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.

Nothing to Hide by J. Mark Bertrand

No Review yet just received the book.

This week, theChristian Fiction Blog Allianceis introducingNothing to HideBethany House Publishers (July 1, 2012)byJ. 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.

The Director's Cut by Janice Thompson (Review)

The one thing she can't direct is her heart.

Tia Morales is used to calling the shots. She's the director of the popular sitcom Stars Collide, and her life on the set is calculated and orderly. Well, most of the time. Life outside the studio is another matter. If only she could get other people to behave as well as her stars do! When she starts to have feelings for handsome cameraman Jason Harris--with whom she's been butting heads for months--it's enough to send a girl over the edge. Will she ever learn to let go and take life--and love--as it comes?

Full of the humor and crazy family dynamics Janice Thompson fans have come to love, this colorful story gives you an inside look at Hollywood and a healthy dose of romance. If you want more of Bella, DJ, Brock Benson, and other favorite characters from Janice Thompson, you'll love the Backstage Pass series.


My Review:
This is the third book in the backstage pass series. Several characters from the previous books make an appearance in this one so it is nice to catch up with them but this book can be read alone too. All of the stories are engaging and funny. I espically like the main character in this one, Tia. I can identify with her control/OCD tendacies. lol I love the romance between her and Jason. I am sorry to see this series end. I throughly enjoyed reading each one. Recommended. :)



A special message from the author:
A very special "Hello!" from author Janice Thompson. I'm excited about The Director's Cut because I lived and worked in the Los Angeles area years ago and enjoy reminiscing about my experiences while there. (Yep. I was involved in the movie business back then!) Writing this story gave me the opportunity to share my experiences as a director. No, I don't direct a Hollywood sitcom. I wear my director's hat at a Houston-area Christian theater, where my cast members know me as "Ms. Janice." One of them, an actress/co-director named Erin, served as inspiration for a character in The Director's Cut. I'm excited about this book, in part, because the story gave me the opportunity to re-introduce Brock Benson, a character from the "Weddings by Bella" series. What fun, to add him to the Stars Collide cast! I'm also tickled because this story ties the whole "Backstage Pass" series to my (previously published) "Weddings by Bella" series and permanently links the two. Look for more to come, readers! The characters you've grown to love live on in an upcoming series. I can't wait!


Thank you Donna at Revell/Baker books for my review copy.

“Available June  2012 at your favorite bookseller from Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group.”

Paperback: 296 pages

Publisher: Revell (June 1, 2012)

ISBN-13: 978-0800733476

Five Miles South of Peculiar by Angela Hunt (Review)

 

 

 

About the book:

 

Darlene Caldwell has spent a lifetime tending Sycamores, an estate located five miles south of a small town called Peculiar. She raised a family in the spacious home that was her grandfather's legacy and she enjoys being a pillar of the community . . . until her limelight-stealing twin sister unexpectedly returns.

 

Carlene Caldwell, veteran of the Broadway stage, is devastated when she realizes that a botched throat surgery has spelled the end of her musical career. Searching for a new purpose in life, she retreats to Sycamores, her childhood home.

 

Haunted by a tragic romance, Magnolia Caldwell is the youngest of the Caldwell girls. Nolie spends her days caring for her dogs and the magnificent gardens she's created, but when she meets a man haunted by tragedy, she must find the courage to either deny her heart or cut the apron strings that tie her to a dear and familiar place. 

My Review:
I really enjoyed reading this new southern literary Christian book by Angela Hunt. She is a very profilic author and one of my favorites. The characters and plot are interesting and engaging. The setting was small town Florida. It kept my attention from page one and I wanted to know what happened to the characters. Carlene and Darlene are a little harder to like than Nolie but in the end you feel for all three of them. The ending was good and wrapped up all three sisters storylines. There are surprises and turns for all three sisters. Recommended. :)





About the author:

With nearly 4 million copies of her books sold worldwide, Angela Hunt is the bestselling author of more than one hundred books, including The Tale of Three Trees, Don't Bet Against Me, The Note, and The Nativity Story. Her nonfiction book Don't Bet Against Me, written with Deanna Favre, spent several weeks on the New York Times bestseller list. She and her husband make their home in Florida with their dogs. Learn more about Angela at AngelaElwellHunt.com.

 

Review copy provided by publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Doctor's Devotion by Cheryl Wyatt (Review)

This week, theChristian Fiction Blog Allianceis introducingDoctor's DevotionLove Inspired (June 19, 2012) byCheryl Wyatt

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Born Valentine’s Day on a Navy base, Cheryl Wyatt writes military romance. Her Steeple Hill debuts earned RT Top Picks plus #1 and #4 on eHarlequin's Top 10 Most-Blogged-About-Books, lists including NYT Bestsellers. Cheryl loves interacting with her readers and can be found almost daily on Facebook.

Word from the Author:
I do regular giveaways including a Kindle for every 250 people who join (aka "Like) my Facebook author page: https://www.facebook.com/CherylWyattAuthor and I'd LOVE for word to spread about that. We have a lot of fun there as I ask for frequent reader input on current books, with helpers being mentioned in the acknowledgements and fun stuff like that.


ABOUT THE BOOK

A Doctor’s Vow.

When he fled Eagle Point years ago, former air force trauma surgeon Mitch Wellington left only broken dreams behind. Now he’s back with a new dream—opening a trauma center in the rural area and saving lives. He hopes to hire the quick-thinking nurse who impressed him during an emergency. But Lauren Bates lost her faith and doesn’t believe she deserves to help anyone. Mitch knows firsthand what loss feels like. And it’ll take all his devotion to show Lauren that sometimes the best medicine is a combination of faith, community—and love.

Eagle Point Emergency: Saving lives—and losing their hearts—in a small Illinois town.

If you would like to read an excerpt of the first chapter of Doctor's Devotion, go HERE.

My Review:
I have read and loved all of this author's work. This book is a good start to a new series by her. The characters pop off the page and the plot line is interesting. It held my attention from page one. I love military romances like these. Mitch and Lauren had good chemistry and you felt for both of their positions. Grandpa Lem is hilirous! There are several lol moments in all of this author's books and a solid Christian message without being preachy. Recommended espically for fans of Christian military romances. :)

The Search by Shelley Shepard Gray

No Review yet. I just got my book this weekend but I have read all of her books and liked them. :)

This week, the Christian Fiction Blog Alliance is introducing The Search Avon Inspire; Original edition (June 19, 2012) by Shelley Shepard Gray

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Since 2000, Shelley Sabga has sold over thirty novels to numerous publishers, including HarperCollins, Harlequin, Abingdon Press, and Avon Inspire. She has been interviewed by NPR, and her books have been highlighted in numerous publications, including USA Today and The Wall Street Journal.

Under the name Shelley Shepard Gray, Shelley writes Amish romances for HarperCollins’ inspirational line, Avon Inspire. Her recent novel, The Protector, the final book in her “Families of Honor” series, hit the New York Times List, and her previous novel in the same series, The Survivor, appeared on the USA Today bestseller list. Shelley has won the prestigious Holt Medallion for her books, Forgiven and Grace, and her novels have been chosen as Alternate Selections for the Doubleday/Literary Guild Book Club. Her first novel with Avon Inspire, Hidden, was an Inspirational Reader’s Choice finalist.

Before writing romances, Shelley lived in Texas and Colorado, where she taught school and earned both her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in education. She now lives in southern Ohio and writes full time. Shelley is married, the mother of two children in college, and is an active member of her church. She serves on committees, volunteers in the church office, and currently leads a Bible study group, and she looks forward to the opportunity to continue to write novels that showcase her Christian ideals.

When she’s not writing, Shelley often attends conferences and reader retreats in order to give workshops and publicize her work. She’s attended RWA’s national conference six times, the ACFW conference and Romantic Times Magazine’s annual conference as well as traveled to New Jersey, Birmingham, and Tennessee to attend local conferences.

Check out Shelley's Facebook Fan page


ABOUT THE BOOK

In the second book in her Secrets of Crittenden County series, New York Times bestselling author Shelley Shepard Gray delivers another page-turning romance set in Amish country

The serenity of the quiet Amish community of Crittenden, Kentucky is disrupted when Abby Anderson discovers the body of Perry Borntrager in an abandoned well. Perry had been missing for months. Everyone figured he had left the order during his rumspringa. As friends and family reel from this news, and are faced with the first death by mysterious circumstance to occur in their small town in over 20 years, a homicide detective arrives to help solve the crime

Before Perry disappeared, Frannie Eicher and Perry had been secretly courting. Now that it’s common knowledge that he was murdered, it’s up to Fannie to decide whether or not to tell everyone about the secrets he told her.

After much deliberation, she decides to tell Luke Reynolds, the visiting police officer, what she knows. At first, the two meet only on the context of discussing Perry’s death. Then, Luke begins to feel more and more at home, both with Frannie, and in Marion. The only problem is that he feels a romantic pull toward Frannie. Frannie feels that same attraction toward Luke, but is afraid to give her heart to him. After all, she doesn’t want to leave her faith.

As Luke uncovers more secrets about Perry and the case draws out, his time in Marion runs out. He has to decide whether to go back to his job with the Cincinnati Police Department…or stay in Marion.

If you would like to read the Prologue of The Search, go HERE.

The Sunday Salon June 24, 2012

* Wow Summer is here already although here in the Deep South Spring kinda felt like Summer this year. lol

* I have been reading some. I have four book tours this week so hopefully I can finish and review all the books. I have two of them done. They were both good.

* I am still working out but still gaining weight too. I am trying to cut carbs but it is not going so good. I have an ice cream addiction. lol And the dried fruit and nuts get me into trouble too.

* Right now I am reading The Director's Cut by Janice Thompson for review this week. I am also reading It Starts With Food by Melissa and Dallas Hartwig. I love it so far. They are the founders of the Whole 30 program. I have only managed to do it successfully one time but I really want to do it again.

* Really busy so not watching a lot of TV this summer. The only show I record is Cake Boss. I'll watch some stuff when in my sister's room on the computer at night but thats it. I am not a big tv watcher anyway. Have yall seen the show Duck Dynasty. It is a new reality show and it is freaking hilarious.

* Still getting things ready for the week. I need to peel eggs, put a salad together, pack my lunch box, wrap a present, unload the dishwasher, do a load of laundry, and sweep at least the kitchen. lol

* I hope everyone has a great week and lots of reading time. :)