A Son’s Vow by Shelley Shepard Gray

January 28, 2016

A Sons Vow by Shelley Shepard Gray was another great book. I love all of the books about the Amish that Shelley has written, but if I am honest, this book has to be one of my favorites. I like Darla from the start and even though I didn’t like some of the things that Aaron did I had a soft spot for him because felt he was more relatable than some other characters. I am a huge fan of these books because I love that I don’t have to worry about what will be in the books, and they always are such sweet stories. I would recommend this genre to anyone who is looking for a change in what they are reading because I don’t think that anyone would hate these books. They are always easy reading and great stories. I love that I always feel good after I finish one of the books, and I know you will probably love it as well.

About The Book

Shelley Shepard Gray’s first book in her Charmed Amish Life series is set in the quaint Amish village of Charm, Ohio, and tells the stories of the Kinsinger siblings who are each struggling to find both forgiveness and love in the face of tragedy.

Three months ago, everything changed for Darla Kurtz and her family. Darla’s father was responsible for a terrible fire at Charm’s lumber mill which killed five Amish men. And though he, too, lost his life, the town of Charm hasn’t looked at her family the same since. Even Lukas Kinsinger—with whom Darla used to have a close friendship.

Now her brother’s anger at the town is spilling over onto Darla, and she has the bruises to prove it. The accident already cost five lives, but if something doesn’t change soon, Darla fears it will cost her—and her family—even more.

Lukas Kinsinger wants to mourn the loss of his father, but he can hardly find the time to breathe. Suddenly the head of his father’s lumber mill and responsible for taking care of his three siblings, he’s feeling the pressure. He has also never felt more alone—especially with the new tension between he and Darla. But when he learns of her troubles at home, Lukas knows he can’t simply stand by and watch. Someone has to help her before another tragedy occurs.

As Lukas and Darla attempt to repair their families, they discover something deeper than friendship growing between them. But will Lukas and Darla’s love be accepted after so much loss? Or will the pain of the past overcome any chance of future happiness?

About The Author

Shelley Gray is the author of The Heart of a Hero series. Her Amish novel (written as Shelley Shepard Gray), The Protector, recently made the New York Times best seller list. A native of Texas, she earned her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Colorado and taught school for ten years. She and her husband have two children and live in Southern Ohio.

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The Divorce Papers by Susan Rieger

January 26, 2016

The Divorce Papers by Susan Rieger was such a strange book for me. It was an interesting book but it was strange in the fact that it was all just emails, memo’s and things like that back and forth between all the characters in the book. I have never before read a book like this before but it was interesting after I was about 20 pages into the book. It did take awhile for me to get into it but once I was I didn’t want to put it down. There are parts that I don’t know if they were meant to be funny but they did make me laugh because I could see things like this really being said. It is a book that I would tell you to give a chance because it is a great book it just takes time to get going. I liked that there aren’t any really chapters in this book so I could just read a page or two and be able to stop. I think anyone would like this book and I would recommend this one to everyone.

About The Book

Witty and wonderful, sparkling and sophisticated, this debut romantic comedy brilliantly tells the story of one very messy, very high-profile divorce, and the endearingly cynical young lawyer dragooned into handling it.

Twenty-nine-year-old Sophie Diehl is happy toiling away as a criminal law associate at an old line New England firm where she very much appreciates that most of her clients are behind bars. Everyone at Traynor, Hand knows she abhors face-to-face contact, but one weekend, with all the big partners away, Sophie must handle the intake interview for the daughter of the firm’s most important client. After eighteen years of marriage, Mayflower descendant Mia Meiklejohn Durkheim has just been served divorce papers in a humiliating scene at the popular local restaurant, Golightly’s. She is locked and loaded to fight her eminent and ambitious husband, Dr. Daniel Durkheim, Chief of the Department of Pediatric Oncology, for custody of their ten-year-old daughter Jane–and she also burns to take him down a peg. Sophie warns Mia that she’s never handled a divorce case before, but Mia can’t be put off. As she so disarmingly puts it: It’s her first divorce, too.

Debut novelist Susan Rieger doesn’t leave a word out of place in this hilarious and expertly crafted debut that shines with the power and pleasure of storytelling. Told through personal correspondence, office memos, emails, articles, and legal papers, this playful reinvention of the epistolary form races along with humor and heartache, exploring the complicated family dynamic that results when marriage fails. For Sophie, the whole affair sparks a hard look at her own relationships–not only with her parents, but with colleagues, friends, lovers, and most importantly, herself. Much like “Where’d You Go, Bernadette,” “The Divorce Papers “will have you laughing aloud and thanking the literature gods for this incredible, fresh new voice in fiction.

About The Author

Susan Rieger is a graduate of Columbia University Law School. She is also a former Associate Provost for Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action at Columbia University.The Divorce Papers is her debut novel.

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If I Run by Terri Blackstock

January 23, 2016

If I Run by Terri Blackstock was another great suspense/thriller novel. This is the 4th book I have read by this author, and I am starting to think that she can’t write a bad book. I always get sucked into the books from the first chapter right up through the end of the book. Once the book ends I find that I am usually sad because I have fallen in love with the characters and hate that the book has ended, and this book was no different. I wasn’t sure if I liked Casey throughout most of the book but in the end, I did enjoy her. I had a soft spot for Dylan because of the things he went through and for being a veteran. I love this book because I wasn’t able to figure it out super early on which means that I love it. If you love suspense/thriller books, I know you will love this book as much as I do.

About The Book

Casey knows the truth.

But it won’t set her free.

Casey Cox’s DNA is all over the crime scene. There’s no use talking to police; they have failed her abysmally before. She has to flee before she’s arrested . . . or worse. The truth doesn’t matter anymore.

But what is the truth? That’s the question haunting Dylan Roberts, the war-weary veteran hired to find Casey. PTSD has marked him damaged goods, but bringing Casey back can redeem him. Though the crime scene seems to tell the whole story, details of the murder aren’t adding up. Casey Cox doesn’t fit the profile of a killer. But are Dylan’s skewed perceptions keeping him from being objective? If she isn’t guilty, why did she run?

Unraveling her past and the evidence that condemns her will take more time than he has, but as Dylan’s damaged soul intersects with hers, he is faced with two choices. The girl who occupies his every thought is a psychopathic killer . . . or a selfless hero. And the truth could be the most deadly weapon yet.

About The Author

Terri Blackstock has sold over six million books worldwide and is a New York Times bestselling author. She is the award-winning author of “Intervention,” “Vicious Cycle,” and “Downfall,” as well as such series as Cape Refuge, Newpointe 911, the SunCoast Chronicles, Restoration, and Moonlighters.

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20 Short Ones by Dan Salerno

January 13, 2016

20 Short Ones by Dan Salerno was a good book that I was able to get through pretty quickly. I loved that each story in this book can teach you something different and I was able to learn from each one. I love that this book has god in it and things like that but none of it is shoved down your throat so even if you aren’t super religious I still think you would enjoy this book. If I has to pick a favorite story it would be the second story in the book. I liked this one because I could see myself in Tilley and I felt so bad for her. If you love reading short stories than I know you will love this book because you can just read one or two of them when you have a few extra minutes to your self.

About The Book

Human relationships can be intriguing, heartbreaking, funny, frustrating, and soulful (among other things). Sometimes all at the same time.

20 Short Ones takes you from Northern Ireland to New York and places in between. Each story offers a snapshot experience and an opportunity to emotionally relate to the age-old mystery of how friendships (romantic or otherwise) happen, told from a faith perspective.

This book is written from a faith-based (Judeo-Christian) point of view so if you’re a fan of Christian Fiction, 20 Short Ones is for you!

About The Author

Dan Salerno has traveled to Northern Ireland five times and to Japan (once) on mission trips. This was before he lived in New York City for eight years, earning a master’s degree in social research while working for the National Coalition for the Homeless. After that he worked and lived at the Catholic Worker’s Joseph House near the Bowery, before moving back to the Midwest.

He eventually returned to New York and worked for a children’s ministry in Brooklyn, NY for 16 months soon after 9/11.

20 Short Ones, published by Westbow Press (a division of Thomas Nelson Publishing)is his first book. It’s an engaging collection of short stores each focusing on how relationships (romantic and otherwise) begin, told from a faith-filled (Judeo-Christian) perspective.

You can read a preview of 20 Short Ones on the Barnes & Noble, Amazon, Westbow Press and Christian Family Stores websites.

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Mermaid Moon by Colleen Coble

January 12, 2016

Mermaid Moon by Colleen Coble is the second book in the Sunset Cove series. I haven’t read the first book in the series so I am not sure what it was about but I do wish now that I would have read the other book because I did wonder about some of the back stories. With that being said you will be fine and able to get through the book without reading them in order but is plan on reading the series then I would start with the first book.

Anyway, let’s get on to the review for this book. I really like this book from the first chapter through the end of the book. Even though I was able to understand what was happening I do wish that I was able to know parts of the back story but that is mainly because I am super nosy and just wonder what happened to Mallory’s mom and that back story but that didn’t make the book hard to understand. I don’t know that I have ever read a book by Colleen Coble that I haven’t liked and this another amazing book by her. She was a way of making you sit on the edge of your seat and her writing also makes me love her characters. If you are looking for amazing books than I would for sure check out any books by her. If you love mystery/suspense novels then you will love this book as much as I do.

About The Book

Mallory’s mother died fifteen years ago. But her father’s last words on the phone were unmistakable: “Find . . . mother.” Shame and confusion have kept Mallory Davis from her home for the last fifteen years, but when her dad mysteriously dies on his mail boat route, she doesn’t have any choice but to go back to Mermaid Point. Mallory believes her father was murdered and childhood sweetheart Kevin O’Connor, game warden in Downeast Maine, confirms her suspicions. But Kevin is wary of helping Mallory in her search. She broke his heart—and left—without a word, years ago. When Mallory begins receiving threats on her own life—and her beloved teenage daughter, Haylie—their search intensifies. There’s a tangled web within the supposed murder, and it involves much more than what meets the eye. As answers begin to fall into place, Mallory realizes her search is about more than finding her father’s killer—it is also about finding herself again . . . and possibly about healing what was broken so long ago with Kevin. She just has to stay alive long enough to put all the pieces together.

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.

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Redeeming Cade by Susan Crawford

January 5, 2016

Redeeming Cade by Susan Crawford was a great book. I loved Cade from the start of the book and I just loved him even more as the story went on. There was something that I liked about Darby but I wasn’t totally sure about her because of her being a politician and I didn’t like how she acted from time to time. That being said though I could tell she was a good person and I hoped that things would work out for everyone involved in the book. This is a shorter book which is truly enjoyed because I was able to read it all even though I have been super busy with work. If you are looking for super sweet story to read than I know you will love this book.

About The Book

Cade McGuire has turned a one-eighty. The ex-con is now assistant director at the downtown mission that gave him a fresh start when he needed it most. When Cade attends a press conference and discovers that a woman running for a seat on the city council plans to close the mission, he can’t just stand by. Not even for a politician as beautiful as Darby Phillips.

Darby has been groomed her whole life for a future in politics. The City Council seat is just the first step in following her grandfather’s footsteps and making a difference for the community. When the obviously blue-collar Cade confronts her at a press conference, demanding she come and meet the people she’ll displace with her fancy new entertainment district, she knows refusing would be political suicide. No problem. A few hours at a rundown mission won’t change anything.

As Darby and Cade butt heads over what the city needs most, one unsettling thing becomes clear: though they’re from opposite worlds, they might just be what each other needs.

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.