Be Still My Soul by Joanne Bischof- My Review

When it comes to the heart love is sometimes not an option.

Lonnie is a quiet soul who feels the sting of violation that remains in the shadows of dusk.
Gideon is outgoing but consistantly seeks the acceptance of others.
Joel father of Lonnie is a cruel man who rules the home with a fist of steel. Convinced Lonnie is a victim of circumstances he insists that a wedding be on the front.
Neither Lonnie nor Gideon are too keen on the arrangement having only known each other briefly and love not entering into the equation.
Will time soften the brittle edges of their hearts or will the past drive them apart?

A story of reality, regret and sensitivity. On a positive note the scenery was impeccable and I could just feel as if I were there on the Blue Ridge Mountains running through the fields. The secondary characters Jebediah and Elsie I connected with rather well were enjoyable and down to earth adding needed substance to the novel. On a less positive note I found that the storyline would lose momentum and at times the voices of the main characters seemed forced and unnatural. Sometimes the book did not flow smoothly and seemed confusing as plot shifted back and forth between description and character dialogue.
However I did enjoy the book. A nice first novel. I received this book for free from Waterbrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review.

http://www.joannebischof.com/
http://waterbrookmultnomah.com/catalog.php?isbn=9781601424211
http://waterbrookmultnomah.com/blog/2012/http://waterbrookmultnomah.com/author-spotlight.php?authorid=15754804/06/sneak-peek-be-still-my-soul-by-joanne-bischof/

The Bridge by Karen Kingsbury- Heartfelt

In the loomy uncertainty of a heart's core lies the vast promise of a giving love.

The Bridge, the oldest bookstore in Franklin is a place where dreams and friendships are built.

Charlie and Norma Barton, owners of The Bridge, lost their entire book inventory as a result of a devastating flood. To them and many others the bookstore represented more than just a building full of books.

Molly Allen college student left her heart in Nashville with Ryan Kelley. Years later her life has afforded a different turn, to now run an animal rescue shelter for unwanted animals. Left with her memories of the past she takes solice by reminicing on special occasions.

Ryan wonders where his dreams and life have led him, yet even in his success he is enslaved by a memory from the past that refuses to stop taunting him.

Romance, sacrifice, heartbreak and reality highlight this enjoyable quick to read novella, perfect for the upcoming holiday season. This book has easily identifyable characters that could be your close friends, your next door neighbors or maybe even yourself. I did not find any slow or drag parts thoughout and the plot flowed smoothly and did not disappoint. I love the cover from the book it captures the story from within well. I found the overall message to be inspiring and will recommend this book to others. Thanks to Howard Books and Netgalley for the ARC copy for my review.

The Reason by William Sirls- Don't Miss This Book!

The members of one church find out what it truly means to be at the center of a most unforgettable day.
When the cross is destroyed that has become a comfort to many a weary soul and a symbol of faith for the St Thomas church on one strange and stormy night the pastor and parisoners wonder how it will be fixed without adequate funds and manpower.

Brooke, mother to a young vivacious red haired boy Alex, comes to realize the biggest challenges are those that sometimes lie unfulfilled. Alex's timid and kind hearted friend Charlie, is a protector of Alex and a man of few words.

Macey, pediatric physician meets a young man Kenneth, who offers to lend a hand to help fix the cross at the church. She wonders if she has met him before he seems so familiar.

Confident Zach has always possessed a worldly view of faith, but he is about to receive a startling wake up call.

Will one physicians efforts be enough to save a young patient?

Wow!! I truly loved this read! What an faith affirming inspiring book to spend the day with! This not to be missed impossible to forget story will stick with you as you discover The Reason. So many down to earth, well developed, and interesting characters make up the storyline along with easy to follow dialogue, crisp and smooth flowing plot and realistically clear scenery. I was highly entertained by this heartfelt novel. Hope to read more from this author in the future. I will highly recommend this book to others. Very Well Written 5 Stars!! Thanks to Thomas Nelson Publishers and Netgalley for this ARC copy for my review.

Faith and Gardening It Just "Grows" Together- My thoughts for the day...

I am asked by others often (just a representative) "What should I grow here?" What looks good together aesthetics wise?" "When and how do I divide my plants", or "How do I grow a tomato or persimmon tree from seed successfully?" Each answer is diverse depending on the individuals particular situation, soil type, color choice and location. Before I plant I pray over the seeds and plants because I know that God's hand is in the growing of everything. Have you ever wondered how so many cucumbers, squash, daisies, tomatoes, marigolds, beans etc can be grown from one tiny seed. How with water, sunlight, patience and love a seed becomes something that can feed so many and create a more beautiful world. It is truly amazing. Faith is like a plant seed that grows with longing, nurturing, patience and love. So it just makes sense to me to say that faith and gardening just go "Grow" together.

Maybe the next time you see a breathtaking flower longing for your view, a tree bursting with life giving fruit or perhaps a field laden with wildflowers as far as the eyes can focus you might just ask yourself, just what has faith got to do with this? Well.... everything....

Abducted by Janice Cantore- Realistic!

Always striving to be one step ahead of the criminals, the Las Playas police force sometimes find keeping the streets safe can be a challenging feat indeed.

Carly Edwards is in a complicated relationship with ex husband Nick who cannot decide what part he has in the outcome of their situation.

Carly's police officer partner Joe King loves being a dad to four month old AJ. When his wife Christy is admitted into the hospital AJ goes missing. Set on high alert time is critical and the danger is mounting. Will AJ be saved in time?

Abducted is like a realistic police action drama movie but on the written page. With never a dull moment this book offers lots of twists, turns and surprises to delight and satisfy action and intrigue fans. Kept me entertained while turning the pages, and was highly suspenseful and tense until the ending. This well written hard to put down book sports well developed and engaging characters, smooth flowing plot and easy to follow dialogue. Although it is part of a series the book can stand on its own without reading the first one. I will recommend this novel to others. 4.5 stars. Thanks to Tyndale House Publishers for providing me with a complimentary copy for my review.

Dying to Read by Lorena McCourtney- Enjoyable!

Cate Kincade, in her search for employment decides to work for her Uncle Joe. Her first assignment in investigating seems an easy task for Cate but when foul play is suspected, the more complicated it gets and her job becomes more than she was anticipating.

Willow has a history of a challenging life, a product of misfortune which seems to follow her very closely.

The members of the Whodunit Book Club, lovers of mysteries and mayhem have a new mystery in front of them, which is not of the book kind, that involves one of their own.

This well written suspense was a delight to read, the author serves her audience with plenty of twists and turns to keep the story fresh, interesting and flowing, along with well formed characters which added to the vision of the storyline, accurate description of the plot, and a little romance for the ahh factor. I found the overall message of the book to be inspiring, I was entertained and would recommend this book to others.  4 Stars
I received a complimentary copy for this blog tour from Revell Publishing for my review.
"Available August 2012 at your favorite bookseller from Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group."

Lorena McCourtney is the award-winning author of dozens of novels, including Invisible (which won the Daphne du Maurier Award from Romance Writers of America), In Plain Sight, On the Run, and Stranded. She resides in Oregon.

Unconditional by Eva Marie Everson- Make this book your next read!

                                                                           



Love goes beyond what the eyes can see.

Samantha Crawford (Sam), creator of children's stories, has a gifted talent for art and the written word. When her husband dies tragically one night her world becomes compromised but she soon discovers that her greatest challenge lies ahead.

Joe Bradford appeared in recognizable form, a face and voice from the distant past that Sam was as drawn to then as she is now. Sam wondered where Joe's life has taken him since she had last seen him. She is about to find out.

In the cruelty of loss, memories can remain in the heart ready to burst forth with keen accuracy.

Unconditional is unforgettable! I absolutely loved and cherished this engaging read!! You will smile, cry and wrestle with raw emotions with a storyline that has honesty and faith woven throughout with absolutely no dull parts whatsoever. I sat on my comfy chair to read this book and before I knew it I was finished. The book cover first drew me in, I feel the cover accurately portrays how the characters might look themselves, and from the first chapter I was hooked literally, but that is the way it is with all of the author's books that I have read, I became so involved into the storyline the pages flew. Excellently creative character development (feels like they are friends), smooth flowing crisp and captivating plot and believably realistic scenery make this book stand out among others. Very well written and impossible to put down! Make this book your next read! I will highly recommend this book to others. Thanks to B&H Publishing Group and Netgalley for the ARC for my review.