Renovating the Richardsons

Renovating the Richardsons
by
Virginia Smith

MY THOUGHTS:
Time to relax on the veranda with a glass of sweet iced tea and visit with friends from Goose Creek! 

I am loving this series -- it takes the reader away from the stresses of our crazy life and lets her gently smile at the craziness of life in a small town full of big character. Oh, there are stresses for those who live there, but there is a just a different feel about it. Life moves at a different pace, issues are resolved creatively, and love and laughter just come naturally.

Ginny Smith crafts each word in this story in such a way that the reader forgets about the words and steps right into the waiting room of the new veterinarian or sits right on the sidelines of the big softball game cheering for the team. I found myself forgetting that I was reading and I lost all track of time as I got caught up in the story -- that doesn't happen often in our crazy life.

The Tales from the Goose Creek B and B series is just like a breath of fresh air. I can't wait to sit back and enjoy the next book!


ABOUT THE BOOK:

Things are finally starting to fall into a steady rhythm in the small town of Goose Creek, Kentucky. Millie Richardson is hard at work renovating a drafty Victorian house into a B&B. Her husband, Al, is busy writing checks for the renovations. And the new vet, Susan, has finally found acceptance from the town—not to mention a hunky new boyfriend, Justin.

But things never stay quiet for long in Goose Creek. The inner-county softball game is coming up, and Millie volunteers Al as team manager. But the softball team is a disaster. If they’re not going to embarrass themselves in front of the whole of Franklin County, Al needs Justin to play. But Justin lives just outside the city limits, and the rules say that players must live in town.

As if that weren’t enough to keep the town gossips busy, a massage therapist has come to town and opened up shop. Imagine—a massage parlor!—in Goose Creek! No decent Creeker will stand for it.

It’s up to Al and Millie—again—to save the day.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Virginia Smith is the bestselling author of twenty-six novels, an illustrated children's book, and more than fifty articles and short stories. An avid reader with eclectic tastes in fiction, Ginny writes in a variety of styles, from lighthearted relationship stories to breath-snatching suspense. Her books have been named finalists in the Daphne du Maurier Award of Excellence in Mystery/Suspense, the Maggie awards, American Christian Fiction Writer's Book of the Year Award, ACFW's Carol Award, and the National Readers Choice Award. Two of her novels A Daughter's Legacy and Dangerous Impostor, received a Holt Medallion Award of Merit. In 2008 she was honored to receive the prestigious Writer of the Year Award at Mount Hermon Christian Writers Conference.

When she isn't writing or speaking, Ginny and her husband, Ted, enjoy exploring the extremes of nature – snow skiing in the Wasatch Mountains near Salt Lake City, motorcycle riding on the curvy roads in central Kentucky, and scuba diving in the warm waters of Mexico and the Caribbean.

The Prophetess

The Prophetess
by
Jill Eileen Smith

MY THOUGHTS:
Jill Eileen Smith knows how to make the Bible come to life.
She has written several stories about the life and times of women in the Bible, and she is a master of historical fiction.
Deborah, the prophetess and judge of Israel, has always been an intriguing character. She was the only female judge named in the Bible, and she ruled during a deadly time. How did she, as a woman, get the respect of the Israelite people to fill this difficult role? How did that play out in her daily life?
Smith has done a ton of research -- so much so that the reading of the book flows as smoothly as if the reader were watching the action live. She has created life-like relationships between Deborah and her family/community that fleshes out the little information we find in the book of Judges. 
This book will help the reader understand biblical history, life during the tough times of war, and the blessings of following God's lead no matter the cost.

ABOUT THE BOOK:
Canaan has ravaged Israel. The people are in hiding. All that stands between surrender and hope is one untested woman. 

Deborah will never forget the day her father and brothers left to worship at the Lord's tabernacle--or the wails of her mother after finding their bodies at the city gates. The memories of Canaan's cruelty haunt her and all of Israel. Now in this dark time, the Lord calls on Deborah to lead His people away from the idols of other nations and back to Him. 

Deborah never asked to be a prophetess or a judge over God's people. Still, she cannot deny His voice or the visions that accompany it. Can her family ever understand? Will her people believe God's calling on her life? And can the Canaanite menace be stopped?

With her trademark impeccable research and imaginative storytelling, Jill Eileen Smith brings to life the story of Israel's most powerful woman in this intriguing and inspiring novel.


ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Jill Eileen Smith is the author of the bestselling Wives of King David series and The Crimson Cord, as well as the Wives of the Patriarchs and the Loves of King Solomon series. Her research has taken her from the Bible to Israel, and she particularly enjoys learning how women lived in Old Testament times. She lives with her family in southeast Michigan.

Jill loves to hear from her readers. Contact her at www.jilleileensmith.com, or follow her on Facebook at www.facebook.com/jilleileensmith or Twitter 

Always Watching

Always Watching
by
Lynette Eason

MY THOUGHTS:
Don't pick up this book if you don't have time to finish it! You will NOT want to put it down. 

Lynette Eason is a master of high paced suspense. Her characters are well crafted -- they have strengths and skills as well as weaknesses and faults. She puts the reader right in the center of the action. 
There are a LOT of characters in this book -- many of whom could be the stalker! Even with that many names it was pretty easy to keep track of who was whom as the book progressed. I thought I'd figured out the stalker about four different times -- and it was fun to find out the true one in the end.

If you like a fast paced book full of intrigue and action, this is a great book for you. I"m looking forward to reading more books in this series, Elite Guardians. It is about a group of women who have formed their own body guard/protection agency -- they are strong and well qualified, and they do an amazing job!

ABOUT THE BOOK:

Intensity. Skill. Tenacity.
The bodyguards of Elite Guardians Agency have it all.

When it becomes clear that popular psychiatrist and radio personality Wade Savage has a stalker, his father secretly hires Elite Guardians to protect his son. But when Wade's bodyguard is attacked and nearly killed, agency owner Olivia Edwards must step in and fill the gap. 

Olivia's skills are about to be tested to the limit as Wade's stalker moves from leaving innocent gifts at his door to threatening those closest to him--including Olivia. But in her mind, even more dangerous than the threats to her life is the hold her handsome client has on her heart.

"Lynette has written another fast-paced book. It's a race against death."--DiAnn Mills, author of Deadlock

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Lynette Eason is the bestselling author of the Women of Justice, the Deadly Reunions, and the Hidden Identity series. She is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers and Romance Writers of America. She lives in South Carolina. Learn more at www.lynetteeason.com.

Playing the Part

Playing the Part
by
Jen Turano


MY THOUGHTS
I have been waiting for so long (it seems) to read this book -- Jen Turano does such a good job of creating her characters that I long to read more about them. Whenever I pick one up I feel like I'm about to have an adventure with an old friend. Playing the Part gives the reader time to get to know Lucetta Plum, the beautiful actress we've met a few times in prior books.

As usual, Jen creates a whirlwind of activity surrounding some romantic tension and lots of laughs to bring another time in history alive. This book left me thinking about the story line for a long time after I was finished -- each character plays a part in their lives that others perceive as the real 'them'. As we all do in real life I suppose. As a result I've done a good bit of thinking about who I am really versus who others perceive me to be. Good fodder for prayer and contemplation!

Jen has turned out another winner. Playing the Part is full of quirky characters, fabulous homes, great friends, a huge dash of intrigue, and of course a few fun animals that add life and laughter. I'm already looking forward to her next book!

ABOUT THE BOOK

Lucetta Plum is an actress on the rise in New York City, but is forced to abandon her starring role when a fan’s interest turns threatening. Lucinda’s widowed friend, Abigail Hart, is delighted at the opportunity to meddle in Lucetta’s life and promptly whisks her away to her grandson’s estate to hide out.

Bram Haverstein may appear to simply be a somewhat eccentric gentleman of means, but a mysterious career and a secret fascination with a certain actress mean there’s much more to him than society knows.

Lucetta, who has no interest in Abigail’s matchmaking machinations, has the best intentions of remaining cordial but coolly distant to Bram. But when she can’t ignore the strange and mysterious things going on in his house, it’ll take more than good intentions to keep her from trying to discover who Bram is behind the part he plays.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Jen Turano is the critically acclaimed author of The Ladies of Distinction Series, published through Bethany House.  Her novel, A Most Peculiar Circumstance, was chosen by Booklist as a Top Ten Romance for 2013.

Playing the Part is Jen's eighth book, and the third book in the A Class of Their Own series.

When Jen’s not writing, she spends her time hiking around Colorado, socializing with friends and family, and taking great pride in watching Dominic, who will soon be off to college, turn into a remarkable young man.  (For readers of A Change of Fortune – Dominic was the inspiration behind little Ben – which is why you won’t be surprised to learn Jen’s been slightly taken aback over the fact Dominic’s turned out so well.)

Learn more about her, her books, and the Guilded Age at her website, HERE.