Christian faith

Dare Riker is a doctor who saves lives, but someone seems determined to end his. It may have something to do with the traitors he dealt with during the Civil War, or it might be related to the recent incident with Flint Greer and the ranch. Whoever the culprit is, he or she seems really fired up, and Dare can’t let his guard down for a moment, which is a challenge, since right now he’s trying to win the heart of the recently widowed Glynna.

Glynna Greer came west as a mail-order bride and ended up in a bad situation. Now her husband, Flint, is dead, and she’s determined to care for her son and daughter on her own. She wants to believe Dare Riker is as decent as he seems, but she’s terrified to lock herself into another marriage. She plans to support her small family by opening a diner—never mind that cooking is not her greatest talent. The men in Broken Wheel, Texas, are so desperate for home cooking that they seem willing to overlook dried-out beef and blackened biscuits.

Glynna can’t help but notice that danger follows Dare wherever he goes. There’s the avalanche. And then the fire. But things really get out of hand when someone plunges a knife from Glynna’s diner into Dare’s back. Are Flint’s cronies still plotting revenge? Is Glynna’s son engaged in a misguided attempt to protect his mother? Is a shadowy outsider still enraged over past injustices? And can Dare survive long enough to convince Glynna to take another chance on love?

The men of this story make the series.  I generally try not to drool over characters, being quite happy with the one that I’m married to, but these men are the cream of the crop.  They’re manly men, if you know what I mean:  honest, hard-working, protective of others, chivalrous, and kind.  They’re not afraid of a good fight and they’ll do what it takes to defend those they love.  That’s how they rule in this series – because everyone around them needs defending in some way, and so they’re really knights in cowboy hats charging off to save the day.

I don’t know a woman alive who wouldn’t swoon at that.

Although Glynna’s no fainting lily herself.  She’s been married to two cruel men, and she’s had it rough.  She knows how to take care of her own, but she’s tired of the burden and wants to share it.  Her strength but tentative trust makes her a winner here.  She doesn’t back down when life gets hard, but she still hopes for a better tomorrow, and she’s not afraid to work hard to get it.

Plotwise, Connealy always writes winners.  The action and drama never stop in this story, except for the occasional one-liner that adds levity to the emotionally-charged pages.  I couldn’t stop turning pages from the first to the last – once you start, you just can’t stop.

Morally, I’ve always enjoyed the faith lessons in Connealy’s books, although that’s not necessarily why I read them – I just love the stories.  This one’s a bit different, though.  While there’s lots of romantic tension and mystery solving, there are also mentoring lessons between Dare, his Regulator friends, and Paul.  I appreciate the way that these men take the time to try to reach this troubled teen and the lessons that they pass along to the reader by proxy.  Personally, I can’t imagine too many teen boys will reap those lessons from the pages of this book, because while it IS full of masculine fighting, it’s primarily a love story. Moms, learn those lessons and pass them along, okay?  😉

As usual, I’m pretty sure that Vince’s story is coming up next, and I can’t wait to read it.  Connealy teases the reader with the beginning of his story in this one, and it, too, promises to entice.

Read other reviews in this blog hop here, or click here to purchase your own now.

Sasha Davis fell – and now her career as a principal ballerina, her lifelong dream – has been cut short.  Back in her childhood home to recover, Sasha must come to terms with this change in her life’s plan.  Her live-in assistant, the young and vibrant Evelyn Burt, takes the brunt of Sasha’s pain as she blooms with first and forbidden love.  Can both women come to terms with a reality that doesn’t match her dreams and find God’s grace in the middle of their trials?

This book reads like Sasha’s favorite beverage:  a hot cup of tea, slowly steeped, warming your insides and calming your nerves.  At no point will the plot spike your blood pressure or make your toes dance, but the fluidity of the character development and the slow reveal of information will keep you reading.

Sasha and Evelyn complement each other well.  The women exhibit a near Naomi-and-Ruth relationship, stumbling at times, but each caring deeply for and investing in the other.  By the time I finished this book I felt as if I had done a study in personality types, as each character was detailed and in so many different ways.

If fast rides and action-packed adventure is your style, then this is not the book for you; however, if you’ve ever been hurt, needed to forgive, felt a dream die, or just felt the sweet gift of God’s grace in the middle of a trial, then curl up in a rocker and enjoy Sasha’s journey.

You can read an excerpt of Finding Our Way Home here.

I received a free copy of Finding Our Way Home from WaterBrook Multnomah in exchange for a free review.

David Ponder is old.  Having recently lost his wife after amassing a fortune, going bankrupt, and acquiring an even larger one, he no longer cares about his growing fortune or place on this earth.  It’s while contemplating his purpose as a single man in his 70s that he’s visited by the archangel Gabriel, who whisks him away to a final Summit of other humans who have time traveled as he once did.  Ponder is charged with leading the meeting and finding the answer to restoring all of humanity’s individual and collective purpose before the current civilization self-destructs.  In only five attempts, can Ponder and his team of Travelers save civilization?

Amelia Devries is a world-renowned violinist in the midst of an identity crisis.  Michael Hostetler doesn’t want to be Amish, but he doesn’t want to disappoint his family.  When Amelia gets lost in the middle of a huge storm, her detour leads her directly to Michael – and the possibility of a peace she’s always longed for.  Can they find their way to their dreams – together?

Beverly Lewis writes a distinctly different type of Amish book than most out there.  Not a thriller, not a mystery, not your usual to-be-or-not-to-be-Amish type, Lewis pens a story of young adults seeking peace with their chosen paths in life – and of gaining the courage and the voice to reach for it.

Amelia and Michael each travel the road to maturity in a parallel way in this book, a road of searching their own hearts and then reaching out beyond themselves.  There are no mysteries, no stalkers, no pressure to be anything except what they are from anyone but themselves; yet this can be a hard lesson to learn.  Lewis writes about it with grace and depth, making this a story that anyone from their teen years on up could relate to.

I really enjoyed this story.  I felt that the romantic ending was somewhat predictable, but the quality characters and unusual circumstances – as well as the life lessons explored – made it a very worthwhile read.

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

Silas Kent made a mistake when he left pilot Elle during his early smokejumping days.  Both are shocked to be called in to work the same wildfire in the Sierra Nevadas after years without contact. While Elle’s daughter fights mysterious seizures in the hospital, Elle flies a crew of jumpers out on a seemingly routine drop, but instead crashes in the fire.  Silas and Elle soon realize that the fire is not their only enemy, but they must quickly unravel the mysteries of the downed plane, missing jumpers, and an elderly homesteader – before the fire burns them alive.

Grady’s experience is obvious from the very first chapter of this book.  Full of technical terms and descriptions, most are explained in a natural way through the story.  Grady’s writing is smooth and and the plot contains several unexpected twists.  The story opened between fires, so the action started slowly and accelerated rapidly through the climax, keeping me on the edge of my seat.  The ending was rather abrupt, however, and while it suited the story perfectly, I wish there had been a way to change up the sequence a bit.

The cover artwork grabs at you and makes you wonder how the handsome man starring in it will escape the glowing fire in the background.  It made the book so action-packed that my husband picked it up and started to read!

If you enjoy reading both action-adventure and romance stories, then this is the book for you!

To read the first chapter of Falls Like Lightning or to buy this book, go here.

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

Cyd’s world turns upside down on her fortieth birthday – and her friends aren’t having such an easy time, either. Cedric, the best man at her sister’s wedding, is attractive and smooth, but he doesn’t share her faith. Dana caught her husband in bed with another woman, and Phillis wants her husband to share her faith more than anything and is depressed by his unwillingness to even listen to her heart. The members of the Daughter’s Fellowship hold each other up through thick and thin – but will they be able to help each other through all of this??

Cash’s book was not what I expected, and at first, as each woman’s life fell apart, I was disappointed by the blunt and worldly view of sex that was presented. As the plot continued, however, more of God’s truth entered the picture. By the end, a realistic view of sin and how to handle temptation had been presented. Cash’s characters were believable and and real. I will definitely look for her next book!

I was given a copy of this book by Thomas Nelson in exchange for an unbiased review.

 A young Amish woman harbors a difficult secret. Does she dare share the truth with the man she hopes to marry?

Elsie Keim doesn’t want to be left behind. Her twin sister, Viola, and her older brother, Roman, have both found love and are building lives of their own. But Elsie? She’s still stuck at home, being treated like a child. No one seems to consider her a capable woman-all they see are the thick lenses of her glasses, constant reminders that Elsie suffers from keratoconus and is slowly going blind.

Elsie knows there’s much more to her than her disease. That’s why when a new neighbor, Landon Troyer, shows some interest in her, she doesn’t want anything to scare him away . . . even if it means keeping her condition a secret.

Landon is ready to start a new life and feels like Elsie may just be the right woman to start it with. But when Roman steps in and shares the truth about Elsie’s illness, Landon is floored. His job is demanding and takes him away from home, sometimes for days at a time. How could he keep up with his responsibilities and take care of Elsie?

Eventide is an enjoyable story with a great faith lesson.  It’s a story of contrasts – an Amish family with more issues than a newspaper who find their way back to each other and to peace.

Most of the story is anything but peaceful, however.  With the full extended family trying to tell her what to do, Elsie has to figure out what she wants and how to get it – while dealing with her family at the same time.  Throw in a new love interest – a first love interest – and Elsie’s storyline alone will keep the pages turning.

What I appreciated most by the end of the story, however, was how aptly named this book truly is.  Gray ties up all the loose ends with thoughtful, peaceful reflection, which contrasts starkly to the drama of the story and shows just how far everyone has come.  She paints a picture of relaxing in God’s grace that is both beautiful and hopeful.

Eventide is the perfect ending to this series – and I can’t wait to begin the next one.

You can read other reviews on this blog hop here.  Click here to purchase your own copy now.

Shelley Shepard Gray is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of the “Sisters of the Heart”, “Seasons of Sugarcreek”, “Secrets of Crittenden County”, and Families of Honor series. She lives in southern Ohio, where she writes full-time, bakes too much, and can often be found walking her dachshunds on her town’s bike trail.

Connect with Shelley here: http://www.shelleyshepardgray.com/

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

When her country needs her, will she have the courage to surrender her glittering world and her one true love?

Susan May Warren is the bestselling, RITA Award-winning author of more than forty novels whose compelling plots and unforgettable characters have won acclaim with readers and reviewers alike. She served with her husband and four children as a missionary in Russia for eight years before she and her family returned home to the States. She now writes full-time as her husband runs a lodge on Lake Superior in northern Minnesota, where many of her books are set. She and her family enjoy hiking, canoeing, and being involved in their local church. Several of her critically acclaimed novels have been ECPA and CBA bestsellers, were chosen as Top Picks by Romantic Times, and have won the RWA’s Inspirational Reader’s Choice contest and the American Christian Fiction Writers Book of the Year award. Five of her books have been Christy Award finalists. In addition to her writing, Susan loves to teach and speak at women’s events about God’s amazing grace in our lives. She also runs a writing community for authors. Visit MyBookTherapy.com to learn more. For exciting updates on her new releases, previous books, and more, visit her website at www.susanmaywarren.com

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

Emily Covington has been clean and sober for nearly a year, and that’s after completing a year-long rehab program.  Her family has moved away from her former haunts and she’s enrolled in school, working hard to show the dramatic change that has taken place inside her – and then her car blows up.  Suddenly people are dying and Emily’s mother’s worst fears are coming true:  is Emily having a relapse?  Are the drugs, the lapses in time logical or the result of something more sinister?

While I’ve been known to laugh out loud or cry at a book, rarely do I have any other outward reaction, but there’s something about the Covington family that makes me become more involved.  Several times during the reading of this book I nearly had to put down the book and walk away – only because I could see how Emily’s current train of thought could lead her to trouble, and being unable to warn her, I had to take a breather.

Misunderstandings and communication issues caused many of the family issues in this book, and isn’t that totally common?  Typical teenagers, Emily and her brother Lance assume that harm can’t come to them because they have pure motives, while Mrs. Covington worries herself sick instead of talking matter-of-factly with her children about her fears.  The sheer reality of these problems made me think about how I might handle these issues with my teens, and I have a few years to go!

The best books write you into the script; you become the main character and channel their thoughts, feelings, and abilities, but in Downfall, you don’t just become Emily, you are Lance and Mrs. Covington, too.  Blackstock writes each character so seamlessly and completely that your mind and emotions transition smoothly from one to another.  You see each side of every conflict, and the result is a more thorough examination of the Covington family and how you, the reader, might handle their issues.

Downfall is the perfect ending to the Intervention series.  Another wonderful suspense story from Terri Blackstock – I wonder what is next?

I received a free copy of Downfall from Shelton Interactive in exchange for an honest review.