I own and have read and enjoyed most of Karen Kingsbury’s series (multiple) about members of the Baxter family in which the Flanigan family and Cody Coleman’s stories first began. Although Leaving was just as skillfully written with the excellent characterization I have come to expect from Kingsbury, the story just seemed to be all too familiar.
Members of the Baxter family make their appearances in this companion series as Bailey and Cody take over the primary roles. Although the major theme revolves around Bailey and Cody’s yearning for each other, when it gets down to it, they both seem extremely confused about what it is they really want. As in most of her previous novels, a subplot details a tragedy or catastrophe, this time it is a medical emergency that affects the lives of an entire family.
Leaving is probably one of my least favorite Kingsbury novels. It’s not that it’s bad, I just felt like I’d heard it all before.
This book was provided for review by the Amazon Vine Program.
ABOUT THE BOOK:
The Bailey Flanigan series begins with Bailey leaving Bloomington for the adventure of a lifetime. She has won an audition for the ensemble of a Broadway musical in New York City.
Bailey is determined to take advantage of this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, but is she really ready to leave family and friends for the loneliness of the city? And what of Cody? His disappearance has her worried about their future and praying that their love can survive.
In order to be closer to his mother in jail, Cody takes a coaching job in a small community outside Indianapolis. New friends, distance, and circumstances expose cracks in his relationship with Bailey Flanigan.
Love, loneliness, big opportunities, and even bigger decisions highlight the first book in the new Bailey Flanigan series that features members of the popular Baxter family and finally completes the Bailey Flanigan/Cody Coleman story.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
by Dan Davis Photography
USA Today and New York Times bestselling author Karen Kingsbury is America’s #1 inspirational novelist. There are more than 15 million copies of her award-winning books in print, including several million copies sold in the past year. Karen has written more than 50 novels, ten of which have hit #1 on national lists.
Karen has a true love for her readers, and she has nearly 200,000 friends on Facebook along with more than 14,000 followers on Twitter. The popular social networking sites have allowed Karen daily interaction with her reader friends.
Karen is best known for her Life-Changing Fiction™ and for creating unforgettable characters. When speaking before women’s groups – some with more than 10,000 in attendance – Karen makes audiences laugh and cry with her compelling story-telling. She likes to tell attendees they have, “One chance to write the story of their lives,” and her talk focuses on reminding women to live every day loving well, laughing often, and finding true life in Jesus Christ. Karen routinely speaks before more than 100,000 women each year.
Although well written and filled with information about the Shaker lifestyle, I didn’t think I would ever reach the end of this book. Its overwhelming sense of hopelessness was both depressing and frustrating to me. I was constantly wanting to tell Lacy and Issac to run as fast as they could to get away from the warped religious practices of Harmony Hill but at the same time realized that they had little choice in the matter.
I have heard of the Shakers all my life but until I read Gabhart’s novels about them, I knew very little about their beliefs. Her meticulous research for the Shaker Books series presented Shaker life in a manner that made me feel as though I was there. I can only assume that Gabhart’s purpose in writing this series was to highlight the history of the Shakers while illustrating the dangers of religious groups whose beliefs are contrary to Biblical truth. I just hope that other readers will not misunderstand and see these books as an endorsement of Shaker teaching.
This book was provided for review by
Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group.
ABOUT THE BOOK: Bestselling Author Ann Gabhart Writes A Novel of Forbidden Love In the Shaker Village of Harmony Hill
“Let the child go, Lacey. Right now! We’ve come into this community to leave things of the world behind and do as they say” said Preacher Palmer. “But she needs me.” She spoke barely above a whisper. “She needs discipline. And so do you…” he said.
There is an intrigue and enigma with the Shakers and their way of life. Award-winning author Ann Gabhart weaves a heartrending novel of the Shakers in her latest Shaker novel, The Blessed (ISBN: 978-08007-3454-1, $14.99, 416 pages, July 2011). It is a time of spiritual revival in the mid-1840’s when the Shakers worship services received many spiritual messages from Mother Ann and other Shaker leaders. Harmony Hill was a place offering a different way of life from the world. This village was a place where the people were dedicated to community, hard work, practicing their worship, and engaging in long hours of worship each week.
It is 1844. In her twenty years, Lacey Bishop has endured hard times including the death of her mother and her father’s remarriage to a woman with no love for his children. When she was thirteen, Lacey went to live with the preacher and his wife. Upon the sudden death of the preacher’s wife, difficult times return for Lacey. The preacher convinces Lacey to marry him so she can continue to act as a mother to the little girl who was left on the preacher’s doorstop. But Lacey never expected he would decide to take all of them to a Shaker village. At the village her marriage is still legal to the outside world but living in a Shaker community, they believed marriage is a sin. Lacey finds herself drawn to Isaac Kingston, a man who came to the Shakers after his young bride died. Confused and her heart torn between right and wrong, Lacey must choose what to do. Discover how the Shakers lived in The Blessed and if truth, love and forgiveness become reality for Lacey.
“When you step into the world of Ann Gabhart’s The Blessed, you’ll find it inhabited by a truly delightful cast of characters. Theirs is a multileveled love story . . . between a man and a woman, yes, but also between a woman and a child not her own. Certainly, a tender and inspiring read.”–Ann Tatlock, award-winning novelist
“Ann H. Gabhart takes us on a remarkable journey into the lives of the Shakers and their community. With a compelling style, she weaves a story of love, compassion, and a young woman’s determination to find God’s truth. From cover to cover, The Blessed captivates and challenges–an absolutely wonderful read.”–Judith Miller, author of A Bond Never Broken
“A heartwarming story of second chances, The Blessed takes readers on an unforgettable journey of love, self-sacrifice, and learning to trust God in seemingly impossible circumstances. Skillful research and a well-woven story make for a genuine page-turner!”–Lorna Seilstad, author of the Lake Manawa Summers series
“A thoughtful exploration of a young woman’s coming of age in a Shaker Community, The Blessed is a satisfying, joyful read.”–Jan Watson, author of the award-winning Troublesome Creek series
“Readers will love The Blessed . . . Ann H. Gabhart weaves a tender story of forbidden longing and loyalty, and her deep understanding of the Shaker historical setting rings true.”–Marta Perry, author of Sarah’s Gift
“Ann Gabhart has written a fine and fair rendering of the Shaker ways and how the beliefs of this communal society touched the lives of those within the community and those without. As someone interested in the history of communal societies, I often wondered how the Shakers saw their world and faith and how their neighbors might have responded. Ann has shown us through distinctive and fallible characters how easily one can be led astray by doctrine not infused with God’s grace.”–Jane Kirkpatrick, award-winning author of The Daughter’s Walk
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Ann Gabhart is the award-winning, bestselling author of several books about the Shakers, including The Believer, The Outsider and The Seeker. Living just thirty miles from a restored Shaker village and one mile from the place she was born in Lawrenceburg, Kentucky, she has walked the same paths that her characters might have walked in generations past. For more information about Ann visit her website at www.annhgabhart.com
J. Mark Bertrand lived in Houston, where the series is set, for fifteen years, earning an MFA in Creative Writing at the University of Houston. But after one hurricane too many he relocated with his wife Laurie to the plains of South Dakota. Mark has been arrested for a crime he didn’t commit, was the foreman of one hung jury and served on another that acquitted Vinnie Jones of assault. In 1972, he won an honorable mention in a child modeling contest, but pursued writing instead.
ABOUT THE BOOK:
It’s Christmas in Houston, and homicide detective Roland March is on the hunt for a killer. A young woman’s brutal stabbing in an affluent neighborhood bears all the hallmarks of a serial murder. The only problem is that March sent the murderer to prison ten years ago. Is it a copycat — or did March convict the wrong man?
Alienated from his colleagues and with a growing rift in his marriage, March receives messages from the killer. The bodies pile up, the pressure builds, and the violence reaches too close to home. Up against an unfathomable evil, March struggles against the clock to understand the hidden message in the pattern of wounds.
Learn more about Mark and his books on his Website.
MY REVIEW:
J. Mark Bertrand’s second novel featuring Houston homicide detective Roland March, Pattern of Wounds is another page turner. March finds himself investigating a case that is eerily similar to an earlier case that Roland solved and was later featured in a book. His theory that the crime is a copycat one by someone who has read the book is dismissed by the other officers. Although the original murderer was convicted and is currently in prison, an investigator from another department presents numerous unsolved crimes with similar earmarks that indicate that the wrong man may have been convicted. As Roland becomes embroiled in solving the murder and trying to prove that he got the right man the first time, his personal life and even the relationships with fellow officers become strained. Racing against the clock, he follows a confusing trail of clues that offers more than one possible suspect.
Pattern of Wounds is an attention holding narrative that kept me guessing almost to the end. Once again Bertrand’s characters are realistically portrayed with all their human shortcomings. His inside look at the life of a homicide detective is both informative and chilling. A subtle spiritual message was woven throughout the story and although Roland’s heart might have softened somewhat, the reader will still find him mostly resistant to the gospel.
I enjoyed this book, especially the fact that I didn’t guess the guilty person early in the story. I can also say that the way the story ended pretty much guarantees that I will read the next book in the series (at least I hope there will be another one). I can once again recommend Bertrand’s latest book to all who enjoy a good murder mystery.
A wild ride — which is exactly what you’re in for when you pick up one of his books. And he’s adamant that it will never be the same kind of experience twice.
Robin’s stories mix, mingle, and meld various genres together to create thoroughly original suspense/thrillers. His Dominion Trilogy, for example, mashed up superhero action, secret societies, ancient myths, and an apocalyptic setting to create an entirely new take on the classic “hero’s journey.” Offworld mixed science fiction and an end-of-the-world scenario with high-octane action. Nightmare, his 2010 novel, is a spine-tingling examination of the world of the paranormal, paired with can’t-put-it-down mystery. His 2011 novel, Vigilante, is an action-packed story about a soldier who sets out to change the world. Later this year, he’s releasing his first ever Young Adult novel, titled Corridor.
Always pushing the envelope, ever on the edge of where modern storytelling is going, Robin Parrish will gladly and unapologetically tell you that he’s an entertainer, a weaver of stories that ignite the mind and delight the heart. Defying labels and refusing pigeonholes, his imagination is fueled by the possibilities of asking “What if…?”, and as anyone who’s read his work knows, he has a very big imagination.
His influences as a novelist range from television and film storytellers like Joss Whedon and J.J. Abrams, to masters of the modern myth like J.R.R. Tolkien and C.S. Lewis. Akin to Philip K. Dick’s search for the meaning of identity, most of what Robin writes about boils down to his own ponderings and examinations of just what this thing we call “existence” is.
Robin is a full time writer. He and his wife Karen and two children live in High Point, NC.
“Robin Parrish is a keen-eyed, passionate pop cultural savant,
whose writing is as incisive and insightful as it is entertaining.”
– Allan Heinberg, Executive Producer, Grey’s Anatomy
ABOUT THE BOOK:
Nolan Gray is an elite soldier, skilled in all forms of combat. After years fighting on foreign battlefields, witnessing unspeakable evils and atrocities firsthand, a world-weary Nolan returns home to find it just as corrupt as the war zones. Everywhere he looks, there’s pain and cruelty. Society is being destroyed by wicked men who don’t care who they make suffer or destroy.
Nolan decides to do what no one else can, what no one has ever attempted. He will defend the helpless. He will tear down the wicked. He will wage a one-man war on the heart of man, and he won’t stop until the world is the way it should be.
The wicked have had their day. Morality’s time has come. In a culture starving for a hero, can one extraordinary man make things right?
If you would like to read the first chapter of Vigilante, go HERE.
MY REVIEW:
I have to be honest and admit that I haven’t finished this book. Somehow or another I’ve managed to get behind on my reading and need to post this during the tour as I promised when I signed up with CFBA. I am over halfway done and it’s even possible that tired as I am, I could find myself awake until I reach the end. So far Vigilante has been an extremely imaginative tale with interesting characters that I want to get to know a little better. And I’ve gotten far enough into the story that I’d like to see how everything works out for Nolan and his team. Vigilante has plenty of action so it should appeal to men readers but many women may also find it to their taste.
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The Bailey Flanigan series begins with Bailey leaving Bloomington for the adventure of a lifetime. She has won an audition for the ensemble of a Broadway musical in New York City.
