Saturday, September 26, 2009
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
September 2009
Government cannot spend what it does not first take from the people. James Robison
Announcements
Announcing the release of two books:
Wild West Christmas
By Kathleen Y'Barbo, Lena Nelson Dooley, Vickie McDonough, Darlene Franklin
Calendar of Events
September 2009 – Release of Wild West Christmas
September 2009 – Release of Christmas Love at Lake Tahoe
September 2009 – Release of Can You Help Me? And Caught Red-Handed in Thorndike Large Print edition
Maggie Rose
By Sharlene MacLaren
ISBN 978-1-60374-075-3
Whitaker House
Historical Romantic Fioction
The Daughters of Jacob Kane - Book 2
Back Cover Copy:
1904 ~~ New York, New York
Maggie Rose, the spunky, friendly, twenty-year-old daughter of Michigan resident Jacob Kane, feels compelled to leave her beloved hometown of Sandy Shores to pursue what she feels in her heart are God's plans for her life--in New York City.
Maggie Rose adjusts to her new life at Sheltering Arms Refuge, an orphanage that also transports homeless children to towns across the United States to match them with compatible families. Most of the children have painful pasts that make Maggie aghast, but she marvels at their resiliency. As she gets to know each child, her heart blossoms with new depths of love and compassion.
When a newspaper reporter comes to stay at the orphanage in order to gather research for an article, Maggie is struck by his handsome face--and concerned by his lack of faith. She can't deny their mutual affections, though. Will she win the struggle to maintain her focus on God and remain attuned to His guidance?
My Review:
Sharlene MacLaren is a recent arrival in Christian publishing who has grown tremendously through each of her published works. I loved her early books, but each new one has greater depth and heights. The characters in this book are at cross purposes, and I loved to see each of them develop and grow.
I've always been fascinated by the orphan trains, and Sharlene took us into the hearts and minds of the people who accompanied them on the trek as well as the children who were chosen. . .and not chosen.
I highly recommend this excellent read.
Montana Rose
By Mary Connealy
ISBN 978-1-60260-142-0
Barbour
Historical Romance
Montana Marriages - Book 1
Back Cover Copy:
Widowed One Day --
Wedded the Next
Cassie Griffin has always dressed in silks. Her free-spending husband expects nothing less. But now he has died, leaving her unprotected, heavily in debt, and pregnant. As any single woman doesn't remain so for long in Divide, Montana, Cassie wonders if marrying one of the local cowboys might be her only choice. After seeing her choices, she then wonders if joining her husband might be even better.
Red Dawson has always had a soft spot in his heart for Cassie, even though most of the townspeople see her only as a silk-clad china doll. When she's left a widow, only one thing keeps him from immediately sweeping her off her feet--she's a nonbeliever.
As the other cowboys lay claim to Cassie, the most powerful rancher in the area steps forward to demand what he thinks rightly belongs to him. . .and the property that goes with her. Red struggles with figuring out what to do but decides he can't allow Cassie to suffer a fate worse than death and marries her himself.
Will Red win over this seemingly fragile and spoiled china doll's heart. . .and survive her unique brand of ranch help in the meantime? Will Cassie find true love with her cowboy--and His God--when she exchanges smooth silk for coarse calico?
My Review:
Mary. . .Mary. . .Mary, you just keep writing books that grab me and pull me in so deep I have a hard time putting it down. At least I had the sense to read it on the weekend when I wasn't writing my own book. Of course, James expected me to have food on the table when needed, and so I had to put it down a time or two.
MONTANA ROSE is a departure from your usual strong heroine, and I loved the character development through the book for the heroine, and the hero. The setting was unique and completely interesting. I won't give it away here, but I've had experience with that kind of place. You got it right.
The spiritual thread is strong and several characters experience strong growth. A really masterful job writing this book. A long way from your first manuscript I edited for you.
Readers, get this book quick. You'll be glad you did.
The Occasional Cook
By Cyndy Salzmann
ISBN 978-1-4196-9711-1
Subtitle: Culinary Strategies for Overcommitted Families
Cookbook
Back Cover Copy:
Family-friendly recipes to simplify mealtimes and save money!
Cyndy Salzmann has been holding cooking classes since 1997. Now in this sequel to MAKING YOUR HOME A HAVEN, Cyndy shares one of the secrets of how to do that: Spend less time in the kitchen!
If you want to
spend more time with your family
save on your grocery bills
prepare taste-tempting meals without exotic engredients
serve family-friendly recipes even the pickiest eaters will love
then THE OCCASIONAL COOK is for you!
My Review:
I know, I know. I usually review Christian fiction, but I recently acquired a copy of this book and found it fascinating.
In this book, Cyndy will teach you about how easy it is to use her system to make your time in the kitchen very productive and allow you more time out of the kitchen. She starts out with really good tips everyone can use. Then she explains her method of cooking for a whole week in one day.
After that, she includes a lot of delicious recipes you can follow using her method. And not to leave you just staring at the pages, she finishes with a section giving you step-by-step instructions, including menus and shopping lists. And all the food is nutritious, but easy to obtain and prepare.
I highly recommend this book.
The Blue Enchantress
By M. L. Tyndall
ISBN 978-1-60260-157-4
Barbour
Historical Romance
Charles Town Belles, Book 2
Back Cover Copy:
An adventure-seeking woman and a security-minded ship builder are shipwrecked together.
Still grieving the loss of her mother--and private tragedies of her own--Hope Westcott plays the part of a duriful admiral's daughter. But longing for the love and acceptance she never felt at home, Hope plunges into Charles Towne society. . .and an illicit affair with Lord Falkland.
For Captain Nethaniel Mason, wealth means security, so he is determined to build his shippind business--ignoring God's call on his life to become an impoverished pastor. He also ignores his attraction to the frivolous, vain Hope Westcott.
Hope's adventure seeking lands her in the hands of an unscrupulous ship captain who wants to sell her to the highest bidder. When Nathaniel sees Hope on the auction block, will he listen to God and sacrifice his ship, cargo, and security to save her?
Fron the Carolina Coast to the Caribbean, through stormy seas and shipwrecks, can Hope and Nathaniel put aside their painful pasts, listen to God's voice, and find true love and acceptance?
My Review:
MaryLu, you've done it again. Given us a swashbuckling adventure filled with romance. A book that's hard to put down once you start reading.
Your characters leapt from the pages straight into my heart. I loved them, rooted for them, booed the bad guys, and loved every minute of it. You truly showed the depth of sacrificial love.
And you setting is close to my heart. I love traveling through the Caribbean. I could visualize every scene with your excellent descriptions.
Bring on the next book in the series.
Love Finds You in Liberty, Indiana
By Melody Dobson
ISBN 978-1-934770-74-0
Summerside Press
Historical Romance
Back Cover Copy:
In a divided town during a dangerous era, who can be trusted?
Liberty, Indiana, is home to a stop on the Underground Railroad operated by Quaker abolitionists Anna Brent and her father. Harboring runaway slaves is a dangerous mission: anyone caught aiding them is subject to improsonment. When Anna's secret work is threatened, can she turn to the handsome yet outspoken Daniel Stanton, Liberty's newspaper editor, to ensure the safety of the runaways so dear to her? Will she and Daniel risk everything for their beliefs--including their personal liberty?
My Review:
I wasn't terribly interested in reading about the Underground Railroad. I'd read plenty of books about it and considered this one as just one more. What else was there to say about it?
However, when I picked it up, the first chapter captured me, and I had a hard time putting the book down. Although the story is the same--slaves giving everything to find freedom--the focus is different.
Very tastefully done, the book still reveals the inherent evil of slavery in any era. I found the story not only well-crafted, but also compassionate and heart-tugging.
I highly recommend this excellent read.
Love Finds You in Revenge, Ohio
By Lisa Harris
ISBN 978-1-934770-81-8
Summerside Press
Historical Romantic Women's Fiction
Back Cover Copy:
The only thing worse than being a spinster is being a twice-jilted spinster.
At twenty-five, Catherine Morgan is hardly an old maid. But she's given up on marriage and instead manages the family's general store in the small town of Revenge, Ohio. Bound by a promise to care for her three sisters until they marry, she'll do anything to keep them safe. But Sheriff Corbin Hunter stands in her way. He has evidence that her sister's fiance is really an infamous bank robber--and the man who murdered his father. Catherine finds herself torn between saving her sister's heart and losing hers to the man who jilted her seven years ago. Will Corbin's desire for revenge cause him to lose Catherine a second time?
My Review:
I had been anxiously waiting to read Lisa's Summerside Press book, and I loved it. I mentored Lisa years ago before she ever sold her first novel. Now she's one of my favorite authors.
This story might be my favorite one yet. The premise of the hope for revenge in their hearts while living in the town of Revenge is powerful. And Lisa writes enough twists and turns into her plot to keep the reader turning pages. I especially liked the suspenseful element.
Lisa's characters pulled me into the story and held me captive through every page. I highly recommend this wonderful book.
Love Finds You in Poetry, Texas
By Janice Hanna
ISBN 978-1-935416-16-6
Summerside Press
Historical Romantic Fiction
Back Cover Copy:
Belinda Bauer in her ivory tower. . .
In the quaint community of Poetry, Texas, Belinda spies an opportunity. The town is filled with farmers and railroad men in need of wives, so why not set herself up as a marriage broker? Belinda sends little poems to prospective brides all over the country, and her plan seems to work. One by one, women begin to arrive in Poetry. There's only one problem: Belinda doesn't have a clue what she'd doing, and most of the brides marry the wrong men! One client is particularly unhappy. Georg Kaufman, the local barber, has lost more than one prospective wife to Belinda's fumbled attempts. For some reason, she just can't seem to find Georg's perfect match, though it's not for lack of trying. Is there a poetic ending in store for Georg--and for Belinda herself?
My Review:
I've known Janice (aka Janice Thompson) for many years. I've loved her books, but this is the first one that I felt really sounded like her voice. And I saw a lot of Janice's background and interests in this story. These details made the story extremely fascinating.
The book had many "awww" moments. I don't have the time to read a book straight through, so I'd read in spurts whenever I had time. Many of the scenes kept me chuckling long after I put the book down.
If you want a sweet love story with comedic touches and interesting characters, then this is the book for you.
September ACFW Book Releases
Announcements
Announcing the release of two books:
Wild West Christmas
By Kathleen Y'Barbo, Lena Nelson Dooley, Vickie McDonough, Darlene Franklin
ISBN 978-1-60260-566-4
Barbour
Christmas Courtships Corral Four Sisters in Texas
Charlsey Ames can ride, rope, and work the ranch with the best of them. But things don't add up when she finds herself attracted to accountant Horace Miller III, a citified tenderfoot. Will he ever see the gentle woman beneath the coating of trail dust.
Sharp-shooting Lucy Ames is thrilled to join Major Paulson's Wild West Show. But is she setting her sights too high when she begins falling for budding evangelist Gordon Paulson? Would she be better off aiming for a stable, widowed rancher?
Although horse-trainer Sarah Ames is stunned when her pa hires the part-Mexican Carson Romero to take over her job at the ranch, she gradually becomes attracted to the drifter. But when cattle go missing, Carson seems the prime suspect Has Carson stolen Sarah's heart as well as some prime longhorns?
An expert tracker, the plain Bessie Mae Ames resolves to spend her life taking care of her widowed father. That is until Texas Ranger Josef Mueller rides back into town, trailing a wanted man. Will the soon-to-be-smitten ranger find both he and his prey sweet on an unsuspecting Bessie Mae?
Will these cowgirls be tamed and live to celebrate Christmas romance?
Christmas Love at Lake Tahoe
By Lena Nelson Dooley, Jeanie Smith Cash, Jean Kincaid, Jeri Odell
ISBN 978-1-60260-563-3
Barbour
Love Hits the Slopes at Christmastime
Four young women, fresh out of college, pursue their careers at a new ski lodge at Lake Tahoe's Incline Village during the winter season.
Bethany Stillman's resolve to focus on her RN career falters when she meets paramedic Cole Beckman. Cole wonders how long it will be before Beth realizes he's to blame for crippling her grandfather. Can a Christmas miracle forge a path to love and forgiveness?
Social director Scarlett McKaye loves planning things down to the last detail. But what she didn't count on was having to spurn the bold advances of a reckless suitor. How far will daredevil Derrick Greene go to cancel Scarlett's reservations?
Stephanie St. John is determined to make a go of the time-share program at Snowbird Lodge. But Darrin Hart seems to be undermining her efforts, her confidence, and her reputation. Will misunderstanding be resolved, or will Stephanie succeed in business only to lose at love?
A wounded-at-the-heart Michaela Christianssen has chosen a male-free existence. But her friends and an eleven-year-old girl have other ideas. Widower Jonas Bradley is content with his life as father and forest ranger, until he finds himself pining for Michaela. What will it take to fell her oppositions to romance?
Will these four women hear wedding bells chime this Christmas?
Once again, I’ve chosen three book winners for September. They will receive their choice of either: Pirate’s Prize, Never Say Never, or A Daughter’s Quest. They are Jane Squires of Wasola, Montana, and Marion Marchetto of Navarre, Florida, and Linda Wagner of St Paul, Minnesota. Click on the View Complete Profile link in the right hand column to find a link to my email. Send me your mailing address.
Readers, if you want a chance to win one of my free books, please sign my Guest Book on my website - http://www.lenanelsondooley.com/ . The winners are chosen from those who do. But remember to check back in the next month’s newsletter to see if you won. You can sign up at the top of the right hand column of this blog for Feedblitz. Then the newsletter will feed into your Inbox. I will only post a newsletter once a month.
Want more free books. We also give away a minimum of 12 free books a month on my blog: http://lenanelsondooley.blogspot.com/. Most months we give away more than that. This month I’ll be interviewing these authors:
Craig Parshall – The Rose Conspiracy
Myra Johnson – One Imperfect Christmas
Rita Gerlach – Surrender the Wind
Elizabeth Wiseman, Kathleen Fuller & Barbara Cameron – An Amish Christmas
Debby Mayne, Paige Winship Dooly, Elizabeth Ludwig, Elizabetheth Goddard – Christmas Homecoming
Jerry Eicher – Rebecca’s Promise – Rebecca’s Return
Kathleen Y’Barbo, Lena Nelson Dooley, Vickie McDonough, Darlene Franklin – Wild West Christmas
BJ Hoff – American Anthem
Mary Ellis – A Widow’s Hope
Robert James Luedke – Eye Witness
Linda Leigh Hargrove – The Making of Isaac Hunt – Loving Cee Cee Johnson
Maureen Lang – Look to the East
Cindy Woodsmall – The Sound of Sleighbells
Susan Page Davis – Hearts in the Crossfire
Allie Pleiter – Bluegrass Christmas
Mona Hodgson – Two Brides Too Many
Brandilyn and Amberley Collins – Last Breath
Tricia Goyer – The Sunflower Serenade
You can find all kinds of information about my books on my Fan page on Facebook:
http://www.new.facebook.com/pages/Lena-Nelson-Dooley/42960748768?ref=ts
I’d love for you to come over and become a fan.
Right now I’m running a contest on my fan page. Check it out.
Barbour
Christmas Courtships Corral Four Sisters in Texas
Charlsey Ames can ride, rope, and work the ranch with the best of them. But things don't add up when she finds herself attracted to accountant Horace Miller III, a citified tenderfoot. Will he ever see the gentle woman beneath the coating of trail dust.
Sharp-shooting Lucy Ames is thrilled to join Major Paulson's Wild West Show. But is she setting her sights too high when she begins falling for budding evangelist Gordon Paulson? Would she be better off aiming for a stable, widowed rancher?
Although horse-trainer Sarah Ames is stunned when her pa hires the part-Mexican Carson Romero to take over her job at the ranch, she gradually becomes attracted to the drifter. But when cattle go missing, Carson seems the prime suspect Has Carson stolen Sarah's heart as well as some prime longhorns?
An expert tracker, the plain Bessie Mae Ames resolves to spend her life taking care of her widowed father. That is until Texas Ranger Josef Mueller rides back into town, trailing a wanted man. Will the soon-to-be-smitten ranger find both he and his prey sweet on an unsuspecting Bessie Mae?
Will these cowgirls be tamed and live to celebrate Christmas romance?
Christmas Love at Lake TahoeBy Lena Nelson Dooley, Jeanie Smith Cash, Jean Kincaid, Jeri Odell
ISBN 978-1-60260-563-3
Barbour
Love Hits the Slopes at Christmastime
Four young women, fresh out of college, pursue their careers at a new ski lodge at Lake Tahoe's Incline Village during the winter season.
Bethany Stillman's resolve to focus on her RN career falters when she meets paramedic Cole Beckman. Cole wonders how long it will be before Beth realizes he's to blame for crippling her grandfather. Can a Christmas miracle forge a path to love and forgiveness?
Social director Scarlett McKaye loves planning things down to the last detail. But what she didn't count on was having to spurn the bold advances of a reckless suitor. How far will daredevil Derrick Greene go to cancel Scarlett's reservations?
Stephanie St. John is determined to make a go of the time-share program at Snowbird Lodge. But Darrin Hart seems to be undermining her efforts, her confidence, and her reputation. Will misunderstanding be resolved, or will Stephanie succeed in business only to lose at love?
A wounded-at-the-heart Michaela Christianssen has chosen a male-free existence. But her friends and an eleven-year-old girl have other ideas. Widower Jonas Bradley is content with his life as father and forest ranger, until he finds himself pining for Michaela. What will it take to fell her oppositions to romance?
Will these four women hear wedding bells chime this Christmas?
Once again, I’ve chosen three book winners for September. They will receive their choice of either: Pirate’s Prize, Never Say Never, or A Daughter’s Quest. They are Jane Squires of Wasola, Montana, and Marion Marchetto of Navarre, Florida, and Linda Wagner of St Paul, Minnesota. Click on the View Complete Profile link in the right hand column to find a link to my email. Send me your mailing address.
Readers, if you want a chance to win one of my free books, please sign my Guest Book on my website - http://www.lenanelsondooley.com/ . The winners are chosen from those who do. But remember to check back in the next month’s newsletter to see if you won. You can sign up at the top of the right hand column of this blog for Feedblitz. Then the newsletter will feed into your Inbox. I will only post a newsletter once a month.
Want more free books. We also give away a minimum of 12 free books a month on my blog: http://lenanelsondooley.blogspot.com/. Most months we give away more than that. This month I’ll be interviewing these authors:
Craig Parshall – The Rose Conspiracy
Myra Johnson – One Imperfect Christmas
Rita Gerlach – Surrender the Wind
Elizabeth Wiseman, Kathleen Fuller & Barbara Cameron – An Amish Christmas
Debby Mayne, Paige Winship Dooly, Elizabeth Ludwig, Elizabetheth Goddard – Christmas Homecoming
Jerry Eicher – Rebecca’s Promise – Rebecca’s Return
Kathleen Y’Barbo, Lena Nelson Dooley, Vickie McDonough, Darlene Franklin – Wild West Christmas
BJ Hoff – American Anthem
Mary Ellis – A Widow’s Hope
Robert James Luedke – Eye Witness
Linda Leigh Hargrove – The Making of Isaac Hunt – Loving Cee Cee Johnson
Maureen Lang – Look to the East
Cindy Woodsmall – The Sound of Sleighbells
Susan Page Davis – Hearts in the Crossfire
Allie Pleiter – Bluegrass Christmas
Mona Hodgson – Two Brides Too Many
Brandilyn and Amberley Collins – Last Breath
Tricia Goyer – The Sunflower Serenade
You can find all kinds of information about my books on my Fan page on Facebook:
http://www.new.facebook.com/pages/Lena-Nelson-Dooley/42960748768?ref=ts
I’d love for you to come over and become a fan.
Right now I’m running a contest on my fan page. Check it out.
Calendar of Events
September 2009 – Release of Wild West Christmas
September 2009 – Release of Christmas Love at Lake Tahoe
September 2009 – Release of Can You Help Me? And Caught Red-Handed in Thorndike Large Print edition
September 11-12, 2009 – Speaker at North Texas Christian Writers Conference, Roanoke, Texas – Painting Historicals with Authenticity, and I will take one-on-one appointments.
September 17-20 - American Christian Fiction Writers National Conference - Denver, Colorado – Paid Critiquer
October 20 – Booksigning with Amanda Cabot – Mardel Plano, Coit Road & Park – 6:00 pm
October 24 – Booksigning with Leanna Ellis – Mardel Hurst, Hurstview & Grapevine Highway – 1:00 pm
April 3, 2010 – ACFW Tulsa (WIN) – Taking Settings to the Next Level – a hands-on workshop
May 2010 – Release of Love Finds You in Golden, New Mexico
May 5, 2010 – ACFW The Woodlands (Writers on the Storm) – Two workshops “Painting Historicals With Authenticity” & “Taking Settings to the Next Level”
September 17-20 - American Christian Fiction Writers National Conference - Denver, Colorado – Paid Critiquer
October 20 – Booksigning with Amanda Cabot – Mardel Plano, Coit Road & Park – 6:00 pm
October 24 – Booksigning with Leanna Ellis – Mardel Hurst, Hurstview & Grapevine Highway – 1:00 pm
April 3, 2010 – ACFW Tulsa (WIN) – Taking Settings to the Next Level – a hands-on workshop
May 2010 – Release of Love Finds You in Golden, New Mexico
May 5, 2010 – ACFW The Woodlands (Writers on the Storm) – Two workshops “Painting Historicals With Authenticity” & “Taking Settings to the Next Level”
Book Reviews
Maggie Rose
By Sharlene MacLaren
ISBN 978-1-60374-075-3
Whitaker House
Historical Romantic Fioction
The Daughters of Jacob Kane - Book 2
Back Cover Copy:
1904 ~~ New York, New York
Maggie Rose, the spunky, friendly, twenty-year-old daughter of Michigan resident Jacob Kane, feels compelled to leave her beloved hometown of Sandy Shores to pursue what she feels in her heart are God's plans for her life--in New York City.
Maggie Rose adjusts to her new life at Sheltering Arms Refuge, an orphanage that also transports homeless children to towns across the United States to match them with compatible families. Most of the children have painful pasts that make Maggie aghast, but she marvels at their resiliency. As she gets to know each child, her heart blossoms with new depths of love and compassion.
When a newspaper reporter comes to stay at the orphanage in order to gather research for an article, Maggie is struck by his handsome face--and concerned by his lack of faith. She can't deny their mutual affections, though. Will she win the struggle to maintain her focus on God and remain attuned to His guidance?
My Review:
Sharlene MacLaren is a recent arrival in Christian publishing who has grown tremendously through each of her published works. I loved her early books, but each new one has greater depth and heights. The characters in this book are at cross purposes, and I loved to see each of them develop and grow.
I've always been fascinated by the orphan trains, and Sharlene took us into the hearts and minds of the people who accompanied them on the trek as well as the children who were chosen. . .and not chosen.
I highly recommend this excellent read.
Montana Rose
By Mary Connealy
ISBN 978-1-60260-142-0
Barbour
Historical Romance
Montana Marriages - Book 1
Back Cover Copy:
Widowed One Day --
Wedded the Next
Cassie Griffin has always dressed in silks. Her free-spending husband expects nothing less. But now he has died, leaving her unprotected, heavily in debt, and pregnant. As any single woman doesn't remain so for long in Divide, Montana, Cassie wonders if marrying one of the local cowboys might be her only choice. After seeing her choices, she then wonders if joining her husband might be even better.
Red Dawson has always had a soft spot in his heart for Cassie, even though most of the townspeople see her only as a silk-clad china doll. When she's left a widow, only one thing keeps him from immediately sweeping her off her feet--she's a nonbeliever.
As the other cowboys lay claim to Cassie, the most powerful rancher in the area steps forward to demand what he thinks rightly belongs to him. . .and the property that goes with her. Red struggles with figuring out what to do but decides he can't allow Cassie to suffer a fate worse than death and marries her himself.
Will Red win over this seemingly fragile and spoiled china doll's heart. . .and survive her unique brand of ranch help in the meantime? Will Cassie find true love with her cowboy--and His God--when she exchanges smooth silk for coarse calico?
My Review:
Mary. . .Mary. . .Mary, you just keep writing books that grab me and pull me in so deep I have a hard time putting it down. At least I had the sense to read it on the weekend when I wasn't writing my own book. Of course, James expected me to have food on the table when needed, and so I had to put it down a time or two.
MONTANA ROSE is a departure from your usual strong heroine, and I loved the character development through the book for the heroine, and the hero. The setting was unique and completely interesting. I won't give it away here, but I've had experience with that kind of place. You got it right.
The spiritual thread is strong and several characters experience strong growth. A really masterful job writing this book. A long way from your first manuscript I edited for you.
Readers, get this book quick. You'll be glad you did.
The Occasional Cook
By Cyndy Salzmann
ISBN 978-1-4196-9711-1
Subtitle: Culinary Strategies for Overcommitted Families
Cookbook
Back Cover Copy:
Family-friendly recipes to simplify mealtimes and save money!
Cyndy Salzmann has been holding cooking classes since 1997. Now in this sequel to MAKING YOUR HOME A HAVEN, Cyndy shares one of the secrets of how to do that: Spend less time in the kitchen!
If you want to
spend more time with your family
save on your grocery bills
prepare taste-tempting meals without exotic engredients
serve family-friendly recipes even the pickiest eaters will love
then THE OCCASIONAL COOK is for you!
My Review:
I know, I know. I usually review Christian fiction, but I recently acquired a copy of this book and found it fascinating.
In this book, Cyndy will teach you about how easy it is to use her system to make your time in the kitchen very productive and allow you more time out of the kitchen. She starts out with really good tips everyone can use. Then she explains her method of cooking for a whole week in one day.
After that, she includes a lot of delicious recipes you can follow using her method. And not to leave you just staring at the pages, she finishes with a section giving you step-by-step instructions, including menus and shopping lists. And all the food is nutritious, but easy to obtain and prepare.
I highly recommend this book.
The Blue Enchantress
By M. L. Tyndall
ISBN 978-1-60260-157-4
Barbour
Historical Romance
Charles Town Belles, Book 2
Back Cover Copy:
An adventure-seeking woman and a security-minded ship builder are shipwrecked together.
Still grieving the loss of her mother--and private tragedies of her own--Hope Westcott plays the part of a duriful admiral's daughter. But longing for the love and acceptance she never felt at home, Hope plunges into Charles Towne society. . .and an illicit affair with Lord Falkland.
For Captain Nethaniel Mason, wealth means security, so he is determined to build his shippind business--ignoring God's call on his life to become an impoverished pastor. He also ignores his attraction to the frivolous, vain Hope Westcott.
Hope's adventure seeking lands her in the hands of an unscrupulous ship captain who wants to sell her to the highest bidder. When Nathaniel sees Hope on the auction block, will he listen to God and sacrifice his ship, cargo, and security to save her?
Fron the Carolina Coast to the Caribbean, through stormy seas and shipwrecks, can Hope and Nathaniel put aside their painful pasts, listen to God's voice, and find true love and acceptance?
My Review:
MaryLu, you've done it again. Given us a swashbuckling adventure filled with romance. A book that's hard to put down once you start reading.
Your characters leapt from the pages straight into my heart. I loved them, rooted for them, booed the bad guys, and loved every minute of it. You truly showed the depth of sacrificial love.
And you setting is close to my heart. I love traveling through the Caribbean. I could visualize every scene with your excellent descriptions.
Bring on the next book in the series.
Love Finds You in Liberty, Indiana
By Melody Dobson
ISBN 978-1-934770-74-0
Summerside Press
Historical Romance
Back Cover Copy:
In a divided town during a dangerous era, who can be trusted?
Liberty, Indiana, is home to a stop on the Underground Railroad operated by Quaker abolitionists Anna Brent and her father. Harboring runaway slaves is a dangerous mission: anyone caught aiding them is subject to improsonment. When Anna's secret work is threatened, can she turn to the handsome yet outspoken Daniel Stanton, Liberty's newspaper editor, to ensure the safety of the runaways so dear to her? Will she and Daniel risk everything for their beliefs--including their personal liberty?
My Review:
I wasn't terribly interested in reading about the Underground Railroad. I'd read plenty of books about it and considered this one as just one more. What else was there to say about it?
However, when I picked it up, the first chapter captured me, and I had a hard time putting the book down. Although the story is the same--slaves giving everything to find freedom--the focus is different.
Very tastefully done, the book still reveals the inherent evil of slavery in any era. I found the story not only well-crafted, but also compassionate and heart-tugging.
I highly recommend this excellent read.
Love Finds You in Revenge, Ohio
By Lisa Harris
ISBN 978-1-934770-81-8
Summerside Press
Historical Romantic Women's Fiction
Back Cover Copy:
The only thing worse than being a spinster is being a twice-jilted spinster.
At twenty-five, Catherine Morgan is hardly an old maid. But she's given up on marriage and instead manages the family's general store in the small town of Revenge, Ohio. Bound by a promise to care for her three sisters until they marry, she'll do anything to keep them safe. But Sheriff Corbin Hunter stands in her way. He has evidence that her sister's fiance is really an infamous bank robber--and the man who murdered his father. Catherine finds herself torn between saving her sister's heart and losing hers to the man who jilted her seven years ago. Will Corbin's desire for revenge cause him to lose Catherine a second time?
My Review:
I had been anxiously waiting to read Lisa's Summerside Press book, and I loved it. I mentored Lisa years ago before she ever sold her first novel. Now she's one of my favorite authors.
This story might be my favorite one yet. The premise of the hope for revenge in their hearts while living in the town of Revenge is powerful. And Lisa writes enough twists and turns into her plot to keep the reader turning pages. I especially liked the suspenseful element.
Lisa's characters pulled me into the story and held me captive through every page. I highly recommend this wonderful book.
Love Finds You in Poetry, Texas
By Janice Hanna
ISBN 978-1-935416-16-6
Summerside Press
Historical Romantic Fiction
Back Cover Copy:
Belinda Bauer in her ivory tower. . .
In the quaint community of Poetry, Texas, Belinda spies an opportunity. The town is filled with farmers and railroad men in need of wives, so why not set herself up as a marriage broker? Belinda sends little poems to prospective brides all over the country, and her plan seems to work. One by one, women begin to arrive in Poetry. There's only one problem: Belinda doesn't have a clue what she'd doing, and most of the brides marry the wrong men! One client is particularly unhappy. Georg Kaufman, the local barber, has lost more than one prospective wife to Belinda's fumbled attempts. For some reason, she just can't seem to find Georg's perfect match, though it's not for lack of trying. Is there a poetic ending in store for Georg--and for Belinda herself?
My Review:
I've known Janice (aka Janice Thompson) for many years. I've loved her books, but this is the first one that I felt really sounded like her voice. And I saw a lot of Janice's background and interests in this story. These details made the story extremely fascinating.
The book had many "awww" moments. I don't have the time to read a book straight through, so I'd read in spurts whenever I had time. Many of the scenes kept me chuckling long after I put the book down.
If you want a sweet love story with comedic touches and interesting characters, then this is the book for you.
September ACFW Book Releases
We had a whopping twenty-four new releases this month.
1. A Blue and Gray Christmas, by Carrie Turansky, Vickie McDonough, Lauralee Bliss Tamela Hancock Murray from Barbour Publishing. A Blue and Gray Christmas highlights the faith and courage of four couples who remained true to their convictions and found lasting love despite the hardships of the Civil War.
2. A Man of His Word, Book 1 in the Hearts of Middlefield Series, by Kathleen Fuller from Thomas Nelson. Moriah's heart will only be safe with a man of his word.
3. A Passion Redeemed , by Julie Lessman from Revell. Depth of beauty ... shallow of heart, Charity O'Connor is a woman who gets what she wants. She sets her sights on a man who wants nothing to do with her. Although the sparks are there, he refuses to fan the coals of a potential relationship with a woman who ruined his life. Charity burned him once, destroying his engagement to the only woman he ever truly loved. He won't play with matches again. But Charity has a plan to turn up the heat, hoping to ignite the heart of the man she loves. And she always gets what she wants-one way or another.
4. A Silent Fury, by Lynette Eason from Steeple Hill Love Inspired Suspense. Detective Catelyn Clark and her ex-boyfriend, FBI agent Joseph Santino, must overcome their rocky past while working to solve the murder of a deaf student and find the friend who's still missing.
5. Always Ready, Book 1, by Susan Page Davis from Heartsong. Two Coast Guard officers find danger and romance in the hostile seas of Alaska.
6. An Amish Christmas, by Kathleen Fuller, , Beth Wiseman, from Thomas Nelson. Follow the lives of three Amish families through the Christmas season.
7. Beautiful Ugly, by Shelia Lipsey from Kensington Publishing Corp. Three friends need plenty of faith in God and support from each other to see their real beauty lies within.
8. Christmas at Lake Tahoe, by Jeanie Smith Cash, Lena Nelson Dooley, Jean Kincaid from Barbour Publishing. Will four young women fresh out of college, find love at Christmas as they persue their careers at a new ski lodge at Lake Tahoe's Incline Village?
9. Cowboy Christmas, by Mary Connealy from Barbour. A secretive singer with trouble following her, and a cowboy who hates liars, especially female liars, need a Christmas miracle to take a chance on love.
10. Fields of Grace, by Kim Vogel Sawyer from Bethany House. A Russian Mennonite family fights to survive and maintain their faith in a new land.
11. Finally Home and Finally Found, by Lyn Cote from Heartsong Presents. Two stories in one book. Finally Home-After her wedding that wasn't, Hannah Kirkland hides in her parent's small WI town But hiding is hard in a house that's under construction! As friendship with carpenter Guthrie Thomas, Hannah learns how to build a home--and love--of her own. In Finally Found-Ten years ago Marco da Palma left Spring Kirkland behind. What did a poor scholarship student have to offer her anyway? But when Marco, now a successful doctor, finds Spring again, the pair have a second chance. If only Marco can release his fears, and see the happiness that has been waiting all along...
12. Hearts and Harvest, by Amber Stockton from Heartsong Presents. A destitute young man fights society's mores to win the hand of his privileged sweetheart.
13. It's Not about Him, Second Glance Series, Book #2, by Michelle Sutton from Sheaf House. Two young Christians with an unplanned pregnancy where she wants to place her child in a good home but he wants to marry her so she'll keep her child even though it's not his.
14. Just Between You and Me, by Jenny B. Jones from Thomas Nelson. A family emergency pulls Maggie Montgomery back home to a town full of painful secrets and people she left behind. Sometimes the only thing scarier than living on the edge is stepping off it.
15. Love Finds You in Charm, Ohio, by Annalisa Daughety from Summerside Press. A summer in Charm, Ohio, gives Emma Miller the chance to decide once and for all what she wants from life--but soon finds herself pulled between two worlds.
16. One Imperfect Christmas, by Myra Johnson from Abingdon Press. Christmas is the season of miracles, but when blame and guilt keep people apart, a miracle needs a helping hand.
17. Painted Desert, by Nancy Farrier from Barbour. As modern life takes unexpected turns, love comes knocking on the doors of three Arizona women's lives.18. Protector's Honor, by Kit Wilkinson from Steeple Hill Love Inspired Suspense. Rory Farrell searches for the link between Tabitha Beaumont and his ongoing murder investigation, but to protect her, he'll have to her trust as well.
19. Raising Rain, by Debbie Fuller Thomas from Moody Publishers. A single woman desperate for a child and the 3 college roommates who raised her meet her terminally ill mother on a stormy weekend and confront the past.
20. The Familiar Stranger, by Christina Berry from Moody Publishers. Secrets from Craig Littleton's past threaten to undue his troubled marriage, but if he literally can't remember the damage he's done, can he ever be trusted?
21. The Transformation, Project Restoration Series Book 3, by Terri Kraus from David C. Cook. Can a good, hard-working Christian man disregard his cultural and religious admonitions--as well as his mother's plans for his life--for the love of a woman and an historic church building?
22. The Unfinished Gift, by Dan Walsh from Revell, Division of Baker Publishing Group. Set at Christmastime in 1943, The Unfinished Gift is an engaging story of reconciliation between a father and son, and how God uses an unexpected gift from the past to mend this broken family.
23. Tidings of Great Boys, All About Us #5, by Shelley Adina from Hatchette FaithWords. Lady Lindsay (Mac) MacPhail invites her classmates home to her castle in Scotland for an unforgettable Christmas.
24. Wild West Christmas, by Lena Nelson Dooley, Kathleen Y'Barbo, Vickie McDonough, Darlene Franklin from Barbour. Christmas courtships corral four sisters in Texas.
Happy Reading!
Musings
God is the master of miracles. Even though my husband James needed to work, he’s been off for over four months, and our financial condition has changed very little. God has shown us how to live within our means, and He’s provided lots of unexpected things in our lives. I was able to replace my laptop with one that is lighter, thinner, and has an 8+ hour battery.
Now this month, I’m in the final preparations for two back-to-back conferences, the first in less than two weeks. I’m really looking forward to participating in both of these meetings—as a faculty member for the first one and a paid critiquer for the second one.
And I’m writing a book as fast as I can in the midst of all this.
And I’m writing a book as fast as I can in the midst of all this.
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