by admin | Feb 22, 2016 | Books, Contemporary Fiction, Romantic Suspense
MY REVIEW:
“Always Watching” is a fast-paced romantic suspense that held my interest and kept me guessing until the very end. The unique twist of an all-woman guardian service brought an entirely different edge to this story. After all, how would a manly man like to depend on a woman to protect him? In this case – not very much at first, but of course everyone knows what happens in these romantic suspense novels. Yeah, I won’t even make you guess.
I always enjoyed Lynette Eason’s Love Inspired novels and have also been a fan of her full-length novels. “Always Watching” lived up to my expectations with its strong characters and a plot filled with several twists and surprises. I actually suspected more than one person during the course of the story and I was totally wrong about all of them. The true culprit came as a huge surprise to me. I love it when the author can pull that off!
“Always Watching” is an excellent story that should appeal to most readers who love romantic suspense. I personally am looking forward to the next installment.
This book was provided for review by
Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group.
ABOUT THE BOOK:
Intensity. Skill. Tenacity.
The bodyguards of Elite Guardians Agency have it all.
When it becomes clear that popular psychiatrist and radio personality Wade Savage has a stalker, his father secretly hires Elite Guardians to protect his son. But when Wade’s bodyguard is attacked and nearly killed, agency owner Olivia Edwards must step in and fill the gap.
Olivia’s skills are about to be tested to the limit as Wade’s stalker moves from leaving innocent gifts at his door to threatening those closest to him–including Olivia. But in her mind, even more dangerous than the threats to her life is the hold her handsome client has on her heart.
Read an excerpt from Always Watching.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Lynette Eason is the bestselling author of the Women of Justice series and the Deadly Reunions series, as well as No One to Trust, Nowhere to Turn, and No Place to Hide in the Hidden Identity series. She is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers and Romance Writers of America. She has a master’s degree in education from Converse College and she lives in South Carolina. Learn more at www.lynetteeason.com.
by admin | Feb 22, 2016 | Books, Depression Era, Historical, Romance
MY REVIEW:
“Room for Hope” is a powerful novel that I could not put down. Sawyer is an author who is not afraid to tackle tough issues and always manages to handle them beautifully. In this particular story set during the depression, a young mother learns of her husband’s death and at the same time also learns that he had another wife and children in another town. Not only must she deal with his betrayal and loss but she is also expected to take in his other three children to raise.
Filled with emotion, the story illustrates how Neva and her twins deal with the aftereffects of Warren’s death and the impact Neva has on the lives of others in their town, especially two men, Arthur Randall and Jesse Caudel. I’ll admit that I was rooting for Neva and one of the men to marry but by the end it seemed that she may have chosen the other one. I am still hoping for things to turn around in the next book of this series. I can’t wait to find out.
I really loved “Room for Hope” and its characters. Neva’s generosity was inspirational in the way she gave and gave of herself despite her own problems. Jesse’s wisdom, protectiveness, loyalty, and love of children made him special and Arthur’s gradual change of heart was endearing. Then there were the children, each unique in his or her own way and each added depth to the story.
“Room for Hope” is an uplifting story of forgiveness and faith, love, mercy, and grace. I strongly recommend this book.
This book was provided for review by WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group.
ABOUT THE BOOK:
In a desperate time, can Neva find forgiveness for a grievous wrong—and make room for hope?
Neva Shilling has a heavy load of responsibility while her husband travels to neighboring communities and sells items from his wagon. In his absence, she faithfully runs the Shilling Mercantile, working to keep their business strong as the Depression takes its toll, and caring for their twins.
When a wagon pulls up after supper, Neva and her children rush out—and into the presence of the deputy driving a wagon carrying three young children. The deputy shocks her with the news that Warren and his wife have died, insisting it was their last request that the three children go live with “Aunt Neva.”
Neva’s heart is shattered as she realizes that Warren’s month-long travels were excuses for visits with his secret family. She wants nothing more than to forget Warren, but can she abandon these innocent children to an orphanage? Yet if she takes them in, will she ever be able to see them as more than evidence of her husband’s betrayal and love them the way God does?
Read an excerpt from Room for Hope here.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Kim Vogel Sawyer is a best-selling award author with more than one million copies of her books currently in print. Awards include the ACFW Carol Award, the Inspirational Readers Choice Award, and the Gayle Wilson Award of Excellence. Sawyer lives in central Kansas, where she and her retired military husband, Don, run a bed-and-breakfast inn with the help of their feline companions. She savors time with her daughters and grandchildren.
by admin | Feb 16, 2016 | Biblical, Books
This week, theChristian Fiction Blog Allianceis introducingPharaoh’s DaughterWaterBrook Press (March 17, 2015)byMesu AndrewsABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Mesu Andrews’ deep understanding of and love for God’s Word brings the biblical world alive for her readers. She and her husband, Roy, enjoyed fourteen years of pastoral ministry before moving to the Pacific Northwest, where Roy now serves as Academic Dean at Multnomah Biblical Seminary. Mesu writes full-time, snuggled in her recliner beside a cozy fire on rainy Northwest days. The Andrews’ enjoy visiting their two married daughters and a growing tribe of grandkids. Mesu loves movies, football, waterfalls, and travel.
Biblical fiction is her favorite genre to read and write. Her first novel, Love Amid the Ashes (Revell, 2011), tells the story of Job and won the 2012 ECPA Book of the Year for a Debut Author.
ABOUT THE BOOK
“Fear is the most fertile ground for faith.”
“You will be called Anippe, daughter of the Nile. Do you like it?” Without waiting for a reply, she pulls me into her squishy, round tummy for a hug.
I’m trying not to cry. Pharaoh’s daughters don’t cry.
When we make our way down the tiled hall, I try to stop at ummi Kiya’s chamber. I know her spirit has flown yet I long for one more moment. Amenia pushes me past so I keep walking and don’t look back.
Like the waters of the Nile, I will flow.
Anippe has grown up in the shadows of Egypt’s good god Pharaoh, aware that Anubis, god of the afterlife, may take her or her siblings at any moment. She watched him snatch her mother and infant brother during childbirth, a moment which awakens in her a terrible dread of ever bearing a child. Now she is to be become the bride of Sebak, a kind but quick-tempered Captain of Pharaoh Tut’s army. In order to provide Sebak the heir he deserves and yet protect herself from the underworld gods, Anippe must launch a series of deceptions, even involving the Hebrew midwives—women ordered by Tut to drown the sons of their own people in the Nile.
When she finds a baby floating in a basket on the great river, Anippe believes Egypt’s gods have answered her pleas, entrenching her more deeply in deception and placing her and her son Mehy, whom handmaiden Miriam calls Moses, in mortal danger.
As bloodshed and savage politics shift the balance of power in Egypt, the gods reveal their fickle natures and Anippe wonders if her son, a boy of Hebrew blood, could one day become king. Or does the god of her Hebrew servants, the one they call El Shaddai, have a different plan—for them all?
If you would like to read the first chapter of Pharaoh’s Daughter, go HERE.
by admin | Feb 16, 2016 | Books, Contemporary Fiction, Romance
MY REVIEW:
“The Red Door Inn” was a captivating novel with such a special setting and characters that I immediately wanted to move to Prince Edward Island (or at least visit). I especially liked the way Johnson revealed background information about each character little-by-little so that even the reader was kept in the dark along with the other characters.
I loved Marie, Seth, and Jack from the start even in their woundedness and lack of trust toward others. Jack’s determination to fulfill his deceased wife’s dream of opening an inn on PEI and his habit of taking in strays of the human species endeared him to me. Seth’s protectiveness toward his uncle earned him extra points. And Marie – her resolve to succeed due to her own efforts rather than becoming what someone else expected played a huge role in the story. Her generosity and caring spirit were especially significant once I learned her true background.
Then there was the love story. Despite their initial distrust of each other, there was a spark that grew between Marie and Seth that could not be denied. Unfortunately, past events and betrayals kept their suspicions on alert and very nearly kept them apart.
Oh, how can I tell you how much I enjoyed this book without major spoilers? I just loved the way I could see the Lord’s hand in the way He brought everything together in its perfect timing for each person involved and how He knit three unlikely people together as a family. I cannot wait for the next book. I hope the wait it not too long!
I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for my honest review.
ABOUT THE BOOK:
Marie Carrington is running from a host of bad memories. Broke and desperate, she’s hoping to find safety and sanctuary on Prince Edward Island, where she reluctantly agrees to help decorate a renovated bed-and-breakfast before it opens for prime tourist season.
Seth Sloane didn’t move three thousand miles to work on his uncle’s B&B so he could babysit a woman with a taste for expensive antiques and a bewildering habit of jumping every time he brushes past her. He came to help restore the old Victorian–and to forget about the fiancée who broke his heart.
The only thing Marie and Seth agree on is that getting the Red Door Inn ready to open in just a couple months will take everything they’ve got. Can these two wounded souls find hope, healing, and perhaps a bit of romance on this beautiful island?
Step into the Red Door Inn, a lovely home away from home tucked along the fabled north shore of Prince Edward Island. It’s a place where the wounded come to heal, the broken find forgiveness, and the lonely find a family. Won’t you stay for the season?
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
By day Liz Johnson is a marketing manager. She makes time to write late at night—that’s when she thinks best anyway. Liz is the author of seven novels, a New York Times bestselling novella, and a handful of short stories. She’s also a two-time ACFW Carol Award finalist. She makes her home in Nashville, where she enjoys exploring local music, theater, and making frequent trips to Arizona to dote on her nieces and nephews. She writes stories of true love filled with heart, humor, and happily ever afters.
