A Heartbeat Away

In the heat of the Civil War, Beth Bumgartner is called into action in a way she never dreamed. Her grandmother has asked her to join her as a nurse helping the wounded even though their very lives may be at risk as well as grandmother's home. Now that the Rebel soldiers have made their way into Harper's Ferry, many in the town have taken what little personal affects they possess and have attempted to make their way to safe places to hide until the war is over and they hope they still have a home standing. Only while her brother Jedediah has left to fight in the war against the North, she has been called to help care for the soldiers who have invaded their town.

It is through her grandmother's persistence that Beth finds the strength and will to at least offer what comfort she can provide, through reading Scriptures, writing last letters or simply praying for them before most slip into their everlasting sleep. She wonders just what effects her efforts will have on men that are doomed to die anyway, and despite defying her parents and at least trying to help, she knows she must stay. She can't leave her grandmother Greta alone.

When a Confederate soldier is brought to the home, she is asked to care for him despite that the odds are against this man. He has saved the lives of three slaves and it is through their pleads that Beth and her grandmother offer to help. Through faithful prayers and continued care, Joe fights his way back to the land of the living and offers a small peak into the war that many don't see. He fights night terrors where he faces losing his brother Ben to a mysterious man who seems bent on killing Ben and leaving Joe in the care of the slaves. He feels there is more to the puzzle that what bits and pieces his mind offers if he can only find those slaves that he helped. They might just provide him the answers he so desperately seeks.

Along the way Beth pieces together a quilt that her mother had sent along as a reminder and a message from home. What that message is will be revealed as Beth pieces it together and finds hope in not only coming to terms with her own disability but being able to see this war through the eyes of God and let the hate she holds inside finally heal. In the end that is the message that truly matters and will resound with readers of A Heartbeat Away by S. Dionne Moore, one of the many novels in the Quilts of Love Series.

I received A Heartbeat Away by S. Dionne Moore compliments of Abingdon Press and Christian Fiction Blog Alliance Book Tours for my honest review and received no monetary compensation for a favorable one. This novel is part of the Quilts of Love Series written by a variety of authors and this is the first for S. Dionne Moore. This gives the readers an inside look at what life in the South really looked like in the midst of the Battle of Antietam and just how brutal it was from both sides of the war. It is hard to imagine men in our own country turning against each other but that is just one of the effects of a Civil War. The message in this novel is one about hope and finding it in one of the darkest times in our life. It's always there one just has to keep pursuing it in order to find it. I rate this one a 4 out of 5 stars and you can find this at your local retailer. Even though they are part of a series, since each novel deals with something different you can pick up any of them as they are stand alones in a greater series.

To find out more about A Heartbeat Away, S. Dionne Moore or where to pick up a copy of this novel today, please click on the links below:

A Heartbeat Away by S. Dionne Moore

You can also find S. Dionne Moore on Facebook to stay up to date with all her latest novels.

To read more reviews on A Heartbeat Away from the Christian Fiction Blog Alliance Book Tour, please click here.

Sleeping in Eden

The problem with lies is that often the circumstances will ultimately reveal themselves in due time and the threads by them will weave more people into the situation that were ever meant to be. Such is the case as the threads begin in Nicole Baart's latest novel, Sleeping in Eden. In the small town of Blackhawk in Northwest Iowa, Dr. Lucas Hudson is called to a crime scene to act as coroner who is vacationing to determine cause of death on what seems to be an open and shut case of suicide. Inside a barn Dr. Hudson finds the body of Jim Sparks who is hanging from a beam and a chair lies overturned in the dust. As the sheriff and his men attempt to cut down the body, they uncover another body lying undisturbed beneath where Jim has hung himself. It appears as through the body has been buried for quite some time and it seems as if Jim may in fact have had something to hide besides ending his life.

Now it seems that the past and present will intersect as these two discovered will unearth more than most had hoped in the small town of Blackhawk. As the reader opens Sleeping in Eden, they will discover the book is laid out in alternating chapters focusing on Lucas and then Meg. Lucas is the present day doctor dealing with now two dead bodies and trying to uncovering their secrets since Jim Sparks left no suicide note but also not someone that the residents of Blackhawk would miss. In fact the only surprise residents have is that Jim took the permanent way out instead of simply moving out of Blackhawk. Meg in a character the reader is introduced from the past who existed in the town of Blackhawk before Lucas ever arrived. It is here we learn her story of a summer love between Meg Painter and Dylan Reid and it's those choices that they both were a part of that has launched this investigation into the present day. Just what happens when popular Meg meets Dylan, a boy from the wrong side of the tracks is about to be discovered through this story.

Like the tracks of the train that run parallel down the side of town, so do these two stories run side by side. At some point you know that they will have to intersect one another and that's what keeps the reader flipping pages and trying to discover the connection before you reach the end. It shows reader just what the implications are when secrets are kept and the implications that can have on seemingly innocent characters who come along much later in life. This was the perfect setting for a murder mystery spanning more than one time period and Nicole Baart does an exceptional job at making the setting and characters life like and believable.

I received Sleeping in Eden by Nicole Baart compliments of Howard Books, a division of Simon and Schuster Publishers for my honest review and received no compensation for a favorable one. I was surprised to discover since Howard Books usually prides itself on Christian books, this one did manage to squeeze past the publishers with a handful of profanity and some questionable content. However, this one still manages to deliver with its intended purpose which is a compelling mystery that entertains its readers. I'd rate this one a 4 out of 5 stars. For those mystery and criminal fiction fans, you'll want to add this one to your summer reading list.

For more information about Sleeping in Eden, Nicole Baart, or where to pick up a copy of this novel today, please click on the links below:

Sleeping in Eden by Nicole Baart

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

• Paperback: 368 pages
• Publisher: Howard Books; Original edition (May 21, 2013)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1439197369
• ISBN-13: 978-1439197363
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.4 x 1 inches 

You can find this novel on paperback and eBook formats wherever fine books are sold. 

Lock, Stock and Over a Barrel

When Daphne Ballinger learns that she has inherited her Aunt Dee's estate, she is completely at odds at why her Aunt would leave everything all to her. She lives in New York and though she was fond of visiting her Aunt, she can't come to terms with why everything is now in her name. Unfortunately it's not quite a cut and dry proposal either. There are a few conditions before Daphne can lay claim to not only her Aunt's fortune but gain possession of the old home and everything in it. The first condition is that Daphne must be willing to live in the home and care for her Aunt's two cats, Lucy and Ethel. For Daphne that is a no-brainer since writing for the New York Times for the last few years she isn't going to ever gain a promotion working with her current boss who seems to have it in for Daphne.

The second condition is that Daphne must be willing to assume taking over her Aunt's advice column for the local paper, Dear Daphne as well as in the New York Times. This is an easy decision since all Daphne's been writing at the New York Times is engagement announcements so she feels this is a simple step up in her writing career.

The third stipulation is that she has to fall in love and get married within a year. Not that one may just in fact be the biggest challenge for Daphne to face since she has no prospects on the horizon either in New York or moving back to her Aunt's hometown of Appleton. If she doesn't follow all the stipulations in the will, the house and all the estate holdings will go back to The Cat House, a pet rescue facility where her Aunt Dee adopted Lucy and Ethel.

Looking for a prospect of a new future on the line, Daphne agrees to the conditions of the will and hopes that in time she may just find someone she can love. But if she can't she'll be both homeless and jobless and have to find a way to start over again quite literally from nothing. Good thing for her that Appleton is a small town and she seems to have no problem finding men who are interested in learning more about Daphne from her Aunt's gardener, to the local organic produce owner, and even her Aunt Dee's attorney seem to be lining up willing to date the latest heiress in their small town. In fact Daphne thinks things are fine until the man she fell in love with ten years ago that broke her heart suddenly shows up at her front door. Oh what's a girl to do?

I received Lock, Stock and Over A Barrel by best selling author Melody Carlson compliments of Shelton Interactive and B and H Publishers for my honest review. This is definitely one you want to add to your summer's reading list and features a list of characters you find yourself rooting for Daphne to chose as her potential husband. I was rooting for the local gardener with the Australian accent that stops by to help keep her landscaping looking amazing and enjoy a cup of coffee or lemonade if she has it available. I've been a huge fan of Melody Carlson's books and this one has found a permanent home on my library shelf. I'd rate this one a 4.5 out of 5 stars.

For more information about Lock, Stock and Over A Barrel, Melody Carlson or where to pick up a copy of this novel today, please click on the links below:

Lock, Stock and Over A Barrel by Melody Carlson

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

• Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: B&H Books (June 1, 2013)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1433679302
• ISBN-13: 978-1433679308
• Product Dimensions: 5.4 x 0.9 x 8.3 inches 

This book is available in paperback and ebook formats from your favorite book retailer.

Undeniably Yours

"She laughed.

Smile lines crinkled around his eyes, making his handsome face even more handsome.

He was surprisingly easy to talk to, this man she'd tried and failed to fire. "It's strange to think that we grew up in the same town but that our experiences were so different, isn't it?"

"It is." Bo gave the horse a pat on the side of its neck, and it ambled off.

Of course, hardly anyone had grown up like she had. Still, it surprised Meg that she could have been raised in this country and have so little interaction with men like Bo. She was much more familiar with your average wealthy, private-school-educated Dallas man. That breed wore expensive designer clothes, drove Porsches, and could carry their end of a long conversation about wine.

Bo's breed? Unapologetically masculine. Too practical for designer clothes. Drove American-made trucks. Drank beer.

A breeze combed through the trees, lifting Meg's hair. As she glanced up to watch the clouds creep across the dusky blue sky, a faint sense that she'd misplaced something needled the back of her mind.

She'd stashed her glasses in one of her sweater's deep pockets. That must be it. When she fished them out and put them on, her view of the horizon turned from slightly fuzzy to clear.

Yet...no. That wasn't it. Something was definitely missing, thought. What? She could feel her car keys still in her pocket. She'd left her purse at the big house.

And then it hit her. The thing that disappeared?" (pg 44).

In the latest novel to completely captivate your heart and soul from best selling author Becky Wade, Undeniably Yours takes you into two very different worlds, the one of Meg Cole and Bo Porter. Meg Cole is the sole heir of her father's vast oil fortune which has been left entirely to her. Bo Porter who runs her father's Thoroughbred horse farm. At first she wanted to eliminate the entire horse farm, something she couldn't fathom trying to understand and manage, but when she attempted to fire Bo, he pleaded for her to give him six months to turn around the finances so that they could begin to show a profit. She had agreed to do just that but soon found herself giving Bo much more than she ever imagined was possible. Could this rich girl fall in love with a simple country boy? You'll want to pick this one up to find out.

I received Undeniably Yours by Becky Wade compliments of Bethany House Publishers and Christian Fiction Blog Alliance for my honest review and received no monetary compensation for a favorable one. This one is enchanting and the romantic tension Becky creates has you on the edge of your seat wondering just when these two will admit their true feelings for one another. Bo is that perfect knight in shining armor wrapped up in simple blue jeans, stetson hat and t-shirt that can not only whisper to horses but to Meg's heart as well. This novel has found a forever home in my library as well as my heart. Who hasn't dreamed of falling in love with a handsome cowboy? I rate this love story a 5 out of 5 stars and will read this one again and again.

For more information about Undeniably Yours, Becky Wade or where to pick up a copy of this sensational novel today, please click on the links below:

Undeniably Yours by Becky Wade

You can find Becky Wade on Facebook to stay up to date on all her latest novels.

To read more reviews on Undeniably Yours from the Christian Fiction Blog Alliance, please click here.

The Face of The Earth

When you take your wedding vows, you agree to follow them until one of you or possibly both of you dies and the vow is no longer applicable. Yet what happens when your spouse simply never returns home despite being happily married? How long does one wait before it's acceptable to move forward? That is the premise behind the latest book from Deborah Raney, The Face of the Earth.

Jill and Mitchell Brannon are your typical married couple. They attend church regularly, have raised two children that are now attending college nearby and have close friends that live in the property directly behind theirs. Jill Brannon takes her husbands advice and attends a conference designed for teachers in nearby Kansas City and is expected back in a couple of days. All goes well and there's even a message awaiting Mitchell on their answering machine at home, that Jill has checked out of the hotel and is planning to see him soon with a surprise just for him. That was more than 5 hours ago. More than enough time for Jill to have driven home. There are no adverse weather conditions that would prevent her from arriving home as expected and despite all his calls to her cell phone all he gets is voicemail. How long will he have to wait before she comes home. How long would  you wait?

In the latest novel The Face of the Earth, Deborah Raney takes the reader into every single persons worst nightmare. What happens when someone you love simply vanishes off the face of the Earth without a trace. I found myself cringing at the waiting that Mitch has to do in simply not knowing where Jill has gone. The police have no clues and no real motives to speak of. Despite all his attempts to convince them that Jill is not the type to simply walk away from her marriage and family, they've seen enough cases to know this could very well be a possibility. Mitch relies on the help of Jill's best friend and their neighbor Shelley, to see if between the two of them, they might figure out where Jill is before the police can. But what if they can't? What if she simply has had a mid-life crisis and has left them all behind? Will Shelley confide in Mitch that Jill's ex boyfriend contacted her on Facebook and wanted to meet while she was away at the conference?
You'll have to pick this novel out to find out how it all ends!

I received The Face of the Earth by Deborah Raney compliments of Howard Books, a division of Simon and Schuster Publishers and Litfuse Publicity for my honest review and received no monetary compensation for a favorable one. This was such a compelling novel for me to not want to put it down until I knew what the outcome would be. In fact, I had to fight myself several times to not rush to the back of the book to find out more than half way through because the suspense was killing me. I forced myself to wait it out simply because like people who experience this kind of nightmare for real, the answers aren't found simply by going to the end of the book. They have to painstakingly live through it minute by minute. I am thankful that Deborah Raney decided to come up with a conclusion for this novel instead of simply leaving it as Jill never coming back and leaving the reader to come up with their own conclusions on what happened. Thank you, thank you for that! This one is a great read and makes you wonder how you would react in the similar situation, and praying that you never will have to know. I rate this one a 4.5 out of 5 stars and have added this to my growing Deborah Raney library of novels.

For more information about The Face of the Earth, Deborah Raney, or where to pick up a copy of this novel today, please click on the links below:

The Face of the Earth by Deborah Raney

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

To read more reviews on The Face of the Earth on the Litfuse Publicity Book Tour, please click here. 

• Paperback: 368 pages
• Publisher: Howard Books; Original edition (May 14, 2013)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1416599975
• ISBN-13: 978-1416599975
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.4 x 1 inches 

You can find this novel at your local book retailer in paperback or eBook formats. 

Deborah is celebrating with a fun "Date Night" Giveaway (win a $200 Visa Cash Card!) and an Author Chat Party on Facebook! {5/30}







 
 One winner will receive:



• A $200 Visa Cash Card (Use that to catch up with a loved one – your spouse, friend, sister, mom…whomever!)


• The Face of the Earth by Deborah Raney
  

Enter today by clicking one of the icons below. But hurry, the giveaway ends on May 29th. Winner will be announced at the "The Face of the Earth" Facebook Author Chat Party on May 30th. Connect with Deborah for an evening of book chat, trivia, laughter, and more! Deborah will also be sharing a sneak peek of her next book and giving away books and fun gift certificates throughout the evening.










So grab your copy of The Face of the Earth and join Deborah on the evening of May 30th for a chance to connect and make some new friends. (If you haven't read the book, don't let that stop you from coming!)





Don't miss a moment of the fun; RSVP today. Tell your friends via FACEBOOK or TWITTER and increase your chances of winning. Hope to see you on the 30th!

New Wings

"When we pray for the supernatural, why are we surprised when it actually shows up?"

What an exceptional tagline that immediately made me want to pick up this novel, New Wings by author Donna Stanley. Ever since my first experience with spiritual warfare novels involving angels and demons living among us in the unseen realm through Frank Peretti's amazing Darkness novels, I've been searching for more just like it. Thankfully Donna has come through for me in this latest endeavor of hers. This is definitely a novel geared for young adults but I found such wisdom between the pages I just had to share my thoughts on this novel.

The story takes us into the heart of Olivia Stanton who has always wanted to see her guardian angel. She prays for it and soon God takes her up on the challenge. Her angel Mike appears to her as a teen driving a red Camaro watching her in the high school parking lot. Not really sure who he is at the time, Olivia gets spooked one day driving home and tries to lose Mike as he follows her in his car. When she runs out of gas, Mike offers to get her some gas and sends her on her way. Over the next few days, Olivia soon learns that Mike is her guardian angel and is sent to help prepare her for the spiritual needs of her high school friends. She meets Mike in her dreams who shows her that a close friend is cutting and if she doesn't intervene, she will commit suicide. It is then that Olivia begins to see how God can use her prayers and praise to impact the spiritual world in powerful ways.

Slowly she begins to see how people around her are being influenced and manipulated by demons as well as angels and just what she can do as a prayer warrior for Jesus who can seen into the spiritual realm. But even Olivia isn't perfect and finds herself falling under the temptation of finding a boy who will love her and fails to pray about it first. She soon finds herself in a bad situation with a boy who wants nothing to do with falling in love with Olivia and is merely a player. Soon she learns that not everything she faces will be easy and that each day is an opportunity to draw closer to God and that the most powerful weapon a believer possesses is their ability to pray. 

I received the novel, New Wings by Donna Stanley compliments of Glass Roads Public Relations and Creation House for my honest review and received no monetary compensation for a favorable one. In light of all the teens paranormal novels inundating the book market, I am relieved to see a breath of fresh air in Donna's novel. It does not imply a worship of angels and instead shows teens how their prayers impact the spiritual world we can't always see. In one situation, Olivia's friend Christina asks her to volunteer at a homeless shelter and Olivia is repulsed and afraid based on a situation she encountered when she was younger, but Mike encourages her to go anyway. In the end, Olivia sees the power of what her actions can do to bless the lives of the people she meets at the homeless shelter serving lunch and God gives her the opportunity to see them through His eyes. This is such a must read novel for any one who loves novels on spiritual warfare. I rate this one a 5 out of 5 stars and will be adding this one to my permanent library. I only hope that Donna continues to writing more in this genre. I think the impact will be life changing. I know just reading this novel has already changed my own prayer life.

For more information about New Wings, Donna Stanley or where you can pick up a copy of this novel today, please click on the links below:

New Wings by Donna Stanley

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

Follow The Heart

Since Downton Abbey, I am officially a traditional regency fan! What does that mean? If you love historical romances set in the mid 1800's in London where social classes and marriage to a fine upstanding family are your cup of tea, then look no further than Follow The Heart by author Kaye Dacus in her Great Exhibition Series. 

The story begins in Pennsylvania in 1850 where Katharine and Christopher Dearing's lives are to be turned upside down. Their father has lost the entire family fortune in a failed investment in the railroad. Katharine's opportunity of marriage to a wealthy family has been withdrawn when they learn she has no money for a dowry and her family's name is now tarnished in their social circles. Now forced to sell most of their family's belongings to keep their head above waters, their father sends Christopher and Katharine to live with their wealthy uncle in England in hopes that both of them may secure a marriage to keep the family from losing everything.

When they arrive at their uncle's estate in England, Katharine and Christopher are treated with the same respect that their cousins receive however, they are reminded by their cousin Edith that they are the poor relations from America and it would serve them well to remember their place. Now living at Wakesdown Manor in England, Katharine tries in vain to do all she can to find the most eligible man with not only a suitable title but the means to elevate her poor family back into a social standing again. Only it seems that no matter how hard she tries, she can't fight the feelings she has for Andrew Lawton, the landscape architect that works her uncle's estate. She knows she can't fall for Andrew because to do so would be beneath what her father and stepmother wanted for her but could cause their family to lose everything back in America. Her only hope is to find someone who can look back her age and background and save her family.

Her brother Christopher is hoping that he can find a way to save the family name and fortune by finding a contact in working with the local railroad companies now coming to take part in the Great Exhibition at the Crystal Palace. He doesn't want all the burden of saving their family to fall on Kate's shoulders even though she is far past the age of most women to marry and begin a family of their own. He hopes that using his expertise in railroad law he might find job that would allow Kate to find a man suitable for marriage that she truly loves instead of settling for money. Yet how can he hope for Kate finding true love among the lower class when he himself is falling in love with the governess Nora. Is it possible for Christopher and Katharine to find a way to save their family and still follow their heart?

I received Follow The Heart by Kaye Dacus compliments of B and H Publishing Group and Christian Fiction Blog Alliance Tours for my honest review. I received no monetary compensation for a favorable review. This novel reminds me of Cinderella meets Downton Abbey, only instead of the wicked step-sisters, poor Katharine and Christopher have to deal with the oldest cousin Edith who is competing with Kate to see just who can marry the richest man possible. For Edith it isn't about love but about the title and fortune that accompany her dream of marriage. She will do almost anything to remind Katharine of just where she comes from and to prevent her from finding true happiness. I encourage you traditional regency lovers to grab a cup of tea, sit by the fire and immerse yourself in this wonderful novel created just for you by Kaye Dacus. I loved this one and the only disappointment I faced was when I turned the final page. It was over too soon and I wanted more of these characters. Good thing that Kaye is adding to this series in her upcoming novel An Honest Heart this fall.  I easily rate this one a 5 out of 5 stars and will be adding this one to my personal library.

For more information about Follow The Heart, Kaye Dacus or where you can pick up a copy of this novel today, please click on the links below:

Follow The Heart by Kaye Dacus

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

To read more reviews on Follow The Heart from the Christian Fiction Blog Alliance Book Tour, please click here. 

• Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: B&H Books (May 1, 2013)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1433677202
• ISBN-13: 978-1433677205
• Product Dimensions: 5.4 x 0.9 x 8.3 inches 

Available at your favorite book retailer in paperback and eBook reader formats.