Heather B. Moore

This Cold War story is partly based on real events - Bob Inama was a real American soldier in West Germany, although the character of Luisa is fictional. Bob finds himself engaged in undercover work, taking photos of military sites, and has the misfortune to be in East Germany when the Berlin Wall is constructed overnight. Luisa dedicates herself to helping East Germans escape - first by providing Western passports and later by helping to build a tunnel under the wall. Considering the vast amount of WWII historical fiction, I was happy to find a story focused on Cold War-era Germany. An interesting read, and I hope to find more historical fiction about this era.… (more)

After passing by and admiring the lovely, tranquil book cover of this women's fiction novel several times over the past year or two, I finally picked it up.

As I got into the reading, I enjoyed watching Maggie and Jo's friendship grow. I also liked seeing how Jo gradually comes to grips with what happened in her marriage and how she has to reevaluate the way she deals with her former husband.

Now, while I was definitely into Maggie's journey, there's a key "twist" I found to be unsurprising but also not that convincing for her character. Especially considering that Maggie is well-traveled and into serious art, it seems that somewhere over the course of seventy years, she would have thought of at least the possibility of that type of "twist" on her own.

As for Jo, though I see why there's romance in her storyline, I'll admit it isn't the kind that really moves me. For me to find a developing romantic relationship compelling, I need to find both parties to be compelling as romantic characters, and not just concerning their physical looks or inward feelings. I like both parties to be outwardly interesting contributors to the relationship—with both sides of their conversations, what each one does for the other, etc. showing that they're an equal match. Personally, I didn't get a good sense of that kind of chemistry in this case.

Style wise, I think the novel could have used fewer descriptions that are clichéd or rather on the nose. And the narrative details and characters' comments are sometimes repetitive.

Even so, the plot in general kept me reading. And the story handles some tough and even tragic parts of Maggie's and Jo's lives in a way that tugged on my heart without dragging me down. I think the book's length is a good match for the story it tells, and overall, its essence is one of hope.… (more)

I love being back in Everly Falls! This series is so relaxing and I adore all of the characters so much. In Just Add Friendship we focus on Stephenie and new character, Cal, an old high school crush that comes back into the picture during a high school reunion.

Cal seems too good to be true, to the point that even I questioned where his flaws were. Can a man really be this perfect outside of a Hallmark movie?? Stephenie seems to feel the same way, to the point that her actions show just how emotionally stunted she is. I found myself really struggling to connect with her character, but I love, love, love Gramps! That crotchety old man is what made this novel for me, as well as the rest of the side characters, many who are from previous novels in the series. Gramps keeps Steph on her toes and provides a nice counterbalance to Cal’s perfection. Plus, he reminds me of my departed grandfather, whom I miss every day, which I have to admit was also bittersweet.

Reading Just Add Friendship felt like I was coming home, with all the warm and fuzzy feels. There’s no real deep drama, so much so that I actually craved a little more conflict. Stephenie acts out of fear and though she does show some growth in this area it wasn’t enough for me. Over and over I kept thinking I needed more and sadly the more never came.

I love how close knit Everly Falls is and how each novel truly is a continuation of the previous in the series. These characters feel like family to me and I love seeing them all grow with each other and in the series as a whole. This novel has a wonderfully relaxed flow with flawed and (mostly) relatable characters, and was truly a joy to read.… (more)

This was a really fascinating read, based off of a true person accused of witchcraft in the author's family lineage. Susannah North Martin was accused of witchcraft in spring 1692 and this novel is the imagined retelling of what happened during her time in jail as well as her life leading up to this point. The Salem Witch Trials are still such a fascinating topic and little is still known really about how this got to be what it was during that time. Once accused, there was hardly anything anyone could do to prove their innocence and that title sadly became a death sentence. Unlike a few others accused, Susannah had lived most of her life already and had raised her children and welcomed some grandchildren as well but others were not so lucky. I highly recommend this read for anyone who is interested in the Salem Witch Trials as the author does add historical court records through out the novel. I loved the back and forth of the story of telling Susannah's life. Thank you to the author for the complementary novel. This review is of my own opinion and accord.… (more)