Thursday, July 29, 2010

Blog Tour Book Review: The Seeker by Ann H. Gabhart

Charlotte Vance has known exactly how her life would turn out since she was a little girl. Marry the boy next door, join their lands, and continue their family's legacies together. All was on track until one day when everything in her world got turned upside-down. On that day, she learns about her new, very young stepmother, who has no intention of keeping Charlotte around. Then her fiance tells her that he plans to join the local Shaker community. But Shakers don't believe in marriage, so what of her plans? Not only is her personal life is turmoil, the country is on the brink of civil war with her homeland right in the middle!


Not one to stand idly by, Charlotte escapes her stepmother's plans for her and goes after the man she wants to marry. She joins the Shaker community with hopes convince her fiance to return with her and set everything right. But all does not go according to Charlotte's plan and she finds herself on a new path - one she never would have dreamed of!

I thought this story was very well rounded. I learned a lot about the Shakers that I never knew before - I just thought they were the same as the Amish but this book did a great job pointing out the differences. Also, the insight into the people surrounding the civil war was really good. The plot moved at a good pace and the characters were great! I also loved how the romance came about - very creative. A thoroughly enjoyable read.

Available July 2010 at your favorite bookseller from Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group.

Thanks to Revell publishers for a free copy of this book to review.

Wednesday, July 21, 2010

You are invited to The Bishop Facebook Party

Steven James Launch Party!


Steven James is launching his new book "The Bishop" on Facebook on Wednesday August 4th from 7-9 pm Eastern Time. Meet the author and win great prizes! (YOu must have a facebook account to participate)

Also stay tuned to this blog for a review of the book - coming soon!!!

Saturday, July 17, 2010

Book Review: The Last Operative by Jerry B. Jenkins

Jordan Kirkwood has been faithfully working for the NSA for 20 years and finally felt like it was time to settle down. He is finishing up one small mission before he plans to meet his wife in London for a much needed time of rest and reconnecting. But just before he finishes his mission he receives intel of a serious terrorist threat to the US and he can't trust anyone - someone is working from inside the NSA itself!

When an attempt on his life is made, Jordan is forced to face secrets from his past in order to stop the threat in the future. He has to find whoever is involved inside the NSA without them knowing, while stopping a terrible attack from happening with very few people to help. Will he be able to figure it out on time?

This book was a nice change of pace for me than the fiction I have been reading lately. I enjoyed the fact the the protagonist was older and very human - the down sides of working in intelligence are well portrayed. It had a good bit of excitement but the details were not too gorey which I appreciated. The only disappointment for me was that the climax seemed to happen all at once and very quickly. I liked the general idea of the ending but it too seemed to be a bit short and choppy. Still it was a good read - I'll probably read it some time again in the future.

Thanks to Tyndale Publishers for a free copy of this book to review.

Tuesday, July 13, 2010

Blog Tour Book Review: Touching the Clouds by Bonnie Leon

Kate Evans does not want to settle down and be a wife and mother like every other woman - or at least not just yet. She has a dream she wants to realize - being a bush pilot in Alaska! So she breaks off her engagement, leaves her family behind in Washington and sets off not really knowing what lies ahead. She does know that she is glad to leave bad memories behind her in hopes of starting fresh.
It's not easy for Kate, though. Flying is still a man's arena, and especially in such a hard terrain to fly in, people are cautious about hiring one of the weaker sex.


Kate finally lands a job (no pun intended) and begins the life she has dreamed of. She loves the challenges and adventure and when she comes across a mysterious and handsome stranger living in the wilderness, her job becomes even more interesting! Will Kate overcome her past memories to keep her dream alive, and will she get past the mystery man's walls to find love with him? You'll just have to read it to find out :-)

I really enjoyed this book. Obviously, since people are in old planes flying in dangerous territory, there is going to be danger involved and I found myself almost worrying every time someone got in a plane. It kept me on my toes :-) I liked how Kate and Paul are hiding such similar secrets - that was a nice detail. I also enjoyed learning more about Alaska and it's beautiful landscape. I'm looking forward to reading the rest of the books in this series when they come out.

Available July 2010 at your favorite bookseller from Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group


Thanks to Revell for a free copy of this book to review!

Tuesday, July 06, 2010

Book Review: Hearts Awakening by Delia Parr


Spinster. Elvira Kilmer is 31 years old, poor, and plain. With no friends or family to help her, she is truly on her own. She needs to find work to support herself so she goes to work for the widower, Jackson Smith. Two weeks volunteering in his home cleaning and taking care of his boys will earn her a reference so she can look for somewhere to live and work permanently. But her plans change when Jackson presents her with a marriage proposal after only a few days of work. He needs a housekeeper and someone to raise his children, and with her looks, she will not likely have another chance of a family of her own. 
This strange marriage is surrounded by mistrust, secrets and scandal. Can they work to make their marriage work, or will they let hurt and deceit drive them apart again?
Hearts Awakening is a great story of forgiveness and the goodness of God!


I really loved this heartwarming story! I was drawn in from the first chapter when it just jumps right in to this new and strange relationship. All the background is uncovered as the characters learn about each other. The only flaw I can think of is that in all the fights and misunderstandings in the marriage it seemed the man was always at fault when in reality, no matter how godly a spouse is, I am pretty sure there should have been times when Ellie needed forgiveness too. She seemed almost too patient to be true :-) I may have picked a different name for her too (Elvira!?!) but that is really not a complaint ;-) I will definitely read this more than once!


Thanks so much to Bethany House Publishers for a free copy of this book to review.

Thursday, July 01, 2010

Watch Out World

Here is just a little clip of Aidan walking. He is sooo much happier now that he can walk by himself - and can get into so much more trouble ;-)