Friday, January 22, 2010

Healing Sands by Nancy rue & Stephen Arterburn



Healing Sands
by: Nancy Rue & Stephen Arterburn

Summary of the Book:
Ryan Coe's world just fell apart. While out on assignment for the local newspaper she sees through her camera lens that her son appears to have committed a horrible hate crime. In trying to deal with the stress of the situation and her anger she turns to Healing Choice Clinic and the famous Dr. Sullivan Crisp. While helping her work through her anger, Sully is dealing with his own skeletons in the closet. Sully is trying to find the woman that encouraged his wife to take her own life. Both situations come to a head at the same time. Two people convicted of crimes they didn't commit ~ how will they convince the justice-seeking Detective Baranovic that both are innocent?


My Thoughts:
To be honest, at first I wasn't sure what I thought about the book especially starting book #3 in a series without reading 1 & 2. However, this book can easily stand on its own. The authors have a great writing style that grips you within the first couple of pages. You feel like you are the one looking through the camera and finding your own child in the driver's seat. The only problem I had with the book was that the spiritual talk is a little bit too emotion-based in my opinion. However it is a great mystery that keeps you guessing until the end. Overall I think it is a really good book.


Thanks for stopping by!



This book was sent to me by Thomas Nelson Publishers for the purpose of reviewing the book.
I was not influenced by them regarding how to write this review.

Wednesday, January 20, 2010

The Raven Saint


The Raven Saint
by: M.L. Tyndall

I just want to start off by saying that I love the writing style of Ms. Tyndall. She captures your attention right away and keeps it throughout the book so that you really don't want to put it down even though your eyelids are drooping and your body is saying "Sleep!!" I found myself in this situation the couple of nights that it took me to read this book.

The Raven Saint is a wonderful story showing that 'our ways are not His ways'. We are not always meant to know what God is doing. The main character, Grace Westcott, does a lot of work for the Lord and doesn't understand why the Lord would allow her to be captured. She quickly starts to look for who the Lord has for her to lead to Him. She doesn't understand why He seems to keep making the situation worse. Attempting to do everything she can, nothing seems to work to bring anyone closer to the Lord.

Grace has to face a lot of hard situations and the reality of who she is falling in love with to learn this very hard lesson. Sometimes the strongest of Christians can have the hardest time learning a new lesson that God has for them. We can all relate to Grace. There are many times when we are doing good things that God will be pleased with, but He has something better for us. We may lose children, houses, jobs, etc. before we truly open our eyes to what He has planned for us.

I highly recommend this book. It is a great story of a damsel in distress on the sea with seemingly no hope, but God triumphs over all.


Back of the Book:
What has she done to deserve a fate worse than death?

Grace Westcott has spent her entire life serving God and helping the poor -- not to mention trying to save the souls of her two wayward sisters. But while on an errand of mercy, she is kidnapped by a French mercenary and told she will be sold to a Spanish Don in Columbia.

Determined to hold on to her faith and see God in every situation, she believes she must have been sent to help someone find God's love. But no one will listen to her peas, warning, and prayers.

When Grace's situation grows far worse than she could imagine, she is forced to face her own human weaknesses. But she isn't prepared to face her biggest weakness of all -- falling in love with the nefarious captain, Rafe Dubois.

Will Grace discover God's purpose for this harrowing journey? And what will she do when she realizes His purpose for her is not to redeem the captain and his crew, but herself?

Visit M.L. Tyndall at her website: www.mltyndall.com


Thanks for stopping by!!




This book was sent to me by the publisher for the purpose of reviewing the book.
I was not influenced by them regarding how to write this review.

Tuesday, January 5, 2010

Teaser Tuesdays (Jan 5)


Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

* Grab your current read
* Open to a random page
* Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
* BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
* Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!


My Teaser:


"Her cheeks reddened, and she glared at the man as if she would shoot him where he sat. But then her features softened like the settling of waves upon the sea, and she game him a sweet smile."

The Raven Saint, by M.L. Tyndall

PLEASE LEAVE A COMMENT
with either the link to your own Teaser Tuesdays post, or share your 2 ‘teasers’ in a comment here (if you don’t have a blog). Thanks!




Monday, January 4, 2010

Cowboy Christmas


Cowboy Christmas
by: Mary Connealy

This was my first read by Mary Connealy and I must agree with everything I've heard about her. She is a wonderful author with a terrific knack to hook you on the first page. I really enjoyed this book and couldn't put it down. It had your typical western cowboy saving the girl in trouble, but not in the most typical scenarios. This is a wonderful story of God's forgiveness and finding that all of our strength comes in and through Him. I especially enjoyed the singing aspect of this book. I really enjoy singing myself and found myself singing the hymn parts that were written out.

This book has Christmas in the title and takes place at Christmastime, but you could easily enjoy this book at any time of the year. I can't wait to read Mary's other books!

Back of the Book:
A secretive singer reawakens a cowboy's wounded heart at Christmastime.

Singer Annette Talbot used her voice to spread the gospel with a traveling missionary troupe. When the Leveques take over and want Annie to dress provocatively and give up singing her beloved hymns, Annie flees to Ranger Bluff, Wyoming, dreaming of reuniting with her father for Christmas. But trouble chases her - right off the edge of a cliff!

Elijah Walker's heart turned as cold and barren as the high plains in December after his ex-fiancee betrayed him and caused his father's death. But when he rescues Annie out of a freezing river, Walker's insticts tell him he must help a stranger in need.

With her hermit father retreating to the high country and the Leveques intent on kidnapping her to make money off her singing, Annie may have no way out.

Has Annie hidden the truth about wanted posters bearing her face too long for anyone to believe her now?

Can Elijah overcome the painful past and learn to love again?

Will there ever be peace in their hearts in time for Christmas?

I hope you pick up this book and enjoy!!




Friday, January 1, 2010

Christmas Dreams


Christmas Dreams
by: Rebecca Germany, Mary Hawkins, Veda Boyd Jones, and Melanie Panagiotopoulos


This is a great, easy read for the Christmas season. What I liked most about the novellas was that there wasn't a lot of conflict. I like a good story with a lot of conflict between the main characters, but it was really nice to sit back and watch the dating process for these four women. Also, to be able to watch their stories unfold from beginning to end was a nice change. Each novella was very well written and captured my attention. I recommend getting a nice hot cup of tea and sitting down to meet Nora, Jean, Jennifer, and Christina.

Back of the Book:
Evergreen by Rebecca Germany. To fill the void of her first holiday alone, Nora, a string reporter fro the local paper, agrees to do a story on the homeless shelters - accompanied by a certain rakishly handsome photographer. Is Rick Thompson too good to be true, or is he the man of her dreams?

Search for the Star by Mary Hawkins. To Jean Drew, Christmas is a time to work, not spend with family. Until this year, that is when she's invited to spend the holidays with her niece - and then to witness her wedding. Also on the guest list is Dr. Jonathan Howard, a man who once embodied all of Jean's Dreams. Could they have another chance at love?

The Christmas Wreath by Veda Boyd Jones. Jennifer Faucett is dwelling in the past, not dreaming of the future, as she prepares to spend one last Christmas in the home of her recently deceased grandmother. Next door, Mike Shannon, now a successful novelist, has come seeking peace and quiet - and finding neither when he encounters the woman of his dreams.

Christmas Baby by Melanie Panagiotopoulos. Christmas amid the ruins in Athens, Greece, on the arm of a modern-day Adonis, sounds like a dream vacation. But there's a much more poignant reason for Christina Rallis's visit: She's come to meet her birth mother. Christina's Christmas dreams seem destined to come true. . . until she realizes she may have to make an unthinkable sacrifice.

Thanks for stopping by!