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Spy of Richmond

August 12, 2026 by Esther Filbrun · Leave a Comment

12 Aug

Title: Spy of Richmond
Author: Jocelyn Green
Series: Heroines Behind the Lines, book 4
Major Themes: Civil War, Virginia, Spies
Synopsis: A Southern belle with Union sympathies, Sophie Kent finds herself pulled between two worlds—and when the opportunity comes for her to pass along critical information to help the North, she risks everything to bring freedom to those enslaved around her.

I’ve enjoyed the Heroines Behind the Lines series in the last few months, and, for once, managed to actually get through all of them in pretty decent time! It was somewhat bittersweet to get through the last book, Spy of Richmond, because I know I’ll have to leave Jocelyn Green’s Civil War world behind. Oh, well. It’s been a fun ride!

Publisher’s description:

Is living a lie ever the right thing to do?

Compelled to atone for the sins of her slaveholding father, Union loyalist Sophie Kent risks everything to help end the war from within the Confederate capital and abolish slavery forever. But she can’t do it alone. Former slave Bella Jamison sacrifices her freedom to come to Richmond, where her Union soldier husband is imprisoned, and her twin sister still lives in bondage in Sophie’s home. Though it may cost them their lives, they work with Sophie to betray Rebel authorities. Harrison Caldwell, a Northern journalist who escorts Bella to Richmond, infiltrates the War Department as a clerk—but is conscripted to defend the city’s fortifications. As Sophie’s spy network grows, she walks a tightrope of deception, using her father’s position as newspaper editor and a suitor’s position in the ordnance bureau for the advantage of the Union. One misstep could land her in prison, or worse. Suspicion hounds her until she barely even trusts herself. When her espionage endangers the people she loves, she makes a life-and-death gamble. Will she follow her convictions even though it costs her everything—and everyone—she holds dear?

My thoughts:

This was such a good read! I’ve always enjoyed reading spy stories, and with several perspectives on that in this book, that made it even more interesting. This one also had something of a love triangle in it—you don’t get that in every book, so that was fun. Plus, there was a prodigal son-type of scenario in here, one I followed with interest (and loved when the resolution was neither prolonged NOR too quick to feel genuine). The faith element of this story felt stronger than some of the other books in the series, and I loved that.

The historical side of this book was fascinating. Green managed to pull many different real stories into this book in a logical way—somehow without making any of it feel like she was saying, “Hey! Let’s have this character act out this interesting fact from history!” I didn’t realize, until I read the author’s note at the end of the story, just how much was based on real facts—she wove them together well.

I love how all the books in this series are more or less standalone, but occasionally you get to get a bit more backstory or continuing story from different characters in the other books. Spy of Richmond was no exception, and I loved that many of the characters from the first three books had at least a little mention or time on page in this story—that felt like it wrapped up the series pretty well.

If you’re looking for a gripping, multi-layered historical romance, I’d recommend you read this book and the rest of the series, or check out some of Jocelyn Green’s other books. She’s one of my favorite authors, and while I think she’s grown as an author since writing these books, I thoroughly enjoyed being swept away by these stories. I’m looking forward to catching up on her one or two other titles I haven’t had the chance to read yet.

WARNING: I listened to the audiobook, so I was unable to take notes as I read. Blasted is used occasionally, bloody at least once. In chapter 30, a man thinks about how he wants to wed and bed his sweetheart; someone comes in the middle of the night to try to seduce him. There are several kisses in the latter part of the story, and characters lie at times.

Age levels:

Reading Independently—Ages 15 and Above, Adults

Links to buy this book:

Amazon: Paperback | Kindle | Audible Audiobook (unabridged)
AbeBooks: View Choices on AbeBooks.com

Between Shades of Gray

August 10, 2026 by Esther Filbrun · Leave a Comment

10 Aug

Title: Between Shades of Gray
Author: Ruta Sepetys
Major Themes: Soviet Union, Siberia, Family, Survival
Synopsis: When fifteen-year-old Lina and her family are deported to Siberia from their peaceful Lithuanian home, they must fight to survive the brutal conditions in which they find themselves.

Between Shades of Gray entered my life as a second-hand find somewhere one day. I remembered reading an online discussion about Ruta Sepetys’ books, and something about the cover or the author’s name stood out to me, so I picked it up. It took me quite a while to finally read the book, but I pulled it off the shelf recently, and I’m glad I made time for it. It’s a difficult story, but the kind of story that needs to be told and known.

Publisher’s description:

Have you ever wondered what a human life is worth? That morning, my brother’s was worth a pocket watch.

In 1941, fifteen-year-old Lina is preparing for art school, first dates, and all that summer has to offer. But one night, the Soviet secret police barge violently into her home, deporting her along with her mother and younger brother. They are being sent to Siberia. Lina’s father has been separated from the family and sentenced to death in a prison camp. All is lost.

Lina fights for her life, fearless, vowing that if she survives she will honor her family, and the thousands like hers, by documenting their experience in her art and writing. She risks everything to use her art as messages, hoping they will make their way to her father’s prison camp to let him know they are still alive.

It is a long and harrowing journey, and it is only their incredible strength, love, and hope that pull Lina and her family through each day. But will love be enough to keep them alive?

Between Shades of Gray is a riveting novel that steals your breath, captures your heart, and reveals the miraculous nature of the human spirit.

My thoughts:

As soon as I picked this book up, it reminded me of other stories I’ve read about families who were deported to Siberia. Unfortunately, this was the fate of perhaps hundreds of thousands of people as the Soviet Union expanded its borders during World War II, and each story I’ve read was heartbreaking in its own way. The Endless Steppe was one of my first introductions to the subject, but I read the graphic novel Siberian Haiku (Jurga Vile) recently, and themes in this book mirror some of the things I read in that one. I appreciate it when different authors add perspectives and nuances to difficult topics like this one, while honoring those who suffered, and, often, lost their lives.

Between Shades of Gray was quite a read. I’m glad I got to pick it up one day when I was sick, because that meant I had time to just keep reading and didn’t have to stop—the chapters in here may be short, but the story was quite gripping. Once again, as with some other stories on the subject that I’ve read, I found myself marveling at the courage these people portrayed as they were treated worse than animals, and forced to work under incredibly difficult circumstances with barely any food. I also found it fascinating to see how they worked to preserve their human dignity amongst themselves, despite the way the guards treated them.

I wouldn’t recommend this book if you’re looking for something lighter to read, but if you appreciate books that give you a glimpse into what other people have experienced through history, Between Shades of Gray would be a good choice. It’s very realistic—people die, and conditions are deplorable a lot of the time. But the beauty of community and resilience comes through these pages, and I especially appreciated the way Lina used art to keep her hope alive. This is not a Christian book, although characters occasionally pray or quote a little Scripture, but as a memento to those who lost their lives under Stalin’s rule, this book has a lot of historical value.

WARNING: Multiple times, people are shoved or hurt by soldiers. Lying happens semi-frequently, and people are often forced to steal to survive. Smoking and drinking are mentioned occasionally. Chapter 4: Man gets hurt trying to escape. Chapter 6: Woman bleeds after just giving birth, girl thinks to her dead relative, “Grandma, help us.” Chapter 10: Oh my word. Chapter 14: Boy beaten up, I swore. Chapter 17: People dying from poor conditions. Chapter 18: For God’s sake, baby dies. Chapter 19: Damn (twice). Chapter 20: For God’s sake. Chapter 24: For God’s sake. Chapter 26: Man gropes girl’s breast. Chapter 27: Woman shot. Chapter 33: For goodness’ sake. Chapter 34: Bastard. Chapter 35: Damn, man asks if a girl has been raped with a brief description. Chapter 37: Seeing a man badly mistreated and killed with a stake (pretty gruesome), women almost buried alive. Chapter 39: Boy says that his mother was threatened with him being killed if she didn’t sleep with the officers (this also comes up a few other times). Chapter 41: Man’s front teeth brutally ripped out for stealing a piece of food. Chapter 51: How the hell. Chapter 58: A kiss. Chapter 61: A kiss. Chapter 63: Girl tells of her doll being thrown in the air and shot, bastards. Chapter 64: Girl dies, woman shot. Chapter 65: Girl thinks about how she hasn’t had a period in months. Chapter 66: “I’m not lying with him.” Chapter 69: Woman tries to choke her daughter, then herself. Chapter 73: People die in a snowed-in hut, damn, [this] arctic hell. Chapter 75: Family learns a man was shot, oh dear God. Chapter 77: Children die, man hangs himself. Chapter 78: Seeing more dead people (some description). Chapter 79: For God’s sake. Chapter 80: Woman dies. Chapter 82: Man suggests suicide (this comes up one or two other times), man drunk. Chapter 83: Finding dead people.

Age levels:

Reading Independently—Ages 15 and Above, Adults

Links to buy this book:

Amazon: Paperback | Kindle | Hardcover | Audible Audiobook (unabridged)
AbeBooks: View Choices on AbeBooks.com

Yankee in Atlanta

August 7, 2026 by Esther Filbrun · Leave a Comment

7 Aug

Title: Yankee in Atlanta
Author: Jocelyn Green
Series: Heroines Behind the Lines, book 3
Major Themes: Civil War, Georgia, New York
Synopsis: Finding herself trapped behind enemy lines, soldier Caitlin McKae is forced to make a new life for herself in Atlanta as Union troops push closer and closer to the city.

I’ve been enjoying Jocelyn Green’s Heroines Behind the Lines series over the past few months, and recently got to listen to Yankee in Atlanta. I wouldn’t say this was my favorite story of the series, but I found it quite intriguing—and also loved being back with one of my favorite characters from the first book!

Publisher’s description:

When soldier Caitlin McKae wakes up in Atlanta after being wounded in battle, the Georgian doctor who treats her believes Caitlin’s only secret is that she had been fighting for the Confederacy disguised as a man. In order to avoid arrest or worse, Caitlin hides her true identity and makes a new life for herself in Atlanta.

Trained as a teacher, she accepts a job as a governess to the daughter of Noah Becker, a German immigrant lawyer, who enlists with the Rebel army. Then in the spring of 1864, Sherman’s troops edge closer to Atlanta. Though starvation rules, and Sherman rages, she will not run again. In a land shattered by strife and suffering, a Union veteran and a Rebel soldier test the limits of loyalty and discover the courage to survive. Will honor dictate that Caitlin and Noah follow the rules, or love demand that they break them?

Yankee in Atlanta is a work of fiction inspired by first-person accounts from men and women whose letters and journals offer a glimpse into the lives of those living in Atlanta during the height of the Civil War.

My thoughts:

I loved all the different people Green pulled together in this story to make it work. It’s intriguing to try to imagine the kinds of things Union sympathizers may have faced in Confederate Atlanta—not a position I envy, for sure! I also loved that a German man (and his experience in the German Revolution in the late 1840s) played a role in the story, which brought an interesting perspective to the book and its place in history. Then there’s Ruby, who starred in Wedded to War—I enjoyed getting to see what happened to her throughout the course of this story!

This book wasn’t quite as much of a favorite of mine as the first two books in the series. I didn’t connect with the characters very well, and felt like some elements of the story dragged out a bit longer and were a bit more detailed than I prefer. Oh, well.

If you enjoy historical fiction, especially the kind that shows perspectives on history that you don’t normally find in books, I expect you’d enjoy Yankee in Atlanta. I’m glad I got to read it—Jocelyn Green is one of my favorite authors, and for good reason, I think!—and I’m looking forward to finishing the last book in the series soon.

WARNING: I listened to the audiobook and wasn’t able to take many notes. There is a bit of language, at one point, a man threatens to kill a woman’s baby if she doesn’t go along with him, and he tries to rape her. The marriage bed is mentioned multiple times, as one character struggled to give herself to her husband (the discussion surrounding that danced a little too close for comfort for me a couple of times). A man was married in name only to a woman; their marriage was later annulled, and he started a serious relationship with someone else. Somewhere around chapter 15, a woman remembers being a prostitute (this fact is brought up several times through the book). Chapter 17: Bloomin’. Chapter 26: Wedding night. Chapter 27: Man touches his wife’s breast, hang it all. Chapter 29: Lying. Chapter 36: Kisses.

Age levels:

Reading Independently—Ages 15 and Above, Adults

Links to buy this book:

Amazon: Paperback | Kindle | Audible Audiobook (unabridged)
AbeBooks: View Choices on AbeBooks.com

The Diamond of Darkhold

August 5, 2026 by Esther Filbrun · Leave a Comment

5 Aug

Title: The Diamond of Darkhold
Author: Jeanne DuPrau
Series: The City of Ember, book 4
Major Themes: Dystopian, Friendship, Adventure
Synopsis: After discovering a book that seems to talk about a device meant for the Emberites, Lina and Doon head back to their old city to try to track the clues and help their people.

After reading The City of Ember, I was curious about what happened next, and eventually got around to reading books two and three, and when I eventually needed another audiobook, The Diamond of Darkhold seemed like a good option—and it would be satisfying to get one more series checked off! This one picks up soon after book two leaves off, and it was fun to see the completion of the series with this book. This book was one of my favorites of the series, second only to book one.

Publisher’s description:

Lina and Doon are returning to the city of Ember, but what awaits them in the dark?

Lina and Doon escaped the dying city of Ember and led their people to the town of Sparks. But it’s winter now, and the harsh realities of their new world have begun to set in. When Doon finds a book that hints at an important, long-lost device, it doesn’t take much for him to convince Lina to join him for one last adventure in the place they used to call home. But will this mysterious technology be enough to help their people? And what—and who—will they find when they return?

My thoughts:

After reading The Prophet of Yonwood, book three, I was somewhat cautious about this story. That one felt rather disconnected from the rest of the series, and in my opinion, while it’s an okay story, you can easily skip it and won’t miss it (if you’re curious, you can see my mini-review of that one as a postscript on my review of The People of Sparks).

Once I got into The Diamond of Darkhold, though, it felt like the spark of the story returned—I got heavily invested in the children’s adventures, hoping against hope that they’d find a way to help their people and solve the mystery presented to them. One of my favorite parts about this book was their return to Ember; it was fascinating to see the city through their eyes after being away from it for a while.

As far as a wrap-up to the series goes, I felt like this was one of the more cohesive conclusions I’ve seen in a while. Though some may complain that it was all tied with too neat a bow, I personally loved the notes of hope, forgiveness, and community this book ended on.

If you enjoy light dystopian stories, a thread of mystery, and a good deal of adventure, The City of Ember series is one I can recommend.

WARNING: A couple of times: Mentions of seeing bones or dead bodies. Chapter 3: Planning to lie to parents (lying also occurs in ch. 4, 8, and 11). Chapter 26: Blasted. Ending: Mention of aliens landing on Earth.

Age levels:

Listening Level—Ages 8 – 12, 10 – 12, Family Friendly
Reading Independently—Ages 10 – 12, 12 – 15

Links to buy this book:

Amazon: Paperback | Kindle | Audible Audiobook (unabridged)
AbeBooks: View Choices on AbeBooks.com

The Hole in Our Holiness

August 3, 2026 by Esther Filbrun · Leave a Comment

3 Aug

The Hole in Our Holiness by Kevin DeYoung

Title: The Hole in Our Holiness: Filling the Gap between Gospel Passion and the Pursuit of Godliness
Author: Kevin DeYoung
Major Themes: Christian Living, Spiritual Growth, Inspirational
Synopsis: Holiness is one of the most-talked about topics in the Bible, and DeYoung’s goal is to show us how it’s just as applicable now as it was back in Jesus’ day.

One Sunday morning, I grabbed The Hole in Our Holiness as we headed out the door, intending to get a little reading in on our half-hour drive to church. One of my brothers picked it up before I did, flipped to the middle of the book, and started reading chapter six. I didn’t bother to try to get it back from him, just watched him as he was engrossed in reading. Just before we got to church, I asked him, “So…do you think it’s a good book?”

“Oh, it’s great!” he replied, “it’s just like reading a sermon!” He then went on to ask if I could find an audio version for him, because he has more time to listen than read.

I thought his response was hilarious—and a fairly good summary of this book!

Publisher’s description:

What does it mean to be holy? Why should we care? And how can we change?

The hole in our holiness is that we don’t care much about holiness. Or, at the very least, we don’t understand it.

This is a book for those of us who are ready to take holiness seriously, ready to be more like Jesus, ready to live in light of the grace that produces godliness. This is a book about God’s power to help us grow in personal holiness and to enjoy the process of transformation.

My thoughts:

Personally, I found The Hole in Our Holiness harder to read than some of the Christian living books I’ve read lately. It’s a much more difficult subject, for one thing—it’s pretty sobering to realize, all over again, how often I miss the mark in my Christian walk!—but this also feels a bit more technical than some works I’ve read. I wouldn’t put it on the same level as, say, Sinclair Ferguson, but it did take a bit more thought than some books I’ve read.

Don’t let the slightly more technical nature of this book be off-putting, though. Where I expected this book to carry some condemnation or a “boot up the pants” sort of attitude, DeYoung outdoes himself in an effort to be encouraging and make holiness seem like a possible, actionable goal, rather than some airy-fairy thing for super-Christians.

There were two things I especially appreciated about this book:

First, DeYoung finally gave me language for the tension between faith and works that I’ve been trying to explain to myself for years. Somehow, he managed to do it without being legalistic or too grace-focused, and I appreciated that.

Secondly, he spent an entire chapter discussing sexual sin. Using his own dating experience, he was able to explain physical purity before marriage in a way I’ve never seen before—and in the most concise, memorable way possible. My parents were heavily influenced by the “Purity Culture” of the 90s, and when it came to my dating relationships, they set up some rules to try to protect my boyfriend and me. I appreciated the heart behind those rules, but struggled to know how much of it was Biblical and how much was hangover from the hype when they were courting. The way DeYoung talked about it here, though, made a lot of sense…and instead of giving a bunch of dos and don’ts, he quoted 1 Tim. 5:2, and basically made the argument that if you wouldn’t make out with your brother, sister, a stranger, or a friend, why would it be okay to do that with someone you’re dating, who you may or may not end up marrying?

This book gave me a lot of food for thought, and I’m grateful to have had the chance to read it. I haven’t read any books on holiness (aside from the Bible) before this, but it’s definitely a topic I’d be more interested in pursuing in the future. In my opinion, The Hole in Our Holiness is a book all Christians should read, if nothing else but to push us all on to more godliness in Christ.

WARNING: Chapter 7 mentions infant baptism as normal and legitimate (the author is Reformed and occasionally quotes Calvin).

Age levels:

Reading Independently—Ages 15 and Above, Adults

Links to buy this book:

Amazon: Paperback | Kindle | Hardcover | Audible Audiobook (unabridged)
AbeBooks: View Choices on AbeBooks.com