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Category: Christian Literature & Fiction

"Dawn’s Prelude" by Tracie Peterson

[ 0 ] October 16, 2009

Reviewed by Melanie K.

Lydia Sellers was forced into a loveless, arranged marriage at the age of 16 by her brother to further his riches and business dealings. While she hoped and prayed that both she and her husband Floyd would grow to love each other, this was not the case; Lydia endured 12 years with a cruel, ill-tempered man who abused her. She gained four stepchildren, three of whom hated and resented her presence. The youngest, Genevieve, was threatened and bullied by the others into not befriending Lydia and treating her coldly along with them.

Dawn’s Prelude begins with the stepchildren notifying Lydia that she is to vacate her home on Monday immediately following the reading of the will and is to take nothing with her. Lydia’s father and husband have just died in a carriage accident and by a twist of fate, Lydia inherits everything – both from her father’s estate and her husband’s. The stepchildren are outraged and vow to take actions to see that the will is overturned. Lydia is shocked, but only wishes to travel to the Alaska territories to see her aunt Zerelda, and begin her life anew. She knows that the Sellers children will not let her go willingly so she enlists the help of her lawyer, Mr. Dwight Robinson, to gain passage to the Alaska territories quickly and secretively.

The trip is hard on Lydia and she becomes extremely ill on her arrival in the village. While recovering from the illness, she decides that she will turn over the inheritance to the Sellers children as she only wants to be free. Later, Lydia finds out that her illness was due to the fact that she is pregnant with her deceased husband’s child. Lydia changes her mind about the inheritance and gives the Sellers children most of it, but keeps a portion for her child’s future. This infuriates the Sellers children as they feel that Lydia is due nothing at all.

Lydia adjusts well to her new home and amazes herself by finding her way back to God and falling in love with and marrying a man named Kjell. Meanwhile, the Sellers children get word of Lydia’s new home, and of the child she is due to deliver. The twins, Marston and Mitchell, devise a plan to travel to the Alaska territories to take possession of the child by whatever means necessary.

Just as Lydia finds herself truly happy for the first time in her life, Marston arrives on the scene. Lydia is instantly terrified both for herself and her unborn child. She knows the cruelty and ruthlessness the Sellers men are capable of and knows that Marston will not stop until he gets what he came for.

Dawn’s Prelude is a roller coaster ride of emotion and while you may not have had the same experiences as Lydia, you will find yourself understanding and associating with her trials and tribulations, and rooting for her to find the happiness she yearns for.

This book was provided for review by Baker Publishing Group.

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Review and Giveaway: "The Sound of Sleigh Bells" by Cindy Woodsmall

[ 0 ] October 12, 2009

Reviewed by Poppy J.

The main character of Cindy Woodsmall’s The Sound of Sleigh Bells, Beth Hertzler, struggles with balancing her grief over a love lost with learning to trust a new love interest. Beth (Elizabeth) lives comfortably in an Amish community, and runs a general dry goods store with her Aunt Lizzy (also Elizabeth). The story begins with lighthearted reading describing the store, and the quiet consistency of living a small town life.

Those close to Beth worry that she has been grieving the death of her fiancé Henry for too long. Beth mourns Henry as if he died the day before, and Lizzy feels she should bring Beth back to the land of the living before Beth’s heart closes itself to the idea of love forever.

Beth’s word is changed forever on a chance road trip to another general store. A wooden carving of an Amish wintery scene catches more than just her eye, and she later meets Jonah, the son of the artist who captured her heart with his expressive woodwork. She surprises herself with the new desire she begins to feel for Jonah, and she finds an awakening in herself, as their relationship blossoms through their correspondence.

The Sound of Sleigh Bells is an easy read, and the themes presented would be acceptable for a junior high, high school or adult reader. Woodsmall follows the tenuous journey of love for Beth and Jonah, but there is a twist. Would Beth survive hearing the truth of betrayal and calculated deception regarding Jonah, or will she shrink back to her world of mourning and mistrust, being forever faithful to Henry’s memory? Readers of this book will definitely be surprised by how the story plays out.

Poppy graduated with a JD from the Michael Moritz College of Law. She worked in several NYC law departments before realizing she’d rather be teaching. After a decade of teaching Business Studies courses, she decided she enjoyed writing full-time. She currently works as a freelance writing consultant, managing client content from comedy to marketing, and lives with her husband and sons on the East Coast.

Giveaway

I have a copy of The Sound of Sleigh Bells to give away, courtesy of WaterBrook Multnomah!


Comment on this post with your e-mail address, or contact me directly. If I don’t have a way to contact you, you will not be entered.

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Deadline to enter is midnight on October 26th.

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"A Bride in the Bargain" by Deeanne Gist

[ 0 ] September 28, 2009

Reviewed by Katie L.

A Bride in the Bargain is a very well researched, incredibly thought-out story based on true events. During the Civil War, there were many widowed young women on the east coast and many never married the lumberjacks in the Washington Territory. A man named Mercer brought the groups together but under false pretenses. The lumberjacks thought they were paying for a bride and the widows thought they were traveling to the other side of America for better jobs and new lives. A situation could be considered humorous looking back on it, but was certainly not when you were an unknowing soon-to-be bride!

A Bride in the Bargain centers on one such couple and even though the story is fictional, the author does a wonderful job at pulling from historical documents to give her characters and story depth. I must say that I was not intrigued by the title or the setting at first glance. I will admit that I judged the book by its cover. But this story cut across any social differences and I felt that it could have just as easily happened in the 21st century.

The main characters, Anna and Joe, were developed extremely well. The way the author unraveled the characters’ pasts was engrossing because she did not reveal everything at once, but gave away little bits and pieces when they fit with the current circumstance and made sense. Their backgrounds were like little stories in themselves. The side characters added a lot to the development of Anna and Joe’s personalities and backgrounds, and really rounded out this book.

A Bride in the Bargain is a great example of the way a book should be written. The author obviously thought about who the characters were and got to know them. She thought about what they would say or think or feel in every occasion and it made them stand out in the book as if they were real people putting on a play and I was just watching. The author researched this time in history so that the characters’ speech, clothing, actions, transportation, jobs, and even house arrangements would be true to the era in which it all happened. For someone who does not usually read romance novels, especially romance novels set on the prairie, I thought this book was entertaining and interesting. I wanted to know what would happen next and how it would end. I was afraid this book would be boring but I actually couldn’t put it down! I’m still not a romance novel type but I would definitely recommend a Deanne Gist book and would consider reading another one in the future.

Katie is a community college drop out who recently decided to go back now that she has finally found her calling: to be a social event planner. Katie and her fiance, Bart will be getting married next summer so her days and nights are filled with budget talk, cake pictures, and cardstock. Katie blogs on and off at Frilly Thinking.

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Review: Sweetgum Ladies Knit for Love by Beth Pattillo

[ 1 ] August 26, 2009

Reviewed by Claudia Robinson

Meet the ladies of The Sweetgum Knit Lit Society – Eugenie, a later in life, second time around, newlywed, madly in love with her husband, who just happens to also be Sweetgum’s Pastor, suddenly finds herself defending her faith and loyalty; Merry, devoted wife and stay at home mother of two, a capricious teenage girl and bubbly baby boy, asked to make one of the most painful decisions a mother must make, career or family; Esther, newly widowed, is forced to sort out her new single life, dwindling financial status, with the sudden, unbidden, appearance of two very unlikely sources of ‘help’; Camille, owner of the designer clothing Boutique in Sweetgum, has always dreamed of leaving Sweetgum for better and bigger, when an old flame returns to town forcing her to reconsider her plans for the future; Maria, official town spinster, involuntarily returns to Sweetgum to manage her family’s home and business after the sudden death of her father; and Hannah, still in High School, forced to deal with the disinterest and abandonment of her own parents, a new love and the social peer pressures of Sweetgum High.

Together, these six, completely different, uniquely presented women form the Sweetgum Knit Lit Society; a once a month meeting of the minds and imagination, where literature is read and discussed, opinions expressed, accompanied by knitting projects best suited to the book choice of the month’s theme. When Eugenie settles upon Great Love Stories in Literature for the group, little does she know just how much each and every one of them will be affected by her choice and that the knitting of scarves and souls can be one and the same.

Beth Pattillo weaves a wonderful, warm tale of six women forced to examine their current positions/situations in life. Together with her readers, Beth journeys through the streets and homes of Sweetgum, exploring human nature, love, our desire to find happiness and the challenge of having and achieving our dreams. We get a front row seat in to the lives of these extraordinary women and the hard choices they make in order to remain true to themselves and watch as their friendships, some quite unusual, unfold and develop, as they help one another find their true paths and destinies without losing sight of their own.

The Sweetgum Ladies Knit for Love is like chocolate chip cookies and a glass of cold milk. A great little book to keep by your bed and bring out when snuggled under a down comforter and propped against plump pillows. Readers of all ages will cry, smile and cheer the Sweetgum Ladies on as they discover themselves and their true heart desires. A light, sweet read sure to please those in need of an uplifting, hope inspiring escape.

Claudia resides on Cape Cod and is a wife and mother of two. She attended Lasell College in Newton, MA, after spending 18 years abroad as the daughter of a Diplomat, her latest post being Belgium. Her desire is to work in the publishing business as an Editor.

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Review: Rose House by Tina Ann Forkner

[ 0 ] August 25, 2009

Reviewed by Erin N.

Providence hasn’t been very kind to Lillian Diamon. After losing her parents and brothers to a house fire as a child, she is forced to endure the death of her children and husband in a tragic car accident – an accident that may not have been so accidental. Lillian uncovers evidence that her husband may have been leading a double life and the only person who can answer her questions (and protect her from those who seek revenge) is the sister who betrayed her.

Lillian’s journey through grief takes her to a small vineyard town where she is inexplicably drawn to a small cottage covered with roses and a sad history. Truman Clark, a local artist, finds himself inexplicably drawn to Lillian’s pain. He mistakenly (and anonymously) finds himself privy to her private grief, and soon discovers that he has fallen in love with this unknown woman who has inspired his artistic soul. An emotional painting and an unknown stalker set both Lillian and Truman on an adventure filled with intrigue and self-discovery.

Rose House is as story of betrayal, grief, redemption, and love. It’s set in the same Sonoma Valley that Forkner’s first novel, Ruby Among Us, takes place in as well and continues on with the lives of its residents. Aiming to inspire, Tina Ann Forkner creates a world and characters that are just as strong, delicate, and endearing as a rose.

Erin fell in love with the written word as a small child and subsequently spent most of her life happily devouring literature. She works as a freelance news, marketing, and technical writer. Erin lives just outside of Cleveland, Ohio with her husband, children, and grandchildren.

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Review: The Confidential Life of Eugenia Cooper by Kathleen Y’Barbo

[ 0 ] August 25, 2009

Reviewed by Alethea B.

The Confidential Life of Eugenia Cooper is a light-hearted, romantic story of a sheltered socialite, the semi-civilized Wild West, mistaken identity, mistaken situations and a great deal of romantic-comedy cliches.

Reading Eugenia Cooper put me in mind of cotton candy, all spun sugar, sweetness and air. It was a fast, fun read with very little substance. Characters were sketched and back-story hinted at, but motivations and, in one instance, complete behavior patterns could change between chapters.

Eugenia Cooper is our stock socialite heroine who has read too many dime-novels and longs for an ‘authentic Wild West adventure’. There’s the stock widower aristocrat, Daniel Beck, who’s made his fortune in the American West. The usual over-indulged daughter makes the expected transformation from the mischievous hellion to sweet biddable child with Ms. Cooper as governess. Then there are the disapproving grandfather, ex-confederate solider who saved our hero’s life, a suspicious housekeeper, and a whole host of angry, moralizing housewives.

Katherine Y’Barbo’s writing is fast, breezy and fun to read. To bring back my original analogy, it’s like cotton candy. During consumption, it’s a light, tasty, sweet treat. It’s only afterward that you realize just how much sugar you ate, with little or no substance.

Alethea is a computer programmer, science fiction/fantasy geek, and amateur movie reviewer at This Insane Movie Project.

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Blog Tour: The Last Woman Standing by Tia McCollors

[ 0 ] August 6, 2009

Meet the Author

Bestselling author Tia McCollors entices the taste buds of her readers with a sweet blend of faith and fiction in her inspirational novels. After leaving a 10-year career in the corporate arena as a public relations professional, Tia has emerged as a steadfast author of faith-based books.

In addition to being a novelist, Tia is an inspirational speaker and instructor for writing workshops. In 2006, Tia was voted as the Breakout Author of the Year by the Open Book Awards of the African American Literary Awards Show and was honored to be featured in the 2006 edition of Who’s Who In Black Atlanta.

To find out more about Tia, visit her at www.tiawrites.com

About The Last Woman Standing
After being married to their careers instead of each other for ten years, “Ace” and Lynette Bowers ended their marriage. Four years later however, it seems as though their love never ended – to both of their surprise and denial. Sheila Rushmore is Ace’s current girlfriend and a woman who is used to getting what she wants – except Ace’s commitment to marriage. When Sheila realizes Lynette may be the cause, she launches a plan to play the hand of God, instead of allowing God to bring the love they all desire in His way.

Read the excerpt here or listen to Tia read an excerpt from The Last Woman Standing.


THE LAST WOMAN STANDING BLOG TOUR GIVEAWAY

Tia McCollors is the author of four Women’s Fiction books. Read the question below to see if you can answer it and provide the name of the book in which it was featured.

In A Heart of Devotion, one of the main characters, Sherri Dawson, started her own line of clothing for petite women. What was the name of it?

Leave your answer in the comment section. All posts with correct answers posted to the blog comment sections will be entered in a random drawing for prizes. The more you post (with correct answers) the better your chances – you can post once on each blog sponsoring the tour. Winners will be contacted via email and also posted on Tia’s Blog, “From Tia’s Pen”.

Contest prizes include:

$5 gift card to Smoothie King or Panera Bread (Winner’s Choice)
$5 gift card to Chick-Fil-A
$10 gift card for Border’s
Autographed copies of The Last Woman Standing

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Blog Tour: The Hope of Refuge by Cindy Woodsmall

[ 0 ] August 5, 2009

Publisher’s Summary

Raised in foster care and now the widowed mother of a little girl, Cara Moore struggles against poverty, fear, and a relentless stalker. When a trail of memories leads Cara and Lori out of New York City toward an Amish community, she follows every lead, eager for answers and a fresh start. She discovers that long-held secrets about her family history ripple beneath the surface of Dry Lake, Pennsylvania, and it’s no place for an outsider. But one Amish man, Ephraim Mast, dares to fulfill the command he believes that he received from God–“Be me to her”– despite how it threatens his way of life.

Completely opposite of the hard, untrusting Cara, Ephraim’s sister Deborah also finds her dreams crumbling when the man she has pledged to build a life with begins withdrawing from Deborah and his community, including his mother, Ada Stoltzfus. Can the run-down house that Ada envisions transforming unite them toward a common purpose–or push Mahlon away forever? While Ephraim is trying to do what he believes is right, will he be shunned and lose everything–including the guarded single mother who simply longs for a better life?


About the Author
Cindy Woodsmall is the author of When the Heart Cries, When the Morning Comes, and The New York Times Best-Seller When the Soul Mends. Her ability to authentically capture the heart of her characters comes from her real-life connections with Amish Mennonite and Old Order Amish families. A mother of three sons and two daughters-in-law, Cindy lives in Georgia with her husband of thirty-one years.

Cindy was recently featured on ABC Nightline; the video can be viewed here.

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