REVIEW: The Stolen Marriage by Diane Chamberlain

The Stolen Marriage 
by Diane Chamberlain

Publisher: St. Martin's
Page Count: 384
Release Date: Oct 3, 2017
Format: ARC Trade Paperback

How got: GoodReads Giveaway

First attention getter: that gorgeous cover!!!

Synopsis:

From GoodReads:

One mistake, one fateful night, and Tess DeMello’s life is changed forever.

It is 1944. Pregnant, alone, and riddled with guilt, twenty-three-year-old Tess DeMello abruptly gives up her budding career as a nurse and ends her engagement to the love of her life, unable to live a lie. Instead, she turns to the baby’s father for help and agrees to marry him, moving to the small, rural town of Hickory, North Carolina. Tess’s new husband, Henry Kraft, is a secretive man who often stays out all night, hides money from his new wife, and shows her no affection. Tess quickly realizes she’s trapped in a strange and loveless marriage with no way out.

The people of Hickory love and respect Henry but see Tess as an outsider, treating her with suspicion and disdain. When one of the town’s golden girls dies in a terrible accident, everyone holds Tess responsible. But Henry keeps his secrets even closer now, though it seems that everyone knows something about him that Tess does not.

When a sudden polio epidemic strikes Hickory, the townspeople band together to build a polio hospital. Tess knows she is needed and defies Henry’s wishes to begin working at there. Through this work, she begins to find purpose and meaning. Yet at home, Henry’s actions grow more alarming by the day. As Tess works to save the lives of her patients, can she untangle the truth behind her husband’s mysterious behavior and find the love—and the life—she was meant to have?

My Thoughts:

Star Rating - 4

Note: Book received for free in exchange for an honest review via GoodReads giveaway.

At first I found Stolen Marriage hard to get through. The first third seemed to slog through stereotypical scenarios from a standard gothic mystery novel and a main character that only rarely did anything proactive. However, once the story really hit its stride, I found myself engrossed more and more with Tess. She finally finds her feet in her new life, finding her spine and not letting society or anyone stand in the way of her dreams.

I adored where the story went. From the back description and how the book started, I thought I’d be getting a gothic mystery full of suspenseful twists and chills, with a background and some tidbits on the polio epidemic and hospital. Yet, those parts actually became the main focus, much to my delight. I loved exploring how this small southern town pulled together to create this polio hospital practically overnight, donating time, energy, material support, and medical logistics to the task.

Polio was such a big scare in the mid-20th century. Most people nowadays don’t even think about it. It was fascinating to see that explored in this small town setting, where rumors about the condition spread like wildfire and everyone knows the victims. Where another story could be a bleak portrayal of a small town in crisis, held in the hands of an epidemic, Stolen Marriage gives us a town who pulls it all together to get over this tragedy. I loved how the author portrayed this town.

The polio epidemic also seems to give Tess the kick in the pants to find her own path in life. She starts out trying to please everyone in Hickory, her new husband’s family especially. Quickly, she finds out this is impossible, given she’s the outsider who has stolen the life expected for a local gal. I loved how she shook off this mindset when faced with a bigger crisis. She seems to find herself and mature fast, coming out the other side stronger and with an iron will.

Besides Tess, the reader also gets a great grasp on Chamberlain's secondary characters as well. I grew to love most everyone, even the grumpy mother-in-law. Even her, I came to know why her attitudes were such and why she acted how she did. After I learned of Henry’s story, my sympathy for him rose fast. He’s faced with an impossible situation given the societal mores of the time.

Despite the rocky start with Tess being a bit of a doormat, I learned to love this book as it explored a seldom used historical story and combined it with well-rounded characters. As Tess progressed on her journey, the reader can’t help but be sucked in by her struggles and triumphs. If you’re looking for a great read, give this one a look. The book only gets better the longer you read.

REVIEW: A Map of Days by Ransom Riggs

A Map of Days by Ransom Riggs

Publisher: Dutton Books
Page Count: 480
Release Date: October 2, 2018
Format: HardCover

How got: personal buy via Amazon

First attention getter: already loved series

Synopsis:

From GoodReads:

Having defeated the monstrous threat that nearly destroyed the peculiar world, Jacob Portman is back where his story began, in Florida. Except now Miss Peregrine, Emma, and their peculiar friends are with him, and doing their best to blend in. But carefree days of beach visits and normalling lessons are soon interrupted by a discovery—a subterranean bunker that belonged to Jacob’s grandfather, Abe.

Clues to Abe’s double-life as a peculiar operative start to emerge, secrets long hidden in plain sight. And Jacob begins to learn about the dangerous legacy he has inherited—truths that were part of him long before he walked into Miss Peregrine’s time loop.

Now, the stakes are higher than ever as Jacob and his friends are thrust into the untamed landscape of American peculiardom—a world with few ymbrynes, or rules—that none of them understand. New wonders, and dangers, await in this brilliant next chapter for Miss Peregrine’s peculiar children. Their story is again illustrated throughout by haunting vintage photographs, but with a striking addition for this all-new, multi-era American adventure—full color.

My Thoughts:

Star Rating - 4

When I heard that Riggs was writing a new Peregrine trilogy, my anticipation was through the roof. I was ready and willing to dive back into the world of Peculiar-dom with vigor. So as soon as the new book hit Amazon, I put that pre-order in ASAP and got reading as soon as I got it. For the most part, Riggs has hit a home run again. There are a few blips that bugged me, but at the prospect of more Peculiar works, I’m still game.

I adored seeing Peculiar-dom explored in America. In ways it’s a far darker place than Wight/Hollow haunted Europe as it’s Peculiar on Peculiar cruelty. The way history developed in America was FAR different than Europe due to the continuing absence of certain people and the history of racism in 19th century and early 20th America. I was kept enthralled by this history and world building, a specialty that Riggs seems to excel in.

Exploring Abe’s background and getting more details and what he really did in Peculiar America made for fascinating background and plot elements. Rigg’s suspenseful storytelling never lets up as Abe and his cohorts travel north from Florida on new missions and discoveries into Abe’s past. I couldn’t help but be pulled forward chapter by chapter as the story was masterfully told.

I also enjoyed exploring Jacob’s continuing development. Riggs does a great job in showing how Jacob starts to chafe at his status in the European Peculiar world and the continuing restrictions placed by the Ymbryne overseers of that world. He’s finding his footing in his powers and his identity as a Peculiar all while still showing traits true to his true age, that of a teenager. He’s still head strong, impulsive, and at times, childish. However, I can start to see the man he’s going to become.

The one aspect I didn’t get as much enjoyment out of was Jacob’s traveling companions. Not that I didn’t enjoy more of his cadre of Peculiar friends from across the pond but it almost felt kinda random, their inclusion into the story. While elements of the story did hinge on the peculiarities of the specific individuals, I feel like the story could have been told with less individuals to put in an opinion. It almost felt like the author was just trying to keep this new book tied to the first trilogy rather than incorporating those characters into a new story arc.

I felt like the story would have been served better if he’d shed his travel companions faster. By the end, we do have Jacob firmly on his new journey; yet I felt he could have started on that new journey sooner with more exploration given to his new situation and companions. The whole thing with him and Emma just really drove me up a tree. While a part of his growing up and shedding his old identity, it felt like an add on detail that I could have done without.

Despite this little quibble, I felt this was a great new addition to the Peculiar series. With Jacob firmly on his new journey and with more maturity under his belt, I feel like his continuing adventures will keep me entertained for far into the future. I look forward to exploring Peculiar-dom in American in far greater details and can’t wait for book two!