New Release - Jolina Petersheim

Dear Readers,

Most of you know that Amish fiction is not my favorite genre.  I don’t want any of you to think there isn’t good Amish fiction, there is.  It is just not my favorite, but every once and a while one of them comes along and catches my attention.  The Outcast by Jolina Petersheim is one of those.  I am not sure why, maybe the cover or maybe the subtitle, but whatever it is it made me want to read it.

The subtitle of the book is “A modern retelling of The Scarlet Letter.”   Rachel Stoltzfus finds out she is pregnant she refuses to name the father, which in her Old Order Mennonite community is not tolerated.  She is shunned and forced to become a single mom trying to survive on her own without the support of family or church.   

To make the issue even trickier the bishop of her community is her twin sister’s husband, he is the leader of the community and forces her out.  When other secrets start to come to light, it is found out the bishop is hiding his own secrets. 

Secrets upon secrets, I think that might have been what caught my attention.  You always have to be careful of whom you point fingers at and make judgment on as you have no fewer sins than they do.  This book will be one of those interesting reads for whiling away those long summer evenings.

Happy Reading

RJ Larson

Dear Readers

There is usually so little to say once the third book of a series arrives and is read.  You are either reading the series already or if you are not, this review can ruin the whole series for you.  If you haven’t read the Books of the Infinite series by RJ Larson, then stop reading this review and go find book one Prophet and book #2 Judge, read those first.  We will wait for you. 

Ok so now that those readers who haven’t read the series are gone we can talk about this book, King, book number 3 in the series.  I have loved all three of them (not sure which one is my favorite) and really wish I had time to read them again as when I talk to my daughter about them I realize how much I missed the first time through them. 

Ela, Kien, and Pet/Scythe are back and ready to do battle for the Infinite again, even if he requires their lives.  Akabe is determined to rebuild the House of the Infinite so that the people of Syphra will be reminded of his awesome power whenever they see or worship at his house.  The only problem with this plan is Akabe forgot to ask the Infinite if this was his plan for Syphra and his people.  Because he didn’t ask the Infinite now Akabe and his new wife Caitria may have to pay with their lives.

Once again the story line of this book is fast paced, adventuresome, and a good reminder that sometimes God does require things of us that we may not be ready to give.  Ela has gone from a frightened little Prophetess to a confident woman who is ready to do His bidding at any cost.  Her love for the Infinite knows no bounds, but she is still very human and that comes through in the book.  Which is probably why I truly loved this series so much, the characters are so very human, whether they were good or evil, they represented “normal” humanness.  It was a good reminder to me that God will use us no matter how great or small we feel we are. 

Loved this series and am looking forward to the next book or books that RJ writes.

Happy Reading

New Release - Mel Odom

Dear Readers,

Not everyone likes a good military book, but if you are looking for an author who does write them, Mel Odom writes some of the best ones out there.  Renegade is book #2 in his Called to Serve series.  Deployed was book one. 

Pike Morgan is ready for his next deployment.  When he leaves town he can't set down roots and he can't fall in love.  All things he isn't ready to do yet, he may never be ready to do that. 

When he and his squad are sent to Afghanistan his is more than ready to help in any way possible.  He just doesn't expect to be in broiled in an international incident involvement of the Al Qaeda's top leader.  They were sent on a rescue mission of an American journalist and find themselves in the middle of a dash to advert a terrorist attack.

Mel's books are fast past, well researched and just an adventure to read.  He gives you a very good taste of what it is like to stand on the line in defense of our country.

Happy Reading

New Release - Ted Dekker/Tosca Lee

Dear Readers,

The Books of Mortals is complete.  Sovereign by Ted Dekker and Tosca Lee hit the shelves last week with much anticipation.  If you haven’t started the series, I recommend them in order or none of it will make sense.  Of course even then, with Ted writing, you may have to read it a couple of times for it to makes sense. J

After the epic battle with the Order, only 36 followers remain loyal to Rom.  The Order is pushing hard to eliminate them and restore their reign.  Rom and his small band must use all their faith in Love to survive. 

Fans of Ted Dekker have eagerly awaited each and every one of these books.  With his normal plot twists, turns, and misleading, Ted leads the reader on a fantasy series that sticks with you long after you have closed the cover of the book.

Happy Reading

New Releases June 17 - 22

Dear Readers,

Summer has finally arrived.  Time to relax enjoy the wonderful warm evenings.  There are several books in the list below that will lend themselves well to some time away from home. 

Happy Reading

Afloat – Erin Healy – A beautiful new condo are left cut off from the rest of the world by a sink hole, leaving a various group of people trapped.  When it comes down to how to survive they are widely divided.  Will they be able to come to an agreement or will each fraction set out on their own.

A Bride for All Seasons – Margaret Brownley/Debra Clopton/Mary Connealy/Robin Lee Hatcher – Mail Order Bride Collection – 4 stories in 1 – Every bride has her own story, Mail-order brides are no different.

Seed of Evidence – Linda J. White – Murder investigations are tough enough, but when the clues are tiny, they become even tougher.  Kit was hoping to relax and enjoy a vacation with her grandmother until a body of a Latino boy is found on the beach.

Remember Me When – Ginny Aiken - #2 A Women of Hope novel – Faith thought her husband was an upstanding kind of guy, until she found him dishonest in his business dealing and when he drank he became violent.  When he is murdered, she stands accused.

Sovereign – Ted Dekker/Tosca Lee - #3 the Books of Mortals – Those who have survived the battle have been scattered and divided, only 36 remain loyal to Rom.  Will this little band of followers be able to use their faith to stand against evil?

 

New Release - Mel Odom

Dear Readers,

Renegade by Mel Odom is book #2 in the Called to Serve series.   I discovered Mel a few years ago with his NCIS series.  He writes an adventure/mystery/action book that is bound to keep your interest all the way through it.  It has readers coming and asking when the next book in the series is coming in.  They are high impact and just a joy to read.

Pike is ready for personal attachments yet and is worried that the roots he is setting down are going to work against him.  He is eagerly awaiting for his next deployment and when his orders come through t is off to Afghanistan he heads.  When an American journalist is kidnapped Pike and his squad are sent on a rescue mission.

Fast place, full of action, these books put you on the front lines of America’s war on terrorism.  Not a restful read for a vacation, but one that you won’t want to put down once you get started.

Happy Reading

Sandra Orchard

Dear Readers,

Until Sandra Orchard wrote for Baker Publishing group I was not very familiar with her writing.   Deadly Devotion is her first of the Port Aster Secrets series.   It is a genre that Baker has been very excited about publishing. They have gone out and found wonderful authors to write in the romantic suspense and they can now add Sandra to that list. 

According to the cops, Daisy killed herself.  Case closed.  Kate knows differently, her friend and mentor had lots to live for, the not the least of them being her faith.  They were on the cusp of finding a treatment for depression with herbal medicine, which would earn them a chance to put herbal medicine on the map.

When Detective Tom is forced to agree with her after being presented with the evidence, they both start looking into who had the most to gain from Daisy’s death.   Of course that means there is a killer out there and they don’t want to be found.

For those who are fans of the romantic suspense books, this one is a good fit.  It has a good mystery to it, while including a great deal of romance.  There are moments of laughter and even those eye-rolling times when something maybe gets a bit sappy, but those moments are what make a book so fun to read.  It makes it more like real life.  I personally liked this book because it kept my attention to the end and the storyline made me want to continue reading.  I am looking forward to Sandra’s next books.

Happy Reading

New Release - Ann H. Gabhart

Dear Readers,

I know I fell in love with Kate while reading about her in Angel Sister a few years ago.  Her story continues in Small Town Girl by Ann H. Gabhart 5years later.  Rumors of a world war and now invaded little Rosey Corner and Kate has to watch the man she has loved since she was 15, marry her sister.   She wonders if she will ever love again.

Pearl Harbor changes everything for not only the country but for Kate and handsome Jay Tanner.  She finds herself leaning on Jay in ways that make her wonder if she could fall in love with him.  But he wants to enlist and if he does, will she ever see him again?

In Ann's beautiful writing style comes a coming of age story for the "greatest generation."  If you haven't read Angel Sister, enjoy that one first, then continue Kate's story here. 

Happy Reading.

New Release - Debby Mayne

Dear Readers,

Ok so almost all of us have dreaded and looked forward to a class reunion.  It is exciting to see old friends that you have lost touch with.  It is fun to relive those “glory” days and yet it is scary because of how much we have aged and changed.  It can even be a bit frightening because these people may even know what you hoped and dreamed of being and … well… for most of us, that never happens.

In Pretty is as Pretty Does by Debby Mayne, the first of the Class Reunion Series, has her characters live through this experience with us.  Priscilla is both dreading and eager for her 10 year reunion.  Even though she has changed so many things about herself, she still feels like the ugly duckling.  But once there she realizes most of her friends aren’t the same any more either.

Whether you have a class reunion this year or not, this will be one of those books that will fit perfectly in the beach bag next to the sunscreen.

Happy Reading

New Releases June 10-15

Dear Readers,

So many many many new and good books have arrived here at the store.  I do not have time to read them all.  *Heavy Sigh*  I want to say I will read the eventually, but I also now that is also not true.  *heavier sigh*  But I will give it the old college true and there are quite a few on this list that I really want to read.  So maybe you can read some of them and I will read some of them and we can exchange stories.

Happy Reading

Are you Going to Kiss Me or Not - Thompson Square and Travis Thrasher - Inspired by the original hit song by Thompson Square - Daniel and Casey used to write music together, but as life came along they felt their relationship wasn't what they wanted.  Years later they meet up again and find out that they are exactly what they really needed.

The Heart Stone - Sherry Kyle - Jessica ends up at George MacAllister's home for refuge.  Evelyn ends up there after a year of grief.  Their stories intertwine because of one heart-shaped ring.

Small Town Girl - Ann H. Gabhart - We all feel in love with Kate in Angel Sister.  5 years later Kate has to watch the man she loves marry her sister.  When Pearl Harbor changes everything, Kate is drawn to handsome Jay Tanner.  But will he leave for war, never to return?

When Mocking Birds Sing - Billy Coffey - Leah has a special gift.  A gift of painting pictures of great epic scope and detail.  When the first one seems to have predicted what happens at a later date, the town folks are not sure what to do about Leah and her "Rainbow Man."

Renegade – Mel Odom - #2 Called to Serve – Pike is ready for his next deployment.  When his next tour of duty is in Afghanistan he is more than ready to serve.  While there a journalist is kidnapped and their rescue mission turns into a fight to stop a terrorist attack.

Frame 232 – Wil Mara – Sheila Baker may have found the answer to who killed John F. Kennedy and in the most unlikely of places.  It is in a safe-deposit box inherited from her mother.  Was her mother involved in the murder of the president? 

New Release - Mike Dellosso

Dear Readers,

I never know whether to tell people that I read these kind of books or not.  Sometimes when you tell someone that you like to read thrillers/spiritual warfare fiction, they can look at you a little funny and usually say, “oh I don’t read those kind of books.”  It usually makes me chuckle to myself, do they mean they don’t like the spiritual warfare part of the book or is it that they don’t like the thriller part of it?

Either way, if you like books that will keep you up at night or hearing every ‘bump in the night’ then Mike Dellosso writes the type of books for you.  Now I have not read all of his books, but the ones I have read make my skin crawl and usually require me to read them during the day light hours not the middle of the night.  No that would be a very bad idea.

In Fearless Mike doesn’t let up on our imaginations, he keeps you on the edge of your seat and makes sleep a thing of better days. Jim and Amy agree to take in the mysteries Louisa when she appears in the middle of a house fire.  No one claims her and no one in the area knows anything about her.  There is something about this child that Amy doesn’t feel quite right with and as Louisa’s gift comes to light, it becomes clear that all is not right.

Ok there is something extra creepy about spooky children.  If you are a Whovian you know what I mean, but in the case of this book it means that I will be reading it while there are long hours of sunshine in the summer.

Happy Reading.

Rebecca Kanner

Dear Readers,

Sinner and the Sea by Rebecca Kanner is not for everyone.  I know I have said that before about books, but this one for a couple of different reasons.  First and foremost because of the time in history that it is written about.  Since this is the story of Noah’s wife, it is about a time in the earth’s history where man-kind was so evil and so awful that God decided to destroy us all and start over.  Wow how bad could humans be?  Well Rebecca doesn’t leave a lot of doubt and that comes through in her writing. 

The characters you meet are base and they use language that we normally wouldn’t use.  They have no social skills and if you can say a society is completely depraved of God, these characters are it.  At first I thought maybe she had gone over the top, but what would make a loving God decided to get rid of the very beings he had made in his image?  Well it wouldn’t be a bunch of people that were only slightly sinful, but completely and happily sinful. 

The second reason is because it embellishes the story from the Bible.  This is not the safe story that we tell our children were smiling Noah and his family welcome all the peaceful animals on to the ark, but one that is full of the failures of humans.  One that I am not sure I would want to read about.  There are a few points of the story that I didn’t agree with.  Noah comes across as a self-centered man that has little time or love for his children and family.   I feel that Noah would have wanted to make sure his family would worship and love the same God he did, at the very least try to instruct them.  Instead the family is left pretty much to their own devises and because the wife does not believe in Noah’s God, neither do the boys. 

I did find this book interesting and it did make me once again think about a Bible story that has become very clinical and clean.  What was it like at that time?  What was it like to know that you were never going to be seeing your family and friends again?  Something I never thought about, could they hear the other people as they were drowning?    As the flood waters rose, did people try to fight their way onto the boat?  How much work was it to feed/clean/take care of the animals?  Did they all get along well?  Did they fight amongst themselves?  Did they think God forgot about them? 

I could go on, but I think you get the idea.  It is not a novel for everyone, but it is one book that is probably not going to leave you comfortable as you read it either.

Happy Reading

New Release - MaryBeth Whalen

Dear Readers,

The Wishing Tree by MaryBeth Whalen is a book that you can take anywhere.  If you are headed on vacation it is perfect for that, if you are staying at home on only get a few snatches of reading time in the middle or end of a busy day, this book can fit those times also.

Ivy’s world is falling apart.  She finds out that her husband is cheating on her the day her sister gets engaged.  To escape and to take time to re-organize she agrees to head to the family’s beach house to help her mother plan said sister’s wedding.   While there she runs into her ex-fiancé’ and between him and her husband’s tweets she has to decide what true love it.

MaryBeth’s books are a vacation all by themselves.  She writes in a gentle manner that makes you feel like you are there walking on the beach alongside of the characters.  I have been to North Carolina twice and her books always make we want to go back.

Happy Reading

New Release - R.J Larson

Dear Readers,

The much awaited conclusion to the Books of the Infinite is here, King by R.J Larson.  We all can gleefully return to the story of Ela, Kien and the Destroyers.  What does the Infinite have planned for our favorite little Prophetess?  Can Ela and Kien finally find peace and settle down together or will the Infinite require their lives this time?

I am not going to tell you any of those answers or what else is happening in the story; you will have to read it yourself. 

Even if you don’t like the spec fiction genre, this series is worth picking up and reading.  R.J. has taken stories from the O.T.  Prophets and woven them throughout the entire series.  So now only are you reading a fantastic series, you are learning about the Bible.  It has actually helped me understand some of what the prophets were saying.   (Just don’t tell any of my Bible scholar friends, it would not make them happy to learn that.)

Happy Reading.

New Releases June 3 - 8

Dear Readers,

It has been a bit of a cool and wet spring here.  So different from last year.  For some reason that changes what I like to be reading at that time.  I find myself wanting to read books about warmer weather and almost nothing that is set during the winter months.

Happy Reading

The Judgment Stone – Robert Liparulo - The Immortals #2 – Jagger thought the groups of Immortals called the Tribe were hard to control, that is until he meets the Clan.  A group of Immortals who hunt the believers through their prayers.

Letters to Katie – Kathleen Fuller - #3 A Middlefield Family – Katherine has loved Johnny all her life, but until she can’t remember him doe she figure out what a treasure she is.  Will the new man in her life steal her away?

Afloat – Erin Healy – When a sinkhole develops around a new project and rains make it an island, those stranded must decide how to survive.  Murder, explosions and a power failure all lead to a very strange discovery. 

Darkness before Dawn - Ace Collins - When what should have been one of the happiest days of Meg's life, tragedy strikes.  Her husband is killed by a local glamour boy.  Meg follows the path of revenge.

The Wishing Tree - MaryBeth Whalen - Ivy escapes back to her family's beach house to forget about her husband’s cheating.  While there she meets up with her former fiancé, now she needs to decide what true love is and should be, especially with her husband tweeting her about how sorry he is.

The Well - Stephanie Landsem - Mara is shunned by the village because of the sins of her mother.  Will the new arrival in the town be her salvation?  Jesus a Jewish teacher who is willing to talk to Mara and her mother.

Pretty is as Pretty Does - Debby Mayne - #1 Class Reunion Series - Priscilla heads off to her 10 year reunion with a mixture of emotions.  She knows she has a lot going for her now that she didn't in high school, but will any of that matter to her fellow classmates?

King - R.J. Larson -#3 inBooks of the Infinite - Much awaited conclusion to the series.  If you are not reading this series, you should be.  Return to the story of  Ela, Kien and the Destroyers. 

 

Liz Curtis Higgs

Dear Readers,

I just wanted you to know that we have a very special author coming to our store this summer.  Liz Curtis Higgs is coming on July 27^th at 10:00 am to lead a Bible study for us.  She wanted to thank the stores and their customers for all their support over the years and instead of a “regular” book signing she wanted to have a chance to lead all her readers in a Bible study. 

I personally am so excited to listen to her lead a Bible Study for us, I have heard her speak and I follow her blog where she does Biblical studies every week.  She is funny, honest and very poignant.  For some reason she almost always seems to be teaching about what I need to learn.   

This is a free event, but it is ticketed.   You can only get your tickets here at the store.  If you are unable to come in, we do have a will call option.   Just call the store and we will put them on hold until you are able to come in to get the tickets.  Now I expect this event to be “sold-out” soon, so if you are interested in coming, don’t wait until the last minute to get your tickets. 

There is one other possible way you will be able to see Liz.  On Friday night she will be dinning with two very lucky winners and their guest.  To enter the drawing stop by the store and drop your information off at customer service (the jar is there) and hopefully you will be dinning with me on Friday night, oh and Liz of course. 

Any questions let me know.

Happy Reading

Ian Morgan Cron

Dear Readers,

When I was first presented with Chasing Francis by Ian Morgan Cron I was a bit leery of it, as a fiction reader/buyer I worry about a book that has an agenda.  This book obviously has one and it is not hard to find.  Ian is an “emergent church” guy and that comes through very clearly.  I like some of what he had to say and some of it got a bit old.  Intermixed with his “preaching” there is a really good story, one I appreciated and found myself wishing for more.

I got caught up in Chase’s story and the people he meets, living and dead.  I really would have like that to be the focus of the book instead of what Ian wanted to teach us. That is the great thing about fiction stories, we can learn wonderful things while enjoying a great tale.  I just ask not to be hit over the head with the writer’s opinion and let me make my own decisions.

Chase has a crisis of faith in front of his congregation.  It is not pretty and it is not something that the elders of the church tolerate well.  They ask him to take a leave of absence and to see if he can find his faith back.  Chase is not sure that will happen, but he decides to head off to Italy.  He meets up with the black sheep of the family, ‘Uncle’ Kenny.  He left the Baptist church to become Catholic and not only that, but he became a Franciscan priest.

Kenny takes Chase on a pilgrimage following Saint Francis around.  Chase has a chance to experience faith in a totally different way than what he is used to.  This faith seems to have feet and hands. At one point he is working in a soup kitchen in the grotto in Rome and the people he meets he realizes he has not nor would he ever meet while working at his church.  He knows that something has been missing and maybe now he can change enough to make a difference.

I want to repeat, I really like Chase’s story.   He seems like a very likeable guy, a very normal guy, who experiences something that a lot of us to struggle with.  He needs to step away from his church and his life for a while to find out what he really believes and who he believes in.  Saint Francis is able to point him back in the right direction and he comes back with fresh ideas and ready to go to work again and yes our faith is about working.  Belief is what saves us, working is what we do.

The main problem I had with this book is that Ian seems to see it as a chance to give us all a sermon or two or three throughout the book on what he believes church should be.  He makes sure that he represents those who don’t think that same way as him as grumpy and angry.  I have a problem with that and that is where I lose a bit of interests in the book.  Ian needs to decide if he wants to write a fiction book or a non-fiction book, this mixed together just doesn’t flow.

Happy Reading.

New Release - Angela Hunt

Angela Hunt is not known for her easy reads.  She has written in several different genres and each time the books make you think about the subject matter she is writing about.  Whether it is a historical story about the settling of America, Keepers of the Ring series, Biblical Fiction, the Shadow Women, or contemporary with a twist of super natural, Uncharted, she leaves you a bit unsettled afterwards. 

Her newest book, the Offering, promises to do the same thing.  Amanda has always wanted lots and lots of kids, but her and her husband just can’t afford any more.  So she decides to gift a childless couple and agrees to be their gestational carrier, she loves being pregnant and sees it as a way to also do something for someone else.  

Years later when she sees a picture of that child, she is sure she has given away her biological child.  What is she to do?  Is the child really hers?  Does she try to claim the child?  What is best for her? For the Child? 

What interesting questions this book faces.   Is surrogacy a good idea?  Angela’s own story includes adoption and that makes this whole story much closer to her heart.  I think that comes through in the writing of a very sensitive subject. 

I don’t really want to recommend this book for a beach read as you may forget to put extra sunscreen on or to turn over once and while because you get so wrapped up in the story, but really vacation maybe the best place for the book so you can just focus on the storyline and forget the world for a while.

Happy Reading.

New Release - Meg Moseley

Dear Readers,

Meg Moseley released her first book in 2012.  It was a wonderful and refreshing story of a woman finding a way out a cult for herself and her children.  The characters were rich and completely charming.  I could hardly wait for her second book.  Gone South just released and went right on to my must read list. 

Tish’s plans were to stay in Michigan, raise her family and love her husband until till “death do us part.”  The problem was the death part came earlier than she expected and didn’t include her.   When she has an opportunity to buy a home that belonged to her ancestors, she sees it as a chance to start over.  But the welcome in the Deep South isn’t a warm as she was lead to believe it would.  How do you find acceptance in a town that is determined not to give it?

What a way to spend a wonderful warm spring evening, reading about characters that become some of your own family.  Pull up a comfortable rocking chair, pour yourself a cup of sweet tea and sit a spell while passing time with a new friend.

Happy Reading

New Releases May 27 - June 1

Dear Readers,

It is hard to believe that I was typing June 1st in the header.  Once again this year seems to be sailing right along.  People tell me it is because as you get older there is more time behind you that ahead so it just seems like it is moving faster.  Well I am NOT that old, and I also know people younger than I that say the same thing, so that can't be it...

I think it is because there are so many great books out there.  Enjoy this list.

Happy Reading,

Fear Has a Name - Creston Mapes - Jack needs to figure out who is targeting his wife and daughters, but to do so will sink him deeper and deeper in the dark side of faith.  Where not only are his family and himself in danger, but so is his faith.

The Gift of Legacy - Jim Stovall - Joey's Great Grandmother leaves him a bed and breakfast, but the only way he can inherit is if he lives there and plays by her rules.  Will he be able to meet the challenge?  Does he want to?

The Promise Box - Tricia Goyer - #2 Seven Brides for Seven Brothers - Lydia is drawn back to her Amish roots after her father's death.  She finds comfort in a Prayer box she finds, but will her painful childhood and betrayal of the Amish community keep her from the man she has fallen in love with?

Blowing on Dandelions - Maralee Ferrell - Love Blossoms in Oregon - Katherine is just trying to survive, after her husband's death.  She is trying to run a boarding house, raise two daughters and put up with her domineering mother.  Throwing a man into the mix just doesn't seem like a good idea at this time.

Pennsylvania Patchwork - Kate Lloyd - #2 Legacy of Lancaster - Holly meets her Amish family that her mother kept secret.  She loves it and is ready to change her life when she falls for the local Mennonite veterinarian.  But stir in a couple more suitors and this get murky. 

Magnificent Malevolence - Derek Wilson - In the Tradition of the Screwtape letters by C.S. Lewis, Derek takes us to the dark side of the spiritual world and catches up on what the Order of the Sons of Darkness (S.O.D.) have been up to since 1942. 

David and Bathsheba - Roberta Kells Dorr - The familiar story of the Bible.  From a young age, Bathsheba has heard about Kind David and has longed to meet him.  But once she is married to Uriah it seems that dream will not come true.

Pieces of the Heart - Bonnie Calhoun - Quilts of Love novel - Cordelia waits for Bernard to return from WWII, while she waits she makes a quilt for their marriage bed.  But the Bernard that returns is not the same as the man who left.  Will love and faith overcome all?

If the Shoe Fits - Sandra D. Bricker - A Contemporary Fairy Tale - Stolen right from the back of the book "Shriek with Laughter- and embarrassment- as your new best friend, Julianne, goes on a colision course with God's impeccable plan."