The Winners (Beartown #3) by Fredrik Backman

The Winners (Beartown #3) 

By Fredrik Backman 

Published by Atria Books 

Description: 

Two years have passed since the events that no one wants to think about. Everyone has tried to move on, but there’s something about this place that prevents it. The residents continue to grapple with life’s big questions: What is a family? What is a community? And what, if anything, are we willing to sacrifice in order to protect them? 

As the locals of Beartown struggle to overcome the past, great change is on the horizon. Someone is coming home after a long time away. Someone will be laid to rest. Someone will fall in love, someone will try to fix their marriage, and someone will do anything to save their children. Someone will submit to hate, someone will fight, and someone will grab a gun and walk towards the ice rink. 

So what are the residents of Beartown willing to sacrifice for their home? 

 Everything. 

The long-awaited conclusion to the beloved New York Times bestselling and “engrossing” (People) Beartown series—which inspired an HBO series of the same name—follows the small hockey town’s residents as they grapple with change, pain, hope, and redemption. 

Review: 

With as much as I have loved Fredik Backman's previous books (both the ones in this series and all of his other books), there was a lot of pressure going into this one--would I love it as much? Would it meet my expectations? Would it rip me apart and put me back together again as much as his other books? So I was definitely on tenterhooks heading into this one....and I have to say, the first little bit didn't capture me as much as I was hoping. The foreshadowing and hinting and me being so nervous about what was going to happen was bugging me (which isn't necessarily a reflection of the writing but of my emotional investment in these characters!)--but there was no way I wasn't going to finish it. And just like with his other books, Backman broke my heart and made me smile (several times but perhaps no more than with BOBO! Oh my gosh! The cuteness!) and made me think so much about why people would make the choices that they make. That might be what I love most of about Backman's writing--it makes me be empathetic, it makes me see the pieces that make up the people who then make the choices that drive us nuts or hurt us or that heal us and save us. It's really hard to dislike anyone in his books--be disappointed by them? Sure? Want to smack them upside the head sometimes? Absolutely. But actually dislike them? No, because we've seen the glimpses into their who they are and why they are who they and seen ourselves in them, which makes us hope for good things for them--and for ourselves by extension. (There are a couple of characters that are the exception to that, but given more page space, maybe even they would be sympathetic characters.) 

I loved seeing the characters from the previous books as well as meeting new characters in this one, and while I tried to savor this while simultaneously reading quickly because I needed to know what was going to happen, I can't wait to re-read it and to look for the things I missed along the way. (I might have to wait a few months until my heart can handle revisiting it, though!) 

Another fabulous book by Fredrik Backman and definitely one of my favorite books of the year. 

I read an ARC provided by the publisher via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

In Honor's Defense by Karen Witemeyer

 

In Honor's Defense (Hanger's Horsemen #3)

 By Karen Witemeyer

Published by Bethany House

Publication Date: June 7, 2022 

Description from publisher:

He's faced countless perils on the battlefield, but nothing so dangerous as falling in love. 

Luke Davenport has been fighting all his life—for respect, for country, and for those unable to fight for themselves. But now that his Horsemen brothers are domesticated, he's left alone to battle the wildness within. When an opportunity arises to take a job on his own, tracking down a group of rustlers, he jumps at the chance. 

Damaris Baxter has mastered the art of invisibility. Plain and quiet, she hides in books and needlework, content to be overlooked. Until her brother dies suddenly, leaving her custody of her nephew. She moves to Texas to care for Nathaniel, determined to create the family for herself that she never thought she'd have and to give him the family he desperately needs. 

When Nate finds himself knee-deep in trouble, Luke's attempt to protect him leaves Damaris feeling indebted to the Horseman. But suspicions grow regarding the mysterious death of Damaris's brother. And the more questions they ask, the more danger appears, threatening the family Luke may be unable to live without. 

Review:

Oh, man, Luke Davenport is exactly my type of hero, with the rough past that makes him not quite believe in himself, combined with the heart of gold who will do anything to protect those who he cares about. I LOVED him so much. And I'm thrilled to say I loved Damaris just as much and found her to be a perfect match for him. She also has her insecurities but she pushed herself to do and be her best, to be stronger than she thought she was, and I really liked her. I loved their interactions with one another, how they supported and helped each other so much. Besides characters who stole my heart, this book also has fabulous plot--I really enjoyed the mystery element and seeing what was going to happen and who was really behind everything. I just devoured this book...and while I've loved the previous books in the series, this one just slightly edged them out as my very favorite of the three. This is definitely one of my choices for the best books of 2022. 

5 stars. 

I read an ARC provided by the publisher. All opinions are my own.

All That It Takes by Nicole Deese

All That It Takes 

By Nicole Deese 

 Published by Bethany House 

Description: 

When the ever-cautious Val Locklier finally agrees to a cross-country move with her nine-year-old son to take a job with her best friend, Molly, everything she had planned for the future unravels within the first week. After pushing aside her anxieties about renting an apartment from Molly's twin brother, whom she barely knows, she accepts an invitation for an elite filmmaker's mentorship. Caught between her insecurities and new possibilities, she feels completely unprepared for the challenges ahead. 

Pastor Miles McKenzie returns home from abroad to discover that not only does he have an intriguing new tenant living upstairs, he's been banished to a ministry on life support. Disillusioned and restless, he pursues a relationship with Val without stopping to consider the timing or asking God to direct his steps. 

 As Val struggles to stop hiding behind the camera and Miles wrestles with shattered expectations, they'll find that authentic love and sacrifice must go hand in hand. 

Review: 

I loved everything about this book! The main characters, Val and Miles, are fabulous; they just feel REAL, with depth and real struggles and real strengths and weaknesses. They were so relatable as they had to deal with disappointments and fears and figuring out their paths in life. The plot also really pulled me in right from the get-go and there weren't any moments that dragged. The messages in this book--including seeing how God leads us through disappointments or change sin plans to end up exactly where we want to be, how our talents can help us find our personal ministries, and the need for connections and help from others in our lives. were powerful but not heavy-handed. This book is just so well-written, with humorous moments to balance out the serious topics--and the ending was just perfect! 

5 stars.

I read an ARC provided by the publisher via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

Until Leaves Fall in Paris by Sarah Sundin

 

Until Leaves Fall in Paris 

By Sarah Sundin 

Published by Revell Books 

Description: 

As the Nazis march toward Paris in 1940, American ballerina Lucie Girard buys her favorite English-language bookstore to allow the Jewish owners to escape. Lucie struggles to run Green Leaf Books due to oppressive German laws and harsh conditions, but she finds a way to aid the resistance by passing secret messages between the pages of her books. 

Widower Paul Aubrey wants nothing more than to return to the States with his little girl, but the US Army convinces him to keep his factory running and obtain military information from his German customers. As the war rages on, Paul offers his own resistance by sabotaging his product and hiding British airmen in his factory. After they meet in the bookstore, Paul and Lucie are drawn to each other, but she rejects him when she discovers he sells to the Germans. And for Paul to win her trust would mean betraying his mission. 

 

Review: This book was fabulous from start to finish! I was hooked from the very beginning, and my interest never waned; I was just captivated by everything, from the terrific characters to the plot to the historical details. Everything about it just drew me in! I really liked seeing the contrast between serious, business-minded Paul and artsy, creative Lucie and how they complimented each other. I adored sweet Josie and her stories. I am not a book-crier--I just don't cry when reading books very often at all--but this one got me! I was just invested in the story and the characters who felt so real. This book is easily one of my picks for the best books of 2022 and the one I've enjoyed most so far this year. 

5 stars.

I read an ARC provided by the publisher via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.