PERSONAL THOUGHTS

The Wedding Chapel by Rachel Hauck

Winter Book Review

The Wedding Chapel by Rachel Hauck was another great book by this author.  I have read several books by this author and I have loved them all so this story had a lot to live up to and I love that it was everything that I hoped it would be.  I have to say that Jimmy was my favorite out of all the characters.  I think it was because of his personality and he seemed the most relatable to me.  I loved that the story was told from different time periods because that gives you a better understanding of  the characters and why things happened like they did.  If you love Rachel’s books or are just looking for a great chick lit book than I would for sure recommend this book to you.

The Wedding Chapel by Rachel Hauck

About The Book

An old, forgotten chapel holds the key to love and forgiveness.

Retired hall-of-fame football coach Jimmy Westbrook never imagined anything would come of his labor of love—building a wedding chapel for Collette Greer, the woman he fell in love with in 1949. But now a realtor wants the land the chapel sits on, and he sees no reason to hang onto the past.

Photographer Taylor Branson is trying to make a life for herself in New York. Leaving her hometown of Heart’s Bend, Tennessee, she put a lot of things behind her, including her family’s string of failed marriages. When she falls head-over-heels for Jack Gillingham, a top ad man, their whirlwind romance and elopement leave her with doubts. Jack, while genuine in his love for Taylor, can never seem to find the right way to show her he really cares.

When a post-mortem letter from Taylor’s Granny Peg shows up, along with an old photo, she is driven to uncover family secrets and the secret to her own happiness, starting with an assignment to photograph an unknown, obscure wedding chapel back in Heart’s Bend.

Taylor begins a mission to convince Jimmy that the chapel is worth saving—and that forgiveness and healing might happen within the chapel’s walls . . . for both of them.

Rachel Hauck

About The Author

RITA finalist and award winning author Rachel Hauck writes from sunny central Florida.

With strong southern stories, she infuses faith and real life into the lives of her fictional characters.

Rachel loves to encourage new writers and is the book therapist for My Book Therapy and writing community founded by
Susan May Warren.

Rachel graduated from Ohio State University with a BA in Journalism. She’s and avid OSU football fan.

Visit her web site to find out more and click on the icons to follow her on Twitter and Facebook.

http://www.rachelhauck.com

 

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They Never Die Quietly by Daniel M. Annechino

About The Book

They Never Die Quietly tells the story of homicide Detective Sami Rizzo, who is assigned to head a task force investigating serial killings in San Diego. Simon, the highly intelligent, cunning, and deceptively charming villain, redefines the depths of human evil. He believes God has given him absolute authority to purify his unholy victims through a ritual that ends in a grisly crucifixion. Driven by warped religious beliefs and guided by his dead mother, very much alive in his subconscious, Simon abducts “chosen ones” and holds them captive in a Room of Redemption. There, the victims helplessly await their crucifixion. Detective Rizzo urgently yearns to solve the case and gain the respect of her male colleagues, but her obsession to apprehend the killer on her own clouds her thinking. When Simon outsmarts Rizzo and captures her, determined to make her his next victim, she must employ all her resources—both physical and intellectual—to outwit the villain at his own game.

D.M. Annechino

About The Author

Daniel M. Annechino, a former book editor specializing in full-length fiction, wrote his first book, How to Buy the Most Car for the Least Money, in 1992 while working as a General Manager in the automobile business. But his passion had always been fiction, particularly thrillers. He spent two years researching serial killers before finally penning his gripping and memorable debut novel They Never Die Quietly.

​His second book, Resuscitation (Thomas & Mercer 2011), a follow-up to his first novel, hit #1 in Kindle sales in the UK and reached #26 in the USA. He is also the author of I Do Solemnly Swear (Thomas & Mercer 2012) and Hypocrisy. A Piece of You is his fifth novel, the third in the Detective Sami Rizzo series. A native of New York, Annechino now lives in San Diego with his wife, Jennifer. He loves to cook, enjoys a glass of vintage wine, and spends lots of leisure time on the warm beaches of Southern California.

 

Connect with the author:    Website    Twitter    Facebook

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A Moment of Weakness by Karen Kingsbury

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.

Fall Book Review Graphic

A Moment of Weakness by Karen Kingsbury was a book that at first I didn’t like but by the end I loved the book and the characters.  This is the second  book I have read by this author and I have fallen even more in love with this author than I was before.  I wasn’t a huge fan of Jade and Tanner’s parents throughout the entire book.  I know it is because of  how they acted towards each other and if I am being honest small town crap just bugs me.  I really did like Jade and Tanner though so that made reading the book not so  bad.  This is the second book in the series but you don’t have to read the books in order so if you just want to read this one you won’t be lost.  This book was a super easy read and one that I was able to read in a couple of days so you don’t have to commit tons of time to read this one.  If you love chick lit I know you will love this book as much as I did.

A Moment of Weakness by Karen Kingsbury

About The Book

Had they found each other again after all these years, only to lose everything that matters most?”
“As children, Jade Conner and Tanner Eastman were best friends–until scandal drove them apart. Then, one golden summer, they find each other again. Through endless days they share their hearts and souls and dreams of forever. Then, in a moment of weakness, they make a decision that will tear them apart for nearly a decade.

In their own separate corners of the country, Jade and Tanner have become fighters for religious freedom. Now Jade’s unfaithful husband is determined to destroy her in a custody battle that will rock the nation and shake people’s understanding of faith and freedom. Could Jade lose her only child because of her faith? Only one man can help her in her darkest hour. And only one old woman knows the secret about that summer and the truth that can set them all free.”

Karen Kingsbury

About The Author

USA Today and New York Times bestselling author Karen Kingsbury is America’s #1 inspirational novelist. There are more than 15 million copies of her award-winning books in print, including several million copies sold in the past year. Karen has written more than 40 novels, ten of which have hit #1 on national lists.

Karen has a true love for her readers, and she has nearly 100,000 friends on Facebook along with more than 7,500 followers on Twitter. The popular social networking sites have allowed Karen daily interaction with her reader friends.

Karen is best known for her Life-Changing Fiction (TM) and for creating unforgettable characters. When speaking before women’s groups – some with more than 10,000 in attendance – Karen makes audiences laugh and cry with her compelling story-telling. She likes to tell attendees they have, “One chance to write the story of their lives,” and her talk focuses on reminding women to live every day loving well, laughing often, and finding true life in Jesus Christ. Karen routinely speaks before more than 100,000 women each year.

Karen’s latest novel, Above the Line, Take Three, released March 23rd, 2010. Take Three is the third in the Above the Line Series. Look for the final installment in this series, Above The Line, Take Four to hit stores June 22nd, 2010. Shades of Blue, Karen’s latest stand alone title, hit stores in October, 2009. Karen’s newest series, Above The Line Series began with Take One, which released in March, 2009. The second book in this series, Take Two released in June 2009.

Karen’s recent title, This Side of Heaven landed in the #5 spot on the CBD Bestselling Fiction List. Also, Karen’s novel, Sunset landed #2 on the New York Times Best Seller’s List. Karen has also written many best selling series including The Redemption Series and the Firstborn Series. Her fiction has made her one of the country’s favorite storytellers. Several of Karen’s novels are being considered for major motion picture movies. Her emotionally gripping titles include the 9-11 Series, Even Now, Ever After, and Between Sundays.

Karen is also a public speaker, reaching more than 100,000 women annually through various national events. Karen and her husband, Don, live in the Pacific Northwest with their six children, three of whom are adopted from Haiti.

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The Thread That Binds by Alice Hayes

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The Thread That Binds by Alice Hayes was an amazing book.  I love that the author brings such different women together and have them all connect.  I like it because it made me realize that you never know someone else story is and what they are going through.  I loved this author’s writing and how she made me understand why the characters did the things they do and I was also able to understand the character’s background and where they had come from.  She did all of this without bogging you down with too many details and spending too much time on their backgrounds.  It is a hard thing to not over do the amount of back stories that authors give but she did it just right and she has become of my new favorite authors.  If you love books that take place in modern times than this is one you aren’t going to want to miss.

The Thread That Binds

About The Book

Sherice is a new mother, a sonographer, quilter, and wife; an overworked young woman whose elderly mother is slipping away from her.

Sylvie is a newlywed and recent immigrant, unemployed and virtually penniless. Her husband’s paycheck can’t even cover prenatal care, let alone a baby, and her due date is only drawing nearer…

Joanne’s unconventional pregnancy turns her world upside down, redefining her career and relationships, and even bringing to the surface long-buried demons from her past.

Payton is seventeen, pregnant, and on the run. She flees to her uncle in Georgia with the hope of making a fresh start, but discovers making it on her own is harder than she could ever have imagined.

Gloria is trapped in an unhappy marriage; in love with someone else. Her life is falling apart. With a baby on the way, would it be selfish to flee?

Five women, once strangers, form bonds. Set in modern day Georgia, this is the story of friendship that blossoms in the land of country music, sweet tea, and secrets kept locked tight behind closed doors. Moving, funny, and at times heartbreaking, The Thread That Binds is a lesson in empathy, strength, and the beauty of love.

Alice Hayes

 

About The Author

Originally from Winchester, England, Alice’s plans to read law at a British university were disrupted when she fell deeply in love with Georgia, USA, while studying abroad. After moving all over Georgia, Alice has finally settled in Athens and has no plans to go anywhere else.

She is a single mother to a three-year-old girl and a 65 lb hound dog. She likes coffee, wine, and anything edible with the words ‘salted caramel’ in its description.

At the time of publication, Alice is a 24-year-old history student working full time in a law office, and writing fiction at every stolen moment. She hasn’t slept in approximately two years. Her first published novel, The Thread That Binds won third place in World’s Best Story contest.

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The Golden Braid by Melanie Dickerson

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The Golden Braid by Melanie Dickerson was a good book.  This is a retelling of the fairy tale “Rapunzel” and if I am being honest I vaguely remember the story so I can’t really say much at it in that sense but I can talk about the writing and the things I liked about it and the things I didn’t like about it.  I really enjoyed the author’s writing and this entire story.  This was a quick read and even though it was about 225 pages the reading of it was super easy and light hearted.  I loved watching as Rapunzel goes through adapting to a new city along with learning how to read.  This story brought the fairy tale to life and made it even more relatable to younger generations.  If you love fantasy books than I would for sure recommend this book to you.

The Golden Braid by Melanie Dickerson

About The Book

The Golden Braid (Thomas Nelson, November 2015)

The one who needs rescuing isn’t always the one in the tower…

Rapunzel can throw a knife better than any man. She paints beautiful flowering vines on the walls of her plaster houses. She sings so sweetly she can coax even a beast to sleep. But there are two things she is afraid her mother might never allow her to do: learn to read and marry.

Fiercely devoted to Rapunzel, her mother is suspicious of every man who so much as looks at her daughter and warns her that no man can be trusted. After a young village farmer asks for Rapunzel’s hand in marriage, Mother decides to move them once again—this time, to the large city of Hagenheim.

The journey proves treacherous, and after being rescued by a knight—Sir Gerek—Rapunzel, in turn, rescues him farther down the road. As a result, Sir Gerek agrees to repay his debt to Rapunzel by teaching her to read. Could there be more to him than his arrogance and desire to marry for riches and position?

As Rapunzel acclimates to life in a new city, she uncovers a mystery that will forever change her life. In this Rapunzel story unlike any other, a world of secrets and treachery are about to be revealed after seventeen years. How will Rapunzel finally take control of her own destiny? And who will prove faithful to a lowly peasant girl with no one to turn to?

Melanie Dickerson

About The Author

Melanie Dickerson is the author of The Healer’s Apprentice, a Christy Award finalist and winner of the National Reader’s Choice Award for Best First Book. Melanie earned a bachelor’s degree in special education from the University of Alabama and has been a teacher and a missionary. She lives with her husband and two daughters in Huntsville, Alabama.

 

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