I passed this book up the first time and after reading the reviews on it, I was bummed I had not picked it. When it appeared again, I jumped at the chance to read it and I was not disappointed at all.
This is one of those books you read that you just "really like". It was hard to believe this was her first novel and I hope she keeps writing,
The storyline deals with Miranda, a widow, with six children to raise by herself. She has a controlling pastor that wants to move the flock (a call by God) to another area and wants the congregation to foot the bill with their land sale. Miranda refuses to sell her land so the pastor threatens her to reveal secrets from her past. The plot thickens when Miranda falls from a cliff and is hurt. Enter her brother-in-law Jack who is a widow also to take care of her kids while she is in the hospital. Miranda named him legal guardian of her children while she recovers. Jack discovers that the kids are so sheltered and brings life and change into the family. The kids had never seen marshmallows!!. Jack can't understand Miranda and her secrets and keeps trying to persuade her to let him help her while falling in love with her.
The ending was a surprise and her secret was a surprise also. This is just a joy to read.
Thanks to Waterbrook/Multnomah for my free copy to review just for my honest opinion
-- Grace Elizabeth --
Wednesday, June 8, 2011
Thursday, May 26, 2011
More Library Reads
I love my library! Now that I don't work at a Christian bookstore where I had lots of books at my fingertips to read and enjoy-my library is my new best friend. They have been so good to order books I have asked for and the first two were ones I asked for.
Beneath the Night Tree by Nicole Baart. This is her third book in her series about Julia Desmit and her life from when she became a single mother and the trials that followed. The first book was After the Leaves Fall, the second was Summer Snow. Each of her books are extremely well written and very hard to put down. I found myself mesmerised by the storyline and what all she goes thru with her unorthodox family. All the books are stories about a young girl's struggle with loss, love, identity and faith with characters that are hard to forget and a story that you won't forget either. These are books that I would reread again-they are that good!!
Heart of Ice by Lis Wiehl was one I couldn't wait to get my hands on to read. This is her third in the Triple Threat Novel series and WOW was it good. I read half the first night and finished it the next night-very unusual for me. The story is about a cunning lady serial killer and three professional women caught up in her world. This is a fast paced thriller with lots of twist and turns that keep you turning pages like I did till I finished it. The only problem is I have to wait till fall for another book by this author. I highly recommend he Hand of Fate and Face of Betrayal books in the Triple Threat series. She will be one of your" new favorite authors" like me.
One Step at a Time by Josh Bleill was a book I found thru the Indianapolis Star and it was fabulous. It is the story of a marine from Greenfield, Indiana that is injured critically in Iraq by and IED. He loses both legs and lots of other injuries. He also lost two of his best friends which was probably the hardest of all. It is a story of his journey from enlistment, active duty in Iraq and two years of rehab and then his job with the Indianapolis Colts as a community spokesperson. You will fall in love with his faith, his enthusiasm, joy, humor but most of all his dependence on God to keep him going. This was a book that just flowed and how even when life doesn't turn out how we think it should-God still has great plans to use us not matter if we are missing legs there is still a way to go forward-one step at a time. I have a daughter in the Army and this book shows me just how the military people are there for each other and really take care of each other-quite a big family of support.
Beneath the Night Tree by Nicole Baart. This is her third book in her series about Julia Desmit and her life from when she became a single mother and the trials that followed. The first book was After the Leaves Fall, the second was Summer Snow. Each of her books are extremely well written and very hard to put down. I found myself mesmerised by the storyline and what all she goes thru with her unorthodox family. All the books are stories about a young girl's struggle with loss, love, identity and faith with characters that are hard to forget and a story that you won't forget either. These are books that I would reread again-they are that good!!
Heart of Ice by Lis Wiehl was one I couldn't wait to get my hands on to read. This is her third in the Triple Threat Novel series and WOW was it good. I read half the first night and finished it the next night-very unusual for me. The story is about a cunning lady serial killer and three professional women caught up in her world. This is a fast paced thriller with lots of twist and turns that keep you turning pages like I did till I finished it. The only problem is I have to wait till fall for another book by this author. I highly recommend he Hand of Fate and Face of Betrayal books in the Triple Threat series. She will be one of your" new favorite authors" like me.
One Step at a Time by Josh Bleill was a book I found thru the Indianapolis Star and it was fabulous. It is the story of a marine from Greenfield, Indiana that is injured critically in Iraq by and IED. He loses both legs and lots of other injuries. He also lost two of his best friends which was probably the hardest of all. It is a story of his journey from enlistment, active duty in Iraq and two years of rehab and then his job with the Indianapolis Colts as a community spokesperson. You will fall in love with his faith, his enthusiasm, joy, humor but most of all his dependence on God to keep him going. This was a book that just flowed and how even when life doesn't turn out how we think it should-God still has great plans to use us not matter if we are missing legs there is still a way to go forward-one step at a time. I have a daughter in the Army and this book shows me just how the military people are there for each other and really take care of each other-quite a big family of support.
Saturday, May 21, 2011
Desert Gift
I just finished Desert Gift by Sally John and it was one of those books where I read other reviews on this book and went ahead and picked this to read. I got this book free from Tyndale Publishers for my honest opinion. So my honest opinion is: it was just ok. I struggled with the plot-very uninteresting and way too long. The book and plot seemed to drag on forever till I got to the end. The characters seemed so trite and focused on themselves which got tiring after a while.
The story plot about Jillian Galloway being a successful radio talk show host and known as a marriage expert. She has a new book out and is leaving on a book tour when her husband tells her he wants a divorce. She is wondering if her whole life is a sham and how can she get her marriage back. This is supposed to be a book about unexpected detours that our lives can take and how God is always at work. There was some of that but mostly I felt the book just rambled on and on. Very seldom do I not like a Christian book and I am sure she is a great author, but this book left me relieved when I turned the last page.
The story plot about Jillian Galloway being a successful radio talk show host and known as a marriage expert. She has a new book out and is leaving on a book tour when her husband tells her he wants a divorce. She is wondering if her whole life is a sham and how can she get her marriage back. This is supposed to be a book about unexpected detours that our lives can take and how God is always at work. There was some of that but mostly I felt the book just rambled on and on. Very seldom do I not like a Christian book and I am sure she is a great author, but this book left me relieved when I turned the last page.
Monday, May 16, 2011
Thicker than Blood
I have had this book on hold at the library since I read her second book Bound by Guilt two weeks ago. There were some characters in that book that are in this book but stand alone enough to read the way I did. CJ Darlington was an award winner in the Jerry Jenkins Christian Writers Guild and after reading her two books, it is easy to see why.
Thicker than Blood centers around Christy Williams and her work in a book store that deals with rare and first edition books. It is a fascinating look into the world of antiquarian books and two sisters with a past full of regrets. It also shows addiction, betrayal and God's powerful reach in all their lives. As you read this story, you feel like you are right there in the room with them, experiencing all their raw pain and emotion.
This lady can write-be prepared to keep reading, because she keeps you enthralled in the storyline. Can't wait for her next one-
Thicker than Blood centers around Christy Williams and her work in a book store that deals with rare and first edition books. It is a fascinating look into the world of antiquarian books and two sisters with a past full of regrets. It also shows addiction, betrayal and God's powerful reach in all their lives. As you read this story, you feel like you are right there in the room with them, experiencing all their raw pain and emotion.
This lady can write-be prepared to keep reading, because she keeps you enthralled in the storyline. Can't wait for her next one-
Monday, May 9, 2011
Lightkeeper's Ball
Oh, how I love Colleen Coble's books!!. Picked this book up from the library and devoured it quickly. This is the third in her Lightkeeper's series and it was super good. Since I have read all of her books, I know she does not write a bad book.
This book takes place in Mercy Falls California. Olivia Steward is heiress to an empire. Her family is considered to be very wealthy but in real life, their wealth has disappeared. The only hope is for the Stewart's daughters' to marry well. Olivia's sister, Eleanor was engaged to Harrison Bennett who is very wealthy. Eleanor dies very mysteriously so Olivia travels to Mercy Falls as Lady Devonworth hoping to find out who or what killed Eleanor. She finds that her death wasn't an accident and suspects Harrison to be the guilty one. Then the plot thickens when a charity ball takes place and truths long hidden will be revealed.
This book kept me guessing-which all of her books do-as to who the culprit really was. I was totally surprised by the killer. That is why Colleen is such a good writer, she weaves twists and turns throughout the book, and then completely surprises you with the ending. She always puts suspense, romance and lots of rich deep faith in her books.
Can't wait for the next Colleen Coble book. That's what happens when you read her books.
This book takes place in Mercy Falls California. Olivia Steward is heiress to an empire. Her family is considered to be very wealthy but in real life, their wealth has disappeared. The only hope is for the Stewart's daughters' to marry well. Olivia's sister, Eleanor was engaged to Harrison Bennett who is very wealthy. Eleanor dies very mysteriously so Olivia travels to Mercy Falls as Lady Devonworth hoping to find out who or what killed Eleanor. She finds that her death wasn't an accident and suspects Harrison to be the guilty one. Then the plot thickens when a charity ball takes place and truths long hidden will be revealed.
This book kept me guessing-which all of her books do-as to who the culprit really was. I was totally surprised by the killer. That is why Colleen is such a good writer, she weaves twists and turns throughout the book, and then completely surprises you with the ending. She always puts suspense, romance and lots of rich deep faith in her books.
Can't wait for the next Colleen Coble book. That's what happens when you read her books.
Wednesday, April 27, 2011
Live Loved
Life is so good!!! I had the wonderful opportunity to review two new Max Lucado books in the same month!!. I am a HUGE Max fan so this was like Christmas to me.
Live Loved is his latest devotional and different in many ways. This devotional is not dated so you can start and stop anytime. This book also have collections from his latest books so it is completely different from his other three devotionals. The layout is a short story, then a prayer and two to three scriptures to end the devotional. Here is a sampling of the chapter titles: Loved with a Steadfast Love, Loved with a Perfect Love, Loved with a Wise Love, Loved with a Merciful Love, and Loved to Love Others.
I have all three of his other devotionals and read them every day so now I have four inspirational daily reminders of God's love written through the pen of Max. If you are a Max lover like me you will NEED this for your collection-it is a winner!!
Thank you Thomas Nelson for this free copy just for my honest opinion of this book.
Monday, April 25, 2011
Bound by Guilt
I tried to win this book from Tyndale when they were having their giveaways and was not able to. The storyline intrigued me so much I picked this up from the library.
This book by CJ Darlington is one of my top 5 books-it was fabulous.
The book centers around the plot of rare books and what people will do for the rarest of books. I never realized that first editions of books claimed huge monetary rewards which makes them a thief's greatest prize.
This story deals with complicated characters that you won't soon forget, but it also deals with guilt, rejection and loss in a storyline that offers hope and healing through forgiveness. Your heart will be broken by Roxi whose life is in shambles when someone comes in and offers love with no strings attached. Just like God does with us with forgiveness.
This was hard to put down because I wanted to see just how Roxi would end up and the ending did not disappoint me.
I now have her first book Thicker than Blood on hold at the library. That book deals with a few characters in this book but you can read them on their own.
This book by CJ Darlington is one of my top 5 books-it was fabulous.
The book centers around the plot of rare books and what people will do for the rarest of books. I never realized that first editions of books claimed huge monetary rewards which makes them a thief's greatest prize.
This story deals with complicated characters that you won't soon forget, but it also deals with guilt, rejection and loss in a storyline that offers hope and healing through forgiveness. Your heart will be broken by Roxi whose life is in shambles when someone comes in and offers love with no strings attached. Just like God does with us with forgiveness.
This was hard to put down because I wanted to see just how Roxi would end up and the ending did not disappoint me.
I now have her first book Thicker than Blood on hold at the library. That book deals with a few characters in this book but you can read them on their own.