’s been 180 years, but there are a lot of mysteries surrounding the sinking and the loss of so many passengers and crew.

Everly’s research uncovered a known survivor and her niece. Is it possible she can combine a human story to add to her curation of artifacts? The storylines of both timelines kept my interest, especially the older one with Augusta and Lily, the explosion and their survival in such detail it’ll have you gasping sea water.

I really enjoyed the details of the Pulaski and the stories of the women of the era. Everly is approached by Oliver, engaged to Mora when she died, a best friend of Everly who has not gotten over the accident that killed Mora and is deeply conflicted to be working with Oliver on the project, with whom she must admit attraction. The narrative is well paced and plotted, though once again, I could have done without the requisite romance, which side-tracked somewhat the main plot theme for me.

Whistler was released June 2, 2026; one of the other three in 2025, and the others are older.

Many thanks to my local library for providing me with the opportunity to listen to these audiobooks. Any opinion expressed here is my own.

Audiobook heaven

The Final Target, The Keeper, Yesteryear, Buckeye—Audiobook Mini-Reviews -–#HistorialFiction #Suspense #TuesdayBookBlog

Four short reviews of audiobooks on one page; short, sweet, and that hopefully will pique your interest. (Links on individual covers are to Amazon.)

Quite the variety of genres in the books below as well as authors but all unique and recommendable! Give a peek into each.

Take a peek!

The Final Target by Nora Roberts
Publisher: Macmillan Audio
Narrator: January LaVoy

Arden is a successful debut author being stalked by a wannabe. Or is it worse than that? Dustin is totally obsessed. Following an assault, he is sent away but absence only appears to make his heart angrier and more determined. He’ll find her wherever she went.

Arden is a strong, independent character and meets Gideon in her new location. They form a loving, relaxed relationship that doesn’t overpower the suspense dwelling in the background.

Including Dustin’s POV provides a sense of tension and desperation. Of course, he feels he is intellectually superior and has everything planned out. She’ll be his to do as he bids.

It’s a suspense thriller that’ll be hard for you to put down. Of course, I’ve long been a Nora Roberts fan. You too?

Suspense fans? Thriller fans? It doesn’t get much more thrillerish than this one. Totally recommended.

The Keeper by Tana French
Publisher: Penguin Audio
Narrator: Roger Clark

This is the third book in the Cal Hooper trilogy (read #2, The Hunter back in 2024 and The Searcher before that). If you read Tana French, you know her books can tend to get…lengthy. That is because she loves to write long-winded Guinness-driven discussions by the good ole boys in the local pub. I’ve said before, she might be a master of thrillers, but she is definitely a mistress of dialogue. I listen to the audiobooks to get that Irish flavor and obviously I can listen to it for quite some time.

As with the first and second, this tale is wholly atmospheric. You can live between these pages, lost in the characters. Even if you didn’t start with the first installment, these characters will grow on you. Well, maybe not everyone, but I learned to love them all and watched with interest the growth and maturity of Trey. Cal Hooper is the ex-Chicago PD detective well out of his element but thrust into the center of Ardnakelty business anyway.

This time, young, soon-to-be-engaged Rachel Holohan goes missing and turns up in the river. Dead.

The gossip runs rampant. The whole village in arms and divisive in theory. Deeply descriptive prose has you feeling the chill of the fog, the collision of sentiments. Such an immersive story and sad to see the end to this series. If you haven’t read it yet—yeah—it’s long but delightfully easy listening.

Yesteryear by Caro Claire Burke
Publisher: Random House Audio
Narrator: Rebecca Lowman

A debut novel that sparked a lot of controversy over whether it was meant to be a satire–or not. What you thought you were getting, you weren’t. I was interested in the premise, not really a new one, but definitely deceived.

Natalie has created a lifestyle and made herself a controversial influencer by adopting a “traditional” family, living the good life. But it’s a front and a front she detests. That includes the kids (all six of them), her husband, the whole scene, her eight million followers (particularly “the angry women.” If only they could see behind the scenes. That kitchen? A front. All those homecooked meals? Yeah, she has a cook, nanny for the kids, and the farm is not particularly idyllic either.

It’s okay if she doesn’t like anyone. The reader doesn’t like her either. She’s nasty and whiny.

So does she get her comeuppance when she wakes up in 1855 to an old farmhouse where the bathroom is a hike outside, the kids are dirty and she must (gasp!) care for them, her husband is exhausted and worn and never was exciting in bed. She has to cook on what? Wash clothes in a wash tub? Are you kidding?!!

Well, this could have been a real lesson in contradiction: a culturally, politically, morally flawed individual. She created this version of herself. Can’t she also change it? End it? Is she trapped in 1855, a victim of herself?

I found it a difficult and long audiobook, easily distractible. Maybe I’m just too tired or too short on time to dig for the deeper meanings. You may love it; it’s rather cerebral.

Buckeye by Patrick Ryan
Publisher: Random House Audio
Narrator: Michael Crouch

The novel spans several decades and generations and focuses on Cal Jenkins and Margaret Salt. The sympathy all goes to Cal, the empathy to Margaret. And yes, the novel a long one. I actually started this one once before and lost the loan before I could finish it. On a wait list, took a while to come back around.

WWII only highlighted Cal’s childhood deformity, denying him participation in the fight when all the others left. He marries Becky, who practices her gift as a spiritual medium, which annoys Cal and drives a wedge between them.

Margaret was abandoned to an orphanage and her early life consisted of foster placements until she got to an age where she struck out on her own and discovered how cruel the world really could be. She eventually marries a gay man who finds the love of his life. It isn’t her.

These two flawed main characters find each other in a novel of multiple themes, including love and loyalty. While it paints a transparent picture of post-war middle America, written in beautiful emotional prose, I found it incredibly sad. Four lifetimes, the sacrifice, and the loss.

A literary hangover with these four characters, their decisions, obligations, strengths, and weaknesses in a look back during a historically turbulent time. You may enjoy the authenticity and the major events noted during the decades, but this one didn’t provide sufficient grief relief for me.

The first three of these books were released during the second quarter of this year all receiving acclaim. Buckeye achieved a Goodreads Choice Award as a Nominee for Readers’ Favorite Historical Fiction in 2025.

Many thanks to my local library for providing me with the opportunity to listen to these audiobooks. Any opinion expressed here is my own.

Audiobooks

The Gatekeeper: A Thriller by James Byrne #BookReview #AssassinationThrillers

Dez Limerick Book 1

Editors’ pick Best Mystery, Thriller, and Suspense

Book Blurb:

James Byrne’s The Gatekeeper introduces Dez Limerick in the most anticipated new thriller in years.

A highly trained team of mercenaries launches a well-planned, coordinated attack on a well-guarded military contractor – but they didn’t count on one thing, the right man being in the wrong place at the right time.

Desmond Aloysius Limerick (“Dez” to all) is a retired mercenary, and enthusiastic amateur musician, currently in Southern California, enjoying the sun and sitting in on the occasional gig, when the hotel he’s at falls under attack. A skilled team attempts to kidnap the Chief legal counsel of Triton Expeditors, a major military contractor – in fact, Petra Alexandris is the daughter of the CEO – but their meticulously-planned, seamlessly executed scheme runs into the figurative ‘spanner-in-the-works,’ Dez himself.

After foiling the attack, and with nothing better to do, Dez agrees to help Alexandris with another problem she’s having – someone has embezzled more than a billion dollars from her company and left very few tracks behind. But Dez is a gatekeeper – one who opens doors and keeps them open – and this is just a door of another kind. And the door he opens leads to a dangerous conspiracy involving media manipulation, militias, an armed coup, and an attempt to fracture the United States themselves. There’s only one obstacle between the conspirators and success – and that is Dez, The Gatekeeper.

His Review:

The Gatekeeper by James Byrne — The Gatekeeper – UK cover

Dez Limerick is not your poster hero. The fact is that this 5’ 5” man who can be described as a barrel is anything but the standard hero. However, Dez has experience and talents that most men can only dream of. He has a quick wit that measures situations and response needs like an orchestra conductor.

A splinter group has decided to stage a coup and change a section of the California coast into a separate country; and a state that will declare itself a separate country and request membership in the United Nations. This is being accomplished during a heat wave and by a very large group of itinerant hippies. Dez is not willing to see a group of dissidents change the shape of the country and our freedoms.

Dez is a likeable character with a guitar in one hand and a questionable demeanor that seems to attract a certain kind of woman. Can he prevent a kidnapping and the plans of the separatist group? His demeanor is a serious addition to the believability of the story. I found it very enjoyable and a quick read. 4.5 stars – CE Williams

Many thanks to our local library for providing me with the opportunity to read and review this book. Any opinion expressed here is my own.

Rosepoint Publishing: Four point Five Stars

Book Details:

Genre: Assassination Thrillers, Vigilante Justice Thrillers
Publisher: Minotaur Books
Publication Date: June 7, 2022
Source: Local Library

Title Link(s):

Amazon-US | Amazon-UK | Barnes & Noble | Kobo

The Author: James Byrne lives and writes in one of the coolest cities on Earth: Portland, Oregon. Under various names, he has published nine other novels in the realm of thrillers and mysteries. Find out more about James and “The Gatekeeper” at jamesbyrnemystery.com

Enjoy Your Sunday!

Rosepoint Reviews – July Recap – Dog Days of August Are Upon Us

Actually, I thought the “dog days” referred to all of August. Wrong! It’s actually from July 3^rd to August 11^th. Who Knew? The Dog Star, Sirius, is the brightest star in the night sky, sitting in the constellation Canis Major. Those ancient Greeks and Romans had some amazing ideas, huh?

Our July was first spent in healing and convalescing and then the passing of one of our Navy buddies. The good news is that the second trip to the hospital was the charm for the CE. Now the process involves healing on the inside as well as the outside and the wait for release to resume the activities we were formerly enjoying.

The bad news is the loss of Ted. The CE served with him in the Navy in Taiwan back in the late 60s when we met he and his wife and their two babies. We enjoyed a number of great get-togethers through the years, and it was nice to see their “babies” all grown up with kids and grandkids of their own.

The water garden with fairly new Rosy Red Minnows was cared for during our time away in Texas for the memorial service by a neighbor. Fortunately, the week was forecast for pleasant 70^o temps, but we arrived back home in the middle of one of the Northwest’s famous severe T-storms. While our neighborhood was spared, many were not.

The veggie garden got a good soaking, so both the water garden and the veggie plants were happy at least. Texas was predictably very warm.

We continued to read and listen to audiobooks (albeit sparingly with traveling and visiting in Texas). The links on the titles are to our reviews that also include purchase information. I expect to review the titles we managed to finish beginning in August.

Rosepoint Publishing - July Reviews

EBooks

The Curious Charms of Arthur Pepper by Phaedra Patrick (bookclub book)
Captain Hope and the Battle of Attu by Neil Perry (CE review)
The Rector’s Daughter by Jean Grainger

Favorite Book of the Month

Favorite for July – Captain Hope and the Battle of Attu

My Reading Challenges page…I’ve been lucky to turn on the computer. My Goodreads count won’t be accurate anyway, but the opening page shows 79 books (twenty-two behind schedule). I think it’s obvious I’ll have to edit the goal. Also, I have several audiobooks finished but not posted and soon coming.

UpComing Audiobook Mini-Reviews

The Final Target by Nora Roberts
The Keeper by Tana French
Yesteryear by Caro Claire Burke
Buckeye by Patrick Ryan

To my readers and fellow bloggers, I appreciate every view and like and appreciate so much your taking the time to check out my posts and leave your comments.

The Rector’s Daughter by Jean Grainger #BookReview #TuesdayBookBlog

The Dunmara Series – Book 2

in Historical Irish Fiction

Book Blurb:

Yorkshire, England / County Clare, Ireland, 1918

Billy DeVere has spent his boyhood in the shadow of expectation — the heir his aristocratic father needs him to be. Then the Great War claims his father and both his brothers, and the life mapped out for him simply vanishes. In its place comes something unexpected: freedom. As Billy comes of age, he dares to imagine his own future — and the path he chooses will leave its mark on Dunmara for generations to come.

Dunmara, County Clare, Ireland

Orla Daly is still finding her footing. Her marriage is over, her children’s lives are unsettled, and the career she’s building feels as precarious as it is exciting. But Dunmara — the house that was the backdrop to her whole life — has revealed a connection she never expected, and she can’t turn away from it now. When she discovers an extraordinary painting hidden within its walls, Orla is pulled into a mystery a century old, and begins to understand that saving this house may be bound up with finding herself.

Two lives, a century apart, held together by one enduring house. As Orla follows the trail the painting has left her, Dunmara slowly gives up another of its secrets.

The Rector’s Daughter is the second novel in the Dunmara Story.

My Review:

The saga includes Orla, a champion of the historic Dunmara House, ring fort and tower in Ireland, as well as several of the characters introduced in installment #1, If Walls Could Talk. There is Safira and Professor O’Reilly also heavily involved in the fight for the preservation of the historic grounds and Jeannie who has personal history with the Dunmara House and her grandson, Chase, among the main characters.

Characteristic of the author’s complex storytelling, there is a solid litany of characters from both this and the split timeline that reverts to the time of the War of Irish Independence, including local British individuals watching the unfolding of the escalating tension sure to lead to an all-out conflict.

There are individuals whose alliances appear questionable as the plot begins a tight weave into conflict politics and the escalating brutality perpetrated on both sides. There is mounting suspicion throughout by unreliable perspectives. Fighting and skirmishes are not wholly inflicted on the military and everyone lives on eggshells waiting for the next shoe to drop.

The main characters are fully fleshed as are many of the support characters whose development heaps additional tension on the present-day plot involving the preservation of the historic building and grounds. I greatly enjoyed the detailed description of the application of historical paints on the paintings, techniques, color origins, and hidden messages within the art. Also, as always, I greatly enjoy the basis of words we use today and are familiar with as well as Celtic lore.

The pace begins rather fast then slows well into half of the narrative which left me easily distracted by continued contemporary arguments. There are times when I have to remind myself of the context of a specific (support) character. Otherwise, the plot gently leads the reader into a hook for the next installment.

Many thanks to the author and publisher for providing me with the opportunity to read and review this book. The thoughts expressed here are my own.

Rosepoint Rating: Four Stars

Book Details:

Genre: Historical Irish Fiction, Historical British & Irish Literature, Historical Mystery, Thriller & Suspense Fiction
Publication Date: June 30, 2026

Title Link(s):

Amazon-US | Amazon-UK | Barnes & Noble | Kobo

The Author: Jean Grainger is a USA Today bestselling author with over 100,000 5* reviews of historical and contemporary Irish fiction. She is acclaimed for her authentic portrayal of Irish life and history. Born in Cork, she draws from her experience as a history lecturer, teacher, and tour guide to craft characters that feel like friends, and sometimes foes. Grainger’s works span multiple series and standalone novels, covering significant periods in recent Irish history, but told from the perspective of families, the humans behind the headlines. Her stories often intertwine historical events with personal journeys, exploring themes of family, friendship, and human resilience. Grainger’s writing style, characterized by its warmth and authenticity, has earned her comparisons to renowned Irish authors like Maeve Binchy. Her dedication to research and character development has resulted in a loyal readership who feel deeply connected to her stories and characters.

I appreciate you!

Captain Hope and The Battle of Attu by Neil Perry Gordon – #BookReview #MilitaryHistoricalFiction #NetGalley

The Alaskan Adventures of Percy Hope

Book Blurb:

At the edge of the world, where the North Pacific collides with the Aleutian Islands, one of the least remembered—and most brutal—battles of the Second World War unfolded.

Captain Hope & The Battle of Attu, the fifth installment in The Alaskan Adventures of Percy Hope series, brings readers into the frozen fog of the Aleutian campaign through the eyes of a father and son drawn into the same war.

When Percy Hope, a seasoned journalist and Alaskan pioneer, receives a telegram informing him that his son Walter has been deployed to the remote island of Attu, he refuses to remain a distant observer. Securing a place as a war correspondent, Percy travels west into the harshest battlefield imaginable—where wind, ice, and volcanic rock are as deadly as the enemy.

Captain Walter Hope, now leading American soldiers in one of the most unforgiving environments on earth, must guide his men through terrain designed for ambush and survival measured in seconds. On Attu, there are no clear front lines—only fog-covered ridges, frozen ground, and an enemy determined to fight to the last man.

As Percy witnesses the invasion firsthand, father and son move through the same battlefield from different directions—one documenting history, the other shaping it. Between them lies a legacy carried through generations: resilience, leadership, and the quiet weight of hope itself.

Blending meticulously researched history with vivid storytelling, this novel captures the human experience of war in a place where nature and combat merge into a single relentless force.

Captain Hope & The Battle of Attu is a story of endurance, sacrifice, and the bond between father and son—set against one of the most overlooked battles of World War II, where courage was measured not by glory, but by the simple act of continuing forward into the storm.

His Review:

The Aleutian Island chain stretches across the north Pacific Ocean to within sight of the Russian Coastline. The Japanese figured out that the islands’ remote location and nearly zero population made it a perfect location for covert listening posts. The Japanese army took extensive measures to insure that their base was well fortified and entrenched.

Attu Island is a jagged island of volcanic rock and ash often shrouded in fog and icy mist. Retaking this position was not going to be easy. At times men walking on this forbidding landscape could not see someone five feet in front of them. The surface was ash and sand with sharp edges of solid magma poised to destroy the equipment utilized by the unwary.

The Japanese are a proud people with the attitude of the offspring of the proud Samari warriors. They were not going to be removed easily. However, the United States could simply not have that listening post on U.S. territory. Author Neil Perry Gordon paints a horrible picture of the sacrifice and courage it took to wrestle this island back from Japanese hands. The unforgiving landscape and conditions are abysmal and creates an extreme atmospheric picture.

C E Williams The author recreates the dynamic and nail-biting struggle fought in deplorable and often times blinding conditions. Perfect for fans of US military war fiction. 4.5 stars – CE Williams

Many thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with the opportunity to read and review this ebook. The thoughts expressed here are my own.

Rosepoint Publishing: Four point Five Stars

Book Details:

Genre: Military Historical Fiction, War Fiction, US Historical Fiction
Publication Date: April 14, 2026
Source: Publisher and NetGalley

Title Link(s):

Amazon-US | Amazon-UK | Barnes & Noble

The Author: Neil Perry Gordon approaches storytelling as more than a craft—it is both his passion and his calling, a way to explore the extraordinary and render it vividly real. Through his work, he seamlessly intertwines history, metaphysics, and speculative inquiry, creating immersive narratives that reveal hidden truths and resonate deeply on a human level.

The author of eighteen novels, Neil is best known for his acclaimed The Alaskan Adventures of Percy Hope series, including The Wizard of Hope and his latest installment, Captain Hope and The Battle of Attu. In that powerful work, he brings readers into the stark, unforgiving landscape of World War II’s Aleutian campaign, where courage, sacrifice, and destiny converge at the edge of the known world.

With his newest novel, The Lemurians: A New Testament for the Soul, Neil expands his literary reach into bold new territory—exploring the origins of consciousness, the continuity of the soul, and humanity’s forgotten past. Blending narrative storytelling with philosophical depth, the novel challenges conventional ideas of identity, memory, and creation, inviting readers into a story that feels as much remembered as it is imagined.

Neil’s writing bridges historical fiction and metaphysical exploration, grounded in meticulous research yet elevated by a visionary imagination. His stories do more than recount events—they reawaken them, drawing readers into moments where history and mystery converge.

At the heart of his work is a deep belief in the power of narrative to connect, transform, and illuminate. His novels unfold as rich tapestries where myth, memory, and “what if” possibilities intertwine, opening doors to alternate realities and deeper dimensions of human existence.

For Neil, writing is an act of discovery. Each book becomes a living canvas where the seen and unseen, the temporal and the eternal, meet. His prose carries both intellectual depth and emotional clarity, offering stories that are as thought-provoking as they are deeply felt.

Whether exploring the nature of consciousness, uncovering hidden forces shaping history, or tracing the invisible threads that bind past and present, Neil’s work invites readers to see the world—and themselves—with fresh eyes.

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