Sam Sinclair is HOT!! Steaming mad that is. She sold her townhouse, and her possessions, bought an RV and drove to Alaska with a letter of a promise of a job, only to arrive to find out the boss let his nephew have the job. She is mad. Lucky for her she is quickly able to find a job managing a Christmas gift shop, and quickly is in love with her job! Always a great lover and fan of Christmas, working in a shop that is all about Christmas seems to be a place where Sam fits right in. Plus Olive, the store owner’s aunt, is a dear and quickly becomes a close friend.

Bryce Stone, is a veteran. And he hates the commercialization of Christmas. And of all the places he could live, he lives in North Pole Alaska. He is the owner of the store where Sam is working. Having lost an eye while in Afghanistan, he is very timid and leery of women. His fiancee had dumped him after the accident, so trusting women did not come natural to him.

Follow this story as Olive orchestrates a romance between the two of them, and finally has romance in her own life. A beautiful story that will have you laughing at the antics of Olive, Samantha and crying at the sorrows Bryce faces. Definitely a book to read. 297 pages $12.99 US 4 stars

This book was provided for review purposes only, no payment was received for this review.

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Another LFY book, this one was definitely a great story! Cassie, a new widow, heads to Holiday Florida to her vacation home for her first Florida Christmas ever. Her grown daughter has plans, and Zan Cassie’s husband had always wanted to spend a Christmas in Florida. So she heads to Florida. Determined to get the house ready to go on the market. She knows she doesn’t really need a vacation home, and Florida was never just a place she was excited about, like Zan was.

Arriving and picking up old friendships right where they left off, Cassie is surprised to find herself thinking more and more about why she is wanting to sell the vacation home. Could it have anything to do with the nice widower, who has moved to town since the last time she was there?

A cute book with hilarious situation comedy in it, you will truly enjoy Love Finds You in Holiday Florida. 328 pages $12.99 US 4 stars

This book was provided for review purposes only.

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Never pretty enough to please her gorgeous mother, Allie will do anything to gain her approval–even marry a man she doesn’t love. Lt. Walter Novak–fearless in the cockpit but hopeless with women–takes his last furlough at home in California before being shipped overseas. Walt and Allie meet at a wedding and their love of music draws them together, prompting them to begin a correspondence that will change their lives. As letters fly between Walt’s muddy bomber base in England and Allie’s mansion in an orange grove, their friendship binds them together. But can they untangle the secrets, commitments, and expectations that keep them apart?

A Distant Melody is the first book in the Wings of Glory series, which follows the three Novak brothers, B-17 bomber pilots with the US Eighth Air Force stationed in England during World War II.

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Memory Between Us, A: A Novel (Wings of Glory)This is one of the better whole novels that I have read in a while. This is a historical romance that has all of the elements that one’s heart looks for and while at the same time bringing forth events of a war time past that are true and hard to accept. Usually I am not a fan of war time novels, but this one captures my heart. In a similar manner as the films Pearl Harbor and Hanover Street except with a moral conscious. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and cannot wait for the sequel A Memory Between Us come this fall.

It starts with the cover being pure dreamy that just makes your heart sigh. Then from page one I was in love with the character of Allie and soon after Walt. Watching how romance blossomed and watch the confusion of their hearts and yearning for explanation for the other was pleasantly painful. Each chapter brought me begging for me. Sarah Sundin wrote an incredible heart rending story and I highly recommend it. Sundin is now on my favorite authors list.

*Thanks to Donna Hausler of Revell Books for providing a copy for review.*

“Available March 2010 at your favorite bookseller from Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group.”

View all my reviews >>

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My introduction to Kristen Heitzmann was through her most recent contemporary romantic suspense novel The Edge of Recall and I loved it. When I found out that she also had previously written a series in my favorite genre of Christian Historical Fiction I added it to my TBR list. Then I discovered that Bethany House was going to re-release the series with beautiful new covers and I could not wait to get my hands on the series! After reading the first novel, I am glad that I did. Originally published in 2000, now being re-released in 2010.

This is a story of romance, redemption, vengeance and love. It ends with a string that causes a reader to have to get the next book (ordered my from PaperBackSwap thank you very much) and on the edge of your seat you want to know what comes next. I recommend this story, and I’m certain will recommend the series.

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  Though I am a prolific reader especially in the historical and fantasy genres of fiction, from time to time I find a contemporary fiction or something else outside my normal reading patterns that I end up loving just as much. Jenna Callahan has been faced with lots of change and the consequences of choices made as a very young woman. When the man who has loved her from a distance since they were teenagers returns from a tour of duty in the Middle East, her father relents from his adamant insistence that Nate Langley was less than his only daughter deserved. However Nate has some skeletons in his personal closet after active duty in the military during the US War on Terror. His potential father-in-law told Nate he was unworthy of his "princess" and chased him off before the two were out of high school. Jenna’s father instead pushed her into marriage with a sports star.

Despite her faith and the baby that came along in this relationship, the marriage was really nothing more than a sham. Yes her former husband had a lucrative career in sports but family was a responsibility he would rather leave behind in favor of his short lived career. Nate is still tight with Jenna’s brothers and when he returns from roaming both Texas and the world the Callahan’s are some of the first residents of Callahan Crossing to welcome him home. He must help his folks keep the cotton farm running smoothly but at the same time needs part time work to contribute to the family expenses. Jenna’s father and brothers both realize that Nate still harbors strong feelings for her and she might well be in the same situation.

This may be a contemporary novel but it still proved to be a fulfilling escape to a world far removed from my own daily existence. Country life has always intrigued me from the days when I fell in love with Laura Ingalls Wilder through both her books and the TV show adapted from them. Despite being a city girl I have always dreamt of having my own space and horses one day. While that dream may never be fulfilled literally, I still revel in stories from both the past and present featuring farms and country abodes removed from the daily hustle and bustle of modern life. Sharon’s story and characters proved to be the perfect distraction I seek from my reading adventure. There are many other surprises for both the reader and characters in Sharon’s action packed story of survival, love, and the commitment to home and family many wish were more prevalent in our modern era. I look forward impatiently to my next visit with the denizens of Callahan Crossing in upcoming sequels to Gillenwater’s first Callahan installment. (ISBN# 9780800733537, 330pp, $14.99)

Thanks to Revell for providing this review copy to Christian Bookworm Reviews.

Reviewed by Melissa Meeks. See more of my reviews at Bibliophile’s Retreat.

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Thicker than Blood
by C.J. Darlington

Christy Williams finally has her life on track. She’s putting her past behind her and working hard to build a career as an antiquarian book buyer. But things begin to unravel when a stolen Hemingway first edition is found in her possession, framing her for a crime she didn’t commit. With no one to turn to, she yearns for her estranged younger sister, May, whom she abandoned after their parents’ untimely deaths. Soon, Christy’s fleeing from her shattered dreams, her ex-boyfriend, and God. Could May’s Triple Cross Ranch be the safe haven she’s searching for? Will the sisters realize that each possesses what the other desperately needs before it’s too late? A stunning debut from the latest Christian Writers Guild winner.

My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Nitty gritty honest truth under your skin, but you have to turn to the page and find out what happens next.

I have been anticipating this book as C.J. Darlington is such a great influence in the online book blogging and publication world. I was not disappointed. Especially as I am not a contemporary Christian fiction fan and yet I enjoyed this one and will definitely pick up future titles from C.J. Full of suspense and easily a page turner, this one goes on the keeper shelf.

about this author
C.J. Darlington is the winner of the 2008 Jerry B. Jenkins Christian Writers Guild Operation First Novel contest. She has been in the antiquarian bookselling business for over a decade, scouting for stores similar to the one described in Thicker than Blood before cofounding her own online bookstore. She also cofounded the Christian entertainment Web site www.TitleTrakk.com. A homeschool graduate, she lives in Pennsylvania with her family.

*Thanks to TitleTrakk.com and C.J. Darlington for providing a copy for review.*

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A Lady Like Sarah
by Margaret Brownley

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SEEING THINGS
by Patti Hill

Birdie Wainwrite has macular degeneration, but that isn’t about to stop her! Birdie loves dancing, hiking with her large dog, and is famous in her small Colorado town for baking pies. But when Birdie accidentally falls and breaks her ankle, suddenly she finds herself being forced to live with her son, his wife, and her sixteen year old grandson. Not the ideal circumstances for this fun-loving grandma, especially when her daughter in law is a doctor, and the relationship has been less than pleasant from day one.

Andy and Suzanne are both very busy, and neither have much time for Birdie, leaving her care to their house-keeper, and their sixteen year old son. Fletcher is a dear boy, but he and his father do not see eye to eye, and the boy is constantly being belittled and threatened with boarding school.

When Fletcher has to read Huckleberry Fin for his English class, Birdie is delighted. She loves that story. So, she and Fletcher spend time together reading. But then, Huck Fin starts appearing in Birdie’s room! At first he just comes. And then he finds a voice and talks to her. And listens to her. And Birdie is wondering if she’s going crazy.

I  have read and loved all of Patti Hill’s books so far, and was looking forward to reading SEEING THINGS. I was not disappointed. Birdie is a seventy-something year old woman, but she is very active, reminding me of my mother. And being legally blind doesn’t slow her down at all. Birdie is not happy living with her son and his wife, but she loves getting to know her grandson better, and even makes friends with her son’s neighbors.

Birdie is very realistic, and I couldn’t help but fall in love with her. Coupled with Ms. Hill’s descriptive writing style and I could hear the dog’s nails clicking on the wood floors (of course that might have been our dog I heard!) and seen the surroundings—at least the portion that Birdie could see. Laugh out loud funny at times, this is a book you will not soon forget.  The ending does seem a bit rushed. $14.99. 320 pages.

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Screen Play: A Novel
by Chris Coppernoll

After struggling for years to make it as an actress, Harper finally gets her big break—but will she have to sacrifice the love of her life to take it?

At thirty, Harper fears her chances for a thriving acting career and finding true love are both fading fast. When she’s handed an unexpected role on Broadway—understudy to New York’s biggest diva––everything changes. She longs for love in the City, but when it doesn’t happen, she reluctantly signs up to an online matchmaking site. Frustration mounts when the only men Harper is interested in are on the West coast, thousands of miles away. Harper feels like an actress who doesn’t act, and a woman in love with someone she’s never met, but God’s about to change all that.

My rating: 5 of 5 stars
I have been meaning to read a book by Chris for more than a year. I just never have a craving for contemporary fiction. Whenever I have free time I am always reaching for the historicals. After reading "Screen Play" by Chris, I am sorry that I waited so long before introducing myself to his storytelling voice. The entire time I was looking forward to what was coming next. Already, partially read I would recommend it. After finishing it, I highly recommend it.

There is not just one story in there but several. The character voice of female Harper Gray is incredibly well developed by Chris. There were many little things that showed her personality and I am very impressed from a male point of view how well she came together on the page.

While enjoying the story I was expecting it to wrap up right after the New York play, but it continued and it was as enjoyable as reading a sequel of character’s lives that you are not quite ready to let go of as a reader. After a short trip to London with my SisterB where we saw a play a day, except one day two I recall our performance of "The Woman in White" that was saw. This show sticks out in my mind specifically because the staring roll was played by the understudy. I remember being curious about what goes on in the mind of someone that plays the roll of an understudy and thanks to the first half of this fabulous treasure of a novel now I have a better plausible picture.

However, just this fact was not the only part of the story that I could relate to. I met my Enginerd online. Long story short, neither was looking and it all happened upon a fluke some would say, or rather God’s design that we did not expect. Know how wonderful it was and at the same time how people are still uncertain if that is an okay way to meet people I could completely relate to the characters as they impatiently waited for the next email, IM or text message.

This was a story that was enjoyable to read and the characters were truly brought of the page to me. I can imagine them as palpable persons and that is to me an extremely valuable talent in an author. Once again, I repeat, I am sorry that I have not delved into the imagination on the page from Chris before, but I am so glad that I have found his writing now. I cannot wait for more.

*Thanks to Audra of TBBMedia for providing a copy for review.*

Chris Coppernoll’s Website http://www.providencebook.com/

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