Beauty for Ashes - Dorothy Love

Book Description

She’s a beautiful young widow. He’s a Southern gentleman with a thirst for adventure. Both need a place to call home.

After losing her husband in the Civil War, Carrie Daly is scared she will never have the family she longs for. Eligible bachelors are scarce in Hickory Ridge, Tennessee, but Carrie Daly has found love. Not the weak-in-the-knees kind, but something practical. Still, she isn't quite ready to set a wedding date with Nate Chastain.

Griff Rutledge is a former member of Charleston society, but has been estranged from his family for years. He’s determined to remain unattached, never settling in one place for too long. But when asked to train a Thoroughbred for an upcoming race in Hickory Ridge, he decides to stay awhile.

Despite objections from the townsfolk, and her fear that true happiness has eluded her, Carrie is drawn to Griff's kindness and charm. It will take a leap of faith for them to open their hearts and claim God's promise to trade beauty for ashes.

My Review

I found this novel to be a very tender-hearted and realistic one. Although I had actually met the characters in the first novel of the series, not having done so would not spoil the story. The story is told with rich word imagery, bringing the country side and small town folk to life, from Carrie trying to think of anything but the wedding at the beginning of Beauty for Ashes, to the last word.

I must admit I was angry at Mary, a secondary character for her whiney and childish behavour, but I guess some people just never grow up, and I think it might have changed after she had to take care of her children on her own. Carrie is a strong farm woman, intent on being in control of her own life. Griff comes from the city of Charleston, of a family rich in resources, but with a questionable past. Although the characters deal with losses, this is not a story of discouragement, but rather encouragement. These people have realistical problems of anger, disallusions, gossiping, and the other things that torment the rest of us. Throughout all of the trials, though, the Love of God and friends, shines through.

I would recommend this Hickory Ridge Romance to anyone who enjoys a good romance novel.

I received this free book from Thomas Nelson Publishers through their Booksneeze program in exchange for an honest review, which I have given. The opinions are my own.  

This book is available where ever good fiction romances are sold, Amazon.com; Barnes and Noble, Christianbook.com, and your local bookstore.

The Scent of Cherry Blossoms - Cindy Woodsmall

The Scent of Cherry Blossoms
Coming February 21, 2012!

Annie Martin loves the Plain ways of her Old Order Mennonite people, like those revered by her beloved grandfather. Retreating from a contentious relationship with her mother, Annie goes to live with her Daadi Moses in Apple Ridge.

But as spring moves into Pennsylvania and Annie spends time amongst the cherry trees with the handsome Aden Zook, she wishes she could forget how deeply the lines between the Old Order Amish and Old Order Mennonite are drawn.

Can Annie and Aden find a place for their love to bloom in the midst of the brewing storm? To read more, go here>>

MY REVIEW

 Both Aden and Annie are very strong characters - strong i n their convictions, strong in their beliefs, loyal to their families and church. Both come from heartaches and trials. Aden from a family where both the father and two sons are physically handicapped, and Annie from a dysfunctional family. Cindy does a great job of bringing these into the story without condemnation, but with true heartfelt emotions and you ache with the characters as they struggle and rejoice with them as they overcome.

The scent of cherry blossoms has a very important position in the novella, and is a perfect title to draw the reader in. The whole novel is full of sensory details - obviously the smell, but also the vivid scenes in this Amish/Mennonite community.

i was wondering how Cindy would resolve this dilemma of bringing the two faiths together. I belong to what might be called a conservative Mennonite sect, and know how extremely hard it is for the older members to accept true friendship with those not of our faith, and yet, how little really separates us. For us, intermarriage is also not sanctioned by the church, and I love how Cindy delicately handles this fact.

This is a great novella, and am eager to recommend it to my friends. Cindy consistently brings us super reading material.

This book was sent to me free of monetary charge from Waterbrook Multnomah Publishers through their Blogging For Books program in exchange for an honest review, which i have done. The opinions stated in this article are my own.

A Sound Among the Trees - Susan Meissner

Product Description

A house shrouded in time.
A line of women with a heritage of loss.
As a young bride, Susannah Page was rumored to be a Civil War spy for the North, a traitor to her Virginian roots. Her great-granddaughter Adelaide, the current matriarch of Holly Oak, doesn’t believe that Susannah’s ghost haunts the antebellum mansion looking for a pardon, but rather the house itself bears a grudge toward its tragic past.
When Marielle Bishop marries into the family and is transplanted from the arid west to her husband’s home, it isn’t long before she is led to believe that the house she just settled into brings misfortune to the women who live there.
With Adelaide’s richly peppered superstitions and deep family roots at stake, Marielle must sort out the truth about Susannah Page and Holly Oak— and make peace with the sacrifices she has made for love.  

My Review

Susan Meissner is a writer with divergent topics, but I would say that most of her novels deal with women relationships. A Sound Among the Trees deals with numerous women spanning the time from the Civil War to the present time, though really it is mostly about Susannah (Civil War time) and Adelaide. I had heard many positive reviews about this novel before I requested it as an ebook from Multnomah Publishers through their Blogging For Books program, and I must say it lived up to it's reputation. She tells the story in Five parts, and the epilogue.

The novel starts off with the wedding reception of the grandson-in-law and his bride. It doesn't take long until we find out...the mystery. The story is told mostly through the life of Adelaide (third person point of view) until we enter the cellar, where we find letters that Susannah wrote during the War. These letters are, well, letters with dates, etc. as Susannah would have written them.

The novel is very compelling, very absorbing. So much in fact, that when I came up from reading the letters I blinked, surprised that not more time had passed. Susan also had a very satisfying closure.

I received this ebook free from Multnomah Publishers for the purpose of writing an honest review. A postive one was not manditory, and the opinions expressed are my own. Actually, to be further honest, although I did not pay money for this ebook, I paid with the time and effort I put in to bring you this review.

Heart of Gold - Robin L. Hatcher

Book Description

Publication Date: February 14, 2012

The truest treasure is found deep in the heart.
Back in her beloved Virginia, Shannon Adair loved nursing injured soldiers back to health. But in Grand Coeur, Idaho-the rough-and-tumble place where her father has been called to lead the church-she's not sure where she fits in. Then a critically ill woman arrives, and Shannon knows her place at last: to care for this dear woman and ease her pain.
Matthew Dubois is the fastest and most reliable stagecoach driver on Wells Fargo's payroll. But his widowed sister is dying and he's about to inherit his young nephew. So he takes a job at the Wells Fargo express office in Grand Coeur until he can find the one thing he needs to get back to driving: a wife to care for the boy.
What neither of them knows is that God is at work behind the scenes-and is lovingly bringing them together to discover the true desires of their hearts.


MY REVIEW

Robin Lee Hatcher has woven a novel of romance, and intrigue set in the gold fields of Idaho. Come with me, fellow reader, as we follow the Reverend Adair and his lovely daughter Shannon around the gold mining town of Grand Coeur, Idaho. They have just arrived from war torn Virginia to share Christ with the diverse town. We never do meet the miners as such, nor do we come in contact with the work itself. Instead the story revolves around the town people – in particularly Matthew Dubois and his deathly ill sister and her son.

As we follow the story we are drawn into their lives, laughing at a young boy and his dog, aching with the ill mother, struggling with the young man as he faces the fact that he is the only father figure in his nephews life.

Right from the beginning we are drawn into the mystery of how the characters will align themselves with the civil war being fought in the eastern states, because though this is Idaho, far from the war zone, allegiance is still a strong indicator of who your friends are.

I thoroughly enjoyed Robin's novel, and look forward to her next one. Her novels portray the needs of the heart and how they can be fulfilled.

I received this ebook free from Thomas Nelson Publishers through their Booksneeze program in exhange for an honest review. A postive one was not required, and these opinions are my own.

Hidden Wives- Claire Avery

Sara dreams that she and her sister, Rachel, might escape their abusive father and his four wives, who constantly vie for power in their overcrowded household.  Sara wishes to choose her own path in life.  To go to school, to get a job, to marry of her own free will.  She wants the same for her beloved sister.

But that is not Sara’s destiny, nor Rachel’s.  Trapped in a secret, polygamous cult, the fifteen-year-olds are overdue to be married to husbands selected by their Prophet.  Sara—too smart and willful for her own good—is terrified when she learns she will be sealed to her already-married uncle.

For Rachel—a stunning and loyal beauty—the Prophet has a different plan.  Sixteen men, including some of the most powerful elders of their Church—seek Rachel’s hand.  But a forbidden love is blossoming for Rachel, one that will change her forever and threaten the entire community.


MY REVIEW

Hidden Wives was a fascinating, though at the same time, depressing novel. Mari and Michelle very aptly crept into Sara's and Rachel's minds to bring the reader their emotions and thoughts about the type of life they were born to, raised in, and expected to embrace. The first sentence had me glued closely to the pages to find out the why and how. The pain and angst are so vivid I felt them as if they had been done to me, the teach so clearly protrayed, I almost understood them.

The story is told in the third person point of view from both Sara and Rachel's viewpoint. Most of the time both girls are there, so it is not difficult to keep track of who feels and says what. There are a lot of secondary characters in the story, vital to the plot, but sometimes confusing me somewhat at times. The primary characters could perhaps have been fleshed out more, as well as a few of the secondary ones.

In one way, there were a lot of questions about the sect that were not fully addressed, but this was two sisters stories, not a story about the sect.

All in all, I really enjoyed this novel, not wanting to put it down. I also look forward to more novels written by the sisters known as Claire Avery.

I received this book free from the authors in a contest. The review is honest, and the opinions are my own. I would recommend this book to the discerning reader, but not as a fact on how the fundamentalist mormons live.

Little Girl Gone - Druscilla Campbell

From the back cover -

Medora was seventeen and heading for a load of trouble when Willis rescued her. Fearful of the world and alienated from friends and family, she ran away with him and for five years they lived alone in near isolation. When Willis kidnaps a pregnant teenage girl and imprisons her in a truck trailer behind the house, Madora is torn between her love for him, her fear of the world, and her sense of right and wrong. A pit bull named Foo brings Djano Jones a brilliant but troubled twelve-year-old boy, into Madora's life. As Django struggles to understand his place in the world, he helps Madora discover the personal and moral courage to free herself and the girl from Willis's control, and learn to stand on her own.


My Review

Drusilla Campbell, author also of the Good Sister brings to the reader a heart-wrenching story of troubled teens and tweens and a man who exploits them.

Told in the third person point of view, the story follows Medora as she is devastated by the suicide of her father, abandoned emotional by her mother, and accepted by her peers into a group of drugs and alcohol, and then by Willis. Druscilla explores the possibility of how a seventeen year old girl could be enthralled with an older man and fall prey to his control. The story is well told, describing so well the area where the old trailer was that when I went to Yuma after reading this book I wondered if I was looking at the canyon where Medora used to live. I not only felt the dust of the red soil as it covered everything, I also felt the anxiety of Medora as she faced her conscience, and Willis' anger. I saw the squalor of the place they called home, the loneliness as Medora sat on the rock, isolated from everyone else.

This is a very well written story I will not forget.

I received this Advanced Reader's Copy book free from the author, Drusilla Campbell for the purpose of review. She did not ask for a postive critique, just an honest one, which I have tried to do. The opinions stated in here, are my own. Thanks, Drusilla.

Beyond Molasses Creek - Nicole Seitz

Three lives are bound by a single book . . . and the cleansing waters of Molasses Creek.

Having traveled to the ends of the earth as a flight attendant, Ally Green has finally returned to the Lowcountry to bury her father as well as the past. But Vesey Washington is still living across the creek, and theirs is a complicated relationship--he was once her best friend . . . and also part of the reason she's stayed away so long. When Ally discovers a message her father left behind asking her to quit running, it seems her past isn't through with her yet.

As Ally's wandering spirit wrestles with a deep longing to flee again, a young woman on the other side of the world escapes her life of slavery in the rock quarries of Nepal. A mysterious sketchbook leads Sunila Kunari to believe there's more to her story than she's ever been told, and she's determined to follow the truth wherever it leads her.

 A deep current intertwines the lives of these three souls, and a destiny of freedom, faith, and friendship awaits them all on the banks of Molasses Creek.  

MY REVIEW

Beyond Molasses Creek is a fascinating novel told in the first person point of view by each of the three main characters: Ally, Vesey and Sunila. The reader is kept abreast of the switches in story line from one character to the other by a simple headliner giving the name (and if appropriate, the place). Date changes are handled at the beginning of the chapter as part of the narrative.

I thought Nicole did a very good job of handling the difficult first person point of view, and drawing in the reader. Although the story had a very slow start for me (I tend to read faster paced novels as a rule) my perseveriance definetly paid off, and I am very glad I followed it through. The story starts off in Mt. Pleasant by the banks of the Molasses Creek, as the title suggests with Alley and Vesey. But through the author's words we are transported to the quarries of Nepal, as well. From the soothing sound of the river to the squalor and dust of a debt-slave pounding rocks to make gravel, or if they are lucky, to be carving stones into statutes.

Whatever background in needed, is artfully included in the memories, mostly of Ally.

I loved this story by Nicole, and will be looking for more of her novels. I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers through their Booksneeze program in exchange for an honest review. I was not required to give a positive critique. The opinions stated are my own.

The Crossing - Serita Jakes

Imprisoned by memories, Claudia Campbell lives each day in the shadow of a ten-year-old murder. Who can set her free?

On the way home from a football game, a decade earlier, a masked gunman opened fi re on a Texas school bus.  Cheerleading coach B.J. Remington was killed, but her murderer was never found. Claudia, who had a close friendship with the young, spirited teacher, constantly relives the anguish of that day, caught in one moment in time. When her husband, the assistant district attorney, becomes determined to uncover the mystery of that tragedy, the secrets buried over the years threaten to tear their family apart.

Officer Casio Hightower will never forget the day his dreams were destroyed. A star quarterback with a promising future, Casio was on top of the world—until one bullet changed everything. He is eager to help Victor Campbell find B.J.’s killer, the man who shot him. Maybe solving the case will help silence the demons driving Casio to hurt the woman he loves.

As the Campbells and Casio teeter on the brink of losing everything, will they be able to discover that what begins at the crossing ends at the cross?

MY REVIEW

This is the first book by Serita Jakes that I have read, and it certainly won't be the last. Written slightly different than any other I have read, it didn't take her long to have my undivided attention. The novel is divided into three parts with the verses of the Rock of Ages hymn preceeding them. It is written in the third person point of view, with headings to keep the reader in the loop as to whose thoughts and actions we are privy to at this moment. Claudia and her husband Victor, as well as a classmate of Claudia's are the main characters. BJ Remington, the cheerleading teacher who was murdered on the bus surrounded by her students and the football team makes her appearance in her thoughts immediately after the shooting, and until she dies. Although I was not sure I would appreciate this approach, Serita handled it very well without making it an element of paranormal.

Although not an extremely emotional story, the reader is drawn into the characters' lives with words drawing rich pictures of the relationships between parents and children, husband and wife, peers who have been touched by the same incident. Through it all PTSD is explored and faced.

This novel opened my eyes to the effects of PTSD and how it can affect those around them.

i received this book free from WaterbrookMultnomah Publishers through their Blogging For Books program, in exchange for an honest review. I was not required to give a positive one. The opinions expressed are my own.

Softly & Tenderly - Sara Evans & RAchel Hauck

Maybe in the wide-open country she can learn to breathe again.

Happily married and owner of two successful boutiques, Jade longs to begin a family with her husband, Max. But when she discovers that Max has an illegitimate son - who he wants her to help raise - Jade's life is turned upside down.

She flees to her childhood home, a rambling Iowa farmhouse, with enough room to breathe. There - while her mother's health grows fragile, and the tug of her first love grows stronger - Jade begins to question everything she thought she knew about family, love, and motherhood. In the wide-open landscape, Jade begins to see a future that doesn't rest on the power of her past, but in the goodness of God's tender mercies.

My Review

In Softly and Tenderly, Sara Evans and Rachel Hauck had me from the first sentence to the unexpected end! The story starts in spring in Whisper Hollow, Tennessee, with Jade and her mother-in-law in a favorite old pickup along a rough road. This sets the scene for a turbulent, fast-paced novel. It seems most novels I read these days are about women and relationships, and I am not sure if it is what's out there, or what I am attracted to. Having said that, this one stands out from the rest. Many issues are covered, from barreness, to infidelity, illigemate child(ren?) to big business ethics, but all interconnected in the way life is, and through it all God's mercy is underlying and sure.

These ladies have a way of drawing in the reader with words, and I could feel the jostling of the vehicle, the anger, the pain of a loved one suffering from cancer, the hopelessness, but also the peace. The scenes came alive and when the doe and her babies jump out in front of the truck, your heart about stops together with the women in the truck. When baby Asa calls for his Mom, the heart contracts with sympathy.

The reader will be anxiously waiting for the sequel, and not all issues are resolved in this first of a series.

I received this ebook free from ThomasNelson Publishers through their Booksneeze program for the sole purpose of writing an honest review. I was not required or asked for a positive one. The opinions expressed in this review are my own.

Bittersweet Surrender - Diann Hunt

Book Description

Carly Westlake is living the dream. She spends her days at a spa (okay, so she owns the place), she's dating a hunk, and she's surrounded by chocolate—milk chocolate, her favorite—that she uses for the chocolate facials that made her spa famous.

But when long buried secrets threaten Carley's business and her friendship with business-partner Tom, she fights like crazy to keep the dream—and the illusions—afloat.

It takes a miracle of grace to get Carley to finally make that bittersweet surrender to love and real life.

My Review

Although I love chocolate as much as the next woman, I am not sure I would be able to deal with being wrapped in it, or seeing other women wrapped in it, as in a chocolate spa. The idea is totally unique, though, and well done in that the reader is not subject to the sights of this.

Diann Hunt manages to deal with many issues in this novel. Relationships between siblings, in-laws, at work, between friends, and everything in between, obviously, but also infidelity, gambling, anger, grief are touched on here. The story flows smoothly, told mostly from Carly Westlake's point of view, but also from those her life touches. She tries to be everything everyone else needs from her brother's keeper to her old flame's daughter's friend, then feels disappointed when her needs are not met. Her husbands unfaithfulness when she was dealing with breast cancer, though it happened before the story starts, is very much a part of her, as is the death of her best friend, who was manager of her spa, and also was the wife of her accountant. Secrets threaten the relationships. Romance is in the air.

A well written novel, that I would be glad to recommend to friends.

i received this ebook free from ThomasNelson publishers through their Booksneeze program for the purpose of reviewing. i was not required to give a positive review, just an honest one.

Smitten - By Colleen Coble, Kristin Billerbeck, Denise Hunter, & Diann Hunt

 

Published by Thomas Nelson

Average Blogger Rating:4.51 Stars

Book Description

Four friends devise a plan to turn Smitten, Vermont, into the country's premier romantic getaway-and each finds her own true love along the way.

With Smitten Lumber closing, residents wonder if their town can stay afloat. Then four friends and local business owners-Natalie, Julia, Shelby, and Reese--decide the town is worth saving. How will they do it? They'll turn Smitten into a honeymoon destination!

As Natalie, Julia, Shelby, and Reese work to save the town, each discovers romance in her own life. Meanwhile, the faith of a little child reminds the whole town what it means to have real faith in the God who is the always and forever Love.

Discover a novel written by four of Christian fiction's most popular romance novelists- friends in real life who've drawn an amazing story of four friends! Includes a Reading Group Guide as well as "Conversation over Coffee with the Authors".

MY REVIEW

i found this a very fun read...actually this is written like one book - it is just that each season and each main character is written by a different author. What makes this work extremely well is the fact that the authors are best friends, and according to them can finish each others sentences. Want to get to know these authors better? well, each author loosely based her main character on herself, the operative word being loosely.  This novel really invites the reader to feel the friendships that the girls enjoy - from one season to another.  Together they have a plan - to save their town, but first they must convince the residents (in particularly the men in their lives that not only is the plan good, it will work! A few anxious moments as the reader wonders if things will work out all around, many chuckles as the characters mess things up for themselves and you have a wonderful novel.

i actually checked the start of the book to see if some of these novels were a continuation from other novels, that is how comfortable i was with the characters right from page one. The story (stories) flowed with out pause from one story or season into another. i have never read a novel that took novellas and welded them together so seamlessly, unless they were written by one author. 

i was disappointed that there were a few loose ends not tied up, and that the sequel to this one does not come out until December 2012. In every other way it met my expectations.


i received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers through their program Booksneeze in exchange for an honest review. i was not required to give a postive review.

Product Description

Mary Lynn and Jackson Scoville are living the good life in Charleston. But as they work their way up the social ladder, Mary Lynn feels compelled to pray that Jackson will come to the Lord. When Jackson's radical conversion---including inviting street people into their home---threatens their dreams, will Mary Lynn go along with him? 320 pages, softcover from Nelson.

MY REVIEW

Sunrise on the Battery by Beth Webb Hart is an amazing look at the question of what would life look like if we really, really loved each other, and were eager to tell everyone we love how much we loved them and wanted them to know how great a life Christian Life is? Would it change the way we look at life, and what we do?

Sunrise on the Battery is written from numerous perspectives, which might make it confusing for the reader except for the fact that the names of the person from whose perspective each chapter is told is mentioned at the being of the chapter as a sort of chapter title. Mary Lynn, her husband Jackson and their oldest daughter Catherine (a teenager) tell their stories, with the lives of the two youngest daughters entwined. All use the third person point of view which is effective in bringing the story out.

A thought provoking novel, there were a few scenes I thought were rather radical, but soon realized that I was not the only one who thought so, and this made a bold statement. Family life both as a family striving after social achievements and as dedicated Christians was very realistically portrayed.

I really liked this book, and will be looking for more of Beth Hart books. Not a suspense, with twisty surprises, just a nice deep-thinking novel.

i received this ebook free from ThomasNelson Publishers through their booksneeze program for the purpose of reviewing. i am not required to give a positive opinion, just an honest one.

chance to win $500.00 of books for your favorite charity!

i was just over at The bookish Mama http://iam-bookish.blogspot.com and does she have a great opportunity with Chronicle Books ...all you have to do is leave a comment on my blog (as i understand it) for a chance to win. These are some of the books i would choose, and the charity i would choose.
So leave a comment here and then head over to Bookish Mama to find out more.


















http://www.chroniclebooks.com/landing-pages/happyhaulidays/images/HappyHaulidays11_webbadge1.jpg

Ride of a Lifetime- Kitty McGregor

Book Description

ISBN-10: 1449711685 | ISBN-13: 978-1449711689 | Publication Date: February 10, 2011

When Lucas McCade retired from the PRCA rodeo circuit, he was an internationally famous rodeo star. In a life of conquering hard bulls and harder men, he had rarely known defeat and never given into fear. Little could he have known that as he left the arena of wild-eyed bulls and slashing hooves, he was stepping into a life filled with real danger. Once he rode for gold-buckle dreams, now ride with Lucas McCade as he scouts the back trails over the rolling hills of Oklahoma and encounters the paths of the powers of darkness. In a culture where a man's word is still his bond and a handshake seals a deal, McCade leads his family in a walk with Christ that causes outrage in the spiritual realm. Once again, ancient battle lines are drawn between the powers of the Prince of Darkness and the Heavenly forces of Jesus Christ. It promises to be the ride of a lifetime!

My Review

I think it will be awhile before i find another book with the caliber of Ride of a Lifetime. From the prologue to The End the novel is rich in description and the reader is so immersed in the story that he can smell the smoke of the cigarette, hear the hiss of the match as it fell in the coffee, see the oranges of the sunset in the Texas sky, feel the stiff muscles, taste the nicotine and feel the despair of a cowboy whose life has swung out of control, and the anger of the teen at being uprooted from all he knows.

With much attention to detail, Kitty McGregor skillfully wields her pen to draw the reader into the life of Lucas McCade and the working ranch he is foreman at. This story is one of relationships between father and son, peers, cowboy and citified, forgiveness, right and wrong, but also the Light and Dark of life.

I found it almost impossible to leave, the tension was so ratchet-up, but also very difficult to read because it is so terribly realistic, and plausible, even to the ending. This is one novel that i will want in my collection, and give to the discerning, mature  reader. 

i received this ebook free from Thomas Nelson Publishers through their Booksneeze program for the purpose of writing a review. i was not required to give a positive review in exchange for the ebook.

Shadows on the Sand - Gayle Roper

Book Description

Series: Seaside Mysteries | Publication Date: July 19, 2011

She serves him breakfast at her café every morning … but he never seems to notice her.

Carrie Carter’s small café in Seaside, New Jersey, is populated with a motley crew of locals … although Carrie only has eyes for Greg Barnes. He’s recovering from a vicious crime that three years ago took the lives of his wife and children—and from the year he tried to drink his reality away. While her heart does a happy Snoopy dance at the sight of him, he never seems to notice her, to Carrie’s chagrin.

When Carrie’s dishwasher is killed and her young waitress disappears, Greg finds himself drawn into helping Carrie solve the mysteries … and into her life. But when Carrie’s own painful past becomes all to present, her carefully constructed world begins to sink.

Will the fragile relationship she’s built with Greg implode from the weight of the baggage they both carry?

MY REVIEW

Gayle Roper has a history of writing novels that in my opinion involve the reader from the first sentence of the book to The End.  And Shadows on the Sand is no exception.

Once again Gayle uses the first person point of view for the main character, Carrie in a remarkable way that made me feel i was in the picture, watching and flinching with her as her waitress used her hands to tell the story. The other characters stories are told in third person, except for the villain whose story is also told in first person point of view, but always in italics. This makes it easy for the reader to differentiate between characters. Gayle does a great job of dealing with all manner of issues in a profound way.

It seems Gayle is not afraid to tackle stories that might not be politically correct. In this novel, she deals directly with the issue of cults and how they differ from biblical truths. adultery, dysfunctional families, runaways and forgiveness, all in the perfectly 'real' setting of life.

All this, and the story of salvation clearly explained without sounding preachy and in-your-face.

She has a lot of characters, and at one point i was a little confused about who the one was, and what relationship he had to some others in the story. Very well told, and definitely enough suspense to keep you turning pages rapidly!

i am well able to recommend this novel to anyone who loves a good romantic suspense. Although it is part of the Seaside Mysteries, it is totally able to stand on its own.

Disclaimer - i recieved this ebook free from Waterbrook/Multnomah Publishers through their Blogging For Books program for review purposes only. i was not required to write a positive review, just an honest one. All opinions stated are my own.

Mercy Come Morning - Lisa Tawn Bergren

In this poignant story, reprinted from 2002, Lisa deals with some hard issues. First and foremost is the issue between mothers and daughters. Although i have what i think is a close relationship with my mother, i see myself many times reacting to the same things the main character in this novel does.  Another issue, closely related to the first, is forgiveness, and we all need it. Third is relationships between friends, and those are things we all deal with. Also is the issue of Alzheimer’s.

I have always loved Lisa’s novels, and this was no exception. Told in the first person, present tense throughout, with the past brought in through notes that Charlotte (Krista’s mother) wrote in her Christmas Carols book, instead of a journal.  The novel  starts with Dane (administrator of the facility where Charlotte lives) phoning Krista to summon her to her mother’s bedside before her mother’s death.  Not a suspense story, this tugs at the reader’s heart as issues come close to home. We are drawn into the story by Lisa’s apt use of words and we can feel the rough flooring of the adobe building, see the barren desert ground of New Mexico, smell the luscious Spanish foods, and the heart tugs of regrets and the joy of forgiveness.

A story with lessons i will not soon forget.

I received this ebook free from Waterbrook/Multnomah  through their Blogging For Books program. I was not required to give a positive review, just an honest opinion.

An Amish Wedding - novellas

An Amish Wedding, a collection of three novellas by three Inspirational Amish writers – Kelly Long, Katherine Fuller and Beth Wiseman, follows the stories of three young friends as they contemplate their wedding day.

A Perfect Secret by Kelly Long is Rose Bender’s story. She knows who she loves, but does she know who he is? The share some common interests, and they are both Amish, but the secret she and the reader stumble upon one dark night causes both the question what do these two share? And who is the thief in the community? Secrets in a relationship are seldom healthy, and these need to be resolved quickly.  Kelly carries the reader along with Rose as she finds answers to the questions she has, and both she and the reader learn that pretending to be who you are not, is harder than it looks.

In A Perfect Match by Kathleen Fuller, Naomi is not only a baker but a friend who wants only happiness for her friends even if it brings her heartache.  Having helped Rose overcome her insecurities, she turns her attention to her friend and assistant Margaret, who is painfully shy when she becomes the attention of young men.  Regardless of what her heart tells her, or the young man, for that matter, she feels Margaret needs to pay attention to the stranger from out of the county.  Hearts win out, and when Margaret finds someone who loves her, right beside her, maybe Naomi can pay attention to her own happiness.

When Beth Wiseman wrote “A Perfect Plan” she wrote about something i think all young brides hope for...that nothing will go wrong for the couple. Priscilla thinks that if the perfect plans she makes go on without a hitch, she must be living in God’s Will, but when things don’t turn out in the order she wants them to, or even turn out how she wants them to, she begins to doubt.  A perfect life does not necessarily doing God’s Will, nor does one of hardship mean the opposite.

I loved all three novellas, though felt that each one could have stood on its own as a novel with more depth being given to the characters. However, each story is clear in its message, and together, they bring an inspiration to living...God is ultimately in control, and we need to rest in this truth, whether we are contemplating marriage, our life’s work or any other situation. Through all three novellas trust is a major issue.

I received this ebook from Thomas Nelson Publishers through the Booksneeze program for review.  I was not required to give a positive review just my honest opinion in exchange for a free book/ebook.

Lonestar Angel - Colleen Coble

Eden's hope is rekindled when Clay delivers astounding news: their daughter has been found.
Five years ago Eden and Clay Larson's baby was stolen and never found. Eden blamed herself, Clay lost himself in work. Their young and rocky marriage ended. Or so Eden thought.
Now Eden's moved to a new town. She's found faith and is trying to rebuild her life. She's even dating again-a sweet guy who plans to marry her someday. But then Clay arrives out of the blue and delivers shocking news: they're still married. What's more, Clay has been searching for Brianna all this time. And he believes he's found her: their daughter is in Bluebird, Texas, at a youth ranch.
Lonestar Angel by Colleen Coble

To say i devoured this novel would be stating it mildly. From an upscale restaurant in Charlie Creek, to the desert of Texas, Colleen had me sitting on the edge of the seat the whole way! This book is Intense, to say the least.

Her vivid descriptions have the reader seeing the allusive roadrunner, the beautiful sunsets and sunrises that only the desert can provide, the cacti and their flowers, tasting  the dust , hearing the happy squeals of  little girls, smelling the chilli cooking.  I felt the fear towards the rattler that gave no warning, the uncertainty of tarantulas, and the anguish of seeing abused horses. The challenges of counsellors dealing with children in foster homes are huge, and this is brought out in a very enlightening and positive way.

Many times i had to put the book down and leave it, just to bring myself back into the reality of life in my own living room as opposed to the Bluebird Ranch, only to be drawn back to the story to find out what happened next. And just when i thought i knew where the story was heading, someone or something happened to make it all change direction again.

Once again, Colleen has lived up to my expectations of her writing.

The Little Shadows - Marina Endicott

Here is the eagerly anticipated new novel from a brilliant writer whose last book, Good to a Fault, was shortlisted for the prestigious Giller Prize and won the Commonwealth Prize for Canada and the Caribbean.

The Little Shadows revolves around three sisters in the world of vaudeville before and during the First World War. We follow the lives of all three in turn: Aurora, the eldest and most beautiful, who is sixteen when the book opens; thoughtful Clover, a year younger; and the youngest sister, joyous headstrong sprite Bella, who is thirteen. The girls, overseen by their fond but barely coping Mama, are forced to make their living as a singing act after the untimely death of their father. They begin with little besides youth and hope, but Marina Endicott’s genius is to show how the three girls slowly and steadily evolve into true artists even as they navigate their way to adulthood among a cast of extraordinary characters – some of them charming charlatans, some of them unpredictable eccentrics, and some of them just ordinary-seeming humans with magical gifts.

Using her gorgeous prose and extraordinary insight, Endicott lures us onto the brightly lit stage and then into the little shadows that lurk behind the curtain, and reveals how the art of vaudeville -- in all its variety, madness, melodrama, hilarity and sorrow -- echoes the art of life itself.  

MY REVIEWS Less

A beautiful poetic novel of what the vaudeville or theatre might have been in historic western Canada and the northwest U.S.A., in particularly Montana. The story follows three girls and their mother after the death of the father as they go into the world their mother knew before she met their father.  Each scene and each character is portrayed in vivid colors, both their good attributes as well as the eccentric.  Although i don’t know much about the world of actors either then or now, it seems like the author did a lot of research to make it authentic.

Personally i found it very dry, tedious reading, with so much attention to detail, and a lot of conversations.  There really wasn’t any plot, unless you consider the everyday life of people aspiring to stardom through entertaining others a plot.

I received this novel from the publisher through Netgalley for review. I was not required to give a positive review in order to receive it, just an honest one.

The Incovenient Marriage of Charlotte Beck - Kathleen Y'Barbo

Product Description

When a man whose price is his family name meets a woman who wishes to buy her freedom, their growing attraction causes their marriage of convenience to become quite inconvenient. Will the heiress intent on freedom succumb to the reluctant astronomer with stars in his eyes?

  MY REVIEW

Kathleen Y’Barbo does an incredible job of bringing high class of the era of 1887 – 1891 to life both in London, England and in the west America country of Colorado. Charlotte Beck is a joy to get to know as are the other characters in the novel.  Having Colonel Cody, also known as the Great Buffalo Bill, interact with the family both in the new country as well as in England ties the two continents together nicely. This delightfully humorous story also explores the relationships between fathers and daughters, step-mothers and step-daughters, grandfathers and granddaughters, and peers.  The reader learns a lot about life during the Victorian Years in a way that doesn’t seem like learning at all.

This is the third book in a series of three following – The Confidential Life of Eugenia Cooper (book #1) and Anna Finch and the Hired Gun (book #2) and though i read and enjoyed The Inconvenient Marriage of Charlotte Beck, i think reading the first two books would give more background to this one.

I found it confusing that Charlotte’s step-mother was named Eugenia (most often Gennie) and her mother was named Georgiana, though both names would have been common during that time frame.

This book was a great one, and i would recommend it to anyone who enjoys historical romance fiction.

I received this ebook free from WaterbrookMultnomah publishers through their Blogging For Books program in exchange for an honest review. The opinions stated in this review are mine.