A New Name for Worthless; A Hero is Born

Book Description
Worthless is a chained dog who has never lived inside the house. He suffers through cold winters and hot summers only with the help of his two friends Otto and Sly Fox. His friends plot to free him and they set off on an adventure to look for a new life somewhere where there are no chains. They search for days in snow and ice until they find a place on the edge of a pond to hunker down for the winter. But fate intervenes and presents an opportunity for Worthless to finally prove to himself that he is worthy of love and a good home. Will Worthless have the courage to face his fears and become the dog he has always wanted to be?

My Thoughts:
This was an ok kids book. I love the premise that some friends help the chained dog to escape from a life of captivity which is all he has ever known. The characters are cute and I liked the overall story. The problem I had with it was it was a bit too 'preachy'. I understand the author was trying to raise awareness of animal abuse but in doing so (in my opinion) it took away from the story. I'm not saying it shouldn't have been mentioned, but the fact that it was revisited on every page made it a bit much.
I rate this a 3/5. I love the fact it was geared toward awareness of animal cruelty but it didn't well hold my 3 year old's attention nor my older nephews.

Thank you to the author for the review copy of this book. I received this book in exchange for an honest review and the opinions stated above are 100% mine.

Nick of Time by Tim Downs

Book Description:
Tying the knot may be the toughest thing Nick Polchak has ever tried to do. — Nick Polchak is comfortable with bugs. Their world is orderly. He knows where he stands and exactly how to interpret the signs they give him. But a fiancée and an upcoming wedding? Not so much. — That's why—a mere four days before the nuptials—Nick finds himself driving to Philadelphia for the monthly meeting of the Vidocq society. Being among a group of forensic professionals consulting on cold cases will surely allow him to feel useful and normal.
But while there he discovers that a close friend has been murdered . . . and in classic Nick style, begins to follow the trail of evidence rather than returning to his fiancée. Fearing that his one-track mind won't lead him home by Saturday, Alena and three of her dogs go to track him down.

When she finally finds him, nothing is as Alena expected . . . because the twists in this case will surprise even the most dedicated Bug Man fans.

My Thoughts:
I'm now a bug man fan! Nick Polchak is getting married...well that is the plan anyway. The proposal surprised both he and his now fiance, Alena, but the week of the wedding arrives and so does a body. Nick's friend has been murdered and he thinks he has time to investigate AND be back in time for the ceremony, but Alena isn't so sure!
I fell in love with Nick right from the start. He is quirky, a bit odd and entirely into bugs! Alena is a perfect fit for him because she is similar and yet different (I know but it's true!). The story line will keep your interest throughout especially when it makes a sudden twist that surprises you. This could have been really heavy but the author does a good job of inserting humor through the book.
I rate this a 5/5. I am a new Tim Downs fan.

Thank you to Booksneeze for the review copy of this book. I received this book in exchange for an honest review and the opinions stated above are 100% mine.

A Wedding Wager by Jane Feather

Product Description
New York Times bestselling author Jane Feather again delights with her new book in this entrancing Georgian trilogy featuring three noble brothers who are offered a preposterous opportunity to restore their family’s mortgaged lands. An eccentric uncle promises a lavish inheritance, but only if each marries—thus redeeming—a fallen woman. And if even one brother fails to fulfill the old man’s decree, none will gain the windfall.
Lady Serena Grantley was born to the nobility, but fortune's whim placed her in control of her gamester stepfather, who uses her beauty to lure young men to his gambling tables. Serena even dismissed her first love, the Honorable Sebastian Sullivan, at her stepfather's command. But when he attempts to force her into a liaison with a dissolute earl, Serena resolves to do his bidding no more. Sebastian is the only man who ever captured her heart, and it is to him she turns. . . .
Torn between family loyalty and the woman he loves, Sebastian faces a devilish dilemma. His uncle is ailing, and time is running short. Desperate to find a solution, Sebastian conceives a dangerous plan—a wager that could bring him and Serena happiness at last . . . or separate them forever.

My Thoughts:
This book was so-so. Sebastian fell in love 3 years ago with the beautiful Serena only to be brutally rejected. Now, she is back in town, along with her step-father and they can't help but see each other. Serena rejected Sebastian only because her horrid step-father demanded it. Now he is demanding she do other things she just can't stomach and she determines he will no longer rule her life. Sebastian comes up with an intriguing solution to both of their dilemmas....
I so wanted to just fall into this book and love it, but I couldn't. I did love the closeness of the Sullivan brothers, the author did a great job of showing how the siblings supported each other. Serena was stuck in a difficult position but it was a bit hard to feel compassion for her, though I very much wanted to. The character I found most appealing is Abigail. She was young, vibrant and just a touch reckless.
I rate it a 3/5. It was really just too slow to progress for me.

Thank you to Pocket Books for the review copy of this book. I received this book in exchange for an honest review and the opinions stated above are 100% mine.

Spring For Susannah by Catherine Richmond

Book Description
Hundreds of miles from home, Susannah faces an uncertain future as a mail-order bride on the untamed Dakota prairie.
When her parents die suddenly, and no suitors call, Susannah resigns herself to the only option available: becoming a mail-order bride. Agreeing to marry her pastor's brother, Jesse, Susannah leaves the only home she's ever known for the untamed frontier of the Dakota Territory.
Her new husband is more loving and patient with her than she believes she deserves. Still, there is also a wildness to him that mirrors the wilderness surrounding them. And Susannah finds herself constantly on edge. But Jesse's confidence in her-and his faith in God's perfect plan-slowly begin to chip away at the wall she hides behind.
When she miscarries in the brutal Dakota winter, Susannah's fledgling faith in herself and in God begins to crumble. Still, Jesse's love is unwavering. Just when it seems like winter will never end, Susannah finally sees the first tentative evidence of spring. And with it, the realization that more than the landscape has changed.
She looks to the future with a renewed heart. Yet in her wildest dreams, she couldn't predict all that awaits her.

My Thoughts:
This was an endearing book. Susannah has come to the realization that she has no other option other than to become a mail-order-bride. Her family has passed and there are no prospects for her so she agrees to become the wife of a minister's brother out in the Dakota territory. Jesse isn't sure how Susannah's petite body will do in the harsh Dakota winter but he is pleasantly surprised by her knowledge and help. As time passes, he slowly chips away at her feelings of unworthiness and shows her his unwavering love.
Jesse was my favorite character in this book. He was so strong and steady through it all, not to mention compassionate and patient. I like that the author gave Susannah skills and direction instead of just having her be a housewife. While she did that as well, it added a new layer to a wonderful character. Her shyness and difficulties in her past make the hesitation believable. I look forward to seeing more from this author.
I rate this a 4/5. It was a good, nice change of pace, read.

Thank you to Litfuse for the review copy of this book. I received this book in exchange for an honest review and the opinions stated above are 100% mine.

Beg for Mercy by Jami Alden Giveaway!

Book Description:
He lurks in the shadows, waiting and watching . . . And once he has you, all you can do is. . . — BEG FOR MERCY — Megan Flynn thought she was falling in love. Cole Williams wasn't just handsome and passionate, he was one of the good guys. Or so she thought, until he arrested her brother -- the only family she has left -- for a murder she knows he couldn't have possibly committed. Now, with her heart broken and her brother's life hanging in the balance, Megan will risk everything to prove his innocence. Even if that means throwing herself into the path of a sadistic killer with a hauntingly familiar MO.
Seattle Detective Cole Williams had given up on making Megan see reason where her brother is concerned. But when she insinuates herself into the most shockingly brutal case Cole has ever worked, he can't stand idly by. Plunged into a secret world where the city's elite indulge their darkest desires, Cole will do whatever it takes to bring down a madman who has made Megan his most coveted prey.


Thanks to the wonderful folks at Hachette, I have 3 copies of this book to giveawyay! Here are the rules:

• You must be a follower to participate
• Leave Me a Comment on THIS post with your e-mail (no e-mail you can't win)
• US & Canadian Residents only
• No PO Boxes
• Hachette Book Group will be sending the copies to the winners
• You have 24 hours to respond if you are contacted as a winner, if you miss the deadline, a new winner will be chosen and contacted.
• Contest is open until July 5, 2011
• Winners will be chosen using a randomizer
• Directly from Hachette: Winners will be subject to the one copy per household rule, which means that if they win the same title in two or more contests, they will receive only one copy of the title (or one set in the case of grouped giveaways) in the mail.

Beg for Mercy by Jami Alden

Book Description:

He lurks in the shadows, waiting and watching . . . And once he has you, all you can do is. . . — BEG FOR MERCY — Megan Flynn thought she was falling in love. Cole Williams wasn't just handsome and passionate, he was one of the good guys. Or so she thought, until he arrested her brother -- the only family she has left -- for a murder she knows he couldn't have possibly committed. Now, with her heart broken and her brother's life hanging in the balance, Megan will risk everything to prove his innocence. Even if that means throwing herself into the path of a sadistic killer with a hauntingly familiar MO.
Seattle Detective Cole Williams had given up on making Megan see reason where her brother is concerned. But when she insinuates herself into the most shockingly brutal case Cole has ever worked, he can't stand idly by. Plunged into a secret world where the city's elite indulge their darkest desires, Cole will do whatever it takes to bring down a madman who has made Megan his most coveted prey.

My Thoughts:

I very much enjoyed this book. Megan's brother Sean is awaiting lethal injection for a murder Megan knows he didn't commit. Cole is Megan's old flame, who just happened to be the one who arrested her brother for murder. Now, a new series of murders has Cole wondering if he was right about Sean and Megan convinced she can exonerate her brother. Only, it seems that Megan may have been the target all along!

I loved how committed Megan was to her brother. The author did a wonderful job of showing how the two of them only have each other and clung together. Cole is surprised when he and Megan run into each other again at how bad he has it for her. I like how the author didn't just magically let the two of them fall together but they actually had to work for it. All the while, they are racing against time to figure out who the serial killer is and the clues they find may or may not really be pointing them in the right direction.

I rate this a 4/5. It has plenty of suspense and twists to keep you interested.

Thank you to Hachette for the review copy of this book. I received this book in exchange for an honest review and the opinions stated above are 100% mine.

False Witness by Randy Singer

From the Back Cover
An adrenaline-laced thrill ride, False Witness takes readers from the streets of Las Vegas to the halls of the American justice system and the inner sanctum of the growing church in India, with all the trademark twists, turns, and intrigue Randy Singer fans have come to expect.
Clark Shealy is a bail bondsman with the ultimate bounty on the line: his wife’s life. He has forty-eight hours to find an Indian professor who created an equation so powerful it can crack all Internet encryption. If he fails, his wife pays the price.
Four years later, law student Jamie Brock is working in legal aid when a routine case takes a vicious twist: she learns that her clients, members of the witness protection program, are accused of defrauding the government and have the algorithm. Now the couple is on the run from federal agents and the Chinese mafia, who both know the formula’s power and will do anything to get it.
All royalties from False Witness will be donated to the Dalit Freedom Network, which works to provide Dalit children a first-class education and free them from the bondage of human trafficking. For more information, visit www.dalitnetwork.org

My Thoughts:
I enjoyed this book. Professor Kumari and his young protegee have discovered an algorithm that will basically render the Internet and its security useless. They want to sell the algorithm to help the needy back in their homeland. As his protegee is negotiating the deal to sell the algorithm to some businessmen, Professor Kumari watches via computer as the unthinkable happens! Clark is a bounty hunter and repo man who gets drawn into the strange mix of characters and is given orders to find Kumari before his wife is tortured...
It starts out with a highly stressful scene and only continues to get better! Each of the characters is well developed and we learn a lot through how their 'layers' are revealed. This book has suspense, twists, bad guys, good guys that may or may not be bad guys...it is a wonderful mix. The Chinese mob, FBI, Witness Protection, and all sorts of other players are brought in through the book and keep it rolling along. Through all this, the best part is the author weaves faith into the book, but it isn't 'in your face'. This is a book even non-Christians would enjoy!
I rate this a 5/5. It was a thrilling ride!

Thank you to the B&B Media Group for the review copy of this book. I received this book in exchange for an honest review and the opinions stated above are 100% mine.

Mine Is The Night by Liz Curtis Higgs

Book Description:
SHE LOST EVERYTHING SHE LOVED.
HE HAD EVERYTHING SHE NEEDED.
BUT COULD SHE FIND THE COURAGE TO TRUST HIM?

Stepping from a battered coach on a rainy April eve, newly widowed Elisabeth Kerr must begin again, without husband or title, property or fortune. She is unafraid of work and gifted with a needle, but how will she stitch together the tattered remnants of her life? And who will mend her heart, torn asunder by betrayal and deception?
Elisabeth has not come to Selkirk alone. Her mother-in-law, Marjory Kerr, is a woman undone, having buried her husband, her sons, and any promise of grandchildren. Dependent upon a distant cousin with meager resources, Marjory dreads the future almost as much as she regrets the past. Yet joy still comes knocking, and hope is often found in unexpected places.
Then a worthy hero steps forward, rekindling a spark of hope. Will he risk his reputation to defend two women labeled as traitors to the Crown? Or will a wealthy beauty, untainted by scandal, capture his affections?
The heartrending journey of the Kerr women comes to a glorious finish in Mine Is the Night, a sparkling gem of redemption and restoration set in eighteenth-century Scotland.

My Thoughts:

This is a wonderful 'retelling' of Ruth's story. Elizabeth and her mother-in-law Marjory are trying to find refuge after losing husband/son and now having neither title nor wealth. They are branded as traitors and fear for their lives and freedom. Elizabeth finds work making dresses for all Lord Buchanan's staff and the two become quite close...

The opening scene was wonderful. I could actually see the rain and feel Elizabeth's hesitation and apprehension. This story shows compassion, from a formerly snubbed cousin, strength, the women have to make it 'on their own', fear, as they fear for their lives almost daily, and faith! Lord Buchanan is a wonderful 'Boaz' and the story unfolds quite nicely!

This was a solid 4/5. I plan to go look for Ms. Higgs' previous books!

Thank you to LibraryThing for the review copy of this book. I received this book in exchange for an honest review and the opinions stated above are 100% mine.

Interview with Author Tom Blubaugh!

Good morning all! Please join me in welcoming the wonderful author of Night of the Cossack, Tom Blubaugh!

AW: Tell me about yourself…

I’m happily married to my best friend, Barbara. We have six children and fourteen grandchildren. I am retired.

AW: What genera do you write and why?

I write YA fiction. I believe there is a lack of good, healthy books for this age group.

AW: Tell us about your latest book….

My latest book is Night of the Cossack. It is a historical fiction classified as YA, but I’m getting more response from adults. Actually I have had readers from 8 to 80 and it is a good read for all ages.

AW: What was your inspiration for this book?

Both of my grandfathers died before I was born. I missed not having one and the hole got bigger the older I got. My mother passed away in 2005 leaving me with only one aunt who could give me any information on my maternal grandfather. He was a Jew and a Russian Cossack soldier. This intrigued me. I have found many people don’t know what a Cossack is so I put up a definition.

AW: Do you have a favorite character and why that one?

Yes. Nathan. He’s my grandfather.

AW: Did you find anything particularly difficult in writing this book?

I started creating my grandfather for myself and after I go into it, I found myself writing for my children and grandchildren. I wasn’t writing it to be published. However, I eventually decided to write it as a novel after I was encouraged by a published writer in a Yahoo Christian Writer’s group. I found a local critique group. The writing became more difficult then, mainly because I had written the story as a narrative. I didn’t know about show and tell.

AW: What project(s) are you currently working on?

I toying with a sequel. I also have some children’s books I’m working on.

AW: Do you have any interesting quirks you want to tell us about?

I like burned popcorn.

AW: Do you have any advice for writers out there?

Start building your platform now. Do everything you can to get your name known. Don’t wait until you’ve finished your manuscript. I’ve found that the writing is the easy part.

AW: Where can we find you? (facebook, twitter, blog, website, etc)

You can find me on my personal Facebook page, Night of the Cossack Facebook page, my website and twitter @tomynate.

AW: And of course we have to know, where can we find your book? (your website, publisher, amazon, etc)

You can find a signed copy with free shipping @ Night of the Cossack, printed book and ebook @ amazon.com and ebook @ barnesandnoble.com. You can also read the Amazon reviews.

Oginalii (Is Cherokee for My Friend Like Horse is to My Heart) by Stephanie M Sellers

Book Description:
OGINALII, is Cherokee for My Friend Like Horse is to My Heart, is a Young Adult Short Story that pulls in the heart as you leave the asphalt for dusty rural roads and smelly farm land. Exilee Sheffield is a tomboy who recently lost her mother and deals with loneliness and grieving in a most unique manner. Anyone want to watch a pony-show with a cat on the back and a three-legged buffalo led by a hyper terrier? Exilee doesn't. She wants to do it! And she will. Exilee wants to do anything except learn piano and as Aunt Bell says, "Learn some manners." Until Exilee learns Auntie Bell just might be her new best friend, if she'll let her.

My Thoughts:
This was a good YA book. Exilee is a young girl who has just lost her mother. Her Aunt Bell has been asked to finish raising her and to teach her to play the piano but Exilee wants nothing to do with that. All she wants to do is play with her animals which include a cat, dog, horse, buffalo and anything else she can speak to. Aunt Bell finally find a way into the young girl's trust by teaching her, just not exactly the piano!
I love that we hear Exilee and her pets conversations. Her animals understand her better than she herself does a lot of the time. Each of the animals have their own distinct characters and I grew to love each of them, especially the buffalo with 3 1/2 legs! Aunt Bell is smart and a good role model for the young girl. The Native American culture, which Exilee's mother was, is discussed and is very interesting!
I rate this a 4/5. It is a good, insightful young adult book.

Thank you to the author for the review copy of this book. I received this book in exchange for an honest review and the opinions stated above are 100% mine.

Author Stephanie M Sellers Interview!

Hello All! Please help me welcome author of Oginalii to my blog today!!

AW: Tell me about yourself…

Collector of hats, stories from strangers, and apparently dogs.

AW: What genera do you write and why?

Young Adult and Women’s Fiction largely impart to my deep empathy level. Children and dogs always warm right up to me. Writing Women’s Fiction delves from learning to fall gracefully and survive well. Have learned that I like men like I like my horses, with a little buck in ‘em. Makes for good stories.

AW: Tell us about your latest book….

OGINALII is Cherokee for My Friend Like Horse is to My Heart came to fruition from the character outline for my novel, BLACK PURSE. Was told that the outline of child was too endearing and fascinating not to make it into a story.
Creating psychohistory of protagonist, Exilee Sheffield, led to a delightful path back into childhood. I drew from events which occurred with childhood school mates and from Lumbee Indians who I have ridden horses with as an adult.

AW: What was your inspiration for this book?

Found a letter on the floor at a church after a funeral. Knew the departed as a local drunk. The letter was written by the departed’s twelve year old daughter. It made me cry. This child inherited nothing from him. She had only two pictures of her and him together. But she wrote of his kindness and friendliness and how much she will miss him. Reading this letter inspired the theme of OGINALII. Love never really leaves you.

AW: Do you have a favorite character and why that one?

Exilee, the sassy child who grows up bold, is my favorite because she is like the cartoon character Bugs Bunny. Says and does what a lot of folks are just thinking about saying and doing. She’s got grit.

AW: Did you find anything particularly difficult in writing this book?

Revealing the relationship between Exilee and her auntie was trying. While her auntie is grieving for the loss of her sister, Exilee is grieving for loss of her mother. Both want something from the other. But neither will openly admit what they need from the other. It is said that stubbornness is a Native American Indian trait.

AW: What project(s) are you currently working on?

Putting the shine on BLACK PURSE. As one woman’s story of overcoming unfolds, so do the pages of The Underground Railroad. The finales climax will surprise even the most centered readers.
Have always been fascinated with the fact that there is no written history of The Underground Railroad as it was occurring. A few private journals have been unveiled but there is no documentation. Living in the South has allowed me to follow up on this curiosity. One event that stands out is when my neighbor inherited her mother’s home place and was given a tour by an elderly man. Under a tobacco barn was a partial basement. He told her that slaves hid there enroute. It was part of The Underground Railroad.
When I think about the hardships and war of slavery and compare it to the condition of our great Nation today, I can’t help but put the same shame on our lack of action against injustice and illicit behavior today. Americans need to stand up for what is right and wrong and not back down. This comparison plays out in BLACK PURSE as a struggle against media’s conditioning to accept illicit and abnormal behavior as acceptable; a twentieth century underground railroad battle. Americans have been so busy letting themselves be easily entertained that many haven’t even realized the impact of liberal media on the mind and its social and economic consequences.
BLACK PURSE will hopefully be available in August 2011.

AW: Do you have any interesting quirks you want to tell us about?

Put me in a room full of strangers and I will learn more about them in one hour than their neighbor’s learned in ten years.
I am also a mean horse advocate. Don’t get in my way. Horses as National Treasure. Make Horse Slaughter History with Fair Taxes and Committees. Petition and addresses on website. https://sites.google.com/site/horsesasnationaltreasure

AW: Do you have any advice for writers out there?

Apply several coats of car wax over ego. Find two good readers who will read, shoot and advise ruthlessly. Then hire an editor. Rewrite and repeat the first two steps. When you’re down to bare skin and don’t flinch, it’s ready.

AW: Where can we find you?
Facebook listing is my name, Stephanie Sellers. I participate in Book Blog as myself. My website is FictiononFact, https://sites.google.com/site/fictiononfact.

AW: And of course we have to know, where can we find your book?

OGINALII is Cherokee for My Friend Like Horse is to My Heart is for sale with Amazon.com and Barnes & Noble as an ebook.
Read first chapter of upcoming novel, BLACK PURSE, at FictiononFact, https://sites.google.com/site/fictiononfact. Links to books for sale with Amazon.com and Barnes & Noble are on website.
BLACK PURSE will have a sequel. While the lead character from BLACK PURSE, Exilee, is busy with a new life, her nearest best friend brings a guest to her family farm, a Lumbee Indian, fresh from prison, who captures the heart of her other best friend, Robin. White Lightening, snake charmers, a dark shadow from the past’s forbidden relationships and a big money winery cover ground and wake a sleepy town.
Feel free to contact me at stephaniesellers1@windstream.net. Love hearing from readers.
Later, Oginalii.

My Foolish Heart by Susan May Warren

Book Description:
Unknown to her tiny town of Deep Haven, Isadora Presley spends her nights as Miss Foolish Heart, the star host of a syndicated talk radio show. Millions tune in to hear her advice on dating and falling in love, unaware that she’s never really done either. Issy’s ratings soar when it seems she’s falling in love on-air with a caller. A caller she doesn’t realize lives right next door.
Caleb Knight served a tour of duty in Iraq and paid a steep price. The last thing he wants is pity, so he hides his disability and moves to Deep Haven to land his dream job as the high school football coach. When his beautiful neighbor catches his eye, in a moment of desperation he seeks advice from My Foolish Heart, the show that airs before his favorite sports broadcast.
Before he knows it, Caleb finds himself drawn to the host—and more confused than ever. Is his perfect love the woman on the radio . . . or the one next door?

My Thoughts:
This was a pretty good book. Issy is a 'radio therapist'. She has a show and as Miss Foolish Heart has helped a lot of people work through relationship issues. She hasn't told anyone in town, except her father and best friend, what she does...of course part of the reason is because she cannot leave her house. Her mother was killed in a horrible car accident and it left Issy scared for life. Caleb has come to New Haven to coach football. He is a man transformed and now just wants to help transform boys into young men. He doesn't want his injury to be a factor so he keeps it a secret. Issy and Caleb meet and now the relationship expert may have to change all her rules...
There were a lot of good characters in this book. Issy is a wonderful girl who has some major issues she is trying to overcome. She is making progress one day at a time. Caleb is dealing with his own issues. Losing a leg in Iraq has left him with something to prove. The two of them together are a great pair. I had issues with the extra story overshadowing this one. It is about Seb and Lucy and some major issues they have that goes back 10 years. Their story was interesting and both relationships were a bit twisted.
I rate this a 3/5. It was an ok read but was just missing something for me.

Thank you to Litfuse for the review copy of this book. I received this book in exchange for an honest review and the opinions stated above are 100% mine.

The Alarmists by Don Hoesel

Book Description:
The 2012 phenomenon that's going viral around the globe has led sociology professor Jameson Richards to study the impact on society when, like the Y2K scare, 12/21/12 comes and goes with hardly a wrinkle. This is the date that, according to the Mayan calendar, the doomsayers predict the world will end. Richards teams up with General Michaels, a scientist stationed at the Pentagon whose job it is to monitor the world's fanatics, keeping an eye out for potential terrorists. Together they uncover something sinister going on beneath the surface, linked to billionaire and media mogul Jeremy Maxwell, who also happens to be a huge manufacturer of weapons systems. The 2012 date has captured Maxwell's attention too, and he's looking to cash in on the public's fear and paranoia. And what he instigates--along with his corrupt partners--nearly starts another war in the Middle East, while also bringing the world to its knees economically. It's up to the professor/general team to blow the whistle on Maxwell, hopefully in time to avert a major catastrophe.

My Thoughts:

This was a good suspense book. Brent Michaels is asked to 'consult' with a group in the Pentagon basement. This group is investigating a series of unusual events and Brent is brought in to see if any sense or pattern can be found and the reason behind them. The team is dragged across the globe and it seems the occurances could be being done to cause mass panic...and maybe count down to the end of the world in December 2012??

I'm not really sure how to talk about this book without giving a lot away. There is good suspense with several twists. The characters are realistic and the story line is believeable. There is a romance doomed beacuse of faith or lack thereof. So many elements that the author put together so well! It did start a little slow, but when it picked up, I was hooked!

I rate this a 4/5. It was a good, solid suspense read.

Thank you to Bethanyhouse for the review copy of this book. I received this book in exchange for an honest review and the opinions stated above are 100% mine.

Left Behind (Left Behind Book 1) by Tim Lahaye & Jerry Jenkins

Book Description:

When the trumpet sounds, where will you be? Passengers in an airborne Boeing 747 find out in this riveting novel by renowned Christian speaker Tim LaHaye and master storyteller Jerry Jenkins. Without any warning, passengers mysteriously disappear from their seats. Terror and chaos slowly spread not only through the plane but also worldwide as unusual events continue to unfold. For those who have been left behind, the apocalypse has just begun. This fictional account of life after the Rapture delivers an urgent call to today's readers to prepare their own hearts and minister to others.
Book 1 in the best-selling Left Behind series.
Airline pilot Captain Rayford Steele guides his terror-filled 747 back to the ground with more than 100 seats empty except for clothes, jewelry, eyeglasses, shoes, and socks. Steele finds that his wife and 12-year-old son have vanished, but he and his college-age daughter, Chloe, have been left behind. He and Cameron "Buck" Williams, who had been on Rayford's plane, launch a frantic search for the truth.

My Thoughts:

This was a wonderful, thought provoking book. Ray is piloting a 747 when the rapture occurs. While he is fantasizing about a flight attendant, people go missing all over his plane. He soon realizes that it isn't only his plane and that it has happened literally everywhere! Buck if flying on the 747 when a lady requests he help her find her missing husband because he left his clothes and he was very modest. As a journalist, his interest is piqued and he has to get to the bottom of this. Ray rushes home to find his devoted wife and young son missing but his daughter, that had always been like him, was still alive and he realizes the rapture has occurred and they were all left behind.

The characters in this book were amazing. Each one was real and the rapture could occur just as they wrote. It is a fictional book about something that is really going to occur and it does make you stop and think of what will happen to those that are left behind. Will some band together? Will it be a preacher? Sunday school teacher? Since it is an individual choice, there is no way to know how each person's story will unfold but this book is a wonderful example of what can happen.

5/5. This was a book I think everyone should read.

Patchwork Dreams by Laura V. Hilton

Book Description:
Ever since returning from her rumspringa pregnant and unwed, Becky Troyer has been a pariah in her Amish community in Missouri. Even after the young mother confesses her sin and rejoins the church, her peers continue to shun her, and she despairs the unlikelihood of marrying for love. It seems that her only hope is to eventually marry a widower with a family of his own.

Becky's world changes when Jacob Miller arrives at her family's farm with the understanding that he will help with chores during the summer and then return to Pennsylvania. What Jacob does not know is that his father, who disapproves of Jacob's sweetheart, Susie, sent him away as part of a plan to introduce new blood into the Amish community of Seymour. In addition to his work around the farm, Jacob undertakes the task of cheering up the lovely yet listless Becky, inviting her to various youth gatherings and offering her the only unconditional friendship she's known.

As their relationship grows, the two find themselves inexplicably drawn to each other. Will Becky and Jacob overcome their insecurities and self–doubts so that their love can grow, or will Jacob keep his pledge to Susie and turn his back on Becky, as so many others have done?

My Thoughts:

I very much enjoyed this book. It's been a little while since I have read Amish fiction so it was nice to get a good story! Becky has decided since she has shamed her family by having a boppli out of wedlock that she will either become a spinster or have to marry someone who needs a wife. She couldn't possibly marry for love. Jacob is sent to Missouri by his family in Pennsylvania, he thinks to help out a distant relative and is shocked when he discovers he is part of a 'marriage swap'. He has a girl back home and isn't interested in marrying anyone else...well except for maybe Bex.

I loved Jacob. He was a strong, if sometimes confused, character. He thought he knew what he wanted out of life only to have that drastically change when he met 'the one'. Becky was a good character as well, the author did a wonderful job of portraying how timid and hurt she would be after what happened to her. I honestly think her father, Daniel, is my favorite character! He is a matchmaker and seems almost like a troublemaker! :) All the supporting characters were very personable and I loved every one of them. I can't wait for the next book!

5/5. This book teaches lessons as well as being a great story line!

Thank you to the publisher for the review copy of this book. I received this book in exchange for an honest review and the opinions stated above are 100% mine.