Most of the books I review are given to me by the author or their publishing company and sometimes the library! I’m not required to post a good review.
However, my momma raised me to to say nice things, and if I can’t then I shouldn’t say anything. I’ve adopted that policy for my reviews. If I don’t like the book doesn’t mean it isn’t someone else’s favorite.
I am required by some strange law to let you know that I didn’t buy the book.
It’s been awhile since I’ve written a review but this month I have several books to share with you. The first is Deadly Pursuit by Irene Hannon.
Deadly Pursuit is masterly written and intense, the story will keep your attention. The setting is very familiar to me–St. Louis and I felt that it was portrayed accurately. There are elements in this book that I found disturbing and almost made me stop reading as the first major thing that happens involves a ???? I won’t tell you because if you want to read it, you’ll want that same sick feeling I got.
I almost didn’t review it because of what happens in the beginning of the book almost made me stop reading. But I did like the suspense and the writing. This book provided by publisher for a fair review.
Alison Taylor is a young, single social worker recovering from a serious accident and a broken relationship, kept busy by her demanding job and her faithful canine companion, Bert. But when her police-detective brother pushes her into a blind date with his new colleague, ex-Navy SEAL Mitch Morgan, she’s not sorry—and neither is Mitch. When she begins to receive anonymous calls and threatening gifts, however, their relationship shifts into professional mode as well. And as Mitch works to protect the woman who is fast stealing his heart, he can only pray they’ll find her tormentor before the man’s game turns deadly.
Once again, Hannon delivers an accelerating thrill ride that will keep readers up late into the night.
Irene Hannon is the author of more than 35 novels, including the CBA bestsellers Against All Odds, An Eye for an Eye, In Harm’s Way and Fatal Judgment. Her books have been honored with the coveted RITA Award from Romance Writers of America (she’s a five-time finalist), the HOLT Medallion, the Daphne du Maurier award, and two Reviewer’s Choice Awards from Romantic Times Book Reviews magazine. She lives in Missouri. For more information about Irene and her books, visit her website at www.irenehannon.com.
Let’s chat with novelist Janice Hanna Thompson, author of Love Finds You in Groom, Texas (Summerside/Guideposts, June 2011).
Janice Hanna (also published as Janice Thompson) has published more than seventy novels and non-fiction books. She has also published more than fifty magazine articles and several musical comedies for the stage. Janice makes her home in the Houston area near her children and grandchildren.
Janice Hanna (also published as Janice Thompson) has published more than seventy novels and non-fiction books. She has also published more than fifty magazine articles and several musical comedies for the stage. Janice makes her home in the Houston area near her children and grandchildren.
Please tell us three random things we might not know about you.
My dad was the president of the University of Houston Cougar Cagers Club, so my birthdays, holidays, etc. were spent at basketball games. Our family traveled to Mexico with the U of H Cougars to watch them compete, which was great fun. When I was eleven, I got to play (for fun, of course) with the Harlem Globetrotters, who came to Houston for a visit. To this day, I love a good basketball game.
I once lied to a fellow camper at church camp, telling her that my dad (Billy Hanna) was William Hanna of Hanna/Barbara (Flintstones) fame. That lie still haunts me, though, to his credit, my dad did eventually work as a movie producer on our co-authored movie, Liar’s Moon. (Yes, it’s true. I got to meet and work with Matt Dillon. Eat your heart out, girls!)
I occasionally bake wedding cakes. In 2009 I baked a lovely four-tiered white cake with strawberry filling and cream cheese frosting that toppled less than an hour before the wedding. I managed to piece together two very messy/ugly layers. Thankfully, the bride did not murder me. It made for a great scene in a later book. (Nothing ever gets wasted, not even a mashed piece of cake.)
Please tell us a bit more about the plot of Love Finds You in Groom, Texas.
Always the groomsman, never the groom… It’s 1914, and Jake O’Farrell has gained an unusual reputation among the locals: He’s played the roles of groomsman and best man in all four of his older brothers’ weddings, but he’s never been able to find the woman to capture his heart. And now with the upcoming wedding of his best friend, Jake will become the last single man in the town of Groom.
Anne Denning has made the difficult decision to move with her sisters to Texas, but a train derailment forces them to seek shelter in Groom, near Amarillo. Mrs. O’Farrell, hopeful that Anne will catch her youngest son’s eye, invites the girls to stay at her home until the train is repaired and ready to pull out. Anne has no idea of the blissful chaos that lies ahead!
Tell us something interesting about the town of Groom:
Groom boasts a nineteen-story high cross. More than 100 welders worked together to erect it in 1995. Now you can see why I toyed with the idea of writing a contemporary novel! I wanted to include the cross. Because I went with historical, I decided to give the heroine a small cross necklace to wear, one that symbolizes her faith (and alludes to the “bigger” cross to come).
Why will readers enjoy your novel?
In spite of the lead character’s tough situation, the story is filled with comedic elements. Anne’s two younger sisters are a hoot. So is Maggie (the hero’s mother). She’s an Irish spitfire! I think readers will appreciate the romance between Anne and Jake. It’s filled with all sorts of sweet and comic moments.
What are readers saying about this book? Have you had any feedback so far?
So far the book has all five-star reviews on amazon (which makes me smile, of course). Here’s a review I found that really got me excited:
5.0 out of 5 stars: A Delightful Read
This delightful tale of romance which emerges out of tragic circumstances is set in a wonderful town called Groom in the panhandle of the great state of Texas. It is a story of tragedy, love, and God’s divine hand of providence that enters a situation just at the right time and changes everything. Young Anne finds herself on a train heading to Dallas with her two younger sisters after the loss of their father. When fate intervenes, the trail derails and their future is forever altered. And then there is Jake, the last available young man in Groom who finds himself to be the recipient of many jokes about his situation, especially from his brothers. Jake’s mother, Maggie, embodies everything wonderful that Anne remembers about her own
mother before she died. Throw in the mixture of the antics of Aunt Bets and the perceived sternness of Uncle Bertrand, and you have a story of new revelations and delightful outcomes.
How absolutely wonderful, in this day and age when problems seem to loom on every side and people have lost faith and hope, to read a story that is all about faith and hope. It is refreshing to read a story set in an era when one’s words meant something, when prayer was the first course of action, when faith ruled our very existence, when people looked out for one another even during hard times. Perhaps after reading this book, your faith will be renewed, as well. – Cherri Taylor
Where else can readers find you online?
I love to connect with my readers at the following places:
Love Finds You in Groom, Texas can be purchased at any number of online stores, as well as my website:www.janicehannathompson.com(front page).Readers can always join my VIP bookclub and get the locked in price of $11 (no shipping) by contacting me directly atbooksbyjanice@aol.com.
Thanks for spending time with me! I had a blast!
And now for the give-away information! Leave a comment with your email please by July 16 midnight CST. One winner will get to choose a book from www.janicehannathompson.com
This is book three in the Women of Justice series—not a problem if you haven’t read the other two. Eason handles the backstory of the previous books with ease and you won’t be confused, but you will want to read the other two. Really you will.
A Killer Among Us starts out with a high tension hostage negotiation moment and Kit Kempton must save a wife and daughter. She’s an excellent negotiator and she knows what it’s like to be held hostage.
Noah Lambert is Kit’s new partner—as in only a few weeks and already they are both thrust into a dangerous murder situation.
Kit also has a truckload of personal issues to deal with and Noah is hiding is past from her.
I found the suspense to be high but I must say I figured out who they were looking for probably sooner than Eason would have liked me too. I read a lot though so I look for those red herrings and I enjoy solving the problem before the characters. Sort of like shouting, “Don’t go in there!” at a scary movie.
Local Detectives Close In On Serial Killer!
Just as Noah open his mouth to respond, the passenger window beside Kit ruptured, glass flew, and Noah yelled. Kit gasped, “Noah!” Kit felt something hit her arm then pain radiated upward toward her neck. “The shooter is on the roof, I’m going for that parking garage,” Noah gritted. “Noah? I think I’m gonna pass out.” Kit’s eyes shut and this time she couldn’t shove the blackness away.
A Killer Among Us (ISBN: 978-08007-3371-1, $14.99, May 2011) is the latest thriller in the Women of Justice series from author Lynette Eason. In the conclusion of this series, A Killer Among Us is full of the heart-stopping suspense and gritty realism that fans of television shows like NCIS or CSI enjoy. Eason brings to life the lives of a negotiator and a detective hunting down a killer in the streets of Spartanburg, South Carolina.
Kit Kenyon is a first-rate hostage negotiator. Noah Lambert is a good detective with excellent instincts. The new partners have hardly had time to get used to each other when they are thrown into this grisly murder case. As evidence mounts and more victims are found, Kit and Noah realize they are on the hunt for a serial killer. The problem is he’s hunting one of them…but which one?
The pace never slows in A Killer Among Us as the story offers up clever plot twists, and hint of romance. Readers will be on the edge of their seats as this page-turning suspense keeps readers up late trying to discover who the killer is–and whether Kit and Noah will live to tell about it.
Lynette Eason is the author of Too Close to Home, Don’t Look Back, and thirteen other romantic suspense novels. She is a member of American Fiction Christian Writers and Romance Writers of America. A homeschooling mother, she has a master’s degree in education from Converse College. She lives in South Carolina.
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.
Classic story of feuding families with a twist. This is a well written story of redemption that makes your heart ache of choices that have to be made by Sarah Caldwell.
How do you choose between good and evil if it means not honoring your father and a promise to your dying mother. And it could save your brother’s life.
Sarah and Cord Wainwright each have a reason to be vengeful to the other and yet they fall in love despite the odds of surviving the relationship.
Back cover copy
The Caldwells and the Wainwrights have been feuding for decades distracting a ranch hand while he and her brothers rob the Wainwright place. When it becomes clear that hand is actually Cord Wainwright, heir of the Wainwright holdings, Sarah realizes things have gone too far.
As the feud boils over, Cord and Sarah make a most inconvenient discovery-they just might be falling in love. Can they betray their families to see where this attraction leads? Or will their families betray them?
Against the beautiful and wild backdrop of the Rocky Mountains in 1878 comes this sweeping saga of romance, betrayal, and forgiveness from beloved author Kathleen Morgan.
Excellent Book! Angie shares her personal story along with a wisely written guide to help you discover how to live your life with out the filters added by painful experiences. She makes it fun by adding details about gem stones and pirates.
By using thought provoking questions, tidbits to entice your mind she helps you uncover your personal treasure chest. About the book:
In Gems of Wisdom: For A Treasure-Filled Life you’ll embark on a treasure hunt for God’s unique gems of wisdom. Be empowered, learn to influence through your own life lessons, and preserve important relationships. Gems of Wisdom invites the reader on a treasure hunt to find important life concepts represented by the beautiful stones God created. Excellent for Bible study and book clubs as well as individual study.
Angela Breidenbach is Mrs. Montana International 2009, a multi-award winning inspirational speaker and the author of the Gems of Wisdom: For a Treasure-filled Lifefrom Journey Press, the Creative Cooking Series including the new release of Creative Cooking for Simple Eleganceand the new Kindle release, Creative Cooking for Colitis. Other works by Angela include compilation books and devotionals from Guidepost, Group, and articles in magazines, ezines, and newspapers. She connects missions to her work with Hope’s Promise Orphan Ministries and the Jadyn Fred Foundation. Angela also teaches online classes and coaches one-on-one in courageous confidence, personal growth, and powerful living. She’s certified in mentor/peer counseling as a Stephen Minister and life coach. Angela serves as an assisting minister for her congregation in Missoula, MT. She volunteered as the American Christian Fiction Writer’s publicity officer for two years. Not only did she walk the hard line of deciding to donate her mom’s brain for the study of schizophrenia, but she’s also on the brain donation list at the Brain Bank-Harvard McLean Hospital. Angela is married with a combined family of six grown children and two grand children. Gems of Wisdom: For a Treasure-filled Life releases May 2011 from Journey Press, a Sheaf House imprint.
Interact with or learn more about Angela Breidenbach:
Debbie Simpson wrote Adam’s Gluten Free Surprise with the intention of having the appearance of a children’s book, while being an educational book in disguise. The process of trying to educate relatives, teachers and day cares can be very frustrating for many parents. After all, the word “diet” is synonymous with “cheat a little”. It can be difficult explaining the needs and the strictness of a gluten free diet. Adam’s Gluten Free Surprise is a simple, friendly, yet effective way of getting the point across. As a matter of fact, it would be great for not only children, but for anyone who would like to educate family, coworkers and friends.
In Adam’s Gluten Free Surprise you will follow Adam as he goes through the first six months of a new school year after being diagnosed with celiac. He faces each special treat day in his classroom with a positive attitude, knowing he can choose from his own box of gluten free treats that his mom supplies. At the same time, his teacher is learning how to read labels and to accommodate his needs. Finally, in the end, the entire class learns a bit about celiac and surprise Adam with a class party that is completely gluten free.
Adam’s Gluten Free Surprise is about the acceptance that is required by the child with a special diet and of the understanding required by those who are important parts of his or her life. It’s difficult for many to understand that this is a diet that requires 100% adherence. And with this comes an emotional need to be understood, for whoever the person requiring this strict diet may be, whether one or one hundred years of age.
Go to www.dsimpsonbooks.com to purchase through Amazon, Barnes and Noble or directly from the author.
Debbie is giving away one copy of this book.You have 2 chances to win! (NOW CLOSED)
To enter leave a comment and email here. (or one the repost on FB) Drawing will end May 8 at midnight CST.
Tea for Two by Trish Perry Book two of the Perfect Blend series doesn’t disappoint. I want to wander into Millicent’s tea shop. That appears to be the place where the magic starts for Perry’s characters. The tea shop is a character on it’s on, making you desperately want to hit the back of the book and hit the kitchen. The recipes sound amazing and if I weren’t allergic to gluten I’d be trying out a few of these. I may still try with some gluten free flour. The one I really want to try would be impossible, but it sounds amazing. Malted Chocolate Mousse Cake. Dreaming….. okay I’m back. No, malt for me I’m afraid.
So you want to know about the story?
Interesting take this time, Perry writes about characters who are divorced. I’m glad to see the CBA (Christian Booksellers Association) freeing writers up to write about divorced characters: it’s realistic of our world.
I am not divorced but I have friends who are and reading Tea for Two had me smiling several times as I recalled those friends frustrations of looking for MR. or Mrs. Right in the new dating world.
Back Cover Copy
Counselor Tina Milano has been visiting Millicent’s Tea Shop regularly for the past several months. When Milly asks Tina if she can help a friend who needs a little advice with his children, she is eager to be of service. Tina feels God has blessed her in her career, and she loves serving the youth group at her church. But she has no idea the “friend” is the handsome farmer who provides Milly’s tea shop with fresh fruits and vegetables.
Zack Cooper is a single parent, doing his best to raise his teenage son and daughter on his own while taking care of a buys farm. When the kids get in minor scrapes with the law, Milly gently encourages Zack to give Tina a call before the teens land in even hotter water. At first Tina and Zack see the relationship in only a professional capacity, but soon everyone around them notices the luscious scent of romance in the air.
This is book 3 in the Beldon Grove Series. It’s Luellen’s story. If you’ve read the others you know about her dream of someday becoming a small town teacher. Because there were so many things children needed to be taught she didn’t want to be ‘rote and rule’ teacher. She embarks upon this journey in The Dawn of a Dream.
Luellen must overcome ‘ defy the odds’ obstacles which during this time period seem impossible and will have you wondering through the end if she will graduate. Her perniciousness is to be admired and imitated in real life.
I enjoyed the descriptions of teacher training and military life during this time period.
Here’s the back cover.
Luellen O’Connell is stunned when her husband of just one month tells her he is leaving—and his reason devastates her. Deeply wounded by his betrayal, Luellen decides to follow her dream to become a teacher, a desire she had set aside when she married. But can she truly hide her past? Or will it destroy her ambitions forever?
Finally it’s here! Jack’s story is a hoot. McDonough let her grow up but she kept her rascally personality intact.
Even jailbird Carly is back—her story though small was important to me from the other books and I’m glad to know what happens with her.
Butch, Jack’s nemesis turns up in an unexpected way as well.
This is the last book in the Boarding House Brides series (you don’t need the others first but you’ll be missing some good reading if you don’t get them!) and it’s sad to let the characters go.
McDonough pulls the personas of her characters through every book and page, you never wonder why did that character do that? It’s not like her or him.
Back of Book: Jacqueline “Jack” Davis is a reporter for the Lookout Ledger bent on discovering the truth and nabbing her story at any cot. When Noah Jeffers comes to Lookout as a temporary pastor, Jack suspects there may be something hidden beneath his shepherding ways. Soon, though, Jack begins to be attracted to the new pastor despite her initial hesitation. But as she uncovers the truth, will this story cost her too much? Will she reveal what she’s uncovered or keep it hidden to protect new found love?
Carly Patyon returns to Lookout after years in prison, hoping to rebuild her life there. But she soon discovers that new beginnings and second chances are not always as easy to find. Garret Corbett is determined to marry–but not to a jailbird like Carly. When Carly is equally repelled by Garret’s prank-playing ways, will the two see past their dislike and give each other–and love—a second look?
What happens when an abandoned teenager seeks love and approval from the only one who will take her happens to be a criminal?
Bound by Guilt is an intriguing mystery involving a runaway and an out-of-control police officer. It begins with murder and the stealing of valuable books.
Roxi Gold will do anything to be a part of a family or so she thinks. When things go horribly wrong she knows she has to change how she’s living.
Bound by Guilt follows Roxi’s journey filled with guilt, fear and loneliness.
I found this an easy but tough read. The pages turned freely but the emotions captured by Darlington take time to process. You find yourself looking at teenagers on the street and wondering do they need a home? What can you do to help? And even, should I volunteer to be a foster parent so some child is loved?
Those are some of the questions I had and none of them appear on the pages. It was my take-a-way.
I like that while this book is by a Christian author with a Christian publisher you could easily hand it over to a non-Christian.The values and scriptures are there but written so much in the characters personality it doesn’t feel like the author is trying to save, or preach to anyone.
Back Cover Copy:
Roxi Gold is a throwaway, shuttled from one foster home to another for most of her life. She longs for a family and will do anything to fit in—even if it’s against the law. Soon she’s traveling the country stealing rare books from unsuspecting bookstores, until a first edition of‘The Great Gatsby’ catches up with her.
Police Officer Abby Dawson has seen the worst of society, and not just at work. The job she once loved has become a chore, the world isn’t any safer, and there’s no joy in her life. One fateful night a man’s innocent blood changes both Roxi’s and Abby’s lives forever. One searches for justice: the other finds herself on the run. Will the power of forgiveness set them free, or will they both remain bound by guilt?