This has probably got to be my absolute favorite Potluck Club book ever. The story was written so extremely well. As a huge fan of the Food Network, I love any show that deals with competitive cooking. If the competition that happened in this book actually became a TV show (and I really think it should) I would definitely be watching and be a fan. I loved the behind the scenes action that took place and the descriptions of what it takes to make one of these shows. Also greatly enjoyed the trip to New York and the adventures the ladies had of just being in the city.

What I love best about this series is that these women are real. I get tired of reading other Christian fiction that portrays their characters as saints or those who are always eager to cast the first stone. Not only is it an overused stereotype, it’s just plain wrong. The women in this book are just like any woman you meet in your church. They are flawed characters but they are real. They learn from their mistakes and they do what they can to live better lives. Usually you can tell with multiple authors when each author is writing. There is a distinct tone that is unique to that author’s voice and stands out. This can be a distraction sometimes when it’s obvious that the narrator has changed. Well in this series, I can’t tell when Linda is writing or when Eva holds the pen. It all blends so seamlessly that the story just flows along. You don’t feel overwhelmed, lose track or get confused with any of the character’s stories. I felt that in this book, everyone had equal story time and each story was just as interesting, hilarious, and touching all at the same time.

There are TONS of recipes in this story, and all were used in the book. Alas I didn’t get to try out any but there are many that are really simple to make. That way, if you get a hankering to try out something you’re reading about, it’s right there for you to stop reading, start cooking, and then eat and read at the same time. I cannot wait until the next book but at the same time, it’s bittersweet because I know it’ll be the last one. Until then, I shall cook up some of the recipes from this one and enjoy what I have. VERY HIGHLY recommended.

This is probably one of the best Christmas novellas I’ve ever read. Yes it’s short, but it gets to the point and it’s sweet and funny and it totally gets you in the mood for Christmas. The way the book started, I was worried that it would fall in the trap of moms who find themselves empty nesters and make everyone else feel sorry for them. The other potential overused storyline trap would be a mom who does too much for everyone else because she can’t say no and has a weak backbone. However instead I read about a mom who loves her kids and will do anything for them including potentially humiliating herself in front of the whole town. Would you (or your mom) dress up as what could possibly be the worst mascot of all time, a trout? I love reading about Marianne’s adventures as as fish, from starting out being self conscious and scaring kids to just hamming it up in front of the crowd. She obviously love her kids very much and I did feel sorry for her when they didn’t come home from the holidays. It made me think about how next time, I should give my parents at least some notice if I can’t make it for the holidays.

Plus there’s a yummy clam chowder recipe featured in the story and as a huge clam chowder fan I swooned. The recipe is included so you can try it out for yourself. If you’re itching to get into the Christmas mood now, this book is perfect for you. It packs a lot of punch for a short story but by the end you’ll clearly get the point. Along the way, it’ll bring a lot of laughs, a lot of love, and a lot of trout.

Wedding bells are ringing at 86 Bloomberg Place as Lelani begins to prepare for her wedding to Gil. As someone who’s recently finished with her own wedding, I totally understand the importance and struggle of trying to have a small wedding. To me, weddings are supposed to be a celebration of a marriage and the union of two people who love each other. They are NOT supposed to be a party where you invite anyone and everyone just so they don’t feel left out. For that reason, I just kept getting irritated with Gil’s mother for trying to go against every one of Lelani’s and Gil’s wishes. On the other hand, I was really proud of the couple of standing up to her. I hate seeing people become doormats during wedding season! The girls were run to read as everyone’s trying to prepare for the celebration. I really like seeing how they’ve grown since their arrival at house 86. Each one of them has matured and has found their niche in life and has taken full advantage of it. Once again there’s lots of humor in this book, and for the most part I can really relate to these girls. They are my age and do things that I would do and like things I like. As I’ve said before I would have loved to share a house with them.

The only thing I didn’t really like was that I felt Kendall’s marriage is extremely rushed. I know that she had matured a bit since the beginning of the series, especially due to the baby. However, she’s still not really that responsible to me and her rushing into marriage like this doesn’t seem very wise at all. It doesn’t help that her parents are very good people to turn to in times like this and don’t have that much advice to give her. Her roommates try to advise when they can but even still, it feels like this might end up being a mistake. There’s also the fact that this seems to be a long distance relationship that hasn’t taken time to fully grow and it’s not even really mentioned how often the couple has seen each other. One off beat note is that the bar mitzvah is not really a big factor in the story as the title seems to imply.

Other than this, I have really enjoyed reading this entire series. I have felt that I have gotten to know the girls really well and I shall miss reading about them and their adventures. This is probably the chick lit-tiest of all of Melody’s books and I think that it has appeal to the general market as well. I hope that she’ll be writing another series in this same fashion again.

Who hasn’t had an imaginary friend that used to talk to when they were little? Even now, sometimes the characters you create in your head are better company to keep than the real people you have to interact with on a daily basis. That’s what life is like for Birdie as she finds that it’s easier to communicate with Huckleberry Finn than with her son and his wife. That is a literary character that would be great to have a conversation with. I love how their conversations mostly consist of Birdie being able to confide and share her thoughts with Huck just sitting there listening. It’s the best situation ever!

I found the relationship between Birdie and her son and his family to very interesting to the story. I felt that this relationship is the epitome of elderly parents and their children who aren’t sure how to take care of them. Their reactions and attitudes towards each other were very realistic and it touches at the heart for those who have been in this situation. What I liked best was how the author portrayed Birdie. She’s not shown as a cranky elderly person who thinks that her way is the best way. She loves her grandson very much and wants to make everything right for him. Her relationship with her son is rocky and is even more so with his wife. However she tries to do her best to keep the peace even though it’s very difficult for her.

My only complaint is that it’s very slow for about halfway through the book. It takes a while to really get into the story. It’s not boring, there’s just a lot of that you have to see through Birdie’s eyes first before delving deeper. This book is not a fast read, but it’s one to savor. I feel that it will touch many readers and pull some heartstrings. Perfect for a lazy fall’s day.

I am not a fan of French history. There’s nothing wrong with the country or anything and I will admit there are times where it is interesting. However, as an American history major, European history (except for British) just confuses me with all the kings that have similar names and the politics that kept changing the government constantly. Except for a few movies, I usually avoid most historical things European like the plague. However this series has totally changed my mind on the entire subject.

Like the first book in the series, this book is just nothing short of sweeping and majestic. I really felt like I was in Versailles and could picture the palace and its grounds in my mind’s eye. The splendor of everything is described in full detail and it’s easy to picture the luxury and excess of royalty vs. the humble surroundings back with Jean and the rest of the family. Madeline’s adventures are extremely fascinating as you don’t know what’s going to happen to her fate or that of her son’s. I enjoyed her relationship with Pierre and am looking forward to seeing what happens with the pair. While there is talk about the battle between Catholics and Huguenots, the story is not preachy. Instead faith is scene in a historical context, it is what you are as opposed to how you act.

I think, though, my favorite part of the book was the bringing to life of French history. I think the author did an outstanding job at the historical research, from details of the palace to what the prisons were like. I especially thought it was interesting to bring up the Man in the Iron Mask and the possibilities that could have come from this arrangement.

The only small flaw I had with the book was that I felt that Madeline seemed to get over what happened to her husband rather fast. I just didn’t feel like enough time had passed. Other than this, I really enjoyed this book. The story is extremely well researched and the plot is very fast paced. I found myself glued to the pages and didn’t want the story to end. I am eagerly awaiting to read what happens in the next book. Until then, I might have to brush up on my French history after all. VERY Highly recommended.

Irene Hannon is back with the second installment in her Heroes of Quantico series. Once again I felt really drawn into the story and imagined that I was part of the action. There’s a great deal of suspense and it’s extremely realistic the way the plot folds out. Mark and Emily have great chemistry together and I enjoyed seeing them reunite and rebuild that old flame. While this book is the second in the series, there’s so much to just this story alone that it can be read as a stand alone. I think that these stories would be great as a TV show. The characters have wonderful depth with wonderful chemistry, the action and suspense sequences are fast paced and realistic and the storyline as a whole is tight and well written.

While I enjoyed this book very much, I actually preferred the first book to this one. This was purely because I had enjoyed the international setting and the ripped from the headlines storyline from the first book. Also I felt that there was a bit more romance than suspense in this book, unlike the first one. One thing I did especially like was the fact that Mark and Emily have a history together. I get tired of reading romantic suspense books where the two leads meet for the first time in the beginning of the book and by the end of the story, they are practically engaged, even though they have known each other for only two months. This relationship however is more realistic as they already know each other and are reuniting. For some reason, I’ve always enjoyed reading stories about people who are against any form of psychology or therapy because they believe it is evil and not of God. It just really baffles me how people think this, so books like this always are interesting to read as they try to put a spin on things.

This is a fantastic series and I’m really impressed with the writing and the suspense sequences. I didn’t even know the Hostage Rescue Team existed before this series so I’m really glad there is so much detail about them here. The research again in this book is outstanding and it makes the story authentic and realistic. As I’ve said before, I believe this is the best romantic suspense series I have ever read. I will be looking forward to when the third book comes out.

All good things must come to an end and it’s time to finally bring to a close the Baxter Family Drama series. It’s interesting enough that the word drama is used because that’s pretty much has been happening throughout the series. It seems that anything and everything that could happen to the family does happen to them. It’s quite a roller coaster ride with lots of dips, turns and loops from the first book all the way to this last one. In this book, we finally see the Baxters bring everything to a close. John has decided he wants to finally move on with his life and this includes a life with Elaine. Ashley has to deal with fears of another pregnancy. Luke and his wife must come to terms with their relationship. The family comes together to help out each other in times of need.

While I enjoyed the book, there just seems to be a little too much soap opera action for me. Affairs are discussed, marriages take place, pregnancies are happening, past relationships get brought up. Like I said, there’s a lot of drama that happens to this family. It felt like all stories had to have happy and tidy ending but not without tear inducing moments. Now I myself never felt compelled to cry at all but I can see how some of these scenarios can force a few misty eyes while reading. I did feel though that everyone going into labor at the same time felt too coincidental to me.

Overall it’s a satisfying read if you’ve been following the family since the original series. Everything you want to happen happens, and everyone is together again for the finale However don’t fear that you’ll never hear from the Baxters again. Kingsbury has already released another series, The Above the Line series, where the Baxters can be seen in the background. It’s like a spin off of your favorite show with cameos from the characters. The Baxters will forever live on.

This latest offering from Tracie Peterson was deeply satisfying. This was a relief as I had felt her last output, The Brides of Gallatin series, to be a bit predictable and boring. Luckily the problems I had with that series seems to have disappeared so far in the first book. I have always enjoyed Tracie’s books that take place in Alaska. I believe this is her 3rd series set in our northern most state. This book shows a lot of promise for the upcoming books in the series.

I was immediately drawn into the story of a young widow who’s at the mercy of her conniving step children. What I found interesting is the different take on the older man marries younger woman story. We usually think that wives who are much younger than their husbands only marry them for their money. However in this case, Lydia was forced into this marriage and is all to ready to escape and forget that it ever existed. Her stepchildren, who are almost all at least her age or older, cannot seem to see her point of view and and have been condescending of her from the beginning. It’s actually quite frustrating that they can’t seem to realize she wants to get away from them forever. Once Lydia gets to Alaska, she’s met with many challenges and obstacles, that threaten her life and her sanity.

While this book is set in a historical time period (the gold rush), there’s not really that much history involved. The story isn’t also as much about Alaska and the gold rush as it is about Lydia’s struggle with her husband’s family. There were some tidbits about the Tlingit people which I did find very interesting as I don’t think I’ve read a book that talks about them. The only little qualm I have is the presence of the violin on the cover. While the violin is mentioned several times in the story, it does not really play a major role as one would think from it’s prominence on the cover. Also there were some scenes that I felt were taken out of a soap opera and a little over dramatic. Still though it’s an enjoyable book and it’s comfort reading since I’ve been a fan of Tracie’s works for years. I’ll be looking forward to reading the rest of the series.

I was really surprised at how much I enjoyed this book. For some reason, I feel that romantic suspense in Christian fiction, while enjoyable, is usually pretty weak compared with general fiction. I think the reason lies with the stories tending to focus more on the relationship and then throw in a kidnapping or two. Also the romance part is usually very rushed and not really convincing. This book however went off in a totally different direction.

This story was jam packed with suspense. In fact, I felt that this was a big highlight of the book, the fact that it focused more on the suspense than the romance. There were some really tense situations throughout the book and times where I wanted to flip to the end to find out if these people made it out alive. This book however expertly blends the two together but gives an added kick to the suspense level which is greatly appreciated. The romance bit though is done very well and was realistic. I thought the chemistry between Coop and Monica was great and it made their relationship seem genuine. While the book focuses on Middle Eastern terrorists, there is nothing here that could be considered prejudiced or stereotyping. I really felt that I was reading something straight out of the news. The details were very realistic and the story dares to show the fear and terror that comes from being held as a hostage.

There’s a endorsement on the cover from Dee Henderson, who is the all time leader in Christian romantic suspense, that says this book is better than hers. I totally agree with her. I really think this is probably THE best Christian romantic suspense book I have ever read and I am going to be looking forward to reading more books from this series.

I have loved this series since the first book came out. It’s one of my favorite YA series, both Christian and general. It’s a really fun series to read and the girls are portrayed as real, down to earth characters who enjoy fancy labels every now and then. I’ve always appreciated how Shelley has gotten teen speak down to a T. You’d think actual teens wrote this book from the way she uses correct slang and just enough pop culture to make it relatable without being cheesy or dated.

I was geeked to read that this book would take place in Mac’s homeland and this would involve the girls getting to travel to Scotland. I love book that take place in foreign countries especially those in Great Britain. This is partially because I want to go visit there myself one day, and until I do, reading about others’ travels is the next best thing. I really liked how Mac has done a complete 180 since her introduction into the series. When we first met her, she was stuck up and very withdrawn. Of course the reason why, as we learn in the third book, makes total sense as to why she acts in this way. Therefore it’s really nice to see a book from Mac’s POV and see her loosen up and be comfortable. The interaction between her and the other girls is excellent as always. I was really glad to see her tense relationship with family begin to ease down.

While usually series books are sometimes read as stand alones with this series, I highly recommend reading the previous books before picking up this one. There are several references to past events and there is a huge subplot that follows what happened in book 4. Without spoiling too much, it’s just amazing how technology manages to spread things likes wildfire and causes incidents to happen that could have been cleared up easily. One small thing I have noticed about the books is the consistent use of the same cover models. It’s a small detail but one I have appreciated. I really can’t stand when they change models halfway through a series and then you have to guess again who each person is supposed to be.

Now as for the boys, as stated in the title, there are quite a few of them. I think it’s great how these girls DO date and they are responsible about their feelings and actions towards guys. It is very realistic and I think most girls can relate to this. I really enjoyed reading this book and getting to know Mac more and learning about her home country. Also this book put me in the Christmas spirit which is always a plus. If you’re a fan of this series, you MUST pick up this one!