Welcome to Last Chance

Welcome to Last Chance
by
Cathleen Armstrong


MY THOUGHTS:
Welcome to Last Chance is Cathleen Armstrong's first novel, and she has made a fabulous start to her writing career. This is an excellent contemporary romance.

Each character has wonderful depth and life. It is easy to imagine oneself living in or visiting this small town and dealing with the struggles the characters face. If this were a real town, I'd definitely find a way to visit!

Armstrong has written a masterful book that demonstrates how God's grace, as shown through his people, can overcome all the struggles we face.

ABOUT THE BOOK:
The red warning light on her car dashboard may have driven Lainie Davis to seek help in the tiny town of Last hance, New Mexico, but as she meets the people who make this one-horse town their home, it's her heart that is flashing bright red warning lights. These people are entirely too nice, too accommodatig, and too interested in her personal life -- especially since she's on the run and hoping to slip away unnoticed.

Yet in spite of herself, Lainie is increasingly drawn into the small-town dramas and to a handsome local guy with a secret of his own. Could Lainie actually make a life in this little town? Or will the past catch up to her even here in the middle of nowhere?




ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Cathleen Armstrong lives in the San Francisco Bay Area, but her roots remain deep in New Mexico, where she grew up and where much of her family still lives. Her debut novel, Welcome to Last Chance, has already won the 2009 American Christian Fiction Writers Genesis Award for Women's Fiction.














Thank you to Revell Publishing for providing a copy of this book for review. The gift in no way influenced my opinion of this book.

A Christmas Gift for Rose

A Christmas Gift for Rose
by
Tricia Goyer

MY THOUGHTS:
Tricia Goyer has wrapped up another wonderful historic Amish fiction book in A Christmas Gift for Rose. This is a short novel based on a true story of a young Amish woman who discovers she was adopted from and Englisch family. This information, on top of the reality of her betrothed joining the Army as a WWII medic, puts a new level of stress on Rose in what is supposed to be a peaceful world.

Should she marry a man who went against all that she believes in to join the Army (even though he didn't fight)? What will the Bishop and others think of her when they realize she isn't really Amish? And who is she really -- Amish, Englisch, or something in between?

Goyer does a fabulous job of portraying the agony such issues can bring to a person who thinks she knows who she is and what she wants from life. This book would make a great stocking gift for your favorite reader, and I highly recommend reading it yourself to help you get into the true spirit of Christmas!

You can buy a copy of the book here.

This book inspired me to start a pinterest board! Check it out here.


ABOUT THE BOOK:

Rose turned her back on the man she loves after he assisted the Englisch during World War II -- only to discover she's an Englischer herself. Inspired by a true story, A Christmas Gift for Rose is a heartwarming story of sacrifice, deep love, and discovering one's true identity.













ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
ricia Goyer has written more than thirty-five books, including both novels that delight and entertain readers and non- fiction titles that offer encouragement and hope. She has also published more than 500 articles in national publications such as Guideposts, Thriving Family, Proverbs 31, and HomeLife Magazine.
Goyer’s fiction and non-fiction books have won awards from the American Christian Fiction Writers and Mt. Hermon Writers’ Conference. She is also a two-time Carol Award winner, as well as a Christy and ECPA Award Nominee.
Tricia has authored several books on family and parenting, as well as co-written with Max Lucado and Robin Jones Gunn. She collaborated with Ken Blanchard and Phil Hodges for Lead Your Family Like Jesus, published by Focus on the Family/Tyndale.
Tricia’s contemporary and historical novels feature strong women overcoming great challenges. She recreates historic wartime eras with precise detail through perseverant and comprehensive research. Tricia speaks to groups interested in these eras, with the intention of preserving and honoring the memory of the men and women who served.
She is a beloved author of Amish fiction, as well, writing the Big Sky and Seven Brides for Seven Bachelors Series. Tricia is currently working on The One Year Book of Amish Peace: Hearing God’s Voice in the Simple Things and a true Amish story co-written with Ora Jay and Irene Eash (contracted to release in 2013 and 2014 respectively).
Tricia is also the visionary force behind the new website, Not Quite Amish. Inspired by the writing process of her Amish releases, she wanted to create a community where Amish and simple living experts can become contributors. Launched in the fall of 2012, the Not Quite Amish lifestyle blog features daily posts about recipes, repurposing, simple style, beautifying your home, sewing Amish proverbs, and more. In addition to having more than fifteen regular contributors, readers are also encouraged to submit ideas, questions, and posts for topics they’d like to see written about.
In addition to Not Quite Amish, Tricia also posts regularly at her personal blog and is a contributor to other family and homeschooling blogs, such as The Home Educating Family, The Better Mom, Allume and MomLife Today. In 2010, she was selected as one of the Top 20 Moms to Follow on Twitter by SheKnows.com.
Throughout the past ten years, Tricia has been interviewed by numerous national TV and radio programs and magazines.

Thank you to Litfuse Publicity and Zondervan Books for providing a copy of this book for review.  This gift in no way influenced my opinion of the book.

Fired Up

This week, the Christian Fiction Blog Alliance is introducing Fired Up (Bethany House March 1, by Mary Connealy

MY THOUGHTS:
 This is a fun romp in the west with all the romantic tension Mary Connealy is famous for. This book is the second in a series, but there is plenty of background to give you all the information you need to understand the plot. This one is full of humor, loyalty, intrigue, action, and sparks of all kinds to keep you guessing until the end.



ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Mary Connealy writes romantic comedy with cowboys. She is a Christy Award Finalist, a Carol Award Finalist and an IRCC Award finalist.

The Lassoed in Texas Series, Petticoat Ranch, Calico Canyon and Gingham Mountain. Petticoat Ranch was a Carol Award Finalist. Calico Canyon was a Christy Award Finalist and a Carol Award Finalist. These three books are now contained in one large volume called Lassoed in Texas Trilogy.

The Montana Marriages Series, Montana Rose, The Husband Tree and Wildflower Bride. Montana Rose was a Carol Award Finalist.

Cowboy Christmas—the 2010 Carol Award for Best Long Historical Romance, and an Inspirational Readers Choice Contest Finalist.

The Sophie's Daughters series. Doctor in Petticoats, Wrangler in Petticoats, Sharpshooter in Petticoats.

She is also the author of; Black Hills Blessing a 3-in-1 collection of sweet contemporary romances, Nosy in Nebraska, a 3-in-1 collection of cozy romantic mysteries and she's one of the three authors contributing to Alaska Brides with her Carol Award Winning historical romance Golden Days.

ABOUT THE BOOK

Rollicking Wild West Adventure and Romance from Bestselling Author Mary Connealy

Dare Riker is a doctor who saves lives, but someone seems determined to end his. It may have something to do with the traitors he dealt with during the Civil War, or it might be related to the recent incident with Flint Greer and the ranch. Whoever the culprit is, he or she seems really fired up, and Dare can't let his guard down for a moment, which is a challenge, since right now he's trying to win the heart of the recently widowed Glynna.

Glynna Greer came west as a mail-order bride and ended up in a bad situation. Now her husband, Flint, is dead, and she's determined to care for her son and daughter on her own. She wants to believe Dare Riker is as decent as he seems, but she's terrified to lock herself into another marriage. She plans to support her small family by opening a diner--never mind that cooking is not her greatest talent. The men in Broken Wheel, Texas, are so desperate for home cooking that they seem willing to overlook dried-out beef and blackened biscuits.

Glynna can't help but notice that danger follows Dare wherever he goes. There's the avalanche. And then the fire. But things really get out of hand when someone plunges a knife from Glynna's diner into Dare's back. Are Flint's cronies still plotting revenge? Is Glynna's son engaged in a misguided attempt to protect his mother? Is a shadowy outsider still enraged over past injustices? And can Dare survive long enough to convince Glynna to take another chance on love?

If you would like to read the first chapter of Fired Up, go HERE.

TRAPPED

Trapped
by
Irene Hannon

MY THOUGHTS:
I have enjoyed every Irene Hannon book I've read, and this one is no exception. This is book two in the Guardians of Justice series, however you definitely don't need to read book one to know what is going on. Irene does a great job of bringing you up to date on the lives of characters from the other book (thank you!!!!), and she keeps the story line of the new book 'clean' so it doesn't rely on the prior story.

This book is particularly intriguing because it deals with the serious issue of teen runaways and shows just how easy it is for someone to be caught up in the dangers of this world. Each character is well developed and I got caught up in their lives.

I love that she sets this series in the St. Louis area, too! If you like suspense, intrigue, and a touch of romance, then I highly recommend this book!


ABOUT THE BOOK:

When librarian Laura Griffith's sixteen-year-old sister disappears on a frigid February day, leaving only a brief note behind, Laura resolves to do whatever it takes to track down the runaway teen. That includes recruiting ATF agent turned PI James "Dev" Devlin to help. But the deeper he digs, the more he begins to suspect that something sinister is at work in the girl's disappearance. And the closer he gets to uncovering the truth, the clearer it becomes that the situation isn't just dangerous--it's deadly.

Chilling and at times terrifying, Trapped is the latest thrilling read from Irene Hannon, the queen of romantic suspense. Hannon outdoes herself with this fast-paced tale of fear, deception, and just the right dose of romance.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Irene Hannon is a bestselling, award-winning author who took the publishing world by storm at the tender age of 10 with a sparkling piece of fiction that received national attention.

Okay…maybe that’s a slight exaggeration. But she was one of the honorees in a complete-the-story contest conducted by a national children’s magazine. And she likes to think of that as her “official” fiction-writing debut!

Since then, she has written more than 40 romance and romantic suspense novels. Her books have been honored with two RITA awards—the “Oscar” of romantic fiction—and she is a six-time finalist for that prestigious honor. Her books have also won a Daphne du Maurier award, a Carol award, a HOLT Medallion, a National Readers’ Choice Award, a Retailers Choice Award and two Reviewers’ Choice awards from RT Book Reviews magazine. One of her novels was also named by Booklist as one of the top 10 inspirational fiction books of 2011.

Irene, who holds a B.A. in psychology and an M.A. in journalism, juggled two careers for many years until she gave up her executive corporate communications position with a Fortune 500 company to write full-time. She is happy to say she has no regrets!

In her spare time, she enjoys cooking, gardening and singing.  A trained vocalist, she has sung the leading role in numerous musicals, including “South Pacific,” “Brigadoon,” “Oklahoma” “The King and I” and “Anything Goes.” She is also a soloist at her church.

When not otherwise occupied, Irene and her husband enjoy traveling, Saturday mornings at their favorite coffee shop and spending time with family. They make their home in Missouri.

Thank you to Baker Publishing Group for providing a copy of this book for review.

Threads of Change

This week, the Christian Fiction Blog Alliance is introducing Threads of Change River North; New Edition edition (July 1, 2013) by Jodi Barrows
MY THOUGHTS:
I've taken a quilting class from Jodi in the past and I was excited to see that she is branching out to write about the deep relationships that quilters form.

This book has an interesting story line with some predictable twists. I was disappointed with the flow of the writing -- it was difficult for me to get beyond the words and lose myself in the story.

If you are interested in historical romances set during the Civil War, you may find this an interesting read.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Over the past twenty years, Jodi has remarkably touched thousands of quilters throughout the world with her unique method called Square in a Square®. Her point of view provides the quilter with the freedom to create most any quilt design with speed and accuracy.

Jodi has spoken to quilting audiences throughout the United States, Canada, Australia, Italy and S. Africa. She has appeared as a guest on several quilting shows, including TNN’s Aleene’s Creative Living, TNN’s Your Home Studio, Perfecting Patchwork on Family Net TV and a pbs series with Kaye Wood.

Jodi was raised in southwest Kansas, has two grown sons, and is married to Steve, her high school sweetheart.

ABOUT THE BOOK

Conflict develops in the South,

Four granddaughters travel into uncertainty,

And Grandfather sells their precious home.

In the first book of A Quilting Story series, the four cousins-with social graces, charm, and a love for quilting-will face the anguish of life on the frontier in 1856 with every turn along the wagon trail. Raging storms and adversities hit the small band of travelers. Relieved to finally arrive at the abandoned military post at Fort Worth, Texas, they begin the hard work of establishing a new home. When trials follow them, they must decide to become true warriors of their hearts, minds, and souls or fall to the sufferings of prairie life.

Join the four women on a passage of friendship, love, and self-discovery as lives are mended around the quilting frame.

If you would like to read the first chapter of Threads of Change, go HERE.