The Maze - The Lost Labyrinth

"From the sound of it, a maze was being constructed, and he knew what that meant: someone stood at a moral crossroads, about the make a life-changing decision. The Piper had to act quickly.

Bricks were laid using grief as a mortar. Walls were cemented in place with sorrow. Lights were forsaken in favor of darkness. Crude agonizing designs were etched into the floors, and the history of one man's sin was scrawled in painstaking detail on every inch of the dreadful place."

In the novel, The Maze - The Lost Labyrinth, Jason Brannon takes an interesting spin on the consequences of our moral life-changing decisions and shows us what happens when we are literally on the verge of life and death. In this fantastic and wonderful written novel, we follow Jamie Burroughs, a successful businessman, husband and father who is about to stand at the threshold of a life altering choice. When his wife, Amy, confronts him about a recent bank withdrawl, she questions Jamie's intent. Is he planning on using the money as a cash payment on a hotel room to have an affair and destroy their marriage like their friends did? Jamie understands how following the clues from someone else's choice can make his wife question his choices even though that is not what he intends to do EVER. He reassures her that his vows to her are rock solid and that introduces us to the Piper, who begins to play his tempting tune to entice Jamie along another road. One that manifests during a business lunch in which his ex-girlfriend, Karen is there waitress.

Soon Jamie finds himself drawn to her in a way he cannot explain much like the rats did for the Piped Piper of Hamlin. In this interesting look at what happens in the course of our lives suddenly is transformed when Jamie literally hovers on the brink of death after attempting to follow his quest to know "What if."

Jamie finds himself literally in a maze designed by all the choices and decisions he has made over his life. It was designed by The Architect and will test his ability to view his life in a completely different way. The choice he has made not necessarily with his actions, but also his thoughts and words. He will be challenged by the race against the Minotaur who feeds on the sins present in his life. 

 "Think of this maze as one big example of cause and effect. Everything you do has a consequence here. Getting here was a consequence of intent. This place is a manifestation of your entire life. Your deeds are sewn into the fabric of this maze. Your sins are the mortar that holds these walls in place.

This game is just like everything else in your life. You're blessed more than most people, and you can't see all the good things in front of you. All you see are the problems, the trials, the tribulations, the darkness. All you see is what you don't have."

This is such a fabulous novel that speaks to the heart and soul of the reader. It makes you take a hard line approach at your own life and question things you have done. It really takes you into the deepest, darkest places of your own life and teaches us all what it really means to repent and accept Christ as our Savior. Nothing else will save us in the end. I found myself with pages of notes from this novel that I intend to apply as a measuring stick in my own life. No one is perfect and this novel takes you into the seemingly innocent things we do every single day and the consequences it has on our soul.

I'd rate The Maze, The Lost Labyrinth by Jason Brannon a 5 out of 5 stars and look forward to digging a bit deeper into his literary works to find even more surprises tucked inside. I received this novel as a self purchase and received no monetary compensation for a favorable review. For those of you that wonder just how innocent your lives are, I'd encourage you to check this one and and re-evaluate what you find inside.

For more information about The Maze - The Lost Labyrinth, Jason Brannon or where to pick up a copy of this novel today, please click on the links below:

The Maze - The Lost Labyrinth by Jason Brannon

Blowing on Dandelions

"Katherine Galloway's soft exhale sent the dandelion fluff dancing on the warm current of air, but it didn't bring the anticipated relief. Gripping the stem, she sat in the grassy field with her eyes closed and waited. Why didn't it come? It had always appeared years ago when she needed it. How long had it been since her mind had drifted away to a place where nothing could hurt her? Fifteen years? Twenty?

She shook her head, and an errant curl tickled her cheek.

More. Many more. But always her memory returned to those times when the dandelion fluff had carried her away to a place where mothers were loving and kind, and little girls didn't need to be afraid of cutting words or sharp voices.

Had she ever known a time like that, other than in her dreams? Katherine had thought she did, but now she knew: it was all an illusion, like the sunbeams glinting off the bits of white that were settling to the ground. Seeds - that's all they were. Seeds that brought unwanted weeds when they matured. Just like her life.

Unwanted. Unwelcome. Unsung."

Katherine Galloway is attempting to hold onto that belief that God's got something great in store for her. After losing her husband of only two years in a mining accident in Baker City, Katherine now runs the boarding house along with her two young girls Lucy and Amanda. She cringes as she looks back at the broken relationship between herself and her mother and begins counting down the days she will leave after this latest visit. It seems like nothing Katherine does will ever been good enough or acceptable enough for her aging mother, Frances Connors only to be compared to her sister June. Frances had been living with June until an early death left her alone and in need of someone else to care for her and that is just what she has in mind when she shows up on Katherine's doorstep. Yup, Frances is now planning on staying with Katherine permanently.

In the Love Blossoms in Oregon Series, Blowing in Dandelions by Miralee Ferrell is the first novel in this charming series. In this novel Katherine Galloway must find a way to locate the gumption she needs to deal with her arrogant and downright blunt mother, Frances. Of course, Frances is the ever doting grandmother to Lucy and Amanda when her health issues are giving her problems, but she truly believes unless she intervenes in all areas of Katherine's life, the poor woman will never make it. With Katherine raised in a time where children are to be seen and not heard, she believes the Bible's promise to honor your parents at all times. It is that fallacy that keeps Katherine in chains when it comes to dealing with her overbearing mother.

She soon finds herself at the possibility of once again falling in love with the local livery owner, Micah Jacobs who she literally runs into on the streets of Baker City. Only Micah's just moved here from Seattle in hopes of finding a way to care for his younger son, Zachary after his wife Emma passed away. He is not looking for love and vows to do all he can to stay away from Katherine Galloway. But when tragedy strikes it seems God's about to show them both that once again, ALL things work together for those that love the Lord even if they are simply too stubborn to see it.

I received Blowing on Dandelions by Miralee Ferrell as a self purchase and received no monetary compensation for a favorable review. This is the story of reconciliation between Katherine and her mother Frances and the hope that comes when prayer is answered. There is NOTHING God can't fix in His own timing even people as stubborn as Frances. It truly makes me wonder what people would say about me, if they didn't know if I was able to hear them. Would they say that I was kind and my words one to build up or that perhaps I might need some help in that department. I hope it would be the first. This novel is perfect for anyone who struggles with any family member who tries their patience and offers a glimpse of hope in what may be hoped for and possibly obtained with prayer and patience. I'd rate this one a 5 out of 5 stars. There is even an except of Wishing on Buttercups, the second book in this series due out later this year.

For more information about Blowing on Dandelions, Miralee Ferrell, or where to pick up a copy of this novel today, please click on the link below:

Blowing on Dandelions by Miralee Ferrell

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

The Last Original Wife

"Wives are so easily gotten over and so easily replaced. We are an expendable breed."

"Do you really believe that?" To his credit, his expression was briefly ever so slightly incredulous.

"Yes, I do. The evidence is all over the place. Men wear us out, either bury us or divorce us, and then they just go get another woman to be their mother."

"Go on..."

"So I looked around at these second wives with their fake boobs and their Jennifer Aniston flat-ironed hair and their Michelle Obama toned upper arms and I felt more like a chaperone than a peer. They were all wearing skintight bandage dresses with spiky platform high heels and they had their spray tans and big chunky jewelry. I was wearing, well, something age appropriate, pearls, pumps,, and a nice dress. I realized over the course of the night that they had plenty of chitchat for each other, but when they talked to me, they deferred as though they were being respectful of their grandmother. That was when I came to the what I thought was a rather startling realization."

"And that was that?"

"That I didn't want to be there. I really didn't want to be there! Worse? I didn't belong there! All of a sudden I didn't care. Wes's friends were married to girls who are young enough to be their daughters. I didn't want to spend every holiday and weekend for the rest of my life with a bunch of Barbies. These men were Wes's oldest friends, and their former wives were mine. These insipid young women would never be my friends. Moreover, I didn't want them to be my friends."

That is about how Leslie Anne Greene Carter sums of how she feels being what she has labeled herself as the 'last original wife' among the people she finds herself sharing her free time with. Now that all of her husbands friends have married new younger wives, she takes a look back at her own life and realizes that she has spent 30 years living with Wesley Carter and they are no longer in love with one another. She suddenly finds herself the last original wife among their set of friends and finds she has literally nothing in common with their new wives or even anything in common with her husband any longer.

What does Wes think of their marriage at this crucial point?

"I don't beat her. I never ran around...well, not too much. She lives in a nice house. She's never had to work for a living. She drives a nice car. I take her to Vegas once a year. Is she crazy?"

"I don't know. Is she?"

"Look, I married her, didn't I" I stayed with her, didn't I? What they hell does she want from me? Why did she walk out on me? Was it her hormones?"

Now the story takes an interesting twist between the chapters in this novel toggling at first to the counseling session that Les and Wes have at the beginning and then a look back at what brought them to that place during the meat of this amazing novel. This is truly one to savor and spend your time enjoying in a wonderful place this summer. The story is unforgettable and I truly hope this one finds its way to the big screen. Women would LOVE it!

I received The Last Original Wife by Dorothea Benton Frank compliment of William Morrow, a division of Harper Collins Publishers for my honest review. I received no monetary compensation for a favorable review on this novel. Hands down I LOVED this one and feel it is truly worthy of a full 5 out of 5 stars. This is such a fun novel to savor the experiences of summer and of finding out where happiness lies for a women who has spent the last 30 years of her life, forgoing everything she has ever wanted and needed to care for an overly needy and ungrateful husband and their two grown children. I think every woman will find something wonderful in this story and I can't wait for more from Dorothea Benton Frank in the very near future. I think by far my favorite characters in this one besides Leslie is her brother Harlan. Oh how I wish I had a Harlan of my very own! You'll have to read this one to find out why!

For more information about The Last Original Wife, Dorothea Benton Frank, or where you can pick up a copy of this novel today for your summer reading list, please click on the links below:

The Last Original Wife by Dorothea Benton Frank

You can find Dorothea Benton Frank on Facebook to stay up to date with all her latest novels.

ISBN: 9780062132468; ISBN10: 0062132466; Imprint: William Morrow ; On Sale: 6/11/2013; Format: Hardcover; Trimsize: 6 x 9; Pages: 368; $26.99; Ages: 18 and Up; BISAC1:FIC044000; BISAC2:FIC045000; BISAC3:FIC016000

Pennsylvania Patchwork

Sometimes our greatest times of adversity can also be our best opportunities for growth and reliance on God. Such in the case in the latest novel in the Legacy of Lancaster Trilogy Series from author Kate Lloyd, Pennsylvania Patchwork. Once again we pick up the story of Holly Fisher who has recently discovered that her mother, Esther has been keeping a secret from her. In fact, it's quite a huge secret. Esther grew up Amish and left to get married but led Holly to believe she has always had an English upbringing. She learned early on the reason for no real relatives or grandparents were that they were all dead. Now she discovers that she has quite an Amish heritage. Her father, Samuel has been missing in the Vietnam war and is now believed dead for the last few years.

Holly and her mother Esther are now living with her Amish grandmother Anna, who is in need of being taken care of now that she is getting older. What Holly soon discovers is that her grandmother and mother are planning to intervene on her recent engagement to Zack Fleming, a Mennonite veterinarian since learning of  a rumor that Zack may in fact be a father to his recent ex-girlfriend Victoria's son Justin. But until all the facts are in, Holly is willing to wait and see just what happens. While she is spending some time debating the merits of just how honest Zack really is, she suddenly finds herself in the middle of being pursued by two additional men. Larry, a man she meet when she was living in Seattle and an Amish man, Armin who has just returned from living among the English.

Will Holly be able to find a way to sort out her real feelings of love in the midst of three men who all want to marry her? Is Holly willing to give up her English way of life and learn to become Amish like her grandmother Anna who is hoping for her to marry a nice Amish young man? Or will Holly learn something from her mother's own past that may cause her to return to Seattle for good? To find out, you'll need to pick up a copy of Pennsylvania Patchwork.

I received Pennsylvania Patchwork by Kate Lloyd compliments of David C. Cook Publishers and Litfuse Publicity for my honest review. I received no monetary compensation for a favorable review. Since reading the first novel in the series, Leaving Lancaster, I knew I wanted to see how Holly's story would play out in this novel. I was not disappointed. Along the way, we learn more about Samuel and his disappearance in Vietnam. Esther also has to deal with the potential of deciding if she will become baptized in the Amish church satisfying a possible marriage with Nathaniel as well as dealing with a health issue with her own aging mother. I'd rate this one a 4 out of 5 stars and look forward to seeing how this all wraps up in the next novel.

For more information about Pennsylvania Patchwork, Kate Lloyd or where you can pick up a copy of this book today, please click on the links below:

Pennsylvania Patchwork by Kate Lloyd

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

To read more reviews on Pennsylvania Patchwork on the Litfuse Publicity Book Tour, please click here. 

Kate Lloyd is celebrating the release of book two in her Legacy of Lancaster Trilogy, Pennsylvania Patchwork, by giving away an authentic Amish-made quilt!







 



One "grand" winner receive:




• An authentic Amish-made Quilt


• Pennsylvania Patchwork and Leaving Lancaster by Kate Lloyd

Enter today by clicking one of the icons below. But hurry, the giveaway ends on June 29th. Winner will be announced on July 1st at Kate's blog.

Tell your friends via FACEBOOK or TWITTER and increase your chances of winning.

Help for the Haunted

"You know the truth already. What I will say is this: each of us is born into this life with a light inside of us. Some, like yours, burn brighter than others. You don't see that yet, but I do. What's most important is to never let that light go out, because when you do, it means you've lost yourself to the darkness. It means you've lost your hope. And hope is what makes this world a beautiful place."

And that is exactly the advice that Sylvie Mason has to hold onto. When she was nine years old, she left with her parents on a cold night in the snow to attempt to meet with her oldest sister Rose who had left home in hopes of reconciling the issues between her parents and Rose that cause her to leave. Only little did Sylvie know that that would be the very last time she would ever see her parents alive. Left alone in the car and having fallen asleep she hears the sounds of a gun being fired and finds her parents murdered on the steps of an old church and her sister is no where to be found. Yet all she remembers is that they were not alone. Someone else was there and it's that someone that is haunting the memories of Sylvie late at night.

In the latest novel by John Searles, Help for the Haunted is a suspense thriller that takes you on an unforgettable ride into the darkest places of a persons soul. She knows her parents help troubled people that no one else can and has been the reason for people treating her and her sister Rose different from other kids you'd know in school. Most people in school avoid Sylvie and give her plenty of room whenever she walks into a room. Most are simply afraid of what they don't understand and since the deaths of her parents, most people believe that the people the Mason's helped carried some evil right alongside them. It was that evil that they hoped to find relief from when all other attempts had failed. Now the basement is the only place that has been left virtually undisturbed and both girls were warned by their parents to stay out. But just what is happening in the basement now, sounds that seem to emanate from beneath the house, it seems like something below is not happy that Sylvie's parents are no longer among the living and are deeply upset with the current state of things.

I received Help for the Haunted by John Searles, compliments of William Morrow, a division of Harper Collins Publishers for my honest review and received no monetary compensation for a favorable one. This one literally gave me what I was expecting and then some. Rave reviews comparing John Searles work with that of Stephen King is what drew me to read this one. I was not disappointed. 90% of the way through this novel that author creates such a suspenseful atmosphere you think you have it figured out, you're just waiting for an unveiling. This one really creeped me out and for me, that's the perfect sign of an amazing suspense novel. The ending I truly did not see coming and it's true that there is always more to the story than what you see. I rate this one a 4.5 out of 5 stars and look forward to many more novels from John Searles in the future.

For more information about Help for the Haunted, John Searles or where you can preorder a copy of this novel that is due out in mid September of 2013, please click on the links below:

Help for the Haunted by John Searles

You can find John Searles on Facebook to stay up to date with all his latest novels.

ISBN: 9780060779634; ISBN10: 0060779632; Imprint: William Morrow ; On Sale: 9/17/2013; Format: Hardcover; Trimsize: 6 x 9; Pages: 368; $26.99; Ages: 18 and Up; BISAC1:FIC019000; BISAC2:FIC022000; BISAC3:FIC043000

Paige Torn

To say that Paige Alder is busy is a complete understatement. Aside from the sleep she must be getting between everything she manages to accomplish it seems that her schedule is booked solid. Carrying around a planner is a necessity since without it, I'm not sure where she would likely wind up. In fact, being a single girl with no romantic prospects on her future horizon gives her the excuse to simply say "Yes!" to everything anyone ever asks her to do.

From managing her job at the adoption agency dealing with potential parents which average an hour on the phone, she also takes care of all the secretarial work. She is often the first in the office and the last to leave. She fills in her "spare" time volunteering at her church working with high school girls in the youth group, helping out at the food bank, planning not only her best friend Layla's parents anniversary party but also Layla's upcoming wedding in nine short months. Layla's excitement soon carves it's way into every available moment she has to spare. The worst thing she can do is answer her phone which continually rings. Not to mention her pastor's wife who is about to give birth at any moment and they need Paige to fill in until things settle down. Are you kidding me? If anything, Paige Alder to give any would-be procrastinator a solid run for their money when they claim they simply have no time for anything.

In the latest novel from author Erynn Mangum, Paige Torn is the perfect title for this over-worked, overly busy, single gal. In fact Paige is so busy she barely has time to get her laundry done and grabs dinner on the go in the way of cheese sticks or simply a rush drive through order at Sonic. For those readers who know what it's like to need just a few more hours in their day, then Paige Alder is definitely some one you can relate to. In fact its a great thing Paige is well known at her local Starbucks because without a caffeine rush, she might just collapse from over exhaustion. I know I felt that way just getting through the novel. I will never again say I don't have time to get things done, after living in Paige's shoes. Yet along the way, Paige begins to realize that proverbial saying, "All work and no play, makes Paige a very dull life indeed." She will need to learn to say No if she ever wants to have a love life and marriage. If not everyone else is due to leave her behind, while she stays too busy to even notice.

I received Paige Torn by Erynn Mangum compliments of Christian Fiction Blog Alliance and Think Publishing for my honest review. I received no monetary compensation for a favorable review. This is my first Erynn Mangum novel and I'd rate this one a 4 out of 5 stars. It is definitely perfect for the young adult who is looking for a character that they can identify with, one being a single girl who is looking for love, but finds that staying busy is better than simply waiting around for love to find her. This book is perfect for those "Martha's" from the Bible that are constantly staying busy and wondering where all the time went. This is the first book in the Paige Alder series and you can find it at your local book retailer in paperback and eBook formats.

For more information about Paige Torn, Erynn Mangum, or where you can pick up a copy of this book today, please click on the links below:

Paige Torn by Erynn Mangum 

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

To read more reviews on Paige Torn from the Christian Fiction Blog Alliance Tour, please click here.

• Paperback: 304 pages
• Publisher: Think (May 1, 2013)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1612912982
• ISBN-13: 978-1612912981
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.6 x 0.8 inches

After Her

"When I was young, I'd say, that's what I did to make life interesting. My sister and I were always looking for a little drama, and if the world didn't provide some, we'd invent it. We could make up stories so read we believed them ourselves.

And then something really did happen, of course. And all we wished for then was that it never did."

Rachel and Patty Toricelli grow up in Marin County much like any other young child in 1970. When faced with the seemingly endless possibilities of adventure that awaits them on the mountain, just outside their backdoor and a summer to fill it with adventure as only limited by their own imaginations. Now faced with being children of divorce watching their mom fall further into an apparent depression and their father busy working as a police detective, they only have each other to keep themselves entertained. From sneaking into backyards to watch TV through their neighbors picture windows when they find themselves without cable any longer, they resort to making up the storyline and dialogue when their favorite TV shows are aired.

It seems a lifetime of Charlie's Angels and The Brady Bunch have inspired the two girls imagination and they often find making up stories is often times better than the truth. As young teens, adults are willing to disclose certain things to them seeing them as simply too young for that sort of thing. When a new neighbor and his reclusive wife move in, Patty and Rachel begin documenting their daily comings and goings to figure out just who they are and why they rarely see his wife. Since their father works so much, they come to expect him to be busy and long for whatever attention he can offer them when he has time, from taking them to dinner at Marin Joe's or for a Giant's baseball game. He is ever the vigilant father watching out for his young daughters.

When a helicopter suddenly hovers over the mountain top playground they have come to call home, they soon learn that the adventure they have been seeking hasn't been very far away. A body of a 21-year-old girl has been found murdered and raped and their father now has strict instructions to stay off the mountain. Yet Patty and Rachel feel that perhaps the police haven't truly searched everywhere for clues and soon set off with a plan to aid in the search. Rachel has a unique ability that lets her at times see into the future and believes that this is just the time to utilize that ability to help her father out.

In the latest novel from Joyce Maynard, After Her is the story of the coming of age between Rachel Toricellin and her younger shy sister Patty for the beginning of the novel.This sets the backdrop for the novel as more young women are showing up murdered on the mountain the girls have grown up on and characterizes the Trailside Killer case the terrorized Marin County in the 1970's. Joyce does a remarkable job at getting you inside the heads of Patty and Rachel early on in their young lives to set the stage for how events like serial murders in someone's backyard might affect them while they are watching this going on, all the while, having their own father as the lead investigator. For those of you that love a great murder mystery based on a true case, then this one will definitely want to be on your must read list. A note of caution that there are some sexual content in relating to the girls coming of age story in which they are exposed to a variety of sexual situations that might be common for this type of novel.

I received After Her by Joyce Maynard compliments of William Morrow, a division of Harper Collins Publishers for my honest review and received no monetary compensation for a favorable one. I'd rate this novel a 4 out of 5 stars and found the content of the novel extremely engaging to draw the reader into the lives of the characters of Patty and Rachel. For me, it makes for a great novel if I feel personally connected to them in some way and being able to remember back to all my summers filled with imagination, mine are not that far off from Patty and Rachel's.

For more information about After Her, Joyce Maynard and where you can preorder a copy of this novel due out August of 2013, please click on the links below:

After Her by Joyce Maynard

You can find Joyce Maynard on Facebook to stay up to date with all her latest novels.