Book Review Groups

Unplanned by Alana Terry

A first-year college student adjusting to life in the States.
A brand-new pregnancy center desperate for new volunteers.
A mysterious phone call from a girl who’s far too young to be pregnant.
 
 

 

UNPLANNED
from award-winning suspense novelist Alana Terry

After volunteering at a crisis pregnancy center, Kennedy Stern finds herself a pawn in a deadly game of intrigue, at the mercy of those who consider a few innocent lives a small ransom to pay for victory.

(Be sure to see below to get your own pre-release copy of Unplanned before it hits the bookstores.)

 

Meet Kennedy Stern

(guest post from Alana Terry)

Kennedy Stern from Unplanned has been one of my favorite characters to date for a number of reasons.

Everyone around Kennedy knows that she’s driven. She graduated at the top of her class in high school, which landed her a spot in Harvard’s elite program for pre-med students. All Kennedy has to do is keep her grades up as an undergrad, and she’s guaranteed admission into Harvard Medical School once she graduates. Her perfectionism has worked in her favor until now, but it might also prove one of her biggest character flaws.

Something I find very endearing about Kennedy is that she’s not always pining after some boy. She has her goals, she has her life plans, and she’s not going to swoon over the first guy who pays attention to her. I have to admit I admire this about her, since I was admittedly horrible at being single.

Even when she’s trying to solve the mystery of the hotline phone or praying for God to protect her from those who want to keep her from finding that mystery out, Kennedy struggles with feelings of of isolation and homesickness. It’s something many college students experience their first time living away from home, but Kennedy’s case is even more pronounced. Not only is she a dozen time zones away from “home,” she finds herself a cultural outcast. She grew up as a missionary kid in China, where she never felt that she belonged, but when she gets to Harvard, she realizes just how different she is from her peers who grew up exclusively in the US. Hers is a struggle typical of missionary kids, sometimes called third-culture kids because they always seem stuck between their home culture and the host culture of the country they live in.

Some of my favorite scenes to write about Kennedy were the ones in which she’s struggling with her own spirituality. Her parents are missionaries to China, and they train North Korean refugees. When Kennedy compares herself to the underground missionaries she knows (like Simon and Hannah from the novel Torn Asunder), Kennedy believes she won’t measure up to anyone. Her parents were so focused on their ministry in China that Kennedy was left to flounder quite a bit. The scenes that show Kennedy’s struggle with her own spiritual walk make me sad for her as a character, but they also make me excited because she has so much room for growth in books to come (and yes, there will be plenty more books about Kennedy, Lord-willing).



WANT YOUR OWN COPY OF UNPLANNED NOW?

 

A first-year college student adjusting to life in the States.
A brand-new pregnancy center desperate for new volunteers.
A mysterious phone call from a girl who’s far too young to be pregnant.
 
 

 

UNPLANNED
from award-winning suspense novelist Alana Terry

After volunteering at a crisis pregnancy center, Kennedy Stern finds herself a pawn in a deadly game of intrigue, at the mercy of those who consider a few innocent lives a small ransom to pay for victory.

(Be sure to see below to get your own pre-release copy of Unplanned before it hits the bookstores.)

 

Protagonist Kennedy Stern vs. Author Alana Terry

(a video interview)

It’s always fun to learn how much of themselves authors put into their characters. For Alana Terry, it can be a whole lot! In her new Christian suspense series, the main character Kennedy Stern is a lot like Alana was in college. They both were in school in the Boston area, they both were pre-med students, and they both loved Russian literature. Watch the four-minute video to learn about even more similarities.

 



WANT YOUR OWN COPY OF UNPLANNED NOW?

Unplanned is the newest Christian suspense novel from award-winning author, Alana Terry. PRE-ORDER the ebook today, fill out the form below, and receive:

  • a pre-release copy of Unplanned (no waiting for launch day)
  • the Unplanned Bonus Materials (go behind-the-scenes with deleted scenes, bloopers, character studies, and more!)
  • 30 Days of Prayer to End Abortion devotional
  • an exclusive 20-minute video from the author answering readers’ frequently asked questions (includes  the story of the mysterious phone call Alana received that was the basis for the novel)
Sound like a good deal? Pre-order Unplanned from amazon, then fill out this form to receive your free pre-release copy.
Digiprove sealCopyright secured by Digiprove © 2015 Margaret Margaret

A Hearts Obsession by Colleen Coble

Book Review

A Hearts Obsession by Colleen Coble was a fun book.  I have read and reviewed the first book in this series so if you missed that review you can click right here and check it out.  Now lets get on to the review for this book.  I was excited when I received this book because I had to know what was going to happen in this book.  Now that I have finished this book I feel like I am left hanging and I hate when that happens.  It is a good thing because it keeps me reading but it is hard when I have to wait a few weeks in between reading the books.  I wasn’t a huge fan of some of the new characters that were introduced in this book but I am going to be interested to see how things turn out for them and what happens in the next books.  This book was only 100 pages which is nice because I can read the whole thing in a few hours and feel like I accomplished something.  If you love historical fiction books than I would for sure recommend this one to you.

A Heart's Obsession

About The Book

A Heart’s Obsession (Thomas Nelson, April 2015)

Will Sarah’s journey west lead her back into the arms of the one man she can trust?

When her father succumbs to a long illness, Sarah Montgomery is freed from duty to family. At last she can be with the love of her life, Rand Campbell, who has gone out west to Fort Laramie, Wyoming. Sarah and her younger brother Joel make the arduous journey filled with hope.

But at Fort Laramie, the reception Sarah meets isn’t what she had hoped for. Her friend Amelia is thrilled to have her, but Rand seems to be in the clutches of Jessica DuBois, the scheming daughter of the post commander.

Sarah resolves to remain at Fort Laramie and try to win Rand back. But things will get tougher before they get easier . . . especially when her ex-fiancé Ben Croftner arrives in Wyoming, obsessed with having her back in his arms.

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About The Author

Colleen Coble has sold over 2 million novels worldwide.Seagrass Pier, the third installment in her acclaimed Hope Beach series, marks a new highpoint for emotion and complexity in Coble’s addictive brand of romantic suspense.
Find Colleen online: website, Facebook, Twitter

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Digiprove sealCopyright secured by Digiprove © 2015 Margaret Margaret

Secondhand Cowboy by Lacy Williams

Book Review

Secondhand Cowboy by Lacy Williams was a great book.  I have a soft spot for books that involve cowboys and this one didn’t let me down.  I loved the setting of this book and I loved the authors writing as well.  This book didn’t keep my guessing about what was going on but that was okay because I just loved the story and the characters in this book.  The author did a great job of making me feel like I was there with the characters and also making me understand why the characters made the choices that they did throughout the whole book.  If you love sweet contemporary romance books that I would recommend this book to you.

Second Hand Cowboy

About The Book

Iris Tatum hasn’t seen her high school sweetheart Callum Stewart since he left years ago without a single word. Then she witnesses an horrific hit-and-run accident, and comes face to face with her past–and Cal’s triplets. A volunteer paramedic, Iris can’t walk away. No matter how much she wants to.

Bull rider Callum Stewart was run out of town at age twenty and vowed never to return. Only one thing could bring him back: building a future for his sons. Now, thanks to the accident that left him with a broken leg—he needs help to care for his boys. He has no choice but to accept Iris’s grudging help.

As they rediscover a friendship–and the sparks that never faded between them–Callum’s secrets are brought back with a vengeance. How can they keep the past from destroying their future?

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About The Author

Lacy Williams is a wife and mom from Oklahoma. She loves dogs, reading, hiking, and watching movies.

Her debut novel won ACFW’s prestigious Genesis award before being published. She promises readers happily-ever-afters guaranteed.

Lacy combines her love of dogs with her passion for literacy by volunteering with her therapy dog Mr. Bingley in a local Kids Reading to Dogs program.

Lacy loves to hear from readers at lacyjwilliams@gmail.com . You can find more original fiction (short stories) and giveaways at her website and can be found on social media at http://www.facebook.com/lacywilliamsbooks andhttp://www.twitter.com/lacy_williams .

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Digiprove sealCopyright secured by Digiprove © 2015 Margaret Margaret

Saving Justice by by Susan Crawford

Book Review

Saving Justice by by Susan Crawford was such a good book to read.  I loved the characters from the very first page right up until the end of the book.  I found myself getting caught up in what was  going on like it was a true story and not a work of fiction.  I often wonder what the world would be like if there were more people like Kinley in this world.  Anyway lets get back to the book review.  I loved this authors style of writing and the plot of this story.  It was a great story that wasn’t hard to read so I read it in a day or two which is nice.  If you love christian fiction than I would for sure recommend this book to all of you.

Saving Justice

About The Book

After losing her brother to gang-related violence, elementary schoolteacher Kinley is on a mission to help her at-risk students. When one of them, Justice, is caught in an act of vandalism, she intervenes.

Entrepreneur Nash McGuire has gone to great lengths to overcome the poverty he grew up in. When working on a renovation project in his old neighborhood he collides with a juvenile delinquent and his do-gooder teacher.

Kinley believes Justice can overcome the influence of his environment; Nash knows the odds and has little patience with Kinley’s naivety. But as the boy’s mandatory community service forces Justice and Kinley into Nash’s life, he can’t help but discover a boy searching for love and purpose–a boy very much like he once was.

Then Justice is accused of another crime. And Kinley’s stubborn belief in the boy’s innocence is just too much for Nash to accept…

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About The Author

Susan Crawford is an author of inspirational contemporary romance, published by Redbud Press. Before publication, her debut novel, Saving Justice, was named a finalist in the 2014 American Christian Fiction Writers Genesis writing contest. Susan lives in Oklahoma City, where she happily crams writing in between being a wife, mom, and small business owner.

Visit her online at http://www.susancrawfordbooks.com to sign up for her email newsletter and be the first to hear about her writing news and upcoming releases.

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Digiprove sealCopyright secured by Digiprove © 2015 Margaret Margaret

Visiting The Sins by Melanie Denman

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Visiting The Sins by Melanie Denman was an interesting book to read.  I am going to start by saying that if you are offended by some swearing than this book isn’t for you.  The only reason I say that is because it happens throughout this book.  It didn’t happen a ton and it wasn’t anything that bothered me but it may bother some other people.  I had a hard time reading this book at times because one of the last names of one of the characters is the same last name of someone I know so it was weird for me to read this book and not think of the person I know.

Anyway lets get back to the review of this book.  This book did make me smile while I was reading it quite often.  I have to say that my favorite character was Pokey and that is because she reminded me of people I used to work with when I worked at the nursing home as a CNA.   I wasn’t a huge fan of Rebanelle and I am not 100% sure why but she really did get on my nerves.  I loved reading this story and see things through the characters eyes.  I loved how different people narrated throughout the whole book so you were always getting different views and that is always a fun change from books where just one character narrates the story.  I really did enjoy this book and I can’t wait to read other  books by this author.

Visiting the Sins

About The Book

Set in the Bible Belt of Deep East Texas, Visiting the Sins is a darkly funny story about mothers and daughters, naked ambition, elusive redemption, and all the torment it’s possible to inflict in the name of family.

Down through the decades, the lofty social aspirations of the feisty but perennially dissatisfied Wheeler women — Pokey, the love-starved, pistol-packing matriarch; Rebanelle, the frosty former beauty queen turned church organist; and Curtis Jean, the backsliding gospel singer — are exceeded only by their unfortunate taste in men and a seemingly boundless capacity for holding grudges. A legacy of feuding and scandal lurches from one generation to the next with tragic consequences that threaten to destroy everything the Wheeler women have sacrificed their souls to build.

Melanie Denman

About The Author

Melanie Denman is a native of Nacogdoches, Texas and a graduate of Stephen F. Austin State University. An eighth-generation Texan, and a former banker and cattle rancher, she currently lives with her family in the San Francisco Bay Area, where she is working on a second novel.

Connect with Melanie:  Website  ~  Facebook  

 

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Digiprove sealCopyright secured by Digiprove © 2015 Margaret Margaret

How To Catch a Prince by Rachel Hauck

Book Review

How To Catch a Prince by Rachel Hauck is the third book in this series and I loved it just like I loved the first 2.  If you didn’t catch my reviews of them you can click here and here to read them.  This are like modern fairy tales and I love that about the books.  I wasn’t a huge fan of Prince Stephen through most of the book because he struck me as coward but in the end he redeems himself.  I loved Corina from the very first page right through the end of the book.  Now this book is the third in the series but you don’t have to have read the other two to know what is going on in this book.  I love all the stories of these books and if you love contemporary fiction and/or romance books than I know you will love this book!

How to Catch a Prince

About The Book

How to Catch a Prince (Zondervan, February 2015)

She caught her prince once. Can she catch him again?

American heiress Corina Del Rey’s life was devastated by war. Every thing she loved was lost. But after five years of grief, she’s shed her grave clothes and started over in the sunshine along the Florida coast.

But some things are not so easily forgotten. When a secret from her past confronts her face to face, she realizes she must follow her heart. Even if it cost her everything.

Prince Stephen of Brighton Kingdom is a former Royal Air Command lieutenant turned star rugby player, trying to make sense of his life after the devastation of war.
When his brother, King Nathaniel, discovers Stephen’s pre war secret, he must deal with an aspect of his life he longed to forget. But how can he do so without exposing the truth and breaching national security?

Yet, true love has a destiny all it’s own. As the cathedral bells peal through Cathedral City, Corina and Stephen must chose to answer the call of love on their hearts.
Or let it be lost forever?

Rachel Hauck

About The Author

Rachel Hauck is an award-winning, best selling author of critically acclaimed novels such as The Wedding Dress, Love Starts with Elle, and Once Upon A Prince. She also penned the Songbird Novels with multi-platinum recording artist, Sara Evans. Booklist named their novel, Softly and Tenderly, one of 2011 Top Ten Inspirationals. She serves on the Executive Board for American Christian Fiction Writers and is a mentor and book therapist at My Book Therapy, and conference speaker. Rachel lives in central Florida with her husband and pets.
Find Rachel online: website, Facebook, Twitter

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Digiprove sealCopyright secured by Digiprove © 2015 Margaret Margaret