Robin E. Mason's Blog: Robin's Book Shelf, page 84
October 5, 2020
BLOGWORDS – Tuesday 6 October 2020 – TUESDAY REVIEWS-DAY – BOOK REVIEW – PEARL IN THE SAND by TESSA AFSHAR
[image error]
TUESDAY REVIEWS-DAY – BOOK REVIEW – PEARL IN THE SAND by TESSA AFSHAR
[image error]
THE BLURB
Can a Canaanite harlot who made her living enticing men be a fitting wife for a leader of Israel? Shockingly, the Bible’s answer is yes.
This 10th anniversary edition of Pearl in the Sand includes new features that will invite you into the untold story of Rahab’s journey from lowly outcast to redeemed child of God. Rahab’s home is built into a wall, a wall that fortifies and protects the City of Jericho. However, other walls surround her too, walls of fear, rejection, and unworthiness… Years of pain and betrayal have wounded Rahab’s heart—she doubts whether her dreams of experiencing true love will ever come true…
A woman with a wrecked past—a man of success, of faith… of pride. A marriage only God would conceive! Through the heartaches of a stormy relationship, Rahab and Salmone learn the true source of one another’s worth and find healing in God.
THE AUTHOR
[image error]TESSA AFSHAR is the award-winning author of biblical and inspirational historical fiction, including Harvest of Gold which won a Christy Award and Land of Silence, which won an INSPY. The Way Home: God’s Invitation to New Beginnings is Afshar’s critically acclaimed Bible study based on the book of Ruth. Born in the Middle East, Tessa spent her teen years in England and later moved to the United States. Her conversion to Christianity in her twenties changed the course of her life. She holds a Master of Divinity from Yale, where she served as co-chair of the Evangelical Fellowship for a year. She worked in women and prayer ministry for twenty years before becoming a full-time writer and speaker. Contact Tessa at tessaafshar.com or on Facebook at: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorTessaAfshar/
MY REVIEW
Pearl of the Sand was one of the first books I read and reviewed in 2014.
https://robinsnest212.wordpress.com/2014/09/30/pearl-in-the-sand/
I read a quote today attributed to Téa Obreht, “The best fiction stays with you and changes you.” That is this book, Pearl in the Sand. Because it is beautifully crafted and because it is a story lifted from the Word of God.
Ms. Afshar has done her homework. I looked in my Bible, and there’s barely a mention of Rahab. Well, other than her story of hiding the Hebrew spies, and that was hardly more than name dropping. She bears mention in geneology, but nothing of her personal story. This is the beauty of historical fiction; we as artists, create the story around the facts. We dig, as archeologists, to unearth what could plausibly, or even likely, have been the true story. We take the privilege and delight of adding nuance to hard fact, subtle hint to solid truth, to make an enjoyable reading experience. Ms. Afshar has done this, and with excellence.
The Scriptures noted by Ms. Afshar place Nahshon, who would become Rahab’s father in law, as the leader of the Tribe of Judah. His son, Salmone, then took this distinguished position. And he also became the husband of Rahab.
Now think about this for one minute. A member of highest esteem in the nation of Israel, a leader of the Tribe of Judah. Marries a Canaanite woman. A Canaanite woman who is – or was – a harlot. I don’t know how others read Scripture, but I think we are intended to look beyond the words, and look for the depth and meaning. The backstory, if you will.
Ms. Afshar has created this for us, and masterfully so. She has woven a tale of Salmone’s likely reaction to this pagan family coming not just into the holy nation of Israel, but into his tribe. His tribe. Which makes him responsible for them. He does not embrace this very gracefully, yet throughout the text, the truth of the Word woven so neatly into the warp and woof, Salmone comes to see that Yahweh accepts us all the same. And in her story, Ms. Afshar weaves the romance between the Israelite leader and the Canaanite harlot. For whatever their love story may have been, our loving God saw fit to allow her to become part of the most extraordinary blood line of all time.
I dog-earred several pages as I read. Little lessons to come back to. Consequences for one. Our actions might be forgiven, but the consequence remains. Or this: sometimes we ask God for a certain thing, but he answers quite differently. And only later do we see the greater benefit of His answer. His Divine perspective. Much of the story spoke very directly to me, as Rahab came embrace her new life. I won’t say more than that, lest I give too much away.
This story, crafted so beautifully, grabbed me deeply, leaving me anxious to see what her next book, Harvest of Rubies, holds. And the next, and the one after that.
ROBIN’S FEATHERS
[image error]ALL | THE | FEATHERS!
I received a complimentary copy of this book, but was under no obligation to read the book or to post a review. I offer my review of my own free will. The opinions expressed in my review are my honest thoughts and reaction to this book.
[image error]
#Blogwords, Tuesday Reviews-Day, #TRD, Book Review, Pearl in the Sand, Tessa Afshar, Tenth Anniversary Edition
October 3, 2020
BLOGWORDS – Saturday 3 October 2020 – WREADING WEDNESDAY-on-SATURDAY – COVER REVEAL– SING IN THE SUNLIGHT by KATHLEEN DENLY
[image error]
WREADING WEDNESDAY-on-SATURDAY – COVER REVEAL – SING IN THE SUNLIGHT by KATHLEEN DENLY
[image error]
[image error]
THE BLURB
Richard Stevens isn’t who he thinks he is. Neither is the woman who now claims his last name.
Disfiguring scars stole Clarinda Humphrey’s singing career, her home, and her family, but she refuses to let her appearance steal her future. While attending The Young Ladies Seminary in 1858 Benicia, California, she finds a man who promises to love and cherish her. Instead he betrays her, leaving her with child, and Clarinda must take drastic measures to ensure her child doesn’t suffer for her foolishness.
Richard Stevens’s life hasn’t turned out as he expected, and when a shocking letter turns even his past into a mystery, he travels to San Francisco in search of guidance. On the way, he encounters a mysterious young woman hiding beneath a veil. That night he experiences a dream that sends him on a quest to find the bride God has chosen for him. He never imagines she’s already told everyone they’re married.
Unwilling to lie, nor accept a marriage of mere convenience, Richard wants the real thing. Yet Clarinda’s not interested in love, only a chance to save her child. Can he help her rise above the pain that runs deeper than her scars to accept a love worth every risk?
THE AUTHOR
[image error]Kathleen Denly writes stories to entertain, encourage, and inspire readers toward a better understanding of our amazing God and how He sees us. She enjoys finding the lesser known pockets of history and bringing them to life through the joys and struggles of her characters.
Sunny southern California, a favorite setting in her stories, is also her home. She lives there with her loving husband, four young children, and two cats. As a member of the adoption and foster community, children in need are a cause dear to her heart and she finds they make frequent appearances in her stories.
When she isn’t writing, researching, or caring for children, she spends her time reading, visiting historical sites, hiking, and crafting.
Kathleen is also a member of American Christian Fiction Writers and the San Diego Christian Writers’ Guild.
Always happy to hear from her readers, you can email Kathleen and follow her on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest.
THE REVEAL
[image error]
[image error]
[image error]
[image error]
PREORDER INCENTIVE
[image error]
#Blogwords, Wreading Wednesday-on-Saturday, Cover Reveal, Sing in the Sunlight, Kathleen Denly
September 23, 2020
BLOGWORDS – Tuesday 22 September 2020 – TUESDAY REVIEWS-DAY – BOOK REVIEW – HEART RESTORATION by REGINA RUDD MERRICK
BLOGWORDS – Tuesday 22 September 2020 – TUESDAY REVIEWS-DAY – BOOK REVIEW – HEART RESTORATION by REGINA RUDD MERRICK
[image error]
TUESDAY REVIEWS-DAY – BOOK REVIEW – HEART RESTORATION by REGINA RUDD MERRICK
[image error]
[image error]
THE BLURB
For interior designer Lisa Reno things go from bad to worse when her contractor-brother falls off a ladder and breaks his leg. Now she has to deal with the past coming back to haunt her, an old house with a corpse in the creepy cellar, and her best friend trying her best to fix her up with any man that moves.
Nick Woodward is willing to do his old college roommate a favor – especially since it involves renovating his own inheritance. The last thing he wants is to get involved with anyone. When he lost his wife and unborn child so suddenly, he had made the decision to keep God and everyone else at arm’s length.
So far, so good.
Ah, the difference a trip to a dingy basement makes.
THE AUTHOR
[image error]
Regina Merrick is a church musician, wife, mother, former librarian, and grateful follower of Jesus Christ. Having lived most of her life in Western Kentucky, she dreams of the sound of crashing waves and sandy beaches. Married to her husband of 30-plus years, she is the mother of two grown daughters, and the keeper of a 100-year-old house where she lives in the small town of Marion, KY.
MY REVIEW
It’s not too often that one can consider a “trip to a dingy basement” a God moment. Then again, God uses the most inopportune moments to tap us on our stubborn shoulder. That’ll get your attention!
I doubly enjoyed this story because my degree is Interior Design, and it’s always fun to meet characters who share my passion! Secret underground tunnels a bonus!
Ms. Merrick knows her stuff, from the construction and design angle to the nuances of character and building the story. She meets the challenge of taking raw materials aka characters, and shaping them into fabulously renovated personality make-overs.
Lisa is juggling her past crush, crashing into her present, as she navigates not only the reno but a cold case murder mystery. Nick faces his own heartache, buried under layers of protection, reluctantly peeling them back to reveal the beauty of his true nature.
Ms. Merrick pushes her characters just enough, nudges them, taunts and torments them, and rewards them. And keeps the reader turning the pages. This is my first read by this author (!)but it sure won’t be my last!
ROBIN’S FEATHERS
[image error]
ALL | THE | FEATHERS!
I received a complimentary copy of this book, but was under no obligation to read the book or to post a review. I offer my review of my own free will. The opinions expressed in my review are my honest thoughts and reaction to this book.
#Blogwords, Tuesday Reviews-Day, #TRD, Book Review, Heart Restoration, Regina Rudd Merrick, Mosaic Collection, JustRead Publicity
September 8, 2020
BLOGWORDS – Tuesday 8 September 2020 – TUESDAY REVIEWS-DAY – BOOK REVIEW – FIRE by LINDA K. RODANTE
BLOGWORDS – Tuesday 8 September 2020 – TUESDAY REVIEWS-DAY – BOOK REVIEW – FIRE by LINDA K. RODANTE
[image error]
TUESDAY REVIEWS-DAY – BOOK REVIEW – FIRE by LINDA K. RODANTE
[image error]
ABOUT THE BOOK
Book: Fire
[image error]
Author: Linda K Rodante
Genre: Christian Romantic Suspense
Release Date: July 28, 2020
THE BLURB
If a violent gang re-organizes, an undercover cop could lose everything…including the woman he loves.
After a gang war three years earlier, the undercover cop known as Patriot was forced to move and take a new identity. When the gang re-organizes and threatens a friend, Patriot, now a firefighter, races home to help him.
Chloe Swearingen confines herself to the fast pace of the ER and away from interpersonal relationships—for a reason she keeps to herself. But when she helps save a gangster’s life, she’s thrown into a cauldron of relationships from which she can’t escape—and one from which she doesn’t want to…
Then a series of fires target people they love, and Chloe and Patriot will need the Lord’s wisdom to stay alive.
Click here to get your copy!
THE AUTHOR
[image error]
Linda K. Rodante is a Florida transplant now living in Tennessee. She’s married with two sons, a wonderful daughter-in-law and six grandchildren. She loves sweet tea, apple butter and both the mountains and the oceans.
Her work with crisis pregnancy centers and anti-trafficking groups gave her a heart for women struggling in today’s society, while still respecting the role God has given men.
She’s a member of the American Christian Fiction Writers, Word Weavers International, and a past finalist of ACFW’s Genesis contest.
Linda writes Christian romantic suspense novels. Her books wrap sweet romance in real-life issues women face today then adds an edge of mystery and suspense. Her desire is to entertain and encourage others in their walk with God.
Linda’s two series, The Dangerous Series and The Spiritual Warfare Series, are each unique. Both are fun read in order, but every book is also a stand-alone.
MORE FROM LINDA
FIRE, A Christian Romantic Suspense novel, is the third book in the Spiritual Warfare Series. While it’s also a stand-alone, it’s enhanced if you’ve read the others first. The inspiration for FIRE came while listening to “There’s Another in the Fire” by Hillsong UNITED. I love the words to that song. It says so much about who Jesus is and that he never leaves us.
Most Christians know the story of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, how King Nebuchadnezzar had them thrown into a fiery furnace because they wouldn’t worship him (Daniel 3.19-25). We know that Jesus was the fourth man in the fire, that he kept them from being burned or even smelling like smoke. But the Bible refers to fire in many ways—God is a consuming fire, the Holy Spirit is represented by fire, his ministers are called flames of fire, his Word is like a fire, and Satan will be thrown into the lake of fire. So much representation there.
The first book in the Spiritual Warfare Series, Warrior, introduced us to an ex-gang member, a gang leader, and a kickboxer who wanted more from God than she’d been experiencing, not realizing the depth of what she’d asked, and the danger she’d find herself in. In the second book, ROAR, her church persists in ministering to gangs even amid threats and kidnappings. Then three members are caught in the middle of a gang war, and it will take a miracle to get them out. FIRE takes place three years later when things have settled down. Ex-gang members are finding Jesus and learning new life skills, but then someone sets fire to the church and one of the ex-gang members is arrested for murder. When you’re doing everything right, and Satan attacks, where is God?
FIRE brings back familiar characters and introduces new ones who fall in love, and who learn about prayer, and perseverance, and God’s faithfulness in the middle of the battle.
Romance, intrigue and the power of prayer are woven together to create a story of action and faith.
MY REVIEW
Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. Ephesians 6:10–12 KJV
The importance—and power—of spiritual warfare rises to the front in this gripping story. Whether prayer or discernment or taking action, Ms. Rodante knows her stuff, and brings spiritual Truth to light in her stories.
Whether hiding behind a façade of indifference like Chloe, or a false identity like Patriot, Holy Spirit not only sees who we are but knows our needs and draws us from our cocoon—our comfort zone; He calls us to our purpose.
Double entendre is a favorite literary device of this reader, and the title of this book is quite a heated one. The utter and sheer destruction of a blazing fire brings images of charred timbers and heaps of ashes and blistered flesh.
But fire also purges, as with precious metals, removing impurities. Even more so Holy Fire upon the heart of the believer.
Ms. Rodante has portrayed this in her story, the juxtaposition of destruction against the cleansing of Holy Spirit.
The story is packed with a plethora of storylines and threads, with characters whose lived intertwine, and with clashing action and palpable emotion. While I felt the story jumped from scene to scene, it did not detract from the battle that rages, both on the page and around us.
Once again, Ms. Rodante had scripted an inside look at the very real spiritual battle we all face. She “gives us Truth in her stories, the Truth that is written from Genesis to the Book of Revelation. The Truth that this life is spiritual and not flesh only” (taken from my review of Warrior, 16 October 2018)
ROBIN’S FEATHERS
[image error]
FOUR FEATHERS
I received a complimentary copy of this book, but was under no obligation to read the book or to post a review. I offer my review of my own free will. The opinions expressed in my review are my honest thoughts and reaction to this book.
TOUR GIVEAWAY
[image error]
To celebrate her tour, Linda is giving away the grand prize package of the winner’s choice of format for the previous two books in series, Warrior and Roar, and a $25 Amazon gift card!!
Be sure to comment on the blog stops for nine extra entries into the giveaway! Click the link below to enter.
BLOG STOPS
https://promosimple.com/ps/fffa/fire-celebration-tour-giveaway
Inklings and notions, September 2
Book Reviews From an Avid Reader, September 3
Locks, Hooks and Books, September 4
Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, September 5
Texas Book-aholic, September 6
Through the fire blogs, September 7
lakesidelivingsite, September 7
For Him and My Family, September 8
Robin’s Nest, September 8
Artistic Nobody, September 9 (Guest Review from Joni Truex)
Because I said so — and other adventures in Parenting, September 10
deb’s Book Review, September 10
Sara Jane Jacobs, September 11
Ashley’s Bookshelf, September 12
Simple Harvest Reads, September 13 (Guest Review from Mindy Houng)
Blogging With Carol, September 14
Pause for Tales, September 15
#Blogwords, Tuesday Reviews-Day, #TRD, Book Review, Fire, Linda K. Rodante, Spiritual Warfare Series, Celebrate Lit Publicity
August 31, 2020
BLOGWORDS – Tuesday 1 September 2020 – TUESDAY REVIEWS-DAY – BOOK REVIEW – THE BLACK MIDNIGHT by KATHLEEN Y’BARBO
[image error]
TUESDAY REVIEWS-DAY – BOOK REVIEW – THE BLACK MIDNIGHT by KATHLEEN Y’BARBO
[image error]
ABOUT THE BOOK
[image error]
Book: The Black Midnight
Author: Kathleen Y’Barbo
Genre: Christian Historical Suspense
Release Date: August, 2020
THE BLURB
Death Seems to Follow Harriet’s New Friend
Book 7 in the True Colors series—Fiction Based on Strange-But True History
Three years before Jack the Ripper began his murderous spree on the streets of London, women were dying in their beds as The Midnight Assassin terrorized the citizens of Austin, Texas. Now, with suspicion falling on Her Majesty’s family and Scotland Yard at a loss as to who the Ripper might be, Queen Victoria summons her great-granddaughter, Alice Anne von Wettin, a former Pinkerton agent who worked the unsolved Austin case, and orders her to discreetly form a team to look into the London matter.
The prospect of a second chance to work with Annie just might entice Isaiah Joplin out of his comfortable life as an Austin lawyer. If his theories are right, they’ll find the The Midnight Assassin and, by default, the Ripper. If they’re wrong, he and Annie are in a bigger mess than the one the feisty female left behind when she departed Austin under cover of darkness three years ago.
Can the unlikely pair find the truth of who is behind the murders before they are drawn into the killer’s deadly game? From Texas to London, the story navigates the fine line between truth and fiction as Annie and Isaiah ultimately find the hunters have become the hunted.
Click here to get your copy!
THE AUTHOR
[image error]
Bestselling author Kathleen Y’Barbo is a multiple Carol Award and RITA nominee of more than sixty novels with almost two million copies of her books in print in the US and abroad.
MORE FROM KATHLEEN Y’BARBO
I am a tenth generation Texan, but London has held a place in my heart for over ten years. You see, I have a son who has lived there for more than a decade. Thanks to him and his family of three—my granddaughter was born there on New Year’s Eve 2019—the city will always be special to me. There is absolutely nothing like walking those streets with a thousand years of history close enough to touch.
It was on a walk with my son through this great city that the stories of nineteenth century London came alive. With fog shrouding the rooftops of buildings that were hundreds of years old and our footsteps echoing on the cobblestones, I could imagine a time when lack of electricity and CCTV would make this place less than charming on a dark night. What reminded me of my favorite childhood movie, Mary Poppins, quickly became more reminiscent of Jack the Ripper. And then a story was born.
Only I just had half the story.
The other half came to me several years later when I stumbled across an article in Texas Monthly magazine about a serial killer who rampaged through Austin, Texas in 1884 and 1885 and was never caught. Some surmised this madman, called “The Midnight Assassin” by some, might have been Jack the Ripper honing his skills before he crossed the Atlantic to begin his famous crime spree in Great Britain.
But Austin? Ironically, my other two sons lived in Austin. So while part of my heart was in London, two more parts of that same heart resided in the Texas capital. I thought I knew Austin inside out. Between one of my sons getting not one but two degrees from the University of Texas (this Aggie grad is still proud of him in spite of what I jokingly call his burnt orange rebellion) and my other son living there and managing a restaurant at the time (and who just graduated from Texas A&M Galveston last month!), I had spent many years in the city. And yet I had never heard of the Midnight Assassin.
Research turned up a tale that sounds so close to fiction I had to write about it. Discovering the theory that the Austin killer might also be the Ripper just added to my interest—neither had been caught. And I like to write about Pinkerton detectives.
From there the story unfolded. If you’ve read any of my historical romances, you know that I love incorporating actual history into my stories. As you’ll see when you read The Black Midnight, this book is no exception. While I will continue writing the historical romances I love to bring to you, I will confess that writing this book has me itching to research another one like it.
What’s next in my foray into true crime novels? Maybe Houston. You see, I have a daughter who lives there…
In the meantime, I hope you’ll enjoy reading The Black Midnight as much as I enjoyed writing it!
MY REVIEW
This story is one of the things I love about historical fiction—fact and fiction overlap so seamlessly that this reader couldn’t tell which was which.
I liked Annie, feisty and no nonsense, she cut to the chase. In an era when women were seen and not heard, Annie roared, fighting both the stigma of her gender and the dictates of her status as a royal.
Ike was a trooper. Taking Annie willingly as a partner, no questions or qualms about working with the weaker gender. And the Queen! The man wasn’t intimidated at all. #kudos
For all the tension of the crimes, I felt the story dragged at times. The [SPOILER] interlude built the romance, but lost the crime story thread altogether.
This reader, however, was unaware of the Black Midnight crimes in Texas, and therefore the tie to Jack the Ripper. What a twist, truly truth is stranger than fiction.
ROBIN’S FEATHERS
[image error] THREE FEATHERS
I received a complimentary copy of this book, but was under no obligation to read the book or to post a review. I offer my review of my own free will. The opinions expressed in my review are my honest thoughts and reaction to this book.
GIVEAWAY
[image error]
To celebrate her tour, Kathleen is giving away the grand prize package of a $25 Amazon gift card and a copy of the book!!
Be sure to comment on the blog stops for nine extra entries into the giveaway! Click the link below to enter.
https://promosimple.com/ps/ffb7/the-black-midnight-celebration-tour-giveaway
BLOG STOPS
Babbling Becky L’s Book Impressions, August 27
Genesis 5020, August 27
Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, August 27
Inklings and notions, August 28
Locks, Hooks and Books, August 28
Ashley’s Bookshelf, August 28
Older & Smarter?, August 29
Texas Book-aholic, August 29
Artistic Nobody, August 29 (Guest Review from Joni Truex)
For the Love of Literature, August 30
Connie’s History Classroom, August 30
For Him and My Family, August 31
Adventures of a Travelers Wife, August 31
Betti Mace, September 1
Robin’s Nest, September 1
Bigreadersite, September 1
deb’s Book Review, September 2
Splashes of Joy, September 2
Just Your Average reviews, September 2
Rebecca Tews, September 3
Just the Write Escape, September 3
Emily Yager, September 3
Christian Bookaholic, September 4
reviewingbooksplusmore, September 4
KarenSueHadley, September 4
Remembrancy, September 5
Through the Fire Blogs, September 5
21st Century Keeper at Home, September 6
Tell Tale Book Reviews, September 6
Blogging With Carol, September 6
Musings of a Sassy Bookish Mama, September 7
Life of Literature, September 7
Mary Hake, September 7
Godly Book Reviews, September 8
Back Porch Reads, September 8
Daysong Reflections, September 8
Pause for Tales, September 9
Blossoms and Blessings, September 9
Hallie Reads, September 9
#Blogwords, Tuesday Reviews-Day, #TRD, Book Review, The Black Midnight, Kathleen Y’Barbo, True Colors Crimes, Celebrate Lit Tours
August 25, 2020
BLOGWORDS – Tuesday 25 August 2020 – TUESDAY REVIEWS-DAY – BOOK REVIEW – TO LOVE A PRINCE by RACHEL HAUCK
[image error]
TUESDAY REVIEWS-DAY – BOOK REVIEW – TO LOVE A PRINCE by RACHEL HAUCK
[image error]
THE BLURB
Daffodil Caron is not a princess, even though she once dreamed of being one. After all, she grew up as a playmate to royal princes, running through the halls of Perrigwynn Palace in the North Sea’s Lauchtenland. But the day she stumbled upon a royal secret, everything changed.
Flash forward eighteen years, and Daffy’s living a sweet, non-royal life. A skilled art curator for the Royal Trust, she has friends, a flat in the heart of the capital city, and a handsome, successful boyfriend. The last person on her mind is Gus, the prince she once called her best mate.
HRH Prince Augustus is no longer “Prince Pudgy,” as caricatured by the press—he’s charming and gorgeous, possessing a world-famous smile. But after he’s jilted at the altar, then dumped by his second fianceé, the spare heir to Lauchtenland’s ancient House of Blue finds solace on a Florida beach.
A year as a regular bloke allows him to rethink his purpose. He’s half decided his calling is to pour pints at a tiki bar rather than serve his country and the Family.
But a wild Frisbee toss down the beach changes his destiny.
Despite his long hair and beard, Daffy recognizes her prince. She reminds Gus of his heritage and assures him that he’s needed in Lauchtenland.
When Daffy and Gus find themselves on assignment at Hadsby Castle in preparation for his brother’s wedding ball, their friendship blooms into affection.
Then secrets are exposed, and Gus must choose between his past hurts and his future hope. And Daffy must trust her heart to forever love a prince.
THE AUTHOR
[image error]
Rachel Hauck is the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and USA TODAY bestselling author of The Wedding Dress, which was also named Inspirational Novel of the Year by Romantic Times and was a RITA finalist. Rachel lives in central Florida with her husband and pet and writes from her ivory tower. Visit her online at RachelHauck.com; Facebook: RachelHauck; Twitter: @RachelHauck; Instagram: @rachelhauck.
MY REVIEW
Ms. Hauck’s writing is magical, her stories beautiful, her characters real.
Daffy Caron has a charmed life. Except she’s in love with the wrong man. A man she can’t have.
Prince Augustus had led a not-so-charmed life, with two broken engagements and a vow to never love again. Until the one woman he loves steals his heart all over again.
Ms. Hauck puts them through the wringer, as they both fight against, and then fight for, each other. Still, Daffy knows a secret and she’s sure she’ll not be accepted into the royal family.
In the midst of a host of fascinating characters—Ernst, Leslie Ann, Thomas, the Queen, poor Hemstead—two mysterious characters walk into the story and change everything.
Sometimes God intervenes, the “supernatural breaking into the natural,” to bring about His best plan. And Ms. Hauck has woven this into her story as naturally as ocean waves breaking on the shore, reminding us that angels do indeed walk among us.
ROBIN’S FEATHERS
[image error]ALL | THE | FEATHERS!
I received a complimentary copy of this book, but was under no obligation to read the book or to post a review. I offer my review of my own free will. The opinions expressed in my review are my honest thoughts and reaction to this book.
#Blogwords, Tuesday Reviews-Day, #TRD, Book Review, To Love a Prince, Rachel Hauck
August 17, 2020
BLOGWORDS – Tuesday 18 May 2020 – TUESDAY REVIEWS-DAY – BOOK REVIEW – ICED OVER by HEATHER DAY GILBERT
[image error]
TUESDAY REVIEWS-DAY – BOOK REVIEW – ICED OVER by HEATHER DAY GILBERT
[image error]
THE BLURB
Welcome to the Barks & Beans Cafe, a quaint place where folks pet shelter dogs while enjoying a cup of java…and where murder sometimes pays a visit.
Black Friday turns fatal when an armored security truck hits an icy patch and runs over an embankment near the cafe. With one driver dead and the other in a coma, police are baffled by the discovery that $500,000 is missing from the truck’s cache.
When strangers show up at Barks & Beans asking nosy questions about a young cafe employee, Macy’s mama bear instincts kick in. She can’t ignore what her gut is telling her—that things aren’t all they seem on the surface—and with a little help from her brother, Bo, and her Great Dane, Coal, Macy follows up on a few leads of her own. But if the ruthless thief beats her to the stash, the thin ice she’s been skating on might just crack.
Join siblings Macy and Bo Hatfield as they sniff out crimes in their hometown…with plenty of dogs along for the ride! The Barks & Beans Cafe cozy mystery series features a small town, an amateur sleuth, and no swearing or graphic scenes.
THE AUTHOR
[image error]HEATHER DAY GILBERT, an ECPA Christy award finalist and Grace award winner, writes contemporary mysteries and Viking historicals. Her novels feature small towns, family relationships, and women who aren’t afraid to protect those they love. Publisher’s Weekly gave Heather’s Viking historical Forest Child a starred review, saying it is “an engaging story depicting timeless human struggles with faith, love, loyalty, and leadership.”
Find Heather on Pinterest (heatherdgilbert), Instagram (@heatherdaygilbert), Twitter (@heatherdgilbert), and Facebook (heatherdaygilbert). You can find all her books at heatherdaygilbert.com
MY REVIEW
I just love Macy Hatfield! Adorable and cute and so clever and quirky. Sometimes, though, ya just wanna knock some sense into her! Then again, ya gotta admire her tenacity! And the girl got some serious observation skills, noticing random and obscure details. Details that end up being vital clues in solving cases.
And I just love Ms. Gilbert’s writing style! She grabs the reader and welcomes them to the story, and plunges them right into the bedlam.
Not only has Ms. Gilbert has created a memorable and loveable character in Macy, she blends disparate personalities to make a robust story-brew. The interactions between the characters are real and relatable, the reactions and personality quirks authentic. And the dialogue is as snappy and quirky as the characters.
The twist and turns and layers in this story are compelling and page-turning. Just when I thought I (might have) figured out whodunnit, Ms. Gilbert hits the reader with another twist, shining the spotlight on a different suspect. Truly, she keeps the reader wondering until the end.
Then, just when ya think the story’s all wrapped up, there’s a surprise twist at the end!
ROBIN’S FEATHERS
[image error]ALL | THE | FEATHERS!
I received a complimentary copy of this book, but was under no obligation to read the book or to post a review. I offer my review of my own free will. The opinions expressed in my review are my honest thoughts and reaction to this book.
#Blogwords, Tuesday Reviews-Day, #TRD, Book Review, Iced Over, Heather Day Gilbert
August 11, 2020
BLOGWORDS – Tuesday 11 August 2020 – TUESDAY REVIEWS-DAY – BOOK REVIEW – TETHERED by ELEANOR BERTIN
[image error]
TUESDAY REVIEWS-DAY – BOOK REVIEW – TETHERED by ELEANOR BERTIN
[image error]
[image error]
THE BLURB
Perfectionistic librarian Jacqui Penn is ripped up by the roots when she’s dumped by her longtime boyfriend. Rootless and on the run, she is drawn two thousand miles west across Canada to the last place she ever thought could offer stability—the old homestead where her father grew up.
Renovating the derelict house soon becomes a personal battle as it stubbornly resists her efforts. While Jacqui struggles to renew the home, she spends time with the family Pops bitterly resented. Her hunger for roots grows stronger as she fights to discover the long-buried reasons her father fled the house as a beleaguered teen. But will she ever find the belonging she craves?
THE AUTHOR
[image error]In a fit of optimism at age eleven, Eleanor Bertin began her first novel by numbering a stack of 100 pages. Two of them got filled.
Eleanor holds a college diploma in Communications and worked in agriculture journalism until the birth of her first child. The family eventually grew to include seven children, all girls except six. Writing was crowded out by homeschooling a houseful for 25 years until Lifelines, her first completed novel, was shortlisted in the 2015 Word Alive Free Publishing Contest.
Eleanor and her husband live with their youngest son, who has Down syndrome, amidst the ongoing renovation of a century home in central Alberta. She blogs about a sometimes elusive contentment at jewelofcontentment.wordpress.com.
MY REVIEW
Haven’t we all thought about it, wished it, idly planned it at one time or another in our lives? Running away? Daily life becomes mundane, heartbreak unbearable, betrayal unforgiveable?
For most of us, reality ties us in place and the notion of running away gets tucked on the shelf for another day.
For Jacqui Penn, though, reality was turned inside out, and while she could have stayed put and maintained the status quo, her heart wouldn’t let her.
Ms. Bertin digs deep into Jacqui’s heart, the human tug to belong—and to believe. As Father God does per Romans 8:28, Ms. Bertin wove strands of her story to bring good into Jacqui’s life. Even the hurtful and damaging factors. Jacqui faces each challenge head-on, relying first on her own strength and ability, then little by little, day by day, grows to accept and trust those around her. As she discovers her roots, she also discovers herself. And her future.
A deep and profound story of truth and self-discovery, a journey that could belong to any one of us. A story that drew me in, as though I were part of Jacqui’s journey, and kept me turning pages so I, too, could rejoice in her discovery of Truth.
ROBIN’S FEATHERS
[image error]ALL | THE | FEATHERS!
I received a complimentary copy of this book, but was under no obligation to read the book or to post a review. I offer my review of my own free will. The opinions expressed in my review are my honest thoughts and reaction to this book.
[image error]
#Blogwords, Tuesday Reviews-Day, #TRD, Book Review, Tethered, Eleanor Bertin, Mosaic Collection, JustRead Publicity Tours
August 3, 2020
BLOGWORDS – Tuesday 04 August 2020 – TUESDAY REVIEWS-DAY – BOOK REVIEW – KATHERINE’S ARRANGEMENT by BLOSSOM TURNER
[image error]
TUESDAY REVIEWS-DAY – BOOK REVIEW – KATHERINE’S ARRANGEMENT by BLOSSOM TURNER
[image error]
THE BLURB
Marrying him is her only choice to save her family, but Josiah Richardson isn’t at all the man she expected.
Katherine Williams’s family was left destitute when their home was burned to the ground by Yankee soldiers, so the ready solution presented by the prominent Mr. Josiah Richardson seems almost too good to believe. He’ll provide a home, work for her pa, and a new beginning for her family…if only Katherine will accept his proposal. A marriage of convenience is the last thing she wants, but there doesn’t seem to be a better option for her family or herself. Setting aside her dreams of love, Katherine agrees to the arrangement.
The gentleman in Josiah Richardson can no more force his frightened bride into his bed, than he can force her into loving him, so he sets out to gently woo her. He works hard to befriend her, to earn her trust and win her love.
Katherine is pleasantly surprised to find herself drawn to the man she thought she would never love, until an unexpected friendship tears apart all they’ve worked for. Where once the promise of love had budded between Josiah and Katherine, now they wonder what to do with their so-called marriage. Is love strong enough to weave its healing power through two broken hearts?
THE AUTHOR
[image error]Blossom Turner is a free-lance writer published in Chicken Soup and Kernels of Hope anthologies, former newspaper columnist on health and fitness, an avid blogger, and published novelist. Her authentic understanding of the power of forgiveness through life experience has inspired this compelling novel, Anna’s Secret, where failure, God’s love, and romance collide. She and her husband, David, have two grown children and live in beautiful British Columbia, Canada. Read more at blossomturner.com.
MY REVIEW
The realities of war escape most of us. Certainly the up close and personal cruelties of Yankee soldiers and the total and utter loss of everything familiar.
Add to that, the ancient practice of an arranged marriage left Katherine feeling like a pawn in some grim game.
The premise of this story offers much with the veiled similarity to the Biblical story of Ruth. But sadly I found I could not connect with the characters. At first, I felt Katherine’s dismay, but when it turned to bitterness she lost me. Josiah was a delight at first, his morals and honor the badge of a gentleman. But the repeated mention of his physical desire for Katherine and his struggle to control himself got old fast.
The make-it-or-break-it for this reviewer, the dialogue, did not ring true to the era.
Ms. Blossom builds the tension, then eases it, then jerks it taut again as Katherine and Josiah dance around their situation and their marriage. And not only did she toss in one secret, but two—one of them with a surprise twist—with hints smattered throughout the pages until each secret was revealed.
The Spiritual struggle, though, was evident. Unbelievers surrounded with praying folk—and resenting any mention of the Bible of prayer. And yet, each of them felt the stirring, burning within, the longing for God, even if they didn’t recognize He was their answer.
ROBIN’S FEATHERS
[image error]THREE FEATHERS
I received a complimentary copy of this book, but was under no obligation to read the book or to post a review. I offer my review of my own free will. The opinions expressed in my review are my honest thoughts and reaction to this book.
#Blogwords, Tuesday Reviews-Day, #TRD, Book Review, Katherine’s Arrangement, Blossom Turner
August 1, 2020
BLOGWORDS – Saturday 1 August 2020 – TUESDAY REVIEWS-DAY-on-SATURDAY – BOOK REVIEW – FALLING FOR GRACE by JANET FERGUSON
[image error]
TUESDAY REVIEWS-DAY-on-SATURDAY – BOOK REVIEW – FALLING FOR GRACE by JANET FERGUSON
[image error]
THE BLURB
Grace Logan has taken a lot of tumbles in life, but she works hard to bounce right back. Dreams shattered and hope for reconciliation gone, Grace needs a place where she can pick herself up now that her ex is marrying her former best friend. Her boss’s beach house in Santa Rosa seems like the perfect getaway, but stumbling into the attractive-but-damaged handyman next door isn’t part of the plan.
After losing his infant son—and his marriage—Seth Gibbs is left with smothering grief and guilt. Bad memories make it difficult to find a new normal, so he escapes to his family’s vacation home. Three years later, he’s still in Santa Rosa with no plans to leave. That is…until Grace falls into his life.
THE AUTHOR
[image error]
Janet W. Ferguson is a Grace Award winner and a Christy Award finalist. She grew up in Mississippi and received a degree in Banking and Finance from the University of Mississippi. She has served as a children’s minister and a church youth volunteer. An avid reader, she worked as a librarian at a large public high school. She writes humorous inspirational fiction for people with real lives and real problems. Janet and her husband have two grown children, one really smart dog, and a cat that allows them to share the space.
MY REVIEW
Sometimes it takes the broken in us to see the broken in others.
I’ve come to know that when I read a story by Ms. Ferguson, I will fall in love with her characters. Grace Loga and Seth Gibbs are no exception.
Her trying to escape a broken heart, him hiding from his, and they keep bumping into each other. And as stone sharpens stone, Grace and Seth’s encounters begin to strip away the sting and broken edges.
Ms. Ferguson digs into deep heart issues—grief, unforgiveness, betrayal—and roots them out, exposing them for the damage they create. She takes Grace and Seth through a steep learning curve, both individually and together. I appreciate her understanding of human nature, and the beauty of her stories that tell on us all so well.
ROBIN’S FEATHERS
[image error]FOUR FEATHERS
This book was given to me as a gift. I offer my review of my own free will, and the opinions expressed in my review are my own honest thoughts and reaction to this book.
#Blogwords, Tuesday Reviews-Day-on-Saturday, #TRD, Book Review, Falling for Grace, Janet Ferguson, Coastal Hearts
Robin's Book Shelf
- Robin E. Mason's profile
- 81 followers
