Lynne Gentry

Shoes to Fill by Lynne Gentry is the second book in the Mt. Hope Southern Adventures and is delightful. Even though the book could be a stand-alone story, I think the reader will find even more enjoyment by having read the first book, Walking Shoes. The story of a pastor's family continues as this book focuses on the son who has returned to Mt. Hope to make sure his mom doesn't get evicted from the parsonage. There is lots of humor, joy, family, and romance as David finds his way back into the community. The characters were lovable and relatable. It had been a little while since I listened to the first book (and with many books in between!) I did not realize Shoes to Fill was the next in the series. I was pleasantly surprised when I began to realize this was about the Harper family and their struggles with parishioners, and knowing where they fit in their new reality with the death of Pastor Harper. The audiobook is read by the author and I enjoyed that...an author knows just how to speak the essence of her characters. I listened to a complimentary copy of the audiobook and was not required to write a positive review. The opinions are my own.… (altro)

Title: Valley of Decision (The Carthage Chronicles #3)
Author: Lynne Gentry
Pages: 367
Year: 2015
Publisher: Howard
Wow! What a great trilogy of books that Lynne Gentry has written! I would advise reading the books in order, beginning with The Healer of Carthage, then Return to Exile and finally ending with Valley of Decision. The story continues throughout each book, so if readers don’t begin with book one they will be lost as to the history of the cast of characters.
Book three begins with only a day passing in Carthage, but thirteen years have passed in the present time. Maggie feels extreme guilt and shame for forcing her mother to leave her father when she got so sick with typhoid in book two. She misses her father and wants to reunite her father and mother. She takes off for the past without telling anyone with the intention of bringing her father back to the present. However, once she arrives in third century Carthage, she discovers life in this time has not changed as quickly as she has. She reunites with her father, Barek, and some other characters from book two while telling her father her plans for them. Her father disagrees, but Maggie is very stubborn.
Soon Lisbeth and her father arrive in Carthage. Lisbeth plans to take everyone back to modern times, but knows Cyprian will refuse to go. She tried to rewrite history the last time she came to Carthage without success. Lisbeth and her mother once again use their healing skills to help the residents of Carthage battle measles and typhoid; both diseases are killing off the population of Carthage. Lisbeth’s mother, Magdalena, has been arrested for the murder of the proconsul and Cyprian has agreed to represent her. What follows is an emotional trial, leading to a riveting ending of the series.
Lynne Gentry writes with great skill, making me care about the characters in her stories as well as making me feel a part of the stories. I loved traveling to ancient Carthage and seeing how people lived then. What an adventure! I also greatly admired the transformation of Cyprian from the greatest solicitor in Carthage to one of the leaders of the early Christian church. His strength and faith in God against persecution was amazing. I can’t wait to read what Lynne Gentry writes next!
My rating is 5 stars.
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received one or more of the products or services mentioned above for free in the hope that I would mention it on my blog. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255. “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”… (altro)

This was the second time travel book I read this week, which is odd because I don't read many of those anymore.
First off, I really like time travel books. Then I also really like books about ancient times. I also like mystery romance books, and books with a great cover.
So this book had all the ingredients of a book I should LOVE.
While I didn't LOVE it, I did enjoy reading it. It's a long book, but it never felt too lengthy or got boring.

I thought the story was very interesting and moved at a good pace. The characters were well done, the writing was good....
Again, all the ingredients of a book I should love. I enjoyed the time I spent reading, though I'm not sure if I will read the next in the series.

Overall, I did like it.… (altro)

This was the second time travel book I read this week, which is odd because I don't read many of those anymore.
First off, I really like time travel books. Then I also really like books about ancient times. I also like mystery romance books, and books with a great cover.
So this book had all the ingredients of a book I should LOVE.
While I didn't LOVE it, I did enjoy reading it. It's a long book, but it never felt too lengthy or got boring.

I thought the story was very interesting and moved at a good pace. The characters were well done, the writing was good....
Again, all the ingredients of a book I should love. I enjoyed the time I spent reading, though I'm not sure if I will read the next in the series.

Overall, I did like it.… (altro)