Books I Love

Shades Of Mercy by Anita Lustrea and Caryn Rivadeneira

Book ReviewShades Of Mercy by Anita Lustrea and Caryn Rivadeneira was a different book for me to read.  Even though it was different I did love it and can’t wait to check out other books in the series because these authors did a great job when it came to writing this book.  In this story you get to see Mercy as she grows up and gets tired of being treated like a son by her father.  You also get to see what it was like for minorities in the 1950’s.  If you love historical fiction you will love this book!

17290460About The Book

It’s 1954 and the world-even the far Northwoods of Maine-is about to change. But that change can’t happen soon enough for fourteen-year-old Mercy Millar. Long tired of being the “son” her father never had, Mercy’s ready for the world to embrace her as the young woman she is-as well as embrace the forbidden love she feels.
When childhood playmates grow up and fall in love, the whole community celebrates. But in the case of Mercy and Mick, there would be no celebration. Instead their relationship must stay hidden. Good girls do not date young men from the Maliseet tribe. At least, not in Watsonville, Maine. When racial tensions escalate and Mick is thrown in jail under suspicion of murder, Mercy nearly loses all hope-in love, in her father, and in God himself.

About The Authors

65c78ec34e700ad8986c3d.L._V196652153_SX200_Caryn Dahlstrand Rivadeneira

Hello! I am a writer, speaker, and serve on the worship staff at Elmhurst Christian Reformed Church. I’m one of those kinds of writers who’s been writing since the magic age of 7 and have written all sorts of stuff. But the stuff you can find here at Amazon is: Shades of Mercy: A Novel (RiverNorth, 2013), Known and Loved: 52 Devotions from the Psalms (Revell, 2013), Grumble Hallelujah: Learning to Love Life When It Lets You Down (Tyndale House, 2011), Mama’s Got a Fake I.D.: How to Reveal the Real You Behind All that Mom (Waterbrook, 2009). The stuff you can read elsewhere includes my writing as a regular contributor to Christianity Today’s Her.Meneutics and a columnist for Re:Frame Media’s Think Christian. I also write regularly for places like Relevant and FullFill, along with several other media outlets.

I live outside of Chicago with my husband, three kids and one pit bull. Visit me at http://www.carynrivadeneira.com, on my Facebook author page (caryn.rivadeneira.author) and on Twitter @CarynRivadeneir!

9ea2ce659c720a7e9d9a1b.L._V185176865_SX200_Anita Lustrea

Anita Lustrea is executive producer and host of Moody Radio’s award winning Midday Connection. Garnering NRB’s 2008 Program of the Year Award, Midday Connection deals with issues most radio programs won’t. The program offers avenues for spiritual transformation in the midst of difficult personal issues. Anita is also an author, a much sought-after conference and retreat speaker and a spiritual director. She lives in the Chicago suburbs with her husband, Mike and has a college aged son John.

Anita is a self identified hot tea snob and can’t face the day before her Irish Breakfast Tea is steeped for 5 minutes with honey and milk added. She hails from Maine and makes an annual pilgrimage to Aroostook County.

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Digiprove sealCopyright secured by Digiprove © 2014 Margaret Margaret

Christmas at Rose Hill Farm by Suzanne Woods Fisher

Book ReviewChristmas at Rose Hill Farm by Suzanne Woods Fisher was a sweet Christmas story.  I am not usually one for stories based around Christmas but I loved this one and I was so glad to have read it.  I loved the story and all the characters in the book.  It was kind of predictable to me but I still enjoyed it and fell in love with the characters.  I was sad that this book was so short because I really did love these characters so I wish the book was longer or  that it was a series of books.  If you love Amish fiction I know you will love this book.

Christmas at Rose Hill FarmAbout The Book

Bess Riehl is preparing Rose Hill Farm for her Christmas wedding, but her groom isn’t who she thought it would be. Billy Lapp is far away from his Amish roots working as a rose rustler for Penn State and wants nothing to do with Stoney Ridge, his family, or Bess. And that suits Bess just fine. Why should she think twice about a man who left without a word, without any explanation? It’s time she moved on with her life, and that meant saying yes to Amos Lapp, Billy’s cousin and best friend. But as Bess and Amos’s wedding day draws near, her emotions tangle into a tight knot. She loves Amos. Yet she can’t forget Billy.

When a “lost” rose is discovered at Rose Hill Farm, Billy is sent to track down its origins. Get in, identify the rose, and get out. That’s his plan. The only catch is that he’s having a hard time narrowing down the identity of the lost rose, and he can’t get those tropical blue eyes of Bess Riehl out of his mind.

As the history of the lost rose is pieced together, it reminds Bess and Billy—and Amos, too—that Christmas truly is the season of miracles.

“Filled with heart-twisting moments amid the sweet anticipation of love, this story will charm readers into the holiday spirit.”

Suzanne Woods FisherAbout The Author

Suzanne Woods Fisher is the bestselling author of the Inn at Eagle Hill series, Lancaster County Secrets series, and the Stoney Ridge Seasons series, as well as nonfiction books about the Amish, including Amish Peace. She is also the coauthor of a new Amish children’s series, The Adventures of Lily Lapp. Her interest in the Anabaptist cultures can be directly traced to her grandfather, who was raised in the Old Order German Baptist Brethren Church in Franklin County, Pennsylvania. Suzanne is a Carol Award winner and a Christy Award finalist. She is a columnist for Christian Post and Cooking & Such magazines. She lives in California.

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Digiprove sealCopyright secured by Digiprove © 2014 Margaret Margaret

Joyful by Shelley Shepard Gray

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Book ReviewJoyful by Shelley Shepard Gray was a great book.  This is the third book in the series and I have read the other two as well so I was so glad that I could review this one so I could stay caught up with the characters I have fallen in love with.  One thing I loved about this series that she checks in with other characters even though the story isn’t about them.  In fact my two favorite characters aren’t actually main characters in any of the books.  I loved the characters in this book because they seemed so real.  This book was amazing and I am sad that it is the last book in the series because I would love to keep following these characters and see where they all end up.

JoyfulAbout The Book

A young Amish couple gets a second chance at love in New York Times bestselling author Shelley Shepard Gray’s final book in her Return to Sugarcreek series.

Randall Beiler is doing his best to put his family and the farm’s needs first, even forsaking love. But though he tries, Randall knows he needs help caring for his younger siblings and keeping the house together.

When his brother offers pretty Elizabeth Nolt a job taking care of the house and cooking for the family, Randall is furious—and guilty about the way he once broke Elizabeth’s heart. But when he learns that Elizabeth and her grandmother are struggling to make ends meet, he knows the offer, no matter how painful, is the right thing for everyone.

Elizabeth wants to refuse—to stay far away from the man who hurt her—but she needs the money. Though she vows to protect her heart, spending time in the Beiler household makes Elizabeth realize that, while she’s older and wiser, her love for Randall still burns strong.

Randal, too, seems to want something more. But does he want Elizabeth because he truly loves her—or because he needs a housekeeper? If Randall sincerely wants something more, he must find a way to show Elizabeth—or risk losing his chance at love forever.

Shelley Shepard GrayAbout The Author

Shelley Shepard Gray is a two-time New York Timesbestseller, a two-time USA Todaybestseller, a finalist for the American Christian Fiction Writers prestigious Carol Award, and a two-time Holt Medallion winner. She lives in Southern Ohio, where she writes full-time, bakes too much, and can often be found walking her dachshunds on her town’s bike trail.

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Digiprove sealCopyright secured by Digiprove © 2014 Margaret Margaret

A Grand Design by Amber Stockton

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Book ReviewA Grand Design by Amber Stockton was another great book in this series of books.  There has only ever been one book in this series that I didn’t like so this book had a lot to live up to.  This book takes place in one of my favorite places and that is Mackinac Island.  I went there the summer I graduated from high school and I loved everything about it.  Anyway lets get back to the review.  This was such a sweet story and I instantly fell in love with the characters and the setting.  The one thing I didn’t really like is parts of this book seemed rushed and I also wish it could have been a little bit longer because there were parts I wished she would have gone into more details about it.  Overall this was a great book and a great addition to The Quilts Of Love series.

A Grand Design

About The Book

A getaway on a charming island may be just what Alyssa needs—if only she can let go of her past.

When Alyssa Denham, a single career woman, wins a fun getaway for two on Mackinac Island where her grandmother lives, she gives her carefree best friend a call. Together, they tour the old shops and hidden treasures of the quaint island while helping Alyssa’s grandmother piece together an heirloom quilt. Their quest gains them entrance into the homes of many longtime residents of the island, parts of the city that are otherwise off limits to tourists.

As the quilt’s story takes shape, Alyssa gains amazing insight into her grandmother’s life . . . and attracts the attention of the handsome Scott Whitman, an island resident in charge of hotel transportation. Will memories of her past keep Alyssa from letting go? Or will the quest to piece together the heirloom quilt restore Alyssa’s fractured heart—and bring healing to her entire family?

Quilts Of Love

About Quilts of Love

Quilts tell stories of love and loss, hope and faith, tradition and new beginnings. TheQuilts of Love series focuses on the women who quilted all of these things into their family histories. A new book releases each month and features contemporary and historical romances as well as women’s fiction and the occasional light mystery. You will be drawn into the endearing characters of this series and be touched by their stories.

About The Author

Amber Stockton is an award-winning author, a national speaker, and a direct-sales brand partner with Nerium International. She lives with her husband and fellow author, Stuart Vaughn Stockton, in Colorado. They have a daughter and a son, and an Aussie/retriever mix named Roxie. Three of her novels have won annual reader’s choice awards.

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Digiprove sealCopyright secured by Digiprove © 2014 Margaret Margaret

Home To Chicory Lane by Deborah Raney

 

Book Review

Home To Chicory Lane by Deborah Raney was a fun book to read.  I love this authors writing and I was so glad that I got to review this one.  I loved following along and Landyn tries to figure out what is going to do with her marriage.  It was great to read a book where the characters are able to work through their problems and in the end realize that they are still in love and in the end stay married.  I fell in love with the characters and I can’t wait for the next book so that I can check back in with them all.

Home to Chicory Lane

About The Book

Landyn longs for home, but her mother may have other plans.

Audrey Whitman’s dreams are coming true. Now that their five kids are grown, she and her husband, Grant, are turning their beloved family home into a cozy bed and breakfast just a mile outside of Langhorne, Missouri.

Opening weekend makes Audrey anxious, with family and friends coming from all over to help celebrate the occasion. But when Audrey’s daughter, Landyn, arrives, the U-Haul she’s pulling makes it clear she’s not just here for a few days. Audrey immediately has questions. What happened in New York that sent Landyn running home? Where was Landyn’s husband, Chase? And what else was her daughter not telling her? One thing was for sure, the Chicory Inn was off to a rocky start. Can Audrey still realize her dream and at the same time provide the comfort of home her daughter so desperately needs?

Deborah Raney

About The Author

Deborah Raney’s books have won numerous awards, including the RITA, National Readers Choice Award, HOLT Medallion, and the Carol Award, and have twice been Christy Award finalists. She and her husband, Ken, recently traded small-town life in Kansas—the setting of many of Deborah’s novels—for life in the (relatively) big city of Wichita, where they enjoy gardening, antiquing, movies, and traveling to visit four children and a growing brood of grandchildren who all live much too far away.

 

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The Achilles Heel by Karyn Rae

the achilles heel buttonThe Achilles Heel by Karyn Rae was an amazing book.  Parts of this book seemed totally ridiculous because I am big into thinking that things in a book could really happen but I doubt any of this could really happen so that bothered me a little book.  In whole the book was amazing and I am hoping that the next book will have the same characters because I did fall in love with them.  If you love thrillers I know you will enjoy this book and I can’t wait for the next one.

Achilles-Heel-187x300About The Book

Annie Whitman’s ordinary Midwest life is shattered with the sudden death of her husband Jack. Thirty-five and failing at life as a widow, she turns to the comforts of vodka in an attempt to camouflage the cold sheets of an empty bed. The necessary inebriation helps her to cope with Jack’s death, but proves to be a deterrent in recovering any sense of normalcy. After spending several months at the bottom of a bottle, Annie stumbles upon a lockbox in the crawl space of her basement. Opening this box also opens her eyes to the likelihood that Jack Whitman might not have been the honest and doting man she married.
Annie embarks on a mission to the Virgin Islands to uncover the truth about her husband’s past and seek safety from her brother-in-law, who seems to be the captain of his own sinking ship. While settling into paradise, she meets the wickedly handsome, but surprisingly reserved Kessler Carlisle, who is struggling with his retirement from country music superstardom. With Kessler’s help, Annie discovers the heart’s uncanny ability to heal, and the possibility that dead men don’t always keep their secrets-even if they’re buried in the Caribbean waters of St. Croix.
The Achilles Heel delves into the formidable fact that everyone harbors darkness, and some will go to the depths of the ocean to keep their secrets hidden.

karyn raeAbout The Author

Karyn Rae is an emerging Romantic-Suspense author. Her debut novel, The Achilles Heel was released in May 2014. She is a member of the Romance Writers of America, and the Columbia Chapter of the Missouri Writers Guild. Karyn resides in Missouri with her husband, son, daughter, and chocolate lab- Augusta Mae.

The first part of Karyn’s life was spent in the South, and the last fifteen years have played out in the Midwest, but she’s still holding on to a shred of her Southern roots. She is a wife, mother, daughter, and sister who has made it her mission in life to carve out a career for herself, while keeping the husband and the children happy.

http://www.karynrae.me

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Digiprove sealCopyright secured by Digiprove © 2014 Margaret Margaret