Books, Movies, and Chinese Food

While home on Christmas holiday, a seventeen-year-old Senate page takes her dog out for a walk and never returns. Reporter Cassidy Shaw is the first to break the story. The media firestorm that ensues quickly ensnares Federal Prosecutor Allison Pierce and FBI Special Agent Nicole Hedge ... who just happen to be Cassidy's best friends. It appears the young page was romantically involved with a senator-a senator now under suspicion for her disappearance. As time begins to run out for the missing girl, Cassidy, Allison, and Nicole fight to locate her before its too late, even while each fights her own personal battles-a stalker, single-motherhood, and an abusive relationship. This book was another surprising read of the year. I was really amazed at how into the book I got and found it to be an intense all night page turner. I don't watch Fox News so I honestly didn't know who Lis Wiehl was when pi cking up this book. Other than the Bill O'Reilly endorsement on the fro...

It is time for a FIRST Wild Card Tour book review! If you wish to join the FIRST blog alliance, just click the button. We are a group of reviewers who tour Christian books. A Wild Card post includes a brief bio of the author and a full chapter from each book toured. The reason it is called a FIRST Wild Card Tour is that you never know if the book will be fiction, non~fiction, for young, or for old...or for somewhere in between! Enjoy your free peek into the book! You never know when I might play a wild card on you! Today's Wild Card author is: Kaye Dacus and the book: Menu for Romance Barbour Publishing, Inc (July 1, 2009) ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Kaye Dacus likes to say she writes “inspirational romance with a sense of humor.” She lives in Nashville and graduated from Seton Hill University’s Master of Arts in Writing Popular Fiction program. She is an active member and former Vice President of American Christian Fiction Writers (ACFW). Her Stand-In Groom novel took second place in ...

A shrewd investigator and an expert marksman, Special Agent Alexandra LaDuca can handle any case the FBI gives her. Or can she? Connecting the dots between an assassination attempt in Ukraine, a murder in Paris, and a brutal attack on a remote village in South America takes Alex on a dangerous puzzle-solving, soul-searching journey that changes her forever. This is probably one of my surprising reads of the year. I had been a bit wary of this book because it was an unfamiliar author and I'm usually not a big fan of books that take place in Eastern European countries. However as soon as I started reading the book, I was hooked in completely. Alex is a character that I absolutely adored from the beginning. She's the type of heroine that you want to be, and that you like very much. She's strong, yet you can see her weaknesses. I really enjoyed all the historical facts that were presented in this book. As a historian, I appreciated how the author used real history and did...

Caught up in the self-imposed pressure to do and be all the things they think a Christian woman ought to do and be, countless women are working desperately to convince everyone, including God, that they have it all together. Few have any idea that the Creator of the universe looks at them with delight even when they yell at the dog, drive a minivan littered with French fries, or think bad words about that rude clerk at the store. A Perfect Mess offers hope to every woman who yearns for a vibrant relationship with God but worries she isn’t good enough or doesn’t do enough to merit His affection. With characteristic authenticity, speaker and author Lisa Harper shares poignant stories from her own imperfect life to showcase the real-life relevancy of the Bible in the lives of modern women. As she guides readers on a story-driven journey through selected Psalms, they will be inspired to experience for themselves how God’s incomparable love transforms the messiness of life into a gorgeous ...

Life has always gone Indigo Burns's way. She's smart, pretty, and talented, and she knows exactly what she wants. A photography internship at her hometown's local newspaper is the next step in her well-laid plans for her future. But her long-term goals are put to the test when her boyfriend Brian proposes--two years before he's supposed to and in front of all the guests at her college graduation party. Too concerned about his feelings to say no, she heartily agrees, but inside she's cringing. Indigo knows in her heart that she's not prepared to sacrifice her dreams to become Brian's wife--not before she has achieved any of them. Will she find the answers among family and friends in Jubilant, Texas? Or will the picture-perfect life she dreams of be left behind? This book really surprised me. I was expecting one thing and then got blown away by another. The characters in this book really get to your heart. I really liked Indigo and her strong character. It ...

This week, the Christian Fiction Blog Alliance is introducing Things Left Unspoken Revell (June 1, 2009) by Eva Marie Everson ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Eva Marie Everson taught Old Testament theology for six years at Life Training Center in Longwood, Florida and has written numerous articles for Crosswalk.com (including the acclaimed Falling Into The Bible series), and has had articles featured in numerous publications, including Christianity Today, Evangel, Christian Bride, Christian Retailing, The Godly BusinessWoman and Marriage Partnership magazines. Eva Marie has been interviewed by radio, television, newspaper, and Internet media outlets. In 2002 Eva Marie was one of six Christian journalists sent to Israel for a special ten-day press tour. Eva Marie’s work includes the award-winning titles Reflections of God's Holy Land; A Personal Journey Through Israel, Shadow of Dreams, Sex, Lies and the Media , and The Potluck Club series. She is married, has four children and five grandch...

This week, the Christian Fiction Blog Alliance is introducing Through The Fire Bethany House (July 1, 2009) by Shawn Grady ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Shawn Grady signed with Bethany House Publishers in 2008. He was named “Most Promising New Writer” at the 39th Annual Mount Hermon Writers Conference. Through the Fire is his debut novel. Shawn has served for over a decade as a firefighter and paramedic in northern Nevada. From fire engines and ambulances to tillered ladder trucks and helicopters, Shawn’s work environment has always been dynamic. The line of duty has carried him to a variety of locale, from high-rise fires in the city to the burning heavy timber of the eastern Sierras. Shawn attended Point Loma Nazarene University as a Theology undergrad before shifting direction to acquire an Associate of Science degree in Fire Science Technology as well as Paramedic licensure through Truckee Meadows Community College. Shawn currently lives in Reno, Nevada, just outside of Lake Tahoe. He enjoys ...

It is time for a FIRST Wild Card Tour book review! If you wish to join the FIRST blog alliance, just click the button. We are a group of reviewers who tour Christian books. A Wild Card post includes a brief bio of the author and a full chapter from each book toured. The reason it is called a FIRST Wild Card Tour is that you never know if the book will be fiction, non~fiction, for young, or for old...or for somewhere in between! Enjoy your free peek into the book! You never know when I might play a wild card on you! Today's Wild Card author is: Shelly Beach and the book: Morningsong Kregel Publications (February 24, 2009) ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Shelly Beach is a Christian communicator who speaks at women's conferences, retreats, seminars, and writers' conferences. She is a college instructor and writing consultant in Michigan and the author of Precious Lord, Take My Hand and the Christy Award-winning Hallie's Heart. Visit the author's website . AND NOW...THE FIRST CHAP...

Lillian Haswell, brilliant daughter of the local apothecary, yearns for more adventure and experience than life in her father's shop and their small village provides. She also longs to know the truth behind her mother's disappearance, which villagers whisper about but her father refuses to discuss. Opportunity comes when a distant aunt offers to educate her as a lady in London. Exposed to fashionable society and romance—as well as clues about her mother—Lilly is torn when she is summoned back to her ailing father's bedside. Women are forbidden to work as apothecaries, so to save the family legacy, Lilly will have to make it appear as if her father is still making all the diagnoses and decisions. But the suspicious eyes of a scholarly physician and a competing apothecary are upon her. As they vie for village prominence, three men also vie for Lilly's heart. This book brings a different take on the Regency era. Instead on focusing on the upper class with their balls and ...

Gwen, Beth, and Lacy Gallatin fashion a life for themselves in the Montana wilds, operating a roadhouse that is located at the crossroads of two major stage lines. When their father is accidentally killed, the oldest sister, Gwen, reasons that she's cursed. After all, death seems to haunt her: her mother, now her father...and she was married for a mere ten days before her husband died from a bout of measles. As Gwen and her sisters struggle to maintain the inn on their own, an unexpected visitor adds to the mayhem. Hank Bishop claims to be searching for something in the possession of Gwen's late husband. But mayhem of another sort builds in Gwen's heart as she finds a growing attraction to this man. Can she dare to hope that love might again be hers? Every time Tracie Peterson announces she has a new book coming out, I immediately go and put it on my wish list. She is one of those authors whom I have read every book and is pretty much a standard in Christian fiction. Ever...

Julie Lyons was working as a crime reporter when she followed a hunch into the South Dallas ghetto. She wasn’t hunting drug dealers, but drug addicts who had been supernaturally healed of their addictions. Was there a church in the most violent part of the city that prayed for addicts and got results? At The Body of Christ Assembly, a rundown church on an out-of-the-way street, Lyons found the story she was looking for. The minister welcomed criminals, prostitutes, and street people–anyone who needed God. He prayed for the sick, the addicted, and the demon-possessed, and people were supernaturally healed. Lyons’s story landed on the front page of the Dallas Times Herald. But she got much more than just a great story, she found an unlikely spiritual home. Though the parishioners at The Body of Christ Assembly are black and Pentecostal, and Lyons is white and from a traditional church background, she embraced their spirituality–that of “the Holy Ghost and fire.” ...

Veterinarian Mattie Evans enjoys her work in Flint Hills, Kansas, almost as much as she loves gruff old rancher and father figure, John McCray. When John's estranged son, Gil, proposes selling the land and moving his father to California, she's drawn into a bitter family conflict that exposes deep-seated secrets. Can she make Gil see reason? After reading this book, Kansas definitely isn't just Dorothy's home anymore! Deborah Vogts has written a lovely first novel about a determined veterinarian, a grizzled old man, and a football star at the end of his prime. The three characters are thrown together after a series of mishaps that happen out on the farm. All three have decidedly different personalities so when they're all together, they seem to clash horribly at first. Gil got on my nerves in the beginning of the book. I know that he's been out of the area for a bit and that he's not on good terms with his father. Plus he's been a big shot NFL player...

This week, the Christian Fiction Blog Alliance is introducing Pirate Hunter Bethany House (July 1, 2009) by Tom Morrisey ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Tom Morrisey is a mountaineer, aviator, shipwreck diver, and explorer, who holds a Full Cave certification from the National Speleological Society - Cave Diving Section. He has launched, edited or contributed to numerous national publications and is an award-winning adventure-travel writer. A popular speaker, he is also active in both evangelism and the arts. Morrisey earned an MFA in creative writing from Bowling Green State University, and his fiction has been featured in numerous anthologies and magazines. His first novel, Yucatan Deep (Zondervan, 2002) was a finalist for the Christy award, and he is the author of six novels, including Wind River and In High Places . In addition Tom has also written two nonfiction books: 20 American Peaks & Crags (Contemporary Books, 1978) and Wild by Nature (Baker Books, 2001). He and his family live in Or...

Myles Parsons is just another inmate in Kenzie Thorn's GED course…until his abduction plan succeeds. Terrified, Kenzie doesn't want to believe his explanation. That he's Myles Borden, FBI agent— placed under cover because someone wants her dead.Now that Myles has got her out of harm's way, his plans start to fall apart. He attempts to take Kenzie to a safe house—but the stubborn woman won't go! He struggles to protect her even as she takes care of him . He tries to keep his distance…and finds himself falling in love. If you're looking for a quick book that gives you just the right about of romantic suspense to get you through the day, look no further. In Liz Johnson's debut novel, she skillfully blends tense adventure scenes with sparkling chemistry. This book gives a great insight to both the world of politics as well as the undercover life of an FBI agent. We see what it's like to be the victim of a kidnapping plot as well as what really goes on...

Meet Sonny Miller, a recent college graduate with plans to get her master's degree in psychology. With the intention of resolving some family drama and putting her academic interests to the test, Sonny cleverly invites her mother, Teresa, and her mother's estranged twin, Aunt Melanie, to the quiet and quirky beach house. They both show up...and with surprises of their own. Teresa, a successful opera singer, brings her latest protege, Irina, and Melanie brings along secrets about Teresa and the identity of Sonny's long-gone father. It's time to go back to the beach house with a new set of characters. This time it's a mother-daughter story with summer romances, past secrets and self discovery along the way. The story had many twists and turns that I didn't see coming. There were times when I thought I knew what was going to happen and was delighted to see that the story didn't go in that direction. Serious topics such as eating disorders and kleptomania are...

I promise to do a whole post of wedding pictures but this one is for Write For Karen 's photo contest Here is my entry: Summer always makes me think of weddings. And now this will include mine. This is us during our first dance.

My Friend Amy , who brought us Book Blogger Appreciation Week has a new carnival in the works, the Faith 'n Fiction Saturday . Each week she will post a blogging prompt, which participating bloggers will answer on their own blogs. Then they head back to the original post and sign Mister Linky! This way we can all come to know each other more closely. Today's Question: We're at the halfway point in the year and we've read a bunch of great books (hopefully) so far. Today I'm going to ask you to do something very difficult...and pick your favorite! The book you choose should be fiction, should be published for the Christian marketplace, and must have been published in 2009. Please tell us why it's your favorite and who else might enjoy it. If you reviewed it, feel free to include a link to your review! So halfway point of the year and I've read 148 books. My goal for the year overall was 200. Anywho, so if you've been reading this blog and these memes for a...

It is time for a FIRST Wild Card Tour book review! If you wish to join the FIRST blog alliance, just click the button. We are a group of reviewers who tour Christian books. A Wild Card post includes a brief bio of the author and a full chapter from each book toured. The reason it is called a FIRST Wild Card Tour is that you never know if the book will be fiction, non~fiction, for young, or for old...or for somewhere in between! Enjoy your free peek into the book! You never know when I might play a wild card on you! Today's Wild Card author is: Patti Lacy and the book: What the Bayou Saw Kregel Publications (March 24, 2009) ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Patti Lacy graduated from Baylor University with a B.S. in education. She taught at Heartland Community College in Normal, Illinois, until 2006, when she began to pursue writing full-time. She has two grown children and lives in Illinois with her husband, Alan, and a dog named Laura. Visit the author's website . AND NOW...THE FIRST CHA...