"The Divine Appointment" by Jerome Teel

This week, the

Christian Fiction Blog Alliance
is introducing

THE DIVINE APPOINTMENT

(Howard Books June 5, 2007)

by
Jerome Teel

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:



Jerome Teel is a graduate of Union University, where he received his JD, cum laude, from the Ole Miss School of Law. He is actively involved in his church, local charities, and youth sports.

He has always loved legal-suspense novels and is a political junkie. He is also the author of The Election, another political thriller that we reviewed November of '06.

Jerome and his wife, Jennifer, have three children...Brittney, Trey, and Matthew...and they reside in Tennessee where he practices law and is at work on a new novel.


ABOUT THE BOOK:




"They aren't hiding just one something, but a bunch of somethings..."


Small town southern lawyer, Elijah Faulkner is a dying breed...an attorney that actually takes pleasure in fighting injustice by working hard for the little guy. But when he takes on a case to defend a philandering doctor with a pregnant wife in a seemingly open-and-shut murder trial, Eli is not so sure he is on the 'right' side.

Back in Washington D.C., supreme Court Justice Martha Robinson has died, presenting an unprecedented opportunity for conservative President Richard Wallace to impact the direction of the highest court in the land. He believes God put him in the presidency for just such a time as this...to make a Divine Appointment. Not everyone is thrilled with the president's nominee, however. And some will stop at nothing, including murder, to prevent his confirmation by the Senate.

A lobbyist with a vendetta, a small-time Mafioso, an investigative reporter with a Watergate complex, and a powerful Washington political machine combine to create a fast-paced suspense novel that explores the anatomy of a murder, and the ripple effect that it creates across the country.


"Jerome Teel has crafted an intriguing political thriller...nice twists and turns to keep you reading. he paints vivid mental pictures that bring characters and locales to life."
--Congresswoman Marsha Blackburn, Tennessee's 7th District

"Quaker Summer" by Lisa Samson

There is a reason this book is the Women of Faith Book of the Year. IT is awesome. At first I was hestiant to read it because I did not know what to expect. It was deep and thought provoking but I still enjoyed reading it. I took a break or two to think but I did not want to put it down. It really made me think "Do I really need all the stuff in my house"? It made me want to downsize my earthly belongings.At first I wanted to get rid of everything(okay most) but I came to my senses and realized I couldn't. All of the characters are well developed and became real to me by the end of the story. This is the first book of Lisa Samson's that I have read and it will not be the last. I highly recommend this book.

All The Tea In China by Jane Orcutt

Award-winning Christian author Jane Orcutt was born with a serious heart defect and faced surgeries and long recoveries from the age of five. But these solitary times strengthened Jane’s love for reading, and her dream of one day becoming a writer.

Jane achieved that dream with style, not only as a popular Christian novelist with fourteen published books to her credit, but also through her mentorship of many young writers.

Jane was a loyal and loving wife, mother, daughter, and sister, a witty and sought-after friend, a powerful writer, and a tender pet owner. Most of all Jane was a follower and lover of Jesus Christ.

On Sunday, March 18, 2007, after a long battle with acute myeloid leukemia, Jane stepped into the arms of her Savior.




Every good young Englishwoman knows that her destiny depends upon a good marriage match. But Isabella Goodrich is not your typical good young Englishwoman.
After an encounter with those less fortunate than she, witty and fun-loving Isabella makes a shocking decision.

Against everyone’s advice and wishes, she is going to become a missionary in the Far East.

Fighting against cultural expectations, common sense, and a mentor who is not as he seems, Isabella leaves her predictable Oxford life behind and sets sail to a new world fraught with danger.

Can she trust the mysterious missionary Phineas Snowe? Or will her adventure end before it even begins?

A delightful story for readers who like high adventure, twisting plots, and a hint of romance.

Endorsements for All The Tea In China:

“I can't remember when I had so much fun learning about another culture, and learning the art of compassion.”- author Hannah Alexander

“I was grinning by the end of the first sentence. What a delight to travel from Oxford to the Orient with headstrong Isabella Goodrich! A well-educated Englishwoman with more than a teaspoonful of courage, Isabella has her heart set on China, even as a certain gentleman fixes his eye on her. Solid research and sprightly pacing make for a pleasurable read. Truly good to the last drop!”- Liz Curtis Higgs, best-selling author of Whence Came a Prince

“Jane Orcutt’s All the Tea in China has been well-defined as a “rollicking Regency!” Writing with a delightful combination of verve and charm, Orcutt presents Isabella Goodrich as an intelligent, spunky, good-hearted girl who never lacks for adventure . . . or daring. I loved journeying with her from England to China, and from naiveté to maturity!” –Angela Hunt, author of Uncharted and The Elevator

“With its rich detail and saucy characters, All the Tea in China is a fun romp around Cape Horn and into China. I loved the spunk of Isabella, the mystery of Phineas, and the allure of a country so distant from our own. Hats off to Jane Orcutt for such an enjoyable read!” - Marlo Schalesky, author of Veil of Fire

Brittanie: I lovved this book. It is wonderful. I could not put it down. I made the mistake of starting it right before bedtime. I had to go to bed and work but I thought about it all day at work. My only regret is that Jane Orcutt is no longer with us. She died from cancer in March. She will be greatly missed by her family, peers, and readers. There is a website set up in her honor where you can learn more about her life and books. It is http://www.janeorcuttbooks.com/index

"Reluctant Runaway" by Jill Nelson

This week, the

Christian Fiction Blog Alliance

is introducing

RELUCTANT RUNAWAY

(Multnomah, March 2007)

by

Jill Nelson


ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Jill Elizabeth Nelson is a member of the CFBA. Her blog, Artistic Blogger, addresses issues about art, art theft, antiquities preservation, and the art of fiction writing. She takes art seriously - when she's not having fun with it, that is. The To Catch a Thief Series combines her love of the written word with her love of other art forms.

The first in the series was Reluctant Burglar , second is Reluctant Runaway. In January 2008, she will reveal the third book, Reluctant Smuggler. Jill is thrilled if the adventures that spill from her imagination can raise awareness about art theft - deemed "a looming criminal enterprise" by the FBI. Jill and her husband, Doug, have four children and live in Minnesota.



ABOUT THE BOOK:

Stolen Indian artifacts...A murdered museum guard…


A missing woman…A baby in danger…


Only Desiree can unearth the horrifying secret that links them all.

Museum security expert Desiree Jacobs doesn’t mean to get in danger’s path. Really she doesn’t. But when a friend is in trouble you don’t just walk away. No matter what your overprotective FBI agent boyfriend says! So when Desi and Tony’s date at a presidential ball is interrupted by a frantic Maxine Webb, Desi doesn’t hesitate to jump in.

Soon Desi is neck-deep in a confusing array of villains. Did Max’s niece run away or was she taken? Is she still alive or the victim of a perverse ritual? And who wants her infant son–and why?

Then Tony’s organized crime case collides with Desi’s investigation, throwing them both into the path of something dark and sinister. Something that craves blood...

From the streets of Desi’s beloved Boston to the mountain desert of New Mexico, Desi and Tony must rely on God to thwart unseen forces–and save a young woman and her baby from a villain more evil than any of them can imagine.


"A fresh voice, strong heroine, and unique plot make Reluctant Runaway a can't-put-down read. Jill Elizabeth Nelson is an author to watch in the realm of romantic suspense!"

----SUSAN MAY WARREN award-winning author of In Sheep's Clothing

"As I have loved you" by Nikki Arana

This week, the

Christian Fiction Blog Alliance

is introducing

As I Have Loved You

(Revell June 1, 2007)

by

Nikki Arana

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:


Nikki Arana is an award-winning author of highly-acclaimed inspirational women's fiction who weaves today's social, political, and spiritual issues into her novels. She has received numerous awards, including the Excellence in Media 2007 Silver Angel Award for The Winds of Sonoma.

The book was based on the true love story of how Nikki met her future husband Antonio as he was cleaning the stalls of her parents' Arabian horses. Nikki and Antonio have been married for over thirty years, have two grown sons, and live in Idaho.

ABOUT THE BOOK:



Contemporary Struggles...


...A Single Mom and College-Ages Son.


Leigh Scott is a widowed, single mother who wants the best for her son Jeff. She would like him to graduate from college, land a secure job, and start a family. However, Jeff, who was diagnosed with Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) at a young age, has a God-given compassion for people. And his non-judgemental acceptance of all has unintended consequences.


Jeff starts dating Jessica, a girl with a questionable past and seemingly non-existent future. Soon, Jeff's grades drop as quickly as his sober determination to achieve the goals he's worked toward all his life, and Leigh finds herself caught ina relational tornado


To complicate matters further, Leigh is an author with a looming book deadline, a father battling cancer, and her former boyfriend and first love, a strong Christian Native American, coming back in her life.


Arana weaves a multi-layered, emotional family saga that brings the peril of judgement, the need for forgiveness and the gift of love to light


"Nikki Arana wrings the heart and exalts the soul."


---Romantic Times

"Diva Nashvegas" by Rachel Hauck

This week, the

Christian Fiction Blog Alliance

is introducing


DIVA NASHVEGAS

(Thomas Nelson May 8, 2007)

by

Rachel Hauck


ABOUT THE AUTHOR:



Rachel is the author of many books. Her current release, Viva NashVegas is the second in a series which began with Lost in NashVegas. She is also a Blogger and a CFBA member! She lives in Florida with her husband. Visit her great profile and learn more.


ABOUT THE BOOK:



Even if you are not a lover of country music, you can enjoy this fun look at the Nashville entertainment industry.

What do you do when the past you’ve been skirting shows up at your door with cameras rolling?

Aubrey James ruled the charts as the queen of country for over a decade. She’d rocketed to fame in the shadow of her parents’ death-both of them pioneers in Gospel music. But while her public life, high profile romances, and fights with Music Row execs made for juicy tabloid headlines, the real and private Aubrey has remained a media mystery.

When a former band member betrays Aubrey’s trust and sells an "exclusive" to a tabloid, the star knows she must go public with her story. But Aubrey’s private world is rocked when the Inside NashVegas interviewer is someone from her past-someone she’d hoped to forget.

All the moxie in the world won’t let this Diva run any longer.


"Hauck once again takes us into the country music world, this time through the experiences of mega-star Aubrey James. Aubrey's life journey is filled with flaws, as well as a great deal of joy, and real life locales makes this highly original story authentic. The extra tidbits - from Aubrey's liner notes to quotes from the "media" at the beginning of the chapters - add extra sparkle to the plot."

- 4 Stars, Melissa Parcel, Romantic Times Book Club

"Dear Enemy" by Jack Cavanaugh

I really do not know what to say about this book. I liked it but I do not know why. I was not ready when it ended. The characters were alive to me and I felt what they felt. It was great writing. I def. can say I hated the ending. I wanted Nurse Annie Mitchell to make a decision one way or the other and live happily ever after.


Nurse Annie Mitchell, after seeing firsthand the atrocities of war, has concluded, along with most of her fellow Americans, that the enemy is inhuman and thoroughly depraved. But when a rogue rescue mission ends in tragedy, a bereft Annie finds herself in the middle of Belgium's Ardennes Forest, behind enemy lines—and captured.
What transpires in the bitter cold of the following days, however, is impossible for Annie to reconcile with her preconceived ideas about the enemy. Her captor, Karl Hausmann, doesn’t fit the stereotype she has embraced—and the encounter changes everything for her. Tested by prejudice and the separation of time and continents, Annie must build on this awakening if life and love are ever to hold any true meaning for her again.

Dear Enemy is a story of heroic love, faith, and the unexpected, emerging in the wake of one of WWII's most fierce and bloody battles—the Battle of the Bulge.

Bethany House Publishers (2005)

This week, the

Christian Fiction Blog Alliance
is introducing


These Boots Werent Made for Walking


(WATERBROOK Press June 19, 2007)

by



Melody Carlson



ABOUT THE AUTHOR:



Melody Carlson has published over 100 books for adults, children, and teens, including On This Day, Finding Alice, the Notes from a Spinning Planet series, and Homeward, which won the Rita Award from Romance Writers of America. She and her husband, the parents of two grown sons, make their home near the Cascade Mountains in Central Oregon. Melody is a full-time writer as well as an avid gardener, biker, skier, and hiker.






ABOUT THE BOOK:

Willing to make the necessary sacrifices–even skipping the occasional latte–to ensure career success, 31-year-old Cassidy Cantrell "invests" in a chic pair of boots, certain they’ll make a spectacular impression and help seal the deal on a long-anticipated promotion from her Seattle employer.

But reality tromps all over her expectations. Cassie’s job is abruptly eliminated–and her love life obliterated, when her longtime boyfriend dumps her for a "friend." Her self-esteem in tatters, Cassie limps home to the resort town she once so eagerly fled–only to find her recently divorced mother transformed into a gorgeous fifty-something babe with a thriving social life. Cassie wrestles with envy and apathy as she considers the dismal shape of her own physique and romantic prospects. What will it take for her to jump back into life and regain her stride?

This sassy and hilarious novel leads readers on a romp through the wilds of relationships, romance, career, and spirituality, revealing that, while God’s plans may look drastically different than our own, it’ll always be a perfect fit.