SUMMER OF PROMISE, by Amanda Cabot

Abigail Harding plans a short visit to her older sister, Charlotte, in Wyoming, then she will hasten back to Vermont, where she has an almost-fiancé waiting. Her sister's protestations that all is well in her marriage don't match up to the actions Abigail observes in the home Charlotte shares with her husband, Jeffrey, at Fort Laramie.
While Abigail walks a fine line between being a guest of her sister and husband, and therefore unable to interfere, and being worried about what’s really happening at the Fort, she finds herself drawn to Lieutenant Ethan Bowles. Besides Charlotte, Ethan is one of the few good things Abigail finds to like about Wyoming. But with someone waiting for her in Vermont, she can’t allow her growing feelings for Ethan to run away with her heart.
Complications at the Fort grow, with stagecoach robberies and desertions all pointing to someone with inside information about the Army’s plans. Cabot doesn’t shy away from real-life details in her stories. Summer of Promise brings encounters with the women at “Peg’s,” a bawdy house near the fort. One particular girl will touch your heart.
Fans of Amanda Cabot’s books will love Summer of Promise. Fortunately, it’s the first in a new series for Revell, so there are two more novels to come in this entertaining series.

My thanks to Revell for providing me with a copy for review purposes.

BLUE SKIES TOMORROW, by Sarah Sundin

Helen Carlisle is left widowed, with a small son, when her husband is killed in the Pacific during WWII. To the people in her hometown, she's a brave woman who is giving her time to support the war effort in honor of her heroic husband's memory. But Helen is hiding a secret about her marriage.
Lt. Raymond Novak wants nothing more than to serve his hometown as a pastor, but with the war raging on, and two brothers already in the service, he enlists in the Air Corps--to train pilots, not to be one.
When Helen Carlisle catches his eye, he’s determined to win her hand, but her past fears place a roadblock between them.  His own fears erupt when he’s called to active duty in Europe. Blue Skies Tomorrow moves seamlessly from California to the European theater and back again. Sundin is a master at writing breathtaking scenes of air battles involving B-17 bombers. The final chapters of this novel will have you holding your breath.
Blue Skies Tomorrow is a fitting conclusion to the saga of the Novak brothers. It’s not necessary to have read the first two books in the Wings of Glory series to enjoy this one. But if you haven’t read A Distant Melody and A Memory Between Us, you’re in for a treat. This is a wonderful series.

MINE IS THE NIGHT, by Liz Curtis Higgs

As promised last week, here's my review of the conclusion of Liz Curtis Higgs' beautiful retelling of the Biblical story of Naomi and Ruth.
Mine is the Night continues the story of Margery and Elizabeth Kerr as they leave Edinburgh and travel to an uncertain future in Margery's hometown of Selkirk.
Faced with near poverty, and branded as traitors for their support of the Jacobite cause, they find lodging and eke out the barest of livings in a poor section of town. When retired Lord Admiral Jack Buchanan purchases an estate near Selkirk, Elizabeth is hired as a seamstress to sew gowns for the many servants in the Admiral's employ. However fine her skills, her employment depends on the Admiral's ignorance of her Jacobite sympathies.
The story follows her difficulties, as well as the lives of the men and women she comes to care for in Selkirk. As with Here Burns My Candle, Mine is the Night is filled with fascinating details about eighteenth century Scotland. And also as with Here Burns My Candle, I couldn't put this book down. Higgs is a skillful storyteller who keeps the reader engrossed until the last page.
I give this series an enthusiastic five stars.