Promise to Cherish by Elizabeth Byler Younts

Elizabeth Byler Younts is a fairly new name in Christian fiction, and a name that will be around for a years to come judging from her newest book, Promise to Cherish.

Starting with a compelling cover picturing an Amish young man and a nurse in the uniform of the 1940's, and capturing my attention with the opening "Letter to the Reader" explaining the author's history and inspiration for the story, I seriously could not put this book down.

This war-time saga covers a capsule of time when conscientious objectors such as the Amish would be put to work stateside doing everything from digging ditches to, such as our Amish rogue, Eli, working as an orderly of sorts in the Hudson River State Hospital. The conditions there are appalling, but nurse Christine Freeman exemplifies a professionalism and kindness that challenges him to grow in his understanding of the world of the mentally ill and make a difference in the lives of the patients who live there. She is also quite lovely and he finds himself becoming more and more drawn to her.

Christine suffers a trauma in which she is forced to make the hardest choice of her life, one that will result in rejection and loss no matter what she decides to do.

I loved this book and am thrilled to say that it is part of a series called The Promise of Sunrise. I have not read the first but will try my best to find it and put it on my "top shelf". Promise to Cherish stands alone beautifully and you will want to share this only with people who you can trust to give it back...you have my personal guarantee on this one!

Please read the publisher's information for more about Elizabeth Byler Younts and Promise to Cherish!

This week, the

Christian Fiction Blog Alliance

is introducing

Promises to Cherish

Howard Books (October 7, 2014)

by

Elizabeth Yount


ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Elizabeth Byler Younts is a member of the American Christian Fiction Writers. She is an Air Force officer’s wife and a homeschooling mom with two young daughters. She makes her home wherever her family is stationed. Elizabeth was Amish as a child and after her parents left the church she still grew up among her Amish family and continues to speak Pennsylvania Dutch.




ABOUT THE BOOK

As World War II draws to a close, nurse Christine falls in love with roguish Amish boy Eli and must choose between a new, uncertain life in the Amish faith or face the judgment of a conservative postwar American society for her past mistakes.


It’s 1945, and Christine Freeman is a nurse at Hudson River State Hospital, where she works alongside members of a Civilian Public Service unit. Eli is one of the conscies—conscientious objectors to the war—and he is doing his best to become a man of character instead of the immature heartbreaker he used to be back home in his Amish community.


Christine and Eli are friendly, but when an old acquaintance, Jack, returns home from the war, Christine’s world is violently turned upside down. Eli, heartbroken to see his friend so hurt, offers her an escape within his Amish community. Despite her misgivings, Christine is fully embraced by Eli’s community. She slowly begins to feel valued and loved as she learns the Amish way of life.


Christine finds herself falling for Eli. But soon, the abusive Jack discovers Christine in her Amish hideaway and starts causing trouble for the quiet community. Christine can’t see herself becoming Amish, and she knows that if Eli leaves the church to be with her, he will be shunned. Will she escape Jack and possibly have to give up the one thing she holds most dear, or will she follow her heart and promise to cherish the Amish man who loves her?



If you would like to read the first chapter of Promises to Cherish , go HERE.

Dreaming on Daisies by Miralee Ferrell

Dreaming on Daisies is the third book in Miralee Ferrell's Love Blossoms in Oregon series.

Leah Carlson is keeping the home (or I should say ranch) fires burning while her ne'er do well father is drowning his sorrows-- one bottle of booze at a time. Things are about at their breaking point when Leah takes matters into her own hands and asks the bank for a loan.

Young professional Steven Harding has the pleasure of making Leah's acquaintance at the bank, but must deny her request. Not the best way to start a relationship...

In true Miralee Ferrell style, every character must come to grips with challenges from personal to spiritual growth, to major hurts from the past that will require tough decisions and some good hard looks at lives lived and mistakes made in order for resolution and (hopefully) redemption to take place.

I liked how Miralee focused on the male characters' past hurts that have led them to respond in believable ways such as drinking, anger, or just plain shutting off potential relationships.

I admire the heroines of the past who through sheer grit and determination kept their heads when life and love hung in the balance!
For more information about Dreaming on Daisies please read on!

This week, the

Christian Fiction Blog Alliance

is introducing

Dreaming on Daisies

David C. Cook (October 1, 2014)

by

Miralee Ferrell

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Miralee and her husband, Allen, live on 11 acres in Washington State. She loves to minister to women (as a certified Lay Counselor with the AACC) or through her writing, riding her horse, working in  her flower beds and playing with her dogs—her 7 lb, long-haired Chihuahua, Lacey, spends a lot of time on her lap while Miralee is writing. Miralee speak at various women’s functions and has taught at writers’ conferences. She’s been writing since 2005, and her first book released in 2007. Since then, she’s had 10 more books release, both in women’s contemporary fiction and historical romance, and she’s had the honor of being a best-selling and award-winning author.




ABOUT THE BOOK

When her father's debts, brought on by heavy drinking, threaten Leah Carlson's family ranch, she fights to save it. When handsome banker Steven Harding must decline her loan request, he determines to do what he can to help. Just as he arrives to serve as a much-needed ranch hand, Leah's family secrets—and the pain of her past—come to a head. They could destroy everything she's fought for. And they could keep her from ever opening her heart again.


This is western historical romance that offers hope and healing to the deepest wounds in a woman's past.


If you'd like to read the first chapter of Dreaming on Daisies, go HERE.

Saved by the Fireman by Allie Pleiter

When Charlotte Taylor's grandmother dies, leaving her with a "sizable" sum of money and the instructions to "do something really worth doing" she decides to do just that--in spite of the fact that the timing couldn't be worse. Not only has she lost her dearest grandmother, but her corporate job as well.

Perhaps buying a cute fixer-upper in a lovely small town hours from her Chicago apartment is not the wisest thing to do, but Charlotte is not one to curl up in the fetal position on the floor when adversity strikes. Oh no, she marches straight ahead, choosing the perfect light fixtures and custom accoutrements that will best suit her dream cottage. Contractor and volunteer fireman Jesse Sykes is hired to do the renovations and keep her within her budget, but he finds himself falling for Charlotte and her enthusiasm (which I must say is contagious).

Allie Pleiter writes with warmth and charm. I could relate to Charlotte's impulsive choices and passion for life, love, and God.

For anyone out there who needs a delightful romantic escape with lots of heart, this one's for you.

More information about Saved by the Fireman and Allie Pleiter follows!

This week, the

Christian Fiction Blog Alliance

is introducing

Saved by the Fireman

Love Inspired (October 21, 2014)

by

Allie Pleiter


ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Enthusiastic but slightly untidy mother of two, Allie Pleiter writes both fiction and nonfiction. An avid knitter, harp player and non-reformed chocoholic, she spends her days writing books, doing laundry, running carpools and finding new ways to avoid housework. Allie grew up in Connecticut, holds a BS in speech from Northwestern University and currently lives in suburban Chicago, Illinois. The "dare from a friend" to begin writing eight years ago has blossomed into a career that includes numerous public speaking engagements, two books on parenting; Becoming a Chief Home Officer and Facing Every Mom's Fears and now novels for Steeple Hill Books. She is the mother of two children and, most recently, a Havanese dog named Bella.



ABOUT THE BOOK

Building their future

Charlotte Taylor isn't good at playing it safe. Reeling from the sudden loss of her job and her beloved grandmother, Charlotte knows buying a dilapidated cottage in Gordon Falls isn't exactly practical. Especially since she just hired the one man who may love the property more than she does to help renovate it. Volunteer firefighter and part-time contractor Jesse Sykes can't stay mad at Charlotte for very long. Though she snatched up the home he'd planned on purchasing, Charlotte's dreams are big enough for both of them…if only she'd let him in. Charlotte promised she'd never fall for a first responder, but is it already too late?


Gordon Falls: Hearts ablaze in a small town


If you would like to read the first chapter of Saved by the Fireman, go HERE

 

Quilted by Christmas by Jodie Bailey

This week, the

Christian Fiction Blog Alliance

is introducing

Quilted by Christmas

Abingdon Press (October 21, 2014)

by

Jodie Bailey


ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

A note from the Author: Well, I’m a regular ol’ person. Who just happens to write. A lot. Probably more than I should. I firmly believe that God created me to be a writer. From the time I learned how to string letters together into words I’ve been making up stories. Believe me… I have a very rich imagination. I used to think I was weird; now I know God just put me together that way. I can’t even watch commercials without expanding them into stories in my head. I am humbled and honored all at the same time that God looked down from heaven on me and said, “Jodie, do what you love.” Wow… how awesome is that?


I have always loved to write. I have stories that I wrote when I was in first grade. I used to sit at my grandmother’s yellow electric typewriter for hours, banging out my own little stories. When I was eleven, she bought me a typewriter of my own (It was 1984, okay?) and I would write and write on it. I wrote stories out by hand, and they ran to hundreds of pages. I got my first computer when I was eighteen, and the first thing I did was write a story on it. I wrote for school. I wrote for fun. I wrote for my friends. I’d get them on the phone and make up stories for them. (I earned the nickname “Dreamweaver” for that one. Nobody calls me that anymore, but it still stands as the coolest nickname I ever had.)


ABOUT THE BOOK

Taryn McKenna believes she’s easy to forget. Abandoned by her parents and left behind when her high school sweetheart joined the army, she vows to never love again and throws herself into her love for the outdoors and the pursuit of a college degree—something no one else in her family has ever accomplished. Her goal, as a young teacher in the hills of North Carolina, is to leave a legacy in the lives of the middle-schoolers she teaches. When Taryn’s grandmother Jemma, the only other person who ever held her close, has a heart attack that reveals a fatal medical condition, Taryn is corralled into helping Grandma work on a final project—an Irish chain quilt that tells the story of her history and the love Jemma knows is out there for Taryn. As the pieces of the quilt come together, Taryn begins to see her value. Can she learn to believe that God will never leave her behind even though others have?


If you would like to read the first chapter of Quilted by Christmas, go
HERE.

Finding Mercy by Michael Landon Jr. and Cindy Kelley

Imagine that there was a war-- and you slept through the whole thing. When you awoke you remembered nothing, not what side you were on, or any thing about your previous life... nothing.

Heroine "Mercy" has amnesia, and though I imagine she wished she had slept through the Civil War, she comes to realize that she was far from passive in her choices.  

Finding Mercy opens with Mercy hiding in a chimney on a dark and stormy night. Bounty hunters are on her trail and they want to exact their revenge.

The war is over but the tension on both sides of the line hangs thick in the air.  Who's right and who's wrong is no longer important; emotion is ruling in both the North and South and each side wants to exact their pound of flesh for losses suffered.

Mercy has become a lightening rod for trouble of every kind but she has no idea why.

I have been awaiting the sequel to Traces of Mercy by Michael Landon Jr. and Cindy Kelley, and I am happy to say that it surpassed every expectation. If possible, read Traces of Mercy first--it's truly wonderful. 

Please read on for more information from David C. Cook publishing and the authors! 

This week, the

Christian Fiction Blog Alliance

is introducing

Finding Mercy

David C. Cook (October 1, 2014)

by

Michael Landon Jr. and Cindy Kelley

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: 

Michael Landon Jr., son of television legend Michael Landon, is an award-winning storyteller, first in television and film, and now in books. His print works include One More Sunrise co-written with Tracie Peterson. 

****

Cindy Kelley is the co-author of the novel The Silent Gift, and Traces of Mercy. Her career as a screenwriter with long-time writing partner, Michael Landon, Jr., began with the adaptation of Margery Williams’ classic story, The Velveteen Rabbit, which had a theatrical release. Several television movies followed, most notably Love Comes Softly, (based on Janette Oke’s novel) which won a CAMIE Award and the Epiphany Prize for Movie Guide’s most inspirational television movie of 2003. Cindy and her husband, Jim, make their home in the Southwest; have three adorable grandchildren and four big dogs who rule the house. 

ABOUT THE BOOK

When Mercy abandons Captain Elijah Hale to search for her true identity, he goes after her. With the threat that bounty hunters might be hot on her trail, Mercy does all she can to stay ahead of the danger, frustrating both the bad men who are after her—and Captain Hale who wants to find her and escort her safely home. But when she stumbles upon clues that help her learn who she is and where she's from, the danger escalates and she has to learn to keep her friends close and her enemies even closer—if she can determine which is which!

If you'd like to read the first chapter of Finding Mercy, go HERE.

Thunder, Book I of the Stone Braide Chronicles by Bonnie S. Calhoun

With the recent popularity of dystopian fiction, novels such as Divergent, The Hunger Games, and I'm sure many others of which I am not familiar, it only makes sense for the Christian market to welcome the genre into its fold. But what exactly is this phenomenon all about? I am by no means an expert, but from what I've gathered, dystopian is the opposite of utopian... the devolving of civilization as we know it and the consequent rebuilding by those who are in essence, left behind.

Thunder introduces a world in turmoil after an event called the Sorrows takes place on Earth. People groups form and colonize according to their preferences, gifts, and abilities. A weird symbiotic relationship develops amongst the groups but there is a strong sense that only the gifted will survive.

Selah, the heroine, learns that she is a half-breed Lander on her 18th birthday, which makes her one of the hunted and she must flee for her life. Bodhi, a Lander who washed up on the shore becomes her reluctant protecter. Along the way, Selah is joined by 12 year old Amaryllis, a precocious waif who has been sleeping in the ruins of an "ancient" library.

There is talk of a "Presence" but little is known or divulged about what it is in the early stages of Thunder. The Landers are gifted with a telepathic communication amongst themselves and are immortal unless physically harmed beyond what their bodies can sustain.

I can think of few things more daunting than the prospect of tackling the creation of a dystopian novel series. Seriously.

So I am in utter amazement at the imagination required to create this series. Bonnie Calhoun has managed to write an original and believable world populated with likable characters (and some that really gave me the creeps) facing some pretty wild obstacles. Not gonna lie...the rabbits in particular freak me out...

If you love a rousing post apocalyptic tale, Thunder is just the ticket.

Congratulations to Bonnie Calhoun and thanks to Revell a division of Baker Publishing for getting this fascinating series to print.

Please read on for more about Thunder!

This week, the

Christian Fiction Blog Alliance

is introducing

Thunder (Stone Braide Chronicles)

Revell (October 7, 2014)


by

Bonnie S. Calhoun


ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Bonnie S. Calhoun is Owner/Director of Christian Fiction Blog Alliance, owner/publisher of Christian Fiction Online Magazine, Northeast Zone Director for American Christian Fiction Writers (ACFW), and the ACFW ‘2011 Mentor of the Year.”


She loves to write, but it doesn't make her happy unless there are the three B's...body count, blood, and blowing things up. She also has mad skills at coding HTML, and website design. And she lives in a log cabin in the woods with fifteen acres and a pond full of bass, though she'd rather buy fish at the grocery store. Bonnie shares her domain with a husband, a dog, and two cats, all of whom think she’s waitstaff!


Her sites are:
http://bonniescalhoun.com
https://www.facebook.com/bscalhoun
https://www.facebook.com/bonniescalhoun
https://www.goodreads.com/BonnieSCalhoun
http://www.pinterest.com/bonniecalhoun/
https://www.youtube.com/user/BonnieCalhoun



ABOUT THE BOOK

In post-apocalyptic America, Selah Chavez is crouched in long grass on a shore littered with the rusted metal remnants of a once-great city. It is the day before her eighteenth Born Remembrance, and she is hunting, though many people refuse to eat animal flesh, tainted by radiation during the Time of Sorrows. What Selah's really after are Landers, mysterious people from a land across the big water who survive the delirium-inducing passage in small boats that occasionally crash against the shoreline. She knows she should leave the capture to the men, but Landers bring a good price from the Company and are especially prized if they keep the markings they arrive with.


Everything falls to pieces when the Lander Selah catches is stolen by her brothers--and Selah wakes up the next morning to find the Lander's distinctive mark has suddenly appeared on her own flesh. Once the hunter, Selah is now one of the hunted, and she knows only one person who can help her--Bohdi Locke, the Lander her brothers hope to sell.

With evocative descriptions of a strange new world that combines elements of scientific advances, political intrigue, and wilderness survival, Bonnie S. Calhoun weaves a captivating tale of a world more like our own than we may want to admit.


You can read Tremors, the prequel to the series for FREE on Amazon HERE.


If you'd like to read the first chapter of Thunder (Stone Braide Chronicles), go HERE

A Love Undone by Cindy Woodsmall

A Love Undone is sub-titled: An Amish Novel of Shattered Dreams and God's Unfailing Grace, and author Cindy Woodsmall delivers a deluge of both.

Jolene Keim is nineteen when her "happily ever after" is destroyed by a tragic accident which leaves her as guardian to her five siblings--one with special needs. Not only must she turn her back on love and a life of her own, but she will need every ounce of strength and will power to keep her family together.

Ten years pass and only Ray, 18, and Hope, 15, are left at home. Jolene has gained the attention of Pastor Glen, a young widower with a brood of his own, but her heart is drawn to Andy Fisher, a horse trainer with an adorable son. But circumstances never seem to be in Jolene's favor, and it becomes obvious that they can never be together.

Cindy Woodsmall writes characters that are real, honest, and broken-- but she has a way of challenging the reader to keep on hoping that possibly, just around the river bend, there will be peace for the weary soul. And just maybe the truly deserving ones who persevere  will find love.

Sometimes a book gets into your hands at the exact right moment and becomes a friend and companion through a tough time. While I was reading A Love Undone, I received news that a couple that I had known through our church had been killed in a car accident leaving two children without parents. I believe with all my heart that God has a plan, and somehow through it all He will be glorified. He will not leave them as orphans. I write this with a lump in my throat and tears in my eyes.

So, share a book with someone you love- A Love Undone is a great one. Share a hug. Affirm life.

For more information from the publisher please read on.

This week, the

Christian Fiction Blog Alliance

is introducing

A Love Undone

WaterBrook Press (September 9, 2014)

by

Cindy Woodsmall


ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Cindy Woodsmall is a New York Times and CBA best-selling author who has written fifteen (and counting!) works of fiction and one of nonfiction. She and her dearest Old Order Amish friend, Miriam Flaud, coauthored the nonfiction, Plain Wisdom: An Invitation into an Amish Home and the Hearts of Two Women. Cindy’s been featured on ABC Nightline and the front page of the Wall Street Journal, and has worked with National Geographic on a documentary concerning Amish life. In June of 2013, the Wall Street Journal listed Cindy as one of the top three Amish fiction writers.


She’s won Fiction Book of the Year, Reviewer’s Choice Awards, Inspirational Reader’s Choice Contest, as well as one of Crossings’ Best Books of the Year. She’s been a finalist for the prestigious Christy, Rita, and Carol Awards, Christian Book of the Year, and Christian Retailers Choice Awards.


Cindy and her husband reside near the foothills of the North Georgia Mountains in their now empty nest.

(Since that last line sounds sad and bare, I thought I’d add an “epilogue” of sorts. Our two oldest sons are married and live only a couple of miles from my empty nest, and below are my three adorable grandchildren! ♥)


ABOUT THE BOOK

A husband and son abandoned to forge a path alone.
A young woman who sacrificed her dreams.
How will the God of grace and hope help them find their way?


At nineteen years old, Old Order Amish Jolene Keim was on the brink of happily-ever-after when everything changed, stealing the future she expected and burdening her with an unbearable decision. For the next ten years, Jolene throws herself into family life—and then she meets Andy Fisher. The horse trainer and father to a sweet nine year-old challenges her and holds up a mirror to issues Jolene has been unwilling to face.


Andy is cautious about his deepening friendship with Jolene, but he believes she knows the truth about him – that he is a grass widower. As a man whose wife has abandoned him six years past, he is unable to divorce or remarry according to the Amish ways. Andy has wrestled with God concerning his reality, and he had found peace with the solitary future facing him…until he met Jolene.


As Andy and Jolene find themselves confronted by difficult choices, will they trust in God's guidance—or will the allure of their deepening friendship only lead to further temptation?


If you would like to read the first chapter of A Love Undone, go HERE.

Hidden in the Stars-- a Quilts of Love novel by Robin Caroll

Abbingdon Press's Quilts of Love series is always a happy anticipation. The only theme-- the one rule is: there must be a quilt involved.

Hidden in the Stars is a detective novel about the murder of a former Russian ballerina and the torture of her daughter, Sophia, who was left for dead at the scene. The crime sets off a chain of events which will uncover secrets and lies that have the potential to destroy accomplishments and lifetimes of  sacrifices. It exposes the truth about love and ambition built on shaky foundations of selfish desire and want.

Detective Julian Frazier finds himself falling for the lovely and vulnerable Sophia but he must solve the mystery or he may lose her forever.

Author Robin Caroll writes to entertain, but also manages to delve into the questions of truth and what really matters in this life that we are given.

Please read on for more information about Hidden in the Stars!

This week, the

Christian Fiction Blog Alliance

is introducing

Hidden in the Stars

Abingdon Press (September 16, 2014)

by

Robin Caroll

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:


Born and raised in Louisiana, Robin Caroll is a southerner through and through. Her passion has always been to tell stories to entertain others. Robin’s mother, bless her heart, is a genealogist who instilled in Robin the deep love of family and pride of heritage—two aspects Robin weaves into each of her books.


When she isn’t writing, Robin spends time with her husband of twenty-plus years, her 3 beautiful daughters, 2 precious grandsons, and their character-filled pets at home—in the South, where else?

ABOUT THE BOOK

Following an attack that killed her mother and stole her ability to speak, 21-year-old Sophia Montgomery has no choice but to accept her estranged grandmother’s offer to return to their family home. Although detective Julian Frazier is working hard on the case, Sophia unknowingly frustrates him because her inability to speak thwarts her eyewitness evidence. The fact that Julian is undeniably attracted to Sophia doesn’t help either, so Julian hides his feelings as concern for a trauma victim and focuses instead on finding the killer.

Little do they know, the clues to solving the case may be right in front of them, displayed in Sophia’s mother’s “special” quilt design. Who will realize the secret Sophia’s unwittingly been hiding in plain sight? When the truth comes to light, will Sophia find her voice again? Or will the murderer—still at large—silence her forever?



If you would like to read the first chapter of Hidden in the Stars, go HERE.

The Curious Case of the Missing Figurehead by Diane Noble

Caterer El Littlefield and Professor Max Haverhill team up in Diane Noble's new cozy mystery novel, The Curious Case of the Missing Figurehead.

A figurehead with a past worthy of the "Monuments Men" holds a secret of "National Treasure" proportions. She becomes the centerpiece of intrigue, legend, and lore--and the object of desire for  some very unsavory characters.

El and Max must put their heads and hearts together to solve the mystery and save El's friend Hyacinth, who valiantly puts herself in harms way.

The book is sub-titled "A Professor and Mrs. Littlefield Mystery" indicating that there will be more mysteries to come. I hope so. As a fan of Agatha Christie, G.K. Chesterton, and Juliana Deering, The Curious Case of the Missing Figurehead snuggles right in there with the best of them.

Please read on for more about this novel that you won't want to miss!! ;)

This week, the

Christian Fiction Blog Alliance

is introducing

The Curious Case of the Missing Figurehead

David C. Cook (September 1, 2014)


by

Diane Noble

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:


Award-winning novelist Diane Noble writes stories that tap into the secrets of the heart.


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 recently finished writing book two of her new historical series, The Brides of Gabriel. Book one, The Sister Wife, and book 2, The Betrayal, which are published by Harper Collins/Avon Inspire, are now in bookstores.


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

She’s Passionate about Solving the Case ... with the Town’s Life-Long Bachelor


El Littllefield runs The Butler Did It catering. It’s the perfect cover for her to solve “who-done-its” (nothing too dangerous, please!) in this small university town nestled in the Blue Ridge Mountains. While catering her most important event yet—a fancy retirement dinner for Dr. Max Haverhill, life-long bachelor and history dean—countless guests fall ill, a 200 year-old relic is stolen, and her best friend vanishes. All in the first hour.


As El and Max race to solve the mystery, they discover there’s more to their relationship than simply solving the case. Welcome to Eden’s Bridge—the perfect small town setting for big intrigue, romance, and humor.



If you would like to read the first chapter of The Curious Case of the Missing Figurehead, go HERE

Driftwood Tides by Gina Holmes

In a perfect world everyone would have 2 wonderful parents to welcome, nurture, love, and prepare us for a life free of ship wrecks and other nuisances. But life's not like that for most and although heroine Libby's world is not perfect, she has turned out fairly well. Raised by a wealthy, narcissistic mother and abandoned by her father, Libby has gotten by relying on her intelligence and wry sense of humor. She faces life with caution and a fair dose of cynicism. She looks forward to marrying her fiance, Rob, a really, really great guy whom her mother, Caroline, despises.

When Libby discovers amidst the wedding plans, and premarital medical testing that she could not possibly be Caroline's biological daughter she is partly relieved and justifiably outraged. She embarks on a journey to discover from whence she came but in the process finds some missing pieces of her soul as well.

If a trip to the Outer Banks, North Carolina appeals to you. If you yearn for the feel of the sand between your toes, driftwood smooth as silk, a cool dog named Rufus, and a severely alcoholic father in need of saving you are in for a marvelous treat.

Author Gina Holmes is one of my favorite writers, and she has out done herself with Driftwood Tides--I didn't want it to end--a real treasure.

Please read on for more about this truly wonderful book.

This week, the

Christian Fiction Blog Alliance

is introducing

Driftwood Tides

Tyndale House Publishers, Inc. (September 1, 2014)

by

Gina Holmes


ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Gina Holmes is the founder of  Novel Rocket, regularly named as one of Writers Digest’s best websites for writers. Her debut, Crossing Oceans, was a Christy and Gold Medallion finalist and winner of the Carol Award, INSPY, and RWA’s Inspirational Reader’s Choice, as well as being a CBA, ECPA, Amazon and PW  bestseller. Her sophomore novel,  Dry as Rain was a Christy Award finalist. Her latest novel, Wings of Glass has been named as one of the best books of the year by Library Journal and was a SIBA Okra pick and a finalist for Romantic Times’ Reviewers Choice Award. She holds degrees in science and nursing and currently resides with her family in southern Virginia. She works too hard, laughs too loud, and longs to see others heal from their past and discover their God-given purpose.


ABOUT THE BOOK

He made himself an island until something unexpected washed ashore.
When Holton lost his wife, Adele, in a freak accident, he shut himself off from the world, living a life of seclusion, making drifwood sculptures and drowning his pain in gin. Until twenty-three-year-old Libby knocks on his door, asking for a job and claiming to be a friend of his late wife. When he discovers Libby is actually his late wife’s illegitimate daughter, given up for adoption without his knowledge, his life is turned upside down as he struggles to accept that the wife he’d given saint status to was not the woman he thought he knew.


Together Holton and Libby form an unlikely bond as the two struggle to learn the identity of Libby’s father and the truth about Adele, themselves, and each other.


If you would like to read the first chapter of Driftwood Tides, go HERE.

A Grand Design by Amber Stockton

A Grand Design is a romp of a novel guaranteed to make you smile and swoon--if you are the type of reader that enjoys books or movies such as Austenland or (as mentioned in the book) Somewhere in Time. Or books about two single, career-minded friends, who haven't found their Mr. Rights, and win a trip to the beautiful and amazing Grand Hotel on Mackinac Island!

Heroine Allyssa grew up vacationing at her grandmother's cottage on the island but hasn't been back in fifteen years for reasons that she isn't willing to share with anyone. Her friend Libby is a fun and sassy side-kick who draws attention and mischief wherever she goes. Of course there are a couple of very nice young men who are eager to get to know them better.

I liked the squeaky clean tone of A Grand Design, and the story was just the light hearted escape that my news saturated soul needed... As this is a Quilts of Love book, there is, naturally, a quilt involved!

For more about A Grand Design and author Amber Stockton please read on.

This week, the

Christian Fiction Blog Alliance

is introducing

A Grand Design

Abingdon Press (August 19, 2014)

by

Amber Stockton


ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Words from the author:


Hi, I'm Amber, but my friends call me Tiff, short for Tiffany, my first name. I am in my mid-30's, married to the love of my life since July 2007, have a daughter and a son, and live in Colorado. Here, I am content to do what I love—write, speak, and offer virtual assistance.


Thanks to the gentle nudging of a fellow author -- Tracie Peterson -- in 2002, I joined the American Christian Fiction Writers and wouldn't be published today without them. For those of you who are also fiction writers looking for a wonderful support group, check them out! My very first book, Promises, Promises, sold in December 2006 and released in February 2008. I've been going steady ever since.


ABOUT THE BOOK

When Alyssa Denham, a single career woman, wins a fun getaway for two on Mackinac Island where her grandmother lives, she gives her carefree best friend a call. Together, they tour the old shops and hidden treasures of the quaint island while helping Alyssa’s grandmother piece together an heirloom quilt. Their quest gains them entrance into the homes of many longtime residents of the island, parts of the city that are otherwise off limits to tourists.
As the quilt’s story takes shape, Alyssa gains amazing insight into her grandmother’s life . . . and attracts the attention of the handsome Scott Whitman, an island resident in charge of hotel transportation. Will memories of her past keep Alyssa from letting go? Or will the quest to piece together the heirloom quilt restore Alyssa’s fractured heart—and bring healing to her entire family?


If you would like to read the first chapter of A Grand Design, go HERE.

Sky Zone/ the Crittendon Files by Creston Mapes

Sky Zone by Creston Mapes is part political thriller, part family drama, and offers much food for thought on how to deal with the pressure of the times in which we live.

Character Jack Crittendon is an out of work reporter moonlighting for a security firm that oversees large scale events. With baby number three due along with stacks of bills, and a mother-in-law who is both a help and a hindrance, he is at his wit's end.

A terror incident at a venue he is working starts a domino effect touching and connecting his life with others, exposing flaws and highlighting acts of courage and kindness.

You might say that Sky Zone is a novel about grace under fire.

This week, the

Christian Fiction Blog Alliance

is introducing

Sky Zone

David C. Cook (June 1, 2014)


by

Creston Mapes


ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Creston has fond memories of his boyhood in Bath, Ohio, where he became enchanted with his future wife, way back in the fourth grade. His father, Bernie, owned and operated The Weathervane Furniture Shop in town. The whole family lived right upstairs in the century-old house known as "The Shop."

Creston studied journalism at Bowling Green State University, then began his writing career. During the past 30 years, he has worked as a reporter, corporate copywriter, creative director, freelance writer, and author.


ABOUT THE BOOK

A rally for a controversial presidential candidate.
A terrorist threat.
A nightmare of cataclysmic proportions.


Jack and Pamela Crittendon have hit the breaking point. After months out of work as a reporter, Jack is playing Mr. Mom and working part-time at Festival Arena with his survivalist friend Brian Shakespeare. Meanwhile, Pamela has gone back to work full-time while eight months pregnant. Having her recently widowed mother on hand isn't making matters any easier.
With financial pressures boiling, Jack reports for duty at a rally for controversial presidential candidate Martin Sterling where he expects a mindless night on the job. But when Homeland Security picks up intel about a potential terrorist threat, Jack and Shakespeare are thrust into a life-or-death battle to save their own lives--and the lives of thousands of innocent people.


If you would like to read the first chapter of Sky Zone, go HERE.

In the Field of Grace--a novel by Tessa Afshar

In "In the Field of Grace" Ms. Afshar tackles the story of Ruth and Boaz from the book of Ruth, one of the greatest love stories of all time. But it is so much more than a romance novel. It is a story of extreme heartache, loss, death, barrenness, grace, and redemption.

Ruth is a complex heroine who has placed herself in servitude and pledged allegiance to her mother-in-law, Naomi, after her husband dies. When Naomi decides to move back to her homeland of Bethlehem Ruth is given the option to stay with her people in Moab, or travel to Bethlehem and live amongst the Hebrews whose God she is learning to trust.

Tessa Afshar has a way of taking biblical characters out of the genre of the cardboard cut out and wraps their burlap covered flesh in prose like cashmere.

For me, well written biblical fiction can activate healing and peace to my frazzled contemporary soul. I would love for everyone to read "In the Field of Grace".

Blessings.

Please read on for more about this lovely book.

This week, the

Christian Fiction Blog Alliance

is introducing

In The Field of Grace

River North; New Edition edition (July 1, 2014)

by

Tessa Afshar

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: 

TESSA AFSHAR was voted "New Author of the Year" by the Family Fiction sponsored Reader's Choice Award 2011 for her novel Pearl in the Sand. She was born in Iran, and lived there for the first fourteen years of her life.  She moved to England where she survived boarding school for girls and fell in love with Jane Austen and Charlotte Bronte, before moving to the United States permanently.  Her conversion to Christianity in her twenties changed the course of her life forever. Tessa holds an MDiv from Yale University where she served as co-chair of the Evangelical Fellowship at the Divinity School.  She has spent the last thirteen years in full-time Christian work.

ABOUT THE BOOK

Destitute, grief-stricken, and unwanted by the people of God, Ruth arrives in Israel with nothing to recommend her but Naomi's, love. Her loftiest hope is to provide enough food to save Naomi and herself from starvation.

But God has other plans for her life. While everyone considers Ruth an outcast, she is astounded to find one of the most honored men of Judah showing her favor.  Long since a widower and determined to stay that way, Boaz is irresistibly drawn to the foreign woman with the haunted eyes. He tells himself he is only being kind to his Cousin Naomi's chosen daughter when he goes out of his way to protect her from harm, but his heart knows better.

Based on the biblical account of Ruth, In the Field of Grace is the story of a love that ultimately changes the course of Israel's destiny and the future of the whole world.

If you would like to read the first chapter of In The Field of Grace, go HERE.

FIREWALL by DiAnn Mills

"Expect an Adventure" is DiAnn Mills' tagline for her novels, and true to form, she launches into a grand one with her new book, Firewall.

National security is at stake when computer wiz Taryn Young's top secret software project becomes the prize in a high stakes game of cat and mouse. Her husband of about 24 hours is missing after they became separated during an airport bombing on the way to their honeymoon. With fingers pointing at her from every direction, and reeling from shock, injuries, and betrayal, she must figure out who she can trust.

Mills keeps the reader on a fast paced timeline that encourages rapid page turning. Lovers of fiction involving FBI agents, romance, and faith will really enjoy Firewall!

As a side note, with air line security in the news (sadly) this book feels even more relevant.

Please read on for more about Firewall and author DiAnn Mills.

This week, the

Christian Fiction Blog Alliance

is introducing

Firewall

Tyndale House Publishers, Inc. (July 1, 2014)

by

DiAnn Mills

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: 

DiAnn Mills believes her readers should “Expect an Adventure.” She is a fiction writer who combines an adventuresome spirit with unforgettable characters to create action-packed novels. Her books have won many awards through American Christian Fiction Writers, and she is the recipient of the Inspirational Reader’s Choice award for 2005, 2007, and 2010. She was a Christy Award finalist in 2008 and a Christy winner in 2010.

DiAnn is a founding board member for American Christian Fiction Writers, a member of Inspirational Writers Alive, Advanced Writers and Speakers Association, and is the Craftsman Mentor for the Christian Writer’s Guild. She speaks to various groups and teaches writing workshops.

DiAnn and her husband live in Houston, Texas. Visit her website or find her on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/diannmills

ABOUT THE BOOK

After a whirlwind romance, Taryn Young is preparing to board a plane at Houston International Airport, bound for a dream honeymoon, when a bomb decimates the terminal. Injured but still alive, she awakens to discover her husband is missing and they’re both considered prime suspects in the attack. Further, the FBI is convinced her husband isn’t who he appears to be.

Agent Grayson Hall’s number-one priority is to catch those responsible for the day’s act of terror. All evidence is pointing to Taryn and her new husband. But his instinct tells him her pleas of innocence are genuine. Is her naiveté just for show, or could she truly be another victim of a master scheme, possibly linked to the software she recently developed for her company?

With both their lives and reputations on the line, and the media outcry for justice increasing with each passing minute, Taryn and Grayson have no choice but to trust one another . . . and pray they can uncover the truth before they become two more casualties.

If you would like to read the first chapter of Firewall, go HERE.

  

HACKER by Ted Dekker

New York Times best-selling author Ted Dekker packs an amazing punch with his novel, Hacker, one of The Outlaw Chronicles.

Hacker Nyah Parks is a seventeen year old with nothing to lose. Her mother is suffering from brain trauma from the car accident that killed her father and little brother. Nyah is banking on an experimental treatment to save her mother's life, but the catch is... it's 250 thousand dollars. She decides to use her skills to gain access to a billion dollar corporation and convince them to hire her to fix the security breach she creates.  Now the corporation wants her dead and will stop at nothing to reach that end.

Austin, Nyah's friend, is a recluse with a brain tumor that has activated his intelligence to the extreme. He is also racing against the clock to discover a cure. Nyah and Austin join forces, but it may be too late... the evil is closing in.

Dekker loves to challenge reader's perceptions of reality and presumptions of such things as: what does it mean to be human? What is thought? Is matter defined by our senses--and can our senses be trusted to interpret phenomena accurately? In other words, I imagine Ted typing away with a mischievous grin on his face, plotting mayhem that is guaranteed to blow your mind... and his characters' if they're not careful!

Though Hacker is the third book in the series (I haven't read the others...where have I been???) it stood alone beautifully. Needless to say, I am completely addicted.

Hacker reminded me a bit of Madeline L'Engle's A Wrinkle in Time--on steroids, and I warn you that you may experience a figure ground shift from the mind to the soul and back again.

A Place in His Heart by Rebecca Demarino

Rebecca DeMarino recreates the period of religious and social upheaval of 1600's England and the exodus into the New World of the Americas in A Place in His Heart, Book One of the Southold Chronicles.

The title refers to Barnabus Horton's loss of his first love, Ann, and new wife, Mary's desire to have him love her for her, not to replace Ann, but to have her dream of having a home and family of her own.

DeMarino tells a heartfelt story--one of hardship, trials, and faith. The characters were compelling and believable and found a place in my heart. The book was well researched and the story line was a fictional account of DeMarino's ancestors. Facinating!

I have more information about this wonderful book and Rebecca DeMarino! Please read on!!

This week, the

Christian Fiction Blog Alliance

is introducing

A Place in His Heart

Revell (June 3, 2014)

by

Rebecca DeMarino


ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Rebecca DeMarino was born in Pensacola, Florida, the daughter of a Navy pilot. Her mother made a home for the family of six all over the map, including Virginia, Nevada, California, Washington, and Guam, before her parents put down anchor on a ranch in Oregon.


As the wife of a young Air Force officer, married life brought more travel. She relied on her mother’s example of how to make a home anywhere. Her three beautiful daughters were born in Florida, Alaska and Nebraska.


Retired after sixteen years with a major airline, she manages to fulfill her love of wanderlust with frequent family or research trips.


Rebecca grew up listening to her mother’s family lore of a great-grandfather from generations ago. Barnabas Horton sailed from England in the 1600’s, to Long Island, N.Y., on a ship called The Swallow. In 1999, after she found Horton Point, L.I., on a map, Rebecca and her mother made the journey to see the lighthouse named after their ancestor.


The legend goes that Barnabas brought a slab of blue slate with him from England, and had the epitaph he wrote himself engraved on it. The blue slate still exists in the Old Cemetery in Southold, L.I., with the Bible verse, “He being dead, still speaketh.” Much information was found about Barnabas, but none of his wife, save a mention in his will.


Her mother passed away in 2005, but Rebecca returned to Southold many times, drawn by her Puritan roots and English heritage. Each time she wondered about her ninth great-grandmother, a young woman who married a widower with two young boys and then followed them for the wilds of Long Island, leaving behind her home and family. What were her dreams? Her motivations? Her fears?


Rebecca’s historical romance novel, A PLACE IN HIS HEART, debuts with Revell, a division of Baker Publishing House, in June of 2014.


ABOUT THE BOOK

Anglican Mary Langton longs to marry for love. Puritan Barnabas Horton is still in love with his deceased wife and needs only a mother for his two young sons. And yet these two very different people with very different expectations will take a leap of faith, wed, and then embark on a life-changing journey across the ocean to the Colonies. Along the way, each must learn to live in harmony, to wait on God, and to recognize true love where they least expect to find it.


This heartfelt tale of love and devotion is based on debut author Rebecca DeMarino's own ancestors, who came to Long Island in the mid-1600s to establish a life--and a legacy--in the New World.


If you'd like to read the first chapter of A Place in His Heart, go HERE.


Rebecca is hosting a Giveaway worth over $300.00 in prizes.  There will be 8 winners! Scroll to the bottom of the post
HERE to enter!!!!!

Until I Found You by Victoria Bylin

Kate Darby is an advertising up- and- comer who works for a celebrity owned spa on the cusp of going national. When her grandmother, her only family, has a stroke, she knows she must take time off to help.

In spite of her grandmother's example of faith, Kate's loss of parents and grandfather, have left her with a big, empty, space in her heart. Not to mention the boyfriends who have come and gone as their own careers have ebbed and flowed.

Nick Sheridan has about a suitcase and a half of mistakes and regrets resulting from a life lived pleasing himself. With charm to spare, he has made a living writing about his adventures and conquests while  traveling all over the world. Nick was definitely "born to run", or sky dive, rock climb--you get the picture, but he's also a new Christian who is trying to get right with God. Under the tutelage of his brother, a minister, he has a new standard of what it is to be a man of God. Will it include this beautiful but lost woman?

Until I Found You is an example of one direction Christian romance is going. Issues of "waiting for marriage" previous live-in relationships, fertility problems (Kate's friend), and the consequences of irresponsible choices factor into the story line.

This is all part of our world, and one that children of baby boomers must navigate.
My prayer is that books like this will give hope to those who are recovering from broken hearts, that they will know that God has a plan, and that it is good. With or without the hunky guy! (Nothing wrong with hunky guys... who love Jesus.)

Please read on for more information from Bethany House and author Victoria Bylin!

This week, the

Christian Fiction Blog Alliance

is introducing

Until I Found You

Bethany House Publishers (May 6, 2014)

by

Victoria Bylin


ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
A word from the Author:

This may sound crazy, but I was driven to write romance by giant bugs and killer rabbits. I just couldn't take it anymore. My husband and two sons would be camped in front of the television watching a movie about spiders the size of bowling balls, and I'd be wondering when the handsome scientist would get around to kissing the spunky woman with the bug spray. When it didn't happen, I decided to write my own happy endings--without the giant bugs...


Known for her realistic, likable characters and vivid writing, Victoria Bylin writes both western and contemporary inspirational romance. Her books have finaled in the ACFW Carol Awards, the Rita Awards and RT Magazine’s Reviewers’ Choice Awards. She and her husband currently live in Lexington, Kentucky and have two grown sons.


ABOUT THE BOOK

Finding each other was only the beginning . . .


When Kate Darby swerves off a mountain road to avoid hitting a California condor, she ends up trapped in her car, teetering on the edge of a cliff. Terrified, she breathes a prayer that changes her life.


It's Nick Sheridan who comes to Kate's rescue. Nick is handsome and confident, and he seems to develop a habit of rescuing her, but Kate is in town only until her grandmother recuperates from a stroke. She's not planning to get involved with one of the locals.


Nick is a reformed veteran of life in the fast lane, a new Christian, and a travel writer. When he sees a car dangling on the edge of a cliff, the daredevil in him jumps into action. He doesn't expect to be swept off his feet by the car's occupant. He's made a vow--no dating for a year--but keeping that vow is going to be a lot more difficult now that he's met Kate Darby. . . .


If you'd like to read the first chapter of Until I Found You, go HERE.