by admin | Nov 11, 2015 | Books, Christmas, Contemporary Fiction, Romance
MY REVIEW:
Melody Carlson’s annual Christmas novellas have become and important part of my holiday season and I look forward to reading a new one each year. I know I can expect a heart-warming story filled with love, joy, and faith as well as everything else that makes the season special. A touch of humor never hurts either. “The Christmas Joy Ride” is another winner in my opinion.
It was fun to join Miranda and her eighty-five-year-old neighbor Joy as they traveled Route 66 in Joy’s RV with stops along old Route 66 to take a bit of Christmas cheer to those Joy has decided are in need of her help. I enjoyed the interaction between the two women as they spread the love of Christ along the way and gained some for themselves also. The plot takes a couple of unexpected twists and the reader is even treated with a surprise romance at the end.
I highly recommend “The Christmas Joy Ride” as well as each and every other Christmas novella by Melody Carlson. Why not pick up a copy and start your own Christmas tradition?
This book was provided for review by
Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group.
ABOUT THE BOOK:
Miranda did not put adventure on her Christmas list, but thanks to her eighty-five-year-old neighbor Joy, that’s exactly what she’s getting this year. When Joy tells Miranda that she plans to drive an old RV decked out in Christmas decorations from their Chicago neighborhood to her new retirement digs in Phoenix–in the dead of winter, no less–the much younger Miranda insists that Joy cannot make such a trip by herself. Unemployed and facing foreclosure, Miranda feels she has nothing to lose by packing a bag and heading off with Joy toward Route 66. But Joy has a hidden agenda for their Christmas joyride–one that could derail the whole venture.
No one captures the heartwarming fun of the Christmas season quite like Melody Carlson. Fasten your seat belt, because it’s going to be an exciting ride!
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Melody Carlson is the award-winning author of more than two hundred books with combined sales of more than six million. She is the author of the bestselling The Christmas Bus, The Christmas Dog, Christmas at Harrington’s, and The Christmas Cat. She received a Romantic Times Career Achievement Award in the inspirational market for her many books, including the Diary of a Teenage Girl series and Finding Alice. She and her husband live in central Oregon. Learn more at www.melodycarlson.com.
by admin | Nov 11, 2015 | Books, Contemporary Fiction, Love Inspired, Romance
This week, theChristian Fiction Blog Allianceis introducingA Father’s Second ChanceLove Inspired (July 21, 2015)byMindy ObenhausABOUT THE AUTHOR:
A Word from the Author: To steal a line from Donny and Marie, I’m a little bit country, a little bit rock-n-roll. I’m trapped in the city, but prefer the country or the mountains.
I love Jesus, my family, and just about anything sweet.
I believe Jesus died for my sins, rose three days later, and will one day return. He has carried me through some of my darkest hours. Without faith in Him, I would be nowhere.
I have a penchant for chocolate, clothes, and shoes. When I’m not penning romance novels, I enjoy cooking, decorating and shopping.
ABOUT THE BOOK
Businesswoman Celeste Thompson has one goal: to make her restaurant and hotel a success. She doesn’t need any distractions, even from handsome contractor Gage Purcell and his two adorable little girls. Besides, single dad Gage is just biding his time before a big job at the mines comes through. But as Celeste’s project springs to life, their arguments transform into attraction. Gage isn’t looking for romance, especially not with another career-driven woman like his ex-wife. But openhearted Celeste is more than just another work-consumed client. She might just be his happily-ever-after.
If you would like to read the first chapter of A Father’s Second Chance, go HERE.
MY REVIEW:
Despite the fact that many look down on mass market paperbacks such as the Love Inspired novels, I’ll admit that I have a weakness for them. Where else can you find an authentic love story that is pared down to fit the shorter format which usually results in very little fluff. Over the years I have also witnessed what I think is a marked increase in quality of these books.
A Father’s Second Chance is just such a story. Both heroine Celeste and hero Gage have returned to Ouray, Colorado for different reasons. Celeste is determined to make a success of her grandmother’s diner and everything indicates that she will succeed. Gage has returned home so his mother can help with his two motherless daughters and hopes to find work in one of the local mining companies. As can be expected, the pair’s first encounter is just less than cordial but as they are forced to spend time together while Gage renovates her building, each of them learns that first impressions are not always correct.
I thoroughly enjoyed A Father’s Second Chance with its strong characters, straightforward plot, bits of humor, endearing children, some tension filled plot twists, and of course, romance. It also does not hurt that it delivers a strong message of faith and forgiveness.
by admin | Nov 7, 2015 | Books, Historical, Romance
This week, theChristian Fiction Blog Allianceis introducingThornbearerVinspire Publishing, LLC (May 7, 2015)byPepper BashamABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Pepper Basham is an award-winning author who writes romance peppered with grace and humor. She currently resides in the lovely mountains of Asheville, NC where she is the mom of 5 great kids, speech-pathologist to about fifty more, lover of chocolate, jazz, and Jesus, and proud AlleyCat over at a group writing blog, The Writer’s Alley. Her debut historical romance novel, The Thorn Bearer, released in May 2015, and has already garnered its first award with Readers’ Favorites International Awards. Pepper’s second and third books in the series arrive in February 2016. Her first contemporary romance debuts in April.
ABOUT THE BOOK
From the decks of the ill-fated Lusitania to the smoke-filled trenches of France, Ashleigh must choose between the forgiveness of her past, life in the present, and a Savior who can rescue her from them all. When her fiancé leaves her eight months before their wedding, the unexpected blow ignites a battalion of insecurities stemming from her father’s intimate betrayal. Her worst fears are confirmed – who could ever love a soiled woman? In an attempt to escape the shame and disappointment of her past, Ashleigh boards the ill-fated Lusitania to cross the war-torn waters of Europe. Much to her dismay, she isn’t traveling alone. Sam Miller is always making up for his best friend’s mistakes. Determined to help Ashleigh, he offers his compassion and protection as she ventures across a perilous sea. With the faint hope of renewing his lost love for Ashleigh’s sister, Sam never expects to find the woman of his dreams in his best friend’s former fiancé and his own childhood companion. As they travel across the Atlantic, neither is prepared for the life-altering and heart-breaking journey of their friendship. When the truth of Ashleigh’s past explodes in the middle of war and Sam rejects her, Ashleigh must decide if God is enough – or if the double weight of her betrayal and past will crush her life forever.
If you would like to read the first chapter of Thornbearer, go HERE.
by admin | Nov 7, 2015 | Books, Contemporary Fiction
MY REVIEW:
One thing I like about Deborah Raney’s books is the way she paints her characters with such a realistic brush. None of those “too perfect for words” characters in her books but with imperfect people there is always room for growth.
The third book in the Chicory Inn series, “Another Way Home” features daughter Danae who is past ready to start a family. To tell the truth, Danae is not a very likable person in the beginning. She is so obsessed with getting pregnant that her entire family feels that they have to walk on eggshells around her and even her marriage is beginning to feel the effects. The turning point finally arrives when Danae receives some good advice and decides to occupy her mind and time with something productive. Although her new volunteer position is not at all what she expected, she learns that she just may have a gift for what she is doing. Never did she expect it to change her life so drastically.
“Another Way Home” is a wonderful book that illustrates how creatively God can work out our problems when we just take our manipulating hands off. I’ll admit that I really didn’t care for Danae at first. She was the whiny, selfish type person who can quickly get on my last nerve. But – as the story progressed, I had to admire her tenacity and the caring heart she had for others once she could get past her own disappointments.
This book was provided for review by LitFuse Publicity.
ABOUT THE BOOK:
Sometimes God’s ways are not at all what we expect . . . and exactly what we need.
Grant and Audrey are adding grandchildren to their family left and right, but middle daughter, Danae, and her husband, Dallas Brooks, have been trying for years with no baby in sight.
Though Danae is ready to consider adoption, Dallas will not even discuss it. Despairing of ever having a family of her own, Danae decides to pour her passion and energies into volunteer work with a newly opened women’s shelter in town. Looking for a good cause to fill her lonely days, she never expects to give her heart to the hurting women she meets there. She’s finally learning to live her life with gratitude, but then heart-wrenching events on Thanksgiving weekend threaten to pull the entire Whitman clan into turmoil—and leave them all forever changed.
Learn more and purchase a copy.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Deborah Raney’s books have won numerous awards, including the RITA, National Readers Choice Award, HOLT Medallion, and the Carol Award, and have twice been Christy Award finalists. She and her husband, Ken, recently traded small-town life in Kansas—the setting of many of Deborah’s novels—for life in the (relatively) big city of Wichita, where they enjoy gardening, antiquing, movies, and traveling to visit four children and a growing brood of grandchildren who all live much too far away.
Find out more about Deborah at http://deborahraney.com.
Have your plans ever gone awry, only for you to realize what happened was God’s plan—and much better than what you had planned for yourself? You’ll want to read Deborah Raney’s Another Way Home, the third Chicory Inn novel. Danae and her husband, Dallas Brooks, have been trying for years with no baby in sight. Danae is finally learning to live her life with gratitude, but then heart-wrenching events on Thanksgiving weekend threaten to pull the entire Whitman clan into turmoil—and leave them all forever changed.
Enter to win a copy of Another Way Home—five winners will be chosen! Click the image below to enter to win. The winners will be announced November 23 on the Litfuse blog!
by admin | Oct 30, 2015 | Books, Contemporary Fiction, Marriage, Romance
MY REVIEW:
Faith Marin is an up-and-coming TV news personality whose ambition drives her life. Her husband is a professional bass fisherman whose lifestyle couldn’t be any more different from Faith’s if he tried. Somehow, the very traits that attracted Faith to Geary in the first place are the ones that seem to be driving a wedge between them. Faith loves her husband but has nearly thrown in the towel on her marriage when a tragic event leaves her fighting for her life.
“A Reason to Stay” is an emotional story that will grab the attention of anyone who has ever struggled in their marriage (and haven’t we all at one time or another?). The narrative moves between the present and the past as Faith seems to reflect on the development of the relationship between Geary and herself. Faith and Geary are both strong characters and Geary in particular was endearing. Maybe Faith isn’t the only one who likes rednecks!
Although often poignant and tense, the story is lightened by several quite humorous scenes that will leave most readers laughing. The story is a brutally honest look at marriage but ends on a high note that should leave its readers with hope. I thoroughly enjoyed “A Reason to Stay” and recommend it and all other books by Kellie Coates Gilbert.
This book was provided for review by
Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group.
ABOUT THE BOOK:
Sometimes the thing that keeps us from making the wrong choice is the one thing we can’t control
As an investigative reporter and the host of her own TV talk show, Faith Marin works to expose the truth for her viewers. But in her personal life, she’s anchored her world with firm boundaries in order to hide a family history she’d like to forget. By contrast, her husband Geary’s life is an open book. An easygoing pro bass fisherman, Geary is the ultimate family man–and his overbearing relatives don’t know the meaning of boundaries.
Faith and Geary haven’t been married long when their differences start to derail their tender relationship. Surely love shouldn’t be this hard. While Faith considers whether divorce is the only answer to their issues, tragedy strikes. With her life in the balance, she finds that the one she has been shutting out may be the very one she cannot bear to lose.
Kellie Coates Gilbert takes you on an emotional roller coaster as she weaves together unexpected trial, self-discovery, and forgiveness in this profoundly honest portrait of the tensions that can break a marriage–and the ultimate healing power of love.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Kellie Coates Gilbert is a former legal investigator and trial paralegal and the author of A Woman of Fortune and Where Rivers Part. Gilbert crafts her emotionally charged stories about women in life-changing circumstances in Dallas, Texas, where she lives with her husband. Learn more at www.kelliecoatesgilbert.com.
by admin | Oct 30, 2015 | Books, Contemporary Fiction, Medical, Romance, Suspense
MY REVIEW:
Imagine being the doctor with two patients who will die unless they receive an experimental drug and there is only enough of it to treat one of them. To make the decision more difficult, one of the patients is the former President of the U.S. and the other is the woman the doctor loves. Dr. Josh Pearson finds himself in just this “lifeboat” type conundrum when he suddenly learns that he has been chosen to replace the former President’s personal physician.
“Miracle Drug” is a tense, contemporary medical suspense story that takes the reader behind the scenes as doctors, Secret Service members, and local law enforcement work together to save the lives of the former President and a young nurse who had been infected with a rare but deadly disease and to discover who wants the ex-President dead and is willing to kill others to achieve their purpose.
Dr. Josh Pearson is the stand-out character in “Miracle Drug” but several others have fairly strong supporting roles. The story moves along at a good pace with suspicion cast towards several possible killers and motives before its end. Several characters exhibit a strong faith and prayer is mentioned frequently.
“Miracle Drug” did not seem to be quite as suspenseful as some of Mabry’s earlier novels but it was nevertheless a riveting read that held my attention throughout. I try to never miss Dr. Mabry’s novels and am pleased that I had the chance to read this one. I enthusiastically recommend it to all who enjoy a good medical suspense.
This book was provided for review by LitFuse Publicity.
ABOUT THE BOOK:
Overcoming these odds will take more than a miracle drug—it will take a miracle.
The infection wasn’t supposed to happen, but it did. The treatment was supposed to take care of it, but it didn’t. Then Dr. Josh Pearson discovers why—his patients, including the former President of the United States, have been dosed with a different strain of the original virus, one that is universally fatal. The only chance for survival is treatment with an experimental drug, but the manufacturer might already have discarded its supply.
As if treating the President of the United States isn’t stressful enough, the situation goes from bad to worse when Rachel Moore, a nurse Josh is falling in love with, falls ill. With the nation’s eyes on him, Josh must pull off a miracle to save a man who holds a good deal of power and the woman who holds his heart.
Learn more and purchase a copy.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Dr. Richard Mabry is a retired physician who writes “medical suspense with heart.” His novels have won multiple awards: a semifinalist for International Thriller Writers’ debut novel; finalists for the Carol Award, Inspirational Reader’s Choice Award, and Romantic Times’ Reader’s Choice Award; and both finalist and winner of the Selah Award. “Miracle Drug” is his ninth published novel. He and his wife live in Frisco, Texas.
Find out more about Richard at http://www.rmabry.com.
Enter to win a copy of Miracle Drug—five winners will be chosen! Click the image below to enter to win. The winners will be announced November 2 on Richard’s blog!
