Category: Melanie-dobson

2019 Favorites (E-Books)

1/9/2020

Favorite E-Books From 2019

Here is a list of Tell Tale Book Reviews' favorite
e-books read and reviewed in 2019.
You can find all of those reviewed and many more by visiting our Book Review List page

2019 Reviews

E-Books

Shorter Stories
under 200 pages

Non-Fiction

We are excited to start reading and reviewing in the
new year and hope you will be joining us for...

3 Comments

E-Book Review - Memories Of Glass by Melanie Dobson

9/26/2019

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Genre:
Historical / Suspense / Contemporary Romance

Memories Of Glass
by Melanie Dobson

-From Goodreads-

Reminiscent of Diane Ackerman’s The Zookeeper’s Wife, this stunning novel draws from true accounts to shine a light on a period of Holland’s darkest history and bravest heroes.

1942. As war rips through the heart of Holland, childhood friends Josie van Rees and Eliese Linden partner with a few daring citizens to rescue Eliese’s son and hundreds of other Jewish children who await deportation in a converted theater in Amsterdam. But amid their resistance work, Josie and Eliese’s dangerous secrets could derail their friendship and their entire mission. When the enemy finds these women, only one will escape.

Seventy-five years later, Ava Drake begins to suspect that her great-grandfather William Kingston was not the World War II hero he claimed to be. Her work as director of the prestigious Kingston Family Foundation leads her to Landon West’s Ugandan coffee plantation, and Ava and Landon soon discover a connection between their families. As Landon’s great-grandmother shares the broken pieces of her story, Ava must confront the greatest loss in her own life―and powerful members of the Kingston family who will do anything to keep the truth buried.

Illuminating the story and strength of these women, award-winning author Melanie Dobson transports readers through time and place, from World War II Holland to contemporary Uganda, in this rich and inspiring novel.

ASIN: B07PGCBSSN

She discovers a past both painful and beautiful...

This Book received a 5 Bark rating.

Melanie Dobson

Author Website

I'm sitting here now emotionally spent. Words cannot express how much my heart breaks at the horrors those who lived and died during the Holocaust had to face. Memories Of Glass explores the horrors of WWII Holland, but not just the darkness for author Melanie Dobson also tells of the courageous people who fought so hard to save the lives of many innocent children. While this book is sometimes painful to read it is also a beautiful story of hope that transcends generations and ethnicity.

This was another of those books that I never even read the blurb for, it was a Melanie Dobson book and that was all I needed to know that I had to read it. And honestly, I couldn't put it down, reading until 2 am to finish it and finally allow sleep deprived eyes a little rest.

As with many of her other books Memories Of Glass is what some people call a time slip novel and others, probably more accurately, call a dual timeline story. I equally enjoyed, though I'm not sure that's quite the right word, both eras, finding Ava's experiences in Uganda and journey to find the past to be as engrossing as Josie and Eliese's wartime experiences.

Memories Of Glass is a heart-wrenching read that will stay with the reader long after those last pages, be they paper or digital, are turned. Melanie Dobson is a master at her craft and this is one book that is not only going onto my favorites list for this year but it is also one I would highly recommend...

Tell Tale Book Reviews gives Memories Of Glass by Melanie Dobson a 5 Bark rating.

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Celebrate Lit Blog Tour - Hidden Among The Stars by Melanie Dobson + Review & Guest Post & Giveaway

9/15/2018

5 Comments

From the award-winning author of Catching the Wind, which Publishers Weekly called “unforgettable” and a “must-read,” comes another gripping time-slip novel about hidden treasure, a castle, and ordinary people who resisted evil in their own extraordinary way.
The year is 1938, and as Hitler’s troops sweep into Vienna, Austrian Max Dornbach promises to help his Jewish friends hide their most valuable possessions from the Nazis, smuggling them to his family’s summer estate near the picturesque village of Hallstatt. He enlists the help of Annika Knopf, his childhood friend and the caretaker’s daughter, who is eager to help the man she’s loved her entire life. But when Max also brings Luzia Weiss, a young Jewish woman, to hide at the castle, it complicates Annika’s feelings and puts their entire plan—even their very lives—in jeopardy. Especially when the Nazis come to scour the estate and find both Luzia and the treasure gone.
Eighty years later, Callie Randall is mostly content with her quiet life, running a bookstore with her sister and reaching out into the world through her blog. Then she finds a cryptic list in an old edition of Bambi that connects her to Annika’s story . . . and maybe to the long-buried story of a dear friend. As she digs into the past, Callie must risk venturing outside the safe world she’s built for a chance at answers, adventure, and maybe even new love.

Genre: Historical Fiction
(However, this is a time-slip novel, so there is also a contemporary component to the story)
Release date: September 4, 2018

Click here to purchase your copy!

My Review

The past and present come full circle...

I honestly don't remember which Melanie Dobson book was my first. I just know that I've read every one I could get my hands on and I've become especially fond of her time-slip novels involving WWII. Hidden Among The Stars is a trademark Melanie Dobson tale, bittersweet, fascinating, and thought provoking.

Whether you call this type of fiction time-slip or dual timeline, there is no denying that this author is a master at blending the poignant and sometimes painful events of the past and the effects of those events on the characters of the present. I absolutely loved the historical part as I've read and heard very little about Austria during WWII, but, it was the modern-era Callie and her tentative steps outside of her comfort zone that I identified a little more with.

Hidden Among The Stars is a book to take your time with, to ponder, possibly shed a tear or two, and to simply enjoy. I did so and it was well worth spending the extra time to truly appreciate the depth of this story and the inspiring characters within...

Tell Tale Book Reviews gives Hidden Among The Stars by Melanie Dobson a 4.5 Bark rating.

(I received a copy of this book from the author/publisher. All opinions are entirely my own.)

Guest Post

from Melanie Dobson

Hallstatt’s Hiding Places

Backpacking across Europe—that’s how my husband Jon and I decided to celebrate our fifth wedding anniversary. We savored the old world culture and charm as we hiked along Italy’s coast, toured medieval castles in Germany, and cruised the canals in Belgium; we both left a bit of our hearts in an ancient lakeside town called Hallstatt.

The moment we stepped off the ferryboat and into this storybook village, we crossed through a portal of sorts, traveling back several centuries in time. The rugged, snow-capped mountains around us and alpine lake, the quaint village with its church steeples and cobblestone lanes and waterfall that spilled into town—all of it captivated us.

Along the shore, hidden partially by trees, we could see spires of an abandoned castle, and I wanted to know its story. No one in Hallstatt could tell us who’d lived in the castle—at least, not in English—so my husband agreed to a new adventure. With a swan as our escort, we glided across the lake in an electric boat so I could study the rusty turrets, boarded windows, and wooden boathouse resting in the water like a felled log.

Instead of quelling my curiosity, the match of inspiration ignited my mind. Who had lived in this castle, and what happened there? I began writing in my journal that night, trying to capture my rogue thoughts on paper, hoping that one day a novel would emerge from the ashes of this castle’s story.

When we returned home, I began researching more of Hallstatt’s history and discovered that this region, in all of its beauty and mystique, had been infiltrated by an enemy in 1938. This town and the surrounding Salzkammergut became a mountain retreat for Nazi officials who built mansions on the shores of its many lakes and used salt mines to hide “ownerless treasure”—the gold bullion and artwork they’d stolen from the Jewish people.

The Nazis intended to build a Fourth Reich in this alpine fortress, but the Allies had other plans. Near the end of the war, these lakes became a dustbin of sorts, collecting whatever the enemy dumped into its waters—weapons, counterfeit banknotes, concentration camp lists—as they fled south from the Allied troops. The Devil’s Dustbin, locals call it.

Lake Hallstatt plunges more than four hundred feet between the fortress of mountains. Because of its depth and the many hiding places in the underwater forests, caves, and shifting sands, divers continue finding World War II artifacts today. Some still believe there’s a treasure trove buried on the bottom, but no one has reported finding any gold.

After our trip, a story about this castle and what happened to the heirlooms of the Austrian Jewish people continued to burn inside me until I finally put it on paper. So I built Schloss Schwansee—Castle of Swan Lake—in my mind, inspired by the castle along Lake Hallstatt, and created a cast of historical and contemporary characters who are searching for lost treasure.

Hidden Among the Stars is a time-slip novel about a castle and treasure and fairytales, but most of all, it’s a story about God using ordinary people across Austria to resist evil in their own extraordinary way.

- Melanie Dobson -

Melanie Dobson

Melanie Dobson is the award-winning author of nearly twenty historical romance, suspense, and time-slip novels including Catching the Wind and Chateau of Secrets . Three of her novels have won Carol Awards; Love Finds You in Liberty, Indiana won Best Novel of Indiana in 2010; and The Black Cloister won the Foreword Magazine Religious Fiction Book of the Year.

Melanie is the former corporate publicity manager at Focus on the Family and owner of the publicity firm Dobson Media Group. When she isn’t writing, Melanie enjoys teaching both writing and public relations classes at George Fox University.

Melanie and her husband, Jon, have two daughters. After moving numerous times with work, the Dobson family has settled near Portland, Oregon, and they love to hike and camp in the mountains of the Pacific Northwest and along the Pacific Coast. Melanie also enjoys exploring ghost towns and abandoned homes, helping care for kids in her community, and reading stories with her girls.

Visit Melanie online at www.melaniedobson.com

It's Time For A Giveaway!

To celebrate her tour, Melanie is giving away a grand prize package that includes a $25 Amazon gift card, Catching the Wind paperback, and Hidden Among the Stars paperback!!

Click below to enter. Be sure to comment on this post before you enter to claim 9 extra entries!

https://promosimple.com/ps/d2ad/hidden-among-the-stars-celebration-tour-giveaway

Blog Stops

September 6
Reading Is My SuperPower
Fiction Aficionado
Back Porch Reads
Among the Reads
September 7
The Power of Words
Multifarious
lady ansel book vibes
The Becca Files
September 8
God’s Little Bookworm
Christian Chick’s Thoughts
Painting with Words
Lis Loves Reading
September 9
cherylbbookblog
Living LIfe Free in Christ
Madeline Clark
Mary Hake
September 10
Reflections From My Bookshelves
Genesis 5020
Faithfully Bookish
Simple Harvest Reads (Guest post from Mindy Houng)
September 11
Margaret Kazmierczak
All-of-a-kind Mom
Daysong Reflections
Caffeinated Christian Raves – N – Reviews
Seasons of Opportunities
September 12
Inklings and notions
amandainpa
September 13
Maureen’s Musing
Locks, Hooks and Books
Just Commonly
Book by Book
September 14
Connect in Fiction
Pause for Tales
Have A Wonderful Day
Splashes of Joy
September 15
The Christian Fiction Girl
Tell Tale Book Reviews
To Everything A Season
A Baker’s Perspective
September 16
proud to be an autism mom
Bibliophile Reviews
Bigreadersite
Aryn The Libraryan
September 17
By The Book
Christian author, J.E. Grace
Janices book reviews
September 18
Texas Book-aholic
Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations
Carpe Diem
September 19
Godly Book Reviews
For The Love of Books
Live. Love. Read.
Reader’s Cozy Corner

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2017 Favorites (Print)

1/1/2018

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Favorite Print Books From 2017

Here is a list of Tell Tale Book Reviews' favorite books read and reviewed in 2017.
You can find all of these reviews and many more by visiting our Book Review List page

2017 Reviews

Fiction

The House On
Foster Hill

Lone Star
Christmas Rescue

The Silent
Songbird

Disillusioned

The Mark Of
The King

Death At
Thorburn Hall

Lady Jayne
Disappears

Mission
Undercover

High As The Heavens

Portrait Of
Vengeance

Catching
The Wind

Cowboy Christmas
Guardian

Many
Sparrows

Still
Life

Behind
The Scenes

Plain
Retribution

The Austen
Escape

Deadly
Proof

A Lady In
Disguise

Witch

Secular Fiction

Rose
Cottage

The Man In The
Brown Suit

Madam, Will
You Talk?

Non-Fiction

Gems Of Wisdom

We are excited to start reading and reviewing in the
new year and hope you will be joining us for...

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E-Book Review - Enchanted Isle by Melanie Dobson

11/18/2017

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Genre:
Historical

Enchanted Isle
by Melanie Dobson

-From Amazon-

In the spring of 1958, Jenny Winter embarks on a two-month adventure to one of the most enchanting places on earth, a quaint village in England’s magical Lake District. With a new camera and an eye for capturing the beauty others miss, she can’t wait to explore the heathery fells and mystical waters. Adrian Kemp, a handsome and enigmatic local, makes the sightseeing even more beguiling—and he’s about to invite Jenny into one of the area’s most enduring legends.

When Adrian shows Jenny his late father’s abandoned dream, a deserted island amusement park, she glimpses a kindred spirit in this reckless, haunted young man. Yet as she opens her heart to Adrian, the two stumble into a labyrinth of mystery leading back a generation to an unforgettable romance and an unsolved murder that still casts a shadow over the lakes. As long-held secrets come to light, it’s left to Jenny and Adrian to put the past to rest and restore a lost dream.

ASIN: B071HBHTYT

Mysteries and romance abound
in the English countryside...

This Book received a 4 Bark rating.

Melanie Dobson

Author Website

I quickly became a fan of Melanie Dobson's after reading a couple of her wonderful time-split novels. Enchanted Isle was a delight to read, filled with Melanie Dobson's trademark attention to historical detail, multi-faceted characters, and rich descriptions of English life. The Lake District did indeed come to life and the amusement park was nearly a character in and of itself. Not to mention the touch of Gothic romance was perfectly delightful.

I'm not usually as quick of a reader when using my Kindle, finding it easier to be distracted by other things, but this time I had a hard time putting it down. Enchanted Isle is definitely an enchanted story and if you enjoy this author's stories as much as I do this is one book to put on your Must Read list!

Tell Tale Book Reviews gives Enchanted Isle by Melanie Dobson a 4 Bark rating.

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Book Review - Catching The Wind by Melanie Dobson

6/23/2017

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Genre:
Historical / Suspense / Contemporary Romance

Catching The Wind
by Melanie Dobson

-From Amazon-

What happened to Brigitte Berthold?

That question has haunted Daniel Knight since he was thirteen, when he and ten-year-old Brigitte escaped the Gestapo agents who arrested both their parents. They survived a harrowing journey from Germany to England, only to be separated upon their arrival. Daniel vowed to find Brigitte after the war, a promise he has fought to fulfill for more than seventy years.

Now a wealthy old man, Daniel’s final hope in finding Brigitte rests with Quenby Vaughn, an American journalist working in London. He believes Quenby’s tenacity to find missing people and her personal investment in a related WWII espionage story will help her succeed where previous investigators have failed. Though Quenby is wrestling her own demons―and wary at the idea of teaming up with Daniel’s lawyer, Lucas Hough―the lure of Brigitte’s story is too much to resist. Together, Quenby and Lucas delve deep into the past, following a trail of deception, sacrifice, and healing that could change all of their futures.

ISBN-13: 978-1496417282

Healing starts with truth...

Catching The Wind is only the second Melanie Dobson book that I've read, but oh WOW oh WOW! This beautiful, heart-wrenching, wonderful story of loss, love, sacrifice, of hope regained, and picking up the pieces is sure to take readers on an emotional ride.

This Book received a 5 Bark rating.

Melanie Dobson

Author Website

I will admit that, at first, I had a hard time with the multi-perspective layout of the story. But that quickly changed when I realized how Melanie Dobson was using it to so richly layer the story, so that readers were able to get a complete view of the dramatic and heart-breaking events. It really didn't take me long to be so completely absorbed that I no longer noticed. I just had to keep going, to find out if my wild imaginings could be true, if things would turn out in the end.

I really can't say enough about this multi-faceted story. Very rarely do I run into a book where I feel completely self-satisfied as I turn that last page, but Catching The Wind did that for me. The author's exquisite attention to detail, the rich layering, the depth of each character, left me feeling as if I was right there alongside the characters, experiencing everything with them.

A book and an author that highly recommend! If you love historical fiction Melanie Dobson's newest, Catching The Wind, is a jewel you won't want to miss!

Tell Tale Book Reviews gives Catching The Wind by Melanie Dobson a 5 Bark rating.

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Book Review - Shadows Of Ladenbrooke Manor by Melanie Dobson

6/28/2015

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Genre:
Historical/Contemporary

Shadows Of Ladenbrooke Manor
by Melanie Dobson

-From the back cover-

Years ago, the body of Oliver Croft,
heir of Lord Croft of Ladenbrooke Manor,
was found drowned in the River Coln.
Authorities searched for answers, but no one
was ever held responsible for Oliver's death . . .

Libby Doyle, a free spirit, who spends much of her time dancing with the butterflies in Ladenbrooke's garden, has captivated Oliver Croft's heart. But after Oliver drowns, Libby also vanishes, and her parents, Walter and Maggie Doyle, are left to wonder what really happened between their daughter and the boy who lived next door.
Forty-five years later, after Walter's death, Libby's sister Heather returns to her family's cottage in the English countryside, in the shadows of Ladenbrooke Manor, to sort through her parents' things. What she uncovers is a string of shocking secrets that lead her to wonder if anything Walter and Maggie told her about her childhood is true. As Heather sorts through the belongings left behind in the cottage, trying to separate truth from deceit, she has an uncomfortable reunion with her frist love. Together they unravel the mystery that will change everything she thought she knew about herself and her family.
Award-winning author Melanie Dobson seamlessly weaves the past and present, fluidly unraveling the decades-old mystery to reveal just how the Doyle abs Croft families entwined.
Set in a charming world of thatched cottages, lush English gardens, and lovely summer evenings, this romantic mystery brings light to secrets and heartaches that have divided two families for generations.

A poignant tale of love and sacrifice...

This Book received a 5 Bark rating.

Melanie Dobson

Author's Website

Shadows Of Ladenbrooke Manor is a poignant tale of choices, decisions that affect and haunt the lives of four generations of women, and the men closest to them. It is a story of heartbreak and tragedy but it is also ultimately a story of the many facets of love.

Melanie Dobson has woven a butterfly tapestry in story. Lives interconnected by the most tenuous of threads, some of the them dark and some bright. Secrets that can tear apart the lives of two families, will they pull together or will they ultimately crumble under the weight of the past mistakes?

Some of the things that really jumped out at me were: we ultimately make our own choices but the decisions of those around us can still affect us even if we don't know about them, fear and bitterness can cause us to push away and hurt those we love the most, and so often we don't love people for themselves but try to mold them into something other than what the Creator meant them to be.

When I first started reading Shadows Of Ladenbrooke Manor I would only finish a chapter or two at a time, mostly when I woke up and when I went to bed, but as the story drew me in I began to realize I HAD to know what came next, finally I kicked back on a hot summer afternoon and finished the last half in a matter of two or three hours. In many ways it isn't a book to rush through, more like one to slowly soak in, to ponder, and to savor.

Melanie Dobson takes on some tough subjects in this novel but she does so with a tenderness and delicacy that is to be admired. I would say more but that might spoil the story so all I'll say is that it is a truly beautiful story about the complexities and messiness of real life.

Shadows Of Ladenbrooke Manor was the first novel by Melanie Dobson that I have read, I am so glad I got the chance, and I know that it won't be the last.

Tell Tale Book Reviews gives Shadows Of Ladenbrooke Manor by Melanie Dobson a 5 Bark rating.

Paperback: 352 pages
Publisher: Howard Books (June 16, 2015)
ISBN-10: 1476746141
ISBN-13: 978-1476746142

PRINT

KINDLE

Notice: I have an affiliate with Amazon so if you purchase a book through the links provided I will receive a small kickback.

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Book Review - The Westward Christmas Brides Collection by Wanda E. Brunstetter, Susan Page Davis, Melanie Dobson, Cathy Liggett, Vickie McDonough, Olivia Newport, Janet Spaeth, Jennifer Rogers Spinola, and MaryLu Tyndall

3/19/2015

0 Comments

Genre:
Historical Romance/Christmas

The Westward Brides Christmas Collection
by
Wanda E. Brunstetter, Susan Page Davis, Melanie Dobson,
Cathy Liggett, Vickie McDonough, Olivia Newport,
Janet Spaeth, Jennifer Rogers Spinola, and MaryLu Tyndall

-From the back cover-

Christmas Dreams
Are Realized in the Old West

Only the brave – or foolhardy – would attempt a westward journey during the winters of the 1800's. But the promises of a new life are strong for those taking wagon trains, stagecoaches, or passenger trains to new settlements, as well as those using any excuse to run from their pasts, gain adventure, and find a place to call home.

In this exclusive collection of nine Christmas romances, readers will experience unique Christmas celebrations along with historical characters penned by some of Christian fictions beloved authors, including New York Times bestselling author WANDA E. BRUNSTETTER.

A Christmas Prayer BY WANDA E. BRUNSTETTER
Another Christmas Story BY SUSAN PAGE DAVIS
The Reluctant Runaway BY MELANIE DOBSON
A Stagecoach Christmas BY CATHY LIGGETT
Forging a Family BY VICKIE MCDONOUGH
Snow Song BY OLIVIA NEWPORT
Christmas, Maybe BY JANET SPAETH
The Christmas Bread BY JENNIFER ROGERS SPINOLA
Christmas Bounty BY MARYLU TYNDALL

As Christmas approaches, will nine couples find new hope in romance, or will they have to run back to where they came from?

Sweet stories, wonderful authors!

A delightful collection of novellas from nine very talented authors. I enjoyed each of these stories and the cheery Christmas tone.

I loved the westward theme of each of these stories. And I think my favorite was The Christmas Bread partly because it featured the Bozeman Trail. I also really enjoyed not only the date span of the stories, ranging all through the 1800's, but the variety in locations from California to Texas to Missouri to Nebraska and what would later become Wyoming.

Each novella is a quick read and can easily be finished in a sitting. I read them almost like very long chapters. Perfect for relaxing on a cold and snowy day.

An all around enjoyable collection of Christmasy historical romances!

Tell Tale Book Reviews gives The Westward Brides Christmas Collection by Wanda E. Brunstetter, Susan Page Davis, Melanie Dobson, Cathy Liggett, Vickie McDonough, Olivia Newport, Janet Spaeth, Jennifer Rogers Spinola, and MaryLu Tyndall a 3.5 Bark rating.