Local Poet

I can't imagine anything worse, than being involved in an accident in which someone's life was taken and you are the one who did it. How do you live with that? Even though you had no choice when that person simply stepped out in front of your vehicle in an attempt to end the life they once had. Now what if the police think you were somehow responsible? What would you do to prove your innocence?

These are the questions running through the mind of Robert Seaton, a man who was simply on his way home from work one rainy evening when Laney Grey simply stepped out in front of his van and died from her injuries. There was nothing that Robert could do to avoid the outcome that was to follow. Now the local police are questioning his motives that night. Where was he coming from? Did he know Laney Grey before tonight? What about his involvement in a possible drug ring? Did he intentionally murder Laney to keep her secrets from being spilled?

Robert Seaton attempts to launch his own investigation to figure out who Laney Grey was and the only clues he has to help solve this mystery is through the various poems she wrote. Are they simply just poems or is there something more behind the words that she wrote about her life growing up and the very reason she stepped in front of his van that night. All Robert knows is he has to do whatever it takes to clear his name as the local papers and media are now labeling him as a murderer.

I received Local Poet by Paul Trembling compliments of Lion Hudson Publishers and Kregel Publications. In accordance with the new FTC Guidelines for blogging and endorsements, you should assume that every book reviewed here at Reviews From The Heart was provided to the reviewer by the publisher, media group or the author for free and were received, unless specified otherwise.  This is a short, but concise murder mystery that conveys clues through three books that Laney Grey published along with a mystery poem that was posted to a local librarian the day she took her life. Was Laney leaving clues all along and was communicating to those who really knew her through her poems? You'll have to pick this one up and find out. There is a sneak peek at a sequel coming to this one, but if you love murder mysteries, then this is the book and series for you. I rate this one a 4 out of 5 stars.

For more information about Local Poet, Paul Trembling or where you can pick up a copy of this book today, please click on the links below:

Local Poet by Paul Trembling 

You can find Paul Trembling on Facebook to stay up to date with all his latest novels.

To read more reviews on Local Poet, please visit Kregel Publications website.

Deep Water

We all want drugs to be made available that will cure the world of what is ailing us, even saving the life of someone we know. But just how does all those clinical trials really work? Are pharmaceutical companies really willing to risk whatever it takes to get their newest drugs to market?  That is the latest premise behind Christine Poulson's medical thriller Deep Water.

When a man dies based on the human testing portion of a new drug to target obesity in humans and offer something the world has been waiting for, suddenly everything is called into question. When the lab book goes missing that contains all the necessary information pertaining to the step-by-step processes of those who have been working on the drug and then the lawyer assigned to the case winds up dead, something is going wrong and they are running out of time to uncover what is really happening behind the scenes.

It gets personal for Daniel Marchmont, a patent lawyer whose ex-wife Jennifer was killed while investigating this case. Daniel's daughter Chloe will be one of the first patients to benefit from a new drug if the testing can be confirmed to prevent her from having daily blood infusions or else die from her genetic disorder and one that the lab who was also working on the obesity drug is handling. Are corners being cut for the sake of profit or is there something more sinister in the works.

I received Deep Water by Christine Poulson compliments of Kregel Publications and Lion Hudson Publishers. It definitely opens the readers eyes to what really goes on behind all those clinical trials and makes you wonder what might happen if something should suddenly go wrong when it comes to human testing. Is it worth billions if one person dies so others can live? A chilling look at a medical mystery, I only wish it would have closed out the story-lines a bit better, but perhaps a sequel is in the works to continue where this one kinda of left off. I would rate this one a 4 out of 5 stars.

For more information about Deep Water, Christine Poulson or where you can pick up a copy of this book today, please click on the links below:

Deep Water by Christine Poulson

You can find Christine Poulson on Facebook to stay up to date on all her latest books.

To read more reviews on Deep Water, please visit Kregel Publications website. 

The Name I Call Myself

Some of my all time favorite movies are chick flicks with a touch of comedy added to completely make them memorable. The Name I Call Myself by Beth Moran is exactly that and so much more. It involves a complex relationship between Faith Harp and her multi-millinaire fiancè, Peregrine Upperton or Perry for short. For one thing, you would think most women would jump at the chance to marry a handsome rich man who has eyes only for you, but Faith keeps him at arms length due in part to a past she hasn't yet shared with him. It's kinda hard when you have an abusive past with a number of men including your step father and then a roommate of Faith's and her brother Sam, named Snake.

Turns out that their stepfather Kane, is being released from prison and in doing so has vowed to take revenge out on Sam and Faith for putting him there. To top it off, Sam is struggling with all the mental issues that go with watching your mother brutally murdered and now the man who did it is being released from prison. It's no wonder Sam is a substance abuser and will use whatever he can find to help him escape from his past, but with all his panic attacks, he calls Faith whenever his life spirals out of control and she always comes to his rescue.

Perry's overbearing and controlling mother, wants Faith to wear her wedding gown which she and her best friend Marilyn have dubbed, The Ghost Web because it is so hideous and looks so horrible on Faith, that she would have to be dead to want to wear it. But Faith is a bit of a people pleaser and goes along with virtually everything that happens in her life, until she walks into the church her mother used to attend as a possible wedding venue and gets drafted into the choir. Believe it or not it will change her life in ways she could have never imagined, but first she will need to find a voice if she is to be heard. That is where Helmet head comes into play! Life is about to get so interesting.

I received The Name I Call Myself by Beth Moran compliments of Lion Hudson Publishers and Kregel Publications. This novel will have you feeling all kinds of emotions from laughing out loud, to grabbing the nearest box of tissues. It is the perfect blend of comedy and romance to keep things interesting and engaged and I honestly enjoyed this novel more than I thought I would. It's like Monster-In-Law meets Pride and Prejudice. It is simply that good. But before you begin reading it, you will want to carve out a few hours so you can enjoy it uninterrupted. My favorite part is the purpose of the choir. Oh how I had one just like it here, I'd sign right up! For me, this one easily hit at 5 out of 5 stars.

For more information about The Name I Call Myself, Beth Moran or where you can pick up a copy of this novel today, please click on the links below:

The Name I Call Myself by Beth Moran

You can find Beth Moran on Facebook to stay up to date on all her latest novels.

To read more reviews on The Name I Call Myself, please visit Kregel Publication's website. 

 

The Lost Garden

When I was growing up, I loved the story of the Secret Garden, not sure if it has to do with the secrecy of having a place you can go to that no one else does or if there is something about watching the things you plant grow and flourish into a thing of beauty, but lovers of that premise will love the newest novel from Katharine Swartz, The Lost Garden. It parallels two different time periods so it's hard to classify it as a contemporary or historical, because it is both.

One is contemporary present day involving the lives of Marin Ellis, who is now the caretaker of her half sister Rebecca after the death of her father and his second wife. Together they are embarking on a journey of sorts between finding a common place in their new relationship together that was thrust upon them by circumstance. Not having a starting place aside from having the same father, the age differences impact them as well, with Marin having to try to find a way to be not really a mother to Rebecca but one of authority in a way without the title, and at the same time, becoming a friend and sister as well. Their common ground at this point is when Rebecca insists on a clean start for her own life, as she is now a bit of a loner and doesn't want the stigma attached to her as something to be pitied by her friends at school and hopes for a new outlook on life with the purchase of a vicar's cottage in the village of Goswell, where they find a garden locked almost hidden behind a wall that has been clearly neglected.

As the two make plans to find a way to bring life back into their garden, they discover a long history to the ones that originally created it from the 1900's, when we learn that Eleanor Sanderson, who was the daughter of the Goswell's vicar who created this garden in an attempt to find healing and a new way of life after losing her brother Walter during the war. It will be a story that is timeless as it crosses the boundary of two different lives and two different periods in history that shows that life can begin again if you are willing to put the effort into what you value as important in your life. It can be quite life changing in remarkable ways.

I received The Lost Garden by Katharine Swartz compliments of Lion Hudson and Kregel Publications for my honest review. I did not receive any monetary compensation for my honest review aside from a free copy of this novel and the opinions contained are strictly my own. I absolutely loved this novel because I have found myself to be quite the gardener as well, and successfully have created two very different gardens over the past 10 years. For me, they are a place to understand what is really important, a place of birth, growth and beauty, and that is what you find in the two stories between the Ellis's and Sanderson's that almost everyone can find something they can relate to! I would rate this one a 4 out of 5 stars in my opinion and look to future novels from Katharine Swartz in the future. The Lost Garden is the second book in the Tales from Goswell series and for me, I'll be looking for The Vicar's Wife, the first book in this series! Katharine Swartz is also the name for Kate Hewitt, if you can't find her.

For more information about The Lost Garden, Katharine Swartz, or where you can pick up a copy of this novel today.

The Lost Garden by Katharine Swartz

You can find Katharine Swartz/Kate Hewitt on Facebook to stay up to date on all her latest novels.

To read more reviews on The Lost Garden, please visit Kregel Publication's website. 

Making Marion

I love it when you find a great novel that is written from an English author, because there are terms that are used that are quite different from the same words we would use here in the US. I've been delighted to partake of Beth Moran's latest novel, Making Marion: Where's Robin Hood When You Need Him? While it does utilize the elements from the story of Robin Hood, it is simply a whole lot more. There is simply something tucked away beneath the covers of this novel for everyone.

While I would classify this one as a contemporary romance, it adds some comedy to keep things a bit lively. Our main character, Marion Miller is searching for more information about her father, who has recently passed away. But more than that, it's about discovering who Marion really is in the process since dealing with some horrible things as a child, the first of which is losing her father, which she adored. Her mother, unable to deal with such a heavy loss, places all the blame on a young Marion at the time, for disturbing her father, instead of letting him rest. Her words are so harsh to Marion, telling her that she literally talked her father to death, that Marion refuses to speak another word in fear of killing her mother as well. It makes the reader really think about the things we may say to our own children and family members while caught up in deep emotion, and how that may impact them for the rest of their lives.

Marion's mother abandons her in a sense spending her days, locked away in her room, leaving a young child to essentially raise herself. Something that Marion will  have to work out by the conclusion of the novel. Meanwhile now that Marion is grown, she sets out to discover more about her father, since her mother refuses to speak with her. So she heads to the location of the annual Sherwood Festival, which takes place at the Peace and Pigs campsite. All Marion has to go off of is a picture of her father,dressed like Robin Hood and believes this is just the place to learn more about him. But like all family secrets, it will take a miracle to uncover the back story on her father. Along the way, she will be befriended by the owner of the Peaces and Pigs, Scarlett who immediately becomes a bit of a mentor and mother figure to Marion. She is one you truly LOVE by the end.

I received Making Marion by Beth Moran compliments of Kregel Publications and Lion Hudon Publishers for my honest review. I did not receive any monetary compensation for a favorable review and the opinions are strictly my own. This is a wonderful story of how something tragic like Marion's childhood is able to be restored by the love of others who simply let her mature under their watchful eyes and help her to heal all those scars from their past. It is a reminder as well that the things that have devastated us from the past, don't have to hold us back from the futures that lie in front of us and the harm that can come from the unwillingness to let go of the bitterness and anger taking root inside. I absolutely LOVED how it all turned out in the end, not all tied up with a pretty bow, but with some great reflection, a love for those mentors and angels who come along when we need them the most, and for restoration of our hearts. I easily give this one a 4.5 out of 5 stars.

For more information about Making Marion, Beth Moran or where you can pick up a copy of this novel today, please click on the links below:

Making Marion: Where's Robin Hood When You Need Him by Beth Moran

You can find Beth Moran on Facebook to stay up to date with all her latest novels.

To read more reviews on Making Marion, please visit Kregel Publication's website.