Steal Away Home

I've been in love with Billy Coffey's ability to weave a story so well, that you are instantly transported from wherever you are to wherever he decides to take you. He has a way with words that goes beyond what one can describe except to say that it is a true gift to spin such a story, it make you wonder if there isn't a nugget of truth in there somewhere and he is taking you back to one of his memories so you can see it like he did. I've had the delight to read each and every single novel he has written and they all come with a uniqueness that you are picking up something sacred. I've been reading his short stories through his blog for years and was thrilled when he began to write novels.

You can sense that good ol' boy charm gleaned from the words that spill forth from the pages of his latest, Steal Away Home. I knew at some point in time we would see a story about Billy's love of baseball and feel this one is definitely a home run. One needs to understand something when you read one of his novels. They are all different in a sense that he is taking readers to often times, unexplored places within the character's mind to see things the way they did. In this novel it is through the eyes of Owen Cross, who like most young boys dreamed that one day he might make it to the big league spending childhood summers playing ball in sandlots with his friends. His natural ability is captivated upon by his father who watched his own dreams of making it into major league baseball slip away with a shoulder injury and now pushes Owen to the big dreams.

The one thing competing with Owen is a young girl who has captured his heart much like baseball did. He hopes that when it makes it big, he will be able to pull Micky along with him and rescue her from the life of being a less-than living among the small community of Mattingly, mostly being what the upper classes would consider plain white trash. But Owen sees the same thing in her that his dad sees in him, the opportunity for so much more than they could even dream. The novel toggles back and forth from Owen's childhood and his time with Micky, to the current day where he is making a debut of sorts in the big league, filling in if needed. The story is magical in the sense that you feel like you're Owen, the struggles he faces when people try and keep him and Micky apart, the differences in their upbringing and the outcome of the future for them both.

I received Steal Away Home by Billy Coffey compliments of Thomas Nelson Publishers and TLC Book Tours. This is such a beautiful story and I wasn't sure how receptive I would be of one involving a baseball player, but then movies like A League of Their Own and For the Love of the Game. It reminds you that times were simple in those days. Baseball was the epitome of technology and it is what drew people together for a common cause, to root for their team. I love the way Billy crafted this story in taking me back to those days of his childhood and how the decisions he made affect his future in ways no one could predict. Once again this one will sit like a priceless treasure in my own personal library and I can say it is getting full. Well down for hitting a grand slam in this novel and deserving of all 5 out of 5 stars in this reader's opinion.

For more information about Steal Away Home, Billy Coffey or where you can pick up a copy of this novel today, please click on the links below:

Steal Away Home by Billy Coffey

You can find Billy Coffey on Facebook to stay up to date with all his latest novels.

To read more reviews on Steal Away Home, please visit TLC Book Tour page. 

The Crooked Path

For fans of WWII fiction and coming of age stories that will have you rooting for your favorite characters, you might just want to check out Irma Joubert's novel, The Crooked Path. We all know that the life we dream of for our futures is often a far cry from the one we actually get to live out. For Lettie Louw, she has lived in the shadows of the girls she grew up with. One to notice the obvious differences that girls seem to intuitively understand, she sees herself as less than. Her friends, if she can call them that, are more beautiful, more smarter and just more of anything that Lettie doesn't seem to have enough of. To make matters worse it seems that all the boys she is interested in, are not interested in her or at least not in the way she hopes. So she resolves herself to spending all her time, being the best doctor she can be. After all her father hopes to hand over the reins to her once she is ready. Perhaps that is her calling for her own life.

Marco Romanelli spends his time living in Italy with his large Italian family. His story is much like Lettie's even though they live in vastly different countries, it is their own self esteem issues that get the better of both of them as the reader is introduced to what will become our two main characters and the roads that will take them to an intersection that will spell out their futures together. Like Lettie, Marco has his hearts set on a girl who may never love him as he does her. She is a Jewish girl and now that the countries are about to get embroiled into the historical aspects of WWII, we know what fate lies ahead for his heart. This will immediately garner a sympathetic desire in the heart of the reader to see these two star-crossed lovers find true love with one another in the midst of a war that will undoubtedly change both of their lives.

I received The Crooked Path by Irma Joubert compliments of Thomas Nelson Publishers and TLC Book tours. What I really loved is how the author took her time to build up the characters for the reader. It gives us an idea of what might motivate them through the novel to make the decisions they do, based on their own unique upbringing. This is what ear-marks this novel as something to be savored, not in a rush to finish. We see what affects the war will have on both of them and see what surprising events bring them together and keep them from falling apart like those around them. It gives readers an idea of how difficult life must have been just to survive WWII but to find a lasting love is truly to be treasured. I give this book a 4 out of 5 stars.

For more information about The Crooked Path, Irma Joubert or where you can pick up a copy of this novel today, please click on the links below:

The Crooked Path by Irma Joubert

You can find Irma Joubert on Facebook to stay up to date with all her latest books.

To read more reviews on The Crooked Path, please visit TLC's Book Tour Page. 

The Lost Girls

There comes a time when you read the back of a book cover and think you have it all wrapped up and figured out until you begin reading it. Even though the clues allude to you along the way, you simply pass them by in an effort to uncover the story that speaks of loyalty and salvation as its themes to the characters you meet in the novel.

The Evan's family like most in the early 30's found solace and an escape to every day life by spending the summers at a remote Minnesota Lake house they owned. There they would reunite with other wealthy families from Williamsburg, the mayor, the lawyer, the doctor, and others in 7 simple houses that they each came back to like a reunion. While the husbands returned back to their 9 to 5 lives during the week, the wives would relax a bit and gather to share the latest news or gossip, until the men returned like clockwork at the close of business to be with their families once again.

In the novel The Lost Girls by Heather Young, the story toggles between a hidden secret kept by Lilith and Lucy Evans. Things there mother didn't want to know and they didn't want forgotten. Their story is shared in two vastly different time frames, one from 1935 and the other in 1999. Lucy chronicles what happened the summer they lost Emily, their youngest sister who was never found and forever changed the lives of not only the Evan's girls but those who stayed at the lake year round. For Justine, the grand-daughter of Lucy, she shares her own story of learning that when Lucy died, she left the lakefront home to her along with a substantial amount of money. It too would change her life and that of her daughters Melanie and Angela.

This is a memoir of what happened in 1935 and with it the consequences that Justine must face when  she learns the truth. Will she keep what she learns a secret or will she expose what should have never let lie in the past? How will she resolve to deal with the things she learns from her families dark past and what she will do with her own that is facing her. It is a lineal curse that is passed down from family member to family member or will she finally say the one thing that should have released all of them from their own deeply seeded pasts? You'll have to read the book to see how it all plays out.

I received The Lost Girls by Heather Young compliments of William Morrow, a division of Harper Collins Publishers. This was an ending I didn't see coming or maybe I did and simply choose to ignore it hoping for a better outcome. It does convey the sense of the loyalty between family members to keep a secret or expose it so it won't keep happening again. Then again it begs the question of the reader, how far would you go to protect your family? What would you be willing to risk when you see your family unraveling and you are the only one who can stop it or let it fall apart? There are discussion guide questions at the conclusion of this novel that is perfect for book clubs to enjoy and for this reader it gains a 4 out of 5 stars in my opinion.

For more information about The Lost Girls, Heather Young or where you can pick up a copy of this book today, please click on the links below:

The Lost Girls by Heather Young

You can find Heather Young on Facebook to stay up to date with all her latest novels.

To read more reviews on The Lost Girls, please visit Harper Collins Publisher's website. 

The Changing Season

For any dog lovers looking for an exceptional novel about the love and loyalty of a dog and his owner, you will definitely want to pick up The Changing Season, from Steven Manchester. This is his latest novel that details the coming of age of a young man named Billy who is finishing up his final days in high school. He is your typical run of the mill high school young man. His friends are all planning on heading off to college with big plans of what they have always dreamed about doing in life, and Billy can't make up his mind what he should do or even what he should take in school. All he knows is his best friend and confidant is a lab mix who goes by the name of Jimmy, named after his Uncle Jimmy.

As Billy struggles to figure out what to do, he spends the first weeks of that transition period with his friends Charlie and Mark whose all night video game sessions will soon become a thing of the past. They all have to grow up sometime. Charlie who has been dating Bianca for as long as any of them can remember will undoubtedly marry her at some point, at least that is what Mark and Billy believe. However during one of those final graduation parties when things get out of hand and the drinks begin to flow, Charlie has suspicions that Bianca is cheating on him. No matter how he confronts her, she claims they are simply friends, but Charlie won't let it go. He believes what he wants and storms off from the party drunker than ever.

In one split decision, life will change forever for all of them. An unthinkable tragedy will rock them all to their core and all those college plans will go up in smoke as secrets are held back because they have all agreed to keep the loyalty they always have had. When Billy meets a young girl named Vicki, it truly seems like a match made in heaven. Billy begins to spend more time with Vicki when he is not working as his dog Jimmy faces growing older and the effects that come with that. He can no longer do quite a few of the things he used to but the one thing that remains is his undying loyalty to Billy, no matter how little time he seems to have for him lately. Life is about to change for them all and there will be no going back.

I received The Changing Season by Steven Manchester compliments of The Story Plant for my honest review. I did not receive any monetary compensation aside from a free copy of this novel in exchange for my fair and honest evaluation. I've read all of Steven Manchester's novel and each one simply gets better and better. Like all the rest, this will has found a permanent home in my library. His characters are believable because they contain flaws that we all have. In this situation for each person involved, you keep asking yourself, what would you do? It's a hard line to make the right decision if there is a right decision to be made. As a huge animal lover, this one really hit home for me, showcasing the unconditional love our pets always have for us and we can learn a lot from them no matter what we are going through. For me, this one hits it out of the part and earns a 5 out of 5 stars in my opinion.

For more information about The Changing Season, Steven Manchester or where you can pick up a copy of this novel today, please click on any of the links below:

The Changing Season by Steven Manchester

You can find Steven Manchester on Facebook to stay up to date with all his latest novels.

For more reviews on The Changing Season, please visit The Story Plant's website.

The Ticket

Some people never realize how difficult it can be growing up and dealing with all the stereotypes in school. From those social group "clicks" to just knowing how to process what teens deal with in school to making that transition from home all while dealing with the changing of hormones and brain development. Harder than it looks and one we don't give them enough credit for.

In Debra Coleman Jeter's coming of age novel, The Ticket, we get a long look at how hard that life is for Tray Dunaway who has to deal with all those peer pressures that come from going to school and being seen as less than worthy in the eyes of not only her classmates but also from her own mother. Being raised in a poor family, her grandmother painstakingly makes all of Tray's clothes which are mocked by those she faces whenever she goes to school. This pushes Tray to become the shy social outcast who prefers to stay by herself whenever possible but longs for a life that everyone seems to have who have more than she does. She desperately wants to fit in and be accepted, but finds those opportunities have been shut off from her.

She longs for the day when she might be able to buy something that would make her feel the way she dreams about and in the meantime, spends those wasted moments looking through a catalog hoping one day soon, she might be able to buy something instead of homemade clothes. Her mother struggles with a deep depression, spending her days stuck in bed and dealing with migraines that only seem to increase whenever Tray possess a question about when things might change, like simply being able to buy a new pair of socks that won't slide down when she wears them, but is met with less than worth responses you would expect from a mother. When her father is given a lottery ticket as a way of thanking him for driving a man into town to purchase his, they aren't prepared the amount of problems that they will have to face when they actually win. Is this the life she dreamed she'd have one day or is this simply a way of introducing a set of problems they never dreamed they would have when the man suddenly wants a share of the winnings!

I received The Ticket by Debra Coleman Jeter compliments of Firefly Southern Fiction, a division of Lighthouse Publishing of the Carolinas, and Christian Fiction Blog Alliance for my honest opinion. I did not receive any monetary compensation for a favorable review and the opinions contained here are strictly my own. The one thing I truly loved about this novel is how it is written from Tray's perspective. How she views her life before the ticket and even afterwards. How she believes money will change things and doesn't realize how greed can destroy much more than poverty can. She dreams of a day when this might happen, and when it does, the reality is a lot different than what she imagines and it might be just what the family needs to learn how to appreciate the riches they never noticed before. I give this one a 4.5 out of 5 stars in my opinion and thing this is a great young adult novel for any teen struggling to find their sense of purpose and self worth in the world, when faced with seeing things through a different perspective!

For more information about The Ticket, Debra Coleman Jeter or where you can pick up a copy of this novel today, please click on the links below:

The Ticket by Debra Coleman Jeter

You can find Debra Coleman Jeter on Facebook to stay up to date on all her latest books.

To read more reviews on The Ticket, please stop by Christian Fiction Blog Alliance's Book Tour page. 

Sweet Dreams

"Some scars are written on the heart. You might not be able to see them but they're there."

After the death of her mother, Dusty Fairchild has always dreamed of going to college to study Geology, but her father, Flint Fairchild, self made owner of Fairchild Oil has other plans. He wants her to spend a year attending Miss Fontaine's Finishing School for Girls in East Texas. Dusty can't seem to understand how that will benefit her but she is willing to go as long as her childhood best friend and cousin, Paisley Finch is allowed to attend with her. Just how will young girls born and raised on a ranch fit in among the wealthy young women who will be their roommates for the year. Seems like things are about to get real interesting!

Amid learning about manners, etiquette, setting up social functions and parties, and learning French, Dusty and Paisley attempt to fit in as best as they can. But Paisley has spent her life living on a tour bus while her mother Edie has been searching for fame and fortune in the many nightclubs and bars they frequent. However, Paisley has been receiving far more attention from her mother's boyfriends than she could ever ask for and finds spending the year at Miss Fontaine's will be the break she is looking for. It provides stability and security she never had traveling on the road, never knowing where they would wake up next. She considers her life like that of a traveling gypsy.

As the year progresses and the girls begin making holiday plans, Dusty is anxious to get back to her father and the young banker, Jack she met before leaving. It is what every girl dreams of, falling in love with a handsome young man, who can provide stability for a future wife and family. She only hopes Jack feels the same way as she does after being away at school. Paisley on the other hand, has been invited by her roommate Alexandria to head to Houston in preparation for her engagement party and visiting the wealthy elite. It is a chance to see a side of life she has never seen before, if only she can find a way to fit in and not embarrass herself in the process. What she doesn't plan on is falling quite literally for Jack before she heads out for the winter break. How will she be able to manage her feelings for her cousin and her feelings for Jack?

I received Sweet Dreams by Carla Stewart compliments of Faith Words, a division of Harper Collins Publishers for my honest review. I did not receive any monetary compensation for a favorable review and the opinions expressed in this review are strictly my own. This is a coming of age story of two young girls set in the 1960's in Texas. One from a life of influence and the other from a life of living on the road. While they can often times compliment one another, those very different qualities often create tension as Paisley attempts to fit in with the majority of the girls who come from affluent families. Paisley resists trying to be someone she isn't and it is something Dusty looks up to, her strength and determination to achieve what she wants in life. But for Paisley she isn't sure just what the future hold for her, where as Dusty struggles to gain the approval of her father to allow her the freedom to make her own choices regarding her future. I rate this one a 4 out of 5 stars and it does contain a Reader's Discussion Guide for Book Clubs at the end of the novel.

For more information about Sweet Dreams, Carla Stewart, or where you can pick up a copy of this novel today, please click on the links below:

Sweet Dreams by Carla Stewart

You can also find Carla Stewart on Facebook to stay up to date with all her latest novels.

To read more reviews on Sweet Dreams, please visit Faith Word's website. 

No Turning Back

Before we all became believers we all made mistakes in which we needed to find God in order to gain an understanding of who He is and about the forgiveness of sin. When we struggle in the darkness, it is hard for us to see what believers see so clearly. The hallmarks of a sin-filled life. They watch us struggle to come to terms with our sin, our anger, our pain and hurts before we find such a freedom and release in learning to hand all that over to God and find redemption and forgiveness in its place. Such is the case for Katy Thannen, an Austrian born sixteen-year-old who is struggling with just that very issue. While she has some basis for a faith in God, she becomes resentful when others point out what God is doing in their lives and how it can help her as well.

Growing up for Katy hasn't been easy. Her mother has worked hard to give Katy what she can, offering her schooling in a local convent but soon Katy realizes the value of hard work and obtains a job working for a wealthy family as a maid. There she finds herself the center of attention from the son of a wealthy Austrian bureaucrat, Alex Meissen, who sees nothing wrong with falling in love with Katy. That is, until he confesses his intentions and feelings to his parents which are met with less than expected results. They send Alex off to the small town Egg to gain a better understanding of the business world and in the hopes, he'll give up marrying Katy.

But like all great love stories, love is the greatest thing in life, and no matter the distance, Katy and Alex defy all the odds when they make a plan to leave Austria and head to America to leave their families behind. However since they remain distanced, Alex provides Katy the money and directions to meet him at the dock to board a ship bond for America, but they never find one another. Alex's train is derailed and since he can't get a message to Katy, she believes that Alex may have changed his mind and she heads to America without him. Now arriving in New York City alone, Katy realizes that a chance encounter with Alex has left her pregnant. She finds a place to stay with a local convent who helps immigrant women arriving in America find a job and a place to stay but once again Katy meets an unlikely adversary with another immigrant who finds her work in a laundry facility and offers to share rent in flat in town.

Through a series of truly unfortunate events, Katy makes a series of bad decisions which alter how she views Alex and her life in general. When Alex finds comfort in learning more of God's provision, Katy only rebels further away from him. It seems the closer Alex moves to God, the further Katy moves away and soon it will take a miracle of sorts to get Katy to view the circumstances in her life as something that can be redeemed no matter how great she believes they are. It may in fact take her to the brink of death before she can see what has been in front of her all along. But will she see it before it's too late?

I received No Turning Back by Joanne Wilson Meusburger compliments of Ambassador International Publishers for my honest review. I did not receive any monetary compensation for a favorable review and the opinions expressed are strictly my own. My first impression upon reading this book was I did not believe it to be a Christian novel at first based on the series of events that happen to both Alex and Katy and the decisions they make. But like all of us, we have all found ourselves like sheep being led astray til we discover the truth about life and how God can redeem and forgive us once we establish that relationship with Him. This is just what happens with Katy and Alex, it's the struggle between unbelievers finding hope and love in the midst of some of the most difficult situations life has to offer. We don't always make the right decisions, but in the end it enables us to be able to use those for the good of others and I think that is precisely the message the author provides in this novel. That nothing is too great to keep us separated from God. I give this novel a 4.5 out of 5 stars in my opinion.

For more information about No Turning Back, Joanne Wilson Meusburger or where to pick up a copy of this novel today, please click on the links below:

No Turning Back by Joanne Wilson Meusburger

You can also find Joanne Wilson Meusburger on Facebook to stay up to date with all her latest novels.

For more information on No Turning Back, visit Ambassador International Publisher's website. 

A Season of Mysteries

"But I'm afraid the day is coming when people will, I don't know"-he sought the right words - "push Truth off the map, and set up their preferences as the boundaries in which they'll live."

This is one of my favorite lines from the latest novel from author Rusty Whitener in A Season of Mysteries. This is the sequel to perhaps one of my favorite all time novels, A Season of Miracles which is coming to the big screen very soon. In this novel that group of young boys that we discovered in the first novel, now dubbed the Fellowship of the Rocks have all but grown up after having a life altering time after meeting Rafer Forrester. Now that each of them has found a solid foundation and given their lives to Christ, one of the boys Richard Powell now fifty two, is having real issues in his adult life.

He keeps reflecting in precise detail to one particular time in the year 1976. A time in which the Fellowship of the Rocks spent the year indulging in Boy Scout Campouts, and truly reflects on each boys coming of age story. But it is why Richard keeps remembering this one particular year that is the basis for the book. As he reflects on chronicling this time in writing, he desperately wants to be freed from the memory of the words that seem to haunt him. He can literally remember every single word spoken from that time frame until now and he's desperately searching for an answer in how to free his mind from this unusual gift.

We see Richard Powell, now as a Literary Professor who seems to have grown up with a gift for being able to process information beyond his years. In fact the Fellowship have dubbed Richard, the Brain. He is called upon to meet with members of his church and boyscout leaders to help explain the reason behind the latest mystery sittings of UFO's that appear on a picture one day during their baseball game. Are UFO's real or is there another reason for their random appearance. Not only do Richard and Zack see them during the game, but also Duffey and Willie see them during a late night encounter during a camp out.

Just what does an old man who goes by the nick name Peachy have to do with all the UFO appearances and how does the fact that Richard is now able to utilize a pitch in his baseball game that once taught to him by Peachy can't be taught to anyone else? What does the year 1976 have to do with what is happening to Richard even now? Is it possible to unlearn something once you have been exposed to it? To find out, you'll have to read A Season of Mysteries by Rusty Whitener to find out.

I received A Season of Mysteries by Rusty Whitener compliments of Kregel Publications for my honest review and received no monetary compensation for an honest review. This is such an incredible novel and a different coming of age story for a group of amazing young men you are introduced to. As I was reading this one the movies Stand By Me or even The Goonies, immediately became my focus to the similar group of boys that becomes the Fellowship of the Rocks. The were united by a small gift that Rafer gave them in the first novel and those same rocks have enabled them to bond in amazing ways as they have moved on through high school. Each of them offer something unique to the group and just spending time with them in 1976 provides the reader with the ability to be an invisible part of what happens to them and how they deal with things. It definitely gives you something to think about long after you finish the final page. I easily rate this one a 5 out of 5 stars and hope that this isn't the last novel dealing with these young men.

For more information about A Season of Mysteries, Rusty Whitener or where to pick up a copy of this novel today, please click on the links below:

A Season of Mysteries by Rusty Whitener

You can find Rusty Whitener on Facebook to stay up to date with all his latest novels.

• Paperback: 352 pages
• Publisher: Kregel Publications (April 5, 2013)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0825443229
• ISBN-13: 978-0825443220
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.6 x 0.9 inches 

Available at your favorite retailer in paperback and eBook reader formats. The best part is that on June 6 and 7th this novel will be available for FREE Download to your Kindle.

For more information about this book, please check out Kregel's website.