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Book Review: The Pirate Queen

7 Aug

072002_w185Treasure is found in the most unlikely places.

The envy of all her friends, wife and mother Saphora Warren is the model of southern gentility and accomplishment. She lives in a beautiful Lake Norman home, and has raised three capable adult children. Her husband is a successful plastic surgeon–and a philanderer. It is for that reason that, after hosting a garden party for Southern Living magazine, Saphora packs her bags to escape the trappings of the picturesque-but-vacant life.

Saphora’s departure is interrupted by her husband Bender’s early arrival home, and his words that change her life forever: I’m dying.

Against her desires, Saphora agrees to take care of Bender as he fights his illness. They relocate, at his insistance, to their coastal home in Oriental—the same house she had chosen for her private getaway. When her idyllic retreat is overrun by her grown children, grandchildren, townspeople, relatives, and a precocious neighbor child, Saphora’s escape to paradise is anything but the life she had imagined. As she gropes for evidence of God’s presence amid the turmoil, can she discover that the richest treasures come in surprising packages?

 

24460Best-selling novelist Patricia Hickman has written 18 books for major publishers like Random House and Hachette Books. She weaves elements of faith and pathos throughout her family dramas with a compassion for her characters and an eye for the small miraculous details of life.

Her novels have twice won the Gold Medallion Reader’s Choice Award from Romantic Times. Patricia holds a MFA in Creative Writing from Queens University of Charlotte. She loves travel, hiking, biking, and visiting the southern landscapes that provide the backdrops for her novels. You can visit her here at Goodreads, through her official FB author page, or her website at patriciahickman.com. She blogs at Village Writer.

 

My Impressions:

The Pirate Queen was Page Turners’ (my church book club) July selection. This contemporary women’s fiction novel by Patricia Hickman was given a unanimous thumbs up by our members. We loved the complex characters and issues that made up The Pirate Queen. A southern novel, this one will touch your heart and make you think.

Saphora Warren has a perspective on her life not really shared by those around her. Her picture perfect life, including her picture perfect home and husband, hides heartache, longing and regrets. Her attempt to escape is interrupted when her husband announces he has cancer. The oasis of emotional healing she had envisioned for her time spent at their beach house, is shattered with the inundation of family and their assorted baggage. But what Saphora thought she wanted is replaced with what she needed.

The Pirate Queen offers a lot to discuss — marriage, motherhood, family, illness, relationships. The characters are by turns earnest, exasperating and very real. Saphora’s transformation is the focus of the book, but other characters also stretch and grow. Secondary plots touched us as much as Saphora’s story. The setting of the novel is North Carolina, including a small coastal town. The soothing backdrop of the river and slower pace of the town is a good contrast to the chaos of Saphora’s life. There is heartbreak and heartache, but the novel ends with hope and a promise of the future.

If you are looking for women’s fiction that challenges you and will keep you thinking after the last page is read, then check out The Pirate Queen.

Recommended.

Great for Book Groups.

Audience: Adults

(I actually won this book in a contest. Thanks to Waterbrook for the copy. All opinions expressed are mine alone.)

To purchase this book, click on the image below.

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Book Review: Surviving Henry

6 Aug

723569You don’t always know what you’re getting into when you bring home a puppy. Enter Henry, a boxer who suffers from Supreme Dictator of the Universe Syndrome. He vandalizes his obedience school, leaps through windows, cheats death at every turn, and generally causes his long-suffering owner Erin Taylor Young to wonder what on earth she did that God would send this dog to derail her life.

Through his laugh-out-loud antics and escapades, Henry will steal readers’ hearts. Anyone who has ever owned a dog, especially a canine catastrophe like Henry, will enjoy this lighthearted book about a dog who brings new meaning to the concept of unconditional love.

UnknownErin Taylor Young has a remarkable gift for making her readers laugh out loud even as she’s delivering hard truths about living a life of faith. Her down-to-earth writing style invites readers into the books that God has given her and sends them away refreshed and assured that we’re not in this gig alone. Her first humorous nonfiction, Surviving Henry: Adventures in Loving a Canine Catastrophe, will release in August, 2014.

Erin has written for Today’s Christian Woman, Thriving Family, Outdoor Guide, and Midwest Outdoors. In 2013 she received a Higher Goals award from the Evangelical Press Association. She was a finalist in the 2012 Genesis contest and a category finalist in the Phoenix Rattler 2011-2012 writing contest for her contemporary fiction.

Erin resides in Oklahoma with her well-meaning husband, their polar-opposite sons, and a noncompliant dog. When she isn’t writing or rescuing the dog from mortal danger, she works in a library where she gets to wander among books.

 

My Impressions:

My sweet Boston Terrier aka The Best Dog EVER has had her moments — chewing furniture, peeing in the house, chewing furniture, rolling in dead stuff, chewing furniture — but she is the best dog I have ever owned. But dogs, like people, are an investment of our time, talents and, yes, money. In her book Surviving Henry: Adventures in Loving A Canine Catastrophe, Erin Taylor Young details the often hilarious moments in dog-rearing.  I am a long time dog owner and the wife of a veterinarian and have just about heard it all. But Young’s experiences with her charismatic and frustrating Boxer take the prize. From puppy-hood, through the rebellious adolescent age to adulthood, Henry taxed even the most committed owner’s patience. Tempted to give up on Henry, Young states she heard a small voice telling her to stay the course. And in the end, she can honestly thank God for Henry. In talking about the kind of love it takes to be Henry’s owner, she voices a universal truth — It’s choices and challenges and changes that are about you and not the other person. It’s embracing — no embodying — the notion of unconditional giving. Of mercy. Of commitment. Fun and laugh-out-loud funny, Surviving Henry is a quick read that will appeal to the dog lover. I liked it — check it out!

Recommended.

Audience: all ages

(Thanks to Revell for a review copy. The opinions expressed are mine alone.)

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Book Review: The Butterfly And The Violin

5 Aug

The-Butterfly-and-the-Violin-e1400461439664A mysterious painting breathes hope and beauty into the darkest corners of Auschwitz—and the loneliest hearts of Manhattan.

Manhattan art dealer Sera James watched her world crumble at the altar two years ago, and her heart is still fragile. Her desire for distraction reignites a passion for a mysterious portrait she first saw as a young girl—a painting of a young violinist with piercing blue eyes.

In her search for the painting, Sera crosses paths with William Hanover, the grandson of a wealthy California real estate mogul, who may be the key to uncovering the hidden masterpiece. Together, Sera and William slowly unravel the story behind the painting’s subject: Austrian violinist Adele Von Bron.

A darling of the Austrian aristocracy, talented violinist, and daughter to a high-ranking member of the Third Reich, Adele risks everything when she begins smuggling Jews out of Vienna. In a heartbeat, her life of prosperity and privilege dissolves into a world of starvation and barbed wire.

As Sera untangles the secrets behind the painting, she finds beauty in the most unlikely of places: in the grim camps of Auschwitz and in the inner recesses of her own troubled heart.

KCambron-238.pngKristy Cambron has been fascinated with the WWII era since hearing her grandfather’s stories of the war. She holds an art history degree from Indiana University and received the Outstanding Art History Student Award. Kristy writes WWII and Regency era fiction and has placed first in the 2013 NTRWA Great Expectations and 2012 FCRW Beacon contests, and is a 2013 Laurie finalist. Kristy makes her home in Indiana with her husband and three football-loving sons.

 

My Impressions:

Sometimes the books that make the biggest impression on me are the ones I have the hardest time reviewing. They blow me away, and I just can’t find the words to express myself. Bear with me as I try to explain why The Butterfly And The Violin, Kristy Cambron’s debut novel, is a MUST READ! This beautifully written novel grabbed my heart at the start and still has not let go even after the cover has been closed.

There are two stories in The Butterfly And The Violin. Sera James is an art gallery owner searching for a painting that she glimpsed for just moments as a child. It made such an impression, that years later she is obsessed in finding it again. Adele Von Bron, the subject of the painting, was a young, talented violinist in Vienna at the start of WWII. It is Adele’s story that Sera and the reader are really searching for. Filled with unforgettable characters, moving images and faith challenging moments, The Butterfly And The Violin is more than a romance or an historical novel. If you like those two genres, you will like this book, but its story of survival and hope in the midst of the darkest darkness is why you really need to read it.

Cambron uses a unique structure for telling the women’s tales. Sera’s story is told in chronological order. Although important to the progression of the novel, it almost provides a respite from the wrenching images and emotions that make up Adele’s story. Adele’s story does not follow a strict chronological order, but it really works in depicting the motivations of the characters and the time in which they lived. Much of Adele’s story takes place in Birkenau, part of the infamous Aushwitz concentration camp. Cambron manages to capture the beauty of that experience that most would overlook. One quote sums up Adele’s feelings of her time there — “The God-worship of every life — this was the art of Auschitz”. The treatment of the prisoners by the Nazi regime is horrifying and almost unbelievable, even though very, very real. And while the book cannot be described as a quick read, I just could not put it down.

And there you have it — my poor attempt to tell you why you really need to read The Butterfly And The Violin. Gripping, emotionally wrenching, and challenging, Cambron has written a masterpiece.

Very Highly Recommended.

Great for book clubs.

Audience: adults

(Thanks to LitFuse for a review copy of this book. All opinions expressed are mine alone.)

To purchase this book, click on the image below.

 

THE BUTTERFLY AND THE VIOLIN

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The Butterfly and the Violin

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Book Review: Rebekah’s Treasure

1 Aug

d82f7de0-21ae-4982-a7fe-bbd8d684704aForced to flee war-torn Jerusalem in 70 A.D., Rebekah and her husband, Ethan, each take something of value: Rebekah, the cup of the Last Supper; Ethan, a copper scroll detailing the whereabouts of a vast Temple treasure. Ahead, separation and danger face them as each tries to survive. But it’s not only external forces that could keep them apart forever but internal ones as they struggle to discover where their true treasure lies.

 

Chapter 1

 

SylviaBambolaHeadshotSylvia Bambola was born in Romania in 1945 and was adopted from a German orphanage five years later by an American Army Colonel. When she was seven she saw the Statue of Liberty for the first time as well as the shores of her new country. As an army brat, she called eight different states home, an experience that gave birth to a deep passion for her new homeland. The vastness yet friendliness of America, as well as its diversity yet parallelism still continue to amaze her. She met and married her husband, Vincent, when she was attending nursing school in New York.

Raising two children occupied most of her time, but in between she worked in marketing for several companies, was the president of a local chapter of Women’s Aglow, hosted and taught bible studies, spoke at various women’s groups and wrote on the side. Once her children graduated college, she quit her job and began writing full time. Her first novel, A Vessel of Honor, which she wrote under the pen name of Margaret Miller, won a 1998 Small Press Editor’s Choice Award. Her second novel, Refiner’s Fire, won a 2001 Silver Angel Award and was a 2001 Christy Award finalist. Sylvia currently lives in Florida, is enjoying her grandchildren and working on her seventh novel.

 

My Impressions:

Set amidst the terror and destruction of the fall of Jerusalem in 70 AD, Rebekah’s Treasure by Sylvia Bambola, is a novel of loss and hope, doubts and fear. Bambola explores just what it was like for those followers of Christ in the face of the loss of their homeland, traditions and Holy Temple. Told in the first person voices of Rebekah and her husband, Ethan, Rebekah’s Treasure will appeal to those who like plot-driven historical fiction.

Rebekah is forced to leave Jerusalem and all she loves to save herself and her daughter Esther. Her husband Ethan and four sons remain in the Holy City to continue their fight for freedom. But Rebekah sees the determination to fight as senseless in the face of vicious infighting among Jewish sects and the merciless assaults by the Roman Army. She flees her home with few possessions, but includes a treasure from her past — the cup that Jesus used in the upper room of her family’s home in His last Passover supper. While Rebekah struggles to find safety far from her home, Ethan stands with his sons to the very last. Given a command to retrieve hidden treasure from Qumran, he attempts to keep his family safe and restore the hopes of the defeated Israel. Both Rebekah and Ethan face loss and extreme hardships as they learn just what is true treasure.

Rebekah’s Treasure brings to life the horror and deprivation of the last days of Jerusalem before the complete destruction of the city by Titus and his army. I was not aware of the sectarian disputes that decimated the city prior to the siege by the Romans that Bambola presented. Well-researched, the novel also gives the reader a look into the early church — the struggles of maintaining faith in a time of trial and persecution. It is its historical context that I enjoyed the most. Of the two points of view, I connected with Rebekah more so than Ethan. Rebekah’s character seemed more real and relatable. With the exception of Zecheriah, the secondary characters were not well-developed. The basic conflict in the novel is reliance on treasure, rather than God. The miracles associated with the cup and the hoped for security found in the hidden Temple treasure are fleeting without the true dependence on God and His promises. In the end Rebekah, Ethan and others look to God for what they need.

Be aware that Rebekah’s Treasure is not a quick read. There is a lot of detail to absorb and Rebekah and Ethan’s journeys are slow and filled with obstacles. The plot moves slowly and the characters are not really dynamic. But if you like fiction set in the first century AD with a front and center faith message, then check it out.

(Thanks to BookCrash for my review copy. All opinions expressed are mine alone.)

Audience: adults

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Book Review: Prize of My Heart

31 Jul

209420_w185An unsolved mystery separates ex-privateersman Captain Brogan Talvis from his lost son — his only living relation, his only family. Shortly before her tragic demise, his wife abandoned their infant to strangers, refusing to reveal the child’s whereabouts. Now, three years later, Brogan has discovered the boy at the home of a shipbuilder’s daughter, Lorena Huntley.

Lorena guards a dark secret about her young charge. She finds herself falling for the heroic captain who has come to claim his newly built ship, unaware his motive for wooing her is to befriend the boy he plans on reclaiming as his own–until the day another’s evil deceit leaves her helplessly shipbound, heading toward England.

As the perfect opportunity to reclaim his son unfolds, Brogan is haunted by thoughts of Lorena in her dire circumstance, and he is forced to make a heartrending choice between his child and the woman who has begun to capture his heart. But only his unselfish sacrifice can win him the greatest prize of all — love.

 

76541d46dea8870eb6cebe29b2fa333b_qy5gLisa Norato writes Christian seafaring romance of suspense and adventure set during New England’s federal era. In writing the Sea Heroes of Duxbury novels, Lisa’s goal is to spin stories rich in historical detail which will transport readers back in time and encourage Christians in their faith and in finding the courage to place their trust in God.
Lisa has received critical praise for her romantic fiction from reviewers such as Publishers Weekly, Booklist and RT Book Reviews. Her previous novels include a western time travel and a contemporary romantic comedy. Also in the works for Lisa is a small-town contemporary romance series with a historical twist.

A native Rhode Islander, she lives in a historical village with homes and churches dating as far back as the eighteenth century. She balances writing with her day-job as a legal assistant specializing in corporate law, a career that has spanned nearly twenty-five years.

Lisa also enjoys exploring early American daily life with her fellow bloggers on the Colonial Quills blog.

 

My Impressions:

Looking for a swashbuckling tale that combines romance, mystery and adventure?  Then look to Prize of My Heart by Lisa Norato. Set on land and sea in the early 1800s, this historical romance features a dashing hero and a sweet, but determined, heroine striving to overcome the past and make a way for a better future.

Privateer Captain Brogan Talvis has never really had a family. An orphan, his deceased wife gave up their son while he was at sea. Determined to reclaim his child, Brogan finds Ben, now Drew, is living with a loving family and attached to the very lovely, Lorena. Brogan’s plan to retake his son is thwarted by the growing feelings he has for Lorena.

Although a quick read, Prize of My Heart delivers a lot within its pages. The plot twists and turns with one surprise after another. The characters quickly endear themselves to the reader. And if you are looking for a hunky hero, Brogan Talvis is your man!  I found the New England setting of the early 1800s interesting as well. Norato does a great job in exploring the themes of family and father and sons — earthly and heavenly.

All in all, Prize of My Heart is a good choice for those who like a fast-paced historical romance with a faith message.

Recommended.

Audience — older teens and adults.

(Thanks to Bethany House and Library Thing for a review copy. The opinions expressed are mine alone.)

To purchase this book, click on the image below. 

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Book Review: A Bridge Unbroken

30 Jul

Final-cover-194x300Letting go to build a bridge…

A frightened runaway wants her painful past to disappear. A plan to start over is derailed when she co-inherits her late grandfather’s farm with the man responsible for the scars on her heart. But he isn’t the only ghost from the past. Someone else is out to get her and will stop at nothing to get what he wants. Will Chance and Dakota lay aside their grudges to restore the old farmhouse and bridge, or will evil forces sabotage their attempt at forgiveness?

 

Main-headshot-248x300A native Texan, Cathy Bryant currently resides in the beautiful Sangre de Cristo mountains of northern New Mexico with her minister husband of over thirty years. When she’s not spinning tales about the fine folks of Miller’s Creek, you can find her rummaging through thrift stores, hiking through the wilderness, or up to her elbows in yet another home improvement project in the mountain cabin she calls home.

 

My Impressions:

A Bridge Unbroken by Cathy Bryant is a romantic suspense novel set in the small, central Texas town of Miller’s Creek. The fifth book in a series, it can easily be read as a standalone novel. But if you have enjoyed Bryant’s previous books, you will love returning to the small town and your favorite characters.

In A Bridge Unbroken, Dakota Kelly is a young woman on the run from an abusive boyfriend and a shame-filled past. Finding herself again in the town where she spent many happy childhood summers as well as the turning point in her senior year that set her running, Dakota must decide if she will confront her past and set down roots. Having received forgiveness from God, she still endures the judgment and unforgiveness of first love, Chance Johnson. As they rebuild the farm they both inherit and their wounded relationship, past regrets and present dangers seek to undermine the bridge they want to build.

The theme of forgiveness is front and center in A Bridge Unbroken. The main characters both struggle with guilt, regret and blame. Bryant includes prayer, sermon messages and dialog with other characters to present just what forgiveness looks like. I liked this aspect of the story. Chance and Dakota are frustratingly real characters who take one step forward and two steps back in their spiritual and emotional lives. I did not enjoy the suspense thread as much. It just didn’t seem to flow naturally with the story, and the resolution came much too quickly. I also had a small problem with the formatting of the novel– no page numbers! This did not take away from the story, but kind of threw me off, especially when I dropped the book without my bookmark in place!

All in all, I liked the book and would like to read the earlier books in the series in order to revisit Miller’s Creek.

Target audience: older teens and adults

(Thanks to the author for a review copy. All opinions expressed are mine alone.)

To purchase this book, click on the image below.

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Book Review: Jupiter Winds

29 Jul

jupiter-winds-400In 2160, a teenager becomes the bait to capture her missing revolutionary parents she thinks are long dead.
Grey Alexander has one goal—to keep herself and her younger sister Orinda alive. Not an easy feat living unconnected in the North American Wildlife Preserve, where they survive by smuggling contraband into the Mazdaar government’s city zones. If the invisible electric border fence doesn’t kill them, a human-like patrol drone could.

When her worst fear comes true, Grey questions everything she she thought she knew about life, her missing parents, and God. Could another planet, whose sky swirls with orange vapors and where extinct-on-Earth creatures roam free, hold the key to reuniting her family?

 

cj-bench-200C. J. Darlington is the award-winning author of Thicker than Blood, Bound by Guilt, and Ties that Bind. In 2006 C. J. started the Christian entertainment Web site TitleTrakk.com with her sister, Tracy, and has been actively promoting Christian fiction ever since. She is a regular contributor to Family Fiction Digital Magazine and NovelCrossing.com. A homeschool graduate, she makes her home in Pennsylvania with her family and their menagerie of dogs, a cat, and a paint horse named Sky.

 

My Impressions:

I read C. J. Darlington’s first novel, Thicker Than Blood, and really loved it. (Read my review HERE.) So when she contacted me about reviewing a YA Sci-Fi novel, I was intrigued. Now I am glad I read it. What a great twisting, turning adventure across the galaxy! Filled with adventure, danger and faith, Jupiter Winds is a must read for your whole family. If you like family read-alongs, this book would be a perfect choice — there is so much to discuss.

Grey Alexander took over the care of her sister Orinda following the disappearance of her parents five years ago. Now at the age of 17, Grey is an accomplished smuggler, eluding the drone patrol on the borders of the Alamo Zone and the North American Preserve. Faced with the dangers of Mazdaar patrols, the wild animals that live in her desert home and the overwhelming struggle for survival, Grey and Rin attempt to not only survive, but thrive. But a deadly encounter with a border patrol and the increased scrutiny of the Mazdaar regime propel Grey and Rin on a galactic trip to Jupiter to find answers and hope for a future.

There is a lot for sci-fi fans to love in Jupiter Winds — high tech gadgets, weapons and space travel. The setting is a post nuclear Earth in which two global governments strive against each other for supremacy. There is persecution of the faithful remnant which pits ruthless oppressors against determined and well-trained rebels. And though the plot is fast-paced, characters are well-developed. Grey and Rin are not your typical teenagers; they have had to learn to survive without their parents in a very hostile environment. But teens and young adults will find much to identify with. Secondary characters are developed as well, allowing the reader to connect with their fears, doubts and victories. And you will love Darlington’s descriptions of the flora, fauna and terrain of Jupiter.

Darlington does a good job of injecting faith into the story. Never preachy, it is, however, foundational for the themes of hope and God’s sovereignty. One verse is repeated throughout the story — If I ascend to heaven, you are there! (Psalm 139:8). This is a particularly relevant verse for the space travelers. Personal freedom as contrasted with the desire for security is also examined.

I highly recommend Jupiter Winds to anyone who wants a well-written book filled with complex characters, an intriguing plot and an imaginative setting. Yes it is science fiction, but it is so much more! I am hoping for more adventures with Grey and Rin.

Highly Recommended.

Great for family read-alongs.

Targeted audience: middle school and above.

(Thanks to the author for a review copy. All opinions expressed are mine alone.)

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Book Review: The Cuckoos of Batch Magna

28 Jul

Resized-C374EWhen Sir Humphrey Miles Pinkerton Strange, 8th baronet and squire of the village of Batch Magna in the Welsh Marches, departs this world for the Upper House (as he had long vaguely thought of it, where God no doubt presides in ermine over a Heaven as reassuringly familiar as White’s or Boodle’s), what’s left of his decaying estate passes, through the ancient law of entailment, to distant relative Humph, an amiable, overweight short-order cook from the Bronx.

Sir Humphrey Franklin T Strange, 9th baronet and squire of Batch Magna, as Humph now most remarkably finds himself to be, is persuaded by his Uncle Frank, a small time Wall Street broker with an eye on the big time, to make a killing by turning the sleepy backwater into a theme-park image of rural England – a vacation paradise for free-spending US millionaires.

But while the village pub and shop, with the lure of the dollar in their eyes, put out the Stars and Stripes in welcome, the tenants of the estate’s dilapidated houseboats are above any consideration of filthy lucre and stand their ground for tradition’s sake … and because they consider eviction notices not to be cricket.

Each disgruntled faction sees the other as the unwelcome cuckoo in the family nest.

So, led by randy pulp-crime writer Phineas Cook, and Lt-Commander James Cunningham DSO, DSC and Bar, RN (ret) – a man with a glass eye for each day of the week, painted with scenes from famous British naval victories and landscapes that speak of England – the motley crew run up the Union Jack and battle ensign and prepare to engage.

But this is Batch Magna, a place where anything might happen. And does …

author P Maughan-1Peter Maughan features on the list of Critically Acclaimed Independent Authors compiled by the leading book evaluation blog, Awesome Indies. The eBook versions of the books on this list have been evaluated by industry professionals against specific criteria for quality fiction & deemed to be of the same quality of craftsmanship as books published by mainstream publishing houses. The author is also a recipient of the AI’s Gold Seal of Excellence.

An ex-actor, fringe-theatre director and scriptwriter, Peter Maughan is married and lives in the Welsh Marches, the backdrop for the Batch Magna series. The novels feature converted paddle steamers on the fictional River Cluny, and the author is a former houseboat dweller himself, living in the mid-1970s (the time frame for the books) on a converted Thames sailing barge among a small bohemian colony of houseboats on the Medway, deep in rural Kent. An idyllic time, heedless days of freedom in that other world of the river which inspired the novels, set in a place called Batch Magna.

 

My Impressions:

The Cuckoos of Batch Magna sounded like a fun read reminiscent of all those wonderfully quirky British TV shows and aired on PBS here in the States. The premise — a clueless American inherits a rural estate and sets about improving the neighborhood by planning a vacation destination, but ends up displacing and alienating the locals. But unfortunately, this novel by Peter Maughan was not really my cup of tea. I had difficulty connecting or even caring about the characters. There are descriptions that really didn’t add to my interest in the book, such as the lengthy depiction of a cricket match.  But these are only my opinions. The book got a lot of 5 star reviews on Amazon, so check those out to make up your own mind.

Please note: This is not a Christian novel. It contains profanity and adult situations.

Targeted audience: adults

(Thanks to the author for a review ebook. The opinions expressed are mine alone.)

To purchase this book, click on the image below.

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Book Review: The Story Keeper

25 Jul

386898Successful New York editor, Jen Gibbs, is at the top of her game with her new position at Vida House Publishing — until a mysterious manuscript from an old slush pile appears on her desk. Turning the pages, Jen finds herself drawn into the life of Sarra, a mixed-race Melungeon girl trapped by dangerous men in the turn of the century Appalachia. A risky hunch may lead to The Story Keeper’s hidden origins and its unknown author, but when the trail turns toward the heart of the Blue Ridge Mountains, a place Jen thought she’d left behind forever, the price of a blockbuster next book deal may be higher than she’s willing to pay.

 

lisawingatepubpicLisa Wingate is an award-winning journalist, magazine columnist, popular inspirational speaker and a national bestselling author of 16 books. Her first mainstream novel, Tending Roses, is in its fifteenth printing from Penguin Putnam. Tending Roses is a staple on the shelves of national bookstore chains as well as in many independent bookstores.

Recently, Lisa’s Blue Sky Hill Series, set in Dallas, received national attention with back-to-back nominations for American Christian Fiction Writers Book of the Year Award for A Month of Summer (2009) and The Summer Kitchen (2010). In 2011, Lisa’s Novel, Never Say Never, won the American Christian Fiction Writers Book of the Year Award. Pithy, emotional, and inspirational, her stories bring to life characters so real that readers often write to ask what is happening to them after the book ends.

Lisa is one of a select group of authors to find success in both the Christian and mainstream markets, writing for both Bethany House, a Christian publisher, and NAL Penguin Putnam, in mainstream fiction. Her bestselling books have become a hallmark of inspirational southern fiction. Her works have been featured by the National Reader’s Club of America, AOL Book Picks, Doubleday Book Club, the Literary Guild, American Profiles and have been chosen for numerous awards.

When not busy dreaming up stories, Lisa spends time on the road as a motivational speaker. Via internet, she shares with readers as far away as India, where her book, Tending Roses, has been used to promote women’s literacy, and as close to home as Tulsa, Oklahoma, where the county library system has used Tending Roses to help volunteer mentors teach adults to read. Recently, the group Americans for More Civility, a kindness watchdog organization, selected Lisa along with Bill Ford, Camille Cosby, and six others, as recipients of the National Civies Award, which celebrates public figures who work to promote greater kindness and civility in American life.

 

My Impressions:

What a great experience I had being a part of Lisa Wingate’s Sisterhood of The Traveling Book. I was chosen to be a part of a group that read Lisa’s newest book The Story Keeper, due out in September.  Sharing insights and stories of our own, we passed the book around. My group is still in the process of reading and reflecting before the book heads back to Lisa in Texas. And while the Sisterhood is certainly special, The Story Keeper is a novel that you will not want to miss.

Jenn Gibbs left her Appalachian roots behind when she moved to New York to pursue a career in publishing. When she takes a new job with Vida House, a mysterious manuscript from the infamous slush pile appears on her desk and she is swept into an intriguing story and again forced to revisit the haunts of her childhood. An elusive author and her demanding family keep Jenn in North Carolina longer than she would like, but she soon discovers that you cannot really escape your past.

Two stories in one kept me turning the pages of The Story Keeper. I was impressed with the many voices that Lisa employed in telling the stories. Lisa masterfully brings to life the places and peoples of Appalachia. Her characters are real and relatable, even Jenn’s sisters who live a life dedicated to a conservative Christian cult. I loved the theme of lives being a compilation of many stories.

The Story Keeper releases on September 1, so be sure to keep a watch out for it. You can pre-order it from Amazon too.

Highly Recommended.

Great for Book Clubs.

(Thanks to Lisa Wingate for the opportunity to read this book. All opinions expressed are mine alone.)

To pre-order The Story Keeper, click on the image below.

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Book Review: Bridge to Haven

24 Jul

368184To those who matter in 1950s Hollywood, Lena Scott is the hottest rising star to hit the silver screen since Marilyn Monroe. Few know her real name is Abra. Even fewer know the price she’s paid to finally feel like she’s somebody.

To Pastor Ezekiel Freeman, Abra will always be the little girl who stole his heart the night he found her, a wailing newborn abandoned under a bridge on the outskirts of Haven. Zeke and his son, Joshua—Abra’s closest friend—watch her grow into an exotic beauty. But Zeke knows the circumstances surrounding her birth etched scars deep in her heart, scars that leave her vulnerable to a fast-talking bad boy who proclaims his love and lures her to Tinseltown. Hollywood feels like a million miles from Haven, and naive Abra quickly learns what’s expected of an ambitious girl with stars in her eyes. But fame comes at an awful price. She has burned every bridge to get exactly what she thought she wanted. Now, all she wants is a way back home.

 

 

francine-treeFrancine Rivers began her literary career at the University of Nevada, Reno, where she graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in English and Journalism. From 1976 to 1985, she had a successful writing career in the general market and her books were awarded or nominated for numerous awards and prizes. Although raised in a religious home, Francine did not truly encounter Christ until later in life, when she was already a wife, mother of three, and an established romance novelist. Shortly after becoming a born-again Christian in 1986, Francine wrote Redeeming Love as her statement of faith. First published by Bantam Books, and then re-released by Multnomah Publishers in the mid- 1990s, this retelling of the biblical story of Gomer and Hosea set during the time of the California Gold Rush is now considered a classic work of Christian fiction and continues to be one of the Christian Booksellers Association’s top-selling titles; it has held a spot on the Christian bestseller list for nearly a decade.

Since Redeeming Love, Francine has published more than 20 novels with Christian themes – all bestsellers- and she has continued to win both industry acclaim and reader loyalty around the globe. Her Christian novels have been awarded or nominated for numerous awards including the RITA Award, the Christy Award, the ECPA Gold Medallion, and the Holt Medallion in Honor of Outstanding Literary Talent. In 1997, after winning her third RITA award for Inspirational Fiction, Francine was inducted into the Romance Writers’ of America Hall of Fame. In 2007, the feature-length film version of her novel The Last Sin Eater was released in theaters by Fox Faith. In March 2010, Francine officially became a New York Times bestselling author, when Her Mother’s Hope debuted at #12 on the hardcover fiction bestsellers lists. The sequel, Her Daughter’s Dream, debuted at #12 on the same list just 6 months later, in September, 2010. Francine’s novels have been translated into nearly thirty different languages and she enjoys best-seller status in many foreign countries including Germany, The Netherlands, and South Africa.

Francine and her husband Rick live in Northern California and enjoy the time spent with their three grown children and every opportunity to spoil their five grandchildren. She uses her writing to draw closer to the Lord, and that through her work she might worship and praise Jesus for all He has done and is doing in her life.

 

My Impressions:

Francine Rivers’s books are some of my book club’s favorite all-time reads. When asked what book we liked the most in our 11 years of meeting, we overwhelmingly say Redeeming Love. Now we will probably have to declare Bridge to Haven to be our second favorite. All who read Rivers’ newest novel loved it.

Abra Freeman was found as an abandoned newborn under the bridge to the town of Haven. Loved from the beginning, she still struggled with feelings of unworthiness and abandonment. A child that tried desperately to please became a rebellious teenager and ultimately a runaway set on a course to become somebody. But what Abra, now Lena Scott, finds is not love or fame or fortune, but an emptiness that has her running away from who she has become.

Bridge to Haven is an excellent choice for a book club. We found a lot to discuss — great characters, the setting of the Golden Age of Hollywood and themes of unconditional love, the value of life and God’s forgiveness. We found many parallels in Abra’s story with the Prodigal Son of the Bible, as well as the mistakes people make in general. The novel was also deemed unputdownable even though at times it was a difficult read. I first thought the book was a bit predictable, but soon came to the conclusion that the choices that Abra made were predictable because of how often people in real life make the same choices. God must find us very predictable in our sin!

Another winner from Francine Rivers, my book club highly recommends Bridge to Haven.

Highly Recommended.

(I purchased this book for my Kindle. All opinions expressed are mine alone.)

To purchase this book, click on the image below.

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