by admin | Oct 28, 2014 | Books, Christmas, Historical, Novella, Romance
MY REVIEW:
“The Gift-Wrapped Bride” was short and sweet and in some ways the romance itself took a backseat to the rest of the story. Sophie Stewart was not at all happy when her family pulled up their roots in Toledo to move to Chicago. Her brother and his friend Noah were already in Chicago and had helped to pave the way for families from their hometown to find homes and jobs as well as to help start a new church in Chicago. Although Noah showed a decided interest in Sophie, she was unable to forgive him for all the pranks he had played on her during their school years and rebuffed his attempts at friendship at every turn. Could their participation in the church Christmas program change her mind about Noah?
“The Gift-Wrapped Bride” is a wonderful illustration about changed hearts and learning not to form harsh judgements due to a person’s past actions. There is hope for everyone in Christ as long as their heart is open to His love and influence.
A digital copy of this book was provided for review by Shiloh Run Studios.
ABOUT THE BOOK:
Sophie Stewart’s family has just moved to Chicago to join her brother and help start a church. Sophie is an artist with big dreams, but she feels her parents are pushing her to marry someone like Noah Jackson, a young man from their Ohio hometown. But forgiving the past and recognizing Noah’s maturity and changes may take a miracle.
More About The Gift-Wrapped Bride with Maureen LangFor veteran novelist Maureen Lang, the opportunity to write her first novella, The Gift-Wrapped Bride, presented a challenge.“I approached the task with much fear and trembling. I believe writing short, needing to write tight, is far more difficult than taking your time. As the writer then as the reader, it’s easy to take time to get to know characters, to step around in their shoes and in their time period for a while,” she said.
But a novella is much shorter and requires great care in word, setting and scene choices.
“I finally relaxed knowing that storytelling could still work if I focused on the main goal—getting my hero and heroine together after realistically keeping them apart,” she laughed.
The story of an artist and a reformed “bad boy,” pushed together in their 1848 Chicago immigrant church, The Gift-Wrapped Bride surprised its author as she wrote.
“I had more fun than I expected getting to know a hero who was so focused on winning the heroine’s love and respect. He had a hurdle to overcome because she only knew him when he was a bully and a mischief-maker. I had so much fun focusing on the romance that I found myself commiserating with the focus my hero needed to win the heroine’s heart!”
Forgiveness turned out to be a greater theme in her story, across the characters, than she had anticipated.
A native of the Chicago area, her family has been in the Midwest for several generations, Maureen felt at home writing about the city so long ago. Well aware of Chicago’s poor reputation in some quarters, Maureen wanted to explore another side to the city, “one with characters who aren’t part of the violent reputation, but represent the majority of ordinary, flawed but still lovable people who live here.”
The author of contemporary and nonfiction, as well as historical novels, Maureen has always been fascinated by other places and eras.
“Not that I want to live anywhere or at any other time, since I’m spoiled by the relative peace and obvious comforts of today,” she said. “But when I read about other eras, it never fails to impress me that people just like you and me actually survived such conditions! . . . I hope I’d have lived up to the times, but the more research I do about historical conditions, the more thankful I am God chose to let me live here and now, even with our unique challenges.”
Some of her ancestors have been in North America since the 1600?s.
One of the youngest of six children, Maureen grew up in a boisterous family that enjoyed Christmas with decorating, baking and family gatherings. While she enjoys an annual Nativity Pageant that involves original music, real animals (including camels) and a magnificent choir, she knew that wouldn’t fit into her 1848 setting.
“I did keep the spirit of this wonderful tradition in mind as I developed the Nativity aspect in my story. I thought it was the perfect opportunity for my reformed rake of a hero not only to show the heroine that he’d changed, but to make a real difference in boys who were on the same track he’d been on—to mischief or worse.”
“A bonus of working on a novella collection is the camaraderie I’ve enjoyed getting to know the other authors selected for this Christmas-themed set. There is always some excitement and enthusiasm with any publishing venture, but this time I’ve enjoyed not only my editor and others I’ve encountered at Barbour, but also such a great array of other authors. People just like me, trying to meet deadlines, write the best stories we can, lots of laughter and support for what we all love to do—create stories in our imagination to share with others. It’s been so much fun being part of a team that includes other authors as well!”
Who is Maureen Lang?
The author of eleven books, Maureen Lang has been writing since childhood. Her latest release is part of The Gilded Legacy Series:All in Good Time. She lives with her family in the Midwest.
You can learn more about Maureen and her books at her website: www.maureenlang.com
She regularly blogs on the Christians Read website.
You can also find her on Facebook
by admin | Oct 12, 2014 | Books, Dystopian, Novella
MY REVIEW:
Tremors is the novella prequel for Bonnie S. Calhoun’s new dystopian Stone Braide Chronicles series and its first novel Thunder. Tremors is a free ebook download and is quickly read. Bonnie offers just enough background details and action to guarantee that most readers will want to grab a copy of Thunder as soon as possible. If you are a fan of “The Hunger Games” or other dystopian fiction, you will definitely want to grab your free copy of Tremors. You probably need to go ahead and purchase your copy of Thunder while you’re at it. You won’t want to wait on it.
ABOUT THE BOOK:
In this gripping prequel to Thunder, unsettling secrets change Selah Chavez’s life forever in the days before her 18th Born Remembrance.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Bonnie S. Calhoun teaches workshops on Facebook, Twitter, HTML, and social media at writers conferences. In her everyday life she is a seamstress and clothing designer. Bonnie and her husband live in a log home in upstate New York with a dog and two cats who think she’s wait staff. Thunder is her first YA novel. Learn more at www.bonniescalhoun.com.
by admin | Oct 6, 2014 | Books, Christmas, Historical, Novella, Romance
MY REVIEW:
I cannot think of a better way to begin to prepare myself for the Christmas season than with this short but sweet romance from Mary Connealy, the first installment of Barbour’s new The 12 Brides of Christmas collection. I was hooked from its opening line and read through it in one sitting.
Although character development was necessarily limited due to the short length of the novella, there was adequate information for me to quickly love Melanie, Henry, and Simon. I loved the symbolism of the puzzle box and how as each of its hidden compartments were opened, the corresponding hidden compartments of the characters’ hearts were also opened and softened as they found their way to Christmas and each other.
I am looking forward to the hidden treasures in each of the other eleven installments of The 12 Brides of Christmas collection. What a wonderful idea!
This book was provided for review by Shiloh Run Studios.
ABOUT THE BOOK:
Melanie Douglas attempts to connect with a troubled student using an advent box with hidden rewards. When Henry O’Keeffe sees a remarkable change in his son, he has to meet the new teacher. Will more than one prayer be answered in the small Nebraska town?
More About The Advent Bride with Mary Connealy
What is a puzzle box?
“I’ve wanted to use a puzzle box because I love the idea of hidden latches and drawers and secret compartments. I thought of Advent, with its set number of days and decided a puzzle box with the right number of drawers would be perfect,” Mary said.
Research sent her to Youtube where she spent hours watching videos on the intriguing and complex boxes. You can see one here:
The award-winning and best-selling author of many novels and novellas, Mary Connealy lives in Nebraska and has been looking for a story to set there for many years. The Advent Bride, located in a wind-swept Nebraska town, provided her with a place close to home.
But not too close. While Mary loves historical stories, she knows too much about what life must have been like from her own experiences.
“I love the modern world. I suppose it’s possible my inner pioneer toughness would be revealed if I was forced to live in the old west, but if it did, it would surprise everyone. I’m a wimp. I love air conditioning. I live pretty close to the soil here in Nebraska, on a ranch. I know how to do a lot of the things necessary to survive. Kill and clean a chicken, milk a cow, gather eggs, grow a garden, can food. I know enough about it to know its stinking hard work!”
Perhaps history intrigues her because her personal roots go deep into the American past.
“I had an ancestor come to America in 1638. I’ve got the paperwork to prove I could join the DAR (Daughters of the American Revolution) I have Irish ancestors who came here because of the potato famine in the mid-1800s. Many pioneers in that group.”
Mary has written full length novels as well as novellas, and enjoys the challenges presented by both. As to her characters? Like many writers, she writes heroines with characteristics she admires.
“My heroines are all how I wish I was, tough, take charge, speaking their minds. I’m pathologically non-confrontational and I tend to apologize for everything….and I’m really sorry about that.”
Mary and her husband have four adult daughters and Christmas if filled with “faith, food and fun.”
As to The Advent Bride, Mary incorporated her spiritual life by using Advent as the theme. “As Christmas drew near my characters were on their own journey, just as Joseph and Mary were on their journey to Bethlehem.”
For further information on Mary, please visit her website at www.maryconnealy.com.
She regularly blogs at Seekerville and Pistols and Petticoats and Her Blog.
or see her on social media: Facebook and Twitter
by admin | Jul 29, 2014 | Books, Contemporary Fiction, ebook, Novella
MY REVIEW:
“The Tidewater Sisters” served two purposes for me. First it tied up some loose ends in Tandi’s life as well as giving me some insight into her past and the troubled relationship between her and her sister, Gina. It also was somewhat of a tease, giving me a real desire to read Lisa’s next book in the series, “The Storyteller”. I can’t wait to get my hands on a copy.
“The Tidewater Sisters” is a fairly short novella but it was so beautifully written with a magical poetic feeling at times. Although Tandi’s unplanned visit to her grandparents’ farm was prompted by difficult circumstances, secrets from the past were revealed that helped to set her free.
I loved this book and recommend it as well as absolutely anything that Lisa Wingate has written. She has a special gift with words that has blessed me time and time again.
I purchased a digital copy of this book.
ABOUT THE BOOK:
Tandi Reese and her sister, Gina, have always been bound by complicated ties. Amid the rubble of a difficult childhood lie memories of huddling beneath beds and behind sofas while parental wars raged. Sisterhood was safety . . . once. But now? Faced with legal papers for a fraud she didn’t commit, Tandi suspects that her sister has done something unthinkable. With Tandi’s wedding just around the corner, a trip to the North Carolina Tidewater for a reckoning with Gina was not part of the plan. But unraveling lies from truth will require confronting strained sibling bonds and uncovering a dark family secret that could free Tandi from her past or stain her future forever.
Read an excerpt from Tidewater Sisters HERE.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Selected among BOOKLIST’S Top 10 of 2012 and Top 10 of 2013, Lisa Wingate skillfully weaves lyrical writing and unforgettable Southern settings with elements of women’s fiction, history, and mystery to create stories that Publisher’s Weekly calls “Masterful” and ForeWord Magazine refers to as “Filled with lyrical prose, hope, and healing.” Lisa is a journalist, an inspirational speaker, a reviewer for the New York Journal of Books, and the author of over over twenty novels and countless magazine pieces.
Her books have held positions on many bestseller lists, both in the U.S. and internationally. She is a seven-time ACFW Carol award nominee, a Christy Award nominee, an Oklahoma Book Award finalist, a Christianity Today Book Award nominee, an Inspy Award nominee, a two-time Carol Award winner, a LORIES Best Fiction Award winner, and a Utah Library Award winner. Recently, the group Americans for More Civility, a kindness watchdog organization, selected Lisa along with Bill Ford, Camille Cosby, and six others, as recipients of the National Civies Award, which celebrates public figures who work to promote greater kindness and civility in American life. Visit Lisa at her website: www.LisaWingate.com
by admin | Jun 10, 2014 | Books, Historical, Novella
MY REVIEW:
“Appalachian Serenade” is the prequel novella to the new Appalachian Blessings series by Sarah Loudin Thomas. Set in small town West Virginia during mid twentieth century, the story is short enough to be read through in one sitting (at least I did). Sarah has a way with words that quickly transported me back to a kinder and gentler (or so it seems) period of time. Her descriptions of Robert’s store brought back memories of the country stores that were so familiar during my childhood.
Delilah Morrissey is a young widow who always seems to know what people want or need before they know for themselves. In certain Christian circles, her special gift might be considered the spiritual gift known as word of knowledge. However one might define her gift, Delilah always used it to bless others and as a result, the business at Robert’s store flourished. Both Delilah and Robert have cherished dreams for their future but after years of waiting, each of them has virtually given up hope of seeing their dreams fulfilled.
“Appalachian Serenade” is a short but sweet romance that gives the reader hope that her own dreams might yet be realized also. If this is any example of the full length books in the series, I cannot wait to dig into them.
This book was a free Kindle download provided by Bethany House, a division of Baker Publishing Group.
ABOUT THE BOOK:
Delilah Morrissey has always wanted to be a mother, but when she becomes a young widow, that dream now seems farther away than ever. Unable to continue to live alone in Chicago, her only option is to accept her sister’s offer to move in with her family back in West Virginia. Will Delilah have the faith to pursue a new dream–even if it means giving up the old?
Includes an excerpt of Miracle in a Dry Season, the first full-length novel in the Appalachian Blessings series–a book New York Times bestselling author Debbie Macomber called, “Wonderful, simply wonderful.”
Download a free copy of Appalachian Serenade HERE for a limited time.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Sarah Loudin Thomas is a fund-raiser for a children’s ministry who has also published freelance writing for Mountain Homes Southern Style and Now & Then magazines, as well as The Asheville Citizen-Times and The Journey Christian Newspaper. She holds a bachelor’s in English from Coastal Carolina University. She and her husband reside in Asheville, North Carolina. Learn more at www.sarahloudinthomas.com.
by admin | Nov 9, 2011 | Books, Christmas, Contemporary Fiction, Novella
MY REVIEW:
Much like Carlson’s previous Christmas novellas, “The Christmas Shoppe” is the perfect book to curl up with by the fire to get a renewed Christmas spirit. At this point, the Christmas season would just not be the same if I didn’t have a new Melody Carlson Christmas novella to read.
In the tiny village of Parrish Springs, life goes on in its usual humdrum manner. Many of its residents are just marking time, not even aware of how unhappy they are. When Matilda Honeycutt moves to town and prepares to open what appears to be a thrift store, the townspeople become outraged and chaos and controversy reign. But something unusual happens each time someone visits Matilda’s Christmas Shoppe and the visitor leaves a changed person.
Melody Carlson has managed to illustrate a broad range of human behavior and emotions within a few pages. An emphasis on the power of forgiveness to heal the heart is well conveyed through the story. A bit of romance adds extra interest without overshadowing the plot. Once again, Carlson has written a Christmas story that shines with the magic and mystery that is Christmas while giving the reader something to ponder.
This book was provided for review by
Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group.
ABOUT THE BOOK:
Can a Christmas Store and a Stranger Bring Change to Small Town?
Much-Anticipated Christmas Novella From Award-Winning Author Melody Carlson
In sleepy little Parrish Springs, everyone seems to know everyone else’s business practically before they do. The empty Barton Building has finally sold– but not to the right person, according to Councilman Snider. He is successful in stirring up the townspeople and turning them against the new owner, Matilda Honeycutt. This older woman with scraggly gray hair and a different fashion sense doesn’t fit into the Parrish Springs tradition. The town is curious and yet afraid of her at the same time. But nothing convinces Matilda to give up her plans for The Christmas Shoppe (ISBN: 978-0-8007-1926-5, $15.99, 176 pages, September 2011) by best-selling author Melody Carlson.
The neighboring shop owners respond in horror when The Christmas Shoppe doesn’t look and feel like all the other charming stores on the town’s quaint main street. After all Christmas is approaching, and the last thing the town needs is a junky shop run by someone who looks and acts like a gypsy. But as townsfolk venture into the strange store, they discover that old memories can bring new life, healing, and love.
The Christmas Shoppe, by best-selling author Melody Carlson, offers a touch of Christmas with a mixture of nostalgia, joy, and hope.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Melody Carlson is the award-winning author of over two hundred books with sales of more than five million. She is the author of several Christmas books from Revell, including the bestselling The Christmas Bus, The Christmas Dog, and Christmas at Harrington’s, which is being considered for a TV movie. She is also the author of many teen books, including Just Another Girl, Anything but Normal, Double Take, and the Diary of a Teenage Girl series. Melody was nominated for a Romantic Times Career Achievement Award in the inspirational market for her books in 2010 and 2011. She and her husband live in central Oregon. For more information about Melody visit her website at www.melodycarlson.com.
