Alcoholic Blues (Book 15)

 

 

Prohibition is just getting started. Baltimore City Police are told to stand down from any enforcement involving the Volstead Act, as the Governor has claimed his state would be "just as wet as ever".

Gabrielle Lane Pennington is out of jail, and ready for a new challenge. Joshua McAleese, the brother of her former associate, has taken over Mickey's operation. He presses Gabby into working with him in order to open a nightclub. Everything is going along swimmingly, the club is making more money than anyone anticipated. Then Gabby made the mistake of asking for more money.

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Alcoholic Blues

Review for Alcoholic Blues

"Alcoholic Blues" is an engaging read set in Prohibition-era Baltimore. The story is full of action, interesting twists, and well-drawn characters. Millie, the central character, is particularly endearing. The book captures small but significant details like the introduction of electric refrigerators, adding to the authenticity of the setting.

Father Dear Father Come Home (Book 14)

 

February, 1920. Prohibition went into effect a month before. Prohibition agents are political hacks, most having bought their positions, and more apt to make more in graft from the bootleggers than from their salaries.

At the same time, the Governor of the State of Maryland declared his state would remain as "wet as ever". Police were told to stand down on all matters regarding enforcement of the Volstead Act or the 18th Amendment.

Gabby Lane Pennington is no longer running a patent medicine mail order business. Now she has a full blown distillery, making not just Pennington's Tonic, but Maryland Rye Whiskey. They claim the whiskey is being sold only to pharmacies for prescription distribution. No one told the speakeasies who pull up every Sunday to take delivery on cases of the stuff.

Newly minted police officer Rhys Shay is sent into the factory undercover. Not to investigate the making of illegal liquor, but the death of Barnaby Fogg, Gabby's former bed partner and partner in crime.

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Father Dear Father Come Home

Review for Father Dear Father Come Home:

I like the author's mix of history and fiction in this book. She transports us into the Prohibition era. The world of bootlegging, corrupt politics, and murder is part of the interesting and complex plot that kept me glued to the book. Do not miss the "Notes on the book" at the end, where the author provides links to music and some additional historical notes that will enhance your appreciation of the times.

 

Absence Makes The Heart Grow Fonder (Book 13)

  

The eleventh month, the eleventh day, the eleventh hour, the eleventh minute. Armistice Day. The end of the War to End All Wars. The toll in lives was tremendous.

Spanish flu brought an even greater toll. Men who came through the war unscathed succumbed to the plague. In the end, no one was left untouched.

This was especially true for the families of Zofia's Cakes and Tarts.

Absence Makes The Heart Grow Fonder

Review for Absence Makes the Heart Grow Fonder:

What a wonderful tale. It will make you cry and laugh at the same time. I fell in love with Millie from the very first page and loved her relationship with her hubby. To have her strength. A powerful story

Johnny Has Gone For a Soldier (Book 12)

 

Young men are being drafted, while young women volunteer to serve in auxilary positions, freeing "A Man to Fight."
Rhys Shay has his draft notice, and is preparing to report any day now. Lucy Goodheart, the young woman his brother rescued from a sex trafficker five years before, has learned the art of telegraphy from her foster father. Now that she is out of school, she joins the U.S. Navy in the only capacity available, as a Yeoman (F). Not only does being a Yeomanette enable her to make use of her telegraphy skills, it lets her feel closer to young Mr. Shay.

One of the first thing Lucy does is intercept communications from a German spy ring.

Johnny Has Gone For A Soldier

Review for Johnny Has Gone For A Soldier:

This story is history-based fiction about World War I. The book's main hero, Lucy Goodheart, is a woman who uses her telegraphy skills by joining the Navy. While working in the Yeoman branch, she intercepted communications of a sabotage cell ring. I did not know about women's contributions during WWI, and I found the story, as well as the bibliography at the end of the book, interesting.
 

When the Roll is Called Up Yonder (Book 11)

 

1914: England has entered the War to End All Wars.. Germany seems determined to force the British to split their forces and to fight against the Irish rebels in the north.

Mounted Police Officer Tadhg Nagel has become somewhat of a local hero. First he was instrumental in breaking up a peonage operation for the Bureau of Investigation. Then he foiled a major theft at a society fashion show. That wasn't enough for Officer Nagel. He needed to do something to stop the Germans from destroying his homeland. Joining the Britsh Army would most likely mean coming home in a pine box. Nagel didn't know what else to do until he was sent on special assignment to the aerodrome in College Park to provide security for members of the Lafayette Escadrille.

Gerhardt Weissmann is still on the loose. After his escape from the police, he's still not exactly honest. Teaching music isn't a bad way to earn a living, but it serves even better as a front for sabotage and espionage.

When The Roll Is Called Up Yonder

Review for When the Roll is Called Up Yonder:

When the Roll Is Called Up Yonder by Anne Arrandale is a historical fiction novel set in 1914. This book paints a vivid picture of what life was like for those living through World War I and offers realistic depictions of its horrors.
The main character, Mounted Police Officer Tadhg Nagel, is an unexpected hero who seeks to protect his homeland from the German forces. He is brave and resourceful, and readers will find him a compelling protagonist. The story follows him as he joins the British Army in an effort to put an end to the war.
Through his travels and experiences, Officer Nagel encounters various characters who help or hinder his progress in unexpected ways. This novel is full of exciting twists and turns that will keep readers of all ages engaged.
Overall, When the Roll Is Called Up Yonder is an entertaining and thought-provoking book that captures the essence of living through war. It’s a great read for those looking to learn more about World War I or simply escape into a good historical fiction story.
 

Come to the Church in the Wildwood (Book 10)

  

Gabrielle Lane Pennington has a great grift. She's running tent revivals all over the east coast, and preaching the Gospel as it is convenient.. On the side, her roustabouts are snatching young girls from their revivals and shipping them off to brothels run by a notorious madam.

The fledgling Bureau of Investigation has a new agent,. Still with only forty-three agents in the country, Dylan Shay was accepted on the force. The BoI's mandate still includes sussing out violations of the Mann Act, as well as investigating acts of espionage.

Newly minted Agent Shay is called upon to surveille Pennington's tent revival in a remote corner of rural West Virginia.

Meanwhile, Sophia Davies and Gerhardt Weissmann are still taking the wealthy of Baltimore for a small fortune, and the wealthy are still thanking them for the privilege.

Come To The Church In The Wildwood

Review for Come To The Church In The Wildwood

As a writer myself, I know how much hard work goes into a novel. Even more, is required to produce a page-turner that gets a read "hooked" and wanting for me. This is the second novel I have read by this writer and I was extremely happy with my read. How could I not be? Young girls go to a rural church and then are kidnapped into the sex trade with the forerunner of our present FBI in pursuit. Highly recommended.

Somewhere in France There's a Lily (Book 9)

  

Lily Barnett, a failure in medical school through no fault of her own, enters the new nursing program at St
Joseph's Hospital. At the very beginning of the War to End All Wars, she steps up and joins the British Medical Corps.

Somewhere in France There's a Lily

Review for Somewhere in France There's a Lily

Very delightful to read—a bird’s eye view into WWI’s medical side—the seemingly barbaric surgical and treatment practices that laid the foundation for outstanding medical achievements in the future. The terminology specific to the profession was made easy to understand, and I learned quite a bit! The female protagonist, Lily, struggles with being treated as a “second class” citizen because she is female, and it’s 1915. She is a strong character, and sexually aggressive men experience a nad-twisting at her hand, which is quite comical. Aside from illustrating women’s battle in the workplace and the importance of nurses, Arrandale treats us to several beautifully developing heterosexual relationships.
Regarding intimacy, the author leaves enough to the imagination to respect her readers. It was easy to immerse myself in that horse-drawn carriage time. I recommend ‘Somewhere in France There's a Lily.’