by admin | Sep 29, 2015 | Books, Contemporary Fiction, Romance
MY REVIEW:
I thoroughly enjoyed “On a Ring and a Prayer”, the first book of the Jessie Stanton series so I was excited for the chance to review “Be My Valentino” to continue her story. I was not disappointed!
Just as Jessie seems to be getting her life back on a somewhat even keel financially and emotionally after her husband Jack left her with nothing, guess who shows back up? Yeah, Jack makes his reappearance and who knows what he’s after this time. He sure didn’t leave Jessie with anything much more than her clothes and her engagement ring when he left. Fortunately, Jessie has been blessed with some wonderful new friends who have her back, especially Danny, her private investigator. Their relationship appears to be developing into more than just a PI and his client.
Now I don’t know much about fashion and designers but I did find Jessie’s story interesting and a fine example of how with a little imagination and a few resources, a person can take what she knows and loves and turn it into a successful business. I also liked watching Jessie’s slow progression toward a faith of her own through the patient influence of her friends and grandfather.
Sandra’s trademark humor was not as prevalent in this series but the story was so good that I did not miss it. I am looking forward to reading “From Bags to Riches” so I can find out the rest of Jessie and Danny’s story.
This book was provided for review by Amazon Vine.
ABOUT THE BOOK:
Jessie’s back, and she’s caught between a rock and a new place.
Now that the whole truth has come out about her husband’s double life—including the fact that she and Jack were never legally married—Jessie is standing on her own for the first time in her life. As she struggles to put Adornments, her rental store for designer labels, on the map in Tinsel Town, her relationship with private investigator Danny Callahan gains momentum.
When she dresses a reluctant Danny in Valentino for undercover work at a formal affair, it’s him rather than her store that captures Hollywood’s notice. Danny, snapped by photogs, lands as the unlikely cover model on the front of L.A. Magazine. So much for inconspicuous. Will his popularity thwart her efforts to grow her business? Or worse, can Jessie afford to put her faith—and heart—into another relationship when she’s so obviously handicapped in the good judgment department?
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Sandra D. Bricker was an entertainment publicist in Los Angeles for more than 15 years, where she attended school to learn screenwriting and eventually taught the craft for several semesters. She is now a best-selling, award-winning author of Live-Out-Loud Fiction for the inspirational market, best known for her Emma Rae Creation series. As an ovarian cancer survivor, she gears time and effort toward raising awareness and funds for research, diagnostics, and a cure. Sandra resides in Toledo, Ohio, and online at SandraDBricker.com.
by admin | Sep 29, 2015 | Books, Contemporary Fiction, Romance
MY REVIEW:
Okay, maybe “Last Chance Hero” wasn’t the most exciting book ever but sometimes it is good to just relax with a feel-good book without too much suspense or drama. I personally enjoyed my trip back to Last Chance, New Mexico where I renewed my acquaintance with several old friends and made a few new ones as well. I think I might enjoy living in a small town where high school football and green chilies are an important part of life.
As the new doctor in town, Jessica MacLeod has a few adjustments to make including the unaccustomed menu items at the Dip ’n’ Dine and the town’s obsession with football. Once the high school football hero, Andy Ryan has returned to coach his former team and discovers that he is expected to take the team to a repeat of their “glory days”. With very little in common, Jessica and Andy are an unlikely couple but I’ve heard that opposites attract. Could that be the case with Jessica and Andy?
“Last Chance Hero” was populated with true-to-life characters with very real issues. The story was relieved with humorous incidents that were just the right touch. No one was perfect and even at least one obnoxious character had some good moments. I liked the way the author handled the faith element by having Jessica initially resistant but gradually warming to it as the story progressed. I could envision it happening just that way.
All-in-all, “Last Chance Hero” was a satisfying read and I hope to have the chance to return to Last Chance again in the near future. I can see this series going on for awhile. I just hope the author and publisher agree.
This book was provided for review by
Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group.
ABOUT THE BOOK:
What happens when your heart is intercepted before you even know it’s in play?
The folks in Last Chance, New Mexico, could not be more pleased. Dr. Jessica MacLeod has opened an office right on Main Street and Andy Ryan, the best athlete the little town ever produced, has come home from the NFL to coach the high school football team. Unfortunately, Dr. Jess immediately gets off on the wrong foot with this football-obsessed town when she admits that she’s never seen a football game, isn’t really interested in doing so, and in fact doesn’t know a first down from a goalpost.
Despite having little in common, Jess and Andy find themselves drawn to each other. But when a disagreement over the future of an injured player puts them both on the defensive, it begins to look like this game is over . . .
Read an excerpt from Last Chance Hero HERE.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Cathleen Armstrong lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with her husband, Ed, and their corgi. Though she has been in California for many years now, her roots remain deep in New Mexico where she grew up and where much of her family still lives. After she and Ed raised three children, she returned to college and earned a BA in English. Her debut novel Welcome to Last Chance won the 2009 American Christian Fiction Writers Genesis Award for Women’s Fiction. Learn more at www.cathleenarmstrong.com.
by admin | Sep 29, 2015 | Books, Contemporary Fiction, Suspense
This week, theChristian Fiction Blog Allianceis introducingThe Bones Will SpeakThomas Nelson (August 11, 2015)byCarrie Stuart ParksABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Carrie Stuart Parks is an award-winning fine artist and internationally known forensic artist. Along with her husband, Rick, she travels across the US and Canada teaching courses in forensic art to law enforcement as well as civilian participants. She has won numerous awards for career excellence. Carrie is a popular platform speaker, presenting a variety of topics from crime to creativity.
Animals have always been a large part of her life. Her parents, Ned and Evelyn Stuart, started Skeel Kennel Great Pyrenees in 1960. Carrie inherited the kennel and continues with her beloved dogs as both an AKC judge and former president of the Great Pyrenees Club of America. She lives on the same ranch she grew up on in Northern Idaho.
ABOUT THE BOOK
A killer with a penchant for torture has taken notice of forensic expert Gwen Marcey . . . and her daughter.
When Gwen Marcey’s dog comes home with a human skull and then leads her to a cabin in the woods near her Montana home, she realizes there’s a serial killer in her community. And when she finds a tortured young girl clinging to life on the cabin floor, she knows this killer is a lunatic.
Yet what unsettles Gwen most is that the victim looks uncannily like her daughter.
The search for the torturer leads back in time to a neo-Nazi bombing in Washington state—a bombing with only one connection to Montana: Gwen. The group has a race-not-grace model of salvation . . . and they’ve marked Gwen as a race traitor.
When it becomes clear that the killer has a score to settle, Gwen finds herself in a battle against time. She will have to use all of her forensic skills to find the killer before he can carry out his threat to destroy her—and the only family she has left.
If you would like to read the first chapter of The Bones Will Speak, go HERE.
MY REVIEW:
Now that I have read both “A Cry From the Dust” and “The Bones Will Speak” I am certain that I will have a place on my bookshelves for any forthcoming novel by Carrie Stuart Parks. I have always enjoyed suspense novels but in the past few years have begun to shy away from those that have too much gore. Carrie’s books have just enough details to ramp up the suspense as well as give the crimes credibility but she does not include anything that makes me cringe or keeps me awake at night. I also like the fact that she draws from her own career and personal experiences for her plot and character development.
In “The Bones Will Speak” forensic artist Gwen Marcey is trying to pick up the pieces after a bout with cancer, an unwanted divorce, and financial pressures due to the loss of her job. A discontented teen daughter adds to her stress. When her dog brings home a human skull, Gwen’s life becomes even more complicated as more bodies are discovered and there is even a possibility that she and her daughter are being targeted by a serial killer.
This book had me turning the pages as fast as I could read. I didn’t want to put it down until I found out who the killer could be. Plenty of twists and surprises kept the story moving and the tension built throughout the book until its climatic last pages. I can’t wait to read about Gwen’s next adventure.
by admin | Sep 22, 2015 | Amish, Books, Contemporary Fiction, Florida, Romance
MY REVIEW:
I always enjoy books by Shelley Shepard Gray. She has a unique way of making her characters come to life that makes them seem like old friends. “A Wedding at the Orange Blossom Inn” is a continuation of Gray’s Amish Brides of Pinecraft series that is set in Florida. The third book in the series, it can easily stand on its own although there is a thread that runs throughout the series that centers on the inn.
This particular volume contains, not one, not even two, but three romance stories and the reader might be surprised by which couple marries first. Although the story features Emma and Jay primarily, their children, the innkeeper, and her niece also play pivotal roles. An then there is Frankie, a pizza-loving beagle who gets into enough mischief to keep everyone laughing. Overall, “A Wedding at the Orange Blossom Inn” is a sweet and romantic novel that is good for a quiet evening’s entertainment.
I loved how the Amish of Pinecraft seem to be much more laid back than those who live elsewhere. I could easily visualize the bright colored dresses paired with flipflops and the casual outdoors lifestyle shared by the community. I recommend this book to all who enjoy Amish fiction and to those who might enjoy just a little change of pace.
This book was provided for review by LitFuse Publicity.
ABOUT THE BOOK:
A wedding brings together two young widowed parents . . . and gives them a second chance at love.
Emma Keim was heartbroken when her husband, Sanford, passed away, leaving her to raise three young daughters alone. Though several years have passed, her relatives have made it no secret that they expect Emma to remain a widow, mourning Sanford indefinitely. But when she meets Jay Hilty—a handsome widower with three young sons of his own—Emma is delighted to have a new friend who understands her struggles. Still, she is dismayed that her family is so opposed to their friendship—and the idea of it ever becoming anything more. She honors her husband’s memory every day, but is she destined to be alone forever?
Emma’s gentleness with Jay’s boys stirs something in his heart that’s been quiet for far too long. But when his oldest son becomes engaged to a local woman, suddenly Jay, Emma, and their children are swept up in wedding preparations. Witnessing his son’s joy, Jay wonders if it’s time for him to move forward, too, and find happiness again.
Once again, love has come to Pinecraft. But can these two parties of four become a happy, healthy family of eight?
Learn more and purchase a copy.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Shelley Shepard Gray is a two-time New York Times bestseller, a two-time USA Today bestseller, a finalist for the American Christian Fiction Writers prestigious Carol Award, and a two-time Holt Medallion winner. She lives in Southern Ohio, where she writes full-time, bakes too much, and can often be found walking her dachshunds on her town’s bike trail.
Find out more about Shelley at http://www.shelleyshepardgray.com.
When widow Emma’s family opposes her new friendship with widower Jay, she begins to wonder if she’ll be alone forever. Don’t miss Shelley Shepard Gray’s third book, A Wedding at the Orange Blossom Inn, in the Amish Brides of Pinecraft series! A wedding brings together two young widowed parents, and once again, love has come to Pinecraft. But can these two parties of four become a happy, healthy family of eight?
Enter to win a copy of A Wedding at the Orange Blossom Inn—five winners will be chosen! Click the image below to enter to win. The winners will be announced October 1 on Shelley’s blog!
by admin | Sep 15, 2015 | Books, Contemporary Fiction, Suspense
MY REVIEW:
I have read and enjoyed several of Erin Healy’s novels in the past. Her stories often take an entirely different direction from what is usually the norm but that is part of what makes them so interesting. I will admit that at first I had a difficult time getting into “Hiding Places” and actually put it down for awhile and returned to it after reading something a bit more frivolous. Once I understood the pertinent facts, I suddenly found that I was quickly reaching the end. When it grabbed my attention it didn’t let go.
The main protagonist of the story is eleven-year-old Kate Whitby who has free range of the family hotel where she occupies herself by spying on everyone, especially her obviously dysfunctional family members. The historic buildings of the hotel each have hiding places that were designed for safety when they were built during World War 2. Kate is familiar with most of the hiding spots which play an important role in the drama and danger that develops when several gang members converge on the hotel in search of the man they believe killed the son of their leader.
The story is told through several points of view which makes it both interesting yet sometimes confusing. There were times I wanted to sit Kate down and have a long talk with her about how inappropriate her behavior was, especially her tendency to hide things. The truth was, she saw life through the innocent eyes of a child and her somewhat skewed desire to help others.
Although the tale is pretty suspenseful, it is relieved by occasional humorous moments – usually involving Kate or her great-grandmother. I liked how Kate’s family finally woke up and realized how much they cared for each other when faced with the possible loss of their loved ones. Overall, “Hiding Places” was a satisfying read and a reminder of the importance of family.
This book was provided for review by the BookLook Blogger Program of Harper Collins Christian Publishing.
ABOUT THE BOOK:
Family means safety. Family means protection. Until it doesn’t.
Eleven-year-old Kate Whitby leads an invisible life, the youngest member of her odd family. They live in their historic small-town hotel, where she is an expert at keeping everyone’s secrets: her sister’s a thief, her great-grandmother isn’t as crazy as people think, her mother lives in the past, and her beloved grandfather might have killed his best friend.
Devoted to the people she loves-more than they have ever been to her-Kate vows to protect each one. Charlie Fuse has lived on the streets since his alcoholic father threw him out. When Charlie’s powerful street family tests his loyalty by demanding that he kill the son of a rival gang leader, he refuses. They frame him for the murder, forcing Charlie to run.
When Kate finds Charlie injured and penniless, she hides him from his enemies and her uncharitable relatives, unaware that he has a connection to her family as old as the hotel itself.
The murderous gang tracks Charlie down. To flush him out, they take the clueless family hostage and threaten young Kate. Even then, Kate keeps Charlie hidden, putting all her childlike faith in one terrible hope: that the family who has never been able to protect her before might learn how to do it now.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Erin Healy is the bestselling coauthor of Burn and Kiss (with Ted Dekker) and an award-winning editor for many bestselling authors. She is a member of ACFW and Academy of Christian Editors. Her novels include such thrilling stories as Never Let You Go, The Baker’s Wife, Stranger Things, and Motherless. She and her family live in Colorado.
Facebook: erinhealybooks
Twitter: @erinhealybooks
by admin | Sep 6, 2015 | Books, Contemporary Fiction, Romance
MY REVIEW:
I really enjoyed this riveting tale set in the small Ozark mountain town of Mammoth. I loved reading about small-town life alongside the river where everyone knew everyone else and they all seemed to congregate in the local restaurant run by twins Lilah and Eden Dale.
Not-yet-divorced Lilah has come home after a disastrous marriage to help Eden with the family restaurant and their rapidly failing grandfather. A new pastor has just arrived in town and Lilah finds herself attracted to him despite her best efforts to avoid him. She is definitely not pastor’s wife material. There are secrets in the twin’s history that even they do not know but you can bet we will all know them before this book is done. New pastor Jake has a few secrets of his own.
“Mammoth Secrets” is a wonderful tale of family, friends, and love. It is also a story of redemption and finding one’s way again. Ashely Elizabeth Ludwig is a new author to me but I plan to see if I can find more of her books.
This book was provided for review by the Pelican Book Group.
ABOUT THE BOOK:
Mammoth’s new pastor is starting over. Using the pseudonym, Jake Gibb, he plans on staying far from his infamous father’s shadow.
When Jake meets the misunderstood Lilah Dale–a woman in the midst of a divorce and with nothing to hide thanks to the local prayer chain–he is convicted in the choice he’s made to hide his true identity.
With mutual deceptions marring their future, Jake and Lilah must form a careful relationship, and together learn that only the truth can set you free.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Ashley Ludwig is an Arizona native, though she has been transplanted to her new home in Southern California wine country. She lives with her husband, their two daughters and dog.
She received her Bachelor of Arts from the University of Arizona, with a degree in Anthropology, and a minor in History. Ashley worked for several years as an Archaeologist across the American southwest. She has turned her passion for research and attention to historical detail to her true love, writing inspirational, historical romances.
