The Seeker by Ann H. Gabhart



MY REVIEW:

The Seeker tells the story of Charlotte Vance whose life was turned upside down by the abandonment of her fiance and the marriage of her father to a gold-digger young enough to be her sister. Strong willed and determined, Charlotte knows what she wants from life and makes every effort to see that she gets it. When her new stepmother starts to make her life unbearable, Charlotte’s first step is to join the Shakers in order to convince her fiance to change his mind. Little does she know the drastic changes her life will undergo.

The Seeker is filled with details about life during the early Civil War era, including contrasts between Charlotte’s privileged life as a senator’s daughter and her life in the Shaker village. Details of the Shaker belief system and some of its history give the reader insight into a religion previously a mystery to many. Scenes from the Civil War camps and battlefields help to round out the story. The romance between Charlotte and Adam takes place mostly within their letters but is satisfying nonetheless.

Although The Seeker is a lengthy book, it is rich in personal and historical elements that kept the narrative interesting. Some of the characters veer from the expected and manage to break some long held stereotypes. Redemption and forgiveness are key themes, yet there is nothing preachy about this book. I would emphatically recommend it to those who enjoy historical fiction and are not looking for light entertainment.


Available July 2010 at your favorite bookseller from Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group.


This book was provided for review by Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group.



ABOUT THE BOOK:

a captivating story of love that blooms
despite desperate circumstances

Author Ann H. Gabhart weaves a striking story about life, love and fateful decisions in her new book The Seeker.

Set during the 1860s, The Seeker introduces readers to Charlotte Vance, a pampered Kentucky gentlewoman who knows what she wants. But when the man she planned to marry joins the Shakers—a religious group that does not allow marriage—she is left dumbfounded. And when her father brings home a new wife who is young enough to be Charlotte’s sister, it is more than she can bear.

With the country—and her own household—on the brink of civil war, Charlotte hatches a plan to avoid her new stepmother and win back her man by joining the Shaker community at Harmony Hill. Little does she know that this decision will lead her down a road of unforeseen consequences.

In this moving and well-researched story, Gabhart brings alive the strikingly different worlds of the Southern gentry, the simple Shakers, and the ravages of war during the 1860s to deliver a touching story of love, freedom, and forgiveness.

She joined the Shakers to escape her troubles …

But unforeseen consequences threaten all she holds dear


Endorsements

“In The Seeker, Ann H. Gabhart has penned a captivating story of love that blooms despite the desperate circumstances of the Civil War and a delicious heroine who chooses safety and seclusion among the Shakers. Gabhart’s vivid descriptions and well-drawn characters will leave you wanting more. A wonderful read!”—Judith Miller, author, Daughters of Amana series

“Ann H. Gabhart has a gift for skillfully blending research with fiction to create stories that entertain. The Seeker is a well-woven tale about a strong and determined woman who is willing to risk everything to follow her convictions. A definite can’t-put-it-down book.”—Suzanne Woods Fisher, author, Amish Proverbs, Amish Peace, and The Choice

“To read The Seeker is to step inside a peaceful Shaker village and experience a new world of faith, love, freedom, and forgiveness. Ann H. Gabhart brings to life a spirited southern belle in war-torn Kentucky with authenticity and grace. A page-turner to the very end!”—Laura Frantz, author, The Frontiersman’s Daughter and Courting Morrow Little

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Living just thirty miles from a restored Shaker village in Kentucky, Ann H. Gabhart has walked the same paths that her characters might have walked in generations past. Her thorough research provides a convincing and colorful backdrop for her Shaker novels. Gabhart is the author of several novels, including The Outsider and The Believer.

Dark in the City of Light by Paul Robertson

This week, the

Christian Fiction Blog Alliance

is introducing

Dark In The City Of Light

Bethany House (July 1, 2010)

by

Paul Robertson


ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Paul Robertson is a computer programming consultant, part-time high-school math and science teacher, and the author of The Heir. He is also a former Christian bookstore owner (for 15 years), who lives with his family in Blacksburg, Virginia.






ABOUT THE BOOK:

What Evil Haunts the Shadows of 1870s Paris?

Baron Ferdinand Harsanyi — After his wife’s mysterious death, this Austrian attaché holds control over mines whose coveted ore could turn the tide of war.

Therese Harsanyi — Swept up in new romance and the spectacle of Paris, the Baron’s daughter is blind to the dangers stalking her family and the city she loves.

Rudolph Harsanyi — Unsure whom to trust, the Baron’s son’s grief over his mother’s death twists into growing anger and a desire to break free.

As France and Prussia plunge toward war, one family is caught in a web of deceit, political intrigue, and murder that threatens to tear them apart.

If you would like to read the first chapter of Dark In The City Of Light, go HERE.

Nightshade by Ronie Kendig

This week, the
Christian Fiction Blog Alliance
is introducing

Nightshade
Barbour Books (July 1, 2010)
by
Ronie Kendig


ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Ronie has been married since 1990 to a man who can easily be defined in classic terms as a hero. She has four beautiful children. Her eldest daughter is 16 this year, her second daughter will be 13, and her twin boys are 10. After having four children, she finally finished her degree in December 2006. She now has a B.S. in Psychology through Liberty University in Lynchburg, VA. Getting her degree is a huge triumph for both her and her family–they survived!!

This degree has also given her a fabulous perspective on her characters and how to not only make them deeper, stronger, but to make them realistic and know how they’ll respond to each situation. Her debut novel, Dead Reckoning released March 2010 from Abingdon Press. And her Discarded Heroes series begins in July from Barbour with the first book entitled Nightshade.

ABOUT THE BOOK:

After a tour of duty in a war-torn country, embattled former Navy SEAL Max Jacobs finds himself discarded and alienated from those he loves as he struggles with war-related PTSD. His wife, Sydney, files a restraining order against him and a petition for divorce. Max is devastated.

Then a mysterious a man appears. He says he’s organizing a group that recycles veterans like Max. It’s a deep-six group known as Nightshade. With the chance to find purpose in life once again, Max is unable to resist the call of duty and signs on.

The team handles everything with precision and lethal skill…until they’re called upon to rescue a missionary family from a rebel-infested jungle and avoid a reporter hunting their identities.

Will Max yield his anger and pride to a force greater than him…love?

If you would like to read the first chapter of Nightshade, go HERE.

Watch the trailer:

MY REVIEW:

Nightshade is another action packed, suspense filled thriller from Ronie Kendig that features an elite black ops military team composed of  “discarded heroes”. The two primary characters are Max Jacobs and his estranged wife Sidney. As leader of a secret military unit, Max is sent on underground humanitarian missions funded but not publicly acknowledged by the government. When Sidney, a journalist, gets a lead about one of the successful missions, she begins research for an article, not knowing that Max is part of the team. Her persistence takes her too close to heavily guarded  information that places her life in danger.

Nightshade is a page turner filled with unique and interesting characters and one rapidly escalating event after another. Character development is excellent with vivid descriptions of what it is like to live with PTSD. There is just enough romance to satisfy most women readers and more than enough action and suspense for men. All in all, Nightshade was a totally satisfying book and I would highly recommend it.

Ransomed Dreams by Sally John

It is time for a FIRST Wild Card Tour book review! If you wish to join the FIRST blog alliance, just click the button. We are a group of reviewers who tour Christian books. A Wild Card post includes a brief bio of the author and a full chapter from each book toured. The reason it is called a FIRST Wild Card Tour is that you never know if the book will be fiction, non~fiction, for young, or for old…or for somewhere in between! Enjoy your free peek into the book!

You never know when I might play a wild card on you!


Today’s Wild Card author is:


 

and the book:

 

Ransomed Dreams (Side Roads)

Tyndale House Publishers, Inc. (June 7, 2010)

***Special thanks to Vicky Lynch of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc for sending me a review copy.***

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

When the going gets tough—or weird or wonderful—the daydreamer gets going on a new story. Sally John has been tweaking life’s moments into fiction since she read her first Trixie Belden mystery as a child.

Now an author of more than fifteen novels, Sally writes stories that reflect contemporary life. Her passion is to create a family, turn their world inside out, and then portray how their relationships change with each other and with God. Her goal is to offer hope to readers in their own relational and faith journeys.

Sally grew up in Moline, Illinois, graduated from Illinois State University, married Tim in 1973, and taught in middle schools. She is a mother, mother-in-law, and grandmother. A three-time finalist for the Christy Award, she also teaches writing workshops. Her books include the Safe Harbor series (coauthored with Gary Smalley), The Other Way Home series, The Beach House series, and In a Heartbeat series. Many of her stories are set in her favorite places of San Diego, Chicago, and small-town Illinois.

She and her husband currently live in southern California.

Visit the author’s website.

Product Details:

List Price: $13.99
Paperback: 416 pages
Publisher: Tyndale House Publishers, Inc. (June 7, 2010)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1414327854
ISBN-13: 978-1414327853

AND NOW…THE FIRST CHAPTER:

Topala, Mexico





Eighteen months later

Like everything about the small village tucked into the foothills of the Sierra Madres in central Mexico, sunrise was a leisurely event.

Sheridan waited for it, tea mug in hand, shawl over her cotton nightgown, bare feet chilled against the tile floor of the second-story balcony. Alone, she listened in the dark to the squawk of roosters and clung to their promise that the world would once again know light.

“Oh, good grief,” she murmured to herself with a groan. “That is so maudlin. Truly and hopelessly maudlin. You might try something more chipper. Something like . . . Something like . . .” Her foggy brain offered nothing.

She scrunched her nose in defeat. The morning had shuffled in on the heels of a sleepless night. Chipper was not going to happen, no matter how hard she tried to talk herself into it.

If she could turn the calendar back eighteen months, she would not be talking to herself. No. Eliot would be right next to her, responding, most likely pointing out a dozen chipper thoughts in that funny way of his.

Nostalgia and regret hit her, a powerful one-two punch that still took her breath away. She clenched her teeth, waiting for it to pass, mentally spewing forth a verbal attack at the counselor who had promised her that time healed all wounds, that month by month they would see improvement.

What drivel that was! Eighteen months—or to be more precise, seventeen months, three weeks, and two days; but who was counting? All that time had passed and only one thing was healed: Eliot’s gunshot wound. His other wounds, the invisible ones, still oozed like toxins from a waste dump site. He was not the same man she had married.

Sheridan took a deep breath and let the bitter argument go. Nostalgia and regret settled back down into whatever corner of her heart they’d found to hide out in. Their impact, though, lingered.

Would time ever erase her longing for the Eliot she had married? The animated one, the one others adored, the one who was engaged in every detail of life, whether simple or complex, with every person who crossed his path. The one from B.C.E., Before the Caracas Episode. Now, in their A.C.E. days, he might as well be a deaf-mute for all the interest he showed in the world around him.

Sleep-deprived, she totally blamed him. She didn’t mean to. It wasn’t like he had much of a choice. The bullet that shattered his nerves shattered their life. Everything about it was over. Health, career, home, friends. All gone. Kaput. Some days she barely recognized herself and Eliot. Where were the Mr. and Mrs. Montgomery she once knew? These routines, hometown, health, acquaintances, and even personalities seemed lifted from the pages of some stranger’s biography.

“Oh, honestly. Get over it already, Sher.” She forced a swallow of tea and focused on the scene before her.

A lone sunbeam pierced between two mountain peaks and sliced into the distant mists. Another followed. And another and another until finally pure light broke free. Valleys and canyons burst into sight. Loud birdsong erupted. Then, as if God had uncurled His fist, long fingers of sunlight shot forth and touched the wrought-iron railing where she stood.

It was achingly gorgeous.

Sheridan flicked at a tear seeping from the corner of her eye. “You should have stayed in bed, you foolish, stubborn woman.”

Sunrises were the worst because they represented the best of what had been.

Most days she could ignore that thought. Evidently not today. She and Eliot were morning people. Had been morning people. Their daily ritual of tea and conversation at an east-facing view, awaiting dawn, was seldom missed. With crazy-full schedules, they needed such a time to relate on the deepest levels. Some days their hearts positively danced and sang in union. Naturally, through the years the tune changed now and then, the tempo sped up and slowed down, but the music never stopped. It never stopped. They always talked. They always connected.

Until that day in Caracas.

Now she watched sunrises by herself.

“You really should’ve stayed in bed.”

But it was so beautiful. And it went on and on like a slow waltz. At the bottom of her street now, purple haze still shrouded the town square. The sky brightened in slow motion above it, the fiery ball itself still hiding behind a peak.

Something moved in the semidarkness below. A person. Early risers were not uncommon, but she was startled. Something felt off about this one.

Or was that just her hypervigilance? Compliments of the incident in Caracas, it kicked into gear at times without warning, filling her with anxiety and suspicion.

Now she could see that it was a man. He passed the bandstand, his strides too deliberate for a villager, too American. He headed straight for the steep incline that led up to her house. In city terms, the distance was perhaps a block. In Topala terms, it was simply up beyond the sculptor’s shop.

The sun overtook the peaks and the man came into view.

“No way.” Her heartbeat slowed, but not quite to normal.

Even with his face concealed by a ball cap, his body clothed in a generic khaki jacket and blue jeans, a city block separating them, she recognized him. She recognized him simply because the air vibrated with him.

Luke Traynor owned whatever space he occupied.

Sheridan set the mug on the table beside her, tightened the shawl around her shoulders, and massaged her left arm. She felt no surprise at his unannounced arrival nor at the early hour. It was as if she had always expected him to show up sooner or later.

But as he climbed the narrow street, an uneasiness rose within her. Her muscles tensed. Why was he here? He had promised not to come. Sixteen months ago he promised. Not that she was keeping track. . . .

The sound of a soft whistle drew her attention back toward the square. Javier, the young sculptor, stood on the porch steps outside his shop. Behind him, the handicraft shop owner emerged from his door.

Javier raised his chin in question.

Sheridan gave a half nod. They needn’t be concerned. The stranger was, so to speak, a known quantity. Not that she felt the least bit glad to see Luke. Eliot would most likely be severely distressed at his arrival.

Wishing Luke were an apparition did not make it so. He continued his steady pace, arms swinging gently, head down as if he studied the cobblestones, making his way to her house.

Since that day in Caracas—the day her husband died in every sense except physically, the day this man saved her life—Sheridan had understood intuitively that Luke would always be a part of her life. And there he was, out of the blue, ascending her street in the middle of nowhere on a spring day as if he visited all the time.

She suddenly remembered the date. “Good grief.”

It was Annunciation Day, a day of remembrance, of celebration for when the angel Gabriel visited Mary and announced her future. How apropos. Luke appeared without warning. He would not have come unless he had something to tell her, some message that would irreversibly change her future.

Was this his joke or God’s?

Luke neared and looked up, straight at her.

She saw not the man whose presence had always triggered apprehension in her, but rather the guardian angel who had saved her life.

Sheridan turned and made her way inside, down the stairs, and through the house.

* * *

Sheridan opened the front door and stopped.

Luke Traynor stood less than six feet away, at the low gate in the stone wall where her front terrace met the steep hill.

She returned his steady gaze, knowing full well her own expression did not mirror the one before her. While dread, relief, and excessive gratitude rearranged every muscle on her face, his remained perfectly composed. The sharp nose, thin lips, and deep-set eyes could have been made of the same cobblestone he stood on.

He flashed a rakish grin. “I was in the neighborhood.”

“That’s the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever heard.”

He cocked his head, somber again. Always the gentleman, he waited for her to make the first move.

Sheridan clutched her shawl more closely and resigned herself to riding out the emotional disarray rumbling through her. She both loathed and loved this man. Of course he knew that, so it didn’t matter how she reacted to him except that she’d like herself better if she were polite.

With a quiet sigh, she walked to him, planted a kiss on his scruffy, unshaven cheek, and eased into his embrace. Nestled against the rough collar of his jacket, she smelled the familiar scent of him, an indescribable mix of earth, sun-drenched air, and confidence that bordered on lunacy. She felt the hardness of his body, always unexpected given his average height and build.

“Sheridan. How are you?”

“Fine.” She backed away, crossing her arms.

“And Eliot?” he said. “How is he?”

“Fine.”

Luke blinked, a slow movement of lids indicating he could take the truth.

She wanted to shriek obscenities at him. The disconcerting thing about angels, though, was that it was impossible to keep up any sort of pretense. Like an angel, Luke had stayed close beside her for long weeks after the shooting. He had gone with her to the edge of hell, holding on to her until she came back. He knew her better than she knew herself. Glossing over answers was a waste of time with him.

She tried another phrase. “We’re doing about as well as could be expected.”

He nodded.

“Eliot is still asleep.”

“It’s early. Perhaps I can greet him later.”

The resistance drained from her. Yes, Gabriel had come to deliver a message, and he would not leave until he’d done so.

She had no inkling how to shield Eliot and herself from this unexpected source of distress but gave a lame attempt. “I don’t suppose you’re passing through town and simply must be on your way right now, this very minute?”

“Sorry.”

She inhaled, her shoulders lifting with the effort, and blew the breath out with force. “Coffee?”

“Love some.”

Excerpted from Ransomed Dreams by Sally John. Copyright 2010 by Sally John. Used with permission from Tyndale House Publishers. All rights reserved.

MY REVIEW:

After surviving an assassination attempt, former Venezuelan ambassador Eliot and his wife Sheridan  have moved to a secluded Mexican village and cut themselves off from the outside world in an attempt to recover both physically and emotionally. After months in Topala, Sheridan even feels isolated from her husband who has retreated into himself because of the pain and fear. Neither of them feels equipped to cope outside Topala but Sheridan is forced to make some life changing decisions when a man from their past arrives with devastating news.

The narrative covers personal relationships, family secrets, unforgiveness, and temptation. The story is sprinkled with flashbacks that explain vital details about the characters’ past and how it has shaped their present circumstances. Ransomed Dreams is a dramatic and emotional story with considerable spiritual depth. Forgiveness is a key theme throughout in which more than one of the characters is forced to confront the unforgiveness in their hearts. Another major theme  covered is the institution of marriage. When Sheridan becomes discouraged and whines “I didn’t sign up for this”, she is reminded  that indeed, even her extreme circumstances are covered by the marriage vows of  “for better or worse”.

Hopefully, most married couples will never have to deal with the extreme circumstances portrayed in Ransomed Dreams. Nevertheless, this book contains plenty of food for thought for even the most ordinary couple. As I read it, I was reminded of this recent video of Andrew Peterson’s new song “Dancing in the Minefields” and since the subject is so appropriate, I decided to share it with you.



Courting Morrow Little by Laura Frantz



MY REVIEW:

Courting Morrow Little may be one of the best books I have read in awhile although I read a lot of them and have enjoyed many. Laura Frantz has written a novel that illustrates the vast beauty of the early American wilderness and the daily dangers of living there while making it very personal through the experiences and emotional reactions of Morrow Little.

Other characters who populate this story add to its depth and enjoyment. Morrow’s father exemplified forgiveness and Christian love. Red Shirt demonstrated the transformation undergone by the acceptance of Christ in his life. Certain other characters exhibited more negative human aspects that kept the plot authentic.

Courting Morrow Little contains one of  the most beautiful and dramatic examples of forgiveness and restoration that I have encountered in a novel. The romance between Morrow and Red Shirt was remarkable. I cannot say enough good things about this book, yet I hesitate to say more lest I give the story away. This is one book that everyone who enjoys early American historical fiction should read. I suggest that you pick up a copy as soon as possible.

Available July 2010 at your favorite bookseller from Revell,
a division of Baker Publishing Group.

This book was provided for review by Donna Hausler with Revell Books.



ABOUT THE BOOK:

Life and Love on the American Frontier

Laura Frantz, whose ancestors were among those who settled the Kentucky frontier and traveled with Daniel Boone, Frantz paints a captivating story with authenticity that takes readers to this wilderness and the fears, adventures and emotions that characterize it.

In Courting Morrow Little, Frantz introduces readers to Morrow Little, who is haunted by the memory of the day her family was torn apart by raiding Shawnee warriors. Now that she is nearly a grown woman and her father is ailing, she must make difficult choices about the future. Several men–ranging from the undesired to the unthinkable–vie for her attentions, but she finds herself inexplicably drawn to a forbidden love that both terrifies and intrigues her. Can she betray the memory of her lost loved ones–and garner suspicion from her friends–by pursuing a life with him? Or should she seal her own misery by marrying a man she doesn’t love?

Caught between the wilderness and civilization, Morrow Little must find her way to true love.

This sweeping tale of romance and forgiveness will envelop readers as it takes them from a Kentucky fort through the vast wilderness of the West.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Laura Frantz credits her 100-year-old grandmother as being the catalyst for her fascination with Kentucky history. Frantz’s family followed Daniel Boone into Kentucky in 1792 and settled in Madison County, where her family still resides. Frantz is the author of The Frontiersman’s Daughter and currently lives in the misty woods of Washington state with her husband and two sons.