Snow Day - Review

Peter Boyd is your typical family man. He works hard to support his family of four living in a small Virginia town nestled against the backdrop of the Blue Ridge Mountains. Peter learns from a company wide memo that "Exciting Announcement!!!" is taking place tomorrow even though through the union grapevine there is speculation that is means lay offs. This just weeks before Christmas.

How does a man get through the day, wondering how he is going to provide for his family when in this economy, jobs are hard to come by. Especially a job that he's been at for some time and is making enough to support his family pretty well. In this day in age where jobs are a dime a dozen. Peter decides when he woke up that morning and found out that the weather man was wrong big time, that he too, could afford to take a "Snow Day", and just enjoy this one day while things in his life were still the way he left them last night.

Little did Peter realize how God would play out in a variety of roles through various people, Peter would encounter that day, to show him just what is really important in life and that worrying about them changes nothing. Peter's life on this day will never be the same but profoundly changed forever by an unexpected snow fall.

In his debut novel, Billy Coffey once more takes his readers on a magic journey into the various lives of the people we will meet through Peter Boyd and the need to venture out in search of "bread and milk" for his family and neighbors in "Snow Day"! At the conclusion of each chapter, Peter reflects what the purpose of his encounter means to him and this is where we catch our "Billyisms" or pieces of wonderful wisdom that embed themselves in your heart!

If you haven't heard of Billy Coffey, then you have been missing out of one of the finest writers that is guaranteed to not only touch your heart, but change your life forever by the words he uses to take us on the ride of our lives. I've known Billy Coffey for quite some time as a writer who was hoping one day to share his love of story-telling on his blog, "What I Learned Today" and have a book published. For all of us who have believed that Billy Coffey was a star just waiting to be discovered, this diamond is truly shining in his first book.

His down home charm and virtual porch allows the readers to share a piece of Billy's heart as he shares his personal story through the life of Peter Boyd. This is by far one of the best books I have read to date and once I had the opportunity to review it, I knew I had received a true gift.

I received Snow Day compliments of Christian Fiction Blog Alliance for my honest review and for me this one rates off the scale. It's worthy of 10 stars! For more information on this book, the amazing and talented Billy Coffey, and where to purchase a copy of this life changing book and read an excerpt, continue to read further:

This week, the
Christian Fiction Blog Alliance
is introducing
Snow DayFaithWords (October 11, 2010)
by
Billy Coffey
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

When you’re raised in small-town Virginia by a redneck father and a Mennonite mother, certain things become ingrained. And when you marry a small-town girl and have two small-town kids, all you want to do is pass those ingrained things along.

Like believing the best life is one lived in the country enjoying the pleasures it provides—summer nights beneath the stars, rocking chairs on the front porch, deer grazing in the fields. And believing that no matter how iffy life can get sometimes, there are some things that are eternal and unchanging.

But above all else, believing that in everything there is story waiting to be told.

That’s where I come in.

Billy Coffey was raised on stories. The first ones came on the front porches of relatives, tales laced with local charm and deep meaning. Then came the stories from people like Max Lucado and Robert Fulghum, who write with a charm and deep meaning of their own.

Billy lives with his wife and two children in Virginia’s Shenandoah Valley. If you drive by his house, you’ll probably spot him on the front porch. If you do, give him a wave. He’ll wave back.

ABOUT THE BOOK

In this debut novel, Peter is a simple man who lives by a simple truth--a person gains strength by leaning on his constants. To him, those constants are the factory where he works, the family he loves, and the God who sustains him. But when news of job cuts comes against the backdrop of an unexpected snowstorm, his life becomes filled with far more doubts than certainties.

With humor and a gift for storytelling, Billy Coffey brings you along as he spends his snow day encountering family, friends, and strangers of his small Virginia town. All have had their own battles with life's storms. Some have found redemption. Others are still seeking it. But each one offers a piece to the puzzle of why we must sometimes suffer loss, and each one will help Peter find a greater truth--our lives are made beautiful not by our big moments, but our little ones. (2010)

To read an excerpt from Snow Day, go HERE.

You can also visit his website at http://billycoffey.com and sign up to follow his blog and his writings every day. I also did an interview with Billy Coffey back in August 2009, click here to take you back in time and read what an incredible man he is!!!

Twilight's Serenade

Some people travel all over the world in search of love while others to avoid it. That's exactly the purpose in Britta Lindquist's life. She has loved a man since she was a child but because of a wandering eye and whiskey, this love was removed from her and given to another. Leaving in search of a way to forget, she finds love in music and her ability to create it using a violin. Once she is offered a first chair position in England with a new orchestra, Britta must face her toughest choice in dealing with the first love of her life.

Yuri Belikov has fallen into a pattern of reaching for whiskey to answer the problems life has handed him in his difficult situations. Waking up one morning married to a prostitute and subsequently having a child from her as well, has completely turned his world on end. Not the life he dreamed one day. Yet the demon of alcohol has held him captive for years and it's only in that pursuit that Yuri abandoned his "wife" and little girl Laura, in searching for answers.

Suddenly one day, a mining accident leaves Yuri as the only survivor and during his recovery he learns that God has never abandoned him but it's been Yuri that has walked away from God. Fighting his addiction to alcohol he comes face to face with the God of his past and finds healing and hope to return to the life he left behind. Yet he isn't prepared for the life he is about to discover when he arrives. Does he have what it takes to survive in life and will he cling to the God he has found or will old habits never die?

I received the book, Twilight's Serenade by Tracie Peterson, compliments of Christian Fiction Blog Alliance for my honest review. Since this is the third book in the series Song of Alaska, and not having read the first two, I could easily pick this one up and enjoy it as a stand alone book. I look forward to reading the first two in the series to see the beginnings of the these characters and how they emerge. I would rate this book a 4.5 out of 5 stars as the characters and the decisions they make are truly real and believable.

For more information about this book, the author or where to purchase a copy, please read below:

This week, the

Christian Fiction Blog Alliance

is introducing

Twilight's Serenade Bethany House (August 1, 2010)

by Tracie Peterson





ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Tracie Peterson is the bestselling, award-winning author of more than 85 novels.

She received her first book contract in November, 1992 and saw A Place To Belong published in February 1993 with Barbour Publishings' Heartsong Presents. She wrote exclusively with Heartsong for the next two years, receiving their readership's vote for Favorite Author of the Year for three years in a row.



In December, 1995 she signed a contract with Bethany House Publishers to co-write a series with author Judith Pella. Tracie now writes exclusively for Bethany House Publishers.



She teaches writing workshops at a variety of conferences on subjects such as inspirational romance and historical research.



Tracie was awarded the Romantic Times Career Achievement Award for 2007 Inspirational Fiction and her books have won numerous awards for favorite books in a variety of contests.



Making her home in Montana, this Kansas native enjoys spending time with family--especially her three grandchildren--Rainy, Fox and Max. She's active in her church as the Director of Women's Ministries, coordinates a yearly writer's retreat for published authors, and travels, as time permits, to research her books









ABOUT THE BOOK

Britta Lindquist left Sitka six years ago in an attempt to distance herself from the love of her life, Yuri Belikov. Upon her return, she finds Yuri absent and his wife about to deliver a child. When tragic circumstances ensue, Britta suddenly finds herself caring for Yuri's children--and her life intertwining with the man she's tried so hard to forget.



But Britta's other great love is for the violin, and her talent is recognized by Brenton Maltese, a conductor from England. He proposes she accept the coveted first chair position in his orchestra...and also his hand in marriage. At a crossroads, Britta must determine what her heart truly longs for--and if she's willing to fight for it.

At a Crossroads, Britta must determine what her heart truly longs for─and if she's willing to fight for it.

If you would like to read the first chapter of Twilight's Serenade, go HERE.

Dark In The City of Light - Review

My Review:

Paris in the 1870's is a very dangerous place to be. The country is on the edge of a civil unrest as the citizens rise up against Napoleon Bonaparte saying that he isn't the rightful emperor of France, while Austria and Prussia try to stay out of an impending war with France.

Meanwhile Baron Ferdinand Harsanyi has one of the the rights to the Cinnabar mines his wife owns which can be mined for ore to gain Mercury, a very sought after product that France, Prussia, and England which to purchase to gain a hand in the upcoming war. But when his wife refuses to get involved in the profits of war, she mysteriously dies and leaves the rights of the mine to her husband.

The family is then uprooted to Paris where Rudolph Harsanyi is enrolled in Ecole military school that had once taught Napoleon and when he learns that his mother may have been murdered, he wastes no time in trying to find the killer, who may very well be under the same roof.

His sister on the other hand is involved in the romance of Paris and in meeting with the up and coming well to do royalty that finds it's way in the Prince and Princess Von Metternich of Austria. She also finds the man she left behind in Vienna has followed her to Paris and proposes marriage.

Will the war bring this family together or simply tear them all apart? You'll have to find out by reading Dark in the City of Light by Paul Robertson. I received this book, compliments of Christian Fiction Blog Alliance, for my honest review and would rate this a 4 out of 5 stars. It was a hard start in the beginning and then it got better by the second chapter. For more information on the book, the author and where to purchase a copy, please review below:

This week, the

Christian Fiction Blog Alliance

is introducing

Dark In The City Of Light Bethany House (July 1, 2010)

by Paul Robertson





ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Paul Robertson is a computer programming consultant, part-time high-school math and science teacher, and the author of The Heir. He is also a former Christian bookstore owner (for 15 years), who lives with his family in Blacksburg, Virginia.











ABOUT THE BOOK

What Evil Haunts the Shadows of 1870s Paris?



Baron Ferdinand Harsanyi — After his wife's mysterious death, this Austrian attaché holds control over mines whose coveted ore could turn the tide of war.



Therese Harsanyi — Swept up in new romance and the spectacle of Paris, the Baron's daughter is blind to the dangers stalking her family and the city she loves.



Rudolph Harsanyi — Unsure whom to trust, the Baron's son's grief over his mother's death twists into growing anger and a desire to break free.



As France and Prussia plunge toward war, one family is caught in a web of deceit, political intrigue, and murder that threatens to tear them apart.



If you would like to read the first chapter of Dark In The City Of Light, go HERE.

Nightshade - Review

My Review:

Deep in the jungle of the Philippines is where Max Jacobs the former Navy Seal leads a secret Black Ops Mission to help several missionaries get out before the Radical Guerillas come in to kill the rival tribes where they live. Max soon learns that through the help of some very close combat friends that he has to accept God and learn from his past, to let go of his inner demons and strife. This book has a great moral storyline for all to read and learn out of this book which is pride. Don't be so prideful that you can't share and trust the people who are part of your life. Max learns a great moral in the final section of the book which I will not spoil for you.

The book Nightshade by Ronie Kendig is definitely great for men and women who know or have some sort of connection with the Armed Forces that protect our Nation everyday! I can't wait to read some more of Ronie Kendigs' next book in this series. Thank you for writing such a clever story! I definitely rate this book a 4.5 out of 5. It has all of the aspects you are looking for in an action book. I like how the story leads Max into wanting to know more about God as the story unfolds before you.

I received this book compliments of Christian Fiction Blog Alliance for my honest review. For more information regarding the book, the author, and a book video check out the links below:

This week, the

Christian Fiction Blog Alliance

is introducing

Nightshade Barbour Books (July 1, 2010)by

Ronie Kendig





ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

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 begins in July from Barbour with the first book entitled Nightshade.





ABOUT THE BOOK

After a tour of duty in a war-torn country, embattled former Navy SEAL Max Jacobs finds himself discarded and alienated from those he loves as he

struggles with war-related PTSD. His wife, Sydney, files a restraining order against him and a petition for divorce. Max is devastated.



Then a mysterious a man appears. He says he's organizing a group that recycles veterans like Max. It's a deep-six group known as Nightshade. With

the chance to find purpose in life once again, Max is unable to resist the call of duty and signs on.



The team handles everything with precision and lethal skill...until they're called upon to rescue a missionary family from a rebel-infested jungle and

avoid a reporter hunting their identities.



Will Max yield his anger and pride to a force greater than him...love?



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



Watch the trailer:

Stars In The Night - Book Review

Everyone has always dreamed of moving to Hollywood with the hopes of becoming the next big star with their name in lights.

That’s what Rosemary Shaeffer had hoped when she convinced her mom and dad to let her leave her small town in Indiana at the height of World War 2 to head for Hollywood to make it big.

Her parents only relented and gave her their blessing if she remained in contact with them faithfully with a weekly phone call, otherwise she’d be on the next bus headed home.

Her older sister, Audra, is finally getting her big break after finishing up at law school to try her very first case as a woman. Finally life for the Shaeffer sisters is looking up.

Until…one night when Rosemary doesn’t make her routine call home. At first her father brushes it off that she might be at an audition or on a movie set, but they agree to wait until morning hoping that she will call and explain the reason for taking so long to call. Only the call never comes. Audra feels that something isn’t right. Maybe it was the sound in her voice the last time she spoke with Rosemary. Was it trouble with a man?

Leaving nothing to chance, Audra leaves to Hollywood to find out what happened to her sister. Yet when she arrives, she finds a dead body of a woman in her sister’s bathroom and her sister missing. Is her sister the murderer?

After contacting the police, Audra is called to meet the police at the hospital. She is hoping that her sister has been taken there after some accident, but when she arrives, she is asked to identify the body of a woman found in red gown at the park. It’s Rosemary.

How does one call her parents and tell them that they have lost another child? Audra decides to stay in town and try to solve the murder of her sister. As she has to go on is a book of her sisters calendar and a long list of men’s names. Will she be able to find her sister’s murderer? Will she herself become the newest target of something the killer is looking for? What did her sister wind up getting herself involved with to justify murder?

In order to find out, you’ll have to read, Stars in the Night by Cara C. Putnam, in her latest book involving the Hollywood stars that all have ulterior motives to get their names in lights.

I received this book, compliments of Christian Fiction Blog Alliance, for my honest review. For more information regarding this book, the author or where to purchase a copy, you can read more below:

This week, the

Christian Fiction Blog Alliance

is introducing

Stars In The Night Summerside Press (July 1, 2010)

by Cara Putman





ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

A Word From Cara:



I graduated from high school at sixteen, college at 20, and completed my law degree when I was 27.



My writing journey started in 2005 when I decided to write my first novel. Now I have eleven books published with more on the way.



People say I've accomplished a lot and that I must have life by the proverbial tail. Hardly! I grew up as a home schooled kid when home schoolers were misunderstood and oddities.



I struggle with balancing my writing and law career, plus being a good mom and wife.



I often fear people won't like my books.



I've walked through the deep pain of miscarriage.



Really, I'm just like you – I don't have it all together and have gone through tough times. But in His strength, I've discovered a strength I never knew I had. A strength I want you to discover, too.



In the end I'm just an ordinary mom who has seen God do some wonderful things as I've been obedient to step into the calling He's led me into.



Stars in the Night Background



Stars in the Night was an idea that had begun to percolate in my mind. I’d written two World War II series and was actively looking for my next setting. My husband, a huge World War II history buff, and I were kicking ideas around, and I’d decided Hollywood was probably the next place for me. I’d gone to the library and gotten a stack of research books when I got the call. An editor I knew but had never worked with wanted to know if I might be interested in a new line they were starting. As we talked, I got so excited. And then she emailed me their guidelines, which listed that Hollywood was a location they were interested in setting books.



Only God could have known ahead of time. But because I followed His prompting I was ready to run with an idea. Stars in the Night is the result.







ABOUT THE BOOK

Hollywood 1942. When attorney Audra Schaeffer's sister disappears, Audra flies to Hollywood to find her.



Any day Audra might have been flattered by the friendly overtures of Robert Garfield, a real-life movie star. But on the flight from Indianapolis to Hollywood, Audra can think of little else than finding her missing sister. When Audra arrives in the city of glitz and glamour, and stars, and learns her rising starlet sister has been murdered, all thoughts of romance fly away.



Determined to bring the killer to justice, Audra takes a job with the second Hollywood Victory Caravan.



Together with Robert Garfield and other stars, she crisscrosses the southern United States in a campaign to sell war bonds. When two other women are found dead on the train, Audra knows the deaths are tied to that of her sister.



Could the killer be the man with whom she's falling in love?



If you'd like to read an excerpt of Chapter 1 of Stars In The Night, go HERE.



Contest: Lots of opportunities to win and great prizes, and the grand prize contains some of Cara's favorite classic movies as well as all of her WWII novels: Launch Contest!

Heartless

My Review:

Deep in a land once forgotten that lies outside of the kingdom of Parumvir, lies the hope of world. Princess Una has just come of age and has forgotten the childhood games that she used to play with her brother Felix while sitting on the Old Bridge that separates her father's kingdom from the Old Woods. She has been warned not to cross the bridge but never the reason why.

While Princess Una dreams of suitors, Felix begins to learn the art of sword fighting. Then one day, a crowd of unknown strangers enters the land of Parumvir for the Twelve Year Market, selling magical wares and the kingdom will begin to enter a period of darkness ruled by dragons once more.

I received the book, Heartless by Anne Elisabeth Stengl, compliments of Christian Fiction Blog Alliance for my honest review and I absolutely adored it. Its a mixture of Pirates of the Caribbean, mixed in with elements of Eragon and Lord of the Rings. Ms. Stengl does a masterful job at immersing the reader into the lives of Princess Una and the fate that awaits her. I would easily rate this book at a 5 out of 5 stars and now even my husband has picked it up to begin reading it the minute I put it down. This is a great Christian fantasy book that rates right up there with C.S. Lewis.

For more information on the book, including the first chapter preview, the author and where to purchase a copy, click on the links below:

This week, the

Christian Fiction Blog Alliance

is introducing

Heartless Bethany House (July 1, 2010)

by

Anne Elisabeth Stengl


ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Anne Elisabeth Stengl makes her home in Raleigh, North Carolina, where she enjoys her profession as an art teacher, giving private lessons from her personal studio, and teaching group classes at the Apex Learning Center. She studied illustration at Grace College and English literature at Campbell University. Heartless is her debut novel.


ABOUT THE BOOK

Princess Una of Parumvir has come of age and will soon be married. She dreams of a handsome and charming prince, but when the first suitor arrives, she finds him stodgy and boring. Prince Aethelbald from the mysterious land of Farthestshore has traveled far to prove his love--and also to bring hushed warnings of danger. A dragon is rumored to be approaching Parumvir.


Una, smitten instead with a more dashing prince, refuses Aethelbald's offer--and ignores his warnings. Soon the Dragon King himself is in Parumvir, and Una, in giving her heart away unwisely, finds herself in grave danger. When Una makes the wrong choice, catastrophe ensues for the princess and her family, and love, courage, and trust are needed when darkness engulfs the kingdom.


Only those courageous enough to risk everything have a hope of fighting off this advancing evil.


There are some delightful things and scenes: the Twelve-Year Market that appears in its own good time and sells fairy goods; a clever blind cat who is invariably underfoot and has, of course, a secret!


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

Tomorrow We Die Review

My Review:

In the novel, Tomorrow We Die by Shawn Grady, we find ourselves with paramedic Jonathan Trestle, who can't seem to keep up with patients that keep dying before he has a chance to help them. In the busy town of Reno, Nevada, Aprisa ambulance response time is supposed to be under 5 minutes 59 seconds. Yet lately Jonathan and his partner Bones, can't seem to make it anywhere near that mark and thus the reason for so many fatalities lately. When they receive a call to an unresponsive man, they once again believe they've encounter the classic drunk man. Yet when they arrive on scene they learn that he isn't breathing and close to death. Just before he is about to succumb once more to death, Simone Letell, passes off a note to Jonathan asking him to give it to Martin.

Able to save this man from death, Jonathan decides to check his new patient out after hours. Only then does he learn that the man has escaped, pulled out his IV's and breathing tube and has left the hospital. The only clue is the key, Simone Letell has left behind for the Crown Motel. Jonathan heads over there to ensure that Simone is OK after checking himself out of the Cardiac Care Unit and finds Simone dead outside his hotel room.

This is where the story starts to get good. Page after page, finds you alongside Jonathan to discover what mystery Simone held with Martin. Seeing nothing on the note but dashes, dots and some slash marks, Jonathan doesn't know where to begin, but believes the answer lies with finding and locating Martin. This novel is entwined with the constant 911 dispatches for ambulance service, and the unraveling the autopsy of Simone Letell. For once, this book had me guessing until the very end how this would all turn out. Like a movie in my mind, I found myself captivated in this book to the very end. Call it a cross between medical shows like Trauma or Mercy and CSI, so if you are a fan of those, this book is a must read.

I received this book, compliments of Christian Fiction Blog Alliance, for my honest review. This title is available in paperback for sale at Amazon for $ 10.19.

Refuge on Crescent Hill

My Review:

In today's economic downturn it's easy to find yourself working one day and the next you're not. Camden Bristow returns home from Indonesia after the floods only to find her current office of employment vacant. No one is there. Her phone calls to her boss only return with a disconnected recording. With her credit cards maxed out, and her landlord threatening to toss her out by 5pm tonight, Camden has no choice but to head back to her grandmother's home on Crescent Hill in hopes she provide her a place to stay until she can get back on her feet again.

What she finds at her grandmother's is her worst nightmare. Her grandmother has passed away 5 days before she arrives and the once beautiful and magnificent mansion on Crescent Hill is about to be condemned by the city for being to unsafe to live in. If she only had the money to fix it, she would have a home to stay in. When Camden learns her grandmother, Rosalie has left the home to her, she now has to decide what is best for her and her families history. Can she bear to sell her families home that was once a station for the Underground Railroad some 150 years ago?

I received The House on Crescent Hill by Melanie Dobson, compliments of Christian Fiction Blog Alliance for my honest review and can honestly rate this book 10 out of 10. It's a definite must read and the characters are true to life and completely believable. I can definitely see this book as having a sequel and hope that Melanie Dobson decides to continue the story. For more information on the book including a first chapter preview, the wonderful and talented author, and more see the links below:

This week, the

Christian Fiction Blog Alliance

is introducing

Refuge on Crescent Hill

Kregel Publications (March 11, 2010)

by

Melanie Dobson





ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Melanie Dobson is the award-winning author of The Black Cloister; Love Finds You in Liberty, Indiana; and Together for Good.



Prior to launching Dobson Media Group in 1999, Melanie was the corporate publicity manager at Focus on the Family where she was responsible for the publicity of events, products, films, and TV specials. Melanie received her undergraduate degree in journalism from Liberty University and her master's degree in communication from Regent University. She has worked in the fields of publicity and journalism for fifteen years including two years as a publicist for The Family Channel.



Melanie and her husband, Jon, met in Colorado Springs in 1997 at Vanguard Church. Jon works in the field of computer animation. Since they've been married, the Dobsons have relocated numerous times including stints in Virginia, Tennessee, North Carolina, Colorado, Berlin, and Southern California. These days they are enjoying their new home in the Pacific Northwest.



Jon and Melanie have adopted their two daughters —Karly (6) and Kinzel (5). When Melanie isn't writing or entertaining their girls, she enjoys exploring ghost towns and dusty back roads, traveling, hiking, line dancing, and reading inspirational fiction.







ABOUT THE BOOK

THE HOMECOMING WASN’T WHAT SHE EXPECTED…

Jobless, homeless, and broke, Camden Bristow decides to visit the grandmother she hasn’t seen in years. But when Camden arrives in Etherton, Ohio, she discovers that her grandmother has passed away, leaving her the 150-year-old mansion on Crescent Hill. The site of her happiest summers as a child, the run-down mansion is now her only refuge.



When Camden finds evidence that she may not be the mansion’s only occupant, memories of Grandma Rosalie’s bedtime stories about secret passageways and runaway slaves fuel her imagination. What really happened at Crescent Hill? Who can she turn to for answers in this town full of strangers? And what motivates the handsome local Alex Yates to offer his help? As she works to uncover the past and present mysteries harbored in her home, Camdem uncovers deep family secrets within the mansion’s walls that could change her life─and the entire town─forever.



If you would like to read the first chapter of Refuge on Crescent Hill, go HERE.

Simple Secrets

My Review:

At first I wasn't sure how I would like this book about a Mennonite town set in the town of Harmony, Kansas, but after reading this book, I would love to move anywhere like this small town describes. Just the love of the people for one another within a small town is something I've been searching for my whole life. A simple town much like Mayberry from the old Andy Griffith show. Grace Temple finds herself the lone heir of her old Uncle Benjamin's home when he dies. Since he hasn’t spoken to anyone in his family since Gracie's parents left the town of Harmony, Gracie was the only family left he wasn't angry with.

Gracie's plans are to head to Harmony and collect what family heirlooms remain, sell the house and be back in Wichita in two weeks. What she discovers in the town of Harmony is that it isn't as harmonious as the name implies. Someone has a secret to hide. One that has been buried by the town's inhabitants and one that may very well put Gracie's life in danger after she arrives.

I received Simple Secrets by Nancy Mehl, compliments of Christian Fiction Blog Alliance and absolutely fell in love with the story from page one to the very end. It has also opened my eyes to the old ways of the Mennonite people and the strong faith that ties families and friends together with the grace of God. I would highly recommend this book as the perfect story to lose yourself in. All the characters are believable and lovable from the harsh, old neighbor, Sweetie to the new pastor of the church Abel and his wife Emily. I would rate this book a perfect 10 out of 10. Trust me, this is one to keep in a permanent home in your library or to give as a gift for someone who questions their faith in God.

For more information on this book, the author, where to purchase a copy and even a first chapter preview, read below:

This week, the

Christian Fiction Blog Alliance

is introducing

Simple Secrets Barbour Books (June 1, 2010)

by

Nancy Mehl
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Nancy Mehl lives in Wichita, Kansas with her husband Norman and her son, Danny. She’s authored nine books and is currently at work on her newest series for Barbour Publishing.


All of Nancy’s novels have an added touch – something for your spirit as well as your soul. “I welcome the opportunity to share my faith through my writing,” Nancy says. “It’s a part of me and of everything I think or do. God is number one in my life. I wouldn’t be writing at all if I didn’t believe that this is what He’s called me to do. I hope everyone who reads my books will walk away with the most important message I can give them: God is good, and He loves you more than you can imagine. He has a good plan especially for your life, and there is nothing you can’t overcome with His help.”

CREATING FICTION FULL OF FAITH, HOPE AND HEART…

Nancy Mehl is a mystery writer who loves to set her novels in her home state of Kansas. Her three-in-one book, COZY IN KANSAS, contains the first three Ivy Towers’s mysteries: IN THE DEAD OF WINTER, BYE BYE BERTIE, and FOR WHOM THE WEDDING BELL TOLLS which was nominated for the 2009 American Christian Fiction Writers Book of the Year Award in mystery.

She and her husband attend Believer’s Tabernacle in Wichita.


ABOUT THE BOOK

Graphic designer Gracie Temple wants it all: the big city lifestyle and a successful job in advertising. And it looks like her life is on the right track when she takes a job at a struggling, midsize firm in Wichita.

But Gracie Temple's uncle left her a house in a rural Mennonite community. She soon learns he secluded himself for years to protect a secret about her own father. Now it's up to Gracie to decide if she'll keep the secret or if she can afford to expose it.

Sam Goodrich loves his fruit farm in Harmony, Kansas. But when he meets city-girl Gracie, he begins to wonder if he could leave it behind for a woman who makes him feel things he's never felt before.

When someone tries to keep Gracie from discovering the truth behind the town's collection of secrets, will Sam and Gracie cling to their faith to help them decide what's most important...before it's too late?

If you would like to read the first chapter of Simple Secrets, go HERE.

Maid to Match

My Review:

Set in the late 1800's we find ourselves at the Biltmore estate owned by the very prestigious and wealthy Vanderbilt's family. Here we met Tillie Reese who has worked at the Biltmore estate as a housemaid for quite some time, and now at 18 finds herself at just the right moment for a possible promotion when the current lady's maid is leaving back to France.

It's been Tillie's dream to become a lady's maid for someone like Mrs. Vanderbilt because she herself would be privileged to find herself in beautiful dresses and traveling all over the world, taking care of Mrs. Vanderbilt. Not only that she would make enough money to support her family at home. This is the job she has been waiting for and one her mother has been helping her strive for her whole life. Something better in this hard world.

Mack Danver is a rugged mountain man whose encounter in the city while shopping with Mrs. Vanderbilt is about to change life for both Tillie and the Vanderbilt family forever. Will their lives ever be the same again? Check out the details below including a chance to win a trip to the Biltmore estate yourself.

I received this must read book, Maid to Match by Deeanne Gist, compliments of Christian Fiction Blog Alliance and found myself completely immersed in the lives of Tillie and the staff at the Vanderbilt estate. There are parlor games that are played during the staffs days off at the Sunday barn dances that I found amusing and whimsical and completely adored how women were treated at these events. I highly recommend this book giving it a 10 out of 10 rating.

For more information about the author, the book and where you can enter for the contest to visit the Biltmore, check out the following information below:

This week, the

Christian Fiction Blog Alliance

is introducing

Maid to Match Bethany House (June 1, 2010)

by Deeanne Gist





ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

After a short career in elementary education, Deeanne Gist retired to raise her four children. Over the course of the next fifteen years, she ran a home accessory and antique business, became a member of the press, wrote freelance journalism for national publications such as People, Parents, Parenting, Family Fun, Houston Chronicle and Orlando Sentinel, and acted as CFO for her husband’s small engineering firm--all from the comforts of home.



Squeezed betwixt-and-between all this, she read romance novels by the truckload and even wrote a couple of her own. While those unpublished manuscripts rested on the shelf, she founded a publishing corporation for the purpose of developing, producing and marketing products that would reinforce family values, teach children responsibility and provide character building activities.



After a few short months of running her publishing company, Gist quickly discovered being a "corporate executive" was not where her gifts and talents lie. In answer to Gist’s fervent prayers, God sent a mainstream publisher to her door who licensed her parenting I Did It!® product line and committed to publish the next generation of her system, thus freeing Gist to return to her writing.



Eight months later, she sold A Bride Most Begrudging to Bethany House Publishers. Since that debut, her very original, very fun romances have rocketed up the bestseller lists and captured readers everywhere. Add to this two consecutive Christy Awards, two RITA nominations, rave reviews, and a growing loyal fan base, and you’ve got one recipe for success.



Her 2010 books, Beguiled and Maid To Match are now available for order.



Gist lives in Texas with her husband of twenty-seven years and their two border collies. They have four grown children. Visit her blog to find out the most up-to-the-minute news about Dee.







ABOUT THE BOOK

Falling in love could cost her everything.



From the day she arrived at the Biltmore, Tillie Reese is dazzled, by the riches of the Vanderbilts and by Mack Danvers, a mountain man turned footman. When Tillie is enlisted to help tame Mack's rugged behavior by tutoring him in proper servant etiquette, the resulting sparks threaten Tillie's efforts to be chosen as Edith Vanderbilt's lady's maid, After all, the one rule of the house is no romance below stairs.



But the stakes rise even higher when Mack and Tillie become entangles in a cover-up at the town orphanage. They could both lose their jobs, their aspirations...their hearts.



If you would like to read the first chapter of Maid to Match, go HERE.





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Love Finds You In Golden New Mexico

My Review:

It's 1890 in the small mining town of Golden, New Mexico which is where gold was first discovered long before those in California. Here men were making a fortune, enough for some to be quite well off and give up mining when it became too dangerous.

One such man, Philip Smith, now in his golden age, had missed out on the opportunities to find himself a wife, settle down and start a family. Yet, being a man of God, he knew God had a plan in mind for him. One that involved finding the right woman he could take care of financially and in turn, she could care for him in the remaining years he had left. Philip decides to post an ad in the local paper in Boston, of all places, for a mail order bride.

Madeline Mercer of the Boston Mercers finds herself grieving the recent death of her father, a successful business man in Boston. Madeline is still waiting for the will to be read to find out just how much money she has left and until she does, she reduces the staff in her home to just two, a married couple Frank and Sarah, who have cared for her since she was a child. One evening her father's business partner, Horace Johnstone, invites himself for dinner unexpectedly to tell Madeline, that she is penniless and has been asked by her father prior to his demise that he had promised Mr. Johnstone that Madeline would marry him.

Due to the grieving Madeline is still enduring, Mr. Johnstone tells her she will have one month and then she'd better be prepared to marry him or be on the streets living in a shanty. What chose does Madeline have?

To find out....you've got to read the book, Love Finds You In Golden, New Mexico by Lena Nelson Dooley. Another great book that teaches how God can use the most difficult of circumstances to bring about good when people intend it for evil. This is a must read and one you can completely lose yourself in with the characters of Philip and Madeline. Even the household staff couple of Sarah and Frank are ones you can identify with because you see how they are part of Madelines life and will do whatever it takes to make things right for her.

For more information on this book, the author and where you can pick up a copy of this book, simply scroll down and follow the links. I was provided with a complimentary copy of this book to review from Christian Fiction Blog Alliance.

This week, the

Christian Fiction Blog Alliance

is introducing

Love Finds You In Golden, New Mexico Summerside Press (May 1, 2010)

by

Lena Nelson Dooley





ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

For several years, Lena worked on the support staff of a church, but in November of 2002, God changed things so that she could stay home and write full-time. It has been the desire of her heart for a long time. In Proverbs 37:4, it says, “Delight yourself in the LORD and he will give you the desires of your heart.” She believes that this blessing is a result of her delighting herself in Him, and she praises Him for the opportunity.



She have been a professional writer with a free-lance writing and editing business since 1984. In that time, she has written curriculum for public schools, private schools, and three different denominations. For one company, I managed a writing team that produced a two-year American History course for at-risk students. One of her clients was a Christian comedian for whom she wrote several routines. An airline training company had her edit and design International business reports for them.



Her first novel was published by Heartsong Presents in 1992. Since then Lena Nelson Dooley has written more than 25 works of fiction and nonfiction.



Lena has been married to her husband James since 1964. Theirs was one of those love-at-first-sight relationships. They were married three months and three days after they met. He truly was God’s gift to her. They are absolute opposites, but that means that his strengths are her weaknesses, and her strengths are his weaknesses. Together they make a more perfect whole. She believe that is what God intends for all of us.



They have two daughters. Marilyn Van Zant is married to Roger, and they have a son named Timothy. Tim is now in Tennessee at Ft. Campbell. His son Sebastian is almost 2 years old. Jennifer Waldron is married to Eric, and they have three children—Austin, Marissa, and Amanda. James and Lena love to spend time with their family, and they are blessed that both families live in the Dallas-Ft. Worth Metroplex, so they see them often.



ABOUT THE BOOK

All that glitters is not gold. It’s 1890, and Golden, New Mexico, is a booming mining town where men far outnumber women. So when an old wealthy miner named Philip Smith finds himself in need of a nursemaid, he places an ad for a mail-order bride—despite the protests of his friend Jeremiah.



Hoping to escape a perilous situation back East, young Madeleine Mercer answers the ad and arrives in town under a cloud of suspicion. But just as she begins to win over Philip—and Jeremiah himself—the secrets she left behind threaten to follow her to Golden...and tarnish her character beyond redemption.



If you would like to read the first chapter of Love Finds You In Golden, New Mexico, go HERE.

"Love Finds You In Golden, New Mexico is a well-researched novel brimming With emotive conflict. Lena Nelson Dooley has crafted a historical romance that demonstrates that courage comes in many forms, but the courage to love is the most difficult of all.”



─DiAnn Mills, author of Sworn to Protect and A Woman Called Sage

“Two strangers are presented with a ‘golden’ opportunity for love in this quintessential East meets West tale by well-loved author Lena Nelson Dooley. I found myself swept away by the beautiful writing and enmeshed in the lives of the players, who face many twists and turns in their journey toward the ultimate happily-ever-after. Love Finds You in Golden, New Mexico is truly one of the loveliest historical romances I’ve read in ages. Highly recommended.”



─Janice Hanna Thompson, author of Love Me Tender and Swinging on a Star

A Tailor-Made Bride Debut Novel

Set in the 1880's of Texas, we find ourselves immersed with Hannah Richards who is a dressmaker at a fitting of a prestigious and wealthy client, Victoria Ashmont. Ms. Ashmont is in the process of her final fitting of a scarlet gown that she is planning on being buried in, finding that she is living in her final days. This comes as a complete shock to Ms. Ashmont's family who finds this a bit on the scandalous side and wonders what people will do when they see her at the funeral dressed in scarlet.

Hannah keeps her place and offers only suggestions when Ms. Ashmont asks her opinion. After her nephew's wife leave in disgust, does Ms. Ashmont ask Hannah a question about where to leave her inheritance money. She knows that her family is only waiting for her to die before they become like scavengers and spend all the money. She somehow wishes she could give it to a worthy cause.

Hannah offers a suggestion that Ms. Ashmont should invest her money where the legacy would leave it's most lasting impression. What Hannah is about to discover is that legacy is about to begin with this conversation with Victoria Ashmont!

I received Tailor-Made Bride by Karen Witemeyer, compliments of Christian Fiction Blog Alliance. It was a wonderful story with the character of Hannah Richardson being the perfect example of beauty and strength in the 1880's. I found this book again to rate a place in my permanent place in my library and give it a perfect 10!

If you would like to know more about this book, the author and where to purchase a copy, please click on the links below:

This week, the

Christian Fiction Blog Alliance

is introducing

A Tailor-Made Bride

Bethany House (June 1, 2010)

by

Karen Witemeyer





ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Karen Witemeyer is a deacon's wife and mother of three who believes the world needs more happily-ever-afters. To that end, she combines her love of bygone eras with her passion for helping women mature in Christ to craft historical romance novels that lift the spirit and nurture the soul.



After growing up in California, Karen moved to Texas to attend Abilene Christian University where she earned bachelor and master's degrees in Psychology. It was also there that she met and married her own Texas hero. He roped her in good, for she has lived in Texas ever since. In fact, she fell so in love with this rugged land of sweeping sunsets and enduring pioneer spirit, that she incorporates it into the pages of her novels, setting her stories in the small towns of a state that burgeoned into greatness in the mid-to-late 1800s.



In January, 2009, Karen signed a contract with Bethany House Publishers for three inspirational historical romance novels, and she is thrilled to announce that her first book, A TAILOR-MADE BRIDE has released this month. For an inside look into the background and quirks of some of the major players in this upcoming story, click over to Character Corner





ABOUT THE BOOK

When a dressmaker who values beauty tangles with a liveryman who condemns vanity, the sparks begin to fly!

Jericho "J.T." Tucker wants nothing to do with the new dressmaker in Coventry, Texas. He's all too familiar with her kind--shallow women more devoted to fashion than true beauty. Yet, except for her well-tailored clothes, this seamstress is not at all what he expected.



Hannah Richards is confounded by the man who runs the livery. The unsmiling fellow riles her with his arrogant assumptions and gruff manner, while at the same time stirring her heart with unexpected acts of kindness. Which side of Jericho Tucker reflects the real man?



When Hannah decides to help Jericho's sister catch a beau--leading to consequences neither could have foreseen--will Jericho and Hannah find a way to bridge the gap between them?



If you would like to read the first chapter of A Tailor-Made Bride , go HERE.

Seeds of Summer

My Review:

You know my favorite genre books by now if you've been reading my book reviews for quite some time, Christian western fiction! Have I roped up another winning book for all of you to really enjoy. I can imagine getting immersed in this one, sitting on a ranch spread overlooking heads of cattle while seated on my faithful horse. Yup it's that good.

Seeds of Summer by Deborah Vogts is from the Seasons of the Tallgrass series and in this novel we find ourselves knee deep in ranching trouble with Natalie Adams. Following the unexpected death of her father and earlier death of her mom years before, she finds herself thrown into managing a 5600 acre cattle ranch with only the help of her younger brother Dillon and sister, Chelsey. With a lazy hired hand Tom and a retired Vietnam vet Willard, she wonders how a runner up Rodeo Queen can handle this ranch with no money in the bank.

Meanwhile the church has recently acquired a new pastor, Jared from the city, who wonders if helping Natalie at the ranch is his mission while in town. Lucky for him he's fond of Dillon and enjoys fishing in the river as much as he does. When Natalie searches for her constantly wayward brother, she comes across the pastor and Dillon fishing. Is this a chance encounter for love or simply God's divine way of answering Natalie's prayer for help?

Another 10 out of 10 and again read it in a day it's that good and I didn't want to put it down. All the way to the end I found the book amazing and inspiring as Natalie is put to the ultimate challenges in raising a family of her siblings and running the ranch while trying to find out where God fits in to it all. Oh how I wish they would make books like this into movies or at least Hallmark classics. This is a great book and one for pre-teens and up.

I was provided with a copy of this book compliments of Christian Fiction Blog Alliance in return for my humble and honest review. Trust me, add this one to your library.

This week, the

Christian Fiction Blog Alliance

is introducing

Seeds of Summer Zondervan (May 25, 2010)

by

Deborah Vogts





ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

A word from Deborah:



If you haven't guessed by now, the books I write are set in the country. I believe my most dedicated readers will be those who live in the country, those who have moved from the country and still hold it in their hearts, or those who have never lived there but long for the simple life it offers. Because of this, I've chosen Country at Heart as my writing brand, which is also the title of my Blog.

On Writing: http://deborahvogts.blogspot.com/



I began my first book when I was in high school. In college I studied English literature and journalism. Then came marriage, kids . . . life. During that time, I piddled with my writing but didn't take it seriously until 2002 when I joined a local writer's group and American Christian Fiction Writers. I also joined a critique group, took online writing workshops, read writing book how-to's and attended writer's conferences. Now I have an agent, Rachelle Gardner, at WordServe Literary and have been contracted with Zondervan for a three-book contemporary romance series.



The Seasons of the Tallgrass series captures the spirit and dreams of ordinary people living in the Flint Hills of Kansas--one of the last tallgrass prairie regions in the world.



The first book, Snow Melts in Spring, is available in stores now. Seeds of Summer released May 2010.





ABOUT THE BOOK

When opposites attract, sparks fly--like an electrical malfunction. That's what happens when former rodeo queen, Natalie Adams meets the new pastor in Diamond Falls.



Upon the death of her father, Natalie returns to the Flint Hills to raise her two half-siblings and run the family ranch, giving up her dreams for the future. She soon realizes her time in college and as Miss Rodeo Kansas is not enough to break the bonds that held her as a girl.



Jared Logan, a new pastor in Diamond Falls, is set on making a good impression to his first congregation, but finds that change doesn't come easy for some people. In fact, most in his congregation are set against it. Natalie and her troubled family provide an outlet for his energy and soon become his personal mission project.



Having raised her stepbrother and sister from an early youth, Natalie's self-sufficient nature isn't inclined to accept help, especially from a city-boy do-gooder like Jared Logen. Though attracted to him, there's no way she'd ever consider being a pastor's wife. Bible studies and bake sales just aren't her thing.



Jared repeatedly comes to Natalie's rescue, forcing her to see him with new eyes. At the same time, Jared's plan to plant Christ's word in Natalie's heart backfires when he loses his own heart to this wayward family. When problems arise in his congregation, he must face his greatest fears---of letting down God, his congregation, or those he loves. His time with Natalie has shown him the importance of standing by those you love, a lesson he chose to ignore in order to please his father years ago.



This is put to the test when Natalie faces a battle of custody of her half-siblings against the mother who abandoned them twelve years ago. Natalie's fight for the children turns into a fight for custody of her heart as she learns the true meaning of unconditional love. In turn, Jared must decide which dreams are his own---and whether Natalie is part of those dreams.



If you would like to read the Prologue and first chapter of Seeds of Summer, go

HERE.

Finding Jeena

This week, the

Christian Fiction Blog Alliance

is introducing

Finding Jeena Kregel Publications (March 8, 2010)

by

Miralee Ferrell





ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

In October 2007 Kregel Publications published The Other Daughter with excellent reviews. The Romantic Times Review magazine gave it Four out of Four and a half stars, with a very strong review. Two different major motion picture studios are currently considering the book as a possible family movie, and my second book in the series (Past Shadows) is on my publishers desk being reviewed for a possible contract offer now.



In February of 2009, Love Finds You in Last Chance, California was published by Summerside Press and Finding Jeena released in March 2010 from Kregel Publications.



Miralee Ferrell lives in Washington with Allen, her husband of more than 37 years, ans has two grown children. She serves on staff at her local church ans is actively involved in ministry to women.









ABOUT THE BOOK

Jeena Gregory thought she’d made it. She has everything a woman could ask for and a budding career promises more. But when rumors around town cast her boss in a shady light, Jeena starts to question her employer’s integrity. Was she wrong to trust this man and this job?



When the boss disappears, salaries go unpaid, and Jeena overhears several hush-hush phone calls, she realizes her carefully crafted world is crumbling. Shaken to the core at the threat of losing everything, Jeena is suddenly confronted with her prejudices─and with a God she had long forgotten.



If you would like to read an excerpt of Finding Jeena, go HERE.

My Review:

I have to say this book really touched my heart because of where my family finds itself these days. This book made me cry in so many ways, for the life Jenna had to uncover along her way as well as the saving grace that God offers to anyone who truly comes to love and accept Him. It really is life changing. The character of Jeena is well written and one that any reader can relate to no matter what road you are on in life, one of prosperity or one of great loss. This book truly deals with everything that life throws our way and it's through Jeena's walk that we can see the hope what our outcomes can truly be.

I highly recommend this book to anyone facing any uncertainty in life due to the inspiring message of hope and grace it brings along the way. I was provided with a complimentary copy of the book to review by Christian Fiction Blog Alliance and can't recommend it highly enough. Though the circumstances in the book are hard to accept and deal with from Jeena's perspective, it does show you the light at the end of the tunnel that can be ours to enjoy. This book is available in paperback.