Christian Fiction

Grace and the Preacher by Kim Vogel Sawyer

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FTC: I received a free copy of this book from Blogging For Books in exchange for my honest review. I received no other compensation and the opinions expressed in this review are one hundred percent true and my own.

Grace and the Preacher by Kim Vogel Sawyer was a sweet story.  I don’t read many historical books anymore because I find that I get bored with them and I do have a hard time getting into them.  This is the third book that I have read by this author, and I am starting to think that she can’t write a book that I won’t enjoy.  This book was a slow start for me, but by the third chapter I was hooked, and I ended up staying up way too late because I didn’t want to put the book down.  I didn’t like Theo throughout the entire book, and I am not sure why I didn’t like him.  I did, however, love Grace right from the start of the book.  If you are looking for a new historical fiction book to read I would recommend this one to you.

About The Book

The Kansas community of Fairland anticipates the arrival of their new minister, and in recent months, late in 1882, postmistress Grace Cristler has communicated with Reverend Dille via letters, answering his questions about the little town, and developing affection for the man who pens thoughtful missives.

Theophil Garrison grew up under the loving influence of his saintly grandmother but was roped into his cousins’ train-robbing plan. When they fail and are apprehended, Theo fled the scene, evading jail time. Now an angry cousin is out to avenge Theo’s duplicity, and he’s on the run. He encounters a fatally ill traveler–a minister. Seeing a way to keep hidden, Theo trades identities with the man, dons his fine black suit, carries a Bible, and prays that he’ll be accepted as Rufus Dille.

Once in Fairland, if Theo’s true identity is uncovered, what will be left of the world he has built for himself, Grace, and those in the town who have come to love and accept him?

From the Trade Paperback edition.

About The Author

Kim Vogel Sawyer is the author of fifteen novels, including several CBA and ECPA bestsellers. Her books have won the ACFW Book of the Year Award, the Gayle Wilson Award of Excellence, and the Inspirational Readers Choice Award. Kim is active in her church, where she leads women’s fellowship and participates in both voice and bell choirs. In her spare time, she enjoys drama, quilting, and calligraphy. Kim and her husband, Don, reside in central Kansas and have three daughters and six grandchildren. She invites you to visit her Web site at http://www.kimvogelsawyer.com for more information.”

Kim’s father is author Ralph Vogel

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Door To Freedom by Jana Kelley

FTC: I received a free copy of this book from Litfuse in exchange for my honest review. I received no other compensation and the opinions expressed in this review are one hundred percent true and my own.

Door To Freedom by Jana Kelley was a great book.  This is the second book in the series and going into this book I was sure I was going to like it because I loved the first book in this series.  This is such a unique plot that I can’t help but love it because it is so different from anything else that I have ever read.  I love that with these books you get to peek inside of what it would be like to be a Christian living in Sudan.  I also enjoyed this book because it is based on true stories and I am always a sucker for books that are based on real stories.  This book made me want to share my beliefs more because if people are sharing their faith in places like Sudan, I should do the same thing here.  If you are looking for a book that is different from most of the books out there, I would recommend this entire series to you because I know you will love them like I do.

About The Book

In the dusty, Islamic country of Sudan, Mia, who is raising her family in a Muslim country, has learned to boldly share her faith. Rania, the daughter of a wealthy Sudanese Arab, seeks to find the reason for her sister’s sudden disappearance. Mia holds some of the answers, but both women quickly discover they must each walk through their own doors to freedom—the freedom that only comes when you trust God’s sovereignty more than man-made security.

Part of New Hope® Publishers’ line of contemporary missional fiction, Door to Freedom, the sequel to Side by Side, opens the reader’s eyes to modern-day persecution and the life of Muslims in Sudan. Based on real-life events, Door to Freedom also reveals some of the struggles that Christians face when living under Islamic law. The reader will be inspired to pray for those who are persecuted for their faith as well as for the salvation of the persecutors.

About The Author

Jana Kelley is a Texan who hardly ever lives in Texas. Raised in Southeast Asia, Jana developed a love for cross-cultural living early in life. Her love for writing came soon after. Jana returned to Texas to attend college. She and her husband married a month after she graduated, and by their second anniversary, they were living in a remote African town. After 13 years living in Africa and the Middle East, Jana, her husband, and their three boys moved to Southeast Asia where they currently live. You can learn more about Jana at janakelley.com.

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Home To Paradise by Barbara Cameron

Home to Paradise Barbara Cameron

FTC: I received a free copy of this book from Litfuse in exchange for my honest review. I received no other compensation and the opinions expressed in this review are one hundred percent true and my own.

Home To Paradise by Barbara Cameron was a great Amish fiction novel.  As most of you know by now, I am a huge fan of Amish fiction books.  Every time I see one I have to get it and read it because I can’t get enough of them.  This is the third book in the “Coming Home” series.  This is the first book that I have read in this series and me able to figure out what was going on.  If had had the time I would have liked to read all three books in order, but I didn’t have the time, so I am hoping that I will be able to read the other two books later even though I know what happens to them because I read this book.  I really liked Rose and John right from the start, and I was sad when the book was over because I felt like I really connected with the characters.  If you love Amish fiction like I do I would tell you to pick up the first two books so that you can read them in order.

About The Book

Rose Anna Zook has watched her two older sisters marry two Stoltzfus men and has always thought she and John, the third Stoltzfus brother, would marry, make a home together, and have children. But John has other ideas. He’s enjoying his Rumschpringe in the Englisch world a little too much and isn’t interested in returning to the Amish community–especially to marry.
Rose Anna is determined to bring her man back into the Amish fold. John is equally determined to live his life free and unencumbered. Who will win this battle of wills? Will love prevail?

About The Author

CBD, CBA, and ECPA best-selling author of 24 books (including new series upcoming for Abingdon Press in 2011/2012) including fiction and non-fiction books for Abingdon Press, Thomas Nelson, Harlequin, and other publishers.

I sold three films to HBO/Cinemax and am the first winner of the Romance Writers of America Golden Heart Award.

My two novellas won the 2nd and 3rd place in the Inspirational Readers Choice Contest from the Faith, Love, and Hope chapter of RWA. Both were finalists for the novella category of the Carol Award of the American Christian Writers Award (ACFW).

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A Terrifying Bike Ride and a Clue to the Missing Girl by Greta Kay

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FTC: I received a free copy of this book from BookLook in exchange for my honest review. I received no other compensation and the opinions expressed in this review are one hundred percent true and my own.

A Terrifying Bike Ride and a Clue to the Missing Girl by Greta Kay was a super weird book that I couldn’t get into.  It is a shorter book, so it didn’t take that long to read it, but even as I sit here now I am still confused about what the hell went on during that book.  It was an okay book just not what I expected or something I would usually pick up to read.  This would be a good book for teens or tweens but not for adults.

About The Book

A story of intrigue, an unsolved mystery, a warning ignored–draws the reader into the lives of Becca Nelson and Leigh Wilcox, who stumble into the center of a dark plot.

Is Think Tank Axis #1 an undercover organization bent on controlling the minds of teens? Do the points in the survey questions start them down a path of doubting their family life? Becca Nelson surmises this as fact. She confides her suspicion to Logan who listens, but is not alarmed.

Do your parents give you choices on everyday decisions?

Is the culture of your parents old fashioned and irrelevant to teens of today?

Do you believe your parents are fair to you?

Would you like to plan your future without other’s opinions?

Do you tell your parents everything?

I have to keep myself out of trouble. I don’t have a dad to defend me, one that will always take my side. And Mom wouldn’t know what to do if she had to get me out of trouble. I can’t waste my time on trying to be popular. I discarded that goal long ago. I saw what happens to those kids whose friends didn’t know the definition of loyalty. Popularity is like a swinging door, in one day, out the next. Too many tears and heartbreaks for those once-upon-a-time popular kids.

On their bike ride, the girls capture an injured magpie and nurse him back to health, eventually releasing him back to the wild, not realizing they would meet again.

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Because You’re Mine by Colleen Coble

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FTC: I received a free copy of this book from BookLook in exchange for my honest review. I received no other compensation and the opinions expressed in this review are one hundred percent true and my own.

Because You’re Mine by Colleen Coble was a good book.  I always like books that Colleen has written, so I know I would enjoy this book but it wasn’t one of my favorites by her.  I did have a hard time staying interested in this story, and I think that has to do with the fact that I wasn’t a huge fan of any of the characters in this story.  I felt sorry for Alanna, but I didn’t really like her which makes it hard to stay interested in the book.  I just couldn’t stay interested in this story, so it is another one that once I post this review I know I will forget I ever read this book.  If you love Christian mystery books than I would for sure have you check this one out it just wasn’t the right fit for me.

About The Book

Alanna has been plagued by tragedy. So it should come as no surprise that in the beauty that surrounds Charleston, all is not as it seems.

When her husband is killed by a car bomb while their band is on tour in Charleston, Alanna doesn’t know where to turn. Her father-in-law is threatening to take custody of the baby she carries, but the one thing she knows for sure is that she can’t lose the last piece of Liam she has left.

Their manager offers her a marriage of convenience to gain her U.S. citizenship and allow her to escape her father-in-law’s control. It seems like the perfect solution . . . But her doubts begin almost as soon as she arrives at Barry’s family home, a decaying mansion surrounded by swamp.

To make matters worse, Liam’s best friend survived the car bomb. She’s never really liked Jesse, and now she can’t seem to get away from him. When he takes Liam’s place in their band, it’s almost more than she can bear.

But then things start happening. Things that could easily cost Alanna her life—or the life of her unborn child. Are they mere coincidences? Or is there something much more sinister at work?

About The Author

USAToday bestselling author Colleen Coble lives with her husband, Dave, in Indiana. She is the author of dozens of novels including the Rock Harbor Series, the Aloha Reef Series, the Mercy Falls Series, the Hope Beach Series, the Lonestar Series and two Women of Faith fiction selections, Alaska Twilight and Midnight Sea. She has more than 2 million books in print.

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The Mark of the King by Jocelyn Green

 

FTC: I received a free copy of this book from Litfuse in exchange for my honest review. I received no other compensation and the opinions expressed in this review are one hundred percent true and my own.

The Mark of the King by Jocelyn Green was an okay book.  At times I did find myself getting bored with this book and I also felt like from time to time I got lost because I had a hard time focusing on this book.  For some reason, I just could get into this book.  I am not usually a huge fan of historical fiction books, but I had a hard time stay engaged with this book.   This is the first book I have read this book and because I had such a hard time staying interested in this book I don’t think I will read her books in the future.  I think I am going to hang on to this book for a few years and see if when I try and read it again if I don’t enjoy it more next time.  If you enjoy historical fiction books, I would say to read an excerpt of this book before you buy it or see if your local library has a copy of it that way if you don’t enjoy it you would be out any money.

About The Book

Sweeping Historical Fiction Set at the Edge of the Continent
After being imprisoned and branded for the death of her client, twenty-five-year-old midwife Julianne Chevalier trades her life sentence for exile to the fledgling 1720s French colony of Louisiana, where she hopes to be reunited with her brother, serving there as a soldier. To make the journey, though, women must be married, and Julianne is forced to wed a fellow convict.
When they arrive in New Orleans, there is no news of Benjamin, Julianne’s brother, and searching for answers proves dangerous. What is behind the mystery, and does military officer Marc-Paul Girard know more than he is letting on?
With her dreams of a new life shattered, Julianne must find her way in this dangerous, rugged land, despite never being able to escape the king’s mark on her shoulder that brands her a criminal beyond redemption.

About The Author

Jocelyn Green inspires faith and courage as the award-winning author of ten books to date, including Wedded to War, a Christy Award finalist in 2013; Widow of Gettysburg; Yankee in Atlanta; and The 5 Love Languages Military Edition, which she coauthored with bestselling author Dr. Gary Chapman. A former military wife herself, her passion for military families informs all of her writing as well as her numerous speaking opportunities. Jocelyn graduated from Taylor University with a BA in English and now lives with her husband and two children in Iowa.

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