Over the Edge
May 26, 2011
This week, the Christian Fiction Blog Alliance is introducing Over the Edge B&H Books (May 1, 2011) by Brandilyn Collins
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Brandilyn Collins is an award-winning and best-selling novelist known for her trademark Seatbelt Suspense®. These harrowing crime thrillers have earned her the tagline “Don’t forget to b r e a t h e…”® Brandilyn’s first book, A Question of Innocence, was a true crime published by Avon in 1995. Its promotion landed her on local and national TV and radio, including the Phil Donahue and Leeza talk shows. Brandilyn is also known for her distinctive book on fiction-writing techniques, Getting Into Character: Seven Secrets a Novelist Can Learn From Actors (John Wiley & Sons). She is now working on her 20th book.
In addition, Brandilyn’s other latest release is Final Touch, third in The Rayne Tour series—young adult suspense co-written with her daughter, Amberly. The Rayne Tour series features Shaley O’Connor, daughter of a rock star, who just may have it all—until murder crashes her world.
ABOUT THE BOOK
Torn from the front lines of medical debate and the author’s own experience with Lyme Disease, Over the Edge is riveting fiction, full of twists and turns—and powerful truths about today’s medical field.
Janessa McNeil’s husband, Dr. Brock McNeil, a researcher and professor at Stanford University’s Department of Medicine, specializes in tick-borne diseases—especially Lyme. For years he has insisted that Chronic Lyme Disease doesn’t exist. Even as patients across the country are getting sicker, the committee Brock chairs is about to announce its latest findings—which will further seal the door shut for Lyme treatment.
One embittered man sets out to prove Dr. McNeil wrong by giving him a close-up view of the very disease he denies. The man infects Janessa with Lyme, then states his demand: convince her husband to publicly reverse his stand on Lyme—or their young daughter will be next.
But Janessa’s marriage is already rocky. She’s so sick she can hardly move or think. And her husband denies she has Lyme at all.
Welcome to the Lyme wars, Janessa.
“A taut, heartbreaking thriller. Collins is a fine writer who knows how to both horrify readers and keep them turning pages.”
–Publishers Weekly“Tense and dramatic. Holds its tension while following the protagonist in a withering battle.” –NY Journal of Books
“A frightening and all-too-real scenario. Very timely and meaningful book.” –RT Reviews
“If you know someone who suffers from Lyme, you need to read this compelling novel.” –Lydia Niederwerfer, founder of Lyme-Aware
If you would like to read the Prologue of Over the Edge, go HERE
Sally Says: Brandilyn Collins’ books really should come with a warning–WARNING: Do not start reading before five pm or you will be up until two in the morning.
Sheesh.
Each time I read one of Brandilyn’s books I think that she’s written a better one than her last. And I thought the same thing after I finished Over the Edge. Seriously. This is her best book ever. Better than Deceit. Better than Exposure.
As a rule I don’t do medical stories, mostly because I’m a wimp when it comes to anything medical. But I let that rule slide because, well, it’s Brandilyn. And I’m so glad I did! Over the Edge was a thriller that kept me turning page after page after page, even though I knew how late it was and even though I was having a hard time staying awake.
If the book sounds remotely interesting to you, go buy it! If it sounds absolutely boring to you, go buy it anyway because I’m pretty sure you’ll change your mind.
And I can’t wait, Brandilyn, to see what you do next!
An Unlikely Suitor
May 11, 2011
This week, the Christian Fiction Blog Alliance is introducing
Bethany House (May 1, 2011) by Nancy Moser
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Nancy Moser is the award-winning author of over twenty inspirational novels. Her genres include contemporary stories including John 3:16 and Time Lottery a Christy Award winner, and historical novels of real women-of-history including Just Jane (Jane Austen) and Washington’s Lady (Martha Washington). Her newest historical novels are Masquerade and An Unlikely Suitor. Nancy and her husband Mark live in the
Midwest. She’s earned a degree in architecture, traveled extensively in Europe, and has performed in numerous theaters, symphonies, and choirs. She gives Sister Circle Seminars around the country, helping women identify their gifts as they celebrate their sisterhood. She is a fan of anything antique—humans included. Find out more at www.nancymoser.com and www.sistercircles.com and her historical blog: http://footnotesfromhistory.blogspot.com/
ABOUT THE BOOK
New York dressmaker Lucy Scarpelli befriends socialite Rowena Langdon as she’s designing her 1895 summer wardrobe. Grateful for Lucy’s skill in creating fashions that hide her physical injury, Rowena invites Lucy to the family mansion in Newport, Rhode Island, encouraging the unusual friendship.
One day Lucy encounters an intriguing man on the Cliff Walk, and love begins to blossom. Yet Lucy resists, for what Newport man would want to marry an Italian dressmaker working to support her family?
Rowena faces an arranged marriage to a wealthy heir she doesn’t love, but dare a crippled girl hope for anything better?
And Lucy’s teenage sister, Sofia, falls for a man well above her social class–but is he willing to give up everything to marry a woman below his station?
As the lives of three young woman–and their unlikely suitors–become entangled in a web of secrets and sacrifice, will the season end with any of them finding true happiness?
If you would like to read the first chapter of An Unlikely Suitor, go HERE.
Sally Says: For reasons I’ve decided not to spend too much time thinking through, life in New York’s Guilded Age has captured my attention. I don’t know if it’s the wealth, the history — oh, wait. I wasn’t going there.
Nancy Moser’s latest book takes us to immigrant life in New York — to the notorious Five Points tenements (which would now be Soho!) and the uber wealthy Newport vacation area where the cottages are several thousand square feet in size.
Lately there have been a few novels set in this era with seamstress heroines , and the main character, Lucy, is as well. But like I said, something about the setting and the era makes these books so fun. It’s always eye opening to see how really hard it was to make it in America as an immigrant — and how segregated America was to the point of having severe consequences if you didn’t marry as you were “supposed to.”
I think that’s the thing that’s capturing my attention more and more. Most of us have a varied ethnic background — I’m English, French, Dutch, Scottish, Irish, German, and American Indian. And my kids are part Polish. We take pride in that, but a hundred years ago that wasn’t the case.
And maybe that’s what appeals so much in these books — the beginnings of that strong American spirit, the bravery in stepping outside what’s always been done, characters we admire and root for, knowing we may have some of that in our own family tree. And the details of how the wealthy used to live are fun to read about too.
So without further thinking it through 
, go get your hands on a copy of An Unlikely Suitor. I know you won’t be disappointed.
An Eye for Glory
April 22, 2011
This week,
the Christian Fiction Blog Alliance
Zondervan (February 28, 2011) by Karl Bacon
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
A word from the author:
I grew up in the small picturesque town of Woodbury, Connecticut. After graduating from Wilkes University in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, I returned to Connecticut and found employment in manufacturing. “Just a job” turned into a professional career, much of which was spent working for a Swiss machine tool company. In 2000 I started my own business to provide services to manufacturing clients across the USA. This change also allowed time to develop my writing craft.
From youth I’ve been a serious student of the Civil War. The draft of An Eye for Glory took ten years from conception to completion. Thousands of hours were spent researching every detail through copious reading, Internet research and personal visits to each battlefield so the novel might be as historically accurate and believable as possible. I live in Naugatuck, Connecticut with my wife of thirty-three years, Jackie.
ABOUT THE BOOK
Michael Palmer is a good man, a family man. But honor and duty push him to leave his comfortable life and answer the call from Abraham Lincoln to fight for his country. This ‘citizen soldier’ learns quickly that war is more than the battle on the field. Long marches under extreme conditions, illness, and disillusionment challenge at every turn. Faith seems lost in a blur of smoke and blood…and death.
Michael’s only desire is to kill as many Confederate soldiers as he can so he can go home. He coldly counts off the rebels that fall to his bullets. Until he is brought up short by a dying man holding up his Bible. It’s in the heat of battle at Gettysburg and the solemn aftermath that Michael begins to understand the grave cost of the war upon his soul. Here the journey really begins as he searches for the man he was and the faith he once held so dearly. With the help of his beloved wife, Jesse Ann, he takes the final steps towards redemption and reconciliation.
Using first-hand accounts of the 14th Connecticut Infantry, Karl Bacon has crafted a detailed, genuine and compelling novel on the 150th anniversary of the Civil War. Intensely personal and accurate to the times, culture, and tragedy of the Civil War, An Eye for Glory may change you in ways you could have never imagined as well.
If you would like to read the first chapter of An Eye For Glory, go HERE.
Sally Says: I am really enjoying Karl Bacon’s Civil War novel An Eye for Glory. This is one of those unique books that feels like fiction and non-fiction and that stirs patriotrism and dread all at the same time.
While the book isn’t a page turner and is somewhat easy to put down, it’s also very easy to pick back up. Michael Palmer’s story feels authentic, like I’m really reading the journal of a soldier and yet it isn’t dry. The wars are presented bluntly, as they happened, without being gory, and the history is fascinating. The dread comes from when Michael just happens to mention a town they’re marching to and I know the carnage that’s ahead.
Since the tale is form the viewpoint of a Union soldier, we see his love for his country, the country we enjoy today, and his thoughts at times are very moving. Here’s my favorite after they’ve just retaken a city from the Confederates:
“Indeed the only display of any kind was a lone Union flag hanging slack in the still morning air . . . The flag was tattered and torn and very dirty. The red, white, and blue of her stars and stripes were stained with several mottled shades of brown and gray. Surely this flag had waved proudly in the breeze when the Confederate army entered the town, and surely she had been thrown angrily down and dragged through the mud. Perhaps she had even been kicked and beaten or run through with saber or bayonet. And yet she flew once more, wounded and soiled to be sure, but unbroken and unbowed, just like the army that defended her. I stared and stared at the simply beauty of that flag . . . “
Usually fiction only appeals to fiction readers, but this book is very unique in that it will hold appeal for history fans, for those who like to read non-fiction about the Civil War, and for fiction readers as well. It would even be a great read for someone studying the Civil War to get that deeper, personal take on the various Union generals, the horrible living conditions, and the hardness that comes with war.
The Civil War has always been fascinating to me, and I was happy to hear that there was a new Christian fiction novel dealing with it. The Civil War hasn’t been done much in that arena for years, but with the 150th anniversary this month, I guess they decided to let a new one out. And I’m very glad that it was this one, a book not enraptured with the lifestyle of southern slave owners, but a book that captured the sacrifice so many gave for this nation so long ago.
The Alarmists
April 6, 2011
This week,
the Christian Fiction Blog Alliance
Bethany House (April 1, 2011)
by Don Hoesel
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Don Hoesel is a Web site designer for a Medicare carrier in Nashville, TN. He has a BA in Mass Communication from Taylor University and has published short fiction in Relief Journal. He was born and raised in Buffalo, NY but calls Spring Hill, Tennessee, with his wife and two children. The Alarmists is his third novel.
ABOUT THE BOOK
The 2012 phenomenon that’s going viral around the globe has led sociology professor Jameson Richards to study the impact on society when, like the Y2K scare, 12/21/12 comes and goes with hardly a wrinkle.
This is the date that, according to the Mayan calendar, the doomsayers predict the world will end. Richards teams up with General Michaels, a scientist stationed at the Pentagon whose job it is to monitor the world’s fanatics, keeping an eye out for potential terrorists. Together they uncover something sinister going on beneath the surface, linked to billionaire and media mogul Jeremy Maxwell, who also happens to be a huge manufacturer of weapons systems.
The 2012 date has captured Maxwell’s attention too, and he’s looking to cash in on the public’s fear and paranoia. And what he instigates–along with his corrupt partners–nearly starts another war in the Middle East, while also bringing the world to its knees economically. It’s up to the professor/general team to blow the whistle on Maxwell, hopefully in time to avert a major catastrophe.
If you would like to read the first chapter of The Alarmists, go HERE
Sally Says: While I haven’t been able to finish the entire book yet, I know it won’t take me too much longer to do that. Hoesel’s books are a nice mix of action and suspense with well-written characters to root for and a puzzle that keeps me turning pages. The Alarmists is a great read for male readers and women who enjoy international suspense and drama.
Vicious Cycle
March 25, 2011
This week,
the Christian Fiction Blog Alliance
Zondervan (February 22, 2011)
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Terri Blackstock is a New York Times best-seller, with over six million copies sold worldwide. She has had over twenty-five years of success as a novelist. She sold her first novel at the age of twenty-five, and has had a successful career ever since.
Besides entertaining her readers, Terri tackles issues that she hopes will change lives. Her recent book, Predator, was inspired by her experiences on Facebook and Twitter, and her concern that people posted too much personal information about themselves. The book deals with an online predator who uses social networks as his playground. She hopes the book will change readers’ online habits. Her New York Times best-seller, Intervention, was inspired by her own personal struggles with a daughter on drugs. In the book, a mother hires an interventionist for her drug-addicted daughter. But on the way to treatment, the interventionist is murdered, and the daughter disappears. Barbara, the mother, sets out to search for her daughter. Terri modeled Barbara after herself, and poured many of her own emotions and experiences into that character. As a result, many families experiencing drug addiction have written to thank her for telling their story and giving them hope. Vicious Cycle, Book Two of the Intervention Series, releases February 22, 2011. She’s currently working on Book Three.
Other recent books include a stand-alone novel called Double Minds, as well as Last Light, Night Light, True Light and Dawn’s Light (from her acclaimed Restoration Series). She is also known for her popular Newpointe 911 Series and Cape Refuge Series. Terri makes her home in Mississippi, where she and her husband Ken are enjoying their empty nest after raising three children.
Terri has appeared on national television programs such as “The 700 Club” and “Home Life,” and has been a guest on numerous radio programs across the country. The story of her personal journey appears in books such as Touched By the Savior by Mike Yorkey, True Stories of Answered Prayer by Mike Nappa, Faces of Faith by John Hanna, and I Saw Him In Your Eyes by Ace Collins.
ABOUT THE BOOK
When fifteen-year-old Lance Covington finds an abandoned baby in the backseat of a car, he knows she’s the newborn daughter of a meth addict he’s been trying to help. But when police arrest him for kidnapping, Lance is thrust into a criminal world of baby trafficking and drug abuse.
His mother, Barbara, looks for help from Kent Harlan—the man whom she secretly, reluctantly loves and who once helped rescue her daughter from a mess of her own. Kent flies to her aid and begins the impossible work of getting Lance out of trouble, protecting a baby who has no home, and finding help for a teenage mother hiding behind her lies.
In this latest novel of suspense and family loyalty, bestselling author Terri Blackstock offers a harrowing look at drug addiction, human trafficking, and the devastating choices that can change lives forever.
If you would like to read the first chapter of Vicious Cycle, go HERE.
Sally Says: Terri Blackstock has written another fabulous book in Vicious Cycle. I was a big fan of Intervention, but I think she’s even topped that with this latest book. Vicious Cycle opens up the hopeless world many people are born into–unloving callused parents who use their own children to fill their twisted desires. It’s too easy to roll our eyes at what others go through when we haven’t walked in their shoes, and Blackstock did an excellent job of showing how the “other half” lives.
The same characters from Intervention were back as well, and I was surprised at how much I enjoyed catching up on where this family was now — where Emily was on her rehab, how Lance and Barbara had dealt with it, and how Kent and Barbara’s relationship had developed. I never would have expected a sequel to Intervention, but now that I’ve read Vicious Cycle I’m longing for a third book.
I highly recommend Vicious Cycle as a fast-paced, enjoyable book but also as a read that communicates real hope. Thanks, Terri, for a wonderful story and for pointing your readers, as always, to Christ.
A Heart Most Worthy
March 11, 2011
This week,
the Christian Fiction Blog Alliance
Bethany House (March 1, 2011)
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Siri Mitchell graduated from the University of Washington with a business degree and worked in various levels of government. As a military spouse, she has lived all over the world, including in Paris and Tokyo. Siri enjoys observing and learning from different cultures. She is fluent in French and loves sushi.
But she is also a member of a strange breed of people called novelists. When they’re listening to a sermon and taking notes, chances are, they’ve just had a great idea for a plot or a dialogue. If they nod in response to a really profound statement, they’re probably thinking, “Yes. Right. That’s exactly what my character needs to hear.” When they edit their manuscripts, they laugh at the funny parts. And cry at the sad parts. Sometimes they even talk to their characters.
Siri wrote 4 books and accumulated 153 rejections before signing with a publisher. In the process, she saw the bottoms of more pints of Ben & Jerry’s than she cares to admit. At various times she has vowed never to write another word again. Ever. She has gone on writing strikes and even stooped to threatening her manuscripts with the shredder.
Her ninth novel, A Heart Most Worthy, follows prior Bethany House releases: A Constant Heart (October 2008), Love’s Pursuit (June 2009), and She Walks in Beauty (Apr 2010). She Walks in Beauty won the inaugural INSPY Award for Historical Fiction in Dec 2010. Two of her novels, Chateau of Echoes and The Cubicle Next Door were Christy Award finalists. Love’s Pursuit was a finalist for the ACFW Carol Award.
Publishers Weekly proclaimed, “Mitchell delivers the historical goods.”
ABOUT THE BOOK
The elegance of Madame Forza’s gown shop is a far cry from the downtrodden North End of Boston. Yet each day Julietta, Annamaria, and Luciana enter the world of the upper class, working on finery for the elite in society. The three beauties each long to break free of their obligations and embrace the American dream–and their chance for love. But the ways of the heart are difficult to discern at times.
Julietta is drawn to the swarthy, mysterious Angelo. Annamaria has a star-crossed encounter with the grocer’s son, a man from the entirely wrong family. And through no intent of her own, Luciana catches the eye of Billy Quinn, the son of Madame Forza’s most important client.
Their destinies intertwined, each harboring a secret from their families and each other, will they be found worthy of the love they seek?
If you would like to read the first chapter of A Heart Most Worthy, go HERE.
Sally Says: I’d heard many moons ago that Siri had taken a different approach to writing this book — the “dreaded” omniscient point of view. Siri is a very talented writer, and so I had no doubt that she could be the one to pull it off. And overall I think she did.
The story follows three girls and their dreams for their futures, including dreams that really do seem out of reach for some of them. One is escaping a terrorist, one is chasing after her dream man, and the other is longing for a life of her own. Evidently the oldest daughter in an Italian family did not marry but took care of her parents and immediate family until the parents’ death. Can you imagine?
The characters were well developed, very unique, interesting people. I really enjoyed the immigrant setting outside of New York; that one’s been done to death. And I found my own knowledge of what happened near the end of World War I really helped to increase the suspense as I saw disaster coming that the people living in that time had no knowledge of.
I’m still up in the air about the use of omniscient POV, though. Like I said earlier, Siri did handle it fairly well. But we’re not used to a narrator who isn’t a character in the book pausing to tell us readers something, breaking the action of the story to whisper an aside to us. And there were two or three instances where I really didn’t like it, when the narrator went on to share a moral with us that the character hadn’t yet discovered. It made me feel like I was reading something for elementary kids.
But other than those two, maybe three, places, the book was a lot of fun due to Siri’s ability to create interesting people and a fascinating plot. I think readers of historical fiction will love A Heart Most Worthy.
And as always, I look forward to Siri’s next release.
Operation Bonnet–Not Your Grandmother’s Amish Fiction
February 25, 2011
This week, the Christian Fiction Blog Alliance
David C. Cook; New edition (February 1, 2011)
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Kimberly says:
I am a writer of comedic fiction, and would like to suggest that you laugh regularly when reading my books. Let’s also try for one to two teary moments. If you are crying more than that, you don’t understand my sense of humor and should move on to another author.
I grew up in a book-loving home. Actually, that’s not entirely accurate. My mom loves books. My dad loves to read the first chapters of books and then make us all listen as he recites his favorite passages. I, however, enjoy reading books in their entirety and came into writing as a result of book-love. After earning two fancy degrees in education and Spanish, I promptly let the thinking part of my brain take a breather and instead became pregnant. (I’m sure a lot of other things happened between early literacy and pregnancy but I don’t really remember any of that. If you also have shared your uterus with another human, you understand.)
In an effort to author a book that would entertain my sassy, irreverent, breast-feeding/drooping friends, I wrote my first novel, Balancing Act. People were so nice to me after that, I decided to continue with writing. Also, I can’t craft, knit, or scrapbook, so what else was a nice, Christian girl to do?
In addition to writing books to make my friends laugh and cry, I observe the chaos at the home I share with my unfailingly supportive husband and three offspring. We’re doing our best and so far, no one’s been to prison.
ABOUT THE BOOK
Twenty-year-old Nellie Monroe has a restless brilliance that makes her a bit of an odd duck. She wants to be a private investigator, even though her tiny hometown offers no hope of clients. Until she meets Amos Shetler, an Amish dropout carrying a torch for the girl he left behind.
So Nellie straps on her bonnet and goes undercover to get the dish. But though she’s brainy, Nellie is clueless when it comes to real life and real relationships. Soon she’s alienated her best friend, angered her college professor, and botched her case.
Operation Bonnet is a comedy of errors, a surprising take on love, and a story of grace.
If you would like to read the first chapter of Operation Bonnet, go HERE.
Watch the book video trailer:
Cut Here
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Sally Says: The back of the book says this isn’t your grandmother’s Amish fiction, and I would agree. Operation Bonnet is a comedy which just happens to include a young man who’s left the Amish world and is catching up on modern-day culture with the help of eighties’ reruns.
The book is worth reading for that alone.
The rest of the characters are just as fun and memorable. There’s Tank who likes to yell out random words in his dialogue. There’s Nona who’s reached the sad part of aging, and Matt who’s grown up with our heroine, Nellie. And of course, Nellie herself. The star of the show with her out-of-control red hair and determination to make it as a P.I. in a town where nothing happens. Until Amos, the ex-Amish guy, shows up looking for a Magnum P.I. of his own.
This isn’t Amish fiction at all; it’s comedy at its best. Think Jenny B. Jones humor. Anyone who’s looking for a fun, light-hearted, laugh-a-page read should definitely buy a copy of Operation Bonnet.
When There Are No Words
February 16, 2011
This week, the Christian Fiction Blog Alliance is introducing Words B&H Books (February 1, 2011) by Ginny Yttrup
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Ginny Yttrup is an author, freelance writer, and writing coach. As she writes, speaks, and coaches, her prayer is that God will use her words to replace the lies so many believe about themselves with the truth of His unconditional love and grace. To see someone grasp, perhaps for the first time, the truth of God’s love, is truly an honor. Through a relationship with the Truth, Jesus Christ, the bonds of shame are loosed and freedom abounds!
When Ginny is not working, she loves spending time with her two college-age sons or with friends. She is surrounded by the most amazing people–each a gift in their own way. If she can spend time outdoors with those she love, it’s even better. And she thoroughly adores her dog, Bear. He’s a book lover too.
She has two grown sons and lives near Sacramento, California. Words is her first novel.
ABOUT THE BOOK
“I collect words. I keep them in a box in my mind. I’d like to keep them in a real box, something pretty, maybe a shoe box covered with flowered wrapping paper. Whenever I wanted, I’d open the box and pick up the papers, reading and feeling the words all at once. Then I could hide the box. But the words are safer in my mind. There, he can’t take them.”
Ten-year old Kaylee Wren doesn’t speak. Not since her drug-addled mother walked away, leaving her in a remote cabin nestled in the towering redwoods-in the care of a man who is as dangerous as he is evil. With silence her only refuge, Kaylee collects words she might never speak from the only memento her mother left behind: a dictionary.
Sierra Dawn is thirty-four, an artist, and alone. She has allowed the shame of her past to silence her present hopes and chooses to bury her pain by trying to control her circumstances. But on the twelfth anniversary of her daughter’s death, Sierra’s control begins to crumble as the God of her childhood woos her back to Himself.
If you would like to read the first chapter of Words, go HERE.
Sally Says: I haven’t yet received my copy for review, but I am hearing really good things about the book. Sounds like an extremely well-written tearjerker. I better stock up on Kleenex!
The Girl in the Gatehouse
January 7, 2011
This week, the Christian Fiction Blog Alliance is introducing The Girl in the Gatehouse Bethany House (January 1, 2011) by Julie Klassen
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Julie says: My background is in advertising and marketing, but I am blessed with a dream job—working as an editor of Christian fiction. I have been writing since childhood, but Lady of Milkweed Manor was my first novel. It was a finalist for a Christy Award and won second place in the Inspirational Reader’s Choice Awards. My second novel, The Apothecary’s Daughter, was a finalist in the ACFW Book of the Year awards. I am currently writing one novel a year.
I graduated from the University of Illinois and enjoy travel, research, BBC period dramas, long hikes, short naps, and coffee with friends.
My husband and I have two sons and live near St. Paul, Minnesota.
ABOUT THE BOOK
Miss Mariah Aubrey, banished after a scandal, hides herself away in a long-abandoned gatehouse on the far edge of a distant relative’s estate. There, she supports herself and her loyal servant the only way she knows how–by writing novels in secret.
Captain Matthew Bryant, returning to England successful and wealthy after the Napoleonic wars, leases an impressive estate from a cash-poor nobleman, determined to show the society beauty who once rejected him what a colossal mistake she made.
When he discovers an old gatehouse on the property, he is immediately intrigued by its striking young inhabitant and sets out to uncover her identity, and her past. But the more he learns about her, the more he realizes he must distance himself. Falling in love with an outcast would ruin his well-laid plans. The old gatehouse holds secrets of its own. Can Mariah and Captain Bryant uncover them before the cunning heir to the estate buries them forever?
If you would like to read the first chapter of The Girl in the Gatehouse, go HERE
Sally Says: What a fantastic book The Girl in the Gatehouse is, and I’m just over halfway through it. It feels like a Jane Austen movie meets Jo March with a bit of mystery thrown in for fun. I keep wanting to drop everything and hide away with the book so I can finish it.
If you like Jane Austen, the Regency era, or Regency movies, you will love The Girl in the Gatehouse. I’ve read two of Klassen’s other books and enjoyed them as well, especially The Silent Governess, but so far this one is my favorite by far. And the cover is gorgeous. If you’ve never read Klassen, get to a bookstore or your Kindle now.
Amy Inspired
November 12, 2010
This week, the Christian Fiction Blog Alliance is introducing Amy Inspired Bethany House; Original edition (October 1, 2010) by Bethany Pierce
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
After completing a master’s in Creative Writing and working as a visiting instructor at Miami University in Ohio, Bethany Pierce now lives with her husband in Charlottesville, Virginia, where she is a member of the McGuffey Art Center and continues to write. Her first book, Feeling for Bones, was one of Publishers Weekly’s Best Books of 2007.
ABOUT THE BOOK
With rejections piling up, she could use just a little inspiration…
Amy Gallagher is an aspiring writer who, after countless rejections, has settled for a career as an English professor in small-town Ohio just to pay the bills. All her dreams suddenly start to unravel as rejections pile up–both from publishers and her boyfriend.
But just as Amy fears her life is stuck in a holding pattern, she meets the mysterious, attractive, and unavailable Eli. She struggles to walk the fine line between friendship and something more with Eli, even as staying true to her faith becomes unexpectedly complicated.
When secrets, tragedy, and poor decisions cause rifts in Amy’s relationships, she must come to terms with who she’s become, her unrealized aspirations for her life, and the state of her faith. Can she dare to hope that she will find love and fulfillment despite it all?
If you would like to read the first chapter of Amy Inspired, go HERE.
Sally Says: One of my pet peeves are novels about writers where the writer makes it big with their first book and has enough to live the Hollywood version of a novelist — and all before the age of twenty-eight. If anyone should understand the real struggle of being a writer, it should be other novelists.
Finally, a story that’s a lot more realistic.
What intrigued me about the book was the cover first. I love it. The curly hair, the dress, the way she’s sitting, the leaves floating down behind her. And I liked that it was about a writer.
I bet a lot of people, even non-writers, can identify with Amy, the heroine. She has a dream that seems to be farther out of reach than ever, and life just isn’t happening remotely close to what she expected. Haven’t we all been there?
For Amy, life has gotten confusing. The black and white has become gray. Things she’s been taught in the past don’t make sense anymore, and beneath everything that happens to her, she searches for the right thing to do, the right direction to go.
This is not a fairy tale; it’s real life, whether people think it’s pretty or not. Isn’t it easy to get caught up in our culture and forget what we believe or why we believed it? To struggle with what we should do when nothing is turning out how we expected it? That’s the topic Amy Inspired tackles. It’s a bit gritty, filled a bit more than usual with the struggles of life. But I know there’s a slew of people out there who want exactly this type of Christian fiction. This kind of realistic escape.
To those people, Amy Inspired is your kind of book.
While We’re Far Apart
October 20, 2010
This week, the Christian Fiction Blog Alliance is introducing While We’re Far Apart Bethany House (October 1, 2010) by Lynn Austin
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
It was during the long Canadian winters at home with her children that Lynn made progress on her dream to write, carving out a few hours of writing time each day while her children napped. Lynn credits her early experience of learning to write amid the chaos of family life for her ability to be a productive writer while making sure her family remains her top priority.
Along with reading, two of Lynn’s lifelong passions are history and archaeology. While researching her Biblical fiction series, Chronicles of the Kings, these two interests led her to pursue graduate studies in Biblical Backgrounds and Archaeology through Southwestern Theological Seminary. She and her son traveled to Israel during the summer of 1989 to take part in an archaeological dig at the ancient city of Timnah. This experience contributed to the inspiration for her novel Wings of Refuge.
Lynn resigned from teaching to write full-time in 1992. Since then she has published twelve novels. Five of her historical novels, Hidden Places, Candle in the Darkness, Fire by Night, A Proper Pursuit, and Until We Reach Home have won Christy Awards in 2002, 2003, 2004, 2008, and 2009 for excellence in Christian Fiction. Fire by Night was also one of only five inspirational fiction books chosen by Library Journal for their top picks of 2003, and All She Ever Wanted was chosen as one of the five inspirational top picks of 2005. Lynn’s novel Hidden Places has been made into a movie for the Hallmark Channel, starring actress Shirley Jones. Ms Jones received a 2006 Emmy Award nomination for her portrayal of Aunt Batty in the film.
ABOUT THE BOOK
In an unassuming apartment building in Brooklyn, New York, three lives intersect as the reality of war invades each aspect of their lives. Young Esther is heartbroken when her father decides to enlist in the army shortly after the death of her mother.
Penny Goodrich has been in love with Eddie Shaffer for as long as she can remember; now that Eddie’s wife is dead, Penny feels she has been given a second chance and offers to care for his children in the hope that he will finally notice her and marry her after the war.
And elderly Mr. Mendel, the landlord, waits for the war to end to hear what has happened to his son trapped in war-torn Hungary. But during the long, endless wait for victory overseas, life on the home front will go from bad to worse.
Yet these characters will find themselves growing and changing in ways they never expected–and ultimately discovering truths about God’s love…even when He is silent.
If you would like to read the first chapter of While We’re Far Apart, go HERE.
Sally Says: I was supposed to review this book, but I never received it. Sniff.
Within My Heart
October 6, 2010
This week, the
Christian Fiction Blog Alliance
is introducing
Within My Heart Bethany House; Original edition (September 1, 2010)
by Tamera Alexander
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Tamera Alexander is the best-selling author of Rekindled, Revealed and Remembered, the critically acclaimed Fountain Creek Chronicles historical series with Bethany House Publishers. Her second historical series, Timber Ridge Reflections (From a Distance, Beyond This Moment, and Within My Heart), penned in her style with deeply drawn characters, thought-provoking plots, and poignant prose have earned her devoted readers—and multiple industry awards.
These awards include the 2009 and 2008 Christy Award, the 2007 RITA for Best Inspirational Romance, the 2009 and 2007 Gayle Wilson Award of Excellence, 2007 Bookseller’s Best Award, and Library Journal’s Top Christian Fiction for 2006, among others.
After living in Colorado for seventeen years, Tamera has returned to her Southern roots. She and her husband now make their home in Nashville with Tamera’s father, Doug. They enjoy life there with Joe and Tamera’s two adult children, and Jack, a precious—and precocious—silky terrier.
ABOUT THE BOOK
Determined to fulfill her late husband’s dream, Rachel Boyd struggles to keep her ranch afloat with the help of her two young sons. But some days it feels as though her every effort is sabotaged. When faced with a loss she cannot afford, she’s forced to trust Rand Brookston, the one man in Timber Ridge she wishes to avoid. And with good reason. He’s a physician, just like her father, which tells her everything she needs to know about him. Or so she thinks . . .
Dr. Rand Brookston ventured west with the dream of bringing modern medicine to the wilds of the Colorado Rockies, but the townspeople have been slow to trust him. Just as slow in coming is Rand’s dream to build the town a proper clinic. When a patient’s life is threatened, Rand makes a choice—one that sends ripples through the town of Timber Ridge. And through Rachel Boyd’s stubborn heart.
From the beloved, bestselling author of From a Distance and Beyond This Moment comes an unforgettable story about faith in the face of fear, about tarnished hopes and second chances, and ultimately about the resilient courage and tenacity of hearts broken––and mended––by love.
If you would like to read the first chapter of Within My Heart, go HERE.
Sally Says: This is the first book of Alexander’s I’ve read, and I found it to be a sweet, gentle historical novel. While it’s set in Colorado in the late 1800’s, it’s not a novel of westward expansion or even a western. Just a good nostalgic novel about life in another era.
Alexander covered a variety of topics — death of a loved one, children acting out their pain, and medical procedures of the day which I found to be most interesting. Which is strange because I don’t do medical. Getting queasy just thinking about it!
While this was the third book in the series, I didn’t feel like I was missing something. Very little explanation was given about previous books, which was great since it kept the story moving, yet I never felt confused.
I’m sure readers of American historicals will love Tamera Alexander’s easy-to-read style and heart warming characters. I may have to pick up one of the earlier books myself.
Masquerade
August 25, 2010
This week, the
Christian Fiction Blog Alliance
is introducing
Masquerade Bethany House (August 1, 2010) by
Nancy Moser
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Nancy Moser is the award-winning author of over twenty inspirational novels. Her genres include contemporary stories including John 3:16 and Time Lottery, and historical novels of real women-of-history including Just Jane(Jane Austen) and Washington’s Lady (Martha Washington). Her newest historical novel is Masquerade. Nancy and her husband Mark live in the Midwest. She’s earned a degree in architecture, traveled extensively in Europe, and has performed in numerous theaters, symphonies, and choirs. She gives Sister Circle Seminars around the country, helping women identify their gifts as they celebrate their sisterhood. She is a fan of anything antique—humans included. Find out more at
www.nancymoser.com and www.sistercircles.com.
ABOUT THE BOOK
1886, New York City: Charlotte Gleason, a rich heiress from England, escapes a family crisis by traveling to America in order to marry the even wealthier Conrad Tremaine.
She soon decides that an arranged marriage is not for her and persuades her maid, Dora, to take her place. She wants a chance at “real life,” even if it means giving up financial security. For Charlotte, it’s a risk she’s willing to take. What begins as the whim of a spoiled rich girl wanting adventure becomes a test of survival amid poverty beyond Charlotte’s blackest nightmares.
As for Dora, it’s the chance of a lifetime. She lives a fairy tale complete with gowns, jewels, and lavish mansions–yet is tormented by guilt from the possibility of discovery and the presence of another love that will not die. Is this what her heart truly longs for?
Will their masquerade be discovered? Will one of them have second thoughts? There is no guarantee the switch will work. It’s a risk. It’s the chance of a lifetime.
If you would like to read the first chapter of Masquerade, go HERE.
View the book trailer:
Sally Says: I really loved the premise of this story — a high-society English girl and her maid switch places so that the spoiled English girl can have a life of her own and marry for love. Lately, New York’s Gilded Age has fascinated me, and I’ve read a lot of novels set during that time.
The one negative about that era is that the heroines all seem the same in the beginning of the books. They’re rich, spoiled, and live only for their debut. That was initially true of the heroine in Siri Mitchell’s She Walks in Beauty and also true of Charlotte, the heroine of Masquerade.
Fortunately, the story was deeper than the initial shallowness Charlotte portrayed. And while the switch didn’t come right away in the book like I’d expected, Moser’s storytelling was strong enough to still make the part leading up to the switch intriguing.
Masquerade was a very fun, somewhat light twist on the usual Gilded Age plot. I enjoyed the journey with Charlotte and Dora and found myself sure of what would happen to one yet very unsure of what would happen to the other. If you like historical fiction or romance, I think you’ll enjoy Moser’s Masquerade.
The Gathering Storm
August 11, 2010
This week, the
Christian Fiction Blog Alliance
is introducing
The Gathering Storm Summerside Press (August 1, 2010)
by Bodie and Brock Thoene
ABOUT THE AUTHORS:
Bodie and Brock Thoene (pronounced Tay-nee) have written over 50 works of historical fiction. Over twenty million of these best-selling novels are in print. Eight ECPA Gold Medallion Awards affirms what millions of readers have already discovered—the Thoenes are not only master stylists but experts at capturing readers’ minds and hearts.
Bodie began her writing career as a teen journalist for her local newspaper. Eventually her byline appeared in prestigious periodicals such as U.S. News and World Report, The American West, and The Saturday Evening Post. She also worked for John Wayne’s Batjac Productions (she’s best known as author of The Fall Guy) and ABC Circle Films as a writer and researcher. John Wayne described her as “a writer with talent that captures the people and the times!” She has degrees in journalism and communications.
Brock has often been described by Bodie as “an essential half of this writing team.” With degrees in both history and education, Brock has, in his role as researcher and story-line consultant, added the vital dimension of historical accuracy. Due to such careful research, The Zion Covenant and The Zion Chronicles series are recognized by the American Library Association, as well as Zionist libraries around the world, as classic historical novels and are used to teach history in college classrooms.
Bodie and Brock have four grown children—Rachel, Jake, Luke, and Ellie—and seven grandchildren. Their sons, Jake and Luke, are carrying on the Thoene family talent as the next generation of writers, and Luke produces the Thoene audiobooks.
Bodie and Brock divide their time between London and Nevada.
ABOUT THE BOOK
As Nazi forces tighten the noose, Loralei Kepler, daughter of a German resistance leader, must flee her beloved Germany. But is any place safe from Adolf Hitler’s evil grasp? Loralei’s harrowing flight leads her into the arms of needy child refugees, who have sacrificed everything in exchange for their lives, and toward a mysterious figure, who closely guards an age-old secret.
Explore the romance, the passion, and the danger of the most anticipated series of the last twenty years.
Born from the highly acclaimed and best-loved novels of three generations of readers — The Zion Covenant series and The Zion Chronicles series — Zion Diaries ventures into the lives of the inspiring and intriguing characters who loved intensely, stood up for what was right, and fought boldly during Hitler’s rise to power and the dark days of World War II.
If you would like to read the first chapter of The Gathering Storm, go HERE
Sally Says: I’m a long-time fan of the Thoenes’ WWII-related fiction and was sad when they moved away from that era. But now they’re back, picking up where their previous books left off and letting some of my favorite characters have cameos.
If you’ve never read a Thoene book, you’re in for a treat. It’s like watching a movie — a top-notch, perfectly crafted movie. Of course the pre-WWII era helps since that era is so easy to see and hear. Reading one of their novels is like being implanted in that time period, and that’s still true of The Gathering Storm.
But this book had a unique twist, the ancient secret the back of the book promised. Personally, I didn’t buy it, but it made for an interesting story, a pretty cool “What if?” I can’t say more or risk spoiling it! It does have a bit of a different feel from their Zion Chronicles and Zion Covenant feel, but I still flew through it.
If you’re a fan of historical fiction or World War II fiction, run out and buy The Gathering Storm. I think you’ll enjoy it.
Refuge on Crescent Hill — A Great Summer Read
July 2, 2010
This week, the
Christian Fiction Blog Alliance
is introducing
Refuge on Crescent Hill
Kregel Publications (March 11, 2010)
by
Melanie Dobson
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Melanie Dobson is the award-winning author of The Black Cloister; Love Finds You in Liberty, Indiana; and Together for Good.
Prior to launching Dobson Media Group in 1999, Melanie was the corporate publicity manager at Focus on the Family where she was responsible for the publicity of events, products, films, and TV specials. Melanie received her undergraduate degree in journalism from Liberty University and her master’s degree in communication from Regent University. She has worked in the fields of publicity and journalism for fifteen years including two years as a publicist for The Family Channel.
Melanie and her husband, Jon, met in Colorado Springs in 1997 at Vanguard Church. Jon works in the field of computer animation. Since they’ve been married, the Dobsons have relocated numerous times including stints in Virginia, Tennessee, North Carolina, Colorado, Berlin, and Southern California. These days they are enjoying their new home in the Pacific Northwest.
Jon and Melanie have adopted their two daughters —Karly (6) and Kinzel (5). When Melanie isn’t writing or entertaining their girls, she enjoys exploring ghost towns and dusty back roads, traveling, hiking, line dancing, and reading inspirational fiction.
ABOUT THE BOOK
Jobless, homeless, and broke, Camden Bristow decides to visit the grandmother she hasn’t seen in years. But when Camden arrives in Etherton, Ohio, she discovers that her grandmother has passed away, leaving her the 150-year-old mansion on Crescent Hill. The site of her happiest summers as a child, the run-down mansion is now her only refuge.
When Camden finds evidence that she may not be the mansion’s only occupant, memories of Grandma Rosalie’s bedtime stories about secret passageways and runaway slaves fuel her imagination. What really happened at Crescent Hill? Who can she turn to for answers in this town full of strangers? And what motivates the handsome local Alex Yates to offer his help? As she works to uncover the past and present mysteries harbored in her home, Camdem uncovers deep family secrets within the mansion’s walls that could change her life─and the entire town─forever.
If you would like to read the first chapter of Refuge on Crescent Hill, go HERE.
Sally Says: I have found a new favorite author.
I picked up Refuge on Crescent Hill because of the contemporary mystery surrounding the Underground Railroad. What I found was a grown-up version of Nancy Drew — and I do mean that in the best way possible. I knew that the different subplots were all going to converge at some point, but I wasn’t sure how that would happen. And just when I thought I knew what was coming, something else entirely popped up and surprised me.
Refuge on Crescent Hill is a great summer read — it has mystery, suspense, a little bit of romance, and historical elements. If you’re heading out on vacation, make sure to pick this one up.