The Waiting by Suzanne Woods Fisher & My Review

The Waiting

by 

Suzanne Woods Fisher

Synopsis:
 Jorie King has been waiting for Benjamin Zook to return home to Lancaster County so they can marry. When news arrives that Ben has been killed, Jorie finds comfort in the friendship of his brother Caleb. That friendship ripens into love, and it seems that they are meant to be together.
But when the unexpected happens, their worlds are turned upside once more.
Will Jorie trust God to lead her into the arms of a new man?
A multi-faceted story about complex people leading the simple life.

***Available October 2010 at your favourite bookseller from Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group***

Suzanne Woods Fisher is a wife, mother, writer, lifelong student of the Bible, raiser of puppies for Guide Dogs for the Blind, a gardener, and a cook.
Suzanne has always loved to write since she was a young teen. Writing, for Suzanne is a way to express a love of God and His word. With every book or article that she writes, she hopes that readers get a sense of what faith really looks like in the daily grind.

My Review:
I can't believe that I didn't post a review of this earlier! I really really enjoyed this book, and I had trouble putting it down. I finished it in record time because it sucked me in.
I'm surprised that the synopsis leaves out a couple of details that don't give away the story. One, Caleb is actually married at the start of the story, but his wife (Jorie's dear friend) dies. Two, Caleb has a child.
Jorie is a fascinating character who has an amazing strength and is willing to stand up against prejudice and loves her family beyond compare.

Things Left Unspoken by Eva Marie Everson & My Review

Things Left Unspoken

by

Eva Marie Everson

Synopsis:
 Jo-Lynn Hunter is at a crossroads in life when her great-aunt Stella insists that she return home to restore the old family house in sleepy Cottonwood, Georgia. Seeing the project as the perfect excuse for some therapeutic time away from her self-absorbed husband and his snobby Atlanta friends, Jo-Lynn longs to get her hands into a noteworthy and satisfying project. But things are not what they seem, both in the house and within the complex history of her family. Was her great-grandfather the pillar of the community that she thought he was? What is Aunt Stella hiding? And will Jo-Lynn's marriage survive the renovation? Jo-Lynn isn't sure she wants to know the truth, but sometimes the truth has a way of making itself known. The past comes alive in this well-written and thoughtful novel full of secrets, drama, and family with a hint of Southern drawl.


***Available at your favourite bookseller from Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group***

 Eva Marie Everson was born and reared just outside of Savannah, Georgia.
She's an ex-nurse and a seminary graduate, and is married with kids and grandkids.
If she had all the time in the world, she'd lay on the couch and watch old movies all day.




My Review:
I read this quite awhile ago, but I do remember a few of my original thoughts of the book.
Something that annoyed me was that it seemed like Jo-Lynn was a young woman in maybe her twenties or thirties, but in reality (from memory) she's in her fifties.
However, the story was a really gripping read, and I really enjoyed it. I was really rooting for Jo-Lynn the whole way through, and was totally surprised by the secrets revealed.

The House on Malcolm Street by Leisha Kelly & My Review

Publisher's Description
It is the autumn of 1920 and Leah Breckenridge is desperate to find a way to provide for her young daughter. After losing her husband and infant son in an accident, she is angry at God and fearful about the future. Finding refuge in a boardinghouse run by her late husband's aunt, Leah's heart begins the slow process of mending. Is it the people who surround her - or perhaps this very house - that reach into her heart with healing?


**Available 2010 at your favourite bookseller from Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group**

Leisha Kelly is the author of several bestselling historical fiction books, including Emma's Gift, Julia's Hope, and Katie's Dream. She has served many years on her local library board, continuing to bring good reads and educational opportunities to her community. Once a waitress, cafe manager, tutor, and EMT, Leisha is now a busy novelist and speaker who is active in the ministries of her church. She lives with her family in Illinois.


My Review:
I really enjoyed this book. The one thing that annoyed me was Leah being so unsociable and (at times) rude, but at the same time I can sort of sympathize with how hard it would have been to have lost your husband and son, and then to have lost your home. Her daughter was absolutely precious! It is amazing how a child's faith can be so much stronger than an adult's faith. I loved seeing Leah grow and start to mend. Aunt Marigold was a sweetheart, and she was an encouragement even when she meddled.
I've read Leisha Kelly's Wortham Family series and loved them, and I'm hoping that she'll bring out a sequel to this book!

A Memory Between Us by Sarah Sundin & My Review

From the back cover:
Major Jack Novak has never failed to meet a challenge - until he meets army nurse Lieutenant Ruth Doherty. When Jack lands in the army hospital after a plane crash, he makes winning Ruth's heart a top-priority mission. But he has his work cut out for him. Not only is Ruth focused on her work in order to support her orphaned siblings back home, she also is determined not to give her heart to any man.

As the danger and tension of World War II rise to a fever pitch, Jack and Ruth will need each other more than ever. Can Jack break down her defenses? Or are they destined to go their separate ways?

From the English countryside to the perilous skies over France, A Memory Between Us takes you on a journey through love, forgiveness, and sacrifice.


**Available September 2010 at your favourite bookseller from Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group**

About the Author:
SARAH SUNDIN is the author of A Distant Melody.
Her great-uncle flew with the US Eight Air Force in England during WWII. Sarah lives in California with her husband and three children.






My Review:
I loved A Distant Melody, and I loved this book as well!
Sarah is a spectacular writer and sucks me into her books right from the start.
Even though I didn't know all of Ruth's story, I cared about her even from the little that I knew about her. And when I found out the whole story, I admired her for her courage to keep on going. I can understand why she felt the need to hide her past, but it's so frustrating to see people judged by their past and not being allowed to move past it.
This is the 2nd book in a series, but I think it would read quite well as a stand-alone. However, a lot more things make sense if you have read the 1st book.
I am definitely recommending this to everyone I know!

A Hope Undaunted by Julie Lessman & My Review

The 1920's are drawing to a close, and feisty Katie O'Connor is the epitome of the new woman - smart and sassy with goals for her future that include the perfect husband and a challenging career in law. Her boyfriend Jake fits all of her criteria for a husband - good-looking, well-connected, wealthy, and head-over-heels in love with her. But when she is forced to spend the summer of 1929 with Luke McGee, the bane of her childhood existence, Katie comes face to face with a choice. Will she follow her well-laid plans to marry Jack? Or will she fall for the man she swore to despise forever?

A Hope Undaunted is the engrossing first book in the WINDS OF CHANGE series from popular author Julie Lessman. Readers will thrill at the highly charged romance in this passionate story.


**Available September 2010 at your favourite bookseller from Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group**


My Review:
I love all of Julie Lessman's books!
This one was really good because it shows them all as very human and flawed, but they all still love each other and work through things. I thought it was interesting that Katie felt that her father loved the other two more than her. I found it interesting because Charity also felt that in her book (A Passion Redeemed).
I loved Katie. She was silly and headstrong, but I felt like I identified more with her than the others.
I wouldn't recommend these to anyone under 17 or 18, but I love recommending them to older girls :)

Making Waves by Lorna Seilstad & My Review

When spunky Marguerite Westing discovers that her family will spend the summer of 1895 at Lake Manawa, Iowa, she couldn't be more thrilled. It's the perfect way to escape her agonizingly boring suitor, Roger Gordon. It's also where she stumbles upon two new loves: sailing, and sailing instructor Trip Andrews.

But this summer of fun turns to turmoil as her father's secrets threaten to ruin the family forever. Will free-spirited Marguerite marry Roger to save her father's name and fortune? Or will she follow her heart - even if it means hurting the family she loves?

My Review:
I picked up this book not expecting much, and I was blown away! It was written well and I got lost in the story. I found myself getting frustrated at Marguerite for not breaking things off with Roger, but I felt sorry for her because her mother was quite opinionated and all about keeping up appearances. I got quite frustrated with her mother because she didn't seem to really understand Marguerite, so it was probably good that she's not a major player in the book.
I'm so glad that I read this book! I can't wait for more books by Lorna Seilstad.


**Available September 2010 at your favourite bookseller from Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group**

The Berenstain Bears and the Gift of Courage by Jan & Mike Berenstain; and My Review

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:

Jan & Mike Berenstain

and the book:

The Berenstain Bears and the Gift of Courage

Zonderkidz (April 9, 2010)

***Special thanks to Krista Ocier of Zondervan for sending me a review copy.***

ABOUT THE AUTHORS:

Stan and Jan Berenstain introduced the first Berenstain Bear books in 1962. Mike Berenstain grew up watching his parents work together to write about and draw these lovable bears. Eventually he started drawing and writing about them too. Mike is married to Andrea, and they have three children. They live in Pennsylvania, in an area that looks a lot like Bear Country.


Visit the authors' website.


Product Details:

List Price: $3.99
Reading level: Ages 4-8
Paperback: 32 pages
Publisher: Zonderkidz (April 9, 2010)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0310712564
ISBN-13: 978-0310712565

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My Review:
This is a great kids' book. The moral of this story was clearly portrayed in an interesting, fun way. Once again, these books are great to do 'voices' to because there's enough characters for variety, but not too many that you run out of 'voices' :P
I would recommend buying this series, and I'm seriously thinking about buying them for my own library!

The Berenstain Bears and a Job Well Done by Jan & Mike Berenstain; and My Review

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 authors are:

Jan & Mike Berenstain

and the book:

The Berenstain Bears and A Job Well Done

Zonderkidz (April 9, 2010)

***Special thanks to Krista Ocier of Zondervan for sending me a review copy.***

ABOUT THE AUTHORS:

Stan and Jan Berenstain introduced the first Berenstain Bear books in 1962. Mike Berenstain grew up watching his parents work together to write about and draw these lovable bears. Eventually he started drawing and writing about them too. Mike is married to Andrea, and they have three children. They live in Pennsylvania, in an area that looks a lot like Bear Country.


Visit the authors' website.

Product Details:

List Price: $3.99
Reading level: Ages 4-8
Paperback: 32 pages
Publisher: Zonderkidz (April 9, 2010)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0310712548
ISBN-13: 978-0310712541

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My Review:
I loved this book! It's a really good story to read to a 3-year-old or older. Preferably a kid that isn't going to ask you to read it 3 times in a row (because it's not a quick, short story :P).
However, it's really fun to read and do different voices for it. And it's also interesting for you (or whoever reads it) to read to the child :) or for a child to read it for themselves.
Good morals with a fun storyline.

Touching the Clouds by Bonnie Leon & My Review

 

Touching the Clouds

by

Bonnie Leon

Kate Evans is an adventurous and independent young woman with a pioneer spirit. She pilots a mail delivery plane in the forbidding Alaskan wilderness, the lone woman in a male profession. But even that seems easy compared to finding true love. She likes a fellow pilot and would even consider marrying him - if it weren't for Paul, a mysterious man on her mail route with a gentle spirit and a past to hide. Can Kate break through the walls Paul has put up around his heart? And will her quest for adventure be her demise?


**Available July 2010 at your favourite bookseller from Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group**

Bonnie Leon is the best-selling author of more than ten historical fiction novels including To Love Anew and The Heart of Thornton Creek. She stays busy teaching women's Bible studies and speaking at writing seminars and conventions. She and her husband, Greg, live in Glide, Oregon.






My Review:
I really enjoyed this book. It was well-written, and I felt a lot of sympathy for Kate. She wasn't an idiot or reckless, but she was brave and courageous. She was willing to do what needed to be done, and she made sure that she did it as safely as possible.
A very good read :)

Premiere by Melody Carlson & My Review

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:

Melody Carlson

and the book:

Premiere

Zondervan (May 7, 2010)

***Special thanks to Krista Ocier of Zondervan for sending me a review copy.***

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Melody Carlson has written more than 200 books for teens, women, and children. Before publishing, Melody traveled around the world, volunteered in teen ministry, taught preschool, raised two sons, and worked briefly in interior design and later in international adoption. “I think real-life experiences inspire the best fiction,” she says. Her wide variety of books seem to prove this theory.





Visit the author's website.







Product Details:



List Price: $9.99

Reading level: Young Adult

Paperback: 224 pages

Publisher: Zondervan (May 7, 2010)

Language: English

ISBN-10: 0310717868

ISBN-13: 978-0310717867



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My Review:
Wow! Melody Carlson has produced another outstanding book!
This is extremely well-written, and something that will appeal to a wide variety of teenager girls :)
Full of teenagers, fashion, and drama, this is a really good read.
It's clean without being boring or cliche.
My only regret is that I missed out on reviewing the next book in the series because of an oversight on my part :(
Once I finished Premiere I really wanted to continue on and read the next book, so when it comes out in Australia I will definitely be buying it!!

The Skin You're In by Nancy Rue

I am so sorry that this is so late!! I've been away this week without internet access (which I didn't realize was going to happen).
I enjoyed this book and the way that it was set out. I think that because it's an ongoing story that it will grab the attention of girls more than a book that might not appeal to how they feel about things :)

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:

Nancy Rue

and the book:

The Skin You’re In: Discovering True Beauty

Zonderkidz (April 9, 2010)

***Special thanks to Pam Mettler of Zondervan for sending me a review copy.***

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Nancy Rue has written over 100 books for girls, is the editor of the Faithgirlz Bible, and is a popular speaker and radio guest with her expertise in tween and teen issues. She and husband Jim have raised a daughter of their own and now live in Tennessee.


Visit the author's website.


Product Details:

List Price: $7.99
Reading level: Ages 9-12
Paperback: 144 pages
Publisher: Zonderkidz (April 9, 2010)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0310719992
ISBN-13: 978-0310719991

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Motorcycles, Sushi & One Strange Book by Nancy Rue & My Review

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:

Nancy Rue

and the book:

Motorcycles, Sushi, & One Strange Book

Zondervan (April 16, 2010)

***Special thanks to Pam Mettler of Zondervan for sending me a review copy.***

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Nancy Rue has written over 100 books for girls, is the editor of the Faithgirlz Bible, and is a popular speaker and radio guest with her expertise in tween and teen issues. She and husband Jim have raised a daughter of their own and now live in Tennessee.


Visit the author's website.





Product Details:

List Price: $9.99
Reading level: Young Adult
Paperback: 224 pages
Publisher: Zondervan (April 16, 2010)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0310714842
ISBN-13: 978-0310714842

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My Review:
I really enjoyed this book!
Fantastically written, and very gripping. I had trouble putting it down, & finished it very quickly.
I'll be recommending these to my Mum for my little sister :)
(side note: this book actually comes before 'Boyfriends, Burritos, & an Ocean of Trouble')

Boyfriends, Burritos, & an Ocean of Trouble by Nancy Rue & My Review

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:

Nancy Rue

and the book:

Boyfriends, Burritos & an Ocean of Trouble (Real Life)

Zondervan (April 20, 2010)

***Special thanks to Pam Mettler of Zondervan for sending me a review copy.***

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Nancy Rue has written over 100 books for girls, is the editor of the Faithgirlz Bible, and is a popular speaker and radio guest with her expertise in tween and teen issues. She and husband Jim have raised a daughter of their own and now live in Tennessee.


Visit the author's website.





Product Details:

List Price: $9.99
Reading level: Young Adult
Paperback: 224 pages
Publisher: Zondervan (April 20, 2010)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0310714850
ISBN-13: 978-0310714859

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My Review:
Nancy Rue definitely has a talent for writing! I got sucked into this story, and wanted to keep reading even when I had to stop. Bryn is a strong girl, and becomes stronger throughout the book with the help of God. I loved that her grandmother wasn't who Bryn remembered, and therefore was able to help her. Preston disgusted me, and so did his friends.
I loved how the story ended :)
I'll definitely be recommending these