Still House Pond is an intriguing story about life in rural Kentucky during the late nineteenth century. The narrative depicts the lives of the Gray family, their friends and neighbors, particularly Lilly, her mother Copper, and their hired girl Manda.
The author captures Lilly in all her innocence, grit, and determination. Copper’s life as a wife, mother, and midwife/nurse to the community is described with an eye to detail that illuminates both the performance of her role and the emotions she experienced. And Manda. Well her love for women’s magazines, fashion, and love stories leads her on a quest for an exciting romance that brings about unexpected results and not a little disillusionment. The expressions and exploits of Lilly and her younger brother and sisters were true-to-life and made me laugh more than once.
Still House Pond is full of life, humor, love, some suspense, and plenty of unexpected twists and turns. To say much more would probably take away from the reader’s enjoyment so I will just say “If you love charming, life-like historical novels, you really need to pick up a copy of Still House Pond.
This book was provided for review by Tyndale House Publishers.
ABOUT THE BOOK:
Experience Southern Charm in 1890s Kentucky
Lilly Gray Corbett loves living on Troublesome Creek, but she would much rather play with her best friend than watch her little brother and the twins. When Aunt Alice sends a note inviting her to a visit in the city, Lilly is excited to go.
Lilly’s mother, Copper, isn’t quite ready to let her young daughter travel all the way to Lexington by herself, but she reluctantly agrees to let Lilly go. When news that Lilly’s train has crashed reaches her parents, they rush to find out if their daughter is injured—or even alive.
Learn more about Jan Watson and her books on her website.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Jan Watson won the 2004 Christian Writers Guild Operation First Novel contest for her first novel, Troublesome Creek. Her other awards include a nomination for the Kentucky Literary Award in 2006 and second place in the 2006 Inspirational Readers Choice Contest sponsored by the Faith, Hope, and Love Chapter of the Romance Writers of America. Willow Springs and Torrent Falls are the sequels to Troublesome Creek. Jan was a registered nurse for 25 years at Central Baptist Hospital in Lexington, Kentucky. She incorporated her nursing experience in the hospital’s mother/baby unit into her novels. Jan resides in Kentucky.
It is time for a FIRST Wild Card Tour book review! If you wish to join the FIRST blog alliance, just click the button. We are a group of reviewers who tour Christian books. A Wild Card post includes a brief bio of the author and a full chapter from each book toured. The reason it is called a FIRST Wild Card Tour is that you never know if the book will be fiction, non~fiction, for young, or for old…or for somewhere in between! Enjoy your free peek into the book!
You never know when I might play a wild card on you!
***Special thanks to Krista Ocier of Zondervan for sending me a review copy.***
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Melody Carlson has written more than 200 books for teens, women, and children. Before publishing, Melody traveled around the world, volunteered in teen ministry, taught preschool, raised two sons, and worked briefly in interior design and later in international adoption. “I think real-life experiences inspire the best fiction,” she says. Her wide variety of books seem to prove this theory.
Catwalkand the first book in theOn The Runwayseries Premiere are sure to be a hit with teen girls whose interests include fashion, Hollywood, and reality TV. Featuring the two Forrester sisters, Paige and Erin, the series chronicles their new roles in a TV series ‘On The Runway’. Catwalk highlights the sisters’ trip to New York City for the famous Fashion Week and takes them on a whirlwind tour of designer studios, television sets, and fashion shows. As they navigate impossible time schedules and unexpected catastrophes, the sisters quickly learn that they must depend on each other and the individual strengths they both offer.
Catwalk is a fun to read story that takes the reader right into the heart of New York fashion. However Ms. Carlson manages to interject plenty of serious thoughts to ponder including dating relationships, friendship, forgiveness, and doing the right thing. That she also manages to introduce spiritual themes without seeming preachy is a major plus.
Another plus for readers of Carlson’s other series is that several familiar characters from her Carter House Girls series show up in Catwalk. I would venture to say that both Premiere and Catwalk are must reads for teen girls.
Bodie and Brock Thoene (pronounced Tay-nee) have written over 50 works of historical fiction. Over twenty million of these best-selling novels are in print. Eight ECPA Gold Medallion Awards affirms what millions of readers have already discovered—the Thoenes are not only master stylists but experts at capturing readers’ minds and hearts.
Bodie began her writing career as a teen journalist for her local newspaper. Eventually her byline appeared in prestigious periodicals such as U.S. News and World Report, The American West, and The Saturday Evening Post. She also worked for John Wayne’s Batjac Productions (she’s best known as author of The Fall Guy) and ABC Circle Films as a writer and researcher. John Wayne described her as “a writer with talent that captures the people and the times!” She has degrees in journalism and communications.
Brock has often been described by Bodie as “an essential half of this writing team.” With degrees in both history and education, Brock has, in his role as researcher and story-line consultant, added the vital dimension of historical accuracy. Due to such careful research, The Zion Covenant and The Zion Chronicles series are recognized by the American Library Association, as well as Zionist libraries around the world, as classic historical novels and are used to teach history in college classrooms.
Bodie and Brock have four grown children—Rachel, Jake, Luke, and Ellie—and seven grandchildren. Their sons, Jake and Luke, are carrying on the Thoene family talent as the next generation of writers, and Luke produces the Thoene audiobooks.
Bodie and Brock divide their time between London and Nevada.
ABOUT THE BOOK:
As Nazi forces tighten the noose, Loralei Kepler, daughter of a German resistance leader, must flee her beloved Germany. But is any place safe from Adolf Hitler’s evil grasp? Loralei’s harrowing flight leads her into the arms of needy child refugees, who have sacrificed everything in exchange for their lives, and toward a mysterious figure, who closely guards an age-old secret.
Explore the romance, the passion, and the danger of the most anticipated series of the last twenty years.
Born from the highly acclaimed and best-loved novels of three generations of readers — The Zion Covenant series and The Zion Chronicles series — Zion Diaries ventures into the lives of the inspiring and intriguing characters who loved intensely, stood up for what was right, and fought boldly during Hitler’s rise to power and the dark days of World War II.
I have enjoyed books by the Thoenes since the very first Zion series. I can remember waiting impatiently for the next book in the series to be released so I could see what would happen next. Although I was naturally aware of the actual historical events, I had become quite involved in the lives of the characters – that is how realistically they had been portrayed. I also loaned those series to so many friends that many of them became fairly tattered. So of course I was excited to be offered a new ‘Zion’ book, The Gathering Storm to review.
The Gathering Storm started off a little slowly for me. I actually put it down for a couple of days because I just wasn’t in the right mood for another ‘war’ novel. I’ve had quite a few of those lately on my review list. I did come back to it and once I actually started reading it, I found it to be just as captivating as the earlier series(s). The characters were just as real, the historical elements obviously well researched, and the plot kept to a steady pace. The Gathering Storm did take a somewhat different track than the earlier ‘Zion’ books in that a mystical element pertaining to a Jewish legend was incorporated into the plot. Another different approach was that the book both began and ended with the author’s (Bodie) visit to the home of the heroine of the story.
All in all, I thoroughly enjoyed The Gathering Storm and it left me once again anxious for the next installment. It also left me wondering just how much of this story was based on fact and how much was purely imagination. I highly recommend The Gathering Storm.
I have often heard mass market romance such as those published by Harlequin criticized as inferior. I have subscribed to the Love Inspired Suspense series for several years now and have found most of the books in that series to be very well written and interesting. Yes, they are quick reads and may not contain the depth of trade paperbacks but there are times when what I want is a quick read that is also a good story and a pleasant escape. Current Love Inspired Suspense authors such as Liz Johnson fulfill that requirement perfectly.
Vanishing Act is a fast moving story about a young woman who relocated and changed her identity after witnessing her father’s murder and the FBI agent who is looking for her. The plot takes several interesting twists as it evolves and the reader will have a chuckle or two at how long it takes Nate to realize that the person he is looking for has been right under his nose the entire time. Filled with action, suspense, and romance, Vanishing Act never fails to point the reader toward the Lord. It is the perfect companion to curl up with for an evening’s relaxation.
ABOUT THE BOOK:
Eighteen months ago, Nora James watched as her father was shot in an alley-and then she fled. She changed her name, her appearance and her job, hoping to keep her father’s shooter at bay. For months, it worked…but now her luck has run out. A ruthless assassin is on her trail, and soon Nora, now known as Danielle, will be found. But this time, she has FBI agent Nate Andersen by her side-right? The handsome agent would give his life to protect Danielle, but he’s wary of giving his heart…until a deadly confrontation leaves him with both on the line.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Liz Johnson grew up reading Christian fiction, and always dreamed of being part of the publishing industry. After graduating from Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff with a degree in public relations, she set out to fulfill her dream. In 2006 she got her wish when she accepted a publicity position at a major trade book publisher. While working as a publicist in the industry, she decided to pursue her other dream-becoming an author. Along the way to having her novel published, she completed the Christian Writers Guild apprentice course and wrote articles for several magazines.
Liz makes her home in Nashville, TN, where she enjoys theater, exploring the local music scene, and making frequent trips to Arizona to dote on her two nephews and three nieces. She loves stories of true love with happy endings. Keep up with Liz’s adventures in writing at www.lizjohnsonbooks.com.
As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
Many links on this site are supplied by the Reviewer groups that provide the books I review. Occasionally other links may be my personal associate links.
Jan Watson won the 2004 Christian Writers Guild Operation First Novel contest for her first novel, Troublesome Creek. Her other awards include a nomination for the Kentucky Literary Award in 2006 and second place in the 2006 Inspirational Readers Choice Contest sponsored by the Faith, Hope, and Love Chapter of the Romance Writers of America. Willow Springs and Torrent Falls are the sequels to Troublesome Creek. Jan was a registered nurse for 25 years at Central Baptist Hospital in Lexington, Kentucky. She incorporated her nursing experience in the hospital’s mother/baby unit into her novels. Jan resides in Kentucky.
