"The Quilted Heart" by Mona Hodgson

 

A group of ladies outside St. Charles, Missouri meet weekly to quilt - and face post-war life together - each Thursday.  They quilt, pray, and keep each other going through the tough years during and following the Civil War.  They also counsel each other through healing and second chances at love and romance.

  The Quilted Heart is the very best kind of novella - it's a novella trilogy that follows a group of friends through the course of several seasons.  Hodgson wove love and romance through this group of friends, offering them all second chances at love, all while keeping the same wide cast of characters.  It really gave the reader the feel of a a big story instead of a small novella - you have the opportunity to fall deeply in love with the characters and to champion their causes.  The stories were deep, the faith questions real and the answers valid, and the problems are historically appropriate and interesting.

I really enjoyed reading about these people - these friends.  I must say, though, that I liked the first two stories the best, for all of the above reasons.  

The third was a bit different.  The third story felt more like a wrap-it-all-up story to me.  There were multiple love threads that were never pulled.  A sequel would be a great possibility, because I'd love to hang around these people again and hear more of their stories - but this one part felt unfinished to me.

The ending of the last story was also very open-ended.  There's nothing wrong with that, of course - but the love story was not quite wrapped up.  It really hadn't quite begun.  While you can see where the author was going with it, I personally prefer more details.  So maybe a sequel is in order.  I could certainly get behind that - but I wasn't ready for that final story to end.

Is that a good thing?  I don't know.  Read The Quilted Heart and find out for yourself.

I received a free copy of The Quilted Heart from Bethany House in exchange for an honest review.

"All Things Hidden" by Tracie Peterson & Kimberly Woodhouse

 Gwyn Hillerman loves being a nurse at her father's clinic on the beautiful Alaskan frontier. But family life has been rough ever since her mother left them, disdaining the uncivilized country and taking Gwyn's younger sister with her.

In Chicago, Dr. Jeremiah Vaughan finds his life suddenly turned upside down when his medical license is stripped away after an affluent patient dies. In a snowball effect, his fiance breaks their engagement. In an attempt to bury the past, Jeremiah accepts Dr. Hillerman's invitation to join his growing practice in the isolated Alaska Territory.

Gwyn and Jeremiah soon recognize a growing attraction to each other. But when rumors of Jeremiah's past begin to surface, they'll need more than love to face the threat of an uncertain future.

All Things Hidden is a most unusual Depression-era story with a very unique twist:  the settlement of Alaska.  I didn't know that the poor national economy spawned a huge government movement to shift people to the territory of Alaska, so the very premise was exciting.  Since the reality of Alaska as our final national frontier is of a rustic, dangerous place, the setting screamed 'new' and 'different.' 

I really liked as a leading lady.  She was both humble and hardworking but human, too.  She wanted to fall in love and have a family, all the while struggling with the one that she was born into.  She's pulled in too many directions, like far too many of us, and she could be the girl next door.

The action sped up throughout the story.  In the beginning you learn primarily about what will happen, at least according to government agents, but as time progresses the plan's problems begin to arise.  With Gwyn and her father being the primary troubleshooters in the new Alaskan settlement, they're on the front lines of action - and that continues as stalkers, murder, and general mayhem ensue.  This makes for a dramatic and page-turning read, and after a chapter or two, I couldn't put it down.

I've never read a Peterson novel that I didn't like, and All Things Hidden didn't disappoint.  If you're a Peterson fan, this is a must-read.

I received a free copy of All Things Hidden from Bethany House Publishers in exchange for an honest review.

"The God Puzzle" by Valerie Ackermann

The God Puzzle is a colorful, easy to use tool to help you communicate to your child the rich truths about God, His ways, His will and His love. The God Puzzle will help you address doctrinal themes of the Christian faith in a kid friendly way, present Bible lessons in an interactive way that will hold the child's attention and deliver quality teaching with no preparation needed. 75% of children leave the church when they leave home. Something isn't working. Sunday School isn't doing it all. Kids need answers, good ones. And they need them from you, the parent. This book enables you to give them simple, clear answers.

What makes The God Puzzle unique?

• ready made discussion questions for parent to ask their child in each lesson
• can be done at any pace that works with your family . . . every night, once a week, 10 minutes here, 30 minutes there . . . it fits into realistic family life
• puts the pieces together for a child to understand God, the Bible, and the Christian faith
• in each lesson the responds to the truth so they understand their relationship to God is personal and life transforming
• any parent, whether they know nothing, or a lot about God can start teaching their child today with no prep
• deep theology put into language a child can understand
• deeply Biblical, each lesson points to Christ
• put in an order that starts with creation, and teaches the Bible as one story that all points to Christ
• child stays engaged by filling in blanks, crosswords, drawing, matching and using their Bibles as they learn

The premise of this book is an important one:  to teach kids about how the entire Bible fits together.  We often teach individual Bible stories to little ones, but do we show them how far and wide and intricate the love story of the Bible really is?  How it’s not a bunch of separate stories but our history as God’s created and chosen people and how He has been patiently loving us since the time of Eden?

With that goal in mind, the chapters in the book walk kids step-by-step through a study of the important beliefs of Christians, and that’s a distinct difference from what I expected: it’s not a walk through the Bible, it’s a walk through God’s love story to us.  There is a great deal of scripture in each lesson; some for the kids to look up, some to think about, some to pray about, some to ponder, some to copy.  The scripture references do not go in either Biblical or chronological order, but are pulled out according to the topic that they address.  I think that this trait alone bumps up the difficulty level of this book. 

The readers are not unpacking just one verse, but instead studying how various parts of the Bible all support God’s plan of salvation for His people.  If the kids are not familiar with their Bibles, these lessons will be a bit time-consuming  as there are lots of scripture references to find, but then again, becoming familiar with the Bible is also a very good thing.

Each chapter is a lesson and takes about four pages of the book.  There is an activity for the kids to do in nearly every lesson – something like a word puzzle or something to color.  There are also review or discussion questions located at the end of each chapter.

I have only one big concern with this book.  While the lessons come straight from scripture, we know that different people interpret those scriptures differently - and one of the biggest differences among Protestants is how baptism is handled.  The God Puzzle takes a decidedly Baptist view on the issue, which may be very confusing for Methodists or those with similar ideas.  For those people, I'd recommend being prepared with your views and scriptural basis for why you believe what you do and be ready to discuss it thoroughly.  Isn't that basically what we're supposed to do, anyway?

According to the author, this book is geared for ages 7 to 12.  My Big Helper is eager to get started, and she’s 8 – but I do think that the lessons are very meaty and deep.  That’s a good thing – but it may be too much to do one lesson in one sitting.  I can see this book being a great resource for an upper elementary or middle school youth group.  It could be fun to have different groups of kids looking up different scriptures and then sharing their thoughts with the whole group - think-pair-share style.  I also thought of many art and extension activities that might help the lessons to stick for visual or kinesthetic learners.

As a bonus, the back of the book contains a list of scripture verses according to topic that kids can look up to find out what the Bible has to say about given things.  Worrying?  Scared?  There's verses there for you.

The God Puzzle is a fantastic resource for parents at home and for young youth groups.  This book tackles the Bible in a way that even adults sometimes miss - and it shows how every piece of the Bible fits together like a puzzle to make up God's plan.  As adults, we need to be studying this.  As parents, we need to be teaching this to our children.  We cannot neglect the big picture look at the fine details of God's plan.

This is the perfect resource to help you do it.

Click here to read other reviews on this bloggy hop or here to purchase your own copy now.

Valerie Ackermann has a BA in Theology and has been a full time Children's Ministry Director at Parkwood Community Church in California for over 10 years. She is also a weekly Sunday school teacher, wife, and busy mom of two boys ages 9 and 11. She has hands-on experience as a children's ministry professional, teaching and leading children of all ages. Growing up in a Christian family in the small town of Saskatchewan Canada, she has wonderful memories of knowing God from an early age. She has a passion for kids to know the deep truths of God. 

Find out more at LeadMeToGod.com.

I received a free copy of The God Puzzle from LitFuse Publicity in exchange for an honest review.

"Stones for Bread" by Christa Parrish

 A solitary artisan. A legacy of bread-baking. And one secret that could collapse her entire identity.

Liesl McNamara's life can be described in one word: bread. From her earliest memory, her mother and grandmother passed down the mystery of baking and the importance of this deceptively simple food. And now, as the owner of Wild Rise bake house, Liesl spends every day up to her elbows in dough, nourishing and perfecting her craft.

But the simple life she has cultivated is becoming quite complicated. Her head baker brings his troubled grandson into the bakeshop as an apprentice. Her waitress submits her recipes to a popular cable cooking show. And the man who delivers her flour --- a single father with strange culinary habits --- seems determined to win Liesl's affection.

When Wild Rise is featured on television, her quiet existence appears a thing of the past. And then a phone call from a woman claiming to be her half-sister forces Liesl to confront long-hidden secrets in her family's past. With her precious heritage crumbling around her, the baker must make a choice: allow herself to be buried in detachment and remorse, or take a leap of faith into a new life.

Stones for Bread is no standard sandwich loaf.  It's not even your typical artisan style, but this book is a slice above from the very first page until the last.  With three stories happening at once, each mingling together in every chapter, Parrish writes in a style rarely seen today.  

Liesl's present is directly influenced by her past, and so each chapter opens with a piece of that.  Parrish then moves you into the history of bread, which is followed by a recipe and then by what's happening in Liesl's present.  This takes the flashback phenomenon to a whole new level, but it's so well done and clearly written that it makes perfect sense.  Did I mention that I want to go bake some of these breads now?

That's not the only thing that's different in this book.  Parrish's writing style is more formal than many that you'll read today in the popular market.  It took me a chapter or two to adjust in the beginning, but soon I was on board with it.  In no way did this story feel watered down; instead, this formal style made if feel 'smarter' than your typical novel - and with all of the research that Parrish must have done to describe bread so completely, it may well be!

This was a story I couldn't put down.  I couldn't wait to find out what would happen between this fancy baker and the shaggy single dad.

It's a don't-miss read.

Click here to purchase your own copy now or read other reviews in this bloggy hop here.

Christa Parrish is the award-winning author of three novels, including the 2009 ECPA Fiction Book of the Year Watch Over Me. When she's not writing, she's a homeschool mother of three wonderful children. Married to author and pastor Chris Coppernoll, Christa serves with him as co-leader of their church's youth ministry as well as serving as a facilitator for a divorce recovery ministry. She is now also slightly obsessed with the art of baking bread.

Learn more about Christa at: http://christaparrish.com

I received a free copy of this book from LitFuse Publicity in exchange for an honest review.

"Aloha Rose" by Lisa Carter

When Laney Carrigan's adoptive parents encourage her as an adult to seek out her birth family, her only clue is the Lokelani quilt in which she was found wrapped as an infant. Centering her search on the Big Island, she battles fears of rejection from a family that abandoned her once before while her faith struggles to embrace God's love.

Along the path to her true heritage, she meets Hawaiian cowboy/helicopter pilot, Kai Barnes. Kai is determined to protect the people he's come to regard as family against a woman he suspects of being nothing more than a gold-digger, but he finds himself drawn to Laney in spite of his reservations. He's spent his entire life seeking forgiveness from past mistakes and longs for a second chance at happiness. 

Laney's painstaking journey to find restoration and a place to belong among the breathtaking allure of the Big Island will lead her closer to her past and maybe even something more.

Laney's journey from wallflower to strong, independent woman willing to risk it all for love is a stand-out story.  I love the way that her story comes to light, little by little, exposing more about her emotional journey as well as her scarred past.  This helps the reader to understand why she reacts the way that she does in the present and makes it even more exciting for her to put everything on the line in terms of the relationships she forges in Hawaii.

Kai is no less exciting.  With his rugged good looks but fear of putting himself out there, he makes for an interesting male lead.  At times I wanted him to lead already, but his weaknesses were determined by his past, too, and helped the faith journey along.  

I really liked the way that the quilt was used in this story. With a unique pattern connecting the mother to the daughter, it's theme fit well with the story and was carried throughout.

I was able to guess a few elements of the story, but others threw me completely off track, and that makes for the best kind of story to me: one in which I'm never quite sure which direction the characters will go.

Carter's smooth writing style and exciting locale kept the pages turning and Hawaiian dreams scrolling through my mind.  I hope that Carter has more stories in the works, because I'm definitely ready to dig into another one.

Read other reviews in this bloggy hop here or purchase your own copy now here.

Lisa Carter has been published in MomSense and Christian Parenting Today. Lisa is currently teaching music at a preschool and enjoying the enthusiasm and joy for life for which preschoolers are famous. She and David have two beautiful daughters.

Find out more at: http://www.quiltsoflovebooks.com

I received a free copy of this book from LitFuse Publicity in exchange for an honest review.

"Strait of Hormuz" by Davis Bunn

The threat of an Iranian blockade of the narrow Strait of Hormuz is escalating global tensions. Sanctions against Tehran have begun to bite, and it seeks to retaliate by cutting off vital shipping routes for crude oil. The specter of a preemptive Israeli strike has US officials on edge as they struggle to keep the world from plunging into the abyss.

Stymied in its efforts to uncover the sources of funding that bolster the Iranian nuclear program, the State Department calls on Marc Royce to investigate. With little to go on, he'll have to rely on an old ally. Kitra Korban has ties to people with the means to get things done, so long as no questions are asked. But Iran is on the brink of nuclear capability, and time is running out.

Bunn has penned a globe-trotting, suspenseful novel that you won't be able to put down.  Marc Royce is a kind, gentle man who just happens to be a US intelligence agent - or is that the other way around?  This story kicks off at a pivotal moment in Royce's life - he's been fired from the agency he works for but called back in to prevent a world war.  Nothing serious, right?  

Kitra Korban is the woman who loves Royce, and she comes across as strong, smart, and capable.  With different life paths keeping Korban and Royce apart, their interactions in this book are full of drama and strife, but that just ups the interest level.  I like the way that Bunn shows how they deal Biblically with their pain and their problems.

I've been reading Bunn's books for years.  I've read serene historical fiction, space fantasy, and suspenseful mysteries, but Strait of Hormuz is different from them all.  Reading more like Joel C. Rosenberg, this book has the same type of intrigue, political suspense, and understanding of Middle Eastern culture.  If you like to read Rosenberg, you'll love Bunn's latest.

I received a free copy of Strait of Hormuz from Bethany House in exchange for an honest review.

"Unspoken" by Dee Henderson

Charlotte Graham is at the center of the most famous kidnapping in Chicago history. She’s never said a word about what happened. Eighteen years later, she’s still the only one who knows the truth. But, even now, can she risk sharing it?

As a kid I preferred to read books that were part of a series because most books ended long before I was ready to part ways with the characters in them.

So when I picked up Unspoken, Dee Henderson's newest offering, I really hoped I'd like it - because while it's not exactly part of a series, it is a hefty novel, and I knew I'd be spending some series time with the people inside its pages.

Fortunately, the only problem I had was being unable to put it down.  After reading the first few chapters in the car, I was quite frustrated with the darkening sky and subsequently stayed up waaayyyy too late to finish it after getting home.

Why?

Charlotte Graham is a fascinating character with a really tough question:  how do you trust a God who will forgive people who have hurt you in unspeakable ways?  Put her strength and intrigue, along with her secretive baggage, alongside Bryce Bishop, who must be one of the most patient and wise men on the planet, and you have a suspense-filled journey.

I really enjoyed seeing how Bishop tried to answer Graham's questions about faith throughout the first part of the story and about how a marriage might work between them in the second part.  Bishop's ultimate answer is the same as my husband's:  "we have time.  We don't have to be perfect today.  We'll work it out," and I think that many marriages would benefit from that same response.

Like Henderson's other novels in recent history, Unspoken shares characters from her other books and features law officers working to solve a long-cold case.  Bishop and Graham take center stage as the main players in this book, but the added depth from the wide cast of characters makes the story even more interesting - and if you've read Henderson's other books, it's fun to find out what those characters are now doing.

Woven between the dramatic, emotional scenes that Henderson writes are the suspenseful action scenes that move along the crime drama inherent in the story.  This perfect blend creates a story that is not just blood and gore nor weeping and wailing but instead a gently-paced, hold-your-breath page turner - and turn them I did.  This story tops out at well over 300 pages, but I finished the whole thing in one day because I couldn't sleep without knowing what happened to Graham and Bishop.

It's that good.

I received a free copy of Unspoken from Bethany House in exchange for an honest review.

Review & GIVEAWAY of "Loving" by Corin Hughs

Hannah Mattox has Pulmonary Hypertension, a heart disease that prevents her from safely bearing children. Karla Valez is a homeless prostitute who despises the “thing” growing inside her and hopes to kill it in-utero with the drugs that have ruled her life—and buried her painful past—for nearly five years.  Gabriella Greene, founder of the Sanford Crisis Pregnancy Center, finds herself the bridge between these two women.  A time when questions far outweigh answers, there is one most pressing: why would God allow this?      

Weaving together the lives of three very different women, Loving will take readers on an emotional journey that reveals one common thread: they each need to surrender to a God who loves.

Loving will grab you by the throat from the very first sentence and it won’t let you go.  After a few chapters you’ll be able to catch your breath, but you’ll be hooked on these characters and their situations long before then.   Each one has a traumatic backstory that keeps you personally involved in their lives.  With Hannah, you’ll be fascinated with her bravery and her mother’s fight to give her a normal life.  With Gabriella you’ll cheer on the underdog and want to congratulate her not only on her ability to help others today but on overcoming a difficult Karla is different, for while there is little to commend now, she’ll help you understand how drugs can draw you in, one hour at a time.

Loving is incredibly well written.  The words flow as the plot twists and turns, some foreseen, some not, but all fascinating in their drama and emotion.  I love the way that Hughs starts with a loose cast of characters and draws them tighter and tighter into a cohesive group of players in a major miracle.

I must say that I disliked the ending as much as I loved the beginning, but not because it’s not well written, because it is.  The ending is poignant and precious and will bring you to tears – but it finishes only one character’s story.  Hughs writes with such depth and detail throughout the book, especially in the way that she begins with one character and ends with a different one, that the story feels unfinished to me, but again, not in a bad way.  While I spent several days wondering what happens with those other two major characters, I’m not sure what Hughs intends.  Does she mean to leave you hanging?  Are you meant to determine what you feel would have happened?  Or is there a sequel coming that will continue the stories of these characters?

Personally, I think any of these possibilities would fit.  They are characters on the fringe, and maybe you’re just meant to wonder about them, and maybe even be spurred to action to help the many people in our society who live like that every day.  Maybe Hughs is the next o. henry, skilled at making you debate and question.

Or maybe Hughs is just beginning a series designed to make us aware of health conditions and portions of our society that we rarely think about unless we are forced into contact with them.  These problems may be largely unknown, but the people are people – valuable and in need of help.

Personally, I’m hoping for that third option.  I’d love to have some binoculars to see into Hannah and Grace and Karla's future.  I'd love to continue this walk with them as they make strides along their journey into forgiveness, redemption, and love.

Which would you prefer?  Corin Hughs is generously offering a signed copy of her book Loving to one Nest in the Rocks reader.  Enter using the widget below.

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The Twelve Days of Christmas Book Review

Some awesome authors have grouped together to show off four of their new books.  I had the chance to read all four, and it's a pretty amazing collection of work.  Get the inside scoop below.

One sinister phone call has derailed their wedding. Will they let it tear them apart forever?

A Christmas wedding on the beach---what could be more perfect? Poinsettias and fragrant pikake blossoms, soft sand and mistletoe, the gentle sound of the surf and the wedding march played on a ukulele. This wedding has been a long time coming, with Bane's trust issues and Leia's worries about her childlike sister, Eva.

Now they can hardly wait for the day to arrive. Thrilled to be a bridesmaid, Eva keeps trying on her ruffled dress. The tent is reserved, the caterers paid. Everything is going as planned---until Leia's phone rings and her world skids out of control. A muffled voice informs Leia that Eva's been kidnapped and will be killed unless Leia calls off the wedding without explanation---and no police! If she disobeys instructions and tells Bane, she'll risk her beloved sister's life. But how can she ever handle this without his help? And how can he ever trust her if she lies to him now?

Of the books in this tour, I must admit that this one wasn't my favorite, but that could be because it's part of a series that I've never read.  I really enjoy Colleen Coble's writing style and liked that, but the story opens with a jump into the rapidly-approaching wedding of two characters who are the leads in the series, but without a prior connection to them, some of their actions appear to be without reason.  That definitely makes it harder to connect to them.  Still, I liked how caring they seemed to be, and I would be interested in reading other books in this series - but I'd like to start at the beginning.

Purchase your own copy of this book here.

Bree Matthews is preparing for Christmas guests, but her heart is reeling from the recent and tender loss of her unborn child. Her sister-in-law, Lauri, suddenly turns up on the doorstep of the lighthouse home Bree shares with her husband, Kade, in Rock Harbor. Secretive and withdrawn, Lauri seems curiously intent on discovering what happened to a parachuter who disappeared in the North Woods along Lake Superior's icy shore.As Christmas day nears, Bree and her faithful search-and-rescue dog Samson follow the trail of a troubling mystery into the snowy forests of Rock Harbor.

As Bree and Samson, her search-and-rescue dog, plunge into the search, Bree wonders if Lauri may know more than she's admitted about the parachuter. And then the clues lead them to the trail of a young woman whose family fears the worst about her disappearance.

Will the search on this snowy, silent night lead Bree and Samson to more than clues about the missing girl? And will Bree's prayer for a baby ever be answered?

I really enjoyed this addition to the Rock Harbor series.  The search-and-rescues are exciting and throwing adoption stories and missing people into the mix only ups the ante.  Even more than that, however, is the opportunity to see people grow closer together and growing in maturity.  Having this particular immature character learn responsibility the way that she did totally made the novella!

Purchase your own copy of Silent Night here now.

Best-selling author Colleen Coble's novels have won or finaled in awards ranging from the Best Books of Indiana, ACFW Book of the Year, RWA's RITA, the Holt Medallion, the Daphne du Maurier, National Readers' Choice, and the Booksellers Best. She has nearly 2 million books in print and writes romantic mysteries because she loves to see justice prevail. Colleen is CEO of American Christian Fiction Writers and is a member of Romance Writers of America. She lives with her husband Dave in Indiana.

Find out more about Colleen at http://www.colleencoble.com.

 Inspired by a true story, A Christmas Gift for Rose is a heartwarming novella of sacrifice and deep love.

Born in the midst of the hardships of The Great Depression, Rose grew up in Berlin, Ohio, in the arms of a loving Amish family. But she is overwhelmed by self-doubt when she learns the truth of her birth. She was born Englisch and abandoned when her family moved West in search of work. Was she meant to be Amish or would she have been better off growing up with her own kind---Englischers? And was her intended's gift of discovering her birth family given out of love or fear?

Don't miss award-winning author Tricia Goyer's first Christmas novella.

This is, hands-down, without a doubt, my most favorite Tricia Goyer book so far.  I have to qualify it like that because Goyer's books keep getting better and better, but this one is beyond amazing. 

That's probably partly because it's a true story.  I think that no matter how incredibly creative an author is, the stories that God writes are always better than what we can come up with, and this one is no exception.  Based on the story told to her of an Amish person's grandmother, it rings truth and honesty and heartache and love all at the same time.  

Another reason I loved this one is that it's an Amish World War II story.  One of my favorite time periods in history meets a sub-culture of my home.  What could be better?  I've never before considered how the Amish community might have regarded this far away war and the mad dictators who wreaked havoc through it, but Goyer's story is a great exploration of this concept.

The characters are loveable, as well.  While the world tilts on its axis all around her, you want the best for Rose - and for her love interest and her family, as well.  While a few of the ending bits are somewhat predictable, that doesn't make it any less exciting when they come to fruition.  

A Christmas Gift for Rose should definitely be added to your Christmas list.

Purchase a copy: http://ow.ly/qbs31

USA Today best-selling author Tricia Goyer is the author of over 35 books, including the three-book Seven Brides for Seven Bachelors series and "Lead Your Family Like Jesus," (co-written with Ken Blanchard). She has written over 500 articles for national publications and blogs for high traffic sites like TheBetterMom.com and MomLifeToday.com. She is the host of Living Inspired, a weekly radio show. Tricia and family live in Little Rock, Arkansas. They have six children.

Find out more about Tricia at http://triciagoyer.com.

Anna's grandfather seems determined to ruin her Rumspringa . . . and any hopes she has of finding a husband.

Anna Byler should be enjoying her Rumspringa as allowed by her faith. But because of the strict rules enforced by her grandfather---the bishop---the available suitors in town are afraid to court her. Even Anna's grandmother is keeping a big secret from Anna's grandfather in an effort to keep the peace. Under her grandfather's oppressive watch, Anna begins to feel her faith slipping and wonders if God has forsaken her.
Jacob Hostetler and his family have relocated to Lancaster County following a family tragedy in Ohio. As his family struggles to rebuild their lives, Jacob is forced to act as head of the household when his father is unable to cope with recent events. It's been a long time since Jacob has felt any joy. Until he meets Anna Byler. But will Anna's grandfather succeed at keeping them apart? And can Jacob put the past behind him and open his heart?

The first book of Wiseman's was in this series, so I was super excited to find this book following those same characters years later.  I enjoyed catching up with my favorite characters and meeting new ones.  Anna's romantic dilemma made a dramatic conflict for this story, and her grandmother's quirky habits added humor and fun throughout.  I loved the way that the ending seemed to wrap up all the loose ends with a neat bow.  

 Beth is a Carol Award Winner, Inspirational Readers Choice Winner, INSPY Winner, and the best-selling author of the Daughters of the Promise series and the Land of Canaan series. All of her books have held spots on the ECPA (Evangelical Christian Publishers Association) bestseller list and the CBA (Christian Book Association) bestseller list. She grew up in Houston, Texas and now resides in a small town west of Houston with a population of around 300. She lives with her husband, two dogs, two cats, two pot bellied pigs, two chickens and a pygmy goat. Her two grown sons also live in Texas. Beth has been writing in some capacity for most of her life. She's a former award-winning journalist with eleven honors, including 'First Place News Writing' for The Texas Press Association. However, writing love stories with a spiritual message is where her heart is. When Beth isn't writing (which is seldom these days) she enjoys traveling, cooking, fishing, reading, or just settling in for a good movie. Her best times are spent with family and friends!

Find out more about Beth at http://bethwiseman.com.

You can read other reviews of these books here.  I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

"Beloved" by Robin Lee Hatcher

  

Diana is ready to begin a new chapter in her life-until the husband she believed dead reappears at her engagement party.

Diana Brennan came west on the orphan train and was given a home with a loving couple who cherished and spoiled her. At 17, she fell hard for Tyson Applegate, the son of a wealthy mine owner. After a whirlwind courtship and marriage, Tyson took off for adventures around the world, including fighting with the Rough Riders in Cuba. Receiving no word from him in years, Diana's infatuation with her dashing husband died an ugly death, and she is ready to move past the old pain and marry again, just as soon as Tyson is declared legally dead.

But when Tyson returns, claiming to be a changed man, he wants to reunite with his wife and run for the senate. While Diana suspects the election is his real reason for wanting her by his side, she agrees to maintain his home and to campaign with him, but when it is over, win or lose, she wants her freedom.

He agrees with one condition---she must give him a chance to change her mind about him.

Beloved is the perfect conclusion to Hatcher's latest series.  Diana has the ultimate problem - she's prepared to marry again and secure her future when her thought-to-be-dead husband reappears and ruins her plans.  Figuring out what to do next takes both Diana and Tyson on a faith journey that involves a sick dog, demanding parents, a kidnapper, thief, a senatorial election, and a few mysteries, besides.  I like the way that each of these obstacles were used not only to advance the plot in action but to allow the characters to grow in their faith, as well.

For while you simultaneously want to cheer on Diana and Tyson's marriage while beating him up for being a selfish cad, ultimately you want them to grow.  To grow together and to grow up in maturity.  It becomes less about the love story and more about the faith, although the growing of the faith allows forgiveness to fall and love to bloom.

I was excited to read this third installment in the series as I've read the other two and enjoyed them.  I don't think the ending would have been as clear if I hadn't read them, however, for one very specific reason:  a character from one of the other books appears during the climax of this book, and as soon as a resolution is reached, the book jumps from the end of this book to a scene which closes out the series.  I think it suits the series well but is a bit abrupt for this book, so it might help smooth out that transition if you read the series in order.

All in all, Hatcher is a master of historical love stories.  This one is certainly no exception.

Read other reviews in this bloggy hop here or purchase your own copy here now.

Robin is the author of 65+ novels and novellas. Her home is in Idaho, where she spends her time writing stories of faith, courage, and love; pondering the things of God; and loving her family and friends.

Learn more at: http://www.robinleehatcher.com

I received a free copy of Beloved from LitFuse Publicity in exchange for an honest review.

Inspired Wednesday - "Dark Halo" by Shannon Dittemore

I've always enjoyed a good sci fi story.  

In the past my favorite have been time travel stories.  There's just something about the idea of people being able to visit the Wild West or the Revolution or go back to make a difference somewhere that's always fascinated me.

My new sci fi favorite isn't about time travel, though, but realm travel.  It's the third and final installment in the Angel Eyes series, and it's a fascinating look at what might happen if we had the eyes of angels - if we could see those heavenly bodies that God promises are all around us.

If we could see that, what might it look like?  What sort of spiritual battles are being waged all around us that we might never see?  I feel sure that theologians have whole parties where they debate that question, but Dittemore put an even more interesting spin on it - she made the sole human owner of that special vision a teenage girl in love with the orphan charge of an angel.

Doesn't get much more exciting - except when that handsome charge has been kidnapped by Satan, and that beautiful all-seeing girl decides to go get him back.

That's the premise of this story, and is a wonderful read.  I couldn't put it down - I was completely drawn into the spiritual battle between demon Damien and the angels surrounding Stratus.  There was an extra layer of sub-plots in this book that weren't present in the first, showing just how skillful a writer Dittemore is and just how well-planned the entire series is.

I think this series would make a great teen book club choice.  Obviously it's more than one book, but it's important to read all three to get the full scope of just who angels are and who we are in turn. I think that there are great debating options that arise from this plot and the potential to go back to the Bible and research just what it says about angels and their duties is huge.  In-depth discussions could really spring from this book.

Throughout the entire book, Dittemore's writing style and ideas reminded me of Ted Dekker's Circle series.  Not in any way has she incorporated his ideas, but her translation of the spiritual into a physical outcome is an idea that Dekker has used.  If Dittemore keeps this up, she'll definitely be rivaling Dekker for the top sci spots on the best seller's lists.

I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Are you a sci fi fan?

Be sure to check out Stephanie's Inspired Wednesday post over at The Multi Taskin' Mom!

<center> <a href="http://anestintherocks.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"><img alt="A Nest in the Rocks" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEih_9UXxvpHihP2_LX14wtPFiUPHRfXtxSHNJodSzTZt0lgD04c9FszjMkaqaez4_hN2Up8YHkAmCaJGRSlhH6e1lEmHKSX4QdlcQAsCFRHjHRbg6S30CYSoJpTfnFA2o55xEhOj-_hEihC/s1600/Button+2.jpg" imageanchor=""/></a></center>
 

An InLinkz Link-up

"To Know You" by Shannon Etheridge and Kathryn Mackel

 Julia Whittaker's rocky past yielded two daughters, both given up for adoption as infants. Now she must find them to try to save her son.

Julia and Matt Whittaker's son has beaten the odds for thirteen years only to have the odds---and his liver---crash precipitously. The only hope for his survival is a "living liver" transplant, but the transplant list is long and Dillon's time is short. His two older half-sisters, born eighteen months apart to two different fathers, offer his only hope for survival.

But can Julia ask a young woman---someone she surrendered to strangers long ago and has never spoken with---to make such a sacrifice to save a brother she's never known? Can she muster the courage to journey back into a shame-filled season of her life, face her choices and their consequences, and find any hope of healing?

And what if she discovers in her own daughters' lives that a history of foolish choices threatens to repeat itself? Julia knows she's probably embarking on a fool's errand---searching for the daughters she abandoned only now that she needs something from them. But love compels Julia to take this journey. Can grace and forgiveness compel her daughters to join her?

In To Know You, Shannon Ethridge and Kathryn Mackel explore how the past creates the present . . . and how even the most shattered lives can be redeemed.

To Know You breaks the stereotypes of most adoption-redemption stories in a fantastic way.  I've always thought of adoption reunions as happy but stressful times.  You know, with everyone crying and shouting and rehashing all the reasons why things had to be the way they did, and with people being angry about the separation but secretly happy to be reuniting.

It doesn't work out that way in this book.

While the daughters are rebellious and everyone is happy, at least in some way, Julia takes her sweet time about sharing her story with her daughters.  I understand that it's very painful for her and probably not a picnic for them to hear, but I think that kind of information is what I'd be wanting to share and/or know first.  I'd want the story.

Yet that slow, steady dispersal of information is what keeps the interest level in this story white-hot.  You know from the very beginning that Julia has not always been a paragon of virtue, but for much of the book the authors share tantalizing glimpses of her seedy past.  The way that they hop back and forth through time while telling her story is both suspenseful and logical.  It makes it very easy to understand why Julia made the choices that she did, right or not.

Which makes it easy to understand how she's able to embrace the messiness in her daughters' own lives.  She digs in her heels and helps when she's needed, even when it complicates her own life to do so, which made my opinion of of her rise even as her past came to light.

The characters of the other ... well, characters .... are just as complicated - and realistic.  They are human: they sin, they have struggles, they're messy, but they're learning and growing and changing with each new obstacle that they tackle.  There are lessons within these pages for the readers to take away, as well.

All told, To Know You is a fascinating story.  There's a surprise around every page and another complication stirring the pot at each turn.  The ending, though it caught me off guard, left me feeling quite satisfied with both the story's resolution - almost as though I'd eaten a chocolate-y truffle at the end of a gourmet dinner.

That is the best kind of story.

Click here to purchase your own copy or go here to read more reviews in this blog hop.

Shannon Ethridge is a best-selling author, speaker, and certified life coach with a master's degree in counseling/human relations from Liberty University. She has spoken to college students and adults since 1989 and is the author of 21 books, including the million-copy best-selling Every Woman's Battle series. She is a frequent guest on TV and radio programs and mentors aspiring writers and speakers through her BLAST Program (Building Leaders, Authors, Speakers & Teachers.)

Learn more about Shannon: http://www.shannonethridge.com

Kathryn Mackel is a best-selling author and acclaimed screenwriter for Disney and Fox. She was on the screenwriting team for Left Behind: The Movie, and Frank Peretti's Hangman's Curse. She is the acclaimed author of "The Surrogate", "The Departed", and "The Hidden" and resides in Boston, Massachusetts, with her husband.

Learn more about Kathryn: http://www.kathrynmackel.com

I received a free copy of To Know You from LitFuse Publicity in exchange for an honest review.

"Glittering Promises" by Lisa T. Bergren

 Lisa T. Bergren's popular Grand Tour series concludes as Cora Kensington journeys farther into Italy, wrestles with a terrible ultimatum from her father, and comes to terms with the Father who will never fail her.

America's newest heiress must decide if her potential fortune is rationale enough to give up her freedom and all that God is leading her toward. And when her newly-discovered siblings are threatened with ruin, her quandary deepens. Then as Cora nears Rome, more journalists are tracking the news story of the decade---"Copper Cora," the rags-to-riches girl---and want to know more about her family and the men vying for her attention. Meanwhile, a charming Italian countess decides that if Cora isn't going to claim Will's heart, she might just 

try . . .

You won't want to miss the stunning conclusion to the Grand Tour series.  Full of intrigue and strategy, business and pleasure, this heartwrenching love story is the perfect ending to this trilogy.  I love the way that Bergren wraps up each detail and finishes out the story.  Although you think you know the ultimate romantic conclusion, Bergren keeps you guessing - and I never would've predicted the final players in the battle between 'good' and evil.'  

Cora has changed since the series began, and that is never as clear as it is in this final installment.  Her growth, faith, and confidence are unmatched as she moves forward to find what she wants.  I appreciate the way that she learns that her own goals are not only what matter - but but that ultimately God's ways are best.

As in the rest of the series, the history and descriptions of each Italian locale are completely stunning.  Although fascinating, Italy has never topped my list of 'top places to visit,' but Bergren just might have changed that.  I would love to visit the country vineyard and rest in the out-of-the-way hot springs.  I can't imagine more beautiful places from which to view God's creation.  

I'm not usually a huge fan of rich main characters.  Wealth, while it doesn't automatically bring happiness, can certainly pave the way to an easier, if not simpler, lifestyle.  That very trait is why I like Cora Diehl Kensington.  While she may be unimaginably rich, she did not grow up that way - and although she's not in danger of going hungry, she's certainly in more danger than many people can fathom.  She also doesn't let her money change her.  She continues to think of other people, to work hard, to care for those around her, and to love lavishly.  I think that she would be fun to spend time with - and she's certainly a lot of fun to read about.

Read other reviews in the blog hop here or purchase your own copy now.

Lisa T. Bergren is the award-winning author of over thirty-five books, with more than 2 million copies sold. A former publishing executive, Lisa now divides her time between writing, editing, parenting three children with her husband, Tim, and dreaming of her next trip to Italy. She lives in Colorado Springs.

Learn more about Lisa here:http://lisatawnbergren.com.

I received a free copy of this book from LitFuse Publicity in exchange for an honest review.