Hello, My Love by E Journey

August 20, 2015

Hello, My Love by E Journey was an amazing book to read. This is the first book in the Between Two Worlds series. I will also be reviewing the other two book in the coming weeks so make sure that you check back for those reviews. This book was an easy read and I think that has to do with the fact that the line spacing & margins on the pages are a little bit bigger than some other books I have read. I love that because I am able to read a little bit more before I have to take a break because of my eyes. I can’t say enough good things about this book and this author. I loved everything about this book and I can’t wait to read the other 2 books. I really like Elise and Greg and I loved that they threw in a little bit of a mystery so it just wasn’t a love story. This book is really well rounded and it is one that I am going to keep and add it to my collection of books. If you love romance novels than I know you will love this book.

About The Book

This thoughtful woman’s romance novel explores the inner life (thoughts, hopes, and doubts) of a couple as they contend with the realities of compelling relationships.
A modern-day pastiche of Jane Austen novels. Elise is a bright, beautiful law student, focused on a career and distrustful of men. She butts heads with Greg at her parents’ dinner parties. Dark, good-looking, internet-business owner, he finds Elise intriguing, so unlike the dark-haired seductive beauties he used to escort around.

Specter of revenge. Unable to deny their attraction for each other, they spend an unexpected night together two days before he is to wed someone else. Lori, the jilted fiancée, exacts revenge, tearing Greg and Elise apart and forcing them to face who they are and what they really want.

An accident. Older and wiser, Greg and Else reunite two years later. He is in for a surprise. Later, their lives are thrown again into disarray when Elise becomes the victim of a hit-and-run. Is Lori back to haunt them again?

A delicious romance with a literary slant, spiced with a twist of whodunit.

About The Author

E Journey is a realist who thinks she has little imagination. Credit that to her training (Ph. D., University of Illinois) and work in mental health, writing for academics and bureaucrats, and critiquing the work of others. She’s been striving ever since to think and write like normal people.

She’s a well-traveled flâneuse—a female observer-wanderer—who watches, observes, listens. And writes. A sucker for happy endings, she finds enough that depresses her about real life, but seeks no catharsis by writing about it. For her, writing is escape, entertainment. She doesn’t strive to enlighten. Not deliberately. But the bias of her old profession does carry over into her writing. So, instead of broad shoulders and heaving bosoms, she goes into protagonists’ thoughts, emotions, inner conflicts, insecurities, and struggles to reach balance and grow.

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Mind Over Bullies by D.K. Smith

August 18, 2015

Mind Over Bullies by D.K. Smith was an interesting book to read. I had a hard time getting into this book and I am not 100% sure why. I love that he tackled this topic and wrote a book about bullying because not many authors even touch this subject. I had a hard time reading this book because there are parts where it switched characters and it would take me a minute to figure out who was talking and things like that. Other than that I did like this book and I think it is a book that all teenagers should have to read because it might help cut down on the amount of bullying that happens as kids are growing up today. This book was an easy read and even though it was a bigger book it didn’t take my that long to finish it. If you have teenagers I think you should have them read this book.

About The Book

People that feel bullied just need to toughen up. That’s what Margo Rios used to think. Margo is pretty, popular and unsympathetic to just how intense bullying can get. As a counterfeiting plot sweeps through the city of Oak View however, life for Margo changes dramatically.

With the mystery unfolding, an unlikely group of heroes emerges. Bullied teens love them, the police hate them and bullies fear them. Together they will try to get to the bottom of the counterfeiting mystery while ingeniously teaching a few bullies a lesson or two along the way… that is, if the police don’t catch them first.

“Mind Over Bullies: A MOB Forms” follows the lives of several teens chronicling the emotional and psychological changes they experience as a result of their encounters with bullying. The lives of the characters play out while an elaborate counterfeiting mystery unfolds making for a fast paced, action-packed read.

Preview the book here:

Read the first three chapters! http://tiny.cc/MOBPreview

About The Author

A 38 year old native of Los Angeles, Mr. Smith began his writing career after getting news that he would soon become an uncle. Wanting to create stories and characters for his expected niece, he created the children’s book series “Sock n Boots Adventures.” The two characters (three year old Sock and five year old Boots) began to make names for themselves, generating downloads in countries around the world.

When asked about his motivation to tackle the subject of bullying in a 108,000 word novel Smith said, “One day I came across a story in the news about a young girl that jumped in front of a subway train after weeks of bullying. As I investigated further, I was shocked at the number of similar stories I encountered. Bullycide, the news was calling it. I thought, wow, what if these young people had been shown that the pain of bullying can be handled without hurting themselves or someone else.”

Ultimately it was thoughts of his now four nieces and three nephews dealing with bullying as they get older that weighed heavily on the decision for Smith to write the story about bullying. “I recognize that the characters and situations in the book may not represent every bullying situation and that realistically the book won’t change the world, but I do sincerely hope that it sends a subtle message about there being life after bullying. We’ll just have to see how the public receives it,” Smith said.

A lover of mystery and espionage stories, Smith is a fan of everything James Bond. A favorite scenario is to see a character in an impossible situation get out of it at the last second or have the odds against them and see he or she turn the tables. Acting on the love of espionage and mystery, Smith has a new novel in the works centering on a James Bond-type character of his own creation.

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Balm of Gilead by Adina Senft

August 13, 2015

Balm of Gilead by Adina Senft was a good Amish fiction book to read. This is the 3rd book in the series and I didn’t read the first two and I was able to figure out what was going on for the most part. That being said you can read this one first but if it were me I would start from the start because there were parts of the story that I wished I knew the back story but I was still able to read this book and not get too lost. I really enjoyed this book it was a little slow during certain parts but not so slow that I wanted to put the book down and not come back to it. If you love Amish fiction than I would for sure recommend this book to you.

About The Book

The third installment in the Healing Grace series finds young Amish widow Sarah Yoder facing her greatest challenge–herself. Sarah hasn’t seen Henry Byler since he became engaged to an Englisch woman, which is best for her peace of mind. She’s busy with her family: welcoming her son back from the ranch in Colorado, finding a husband for her sister-in-law, and making the teas and tinctures that heal the members of her church. Then Henry seeks her out, desperate for a balm for his hands before his success as a potter is jeopardized, and Sarah has to call on every ounce of strength to deny the cry of her heart. Yet there is someone who just might have a special cure in mind–a healing balm with the power to change everything. But with Henry’s wedding only days away, is it already too late?

About The Author

Adina Senft grew up in a plain house church, where she was often asked by outsiders if she was Amish (the answer was no), she made her own clothes, and she perfected the art of the French braid. She holds an M.F.A. in Writing Popular Fiction from Seton Hill University in Pennsylvania, where she teaches as adjunct faculty.

Writing as Shelley Bates, she was the winner of RWA’s RITA Award for Best Inspirational Novel in 2005, a finalist for that award in 2006, and, writing as Shelley Adina, was a Christy Award finalist in 2009. Three of her books have shortlisted for the American Christian Fiction Writers’ Carol Award for book of the year. Of her fiction, publisher and industry blogger W. Terry Whalin has said, “Readers will be lost in the vivid world that [she] paints with incredible detail and masterful storytelling.”

A transplanted Canadian, Adina returns there annually to have her accent calibrated. Between books, she enjoys traveling with her husband, playing the piano and Celtic harp, and spoiling her flock of rescued chickens. These days, she makes period costumes and only puts up her hair for historical events and fun.

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The Lemoncholy Life Of Annie Aster by Scott Wilbanks

August 12, 2015

The Lemoncholy Life Of Annie Aster by Scott Wilbanks was a unique story. When I started this book I knew it was either going to be a great book or a book that I didn’t like at all. It has such a unique storyline and because of that I ended up loving this story. I can’t even say what made me fall in love but I did and I can’t wait to check out other books by this author. I loved Elsbeth because parts of her personality reminded me of my grandma who is my best friend. I love when I find “crazy” old women in my books because I always think of my grandma and smile. Anyway I love reading what was happening and I had to finish the book super quick because I had to know how it ended. I have always wondered if things like this do happen because it could be something that I would see happening. If you love different books that don’t follow any set patterns than you need to read this book. If you are tired of every book you read following the same type of pattern than I know you will love this book. Heck if are looking for something different to read than for sure check this book out!

About The Book

Annabelle Aster has discovered a curious thing behind her home in San Francisco–a letterbox perched atop a picket fence. The note inside is blunt—trespass is dealt with at the business end of a shotgun in these parts!—spurring some lively correspondence between the Bay Area orphan and her new neighbor, a feisty widow living in nineteenth-century Kansas.

The source of mischief is an antique door Annie installed at the rear of her house. The man who made the door—a famed Victorian illusionist—died under mysterious circumstances.

Annie and her new neighbor, with the help of friends and strangers alike, must solve the mystery of what connects them before one of them is convicted of a murder that has yet to happen…and somehow already did.

About The Author

Scott Wilbanks graduated summa cum laude from The University of Oklahoma and went on to garner several national titles in the sport of gymnastics. Scott’s husband, Mike, is a New Zealander by birth, and the two split their time between the two countries while Scott is at work on his next standalone novel.

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A Heart’s Home by Colleen Coble

August 11, 2015

FTC: I received a free copy of this book from 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 Heart’s Home by Colleen Coble is the last book in the series. I loved this book because I think the characters in this book are my favorite which is why I loved this book so much. I was sad to see this series come to an end because I really did love everything about this series. I am going to have a post up in a couple of weeks where I will link all the reviews so you will be able to check them all out if you want to read any of them. I felt so bad for Emmie because of the promise that she made to her friend because I can’t even imagine what it would feel like knowing that you may have to marry a man who you don’t love because of a promise you made before your friend died. I love how everything worked and how everyone ended up happy. If you love books by Colleen Coble than I would for sure check out this series of books.

About The Book

A Heart’s Home (Thomas Nelson, August 2015)

Emmie’s hope for a life with Isaac is overshadowed by a tragic loss at Fort Phil Kearny.

Isaac Liddle is keen to marry Emmie, and she knows she shouldn’t hide her pregnancy from him any longer. But before she can tell him her secret, a widower friend asks the impossible of Emmie: Will she honor her promise to his dead wife by marrying him to care for the orphaned baby?

With the Sioux Wars threatening outside the fort, Emmie’s solemn vow threatens her happiness from within. Will she honor a promise sure to break her heart—and Isaac’s? Or is there another way to find a home for her heart?

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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Through Waters Deep by Sarah Sundin

August 7, 2015

Through Waters Deep by Sarah Sundin was another great book. I have read another series by this author so this book had big shoes to fill and it lived up to everything that I hoped it would. I also love this book because it is my favorite type of historical fiction to read. I love pretty much everything that takes place during WWII. Anyway let’s get back to the review of this book. Loved following along as Mary tries to figure out who is behind all the crazy things that are going on and I also loved following along as Mary & Jim spend so much time together and start to fall in love. I can’t say enough good things about this book and this author. She does an amazing job writing these stories and making you feel like you are there with the characters. If you love historical fiction than make sure you don’t miss this story.

About The Book

Through Waters Deep (Revell, August 2015)

It is 1941 and America teeters on the brink of war.

Outgoing naval officer Ensign Jim Avery escorts British convoys across the North Atlantic in a brand-new destroyer, the USS Atwood. Back on shore, Boston Navy Yard secretary Mary Stirling does her work quietly and efficiently, happy to be out of the limelight. Yet, despite her reserved nature, she never could back down from a challenge. When evidence of sabotage on the Atwood is found, Jim and Mary must work together to uncover the culprit. A bewildering maze of suspects emerges, and Mary is dismayed to find that even someone close to her is under suspicion. With the increasing pressure, Jim and Mary find that many new challenges—and dangers—await them.

Sarah Sundin takes readers to the tense months before the US entered WWII. Readers will encounter German U-boats and torpedoes, along with the explosive power of true love, in this hopeful and romantic story.

About The Author

Sarah Sundin is the author of With Every Letter, On Distant Shores, In Perfect Time, and the Wings of Glory series. In 2014,On Distant Shores was a finalist for the Golden Scroll Awards from both AWSA and the Christian Authors Network. In 2011, Sarah received the Writer of the Year Award at the Mount Hermon Christian Writers Conference. A graduate of UC San Francisco School of Pharmacy, she works on call as a hospital pharmacist. During WWII, her grandfather served as a pharmacist’s mate (medic) in the Navy and her great-uncle flew with the US Eighth Air Force in England. Sarah lives in California with her husband and three children.