Prize of My Heart by Lisa Norato * A Review

ABOUT PRIZE OF MY HEART
Publication Date: March 1, 2012
Rich in Historical Detail, This Is a Romance that Delivers!

An unsolved mystery separates ex-privateersman Captain Brogan Talvis from his lost son--his only living relation, his only family. Shortly before her tragic demise, his wife abandoned their infant to strangers, refusing to reveal the child's whereabouts. Now, three years later, Brogan has discovered the boy at the home of a shipbuilder's daughter, Lorena Huntley.

Lorena guards a dark secret about her young charge. She finds herself falling for the heroic captain who has come to claim his newly built ship, unaware his motive for wooing her is to befriend the boy he plans on reclaiming as his own--until the day another's evil deceit leaves her helplessly shipbound, heading toward England.

As the perfect opportunity to reclaim his son unfolds, Brogan is haunted by thoughts of Lorena in her dire circumstance, and he is forced to make a heartrending choice between his child and the woman who has begun to capture his heart. But only his unselfish sacrifice can win him the greatest prize of all--love.

Paperback: 299 pages
Publisher: Bethany House Publishers; Original edition (March 1, 2012)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0764209426
ISBN-13: 978-0764209420
Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.5 x 0.9 inches
Shipping Weight: 9.9 ounces

ABOUT LISA NORATO
A life-long New Englander, Lisa Norato lives in a historic village with homes and churches dating as far back as the eighteenth century. She balances writing with a career as a legal assistant specializing in corporate law.

Prize of My Heart,was released from Bethany House in the Spring of 2012 and is a historical inspirational novel set during New England 's Federal period. Lisa is also the author of the contemporary romantic comedy, I Only Want to Be With You, which received favorable reviews from Publisher's Weekly and Booklist, and the time-travel romance, Where Eagles Fly, which, before being published, won the prestigious Maggie Award.
When not writing, she enjoys precious time with family and her dog, cooking, reading and television, especially British comedy and historical dramas. You can visit Lisa's website at www.lisanorato.com or follow her on Facebook.



MY REVIEW
  Prize of My Heart by Lisa Norato is quite a good book. I really love the cover picture and the story line is excellent. I like the surprise ending and didn’t think it would have that kind of twist near the end, but was well pleased with it.
  I have never read a book written by Lisa Norato and am glad I got the chance to read a new author. She is quite a talent.
   The only thing I really didn’t like about the book was the wordy description of the clothes and rooms etc.. Maybe some people like a lot of description, but I prefer to have a little left for my imagination. I think overly describing some things takes the fun out of it.
  Lorena and Brogan are very lovable characters and little Drew/Ben is a sweetheart. During the book you keep wondering if Lorena and Brogan will get together, or if they will let Drew go to his rightful parent. Just so many things to keep you interest and then put a third party that loves Lorena and you get some high adventure.
 I will recommend this book and I enjoyed it for the most part.

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Thank you to Bethany House for providing this book for review. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255

Loving by Karen Kingsbury*A Review

ABOUT LOVING
The answers Bailey Flanigan once longed and prayed for are finally becoming clear. In Loving, the fourth and final book in the Bailey Flanigan Series by New York Times bestselling author Karen Kingsbury, Bailey is planning a wedding and making decisions that will shape her future. Bailey enjoys the beginning of her new career and time spent with Brandon while Cody faithfully coaches his team on and off the field. Will she spend her life with Brandon Paul in Los Angeles, or will her heart draw her back to Bloomington, Indiana and Cody Coleman, her first love? Bailey has learned much and grown over the years, but the greatest challenges, the richest joys, and the deepest heartaches are still to come. Featuring members from Karen Kingsbury's popular Baxter family, Loving completes Bailey and Cody's story --- the finale thousands of fans have been waiting for.

Reading level: Ages 18 and up
Paperback: 352 pages
Publisher: Zondervan (March 27, 2012)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0310276357
ISBN-13: 978-0310276357

ABOUT KAREN KINGSBURY
New York Times bestselling author Karen Kingsbury is America's favorite inspirational novelist, with more than 15 million books in print. Her Life-Changing Fiction has produced multiple bestsellers, including Leaving, Take One, Between Sundays, Even Now, One Tuesday Morning, Beyond Tuesday Morning, and Ever After, which was named the 2007 Christian Book of the Year. An award-winning author and newly published songwriter, Karen has several movies optioned for production, and her novel Like Dandelion Dust was made into a major motion picture and is now available on DVD. Karen is also a nationally known speaker with several women's groups. She lives in Washington with her husband, Don, their daughter and five sons.

MY REVIEW
  Well in the fourth and last book Loving of the Bailey Flanigan series we find out who Bailey marries and why. I really love the characters in this series because you get glimpses of the Flanigan and Baxter families and they are loved.
  I thought that the Bailey series went on to long and feel we could have found all of this out in a book or two. Everyone loves Bailey, but to much of a good thing is not good.
  I think Bailey made the right choice and I was hoping she would see things my way. It is finally nice to see everyone happy and finding what and who they are suppose to be with in life.
  Their were some tender, touching moments in Loving and I enjoyed reading it and read it faster than usual. I love books by Karen Kingsbury, because she really knows how to write a book and keep your interest right to the end.
  I also like in Loving that Bailey made some decisions that she really wanted to and didn’t let others tell her what to do. It seems like she grew up in this book.
  I highly recommend Loving for everyone and especially for you Karen Kingsbury fans. A great keeper of books.


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Thank you to Zondervan for providing this book for review. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255

The Breakthrough by Jerry B. Jenkins*A Review*

Publication Date: September 1, 2012 | Series: Precinct 11

As the youngest bureau chief and head of the Chicago Police Department's Major Case Squad, Boone Drake seems to have it all under control. Only those closest to him know that just a few short years ago, he lost everything that mattered to him in a tragic accident. After years of healing, his life is back on track. He recently married a wonderful woman named Haeley, adopted her son, bought a beautiful home, and rediscovered his faith. But Boone can't fight the feeling that something is about to go terribly wrong . . . again.

When an all-too-personal case takes Boone to Beijing at a time when Haeley can least afford to let him go, Boone is forced to make a difficult choice. There he becomes enmeshed in a dangerous human-trafficking ring that takes him through the famed Hutong District's narrow streets, alleys, and hovels. Teamed with a former Liberation Army officer, Boone has one chance to pull off an elaborate sting and rescue a young boy before he disappears forever.

Paperback: 350 pages

Publisher: Tyndale House Publishers, Inc. (September 1, 2012)

Language: English

ISBN-10: 1414335849

ISBN-13: 978-1414335841



Dr. Jerry B. Jenkins, former vice president for publishing and currently writer-at-large for the Moody Bible Institute of Chicago, is the author of more than 160 books, including the 63,000,000-selling Left Behind series. 

Also the former editor of Moody Magazine, Dr. Jenkins's writing has appeared in Time, Reader's Digest, Parade, Guideposts, and dozens of Christian periodicals. Jerry and Dr. Tim LaHaye were profiled in a May 24, 2004 cover story in Newsweek magazine entitled "The New Prophets of Revelation."

Jerry's non-fiction books include as-told-to biographies with Hank Aaron, Orel Hershiser, Walter Payton, Nolan Ryan, and many others. 

Jenkins also assisted Dr. Billy Graham with his memoirs, Just As I Am, also a New York Times bestseller. 

Jerry owns Jenkins Entertainment, a filmmaking company in Los Angeles, and also the Christian Writers Guild, which aims to train tomorrow's professional Christian writers and has nearly 2,000 members worldwide. 

www.JerryJenkins.com

www.Jenkins-Entertainment.com

www.ChristianWritersGuild.com

MY REVIEW

 Another winning book by Jerry B. Jenkins. The Breakthrough is the third book in the A Precinct 11 novel series. It seems to me each book Jerry writes is better than the one before.

 I just love police books and this one is one of the best.

The characters and settings are so well described it just seems like you are right there. 

 Just when things started to look good for Boone and his personal life and career are back on top several things go wrong. Not the normal little set backs most of us have, but drastic and devastating things. Will Boone stay strong in his faith; will he keep fighting for the good?

  I love the scenes of the police work and how they find things out, how every clue means something and how even the wisest people can be tricked into believing things. Also what I love about this book is the fight to never give up and how love for someone makes us go the extra mile or more.

  The Breakthrough is full of action, love and compassion. Not one scene drags and you will be staying up late to finish it. One part in the book is so very touching that I would have cried if I weren’t in the break room at work surrounded by lots of people.

 I highly recommend The Breakthrough by Jerry B. Jenkins for everyone.

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Thank you to the  Author/Publicist  for providing this book for review. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255 

Need You Now by Beth Wiseman*A Review*

ABOUT NEED YOU NOW
When big-city life threatens the safety of one of their children, Brad and Darlene Henderson move with their three teenagers from Houston to the tiny town of Round Top, Texas.

Adjusting to small-town life is difficult for the kids, especially fifteen-year-old Grace who is coping in a dangerous way.

Married life hasn’t always been bliss, but their strong faith has carried Brad and Darlene through the difficult times. When Darlene takes a job outside the home for the first time in their marriage, the domestic tension rises.

While working with special needs children at her new job, the widowed father of one of the students starts paying more attention to Darlene than is appropriate. Problem is, she feels like someone is listening to her for the first time in a long time.

If Darlene ever needed God . . . it’s now.

Experience a family’s triumph over lies, betrayal, and loss while still clinging to the One who matters most.



Paperback: 320 pages
Publisher: Thomas Nelson (April 10, 2012)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1595548874
ISBN-13: 978-1595548870
Shipping Weight: 0.5 ounces

ABOUT BETH WISEMAN
When a personal crisis tested and strengthened her faith, award-winning journalist Beth Wiseman was advised by her agent to consider writing a Christian novel, particularly an Amish one. Encouraged by her agent’s urging, she began exploring the Amish lifestyle and soon developed a great appreciation for the more peaceful way of life. In 2008 Wiseman wrote her debut novel, Plain Perfect, featuring the Amish lifestyle within the context of a fictional love story. It was a bestseller, as have been all of the full-length novels and novellas she has written since.

While Need You Now is Wiseman’s first non-Amish novel, she is confident it will not be the last. She is already making plans to write a second contemporary novel in the near future. Like Need You Now, it will also be set in small-town Texas, a familiar background she thoroughly loves exploring and writing about.

Wiseman’s previous releases have held spots on the CBA (Christian Booksellers Association) and the ECPA (Evangelical Christian Publishers Association) bestseller lists. In 2010, she received the INSPY Award for Amish Fiction (chosen by blog reviewers). In 2011, she received the Carol Award and was the Inspirational Readers Choice winner for her book Plain Paradise. Her novel Seek Me with All Your Heart was the 2011 Women of Faith Book of the Year. In addition, Wiseman has been a Retailers Choice Finalist, a Booksellers Best Finalist and a National Readers Choice Finalist. Prior to becoming a novelist she received many honors for her work as a journalist, including a prestigious First Place News Writing Award from the Texas Press Association.

Today, she and her husband are empty nest parents of two grown sons, enjoying the country lifestyle and living happily with two dogs, two cats, two pot-bellied pigs, two chickens and a single pygmy goat in a small community in South Central Texas. When Beth isn’t writing, she enjoys cooking, reading, traveling, and watching good movies. Her favorite pastimes, however, are painting (her paintings can be veiwed on her Fans of Beth Wiseman Facebook page) and spending time with friends and family.
https://bethwiseman.com/
http://blog.bethwiseman.net/


MY REVIEW
  Need You Now by Beth Wiseman is an O.K. book. I know most people really love it, but it’s just not something I would read again.
  I like the setting of the story. It is a small town in Texas and the family of five go from big city life to the country and live next door to a famous movie star.
   The family believes in God and loves Him, but when things get difficult they seem to pull away from Him. That also happened to the neighbor. I know that doesn’t or shouldn’t happen in life. When things go wrong is when we should just get closer to the Lord and let Him help us through these times. I think it has a lack of spiritual insight from the characters.
  Need You Now is full of troubles that a family and friends go through, but I think this book showed how not to go about our troubles. This book has all kinds of things going on from Darlene the wife wanting to get a job so she could be independent and her husband not liking it because he wants to take care of the family. The daughter hurting her self because she can’t show her feeling, the son picking the wrong friends and Darlene thinks her husband is having an affair. Darlene chooses to be friends with a man and share her feelings. It just all goes wrong in my opionion.
  It’s an O.K. book for a read on a rainy day, but not one to keep.

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Disclosure of Material Connection: I receive books free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their Book Review Blogger program/BookSneeze. I am not required to write a positive review. The opinions I express are my own. This is true of any book I review for any publisher or author; I will not review books where a positive review is required and I will always express my own opinions of each book received and read.

Like Dandelion Dust and This Side of Heaven Omnibus A Review

Like Dandelion Dust and; This Side of Heaven Omnibus [Paperback]


Two of New York Times bestselling author Karen Kingsbury's most beloved novels are now available together in this expertly packaged omnibus.

LIKE DANDELION DUST is a powerful novel about two parents, their love for their adopted son, Joey, and the suprising lengths they will go to keep their family together when a judge rules that Joey must be returned to his biological father. In the days that follow, Jack Campbell has a desperate and dangerous thought. What if they can devise a way out? Then they could take Joey and disappear...like dandelion dust.

THIS SIDE OF HEAVEN is a story of secrets, broken relationships, and a love strong enough to reunite a family. Annie Warren always wanted the best for her son, Josh. But years of failure and bad choices created a heartbreaking distance. When Annie sets out to defend her son, she might find a treasure more valuble than money, one she never expected, this side of heaven.

Paperback: 704 pages
Publisher: Center Street (April 10, 2012)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1599954036
ISBN-13: 978-1599954035
Product Dimensions: 5.2 x 1.8 x 8 inches
Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds


New York Times bestselling author Karen Kingsbury is America's favorite inspirational novelist, with more than 15 million books in print. Her Life-Changing Fiction has produced multiple bestsellers, including Leaving, Take One, Between Sundays, Even Now, One Tuesday Morning, Beyond Tuesday Morning, and Ever After, which was named the 2007 Christian Book of the Year. An award-winning author and newly published songwriter, Karen has several movies optioned for production, and her novel Like Dandelion Dust was made into a major motion picture and is now available on DVD. Karen is also a nationally known speaker with several women's groups. She lives in Washington with her husband, Don, their daughter and five sons.

MY REVIEW
  Books by Karen Kingsbury are some of my favorites and when you get two in one it’s even better. The first story in this Omnibus is
 LIKE DANDELION DUST. It tells the story of Rip, Wendy, Jack and Molly. Rip and Wendy are the natural parents of four-year-old Joey, but Rip is arrested for domestic violence and Wendy gives Joey up and doesn’t tell Rip. Jack and Molly are the ideal couple; they have it all, love, wealth and happiness, but no children. So they adopt Joey. When Rip gets out of prison he finds out about Joey and goes to court. It ends up that Joey has to go back and forth and get to know his real parents. It looks more and more like the natural parents will get Joey, so Jack hatches a scheme to take Joey to another country. Read this wonderful book to see what becomes of Joey and both sets of parents. It’s a real tear jerker for sure.
  THIS SIDE OF HEAVEN is the second story in this book and just as fantastic as the first. Josh was in a horrible accident and is always in a lot of pain. He loves God and his family. He has been waiting for years for the insurance settlement, but they keep dragging their feet. A mysterious woman from Josh’s past said he is a father, but there isn’t any proof. Does Josh believe her and does he get the money he needs? Also Josh’s mom thinks she is treating him right, but her opinions are strange. This story takes many twists and turns and right in the middle I was stunned at what happened. You won’t believe what happened or how this story ends. You have to read it to really grasp fully all of the different things going on. What a wonderful omnibus. I highly recommend this book and you will love it. These books talk about so many issues, but the main stories are about two beautiful children and their hopes and dreams to have a normal life.


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I received my free copy from Sarah Reck at Faith Words/HachetteBookGroup, for my review. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255

Skip Rock Shallows by Jan Watson A Review

Skip Rock Shallows  by Jan Watson

Lilly Gray Corbett has just graduated from medical school and decided to accept an internship in the coal camp of Skip Rock, Kentucky. Her beau, Paul, is doing his residency in Boston and can’t understand why Lilly would choose to work in a backwater town. But having grown up in the mountains, Lilly is drawn to the stubborn, superstitious people she encounters in Skip Rock—a town where people live hard and die harder and where women know their place. Lilly soon learns she has a lot to overcome, but after saving the life of a young miner, she begins to earn the residents’ trust.

As Lilly becomes torn between joining Paul in Boston and her love for the people of Skip Rock, she crosses paths with a handsome miner—one who seems oddly familiar. Her attraction for him grows, even as she wrestles with her feelings and wonders what he’s hiding.


List Price:12.99
ISBN:978-1-4143-3914-6
Trim Size:5 1/2 x 8 1/4
Binding:Softcover
Release:June 2012


Jan Watson won the 2004 Christian Writers Guild Operation First Novel contest for her first novel, Troublesome Creek. Her other awards include a nomination for the Kentucky Literary Award in 2006 and second place in the 2006 Inspirational Readers Choice Contest sponsored by the Faith, Hope, and Love Chapter of the Romance Writers of America. Jan has published six novels. As a registered nurse for 25 years at Central Baptist Hospital in Lexington, Kentucky, she incorporates her nursing experience in the hospital's mother/baby unit into her novels. Jan resides in Kentucky.

MY REVIEW
   Jan Watson’s book Skip Rock Shallows is a magnificent story. The characters are so interesting and feel like family. I love how Lilly feels drawn to a place to practice medicine that not many people would care for. How Lilly never gave up when people rejected her because she was a woman doctor.
  The cave-ins were very captivating because of the way Jan tells of them. You feel like you are right there and it makes you part of the story and you feel like you are in on the action.
  Lilly had her life all mapped out then Skip Rock happened and everything in her life turned around.  She found out what really matters in life and who really matters, but best of all God always comes first.
  Skip Rock Shallows has a little of everything from disasters, secrets, hope, faith, forgiveness and the best of all love.
 Highly recommended book for everyone who loves adventure and love. A book that you love to read, can’t put down and don’t want to end.


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Thanks to Tyndale House Publishers for providing this book for review. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255