Tuesday, August 27, 2013

What once was lost by Kim Vogel Sawyer

Christina Williems was finally recovering from the loss of her parents and carving out a life for herself running the Brambleville Asylum for the Poor. She thinks that is where God wants her and where she can enjoy a family. But one night a fire takes the building away from her and she finds herself having to farm out her dear little "family". When Christina is forced to approach a reclusive mill owner to take in one of the little boys she does not expect that her paths will cross Levi Johnnson's much, but as things happen and Christina is challenged in ways she could not imagine she finds herself growing closer to Levi,but will Levi ever open himself to the Lord's guidance?

As always I enjoyed Kim Vogel Sawyer's writing.She is not a earth shattering author, but you can always count on her books to be good, well written, clean reads that never disappoint.

Wednesday, August 21, 2013

The outcast by Jolina Petersheim

I am not usually a big fan of Amish fiction,it really is just not my thing,so I was a bit reluctant to give "The Outcast" by Jolina Petersheim a try. Also,I am not a huge fan of retelling of classics as I really don't think anyone can measure up to those authors.So I started this book with low expectations and was pleasantly surprised to find that it was a lot better than I thought.
When old order Mennonite Rachel becomes pregnant as a young single women, she is quickly shunned especially when she will not name the father of her child. As Rachel learns to adapt to life outside of anything she has ever known she quickly finds that there are kind and loving people everywhere. When  Rachel's young son is found to have cancer then some things come out and Rachel hurts those around her love her the most.

Overall I really enjoyed this book,despite the subject matter. I thought some of the content was a little more than I would of expected for a Christian book so I would not recommend it to a younger audience. Still I really enjoyed the authors writing style and look forward to reading her forthcoming books.

Monday, August 19, 2013

Rules of murder by Julianna Deering

Drew Fathering has always enjoyed reading a good mystery,but he never imagined one happening on his estate.When he throws a weekend party and it is ruined by a murder Drew finds himself quickly swept up into trying to solve it as the police do not seem to be getting anywhere. With the help of Drew's best friend Nick and the beautiful American, Madeline, they try to solve the mystery before one of them ends up a victim. What starts as all fun with using mystery techniques they picked up from books so becomes much more serious as things take a more sinister turn.

I thoroughly enjoy a good mystery and when it is a Christian book to boot it sounds like a winning comibination to me. Overall I found the book to be pretty good,but it did not totally arrest my interest like I had hoped it would.I still recommend it for anyone who likes to curl up with a good mystery.

Chasing Hope by Kathryn Cushman

I have read several of Kathryn Cushman's books in the past and have enjoyed her beautiful writing style and here endearingly flawed and believable characters."Chasing Hope" was just as good as Ms. Cushman previous books and is one that sticks with you well after you finish the final page.
Sabrina Rice was a talented young runner who had a chance at the Olympics,until that dream was taken away from her never to be realized. Sabrina thought that she could use her talents for the Lord,but now she feels rejected and alone,but when a troubled young girl Brandy with running potential of  her own comes in Sabrina's life will she be able to get over her own disappointments and help her out?

This was a rich,wonderful book that speaks to most anyone as it talks about broken dreams and yet how God can take those broken dreams and use them for His glory.

Every breathe you take by M.K. Gilroy

This is the second book that M.K. Gilroy wrote and he is quickly becoming a favorite of mine! Detective Kristen Conner is about to get immersed in the online world of dating as she goes undercover to find a serial killer they strike again. I found Kristen to be an overall very likable character and I thought the mystery aspect was quite good.I think I might of liked the first book in the series slightly better,but this one was really good too.

I would recommend this book to anyone who likes a good,clean mystery with a very memorable and likable female lead.

Wednesday, August 14, 2013

Anomaly by Krista McGee

It seems like futuristic young adult books are becoming more common in the Christian book industry and this one was certainly a good read. It is the first in a series and I look forward to reading the other books in the series.
Thalli knows she is not like everyone else as she questions the authorities.She quickly finds that there are more sinister things afoot and when she starts to develop feelings for her best friend she realizes that maybe there is more to life than what they were taught to believe.


Frame 232 by Wil Mara

For any history buff and suspense fans this is an amazing read! This is one of the best suspense books I have read in a long time and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Sheila Baker finds out after her Mother's death that her Mother carried a heavy secret never revealing it to anyone, she was the famous babushka women who witnessed JFK's assassination and had a camera with her. Will what she comes across in the film shed light on what really happened on that fateful day? It appears so because as soon as watching the film Sheila is running for her life.Enters Jason Hammond into her life,he is a rich philanthropist who spends his life trying to solve historical mysteries and he quickly finds that someone is trying to bury the truth forever.

I highly recommend this book to anyone who likes a good historical suspense. It was thrilling page turner.

Stranded by Dani Pettrey

This is the 3rd book in the Alaskan Courage series by Dani Pettrey which tells of the adventures about the McKenna family. Darcy St. James has had a hard time forgetting the McKenna family and Gage McKenna in particular,after several months of not hearing from any of them there paths again cross when a friend of Darcy's disappears. As Darcy and Gage dig deeper into what happened to Abby they find out that things on the cruise ship are much more sinister than they seem.

I have enjoyed all of the other books in the series,but this one is probably my least favorite,that being said it was still and easy and engaging read.

The cutting edge by Ace Collins

In a world that is obsessed with beauty I found this to be a refreshing read. Leslie Rhoads is a small town girl who is on the verge of making it big in the modeling world with her flawless beauty.When she is approached with a make or break opportunity she takes decided to go home,not knowing that decision will change her life forever. When Leslie is brutally attacked and left without her beauty she quickly learns that beauty truly is only skin deep. When Leslie befriends a young girl who has similar scars will she be able to help young Angel heal and in the process find healing for herself? Will they find who disfigured Leslie before he strikes again?

This book had a lot going for it and I really enjoyed it. The suspense was page turning and the characters growth and development was realistic and well plotted. 

Tuesday, August 13, 2013

Critical Pursuit by Janice Cantore

This is the 2nd series by Janice Cantore that I have read and I think that overall I liked this series better and I look forward to reading the future adventures of Brinna.
The premise of the book is about Brinna who makes it her personal mission as a cop to find children who have been abducted like she was when she was a child and to save them. When Brinna is under fire because of a shoot out she is teamed up with Jack who was once an outstanding cop but is not reeling from the death of his beloved wife. As they learn to become a team, Jack is going to find it very difficult to keep Brinna from someone in her past who wants to celebrate the anniversary of her abduction. 

This was a quick paced,interesting read.The subject matter was very hard to read as it dealt with unsavory issues such as child predators,etc and that is really hard to read. I thought the author handled the subject well and did a great job at engaging one in the book.

I would not recommend this book for just anyone,but if you like a good suspense/thriller and can handle the subject that are brought up,then this is a great read!

I received a copy of this book from Tyndale in exchange for my honest opinion.

Monday, August 12, 2013

The Governess of Highland Hill by Carrie Turansky

If one wants to go back in time to an era long gone, then this book is the perfect escape! Carrie Turansky dished up a delightful novel about Julia Foster who grew up in India doing missionary work with her family,because of her Father's bad health she is forced to find a job as a governess to the widower Sir  William Ramsey who has recently inherited a title and large estate.As Julia struggles to find her place at Highland Hall and what God wants her to do there, Sir William is struggling with his feelings for the kind new governess,but with his finances in shambles will he have to chose money over love.

I thought this was a well written, engaging story.The premise of the story was not very original,but I think that given the subject the author did a good job.What I really appreciated about the author is that she had several different stories woven into the book and did a great job at developing secondary characters. I enjoyed the authors writing style and look forward to reading more books by her in the future!

I received a copy of this book from Multnomah Books in exchange for my honest opinion,but it in no way influenced my opinions,which are entirely my own.

Friday, August 9, 2013

The church builder by A.L Shields

If you are a fan of suspense/thrillers than I cannot recommend this book enough! This book has the perfect blend of unexpected twists and turns,character  development and intrigue that kept me reading on.The only word of warning I have is that this is the first of a series so it leaves off at a rather bad spot so I can hardly wait for the next book to come out.
The story starts off with seemingly average Bethany Barclay who is a lawyer in Washington D.C., her life is pretty predicable and normal until a few months after her dear friends death when she gets framed for several crimes and is on the run for her life trying to piece together what exactly her friend knew that got her killed. At stake is a battle between good and evil, but with Bethany caught in between the two groups will she actually make it out alive?

This was a great read and just when you think you have things figured out something else happens.I loved how the author pieces things together and ties together an absolutely thrilling read!