Just BetweenYou and Me by Jenny B. Jones

This week, the
Christian Fiction Blog Alliance
is introducing
Just Between You And Me
Thomas Nelson (September 1, 2009)
by
Jenny B. Jones

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

I write Christian fiction with a few giggles, quite a bit of sass, and lots of crazy. My novels include the Katie Parker Production series and So Not Happening. I would also like to take credit for Twilight , but somewhere I think I read you’re not supposed to lie.

When I’m not typing my heart out (or checking email), I teach at a super-sized high school in Arkansas.

My students are constantly telling me how my teaching changes their lives and turned them away from drugs, gangs, and C-SPAN.

Okay, that’s not exactly true.

Since my current job leaves me with very little free time, I believe in spending my spare hours in meaningful, intellectual pursuits such as:

-watching E!
-updating my status on Facebook
-catching Will Ferrell on YouTube and
-writing my name in the dust on my furniture

I’d love to hear about you, so drop me a note. Or check me out on Facebook.




ABOUT THE BOOK

The only thing scarier than living on the edge is stepping off it.
Maggie Montgomery lives a life of adventure. Her job as a cinematographer takes her from one exotic locale to the next. When Maggie's not working, she loves to rappel off cliffs or go skydiving. Nothing frightens her.

Nothing, that is, except Ivy, Texas, where a family emergency pulls her back home to a town full of bad memories, painful secrets, and people Maggie left far behind . . . for a reason.

Forced to stay longer than she intended, Maggie finds her family a complete mess, including the niece her sister has abandoned. Ten-year-old Riley is struggling in school and out of control at home. The only person who can really handle the pint-sized troublemaker is Conner, the local vet and Ivy's most eligible bachelor. But Conner and Maggie keep butting heads--he's suspicious of her and, well, she doesn't rely on anyone but herself.

As Maggie humorously fumbles her way from one mishap to another, she realizes she's going to need to ask for help from the one person who scares her the most.

To save one little girl--and herself--can Maggie let go of her fears and just trust God?

If you would like to read the first chapter of Just Between You And Me, go HERE

My Review:

I loved this book. It is going on my favorites list for 2009. I am a huge fan of her YA novels and was excited to see an adult contemporary book from her also. It surpassed my expectations. She is quite a funny person and it comes through in her books. So even with the serious topics in this book there is her trademark humor. She is great at dialogue and one liners and the entire book is well written. I read it in one sitting. From the first page I did not want to put it down. I wanted to know what happened to the characters next. Okay, enough gushing, read this book! Highly recommended. :)

Check out her blog at: http://www.jennybjones.com/blog/

Fearless by Max Lucado

Hardcover: 224 pages
Publisher: Thomas Nelson (September 8, 2009)
ISBN-13: 978-0849921391

Each sunrise seems to bring fresh reasons for fear.
They're talking layoffs at work, slowdowns in the economy, flare-ups in the Middle East, turnovers at headquarters, downturns in the housing market, upswings in global warming. The plague of our day, terrorism, begins with the word terror. Fear, it seems, has taken up a hundred-year lease on the building next door and set up shop. Oversized and rude, fear herds us into a prison of unlocked doors. Wouldn't it be great to walk out?

Imagine your life, wholly untouched by angst. What if faith, not fear, was your default reaction to threats? If you could hover a fear magnet over your heart and extract every last shaving of dread, insecurity, or doubt, what would remain? Envision a day, just one day, where you could trust more and fear less.

Can you imagine your life without fear?

My Review:

Everyone has fears. I am personally afraid of heights, planes, losing my job, car accidents, rodents, losing family members, drowning, choking, marriage, children, and more if I sit here and think about it.

In his new book Max Lucado explores 13 different fears one per chapter:

-Fear of not mattering

-Fear of Disappointing God

-Fear of Running Out

-Fear of not protecting my kids

-Fear of overwhelming challenges

-Fear of worst case scenarios

-Fear of violence

-Fear of the coming winter

-Fear of life's final moments

-Fear of what's next

-Fear that God is not real

-Fear of global calamity

-Fear of God getting out of my box

Each chapter has personal stories, biblical stories and verses, and the author tying everything together wonderfully. You can learn something from each chapter. The writing is easy to understand and the book is easy to read. I think it is a very important message especially given the times we live in. I found myself putting little sticky notes besides passages. I definitely recommend this book. :)

About the Author
In almost 25 years of writing, Max Lucado’s books have been sold 65 million times. He is the only author to have won three Christian Book of the Year awards. In 2005, Reader’s Digest magazine dubbed him “America’s Best Preacher” and in 2004, Christianity Today magazine called him “America’s Pastor.”

His works have appeared on every major national bestseller list including Publishers Weekly, USA Today, The New York Times, Evangelical Christian Publishers Association, and Christian Booksellers Association. He has been featured in countless media outlets and national broadcasts.

Beach Vacation Photos

My sister is in the orange, then my Dad, and me in the white.

Home At Last

*We actually got home last night at around 11:00 P.M. Traffic was really bad for the first part of the return trip home. I have lots to tell y'all.

* My Mom hired someone to take my sister, Dad, and my pictures at the beach so I will post some soon.

* I used the Internet at a public Library in Gulf Shores to write a review of Lonestar Secrets. I thought it was really cool.

*Thank the Lord I asked off for today too. I am so tired. I guess it takes awhile to get back in routine. I did not want to leave the beach.

* I did 6 loads of laundry today and have a couchful to be folded and put up.

*I read over 400 posts in my Google Reader and posted two reviews today with giveaways.

* I went and had my hair cut this afternoon. I took a lot off. I will post a picture later.

* I also went to two different Wal Marts, Kroger, and the Bank today.

* I read 8 books on vacation. They include:
- Sweet Waters by Julie Carobini
- Eye for an Eye by Irene Hannon
- Lonestar Secrets by Colleen Coble
- Just Between You and Me by Jenny B. Jones
- Look to the East by Maureen Lang
- Forgiven by Shelley Shepard Gray
- Ends of the Earth by Tim Downs
- Love's First Light by Jamie Carie
- Seeing Things by Patti Hill

* There will be lots of reviews coming up soon.

* I really enjoyed all of the books. :)

* Off to fold the mountain of laundry, put up groceries, read, watch America's Got Talent ...

Stray Affections by Charlene Baumbich (AND GIVEAWAY)

***Leave a comment on this post before Tuesday September 15 at midnight to be entered to win a copy.***

Paperback: 320 pages
Publisher: WaterBrook Press (September 15, 2009)
ISBN-13: 978-0307444714

Introduction from the author:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BWwya52SkjU

Summary:
The last thing that Cassandra Higgins expects out of her Sunday is to be mesmerized at a collectors’ convention by a snowglobe. She’s enjoying some shopping time, with husband Ken at home tending their brood of four young boys, when she’s utterly charmed by the one-of-a kind globe containing figures of three dogs and a little girl with hair the color of her own. She can’t resist taking the unique globe home– even if means wrestling another shopper for it!

The beautiful snowglobe sparks long-dormant memories for Cassie, of her beloved Grandpa Wonky, the stray she rescued as a child, and the painful roots of her combative relationship with her mother, “Bad Betty” Kamrowski. Life in Wanonishaw , Minnesota is never dull, though, and Cassie keeps the recollections at bay, busy balancing her boys, her home daycare operation, and being a good friend to best pal Margret. But after a strange–flurrious, as Cassie deems it–moment happens with the remarkable snowglobe, Cassie and the people she loves are swirled into a tumultuous, yet grace-filled, and life-changing journey.

With the quirky, close-knit Midwestern small-town feel that made Charlene Ann Baumbich’s acclaimed Dearest Dorothy novels so popular, Stray Affections invites you to experience the laughter and the healing of second chances.

My Review:

I loved this book. Read the summary above as it explains it wonderful. I read the Dearest Dorothy fiction series by this author and loved them too. Why? Because the characters and plot are well developed and interesting. They have quirks and there are several lol moments. One of the main themes of this book is forgiveness and second chances. I recommend this book and the other fiction series Dearest Dorothy.

About the Author:

Charlene Ann Baumbich is a popular author and speaker and an award-winning journalist. In addition to her Dearest Dorothy series of novels, she has written seven nonfiction books of humor and inspiration. A bungee-jumping, once motorcycle-owning grandma and unabashed dog lover, Charlene lives with her husband and rescued dog Kornflake in Glen Ellyn , Illinois . She loves telling stories, laughing whenever possible, and considers herself a Wild Child of God.

https://www.randomhouse.com/catalog/display.pperl?isbn=9780307444714

The Blue Enchantress by M. L. Tyndall (AND GIVEAWAY)

***Leave a comment on this post before Tuesday September 15 at midnight to be entered to win a copy.***

This week, the
Christian Fiction Blog Alliance
is introducing
The Blue Enchantress
Barbour Books (August 1, 2009)
by
M.L.Tyndall

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:



M. L. (MaryLu) Tyndall grew up on the beaches of South Florida loving the sea and the warm tropics. But despite the beauty around her, she always felt an ache in her soul--a longing for something more.

After college, she married and moved to California where she had two children and settled into a job at a local computer company. Although she had done everything the world expected, she was still miserable. She hated her job and her marriage was falling apart.

Still searching for purpose, adventure and true love, she spent her late twenties and early thirties doing all the things the world told her would make her happy, and after years, her children suffered, her second marriage suffered, and she was still miserable.

One day, she picked up her old Bible, dusted it off, and began to read. Somewhere in the middle, God opened her hardened heart to see that He was real, that He still loved her, and that He had a purpose for her life, if she'd only give her heart to Him completely.

She had written stories her whole life, but never had the confidence to try and get any of them published. But as God began to change her heart, He also showed her that writing had been His wonderful plan for her all along!

Her other current release in the Charles Towne Belles series includes The Red Siren.


ABOUT THE BOOK

Betrayed by the man she longed to marry, Hope Westcott is about to be auctioned off as a slave to the highest bidder on an island in the Caribbean . After enduring a difficult childhood in an unloving home, Hope?s search for love and self-worth have led her down a very dangerous path. All she ever wanted was to find true love and open an orphanage where she could raise children with all the love she never experienced as a child.? But how can a woman with a sordid past ever hope to run an orphanage, let alone attract the love of an honorable man?

Determined to overcome the shame of his mother?s past, Nathaniel Mason worked for many years to build his own fleet of merchant ships in an effort to finally acquire the respect of Charles Towne society. Ignoring the call of God on his life to become a preacher, he forges ahead with his plans for success at a distant port in the Caribbean , when he sees a young lady he knows from Charles Towne being sold as a slave. In an effort to save Hope, he is forced to sell one of his two ships, only to discover that her predicament was caused by her own bad behavior. Angry and determined to rid himself of her as soon as possible, Nathaniel embarks on a journey that will change the course of his life.

If you would like to read the first chapter of The Blue Enchantress, go HERE

View The Book Trailer:



My Review:

I loved this book. I read the first so after reading the second I do recommend reading them in order. They are both great and the first provides a little history on the main character in this book Faith. I love the character development in the book. The spiritual aspect of the book is well done. The series is loosely themed around the parable of the seeds. The plot is very interesting and the author makes you feel like you are there with vivid descriptions. I cannot wait to read the next book in the series. Definitely recommended. :)

Fools Rush In by Janice Thompson

Paperback: 336 pages
Publisher: Revell (September 1, 2009)
ISBN-13: 978-0800733421

About the Book:

Bella Rossi may be nearing thirty, but her life is just starting to get interesting. When her Italian-turned-Texan parents hand over the family wedding planning business, Bella is determined not to let them down. She quickly books a "Boot Scoot'n" wedding that would make any Texan proud. There's only one catch--she's a country music numbskull because her family only listens to Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin. Where will she find a DJ on such short notice who knows his Alan Jackson from his Keith Urban?

When a misunderstanding leads her to the DJ (and man) of her dreams, things start falling into place. But with a family like hers, nothing is guaranteed.

Can the perfect Texan wedding survive a pizza-making uncle with mob ties, an aunt who is a lawsuit waiting to happen, and a massive delivery of 80 cowboy boots? And will Bella ever get to plan her own wedding?

Book one in the Weddings by Bella series, Fools Rush In is fun, fresh, and full of surprises. Readers will love the flavorful combination of Italian and Tex-Mex, and the hilarity that ensues when cultures clash.

My Review:

This is a funny book filled with quirky interesting characters. Bella's Italian family moved from New Jersey to Galveston Island in Texas when she was a child but they never really became Texans. They listen to Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin in the Rossi house. When Bella took over the family wedding business she decided to start offering theme weddings. Her first one booked is a Country-Western theme. She has no idea about country music so she sets out to find a deejay. What follows is a humorous novel filled with mistakes and family, and faith. The food descriptions will make your mouth water and I already love Italian food and language. Each chapter has title from a Sinatra/Martin song. I enjoyed every page. Recommended.