Actual Rating: 4.5

After reading Vicktor's story, I was excited to continue on with this series. I quickly picked up the sequel, but admit I wasn't convinced I'd enjoy Roman's story quite as much as Victor's. Not anything against Roman, I loved his role in In Sheep's Clothing as Victor's friend, and as a Christian who tried to do the right thing and was always there to support his friends along with David (Preach)'s help when issues arose that needed prayer or advice. He struck me as the fun more carefree one of the group, well if there is such a thing in a group of Russian FSB (formally KGB) members and American soldiers. But, still.... He's the one with the jokes and always trying to make light of a dark situation when his friend need the hope and a loyal companion.

That said, his story, and character, are drastically different from Vicktor's. Whereas Vita is the 'tall, dark, and handsome, Russian cop, take no prisoners type tough-guy who things women are either cursed or all crazy, and is hard set on revenge to atone for past sins, with or without the help of his Believing friends. Roman is different. Coming from a very different background, Roman is just trying to prove himself worth and good enough as a man of God, trying desperately to avoid his father's failures, while struggling to find his place in God's will in the harsh Siberian reality.

Much to my surprise, I ended up loving this one! More so even than book 1, which blew me away and snuck up on my toward the end! I loved seeing Roman and Sarai's story unfold, but also loved how the truths they discovered, about themselves, each other, and God's will were relevant in my life today, and how they even had the chance to display their newfound knowledge before the story ended, which was a satisfying addition to the story.

I also must mention Genye and Anya! I enjoyed meeting them early on in the book, and loved their role more as the story plays out. They serve several purposes, missionaries, mentors, friends, and a sort of adopted/found family for Sarai for a time along with others. I loved their wisdom and guidance, from Genye's silent knowing and protective kindness, to Anya's talk in the kitchen and her guidance as a medical missionary alongside Sarai.

I also loved seeing the duel POV as Roman and Sarai's relationship grows and develops. I always love duel POV for romances and similar stories, but this one was extra important and enjoyable amidst all the twists and surprises, sometimes even the character themselves made a new discovery of self realization that changes things in how they react to each other in the future, and I loved seeing that progression, and the thought processes that lead to those new turns!

Actual Rating: 4.5

Quick Thoughts: How have I never heard or seen this series anywhere? 2005!!! God works in mysterious and wonderous ways indeed! Right when I needed it, and the reminder, and when my heart has been crying out for the persecuted Church, especially in Russia!

In the first in a series Nancy Warren takes readers to Oxford where a knitting shop seems to be the hub for paranormal activity in town:

 

Lucy Swift travels to Oxford to escape from another bad relationship and just feeling like she has no direction and purpose in life but she know that her Gran will make her feel better and set her on the right path. Lucy is shocked to discover that her Gran is deceased and has been for three week, but Lucy is sure that she just saw her down the street. Lucy discovers that she is her Gran's sole heir to her shop Cardinal Woolsey's a knitting shop and that should keep her busy as she tries to process everything that happens. But it turns out her Gran just cannot stay away. Gran is very much alive, well Undead, a Vampire and the Vampires of Oxford have been using Cardinal Woolsey's as their knitting circle meet up. From Gran Lucy finds that she she did not die peacefully but cannot remember what happened only that her dying was not an accident. Lucy is determined to find out what occurred and she's about to discovery more about herself in the process.

I know this is not my usual read, but for the sake of Halloween Bingo I read one of these cozy mystery books a year and they quite fun and a nice change from what I usually read. I can sum this book up as a pretty cute read with a side of murder that occur. I also think that you can tell from the cover that the vampires within this book are not the scary blood sucking type. Actually you find out pretty early on they have a side hustle to get their blood supply and really a vampire knitting club, I guess who doesn’t have more time than the vampire to learn how to perfect the art of knitting. What I liked that Warren did though was not all the members of the club were old (when they were turned) and female, there were a few men in there as well. Additionally, I think that Warren did a good job in trying to throw as many suspects or red herrings as she could as to who the killer actually was, I did find myself changing my mind a few times, but was able to figure it out. Nevertheless, Warren does a good job with the mystery aspect.

I liked that there wasn’t any romance in this book. I mean it is hinted at that there may be a triangle in the future but this was much more about Lucy trying to adjust to her Gran’s “death” and trying to find out who did it. So minimal relationship and romance which is strange for a cozy mystery but appreciate it.

Warren does try to do a lot in this book, so a few things are missed along the way in regards to background as to some of the characters and not really fleshing out the main ones there. If I were to read farther in this series (there is always next year's BINGO) I would want a bit more substance to the characters.

So this is an easy read, that is cutesy as you have vampires who spend their undead years perfecting their knitting skills. So if you’re looking for a cozy Halloween read this one is for you.

Enjoy!!!

This is a joint review with Bea from Bea's Book Nook Plot Bea: The story was slow and the grand reveal was over the top. I'm worried there may be a romance developing between Quinn and Lachlan. Worried because it's such an obvious and trite story path to take. AVR: The murder mystery seems a little contrived and I agree that the reveal was a bit much. It does seem as if the author is leading us toward a Lachlan/Quinn romance. I don't mind if they date, but I'd like to see some other interest(s) for Quinn. Maybe because I'm not a huge fan of the romance between Rafe & Lucy in the Knitting series. Mostly because Lucy doesn't seem to be all in either. Actually, Quinn seems a better choice as a romantic interest for a vampire than Lucy because she doesn't seem to have the same "immortal" hang up that Lucy still does. I guess we'll see. Bea: Oh yes, the mystery felt quite contrived but then so did the location of the book club meetings. Lachlan's home would seem to make more sense, if only from a privacy perspective. Characters Bea:I liked seeing Rafe, Agnes, and Sylvia. I loved that this trip to Ireland was referenced in a couple of the book Vampire Knitting Club series. And since I read the most recent Knitting book before I read this one, I met Lachlan in that. It was a nice little preview. AVR: I haven't quite warmed up to Quinn like I did immediately with Lucy, but I do like her. And I do like she's an older character with experiences under her belt. I'm worried this series will flounder because the town is so tiny. I like a lot of great side characters to help move the story along and add depth and richness. And humor. The Knitting series has plenty of those, so maybe we'll meet more in the Book series. Bonus for adding Rafe, Silvia, and Agnes to create a crossover. Can never hate my favorite characters making an appearance in a connecting series. Bea: I also like the interconnecting characters and the fact that the appearance of Rafe, Sylvia, and Agnes made sense and wasn't random. Although, now that I think about it, it might not make sense if you haven't read the originating series. The tiny town is a concern; it runs the risk of turning into Murder, She Wrote. World Building Bea: I'm not sure it can be read apart from the original series; maybe it could. Warren did further the world building and I have learned a lot more about witches now, especially their governance. AVR: The one thing I like about this over the Knitting series is the witch stuff. I learned more because Quinn takes it seriously. That's one thing that pisses me off about Lucy. She keeps blowing her witchiness off. Gah! Bea: I did like learning more about the witch business, and getting a closer look at it. I agree about Lucy; she needs to take it more seriously. Quinn is more serious about it and far more accomplished. Overall Bea: It took a while to warm up to Quinn. She's a good person and a good witch, most of the time. But she rubbed me the wrong way at times. I love that she's a middle aged character. The older I get, the more I love seeing characters closer to my age. AVR: The story was a bit slow to get off the ground, but it is the first book and any series needs to start somewhere. Once the groundwork was laid it cruised along at a decent rate. The reveal seemed a bit iffy and I'm not quite sure about where this maybe romance is heading between Quinn and Lachlan, but I'll reserve judgment for now. I'm looking forward to book 2. Bea: Agreed, it was slow to get going but it slowly picked up steam. I'm not sure how authentic the depiction is of an Irish village but it's a charming locale. I was not a fan of the reveal; it was over the top. It was a nod to classic mystery reveals but too contrived for my liking. I concerns about the viability of the series but I like the location despite my concerns and I like book store settings. The humor appeals to me and I'm intrigued by Quinn and the others. I'll be back for book two.

You're several years into a depression and of all your assets: Tom Swift, Bomba the Jungle Boy, and even the Bobbsey Twins, the one most people are interested in buying are two juvenile detective series. What's a publishing syndicate to do? Enter Louise and Jean Dana, orphan sisters who solve mysteries while attending the prestigious Starhurst School.

 

The Stratemeyer Syndicate was eager to match the success of the 'Hardy Boys' and 'Nancy Drew' when they created this sister series. Originally printed with lilac boards and jackets that featured bold deco designs highlighting the adventures within, the books are striking. Later printings in the 1950s would replace the cover design with the more modern picture-covers of the girls hiding in shrubbery and looking aghast at various scenes.

 

Notably, the entire back cover of the jacket - usually a valuable space used to advertise titles of another series - eagerly proclaimed that the 'Dana Girls' was written by the same author as Nancy Drew!

 

Of course, it wasn't. At least not at first. Credit for these books was given to 'Carolyn Keene', but in reality the first four books were written by Leslie McFarlane, the original writer of the bulk of the original Hardy Boys books under the 'Franklin W. Dixon' pseudonym. The syndicate needed another girls series and Harriet Stratemeyer Adams preferred working with McFarlane over the more opinionated Mildred A. Wirt who also wanted more money per manuscript. The first three books also were written in 1933, during which time Harriet had another ghostwriter writing Nancy.

 

Apparently, however, McFarlane disliked writing from a girl's perspective, especially under a female pseudonym. The poor dear. There were also problems with the increasingly lengthy and convoluted outlines McFarlane had to work from for the series, as well as his other Stratemeyer work.

That's a lot to get into before we even discuss the book itself! Despite McFarlane's lack of enthusiasm, I found the book to be fun reading. The only criticism is that the girls have an interchangeable personality - a similar problem plagued the Hardy Boys for awhile. To help you readers out, Louise is dark-haired and serious, while Jean is blonde, impulsive, and a year younger.

'By the Light of the Study Lamp' opens with the girls packing their trunks to go back to school for their sophomore year. A letter has arrived from their uncle, the captain of an Atlantic liner, informing them to keep an eye out for their farewell present, an antique lamp he is having delivered to the house. The girls are excited, because a lamp is precisely what they need for their shared study - at Starhurst girls have private study-rooms separate from their bedroom. When the lamp arrives the girls have only just unpacked it from the excelsior when they are brought to the hall by a shriek from Cora Appel, their aunt's clutzy maid who they refer to affectionately as "Applecore". A lot of time is spent developing her character considering she rarely shows up after this scene or in subsequent books.

After they calm Applecore down the girls return to the kitchen to find the lamp missing! How could it have been stolen so soon after its delivery, and why? The girl's search takes them to a shabby second-hand store with an obsequious shopkeeper who enjoys rubbing his fat hands together. There is also a glimpse of a mysterious gypsy-looking woman who the author takes pains to point out does not appear to be of Romany ancestry....thanks? The ungypsy will continue to turn up throughout the story.

Starhurst School was once a fine, private estate. The Star family fell on hard times, with the final blow being the theft of family heirlooms. The estate was sold to the Crandalls who run the school. A classmate and member of the old family, Evelyn Star, becomes close to the Dana girls this year when it appears her financial situation is becoming desperate. Her brother has gone missing and there may be no money for her tuition! She is too proud to accept a loan from the girls, so it is up to Danas to discover the whereabouts of Evelyn's brother as well as the secret of the lamp, which deepens when they find it - or one very similar - in the window of a nice second-hand store. They buy it for full price from the shopkeeper, angering their rival, the nouveau -riche and crass (oxymoron, am I right fellow elites?) Lettie Briggs, who was trying to haggle the price down despite her reputation as being the wealthiest girl at Starhurst.

There's a whole lot more going on with the plot, but I'm discovering that it is extremely hard to write about what happens in these books. There are dozens of coincidences and twists leading up to a fairly simple conclusion. This book was charming and holds up alongside its peers. Of course, you have to love this kind of thing (which I do!).

Dana Girls

 

Next: 'The Secret at Lone Tree Cottage'