Love Blooms In Winter by Lori Copeland

Hey, it is still Winter here!

What a wonderful time to read Love Blooms In Winter! Pauline is the sweet little older lady next door in a town so tiny it fits on five acres! Mae runs the Post Office, but every day she and her brother check on Pauline several times a day because she doesn't have any kin nearby. Quite frankly, Pauline isn't doing so well and it is almost more than Mae and her brother can handle to try to care for Pauline and all her critter "babies"  in addition to the other things that need to be done. Mae is very fond of Pauline and knowing she needs full time care, she decides to find her relatives so they can help. Sweet little Pauline never married, so there aren't any kin of a husband or children to help her. The only person she can find is a man named Tom. Mae starts sending Tom letters imploring him for his help with his relation. Tom can't remember a Pauline and at first he thinks this is a prank. But maybe he does have a Great-Aunt Pauline. How are you suppose to know someone you never knew is kin to you or not anyway?

When a second letter comes Tom decides it is time to go check out the situation and see what he can do. What happens next he never expected, and Mae sure didn't! After all, for the last six years she has had the same finace with the same old dead tired repeated patterns who is going to set a date for their wedding...one day. After all, as year after year rolls by she is sure he will do more than just say one day I will marry you, but  in six years he has yet to move their relationship forward to the next level.

Little does Mae know, nor does Tom, that with his arrival everything is about to change. Lives, love and a lot more are waking up and many things are about to bloom in the coldest part of Winter.

Carol

This week, the Christian Fiction Blog Alliance is introducing Love Blooms in Winter Harvest House Publishers (January 1, 2012) by Lori Copeland
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Lori lives in the beautiful Ozarks with her husband Lance. Lance and Lori have three sons, three daughter-in-laws, and six wonderful grandchildren, and two great-granddaughters. Lance and Lori are very involved in their church, and active in supporting mission work in Mali, West Africa.

Lori began her writing career in 1982, writing for the secular book market. In 1995, after many years of writing, Lori sensed that God was calling her to use her gift of writing to honor Him. It was at that time that Lori began writing for the Christian book market. To date, she has had over 100 books published.



ABOUT THE BOOK

A romantic new book from bestselling author Lori Copeland that portrays God’s miraculous provision even when none seems possible.

1892—Mae Wilkey’s sweet next-door neighbor, Pauline, is suffering from old age and dementia and desperately needs family to come help her. But Pauline can’t recall having kin remaining. Mae searches through her desk and finds a name—Tom Curtis, who may just be the answer to their prayers.

Tom can’t remember an old aunt named Pauline, but if she thinks he’s a long-lost nephew, he very well may be. After two desperate letters from Mae, he decides to pay a visit. An engagement, a runaway train, and a town of quirky, loveable people make for more of an adventure than Tom is expecting. But it is amazing what can bloom in winter when God is in charge of things.

If you would like to read the first chapter of Love Blooms in Winter, go HERE.

The book link is: http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0736930191

Where Wildflowers Bloom by Ann Shorey

Happy Wednesday Dear Readers! 

Today we are going to talk about Where Wildflowers Bloom by Ann Shorey. I had not read one of her books before, but the name of this one drew me. I also like the cover. This is the story of a young lady named Faith. She lives in a little town that borders on being not a town because Nobel Springs is just very small. Her Grandfather runs the mercantile, but their family has suffered great losses. Mothers, Fathers, Brothers, Wives, and more are all dead because of the war. Brave much loved family members have marched off to war never to come home again.  Faith's heart hurts over the man she cared for who never came back home, and her brother and father who gave their lives in service to their country. Faith hurts so much, that she hasn't formed solid roots, and all she wants to do is leave and go out West. Oregon is where she thinks her life will be what it should be, only convincing those around her is not so easy. 

While she is waiting to go to Oregon, and running the mercantile so her Grandfather can work on his memoirs, 

she starts finding a wonderful friend in Rosemary. Rosemary is shunned in her community because she worked as a nurse during the war. She worked to save lives of brave men, yet she is rejected by the town who feels her job made her as close to a woman of ill-repute as she could get and not actually be one! After all, touching mens' bodies like that - well it is just beyond not proper for a lady! Even so, Faith finds herself drawn to this woman, and her brother Curt. Curt works at the livery, and he too fought in the war. 

Just as Faith was getting her life lined up as she thought it should be, Royal Baxter comes back from the war. Here is the man she thought she would marry one day, and now, after all this he is interested in her! Or is he really? She is dealing with the issues surrounding the mercantile, including robberies, wanting to sell it but her Grandfather isn't totally agreeable, trying to sort out who she is suppose to spend her life with, keeping the store a-float and helping her friends. Is what she thinks is her heart's desire really her heart's deepest desire, or does God have other plans for her life? 

This was a very easy to read book that showed not only the settings and preparations of settlers planning or considering transplanting themselves far off, but also a good strong book about making friends and the ties that truly bind us to the lives and plans we are suppose to have if we are open to God's path for us. 

Carol  

About the Book:

The War Between the States stole a father and brother from Faith Lindberg-- as well as Royal Baxter, the man she wanted to marry. With only her grandfather left, she dreams of leaving Noble Springs, Missouri, and traveling west to the Oregon Territory to start a new life, away from the memories that haunt her. But first she must convince her grandfather to sell the family's mercantile and leave a town their family has called home for generations.

When Royal Baxter suddenly returns to town, Faith allows herself to hope that her dreams might come true. Does he truly love her? Or could another man claim her heart? Will she find that following her dreams may not mean leaving home after all?

About the Author:

Ann Shorey has such a wonderful write up about herself, and her work that I just highly recommend you go read her web site!  http://www.annshorey.com/novels.html

Available January 2012 at your favorite bookseller from Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group.

Chasing Mona Lisa by Tricia Goyer and Mike Yorkey

Hi Everyone!

Chasing Mona Lisa is not your every day book. It has a nice bit of history included, and plenty of chasing and drama. The brave females in this book, Gabi and Colette are the main ones, were quite courageous. We have one loving finace, and man who thinks he wants to be a husband. This book centers around Paris, and the Louvre, and of course, Mona Lisa. Colette works in the Louve during the Nazi occupation of Paris. Her job is to protect the Mona Lisa at all costs. To keep her hidden and safe until Paris is free and safe again. The man she is in love with could be working for the Germans, but she isn't sure, and she is being blackmailed. Reichsmarschall Hermann Göring wants the famous work for more than one reason. One is he collects fine art, and the other is as a National Treasure he can use the Mona Lisa as leverage to get what he wants when the fighting stops and more power grabs come into play.

This book has several twists and turns and over all was an interesting read. I think what was most interesting to me was how Paris was effected by the Nazi regime, and how misguided some people were about who was in charge at that time. I took a great deal of Art History in college, which is one reason I choose to read this book and see what the authors did.

Carol

About The Book:

One enigmatic smile. Two passionate protectors. And a relentlessly ticking clock.

August 1944. Paris is on the cusp of liberation. As the soldiers of the Third Reich flee the Allied advance, they ravage the country and steal countless pieces of irreplaceable art. In fact, Reichsmarschall Hermann Göring will stop at nothing to claim the most valuable one of all--the Mona Lisa--as a postwar bargaining chip.

But the woman with the mysterious smile has some very determined protectors. Can Swiss OSS agents Gabi Mueller and Eric Hofstadler rescue Leonardo da Vinci's masterpiece before it falls into German hands?

With nonstop action and intrigue, Chasing Mona Lisa is sure to get your adrenaline pumping as you join the chaise to save the most famous painting in the world. From war-ravaged Parish to a posh Swiss chateau, the race is on - and the runners are playing for keeps.

ABOUT THE AUTHORS:

Tricia Goyer is the coauthor of The Swiss Courier as well as the author of many other books, including Night Song and Dawn of a Thousand Nights, both past winners of the ACFW's Book of the Year Award for Long Historical Romance. Goyer lives with her family in Arkansas. For more about Tricia and her other books visit www.triciagoyer.com.

Mike Yorkey is the author or coauthor of dozens of books, including The Swiss Courier and the bestselling Every Man's Battle series. Married to a Swiss native, Yorkey lived in Switzerland for 18 months. He and his family currently reside in California. For more about Mike and his other books visit www.mikeyorkey.com.

Win an iTouch SPY Pack in the Chasing Mona Lisa Giveaway from @triciagoyer @mikeyorkey!

Chasing Mona Lisa is the continuing tale of Gabi Mueller and Eric Hofstadler (first introduced in The Swiss Courier). This time the due are on a relentless quest to save the most famous painting in the world - the Mona Lisa. You can help Gabi and Eric with your very own spy pack when you enter The Chasing Mona Lisa Giveaway!

Enter online by clicking HERE!

One passionate protector will receive:

iTouch (The must-have device for any spy. Camera, Maps & Music.)
Starbucks Gift Card (For all those late nights.)
Moleskin Notebook (For those important notes.)
Invisible Ink Pen (Don’t want anyone reading those important notes.)
Chasing Mona Lisa by Tricia Goyer & Mike Yorkey (Great handbook and intriguing tale for any spy-in-training!)
Enter today by clicking one of the icons below. But hurry, the giveaway ends at noon on January 31st. The winner will be announced at the Chasing Mona Lisa Facebook Party on 1/31. Tricia and Mike will be hosting an author chat (on Facebook and Live from Tricia's website) and giving away their books and a Book Club prize pack! (Ten copies of the book for your small group or book club AND a LIVE Author Chat for your group with Tricia and Mike.)

So grab your copy of Chasing Mona Lisa and join Tricia and Mike on the evening of the 31st for an author chat, spy training (do you know how to pick a lock?) and lots of giveaways.

“Available January 2011 at your favorite bookseller from Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group.”

GIVEAWAY from Ann Shorey based on Where Wildflowers Bloom!!!

Giveaway alert!
This ties to a book you will soon see my review on! Meanwhile, check out this chance to win! :)
Carol

Enter the MERCANTILE MEMORIES Giveaway !!!
Visit HERE for all the information and to enter to win.

ABOUT THE GIVEAWAY:

In Where Wildflowers Bloom, Book 1 in author Ann Shorey’s brand new Sisters at Heart series, Faith Lindberg wants nothing more than to escape her small Missouri town, and the graveyard of painful memories left by the Civil War. She plans to sell her grandfather’s mercantile, and join a wagon train bound for Oregon. But her grandfather, and a handsome stable man have other plans!

To celebrate the story, author Ann Shorey and Revell Books are proud to announce the MERCANTILE MEMORIES giveaway, featuring three incredible prizes.

GRAND PRIZE:

Our Grand Prize winner will receive an heirloom chess set, handmade from 1830s chestnut & cherry wood, just like the one Judge Lindberg and Curt use in their chess battles.

SECOND PRIZE:

Our Second Prize winner will receive a deluxe, Missouri-shaped box of mercantile goods from the Missouri Mercantile company. The box features an assortment of items just like those stocked by Faith in Lindberg’s Mercantile.

THIRD PRIZE:

Our Third Prize winner will receive a Memoirs Gift Set. Write your memoirs just like Judge Lindberg does in the story! The set includes the bestselling Writing the Memoir book, and a $30 gift card to Blurb, to create and print your story.

The Keeper by Suzanne Woods Fisher (Book One of the Stoney Ridge Seasons)

Today's review is for The Keeper, by Suszanne Woods Fisher. This was a sweet book, and not just because of the honey from the bees! Julia has figured for years that she is going to marry Paul Fisher.  However, things are just not working out. To top off her wild (by Amish standards) family, her father's heart is failing, her sisters are stressed, and the house is too much to keep up with for them while her one special brother tries to keep up with the work of an entire farm all on his own.  Right in the middle of all this Roman, the bee keeper decides to stay at their place, and "Stern" Fern who is now their house keeper approves! All Julia can see is that he is a very aggravating man, and that she can't figure out why Paul can't commit. So very much in her life is about to change! I am glad I read this book, and I am wondering about the rest of the books in this series.  Carol  We are also excited to let you know that the author is sponsoring a special promotion for this book, including a Facebook Party and an iPad Giveaway!   The iPad giveaway:         http://promoshq.wildfireapp.com/website/6/contests/183799   Running now until January 17th The Facebook Party:       http://www.facebook.com/events/209723589116292     Party is on January 17th, and the winner of the prize package will be announced there. The Keeper, Book 1 in the Stoney Ridge Seasons series!  "The Stoney Ridge Season starts off with characters who are trying to make the right choices, but sometimes with unexpected results. Fisher always brings freshness to her Amish novels. The Amish culture is interesting to read and learn about, but there is also a message: God has plans and those plans may vary greatly from the plans you have." -Romantic Times, 4 Stars Julia Lapp has planned on marrying Paul Fisher since she was a girl. Now twenty-one, she looks forward to their wedding with giddy anticipation. When Paul tells her he wants to postpone the wedding--again--she knows who is to blame. Perpetual bachelor and spreader of cold feet, Roman Troyer, the Bee Man. Roamin' Roman travels through the Amish communities of Ohio and Pennsylvania with his hives full of bees, renting them out to farmers in need of pollinators. He relishes his nomadic life, which keeps him from thinking about all he has lost. He especially enjoys bringing his bees to Stoney Ridge each year. But with Julia on a mission to punish him for inspiring Paul's cold feet, the Lapp farm is looking decidedly less pleasant. Can Julia secure the future she's always dreamed of? Or does God have something else in mind? Full of the plot twists and surprises her fans love, The Keeper is the first in a new series by bestselling author Suzanne Woods Fisher. Through touching family relationships and trials of the heart, Fisher's vivid characters grapple with yielding to God's will when it doesn't match their own.

 

Suzanne Woods Fisher is a bestselling author of Amish fiction and non-fiction and the host of a weekly radio program called Amish Wisdom. She has twenty books under contract with Revell--seven published, thirteen to come...she's contracted all the way into 2016. The Waiting was a finalist for a 2011 Christy Award. The Choice was finalist for a 2011 Carol Award. Amish Peace: Simple Wisdom for a Complicated World and Amish Proverbs: Words of Wisdom from the Simple Life were both finalists for the ECPA Book of the Year (2010, 2011).

Her interest in the Amish began with her grandfather, W.D. Benedict, who was raised Plain. She has many, many Plain relatives living in Franklin County, Pennsylvania, and travels back to Pennsylvania, as well as to Ohio, a couple of times each year for research.

Suzanne has a great admiration for the Plain people and believes they provide wonderful examples to the world.  In both her fiction and non-fiction books, she has an underlying theme: You don't have to "go Amish" to incorporate many of their principles--simplicity, living with less, appreciating nature, forgiving others more readily-- into your life.

When Suzanne isn't writing or bragging to her friends about her first new grandbaby (!), she is raising puppies for Guide Dogs for the Blind. To Suzanne's way of thinking, you just can't take life too seriously when a puppy is tearing through your house with someone's underwear in its mouth.

Keep up on Suzanne's latest news on Facebook, Twitter and on her blog!

“Available January 2012 at your favorite bookseller from Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group.”

The Maid Of Fairbourne Hall by Julie Klassen

Welcome to my first review of 2012! 

The Maid of Fairbourne Hall has the honor of being the first book reviewed on my blog for 2012.

This is the second book I have read of hers. You can see my review of  The Girl in the Gatehouse by clicking on the name, and I liked it quite well. 

Margret has decided she can't marry the man she was expected to, so she runs away to London. With out a husband she is with out support of her own, since she isn't wealthy enough to support herself. (Like many of us!) Being in this predicament she decides that her best option is to go to work. She is totally unprepared for this lifestyle change, but she has no choice. Her inheritance will not be hers for a few more months yet, and since she can't risk her virtue she runs away with her maid Joan. Joan is not going to be staying with her, so Margret under the name of Nora soon finds herself employed at Fairbourne Hall. That would be unremarkable, if it were not that she is a lady in disguise with her life on the line, or if it were not the home of not one but two of her formerly shunned suitors! 

Soon "Nora" is watching the inside workings, as she is working, of this home. She is wondering if it is not too late to figure out a way to gain the attention, favor and love of this man and get her life back on track. At the same time she is now privy to inside information. Margret has to decide what to do, who to trust, and how to act in kindness, with a loving and serving heart. Something she grew up not totally understanding. 

I really enjoyed this book, as I did the last one. I plan to read all of Julie Klassen's books that I can! 

Carol 

This week, the  Christian Fiction Blog Alliance  is introducing  The Maid of Fairbourne Hall  Bethany House (January 1, 2012)  by  Julie Klassen  ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Julie worked in publishing for sixteen years (first in advertising, then as a fiction editor) and now writes full time. Two of her books, The Girl in the Gatehouse and The Silent Governess won the Christy Award for Historical Romance. The Girl in the Gatehouse also won a Midwest Book Award and The Silent Governess was a finalist in Romance Writers of America's RITA awards.

She graduated from the University of Illinois and enjoys travel, research, BBC period dramas, long hikes, short naps, and coffee with friends. Julie and her husband have two sons and live near St. Paul, Minnesota.


ABOUT THE BOOK

Pampered Margaret Macy flees London in disguise to escape pressure to marry a dishonorable man. With no money and nowhere else to go, she takes a position as a housemaid in the home of Nathaniel Upchurch, a suitor she once rejected in hopes of winning his dashing brother. Praying no one will recognize her, Margaret fumbles through the first real work of her life. If she can last until her next birthday, she will gain an inheritance from a spinster aunt--and sweet independence. But can she remain hidden as a servant even when prying eyes visit Fairbourne Hall?

Observing both brothers as an "invisible" servant, Margaret learns she may have misjudged Nathaniel. Is it too late to rekindle his admiration? And when one of the family is nearly killed, Margaret alone discovers who was responsible. Should she come forward, even at the risk of her reputation and perhaps her life? And can she avoid an obvious trap meant to force her from hiding?

On her journey from wellborn lady to servant to uncertain future, Margaret must learn to look past appearances and find the true meaning of "serve one another in love."

If you would like to read the first chapter of The Maid of Fairbourne Hall, go HERE

The book link is: http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0764207091