Glittering Promises

by Lisa T. Bergren
3.5/5 stars
David C. Cook, 2013
311 pages
YA Historical Christian

Source: Received an e-ARC via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Well, we have come to the conclusion of the Grand Tour series which began so promisingly in Glamorous Illusions and continued in Grave Consequences. I'll admit that there were times when I found myself bored and just waiting to finish so I could say it was done but I did like the ending, which left me with a fond impression of this book.

I think Glamorous Illusions impressed me by taking me into a glamorous world of touring Europe for months with that being your sole occupation. Can you image? Just going to fabulous museums, seeing incredible works of art and buildings that have stood for ages with nary a care about money or responsibilities. But this is the third book of their tour and I was kind of over the grand tour by this point. Luckily there are other plot lines like Cora's continued mostly commitment to their bear Will but also battling lingering feelings for the wealthy charming Pierre.

Something I really liked was the exploration of attitudes toward women in business and politics. Though there is a vile character who says some hateful things, most of the men are pretty supportive of Cora's aspirations. She's an heiress, yes, but she also wants to do work that matters and use her wealth for positive efforts. One arena might end up being women's suffrage, a cause I can certainly get behind! But either way she's not going to blindly follow a path laid down by her father, instead choosing to forge her own way and abide by the dictates of her conscience.

The best part for me though was the Christian faith aspect. These books are from a Christian imprint and I remember God playing a part in both of the preceding books. However here it really poured out and over. Cora is brought to her knees at several points: trying to discern about a husband, how to spend the money she has so suddenly been handed, coping with grief, and wrestling with her identity, for starters.

Overall: Though the last few chapters really made me smile, I ended up feeling like this was dragged out and may have been better served as a duology. I can certainly understand the desire to have three books but so many passages felt like filler to me. Still, if you started the series, you'll probably want to finish and this does continue in the style begun by the previous two.

Other Opinions:
Black 'n Gold Girl's Book Spot
Seasons of Humility

Grave Consequences

Grave Consequences by Lisa T. Bergren
4/5 stars
David C. Cook, 2013
430 pages
YA Inspirational Historical

Source: Received an e-ARC via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I really loved first book Glamorous Illusions last year so I was thrilled to check out the second book in the series with a cover hinting at something darker happening (also if that guy is Will, well, I've imagined him to be hotter, just saying.)

We immediately jump back into the story, leaving me floundering as it's been almost a year since I read the first installment. Soon however I was back in the rhythm, aided by the fact that this story focuses much more closely on Cora and Will. I remember the first book introducing all the characters including Cora's new found siblings but I felt like they didn't play as much of a role this time, at least not til near the end. It felt much more narrowly focused on the love story of Cora and Will. She is struggling to reconcile her new role as the daughter of a wealthy man with her long-time dream of teaching and living a simple life in Montana. He is barely afloat financially with debts hanging over his head and dreaming of being an architect while also longing for Cora despite the punishment her father would dole out to him.

Speaking of Cora's father, he is such a jerk. I didn't like him much in book one but he just continues to be manipulative and frankly cruel in this book. I understand some of his objections but he seems to be motivated largely by selfishness so it is hard for me to sympathize with him. Most grievous is him pushing Pierre toward Cora despite her uncertainty of him (and my love of Will!)

As predicted this book does seem darker. Although they continue moving apace through Europe (thus making it a book I'd recommend to anyone craving some great descriptive passages of the sights), they are haunted by the foiled kidnapping attempt at the end of book one. Are they really out of danger? Or are the children of two very wealthy men just too tempting to resist? There is somewhat of a mystery element around this and I was proud of myself for piecing one part together.

Last to mention is the religious element as this book comes from a religious publishing house. I'm Christian so I enjoy books that reflect my faith. I think that Cora does a good job of relying on her faith and the knowledge that all this money and opulence won't make her happy. The ending is especially good for her decision to wait and trust in the Lord.

Overall: A good second book that does move the story forward while also allowing you time to luxuriate in pre-WWI Europe.

Other Opinions:
Booktalk & More
From the Heart of a Bookworm
Short and Sweet Reviews

Glamorous Illusions

Glamorous Illusions by Lisa T Bergren
4.5/5 stars
David C. Cook, 2012
404 pages
YA Historical Christian Fiction

Source: Received an e-ARC via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

While I didn't fall in love with Bergren's River of Time trilogy like many other bloggers, I still enjoyed most of the story and eagerly added this book to my tbr-list when I heard about it. I am so very glad I did as I loved this book! Why did this book work so well for me? Well three main things would be:

1. I found the first couple of chapters both bewildering and incredibly emotionally powerful. Bewildering as it was set in rural Montana (well really is there any other kind?), which seemed very much at odds with the elegant Parisian cover. How does poor teacher Cora with parents who mortgaged their farm to send her to teacher college end up in Paris? But intense because Cora is arriving home only to discover that her father has suffered a stroke. The family bonding and the hope felt by them as he bravely fought grabbed me by the throat.

2. While this book does spend time in Montana, the majority of it (and the rest of the series) is in Europe following seven young people including Cora on a Grand Tour. How cool is that? I've read books with that mentioned but I've never read any specifically focused on it. This book has a brief stop in London followed by a longer time in France with future adventures in Italy to come.

3. I did share this in a goodreads status update if you happened to catch it: there's a guy named Will! That's kind of a small reason but I immediately decided that I liked him, which was further confirmed by the fact that he is just a good guy.

I'm not exactly sure how much else to reveal as the goodreads summary reveals what I would consider to be a major spoiler right in the first sentence. Suffice it to say that Cora is a strong young lady facing tremendous challenges as she embarks on the adventure of a lifetime. She is definitely the main focus with most of the supporting characters needing a bit more color to fully come alive.

One of the things I didn't really like was the narrative style with Cora narrating the majority of the book in first-person but with her father and Will narrating some chapters in third-person. I found it very jarring although I did appreciate their outside perspectives on Cora and their pride in her for the way she holds up to outside scrutiny and judgment. I also felt like some of it was repetitive with Cora deciding to bravely keep her head high, then wilting under examination, and then doing it all over again. On the one hand, I completely understand this; I try to follow Christ's example, I fail, I repeat until I hopefully eventually succeed. But on the other hand, it can be a bit boring to read about. Luckily the strong foundation of the beginning carried me through such moments.

Compared to the River of Time trilogy, I did find this book to be more overtly Christian with Cora constantly leaning on her faith in God to get her through the many difficult moments. However I did not find it to be too in your face or preachy. Scripture is not on every page and it is more about the relationships than anything else. As a Christian, though, I may not be the best judge of religiosity so you'll want to check out some other reviews for more information on that front.

Overall: An exciting historical fiction that sets up relationships that I'm excited to explore over the course of the next two books.

Cover: When I looked at this picture as a thumbnail, I didn't realize the model was looking at us and I preferred it that way. I don't need to see her face and with that change, I would love this cover. As it is, I do love the font and the little flourishes on the A and S's as well as seeing the Eiffel Tower, which is referenced.

Torrent

Torrent by Lisa T. Bergren
David C. Cook, 2011
388 pages
YA; Time-Travel
3.5/5 stars

Source: Received from the author

My reviews of the previous books: Waterfall and Cascade

SPOILERS-SERIOUSLY SPOILERS!

I did end up preferring Cascade to Waterfall except for the ending which found Gabi, Lia, and their mom going back in time to rescue their father/husband from an early death. I was appalled at their continued meddling in the timeline. It wasn't enough that they were diverting Marcello from marrying that woman, extending Fortino's life, and creating the legend of the She-Wolves of Siena. Now they are adding a fourth modern person to medieval Italy and erasing him from the contemporary timeline.

Additionally I'm kind of over all of them being so fluent in the language and having the fighting skills necessary to survive. It just made it seem too easy. And I was not thrilled with Gabi getting married and the rest of her family deciding to stay in the past with her; so uncomfortable that she was making such a huge change largely for a guy. But that wasn't her only reason; her other reason was...

That life is lived more fuller there-wtf? If you're not living life to the fullest in modern times, that's your fault. It's not because of what life is like here. However to be perfectly honest, I think it really depends on what you prize. While I love my family and my God (and would no matter what time period), I also love modern conveniences such as electricity, indoor plumbing, penicillin and other pharmaceuticals, automobiles and planes, and computers (and more). I also love being literate (I don't know that time period well but I do know that only a tiny percentage of all people were literate and that went double for women) and our improvements in communication (even as I wrote this in California, you are reading it anywhere). I guess what I'm saying is that I thought Gabi's decision was stupid and the author didn't sufficiently convince me otherwise. Thus the book became far too fantastical for me (even beyond the whole time travel thing).

Overall: This book just conflicted too much with my personal opinions about time travel and what I would do in such a situation.  I was intensely invested in the characters and their decisions, such that I had a bit of a pain in my stomach while reading some parts. However the conclusion pissed me off. I wish all the best as the series is continued but I will not be reading them.

Cover: He is so gross looking; I want to give him a bath, a shave, and a haircut. I much preferred the girls from the other book covers.

Cascade

Cascade by Lisa T. Bergren
David C. Cook, 2011
399 pages
YA; Historical; Time-travel; Romance
4.5/5 stars

My review of Waterfall

Source: Library

I mostly enjoyed the first book Waterfall except for some qualms around the whole time travel thing. I mean, I spend a not insignificant amount of time contemplating time travel and the ramifications of interfering with anything. Those worries are not wholely alleviated by this book but I have hopes for the third.

First, I felt conflicted by the love across time, which is a. improper and b. very much interfering in the space/time continuum.  Additionally Gabi worries that she might be disrupting stuff instead of realizing that she already has by keeping Fortino alive for longer (see Timeless Love for an example of why it might be bad to aid an asthmatic during your travels through time), in addition to her and Lia's aiding of the Sienese and creating the legend of the She-Wolfs of Siena. We see one consequence but not enough for my taste. In the beginning, I also thought Gabi's modern speak was sometimes a bit closer to what an adult thinks a teen speaks like but as I move further away from my teen years, I also lose sight of how real teenagers act and speak.

But then I fell headlong into the story, on the edge of my seat as the action and danger just kept increasing.  Both sides mean serious business and that meant even more suspense as Gabi and Lia maneuver through the deadly intrigues and warfare.  They also brought their mom back with them, adding to their danger.  Every time they got caught up in some plot, I wondered how Bergren could possibly get them out of danger...and then she did it in a believable and enjoyable fashion.  I'm still not a big fan of  Marcello (I'll leave him for Small Review ;) but I am very intrigued by Lord Greco, of ambiguous loyalties; I would like to see more of him.  Gabi continues to be pretty kick-butt and remarkably mature and thoughtful about her love for Marcello, even as she wants to just give in and attempt to live happily ever after.  She knows there's more to consider than that.

I felt that this book had more of a Christian aspect than the first book but that is appropriate since the setting is 14th century Italy, where everyone's Catholic.  I didn't find it preachy or evangelistic so rest assured if you were worried about that.

SPOILER-another problem I had:
I was very disappointed in Gabi, Lia, and their mother's decision to rescue the father from an early death.  I completely understand their motivation but that was a bad decision and I can only hope that Torrent unleashes a world of consequences on them as punishment for all of their meddling in time.
END SPOILER

Cover: I like the first cover more with the pop of red but this represents continuity with the first cover so I'm happy.

Waterfall

Waterfall by Lisa T. Bergren
David C. Cook, 2011
369 pages
YA; Historical; Romance; Christian
4/5 stars

Source: Received an ARC via Amazon's Vine program.

After seeing rapturous reviews of this at Small Review and Edgy Inspirational Romance, I was delighted to receive my own copy for review from Amazon.

This book features one of my favorite plots: time travel.  When Gabriella and her younger sister Lia put their hands on handprints in an Etruscan remains site, they are taken back to fourteenth century Italy where battle between the Sienese and Florentines rages. Gabriella is rescued by the Fiorellos, namely hunky Marcello who is unfortunately already betrothed to a daughter of the Nine, influential leaders in Siena whose support helps Marcello's family maintain their hold.

Gabi wows everyone with her 21st century clothing although she quickly changes into a more time appropriate dress.  Thanks to her nerdy parents, she has a grasp on the Italian dialect in use and is able to communicate fairly well.  Also thanks to her parents, she can wield a sword and has basic medical knowledge that helps her heal the eldest Fiorello son who suffers from asthma.  While her boldness startles the people, they are generally pretty accepting of it and are eager to applaud her awesomeness.  I love when an amazing girl is lauded!  She also navigates the tricky politics of the region well while also searching for her sister Lia since they were separated while coming through time.

The reader spends less time with Lia but she also knows the language and her forte is archery.  I love books with sister relationships and the parts with the two were among my favorite.  Lia is necessary in order to encourage Gabi to return home; as she falls more in love with Marcello, she is less desirous of leaving.

I've seen this classified as Christian fiction but I did not think those elements were very prevalent.  Gabi does question why she was sent through time and begins to think about a relationship with God after seeing the religion of everyone around her but it's never preachy or intrusive to the narrative.

I did have two problems with the book.  First was Gabi and Marcello's romance, which started while he was still technically betrothed: I hate that.  I also didn't find Marcello very swoonworthy as I was more attracted to his asthmatic strategist brother who loves Dante (who I will totally read some day).  The other problem was Gabi's voice.  Her narration is clear and I loved most of her actions, excepting in the romance arena, but sometimes the way her modern voice clashed with the more formal language of centuries ago Italian bothered me.

The second and third books in this trilogy are due out this year (yeah for hardly any waiting!) and it looks like they will include the Black Death, which, while dark, is something I enjoy reading about.  This book did not end on a major cliffhanger but there are still many plot questions to be explored in the next two books.

Overall: A strong start to a trilogy with lots of great characters and historical details. I'm excited for the sequels!

Cover: It looks like the model is wearing a red peacoat which makes no sense in the context of the book because the modern section takes place during the summer.  I do like the pop of color against the blue and black though.