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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