Thursday, 15 July 2010

Doing the Hop





ABOUT THE HOP:


In the spirit of the Twitter Friday Follow, the Book Blogger Hop is a place just for book bloggers and readers to connect and find new book-related blogs that we may be missing out on! This weekly BOOK PARTY is an awesome opportunity for book bloggers to connect with other book lovers, make new friends, support each other, and generally just share our love of books! It will also give blog readers a chance to find other book blogs that they may not know existed! So, grab the logo, post about the Hop on your blog, and start HOPPING through the list of blogs that are posted in the Linky list below!!


The Hop lasts Friday-Monday every week, so if you don't have time to Hop today, come back later and join the fun! This is a weekly event! And stop back throughout the weekend to see all the new blogs that are added! We get over 200 links every week!!


Your blog should have content related to books, including, but not limited to book reviews.

If you start following someone through the Hop, leave a comment on their blog to let them know! Stop back during the week to see other blogs that are added! And, most importantly, the idea is to HAVE FUN!!


RULES: (in hopes of simplifying things for everyone!)

1. Enter your book blog link in the Linky List below (be sure to include how long you've been blogging and what genres you review!). If you post about the Hop on your blog, please link directly to your Hop post (don't forget to answer this week's question - see below!).

2. Visit other blogs in the Linky List! Make new friends! Follow new book bloggers! Talk about books! Rave about authors! (Please do not leave your link and not visit other blogs - it's just not cool and not in the spirit of the Hop!)

3. Post about the Hop on your blog! Spread the word about the book party! The more the merrier! Go here

Thanks to all who have visited from the Hop this week! This week Jennifer has asked us to share which book(s) we cannot wait to get our hands on.....

I would have to say Karen Kingsbury's new series coming out on Bailey Flanagan and the other one is Cathy Bryants sequel to Texas Roads! I have had the honor and privelege to vote in both of these book covers so I feel vested ;) in both books already!


The Sister's Wife ~ Review by Jenna

This week, the


Christian Fiction Blog Alliance


is introducing


The Sister Wife
Avon Inspire (June 22, 2010)


by
Diane Noble






ABOUT THE AUTHOR:



Diane Noble is a former double finalist for the prestigious RITA Award for Best Inspirational Fiction, a finalist for the Romantic Times Career Achievement Award and the Reviewers' Choice Award, and a three-time recipient of the Silver Angel Award for Media Excellence.



With more than a quarter million books in print, Diane feels incredibly blessed to be doing what she loves best—writing the stories of her heart.



For the last three years Diane has been honored to be lead author for the popular Guideposts series, Mystery and the Minister’s Wife (Through the Fire, Angels Undercover), and has recently returned to writing historical fiction. She is currently writing book two of her new historical series, The Brides of Gabriel. Book one is The Sister Wife.



Diane’s hometown is Big Creek, California, a tiny village nestled in the rugged Sierra Nevada back country. As a child, Diane’s older brother Dennis fueled her creative streak by entertaining her with his own gift of storytelling. Growing up without TV and iffy radio reception, Diane became an avid reader, inhaling more than one hundred novels—both YA and adult—in a single

year by the time she reached seventh grade. Her passion for reading continues to this day.



Now empty nesters, Diane and her husband live in the Southern California low desert, near a place known for the lush and beautiful gated communities of the rich and famous.





ABOUT THE BOOK



What if the man you loved told you God wanted him to take another wife? What if that woman was your best friend?



Set in the heart of the earliest days of a new nineteenth-century sect known as the Saints, The Sister Wife is a riveting account of two women forced into a practice they don't understand, bound by their devotion to Prophet Joseph Smith.



When Mary Rose marries Gabriel, neither of them could foresee how quickly the community would turn to the practice of plural marriage. Devastated when Gabe is faced with an order from the Prophet to marry her best friend, Bronwyn, Mary Rose tries to have the faith to carry through with the marriage.



But can she really be married to the same man as her very best friend? Can Mary Rose and Bronwyn face betraying both their husband and their God to do what they feel is right?



If you would like to read the Prologue and first chapter of The Sister Wife, go HERE.





Watch the book video!







Jenna's Review:

This book is a "never put down". The trials of forced marriage and the definition of true friendship are all apart of this book. There's so much that I can't even say or I'll ruin it! All I can say is, two best friends are forced to heartbreak as one of them is forced to marry the other's husband. A new kind of practice that Prophet Joseph Smith has forced them to do. But can she really do it? Can she really betray her bestfriend and husband to do what is right? You'll have to read and find out!
This book is good for ages teen & up! I love this book and author! The way it's written is absolutely beautiful! The book is great, read, read, read!!

thanks, Jenna.










Wednesday, 14 July 2010

Perfectly Dateless ~ Review





FROM BESTSELLING AUTHOR KRISTIN BILLERBECK
The hilarious and heartwarming story of a teen 
who just wants to be normal for once.


The countdown to prom has begun. Daisy Crispin has 196 days to find the right date for the prom. There's only one problem--her parents won't let her date or even talk to a guy on the phone. Oh, and she's totally invisible at school, wears lame homemade clothes, and possesses no social skills. Okay, so maybe there's more than one problem.

From bestselling author Kristin Billerbeck comes Perfectly Dateless, a hilariously endearing story about a regular high school girl, trying to fit in. Readers will fall in love with Daisy's sharp wit and resourcefulness as she navigates the world of boys, fashion, family, and friendship.

Can Daisy talk her parents into letting her go to the prom? Or will they succeed at their obvious attempts to completely ruin her life?


Kristin Billerbeck is the bestselling, award-winning author of several novels, including What a Girl Wants. A Christy Award finalist and two-time winner of the American Christian Fiction Writers Book of the Year, Billerbeck has appeared on The Today Show and has been featured in the New York Times. She lives with her family in northern California.


Praise for Kristin Billerbeck’s Perfectly Dateless
"Billerbeck hits a home run with this warm tale about Daisy Crispin's funny trials and tribulations as she lives with eccentric parents, prom stress, and a desire to just be a normal teen." — Jenny B. Jones, award-winning author of Just Between You and Me and A Charmed Life series

"With her brand of wit and insight, Billerbeck takes us into the life of Daisy Crispin as she aims for the perfect prom date. This story reminds us that even a geek can live out her Cinderella dreams." — Rachel Hauck, coauthor of The Sweet By and By

Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group, offers practical books that bring the Christian faith to everyday life.  They publish resources from a variety of well-known brands and authors, including their partnership with MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers) and Hungry Planet.

For more information, visit www.RevellBooks.com.
Perfectly Dateless
By Kristin Billerbeck
ISBN: 978-0-8007-3439-8
Available July 2010; $9.99

“Available July 2010 at your favorite bookseller from Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group.”

My Review:
This is the first novel for me from Kristin Billerbeck and I will definitely be searching for other books from her! Perfectly Dateless is a funny and fast read. Daisy Crispin is a highschool misfit as well and like most girls her age she is counting down the days til Prom! She has her eyes set on a few choices for her date and shares her thoughts in her journal! Daisy's parents are "in her eyes" too overprotective and odd in their ways! Daisy is great with numbers and work is the one place she can be herself! Her boss Gil, who is an older guy, loves and encourages her to be all she can and more, and I love this relationship! Daisy learns so much during this school year, she has great morals despite how she talks to her parents and in the end the lessons learned are invaluable! I would recommend this book to all Young Adults and to any others who just want to reminisce about their old high school days and the wonders of Prom!


Heart of a Bookworm gives "Perfectly Dateless" ♥ ♥ ♥ 1/2


Tuesday, 13 July 2010

Back On Murder ~ Review

This week, the


Christian Fiction Blog Alliance


is introducing


Back On Murder
Bethany House (July 1, 2010)


by
J. Mark Betrand






ABOUT THE AUTHOR:







J. Mark Bertrand has an MFA in Creative Writing from the University of Houston. After one hurricane too many, he left Houston and relocated with his wife Laurie to the plains of South Dakota.



Mark has been arrested for a crime he didn't commit, was the foreman of a hung jury in Houston, and after relocating served on the jury that acquitted Vinnie Jones of assault. In 1972, he won an honorable mention in a child modeling contest, but pursued writing instead. Besides his personal website, visit his Crime Genre website at http://www.crimegenre.com/.



The next book in this series, Pattern Of Wounds will come out in the summer of 2011.



ABOUT THE BOOK



Det. Roland March is a homicide cop on his way out.

A missing girl. A corrupt investigation. They thought they could get away with it, but they forgot one thing:



Roland March is BACK ON MURDER...



Houston homicide detective Roland March was once one of the best. Now he's disillusioned, cynical, and on his way out. His superiors farm him out on a variety of punishment details. But when he's the only one at a crime scene to find evidence of a missing female victim, he's given one last chance to prove himself. Before he can crack the case, he's transferred to a new one that has grabbed the spotlight--the disappearance of a famous Houston evangelist's teen daughter.

 All he has to do? Find the missing teenage daughter of a Houston evangelist that every cop in town is already looking for. But March has an inside track, a multiple murder nobody else thinks is connected. With the help of a youth pastor with a guilty conscience who navigates the world of church and faith, March is determined to find the missing girls while proving he's still one of Houston's best detectives.



Battling a new partner, an old nemesis, and the demons of his past, getting to the truth could cost March everything. Even his life.



If you would like to read the first chapter of Back On Murder, go HERE.


My Review: Back to Murder is a soo good! Suspense...Mystery...Thrills ~ It's all in this book! Roland March is on his last chance to save his career and does everything he can despite all he is faced with ~ New partner, demons from his past, and a belief in this case that no one else sees! Back to Murder is an excellent read! It will keep you reading into the wee hours of the morning!

Heart of a Bookworm gives Back to Murder ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

Monday, 12 July 2010

Shades of Morning ~ Review



SHADES OF MORNING by Marlo Shalesky ~ About the Book

Marnie Wittier has life just where she wants it. Quiet. Peaceful. No drama. A long way away from her past. In the privacy of her home, she fills a box with slips of paper, scribbled with her regrets, sins, and sorrows. But that’s nobody else’s business. Her bookstore/coffee shop patrons, her employees, her friends from church—they all think she’s the very model of compassion and kindness.
Then Marnie’s past creeps into her present when her estranged sister dies and makes Marnie guardian of her fifteen-year-old son—a boy Marnie never knew existed. And when Emmit arrives, she discovers he has Down syndrome—and that she’s woefully unprepared to care for him. What’s worse, she has to deal with Taylor Cole, her sister’s attorney, a man Marnie once loved—and abandoned. As Emmit (and Taylor) work their way into her heart, Marnie begins to heal. But when pieces of her dismal past surface again, she must at last face the scripts of paper in her box, all the regrets and sorrows. Can she do it? Or will she run again?

About the Author ~

Marlo Schalesky is the author of several books, including Beyond the Night and Empty Womb, Aching Heart. A graduate of Stanford University, Marlo also has a masters of theology with an emphasis in biblical studies from Fuller Theological Seminary. Married over twenty years, she lives with her husband, Bryan, and their five children in California.


My Review:

I thouroughly enjoyed Shades of Morning!! Marnie Wittier is a woman who is determined to live life according to HER way! That in itself had me "speaking to this character!" LOL Pleading with her to allow God to work instead of her stubborness ;) The story was a bit slow in parts for me but in the end I REALLY enjoyed reading this book and NEVER saw the end coming! What a glorious ending! You will fall in love with Emmit and his innocence speaks volumes! I appreciate how well written the characteristics of a child with Downs' Syndrome was - loving, stubborn, and very determined! This is a story of Gods never ending Love and desire to help us be all the HE desires for us to be! His pursuit of us to restore us to HIMSELF is beautifully written!

Heart Of A Bookworm gives Shades of Morning ~ &hearts &hearts &hearts &hearts



To purchase Shades of Morning go here

Thank you Multnomah Books for providing a complimentary copy of this book in return for my humble and honest review!


Thursday, 8 July 2010

Blog Hop




Jennifer hosts my Favorite Book meme ~ The Book Blog Hop! Go here
to link up your book blog and meet some wonderful bloggers who share your love of Reading!

This week Jennifer has asked us to share who our Favorite Authors are and why we l♥ve them

My Favorite Authors:

Karen Kingsbury ~ I love how her books are relevant to today and she weaves Gods Word and Ways into each and every book!

Francine Rivers
~ She is just soooo ANOINTED in her writing! She goes deep and every book is soo moving!

Lisa Tawn Bergren ~ I just found Lisa through book reviewing and I love love love her style! I also love how before I read her books I would NEVER have chosen a "Historical" genre of any sort but Lisa changed all of that for me :)

I also have to mention Cathy Bryant, Gina Holmes and Christina Berry ~ They all just debuted their first Novels this past year and every single one of them are amazing writers and I LOVED their books!

ABOUT THE HOP:

In the spirit of the Twitter Friday Follow, the Book Blogger Hop is a placejust for book bloggers and readers to connect and find new book-related blogs that we may be missing out on! This weekly BOOK PARTY is an awesome opportunity for book bloggers to connect with other book lovers, make new friends, support each other, and generally just share our love of books! It will also give blog readers a chance to find other book blogs that they may not know existed! So, grab the logo, post about the Hop on your blog, and start HOPPING through the list of blogs that are posted in the Linky list below!!

The Hop lasts Friday-Monday every week, so if you don't have time to Hop today, come back later and join the fun! This is a weekly event! And stop back throughout the weekend to see all the new blogs that are added! We get over 200 links every week!!

Your blog should have content related to books, including, but not limited to book reviews.

If you start following someone through the Hop, leave a comment on their blog to let them know! Stop back during the week to see other blogs that are added! And, most importantly, the idea is to HAVE FUN!!

DISCLAIMER:
The Hop isn't just for you to throw your link in there and not visit any other blogs. It's all about networking and finding new blogs that are of interest. So, in the spirit of the Hop, try to make some time to visit other blogs and don't post your link if you are not planning on visiting other blogs in the Hop that week. This is a weekly event, so if you don't have time this week, that's fine! We'll see you next week!

L♥VE to you all and thanks so much for visiting! Have a blessed weekend!

Tuesday, 6 July 2010

Lumby on the Air ~ Review




Lumby on the Air by Gail Fraser is the 5th book in Lumby series and what a WONDERFUL book it is :) It is the first book for me and thanks to my dear friend Clif I was able to learn and catch up on the other books & characters @ this website here

First off here is the list of Lumby books in order:

The Lumby Lines

Stealing Lumby

Lumby's Bounty

The Promise Lumby

Lumby on the Air


If you want to get to know Pam & Mark Walker and visit their wonderful town Lumby ~ this is the series for you! You will fall in Love! I am looking forward to reading all of the previous books as well! You just have to learn about the town mascot and so many other fabulous people in this community!! I have almost completed this book and I am thoroughly enjoying it! I wanted to make sure and share my review with you all today since it is available to all ~ as of today :)


This books finds Mark and Pam celebrating their 25th wedding anniversary along with a weeklong family reunion and ceremony to renew their vows as well! You will laugh during the Chainsaw sculpting contest and love the Newspaper excerpts! Lumby is a wonderful community, filled with charm and will draw you in and might even make you wish to move there :) I want to thank FSB Associates for sending me a complimentary book for review in return for my humble opinion!


If you would like to read chapter one go here

If you would like to purchase any of the Lumby series go here
♥ of a Bookworm gives Lumby on Air ...... ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ Recommend to All :)