Angelica is a up and coming attorney working for a big firm in New York City. When she is fired and cannot find a new job due to her refusal to compromise her beliefs she heads home to California. While at home she faces the situation of illegal Mexican immigrants in the area. Her family ranch has hired a new immigrant worker, Antonio. Angelica decides to take him under her wing and try to help him out in every way she can. She also wants to try to get a job as a public defender because she wants give help to those who really are in need of it. As Angelica works with Antonio, she discovers that there may be more than just a charitable feeling shared between the two of them. The two have an uphill climb as they try to figure out their relationship.

I liked this book. It was easy to read and one could relate to the timeliness of the story. Illegal immigration is a hot topic in our country. Many politicians are debating constantly about how the nation should treat the situation. There are lots of people who are prejudiced against Mexican immigrants such as the foreman of the ranch or the people in the church who thought they were “helping” but really weren’t. Angelica is a compassionate character who wants to help out Antonio. She also makes the difficult choice of choosing a harder life instead of one that would be easily handed to her. I admire people who can do that. I could also relate to Angelica’s issue with not wanting to tell her parents what really happened to her in New York. It’s hard to have to tell your parents that you’ve let them down after they think you’ve done so well. My parents were immigrants so the story is familiar about being alone and uncertain in a new country. They too were grateful for the people who took the time out to help them get settled in their new life. I’m looking forward to picking up the next two books in the series.

Claire is a romance author and a single mom. She has four kids ranging from a teenager to a 6 year old. She has to put up with her ex-husband who cheated on her and his new young wife (not the one he cheated with). Her mom, who’s been her backbone for the past few years, decides to leave to be with her brother’s family in Texas. The cute neighbor who moves in next door also happens to be Claire’s son’s teacher plus the worship pastor at church. Plus he seems to like Claire..a lot. Add all these in with unruly kids, carpal tunnel surgery and panic attacks, and Claire’s got a lot to learn that she can’t do everything all on her own.

I really enjoyed this read. It was fun hip mom lit. Almost anyone can identify also with trying to lose a couple of extra pounds, who can turn down hot fresh pizza really? Claire is a character that you both love and get frustrated with at the same time. For me when she had to deal with Rick and Darcy, especially the scenes with the counselor, you really feel for her. I mean imagine having to hear your ex husband say that he never really loved you and he only married you because it was his duty. And plus now he’s started a better life with a younger prettier, perfect woman who keeps trying to be your friend when you’d really rather have nothing to do with them. So of course you side with her then. On the other hand, scenes with the way she handles her children made you want to thump Claire on the head. She thinks her kids can do no wrong even when she’s presented hard core evidence such as the dirty poems. Thus she does not give them the correct punishments instead choosing to let them off easier. And then she wonders why they don’t really listen or respect her? One can learn a lot from Claire and her adventures in this book.

Anne is a former EMT who’s now a candidate to be a nurse. She’s relocated to Deep Haven, MN to escape the gang violence she experienced first hand in Minneapolis. Anne is hoping to settle down and start a new quiet life in the town. However she keeps running into Noah Standing Bear, who is trying to start up a summer camp for troubled teens from the city. The two have many disputes and arguments as they both try to struggle with their former lives from the past. Also someone is stealing drugs from the hospital and attacking nurses. Fear from those who can help enters the little town.

I enjoyed returning to Deep Haven again. I wish I could visit this quiet town to go away to relax. I definitely make a stop at the bookstore for a read and cup of coffee. The characters in the town are all friendly and for the most part everyone gets along. However, at first Anne’s treatment of Noah gets really annoying. She blames him for everything wrong that happens to her and there’s a lot of prejudice in her accusations. I understand that because of her attack she’s very wary of people and not able to trust easily. However you feel for Noah that he can’t do anything right in Anne’s eyes. He doesn’t even have to be near her and she gets into a rage about him. She’s prejudiced towards him because of what her attacker had done to her. I did like the story overall. Gang violence is a topic that is a big issue in major cities. It’s sad that many teens and even children are affected by gangs. Many families are torn apart because of killings and it’s almost normal to hear that a friend has been shot or hurt by a gang member. It’s a good eye opener that we should help people in those situations instead of ignoring them. I also liked the use of a minority character, sadly it’s still rare in Christian fiction to find a main character that is not Caucasian. This book was an interesting look into what happens when you have to fully trust God even when you’re scared to.

Liz and her sister Julie are two Americans that live in Lebanon. When the building that Julie was attending a party at is destroyed by a bomb, Liz goes on a mission to find her after finding evidence that she may still be alive. Meanwhile John is a member of a special ops team sent to Beruit to find Palestinian extremists who have discovered a new way to threaten terror in the region. John and Liz’s lives intertwine as they try to find Julie and prevent the terrorists from instigating more fear into the lives of the people there. The story is non stop action throughout, an edge of your seat reality read.

While reading this book, I felt like I was watching the evening news. Everything seemed so real and action packed. The situations the characters got themselves in could be ripped right out of the headlines. At first John’s story felt a little boring to me with all the military talk and I wanted to get back to Liz’s and Julie’s story. However as I got more into the book, I enjoyed reading from both angles. I thought it was very interesting learning more about the Arab and Muslim culture. Many Americans don’t really understand the religion and get only a one sided view on it. By explaining customs and rituals, the reader is able to have a better understanding of that side of the world. I also liked how the explanation of the way women are viewed in that world. As westerners, it’s hard to understand why women would allow men to treat them the way they do in Arab countries. I appreciated that while Liz is an American, her character is used to the customs of the country because she grew up there. She does not act like a fish out of water or have scenes displaying ignorance. This book is recommended for those who like action stories, stories that could have happened, or interested in what life is like in the Middle East.

I read the book before watching the movie so I went to the film knowing a lot of what was going to happen. If I thought the movie made the familiar characters more human and real, the book does even more so. The book adds to the movie script and includes more scenes that help to develop the characters. Mary is seen as caught between childhood and becoming a married women. We feel her struggle as she has to leave her old life behind. The reader is taken to understand what she went through after the angel told her what was going to happen to her. Since in the Bible, we don’t hear a lot about Joseph what is written here shows him as an understanding and devout man. He loves Mary and wants to take care of her and the baby even though it will not be his completely.

I enjoyed the research that went on towards the writing of this book. It’s full of historical detail and knowledge. You get a feel of the time, from Mary and Joseph’s perspective, from Herod’s, and the Wise Men. I know there is much debate about when the Wise Men showed up or even how many there are. I just find it amazing that any persons would come, near or far, to see a baby being born. Imagine how the shepherds felt when they saw Jesus, their Messiah had finally come. I also liked the prologue, which showed a modern view on the Nativity which is what most people believe in and have become immune to.

The Christmas season should be remembered in the way Hunt portrays the first Christmas. Very simple, with lots of faith and belief. The book shows that these were real people who were struggling to understand why they were chosen, yet they believed without a doubt. We today should follow in their footsteps. Another powerful read from one of my favorite authors.

Tracie Peterson’s Alaskan Quest series reintroduces us to Jacob and Leah Barringer, first seen as children in her Yukon Quest series. Now grown up and independent adults, the two still live up in Alaska and have come to adore their new home. In Under the Northern Lights, the second book in the series, Leah has just married Jayce Kincaid and is ready to settle down and have a quiet life with him. Unfortunately for her, Jayce’s evil twin brother Chase kidnaps her and Helaina Beecher, the Pinkerton agent searching for Chase. While the two women have to fight for survival against Chase, Jayce and Jacob go out to search for the women they love in hopes of rescuing them. When something happens that nearly destroys Leah, the four have to to depend on faith in order to move on.

I love seeing characters reappear in books. I wanted to know what happened to Jacob and Leah at the close of the Yukon Quest series when they were children. Now as their adults, the pair have had to share their own hardships and triumphs. Alaska is always a great setting because it’s so vast and big and like Hawaii, familiar yet different at the same time. I’m glad that Helaina’s character changes throughout the story. In the first book, she is very stubborn and headstrong because she’s trying to prove to herself and others that she can survive on her own. In this book, Leah has to force her to realize that finding Chase is not the most important thing in the world. I also felt sorry for Leah with what she went through. The turn of the events at the end though are rather interesting and I bet her and Jayce would have appreciated modern technology for their situation! She rightly feels bitter and I believe that she is allowed to. The only thing I didn’t like was she felt guilty over feeling bitter but I feel that in her situation she had an absolute right to. I love when I feel like I’m drawn into a book and that happened several times while reading this one. I actually felt cold when reading certain scenes and had to get a blanket. Recommended for Peterson fans and anyone who enjoys a good historical fiction story.

Theo and Kevin have just gotten married and now are expecting a baby! Being pregnant isn’t all fun and games for the couple. It means Theo can’t stand the sight of chocolate! The couple are going through their first days of marriage and already they are having issues. From Kevin not wanting Theo to write in her diary to Theo leaving for a few days because Kevin wouldn’t fix the bathroom, the newlyweds sound like their having lots of fun in their new life. With Theo’s pregnancy comes cravings for weird food, having to wear Charity-like maternity clothing (gasp!), trying to find a job that will take her in her “condition” and her sister-in-law getting pregnant at the same time. Plus Declan keeps showing up. Thank goodness Kevin lets Theo have her diary back. She’d be lost without it.

Theodora is one of my favorite characters as of lately. I love everything that she goes through and how she handles situations. I thought it was pretty arrogant of Kevin to refuse Theo to write in her diary. His reason is that he wants her to talk to him instead of writing. Really though, guys stop listening after a while. If Theo had really stopped her diary and talked to him all the time, I guarantee Kevin would have gotten fed up and been like “why don’t you talk to you friends about this stuff?” I mean Theo gets frustrated with him and football but she never asks him to quit it completely. Arrgh, men. I do like how Theo and Jeremiah finally sort of get along. Although I really didn’t like his earlier viewpoint on her especially when he think they’ve gotten married after she got pregnant. I hate people who jump to conclusions and especially Christians who think they are better than everyone else. I’m glad she took a stand though and I’m glad they were able to make up. There’s not much Charity in this book but her and Theo have settled down and are more friendlier with each other. It’s also interesting to read how Charity’s oldest son has started to rebel against their conservative lifestyle.

I hope this isn’t the last we’ll hear from Theodora and her diary. I want more!

Ragni is fed up with her advertising job in Chicago. She’s also frustrated that her dad has Alzheimer’s making life for her mother extremely difficult. She also has to put up with her older sister complaining about her teenage niece going through a rebellious period. When her spa vacation is cut short due her mother wanting her to look at some old family property in North Dakota, Ragni and her niece Erika set out on a road trip. Their relationship gets off to a rocky start due their differences as they grew apart. When they get to the house, it’s in shambles and they have to work together to try to fix out. Out of their normal elements, the two soon find remnants of their ancestor Nilda who left her artistic touch around the house and in both of them. The story flips between Ragni’s story and Nilda’s, who was a housekeeper who came with her daughter to work for a man out west.

This was good compelling story. I love all of Lauraine Snelling books and this one disappoint. Ragni is your everday career woman who needs to take a break from work. Erika is the rebellious teenager who wants everyone to leave her alone. The two are forced to get along and it is interesting to see how their relationship changes throughout the story. I liked the going back and forth between Ragni’s and Nilda’s stories. Nilda’s story reminded me Janette Oke’s Love Come Softly. Very sweet and frontier-like. The only thing I wondered was it didn’t seem like Ragni knew about Nilda’s story. I didn’t see her reading a diary or hearing old stories from her mother. So I dont’ know if Ragni and Erika knew the whole story about why she lived in the house. The two though are reconnected with each other and their own selves after seeing their ancestor’s paintings. It was cool to read about Ragni’s inspirations and urges to want to paint. I really enjoyed this book. Who knew North Dakota could be such a scenic and adventurous place?

Jo Tulip has just been jilted at the altar and been involved in murder investigation, all in the same day. Her best friend Danny (who’s secretly in love with her) gets Jo to come to the crime scene of an elderly woman who turns up mysteriously dead in her own home. The police rule it as an accident but with Jo’s knack for household tips, she discovers it to be a murder. Theft, fraud, the deceiving of old ladies, and alchemy all come into play to as Jo and Danny try to discover the truth about really happened.

This was my first Mindy Starns Clark book and I really got a kick out of it. I loved all the household advice spread throughout the novel. Very interesting techniques given how to combat any home problem. I have yet to try out any but I may do so in the future. The murder investigation was really gutsy of Jo to do it mostly by herself. There were a lot of twists I wasn’t expecting. I really Jo’s character. I do hope we get a full confrontation with Bradford. The guy is a jerk. She should be happy she didn’t marry him, what a wimp. I also hope Jo can work out her relationship with her parents. It’ll also be interesting to see how Jo’s and Danny’s future will work itself out.

I really liked the letters from the advice column. I found it funny that the writers of the letters always seemed to be clueless about the situations they were writing about. I guess housewives from back then really were in the dark? Great book, great mystery, and good fun read.

Lily Traywick is the daughter of the owners of huge and famous department store in San Francisco. She is poised to inherit it in the future. However, Lily does not want to continue life working with clothes. She spends time with her two best friends and tries to figure out why she’s not able to get a boyfriend. After a makeover she meets Sam, another employee at the store. Soon they begin to date, and Lily starts to really enjoy life. Then Sam’s friend Delia comes to town, wrecking havoc into their relationship. Lily jots all these events in her blog, writing about everything that’s happened with Sam, her friends, her parents, anyone she’s come into contact with. When her blog’s secrets become public to those who are in it, it’ll take a miracle for her to recover.

I thought this was a fun and cool read. I really like this new Chick-lit genre and this book definitely fits in it. My favorite scene in the book would have to be the hockey game where she has to wear that shark head. I just about died laughing. I know how Lily feels about being one of the guys. It happened to me too, they are so used to hanging out with you that they don’t realize you’re actually a girl. I’m glad Lily kept rejecting Sam when he tried to come back to her after leaving Delia. He needed to suffer after what he had put her through. To be honest, if I had been in Lily’s shoes at that point, I would have been severely depressed. Everyone had turned on her even though she had just been telling the truth about them. To be fair though, I don’t know why Lily just hadn’t used code names when writing in her blog. If you plan on spilling out details of your life, you can’t use real names because you never know who will be reading about it. I did enjoy them though. (Although do you realize that fictional characters always get more hits than real people do?) I also appreciated how Lily is a Christian that is strong about her beliefs (she wouldn’t date Sam at first because she wasn’t sure) and wants her friends to become believers, yet she is not the pushy overbearing stereotypical Christian like other characters in the book.

Excellent book, one I would recommend anyone (Christian or non-Christian) to read. This is a fun read that everyone can enjoy because everyone know how it feels to be in Lily’s shoes.