Review on Friend Me by John Fabion

As you take in the cover of Friend me by debut novelist John Faubion you notice the descriptive phrases “Current and Captivating” by one reviewer , as well as the words “A novel of suspense”, both of which I would heartily agree with. This novel definitely clips along at a suspense novel pace and draws you in right away. So if you are inclined towards a fast paced Christian suspense novel with a bit of an edge to it, then I would say give this novel a try.

Husband and wife ,Scott and Rachel Douglas are both in a rough spot, their marriage is on shaky ground as Scott is starting to cave under the immense stress at work. The only solution in his mind is to work harder so that he can be more successful in order to provide for his family. As a result, Rachel begins to feel more and more lonely as those long hours Scott is working is erecting a wall between them. And so as a young mom with 2 small children, she comes up with a solution which fits into her stay at home lifestyle. She signs up for a virtual friend through an up and coming new company called VirtualFriendMe.com. From there she shows Scott her new virtual friend patterned after an old friend of hers who passed away, and from there Scott ends up designing a virtual friend for himself, although his virtual friend is female, which leads to some difficulties which I am sure you can imagine.

With the background of the struggling marriage comes something even more sinister, a woman named Melissa who is very intelligent, but not playing with a full deck. As she has programmed the software to flag when a man who would be her perfect match, shows up, the flag waves for Scott. It’s just a small trifle that he happens to already be married. However, Melissa uses her job at the VirtualFriend Me company to manage to find out all she needs to know about Scott and Rachel and use that knowledge to get what she wants which is Scott and Rachel out of the way. The story unfolds and the suspense begins. 

This story was definitely a page turner and I think that most people reading it will enjoy the current times aspect of it with the inclusion of the Virtual friend concept, that did draw me in. In reading it there were a few word choices that sort of put me off e.g.- describing something as “super secret” vs perhaps “top secret”, etc. I only mention it because when word choices like that happen and it takes me out of the story, then I think it’s odd. The other thing I would like to mention is that there is a pretty tough scene to read towards the end. I just like to forewarn folks as for me as a mom it was hard to read. As far as the themes of the book- the author talks in the question and answer section at the back of the book about the themes of “being real and being faithful“ and wow in our virtual world of Facebook where we can be and project whoever we want to be and have conversations with folks we have never met, I think that it’s a good message, very timely. As far as the ending, I think the author brought things together pretty well, it was maybe on the edge of believability for me and slightly rushed, but I think readers will be satisfied. All in all, I would say a good first novel and I hope the author keeps writing suspense novels. Well done.

3 stars

I was given a complimentary copy of this book through the publisher in exchange for an honest review . All opinions expressed are my own.

Review on Faking Grace by Tamara Leigh

“Desperate times call for Desperate measures” might be the mantra for Maizy Grace Stewart the main character in Tamara Leigh’s novel Faking Grace as she is most definitely desperate. Maizy is an investigative journalist whose lost her prominent job in Seattle and now has fallen to the depths of her journalistic career as she has a part time job with a Nashville newspaper writing lifestyle fluff pieces . A girl can’t pay the rent on a part time salary so here’s where the fun comes in- she finds another part time job that she is applying for where she would be working for Steeple Side Christian Resources- a Christian publication. Here’s the deal- they only hire committed Christians and well Maizy isn’t exactly what you would call committed. And so, to solve her problem, she “brushes up” on Christianity by buying  a copy of “A Dumb Blonde’s guide to Christianity” to make sure she can fake it effectively in order to land the job.  After purchasing a“Jesus is my co-pilot” bumper sticker, and toning down her regular look from edgy to modest, she feels ready to play the part of a “committed Christian”. There’s only one little glitch in her plan- Jack Prentiss- the managing editor who happens to see through Maizy’s little charade (although now she has dropped the Maizy and is going by Grace- a more Christiany  name). Perhaps one of the tip offs  for Jack was Grace “taping” her bumper sticker onto her car for easy removal later. Anyway, Jack, with his cool British accent and suave demeanor is on to her and she knows it. It doesn’t help that he keeps popping up wherever she is and of course the relationship begins.

  And then the conflict- Maizy (Grace) is asked to write an expose on her time at Steepleside by her other employer to show the hypocrisy that takes place there. Maizy is excited, her big shot to return to investigative reporting. But as she gets to know the people at Steepleside and sees both their strengths and their weaknesses she’s not so sure about this whole investigation thing. Will she really be able to stay “Faking Grace” or will she need to extend some and receive some as well?

In reading Faking Grace there are many hysterical moments as Maizy is trying to fake her way through the Christian world- trying to learn the lingo, talk the talk, and even attend church. As she goes along and sees authentic people with authentic faith she is definitely drawn in to real faith in God and of course, it is life changing. A very poignant scene was when she was volunteering in a soup kitchen and helping to feed the people coming in and she was so touched by a woman who had nothing and yet could still thank God for his provision for her. That really affected Grace and will affect the reader as well.  This was a great contemporary fiction novel with humor, poignancy, and imperfect people meeting their perfect God. Very enjoyable read!

4 stars

I was given a free copy of Faking Grace by the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.

Review on Rebellious Heart by Jody Hedlund

All I can say is that it was a good thing that I read Rebellious Heart by Jody Hedlund while I was on vacation sitting by pool because it afforded me time to keep my pages turning with little interruption. In usual “Jody Hedlund style” we are given a wonderful Historical Fiction novel inspired by the courtship of John (2nd president)and Abigail Adams. She creates two characters that mirror a lot of the same situations that John and Abigail faced- parental disapproval, the Colonial time frame, etc. As always with Jody Hedlund books we get strong characters, an interesting storyline as well as some pretty exciting moments along the way.

Susanna Smith is a smart and well bred young woman whose been raised to understand that she need to make a profitable connection when it comes to marriage. And so when she first meets Benjamin Ross as a young girl she informs him that he is a “nobody, a Farmer and a shoemaker’s son and she would never marry anyone that is from the middling class, her mother wouldn’t allow it.” Thus sets the stage for Benjamin Ross ,years later, a poor country lawyer when he meets up with Susanna again. HIs thoughts of her are that she is still a snobby rich girl thinking herself above everyone. But as Benjamin gets to know Susanna a bit better by happening upon her at a party, he finds her socked away in a room “reading Milton”. He slowly comes to see that Susanna has grown up a bit since he’s seen her last and not only is she a beautiful woman, but she’s smart and kind as well, with a bit of gumption thrown in . Susanna’s heart is huge and she ends up getting involved in helping a runaway indentured servant escape a very cruel master. There is much danger involved with this situation as of course it is illegal to harbor an indentured servant. Susanna gets in a bit over her head and Ben comes to her rescue more than once. As he helps her escape one bad situation after another their relationship as well as their understanding and respect for each other just continues to grow. 

I have to say that I really enjoyed this book. It was nice to read a book in this time frame, just pre-revolutionary war as I haven't read many historical fiction that have been written during that time. The characters were interesting and compelling and when I realized, after I finished the book, that it was loosely based on the courtship of the real couple - John and Abigail Adams -that made it even more captivating for me. I think that those that enjoy a great and well researched historical christian novel with engaging characters, some twists and turns and a stand up and cheer ending, will definitely enjoy this one, please pick up Rebellious Heart- great read!

5 stars

I was given a free copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.

Review on Stealing the Preacher by Karen Witemeyer

I would think that the last thing in the world that you would for-see happening when you feel a calling from God to be a preacher is to get highjacked off of a train because you are a preacher, but that is exactly what happens to Crockett Archer in the opening of the novel Stealing the Preacher, the latest novel in the Archer Brother’s series by Karen Witemeyer. Sweet , yet Spunky Joanna Robbins has been praying for a preacher for her small hometown in Burleson County Texas  for a long time, ever since the death of her dear mother who raised who her to love and worship God. However the church has long been abandoned and Joanna longs for the church to have a wonderful preacher which will help bring the word of God to her community and especially to her father whose heart is completely hardened to anything at all to do with God. However his heart is not hardened to his daughter, not by a long shot, so that is how poor Crockett gets hijacked on the way to his job interview to be a preacher in Brenham, because a Father’s love is all about getting what his daughter most wants, which is a preacher!

For those of us that fell in love with the Archer brothers in Karen Witemeyer’s Short Straw Bride, I just can’t imagine readers not enjoying reading Crockett’s story here as he meets the spunky and fun Joanna. She is a woman with a mission and so is he- although his changes a bit from what he thought. But being a man of faith, he accepts that while he thought that God wanted him in Brenham- God had a different plan, to help get the church up and running again in the little chapel where Joanna had prayed for a preacher to come!  In order to get thing up and running Crockett needs to find work for a bit so that he can pay for his expenses. The main work to be had was at Joanna’s father’s ranch. Her father (and ex-outlaw) isn’t so sure about a preacher working for him- not man enough, etc. But Crockett is no regular preacher, he knows his way around a ranch and how to work hard and he’s not a bad shot either which earns the respect of the townfolk.

As the story progresses Crockett earns the right to be heard as the preacher and captures more than a few hearts of the female persuasion which adds to the conflict in the story with the very headstrong and persistent character of Holly Brewster who stirs up all sorts of trouble for poor Crockett. But hang in there, as things come together all right in the end.

This was a nice follow up sequel to a Short Straw Bride and in the usual Karen Witemeyer way things end just as you would want them too.

4 stars

I was given a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.  All opinions expressed are my own.

Review on Made to last by Melissa Tagg

Have you ever gotten yourself into such a pickle that you just have no way of figuring out how to get out of it?  I would say that is the general feeling of Miranda Woodruff, the heroine of the debut author Melissa Tagg’s book Made to last.  But it’s not just Miranda who feels that way, I would venture to say the male lead Matthew Knox feels the exact same way. And so how do two people that find themselves in a pickle  with insurmountable obstacles come together? Well it isn’t easy, that’s for sure. We have Miranda Woodruff who is the star of a homebuilding television show called From the Ground up, who has been pretending to be a happily married woman and quoting on her show all the tips and tricks her dream husband has passed onto her regarding home building projects. But here’s the problem, the shows ratings are sinking and the show is in danger of being pulled and so, a pretend husband is introduced to the public. And where does Matthew Knox fit it? Well he is a down and out reporter looking to make a comeback in his career and has been assigned the job of digging up dirt on Miranda Woodruff- America’s favorite tomboy. The problem? He’s a good reporter and actually does discover all of her little secrets. And so how can he possibly print all that he knows when he is falling for her...

   This is one of those books where you are reading the storyline, fall in love with the characters and are rooting for them to get out of their messes, get over their insecurities and mis-understandings and just figure it out already!  I can’t help but hear those sage words of wisdom in my head- “ Patience, Grasshopper! “ I did enjoy the fact that  there are a lot of subplots going on here which really made sense to me with regards to the decisions the characters were making. For instance, the basic identity question- who am I? We all have to answer that and if a vocation was taken away or if you fail big at something where does that leave you- are you completely defined by your mistakes? Do you end up lost or do you trust that God has a plan in all of it, even if a dream changes to something different than what you thought. Could the new dream be even better? Lot’s of interesting thought to ponder.

  This was a great contemporary novel and wonderful first run for Melissa Tagg, I think that she will definitely have a nice niche in this genre. I found her character’s engaging, real ,and very relatable and a storyline that played out well in the end. 

4 stars

I was given a complimentary copy of this book through the publisher in exchange for an honest review.  All opinions expressed are my own.

Review on A Noble Groom by Jody Hedlund

There are certain themes in writing that I am just always drawn to again and again. It’s familiar and yet interesting and the author brings their own spin to  the situation. In  A Noble Groom by Jody Hedlund our familiar themes are  “the fish out of water” theme, (which I always happen to love) as well as the ill treated damsel in distress (perhaps a little Cinderella here). When you combine the two- you have Carl Richards (fish out of water) meeting up with  new widow and mother Annalisa (Cinderella) and the two together give you a great story filled with humor, poignancy, much growth and self-discovery for both characters and of course a bit of romance (Cinderella, remember?) thrown in for good measure.

    I have to say that Carl is just a generally lovable character. He isn’t quite who he seems to be, but shows up at just the right time to help poor widow Annalisa Werner to help her work her farm in Forestville, MIchigan to pay off her land debt or she will quite literally “lose the farm”. Carl is running from a complicated situation from his home country of Germany and seeks sanctuary from the troubles at home, as well as a job.  It turns out that he is the worst farmer in the history of the world, little strength, no know-how and unaccustomed to long work hours, but he somehow manages to hang in there and learn how to help on the farm and in turn help out Annalisa.  She is a new widow whose now deceased husband wasn’t the best guy around and so she is unused to being around a man such as Carl. Carl is thoughtful and kind  and cares about her welfare as well as her thoughts and opinions on things.  The tough situation here is that Annalisa needs a new husband  to run the farm and one has been arranged for her, by her father through relatives in her homeland of Germany, but this likely groom has been detained, indefinitely.  And so while she waits for his arrival, she can’t help but draw closer to Carl. as she watches him tend to things on the farm, laugh at himself when he constantly makes mistakes and lovingly watch out for her daughter Gretchen. I mean what woman wouldn’t fall for him?   But the dark cloud hanging over them was that any day “the groom” would be showing up sending Carl on his way.

  I have to say this was “that book”  for me where I found myself in every last free moment running to, so that I could finish it. The characters were characters that you cared about and really were wishing the best for.  Jody Hedlund did a wonderful job in slowly opening up the character of Annalisa as she was a bit  closed off and downtrodden at the beginning of the story with her financial difficulties and being under her father’s thumb, etc. But as the character of Carl works his magic with his kind ways and loving nature she truly becomes stronger and more open and loving. It was really neat to see that progression.  Carl exemplified that person that we all should be- someone who is able to laugh at themselves when they make mistakes, someone who looks out for the interests of others and someone who learned about what it was truly like to walk a mile in someone else’s shoes. He gained understanding and a deeper faith in God through his experiences on the farm.

  I really recommend this books for those who love a great historical fiction Christian romance. You will love the characters, how they grow from the hardships they face and how they trust God through all of it.  I hope to see this book make many awards lists in the future! Great read!

I was graciously given a copy of this book by Bethany House publishers in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed ar my own.

   

  

Review on Once Upon a Prince by Rachel Hauck

A Handsome modern day prince about to become King,  amazing travels abroad, beautiful ball dresses, a chance meeting that leads to something more. Wow, all of these ingredients add up to a recipe that readers love when it comes to contemporary Christian romance novels. Honestly, these are all the things that I  love when it comes to “Once upon a time”  stories. And I really liked this story and the characters, but I have to say that I felt that maybe an ingredient or two might have been left out of this one.

  As this novel opens our sweet heroine Susanna, a beautiful landscape architect, is getting dumped by her long time fiance’ on a scenic walk along the beach.  All of her plans came crashing in around her as she thought that this stroll  was the one to ‘“set the date”  for her happily ever after. However, it turned more into-” See ya, I’ve met someone else. kind of stroll”  This sends poor highly structured and infinite planner Susanna into a tailspin.  And so tailspinning Susanna then meets up with playboy prince, “not -excited- to-be-King-someday Nathaniel as our damsel in distress has a flat tire.  And the gallantry begins.  He is a fish out of water in her world, even helping out at her family’s restaurant as they were short handed and a mop thrown in his hand. And she ventures to his neck of the woods too, where she needs to observe all the royal etiquette correctly and makes an occasional “Eliza Doolittle “ move by standing when she should be seated, etc.

  I have to say that I absolutely adore a storyline where royalty falls for the girl next door, I mean who doesn’t?  I just felt that this relationship didn’t form that deeply for me. It just felt a little rushed and I had a hard time seeing how with so little interaction that they could be so connected so quickly. Perhaps I just needed to suspend disbelief as it is a bit of a modern fairytale. As mentioned previously, it just felt like something was missing.  I will have to say that it was a charming read and like I said had many things that I did enjoy.  The ending is sweet and very romantic and I know that many readers will love it!  I am a fan of Rachel Hauck’s writing and know that I will continue to read her in the future.

  

3 Stars

I received a complimentary digital copy of this book for review purposes. All opinions expressed are honest and my own.