Vicious Cycle - Terri Blackstock

To protect her newborn baby … Jordan has to abandon her. A sequel to Intervention, this latest novel of suspense and family loyalty by bestselling author Terri Blackstock offers a harrowing look at drug addiction, human trafficking, and the choices that can change lives forever.

Description: 
When fifteen-year-old Lance Covington finds an abandoned baby in the backseat of a car, he knows she’s the newborn daughter of a meth addict he’s been trying to help. But when police arrest him for kidnapping, Lance is thrust into a criminal world of baby trafficking and drug abuse.

His mother, Barbara, looks for help from Kent Harlan—the man whom she secretly, reluctantly loves and who once helped rescue her daughter from a mess of her own. Kent flies to her aid and begins the impossible work of getting Lance out of trouble, protecting a baby who has no home, and finding help for a teenage mother hiding behind her lies.

In this latest novel of suspense and family loyalty, bestselling author Terri Blackstock offers a harrowing look at drug addiction, human trafficking, and the devastating choices that can change lives forever.

My Review

This story carries on the characters met in Intervention, though this story can easily stand alone. The reader is quickly drawn to the main characters, which is Jordan and her baby. It is tense and fast moving drama. i have a tendency to set aside a book when the tension gets too bad, and i did that numerous times with this book, only to find myself picking it up almost immediately again to continue. (Obviously, as it only took me a few hours to read it). Terri again aptly portrays God's love, even to those we might think unlovable. Also, how often just because the circumstances look awful, it doesn't mean that they are hopeless, nor does it mean that the people in these circumstance don't want to get out of it. Terri has an awesome way with words,  and i could see the scenes vividly. Although it would be impossible for me to say i know what the characters went through, i feel i have a bit of an idea through Terri's story.

Thankyou Terri, for bringing these issues into my world, that i can have a better understanding of people around me.

this book is available from Christianbook.com and your local christian bookstore.

White Pearls by Shannon Taylor Vannatter

Contemporary

Shell doesn't have a good reputation . . .

But no matter what everyone in Rose Bud, Arkansas thinks of her, Shell Evans is back in town with a job to do. She'll just have to stick it out and make the best of things. But why does Ryler have to be the landscaper on this project? She was just getting her heart back under control.

Ryler Grant has his own reasons for being in Rose Bud, and they certainly don't include Shell. Spying on his birth family was going to be hard enough. He doesn't have time to worry about a woman who dumped him. . . even if his heart says otherwise.

But God's love can change the hardest heart. In the light of His presence, even the darkest past can be overcome. They may not know it, but the people of Rose Bud are about to change!

MY REVIEW

It was great to be back in the Rose Bud, Romance Falls and Seary area, meeting with friends i met earlier in White Roses and White Doves. Each book can be read as a stand-alone, but the reader does get the full benefit of the stories by reading them in the order they were written. How messed up our lives (and stories) can become when we keep secrets. Also- things are not always what they seem, so lets not judge. Again, Shannon does a wonderful job of giving life lessons through an inspirational romance story. Her gift of using words creates vivid pictures. I loved this book, though i would love to read a full length novel by Shannon.

Thanks again, Shannon for the free books for reviewing. I loved them, and look forward to more from your capable pen!

I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions are mine alone. I looked on Christianbook.com, Barnes & Noble and Parable Christian Stores for this title and White Doves and did not see them there, but am sure that you can buy this as well as the first two at your local Christian Book store.

White Doves

Romance wasn’t what Laken had in mind.

Laken Kroft left home eight years ago and never looked back. Who knew when she applied for the promotion to postmaster that she’d end up in Romance, Arkansas, and much too close to her parents, the town drunk and the local gossip maven?
Hayden Winters has his hands full raising his paraplegic nephew, Brady, and wrestling his guilt over having caused the child’s injury. When the boy’s father, Laken’s brother, turns up and starts talking custody, Laken’s influence is Hayden’s only hope. But whose side is she really on?

MY REVIEW

Reading this second book in the series was every bit as good as the first. The characters are well developed, the scenes jump out at you, and there are enough twists and turns in the story line to keep the pages turning. Forgiveness - of oneself, and how not forgiving oneself causes you to see things in others  lives that are really not there. Not a deep searching story, but you come away with a good feeling, and having read a great story.
Thanks to Shannon for giving me the books for reviewing. There was no obligation to give a positive review.

This book can be found at |Christianbook.com, Amazon.com, Amazon.ca, and your local bookstore.

White Roses by Shannon Taylor Vannatter

The White Rose trilogy is set in the Arkansas towns of Romance and Rose Bud. Romance is known for the re-mailing program and weddings. Romantics send stamped/addressed Valentine’s cards and wedding invitations
in manila envelopes to get them mailed with the hand-stamped Romance, AR postmark. Couples come
to get married in Romance at the post office, local churches or the Romance Waterfalls.

Pastor Grayson Sterling loves his wife. The problem is, Sara was killed by a hit-and-run driver two years ago. Grayson knows he needs to move on, that the continuing depth of his grief is not healthy for him or his young son. Desperate, he convinces his church to hire Mark Welch as associate pastor to relieve him of some of his load. When Adrea Welch arrives at his church with her brother, Grayson cannot deny his attraction to her.
For years, florist Adrea Welch has been artfully arranging white roses for Sara Sterling. Now those flowers are carried to the cemetery by a faithful, grieving husband. How can Adrea be so attracted to a man still devoted to his dead wife? When secrets from Adrea’s past collide with their budding relationship, both she and Grayson must learn to lean on God’s abiding wisdom.

My Review

I picked up this book knowing it was a romance - a heartsong presents book, a girl meets boy, and so on. What i didn't know, as this is my first Shannon Taylor Vannatter book, was that it was more than just a romance story. The roses are beautiful - you can almost smell the arrangements Adrea makes, and see the flowers as she prepares the church for a wedding. The characters are realistic, though the story is by definition short. The plot has enough twists and turns to keep the reader engrossed, and i came away from this with a deeper appreciation that 'things are not always what they may seem'. Life happens, and i will try not to take on the guilt of others actions, either.
Thanks to Shannon Taylor Vannatter herself for giving me the trilogy in exchange for an honest review. I loved it.

This book is available at Christianbooks.com, Amazon.com and your local bookstore.

The Pirate Queen - Patricia Hickman

 

Treasure is found in the most unlikely places.
The envy of all her friends, wife and mother Saphora Warren is the model of southern gentility and accomplishment. She lives in a beautiful Lake Norman home, and has raised three capable adult children. Her husband is a successful plastic surgeon--and a philanderer. It is for that reason that, after hosting a garden party for Southern Living magazine, Saphora packs her bags to escape the trappings of the picturesque-but-vacant life.

Saphora’s departure is interrupted by her husband Bender’s early arrival home, and his words that change her life forever: I’m dying.
 
Against her desires, Saphora agrees to take care of Bender as he fights his illness. They relocate, at his insistance, to their coastal home in Oriental—the same house she had chosen for her private getaway. When her idyllic retreat is overrun by her grown children, grandchildren, townspeople, relatives, and a precocious neighbor child, Saphora’s escape to paradise is anything but the life she had imagined. As she gropes for evidence of God's presence amid the turmoil, can she discover that the richest treasures come in surprising packages?

My Review

Patricia Hickman is not afraid to tackle the messy issues. This one is no exception. The type of life that one is accustomed to when one is able to associate with Southern Living people is beyond me. Patricia let me (the reader) step into that life and live it with the characters. This book is about living up to others expectations, reaching beyond oneself to help someone else and thus perhaps finding treasure where you didn't expect to find it.  It is also about family life, and you follow the characters through their triumphs and sorrows. I also wonder "am i enough" and this is explored through this book. i would recommend this book to my friends. The title may discourage some from picking up this book, but in this case, don't judge the book by the title.

the Bridge of Peace - Cindy Woodsmall

Description

Lena Kauffman is a young Old Order Amish schoolteacher who has dealt all her life with attention raised by a noticeable birthmark on her cheek. Having learned to move past the stares and whispers, Lena channels her zest for living into her love of teaching. But tensions mount as she is challenged to work with a rebellious young man and deal with several crises at the schoolhouse that threaten her other students. Her lack of submission and the use of ideas that don't line up with the Old Ways strengthen the school board's case as they begin to believe that Lena is behind all the trouble. One member of the school board, Grey Graber, feels trapped by his own stifling circumstances. His wife Elsie has shut him out of her life, and he doesn't know how long he can continue to live as if nothing is wrong. As the two finally come to a place of working toward a better marriage, tragedy befalls their family. Lena and Grey have been life-long friends but their relationship begins to crumble amidst unsettling deceptions, propelling each of them to finally face their own secrets. Can they both find a way past their losses and discover the strength to build a new bridge?

My Review

I have enjoyed a few of Cindy Woodsmall's books, and though this is book # 2 in Ada's House series, it could easily be a stand-alone book. From the first page Cindy capture's the reader's imagination as she paints a vivid picture of the Amish lifestyle and the country they live in. She portrays their way of life in a very realistic and gentle way. I appreciated the fact that Cindy did not shy away from some of the hard situations that we all find ourselves in, as well as the handicaps we have, whether visible as Lena's birthmark, or hidden attitudes, such as of the school board members. Grow along with the characters as they find their way through the circumstances they face. Learn how the Amish live, and learn to lean on their Teacher, God, with them together. This book will capture your heart. I found it hard to put down. I recommend this book to the young adult reader and to the avid reader as well as the occasional reader. Enjoy.

Indivisible - Kristen Heitzmann

Product Description

An inseparable bond.
An insatiable force.

Battling his own personal demons, Police Chief Jonah Westfall knows the dark side of life and has committed himself to eradicating it. When a pair of raccoons are found mutilated in Redford, Colorado, Jonah investigates the gruesome act, knowing the strange event could escalate and destroy the tranquility of his small mountain town. With a rising drug threat and never-ending conflict with Tia Manning, a formidable childhood friend with whom he has more than a passing history, Jonah fights for answers—and his fragile sobriety.

But he can’t penetrate every wound or secret—especially one fueled by a love and guilt teetering on madness.

From best-selling author Kristen Heitzmann comes a spellbinding tale of severed connections and the consequences of life lived alone.

My Review

From the very first page, Kristen had me hooked. i read every book of hers i can find, and never find them to disappoint. She wields her pen like a paint brush, and her scenes are vivid. You feel you are right there with her. The verses under each chapter number only enhance the story.
This is a story of relationships, with family, parents, friends as well as neighbors and co-workers. Kristen's story is a powerful one of forgiveness, of friendships made, maintained and some relationships lost. And as i read it, my heart hurt, laughed and sympathized with the characters. Only one thing, and that might be a personal thing, the way i read it, it seemed like one minor character was lost along the way, and i wasn't sure where the character stayed. Someone else may understand it differently.
 I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review.  All i was required to do was to give an honest review.

This book can be bought at Christianbook.com, Livingbooks.ca, and your local christian book store, or whereever Christian books are sold.