Books, Movies, and Chinese Food

Hide your face so the world will never find you Catherine Newbury is forced to leave England in wake of a scandal of which her father is caught in the middle. She flees to America where she creates a new name for herself as a fashion designer. Everyone in Philadelphia wants to be wearing her designs including the family of Carter Danby. The two met years ago in England but a chance reunion brings them together again in America. Catherine tries to hide her identity while Carter can't figure out why this young designer keeps triggering his memory. This was another enjoyable entry in this series. The writing in this story is top notch and keeps you wanting more. Peterson keeps her trademark writing with an enjoyable heroine and a storyline that you can't put down. I enjoyed reading about the fashion of the time period. It was very interesting to read about the lives of the fashion industry of that time period. I liked learning about what had to go on to design and create

This week, the Christian Fiction Blog Alliance is introducing A Passion Most Pure (Revell January 1, 2008) by Julie Lessman ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Julie Lessman is a debut author who has already garnered writing acclaim, including ten Romance Writers of America awards. She is a commercial writer for Maritz Travel, a published poet and a Golden Heart Finalist. Julie has a heart to write “Mainstream Inspirational,” reaching the 21st-century woman with compelling love stories laced with God’s precepts. She resides in Missouri with her husband and their golden retriever, and has two grown children and a daughter-in-law. A Passion Most Pure is her first novel. ABOUT THE BOOK She's found the love of her life. Unfortunately, he loves her sister ... As World War I rages across the Atlantic in 1916, a smaller war is brewing in Boston. Faith O’Connor finds herself drawn to an Irish rogue who is anything but right for her. Collin McGuire is brash, cocky, and from the wrong side of the tracks, not

There are 2 books up for grabs this week! I'm giving away a brand new copy of today's book. I'm also giving away the first book in the series Reluctant Burglar (autographed by the author!) Leave a comment stating 1) which book you want to be entered for and 2) your email address so I can contact you if you win. I'll pick 2 names and announce the winners on Tuesday, February 5. Good luck! Looting of archaeological sites is big business in a thriving art and antiquities black market. When a desperate foreign government hires Desiree Jacobs’s security company to stop the hemorrhage, she runs afoul of a deadly art-for-drugs operation. Tony Lucano risks his rising career in the FBI to dive into the international underworld after her. Before either of them can come up for air, they must navigate through a deepening murk of ruthless looters, hair-trigger DEA agents, crooked government agents, and innocent bystanders caught up in an illegal trade beyond their understanding.

This week, the Christian Fiction Blog Alliance is introducing Awaken My Heart Avon Inspire (February 5, 2008) by DiAnn Mills ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Award-winning author, DiAnn Mills, launched her career in 1998 with the publication of her first book. She is the author of numerous titles including novels, novellas, and a nonfiction. In addition, she's written several short stories, articles, devotions, and has contributed to several nonfiction compilations. DiAnn believes her readers should "Expect an Adventure." Her desire is to show characters solving real problems of today from a Christian perspective through a compelling story. Several of her anthologies have appeared on the CBA Best Seller List. Three of her books have won the distinction of Best Historical of the Year by Heartsong Presents, and she remains a favorite author by Heartsong Present's readers. Two of her books have won short historical of the year by American Christian Fiction Writers both in 2003 and 2004

These women need a V8! The feisty foursome of pastors' wives are back! This time the gals are battling new adventures in their lives of serving God and their church. Felicia has to adapt from being a career woman to a stay at home mom. Jennifer continues her quest to become a mother with surprising results. Lisa is battling with a rebellious teenage daughter. And Mimi is struggling with a colicky baby and an attraction to her kids' principal? On top of all that, mega PW Kitty Katt is still trying to outshine her fellow PWs and still getting on everyone's nerves. Will a PW retreat finally manage to bring all the women together? I enjoyed this book A LOT better than the first book in the series. I felt that the characters were developed more and they weren't just a cleaner Christian imitation of the ladies from Sex and the City. There was a lot more communication between the husbands and the wives, something that I had felt was severely lacking in the first book. So

It's Hard Knock Life for Us Being a pastor's wife is tough. Everyone judges you, tells you what to do, and you're always in the spotlight. You can't complain about this to anyone else because you're supposed to be a spiritual leader in the church with no problems at all. That's what it's like for Mimi, Felicia, Lisa and Jennifer. The foursome get together bi-weekly to share their problems, frustrations, stories and laughter. This is their chance to let it all out because no one else understands what life is like for them. This book was a refreshing realistic view into the hardships of what it's like to be a pastor's wife. Reading books about members of a pastor's family are always difficult for me to read. It really irks me about the absurd expectations people place on the the pastor and his family. Why do we as church members think that the pastor's family should be perfect and that we have a right to judge every move they make? We'r

This week, the Christian Fiction Blog Alliance is introducing Fallen (Kregel Publications February 29, 2008) by Matthew Raley ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Matthew Raley is senior pastor of the Orland Evangelical Free Church in northern California, where he lives with his wife and two young children. For fun, he enjoys playing chamber music with friends, giving occasional solo recitals, and playing first violin in the North State Symphony. This is his first book. ABOUT THE BOOK Jim was at work when his eyes drifted to the coffee shop visible from his office window. An attractive woman driving a Mercedes pulled up to the curb . . . and Jim’s married pastor emerged from the car. When Jim delves deeper into his pastor’s world, will he be able to handle what he discovers? Is he right to suspect that Dave is having an affair? In the behind-the-scenes church battle that ensues, Jim is torn between duty to his church and a desire to show grace. A ripped-from-the-headlines drama of suspense that keeps you

I'm giving away a brand new copy of today's book! Leave a comment with your email address so I can contact you if you win. I'll pick a name and announce the winner on Tuesday, January 29. Good luck! Great Debut by a New Author! Joel is a parachute jumper who hates coming back to his hometown. Amber is the teacher who writes to him to come visit her school. Bradley is the little boy with cancer that connects the two. Joel is reluctant to give into a relationship due to past events while Amber's first concerns are for the well being of Bradley. Together the two find out that their love for the boy will bring them to a romance that the two of them cannot deny. This is the perfect book for romance lovers. The story is sweet and charming with the characters just the type you can't wait to see fall in love. You have the heroic macho guy with a sensitive side and the faithful teacher with a cute kid thrown in for good measure. It's a great story that's r

I'm giving away 2 brand new copies of today's book! Leave a comment with your email address so I can contact you if you win. I'll pick 2 names and announce the winners on Monday, January 28. Good luck! For every time you’ve tried too hard, fell too far, or struggled too much, the refreshing cups in this book–or reminders of God’s infinite grace and mercy–will renew you like cool, clear water after a long, dry walk on a dusty, pitted, uphill road. “I’ve been a believing Christian since childhood,” author C. David Baker explains, “but it’s my personal failures that have led me to the deep well of Grace.” David poured his dashed hopes, broken dreams, haunting doubts, and paralyzing fear down that well and found all that’s collected here, all he, like you, needs for living with peace, joy, and purpose: cool cups of relief, comfort, revival, and sustenance. Because Water Is Life. And 101 Cups of Water Will Quench Your Thirst. C.D. Baker dips into the flowing stream of G

Don't be a pushover Allie wanted to marry Frederick. Unfortunately he's the gardener and she's a rich society girl. Advice from her family tells her to reject him, which she does. Ten years later, her family is in debt. Frederick is now a war hero with military honors. However he hasn't forgotten how Allie rejected him. Now the two must face each other again bringing back memories of rejection and lost love. A modern retelling of Jane Austen's Persuasion. I haven't read Persuasion yet (I know, the horror!) but I did recently see a BBC version on Masterpiece Theater this past week. I enjoyed the story very much and even more so because I had just finished this modern retelling of it. It's a light read that romance readers are sure to enjoy. Even if you have no clue who Jane Austen is, the story is written for the romance lover in mind, perfect for a cozy afternoon read. While I did enjoy the story, there were a couple little things that really bu

What do you think of my new look??? I love it!! I've been wanting one for over a year and I finally caved in an ordered one. Susie from Bluebird Blogs did the design and she did a WONDERFUL job. Check out her site to see all the other blogs she's designed and then place an order yourself. Let me know what you think! (BTW the pic of the rice is making me crave some Chinese food right now lol)

This week, the Christian Fiction Blog Alliance is introducing Christian Writers' Market Guide 2008 WaterBrook Press (January 15, 2008) by Sally Stuart ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Sally Stuart has been writing for the last 40+ years, and has been putting out the annual "Christian Writers' Market Guide" for the last 23 years. Her other writing includes several Christian education resources books, a children's picture book, a basic writing text, writing resources, and a western novel--plus hundreds of articles and marketing columns. She writes marketing columns for the "Christian Communicator," "Advanced Christian Writer," and the Oregon Christian Writers' Newsletter. She speaks and teaches at Christian Writers' Conferences nationwide. Sally is the mother of 3 and grandmother of 8. She and her husband, Norm, spend their free time vacationing on the Oregon coast. Check out her blog ! ABOUT THE BOOK: The essential reference tool for the Christian wri

First chick lit book of '08 is a winner! Dancy is an editor for a fiction publisher. Well she is until she makes a snafu with the company's top author and is fired from her job. To make do while she finds a new job, she helps out a coffee house and writes in her novel that's semi autobiographical. She's just found out she has a new younger half brother, her parents are getting back together, her older brother is getting married, and her cousin is trying to make the moves on the one guy with who Dancy has a love/hate relationship. Does it makes things worse if the guy is cute, British and the one that fired Dancy? I think I enjoyed this book even more than the first one in the series. This book included pretty much everything I like: books, food, and British guys. I really liked Dancy's character. She had a job I loved and also had a heart for helping others. I really enjoyed learning about the publishing world through this book. It was interesting learning to

Some Kind of Superstar Tabby Brockman is a rabbit working in a bookstore. Ok well she's a dressed up rabbit because her former job as a soap opera actress came to an end with her character's death. This can be blamed on jealousy by the head writer's husband being attracted to Tabby. She's getting by in life with her two best friends Dancy and Laini when she gets the call that she's been invited to rejoin the soap opera again. Now a Christian, Tabby has to make sure her character doesn't tread into dangerous waters, fend off unwanted suitors and try to stay on her toes with the hunky dad of her two soap opera kids. All in a day's work for an actress! Reading this book introduced a first for me. Tabby is a soap opera actress. I have never read in a Christian fiction book about a Christian acting in a soap opera AND still being a Christian. Normally the character will be a non Christian who's an actor, then converts and drops out of acting all to

Survivor: Mission Trip Cori just wanted to do something with her life. So the Australian teen decides to join a missions trip for the summer in Indonesia. The plan was to witness to the locals and build them a church. The team was expecting to come back with stories of how they saved the village. Instead they find themselves running for their lives after the pastor of their village is brutally murdered in a religious battle. Cori and the other members of her team plus the pastor's children must find a way to save themselves as they hike through the jungle for help. Along the way they experience trials and tribulations that no one their age should ever face and that will leave them scarred for the rest of their lives. Word of mouth promotion really does work. That's why I picked up this book, because of all the good reviews I had heard about it. And I was not disappointed at all. This book is intense. The story will linger in your mind for days. It's not a stor

Drugs hurt everyone. Any Questions? Glennis thought she had the perfect family. She thought everyone was happy and this was the way her life was always going to be. But then she learns her son has a drug addiction. And she will do anything to protect him and help him out. However, her husband wants nothing to do with him because it will harm his career. Her daughter blames her brother and mother for everything bad happening in the family. The family because ripped apart and soon Glennis finds out there's nothing she can do about it. Are you a fan of happy books that sugar coat life and make you feel warm and cozy inside? Well then you will be in for a shock after reading this book. I'm not an expert on crystal meth so I learned a lot from reading this book. Reading about how the family got torn apart because of the drug addiction was very difficult. Everyone turns against each other, the family didn't have a good sense of unity. Since I've read many Melody Carlson

I 'm giving away a bran d new copy of today's book! Leave a comment with your email address so I can contact you if you win. I'll pick a name and announce the winner on Wednesday, January 16. Good luck! This week, the Christian Fiction Blog Alliance is introducing Happily Even After (#3 - Sassy Sistahood Series) (Steeple Hill January 1, 2008) by Marilynn Griffith ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Marilynn Griffith is mom to a tribe, wife to a deacon and proof that God gives second chances. While best known for her colorful novels about friendship, family and faith, Marilynn is also a speaker and nonfiction writer. Her nonfiction has been included in CHICKEN SOUP FOR THE CHRISTIAN WOMAN'S SOUL and several other devotionals and magazines. Currently, Marilynn is editor of the SISTAHFAITH:BELIEVING BEYOND SHAME anthology. She is also the founder of Faithchick.com, a blog for faith fiction readers. Marilynn is the author of six novels dealing with issues such as teen pregnancy, AIDS, abst

Mozart: The Untold Story What would you do if your brother was the most famous musician in all of Europe? And that you had to sacrifice everything from your home to your dreams of becoming a pianist to even the man you love? All that and more happens to Nannerl Mozart, the older sister of THE Mozart. Told from Nannerl's point of view, this historical novel takes the reader on an epic music saga. Heartbreaking and inspiring, it tells the tale of the one of the world's most famous musician from one who both loved and despised him. Have you seen the movie Amadeus? It is one of the best historical movies I have ever seen. But interestingly, there is no mention (at least that I can remember) of Mozart's sister. Therefore reading this book was like stumbling on a long lost diary. This book is wonderfully written, rich in detail and description. I could see myself visiting all the palaces and different cities with the Mozart family. This would have been sibling rivalry at

The perfect book for all those Narnia/Pirates fans Packer wants to help out his village whose economy is declining. He stows away on the pirate ship The Trophy Chase in hopes of bringing them to hunt the Firefish. What he doesn't expect is nearly drowning, being brought back to life by a notorious swords woman or having his faith seriously tested. Meanwhile, the girl he loves and left back at home, refuses to stay behind. Panna leaves her home to find Packer and gets caught up in adventures of her own. Sword fighting, carnivorous fish and angry pirates all await you inside this whale of a tale story. Are you a Pirates of the Caribbean fan? Do you dream of swashbuckling on the high seas, fighting sea monsters and seek the thrill of adventure? Well then this is the perfect book for you. Wow this book was just action packed from the get go. I loved Packer's character right from the beginning. He's an excellent swordsman who could probably kill just about anyone he meets b

The first National Treasure movie, I adored. Action packed, funny, Indiana Jones like and with Sean Bean in it to boot! Plus it made me glad to be a history major because it was one of the few movies that made learning and knowing history not geeky. I love American history so it was awesome to see a movie glorifying this. So when I saw there was a sequel coming out I wanted to see it. In fact it was the only movie I wanted to see this 2007 holiday season (a very dismal selection this year I might add). This movie going experience was heightened by the fact that the first trailer was for the upcoming Prince Caspian movie! May cannot come fast enough. That movie looks SOOO good. And then Indiana Jones comes out the week after. Are they trying to kill me?? Anywho on to the actual movie. I absolutely loved it. History and conspiracy theories equal an awesome movie. The writing has moved up a notch and it shows with the fast pace action and script that does not leave one boring moment i

Spiritual Confusion Heather is spiritually curious. The death of her mom has caused her to be unaware of where to turn to. Her stepmother influences to open her mind and become more aware of her aura. This leads to Heather becoming interested in Wicca. After going to a bookstore which specializes in the Occult, Heather is now studying spells, buying idols and is thinking about becoming a witch. Attending a seminar about Wicca only encourages her more to learn about this new way of thinking. But while her Christian friends are urging her to turn away from this, Heather is only more drawn to a way of thinking that can help her get over the pain and guilt of losing her mother. I like to learn. And I like it when I read a book and learn new things. This book was very fascinating to read because for once I was clueless about the subject matter. Other than my Harry Potter geekness, I have no knowledge of Wicca, the Occult or magic in general. So while reading this book I managed to l

Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous Fanny Broadmoor is enjoying life on the Thousand Islands on her grandparents estate. She's living a life of luxury along with her cousins Amanda and Sophie. There's also a hint of a forbidden romance with Michael, the family boat keeper. But all that changes when her grandfather dies and Fanny's inheritance is thrown into chaos due to her uncle's greedy control. Will she able to gain control of what is rightfully hers or will her uncle's lecherous ways leave Fanny with nothing to her name? The writing duo of Peterson and Miller has turned out another historical fiction series. I really liked their other two series about the Lowell mills so I was looking forward to their latest release. I enjoyed reading about what it was like to be in high class society in the 1800s. It was fun reading about living in a rich resort for vacations, going to balls, wearing fancy dresses, having picnics and not having to worry about the outside worl

Happy New Year! It is January 1st , time for the FIRST Day Blog Tour! (Join our alliance! Click the button!) The FIRST day of every month we will feature an author and his/her latest book's FIRST chapter! This month's feature author is: TAMARA TILLEY and her book: Abandoned Identity Evergreen Press (AL) (August 1, 2007) ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Hooray! Tamara is one of our very own FIRST members! She resides with her husband, Walter, and their children, John, Christopher, and Jennifer, at Hume Lake Christian Camps in the Sequoia National Forest. They have served on full-time staff and ministered at Hume for 13 years. Tamara manages one of the retail stores at Hume Lake, which serves thousands of kids visiting the conference center on a daily basis. Not only does she write, she is also an avid reader and enjoys other hobbies such as scrapbooking, designing greeting cards and invitations, and enjoying God's creation from her from porch. AND NOW...THE FIRST CHAPTER: The young, b