Tidewater Inn: A Review

Growing up, Libby believed her father had died when she was five. A restorer of historical buildings, Libby and her best friend Nicole go to check out the inn her father, who died recently, left her much to the surprise of her new found brother and sister. While there, Nicole is kidnapped while Libby watches online helpless. Libby becomes the prime suspect in her friend's disappearance.

Colleen Coble is a master of writing romantic suspense novels that focus on character development . While this book was good, it's not memorable. I liked the characters, but they don't stand out. My favorite character was Alec, Libby's love interest who has taken in his nephew. He is strong and resilient, two traits every book's hero should have.

While the premise of the book holds promise, much of the plot was the same thing over and over. Looking for Nicole. Arguing with her brother and sister. I think the plot would have benefited from one or two more things happening because the plot is interesting and has some twists and turns that caught me by surprised. I just was kinda bored between twists.

Although it's definitely not Coble's best, it's a nice rainy day read. Fans of Christian suspense will enjoy this book.

I received this book in exchange for my review. My thoughts and opinions are my own.

Death of a Kleptomaniac

This is one of the most intriguing books I've read in a long time, and I'm not sure how to describe it other than this: it's a coming of age story that takes place after death. Molly is a popular girl who struggles with the "typical" teenage drama: boys, friends, and the urge to steal. When she dies in a freak accident, Molly has to confront what caused her to steal and somehow provide comfort to her family before she can fully cross over.

Molly is an interesting character. I've never read anything by Kristen Tracy, but I love how she wrote the characters. Each one is well-developed and somehow can't be put into a box in terms of describing them. The only thing that detracted from Molly being fully developed was I didn't ever really understand why she took things. Not understanding her motive annoyed me while reading.

I found Tracy's description of a soul's emotions after death. Molly has to go through the stages of grief along with her parents, and despite a few loose threads (what decisions did Molly make in life that would give her a chance to her last words?), the plot runs quickly and makes this a book a quick but thought provoking read.

What is perhaps the best part of the book is the possibility of a new beginning after death.

High school readers who enjoy a little bit of fantasy will enjoy this book, and I will definitely put Kristen Tracy on my list of authors to read.

I received this book in exchange for my review. My thoughts are my own.

Queen of the Waves: A Review

In a twist of the classic “rich girl falls for the poor boy” tale, Jacqueline asks farm girl Tessa to take her place on the Titanic so that she can elope with the gardener, who happens to be Tessa’s brother. Desperate to escape her abusive father, Tessa agrees, and after a crash course in how to behave like a lady, she boards the ship in pursuit of a better life. When the ship sinks, both women will never be the same.

A longtime fan of Titanic stories, I was eager to read this book and was not disappointed. I found the characters to be engaging and even the side characters were well-developed.  I loved Tessa, the spunky girl who wrestled with pigs and now had to wrestle to get into fancy dresses. The character I wish had more of a storyline is Roland, the man Jacqueline is told to marry, which sparks the identify exchange. Instead of writing him as a mean man Jacqueline must escape, he is a true gentleman and deserving of his own story one day. (Hint, Hint, Jacqueline.)

Because everyone knows what happens with the ship and so many books (both fiction and nonfiction) have been written surrounding the tragedy, it’s hard for readers to find a fresh take on the event. However, Thompson does this beautifully. The well-researched event is written vividly, giving us readers a sense of eagerness, panic, grief, and finally hope that passengers must have felt.

Fans of Christian historical fiction will enjoy this book as well as fans of fiction surrounding the infamous Titanic.

I was given this book in exchange for my review. My thoughts are my own.

Giveaway!

Today, I'm giving away a copy of Queen of the Waves. I just finished it yesterday and really enjoyed it. I plan to post my review this week.
To enter to win, leave me a comment telling me about how you are the queen of something. When I taught middle school language arts, I was the Grammar Queen. I LOVE grammar. Now that I've been out of the classroom a few years, I already feel like I lost some of my skills. During the week, I pull three groups of dyslexia students, and soon I hope to be the coding queen. I love it.

Leave a second comment, letting me know you follow the blog, to get a second entry. Be sure to leave your email address in one of the comments. I'll pick a winner next week. I can only ship to the US.

Have a great week!

Giveaway!

Congrats to Dawn for winning The Widow of Saunders Creek.
This week, I'm giving away Borders of the Heart, which I thought was fantastic.
To enter to win, leave a comment about a trip you've taken where you crossed the border of a state or country.
Leave a second comment if you follow the blog to get a second entry.

I can only ship to the US. I'll pick a winner next week.

Borders of the Heart: A Review

Fleeing Nashville and his songwriting career behind, J.D. Jessup just wants to escape the haunting memories of his beloved wife. Moving to Tucson to work on a farm seems to be the answer until he comes upon Maria, who lies in the desert beaten and alone. Unable to save his wife, J.D. is compelled to save Maria from those who want her dead. Will he find his own salvation while trying to rescue Maria?

Living in a southern state, I often hear about the illegal immigration issue, the drug trafficking from Mexican drug lords, and the plight of those coming to America in search for a better life. I see both sides of the issues and am always curious how authors will handle the controversial topic. Fabry does an excellent job balancing the two sides by creating characters readers will love or love to hate. My favorite character is the pastor who marches past the drug cartels to deliver food, clothes, and hope.

The plot is action packed from the first chapter and continues a fast and furious ride until the last chapter. It’s been a while since I’ve read a book that sustains a high intensity throughout 300 plus pages that seem to be a collection of events that could be in today’s newspapers. The authenticity of the plot made it more impactful and a bit of a wake-up call to what’s going on in the world.

Borders of the Heart was the first book I’ve read by Chris Fabry, but I will definitely check out his other roller coaster tales.

 

I was given this book in exchange for my review. My thoughts and opinions are my own.

Check out the trailer for the book:
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watch on tyndale.com

Giveaway!

Congrats to Amada for winning The Bride Wore Blue.
Today I am giving away The Widow of Saunders Creek, which I thought was excellent.
To enter to win, leave a comment about something. I can't think of a topic. My brain is tired. :)

I can only ship to the US. I'll pick a winner next Tuesday.

 

Prize of My Heart: A Review

While he was at sea three years ago, Captain Brogan Talvis' late wife gave away his son to another family to raise as their own. For three years, Brogan has plotted to get his son Benjamin back by any means necessary. When he finally finds his son, he's surprised by his attraction to Lorena, the woman Benjamin (now called Drew) knows as his sister and primary caregiver. In his efforts to win back his son, will he lose his chance at love?

I can sum up this book in one phrase: great plot idea but poor execution. The plot was intriguing with both characters hiding secrets, some action, and a final twist, but the telling instead of showing writing  kept the story, particularly the characters, from fulling developing. The characters dealt with major issues that today would require some therapy, but they were easily resolved in two paragraphs at the end. Lorena, who is the leading lady, is more of a prop and kinda just there. Because I'm a character-driven reader, this frustrated me.

What saves the book is the solid plot and the theme of strength of a family bond. I was surprised by the final twist that balanced out the predictable romantic ending between underdeveloped characters.

Some fans of Christian fiction will enjoying this fans, but I think there are better written options out there.

I received this book in exchange for my review. My thoughts are my own.
 

Trash into Bookmarks

I got this idea from a fellow librarian, Anna at Atascocita Springs Elementary in Humble, TX. It has been awesome at our school in just two weeks.

First, take old boxes of household items.

 

Turn them into bookmarks!

 

 

It's great for several reasons. First, it reinforces recycling. Sure, we do a great job of putting our paper in the recycle bin, but what about taking recycled materials and making something new you can still use. Second, the kids love picking out a bookmark. Third, it saves the library/school money and paper to buy or to make bookmarks.

 

The only negative is that I have about 100 boxes in my library workroom waiting to be cut.

 

The Bride Wore Blue: A Review

Trying to forget the sins of her past, Vivian moves to Cripple Creek to join her three sisters. Determined to succeed as a fashion designer, Vivian will take any job to make her way...even a job that will hurt her reputation beyond repair. Will the past pull her back in, or will Vivian finally find relief from her guilt?

Vivian may be my favorite sister. I liked her determination and the storyline of her guilt over her past. When Vivian witnesses a crime that the local law enforcement is desperate to solve, she becomes involved in character descriptions, witness statements, and even a kidnapping. What she hadn't expected was the sparks she felt for Carter, the Sheriff who is afraid of having a family with his dangerous career. Their relationship is predictable but enjoyable.

The best part of the book was the question of how far will people go to survive. Many people say they won't do certain things, but when you have tried every other option, what will you do? Will you compromise your values to eat and to have a place to live? Although this was a minor part of the story, it is the part that left me wondering about the situations people have endured to lead them to the bad choices they make.

Fans of Christian fiction will enjoy this book. I recommend reading the series in order, but this book can be read as a stand alone.

I received this book in exchange for my review.