Calling me home - Julie Kibler Review

Title: Calling Me Home

Author: Julie Kibler

Genre: Historical Fiction, Romance

Book Synopsis:

Calling Me Home by Julie Kibler is a soaring debut interweaving the story of a heartbreaking, forbidden love in 1930s Kentucky with an unlikely modern-day friendship

Eighty-nine-year-old Isabelle McAllister has a favor to ask her hairdresser Dorrie Curtis. It's a big one. Isabelle wants Dorrie, a black single mom in her thirties, to drop everything to drive her from her home in Arlington, Texas, to a funeral in Cincinnati. With no clear explanation why. Tomorrow.

Dorrie, fleeing problems of her own and curious whether she can unlock the secrets of Isabelle's guarded past, scarcely hesitates before agreeing, not knowing it will be a journey that changes both their lives.

Over the years, Dorrie and Isabelle have developed more than just a business relationship. They are friends. But Dorrie, fretting over the new man in her life and her teenage son’s irresponsible choices, still wonders why Isabelle chose her.

Isabelle confesses that, as a willful teen in 1930s Kentucky, she fell deeply in love with Robert Prewitt, a would-be doctor and the black son of her family's housekeeper—in a town where blacks weren’t allowed after dark. The tale of their forbidden relationship and its tragic consequences makes it clear Dorrie and Isabelle are headed for a gathering of the utmost importance and that the history of Isabelle's first and greatest love just might help Dorrie find her own way.

Review:

Calling me home is a tale about two people who are both very different and the same. Different due to the color of their skin and the same in their love for one another which should be the only thing that matters. However the time and place this book is set does not make this an easy task. The characters were so real to me, it felt as though I had met them in real life, both present day and past characters. My heart went out to them, I laughed with them, wept with them, shared in the joys and pain of life alike with them. I loved the way the story was told, through essentially three different points of view two being in the present and one being the heart wrenching rendition of the past. The plot had me crying and throwing a tantrum over the injustice of it all, swooning over the love of soul mates and crying at the loss and pain of it all. This book made me feel new things, old feelings I rarely feel with a book, and just pure... I don't know... Everything. 

Favorite Quotes:

"Miss Isabelle, meek and tame? Yeah, right. Full of pickles and vinegar most likely."

"I want to make you happy and take good care of you. I want to protect you and keep you safe. I don't want to hurt you. Not now, not tonight. Not ever."

"But may I suggest you post a notice on your door that says 'no bigots served. Of any color'?"

All in All:

This book was a read that touched me, was hard to out down and quickly rocketed up on my favorites list of book. If you want to laugh, love, cry, and just lose yourself in time, then you've found the book for you. A fantastic 5 star read! Hell, I will give it 6 stars! Absolute perfection! 

The Mine- John A. Heldt Review

Series: Northwest Passage No. 1

Book: THE MINE

Author: John A. Heldt

Genre: Romance, Time Travel, Historical Fiction, Adventure

Book synopsis: In 2000, Joel Smith is a cocky, adventurous young man who sees the world as his playground. But when the college senior, days from graduation, enters an abandoned Montana mine, he discovers the price of reckless curiosity. He emerges in May 1941 with a cell phone he can't use, money he can't spend, and little but his wits to guide his way. Stuck in the age of Whirlaway, swing dancing, and a peacetime draft, Joel begins a new life as the nation drifts toward war. With the help of his 21-year-old trailblazing grandmother and her friends, he finds his place in a world he knew only from movies and books. But when an opportunity comes to return to the present, Joel must decide whether to leave his new love in the past or choose a course that will alter their lives forever. THE MINE follows a humbled man through a critical time in history as he adjusts to new surroundings and wrestles with the knowledge of things to come.

Book Review:

I'm ready to go looking for a mine. I'm serious, this book make me want to go look for a mine. I want what Joel had more than anything right now.

The Mine was simply amazing. A story of being thrown into a time one should not be in, and finding love, it shows that love can actually transcend through time, just not in the way you would imagine. Our characters were so amazing lovable, with sharp wit and humor that kept a smile on my face throughout the reading. With a plot that was rich in originality, I couldn't put it down, wanting to know where every twist and turn led, and how all this might affect the world to come. I haven't read anything like this before, and I have a feeling I won't be finding anything like this anytime soon. 

Favorite Quotes:

"One of the church ladies gawked at him, turned away, and quietly asked her friend about Candy in Chains. Be glad I left bare naked ladies at home."

"'You're not really a cowboy are you?' 'No ma'am,' Joel said with a sheepish smile. 'But I have learned how to manage herds at the furniture store. We put up a sale sign and the cattle fall into line.'"

"'I overheard you talk with Tom at dinner. I don't think I've ever known a person who gets excited about glaciers and igneous rocks.' 'They're pretty hot stuff. That's why I keep all my geology magazines in brown paper wrappers under the bed.'"

"'Are you having a good time?' Grace asked. 'Do you really need to ask? If have a good time watching you eat crackers."

"Beneath that delicate exterior is a strong, resolute woman who does nothing halfway. Never take her for granted and never underestimate her. She will amaze."

All In All:

I highly enjoyed this book. With an ending that threw me off kilter so hard I was crying (I won't tell you what kind of tears they were), this book will most definitely be memorable. I recommend this book to anyone, especially people who enjoy a great piece of romance with some flair on it. If that's the case, you've come to the right place (: