Thursday, July 19, 2012

Rare Earth by Davis Bunn


This week, the
Christian Fiction Blog Alliance
is introducing
Rare Earth
Bethany House Publishers (July 1, 2012)
by
Davis Bunn


ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Born and raised in North Carolina, Davis left for Europe at age twenty. There he first completed graduate studies in economics and finance, then began a business career that took him to over forty countries in Europe, Africa, the Middle East and Asia.

Davis came to faith at age 28, while living in Germany and running an international business advisory group. He started writing two weeks later. Since that moment, writing has remained both a passion and a calling.

Davis wrote for nine years and completed seven books before his first was accepted for publication. During that time, he continued to work full-time in his business career, travelling to two and sometimes three countries every week. His first published book, The Presence, was released in 1990 and became a national bestseller.

Honored with three Christy Awards for excellence in historical and suspense fiction, his bestsellers include The Great Divide, Winner Take All, The Meeting Place, The Warning, The Book of Hours, and The Quilt.

A sought-after speaker in the art of writing, Davis serves as Writer In Residence at Regent’s Park College, Oxford University.

ABOUT THE BOOK

Marc Royce stares out of the helicopter, a sense of foreboding rising with the volcanic cloud. Below, the Rift Valley slashes across Africa like a scar. Decades of conflicts, droughts, and natural disasters have left their mark.

Dispatched to audit a relief organization, Royce is thrust into the squalor and chaos of Kenyan refugee camps. But his true mission focuses on the area's reserves of once-obscure minerals now indispensable to high-tech industries. These strategic elements--called rare earth--have inflamed tensions on the world's stage and stoked tribal rivalries. As Royce prepares to report back to Washington, he seizes on a bold and risky venture for restoring justice to this troubled land.

But this time, Royce may have gone too far.

If you would like to read the first chapter of Rare Earth, go HERE.

Monday, July 16, 2012

Almost Amish by Kathryn Cushman


This week, the
Christian Fiction Blog Alliance
is introducing
Almost Amish
Bethany House Publishers (July 1, 2012)
by
Kathryn Cushman


ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Kathryn Cushman is a graduate of Samford University with a degree in pharmacy, but all her life she knew that she wanted to write a novel “some day”. For her, “some day” came in 2003, when she started writing and never looked back.

Her first two manuscripts remain firmly ensconced in the back of her closet (the dust bunnies tell her they really are terrific!). Her third attempt became her first published novel.

A Promise to Remember and Leaving Yesterday were both finalists for the American Christian Fiction Writers Carol Award, and Waiting for Daybreak was a finalist in Women’s Fiction for the Inspirational Reader’s Choice Award.

On the homefront, she has been married to the wonderful and handsome Lee for nearly twenty-five years now, and their two daughters are currently braving the worlds of high school and college.

They’ve lived in Santa Barbara for over twenty years. It’s a beautiful place and Kathryn feel blessed to be there (although a seventy degree Christmas still leaves her dreaming of a white one—or at least a colder one!)

When she's not writing or reading or braving seventy degree holidays, you’ll find her trying her best to keep up with her daughters in their various theater, softball, dance, and filled-with-activity lives.

ABOUT THE BOOK

Proving the Simple Life Isn't So Simple After All

Overcommitted and overwhelmed, Julie Charlton is at the breaking point. She knows she should feel blessed as a mother and wife--but she just feels exhausted. And then, the miraculous happens. Her sister-in-law Susan, a Martha Stewart-in-training, lands the chance to participate in a reality TV series about trying to live like the Amish and needs another family to join her. It's just the break Julie needs.

But the summer adventure in simple living soon proves anything but simple. With the camera watching every move, Susan's drive for perfection feels a lot like what they left behind, while Julie suddenly finds herself needing to stand up for slowing down. Whether it's cooking, cleaning, or dressing differently, each new Amish challenge raises new complications...and soon each woman learns unexpected lessons about herself and her family.

If you would like to read the first chapter of Almost Amish, go HERE.

Friday, July 13, 2012

Waiting for Sunrise by Eva Marie Everson (Review)

 


  • Paperback: 390 pages
  • Publisher: Revell (June 1, 2012)
  • ISBN-13: 978-0800734374
  • From the Back Cover

    Sometimes finding your future means making peace with your past
    Patsy Milstrap wishes she could leave her past behind. Though she tries to put on a brave front for the sake of her family, the wounds still ache, and the scars on her soul are still deeply felt. At her concerned husband's gentle insistence, they take a vacation from South Carolina on Cedar Key, an idyllic island on Florida's Gulf Coast. A week in paradise will do them good, he says.

    When a familiar--and most unexpected--face greets her at a seaside restaurant, Patsy knows she can no longer run from the past. But what will opening old wounds mean? And what will the future hold?

    With a large helping of Southern charm, Waiting for Sunrise is a touching story of family, young love, and the need for forgiveness. Eva Marie Everson expertly draws out the bittersweet moments of life, weaving them into a tale that will envelop your soul.
    My Review:
     This is the second book in the Cedar Key series but stands alone fine. I liked the first book in the series also. The author's writing is easy to read and drew me in from the beginning. Although the subject matter is not always easy because it deals with abandonment and depression the plot and characters are well written. I liked Gil and how he dealt with Patsy and her issues. It has a contemporary feel even though the time period is the 1940s to 1960s. There is not a lot of religion in it so it has appeal to both crowds. Recommended.
    About the Author
    Eva Marie Everson is a successful speaker and the award-winning author of Things Left Unspoken, This Fine Life, and Chasing Sunsets. She is coauthor of the Potluck Club books and the Potluck Catering Club series. She lives in Florida.
    Thank you Donna at Revell for my review copy.
    Available now from wherever Revell/Baker books are sold.

    Tuesday, July 3, 2012

    Nothing to Hide by J. Mark Bertrand

    No Review yet just received the book.


    This week, the
    Christian Fiction Blog Alliance
    is introducing
    Nothing to Hide
    Bethany House Publishers (July 1, 2012)
    by
    J. Mark Bertrand


    ABOUT THE AUTHOR:




    J. Mark Bertrand lived in Houston, where the series is set, for fifteen years,
    earning an MFA in Creative Writing at the University of Houston. But after
    one hurricane too many he left for South Dakota. Mark has been arrested
    for a crime he didn't commit, was the foreman of one hung jury and served
    on another that acquitted Vinnie Jones of assault. In 1972, he won an
    honorable mention in a child modeling contest, but pursued writing instead.



    ABOUT THE BOOK

    A grisly homicide. An international threat.
    The stakes have never been higher for
    Detective Roland March.


    The victim's head is missing, but what intrigues Detective Roland March
    is the hand. The pointing finger must be a clue--but to what? According
    to the FBI, the dead man was an undercover asset tracking the flow of
    illegal arms to the Mexican cartels. To protect the operation, they want
    March to play along with the cover story. With a little digging, though, he
    discovers the Feds are lying. And they're not the only ones.

    In an upside-down world of paranoia and conspiracy, March finds himself
    dogged by injury and haunted by a tragic failure. Forced to take justice into
    his own hands, his twisting investigation leads him into the very heart of
    darkness, leaving March with nothing to lose--and nothing to hide.

    If you would like to read the first chapter of Nothing to Hide, go HERE.

    Classics Club Spin 18

    My Classics Club Spin List for August This is a hodgepodge of books left on my list I made in 2017 for the Classics Club. Tomorrow the clu...