Only the Brave

 

Only the Brave

By: Danielle Steel

Genre: Historical Fiction, Fiction

Summary:

In 1937, Sophia Alexander is adjusting to her new normal life. Her Mother has passed away, her Father is a workaholic with his own general surgeon practice. Sophie's younger sister, Theresa is a socialite in the making. But everything changes when World War II erupts. Everything they once had is now being threatened and each has to make their own way. Sophia has no clue what the future holds for her- or her family.

Life as Sophia knew ended when her mother died. The family unit she grew up with was forever changed. Her beloved father, a general surgeon with his own practice, spent more and more time at his office. Her younger sister, Theresa, gets married. And Theresa attends nursing school. Among all that, World War II erupts. It doesn't take long before the War seeps fear into their lives.

Her father is approached by the Reich for his assistance in carrying out one of their diabolical agendas. When he declines, he prays that's the end of it. However, it wasn't. Later on, he's approached again. When he declines a second time, he's arrested and sent to camp. Everything he built is destroyed.

Theresa's husband is discovered to be a quarter Jewish, which is enough to force them to flee for their lives. She's very pregnant and his parents aren't as lucky. The very people his family had partied with are the ones who declare them enemies. Sophia calls on a friend to help her get Theresa and her husband to safety. Will they make it? 

Sophia not only decides she's going to become a nun, but she begins attending underground meetings and helping Jewish children to safety. She's never caught, but suspicion builds and she becomes guilty be association. Sophia goes from living in the safety of a convent to the terror of Ravensbruck. It takes her brains and guts to survive within it's walls. It takes her bravery to leave it. 

I've always loved Danielle Steel's historical fiction books the best. And while this one wasn't my favorite, it was still a good one. There were times when I felt people kept pressuring her to not go through with what she wanted. Overall, the story was a good one. It isn't a long book, so it's perfect for a short jaunt into another time. 

Nine Lives And Counting

 

Nine Lives And Counting

By: Duane "Dog" Chapman

Genre: Memoir

Summary:

Within Nine Lives and Counting, Duane “Dog” Chapman not only offers fresh perspective on well-known life events but also ventures into behind-the-scenes territory and backstories never shared publicly.

This book sheds new light on

• memories of the painful events that shaped the author’s childhood,
• the surprising hope he found in prison,
• triumphs and failures from his days as a single dad,
• lessons learned from his job as a vacuum-cleaner salesman,
• his story of learning to bounty hunt,
• and many other highs and lows from his life.

Most telling of all, Nine Lives and Counting follows Chapman’s faith in Jesus and the greater story he is focused on sharing with the world. ---bn.com

I was among the millions who watched Dog and his family track down the convicts who chose not to show up for their day in court. I remember the chase, the arrest, the cigarette and Dog riding in the backseat. And I was among the millions who had no idea there was a reason he did all the things he did. I thought it was nothing more than a bounty hunter apprehending his guy/girl. I only knew what I saw on the show- which was a fraction of the whole picture. There was far more that I didn't know compared to what I did. However, that's no longer the case.

Within the pages of Nine Lives And Counting, you're going to meet a boy named Duane. He lived a straight and narrow life. He was an active church member who many believed he was destined to be a preacher. And by the time he was in seventh grade, he escaped an abusive homelife in exchange for being a member of a biker gang. From there, life took Duane in directions he never could have expected.

A life a crime caught up with him and landed him behind bars. And within those bars, the groundwork for a caring bounty hunter was laid. Dog tells you about how he found himself there and how it changed his life forever. He's going to tell you about his interactions with his fellow inmates. He's also going to share with you how sharing his faith within those concrete walls changed more than just one man's protectory. 

You're going to learn about Dog's numerous marriages and his even more numerous children- the ones he knew of and the ones he learned of years later. He's going to share with you the good and the bad of his family life. The ways he succeeded in giving his children a better childhood than he had; and the ways he let his kids down. 

He's going to tell you of his career and personal accomplishments. He's also going to share with you the losses that devastated his world. Dog is open , honest and candid about it all. And he'll also share with you how God never left him and helped pick him up off the ground, repeatedly, to start over. 

I honestly didn't expect to love this book as much as I did. I didn't think I'd be captured by his story. I wasn't expecting him to be as humble and honest as he was. I definitely finished this book with a better understanding for this man who has been through far more than I ever thought of. Once you finish his book, you understand why he treated his bounties the way he did. He wasn't just in it for the money. He related to so many of his captures. He treated them as humans worthy of the opportunity to get their lives back on track, and not just as the criminals they were.

Thank you, Dog, for opening your story to us readers. Thank you for giving us the opportunity to get to know you better. Thank you for showing us how your faith was always important to you- even when you were lost to criminal activity, dependency or grief. You have left a lasting, touching impression on those you've met and those who have read your story. 

The Scandalous Life of Ruby Devereaux

 

The Scandalous Life of Ruby Devereaux

By: M.J. Robotham

Genre: Fiction

Summary:

Ruby Deveraux is a well acclaimed author. Not only is successful, but she still owes her publisher one more book. She finally agrees to give them the memoir they've been asking for, but only if it's done on her terms.  So, Ruby Devereaux tells her life story- through the men who had the biggest impression on her.

Ruby Devereaux may be 90, but she is still a force to be reckoned with. So, while it's easier to give her publisher the memoir they want, she's doing it her way. What follows is the 12 men who have shaped her life and left the biggest impressions on her. She shares her firsts: love, sexual experience, heartbreak and betrayal. Beginning in the late 1940s and going to 2020, you'll journey history through her life and heart. You'll see her fall in love, get her heart broken, navigate betrayal, get married and suffer gut wrenching losses- just to name a few. 

She'll tell stories of an actor, politician, artists, her Dad and others. She'll fall head over heels and, sometimes, just love the person for the moment. As she lays out her history, you'll run the gamete with her. You'll fall in love. You'll fall in lust. You'll feel her joy. You'll feel her pain. You'll see a woman embrace life in all it's emotions and experiences. Some will scar, some will enrich. And some will forever change you.

Ruby as a spy? Ruby as a wife? Ruby in love? Ruby learning the truth of someone she thought she knew. Ruby being the nurturer to a man who's own trauma threatens to take over. Ruby having the time of her life and getting arrested- at 52 years old. It's all in these pages and more. 

It was fun to see her life unfold. Ruby lived so many different lives, but all those lives were the pieces that made Ruby who she was. I grew attached to her and wanted to see her happy and succeed. No matter what love brought to her, or did to her, she was the feisty woman I rooted for every time. 

There's no way to escape the inevitable comparisons to  The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo. They are similar in many ways, but don't dismiss Ruby. Don't underestimate Ruby. You will enjoy her story, her loves, her life, her guts, her grit. Curl up and get to know a woman who lived a long, incredible life.