Tag Archives: Pete Nelson

Top 10 Tuesday — Thanksgiving!

21 Nov

I am again twisting the TTT topic this week. Don’t get me wrong, I am very thankful for books and the wonderful authors who write them. But after 10+ years of blogging, I have posted on this a lot. So today I am bringing you books that are set/begin at Thanksgiving. This list gives you a variety of books to read between now and Christmas. I hope you find one to be thankful for!

Top Books Set During Thanksgiving And After

Another Way Home by Deborah Raney

Sometimes God’s ways are not at all what we expect . . . and exactly what we need.
Grant and Audrey are adding grandchildren to their family left and right, but middle daughter, Danae, and her husband, Dallas Brooks, have been trying for years with no baby in sight.

Though Danae is ready to consider adoption, Dallas will not even discuss it. Despairing of ever having a family of her own, Danae decides to pour her passion and energies into volunteer work with a newly opened women’s shelter in town. Looking for a good cause to fill her lonely days, she never expects to give her heart to the hurting women she meets there. She’s finally learning to live her life with gratitude, but then heart-wrenching events on Thanksgiving weekend threaten to pull the entire Whitman clan into turmoil—and leave them all forever changed.

Breath of Dawn by Kristen Heitzman

Following the tragic death of his wife, Jill, Morgan Spencer retreats to his brother’s Rocky Mountain ranch to heal and focus on the care of his infant daughter, Olivia. Two years later, Morgan begins to make plans to return to his home in Santa Barbara to pick up the pieces of his life and career. Quinn Riley has been avoiding her past for four years. Standing up for the truth has forced her into a life of fear and isolation. After a “chance” first meeting and a Thanksgiving snowstorm, Quinn is drawn into the Spencer family’s warm and loving world, and she begins to believe she might find freedom in their friendship. The man Quinn helped put behind bars has recently been released, however, and she fears her past will endanger the entire Spencer family. As the danger heightens, she determines to leave town for the sake of the people who have come to mean so much to her. Fixing problems is what Morgan Spencer does best, and he is not willing to let Quinn run away, possibly into the clutches of a man bent on revenge. But Morgan’s solution sends him and Quinn on an unexpected path, with repercussions neither could have anticipated.

Darkness Rising by Lis Wiehl and Pete Nelson

The evil in East Salem is no longer content to hide in the shadows. The stakes—and the darkness—are rising.

Dani Harris thought there wasn’t much left that could surprise her after serving as a forensic psychiatrist in East Salem. And Tommy Gunderson has faced few challenges in his life that he couldn’t overcome by either physical strength or his celebrity status.

But as they race to uncover what’s really happening behind the high walls of St. Adrian’s Academy, it becomes clear that supernatural forces have been at work here for generations. And now their focus is on making sure Dani and Tommy don’t interfere.

When the unseen becomes seen, faith is the only weapon strong enough to fight in a battle involving not just murder and betrayal—but angels and demons.

Dearest Dorothy, Who Would Have Ever Thought by Charlene Baumbich

Charlene Ann Baumbich has won a loyal following of readers with the first three books in the Dearest Dorothy series, featuring the amusing and touching adventures of the townspeople of Partonville. Now Charlene Baumbich uses her wonderful gift of storytelling to celebrate the simple pleasures of life in this heartwarming and hilarious story. The fourth book in the series finds the residents of Partonville preparing for a festive Thanksgiving dinner at the local church. Amid assigning duties and preparing recipes, everyone tries to ignore bossy acting mayor Gladys McKern. Meanwhile, Jessica Joy struggles with an unexpected turn of events, Katie Durbin considers another real estate project, and Dearest Dorothy doles out advice and love in equal amounts to everyone.

Grace in Autumn by Lori Copeland and Angela Hunt

It’s November, and as the island residents prepare for the coming months of cold and snow, they are surprised by God’s unexpected lessons of humility, trust, and hope. Authors Lori Copeland and Angela Hunt revisit the Island of Heavenly Daze in the second book of the highly acclaimed series about a small town where angelic intervention is commonplace and the Thanksgiving feast a community affair.

*****

I Shall Not Want by Debbie Viguie

Charity work can be murder!

It’s Thanksgiving and Joseph Tyler, one of the members of Cindy’s church, has organized a new charity that provides homeless people with rescue dogs to love and care for. But one by one, the homeless recipients are being murdered and their dogs stolen. Could an overly competitive millionaire with his prize-winning pooches and a grudge be behind the crimes? Or could it be someone much closer to Joseph who has something sinister to hide? Cindy and Jeremiah must rush to find a killer before he strikes again.

The Preacher Wore Black Leather by Loree Lough

Matt Maxwell wondered a lot about changing his first name to Former: Former Marine. Former minister. Former husband. One by one, he’d lost them all. After losing his wife to his church deacon, he’d packed his battered military duffel, gassed up his ancient motorcycle, and put Baltimore in the Harley’s rearview mirrors.

On an unusually cold and snowy Texas night, the Sportster breaks down along the Interstate. Out of luck and nearly broke, Matt’s lured by a bright red sign that reads SUNDOWN DINER. Inside, he meets the owners, the town’s three-man sheriff’s department, and a mechanic who thinks he can fix the old bike.

Icy weather and the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday make that impossible, and Matt finds himself stranded in Reliable, where everyone seems determined to keep him from the road to anywhere that isn’t Baltimore.
Once the Harley is roadworthy, will he put Reliable behind him? Or does God have other plans for the down-on-his-luck pastor?

Remembering Christmas by Dan Walsh

Rick Denton lives his life on his terms. He works hard, plays hard and answers to no one. So when his mother calls on Thanksgiving weekend begging him to come home after his stepfather has a stroke, Rick is reluctant. He’s never liked Art, despite the fact his own father abandoned them when Rick was twelve. Rick’s attitude sours even more when a couple of days helping at the family bookstore turns into weeks of cashing out old ladies and running off the homeless man who keeps hanging about, 

Slowly but surely, the little bookstore and its quirky patrons—as well as the lovely young woman who works at his side each day—work their magic on him, revealing to Rick the truth about his family, his own life, and the true meaning of Christmas.

You Make It Feel Like Christmas by Toni Shiloh

It’s the most wonderful time of the year–for everyone except Starr Lewis.

As if going home for the holidays jobless and single wasn’t bad enough, she’s dragged into a holiday season full of activities leading up to her sister’s uber-romantic Christmas Eve wedding–to Starr’s ex-boyfriend. But when her brother’s best friend, Waylon Emmerson, attends their family Thanksgiving, she starts to wonder if maybe coming home for Christmas isn’t so bad after all.

As Starr finds the perfect distraction in helping Waylon make over his late mother’s Christmas shop, the most wonderful time of the year works its magic and the spark between them grows. But with the holidays fast approaching, Starr must decide what she wants out of life after the gifts are unwrapped and the ornaments are put away–to go back to New York City or to open her heart to a love that will last beyond Christmas Day?

Audiobook Review: Fatal Tide

9 Nov

51Y1criVkUL._SX334_BO1,204,203,200_In East Salem, the elite St. Adrian’s Academy is at the nexus of a satanic apocalypse—and the fatal tide is rising.

When Hieronymus Bosch’s Garden of Earthly Delights is reunited with the pagans who commissioned it, a dark prophecy begins to unfold in East Salem, beginning with a savage double-murder by hellish creatures straight out of the painting itself. The lone survivor of the attack, a seventeen-year-old Brit, finds sanctuary at Tommy Gunderson’s home—and the place is soon surrounded by demons who seem to be biding their time . . . but for how long?

Tommy’s pond has been contaminated with Provivilan—an insidious drug that could transform New York City’s children into an army of violence addicted murderers. But for an occult cabal in the upper echelons of Linz Pharmaceuticals, contaminating the water supply is just part of an ancient conspiracy against all of humankind.

As the clouds gather, Tommy and Dani realize they must infiltrate Linz and St. Adrian’s to stop the dissemination of Provivilan. Even then, it could take a tangible eruption of the battle between angels and demons to save humanity from the supernatural evils that have been summoned to East Salem.

logoLis Wiehl is one of the nation’s most prominent trial lawyers and highly regarded commentators. Currently, she is the legal analyst and reporter on the Fox News Channel and Bill O’Reilly’s sparring partner in the weekly “Is It Legal?” segment on The O’Reilly Factor. Prior to that she was O’Reilly’s co-host on the nationally syndicated show The Radio Factor. She is also a Professor of Law at New York Law School. Her column “Lis on Law” appears weekly on FoxNews.com.

Prior to joining Fox News Channel in New York City, Wiehl served as a legal analyst and reporter for NBC News and NPR’s All Things Considered. Before that, Wiehl served as a Federal Prosecutor in the United States Attorney’s office.

Wiehl earned her Juris Doctor from Harvard Law School and her Master of Arts in Literature from the University of Queensland.

Wiehl is also the author of The 51% Minority, which won the 2008 award for Books for a Better Life in the motivational category, and Winning Every Time.

She lives with her husband and two children in New York.

fea4e03ae7a06dbcacda3210-l-_v192614257_sx200_Pete Nelson lives with his wife and son in Westchester, New York. He got his MFA from the University of Iowa Writers’ Workshop in 1979 and has written both fiction and non-fiction for magazines, including Harpers, Esquire, MS, Outside, The Iowa Review, National Wildlife, Glamour, Redbook. He was a columnist for Mademoiselle and a staff writer for LIVE Magazine, covering various live events including horse pulls, music festivals, dog shows, accordion camps and arm wrestling championships. Recently he was a contributing editor and feature writer for Wondertime, a Disney parenting magazine.

 

My Impressions:

Fatal Tide is the final book in the East Salem series. The race against the forces of evil that began in Waking Hours and increased in Darkness Rising, takes on a greater urgency as Satanic forces make a last push to wreak mayhem on the world. But the team headed by Dani Harris and Tommy Gunderson are determined not to let evil have its way.

I really liked the time frame for this series. The first book, Waking Hours begins at October, taking advantage of all the creepiness of Halloween. Darkness Rising includes a Thanksgiving celebration in the midst of physical and spiritual attacks. Fatal Tide opens just a few days before Christmas. Christmas Eve is evil’s target date to bring humanity to an end. So if you want a supernatural suspense series to match the season, you should check this one out. The series combines ancient curses, prehistoric beasts and high tech gadgets and expertise to create an interesting blend, and to reinforce that the evil that existed from the beginning of time still exists today. New characters join series favorites in the fast-paced action. And there is no shortage of twists, turns and oh-no moments.

The narrator of Fatal Tide did an excellent job with timing and emphasis complimenting the suspenseful flavor of the book. All in all, Fatal Tide was a great conclusion to this series. Frank Peretti fans should definitely check this one out.

Recommended.

Audience: adults.

To purchase this book, click HERE.

(I purchased the audiobook from Audible. All opinions expressed are mine alone.)

 

Book Review: Darkness Rising

13 Oct

51CeSyzf2+L._SX326_BO1,204,203,200_The evil in East Salem is no longer content to hide in the shadows. The stakes ― and the darkness ― are rising.

Dani Harris thought there wasn’t much left that could surprise her after serving as a forensic psychiatrist in East Salem. And Tommy Gunderson has faced few challenges in his life that he couldn’t overcome by either physical strength or his celebrity status.

But as they race to uncover what’s really happening behind the high walls of St. Adrian’s Academy, it becomes clear that supernatural forces have been at work here for generations. And now their focus is on making sure Dani and Tommy don’t interfere.

When the unseen becomes seen, faith is the only weapon strong enough to fight in a battle involving not just murder and betrayal ― but angels and demons.

 

logoLis Wiehl is one of the nation’s most prominent trial lawyers and highly regarded commentators. Currently, she is the legal analyst and reporter on the Fox News Channel and Bill O’Reilly’s sparring partner in the weekly “Is It Legal?” segment on The O’Reilly Factor. Prior to that she was O’Reilly’s co-host on the nationally syndicated show The Radio Factor. She is also a Professor of Law at New York Law School. Her column “Lis on Law” appears weekly on FoxNews.com.

Prior to joining Fox News Channel in New York City, Wiehl served as a legal analyst and reporter for NBC News and NPR’s All Things Considered. Before that, Wiehl served as a Federal Prosecutor in the United States Attorney’s office.

Wiehl earned her Juris Doctor from Harvard Law School and her Master of Arts in Literature from the University of Queensland.

Wiehl is also the author of The 51% Minority, which won the 2008 award for Books for a Better Life in the motivational category, and Winning Every Time.

She lives with her husband and two children in New York.

fea4e03ae7a06dbcacda3210-l-_v192614257_sx200_Pete Nelson lives with his wife and son in Westchester, New York. He got his MFA from the University of Iowa Writers’ Workshop in 1979 and has written both fiction and non-fiction for magazines, including HarpersEsquire, MS, Outside, The Iowa Review, National Wildlife, Glamour, Redbook. He was a columnist for Mademoiselle and a staff writer for LIVE Magazine, covering various live events including horse pulls, music festivals, dog shows, accordion camps and arm wrestling championships. Recently he was a contributing editor and feature writer for Wondertime, a Disney parenting magazine.

 

My Impressions:

Darkness Rising is book 2 in Lis Wiehl and Pete Nelson’s East Salem series. The action begins where Waking Hours left off (my review HERE). Filled with demons, this supernatural thriller definitely registers high on the creepy meter. If you like scary this one is for you. If not, I’d give it a pass.

Dani Harris, a forensic psychiatrist, and Tommy Gunderson, ex-football player turned PI, continue to investigate the bizarre murder that has rocked the quaint town of East Salem, New York. Evidence mounts up implicating the local academy that prides itself on teaching future leaders. As Dani and Tommy get closer to the truth, the action ramps up, including demonic activity that is determined not to be stopped.

Darkness Rising features new and returning characters. The bad guys are not well-developed, but Wiehl and Nelson make sure the good guys’ emotions, motivations and background are explored. The emphasis of the novel is the struggle of good and evil and uses an interesting framework to portray the ancient battle. Demons, as well as angels, play a major role, and the book does not shy away from the violence of the battle. The theme of Christ’s redemptive work is portrayed along with God’s plan and purposes in His people’s lives. Even as the demons work to separate Dani and Tommy, God turns those efforts to work out His plan.  I did have one problem though. A character who is a believer becomes demon-possessed. This is contrary to my understanding of scripture. I believe in demonic attack and oppression, but never possession in a believer. 1 John 4:4 states — But you belong to God, my dear children. You have already won a victory over those people, because the Spirit who lives in you is greater than the spirit who lives in the world (NLT). *For this reason I would not recommend this book to non-believers.

Darkness Rising ends with a battle won, but the war is definitely not over. The characters are united and committed to uncover truth and expose evil, but it will be a daunting task. I look forward to the conclusion of this series.

*Recommended. (Please see note above.)

Audience: adults.

To purchase this book, click HERE.

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

Audiobook Review: Waking Hours

27 Sep

549419_w185Welcome to East Salem. A deceptively sleepy town where ancient supernatural forces are being awakened.

A local high-school girl is found murdered in a park amid horse farms and the wealthy homes of northern Westchester County, New York. The shocking manner of her death intrigues forensic psychiatrist Dani Harris. All the suspects are teenagers who were at a party with the girl—yet none remembers what happened. Could one of them be a vicious killer? Or is something more sinister afoot—something tied to an ancient evil?

Across town, former NFL linebacker Tommy Gunderson finds his state-of-the-art security system has been breached by an elderly woman. Mumbling threats in Latin, she attacks him with an uncanny, preternatural strength. Before he has time to process the attack, someone close to him is implicated in the girl’s murder at the park. He agrees to help—and finds himself working with Dani, the only girl who could resist his charm years ago when they were in high school.

A heavy darkness is spreading. Yet a heavenly force is also at work.

Dani and Tommy suspect there’s more to the mystery than murder, more to their growing friendship than chance . . . and more to the evil they’re facing than a mere human killer.

logoLis Wiehl is one of the nation’s most prominent trial lawyers and highly regarded commentators.  Currently, she is the legal analyst and reporter on the Fox News Channel and Bill O’Reilly’s sparring partner in the weekly “Is It Legal?” segment on The O’Reilly Factor. Prior to that she was O’Reilly’s co-host on the nationally syndicated show The Radio Factor.  She is also a Professor of Law at New York Law School.  Her column “Lis on Law” appears weekly on FoxNews.com.

Prior to joining Fox News Channel in New York City, Wiehl served as a legal analyst and reporter for NBC News and NPR’s All Things Considered.  Before that, Wiehl served as a Federal Prosecutor in the United States Attorney’s office.

Wiehl earned her Juris Doctor from Harvard Law School and her Master of Arts in Literature from the University of Queensland.

Wiehl is also the author of The 51% Minority, which won the 2008 award for Books for a Better Life in the motivational category, and Winning Every Time.

She lives with her husband and two children in New York.

fea4e03ae7a06dbcacda3210.L._V192614257_SX200_Pete Nelson lives with his wife and son in Westchester, New York. He got his MFA from the University of Iowa Writers’ Workshop in 1979 and has written both fiction and non-fiction for magazines, including Harpers, Playboy, Esquire, MS, Outside, The Iowa Review, National Wildlife, Glamour, Redbook. He was a columnist for Mademoiselle and a staff writer for LIVE Magazine, covering various live events including horse pulls, music festivals, dog shows, accordion camps and arm wrestling championships. Recently he was a contributing editor and feature writer for Wondertime, a Disney parenting magazine.

My Impressions:

Waking Hours is the first book in the East Salem series by Lis Wiehl and Pete Nelson. A bit of a departure from Wiehl’s other books, it is still a page-turning suspense novel. This time, however, the supernatural is a big factor in the action. This book definitely has a creepiness factor that is a good fit for those who like a little edge to their books.

Dani Harris, a forensic psychiatrist, and Tommy Gunderson, former NFL player and now aspiring P.I., join forces in investigating the horrendous murder of a local teenager. Everything seems routine, until weird signs and occurrences and some very disturbing dreams disrupt their investigation. There is much more going on than a psychopathic killer. An unexplained malevolent force seems to be in play.

I really enjoyed getting to know Dani and Tommy and loved their growing relationship. The two characters are great compliments to each other. I also liked the addition of the supernatural to the crime investigation, giving the story a higher stakes angle. There is much more going on in this small town, and I look forward to more to come in this series. I listened to the audiobook version and thought the narrator did a great job.

All in all a good book for fans of edgier suspense novels.

Recommended.

(I purchased this book from Audible. All opinions are mine alone.)

To purchase Waking Hours, click on the image below.