book review

Three sisters. A charming inn. Hints of mystery and romance. And a gorgeous seaside setting. Escape to Misty Harbor Inn.

I received a free copy of Whispers on the Dock from LitFuse Publicity in exchange for an honest review.

Beth Thatcher has spent her entire life in the safe, comfortable world of her family, her friends, and the social outings her father’s wealth provides. But Beth is about to leave it all behind to accept a teaching position in the rugged foothills of western Canada. Inspired by her aunt Elizabeth, who went west to teach school several years ago, and gently encouraged by her father, Beth resolves to put her trust in God and bravely face any challenge that comes her way.

Despite the many challenges, Beth is determined to make a difference in the rustic frontier town. But when her sister visits from the East, reminding her of all the luxuries she’s had to give up, will Beth decide to return to her privileged life as soon as the school year is over?

Where Courage Calls is a classic Oke story – full of simple pleasures, strong faith, and the pioneer spirit.  Although a separate story unconnected to the others, Elizabeth is the niece of Beth Thatcher, the heroine of the Where series.  This is the most modern of Oke’s books I’ve read thus far, and yet Elizabeth lives so far in the interior that it rarely feels that way.

Like every other Janette Oke story I’ve ever read, the story is written with simple problems revolving around faith and human problems with several deep spiritual lessons thrown in.  These lessons, along with the determination and pioneer spirit that permeate every chapter, are what kept me rereading every story as a child.

My favorite part of Where Courage Calls was the way that Elizabeth was determined to help the children of Coal Valley as much as possible before the school year was out. She put the children before her time, her health, and her safety.  In doing so she not only taught the children but assisted the Royal Canadian Mounted Police in solving a major crime ring that was based out of Coal Valley.  The foreshadowing and building of suspense involving the crime was well written and added a great angle to the story.

I’m happy to be adding Where Courage Calls to my Janette Oke collection, and I look forward to reading it over and over again – just as I have all the other Oke stories. 

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

Peace finally beckons to widowed Miranda Hanford when her controlling pastor announces a church-wide move to another state.  Hoping to find a balance between the Jesus she loves and the legalistic rules of pastor Chandler, Miranda is seeking a way out when a severe accident cripples her, making her and her six children dependent on her brother-in-law.  Professor Jack Hanford finds himself temporarily in charge of the Miranda’s homeschooling efforts and is at a loss to understand the rules binding the family.  Can Miranda break free before Chandler condemns her publicly or Jack stumbles across hidden family secrets?

Meg Mosely writes a truly compelling story about faith and forgiveness.  No part of this story reads like a book; instead, it feels as if a good friend is sitting across the table, describing the neighbor who lives just down the street.  Miranda and Jack feel as if they could leap out of the book at any time – both make you want to know them, to know more, to become their best friends; despite their secrets and flaws, or maybe because of them, they are real.  Mosely’s word choice is incredibly descriptive but also adds to the characters’ intrinsic self; the words used by each one are not generic, but add depth and layers to each person.

I loved the way that this book added suspense while drawing you in closer to each character’s life.  The full meaning of Miranda’s secrets or Jack’s motivation is not known until the very end, but learning what they’ve hidden only makes you connect further with each one.

This is one book that I can see myself reading over and over; the first read isn’t going to be enough.  I can’t wait to read more from this author!

If you’d like to read the first chapter of When Sparrows Fall for free, check it out here!  Mosely’s first novel won’t become available until May 3rd, but you can preorder it here.

I received a free copy of this book from Multnomah’s Books for Bloggers program in exchange for an honest review.

When Hannah Lapp left Owl’s Perch, she made a new life for herself in Ohio.  Between dating the wealthy Martin Palmer, caring for his niece and nephew, taking nursing classes, and working at a midwifery clinic, Hannah is finally at peace with her Englischer life; at least, she is until her Amish sister calls, insisting that she return home.  After being reunited with family and friends, circumstances prevent another clean break – and this time Hannah must work with her former fiancé to find help for her sister.  As Hannah begins to find closure for the heartbreaking events that led to her leaving, she must make a choice:  will she find the peace that she craves in Ohio with Martin, or in Pennsylvania with Paul?

I loved this book.  In fact, I loved the whole series.  I read the first book, When the Heart Cries, some time ago, and I immediately tracked down the second two to read.  Another reading of this one confirmed my initial impression – it is just as riveting, just as dramatic, just as real as it was the first time through.

Some of the Amish fiction stories that I’ve read make everything in the Amish world appear peaceful and serene, as if the biggest problem an Amish person ever faces is which field to plow and whether to marry English or Amish; but you’ll never get that false impression from one of Woodsmall’s books.  Woodsmall applies real life, contemporary issues to Amish characters and then digs deep to see how they might find resolution.  Each detail, each nuance, each character is intertwined, and the depth of the relationship and the soul-searching that must be done before these major decisions are made is well explored. 

These dramatic problems create charasmatic, real characters who appear to be people you might just meet walking down the street.  In fact, having grown up in the region of this book’s setting, I was tempted to get out a map to ascertain exactly which towns were real, because who wouldn’t want to visit City Island in Harrisburg and run into Hannah?

If you like Amish fiction, hurry to your nearest retailer and read When the Soul Mends.  If you’ve tried Amish fiction before and weren’t impressed, give it another shot – Woodsmall is sure to change your mind.

I received a free copy of When the Soul Mends from WaterBrook Multnomah in exchange for an honest review.

Lazarus occupies a surprising position in the Gospel accounts. Widely known as the man Jesus raised from the dead, his story is actually much broader and richer than that. Living as he did at Bethany, near Jerusalem, Lazarus was uniquely placed to witness the swirl of events around Jesus. When Jesus Wept, the first novel in The Jerusalem Chronicles series by bestselling authors Bodie and Brock Thoene, unfolds the turbulent times in Judea during Jesus‘ ministry, centering on the friendship between Jesus and Lazarus. With rich insights from vineyard owners and vine dressers, the Thoenes explore the metaphor of Jesus as the True Vine, harvesting the ancient secrets found in the Old Testament. Weaving the life of Lazarus, who owned a vineyard, into the crucifixion and resurrection of Christ will help you understand it is the hand of Love Divine that holds the knife, that cuts and breaks with such tender and loving touch, and that we who have born some fruit, after the pruning, can bear much more. 

When Jesus Wept is the best kind of historical fiction:  the kind that drops you headfirst into another era and makes it difficult to return to your own time upon the turning of the last page.  The Thoenes had me questioning from the very first sentence about Lazarus’ backstory.  I wanted to know more: What was he like, what happened to him, what did he believe?  I couldn’t wait to find out how Lazarus came to be lying dead in the tomb and later resurrected by Jesus.  Prior to reading this book, I had thought little about Lazarus’ life, focusing instead on his sisters’ joy upon his resurrection, but this story brings into sharp relief the fact that Lazarus was a friend of Jesus’, too, and in the perfect position to have known Him well.

From the first I wanted to take this book and read it alongside my Bible; not because I wanted to compare the two texts but because it made me curious about many nuances.  Lazarus’ life was not the only story of which I now want more, and I want to reread many to ponder on my own what each person’s story could be.

The Thoenes dedication to research shines through on every page:  from the customs of the times to the wine-making process to the large chunks of scripture placed throughout the book and the context into which they are written.  This is not merely a work of fiction but a well-researched supposition, one which we can’t know is true but also can’t know isn’t.  It will help the reader understand the period into which Jesus was born and died and gain a fuller understanding of His movements leading up to the crucifixion and resurrection.

I had a rather large misconception about this book, my first Thoene book, before reading it:  I expected that it was about Jesus’ raising Lazarus from the dead, and so it is, but the story does not end there.  That is not the climax that I was expecting, and this shift in story line from my expectation to their perfection leaves the reader unsatisfied at the end, not because there is anything missing, but because the story stops.  You will not want it to – despite knowing what happens, having read the Gospels over and over and despite your childhood VBS attendance, you’ll thirst for the next step of the story.

To read other reviews in this blog tour, click here; or, to purchase your own copy of When Jesus Wept, click here.

Hannah Lapp loves Paul Waddell,  but she’s pretty sure her parents won’t. As an Old Order Amish teen growing up in Owl Perch, Pennsylvania, Paul’s Mennonite ways won’t be acceptable to her father – and neither will their plans to marry.  Everything changes, however, when Hannah is raped on her way home from a meeting with Paul as he returns to college.  Can their relationship – and Hannah’s good standing in her Amish community – survive the trauma?

Most books that I’ve read with Amish characters are simple.  Simple plots, often about whether to join the Amish church or leave for the English world, or maybe about forbidden love, seem to make up the most of them.  This tends to give those books a similarity that prevents them from jumping out and really grabbing the reader – but this isn’t one of those books.

I’ve never read a book about an Amish community that so thoroughly portrays the difficulties of remaining separate but apart in a fallen world; that describes the pull of the Amish faith in such a realistic way.

Well-written, realistic, and suspenseful, this book will keep a reader on his toes and craving more.  The first of three, I couldn’t stop when this one ended – and finished the series in a matter of days.  If you have any interest in Amish culture, this is definitely a must-read.

Want to find out more?  Go here to read an excerpt of When the Heart Cries.

I received a free copy of this book from ‘Blogging for Books’ in exchange for an honest review.

Tom Crane had it all – a success job in a law firm, the promise of a huge account that would surely make him partner, a girlfriend, pets … until his father died in a tragic fishing accident.  Suddenly losing everything he holds dear, Crane returns to his small Georgian hometown to close down his father’s law practice and bankrupt estate.  Nothing about his father’s country practice is as he expects, however, and Crane finds himself encountering God, old girlfriends, and government officials in a desperate search for truth.  Can he find it – and clear his father’s name at the same time?

As always, Whitlow writes in a clear, concise manner that is easy to read and uses very descriptive words.  The main character’s law specialty, however, is not so easy to understand.  I struggled with the specifics of offshore accounts and which sorts of rules apply to whom and finally just skipped the logistics.  It was enough for me that Crane understood it, and I was able to follow the story without having the technical details straight.  (If you’re a financial genius, I’m sure you’ll have no problems – I’m just more of a cash-on-the-barrel girl.)

It took me a bit longer to get in Crane’s head than it has in Whitlow’s other books, but by the third chapter I was hooked.  I couldn’t wait to find out how Crane would solve the mystery.  With mystery, intrigue, suspense, a bit of romance, and a search for God thrown in, this book is not your typical paperback.

If you’re a mystery lover, be sure to check out Water’s Edge!


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

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.