The Gentleman Spy by Erica Vetsch

My thoughts: This series of Regency novels is entertaining and engrossing. While they can easily be stand alone reads,it would behoove the reader to read them in succession as characters and plot, while different, are built upon book by book.

I loved the characters and the way they are fully developed by the author. You'll love them and despise them. The main characters are Charlotte who is the drab, intellectual, daughter of an Earl who keeps she and his wife on tight purse strings. And our hero of the hour, the new Duke who was originally the "spare" since he was a second-son. In book one circumstances invade his life and he becomes the heir 

An unexected meeting, first impressions, secrets, hasty wedding, and a plot that thickens while being woven through the  murky waters of the destitute in London and the wealthy social class and how they are tangled in a murky mess.

Dangers. Dangerous people. Lives torn assunder. And a plot against the throne. 

A must read for those who love regency stories. A must read for those who love exposing the dirty secrets of London. A must read for those who love good Christian values interwoven throughout the book.

Consider before you pass along to young readers: The story mentions brothels, prostitution, beatings. The story has the intense emotions of a newly wed couple but not any bedroom scenes.

About the book: He only wanted a duchess for a day--but she's determined to make it a marriage for life

When his father and older brother suddenly pass away, the new Duke of Haverly is saddled with a title he never expected to bear. To thwart the plans of his scheming family, the duke impulsively marries a wallflower. After all, she's meek and mild; it should be easy to sequester her in the country and get on with his life--as a secret agent for the Crown.

But his bride has other ideas. She's determined to take her place not only as his duchess but as his wife. As a duchess, she can use her position to help the lowest of society--the women forced into prostitution because they have no skills or hope. Her endeavors are not met favorably in society, nor by her husband who wishes she'd remain in the background as he ordered.

Can the duke succeed in relegating her to the sidelines of his life? When his secrets are threatened with exposure, will his new wife be an asset or a liability?

About the Author: Erica Vetsch is a New York Times best-selling author and ACFW Carol Award winner, and has been a Romantic Times top pick for her previous books. She loves Jesus, history, romance, and watching sports. This transplanted Kansan now makes her home in Rochester, Minnesota.

Learn more about Erica at www.ericavetsch.com or find her on Facebook.

DISCLOSURE: I received a complimentary copy to facilitate a review. Opinions in the review posted here are mine, alone and are freely given. Giveaway is hosted by publicist and author and they will determine the winner and send prize/s to winner.

Bride of Convenience (The Bride Ships #3) by Jody Hedlund

My thoughts: Jody Hedlund's books have never disappointed me and Bride of Convenience again proves her mete as a fantastic author.

The series of the Bride Ships opens one's eyes to the destitute and forlorn state of women during this period of history that drove them to board one of the Bride Ships to sail for the British colony in what is now Canada. A world unknown to them but those chose this alternative to a world that was a cesspit of evil that existed for the in England.

Over seen by a British missionary group, the women were selected and sent to become brides to miners and settlers and grow the colony.

In a sense all the brides on the ships were brides of convenience, but this final story drove home the Bride of Convenience story of local Pastor Abe Merivale when Zoe becomes his bride. 

It is truly a convenience as the church disapproves of his union with Zoe and her (and his) adoption of a half-breed infant. The native Indian mother of the infant had died and her English husband was simply not capable of caring for an infant - though he loved the infant and its deceased mother.

Characters richly drawn with the pen of the author roam the pages and the reader will root for them, boo them and their escapades, and grow to love them. 

I highly recommend this entire series. Each is a stand alone book, but much can be learned and enjoyed by reading them in sequence.

About the book: As the third and final book in a series, 

Upon discovering an abandoned baby, Pastor Abe Merivale joins efforts with Zoe Hart, one of the newly arrived bride-ship women, to care for the infant. With mounting pressure to find the baby a home, Abe offers his hand as Zoe's groom. But after a hasty wedding, they soon realize their marriage of convenience is not so convenient after all.

Read an Excerpt

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DISCLOSURE: I received a complimentary copy to facilitate a review. Opinions are mine, alone and are freely given.

The Boy Who Dreamed of Infinity & Box: Henry Brown Mails Himself to Freedom - Candlewick Press [Review & Giveaway USA/CANADA]

The Boy Who Dreamed of Infinity: A Tale of the Genius Ramanujan by Amy Alznauer & illustrated by Daniel Miyares

My thoughts:  Conveying to young readers (or listeners) math conceptions and understanding in the least how a genius mind works visualizing unknown theoretical thinking is beyond my own comprehension. The story of Ramanujan reads like one of a boy who thinks in ways he does not understand nor do those adults in his environ. 

As it is today, so was it then...... often the highly intellectual are perceived as non-thinking non-conformists and who don't really fit into the scheme of things.

Ramanujan went through regular school and high school and entered university from which he left because he didn't get it right. But he continued to record his thoughts and these were pages and journals of numerical scribbling that no one understood. He sought to understand what small was and what large or biggest  is. He wondered about infinity though I am not sure he even was aware of this concept.

Some children will enjoy having this book read to them, but parents or teachers will need to lay some ground work and be ready to come up with an "infinity" of answers.

About the book: A young mathematical genius from India searches for the secrets hidden inside numbers -- and for someone who understands him -- in this gorgeous picture-book biography.

A mango . . . is just one thing. But if I chop it in two, then chop the half in two, and keep on chopping, I get more and more bits, on and on, endlessly, to an infinity I could never ever reach.

In 1887 in India, a boy named Ramanujan is born with a passion for numbers. He sees numbers in the squares of light pricking his thatched roof and in the beasts dancing on the temple tower. He writes mathematics with his finger in the sand, across the pages of his notebooks, and with chalk on the temple floor. "What is small?" he wonders. "What is big?" Head in the clouds, Ramanujan struggles in school -- but his mother knows that her son and his ideas have a purpose. As he grows up, Ramanujan reinvents much of modern mathematics, but where in the world could he find someone to understand what he has conceived?

Author Amy Alznauer gently introduces young readers to math concepts while Daniel Miyares's illustrations bring the wonder of Ramanujan's world to life in the inspiring real-life story of a boy who changed mathematics and science forever. Back matter includes a bibliography and an author's note recounting more of Ramanujan's life and accomplishments, as well as the author's father's remarkable discovery of Ramanujan's Lost Notebook.

Box: Henry Brown Mails Himself to Freedom by Carole Boston Weatherford & illustrated by  Michele Wood  

My thoughts:  I found it interesting that the author uses the number "6" in an interesting manner throughout the story and stanzas. The book opens with a six-word poem titled "Geometry." The poem is printed as a large numerical 6.

A box has six sides and is a cubic structure. The stanzas have six lines (these are non-rhyming lines of text). The author has also positioned a clear-cut timeline of slavery from 1815, the year in which Henry Brown was born, to 1897, the year in which he died though these are not the inclusive years of slavery - just the years that the slave, Henry Brown, lived.

This is a true story of a real person and his life.

Illustrated in a style that utilizes lots of squares and boxes in various sizes. This is, I feel certain, to subconsciously direct the mind to the fact that to escape slavery Henry Brown built a box and shipped himself away from slavery to a free state.

The story is deeply moving and brings to the reader's attention the desperate and dire circumstances of slaves. 

About the Book: In a moving, lyrical tale about the cost and fragility of freedom, a New York Times best-selling author and an acclaimed artist follow the life of a man who courageously shipped himself out of slavery.

What have I to fear?

My master broke every promise to me.

I lost my beloved wife and our dear children.

All, sold South. Neither my time nor my body is mine.

The breath of life is all I have to lose.

And bondage is suffocating me.

Henry Brown wrote that long before he came to be known as Box, he "entered the world a slave." He was put to work as a child and passed down from one generation to the next -- as property. When he was an adult, his wife and children were sold away from him out of spite. Henry Brown watched as his family left bound in chains, headed to the deeper South. What more could be taken from him? But then hope -- and help -- came in the form of the Underground Railroad. Escape!

In stanzas of six lines each, each line representing one side of a box, celebrated poet Carole Boston Weatherford powerfully narrates Henry Brown's story of how he came to send himself in a box from slavery to freedom. Strikingly illustrated in rich hues and patterns by artist Michele Wood, Box is augmented with historical records and an introductory excerpt from Henry's own writing as well as a time line, notes from the author and illustrator, and a bibliography.

GIVEAWAY

Begins August 1

Ends August 29 at 12:01 a.m. EDT

Open to USA & CANADA addresses.

No P.O. Boxes & Canadian winners must provide phone number.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

DISCLOSURE: I received complimentary copies to facilitate a review. Opinions are mine, alone and are freely given.

Book bonanza brings excitement and joy to young readers (from Candlewick Press - Giveaway USA/CANADA 5-winners)

Who doesn't love to receive packages? And who doesn't love to have a brand new stack of books arrive as a prize? Well, here is an opportunity for five Chat With Vera readers to receive a stack of children's books from Candlewick Press. 

I know you get stacks at a time from your local library but these are days when we are at risk of  COVID infection. So these are a way to build your own library and they are "keepers." Read on...... and don't forget to enter the giveaway....

Ollie and Augustus (Find on Candlewick) 

Ollie and his dog, Augustus, do almost everything together: painting, riding bikes, digging (Ollie’s favorite), and collecting sticks (Augustus’s favorite). So as Ollie is getting ready to start school, he’s a little worried. Won’t Augustus be lonely during the day? Ollie has just the idea: a sign that reads Wanted: Friend for Augustus. But good friends, as it turns out, are hard to find. Luckily, Ollie and Augustus aren’t just any kind of friends — they’re best friends, and nothing will ever change that. Endearingly illustrated with scratch-scratchy appeal, this is a tale for animal lovers and new school-goers alike.

In a sweet story full of visual humor, first-day-of-school worries take on a new weight when Ollie’s best (and furriest) friend must stay at home.

This or That? (Find on Candlewick) 

Illustrated by The Trustees of the British Museum - Series name: Early Learning at the Museum

What will you choose: a horn or a harp? Perhaps you’re more interested in different forms of transportation: would you prefer a boat or a hot-air balloon? The possibilities are endless and the choice is yours. Featuring hundreds of artifacts from the British Museum, this is a book readers will pore over time and time again.

The Same But Different Too (Find on Candlewick) 

I am me, you are you.

We’re the same, but different too.

There’s something about each of us that makes us special. But while everyone is unique, we all have many things in common as well. Explore the ways that we are all the same but different, too, in this joyful and simple celebration of individuality and camaraderie. Filled with children and their animal friends, this rhyming text illuminates the wonderfully different and similar things that make us who we are.

Some Dinosaurs are Small (Find on Candlewick) 

Some dinosaurs are small and slow. They take their time in the prehistoric jungle, collecting fruits and leaves and using their tiny teeth to munch them. Some dinosaurs are big and fast. With huge teeth and claws, they steal food from small dinosaurs, and they’re always hungry for more. So when three big dinosaurs come across one small one, what — or who — can save the little plant-eater? Beautifully drawn and brightly colored, Charlotte Voake’s imaginative introduction to the concept of size brims with visual humor and culminates in a sweet surprise ending.

The concept of size is relative — and takes on prehistoric proportions — in a funny and reassuring tale from a maven of children’s books.

Choo-Choo School (Find on Candlewick) 

All aboard the train-car pool! A new lineup of students is off and rolling to Choo-Choo School. After reciting their classroom rules — Work hard, play fair, be kind — it’s time for some math to get the wheels turning. Then everyone’s ready to climb a hill in gym (it’s good to blow off steam), sing songs in music (Flat Car is a bit off-key), and learn the whole alphabet, especially the letter R. In one of Amy Krouse Rosenthal’s last books, lighthearted verse portrays a world where train stations are classrooms, the conductor doubles as the teacher, and Boxcar is happy to hand out tissues to anyone who ah-choo-choos. Bright, energetic illustrations by animation artist Mike Yamada bring the whole clickety crew to rollicking life.

No racing in the haul-ways! From the late, beloved author Amy Krouse Rosenthal, a look at seven adorable train cars on their first day of school.

GIVEAWAY

5 Winners each win all 5 books

Begins July 27

Ends August 24 @ 12:01 a.m. EDT

Open to USA & CANADA addresses only.

(Canadian winners must provide phone number and No P.O. Boxes)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

DISCLOSURE: I was provided a complimentary set of books to facilitate a review/post. Opinions are mine, alone and are freely given. Prize pack is provided and shipped to winners by publisher or publicist.

Men's Wine Merino Wool Dress Socks from BonAngel on Amazon [Review, Giveaway, Discount Code]

The BonAngel sock company (Amazon online store) has graciously offered   an opportunity for Chat With Vera readers to win a set of 3 pairs of men's lightweight Merino Wool socks in the color of wine. Also, any of their men's socks in the Merino Wood line can be purchased with a 70% discount special link.

These are soft socks for men and will work in various climates for comfortable wear. They team well in casual or dress mode. I've shown them with some of my husband's ties. We do like it when our men coordinate, don't we?

The laundry instructions say wash on cool. Don't tumble dry or dry clean. Hang to air dry. Typical for wool socks.

Here is the opportunity to win a set for the man in your life. But don't forget, ladies, that they'll feel great on your feet, too!

Discount code is discoverable only in the Rafflecopter Giveaway Entry below.

BonAngel Men's Lightweight Merino Wool Socks
(Ties NOT included in giveaway!)

Find BonAngel Socks Shop on Amazon - CLICK HERE

GIVEAWAY

Win 1 Pack Men's Red Merino Dress Socks

Also: Discover 70% Discount Code

Begins July 27

Ends August 16 @ 12:01 a.m. EDT

Open to USA addresses only.

a Rafflecopter giveaway
DISCLOSURE: I received a pack of socks for review purposes. Opinions are mine, alone and are freely given. Winner's socks are provided by BonAngel Socks on Amazon and shipped directly to the winner.

An Appalachian Summer by Ann H. Gabhart

Review:   The story is easy to read and kept my attention. Being a nurse for 35 years and the fact my family comes from rural Kentucky, I enjoyed reading this historical fiction about both. I also admired that the leading ladies were strong and independent.  I would like to have seen a more spiritual development in the main character, Piper. Overall I give this book a 4/5.

“An Appalachian Summer”, Piper, a strong- willed young lady,, finds herself questioning life’s expectations. She is one of the fortunate society girls of 1933 who is still able to afford a debutante ball after the crash of ‘29. However, Piper longs for more than societal approval and the wealthy match her father has in mind; she wants to marry for love! With the help of her father’s independent and successful sister Trudy, Piper talks her mother into first allowing Piper a summer of assisting nurse midwives with the Frontier Nursing Service in the mountains of rural Kentucky. Here Piper discovers that by serving others, she comes to learn more about God, herself, true love, and friendship. (Reviewer M.P.Godley)

About the book: In 1933, most people are focused on the Great Depression but all Piper Danson can think about is how to get out of being a debutante and marrying Braxton Crandall. In an act of defiance, Piper volunteers as a frontier nursing courier in the Appalachian Mountains where adventure awaits.

Discosure: I received a complimentary copy to facilitate a review. Opinions are those of the reviewer. No compensation received for reviewing. #AnAppalachianSummer

An Enlisted Man's Point of View: Lessons Learned in the 199th 1966-1967 by Lee Houston

This book was a long time coming and our family was waiting for Lee to tell his story of his time in Vietnam.

Lee H. Houston: soldier, author, and my cousin.

Vietnam War and Era from this fine man's point of view. A read you don't want to miss.

Purchase a copy: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0578687429/ref=ppx_od_dt_b_asin_title_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

GIVEAWAY

Begins July 26

Ends August 23 at 12:01 a.m. EDT

Open to USA addresses only.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

DISCLOSURE: This is not a sponsored promotion. I purchased my own copy and I will purchase and have delivered via Amazon to the winner.