The Ride Of Her Life by Lorna Seilstad

Welcome to a review of The Ride Of Her Life. Lilly is independent, and stubborn and missing her deceased husband, Ben. Her son, Levi, is into everything creature related. For example, building a house out of blocks while visiting his Grandparents, and then dumping ants into it. However, he isn't too happy when the ants aren't staying in their newly built house. Lilly has her hands full indeed just with raising her son. 

Turns out her former in-laws don't think she is up to the task, and she works full time running a pretty decent sized diner, so she is always cooking and cleaning. Her former in-laws want custody of Levi, and that is a threat that Lilly can't bear. When Nick comes into town Levi finds him fascinating. Nick can build things, like snake cages, and roller coasters! Nick seems like a really good guy, but Lilly isn't ready for anything else since loosing Ben. She is hurt, stressed, tired, and deep down, lonesome. It also might not be a good idea to get attached to Nick, he is just going to leave when the shows leave, and would be leaving her and Levi broken-hearted. Even so, too many people have their own agendas for Lilly and Levi's lives, and if Lilly is going to make it she has to figure out what God things, and where she really stands once and for all. 

This was a cute book, and Levi was simply a wonderful character. It would be nice to read a book with him grown, to see how he has changed or grown up. 

Carol 

She's planted firmly on solid ground.
He's ready to sweep her off her feet.

The only man pragmatic Lilly Hart needs in her life is a six-year-old. Widowed for three years, Lilly has decided to leave the home of her intrusive in-laws to stand on her own. However, her in-laws find her new life as a cook at Lake Manawa utterly unsuitable for their grandson. When an argument ensues, a handsome stranger--who designs roller coasters, of all things--intercedes on her behalf. But Lilly is not about to get involved with any man, especially this cocky gentleman. Little does she know she is about to begin the ride of her life.

Filled with the sweet romance of summer, The Ride of Her Life will have you laughing out loud and sighing contentedly as you spend the summer of 1906 at Lake Manawa.

Endorsements

"With her expected wit and humor, Lorna Seilstad has penned another winner. You'll be captivated by the characters and history inThe Ride of Her Life. Hang on and enjoy--this book is truly a fun ride."--Judith Miller, bestselling author of the Daughters of Amana series

"Buckle up! With a sparkle of humor, heart-pumping romance, and a writing style that is fresh, fun, and addictive, Lorna Seilstad takes you on The Ride of Her Life--and yours--along the fun-filled shores of 1906 Lake Manawa."--Julie Lessman, award-winning author of the Daughters of Boston and the Winds of Change series.

A history buff, antique collector, and freelance graphic designer, Lorna Seilstad is the author of Making Waves and A Great Catch. She draws her setting from her home state of Iowa. A former high school English and journalism teacher, she has won several online writing awards and is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers.

Book Link: http://www.amazon.com/Ride-Her-Life-The-Summers/dp/0800734475/ref=la_B003HLGWJ2_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1338437010&sr=1-1

Author's web site:  http://www.lornaseilstad.com/

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

A Love Forbidden by Kathleen Morgan (Heart Of The Rockies Series)

A Love Forbidden is about a young woman named Shiloh who has a heart for the Ute people. Shiloh has been drawn to them from a very young age, but yet she is a white woman. Not exactly one of the People. (That is the correct term for those are Native American, known as Indians for a very long time.)

The ways of the Ute are not the ways of the White Man. That can be extremly different in some areas where God, or Creator is concerned. In her work and desire to reach out to the children of the Ute People, Shiloh soon finds Jesse, a "half-breed" who she loved and adored from their childhood friendship. Frankly, Shiloh has always really loved Jesse, but is he now a man she can love forever? The White Man is already harassing and waging war on the People of this area. How can two people who love each other survive wars between their kin and kindred and differences in beliefs and customs?

A Love Forbidden was a nice read. I liked Shiloh, she was just strong enough to maintain her ground and her Faith with out being cruel when she could have been. The People were treated with respect in this book, and that goes a long way with me.

Carol

About the book: 
Moved by the desire for adventure and a yearning to help the Ute Indians, twenty-year-old Shiloh Wainright impulsively accepts a teaching position at the White River Indian Agency in northwestern Colorado.

The new job, however, isn't what she imagined it would be, and Shiloh soon finds herself caught in the cross fire between the Utes, their unyielding Indian Agent, and the unrealistic demands of the US government.

Her unexpected encounter with Jesse Blackwater, an embittered half-breed Ute and childhood friend, only complicates matters as they battle their growing feelings for each other amidst the spiraling tensions threatening to explode into a catastrophic Indian uprising.

                                                  About The Author:

Kathleen was born in sunny Long Beach, California, one of four daughters of a career Army officer. As a former Army nurse with a master's degree in counseling, she has lived in Germany, Korea, Maryland, Texas, Virginia, Louisiana, Florida, Washington, D.C., Alabama, California, and Colorado. She is married to a retired Army helicopter pilot and is the mother of two sons-one deceased- and stepmother to another son and a daughter, both of whom have been very busy making her a grandmother.

In her free time, Kathleen likes to quilt, play the Celtic harp, and be companion and caretaker to an aging English cocker spaniel. She is also a companion and the wifely caretaker to her husband, who is not quite so aged :)

Kathleen's Writing - 

Kathleen began her career writing contemporary romances and soon moved to historical and futuristic romances. She sold her first book, a futuristic romance, in April 1990 while stationed in Korea as an Army nurse. Additional romances soon followed, until she had sold a total of fifteen books in the general market, establishing a loyal readership along the way.

Since that time, she has received numerous awards for her work, including a Romantic Times Reviewer's Choice award and Career Achievement award, and The Literary Times award for Literary Excellence in the Field of Romantic Fiction. She was also a Romance Writers of America RITA finalist.

Kathleen now focuses her writing talents in the area of inspirational fiction, offering readers characters who struggle to redefine their growing faith in everyday life.

Her website link is:  http://www.kathleenmorgan.com/html/books.html

Buy this book at: Amazon 

OR READ part of it.... Excerpt

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

Beckon by Tom Pawlik

I think maybe I should warn readers first, that the "average" reader might get scared, even very scared by this book. However, I wasn't afraid as much as drawn! Drawn to read the answers, to find out the rest of the story, to unravel the mysteries.

The front cover says "Beckon COME. And Live Forever" - that alone had me sufficiently curious.
After all, to beckon someone is to bid them to come. So it was sort of like Come... COME! And Live Forever. A call, a draw to live for always, or a warning--- if you come you will be forced to live forever?
Yeah--- I got all that off the front cover before I even started the book.

Beckon starts off with a super quick pace. Jack Kendrick is just a young boy when his Dad tells him about a  place he is going to go research. His Dad is an archaeologist and anthropologist. Jake was sort of blowing it off, because his Dad was always after that elusive "big find", but this time was different. This time his Dad never came back. He simply vanished. That never felt right to Jack, and soon he is grown and graduated from college, but the loss of his Father hasn't left him alone. As he decides to sell the huge estate, he and his best friend Rudy find documents hidden in his Dad's research desk. This quickly sends them on the mission of a lifetime, to go where Jack's dad was last alive and find answers to the questions that plague him. The only problem is these guys are not going to be prepared for what they find! After being forewarned, they quickly wind up in live or death situations in huge caves where men's eyes have not seen the kinds of creatures that dwell there. Jack has found Beckon in search of answers and closure.

But Jack isn't the only one who is bound for Beckon. Other people wind up in this strange town. A town with secrets, a town with a very unique history. A former officer who is trying to find out where people keep disappearing to has gotten herself in a jam tracking her cousin's disappearance. Elina had no idea where she was going to wind up by following these leads. Worse yet, she doesn't have the back up she needs. Let's just say her protocol varied from being by the book for this one. She is in Beckon against her will.

George and his wife Miriam came to Beckon of their own free will. George is very *very* well off, but he can't help his wife with the illness she is fighting. He has been told their is a cure in Beckon, and he is desperate enough to try just about anything to save her. As he drives into Beckon the sign reads -
"Welcome to Beckon - Your Not Here By Chance."

All this is just the very tips of the mysteries and complications that create the town of Beckon! If you could live forever in the body you are in now, would you want to? What price would you pay to save someone you love? What would you sacrifice to be able to have a very long long life? If you come to Beckon - you will find out more than you wanted to know.

My other thoughts--- this book tour always runs for 3 days, but I can't always mange to post for 3 days, even though I do try! That means I can't leave with out telling you that Tom Pawlik's Beckon is a page turner that leaves several questions for readers to think about afterwards. It isn't full of preaching, or even scripture. The contrast between good and evil is shown vividly, and enough of an ending is left for a possible sequel if he wanted to have one. The creatures that live in the caves, both "human" and not-so-human are fascinating as well as lethal, and very well written. This kind of book is not for the faint of heart though. I loved it though because in a way it reminded me of some of my favorite old black and white movies from back in 1935 that just are amazing--- like Beckon. Now I want to read Tom's other two books!

Carol

Book link - http://www.amazon.com/Beckon-Tom-Pawlik/dp/1414338732/ 
Author’s Web site  - http://www.tompawlik.com/
Author Blog - http://tompawlik.blogspot.com/
Author Facebook page - http://www.facebook.com/pages/Tom-Pawlik/42692434035
Author Twitter account - https://twitter.com/#!/TomPawlik

 In conjunction with the CSFF Blog Tour, I received a free copy of this book from the publisher. I am so glad I did! :D

Participants’ links 
Noah Arsenault
Julie Bihn
Thomas Clayton Booher
Thomas Fletcher Booher
Beckie Burnham
Brenda Castro
Theresa Dunlap
Nikole Hahn
Ryan Heart
Bruce Hennigan
Janeen Ippolito
Becky Jesse
Jason Joyner
Carol Keen
Leighton
Rebekah Loper
Katie McCurdy
Shannon McDermott
Karen McSpadden
Rebecca LuElla Miller
Nissa
Joan Nienhuis
Faye Oygard
Crista Richey
Kathleen Smith
Jessica Thomas
Steve Trower
Fred Warren
Shane Werlinger

Chameleon by Jillian Kent

Hi All!

Well, this book came yesterday, so I haven't been able to read much at all! I will do my BEST to post more when I can. Meanwhile, here is the main information that you can read.

Carol

This week, the  Christian Fiction Blog Alliance  is introducing  Chameleon  Realms (May 15, 2012)  by  Jillian Kent


ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Jillian Kent is a busy writer and the alter ego of  Jill Nutter, a full-time counselor.

Jill spent the first semester of her senior year of college at Oxford studying British Literature, where she fell in love with England. During this season, she came to appreciate the written word, the rich imagery of romantic poetry like The Highwayman, and historical novels of many types, including Jane Austen and all things Regency.

Jill received her Bachelor of Arts in Sociology from Bethany College in West Virginia, and her Masters Degree in Social Work from WVU, and she brings her fascination with different cultures and societies into her writing.

Jill has always been a romantic at heart, so readers will find a good dose of romance woven through each of her novels.  Jill, her husband Randy, and children Katie and Meghan are animal lovers. They currently own two dogs, Boo-Boo and Bandit and a menagerie of cats, Lucky, Yuma, Snow, and Holden. Critters of all assortments make their appearance in her stories.  

ABOUT THE BOOK

How much can you really know about someone?

Lady Victoria Grayson has always considered herself a keen observer of human behavior. After battling a chronic childhood illness that kept her homebound for years, she journeys to London determined to have the adventure of a lifetime.

Jaded by his wartime profession as a spy, Lord Witt understands, more than most, that everyone is not always who they pretend to be. He meets Victoria after the Regent requests an investigation into the activities of her physician brother, Lord Ravensmoore.

Witt and Victoria become increasingly entangled in a plot targeting the lords of Parliament. Victoria is forced to question how well she knows those close to her while challenging Witt’s cynical nature and doubts about God. Together they must confront their pasts in order to solve a mystery that could devastate their future.

If you would like to read the first chapter of Chameleon, go HERE.

The book link is: http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1616384964

My Stubborn Heart by Becky Wade

This book caught me by surprise.

I really liked My Stubborn Heart, and I was quite drawn to the story with in the first few pages. Becky Wade created a wonderful balance of romance woven with real life, tragedy, and growth. Kate is a social worker in Dallas, Texas. She comes with her Grandmother up North to Pennsylvania to help restore and renovate the family estate, in order to get away from what her life and her job has become. Kate loves antiques, and this looks like a wonderful way to spend three months time.

Upon arriving and falling for the charming family property, Kate soon finds herself in middle of several other projects. As she works to give the old "mansion" a new life and a new look, she winds up with more than just a house to work on. Some of these "projects" are people. People who need help or friendship, or something a lot more, like to get things right with God again. At the top of that list is Matt. A former famous hockey player, Matt walked from it all when his wife Beth died. Now he is in Redbud, hired to help restore the house and chapel, and unable to escape God's plan for his life. Even though Matt is hard to reach, wounded and angry, Kate has to follow what she hears God saying and help where she can even if it cost her everything - including her heart.

I do read romance novels time to time, and I think many of us can write about romance. However it isn't often that I read a book where the "leading lady" suffers in ways that I have been able to relate to.  I also find it a little more uncommon that the author of the book also writes in that same romance enough real life details, true pain and real struggles with God. In this book all that is able to come out of the pages and into the hearts of the reader(s). This book did that for me. If you are listing romance novels to read you would do well to place My Stubborn Heart on your reading list.

Carol

This week theChristian Fiction Blog Allianceis introducingMy Stubborn Heart Bethany House Publishers; Original edition (May 1, 2012)byBecky Wade 
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Becky Wade is a graduate of Baylor University. As a newlywed, she lived for three years in a home overlooking the turquoise waters of the Caribbean, as well as in Australia, before returning to the States. A mom of three young children, Becky and her family now live in Dallas, Texas.






ABOUT THE BOOK

A Sensational CBA Debut in Contemporary Romance!
This summer author Becky Wade makes her CBA debut with a fun -- and funny -- contemporary romance. Amidst the light-hearted banter and laugh-out-loud moments is a compelling spiritual journey of one woman's choice to listen to God and wait on him.  Filled with humor and authentic romance, My Stubborn Heart is shaping up to be the hit of the summer.

Kate Donovan is burned out on work, worn down by her dating relationships, and in need of an adventure. When Kate's grandmother asks Kate to accompany her to Redbud, Pennsylvania, to restore the grand old house she grew up in, Kate jumps at the chance.

Yet, she discovers a different kind of project upon meeting the man hired to renovate the house. Matt Jarreau is attractive and clearly wounded -- hiding from people, from God, and from his past.  Kate can't help but set her stubborn heart on bringing him out of the dark and back into the light... whether he likes it or not.

If you would like to read the first chapter of My Stubborn Heart, go HERE.

The book link is: http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0764209744 

Submerged by Dani Pettrey

Enter the cold and warm weather of Alaska!  

Submerged is about Bailey and her return to Yancey, Alaska. Bailey grew up there, fell in love there, had her heart broken, had her reputation ruined, her life almost lost, and she left. Sometime after she left she got her life together with Jesus and now her aunt has died. Agnes is dead, and Bailey has inherited the Russian American Post, even if she doesn't quite want it. 

Worse yet, the former love of her life is still in Yancey. It is a small town, people either leave and never come back, or they never leave at all. The exceptions are tourists, and now a killer. The plane Agnes was on took her life, and the life of the pilot and other couple. Now more strange things are happening. Mysteries are needing to be solved while at the same time life and the complications that go with it are just trucking alone. Time is getting shorter. Bailey, Cole and Cole's family need to find answers fast, before the death toll rises yet again and takes outs out more people they love. 

The trace through Russian and Romanian history that unfolds in this book is wonderful. I really enjoyed it. Submerged has plenty of adventure, tears and not many slow moving parts! I liked watching the mystery unfold, and the ending was quite good. 

Carol 

This week, the Christian Fiction Blog Alliance is introducing Submerged Bethany House Publishers; Original edition (May 1, 2012) by Dani Pettrey


ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Dani Pettrey is a wife, homeschooling mom, and author. She feels blessed to write inspirational romantic suspense because it incorporates so many things she loves--the thrill of adventure, nail biting suspense, the deepening of her characters' faith, and plenty of romance. She and her husband reside in Maryland with their two teenage daughters.

Just in case you’re curious…The real Dani does love traveling. She’s been to some amazing places (Greece, Hawaii, the Keys) and there are many more she hopes to visit in the future.

And while she’s not quite up to sky-diving, cave diving or heli-skiing (too high, too enclosed, too cold!) she and her family love hiking, canoeing, wave jumping and a ton of other outdoor adventures a little further down on the risk scale.

ABOUT THE BOOK

A sabotaged plane. Two dead deep-water divers.

Yancey, Alaska was a quiet town . . . until the truth of what was hidden in the depths off the coast began to appear.

Bailey Craig vowed never to set foot in Yancey again. She has a past, and a reputation--and Yancey's a small town. She's returned to bury a loved one killed in the plane crash and is determined not to stay even an hour more than necessary. But then dark evidence emerges and Bailey's own expertise becomes invaluable for the case.

Cole McKenna can handle the deep-sea dives and helping the police recover evidence. He can even handle the fact that a murderer
has settled in his town and doesn't appear to be moving on. But dealing with the reality of Bailey's reappearance is a tougher challenge.

She broke his heart, but she is not the same girl who left Yancey. He let her down, but he's not the same guy she left behind. Can they move beyond the hurts of their pasts and find a future together?

If you would like to read the first chapter of Submerged, go HERE.

The book link is: http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/ 0764209825 

The Soul Saver by Dineen Miller

This book was not what I expected, it was better! The Soul Saver is about Lexie, and the gift that God has given her. She wakes up from dreams in the early hours of the morning, and dashes into her studio. There, in a tired but slightly frantic daze she sculpts the face she has been shown in her dream. Later that day or week, God leads her to that person, and because she has sculpted their face, she knows who they are when she sees them. That has worked for every face so far but one, one face that she hasn't been able to see clearly enough to sculpt yet.

Lexie doesn't have the kind of life that most people write about, but she has the kind of life that more people have than they want to admit. Her husband, Hugh, is not a Christian. It is a constant barrier and gulf between them in their marriage. They have one son, Jeremy, and a daughter, Mandy, who has died at a very young age.

Lexie's world isn't staying stable. Some of her missions of people to help are extremely challenging to her Faith, and even her marriage. Between Hugh not know who or what she really is, and her not being able to talk to him, and her few and far between freinds --- well Lexie is going to have to trust God with every things she has, and then some. And then there is the demon. The Enemy always has goals, and some that are only able to come into play if we allow them. Pastor Nate knows this first hand, up close and very personally. When his fight becomes part of Lexie's fight lives will change, or they will end.

A very deep book, I really was interested to read the fight of one wife who is married to a man she loves, who is bound for Hell. A man blind to the way of Spiritual warfare, and in danger of losing his own soul, and his family. I can see how this book would make a huge impact on those with non-Christian spouses, as well as in other areas. The Soul Saver is worth reading.

Carol

This week, the Christian Fiction Blog Alliance is introducing The Soul Saver Barbour Books (May 1, 2012) by Dineen Miller

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Dineen Miller readily admits that one of the greatest lessons she’s learning about life is that there’s purpose in our trials. It’s all about trusting God and putting our hope in Him. Her favorite stories are of the miracles God has wrought in the lives of her family.

Through this lens she also believes her years as a youth counselor, a Stephen Minister, a women’s ministry leader, and a small group leader fuel her desire to ignite the souls of others through words of truth.

In addition to writing for Spiritually Unequal Marriage, Dineen has won several prestigious awards for her fiction, and her devotional writing has been featured in Our Journey and Christian Women Online Magazine. She’s also a C.L.A.S.S. Communicator and has been featured on the Moody Radio Network, Family Life and Focus on the Family Radio.

Married for 24 years to a guy who keeps her young, she lives in the Bay Area with her husband and two adult daughters, who surprise her daily with their own creativity.

She is the co-author of Winning Him Without Words: 10 Keys to Thriving in Your Spiritually Mismatched Marriage and the author of The Soul Saver.


ABOUT THE BOOK

When Trusting God Is the Only Way Out

On an average day, God started her missions in her sculpting studio, revealing the face of the person she would meet at the grocery store, bank, or playground. The goal was always the same. Reach the lost, bring someone back to God, restore hope. But then came the tough missions—the ones that sent Lexie Baltimore into real battle. And she had a few battle scars to show for it.

Tormented that she can’t reach the one person she loves the most—staunch atheist and husband Hugh—Lexie finds her own hope waning when the battle comes to her doorstep in the shape of a pastor who represents everything she wants and everything her husband is not—a godly man.

Then false accusations and rumors spin her husband and family into a precarious position, and the only way out is to trust God. But how can she convince her husband when she’s struggling to trust God herself?

This time Lexie is the mission.

ENDORSEMENTS:

“Never before have I felt as if I were seeing someone’s life play out across a page until I read Soul Saver. Dineen Miller's prose had me sighing at the beauty of her word pictures. This is not a book to be missed – Life changing!”
— Robin Caroll, author of the Evil series and Injustice For All

“When you combine stellar writing, intriguing characters, and a fascinating plot the result is a story like Soul Saver. It’s the kind of novel I wish I had written.”
— James L. Rubart, bestselling author of ROOMS, Book of Days, and The Chair

If you would like to read the first chapter of The Soul Saver, go HERE.

The book link is: http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1616265825