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!
***Special thanks to Sarah Reck, Web Publicist, Hachette Book Group for sending me a review copy.***
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Michael Phillips has been writing in the Christian marketplace for 30 years. All told, he has written, co-written, and edited some 110 books. Phillips and his wife live in the U.S., and make their second home in Scotland.
Widowed at 34, amateur harpist Marie “Angel” Buchan realizes at 40 that her life and dreams are slowly slipping away. A summer in Scotland turns out to offer far more than she ever imagined! Not only does the music of her harp capture the fancy of the small coastal village she visits, she is unexpectedly drawn into a love triangle involving the local curate and the local duke.
The boyhood friends have been estranged as adults because of their mutual love of another woman (now dead) some years before. History seems destined to repeat itself, with Marie in the thick of it. Her involvement in the lives of the two men, as well as in the community, leads to a range of exciting relationships and lands Marie in the center of the mystery of a long-unsolved local murder. Eventually she must make her decision: with whom will she cast the lot of her future?
Product Details:
List Price: $16.99
Paperback: 464 pages
Publisher: FaithWords (January 26, 2011)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 044656771X
ISBN-13: 978-0446567718
TO READ THE FIRST CHAPTER, PRESS THE ‘BROWSE INSIDE THIS BOOK’ BUTTON:
Patti Lacy, Baylor graduate, taught community college humanities until God called her to span seas and secrets in her novels, An Irishwoman’s Tale and What the Bayou Saw. She has two grown children and a dog named Laura. She and her husband can be seen jog-walking the streets of Normal, Illinois, an amazing place to live for a woman born in a car. For more information, visit Patti’s website at www.pattilacy.com, her blog at www.pattilacy.com/blog, and her Facebook daily Artbites.
ABOUT THE BOOK:
Sheila Franklin has masqueraded as the precocious daughter of avant-garde parents in colorful 1940s New Orleans, a teen desperate for love and acceptance, and an unwed mother sent North with her shame.
After marrying Edward, Sheila artfully masks her secrets, allowing Edward to gain prominence as a conservative pastor. When one phone call from a disillusioned Vietnam veteran destroys her cover, Sheila faces an impossible choice: save her son and his beloved…or imperil Edward’s ambitions.
Inspired by a true story, The Rhythm of Secrets intermingles jazz, classical, and sacred music in a symphony trumpeting God’s grace.
Endorsements:
“A vibrant journey across time in search of the greatest truth of all: grace.”—Tosca Lee, author of Havah: The Story of Eve and Demon: A Memoir
“No longer a ‘well-kept secret,’ Patti Lacy is a master storyteller who speaks to the soul with a powerful and unique rhythm, weaving a tale so emotionally rich that story and reader become one.”—Julie Lessman, author of The Daughters of Boston series and A Hope Undaunted
“Patti Lacy pens another beautifully written story in The Rhythm of Secrets. I couldn’t put it down!”—Melanie Dobson, award-winning author of The Black Cloister
“The Rhythm of Secrets is a stirring story of faith and endurance that will keep readers turning the page until every last secret is revealed.”—Tina Ann Forkner, author of Ruby Among Us and Rose House
Learn more about Patti and her books on her Website.
MY REVIEW:
The Rhythm of Secrets is a story within a story as Sheila relates details of her life to the son she gave up at birth. Sheila’s story stretches across the years and takes her across the country before she settles in Chicago. Her tale is filled with tragedy and the loss of nearly everything she held dear. Starved for love, she made a mistake that haunted her for over twenty years as she struggled with guilt and later kept her secrets hidden. Once reunited with her son, Sheila is forced to choose between him and her pastor husband. Her choice takes her on a frightening and suspense filled journey to Thailand by way of Hawaii.
Not a book to be read quickly, The Rhythm of Secrets has depth and substance for the reader to contemplate and is well worth the effort. Lacy captures the tone of the time period perfectly and Sheila’s struggles ring true to life. The Rhythm of Secrets is an emotionally charged tale with a strong theme of love, forgiveness, and redemption. Lacy has included a list of YouTube links on her website that correspond to each chapter of the book that you can find here.
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 began in July 2010 from Barbour with the first book entitled Nightshade.
This is the second book in the series.
ABOUT THE BOOK:
Step into the boots of a former Marine in this heart-pounding adventure in life and love. Colton “Cowboy” Neeley is a Marine trying to find his footing as he battles flashbacks now that he’s back home. Piper Blum is a woman in hiding—from life and the assassins bent on destroying her family. When their hearts collide, more than their lives are at stake. Will Colton find a way to forgive Piper’s lies? Can Piper find a way to rescue her father, trapped in Israel? Is there any way their love, founded on her lies, can survive?
If you would like to read an excerpt of Digitalis, go HERE.
Learn more about Ronie and her books on her Website.
MY REVIEW:
If you like intense, action and suspense filled books that feature members of elite special ops forces and the women strong enough to love them, then Digitalis is probably one book you don’t want to miss.The second book in the Discarded Heroes series, Digitalis features former marine Colton Neeley aka “Cowboy” and Piper Blum, a sales clerk Colton just can’t resist. Afraid Piper will reject him if she learns of his true occupation and his unpredictable and devastating flashbacks, Colton is unaware that Piper has some heavy duty secrets of her own. When their worlds collide, the intensity of the story escalates.
Truthfully, I never thought I’d become a fan of military themed novels but Ronie Kendig has changed my mind. Her books teem with the type of action and suspense that keep me turning the pages, unwilling to stop reading until I know how things are resolved. Although fiction, the threats and crises in each story could easily be seen in current news. Digitalis is very well written with realistic characters and a perfectly paced plot. Dialogue and character relationships seem genuine. A strong message of faith is woven into the story in a natural and unobtrusive manner.
To reveal much more would spoil the story. Take my word for it, this is one book and series you don’t want to miss. I can’t wait for the next volume myself.
Although Amish fiction is not my favorite genre, I always enjoy novels by Suzanne Woods Fisher. The Search was not a disappointment, in fact it may be Fisher’s best book yet. I like the way her books are character and plot driven and that the Amish life is a natural part of the story without demanding attention.
The Search contains everything I expect from a good book. It is well written with intriguing and realistic characters, has a well paced plot with a bit of mystery, humor, conflict, and of course, romance. While Bertha was not the primary character, I thought that she stole the show. Her habit of getting words mixed up reminded me so much of my late grandmother that I smiled often. It was also a pleasure to see the way Bess matured as the story progressed. The story featured more than one point of view but was never confusing. A strong message of faith, forgiveness, and restoration runs throughout. Several plot twists and unexpected developments kept me turning the pages. The Search is a well crafted novel and I highly recommend it.
Fifteen years ago, Lainey O’Toole made a split-second decision. She couldn’t have known that her choice would impact so many.
Now in her mid-twenties, she is poised to go to culinary school when her car breaks down in Stoney Ridge, the very Amish town in which her long-reaching decision was made, forcing her to face the shadowed past.
Bess Reihl is less than thrilled to be spending the summer at Rose Hill Farm with her large and intimidating grandmother, Bertha. It quickly becomes clear that she is there to work the farm–and work hard. The labor is made slightly more tolerable by the time it affords Bess to spend with the handsome hired hand, Billy Lapp. But he only has eyes for a flirty and curvaceous older girl.
Lainey’s and Bess’s worlds are about to collide and the secrets that come to light will shock them both.
“Beautifully written, ‘The Search’ is a skillfully woven story that takes readers through unexpected twists and turns on the long country road toward truth. Fans both old and new will find themselves immersed in this heartwarming–and surprising–tale of young love, forgiveness, and coming to grips with the past.”
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
In no particular order, Suzanne Woods Fisher is a wife, mother, writer, lifelong student of the Bible, raiser of puppies for Guide Dogs for the Blind, a gardener and a cook…the latter two with sporadic results.
Suzanne has loved to write since she was a young teen. After college, she started to write for magazines and became a contributing editor for Christian Parenting Today magazine. Her family moved to Hong Kong for four years, just as the internet was developing, and she continued to write articles in a 44-story high-rise apartment, sending manuscripts 7,000 miles away with a click of a key.
After returning from Hong Kong, Suzanne decided to give her first novel a try. For four and a half months, she worked on an antediluvian computer in a cramped laundry room. She didn’t even tell her husband what she was up to. When the novel was completed, she told her family at dinner one night that she had written a book. “That’s why there’s no food in this house!” said her slightly insensitive sons.
Undaunted…Suzanne found a small royalty publisher for that book and wrote three more (all earned multiple awards). With help from an agent, she now has numerous books under contract with Revell. Also look for Suzanne’s Amish non-fiction, Amish Peace: Simple Wisdom for a Complicated World, a non-fiction book of stories and examples about the Old Order Amish, as well as Amish Proverbs, and coming in Spring of 2011, look for Amish Values for Your Family. The Choice and The Waiting are the previous books in the Lancaster County Secrets Collection.
Writing, for Suzanne, is a way to express a love of God and His word. With every book or article, she hopes readers get a sense of what faith really looks like in the daily grind. She hopes they realize that life can be hard, but God is good, and never to confuse the two.
Suzanne can be found on-line at: www.suzannewoodsfisher.com
Suzanne Woods Fisher’s latest installment of the Lancaster County Secrets, The Search, is just out and to celebrate Suzanne is hosting The Search iPad Giveaway!
One Grand Prize winner will receive an iPad Prize Package worth over $500 and includes:
As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
Many links on this site are supplied by the Reviewer groups that provide the books I review. Occasionally other links may be my personal associate links.
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!
, is just out and to celebrate Suzanne is hosting The Search iPad Giveaway! 
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