Rita Gerlach has published three historical novels plus articles in Writers Gazette, Write to Inspire, Will Write 4 Food, and The Christian Communicator.
She also is the editor of Stepping Stones Magazine, an online website focused on writing, marketing, and promotion for writers. She is a member of the American Christian Fiction Writers (ACFW) and The Western Maryland Writers Guild.
She currently lives in Frederick, Maryland. You can also visit her at her Blog
ABOUT THE BOOK:
Seth Braxton, a patriot of the American Revolution, unexpectedly inherits his loyalist grandfather’s estate in England. Seth is torn between the land he fought for and the prospect of reuniting with his sister Caroline, who was a motherless child taken to England at the onset of the war.
With no intention of staying permanently, Seth arrives to find his sister grieving over the death of her young son. In the midst of such tragedy, Seth meets Juleah, the daughter of an eccentric landed gentleman. Her independent spirit and gentle soul steal Seth’s heart. After a brief courtship, they marry and she takes her place as the lady of Ten Width Manor, enraging the man who once sought her hand and schemed to make Ten Width his own. From the Virginia wilderness to the dark halls of an isolated English estate, Seth and his beloved Juleah inherit more than an ancestral home. They uncover a sinister plot that leads to murder, abduction, and betrayal–an ominous threat to their new life, love, and faith.
Surrender The Wind is a magnificent saga in the tradition of the best classics. The narrative spans the ocean with settings in both colonial Virginia and Tudor England. Replete with tragedy, intrigue, action, villainy, justice, and romantic tension, the story grabs the reader’s full attention and does not let go until its conclusion. The author’s literary skill is superb with a poetic quality. She paints a picture with words that makes the setting and characters come alive. Highly recommended for fans of historic fiction.
I have a copy of Rose House by Tina Ann Forkner to give away to one reader. To enter the drawing, leave a comment on this post by Thursday August 27. I will announce the winner on Friday August 28.
It has been a couple of months since I read Rose House and quite a few other novels have passed this way in the interim. Nevertheless, I will try to do it justice as I review it.
Rose House is one of those books that is difficult to describe. It has an atmosphere of its own that is almost tangible – an exquisite portrayal of both setting and characters that made them come alive. In Rose House despair is tempered with love and hope, betrayal with forgiveness, unbelief with renewed faith.
After losing her husband and children in an accident, Lillian is drawn to the sanctuary of the Sonoma valley and the peace she finds there. However that peace is often broken by an unseen sense of menace. As Lillian learns that people in her life were not always the way she perceived them, she becomes increasingly unsure of who she can trust. When a fresh chance at love presents itself, can Lillian let go of the past and its pain and find new joy? Do yourself a favor and pick up a copy of Rose House today to find out.
ABOUT THE BOOK:
A vivid story of a private grief, a secret painting, and one woman’s search for hope.
Still mourning the loss of her family in a tragic accident, Lillian Diamon finds herself drawn back to the Rose House, a quiet cottage where four years earlier she had poured out her anguish among its fragrant blossoms. She returns to the rolling hills and lush vineyards of the Sonoma Valley in search of something she can’t quite name. But then Lillian stumbles onto an unexpected discovery: displayed in the La Rosaleda Gallery is a painting that captures every detail of her most private moment of misery, from the sorrow etched across her face to the sandals on her feet.
What kind of artist would dare to intrude on such a personal scene, and how did he happen to witness Lillian’s pain? As the mystery surrounding the portrait becomes entangled with the accident that claimed the lives of her husband and children, Lillian is forced to rethink her assumptions about what really happened that day.
A captivating novel rich with detail, Rose House explores how the brushstrokes of pain can illuminate the true beauty of life.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Tina Ann Forkner writes contemporary fiction that challenges and inspires. She grew up in Oklahoma and graduated with honors from CSU Sacramento before settling in Wyoming. She lives with her husband, their three bright children and their dog and stays busy serving on the Laramie County Library Foundation Board of Directors. She is the author of Ruby Among Us, her debut novel, and Rose House, which recently released from Waterbrook Press/Random House.
To learn more or to purchase Rose House click here.
I am one of those people who has a hard time with blood and violence. I tend to find an excuse to leave the room when I think something disturbing is about to happen in a TV show or movie. At the very least I close my eyes until it is past. I even had a hard time when Skully performed an autopsy in the X-Files. Somehow I had overlooked the caution about graphic descriptions of crime scenes in my blog review invitation. Because of this, I found myself wanting to close the covers of The Knightand forget that I had promised to review it. But being the conscientious person I am, I persisted and read the entire book. Fortunately, I found that I had already passed the scenes that disturbed me the most.
The Knightis a psychological suspense thriller that contains graphic crime scenes and enters the warped mind of the killer. It is a masterfully written novel that takes time from the fast moving plot to examine personal relationships of the characters aside from the investigation. The author’s timing is excellent – just when things start to get really intense, he lets the reader take a little breather before getting back into the fray. The conclusion of The Knightwas a total surprise to me. If there were any clues along the way, I totally missed them. The Knightended with a couple of unresolved situations – probably to make you anticipate the next installment.
Since The Knightis promoted as Christian fiction, I would have liked to have seen a little more spiritual content and a little less of the graphic gore but those are my personal preferences.
Available August 2009 at your favorite bookseller from
Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group.
ABOUT THE BOOK:
The Knight, the third installment in his bestselling series of thrillers, is full of the chilling twists and adrenaline-laced action that readers have come to expect from James.
The Knight picks up in The Bowers Files series, starring FBI criminologist Patrick Bowers, who is assigned to tracking the country’s most dangerous killers. But when he is called to his most disturbing crime scene yet, Bowers begins to realize that this criminal mastermind has actually been tracking him.
To get to the bottom of this cold-blooded case, Bowers uses his cutting-edge investigative techniques to decipher the evidence and discovers that the murderer has been using an ancient manuscript as a blueprint for his crimes. This sends Bowers on a race against time to stop the killer before he takes his next victim in another grisly crime.
But even as he is working to crack the clues of this bloody trail, Bowers finds himself stumped by another matter: An old murder case haunts him, causing him to question himself and wonder which is more important—truth or justice. The answer might set a killer free or change Bowers into a criminal himself.
Keeping readers guessing until the very end, James has earned rave reviews from the likes of Publishers Weekly, which called his thrillers “a wild ride with a shocking conclusion.” The Knight offers readers more of the same, as the satisfying follow-up to his previous bestselling psychological thrillers in The Bowers Files series, The Pawn and The Rook.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Steven James is one of the nation’s most innovative storytellers and a bestselling author. He has written more than twenty books and is a full-time speaker, having appeared more than 1,500 times throughout North America, Europe and Asia since 1996.
His first mystery thriller, The Pawn, has already hit the bestseller lists and is a finalist for the 2008 Christy Awards. On August 1, 2008, his second book, The Rook, joins the high-octane thriller series, The Bowers Files. A third book, The Knight, was released in August 2009.
James has had many outlets for his creativity. He holds a Master of Arts in Storytelling. In 1997, when he completed this degree, he was one of only a hundred people in the world with such a degree.
For years, James has focused on crafting nonfiction books that explore and broaden the connections of story, imagination, and Christian spirituality. He has recently contracted several more titles with Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group. His recent nonfiction books include Sailing Between the Stars and the critically acclaimed Story: Recapture the Mystery, which received a starred review from Publishers Weekly. He has been honored with six national awards for his writing and storytelling, including a nomination for an ECPA Gold Medallion Book Award.
In addition to his books, James has written hundreds of articles and stories that have appeared in over eighty different magazines and publications, including Writer’s Digest and Guideposts for Teens.
James lives and writes in eastern Tennessee near the town of Jonesborough, the heart of the modern storytelling revival. He likes rock climbing and science fiction movies. When he’s not writing or speaking, he enjoys spending time with his wife and three daughters.
I have a copy of North or Be Eaten to give away to one lucky reader. To enter, please leave a comment on this post by Tuesday, August 25. I will announce the winner on Wednesday, August 26. Drawing is restricted to U. S. residents only.
Be on the lookout for more book giveaways this month for another chance to win.
ABOUT THE BOOK:
Readers thrilled to the phantasmagorical adventures in On the Edge of the Dark Sea of Darkness, Book One of the Wingfeather Saga. Now in Book Two, Janner, Tink, and Leeli Igiby, mom Nia, ex-pirate grandfather Podo, Peet the Sock Man, and trusty dog Nugget flee north to rebel headquarters.
Their escape brings readers to the very brink of Fingap Falls, over the Stony Mountains, and across the Ice Prairies, while villains galore try to stop the Igibys permanently. Fearsome toothy cows and horned hounds return, along with new dangers: a mad man running a fork factory, a den of rockroaches, and majestic talking sea dragons.
Andrew Peterson’s lovable characters create what FantasyBookCritic.com says made Book One “one of the best fantasy novels in a very long time,” and Book Two contains even more thrills, exploring “themes universal in nature, ranging from the classic good versus evil, to the importance of family, and burdens of responsibility.”
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Andrew Peterson is the author of On the Edge of the Dark Sea of Darkness and The Ballad of Matthew’s Begats. He’s also the critically-acclaimed singer-songwriter and recording artist of ten albums, including Resurrection Letters II. He and his wife, Jamie, live with their two sons and one daughter in The Warren near Nashville, Tennessee. Visit Andrew’s websites: www.andrew-peterson.com and www.rabbitroom.com.
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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.
Rita Gerlach has published three historical novels plus articles in Writers Gazette, Write to Inspire, Will Write 4 Food, and The Christian Communicator.
Seth Braxton, a patriot of the American Revolution, unexpectedly inherits his loyalist grandfather’s estate in England. Seth is torn between the land he fought for and the prospect of reuniting with his sister Caroline, who was a motherless child taken to England at the onset of the war.
I have a copy of Rose House by Tina Ann Forkner to give away to one reader. To enter the drawing, leave a comment on this post by Thursday August 27. I will announce the winner on Friday August 28.
Tina Ann Forkner writes contemporary fiction that challenges and inspires. She grew up in Oklahoma and graduated with honors from CSU Sacramento before settling in Wyoming. She lives with her husband, their three bright children and their dog and stays busy serving on the Laramie County Library Foundation Board of Directors. She is the author of Ruby Among Us, her debut novel, and Rose House, which recently released from Waterbrook Press/Random House.
Steven James is one of the nation’s most innovative storytellers and a bestselling author. He has written more than twenty books and is a full-time speaker, having appeared more than 1,500 times throughout North America, Europe and Asia since 1996.
Readers thrilled to the phantasmagorical adventures in On the Edge of the Dark Sea of Darkness, Book One of the Wingfeather Saga. Now in Book Two, Janner, Tink, and Leeli Igiby, mom Nia, ex-pirate grandfather Podo, Peet the Sock Man, and trusty dog Nugget flee north to rebel headquarters.
Andrew Peterson is the author of On the Edge of the Dark Sea of Darkness and The Ballad of Matthew’s Begats. He’s also the critically-acclaimed singer-songwriter and recording artist of ten albums, including Resurrection Letters II. He and his wife, Jamie, live with their two sons and one daughter in The Warren near Nashville, Tennessee. Visit Andrew’s websites:
