Tea for Two by Trish Perry

by | Apr 11, 2011 | Books, Contemporary Fiction, Romance

This week, the

Christian Fiction Blog Alliance

is introducing

Tea For Two

Harvest House Publishers (April 1, 2011)

by

Trish Perry

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
A word from our Author:  I started writing short stories—pretty bad ones. And I started taking creative writing courses to round out my degree. So I was in classes full of people just like me—lousy writers. But we were learning!

Then the Lord led me to a local writers’ group, Capital Christian Writers, and the contacts and friends I made through CCW enriched my personal life and my writing life more than I can measure. Through CCW and through reading just about every book and magazine ever published by Writer’s Digest, I started catching on. Now I’m writing full time and man oh man do I love it.Before the writing began, I worked for attorneys in Washington, D. C. I worked for the Securities and Exchange Commission. And I was a stockbroker. A horrible stockbroker. How do people do that? Take responsibility for other people’s financial futures? Yikes. I’m perfectly happy to take responsibility for the amount of time any one person wants to spend reading my books. If you enjoy the experience, then know that we both enjoyed it together. I love that about books.

In the midst of all that fretting over other people’s money and writing about other people’s lives, I racked up a few personal experiences myself. Some good, some bad, but all part of God’s plan. Now I’m an empty nester living in Northern Virginia. My brilliantly funny son is in college. I have a savvy, gorgeous grown daughter, a charming son-in-law, and an amazing grandson.

ABOUT THE BOOK:
Zack Cooper tries his best to raise his children, but he’s losing his grip on them in their teen years. They’ve both had scrapes with the local law.

Tea Shop owner Milly Jewel has the perfect woman in mind to help Zack. Counselor Tina Milano meets weekly at the tea shop with her women’s group. Milly encourages Zack and Tina to work together to draw the teens back before they get in even hotter water. Milly never thought things might heat up between Zack and Tina. Or did she?

Tina’s connections with the Middleburg police department prove a mixed blessing for Zack and his kids. Both her best friend and old boyfriend are officers on the force.

And when Tina’s women’s group gets wind of her personal pursuits and clashes, they want to help. The group’s meetings at the tea shop take on a slightly different flavor. Tina wonders who, exactly, is counseling whom.

Although heroine Tina Milano and her women’s group are mentioned in The Perfect Blend (the first book in this series), Tea for Two is where we meet her and hero Zack Cooper. I knew I would write this book while I wrote the first, so it was fun to plant a passing mention of Zack and Tina while I wrote Steph’s story in The Perfect Blend. By the time I was able to write Tina and Zack’s story, I was eager to unfold their lives, conflicts, and love. I hope readers will be eager to experience what happens to them!

If you would like to read the first chapter of  Tea For Two, go HERE.

Learn more about Trish and her books on her Website.

Watch the Book Video:

MY REVIEW:

After reading Tea For Two, I might be tempted to check out the new tearoom in our area except that I’m afraid it wouldn’t live up to my expectations and my diet doesn’t need to be exposed to the potential goodies. Yes, that’s just how enticing Millicent’s Tea Shop is portrayed in both books of this series. Then to find actual recipes at the end for some of the dishes described was a real bonus. Just wish I dared to bake them. Again – not on my current diet regimen.

One thing I’ve learned from both  Tea For Two and The Perfect Blend is that Millie is an expert matchmaker. Not only does she have a knack for knowing who would make a perfect couple but she manages to steer them in the right direction without them having the first clue what she’s up to.

Tea For Two has a delightfully twisted plot that eventually ends up at the right place. A mostly lighthearted tale complete with the perfect blend of drama, humor, and romance, Tea For Two is just the thing for a lazy afternoon break.

Heart of Lies by Jill Marie Landis

by | Apr 6, 2011 | Books, Historical, Romance

MY REVIEW:

Raised in a “tribe” of New Orleans street urchins after the death of her parents, Maddie Grande was well trained in the arts of lying and stealing. After the death of the tribe’s leader, the gang disbanded and Maddie moved to an isolated cabin in the bayou with twin brothers who were fellow tribe members. Plagued by recurring nightmares, Maddie was determined to put her dishonest life behind her. That dream came to an abrupt halt when the twins brought home a young kidnapped girl and forced her to care for her while they went back to the city to await the ransom.

Pinkerton agent Tom Abbott was close to finding the young woman he had been hired to located when he suspected a connection between her and the kidnapping and became involved in the investigation. Even though he was certain Maddie was guilty, he found himself irresistibly attracted to her. However his dedication to the law forced him to follow through even if it meant her imprisonment.

Excellent setting descriptions made me feel as though I were with the characters both in the bayou and on the streets of New Orleans. Characters were well-rounded and realistic with little Penelope a precocious charmer. The plot moved at an agreeable pace and held my attention until the end. I found myself awake well past bedtime in order to see how it ended.

With a message of hope and forgiveness, Heart of Lies shows that it is never too late to turn your life around and do the right thing. I recommend this book to all who enjoy historical novels.

This book was provided for review by the Amazon Vine Program.

ABOUT THE BOOK:

Raised in a tribe of street urchins, Maddie Grande was taught to be a thief and beggar on the streets of New Orleans. But Maddie doesn’t know her real name or where she came from.

Raised by Dexter Grande, Maddie and her twin “brothers” have recently left New Orleans and moved to the bayou. The twins are rarely there, but Maddie has come to love the swamp. She has learned to fish and trap and sell pelts at the local mercantile.

Maddie longs to change her life but knows that her brothers will never give up their lawless ways. When they kidnap the daughter of a wealthy carpetbagger, the twins force Maddie to hide the precocious eight-year-old while they return to New Orleans to wait for notice of a reward.

Pinkerton agent Tom Abbott is assigned to the kidnapping case in which Maddie has become an accomplice. In a journey that takes them to Baton Rouge, a mutual attraction becomes evident, but Tom and Maddie cannot trust each other.

Will Maddie ever discover who she is? Will her real family ever find her? Will Maddie and Tom listen to their hearts? Or will they choose honor over love?

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Jill Marie Landis is the bestselling author of over twenty novels. Jill has won numerous awards for her sweeping emotional romances, such as Summer Moon and Magnolia Creek. With her toes in the sand and head in the clouds, Jill now lives in Hawaii with her husband, Steve. Visit Jill Marie at www.jillmarielandis.com .

Read Jill’s interview at the Zondervan blog where she discusses writing Heart of Lies.

The Alarmists by Don Hoesel

by | Apr 5, 2011 | Adventure, Books, Contemporary Fiction, Suspense

This week, the

Christian Fiction Blog Alliance

is introducing

The Alarmists

Bethany House (April 1, 2011)

by

Don Hoesel

 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Don Hoesel is a Web site designer for a Medicare carrier in Nashville, TN. He has a BA in Mass Communication from Taylor University and has published short fiction in Relief Journal. He was born and raised in Buffalo, NY but calls Spring Hill, Tennessee, with his wife and two children. The Alarmists is his third novel.

 

 

 

ABOUT THE BOOK:

The 2012 phenomenon that’s going viral around the globe has led sociology professor Jameson Richards to study the impact on society when, like the Y2K scare, 12/21/12 comes and goes with hardly a wrinkle.

This is the date that, according to the Mayan calendar, the doomsayers predict the world will end. Richards teams up with General Michaels, a scientist stationed at the Pentagon whose job it is to monitor the world’s fanatics, keeping an eye out for potential terrorists. Together they uncover something sinister going on beneath the surface, linked to billionaire and media mogul Jeremy Maxwell, who also happens to be a huge manufacturer of weapons systems.

The 2012 date has captured Maxwell’s attention too, and he’s looking to cash in on the public’s fear and paranoia. And what he instigates–along with his corrupt partners–nearly starts another war in the Middle East, while also bringing the world to its knees economically. It’s up to the professor/general team to blow the whistle on Maxwell, hopefully in time to avert a major catastrophe.

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

Softly and Tenderly by Sara Evans and Rachel Hauck

by | Apr 4, 2011 | Books, Contemporary Fiction

MY REVIEW:

When Jade describes her life as feeling like she stepped into a soap opera, she is not far off the track. Finding herself bombarded with crises at every juncture, all she wants to do is run away. At times she even does so mentally. Already dealing with a dying mother, her own infertility, a husband addicted to pain killers, plus a load of guilt from her past, Jade learns firsthand about her father-in-law’s unfaithfulness and is blindsided by the fact that her own husband has hidden an illegitimate son from her for nineteen months.

In Softly and Tenderly Jade, Max, June, Rebel, and Beryl each are forced to come to grips with their own problems and to find a way to correct them. As they turn to God and admit the truth about themselves, restoration begins. Characters are realistically portrayed and deal with true life situations. A spiritual theme is woven naturally through the story without becoming preachy. Softly and Tenderly kept me engaged throughout the book. Be advised that one scene near the end requires a box of tissues. I did feel that the book ended rather abruptly but anticipate that it will be concluded in the upcoming sequel.

This book was provided for review by the Amazon Vine™ Program.

ABOUT THE BOOK:

Maybe in the wide-open country she can learn to breathe again.

Happily married and owner of two successful boutiques, Jade longs to begin a family with her husband, Max. But when she discovers that Max has an illegitimate son – who he wants her to help raise – Jade’s life is turned upside down.

She flees to her childhood home, a rambling Iowa farmhouse, with enough room to breathe. There – while her mother’s health grows fragile, and the tug of her first love grows stronger – Jade begins to question everything she thought she knew about family, love, and motherhood. In the wide-open landscape, Jade begins to see a future that doesn’t rest on the power of her past, but in the goodness of God’s tender mercies.

“Exquisitely written, an achingly beautiful story about lost and found relationships that made me ponder my own. This story is not to be missed.”–Susan May Warren, RITA award-winning, best-selling author of Nightingale

“Hang on for an emotional ride as a woman who ‘married into a Southern soap opera’ learns to forgive and trust again.”–Booklist

ABOUT THE AUTHORS:
Sara Evans

Multi-platinum recording artist Sara Evans has been honored with numerous accolades, among them the 2006 Academy of Country Music’s Female Vocalist of the Year and the Country Music Association’s Video of the Year for “Born to Fly.”  Evans has been named one of People Magazine’s “50 Most Beautiful People” and won the hearts of television viewer’s as the first-ever country star to compete in ABC’s Dancing with the Stars. Sara is a Cabinet Member of The American Red Cross.

Twitter @saraevans music, facebook.com/home.php#!/saraevans
Rachel Hauck
RITA-finalist Rachel Hauck lives in Florida with her husband, Tony. She is the author of Dining with Joy; Sweet Caroline; Love Starts with Elle; and The Sweet By and By, co-authored with Sara Evans. Visit RachelHauck.com and SouthernBelleView.com.

Twitter @RachelHauck, facebook.com/RachelHauckAuthor?ref=ts