General Fiction

My Father’s House by Rose Chandler Johnson

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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.

My Father’s House by Rose Chandler Johnson was a book I wasn’t sure if I was going to like when I started it. I always hate when I am not certain if I will like because I hate forcing myself to read books that I don’t like but let’s get on to this book. By the end of the first chapter, I didn’t want to put the book down. I did feel so sorry for Lily, and I had to keep reading because I had to know how things worked out for her in the book. I love that this book covered a good amount of time, but it wasn’t super long and didn’t leave me feeling like things were rushed or as if things were missing in the story. I have read other books that they cut things out to keep the book shorter, but they didn’t in this book, and I loved that about it. I felt terrible for Lily most of the book, and I think that is because I can see a lot of myself in her. If you love books that seem like they are real stories than you need to pick this book up because it is one that I could see happening.

My Father's House by Rose Chandler Johnson

About The Book

My Father’s House (March 2016)

Growing up, life is idyllic for Lily Rose Cates due to one constant — her father’s love.

But in her sixteenth summer, all that changes without warning. There begins Lily’s struggle to find herself and the life she’s lost. . . . Marriage promises fulfillment, but her happily-ever-after barely survives the honeymoon. Her husband’s sophisticated façade hides a brooding man with even darker secrets.

When all illusions shatter, Lily must make hard choices — abandon her husband or risk losing much more than her marriage. She flees their home in Detroit and sets out on a fearful journey to a house in Georgia that her husband knows nothing about. This is one woman’s compelling tale of love and survival as she finds her way back home to who she’s meant to be . . . in her father’s house.

Rose Chandler Johnson

About The Author

Rose Chandler Johnson is the author of the award winning devotional God, Me, and Sweet Iced Tea: Experiencing God in the Midst of Everyday Moments. My Father’s Houseis her first novel. She happily makes her home near Augusta, Georgia.

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Bradstreet Gate by Robin Kirman

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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.

Bradstreet Gate by Robin Kirman wasn’t the right book for me. When I first started reading this book, it reminded me of the book “Defending Jacob by William Landay” even though they aren’t about the same things the writing reminded me of that book but that is about all because I found myself getting lost in all the details. I couldn’t sit down and read this book for extended periods of time because I got distracted and just couldn’t keep my focus on this book. I am sure this book will be great to some people but for me it just bored me, and I couldn’t wait until it was over.

Bradstreet Gate by Robin Kirman

About The Book

A tour de force about three friends affected by a campus murder, for readers of Donna Tartt, Meg Wolitzer, and Jeffrey Eugenides

Georgia, Charlie and Alice each arrive at Harvard with hopeful visions of what the future will hold. But when, just before graduation, a classmate is found murdered on campus, they find themselves facing a cruel and unanticipated new reality. Moreover, a charismatic professor who has loomed large in their lives is suspected of the crime. Though his guilt or innocence remains uncertain, the unsettling questions raised by the case force the three friends to take a deeper look at their tangled relationship. Their bond has been defined by the secrets they’ve kept from one another—Charlie’s love and Alice’s envy, Georgia’s mysterious affair—and over the course of the next decade, as they grapple with the challenges of adulthood and witness the unraveling of a teacher’s once-charmed life, they must reckon with their own deceits and shortcomings, each desperately in search of answers and the chance to be forgiven.

A relentless, incisive, and keenly intelligent novel about promise, disappointment, and the often tenuous bonds of friendship, Bradstreet Gate is the auspicious debut of a tremendously talented new writer.

From the Hardcover edition.

Robin Kirman

About The Author

ROBIN KIRMAN earned a BA in philosophy from Yale College and an MFA in fiction from Columbia University, where she served as a writing instructor in the English department. Robin lives in New York City and Tel Aviv.

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Dawn At Emberwilde by Sarah E. Ladd

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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.

Dawn At Emberwilde by Sarah E. Ladd was an okay book.   I have read quite a few of Sarah’s books and I always in enjoy them but do find them to be predictable, but that just comes with reading every book that an author has written. Even though I knew what was going to happen in this book I still really enjoyed it, but I assumed I would because I have enjoyed all the other books I have read by Sarah. I enjoyed the setting of this book and the characters in this book. If you love historical fiction, then you need to pick up this book because I know you will love it.

Dawn At Emberwilde by Sarah E. Ladd

About The Book

Dawn at Emberwilde (Thomas Nelson, May 2016)

Isabel Creston never dared to dream that love could be hers. Now, at the edge of a forest filled with dark secrets, she faces a fateful choice between love and duty.

For as long as she can remember, beautiful and free-spirited Isabel has strained against the rules and rigidity of the Fellsworth School in the rolling English countryside. No longer a student, Isabel set her sights on a steady role as a teacher at the school, a safe yet stifling establishment that would enable her to care for her younger sister Lizzie, who was left in her care after her father’s death.

The unexpected arrival of a stranger with news of unknown relatives turns Isabel’s small, predictable world upside down, sweeping her and her young charge into a labyrinth of intrigue and hidden motives.

At her new family’s invitation, Isabel and Lizzie relocate to Emberwilde, a sprawling estate adjacent to a vast, mysterious wood rife with rumors and ominous folklore—along with whispers of something far more sinister. Perhaps even more startling, two handsome men begin pursuing Isabel, forcing her to learn the delicate dance between attraction, the intricate rules of courtship, and the hopes of her heart.

At Emberwilde Isabel will discover that the key to unlocking the mystery of her past may also open the door to her future and security. But first she must find it—in the depths of Emberwilde Forest.

Sarah E. Ladd

About The Author

Sarah E. Ladd received the 2011 Genesis Award in historical romance for The Heiress of Winterwood. She is a graduate of Ball State University and has more than ten years of marketing experience. Sarah lives in Indiana with her amazing husband, sweet daughter, and spunky Golden Retriever.

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The Question by R. Breuer Stearns

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FTC: I received a free copy of this book from iReads 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 Question by R. Breuer Stearns was an interesting book. When I read the back of this book, I was super interested to see what it was all about but after the first couple of pages, I was worried that I wasn’t going to like it. After I was a couple of chapters into the book, I didn’t want to put it down. It was a book that I would take breaks from because it did make me think and that didn’t bother me at all. I love that I spend a good amount just thinking while I was reading this book and in the end, I enjoyed the story and the characters in the book.  I also wanted to say that it is an easy read even though it did make me think.  If you love books that make you think but also have a great story to go along with than I know you will love this book as much as I do.

The Question

About The Book

THE QUESTION invites readers to consider this premise:

If you could have the answer to one question, and only one question, what would you ask… and who would try to stop you from asking it?

To what extremes would they go?

THE QUESTION is a thriller that explores a new way of thinking, a method powerful enough to answer very complex questions . . . perhaps powerful enough to solve the universe’s most fundamental mysteries . . . perhaps powerful enough to resolve religions’ most beguiling unknowns.

THE QUESTION is an adventure story . . . fiction that you may wish, may believe, may know, is true. The narrative occurs in the present, with scenes in California, Washington, D.C., Paris, Shanghai, New York, and Afghanistan.

THE QUESTION is ideal reading for anyone who is curious . . . for those who gaze into the cosmos at night and wonder . . . for those who look into the mirror and imagine . . . for those whose hearts beat faster when confronting the unknown . . . for readers who enjoy a fast paced, contemporary thriller that inspires them to think. R. Breuer Stearns

About The Author

R. Breuer Stearns is an investor and author.

Mr. Stearns graduated from Phillips Academy, Andover (1970), Harvard University (AB, 1974), University of Chicago (MBA, 1977), and DePaul University College of Law (JD, 1979). He rapidly ascended on Wall Street in the 1980’s, serving as Managing Director, Mergers & Acquisitions at Lehman Brothers and Head of Investment Banking (North America) at UBS Securities.  While living in New York, he founded “Terrific Teachers, Inc.,” a foundation dedicated to identifying and rewarding the best of the best of the city’s public high school teachers.

Shortly after the fall of the Berlin Wall, Mr. Stearns launched a private investment bank in the former Soviet Union.  He spent the early 1990’s seeking to marry emerging science, primarily emanating from Russia’s Defense sector, with Western capital.  During this period, Mr. Stearns made a small fortune, albeit from a larger one.  The venture provided a remarkable lesson in hubris, a tremendous reservoir of internal strength, and first-hand source material for Mr. Stearns’ first book, Winning Smart After Losing Big (Encounter Books, Beijing University Press).

Subsequently, Mr. Stearns served as Chief Financial Officer of The Dial Corporation, Chief Financial Officer of Columbia/HCA Corporation, Chief Financial Officer of PacifiCare, Inc., President and Chief Operating Officer of Vascular Genetics, Inc., and Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Quepasa Corporation (QPSA:Amex).

Mr. Stearns is a Founder of VestaPoint Capital LLC, a family of investment funds focused on real estate development.  He lives in Arizona with his wife, two dogs, two cats, and a horse.  He travels extensively and is intensely curious.

Connect with the author:   Website ~ Facebook

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Digiprove sealCopyright secured by Digiprove © 2016 Margaret Margaret

In The Field Of Grace by Tessa Afshar

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FTC: I received a free copy of this book from Moody Press 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.

In The Field Of Grace by Tessa Afshar wasn’t the right fit for me. I had a really tough time getting through this book but that is just because I am not a huge fan of biblical fiction books. It was well written and I did like the characters I just have a hard to getting into the books is all. I really enjoyed the authors style of writing but I just couldn’t get into the book and it took me a long time to get through it because I just wasn’t really interested in the story.

In The Field Of Grace by Tessa Afshar

About The Book

Without wealth or family, the widow Ruth left her people and followed Naomi, her beloved Hebrew mother-in-law, to rebuild Naomi’s home in Israel. Provisions gone and starvation at the door, Ruth used all that she had left–a strong back and a willing heart–to gather grain in a field, abandoned after the harvest.

Tormented by others, Ruth is shocked to find the owner of the field watching her. Talking to her. Bringing food to her and Naomi. Boaz tells himself his kindness toward Ruth is repayment for the love she has shown to his cousin Naomi. But his heart knows better.

Tessa Afshar

About The Author

Tessa Afshar is the popular author of several works of biblical fiction. Her novel, Harvest of Gold won the prestigious 2014 Christy Award in the Historical Romance category. She was voted “New Author of the Year” by the Family Fiction sponsored Reader’s Choice Awards 2011 for her novel Pearl in the Sand. Her book, Harvest of Rubies was a finalist for the 2013 ECPA Book Award (formerly known as the Gold Medallion) in the fiction category. World Magazine chose Harvest of Rubies as one of four notable books of the year. Tessa was born in Iran to a nominally Muslim family, and lived there for the first thirteen years of her life. She moved to England where she survived boarding school for girls and fell in love with Jane Austen and Charlotte Bronte, before moving to the United States permanently. Her conversion to Christianity in her twenties changed the course of her life forever. Tessa holds an MDiv from Yale University where she served as cochair of the Evangelical Fellowship at the Divinity School. She has spent the last seventeen years in full-time Christian service in New England.

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Summer At Little Beach Street Bakery by Jenny Colgan

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FTC: I received a free copy of this book from the author 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.

Summer At Little Beach Street Bakery by Jenny Colgan was a fun book to read. I enjoyed this book, and I was sure if I was going to because some the fact that it takes place in England and all of the British slang that was used but I found that I was smiling throughout the book because I could see people speaking like they did in the book. This is the first book I have read by this author and I enjoyed it so much so that I am going to read other books by her. This is the second book in this series, but you don’t have to read the first one to understand this book. I loved that Polly lived in a lighthouse, but my favorite part of the entire book was Neil, her pet puffin. This book is very well written and even though there was a lot of slang in it I was still able to understand what was going on and what the characters meant. This book is written well, and I loved everything about it.   Like I say all the time I like books where I feel like the characters would exist, and that is how I felt about the characters in this book. If you love contemporary fiction books than I know, you will love this book like I did.

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About The Book

The New York Times bestselling author of Little Beach Street Bakeryand Christmas at the Cupcake Café returns with a delightful new novel—with recipes!—that is already an international bestseller and is perfect for fans of Jojo Moyes, Meg Donohue, and Sophie Kinsella.

For fans of Jojo Moyes and Elin Hilderbrand, an irresistible novel—moving and funny, soulful and sweet—about happiness, heartache, and hope. And recipes.

A thriving bakery. A lighthouse to call home. A handsome beekeeper. A pet puffin. These are the things that Polly Waterford can call her own. This is the beautiful life she leads on a tiny island off the southern coast of England.

But clouds are gathering on the horizon. A stranger threatens to ruin Polly’s business. Her beloved boyfriend seems to be leading a secret life. And the arrival of a newcomer—a bereft widow desperately searching for a fresh start—forces Polly to reconsider the choices she’s made, even as she tries to help her new friend through grief.

Unpredictable and unforgettable, this delightful novel will make you laugh, cry, and long for a lighthouse of your own. Recipes included.

Jenny Colgan

About The Author

Jenny T. Colgan was born in 1972 in Prestwick, Ayrshire, Scotland, UK. After studying at Edinburgh University, she worked for six years in the health service, moonlighting as a cartoonist and a stand-up comic, before the publication of her first novel Amanda’s Wedding in 2000. In 2013, her novel “Welcome to Rosie Hopkin’s Sweetshop of Dreams” won the Romantic Novel of the Year Award by the Romantic Novelists’ Association. She is now working on her next novel.

She mostly lives in France, with frequent visits to London. She occasionally writes for The Guardian newspaper, as well as a TV series.

Her Doctor Who novel Dark Horizons is published under the name Jenny T. Colgan.

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Digiprove sealCopyright secured by Digiprove © 2016 Margaret Margaret