Bookwyrm

Bookwyrm's Book List
59. The Parson's Christmas Gift (Kerri Mountain, Love Inspired Historical)
Rating: * * *
Pages: 277
Genre: Inspirational Romance
A terrible accident halts Journey Smith's flight westward, stranding her in a small town in Montana Territory. She is befriended by an elderly lady and the pastor, Zane Thompson. And before she can escape again, the trouble she's been running from finds her, in the form of an abusive con artist from her past who threatens her newfound happiness.
12/28/08
58. Hill Country Christmas (Laurie Kingery, Love Inspired Historical)
Rating: * * * 1/2
Pages: 279
Genre: Inspirational Romance
Delia Keller has been living with her penniless preacher grandfather for most of her life. Her father dies and leaves her a fortune, and suddenly Delia is a sought-after young woman, and is determined to have security, and some of the nice things in life. I thought the way she reacted to her new-found wealth was very realistic, and not preachy. She is good, and innocent of the motives of others, expecting the best of everyone, yet she isn't stupid or gullible. Jude Tucker is a former Civil War chaplain who has drifted away from his calling. As he helps Delia build her house and tries to protect her, he does some soul searching himself and regains his own faith.
12/20/08
57. Calico Christmas at Dry Creek (Janet Tronstad, Love Inspired Historical)
Rating: * * * * *
Pages: 278
Genre: Inspirational Romance
I haven't read the contemporary Dry Creek books because they looked too cutesy to appeal to me, but this is the best inspirational romance I've read all year. I was caught from the opening:

Elizabeth O'Brian heard voices outside her tent and thought it must be Mr. Miller coming to see if she was dead yet. It was a cold November day and she'd been sitting in her tent for eleven days now in this desolate land. It had only taken her husband, Matthew, and their baby, a few days to die from the fever so Elizabeth couldn't fault the blacksmith for being impatient. ... He would just have to be patient a little longer. It wasn't as easy to die as it looked.

When Elizabeth loses her husband and son to influenza, Jake Hargrove begs her to marry him and help with his part-Sioux nieces. Elizabeth first looks on it as a job as a wet nurse, but she is soon deeply involved with the little family and the community as she attempts to help his niece Spotted Fawn adjust to life in a white community that isn't sure they want Indians among them. A perfect Christmas story, and I'm going to call this one the best book I've read all year (in any genre).
56. His Holiday Heart (Jillian Hart, Love Inspired)
Rating: * * *
Pages: 216
Genre: Inspirational Romance
McKaslin Clan. Very cutesy story of Spence McKaslin, the brother of the clan. Spence is attracted to Lucy Chapin, a quirky writer. Lucy sees through his crabby exterior, and he can't resist her, as they work together on a charity project. I would have liked the story better with less determined matchmaking by the rest of the clan. I know it fits with their personalities, but I kept wanting to tell them to lay off already! It didn't add to the humor--just letting Lucy and Spence be themselves (with Jillian Hart's knack for humorous writing) would have made the story funny enough.
55. A Heart for the Dropped Stitches (Janet Tronstad, Love Inspired)
Rating: * * *
Pages: 218
Genre: Inspirational Romance
The Sisterhood of the Dropped Stitches. Continuing with the story of the cancer survivor friends, Becca Snyder is volunteering at a shelter for homeless teens to do community service towards her internship. She inadvertently promises the girls "something like a prom," then has to make it happen. She enlists the support of Mark Russo, who runs the shelter, and her friends. Very realistic portrayal of the teenagers. A fun read.
54: Mission: Motherhood (Marta Perry, Love Inspired)
Rating: * * * 1/2
Pages: 214
Genre: Inspirational Romance
Homecoming Heroes. I haven't been reading this series, but maybe I should have. Too many books, too little time! When Caitlyn Villard's sister and brother-in-law are killed in the line of duty, she becomes guardian to their five-year-old twin girls. Caitlyn is an attorney in New York City, clawing her way up in the ranks. She comes to Prairie Springs, Texas, planning to see the girls settled with her mother and then get back to her life. Instead, she discovers that her mother isn't up to caring for them, and her mother and the girls need her there. With the support of Army chaplain Steve Windham, she finds a place for herself there. No cutesy kids! The twins behave exactly as I'd expect my nieces to act when they were five. Half a star just for that.
53. Her Perfect Man (Jillian Hart, Love Inspired)
Rating: * * 1/2
Pages: 216
Genre: Inspirational Romance
The McKaslin Clan. Rebecca McKaslin finally ends a relationship with her long-time abusive boyfriend. Then Chad Lawson moves next door, and they end up working together, and she is convinced he is too good to be true. I was looking forward to this one, because it had a lot of potential, but it fizzled. (Maybe I was just ready for the series to end already.) The abusive ex did cause the critical plot complication, but it seemed a bit contrived and not something that merited Rebecca's extreme reaction. I think the same elements could have been used to make an awesome story, but I have to say this the first Jillian Hart that has disappointed me.
52. Her Wedding Wish (Jillian Hart, Love Inspired)
Rating: * * * 1/2
Pages: 218
Genre: Inspirational Romance
The McKaslin Clan. OK, I've said before that I don't like cutesy kids, but they are an integral part of this story. All the McKaslin books are cutesy, but they are still irresistible. I don't know any other author who can carry off cute the way Jillian Hart can. But this story is more than a cute romance. Danielle McKaslin Lowell's husband Jonas is a police officer who was shot in the line of duty. It's been touch and go for a long time, but now he is home, but he has lost all his memories of Dani, their two children, and their life before. Now Dani and Jonas have to create a new life together. Very touching.
51. Crown of Stars (Kate Elliott)
Rating: * * * * *
Pages: 609
Genre: Fantasy
Volume Seven of Crown of Stars.
50. In the Ruins (Kate Elliott)
Rating: * * * * *
Pages: 606
Genre: Fantasy
Volume Six of Crown of Stars.
49. The Gathering Storm (Kate Elliott)
Rating: * * * * *
Pages: 977
Genre: Fantasy
Volume Five of Crown of Stars.
48. Child of Flame (Kate Elliott)
Rating: * * * * *
Pages: 913
Genre: Fantasy
Volume Four of Crown of Stars. As Liath walks the spheres to find out who she really is, Sanglant is left to raise their daughter Blessing, who is growing faster than she should for her years. Alain, betrayed by the Lady of Battles he has sworn to serve, is pulled from the brink of death and sent into the past to be a partner to the lonely Adica, as she follows her predetermine destiny. Hugh and Anne plot to overthrow King Henry as he plots to be crowned emperor. As he and his new bride seek to consolidate his power, Princess Theophanu and Princess Sapienta are left to hold the kingdom together, along with the disgraced and banished Prince Sanglant. Bulkuzu, the Quman lord, has captured Prince Ekkehard and the Eagle Hanna. Anne and Hugh are determined to prevent the return of the Aoi, while Sanglant and Liath are equally determined to prevent the cataclysm that their great working will create.
47. The Burning Stone (Kate Elliott)
Rating: * * * * *
Pages: 801
Genre: Fantasy
Volume Three of  Crown of Stars. Liath and Sanglant find each other and their hearts' desires, only to end up excommunicated by the church and betrayed by the ones who should have been their rescuers. They are torn apart, as Liath realizes she cannot protect her husband and daughter without the training from the mysterious Aoi sorcerer and Sanglant is left to care for the infant he has christened Blessing, with only the aid of Jerna, a kindly spirit. Impulsive Princess Sapienta is happily married to a warrior, and sensible Princess Theophanu is sent to the aid of Queen Adelheid and finds a kindred spirit who may have the ability to change the entire royal dynamic. Alain gains and loses everything, and gives his all to serve the Lady of Battles faithfully. Fifth Son earns a name, Stronghand, and proceeds with his goal of ruling all the Eika. This book is 800 pages of suspense, as things go from bad to worse and secrets are revealed.
7/27/08
46. Prince of Dogs (Kate Elliott)
Rating: * * * * *
Pages: 627
Genre: Fantasy
Volume Two of Crown of Stars. King Henry gives Count Lavastine the opportunity to win his heart's desire, the daughter of  Princess Sabella for his son Alain's wife, if he can take back the city of Dent, overrun and destroyed by the Eika. Alain, the merchant's son, has to learn what it means to be heir to a powerful count. He dreams of having the ethereal Tallia for his wife. Ivar, forced into the monastary against his will, is won over to the "heresy" the deeply spiritual Tallia preaches. Tallia longs to remain in the church and preach the "truth," but she is destined for a marriage of convenience ordered by King Henry, her guardian. Sanglant, mockingly called Prince of Dogs by his Eika captors, is miraculously rescued and has to learn to live in the world of men once more.  Fifth Son, least-favored son of the Eika king Bloodheart, discovers that there are things to be learned from the "soft ones." King's Eagle Liath is determined to gain mastery over her abilities, if only to be able to protect herself from whatever killed her father and is now after her, but when she is given the opportunity, she is forced to choose between security and the only man she will ever love.
7/9/08

45. King's Dragon (Kate Elliott)

Rating: * * * * *
Pages: 636
Genre: Fantasy
Volume One of Crown of Stars. This book is amazing. After over 600 pages, I still can't decide if it's meant to be an allegory or a mockery of Christianity. Or a feminist take on Christianity. Liath has spent her life fleeing with her father, with a wealth of forbidden knowledge that she can't use herself stored in her mind. She becomes the slave of Frater Hugh, who covets the riches of knowledge locked away in her mind. And then she is rescued when she is called to become an Eagle, one of the King's elite messengers. But she knows Hugh will never let her escape... All her friend, inkeeper's daughter Hanna, wants is to not marry the boring young man her parents have chosen for her, but when she also is asked to become an Eagle, she goes willingly, determined to protect her friend. Alain is just a bastard son, raised by a loving foster father and promised to the church, but he yearns for adventure. When Eika destroy the monastary where he is bound, he is given a vision by the Lady of Battles. He ends up in the retinue of an honest lord who is ensorcelled by Biscop Antonia to join King Henry's sister Lady Sabella in her quest to take the throne. And, for some reason, only Alain has figured out what's happening. King Henry's beloved son, Sanglant, is head of the King's Dragons and protecting the important town of Gent from the Eika. When they are betrayed and overrun at the same time Sabella makes her move, Henry has to choose between saving his son and saving his country. And the half-human Sanglant discovers that being unable to die is the worst curse imaginable...
6/22/08
44. Danger in a Small Town (Ginny Aiken, Love Inspired Suspense)
Rating: * * 1/2
Pages: 216
Genre: Inspirational Romance
Caroline Justice #1. Tess Graver moves into her uncle's home to care for him. She has barely moved in when she is out jogging and discovers a dying woman. Ethan Rogers is a former DEA agent who is drawn back into the fray when there is evidence of a drug ring in the sleepy little town he moved to. It's fun, which I've come to expect from this author, but it felt like there were too many things going on for this short of a story. It was cute that her uncle and his lady friend decided to open a cooking school, but it didn't really add a great deal to the plot.
6/9/08
43. Deadly Exposure (Cara Putman, Love Inspired Suspense)
Rating: * * *
Pages: 218
Genre: Inspirational Romance
When TV reporter Dani Richards takes her beloved Aunt Jayne to the theater, her aunt, an Alzheimer's victim, wanders into the wrong box and chats up a young lady who appears to want them to leave. At intermission, Dani, recognizing the woman from an interview she did earlier, goes over to speak to her and finds her dead. She is determined to get to the bottom of the murder of the brilliant young grad student, even if it means working with police officer Caleb Jamison, the man who dumped her years ago.
6/7/08
42. A Face in the Shadows (Lenora Worth, Love Inspired Suspense)
Rating: * * *
Pages: 217
Genre: Inspirational Romance
Reunion Revelations #5. Kate Brooks reconnects with old friend and claasmate Parker Buchanan, then a nerd, now a wealthy cartoonist. Parker is suspected of the murder of Josie Skerritt, but Kate knows he is innocent. However, somebody seems determined to frame Parker and threaten Kate and her son.
6/5/08
41. Bayou Judgment (Robin Caroll, Love Inspired Suspense)
Rating: * * *
Pages: 215
Genre: Inspirational Romance
Felicia Trahan is a counselor at a Christian crisis center. She begins to get strange calls from a woman who appears to becoming more and more unhinged. Then she goes home and finds her roommate murdered. Spencer Bertrand is the pastor who runs the crisis center, but he has a dark past. He is falling for Felicia and he is as determined as her brother Luc to keep her safe. Only Felicia is fighting for her independence after a lifetime of being an invalid, and doesn't want anybody to keep her safe. In fact, she is determined to prove that they have arrested the wrong person for her friend's murder... Page-turning, very good. Loses half a star for the ubiquitous wedding epilogue, but at least it wasn't <i>her</i> wedding.
6/1/08
40. The Bounty Hunter's Bride (Victoria Bylin, Love Inspired Historical)
Rating: * * * 1/2
Pages: 279
Genre: Inspirational Romance
Dani Baxter arrives at a dairy farm as a mail order bride, only to discover that her intended has been killed and his rogue brother is in charge of his three young daughters. Beau Morgan turned bounty hunter after his wife was brutally murdered, and he lives only for justice. He agrees to let Dani adopt the children, only to have an abusive old maid aunt put in a claim for them. Now they both have to sacrifice dreams and plans for the sake of the children. Amusing and realistic account of life on a dairy farm.
5/31/08
39. The Road to Love (Linda Ford, Love Inspired Historical)
Rating: * * * 1/2
Pages: 281
Genre: Inspirational Romance
Kate Bradshaw is a young widow trying to raise her children by herself on a farm during the Depression. Hatcher Jones is a hobo who stopped to help her grease the windmill and stayed to put in the crop. But he can't settle down till he can make peace with his past. Believable and humorous. It's worth half a star just for the "discussion" Kate has with her balky tractor.
5/27/08
38. Family Ever After (Margaret Daley, Love Inspired)
Rating: * * *
Pages: 215
Genre: Inspirational Romance
Fostered by Love #3. When businessman Noah Maxwell ends up with three foster children, he hires single mom Cara Winters to help care for them. It would be a good story, except this well-established writer breaks a cardinal rule: She has a pivotal scene occur off-camera. Cara is attacked, but it is told as Noah witnesses it. The rest of the story would have been much more powerful if we had experienced it with her, not just experienced Noah coming to her rescue.
5/25/08
37. Time for Grace (Kate Welsh, Love Inspired)
Rating: * * * 1/2
Pages: 216
Genre: Inspirational Romance
Sarah Bates has had more than her share of knocks. First, she has grown up in boarding schools because her missionary parents always felt their calling was more important than their daughter. Then, she married a soldier who was killed in Iraq shortly after their honeymoon. Then she discovered she was pregnant. Then her daughter, Grace, was born way too early, a "micro preemie." Kip Webster flies her and her daughter to a specialist and immediately cares about both mother and daughter, but he has a secret reason for deciding to never get married. I generally don't care for "preachy" books, but this one brings out several valuable lessons about the human fallibility of the most dedicated Christians, forgiveness, and how God really can make things work together for good. It's a book that really makes you think.

[Sarah] was blessed in an unusual way by Grace and her early birth. There was something very special and exciting about watching her baby develop in ways that most mothers never got to see. They had to wonder what was going on inside them, or try to decipher a grainy ultrasound. But Sarah got to see it all. Up close and tangible.
5/23/08
36. Lakeview Protector (Shirlee McCoy, Love Inspired Suspense)
Rating: * * *
Pages: 216
Genre: Inspirational Romance
Jasmine Hart has returned to her mother-in-law's resort for the first time since her husband and daughters were killed. Sarah was injured in a fall and she insists somebody pushed her. Ex-military man Eli Jennings has come to the resort to investigate the disappearance of his commander's sister. As strange things continue to happen, they discover that Sarah has ties to two missing women and a cult leader who seems to have reason to hate her. Appealing because of Sarah's feisty determination to remain independent.
5/16/08
35. Witness (Susan Page Davis, Love Inspired Suspense)
Rating: * * * 1/2
Pages: 217
Genre: Inspirational Romance
When Petra Wilson witnesses her neighbor murder a woman, nobody believes her. When he begins to harass her, nobody still believes her. She meets private investigator Joe Tarleton, who has moved next door to her sisters' gift shop, and convinces him to help her figure out what really happened. Her helpless frustration at nobody believing her, while her neighbor is scaring her more and more, is the stuff nightmares are made of, and kept me turning pages. I sense a series coming, with her sisters' stories, and I'm looking forward to it. The author has laid a groundwork of interesting characters.
5/13/08
34. Hidden Motive (Hannah Alexander, Love Inspired Suspense)
Rating: * * * 1/2
Pages: 216
Genre: Inspirational Romance
The day of her grandfather's funeral, Dr. Sable Chamberlain  receives a mysterious phone call from his old friend Noah. She rushes to his home, only to find he has just been murdered. Fleeing the murderers, she literally runs into her friend EMT Paul Murphy. He believes her when she says she is fleeing Noah's killers, and he flees with her. They end up on a bus that gets stranded close to Sable's grandfather's cabin, and she feels obligated to invite the handful of passengers there to wait out the ice storm. Almost immediately, suspicious accidents begin to happen to both Sable and Paul. Somehow, the murder has managed to follow them. They struggle to figure out which one of the passengers it is, and what they are looking for. The setting is unusual--the house is built against a cave--and it's a page-turner. Normally I dislike a book with the entire story set over a few days, but this works. Sable and Paul have known each other for awhile, so it's none of this "love at first sight" stuff, and the cast of characters keeps you busy guessing whodunit.
5/6/08
33. In His Sights (Carol Steward, Love Inspired Suspense)
Rating: * * *
Pages: 214
Genre: Inspirational Romance
Reunion Revelations #4. Publicist Dee Owens has the tough job of making Magnolia College look good and halt the declining enrollment from all the scandals. Now somebody is leaving messages on the website and making anonymous phone calls to Dee and stalking her. Her temporary boss Edgar Oritz tries to protect her. Together they try to figure out who is after Dee, and what she has to do with anything.
5/3/08
32. Dry Creek Sweethearts (Janet Tronstad, Love Inspired)
Rating: * * *
Pages: 217
Genre: Inspirational Romance
Duane Enger left Dry Creek for Hollywood and the world of a famous musician, leaving behind his sweetheart Linda Morgan, owner of the local café, and his beloved dog Boots. Linda stayed behind to care for her young sister after their mother died. Now Duane has come back and Lucy is all starry-eyed. Duane isn't sure what he wants to find in Dry Creek, but he needs to recover his voice before rejoining his band. His publicist decides to turn this into an opportunity and have him sing a solo in church, even though Duane feels that would be hypocritical. Add the usual Dry Creek characters to the mix and you have an amusing story. But be warned... The Dry Creek books are so sweet they'll make your teeth ache!
4/30/08
31. Hearts in the Highlands (Ruth Axtell Morren, Love Inspired Historical)
Rating: * * 1/2
Pages: 275
Genre: Inspirational Romance
Maddie Norton is a spinster, a companion to a fussy, hypochondriacal old lady. After growing up in Egypt and having all kinds of adventures, she's resigned to her lot of being only able to support her missionary brothers with the pittance she makes at her job. Reid Gallagher, an archaeologist, returns home to visit his great-aunt after unrest abroad. He enlists Maddie's help cataloging the artifacts his great-uncle collected over the years and they begin to get to know each other. He concocts a plan to bring them all to Scotland for some fresh air to get Maddie out of the city. While there, they decide to go mountain climbing to celebrate their milestone birthdays. When Maddie takes a tumble and gets a concussion, Reid is afraid he can't be trusted to keep her safe, and tries to distance himself from her. When they return to London, he tries to resist pursuing her but can't. His great-aunt discovers them in what she considers a compromising position and turns against Maddie. Eh. Half a star because I am also a professional companion and can appreciate the difficult position of being neither friend nor servant.
4/27/08
30. Legacy of Secrets (Sara Mitchell, Love Inspired Historical)
Rating: * * *
Pages: 276
Genre: Inspirational Romance
Neala Shaw has nothing left of her family but their clan crest badge. While she is living at a school for orphaned and widowed women, somebody tries to kill her. Grayson Faulkner is a detective. When he comes to visit his aunt at the school she runs on the family estate, his aunt charges him with protecting Neala. Gray believes most women are manipulative liars, and the last thing he wants to do is protect the too-good-to-be-true Neala. Neala is an open book, innocent but far from stupid, with an unwavering faith that is beyond Gray's comprehenson. When they get together, sparks fly. Very entertaining in a Regency style.
4/22/08
29. The Dead Room (Heather Graham)
Rating: * * * *
Pages: 379
Genre: Suspense
After archaeologist Leslie MacIntyre survives an explosion that took the life of her fiancé Matt Connolly, she develops the ability to communicate with the dead. She returns to the scene of the accident to work on an archaeological dig, and meets Matt's cousin Joe Connolly. Joe is a private investigator searching for wealthy Genevieve O'Brien. Leslie senses that Genevieve's disappearance is somehow tied to a number of hookers who have gone missing. However, somebody is afraid Leslie is coming too close to the truth, and it takes both Matt and Joe to rescue her from an escalating series of "accidents." The ending caught me completely off-guard, but, after thinking about it, I decided it worked.
4/16/08
28. Wildfire (Roxanne Rustand, Love Inspired Suspense)
Rating: * * * *
Pages: 216
Genre: Inspirational Romance
Snow Canyon Ranch #3. I dearly love a book that has me turning pages wondering, "Now what's going to happen to her???" The last book in the Snow Canyon Ranch series didn't disappoint--until the very end, when I realized the McAllisters were out of sisters and the series was at an end. Tessa McAllister runs Snow Canyon Ranch and a small outfitter business. When photojournalist Josh Bryant is given an assignment dealing with the Wyoming grasslands, he remembers the stories of his lost love Tessa, and decides to research his story in that area. When he crashes his motorcycle, he ends up recuperating at Tessa's ranch. But somebody is trying to put Tessa out of business. As the incidents escalate, Tessa tries to figure out which of her mother's many enemies has it in for her. And then Tessa's mother tells Josh Tessa's big secret, and Tessa discovers what Josh is really writing about. This doesn't deal as much with Claire's Alzheimer's as the previous two books, but, as much as it added depth to the previous books, I didn't miss it, because the story kept me turning pages.
4/9/08
27. MIA: Missing in Atlanta (Debby Giusti, Love Inspired Suspense)
Rating: * * *
Pages: 217
Genre: Inspirational Romance
Captain Jude Walker comes home to the woman he has been dreaming about, only to find out the address she gave him is for a homeless shelter, and Nicole has vanished completely. As shelter director Sarah Montgomery helps him search for the missing woman, they discover that Nicole had many secrets involving important people on both sides of the law.
4/4/08
26. Broken Lullaby (Pamela Tracy, Love Inspired Suspense)
Rating: * * * 1/2
Pages: 218
Genre: Inspirational Romance
Mary Graham grew up in a mob family and has been on the run to keep her son away from her family. Now she realizes her eleven-year-old son needs stability, and she has moved back to Broken Bones. She is living next door to Mitch Williams, a cop who has been involved in the death of a crooked border guard. She discovers a young woman hiding out in the used car lot she has inherited, and she and Mitch end up discovering something even more involved than illegal border crossings.
4/2/08
25. Don't Look Back (Margaret Daley, Love Inspired Suspense)
Rating: * * *
Pages: 217
Genre: Inspirational Romance
Reunion Revelations #3. When Cassie Winters' investigative reporter brother is murdered, she and her former journalism professor Jameson King attemt to ferret out what he was working on that possibly got him murdered. However, somebody seems to think Cassie knows more than she really does about the story her brother was working on, and wants her out of the picture.
3/24/07

24. A Soldier's Family (Cheryl Wyatt, Love Inspired)
Rating: * * *
Pages: 216
Genre: Inspirational Romance
Wings of Refuge #2. After a parachuting accident, pararescue jumper Manny Pena stays with his friend Joel while he recovers. Unfortunately, this puts him in constant contact with Joel's wife Amber's best friend, Celia Munoz, with whom he had an unfortunate encounter at Joel and Amber's wedding. Cellia wants nothing to do with Manny, but he has managed to bond with her troubled teenage son, so she doesn't have the heart to ban him from her life. Over-the-top cutesy at times.
3/20/08

23. Vendetta (Roxanne Rustand, Love Inspired Suspense)
Rating: * * * *
Genre: Inspirational Romance
Pages: 245
Snow Canyon Ranch #2. Leigh McAllister has returned home to open a veterinary practice, but somebody doesn't want her to succeed. Cole Daniels is particularly unhappy to have Leigh back in the area, because her testimony helped convict his father of a crime he didn't commit. Cole is determined to find out what really happened, and why Leigh lied under oath. Leigh is trying to deal with her floundering practice, a rival vet who is determined to buy her out, sisters with whom she has been out of touch with for years, and a mother with advancing Alzheimer's. What makes this series special is their accurate portrayal of Alzheimer's and the victims and familes who have to deal with it.
3/14/08

22. Missing Persons (Shirlee McCoy, Love Inspired Suspense)
Rating: * * *
Genre: Inspirational Romance
Pages: 247
Reunion Revelations #2. Lauren Owens is spending her vacation with her sister and agreed to be in a fundraiser auction for Magnolia College. Her services as a specialty chef are won by her childhood sweetheart Seth Chartrand, who desperately needs allergen-free recipes for his son. Lauren is also running the guestbook for a Magnolia College reunion website. Somebody is warning her to go home and stay out of other people's business, but she has no idea whose business she has become involved in. Does it have anything to do with the website? Or with Seth?
3/08

21. Bayou Corruption (Robin Caroll, Love Inspired Suspense)
Rating: * * *
Genre: Inspirational Romance
Pages: 246
Lagniappe, Louisiana, a small town in the middle of nowhere. After their parents were killed in a car accident, Alyssa LeBlanc and her two sisters were raised there by their grandmother. Alyssa hated it and left as soon as she could, determined to make her mark in the world as a journalist to do her photojournalist mother proud. Now her grandmother is ill and she had returned to the despised bayou. Jackson Devereaux has come to visit as a favor to his friend the sheriff, to work undercover to try to unearth a smuggling ring. When the sheriff is attacked and Alyssa is the lone witness, Alyssa and Jackson must work together to find out what's behind it. And Alyssa discovers that her parents' accident wasn't an accident after all...
3/4/08


20. Lethal Deception (Lynette Eason, Love Inspired Suspense)
Rating: * * * *
Genre: Inspirational Romance
Pages: 246
Cassidy McKnight travels to an orphanage in Brazil to keep a promise to her best friends and take custody of their orphaned daughter Alexis. As she is about to escape the compound, she is kidnapped by rebels. Her father, ambassador to Brazil, calls in Navy SEAL Gabe Sinclair to rescue her. Gabe feels responsible for the death of Cassidy's brother and wants nothing to do with the mission, but he has no choice. But once Cassidy is safely home, somebody is still out to kill her. This one kept me guessing till the very end. Fast-paced, exciting read.
19. Her Unlikely Family (Missy Tippens, Love Inspired)
Rating: * * *
Genre: Inspirational Romance
Pages: 247
When banker Michael Throckmorton took custody of his orphaned niece, he had no idea what he was getting into, so he put her into a good boarding school. Now Lisa has run away, and he has to track her down. He finds her in the care of Josie Miller, who has a knack for rescuing strays. Free-spirited Josie tries to teach him how to be a dad, but Josie isn't who she seems. When the truth comes out, can Michael and Lisa get past the betrayal? A fun read.
18. Homespun Bride (Jillian Hart, Love Inspired Historical)
Rating: * * *
Genre: Inspirational Romance
Pages: 282
The McKaslin Clan. Blinded in the accident that killed her parents, Noelle Kramer now lives with her aunt and uncle. When her first love, Thad McKaslin, returns home to deal with issues of his own, they rediscover each other. Only Thad knows he can't offer Noelle the kind of life she's used to, and Noelle can't believe Thad would choose to be saddled with a burdensome wife.
17. The Briton (Catherine Palmer, Love Inspired Historical)
Rating: * * *
Genre: Inspirational Romance
Pages: 280
Lady Bronwen, proud Briton, is wed against her will to a Viking she's never met before. She grows to care for her new husband, only to find that there is a plot between her husband's son and her sister's husband to steal the ancestral home her father has charged her to save. Now she has to rescue her sister from an abusive relationship and rescue her land. And the knight Jacques le Brun shows up everywhere she goes. Can she trust him to carry out her father's wishes, or does he want her land for himself?
16. A Dream To Share (Irene Hannon, Love Inspired)
Rating: * * *
Genre: Inspirational Romance
Pages: 247
Abby Warner is at the helm of her family's newspaper, the fourth generation, and the paper is going under. Mark Campbell is son and heir to his family's conglomerate, and he is visiting tiny Oak Hill to see if they want to purchase the paper. As Mark watches Abby's devotion to the paper and her determination to do the right thing, it changes him, and he finally comes to realize his own dreams. A bit different.
2/15/08
15. Hidden In The Wall (Valerie Hansen, Love Inspired Suspense)
Rating: * * *
Genre: Inspirational Romance
Pages: 241
Reunion Revelations #1. Stephanie Kessler is carrying on her wealthy family's tradition of supporting Magnolia College as Alumni Director. When she hires her college roommate's brother Trevor Whittaker to remodel her office, they find what appears to be an initial scrawled in blood on the back side of a piece of sheetrock. After that, strange things begin to happen, as somebody appears to be trying to prevent them from building the new library annex. But the digging finally progresses, and Trevor and Stephanie make a horrible discovery... The first book in a series, doesn't end. Still a good read.
2/12/08
14. Deadly Texas Rose (Lenora Worth, Love Inspired Suspense)
Rating: * * *
Genre: Inspirational Romance
Pages: 238
Julia Daniels moves to a small town to get her daughter away from the trauma of her husband's murder, which the child witnessed. A rather bumbling robber attempts to kidnap Julia at gunpoint in the restaurant where she works. Deputy sheriff Eric Butler takes a bullet in the process. Then things begin happening around Julia's home, and Eric and his partner make it their mission to figure out who is after Julia and her daughter. Keeps you guessing.
2/10/08
13. Guardian of Justice (Carol Steward, Love Inspired Suspense)
Rating: * *
Genre: Inspirational Romance
Pages: 240
In the Line of Fire #1. Social worker Kira Matthews is on a ride-along with police officer Dallas Brooks when they get called in on a domestic dispute. The man tries to attack the cruiser with Kira inside, leaving her with PTSD. Dallas helps her with that, because he has also suffered it. Not much romance or even much of a story. Disappointing.
2/6/08
12. Just Cause (Susan Page Davis, Love Inspired Suspense)
Rating: * * *
Genre: Inspirational Romance
Pages: 246
Laurel Hatcher has been accused of murdering her husband. After spending three years in jail, she has been granted a reprieve by a hung jury. She moves out of state and tries to rebuild her life, but somebody is following her and breaking into her home and leaving threatening messages. Police officer Dan Ryan tries to not only catch the culprit, but also help her prove her innocence.
2/3/08
11. Lady Knight (Tamora Pierce)
Rating: * * * *
Genre: Fantasy
Pages: 431
Book 4 of the Protector of the Small Quartet. During Kel's Ordeal to become a knight, the Chamber of the Ordeal sends her a vision and gives her a charge to destroy the magician who has been creating the killing machines. She longs to set off on her quest, but is ordered to protect a refugee camp before she can leave. Creating and protecting the camp turns out to require her unique skill set, and when the camp is destroyed and her people taken prisoner, Kel ignores all orders and takes off to rescue them, with the help of her friends. In the process, the vision comes to pass and she ends up facing the evil magician.
2/2/08
10. Squire (Tamora Pierce)
Rating: * * * *
Genre: Fantasy
Pages: 409
Book 3 of the Protector of the Small Quartet. Kel is chosen by the legendary Lord Raoul to be his squire. She has her first boyfriend, becomes foster mother to a nasty griffin baby, and leads a group that against the odds destroys one of the enemy's horrific killing machines. Tears and laughter and lots of adventure.

9. Page (Tamora Pierce)
Rating: * * * *
Genre: Fantasy
Pages: 268
Book 2 of the Protector of the Small Quartet. Kel survives her first year and becomes an official page, not a probationer. This covers the four years of her page training, her ongoing friendship with Neal, and her ongoing feud with a couple of the older pages. She acquires a maid servant, Lalasa, who becomes a good friend, and an ugly dog named Jump, who attaches himself to her. After a camping training session turns into a true battle and Kel takes over for her group, Lord Wyldon changes the way pages are trained.
1/22/08
8. First Test (Tamora Pierce)
Rating: * * * *
Genre: Fantasy
Pages: 240
Book 1 of the Protector of the Small Quartet. Girls are finally allowed to become pages, and ten-year-old Keladry of Mindelan has her heart set on becoming a knight. Lord Wyldon, the training master, believes women have no place as knights, and the other pages are inclined to agree. However, they have never met anybody like Kel, who spent her early childhood in a kingdom where court ladies were expected to be able to defend themselves.
1/20/08
7. The Seance (Heather Graham)
Rating: * * * *
Genre: Suspense
Pages: 371
Classic page-turning Heather Graham. Christina Hardy has the "gift" of being able to see ghosts. Jeff Braden is a cop turned writer who wrote a fictionalized version of a serial killer he chased as a cop. Beau Kidd, the cop, was shot by his partner at the scene of the last murder. Since the murders appeared to stop, it was assumed he was the killer. Now the murders have resumed, and the police don't know if they have a copycat murderer or, worse, falsely accused one of their own and the real Interstate Killer is still out there. Summoned by an Ouija board and Christie's abilities, the ghost of Beau Kidd appears to Christie begging for her to help Jed find the real murderer and clear his name. Now she is sharing the huge house she inherited from her grandmother with a Jack Russell terrier named Killer and the ghost of Beau Kidd (to her annoyance). Only Jed doesn't believe in ghosts, and thinks Christie is a bit off her rocker. Meanwhile, women who look just like Christie continue to be murdered. ..
1/16/08
6. Never Too Late (Michael Phillips)
Rating: * *
Genre: Inspirational
Pages: 318
Carolina Cousins #3. This is the story of Josepha, the cook at Rosewood Plantation, where everybody has been living. It tells the back story of her growing up and eventually running away through the Underground Railroad. Eventually she and Henry, Jake's father, fall in love. The series doesn't end, but, if there's more, I'm not going to bother. I've already wasted too much of my reading time on this series.
1/15/08
5. The Soldier's Lady (Michael Phillips)
Rating: * *
Genre: Inspirational
Pages: 346
Carolina Cousins #2. Jake's old buffalo soldier friend Micah shows up and falls in love with Emma, friend to Katie and Mayme and living with them. He is this perfect, sweet, spiritual man that everyone including Katie develops a crush on, and Emma and Jake are both sure he's a much better match for the educated Mayme. A sort-of romance that doesn't work, amid the post-Civil War conflict between the blacks and the whites.
1/13/08
4. A Perilous Proposal (Michael Phillips)
Rating: * * *
Genre: Inspirational
Pages: 347
Carolina Cousins #1. Three stars only because the subject is interesting. First of all, the title is misleading. This is not a romance. In fact, I'm not sure what relevance the title has to anything. Second, if this had been by anybody but a big name writer, it might still have been published, because it is a fascinating subject, but not without a lot of editing. I was very disappointed in the writing.

...Living in the south after the War Between the States was different than before. ...Now coloreds like me no longer had value as slaves. Before 1862, our very slavery, though our curse, had also been our protection. Whites may have looked down on us, and whipped us, even despised us. But not too many hated us. In the white man's eyes, we weren't worth hating. I hadn't liked it. None of us had. But it's how things were.

But the war changed everything.

Once we were free, hatred came to the South. A new kind of hatred. An evil hatred. Slaves had always been beaten. But blacks were now being hung.

And that's the value of the book. Jake is a young black man in the South shortly after the War Between the States. After he kills the man who kills his mother, he runs across country, searching for his father. He finds his father and meets up with the young women of a different series, Katie, a white girl, and Mayme, her black cousin, who kept Katie's family plantation running after her parents were killed.
3. A Soldier's Promise (Cheryl Wyatt, Love Inspired)
Rating: * * *
Genre: Inspirational Romance
Pages: 238
Wings of Refuge #1. Eight-year-old Bradley is battling cancer. His dream is to meet a Special Forces soldier, especially the one he  heard of who came from his town. That would be U.S. Air Force pararescue jumper Joel Montgomery, and Joel has reasons for never wanting to see his hometown again. But, for Bradley's sake, he agrees to make an appearance. Amber Stanton is Bradley's special ed teacher and in the process of trying to adopt him. She never wants to leave her hometown, and the person Joel most wants to avoid is one of her dearest friends. They fall for each other despite their seemingly insurmountable differences. Actually, the story has some laugh-out-loud moments, but it is very touching.
1/8/08
2. Family in His Heart (Gail Gaymer Martin, Love Inspired)
Rating: * *
Genre: Inspirational Romance
Pages: 238
Rona Meyers is running away from her past and gets a job as a waitress at a diner. Resort owner Nick Thornton is looking for a housekeeper and hires her away from the diner. They are immediately attracted, Rona helps Nick connect to his teenage son, Nick helps her face her past, and they all live happily ever after. Ho-hum.
1/5/08
1. Next Door Daddy (Debra Clopton, Love Inspired)
Rating: * * *
Genre: Inspirational Romance
Pages: 238
Pollyanna McDonald and her eight-year-old daredevil son Gil move next door to rancher Nate Talbert. Gil immediately attaches himself to Nate, who takes to him as well. As Nate and Polly interact because of Gil and as neighbors, they become close friends, sharing the loss of their spouses and their efforts to move on. This book is different in that it focuses as much on their past loves and how their deceased spouses still affect every aspect of their lives as it does their budding romance. Very touching.
1/3/08

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