This Is Where It Ends by Cindy K. Sproles

When Minerva Jane Jenkins was just 14 years old, she married a man who moved her to the mountains. He carried with him a small box, which he told her was filled with gold. And when he died 50 years later, he made her promise to keep his secret. She is to tell no one about the box or the treasure it contains.

Now 94, Minerva is nearing the end of what has sometimes been a lonely life. But she's kept that secret. Even so, rumors of hidden gold have a way of spreading, and Minerva is visited by a reporter, Del Rankin, who wants to know more of her story. His friend who joins him only wants to find the location of the gold. Neither of them knows quite who they're up against when it comes to the old woman on the mountain.

As an unlikely friendship develops, Minerva is tempted to reveal her secret to Del. After all, how long is one bound by a promise? But the truth of what's really buried in the box may be hidden even from her.

Audiobook, 10 hours, 2 minutes

Published June 27, 2023

 by Recorded Books

4/5 stars

An intriguing blurb and book club selection had me reading this one.  Fourteen year-old Minerva's life changes drastically as she marries and moves to the mountains.  Her new husband carries a small box the whole time making her to believe that it is filled with gold.  Hidden away  he swears her to promise never to reveal its contains, which he reminds her of 50 years later as he takes his last breaths. Sounds enticing right?

Now 30 years after his passing, Minerva has stayed up in the mountain by herself.  With vivid descriptions I got a good lay of the land and how it would be isolated from human contact.  But then one day she gets a visitor and things changes.

This was a very intriguing read as pieces of her husband‘s past come to light. There were many layers to this story, not just the mystery of the box but also Minerva's transformation as she finally understands the meaning of a true friendship. 

I read this as part of our church book club and went the audiobook route. The narrator was Barbara McCulloh, who did a great job bringing this story to life.

My audio was obtained through hoopla via my public library.

The Paris Widow by Kimberly Belle

A dream vacation turns deadly when secrets from the past catch up to a married couple in Paris in this new edge-of-your-seat thriller from USA Today bestselling author, Kimberly Belle.

When Stella met Adam, she thought she had finally found a nice, normal guy—a welcome change from her previous boyfriend and her precarious jetsetter lifestyle with him. But her secure world comes crashing down when Adam goes missing after an explosion in the city square. Unable to reach him, she panics.

As the French police investigate, it’s revealed that Adam was on their radar as a dealer of rare and stolen antiquities with a long roster of criminal clients. Reeling from this news, Stella is determined not to leave Paris until she has the full story. Was Adam a random victim or the target of the explosion? And why is someone following her through the streets of Paris?

An irresistible, fast-paced read set in some of Europe’s most inviting locales, The Paris Widow explores how sinister secrets of the past stay with us—no matter how far we travel.

Audiobook, 10 hours, 23 minutes

Published June 11, 2024 

by Harlequin Audio

3/5 stars

Kimberly Bell's latest took this reader to different countries in Europe.  There were 2 different points of view, that of Stella and her husband Adam.  Their dream vacation takes a drastic turn when a bomb goes of in a Paris square leaving Stella searching for Adam 

It was an intriguing plot that took me into the black market of stolen art and antiquities. This was very much a telling story that was entertaining, but not as suspenseful and thrilling as I had hoped it to be.

It was mysterious and kept me guessing but it wasn't without issues. Had I read this book vs the audio maybe my thoughts would be different.  But I found the narrators not in tune with the characters personalities. Stella came off as hysterical and gullible with a very whiny and loud voice.  Adam's point of view came in at a slower speed, therefore I was constantly upping and slowing the speed down. Thankfully he didn't get as much time as Stella did.

Like I said, I wish I'd gone the book/ebook route and recommend that way to go.

My audiobook was obtained through Hoopla via local public library.

Audio Review: Phoebe's Light (Nantucket Legacy #1) by Suzanne Woods Fisher

Phoebe Starbuck has always adjusted her sails and rudder to the whims of her father. Now, for the first time, she's doing what she wants to do: marrying Captain Phineas Foulger and sailing far away from Nantucket. As she leaves on her grand adventure, her father gives her two gifts, both of which Phoebe sees little need for. The first is an old sheepskin journal from Great Mary, her highly revered great-grandmother. The other is a "minder" on the whaling ship in the form of cooper Matthew Mitchell, a man whom she loathes.

Soon Phoebe discovers that life at sea is no easier than life on land. Lonely, seasick, and disillusioned, she turns the pages of Great Mary's journal and finds herself drawn into the life of this noble woman. To Phoebe's shock, her great-grandmother has left a secret behind that carries repercussions for everyone aboard the ship, especially her husband the captain and her shadow the cooper. This story within a story catapults Phoebe into seeing her life in an entirely new way--just in time.

In this brand-new series, bestselling author Suzanne Woods Fisher brings her signature twists and turns to bear on a fascinating new faith community: the Quakers of colonial-era Nantucket Island.

Paperback, 345 pages

Published February 6th 2018

by Fleming H. Revell Company

Length: 9 hrs and 56 mins

Unabridged Audiobook

**** 

This is the first book in Suzanne Woods Fisher’s new Nantucket Legacy Series. This author had me with her Amish Beginnings Series, it’s rich detail, flawed and realistic characters plus an interesting story line kept my attention for all 3 books. Hence my eagerness to begin this one.

Again I was not disappointed. Phoebe Starbucks is a likable character living in a time when women were at the mercy of men around her. She takes control of her life (trying to help her father), and is lead on an adventure over land and sea.

It’s Phoebe’s ancestor, Great Mary's diary that rounds out the story nicely. With rich details of living in a time where surviving was what one woke up to every day. I love reading about the early settlers, those working the land with its many obstacles.

Phoebe’s Light is a story of forgiveness, survival and finding one’s Light. A great start to new series with book 2, Minding the Light hitting the bookshelves a few weeks ago (how did I miss that!)

Thank you to the publisher via Netgalley for an advance copy, due to personal issues I went the audio route on this on and it was as great!