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Wildflower Harvest by Colleen L. Reece is a Christian novel set in the 1800’s. Thomas and Sadie Brown’s farm, Red Cedars, is nestled in the Allegheny Mountain’s in what has become West Virginia. It escaped detection by both Yankee and Rebel troops during the Civil War. Their twin daughters, Mountain Laurel and Ivy Ann, are very different from each other. Laurel is very quiet and reserved while Ivy is outgoing and flirty. They have recently turned twenty. A week later they are blessed to have the new doctor, Adam Birchfield, arrive.

The story is about two twin sisters Laurel and Ivy Ann who lives with their parents in West Virginian. They meet a handsome doctor, Adam Birchfield who seems to like both of the sisters. There is a rift between the sisters which makes one choose to do something unexpected. Adam leaves West Virginian to joins his older brother Nat in Wyoming who is a preacher. Laurel decides leave and go to Wyoming too.

The Birchfield’s have always made their home in Massachusetts until oldest son, Nathaniel, refuses to fight in the war he doesn’t believe in and leaves home. When he finishes school, Adam also leaves his family home in order to practice medicine where he is desperately needed and to try to find his brother.

The lives of these two families become entwined in some very unexpected ways over the years. I really enjoyed this book and the characters though at times I wanted to yell at them when they made silly decisions. There is always some competition going on between Laurel and Ivy, some expected and some seem silly for adult women. The girls are both strong and adventurous when need be. When their lives take unexpected turns they focus on prayer to see them through. Adam finds Nathaniel is now a preacher in the vast Wyoming where the need for a doctor is great. Adam prayerfully considers whether God is calling him to join his brother.

There are many unexpected turns which kept me very engaged and reading to learn what would happen next. The main characters are all Christians but only share their faith through actions. I recommend this book to all who enjoy a good, Christian based romance novel with some mysteries included.

I received an advance copy of this book from Barbour Publishing, through Netgalley, in exchange for my honest review.
  
The Way of All Flesh
The Way of All Flesh
Ambrose Parry | 2018 | Crime
9
8.7 (3 Ratings)
Book Rating
Excellent gripping period thriller set in Edinburgh's medical revolution
This tale of murder takes place in mid 19th century Edinburgh, where the city is at the forefront of the world's advances in medicine - both medical practices and procedures and also drugs and anaesthetics. Many nights are spent with some of the city's top surgeons sitting round the dinner table in the post-prandial slumber sampling various substances looking to find the perfect anaesthetic.
Will Raven, a recently qualified doctor, starts a new job as apprentice to Edinburgh's pre-eminent midwifery expert, Dr James Young Simpson. But he has recently found the dead body of a female friend and starts to investigate the mysterious circumstances of her demise.
The book takes several strands: we have the true history of Edinburgh's medical revolution where doctors like Simpson vied to get the job done but also find better ways to do it for their patients, we have the murder mystery angle, we have the capable and frustrated women who are refused to even attempt to do jobs they are clearly able to do, and we have the class system in full evidence and while many go along with it, some people like Simpson try to get past this and make their households more inclusive for all.
The threads are all interwoven brilliantly and combine to give a story that is both thrilling and interesting.
Having read a lot of Chris Brookmyre, I had high expectations for his storytelling and these were more than met with a brilliantly paced and enjoyable page-turner. I believe writing with his wife has helped tone down the language a little and the tone of the dialogue is very different to his previous work.
My one gripe would be that the climax of the story was a little laboured, with every single event, decision and twist explained numerous times from different perspectives. Given I had spotted a number of hints quite early on and knew who the perpetrator was, and was happy to assume certain things had happened, I didn't feel the need to have this confirmed at length in great detail.
Otherwise an excellent book and the start of a new series that I will be avidly waiting for the next instalment of.
  
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