​Margaret Ward is a gifted spirit communicator in the 1920's.  Despite her privileged station on Manhattan's upper east side, Margaret runs a small business connecting people with their deceased loved ones, much to the chagrin of her older brother, Jonathan.  After a particularly distressing appointment with widower Charles Blackbourne that was sat in on by Walter Davies from The American Society for Psychical Research, Margaret becomes distressed.  In the reading, Margaret connected with the particularly strong spirit of Charles' wife, Anne who had a specific message for him.  After Charles also reports a haunting at his home, Margaret and Walter vow to help, but Anne's presence is even stronger in her home and Margaret is pulled into the spirit world farther than before.  Margaret becomes afraid and the occurrences at Charles' home don't stop, pushing her to solve the mystery behind Anne's aggressive presence.  

Awakening Anne is a fast paced, historical, paranormal mystery.  I enjoyed Margaret's joy for life and finding fulfillment where she needed in contrast to her brother who seemed anxious and caught up in societal expectations.  The writing set the scene firmly in the 20's and I enjoyed Margaret's involvement with the suffrage movement as well as the descriptions of her parlor and her seances.  The sketches included dresses, buildings and other objects that helped to set the scene as well.  The paranormal investigation of Anne's death was intriguing and while I had a suspect early on, I enjoyed Margaret and Charles' investigation into the paranormal and how she communicates with the deceased to help the living move on.  

This book was received for free in return for an honest review. 

At nine years old, Hadley Crump enters the Browning Household as a servant along with his mother.  In 1920's Mississippi, Hadley was an anomaly. His mother is black and his father was white, leaving him somewhere in the middle, not quite fitting in with either group. The Browning's daughter, Lucinda, captures Hadley's eye and Lucinda is equally entranced.  Lucinda invites Hadley to reading lessons, even though Hadley knows how to read.  Lucinda has an ulterior motive however, to read dirty books.  Lucinda and Hadley create the VILE reading club and learn the secrets of love through words.  As Hadley and Lucinda read and grew, their relationship became complicated.  Lucinda reenacts book scenes with Hadley and he is continuously pulled into her schemes.  When Lucinda marries, she brings Hadley to their new home as their gardener.  Hadley and Lucinda continue to read and bring their relationship to another level under the nose of Lucinda's husband.  As the years pass, Hadley tries to break it off with Lucinda, but is constantly brought back in.  

The Reading Lessons is an emotional historical fiction delving into racism, love, and societal expectations.  The story covers a long period of time in Hadley and Lucinda's lives, from their childhood till death.  The writing creates a real emotional investment in their relationship and well being, but does make several large time jumps that are a bit disorienting. I was drawn in by Hadley's character and his observations about the world around him as someone who is mixed race.  He is stuck between the world of race and privilege, knowing that he is black, but often being seen as white.  He is also in the position of a servant and continuously tied to Lucinda's needs. Hadley is perceptive and picks up on little things around him, but also keeps falling into Lucinda's abusive trap. Lucinda is an interesting character, seemingly bratty and spoiled, but precocious in nature and knowing that her station will not allow her to love the person she wants, so she makes it happen in a roundabout way.  I do believe that Hadley and Lucinda loved one another, but they have a very unhealthy relationship. While Hadley was constantly aware of his race and the racial tension in the world around him at the time, Lucinda seemed more concerned about keeping up appearances.  A satisfying ending concludes Hadley and Lucinda's story. 
 
This book was received for free in return for an honest review. 

​Sarah Berry and her family live in Manchester, England and have faced a series of disparaging events.  Sarah lost her husband Thomas and is left with five young children.  As working class in 1901, Sarah and her older children must work to make ends meet.  After several more devastating events, Sarah is encouraged to start anew in Canada with her brother.  After a harrowing ocean crossing, Sarah and her family settle in Winnipeg with open arms and Sarah finally decides to embrace life and the happiness that comes her way. 

The Porter's Wife is a heartfelt story of perseverance in the face of adversity.  The Porter's Wife covers a large portion of time for the Berry family and focuses on Sarah and oldest daughter, Margaret's points of view.  I admired Sarah's ability to carry on, her practicality in all measures and most of all, her hope.  It was interesting to see Sarah evolve from someone simply surviving with everything life threw her way to fully embracing the good in life.  Covering such a large span of time and events, I feel like the book could have been split in two with more details of some events, but it is the first book in a series.
 
This book was received for free in return for an honest review.