True Devotion by Dee Henderson - a review -

ABOUT TRUE DEVOTION
Kelly Jacobs has already paid the ultimate price of loving a warrior; she has the folded flag and the grateful thanks of a nation to prove it. Navy SEAL Joe “Bear” Baker can't ask her to accept that risk again—even though he loves her. But the man responsible for her husband's death is back; closer than either of them realize. Kelly is in danger, and Joe may not get there in time.

Uncommon Heroes: Welcome to a world where friendships go deep, loyalties stand strong, and uncommon heroes perform the toughest jobs in the world. Dee Henderson's military romance series provides a detailed passage into the world of the military and homeland heroes, and those they love.

Paperback: 336 pages
Publisher: Tyndale House Publishers, Inc.; Later Printing edition (October 19, 2005)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1414310625
ISBN-13: 978-1414310626
Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.3 x 0.9 inches
Shipping Weight: 9.9 ounces

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Dee Henderson is the author of 14 best-selling novels, including the acclaimed O'Malley series and the Uncommon Heroes series. As a leader in the inspirational romantic suspense category, her books have won or been nominated for several prestigious industry awards, including the RWA's RITA Award, the Christy Award, the ECPA Gold Medallion, the Holt Medallion, the National Readers' Choice Award, and the Golden Quill. Dee is a lifelong resident of Illinois and is active online. Visit her at www.deehenderson.com.

MY REVIEW
  I’ve decided to read some of my own books that I have just sitting around waiting for me to read them. True Devotion is book one in the Uncommon Heroes stories. Dee Henderson has always been a favorite author of mine and True Devotion is another fine example of her great writing.
   Kelly is a widow. Her loving husband was a Navy SEAL and she was told he got killed in a practice exercise, but she knew better. Joe was her husbands best friend in the SEALs. So he now is her great protector and they are best friends.
   The book starts off making your sit on the edge of your seat. A rescue right off has to happen. The whole book is full of action and adventure with lots of very good romance involved.
  The characters are so life like it seems like you are reading an actual account and Dee describes the places and setting so well you can believe you are there. Really a fantastic book that you will love to read. Highly recommended.

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Spirit Bridge By James L. Rubart *A REVIEW*

ABOUT SPIRIT BRIDGE
A Well Spring Series Novel
By James L. Rubart

The Warriors Riding have battled in astounding supernatural realms, set captives free, and awakened thousands of hearts. But now their only chance of survival depends on calling for The Spirit Bridge.

Reece, Dana, Brandon, and Marcus have achieved staggering success in the spiritual realm . . . but each is reeling from vicious attacks. They need rest. A break from the war.

But the warlord Zennon is raging and will give them no quarter. The demon holds what he believes to be the trump card—a hidden strategy set in motion before Warriors Riding even began—that will detonate the team from the inside out. And he's just set it loose.

The street magician Simon—finally free of Zennon's alternate reality prison—is racing to remember his past before his ignorance obliterates his destiny. Then there's Miyo—a brash young warrior with advanced knowledge of spiritual realities and supernatural armor even Reece doesn't know about. These two will be pivotal in the final war.

If only the Warriors knew which side Simon and Miyo are truly on. If only they knew how to fight against Zennon's final assault.

The Spirit Bridge is the epic conclusion to acclaimed author James L. Rubart's Well Spring series, which will propel each of the Warriors Riding on a quest of true identity, ultimate freedom, and a final battle that will leave them changed forever

Series: A Well Spring Novel (Book 3)
Paperback: 384 pages
Publisher: Thomas Nelson (May 6, 2014)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1401686095
ISBN-13: 978-1401686093
Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.4 x 1.1 inches
Shipping Weight: 12 ounces

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
James L. Rubart is the best-selling and Christy award winning author of ROOMS, BOOK OF DAYS, THE CHAIR, SOUL'S GATE, and MEMORY'S DOOR. He's also a professional speaker and owner of Barefoot Marketing which helps businesses and authors make more coin of the realm.

In his free time he dirt bikes, hikes, golfs, takes photos, and occasionally does sleight of hand. No, he doesn't sleep much. He lives with his amazing wife and two sons in the Pacific Northwest and still thinks he's young enough to water ski like a madman. More at http://jameslrubart.com/ and on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JamesLRubart

MY REVIEW
    Spirit Bridge by James L. Rubart is book 3 in the Well Spring novel series. I’ve read the first two books in the Well Spring series and was really looking forward to Spirit Bridge. What an excellent conclusion to the series.
   The last battle/quest that the Warriors Riding have is truly amazing.  It makes you think really things like this can and do happen all of the time. It’s not just a make believe story. When we allow sin to stay in our hearts that is when the devil will enter in.
  I really love all of the characters in this series and will miss them a lot, but I so enjoyed meeting them and getting to know them. I was surprised how Reece was tempted in Spirit Bridge and how he fell to the temptation.  Just like we do when we allow sin in. I always considered him to be so strong.
   The ending was so very, very fantastic, full of adventure and excitement with the sweetness of love thrown in. What a fantastic series. I love these books. I highly recommend them and know you will love the Warriors Riding.


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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.

The Little Amish Matchmaker by Linda Byler A REVIEW

Isaac thinks his pretty Amish teacher, Catherine, and his big brother, Simon, would be a perfect fit. Isaac takes matters into his own hands, determined to give his brother the best Christmas present ever—a date with his favorite schoolteacher.

   
     Simon can't stop thinking about the pretty Amish teacher at the local one-room school. But he's ignored the sparks between them because he's so shy. So Simon's little brother, Isaac, takes matters into his own hands. He's determined to give his brother the best Christmas present ever—a date with his favorite teacher.

Hardcover: 187 pages
Publisher: Good Books (September 1, 2012)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1561487767
ISBN-13: 978-1561487769
Product Dimensions: 7.4 x 7.8 x 0.7 inches
Shipping Weight: 12 ounces

Linda Byler grew up Amish and is an active member of the Amish Church today. She is the author of the bestselling Amish romance novel series, Lizzie Searches for Love. Linda is also well known within the Amish community as a columnist for a weekly Amish newspaper.


MY REVIEW
  The Little Amish Matchmaker is a short story and very sweet. It’s  about Isaac a 7th grader who tries to get his 21 year old brother Simon and his school teacher to go out on a date. It’s also about the school Christmas program coming up and how Isaac and 3 other children help a girl with her stuttering problem.
   In The Little Amish Matchmaker you learn about the Amish traditions and how they go about their everyday life.  They had quite a snow storm and how they work around that. One part told about how the big snowplows really scare some of their horses.
   The ending was very sweet and worked out wonderfully. I really enjoyed reading this book and did it in one afternoon.
   This book was a Christmas gift and I didn’t have to review it for any publisher or author.

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Solomon's Song by Roberta Kells Dorr A REVIEW

ABOUT SOLOMON'S SONG
The sadness and the tenderness of life are felt so acutely in the presence of beauty, and love is revealed more in our sorrow than in our joy. -Solomon, from Solomon's Song
The wisest of all kings, beloved son of King David and his wife Bathsheba, builder of a prosperous empire, lover to many wives and concubines-King Solomon was once merely a son of David with no guarantee of ever taking the throne. On the cusp of adulthood, with no direction in life, Solomon found himself infatuated . . . in love with a lowly shepherdess, a young maiden chosen for his father to serve David in his later years.
Overhead clouds ceased to discharge life-giving rain, and the anxious people looked to King David for relief from the famine. In their weakness they turned from Yahweh and sacrificed to foreign gods. But David's eldest son, Adonijah had a plan, one that could cost the Benjamites their lives. Revenge.
Solomon was still Bathsheba's eldest son's and with it came certain family expectations. His mother wanted nothing less than the throne for her eldest living son. He must marry a princess first, and then he can marry any common woman he desired.
Solomon struggled against family expectations and his chief rival, his own brother, Adonijah; he fought against the most disappointing aspect of his quest to become ruler, "Love is nothing, when pitted against strength and power."

ISBN: 978-0-8024-0955-3
Published: February, 2014
Format: Paperback
Page Count: 304
Weight: 0.70 lbs
Dimensions: 5.5 x 8.5

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Roberta Kells Dorr with her physician husband and five children served a medical missionary assignment in the Gaza Strip. For 17 years she studied and gained insights into ancient Israel. Dorr majored in creative writing and receiver her master’s in religious education.






MY REVIEW
   Solomon’s Song by Roberta Kells Dorr is an O.K. book. I enjoyed the way Dorr described the traditions, countryside and life in the King’s family, but so much of this story is made up. I know that is what you have to do when you don’t have the full story, but I feel that the story was completely different than the way Dorr described it. To me it seemed like she made Solomon look like a silly boy. I know he was 18 when this book started, but I feel like he would have been wiser and a more rational person.
   Solomon’s Song has a lot of good parts and I think she described David and Bathsheba very well. Solomon’s Song does have quite a few good parts, but I believe Roberta’s view on Solomon and Shulamit weren’t that accurate.

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Thank you to Moody Publishers/River North 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

Eyes Wide Open by Ted Dekker A REVIEW

First in the newest series from Ted Dekker, master of suspense, whose books have sold 9 million copies. Humming with intensity, Eyes Wide Open is a raw adrenaline rush from first page to last.
My name is Christy Snow. I'm seventeen and I'm about to die. I'm buried in a coffin under tons of concrete. No one knows where I am. My heart sounds like a monster with clobber feet, running straight toward me. I'm lying on my back, soaked with sweat from the hair on my head to the soles of my feet. My hands and feet won't stop shaking. Some will say that I'm not really here. Some will say I'm delusional. Some will say that I don't even exist. But who are they? I'm the one buried in a grave. My name is Christy Snow. I'm seventeen and I'm about to die.

Series: Outlaw Chronicles
Paperback: 304 pages
Publisher: Worthy Publishing (January 21, 2014)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1617952737
ISBN-13: 978-1617952739
Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.6 x 0.8 inches
Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces

TED DEKKER is a New York Times bestselling author of more than twenty novels with a total of more than 5 million books in print. He is known for thrillers that combine adrenaline-laced plots with incredible confrontations between good and evil.


MY REVIEW
  Eyes Wide Open by Ted Dekker starts his newest series, The Outlaw Chronicles.  I love Ted Dekker’s books and starting a new series is very exciting.
  The first page of Eyes Wide Open caught me and I couldn’t wait to see how this one turned out. What an exciting beginning.
   The characters are very real and you can experience what they are right along with them. Ted always described things in such a way that you feel like you are there and going through the same things.
  I really like Christy and Austin. How they are so similar in some ways, but totally opposite in others. They really care for each other and are there for each other.
I’m really excited about this series and love the first story and how it turned out. I’m always amazed how Ted ends his stories. They are always surprising and refreshing. Not the same old things some authors write about. I highly recommend this 5-star book. I bought this myself and didn’t have to review it, but I love it and wanted others to know.

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Water Walker by Ted Dekker-My Review

Thirteen-year-old orphan Alice Ringwald has no memory beyond six months ago. The only life she knows is the new one she's creating one day at a time with the loving couple that recently adopted her and gave her new hope. That hope, however, is shattered one night when she is abducted by a strange man. In a frantic FBI man hunt, the kidnapper vanished with Alice. So begins Water Walker, a modern-day parable that examines the staggering power of forgiveness, and reminds us that it's possible to live free of the hurt that keeps our souls in chains.

Really a fantastic book by Ted Dekker. Water Walker from the very first chapter, even first line grabbed me and I couldn’t wait to read every word and find out what happened next. Alice got into such a mess that I felt that there was no way she would ever get out or even live, but Ted pulled it through again at the very end. Water Walker is part of The Outlaw Chronicles. You don’t need to read The Outlaw, but it gives you back story. Also if you want to know the whole story you should also read Showdown, another unbelievable  book.
  I love how Ted works forgiving everyone and knowing no matter what happens to you on this earth it’s just happens to your outside shell. A very well written, highly interesting book. I very much recommend Water Walker. I didn’t review this for any publishing company or for the author. I just wanted everyone to know what an excellent book this is.

• Series: Outlaw Chronicles (Worthy)
• Paperback: 304 pages
• Publisher: Worthy Publishing (March 18, 2014)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1617952745
• ISBN-13: 978-1617952746
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.4 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces

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Dekker was born to missionaries and grew up among cannibals of Indonesia, and his peculiar upbringing gives him a unique perspective outside the cultural bubble, allowing him the freedom to share provocative insights in his fiction. After leaving Indonesia, Dekker graduated from a multi-cultural high school and took up permanent residence in the United States, earning his B.A. in philosophy and religion, and then went into business.
In the early nineties, Dekker decided to pursue his desire to write fiction, selling his company, moving his family to the mountains of western Colorado, and writing full-time. Two years and three books later his first novel, a supernatural thriller called Heaven's Wager, was published. Dekker proceeded to write 6 more supernatural thrillers, rising to the top of many bestsellers lists and earning himself critical acclaim and legions of fans. "Thr3e" heralded his launch into mainstream fiction and was followed by "Obsessed," "Skin," "Adam," and "BoneMan's Daughters," all of which hit the New York Times bestseller list.
Ted Dekker's fans are comprised of readers of all ages, backgrounds, and belief systems who love his compulsively readable stories, authentic characters, and universal and relatable themes that he explores from a unique point of view.
He resides in Austin, Texas with his wife and children. You can find him at Teddekker.com and Facebook.com/teddekker.

A Place in His Heart by Rebecca DeMarino A REVIEW

ABOUT A PLACE IN HIS HEART
Anglican Mary Langton longs to marry for love. Puritan Barnabas Horton still grieves the loss of his beloved wife, but he knows his two young sons need a mother. 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.

Series: The Southold Chronicles (Book 1)
Paperback: 336 pages
Publisher: Revell (June 3, 2014)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0800722183
ISBN-13: 978-0800722180
Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.4 x 0.9 inches
Shipping Weight: 8 ounces

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
When Rebecca DeMarino traveled to Horton Point, Long Island, with her mother, Helen Jean Horton Worley, in 1999, passions collided: her love of faith, family, travel, history, and writing. Rebecca's debut novel, A PLACE IN HIS HEART, is a historical romance based on Mary and Barnabas Horton, Rebecca's ninth great-grandparents. Set in 1600's Southold, Long Island, book one of The Southold Chronicles will be released by Revell in June, 2014. She lives in the Pacific Northwest and when not writing, she enjoys family and genealogy, travel, reading, running, baking and gardening. Rebecca is represented by Greg Johnson of WordServe Literary Agency.

MY REVIEW
  A Place in His Heart by Rebecca DeMarino has a good story line that could make a great story but I feel this book is really not that good.
   How can anyone be as cold hearted and mean as Barnabas is. I know he lost his first wife and loved her dearly, but to me he seems to keep holding on to her even though he married Mary. He doesn’t even try to Mary first in his life. His first wife is still there commanding everything they do. Barnabas’ oldest son acts the same way, but Mary keeps on even though her heart is so sad and breaking. To me it seems like Barnabas is only thinking of himself. In a marriage you have to put God first than the other person.
  I think this book was cruel and hurtful to second marriages. If every man was like Barnabas no one would get married a second time.
  So I didn’t like this story, but I read it all, because that was what I was suppose to do to review it.

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I received my free copy from Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group 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

A Beauty So Rare by Tamera Alexander A REVIEW

ABOUT A BEAUTY SO RARE
Pink is not what Eleanor Braddock ordered, but maybe it would soften the tempered steel of a woman who came through a war--and still had one to fight.

Eleanor Braddock--plain, practical, no stunning Southern beauty--knows she will never marry. But with a dying soldier's last whisper, she believes her life can still have meaning and determines to find his widow. Impoverished and struggling to care for her ailing father, Eleanor arrives at Belmont Mansion, home of her aunt, Adelicia Acklen, the richest woman in America--and possibly the most demanding, as well. Adelicia insists on finding her niece a husband, but a simple act of kindness leads Eleanor down a far different path--building a home for destitute widows and fatherless children from the Civil War. While Eleanor knows her own heart, she also knows her aunt will never approve of this endeavor.

Archduke Marcus Gottfried has come to Nashville from Austria in search of a life he determines, instead of one determined for him. Hiding his royal heritage, Marcus longs to combine his passion for nature with his expertise in architecture, but his plans to incorporate natural beauty into the design of the widows' and children's home run contrary to Eleanor's wishes. As work on the home draws them closer together, Marcus and Eleanor find common ground--and a love neither of them expects.

But Marcus is not the man Adelicia has chosen for Eleanor, and even if he were, someone who knows his secrets is about to reveal them all.

Series: A Belmont Mansion Novel (Book 2)
Paperback: 480 pages
Publisher: Bethany House Publishers (April 1, 2014)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0764206230
ISBN-13: 978-0764206238
Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.6 x 1.3 inches
Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
USA Today bestselling author Tamera Alexander is an award-winning novelist whose deeply drawn characters, thought-provoking plots, and poignant prose have earned her devoted readers worldwide, and multiple industry awards. Among them, the Christy Award, the Romance Writers of America RITA, the HOLT Medallion, the National Reader's Choice Award, the Bookseller's Best Award, and the prestigious Library Journal's top honors for Inspirational Fiction. Tamera's books are published internationally, and she'll visit Germany and Switzerland on a book signing/speaking tour in June 2014. Visit www.TameraAlexander.com for more details.


MY REVIEW
   A Beauty So Rare by Tamera Alexander is such a amazing, special book. I so enjoyed reading it and glad I read it.
  The characters are so lifelike and so real.  You will believe it is about a real life event. I enjoyed the main characters Eleanor, Marcus, Adelicia, but really loved Eleanor’s father.
  Each chapter holds events and surprises that will keep you reading to find out how it all ends.
  I love the sweet love story between Eleanor and Marcus. They don’t want to and can’t fall in love with each other, because they both are suppose to marry someone else.
  The ending is so very sweet and you will want to read this book again and again. Some people say this book is to long, but I enjoyed it greatly. I highly recommend reading A Beauty So Rare and know you will love it.

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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