The Forgotten Secret by Kathleen McGurl

Clare is a woman in modern England stuck in a miserable marriage with her controlling husband of 25 years. When she inherits a farm in Ireland, she jumps at the chance for a separation to find happiness and independence of her own. In pursuing her favorite hobby of restoring old furniture, she finds a birth certificate and an old medallion stuffed in an old chair. She decides to research the history of these objects with the help of the local bookseller.
Ellen, a young Irishwoman in the early 1900s, starts a new job as a servant to a woman who was an active nationalist Irish volunteer. She has fallen in love with her longtime friend and neighbour Jimmy, who is also a volunteer, and is disappointed that he refuses to marry her until Ireland is free. She feels compelled by both of them to assist with the war effort.
I like that Clare finally freed herself from her abusive marriage. Paul is such a controlling, horrible character in this book. It's so sad that Ellen lost everything and never found out the truth in the end. Great historical fiction about Irish history I haven't read much about before.

Keeping Lucy by T Greenwood

After giving birth to her second child, Lucy, Funny is dismayed to find out that she has Down's syndrome. The doctors convince her and her husband, Ab, that the baby suffers from a heart condition that, combined with her disability, would be impossible for them to manage at home. The baby would be better off in a "school". Ab tells Ginny that it would be better for their family to treat it like a death and take time to grieve properly. Two years later, Ginny finds out the horrible truth of the institution where her daughter is imprisoned and neglected. A weekend visit with Lucy turns into a kidnapping across state lines when Ginny is determined not to return her child to her abusers.
I started out really disliking Ginny's character in this book. She is so intimidated by her husband and his parents. I can understand being convinced into thinking you're doing the best for your child when you don't know anything about her medical conditions, but she let her husband convince her not to even visit for two years! But by the end, she found her strength to do anything for her children.

Have You Seen Luis Velez by Catherine Ryan Hyde

A feel good story about an unlikely friendship between a young seventeen year old boy and his elderly blind neighbor. About prejudices we all have and don't always realize. About doing more to bring someone happiness.
I absolutely loved the character of Raymond. He just wants a place to belong and doesn't seem to fit in anywhere, even in his own family. Then he finds friendship with this old lady who teaches him he can make his own family, his own place to belong. Such a beautiful heartwarming story.

Lost Roses by Martha Hall Kelly

I remember when I read an ARC of Martha Hall Kelly's debut novel Lilac Girls. Her well researched engaging narrative style continues with this prequel that tells the story of Caroline's mother Eliza and her work to help Russian immigrant women during WWI.
Even though this is a prequel, it's not necessary to read either book first as they are separate stories and time periods. But I highly recommend both books and I look forward to reading the next book by this wonderful historical fiction writer!

Blackberry and Wild Rose

Esther Thorel is the wife of a silk weaver who has dreams of converting her artwork into silks of her own. When her husband refuses to accept her patterns in the male dominated profession, she requests the help of his journeyman in secret.
Sara Kemp is a young woman tricked into the life of a prostitute by a spiteful madam. After a chance meeting, Esther decides it's her Christian duty to save Sara by offering her a position as her lady's maid. In the end, when a crime is committed, Sara must choose between telling a lie to save herself or the truth that will end life as she knows it.
I really enjoyed learning about silk weaving and I was rooting for Esther to finish her beautiful silk and be accepted by the silk weavers. This book was well researched and beautifully written and I was surprised that it was her debut novel. I look forward to reading more historical fiction by this author.

The Victory Garden by Rhys Bowen

Emily Bryce is the daughter of a wealthy family. Her mother insists on keeping her home and sheltered from the war. While visiting the convalescent hospital, she meets an injured Australian pilot and falls in love, but her mother finds him unsuitable and she's forbidden to see him again. She enlists with the land girls, a group of women trained as farm workers to harvest the crops, milk cows, and keep the farms running while the men are away at war. This allows her to move away from home and keep seeing her pilot. Eventually, he heals and is returned to the front and Emily finds a place she belongs in a small country village.
I had never heard of the land girls and it was really interesting learning their role in the war. I love how the friendships between Emily and the other girls grow and change and how they support and help each other. I kept hoping that Robbie would make a surprise return in the end. This was such a great book that was impossible to put down!

Night Shift by Robin Triggs

Anders Nordvelt is promoted to security chief of the night shift on the mining base of Australis. In Antarctica, night lasts for six months, but the world is depending on the oil and coal produced by their small 12-person crew. What seems an easy job becomes increasingly difficult as sabotage and murder threaten the plant and the lives of the remaining crew. Who is guilty, and will any of them survive the long night until rescue arrives?
This book was pretty good. I like how all the different personalities of the crew are described and how they all start to clash after so long cooped up together. I think there should have been more of a description of the world outside the base and of "the company". Hints were made of Anders past that I feel weren't fully explained. But overall it was a good, fast-paced psychological thriller with a bit of sci-fi thrown in.