The Invention of Sarah Cummings

September 17th, 2013

The Invention of Sarah Cummings

9780800720407

By Olivia Newport

In a world where everyone is putting on a show, there is a love that is genuine.

Sarah Cummings has one goal in life–to break into Chicago’s high society. Desperate to stop serving dinner to members of the wealthy Banning family and to start eating at society tables, Sarah spends her meager free time altering cast-off gowns to create the perfect wardrobe for her future life.

When opportunity knocks at a chance meeting, she presents herself as Serena Cuthbert, weaving a fictitious past to go with her fictitious name. But as she gets closer to her goal–and closer to Simon Tewell, director of St. Andrew’s Orphanage–Sarah finds that she must choose between the life she has and the life she dreams of.

Can she piece together the perfect life from scraps? Or will it all come unraveled in the face of true love?

ISLAND BREEZES

Oh, boy! Is she ever tempting fate? “Oh, what a tangled web we weave when first we practice to deceive.” I don’t know who first said that, but a school teacher used to tell her class that all the time. Someone should have been telling that to Sarah Cummings.

This book keeps your nerves on edge wondering who and when someone would figure out the truth about Serena’s s-called-life. Sarah certainly has a good imagination.

It’s been good to get back to the Banning household. I certainly hope Ms Newport plans more for the Avenue of Dreams series. I can see at least one more book there.

***A special thank you to Lanette Haskins for providing a review copy.***

Olivia Newport is the author of The Pursuit of Lucy Banning and The Dilemma of Charlotte Farrow. Her husband and two twentysomething children provide welcome distraction from the people stomping through her head on their way into her books. She chases joy in stunning Colorado at the foot of the Rockies, where daylilies grow as tall as she is. Find out more at www.OliviaNewport.com.

Available August 2013 at your favorite bookseller from Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group.

Win Shelley Shepard Gray’s Days of Redemption Series!

September 17th, 2013

Shelley Shepard Gray is celebrating the release of the final book in The Days of Redemption series, Eventide, by giving away FIVE sets of the series. 

Eventide-rafflecopter



Five winners will receive:

  • Daybreak, Ray of Light and Eventide by Shelley Shepard Gray

Enter today by clicking one of the icons below. But hurry, the giveaway ends on September 21st. All winners will be announced September 23rd at Shelley’s blog.

 


Don’t miss a moment of the fun; enter today and be sure to visit Shelley’s blog on the 23rd to see if you won one of the book sets!

Eventide

September 16th, 2013

Eventide

Eventide-e1374784435604

By Shelley Shepard Gray

A young Amish woman harbors a difficult secret. Does she dare share the truth with the man she hopes to marry?

Elsie Keim doesn’t want to be left behind. Her twin sister, Viola, and her older brother, Roman, have both found love and are building lives of their own. But Elsie? She’s still stuck at home, being treated like a child. No one seems to consider her a capable woman-all they see are the thick lenses of her glasses, constant reminders that Elsie suffers from keratoconus and is slowly going blind.

Elsie knows there’s much more to her than her disease. That’s why when a new neighbor, Landon Troyer, shows some interest in her, she doesn’t want anything to scare him away . . . even if it means keeping her condition a secret.

Landon is ready to start a new life and feels like Elsie may just be the right woman to start it with. But when Roman steps in and shares the truth about Elsie’s illness, Landon is floored. His job is demanding and takes him away from home, sometimes for days at a time. How could he keep up with his responsibilities and take care of Elsie?

ISLAND BREEZES

This third book in The Days of Redemption Series focuses on Elsie. Elsie is struggling to not get left behind in life. Her twin and her brother have both found love, but it’s looking as if Elsie never will.

Elsie’s eye disease is progressing, and some day she’ll be legally blind. Her family has always sheltered her, but Elsie doesn’t care if she ends up getting hurt. She just wants a chance at a relationship and normal life.

Along comes Landon Troyer. Is he the one to give love and happiness to Elsie, or will he damage her heart beyond repair?

Even though this book is part of a series, it’s a good stand alone read. I’ve really enjoyed these books,  and look forward to Shelley Shepard Gray’s next book.

***A special thank you to litfuse for providing a review copy.***

SGray-147  Shelley Shepard Gray is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of the “Sisters of the Heart”, “Seasons of Sugarcreek”, “Secrets of Crittenden County”, and Families of Honor series. She lives in southern Ohio, where she writes full-time, bakes too much, and can often be found walking her dachshunds on her town’s bike trail.

Makeover

September 15th, 2013

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So if anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation;

everything old has passed away

see, everything has become new!

2 Corinthians 5:17

A Surprise for Lily

September 14th, 2013

A Surprise for Lily

9780800721350

By Suzanne Woods Fisher & Mary Ann Kinsinger

Change is in the air!

Eleven-year-old Lily Lapp wants her life to stay just the way it is. Instead, it’s constantly changing. New jobs, new schoolmates, and new challenges sure keep life interesting. It seems like the only thing Lily really wants to change–Effie Kauffman’s mischief making–is the one thing that never does. Effie is up to her old tricks, and Lily is her favorite target.

With each chapter in Lily’s life comes another ever-more exciting adventure. But no one could have prepared Lily for the biggest surprise of all!

ISLAND BREEZES

Our sweet Lily is back. She’s eleven and Effie Kaufman is still the bane of her existence.

It looks like Lily is getting more than one surprise in this book. It’s just that some are bigger than others. Aaron Yoder and Harvey Hershberger were even involved in some of Lily’s surprises.

Even though this is book four in The Adventures of Lily Lapp series, it is a good stand alone book with each chapter telling a different story. I look forward to more of Lily’s adventures. She can certainly get herself into some messes.

***A special thank you to Lanette Haskins for providing a review copy.***

Mary Ann Kinsinger was raised Old Order Amish in Somerset County, Pennsylvania. She is the coauthor of the Adventures of Lily Lapp series and lives in Pennsylvania.

Suzanne Woods Fisher is the bestselling author of the Lancaster County Secrets series and the Stoney Ridge Seasons series, as well as nonfiction books about the Amish, including Amish Peace. She lives in California. For more information, please visit www.suzannewoodsfisher.com and connect with her on Twitter @suzannewfisher.

The Road Home

September 12th, 2013

It is time for a FIRST Wild Card Tour book review! If you wish to join the FIRST blog alliance, just click the button. We are a group of reviewers who tour Christian books. A Wild Card post includes a brief bio of the author and a full chapter from each book toured. The reason it is called a FIRST Wild Card Tour is that you never know if the book will be fiction, non~fiction, for young, or for old…or for somewhere in between! Enjoy your free peek into the book!

You never know when I might play a wild card on you!

Today’s Wild Card author is:

 

Patrick E. Craig

 

and the book:

 

The Road Home
Harvest House Publishers (September 1, 2013)
***Special thanks to Ginger Chen for sending me a review copy.***

 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

 

Patrick E. Craig is a lifelong writer and musician who left a successful songwriting and performance career in the music industry to follow Christ in 1984. He spent the next 26 years as a worship leader, seminar speaker, and pastor in churches, and at retreats, seminars and conferences all across the western United States. After ministering for a number of years in music and worship to a circuit of small churches, he is now concentrating on writing and publishing both fiction and non-fiction books. Patrick and his wife Judy make their home in northern California and are the parents of two adult children and have five grandchildren.

Visit the author’s website.

SHORT BOOK DESCRIPTION:

Author Patrick Craig continues the story of Jenny Springer, the child rescued in A Quilt for Jenna. Now an adult, Jenny begins a search for her long-last parents. As she opens doors to her past, she finds the truly surprising answer to her deepest questions.

Product Details:

List Price: $13.99

Series: Apple Creek Dreams Series

Paperback: 368 pages

Publisher: Harvest House Publishers (September 1, 2013)

Language: English

ISBN-10: 0736951075

ISBN-13: 978-0736951074

ISLAND BREEZES

The child Jerusha rescued from a snow storm and adopted is now a young woman who wants to find her birth mother.

Jerusha and Reuben have sheltered and protected her. They already lost one daughter and they don’t want to take a chance on losing another. Eventually, they forbid  Jenny to even look.

Into the midst of Jenny’s struggles enters a young English man who asks Jenny to assist him in finding his roots.

In the meantime, Johnny is being pursued by some really unsavory characters. He and Jenny end up running off together to pursue her identity and escape the bad guys.

It appears that they are in a lot of trouble, and may not escape with their lives. In the process, they both learn some surprising things.

I’m looking forward to book three in the Apple Creek Dreams Series.

AND NOW…THE FIRST CHAPTER:

“Du Schlecht’r!”“Jenny Springer! You should not say such bad words! You should be ashamed.”

Jenny’s face burned as she reached behind the quilting frame with her left hand and pushed the errant needle through the quilt to complete her stitch. The finger of her other hand, showing a tiny red drop where she had pricked herself, went into her mouth. She stared angrily at the quilt she was working on. The design was awkward, and the edges of the pattern pieces were puckered where she had attempted to sew them together.

“Oh, Mama, I will never, ever be a quilter like you. I just can’t do it.”

Her mother’s shocked expression softened somewhat, and she put her arm around the girl’s shoulder. “Quilting is a gift from God, and it’s true that you don’t yet seem to have the eye for it. But you’re gifted in so many other ways. Don’t be disheartened. Sometimes you’re a little eigensinnig und ungeduldig, and these qualities do not fit well with quilting. You must learn to still your heart and calm the stream of thoughts rushing through your head.”

Jenny reached behind her head and rubbed her neck. She took a deep breath and stuck the needle back into the pincushion with finality.

“I need to stop for a bit, Mama. This quilt is making me vereitelt!”

Even in her present state, Jenny was a lovely girl of nearly twenty. Her reddish gold hair framed a strong brow and deep violet eyes that could flash with annoyance in an instant or radiate the most loving kindness a moment later.

Jerusha Springer reached down and enfolded Jenny in her arms. “Sie sind meine geliebte dochter,” Jerusha whispered softly into the curls that refused to be controlled by the heavy hairpins and happily tumbled out from under the slightly askew black kappe on Jenny’s head. Jenny turned on her stool, and her arms crept around her mother’s waist. She held on as though she would never let go.

“Are you ever sorry that you got me instead of Jenna, Mama?” Jenny whispered.

Jerusha paused before replying. “I was given Jenna, and then I was given you, my dearest. Jenna was a wonderful little girl, and your papa and I were blessed beyond measure by having her. When she died, we didn’t know how we would ever go on with our lives. But God in His mercy sent us a wonderful child to fill the emptiness in our hearts. That child was you. Sorry? No, my darling, I will never be sorry that you came to us. There will always be a place in my heart for Jenna, but now I have you to love and hold. I couldn’t hope for a better dochter.”

Jenny clung even tighter to her mother. Her mother’s arms had always been a safe haven for her since the day Jerusha rescued her from the great snowstorm so many years ago. Jerusha had kept Jenny alive by holding the child next to her heart all through the long nights until Papa and Uncle Bobby had rescued them. That was the earliest memory Jenny had of her mother. The calm, steady beat of her mother’s heart comforted her, and it was always in this place of refuge and life that she felt the most secure. But today, even in her mother’s arms, she couldn’t still the turmoil in her heart. She pulled away from Jerusha and began to talk in a rush.

“Mama, don’t you ever wonder where I came from and who my birth mother was? Maybe I’m the daughter of criminals or murderers. Maybe there’s a bad seed in me that will come out someday. It makes me afraid sometimes.”

Jerusha stroked her daughter’s hair. “There are some things we can never know, and you must not worry or fret about them. ‘Be careful for nothing—’?”

“I know, I know, Mama, but sometimes I do worry. I would never want to do anything that would bring shame on you or Papa. But sometimes I think that I’ll never find real peace until I know…and yet that’s impossible.”

Jenny released her grip on her mother and grabbed up a scrap of material. She wiped another drop of blood from her finger, crumpled the cloth, and threw it down.

Jerusha took a breath and then answered. “You are so standhaft in all your ways. Many times your papa and I have had to pick you up and dust you off when you went too far. But that same quality has helped you to overcome difficulties. The accomplishments in your life are proof of that.”

Jerusha reached over and softly stroked Jenny’s cheek. “You’re a gut student. No one in our community has such a grasp of the history of our people as you do. Someday you will be a teacher who can pass down to your children the things that keep the Amish separate and distinct from the world.”

Jenny looked away and shrugged her shoulders. “I don’t think I will ever have children, Mama.”

Jerusha stiffened, and a fleeting frown passed over her face. “Why not, my darling?” she asked quietly.

“I don’t think any man could put up with me, for one thing, and for another, I think I’m just too independent. I’m not sure I could ever submit to a husband ruling over me.”

Jerusha’s mouth tightened slightly. “If I were true to our ordnung, I would tell you what my grandmother told me when I was a girl, and insist that you follow it,” Jerusha said. “She used to say that marriage is not built first on love but on the needs of our community and our faith.”

“But, Mama…” Jenny said.

“Let me finish, dochter,” Jerusha said quietly. “I loved your father very much before we were married, and someday that may happen for you. You’ll meet a man whom you will love so deeply that you will gladly surrender everything of yourself into his care and protection. I used to be so bound up in my quilting that I thought there was no room in my life for love or marriage. But the first time I looked into your father’s eyes, I was lost forever.” Jerusha’s face softened, and she smiled at a secret memory.

“Why, Mama! You’re blushing,” Jenny laughed. “I can understand why you lost your heart to Papa. He’s a handsome man.”

“Did I hear someone talking about me?” Reuben Springer came into the room. His face was stern, but there was a smile behind his eyes.

“Papa!” Jenny broke free from her mother and ran to her daed.

Reuben took the girl into his arms. “This is always the best part of my day, when I come home to my girls,” he said as he kissed his daughter on the forehead. “I used to have to bend down so far to reach you. Now you’re all grown up.”

Jerusha smiled at him, a tinge of pink in her cheeks.

“I can still make you blush, eh, Mrs. Springer?” he asked.

Jerusha turned away with a reluctant smile.

A frown passed over Jenny’s face like a small dark cloud, and her father noticed it.

“What is it, dochter?”

“Jenny was asking me about her birth parents,” Jerusha said. “Not knowing about her past troubles her.”

“Jenny, you mustn’t concern yourself with things that can’t be known,” Reuben said. “When your mother found you, there was no identification or any means to discover who you were. The police found a man’s body in Jepson’s pond the next spring, but he had been in the water far too long to make a clear identification. The car was stolen in New York, so there was no way to trace the man. You must be content with the wisdom of God. He sent you to us because He knew you needed us and we needed you. That’s all we need to know.”

“But, Papa, sometimes I feel like a stranger, as if I don’t really belong here.” Jenny saw the pain in her father’s eyes and stopped. “I’m sorry, Papa. I didn’t mean it exactly that way. I don’t know why it’s so important to me to find out these things, but it is. Sometimes I think I’ll never be who I’m supposed to be until I find out who I really am. It doesn’t help that I’m so stubborn.”

“Your Mama was just as stubborn when I first met her,” Reuben said. “Even twenty-four years later, I feel the sting on my face where she slapped me the first time I kissed her.”

“Husband!” Jerusha exclaimed as her cheeks once again turned rosy pink.

Reuben smiled at his wife and then looked at Jenny. His voice took a sterner tone. “Your mama has changed over the years, and you will change too. For the good of our family, you must put these things out of your mind.”

Jenny felt a small flash of anger at her father’s words. She wanted to speak but wisely stayed silent. Then she decided to take a different approach.

“Papa, maybe if I did know, I could be more peaceful inside and not be so much trouble for you and Mama. Maybe if you helped me to find my birth parents I could be a better dochter to you and—”

Jenny’s papa stiffened at her words. “Jenny, I love you very much, but I am still the head of our home, and until you’re married and under the care of your husband, I will decide what’s best for you. There’s much in the world that you’re too young to understand. God has entrusted me with your care and safety for a good reason. The man you were with may have been your father, or he may not, but judging by what the police found in the car, he was not a good man. There were drugs and alcohol—”

“But what if he wasn’t my father and he just kidnapped me or—”

“Dochter! That’s enough! I know what’s best for you. Asking questions that can’t be answered will only cause you heartache and sorrow. I want you to put these wild ideas behind you. We will not discuss this further!”

Jenny stared at her father, and he stared back at her. She started to speak, but her mother placed her hand on Jenny’s arm and squeezed a warning. “Your father is right, Jenny. You must listen to him and obey. Now, is anyone hungry, or should we go on working on this quilt?”

Jenny took a deep breath, looked at her masterpiece, and smiled ruefully. The star design she had labored over for so many hours was crooked and wrinkled, and the colors she had chosen clashed.

“I think we’d better have dinner, Mama. I don’t think there’s anything I can do to fix this mess.”

“Well, let’s go then,” Reuben said. “I need kindling for the stove, and Jenny can go out and close in the chickens.”

“All right, Papa,” Jenny said, still stinging from Reuben’s rebuke. “Do I need to bring in any milch, Mama?”

“Yes, dear,” Jerusha said, “there’s some fresh in the cooling house.”

When Jenny had banged out the back door, Jerusha turned to Reuben. “She’s so impetuous. I worry there’ll come a time when she crashes into a predicament we can’t get her out of. But you must not be so hard on her. She’s still young.”

“I know. But young or not, her curiosity worries me,” Reuben said. “She’s headed for disappointment if she keeps searching for answers that don’t exist. I want to keep her from that as long as I can.”

Jerusha nodded. “I want her to be happy, but in my heart I’m afraid that if she does somehow find her birth parents, she’ll want to be with them more than with us. And their way would be so different from ours. The world out there is filled with danger, and I don’t know if she would be able to understand it. I’m afraid for her, Reuben.”

“I’m afraid for her too, Jerusha,” he said quietly, taking his wife in his arms. “And that’s why I want her to forget about her past. I’m trying hard not to crush her spirit, but the girl doesn’t think things through. She thinks she’s all grown up, but she still has many kindisch ways about her. There may soon come a day when she goes her own way, and the thought of what she might choose…”

Jerusha felt a momentary chill grip her heart, and she pulled herself deeper into the circle of Reuben’s arms.

Lest We Forget

September 11th, 2013

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We now have two dates to remember – September 11, 2001 and September 11, 2012.

Living for Him`

September 8th, 2013

jesus-shepherd

For the love of Christ urges us on, because we are convinced that one has died for all; therefore all have died.

And he died for all so that those who live might live no longer for themselves, but for him who died and was raised for them.

2 Corinthians 5:14-15

Trapped

September 7th, 2013

Trapped

9780800721244

By Irene Hannon

A runaway teen, a desperate sister, and an intrepid PI determined to discover the truth

When 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 private investigator James Devlin to help. Dev knows time is of the essence with runaways–just forty-eight hours can mean the difference between recovery and ruin.

But the deeper he and Laura dig, the more Dev begins to suspect that something sinister is at work in the girl’s disappearance. And in the icy winter weather, the trail is going cold . . .

In her latest thrilling read, queen of romantic suspense Irene Hannon outdoes herself with a fast-paced tale of fear, deception, and just the right dose of romance.

ISLAND BREEZES

It’s nice to get back to Phoenix and it’s good looking private investigators. Laura found a bonus when she hire Phoenix and James Devlin to find her runaway sister Darcy.

Darcy wasn’t doing too badly out on the streets after she met Star. Star knew the ropes and always steered her right – except for that one time.

Unfortunately Star put both herself and Darcy into danger. It didn’t take too long for that danger to reach out and grab Laura, too.

Can Dev find them before it’s too late?

This is an edge-of-your-seat, nail biting story. I’ve certainly enjoyed both of Ms Hannon’s Private Justice novels. I’m looking forward to the next one. After all, there are three partners in Phoenix.

***A special thank you to Lanette Haskins for providing a review copy.***

  7692  Irene Hannon is the bestselling author of more than forty novels, including Vanished and the Heroes of Quantico and Guardians of Justice series. Her books have garnered many honors, including two coveted RITA Awards from Romance Writers of America, a Carol Award, and a Daphne du Maurier Award. Booklist also included one of her novels in its “Top 10 Inspirational Fiction” list for 2011. For more information, visit www.irenehannon.com.

The Promise

September 7th, 2013

The Promise

9780800721497

By Dan Walsh & Gary Smalley

One home, two hearts, and the power of a promise kept . . .

For the last five months, Tom Anderson has been without a job, a fact he’s been hiding from his wife Jean–and everyone else. He leaves each morning, pretending nothing has changed, and spends his disheartening day rotating through coffee shops and the library, using their wifi to search job listings online. The stress of keeping this secret is beginning to put serious strain on his marriage.

But Tom’s not the only one hiding something. Jean Anderson has a secret of her own–one that will seriously complicate their situation. Will the promises they made on their wedding day hold firm?

ISLAND BREEZES

We read the story of Jim and Marilyn Anderson in The Dance. In this book we find out about the lie their son, Tom, has been living for months. Unfortunately Tom’s life seems to be a legacy from his father.

You’ll need that box of tissues as you read the continuing heartbreak in this family. Is it destined to go from generation to generation?

On what she thought would be a happy day, Jean Anderson discovers her husband’s secret. With secrets exposed, the two have to figure out a way to heal their broken marriage.

Dan Walsh and Gary Smalley once again give us a look into dysfunctional marriages and how they can be healed in The Restoration Series.

Will they give us another look into the Anderson family? I hope so. There are still two more Anderson children.

***A special thank you to Lanette Haskins for providing a review copy.***

13079  Dan Walsh is the bestselling author of several books, including The Dance with Gary Smalley, The Discovery, and The Reunion. He has won three Carol Awards, and two of his novels were finalists for RT Reviews Inspirational Book of the Year for 2011 and 2012. A member of American Christian Fiction Writers, Dan served as a pastor for 25 years. He lives with his wife in the Daytona Beach area, where he’s busy researching and writing his next novel.

15810  Gary Smalley is one of the country’s best-known authors and speakers on family relationships and has appeared on national television programs such as Oprah, Larry King Live, and TODAY, as well as numerous national radio programs. He is the bestselling and award-winning author or coauthor of many books, including the Baxter Family Redemption series with Karen Kingsbury and The Dance with Dan Walsh. Gary and his wife Norma have been married for 49 years and live in Missouri.

Available August 2013 at your favorite bookseller from Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group.