Tag Archives: Christian Fiction

Lovely Summer Read!

28 Sunday May 2017

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Sweet Magnolias

After reading Celeste Fletcher McHale’s debut novel, The Secret to Hummingbird Cake,  I have been anxiously awaiting her next novel. If you have not read The Secret to Hummingbird Cake, you must! I recommended it to more friends last year than I can remember. This new novel by McHale is also a page turner and an excellent choice for summer reading.

I love the use and reference to the magnolia in this novel. The central character in this book, Jacey, is both strong and soft, much like the magnolia. Jacey suffered PTSD from an experience she had in the flood waters of the Mississippi.  She doesn’t want to remember the terrible day that her life was forever changed, but she also can’t forget.  Mostly, she can’t forget the man she spent three days with during the flood, Colin. They had an instant connection, but somehow in the turmoil of rescue, they lost one another. In this novel, Jacey and Colin try to find their way back to each other.

I enjoyed this book for its southern flair and interesting twists and turns.  Like any good book I read, I managed to finish in just a few late night binges. I didn’t love it quite as much as McHale’s first novel,  but I would definitely recommend it without hesitation. I would have loved a little more page time between Jacey and Colin. Other than that, this book is a must read! I was given a complimentary copy of this book by its publisher and BookLookBloggers.  I was not required to give this book a positive. review. I have not been compensated in any way and all opinions are my own.

 

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A New Favorite from Tamera Alexander

25 Wednesday Jan 2017

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I have had the privilege of reading all three books in Tamera Alexander’s Belmont Mansion series.  This last book, A Note Yet Unsung is without a question my favorite of the three! It was a fantastic ending to a fabulous series!! While this book is third in the series, you could absolutely read it as a stand alone. Tamera Alexander does include characters from the previous books, but in a fun flashback sort of way.

A Note Yet Unsung, is a charming story about a tenacious woman before her time. Rebekah Carrington has arrived home to Nashville from Vienna without money or a safe place to live. She is an extremely talented musician living in a time when women are not invited to participate in symphonies. She soon finds that the city has acquired its own philharmonic with a promising conductor, Nathaniel T. Whitcomb. The war is over and times are changing… perhaps Mr. Whitcomb will offer her an opportunity to live her dream. Her hope for her future rests in hands.

I love the way Tamera Alexander develops this story. There is no love at first sight or unbelievable relationship created. Page by page, Rebekah and Nathaniel get to know one another. I love the amount of page time dedicated to the development of their story. This story is perfection, an easy five stars. I was given a complimentary copy of this book by Netgalley. I was not required to give it a positive review. To be perfectly honest, I was patiently waiting for this book’s release so I could request it. I would have purchased a copy for myself because Tamera Alexander is in my top three must read authors!!

A New Book from Julie Klassen

21 Wednesday Dec 2016

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I am a long time fan of author Julie Klassen. I have read every book she has written with the exception of The Silent Governess. My favorites include The Secret of Pembrooke Park, The Girl in the Gatehouse, and The Painter’s Daughter.  Klassen’s new novel, The Innkeeper of Ivy Hill, is a bit different than her prior novels. I can’t say that it will make my list of favorites, but it could be a start to an interesting series.

The Innkeeper of Ivy Hill isn’t so much about a single character but about an entire town with a focus on a number of characters.  If you follow period dramas and novels, I would liken the setting to Lark Rise to Candleford with hints of Jane Austen and even the Mitford Series by Jan Karon. Klassen discloses these as inspiration in her Author’s Notes, but I assumed so as I read…especially because of a character named Sir Timothy (Lark Rise to Candleford).

Of all the characters Klassen writes about in this novel, my least favorite was Thora who gets quite a bit of page time. I am pretty sure she was meant to be more like a Dorkus (Lark Rise again) but I couldn’t shake the image of Harriet Olsen from Little House on the Prairie.  Thora is a tough middle aged woman who lacks any gentility and was difficult to pull for in the story. My favorite character, Jane, didn’t get as much page time as Thora. Well, at least it felt that way.  The book begins with Jane and her current predicament of widowhood, looming debt, and an Inn she never really had much to with that is now hers to run. This novel is not about Jane finding love again, or being rescued by anyone but herself.  I’ll admit that I am a sucker for romantic historical fiction and because all romance in this book belongs to Thora…I struggled.

I will read the next book in this series, with hope that I will see some closure for characters I feel like I have come to know. Klassen is still one of my favorite authors, this just wasn’t my favorite book. It took me longer than usual to get through, but I did finish.  I would encourage you to read The Painter’s Daughter to really get why Klassen is such an amazing writer. She really is top notch.  I was given a complimentary copy of this title by its publisher. I was not required to give a positive review. All opinions and thoughts are my own and I have not been compensated.

Book Review: Wild Montana Skies

25 Tuesday Oct 2016

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What I love about every Susan May Warren book I read is her uncanny ability to draw me into a story immediately. In her novels, there is never a hump to get over. You know, the endless stream of details the reader has to get through to get to the story. Warren drops her reader right into the story! Wild Montana Skies is a delightful novel that feels like watching a favorite movie. From the very beginning I was in all the way.

Wild Montana Skies is book one in Susan May Warren’s new Montana Rescue series. I am a big fan of Warren’s and this book lives up to her usual greatness. In this novel, the main story involves two people once in love returning to their home town. They are brought back together by a local emergency and a one tie that can’t be easily broken.  Warren also begins the story of another pair…but leaves us hanging! I do hope that she picks up the story in book 2, Rescue Me. I will be looking forward to it!

I was given a complimentary copy of this book by its publisher, Revell. I was not required to give this book a positive review, or compensated in any way. I recommend this book to both readers young and old. Warren tells a clean love story that is appropriate for girls in their late teens as well as adult readers.

Fun and Flirty Texas Love Story

25 Saturday Apr 2015

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Every Bride needs a Groom

This new book by Janice Thompson is pure fun and perfect for hopeless romantics who watch or read their favorite love stories over and over again. Every Bride Needs a Groom is less than subtle with its Texas overtones and Steel Magnolia type personalities. All of the characters are thick with accents and geographic stereotypes. But these are the reasons it is so charming and enjoyable to read. Because I have lived in Texas, shopped at Brookshire Brothers, and eaten at Sam’s, I know that Janice Thompson hit the mark with her characters. For and added bonus, all of the chapter titles are song titles of the one and only Loretta Lynn.

In Every Bride Needs a Groom, Thompson introduces Katie Fisher who is in love with weddings and gowns and all things bridal. Sadly, her hopes are dashed when her long time boyfriend Casey reveals he has no plans of marriage, but of a new adventure…in another state. Having jumped the gun, Katie entered a contest and won a wedding dress from a top designer and now must claim her prize without a groom or a wedding date.

Her new love interest is an injured professional basketball player whose mama just happens to be the dress designer. I loved this story for the way Thompson follows Katie and Brady (the basketball player). Nothing is rushed or unbelievable in their story. Well…minus the part about a basketball player running a bridal shop. But, this is fiction, and the magic is in the unfathomable happening. I am most excited about being able to continue reading Katie and Brady’s story in Book 2, Every Girl Gets Confused.  

Four and a half stars from this Texas loving reader! I was given a complimentary copy of this book by its publisher in exchange for an honest review. I have not been compensated and all opinions are my own.

JANICE THOMPSON is a seasoned romance author and screenwriter. An expert at pulling the humor from situations we get ourselves into, Thompson offers an inside look at the wedding business, drawing on her own experiences as a wedding planner. She is the author of the hugely popular Weddings by Bella series, the Backstage Pass series, and the Weddings by Design series. She lives in Texas. Learn more at www.janicethomposn.com.

Book Review: Fair Play by Deeanne Gist

29 Saturday Mar 2014

Posted by in Books I LOVE, Recently Read, Reviewed Books

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Fair PlayDeeanne Gist has become one of my favorite authors to read. She writes these fun, romantic, suspenseful, historical fiction dramas magnificently. There is a short list of authors I read with frequency, and she is on it.  Fair Play is a title I will read again because it a great story with interesting characters. I loved it as much as I adored Love on the Line and A Bride Most Begrudging.

Fair Play takes place at the Chicago World’s Fair in 1893. Billy Jack Tate is a determined female doctor who is looking to make her way in the field of medicine. She is feisty, but still very much a lady. She has just hung her shingle, but hasn’t had much of a reception because medicine is a man’s world. Billy soon meets a handsome stranger who also happens to be a Texas Ranger. He is Hunter Scott and is the definition of a man’s man. They are an unlikely pair. Hunter discovers an abandoned baby at the fair and looks to Billy for help. His discovery takes the two of them down an unexpected path. Together, they work to bring life to one of the poorest neighborhoods in Chicago. At the same time, feelings grow between them.

This book is definitely a must read for lovers of historical fiction. It tugs at heart-strings with weightier matters but will also cause you to laugh out loud. I was given a complimentary copy of this book by its publisher and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.  I have offered my honest opinion without compensation.