I have always been a fan of Susan May Warren’s novels so I was happy for the opportunity to review My Foolish Heart. This one just may be my favorite one yet.
After a devastating accident that took her mother’s life, Isadora Presley suffers such severe panic attacks that she rarely leaves her home due to her fear of a meltdown. She secretly hosts a radio show from her home giving romantic tips to her callers. For some reason a new caller, Boy Next Door, touches her heart and she finds herself fantasizing about him often. At the same time she is very attracted to her new next door neighbor Caleb Knight who apparently has a few problems of his own.
Caleb has moved to Deep Haven hoping to coach the high school football team and prove to himself that he can live a full life despite the severe injuries he suffered in Iraq. Hiding his greatest disability, Caleb bravely enters the competition for the coaching position. Accidentally overhearing one of Issy’s broadcasts, he uncharacteristically calls for advice. From that point on he is hooked and can’t resist the attraction of the sympathetic hostess to whom he pours out all his secrets, not knowing that she and Issy are the same person. Through his deep faith, Caleb is able to reach out to Issy and help her find her way back to a life of freedom. And in the process, he finds hope and healing for himself.
I thought the plot of My Foolish Heart was quite clever and enjoyed reading about both the on air and real life relationships between Issy and Caleb. The inclusion of the dog “Duncan/Roger” and his escapades added whimsical entertainment and the inclusion of Issy’s best friend Lucy and returning football hero Seb is a special bonus. An inviting small town setting, down-to-earth characters, and a warm and witty narrative make My Foolish Heart a joy to read. I would recommend this book without any reservation.
This book was provided for review by Tyndale House.
ABOUT THE BOOK:
Unknown to her tiny town of Deep Haven, Isadora Presley spends her nights as Miss Foolish Heart, the star host of a syndicated talk radio show. Millions tune in to hear her advice on dating and falling in love, unaware that she’s never really done either. Issy’s ratings soar when it seems she’s falling in love on-air with a caller. A caller she doesn’t realize lives right next door.
Caleb Knight served a tour of duty in Iraq and paid a steep price. The last thing he wants is pity, so he hides his disability and moves to Deep Haven to land his dream job as the high school football coach. When his beautiful neighbor catches his eye, in a moment of desperation he seeks advice from My Foolish Heart, the show that airs before his favorite sports broadcast.
Before he knows it, Caleb finds himself drawn to the host—and more confused than ever. Is his perfect love the woman on the radio . . . or the one next door?
Susan May Warren is the RITA Award–winning author of more than thirty novels whose compelling plots and unforgettable characters have won acclaim with readers and reviewers alike. She served with her husband and four children as a missionary in Russia for eight years before she and her family returned home to the States. She now writes full-time as her husband runs a lodge on Lake Superior in northern Minnesota, where many of her books are set. She and her family enjoy hiking, canoeing, and being involved in their local church.
Susan holds a BA in mass communications from the University of Minnesota. Several of her critically acclaimed novels have been chosen as Top Picks by Romantic Times and won the RWA’s Inspirational Reader’s Choice contest and the American Christian Fiction Writers Book of the Year award. Four of her books have been Christy Award finalists. In addition to her writing, Susan loves to teach and speak at women’s events about God’s amazing grace in our lives.
Tomorrow’s Garden is the third and final book in The Texas Dreams series by Amanda Cabot. Although all three novels are set in the same small town of Ladreville, Texas and share many of the same characters, each book stands on its own and the reader does not feel that she is missing critical information to understand the story.
In Tomorrow’s Garden, Lawrence Wood has left the Texas Rangers and has accepted a temporary position as mayor/sheriff of Ladreville. Although he feels the Lord led him to return to the town, he feels no inclination to stay and plans to leave when his six months agreement has been completed. Harriet Kirk has arrived in Ladreville with her younger siblings to take a position as the new schoolteacher. Responsible for her brothers and sisters even before her parents’ deaths, Harriet has high hopes that a new town will give them a new start. Little do Harriet and Lawrence imagine how much their lives are about to change.
As in the earlier novels of this series, Cabot paints a vivid picture of life in Ladreville, Texas complete with the rivalry between the French and German residents. Characters and situations are realistically portrayed which makes it easy to become immersed in the story. As expected, the author included both spiritual and life lessons that were essential to the narrative. Tomorrow’s Garden is a fitting conclusion to The Texas Dreams series. I can’t wait to see what Ms. Cabot has in store for her readers next.
This book was provided for review by
Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group.
“Available April 2011 at your favorite bookseller from Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group.”
ABOUT THE BOOK:
As The Seed Awaits the Spring Sunshine, Harriet Kirk Hopes for A Brighter Tomorrow.
“Miss Kirk! Miss Kirk! Come look!” cried Eva…“They sprouted. Six of them.” She reached for Harriet’s hand and tugged. “Come look!”
Author Amanda Cabot takes readers back to Ladreville, Texas for the conclusion of the Texas Dreams series. Tomorrow’s Garden (ISBN: 978-0-8007-3326-1, April 2011 $14.99) is set in the 1850’s with authentic Texas essence and romance. Read as part of the series or as a stand alone title, readers will enjoy this story about Harriet Kirk and her love for family and dedication to their survival.
Leaving the past behind, Harriett Kirk moves her family to the Texas hill country for a new beginning. Becoming Ladreville’s new schoolteacher is just what Harriet needs–a chance to put the past behind her and give her younger siblings a brighter tomorrow. What she didn’t count on was meeting the handsome former Texas Ranger Lawrence Wood–or the way he slowly but surely claims her fragile heart. But can Harriet and Lawrence ever truly put the past behind them in order to find happiness?
Tomorrow’s Garden is a love story of overcoming powerful odds and grabbing hold of happiness. Readers will experience the Texas countryside come to life from the beautiful picturesque writing of Cabot in Tomorrow’s Garden.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Amanda Cabot is an accomplished author under various pen names and a popular speaker. The author of Paper Roses and Scattered Petals, she is also a charter member of Romance Writers of America, the co-founder of its New Jersey chapter, a member of the ACFW, and an avid traveler. She lives in Wyoming.
I grew up in the small picturesque town of Woodbury, Connecticut. After graduating from Wilkes University in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, I returned to Connecticut and found employment in manufacturing. “Just a job” turned into a professional career, much of which was spent working for a Swiss machine tool company. In 2000 I started my own business to provide services to manufacturing clients across the USA. This change also allowed time to develop my writing craft.
From youth I’ve been a serious student of the Civil War. The draft of An Eye for Glory took ten years from conception to completion. Thousands of hours were spent researching every detail through copious reading, Internet research and personal visits to each battlefield so the novel might be as historically accurate and believable as possible. I live in Naugatuck, Connecticut with my wife of thirty-three years, Jackie.
ABOUT THE BOOK:
Michael Palmer is a good man, a family man. But honor and duty push him to leave his comfortable life and answer the call from Abraham Lincoln to fight for his country. This ‘citizen soldier’ learns quickly that war is more than the battle on the field. Long marches under extreme conditions, illness, and disillusionment challenge at every turn. Faith seems lost in a blur of smoke and blood…and death.
Michael’s only desire is to kill as many Confederate soldiers as he can so he can go home. He coldly counts off the rebels that fall to his bullets. Until he is brought up short by a dying man holding up his Bible. It’s in the heat of battle at Gettysburg and the solemn aftermath that Michael begins to understand the grave cost of the war upon his soul. Here the journey really begins as he searches for the man he was and the faith he once held so dearly. With the help of his beloved wife, Jesse Ann, he takes the final steps towards redemption and reconciliation.
Using first-hand accounts of the 14th Connecticut Infantry, Karl Bacon has crafted a detailed, genuine and compelling novel on the 150th anniversary of the Civil War. Intensely personal and accurate to the times, culture, and tragedy of the Civil War, An Eye for Glory may change you in ways you could have never imagined as well.
To be totally honest, I have to admit I didn’t read the entire book. It was not the fault of the author or because it was a bad book. At the time it came up on my reading schedule, I just could not drum up enough interest on its subject matter to be able to stick with it until the end. In actuality, the author’s writing style is very readable and I can tell that at some other time and in the proper mood, I would probably enjoy An Eye For Glory very much.
So – from the first several chapters that I did read, I would venture to say that anyone who enjoys Christian fiction and reading about the Civil War would most likely find An Eye For Glory a welcome addition to their library.
I am always pleased when I get the chance to check out a new author so I quickly requested a copy of Fairer Than Morning when it was offered by BookSneeze. I am so glad I did – now I have another author to add to my ‘watch’ list.
Fairer Than Morning takes place in the early nineteenth century, primarily in Pittsburgh and Ohio. Although it is a historical romance, the book is also filled with plenty of drama, suspense, mystery, and action to keep those pages turning. Interesting facts about the workings of the Underground Railroad, life in Pittsburgh and on an Ohio farm during that era, and life as an indentured man under a cruel master are woven seamlessly into the story. The fact that Fairer Than Morning is based on actual historical characters adds to the realism of the tale.
Although Ann Miller is pursued by two suitable young men, one of whom she is certain she will eventually marry, she finds herself curiously drawn to the entirely unsuitable Will Hanby. Although there are numerous hints as to the eventual conclusion, there are multiple roadblocks along the way. Will Ann and Eli ever get back together or will she fall for Allan’s charms? What about Will – can he ever escape his harsh and abusive master Jacob Good or is he doomed to a life of hopelessness?
A story that promotes character and forgiveness, Fairer Than Morning is a not to be missed novel. I look forward to Sweeter Than Birdsong, the next installment of The Saddler’s Legacy by Rosslyn Elliott.
This book was provided for review by BookSneeze.
ABOUT THE BOOK:
Ann dreams of a marriage proposal from her poetic suitor—until she meets a runaway apprentice who knows what a truly noble man is.
In 1826, Ann Miller travels to Pittsburgh with her widowed father and two young sisters, only to find that a mysterious man has pursued them all the way from Ohio. Is Ann’s father just a circuit minister, or is he hiding something that may endanger them all?
Will Hanby indentures with a Pittsburgh saddler maker, only to discover that his master is a cold-hearted tyrant. After years of abuse, Will becomes a prisoner of his own mind. But then lovely Ann Miller comes to stay next door and her compassion lights a long-dark part of Will’s soul. His renewed courage puts his life in jeopardy as he begins to assist fugitive slaves.
Will’s murderous master and Ann’s questions about her family may keep both of them bound in the shadows forever. Or will they find freedom—together?
ABOUT THE AUTHOR (from her website):
As the child of a career military man, I lived in four states and two foreign countries before I graduated from high school. I attended nine schools during that time. My frequent relocation into new social scenes encouraged me to become a close observer of other people, for my own survival.
With the help of some excellent teachers, I bootstrapped my way into Yale University, where I earned my BA in English and Theater Studies. Vowing never to return to school, I spent five years working first in corporate New York City, then as a schoolteacher. School started to look pretty good again. I entered the Ph.D. program in English at Emory University and finished my dissertation in 2006.
My study of American literature spurred me to pursue my lifelong dream of writing fiction.
I’ve always loved history, and because of my dissertation research, it was natural for me to start by setting my novels in nineteenth-century America.
I’m the homeschooling mom of a second-grader, and wife to a creative and talented salesman.
Learn more about Rosslyn and her books on her website.
Eddie Jones and Cindy Sproles are the cofounders of Christian Devotions Ministries. Their He Said, She Said devotions are syndicated in a number of newspapers across the eastern seaboard and they host the weekly He Said, She Said Radio, Friday nights at 6:00 p.m. est. on Blog Talk Radio. Eddie and Cindy are popular speakers and teachers at Writers Conferences across the country.
Eddie is the author of five non-fiction books and his newest fiction release, The Curse of Captain LaFoote, a middle grade book. While Cindy is the author of one non-fiction and two compilations.
Together they teach writing with WritersCoach.us. Eddie and Cindy have been writing the He Said, She Said devotions since 2008, taking one scripture weekly and looking at it from two perspectives–His and Hers, with the idea that learning more about scripture from two perspectives helps one to delve deeper in God’s word and know Him better.
ABOUT THE BOOK:
He Said, She Said: A Devotional Guide to Cultivating a Life of Passion, or How Newlyweds, Couples and Singles Can Draw Closer to God and Their Mate Through Daily Devotions
Do you sense something vital missing from you relationship with your spouse, children and God? Are you easily distracted by the busyness of life and left feeling drained, bored, and discouraged? Do you sense you were meant to enjoy the richness of life, but spend your days feasting on crumbs? This heart-warming collection of stories (54 in all) will inspire you to reach for the true source of joy: a life lived for and through God.
These deeply personal (and sometimes humorous) devotions offer biblical insights and spiritual truths from the unique perspective of one man and one woman. Learn to cultivate a life of passion. Perfect for your quiet time, these moments of meditative reflection illustrate the importance of allowing God to work within you and speak through you. No matter if you are newlyweds or newly retired, this book of devotions will help you put the spark back into your love life and explore the precious relationships God desires for you. He Said, She Said touches the heart, tickles the funny bone and brings you to your knees in worship.
Cindy and Eddie are not only good friends of mine, but a regular source of my spiritual renewal. It’s a great idea, the he-said/she-said concept and I always enjoy their devotionals. Both are not only grounded spiritually, and super nice people but they both keep me laughing. It’s that humor and heart that makes the spiritual more relatable in the most practical sense.
~Gina Holmes, author of Crossing Oceans~
I’ve know Eddie Jones and Cindy Sproles for a few years. Each has a way of tickling my funny bone, so I wondered what a devotional book by them would be. I can heartily recommend it. The humor is there, but it’s coupled with deep truths that go straight to the heart of the problem. You’ll find a path that winds closer to God through He Said, She Said.
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Susan May Warren is the RITA Award–winning author of more than thirty novels whose compelling plots and unforgettable characters have won acclaim with readers and reviewers alike. She served with her husband and four children as a missionary in Russia for eight years before she and her family returned home to the States. She now writes full-time as her husband runs a lodge on Lake Superior in northern Minnesota, where many of her books are set. She and her family enjoy hiking, canoeing, and being involved in their local church.
