by admin | May 20, 2015 | Amish, Books, Contemporary Fiction, Mennonite
MY REVIEW:
“When Grace Sings” continues the story that began in “When Mercy Rains”, the first volume of Kim Vogel Sawyer’s Zimmerman Restoration Trilogy. Alexa has opened her bed and breakfast in her grandmother’s home and her very first long-term guest is big-city reporter Briley Forrester whose intentions are not what they seem. Anna-Grace and Steven are making plans for their upcoming wedding and are working hard making repairs on the family farm he has inherited. The only problem is that his dream is to be a teacher – NOT a farmer! To further complicate matters, Anna-Grace has been made aware that members of her birth family (she is adopted) live in Arborville although she does not know their identities. Alexa, who does know the truth, is uncomfortable around Anna-Grace due to her own insecurities about how she became a part of the family.
Needless to say, “When Grace Sings” contains a twisted thread of confusing relationships with a monkey wrench or two thrown into the mix for good measure. But the author is talented in taking puzzles and putting them together to form a beautiful picture. As the characters in this novel interact, each of them is changed as God’s grace becomes apparent to them. Even Briley, who is very difficult to like, charmer that he is, undergoes profound changes by the conclusion.
I thoroughly enjoyed “When Grace Sings” but I was happy that I had read “When Mercy Rains” first. It was so much easier to understand the whole story that way. I highly recommend this series as well as most anything by Kim Vogel Sawyer.
This book was provided for review by Waterbrook Multnomah and Blogging for Books.
ABOUT THE BOOK:
When trouble roars into quiet Arborville, Alexa and Anna-Grace find themselves the target for discord and exposed secrets. Can they continue to seek the God of all grace amidst the fog of confusion?
Alexa Zimmerman wonders if the Old Order Mennonite community in Arborville, Kansas will ever fully accept her. Her family roots here aren’t what anyone thought when she first arrived, but she is hopeful that her culinary and hospitality skills will win the skeptics over. The bed-and-breakfast she’s operating needs to succeed so Alexa agrees to allow Briley Forrester, the hotshot reporter from Chicago, to stay as a long-term boarder not knowing his real motives for being amongst the Plain folk.
But when Alexa agrees to host her cousin Anna-Grace Braun, the presence of extended family brings out Alexa’s insecurities and sets Briley on the trail to uncovering a web of hidden truths.
Plans for a secure future and the sweetness of young romance hang in the balance when Alexa and Anna-Grace have to face that their secrets are interconnected, binding the two in ways they could not have imagined. They must trust in a loving, heavenly Father and His plan for their futures.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Kim Vogel Sawyer is a best-selling author highly acclaimed for her gentle stories of hope. More than one million copies of her books are currently in print and have garnered awards including the ACFW Carol Award, the Inspirational Readers Choice Award, and the Gayle Wilson Award of Excellence. Kim lives in central Kansas, with husband Don and their four feline companions. She enjoys spending time with her three daughters and ten grandchildren.
Connect with Kim Vogel Sawyer
by admin | May 20, 2015 | Books, Contemporary Fiction, Romance, Western
MY REVIEW:
Because of a devastating experience ten years earlier, Charity had avoided her hometown to escape the memories. She had also avoided any thought of romance, concentrating instead on her successful writing career. That is – until her publisher requested that she right a romance novel instead of her usual genre. So with writer’s block and a noisy house due to structural repairs after a flood, Charity finally returns home to her parent’s quieter house. There she quickly learned that her high school crush Buck was now the next-door neighbor and an unexpected accident forced Charity and Buck to spend time together. Could close proximity persuade the two determined to avoid romance that it might not be such a bad thing?
“Whenever You Come Around” is a novel that is quickly read but it nevertheless contains some serious content. Although Charity and Buck have run from romantic involvement for different reasons, it all boiled down to avoiding pain. This novel takes them both through the healing process to the point where they realize that sometimes love is worth the potential pain and that their faith would seem them through.
Authentic characters and a well-paced plot with just the right blend of drama, humor, and romance kept the pages turning. I thoroughly enjoyed “Whenever You Come Around” as I have every novel I have previously read by Robin Lee Hatcher.
This book was provided for review by the BookLook Blogger Program of Harper Collins Christian Publishing.
ABOUT THE BOOK:
Just when Charity’s wild imagination failed her, a flesh-and-blood hero walked into her life.
Best-selling author Charity Anderson returns to her hometown of Kings Meadow to defeat a bad case of writer’s block. She imagines she’ll spend a lonely summer writing and then return to her home in Boise. She soon finds herself caring for Buck Malone, a wilderness guide-and the object of her unrequited teenage crush. But what else can she do? Her dog Cocoa caused the accident that left Buck with a broken ankle and wrist, taking him off the trail for weeks of prime tourist-season work.
Buck and Charity have gone different ways since high school, and at first it seems they have little in common. Buck loves the simple, low-key life he’s made for himself in the mountains of Idaho, and she’s a woman accustomed to the faster, bustling pace of the city. But spending so much time together has Buck hoping to change her mind about staying in the small town she thought she’d left behind for good.
It’s a summer for discovering that young love is a spark not soon extinguished.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Robin Lee Hatcher is the bestselling author of 70 books. Her numerous awards include the Christy Award for Excellence in Christian Fiction, the RITA Award for Best Inspirational Romance, and the RWA Lifetime Achievement Award. Robin and her husband currently reside in Idaho. For more information, visit www.robinleehatcher.com.
by admin | May 20, 2015 | Books, Contemporary Fiction
This week, theChristian Fiction Blog Allianceis introducingThe Art of Losing YourselfWaterBrook Press (April 21, 2015)byKatie Ganshert
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Award-winning author, Katie Ganshert, graduated from the University of Wisconsin in Madison with a degree in education, and worked as a fifth grade teacher for several years before staying home to write full-time. She was born and raised in the Midwest, where she lives with her family. When she’s not busy penning novels or spending time with her people, she enjoys drinking coffee with friends, reading great literature, and eating copious amounts of dark chocolate.
ABOUT THE BOOK:
Just like in my dream, I was drowning and nobody even noticed.
Every morning, Carmen Hart pastes on her made-for-TV smile and broadcasts the weather. She’s the Florida panhandle’s favorite meteorologist, married to everyone’s favorite high school football coach. They’re the perfect-looking couple, live in a nice house, and attend church on Sundays. From the outside, she’s a woman who has it all together. But on the inside, Carmen Hart struggles with doubt. She wonders if she made a mistake when she married her husband. She wonders if God is as powerful as she once believed. Sometimes she wonders if He exists at all. After years of secret losses and empty arms, she’s not so sure anymore.
Until Carmen’s sister—seventeen year old runaway, Gracie Fisher—steps in and changes everything. Gracie is caught squatting at a boarded-up motel that belongs to Carmen’s aunt, and their mother is off on another one of her benders, which means Carmen has no other option but to take Gracie in. Is it possible for God to use a broken teenager and an abandoned motel to bring a woman’s faith and marriage back to life? Can two half-sisters make each other whole?
If you would like to read the first chapter of The Art of Losing Yourself, go HERE.
MY REVIEW:
The Art of Losing Yourself is the poignant story of complex relationships and the difficult circumstances that complicate them. It is the story of Carmen, a successful meteorologist whose grief over multiple miscarriages has created a wide chasm between her and her husband…and has caused some unfortunate behavior that threatens her career. Carmen’s young sister Gracie has had all she can take of life with her alcoholic mother and refuses to live with her father’s new family. Running to the only place she has felt loved, Gracie finds her beloved family hotel abandoned and boarded up. Together, Carmen and Gracie work to refurbish the old hotel and in doing so may just find what they have been looking for.
Like every other book I have read by Katie Ganshert, The Art of Losing Yourself was real and at times heart-wrenching. With such true-to-life problems as alcoholism, teen runaways, troubled marriage, dementia, and infertility, many readers will easily identify with this novel. Characters are well-rounded and the plot moves along at a good pace.
Once again, Ganshert has produced a strong story that is authentic, thought-provoking, and faith-challenging yet ultimately offers hope. I recommend it.
by admin | May 16, 2015 | Books, Giveaways
Real-life romance meets fictional romance in Robin Lee Hatcher’s new book, Whenever You Come Around. Being back in Kings Meadow dredges up a painful secret, and old fears threaten to overwhelm Charity. But after Charity’s dog causes an accident that leaves Charity’s former high school classmate Buck injured, Charity has little choice but to render aid while he recuperates. Soon Buck becomes the inspiration for Charity’s hero, both on the page and off. Can he also help her face and overcome her fears so they might find their own happily ever after?
Robin is hosting TWO contests to celebrate the release of Whenever You Come Around!
Robin is challenging you to a karaoke contest and giving away a $100 iTunes or Amazon gift card to one lucky reader and karaoke-r who uploads a karaoke video of himself or herself to YouTube (song choice is completely up to you). The person whose video has the most likes by May 26th will win the gift card! Plus everyone who participates by uploading a video and filling out the form below will receive a copy of the book. For full details about the $100 gift card giveaway, karaoke contest, and the chance to get a free copy of the book, click here—voting begins May 12.
Robin is also challenging you to a matching contest. How well do you know your country music?
One winner will receive:
Another winner will receive:
Enter today by clicking the icon below. But hurry, the giveaway ends on May 26th. Winner will be announced May 27th on Robin’s blog.
by admin | May 14, 2015 | Books, Depression Era, Historical, Mystery, Suspense
MY REVIEW:
I chose to read and review “Hollywood Lost” because I have often seen books by Ace Collins but am fairly unfamiliar with his work and decided to try something a bit different from my usual choices. Apparently many reviewers were disappointed with this particular novel but I actually enjoyed it. If “Hollywood Lost” does not live up to this author’s usual quality, then I absolutely must read more by him.
“Hollywood Lost” takes place during the depression era and the story revolves primarily around one movie studio. A number of murders takes place that seem to be connected to the studio and evidence points to one of its top actors. As the story progresses, the lines become a bit blurred as numerous red herrings point to more than one possible guilty party. I had my suspicions all along that turned out to be correct but there were times that I had to wonder just a bit if I was on the wrong trail.
I enjoyed reading about life during the glory days of Hollywood where nothing was as it seemed and studios were adept at manufacturing fairytale lives for their actors both on and off the stage. Shelby Beckett was a breath of fresh air and innocence in the midst of all the glitz and glamor and pretense. Other characters were hard to read. I wanted to like Dalton and even Flynn but the author did a good job of keeping me suspicious of them.
I thoroughly enjoyed my trip back to Hollywood’s past through the pages of this novel. I would recommend “Hollywood Lost” to all who enjoy an old-time detective type novel.
This book was provided for review by the Amazon Vine Program.
ABOUT THE BOOK:
Struggling to make ends meet during the Great Depression, Shelby Beckett flees the Oklahoma dust bowl to find work in the wardrobe department of Hollywood’s largest movie studio. Surrounded by glamor and wealth, Shelby is charmed by box office star Flynn Sparks as well as Flynn’s chief rival, fellow actor Dalton Andrews. As Shelby joins her suitors at opulent parties and intimate dinners, she rubs elbows with the likes of Clark Gable and Cary Grant and is drawn deeper into a lifestyle where her small town values are challenged or ignored.
Lurking in the shadows of this Gatsby-like lifestyle is an unseen evil force that strangles beautiful women. Suspecting a madman is connected to the studio production where Shelby works, homicide chief detective Bill Barrister believes the only way to uncover the identity of the ruthless killer is to offer Shelby as bait.
Hollywood Lost is a romantic suspense novel where separating reality from fantasy is all but impossible; where love is rare, life is cheap, and values are lost in pursuit of fame and fortune.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Bestselling author Ace Collins has written more than fifty books including novels Farraday Road, Swope’s Ridge and Words of the Father, as well as the nonfiction Stories Behind The Best-Loved Songs of Christmas, grAttitudes, and Lassie A Dog’s Life. His books have become movies and network television specials. He has appeared on Good Morning America, the NBC Nightly News and The Today Show and has been featured in the Distinguished Lecture Series at the National Archives in Washington D.C. Ace Collins has sold more than 1.5 million books during his career.
You can visit Ace on the web at www.acecollins.com.
by admin | May 11, 2015 | Appalachia, Books, Colonial America, Historical, Native American, Romance
MY REVIEW:
I have eagerly anticipated the release of this book since reading Thomas’ first novel, “Miracle in a Dry Season”. The setting of “Until the Harvest” is the same but the time frame has changed. Twenty years have passed and the next generation has become the central focus.
Much like real life, a death occurs at the beginning of the book that I was not too happy to see. And like real life, this death has a far-reaching influence on others, especially Henry Phillips whose reaction is less than positive. For reasons I did not entirely understand, Henry became involved with some very unsavory individuals whose influence brought about some disturbing consequences for Henry. Fortunately for Henry, there were people in his life who cared about him and were willing to give him more than one second chance. I personally did not like Henry very much for most of the book but he eventually came around.
Then there was Margaret, older sister to Mayfair, a young diabetic. Daughter of two unbelievably incompetent parents who thought only of themselves, Margaret was dedicated to taking care of her neglected sister. Mayfair was such a pure and caring individual despite her health issues – and she seemed to have a mysterious gift of healing – at great risk to her own health.
“Until the Harvest” is a down-to earth story that does not hesitate to deal with common Appalachian problems such as moonshine and drug running but in the midst of the ugliness was a story of wonder, love, hope and redemption.
I love these Appalachian novels with their touch of Holy Spirit miracles and cannot wait for the next installment.
This book was provided for review by
Bethany House, a division of Baker Publishing Group.
ABOUT THE BOOK:
Take This Journey of Broken Souls Restored
and Tentative Hearts Brought Fully to Life
When family tragedy derails Henry Phillips’s college studies, he’s left unmoored and feeling abandoned. The only things that can tamp down his grief are the family farm, his fiddle, and an unexpected friendship with sweet but unusual preteen Mayfair Hoffman.
Unfortunately, Mayfair’s older sister, Margaret, despite her spray of freckles and cute, turned-up nose, has a completely different effect. His grandmother’s helper, she’s always around, ready to push his buttons, and it seems at first that she doesn’t care about his troubles.
Henry soon realizes, though, that Margaret’s facing her own struggles. Mayfair’s health and unique gift sit at the heart of those worries. Henry and Margaret soon find themselves relying on each other as potential tragedy collides with growing hope in a warm story of family bonds and the surprising ways healing finds us all.
Read an excerpt from “Until the Harvest” HERE.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Sarah Loudin Thomas is a fundraiser for a children’s ministry, who has also written for Mountain Homes Southern Style and Now & Then magazines, as well as The Asheville Citizen-Times. Her debut novel was Miracle in a Dry Season. She holds a BA in English from Coastal Carolina University. She and her husband reside in Asheville, North Carolina. She can be found online at www.sarahloudinthomas.com.
