Mailbox Monday is a gathering place for readers to share the books that came into their house last week and explore great book blogs.  Warning: Mailbox Monday can lead to envy, toppling TBR piles and humongous wish lists. Mailbox Monday was created by Marcia of A Girl and Her Books and is being hosted by Savvy Verse and Wit.

Here’s what I got last week:

House of Secrets by Tracie Peterson.  When her father orchestrates a surprise trip to the summer house of her childhood, Bailee Cooper is unprepared for what follows. What is intended to be a happy reunion for Bailee and her sisters, Geena and Piper, quickly becomes shrouded by memories from the past.

Together again, the three sisters sift through their recollections of fifteen years ago… of an ill mother, and of their father making a desperate choice. They vowed, as children, to be silent–but one sister believes the truth must now be revealed. Yet can they trust their memories?

The Doctor’s Lady by Jody Hedlund.  Priscilla White and Dr. Eli Ernest both feel God’s call to missionary work. So when they learn that their board will no longer send single men and women into the field, the two agree to an in-name-only marriage. Will their minds—and hearts—be tested and changed by the hardships of the journey west?

For Review:

The Bone House by Stephen Lawhead.  Kit is on a quest for the ultimate treasure. But are his travels in time changing history for better or worse?  When Kit Livingstone’s great grandfather appeared to him in a deserted alley during a London rainstorm, he revealed an incredible story: the ley lines throughout Britain are not merely the stuff of legend but are in fact pathways to other worlds. An intricate code–a map of bizarre symbols–is the roadmap they need to navigate the multi-layered universe. But the five pieces have gone missing. Braving constant danger, Kit accepts his place in the adventure–though he has no idea just how critical a role he’ll play.

To Have And To Hold by Tracie Peterson and Judith Miller.  When Audrey Cunningham’s father proposes that they move to Bridal Veil Island, where he grew up, she agrees, thinking this will help keep him sober and close to God. But they arrive to find wealthy investors buying up land to build a grand resort on the secluded island–and they want the Cunninghams’ acreage.

Contractor Marshall Graham can’t imagine why the former drinking buddy of his deceased father would beckon him to Bridal Veil Island. And when Boyd Cunningham asks him to watch over Audrey, Marshall is even more confused. He has no desire to be saddled with caring for this fiery young woman who is openly hostile toward him. But when Audrey seems to be falling for another man–one who has two little girls Audrey adores–Marshall realizes she holds more of his heart than he realized. Which man will Audrey choose? And can she hold on to her ancestral property in the face of overwhelming odds?

Beyond All Measure by Dorothy Love.  Ada Wentworth, a young Bostonian, journeys to Hickory Ridge, Tennessee, in the years following the Civil War. Alone and nearly penniless following a broken engagement, Ada accepts a position as a lady’s companion to the elderly Lillian Willis, a pillar of the community and aunt to the local lumber mill owner, Wyatt Caldwell. Ada intends to use her millinery skills to establish a hat shop and secure her future.

Haunted by unanswered questions from her life in Boston, Ada is most drawn to two townsfolks: Wyatt, a Texan with big plans of his own, and Sophie, a mulatto girl who resides at the Hickory Ridge orphanage. Ada’s friendship with Sophia attracts the attention of a group of locals seeking to displace the residents of Two Creeks, a “colored” settlement on the edge of town. As tensions rise, Ada is threatened but refuses to abandon her plan to help the girl.

When Lillian dies, Ada is left without employment or a place to call home. And since Wyatt’s primary purpose for staying in Hickory Ridge was to watch over his aunt, he can now pursue his dream of owning Longhorns in his home state of Texas. With their feelings for each other growing, Ada must decide whether she can trust God with her future and Wyatt with her heart.

Free For Kindle:

Rain Song by Alice Wisler.  Nicole Michelin avoids airplanes, motorcycles, and most of all, Japan, where her parents once were missionaries. Something happened in Japan…something that sent Nicole and her father back to America alone…something of which Nicole knows only bits and pieces. But she is content with life in little Mount Olive, North Carolina, with her quirky relatives, tank of lively fish, and plenty of homemade pineapple chutney. Through her online column for the Pretty Fishy Web site, she meets Harrison Michaels, who, much to her dismay, lives in Japan. She attempts to avoid him, but his e-mails tug at her heart. Then Harrison reveals that he knew her as a child in Japan. In fact, he knows more about her childhood than she does…

Tags: mailbox monday

Mailbox Monday is a gathering place for readers to share the books that came into their house last week and explore great book blogs.  Warning: Mailbox Monday can lead to envy, toppling TBR piles and humongous wish lists. Mailbox Monday was created by Marcia of A Girl and Her Books and is being hosted by Savvy Verse and Wit.

Here’s what I got in my mailbox last week:

For Review:

Book of Dreams by Davis Bunn.  For psychologist Elena Burroughs, life is divided into two segments—before and after the death of her husband. When a mysterious client recounts frightening nightmares, Elena uses an ancient prayer book to interpret the dreams—revealing a frightening global scenario! As her personal visions take a dramatic turn, will Elena see God’s plan for her own life?   Giveaway

The Refuge on Crescent Hill by Melanie Dobson.  A new page-turning novel from an award-winning author! Melanie Dobson is back with a fast paced plot that skillfully weaves history and suspense. This is a book you won’t want to miss!

Sunrise on The Battery by Beth Webb Hart.  Mary Lynn and Jackson Scoville are living the good life in Charleston. But as they work their way up the social ladder, Mary Lynn feels compelled to pray that Jackson will come to the Lord. When Jackson’s radical conversion—including inviting street people into their home—threatens their dreams, will Mary Lynn go along with him? 

The 13th Demon by Bruce Hennigan.  When Jonathan Steel wakes up on a beach in a raging thunderstorm, naked, beaten, and bleeding, he has no idea who he is or how he got there. But just as he starts to make progress in his slow journey to recovery, tragedy strikes again, taking everything in his new life that he has come to love and rely on.  Filled with rage and a thirst for revenge, he searches the countryside for the entity responsible—an entity called only the Thirteenth Demon. His quest brings him to Lakeside, Louisiana, and a small country church where evil is in control and strange writing on the walls, blood-soaked floors, and red-eyed spiders have appeared in the sanctuary.  As he faces the final confrontation with an evil presence that has pursued him all of his life, he must choose between helping the people he loves or destroying the thirteenth demon.

Lethal Remedy by Richard L. Mabry, MD.  Dr. Sara Miles’ teenage patient is on the brink of death from an overwhelming, highly resistant infection with Staph luciferus, known to doctors as “the killer.” Only an experimental antibiotic, developed and administered by Sara’s ex-husband can save the girl’s life.  But potentially lethal effects from the drug send Sara and her colleague, Dr. Rip Pearson, on a hunt for hidden critical data that will let them reverse the effects before it’s too late. What is the missing puzzle piece? And who is hiding it?

The Baker’s Wife by Erin Healy.  If what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger, why is Audrey getting weaker by the day? It’s been a rough year for Audrey’s family. Her husband Geoff, a pastor, lost his job after a scandal rocked their congregation. Audrey’s never lost faith. She’s held her family together. Their attempt to resurrect a failing bakery is an effort to heal the family wounds and restore their place in the community.  Late to the bakery one dim, foggy morning, Audrey strikes a vehicle that she can’t see even after the collision settles. Emerging from her car into the fog, she discovers that she’s hit a motor scooter. There’s no rider in sight. There’s blood though, so much so that she slips in it and injures her wrists.  The absence of the scooter driver is a mystery, especially to Sergeant Jack Mansfield, the detective and church member who drove Geoff from his pulpit. The scooter belongs to Jack’s wife, Julie, a teacher at the local high school. She has vanished like morning fog.

The Lady of The Rivers by Philippa Gregory.  #1 New York Times bestselling author Philippa Gregory weaves witchcraft, passion, and adventure into the story of Jacquetta, Duchess of Bedford, a woman who navigated a treacherous path through the battle lines in the War of the Roses.  Descended from Melusina, the river goddess, Jacquetta has always had the gift of second sight. As a child visiting her uncle, she meets his prisoner, Joan of Arc, and recognizes her own power in the young woman accused of witchcraft. They share the mystery of the tarot card of the “wheel of fortune” before Joan is taken to a horrific death at the hands of the English rulers of France. Jacquetta understands the danger for a woman who dares to dream.  Married to the Duke of Bedford, English Regent of France, Jacquetta is introduced by him to a mysterious world of learning and alchemy. Her only friend in the great household is the Duke’s squire Richard Woodville, who is at her side when the Duke’s death leaves her a wealthy young widow. The two become lovers and marry in secret, returning to England to serve at the court of the young King Henry VI, where Jacquetta becomes a close and loyal friend to his new queen.

Tags: mailbox monday