New Release - Love Without End - Robin Lee Hatcher

Dear Readers,

Robin Lee Hatcher has been writing Christian fiction as long as I can remember. She is a very consistent writer and has a huge following.  Readers still love to pick up her books and disappear into a gentle story.

Love without End is her newest release and she takes us to a story of two hurting families looking for a way to heal their broken hearts.  Kimberly lost her husband suddenly to a heart attack and it has changed her from a socialite to a charity case in a few short months.  Her daughter went from a loving young child to a sullen teenager.

Chet lost his teenage son and the family never recovered.  His wife left and his two remaining sons are struggling along, tying to keep their heads above water.  Chet learned to leave the memories alone as dwelling on them hurts.

Two families that need hope and a chance to start over together.  Happily ever after books are just the perfect read for a sleepy afternoon. 

Happy Reading,

New Releases - Nov. 3 - 8

Dear Readers,

With the election last week, I thought this was kind of fun.  Of course we could rule the world if we weren't so busy reading..


Happy Reading,

Swept Away -  Laura V. Hilton - Quilts of Love - Sara Jane is great at keeping her middle school class in order, but her matchmaking Grandmother is a totally different story.  When Grandma decides Sara Jane needs to learn to quilt, Sara Jane ends up crossing paths with Grandma's handsome handy man.

The Patmos Deception - Davis Bunn - A Journalist, a young researcher and a man trying to keep his family business running team up to figure out why invaluable Grecian Antiquities are disappearing.

Hawk - Ronie Kendig - The Quiet Professionals #2 - Raptor Team is under attack and the only one able to help them may be lying to them.  Staff Sergeant Brian "Hawk" Bledsoe is trying to fulfill his promise to Fekiria, but she maybe the one that has betrayed him.

The Fatal Tree - Stephen R. Lawhead - #5 A Bright Empires - (from the backcover) - It started with small, seemingly insignificant wrinkles in time: A busy bridge suddenly disappears...A beast from another realm roams modern streets.  Napoleon's Army appears in 1930 Damascus ready for battle.  But that's only the beginning as entire realities collide and collapse.

Love without End - Robin Lee Hatcher - A Kings Meadow romance - Kimberly lost her husband to a heart attack, but is loosing her teenage daughter to anger and sullenness.  Chet lost a son and his wife left him and his other two boys.  Two people that need more than just healing, they need to believe in love again.

Liberators - James Wesley, Rawles - When the socioeconomic collapse of America causes a rippling effect across the world, Vet Ray McGregor retreats to his parents cattle ranch in British Columbia.  He rides out the disaster, but when the world starts recovering it is run by a tyrannical  army. 

New Release - Unseemly Wife - E.B. Moore

Dear  Readers,

E.B. Moore was inspired to write The Unseemly Wife by some of her own families history.  Her mother encouraged her to remember the story that happened in her own family and even though her mother suffered from a brain tumor, she asked E.B. to repeat the story everyday.  E. B.'s own roots include Plain people and that comes through in her writing of them.

Ruth Holtz loves her life.  She is blessed with family, a beautiful farm and an Amish community that warmly embraces her and her family.  When Ruth's husband hears of the land out West, he decides to uproot his family and move them west.  Ruth must follow.  But the trip is difficult as she tries to observe the strict rules of her Old Order community. 

The story continues on and is a good view of what a wagon train trip was like.  It was never easy, and those traveling became a small community to itself while they all traveled together.  Where your differences either made you all stronger or they ended up causing you your life. 

These are not always the easiest books to read and Amish fiction might not be your favorite genre, but books like this take you to a time of our countries development. 

Happy Reading,

Ted Dekker

Dear Readers,

 

Everything you think about when I mention a Ted Dekker book, throw it out right now. A.D. 30 by Ted Dekker is not what I would call a normal book for him.  It is quite a departure from what he ‘normally’ writes.   This is what I would say is Biblical fiction.  Even though there are no Biblical characters as the main people in this book it does happen at the beginning of Jesus’ ministry. 

 

Maviah is the eldest daughter of one of the most powerful sheikhs  of the desert.  She was rejected and sold as a slave only to return in disgrace with a young son.  Her father’s new wife takes a liking to her and she is welcomed back, until her step mother dies.  Then a hated enemy attacks and she is sent on a mission, a mission that will lead her to Israel because of an alliance with King Herod.

 

I found this book interesting, not because it included some of Jesus’ ministry, but because it is much more a look at what life was like at that time in the rest of the world.  There is some focus on what is going on in Israel at that time, but more of it is centered on what is going on in Arabia at that time. 

  

I did find out how difficult it was to be a gentile if you were trying to talk to/meet with/work with any Jewish person.  They look on the rest of the world as unclean.  I never really thought about it because it has not really affected me.  But for a person to be labeled unclean by anyone does not make you like that person and for a woman like Maviah it really brought up old memories of how she was treated as a child.  It was just a unique perspective in the book.

 

I like this new direction that Ted is headed.  I have to believe he will and is writing more of the genre we all love him for, but it is great to be reminded of how good a story teller he really is.

 

Happy Reading.

New Release - In the Heart of the Dark Wood - Billy Coffey

Dear Readers,

I don't know if you have read any of Billy Coffey's Mattingly Virginia books or not.  They are made to read in any order, but I would try to read them in order of their being written as then the story of the town flows better.  In the Heart of the Dark Wood is set 18 months after the end of When Mockingbirds Sing and continues the story of Allie Granderson and how she is dealing with the loss of her mother.

Allie's mom was taken away in the tornado that hit Mattingly.  Allie still relives the memories of her mother and always keep the Nativity scene that was in the front yard in sight.  Her mother also left behind a broken compass. 

Allie knows there is lots of growing up to do soon and she isn't sure how she is going to do it without the help of her mother.  When Mary is stolen from the Nativity and that broken compass suddenly starts working, Allie and her best friend Zach decide to follow where it leads.  It leads into the heart of woods and may lead to more than either one is ready for.

With a bit of a shiver and some spiritual elements to it, Billy's books are very different reads.  They will not leave you with warm fuzzy feelings after you get done, but they may leave you looking at your life a little closer than you did in the past. 

Happy Reading,

New Release - To See the Moon Again - Jamie Langston Turner

Dear Readers,

There is no way I can describe how excited I was when I heard that Jamie Langston Turner is back writing again.  I feel in love with her books many years ago while reading Some Wild Flowers in my Heart.  I loved the way she used so many words and yet made it such an simple thing to read.  I remember telling one reader who asked about her books, "yes, there maybe 300 pages in the book, but there are many more words."  She is a word smith that makes reading a genuine pleasure.

So no I haven't gotten To See the Moon Again read yet, but that won't stop me from talking about it fellow readers and pushing it to the top of my TBR list.  I will soon pick it up and read to my hearts content.  Maybe even this weekend.

Julia Rich lives with the guilt of the horrible accident she caused several years past.  She deals with the guilt by keeping the world at arm's length.  She has her routine and does not let anyone get to close to her.  It is a life that she can live safely.

When Julia's niece comes to visit, everything gets turned upside down.  Carmen  is one big contrast, she is comical and wise, sunny and contemplative and so much more than just that.  She is also determined to draw her Aunt out and back into a place where there is hope and love.

The two women take a journey that will take them both from the familiar and leads them on a trip of discovery.

Just writing about this book makes me want to pause and just start reading.  But I guess I will have to wait for the weekend. *Sigh*

Happy Reading,

New Releases - Oct. 27th - Nov. 1

Dear Readers,

Nov. 1 already.  Goodness, Thanksgiving and Christmas are just around the corner.  Lurking, ready to spring on us and make our days busier than ever.  Oh well, I have to admit I love the holidays and all the chances we have to visit with family and friends.  It leaves little time for reading, but I always manage to find time.  It is something I just happen to make time for.

Happy Reading,

The Book of El - Jeff Nesbit - 3 college students are suddenly plunged into a world where ancient beings ruled.  The must hone their skills so they can fight for the survival of two worlds.

The Forgiven - Marta Perry - #1 Keepers of the Promise - (from the backcover) - When 3 women, all cousins, are given the task of sorting through the treasures of several generations of their Amish family, the each discover a story from the past that provides insight and inspiration for their own lives.

An Unseemly Wife - E.B. Moore - 1867- Ruth and her husband are moving their family across country.  It breaks the rules of their Order, but Aaron is drawn but the offer of free land and Ruth must follow.  While trying to remain faithful to their order, Ruth finds she must rely on people she was taught not to trust.

To See the Moon Again - Jamie Langston Turner - Julia keeps the world at arm's length since causing a terrible accident years ago.  Her niece Carmen arrives in her life and changes everything.  They embark on a journey together of discovery, truth, redemption and love.

A Dream of Home - Amy Clipston - #3 Hearts of Lancaster Grand Hotel - Madeleine is not exactly a widow, her fiance' was killed, but it sure feels like it.  She moves across country to Paradise PN to work as a maid at the Lancaster Grand Hotel where she meets Emma and her very humble and hurting father.

In the Heart of the Dark Wood - Billy Coffey - #3 set in Mattingly Virginia - Allie lost her mother 18 months ago and is now over whelmed by all the growing up she must do with out her mother.  When the broken compass that her mother left behind starts moving, Allie and her friend Zach decided to follow where it leads.

A.D. 30 - Ted Dekker - The Story of an outcast daughter of a Bedouin sheikh, who goes seeking help from the Roman empire and instead finds a different kind of savior.