Review on Hidden Affections

Hidden Affections by Delia Parr

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


“Annabelle Tyler may have hoped she would marry again someday, but she never dreamed she would be wearing handcuffs during the ceremony when she did.” Ah I love a good opening line to a novel and I would say that Delia Parr’s Hidden Affections delivers that attention grabber opening line pretty well. I also might add that the cover is quite lovely as the model looks a lot like Kate Hudson! Anyway, on to the book- Annabelle Tyler and Harrison Graymoor find themselves in a bit of a pickle. Because of a rather awkward situation and because proper society demanded it-the time is 1831- they are forced to marry. Since neither one is interested in marriage particularly to each other, most of the novel is figuring out how to “undo” the marriage.
Annabelle is looking to start over and 36 hours after leaving Hanover Pennsylvania, her starting over hasn’t been the fresh start she was hoping for. She meets Harrison Graymoor- a man whose reputation especially with the ladies, precedes him. What is not expected by either one is that they start discovering that the other is not as bad as they originally thought. Throw in a secret or two for both of them , a rival suitor and you have a rather nice romantic story. Harrison has a pretty rogue-ish reputation and I might have made his character just a tad more likeable and the built the romantic part between he and Annabelle just a tad more because when the end came, I felt they all of a sudden came together.
However all in all, it is a sweet romance with a fun opening scene for sure and I think the majority of Christian fiction romance aficionados will enjoy this book.

Disclosure- A free copy of this book was graciously provided for me by the publisher- Bethany House in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed are mine.




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Review on The Ambition by Lee Strobel

The Ambition: A Novel by Lee Strobel

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


A crooked judge, cynical newspaper reporter, and a big time pastor turning political candidate are just a few of the characters that you will find in Lee Strobel’s debut fiction suspense novel The Ambition: A Novel. The characters are woven into a fascinating story where the mob plays into the judicial corruption of a case. With a pay off to a certain judge the system was able to be manipulated so that cases could be steered toward a certain judge who would get them off. Also woven in to the storyline, is Eric Snow; a well off mega-church pastor who is feeling the draw of the political arena and truly believes he can use his influence for good in a Senatorial position opening up due to the current senator’s scandal and Eric Snow is one of the possible candidates to take over. The other possible candidate is Chief Judge Reese McKelvie also vying for that senatorial position. Yes, you quickly see the character’s “ambitions” all over the place. Some motives are pure others corrupt and the story just takes off from there,
The Garry Strider character which is a Chicago new reporter looking to dig up any possible dirt that he can on Pastor Eric Snow gives the perfect cynical character particularly with regards to anything to do with God. Not having much use for God himself, Strobel paints a great picture of the path of cynicism and disbelief in God to a door cracking open just a little bit as the character faces different challenges. For instance he witnesses with his own eyes a true healing and miracle and faces challenges with his girlfriend Gina who is a new Christian. I like it that Garry is taking his time in really figuring out what he believes. One can’t help but feel that this character is close to the author’s own life experience, if you’ve followed Lee Strobel’s non-fiction work The Case for Christ. With that being said, this character in particular, rings very true to me.
The last fourth of the book is very exciting and moves very quickly. I would have to say that the end feels a little rushed but I was able to overlook it because it was clear to me that a sequel is to be written, so we will find out more about how these characters fair. My thoughts are that as a first run novel the story kept my attention and I felt the characters were interesting. There were a lot of characters to keep track of, but with all the people groups that the author melded together- judicial, political, mega-church, journalistic and also “the mob”, it was necessary. In the final analysis I always ask myself- do I like these characters and do I care about what happens to them in the future which helps me gage the effectiveness of the story. The answer is yes, I did and I look forward to Lee Strobel’s fiction offerings in the future.

Disclosure- A free Digital review copy of The Ambition by Lee Strobel was graciously provided for me by the publisher in exchange for a fair and honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.




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Review on Fairer than Morning by Rosslyn Elliot

Fairer than Morning by Rosslyn Elliott

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


When you have suffered great loss in your life, it is believed that you have a heightened sense of compassion to others around you going through great suffering themselves, and you are drawn to them to help somehow. Both of the main characters in Rosslyn Elliott's novel Fairer than Morning have been through much suffering in their lives. Ann Miller is the daughter of a master Saddler who lost his wife and Ann’s mother in childbirth when Ann was just a girl. Ann then needed to step up and be both sister and mother to her two younger sisters. This proves to be a central point in the novel as she wrestles with continuing in this role to her sisters versus moving forward with her romantic life and the turmoil inside of her as to which life to choose. Will Hanby is a young man whose young life has endured much suffering as well. When Will was just a boy himself, he lost both parents to consumption and he and his brother were sent to different farms to be kept from infection. The story picks up as Will is literally signing his life away to a 5 year term as basically an indentured servant where he will be an “apprentice” to his Master Jacob Good. Unfortunately his last name is a misnomer as Master Jacob Good is the furthest thing from a Good master as possible. I did find myself, at the height of Will’s abuse by his master, in tears as I was reading (which unfortunately was a bit inconvenient because I was in a public place when I was reading that part!)

These two character’s don’t immediately cross paths in the story, but eventually their paths do meet and Ann finds herself drawn to him with feelings of immense compassion as she sees how Will is so mistreated by his master. There are quite a few obstacles for these two on their journey- lies told, poor choices made, and throw in a few more interested suitors for Ann, just to keep you guessing whether they will wind up together or not. I’ll let you read the book to find out.



I found it very interesting to find that this was truly a “historical fiction” book as the names used were mostly all real people and many of the situations described were based on public record. I found that I really did care about the characters and the journey that Rosslyn Elliot took them on. There were a number of truly heartbreaking scenes particularly involving one married couple who were slaves trying to escape barbaric conditions by tyrant slave-owners. The author did a good job at helping you to connect with the characters and their various struggles along the way. I did however feel that some of the writing was a bit choppy, as it felt to me a few times like a chapter would just end in the middle of a conversation and boom you were on to a different setting. That made me turn the pages back to see what I missed and I hadn’t missed anything. Anyway, other than that detail, I did enjoy the story and the characters and will look for this author in the future.



Rating- 3.5 stars



Disclosure: Note this book was graciously provided for me by the publishing company in exchange for a fair and honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.



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Review on The Daughter's Walk by Jane Kirkpatrick

The Daughter's Walk: A Novel by Jane Kirkpatrick

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

“We are going to walk to New York City, Clara, you and I”- not exactly the words that you would expect to come out of your own mother’s mouth. And did I mention this walk was to originate in Spokane, Washington and that the time was 1896? Two women unaccompanied by a man and out to “save the farm” literally in an effort to earn ten thousand dollars provided by sponsors of the walk to pay off their mortgage on their farm. Not your everyday undertaking I must say, but then neither is this book. Jane Kirkpatrick’ offering of The Daughter's Walk: A Novel is truly historical fiction at its finest, as this book is based on a true story. The tremendous amount of research helped to make this story truly come alive and to ring very true to the reader.

Clara Etsby starts off on what proves to be an incredible journey with her mother Helga to walk across the county wearing the new reform dress- a garment meant to symbolize “freedom for busy, active sturdy women” and to show that women did indeed possess endurance. A walking advertisement if you will to promote Women’s suffrage. Along the way they meet much adversity and I don’t want to give away anything there, but as a result of these two taking the walk, and much tragedy at home, there is a “family schism” that last for years. The story continues to follow Clara’s story and her life “after the walk”- the people she meets, challenges she faces and her growth as she reaches for reconciliation with her family. The characters are very real and the depth in their development is definitely there.

I must say that it is apparent to me that Jane Kirkpatrick put much time, energy and imagination into this story of Clara Etsby and later Clara Dore’. She obviously did her homework as it comes through in flying colors in the story. Might I suggest that the reader takes the time to read the Author’s notes and acknowledgements at the end of the book? It is truly fascinating to follow her research trail and see how she pieced this story together based on interviews with relatives, historical documents and experts on the time. I must admit a small bias as the story largely takes place in the Spokane area- I’m very familiar with this area being from Washington State so I really personally enjoyed all the geographical references. If you like a good historical novel with very real characters, I highly encourage you to pick up this book.

This Book was provided by Waterbrook Press through the "Blogging for Books" program in exchange for an unbiased review. The opinions expressed were my own.






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Review on The Lightkeeper's Ball by Colleen Cobble

The Lightkeeper's Ball by Colleen Coble

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


A little bit of romance, plus a little bit of intrigue, with a little history mixed in, gives you The Lightkeeper's Ball by Colleen Coble. Lovely Olivia Stewart, New York socialite, finds that her sister Eleanor who moved to California to marry her Father's business partner's son is now dead. Determined to get to the bottom of this mystery and find out what caused her death, Olivia heads west to see who is responsible. With her first suspect being Harrison Bennett, her sister's fiance, she arrives in Mercy Falls, CA using her formal name of "Lady Devonworth" so that she might try to ascertain who killed her sister without others knowing her true identity. But as she gets to know Harrison Bennett better,she soon realizes that he is probably not the one who killed her sister and she also realizes that her feelings for him are going beyond what she expected. Harrison finds himself kept rather busy rescuing Olivia time after time as she face several perilous situations. Could the same person who killed her sister be after her as well? Things get even more complicated as family secrets emerge from both sides. This adds to the intrigue as there are several characters that are not who they seem to be.



Colleen Coble did a good job in showing the progression of the journey that Olivia takes in the book. She has been raised to be concerned with primarily outside appearances, both physical and social standing. As the character of Olivia grows you find her exploring the fact that she is so much more than that. Harrison takes a journey of his own, which is quite similar actually. He finds himself being crushed under the "go into the family business" expectations that often fall on the shoulders of the son of the family. Both have expectations on them given by their parents that they need to figure out with regards to their decisions for their respective futures.



This mystery/romance was an enjoyable and quick read. As in many stories this one hits on the "honesty is the best policy" theme as without it trust is eroded in a relatsionship. There are a few times in this story where things start to unravel because of this, but in the end truth and forgiveness win out.



So for those that enjoy romance, intrigue, and oh let's throw a masquerade ball in for good measure, I think it's a safe bet to say that you will enjoy this book.



This book was graciously provided for me by Thomas Nelson throught the Netgalley program. The opinions represented in this review are my own.



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Review on The Priest's Graveyard by Ted Dekker

The Priest's Graveyard by Ted Dekker

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


To be honest, It's probably not really a wise thing for me to write this review, because I am unequivocably a "Dekkie"- translation- huge Ted Dekker fan right here. Ted is an author that never seems to tire of taking risks in his writing and I never tire of reading his books. "The Priest's Graveyard" is no exception. From page one I entered into "Ted Dekker land" a wonderful place where I become completely riveted to his story and don't want to quit reading until it is through.



This is a tale full of heartbreak, grief, and intense love. Danny Hansen is a man who has lived through horrific events at the hands of the Orthodox Christians in Bosnia. Leaving his past behind, he comes to America for a fresh start and at that time becomes a priest. With that fresh start our priest finds it necessary to mete out justice to the truly vile creatures of the world who have escaped true justice and Danny makes sure they received some of his own. He is a vigilante of sorts who proclaims judgment on those members of society that need it. Enter Renee Gilmore- a young beautiful girl with a past of her own- a former drug addict and down on her luck sort of girl. She finds her path crosses with Danny because they are both tracking the same man. Renee seeks to destroy this man because she believes he killed her former husband and Danny also seeks him because he believes him to be a vile member of society who needs justice to be served. They team up, and the story just heats up from there.



In true Ted Dekker fashion- there is a twist (or two) and at times your holding onto your seat for dear life. It is amazing how completely enthralled one becomes with these characters. Judgement, moral reasoning and ultimately how love and grace factor into all of it are all brought together in an amazing way. I raced through this book quickly as I really needed to know how it turned out. Yes there are some edgy parts to this book for sure, so be prepared, but it was really a wonderful read. Compelling, riveting and as always throught provoking. Once again Ted- Bravo!(less)





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Review on "Nick of Time" by Tim Downs

Nick of Time by Tim Downs

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


Tim Downs book Nick of Time is another installment in the “Bugman series” following Virginia based Nick Polchak, forensic entomologist on yet another case. Unfortunately for him, it’s at a pretty bad time in his life as he’s about to get married…on Saturday. Most brides aren’t too keen about their grooms being gone right before the big “I do”. So when Nick tells his fiancé and dog trainer Alena Savard that he is leaving the Monday before their wedding to head to Philadelphia for a Vidocq society meeting- a group of highly specialized forensic specialists who handle cold cases- she’s not real thrilled about it. As always when he gets to Philadelphia more is waiting for him than he anticipated and he is caught off guard by the case that is before him that keeps sucking him in farther and farther. With his singular focus, he is completely entrenched in this case and the question is- will he get back to Alena in time?

This is my first book in the Bug man series. I wanted to get that out there because I think those that have read all the books might have a different perspective. I thought the opening chapter with the” fish out of water” feeling for Nick in a Bridal boutique was perfectly written – hilarious, quick pace, doesn’t get better than that. As I continued on with the book, the storyline was good, great little twist in there towards the end that I didn’t see coming, a variety of interesting characters. The tough part for me was that Nick and Alena are so very sarcastic and caustic to practically everyone they meet, it’s tough to get excited about their upcoming nuptials. I was left with the feeling of- how can these two possibly make it? It was difficult for me to really like their characters. There was a little bit of redemption towards the end, but not a lot. The spiritual message was very subtle, which is fine I guess, not every book needs to preach the gospel that is of the Christian genre. On the whole I thought it was a good book and I think I would benefit by reading Tim Downs other books on the “bug man” in fairness to get more of the back story on Alena and Nick.

Discolsure- I was graciously given a preview copy of this book through the Booksneeze program. The opinions expressed are my own.

Nick of Time



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