Review of Rose House
May 28, 2009
This week, the
Christian Fiction Blog Alliance
is introducing
WaterBrook Press (May 5, 2009)
by
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Tina Ann Forkner writes contemporary fiction that challenges and inspires. She grew up in Oklahoma and graduated with honors from CSU Sacramento before settling in Wyoming. She lives with her husband, their three bright children and their dog and stays busy serving on the Laramie County Library Foundation Board of Directors. She is the author of Ruby Among Us, her debut novel, and Rose House, which recently released from Waterbrook Press/Random House.
ABOUT THE BOOK
A vivid story of a private grief, a secret painting, and one woman’s search for hope
Still mourning the loss of her family in a tragic accident, Lillian Diamon finds herself drawn back to the Rose House, a quiet cottage where four years earlier she had poured out her anguish among its fragrant blossoms.
She returns to the rolling hills and lush vineyards of the Sonoma Valley in search of something she can’t quite name. But then Lillian stumbles onto an unexpected discovery: displayed in the La Rosaleda Gallery is a painting that captures every detail of her most private moment of misery, from the sorrow etched across her face to the sandals on her feet.
What kind of artist would dare to intrude on such a personal scene, and how did he happen to witness Lillian’s pain? As the mystery surrounding the portrait becomes entangled with the accident that claimed the lives of her husband and children, Lillian is forced to rethink her assumptions about what really happened that day.
A captivating novel rich with detail, Rose House explores how the brushstrokes of pain can illuminate the true beauty of life.
If you would like to read an excerpt from Rose House, go HERE
Sally Says: I really dislike having to give bad reviews. In fact, I’d rather not, but CFBA makes us post our take on a book whether we like it or not. (Passing the buck, I know.)
So with that introduction, I must say that I did not care for The Rose House. I wish I had; it has a beautiful cover and the back cover piqued my interest, but I felt the story didn’t quite deliver. The quality of the story wasn’t up there. The characters weren’t three dimensional, and the plot was a bit unbelievable at times with characters already being in love when they’d only known each other a few days.
Maybe I wasn’t the right reader for the story; it felt more like a genre romance than the women’s fiction it was portrayed to be. If you love genre romance, then you may enjoy the book. But if you like what I like, 
, then this may not be the book for you.
Review of Jillian Dare by Melanie M. Jeschke
May 24, 2009
This is one of those books I wanted to like from the second I saw the cover. And I did. Jillian Dare is a modern take on the classic Jane Eyre, and it’s a very fun escape novel, whether or not you like Jane Eyre.
Jillian is a likable heroine. She’s grown up in foster homes and has been fortunate to have lived with a good family for the last few years. Now she’s a very mature young adult on her own and she’s landed a job working for wealthy Caden Remington as a nanny for his young daughter.
If you’re familiar with the story of Jane Eyre, then you’re going to be somewhat familiar with what will happen to Jillian. But even knowing the plot of Jane Eyre (I like the novel Jane Eyre more than the novel Pride and Prejudice), I still read on, eager to see what would happen to Jillian. This is a great escape book because it takes you to worlds the vast majority of people will never see — a Virginia mansion and English castle with anything needed on hand. And we see it through Jillian’s eyes who appreciates it and is blown away by it as much as anyone else would be.
The one flaw I saw in the book was that the language was sometimes too formal, almost like something you would read in Jane Eyre. I don’t know if that was done on purpose to be a reflection on Jane Eyre or not, but at times it made Jillian seem a bit unreal in a modern-day story. To me, it would have been better if Jillian hadn’t been quite so formal.
Either way, I still enjoyed Jillian Dare. And it made me want to go back and read that classic story again. But from now on I think I’m going to have to read Jane Eyre and Jillian Dare together. Both are stories I’ll be reading again and again.
According to Their Deeds, A Must-Read!
May 8, 2009
This week, the
Christian Fiction Blog Alliance
is introducing
Bethany House (March 1, 2009)
by
Paul Robertson
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Paul Robertson is a computer programming consultant, part-time high-school math and science teacher, and the author of The Heir. He is also a former Christian bookstore owner (for 15 years), who lives with his family in Blacksburg, Virginia.
ABOUT THE BOOK
A Deadly Game of Justice Versus Mercy
Charles Beale lives outside the shadow of Washington, D.C. Politics and power matter only when a client crosses the Potomac to visit his Alexandria Rare Books shop.
But that all changes when a former client–a man deeply connected in the Justice Department–is found murdered after a break-in gone bad. When Charles reclaims at auction the books he’d once sold, he quickly discovers he’s bought more trouble than he could have ever imagined.
Inside one volume are secrets. A collection of sins that, if revealed, could destroy reputations, careers–even lives. Charles soon learns he isn’t the only who knows. Going to the police means ruining a multitude of lives. But staying silent puts a target on his shop, his wife–and himself. Charles must decide: Should one mistake really cost you everything?
If you would like to read the first chapter of According To Their Deeds, go HERE
Sally Says: When I read the back cover copy on this book, I wasn’t completely sure I wanted to read it. It sounded like it was a political novel — which I’m not fond of – but the idea of secrets in rare books (and did I mention secrets?) intrigued me. So I thought I’d give a new author a try.
Paul Robertson is now on my automatic read list.
First, this isn’t a political novel, even though some of the characters are politicians. Charles Beale runs a rare book bookstore, and he stumbles upon secret papers when he buys back rare books he sold a client who’s been murdered in what seems to be a home break-in. Charles is a really well done character with a wonderful dry sense of humor. Each time he leaves the store, he asks one of his employees if they’ve sold anything. She tells him the latest book they’ve sold, and the rest of the scene, sometimes the day, plays off that book.
My favorite example was when they sold the Tom Swift books.
“Have we sold anything?” he asked Alice.
“The whole set of Tom Swift books.”
Two feet of shelf was empty. “What a large space,” he said hollowly.
“It is,” she said, broadly.
“Have Morgan order a new set,” he said, commandingly.
“I did it right away,” she said, quickly.”
Gotta love writing humor.
According to Their Deeds is a unique book because while it is described as a murder mystery/suspense, it’s a light-hearted and fun murder mystery/suspense. I think this book will have a broad audience — fans of mysteries, suspense, general fiction, humor — and especially readers who love the English language and appreciate the beauty of thoughtful, well-written prose.
This book shouldn’t be limited to readers of Christian fiction. While Charles and his lovely wife are Christians, the story doesn’t have a strong spiritual message. It’s just a really, really good read. It’s a book you can recommend to anyone, regardless of whether they read secular or Christian fiction.
There’s some good techniques in this book for writers to study too. Robertson uses a more distant POV with Charles, but it works really well because the plot is so good and there’s always something happening. Also, he knows how to not give back story in order to intrigue the reader. Charles and his wife are dealing with a past tragedy throughout the book, and we don’t know the details of that until much later in the book. But we’re never lost or confused.
So there it is, my first must-read of 2009. I can’t wait to get my hands on Robertson’s first two books.
Susan May Warren’s Nothing But Trouble
May 1, 2009
This week, the
Christian Fiction Blog Alliance
is introducing
Tyndale House Publishers (May 1, 2009)
by
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Susan grew up in Wayzata, a suburb of Minneapolis, and became an avid camper from an early age. Her favorite fir-lined spot is the north shore of Minnesota is where she met her husband, honeymooned and dreamed of living.
The north woods easily became the foundation for her first series, The Deep Haven series, based on a little tourist town along the shores of Lake Superior. Her first full-length book, Happily Ever After, became a Christy Award Finalist published in 2004 with Tyndale/Heartquest.
As an award winning author, Susan returned home in 2004, to her native Minnesota after serving for eight years with her husband and four children as missionaries with SEND International in Far East Russia. She now writes full time from Minnesota’s north woods and the beautiful town that she always dreamed of living in.
You can sample a chapter of each and every one of Susan’s novels, on her website, HERE.
ABOUT THE BOOK
PJ Sugar knows three things for sure:
1) After traveling the country for ten years hoping to shake free from the trail of disaster that’s become her life, she needs a fresh start.
2) The last person she wants to see when she heads home for her sister’s wedding is Boone-her former flame and the reason she left town.
3) Her best friend’s husband absolutely did not commit the first murder Kellogg, Minnesota, has seen in more than a decade.
What PJ doesn’t know is that when she starts digging for evidence, she’ll uncover much more than she bargained for-a deadly conspiracy, a knack for investigation, and maybe, just maybe, that fresh start she’s been longing for.
It’s not fair to say that trouble happens every time PJ Sugar is around, but it feels that way when she returns to her home town, looking for a fresh start. Within a week, her former teacher is murdered and her best friend’s husband is arrested as the number-one suspect. Although the police detective investigating the murder—who also happens to be PJ’s former flame—is convinced it’s an open-and-shut case, PJ’s not so sure. She begins digging for clues in an effort to clear her friend’s husband and ends up reigniting old passions, uncovering an international conspiracy, and solving a murder along the way. She also discovers that maybe God can use a woman who never seems to get it right
If you would like to read the first chapter of Nothing But Trouble, go HERE
Sally Says: Nothing But Trouble is one of those books that makes you want to find a stack of novels and read for a week straight.
PJ Sugar is a lovable heroine who’s funny and hurting. She’s got a messy past she’d love to erase and an overwhelming desire to do things right. But it just doesn’t seem to be in her DNA.
Lucky for us.
What I like about the book is that PJ isn’t perfect at all. She seems like someone we’ve met before, and because of that we can relate to her. Except for the Russians in the book. She’s one up on me there.
I’d write more, but the book only arrived in my mailbox a couple of days ago. I’m three-quarters into it and really enjoying it. Whether you like romance, women’s fiction, adventure, or mystery, Nothing But Trouble is a book you’ll enjoy spending time with.
That’s where I’m headed right now.