I’m just going to start off this review by saying that Steven James is one of the best authors I have read period. I have never been more engrossed or sucked into a novel as I have with his books. It’s such a page turner that I managed to finish this almost 500 page book in less than two hours. This book was another roller coaster ride to read. There are many ups and downs, twists and turns, and sharp drops while you read this book. You better believe there are times also while reading when you want to scream and cover your eyes. This book is not for the faint-hearted. If you have a weak stomach, read the book with caution. While the book is not gory or overtly graphic in terms of violence, there are scenes where even the most iron clad stomachs could get a bit squeamish . I think what is more effective is that the fact that a lot of the details are left to the imagination. The reader is given the overall gist of the scene and left to infer on their own as to what else is going on. Not only is the book intense, it also makes you think about your beliefs and challenges them. There are several instances in the book where you feel very uncomfortable, not due to gory scenes, but just to the situations themselves. This is especially true when the POV goes into the mind of the killer.

Patrick Bowers is such an intense character. Not only is his job life interesting but his outside life and the relationships he has with his family is captivating to read as well. The author does a wonderful job of making the reader want to read everything and not just what is considered the exciting bits. Other books put so much energy and focus on the action scenes and tend to neglect the character development sequences. This book is completely well rounded so with every page you are eager to find out what happens next.

If you haven’t read any of the books in this series, what are you waiting for? If you think that Christian fiction is boring, preachy, and predictable then I dare you to pick up this book and read it. It will blow you away with its edgy storyline and extremely well written plot. I’ve never had a more enjoyable time reading a suspense novel and I am dying until book 4 comes out. I’ve raved about this series so much, I’ve made my mom a fan! VERY HIGHLY recommended.

In Where the Heart Leads, the lives of simple Kansas Mennonites and big city Bostonians are brought together due to a young man trying to find his place in the world. ThomasOllenburger is a recent college graduate who returns to his home to figure out what do with his life. He is unsure if he wants to stay and help out his family on the farm or go back to Boston and pursue the career he’s always dreamed about. To make matters more complicated, both settings feature young women who are vying for a place in Thomas’s heart.

This book takes a subject not normally used in historical fiction. It is unique and interesting read as it shows a different side of the Mennonites, who have normally been portrayed as a modern version of the Amish. Here, the reader is taken back to the turn of the century and is shown how these people lived and survived in the Midwest. The characters in this novel are all very simple and down to earth. It is a rare occasion when the reader ends up feeling sympathy for both of the women who want Thomas to stay in their lives.

Politics and other hot topic issues of the time period are brought to life as Thomas delves into the newspaper business. The historical tidbits sprinkled throughout bring the story to life. The reader can feel the excitement of the upcoming election as the young people in the book are anxious to have their feelings and thoughts heard.

While this book is a sequel to Waiting for Summer’s Return, I felt that it can be read as a standalone novel. Enough information is given so that a new reader will not feel lost while reading. If however, you have read the previous novel, it is a treat to be reunited with the characters and see how everyone has fared in the past years.

Back in 2006 when this book had originally come out, The Da Vinci Code was all the rage in the media. Even though it was a fictional story, there had appeared to be historical evidence to back up the claims. Also there was also a rise in interest in Gnosticism. Therefore many Christian publishers set to provide an alternative for those who were interested in what was considered the true story of what really happened between Jesus and Mary Magdalene. Tyndale published a line of different versions of Mary Magdalene’s story ranging from contemporary fiction to YA fiction to historical Biblical fiction. This book is the latter.

Angela Hunt has always been one of my favorite authors because her books are always guaranteed to be well written and extremely well researched. You can tell in her books she’s actually gone out and done first hand research in her stories, instead of just using second hand data. I really liked how there is an authentic feel to the book as the characters use Hebrew and Greek names such as Miryam and Yochanan. While the characters do speak in English so we can understand them, they don’t speak in a contemporary fashion, as is a mistake some authors make when writing historical fiction. There is no mention of Mary being a prostitute or even a fallen woman in this book. Instead Hunt portrays her as a woman who has fallen on hard times and is on the brink of desperation. She does deal with demons as is stated in the Bible. There is a major parallel subplot involving a Roman solider that intertwines with Mary’s story but other than that no major liberties were taken with the character. I really felt as if this book brought the character to life and helped me to understand her and the world she lived in better.

As an added bonus there is also an interview with the author which details her research and answers questions about the accuracy of the story as well as pages of references of the books and original texts used in the research. I know that Biblical fiction can be a touchy subject for some readers, but if you are a fan of the genre and want to know more about this controversial woman, pick up this book. It’s a fascinating read and will keep you enthralled.

This was a fun book to read. I would love to get my hair done at Susan’s salon. It sounded like an awesome, hip place just to hang out and learn about history. I loved the scene where, in the middle of a hair session, the lights went off, the strobe came on, the disco ball came on and everyone got down and boogied. It’s really a fascinating concept and if it doesn’t already exist in real life, there’s a gold mine idea for you right there. Susan’s disco collection is massive and extremely valuable. It’s interesting as to how much time and effort Susan put into her collection as opposed to relationships in real life as well as her faith and beliefs. The story starts off very breezy and happy go lucky and then spins off into more serious subjects as Susan is forced to dredge up old memories from the past. Her relationships are evaluated throughout the book, with her husband, her friends, her co-workers, old boyfriends, and new acquaintances.

It might be because I’m not the targeted baby-boomer audience, but there were some parts of the book that dragged a bit for me. Not that it was boring or not written well, I just felt that there were parts of the book that could have either been omitted or shortened. Also I got annoyed with Susan’s husband Michael several times throughout the book because it didn’t seem as he was concerned about his wife’s feelings. I realize that he was at retiring age but it seemed like just because he was ready to call it quits that Susan had to as well. Also from the back of the book, I was expecting the online community to have a bigger role than they actually had in the story.

That being said, I did enjoy this book and it was fun to take a trip through disco memory lane with Susan’s collection. After reading this book, I had an urge to put on some bell bottoms, grab a disco ball, and put on the Stayin Alive soundtrack and boogie in my living room. The Baby Boomer generation will get a kick of this book and younger readers will enjoy this blast from the past. I’ll be looking forward to reading the next books in the series.

As a huge fan of the the Gresham Chronicles and Lawana Blackwell’s works, I was thrilled to hear that there was going to be a fourth book in the series. I had devoured the three books in the series several times (they’re one of my favorite book series to reread) and was looking forward to seeing what was going on with the village and its inhabitants. It was pleasant to return to the peaceful village where everyone knows each other. We’re introduced to new characters and are reunited and caught up to date with old friends. I will admit it was a bit jarring to see the children now grown up with their old families but the Hollis and Phelps family are still the same as ever. I liked Jewel and her daughter and was sadden at their plight. The treatment of a single mother in England during that time period was very rough and justice was not served properly to those who needed it.

While I enjoyed this book, I felt that it wasn’t on the same level as the author’s previous books in the series. I never really felt connected with the new characters in this book and I felt like the old characters were just thrown in for good measure. The other books in the Gresham series (as well as Blackwell’s other two Victorian series) had a certain charm and comfort feeling. You felt as if you were literally swept up into the story and transported into that time period along with the characters. This book however, gives sort of a standoffish feeling. I felt as if I was looking at the story from a distance. The romance in this story seemed to happen very fast and almost as an afterthought. After the quirky and accidental romances in the past 3 books, the one in this one fell flat and was not very believable.

That being said, this is an enjoyable book. Fans of Jane Austen and other regency era type books will find this book a pleasure to read. If you’ve never read any of the other books in the Gresham series, you won’t be lost reading this one as it can be read as a stand alone. However if you’re a fan of the original series, this book is a nice way to catch up on everyone and is a good addition to the series. Hopefully this won’t be the last we will see of Gresham and it’s inhabitants.

I will admit I was a bit wary when I picked up this book initially. I had several problems with the first book in the series. This was not because of the storyline or the style of writing. Instead it was due mainly to the belief of the Shakers themselves which I found to be contradicting with the Bible actually said. It felt to me that the core beliefs of the Shakers sounded like they were not really Christians. However in this book, there is more emphasis on the characters, storyline, and romance as opposed to the faith of the sect. Therefore I enjoyed this book very much. Ethan and Elizabeth were both characters I really enjoyed reading about and wish there was more of their background story. Both of them were struggling with the Shaker faith: Ethan wondering if he should leave the faith and Elizabeth if she can truly adapt to this new and strict lifestyle.

I still cannot understand the Shakers attitude towards young children. It baffles me as to how they expect a child who has been living in the “outside world” for years to suddenly adapt to their strict and somber way of life. Elizabeth’s young sister was constantly referred to having a demon in her simply because of her adventurous spirit, which any child would have, and because of her curly hair! It also sadden me that they expected her to give up relationships with her sister and brother almost immediately. It was as if these people had forgotten what being a child was like. However it was still truly interesting to learn more about their lifestyle and it was reassuring to see that they accepted that it was not for everyone. This Shaker sect does not seem to be as harsh or judging as the sect in the previous book. While they still tried to maintain a sense of strict order, they were open to accepting the Duncans and did their best to protect them from harm.

The ending of the story is a bit predictable but I still enjoyed the story overall. The author takes a subject matter that is not normally known to most people. Many readers are not very familiar with the Shakers so this series is a great way to introduce their history. The stories so far have been historically researched and very well written. I’m interested in learning more about this subject and hope that there will be future books in the series.

One more note: I’ve seen this book classified as an Amish book purely because the girl on the cover looks like she’s wearing a kapp. This is NOT an Amish book.

I will say that I liked this book A LOT. To be honest, I enjoyed it more than the first book in the series. Previously I had issues with characters acting younger than their age or too many actual sermons in the book. This book had neither. Both Drew and Dani act like actual freshmen in high school. It’s interesting to see how they began to grow apart and start trying to form their own distinct personalities. Stories about twins growing up sometimes have one twin resenting the other for leaving them behind. This one begins that way but Dani soon finds her own niche. Once again, the characters have close and good relationships with their parents. They can confide in them and are able to turn to them in times of need. In return, the parents are understanding and allow their daughters to choose their own paths. I really appreciated how the girls’ mother was compromising in terms of their clothing choices. While she had set guidelines about what they could wear, she also was willing to let Drew make her own decisions. I liked the scene where she comprised with Drew involving the layering of clothing. I’m glad she was willing to let her do her own thing and still respect the guidelines she had set down. They also were cool with letting their daughters hang out with guys because both girls respected the rules set for them. I thought that the situation Drew found herself in was very relatable to what goes on in high school these days. Granted, the party involved everything that could possibly happen, but it still was portrayed in a realistic light.

The only qualm I had was a line where Dani is horrified to hear that Drew held hands with a boy. This made me shake my head a bit because it sound like holding hands makes Drew sound like a loose woman. If they had been kissing, then I could understand the shock. I know that it could imply that holding hands could eventually, down the road lead to more intimate things. However if you’re in high school, it really would not be that big of an issue.

That being said, I really enjoyed this book. It’s a fun read, the characters are real, and the story is something that a lot of teens either have faced or will face in the future. I’ve been told by the author that the next few books will also have themes that will appeal to older teens so I’m looking forward to those. I wish that I had the opportunity to go back in life and be able to step back and look at both outcomes before I made a decision. Teens will enjoy this one.

When I was growing up, I adored the Choose Your Own Adventure books. I would try out every scenario and keep my thumb held in place so I could go back and switch my decision to get a different outcome. The problem with those books though was that they usually involved situations that I would never find myself in and therefore couldn’t really relate to. Therefore I was pleased to hear that there were these books coming out that were in the same vein as the CYOA books but involved real teens and tweens in situations that come across in life. This books deals with the ever popular game of Truth or Dare and the subject of peer pressure. Girls of this age deal with this issue pretty much every day of their lives and it’s good to know that there are books out there that tackle this topic and try to help guide them in making good decisions. The characters in this book have to make choices about how their actions will affect their lives and whether they end up suffering the consequences of their mistakes or reaping the benefits of their smart choice. It was refreshing to see Lindsay have a good relationship with her parents and that it was easy for her to talk to them about almost everything.

As much as I enjoyed the book I did have a few qualms with it however. The first was I felt that the girls acted a bit young for eighth graders. I only say this because other mainstream YA books that feature girls that age, the characters act older. I’m not implying that they should be acting like adults or even older teens and worry about subjects like sex. It’s just even in a series like The Baby-Sitters Club, 13 year olds were acting more mature and had responsibilities. In this book there’s a lot of giggling and the girls seems to be very naive. I honestly don’t know any 13 year olds who don’t know that buying alcohol as a minor is illegal. It just seemed to take away from the story because it seemed so highly unlikely that this could happen and that the parents, who are otherwise good role models, never told their daughter this. The other thing was there are several sermons in the the book such as one of the characters goes to church or at youth group. While there’s nothing wrong with it, I just felt it was really out of place for a YA book. I’m not a fan of reading sermons even in adult fiction and it sorta made me lose interest during those few pages.I think that some target age readers might feel the same way about that especially if they aren’t Christians. It just seemed a bit wordy and a little preachy. I’d much rather see the message lived out in the story rather than just words dictating it.

Other that that, I did enjoy reading this book. It was a fun read and it was really cool to make a choice at the end. Since I have that habit of choosing every scenario, I read both and was pleased with the outcome of each. This is a really unique series idea and I’m looking forward to reading the rest of the books and making more decisions! While the series is marketed as young adult, I would classify this one as being more tween-centered (10-13).

If you are someone that thinks that Christian fiction is always positive, with sunny, happy characters who are willing to drop everything to help out whoever walks by, you need to read this book. It will definitely change your mind about the genre. This book isn’t your typical Christian fiction book. The town of Jonah, New York has been a safe haven for Sarah Graham’s father and now after his death, it has become hers. I enjoyed reading about her becoming acquainted with the small town and its cast of characters. Also the discovery about the truth of the situation involving her parents is painful yet life changing for her. The chemistry between Sarah and Jack is really excellent, and I really liked his character.

Sarah is an extremely prickly character. Throughout almost the entire book, she is nothing but mean, snippy, rude and always trying to get a rise out of a person just for the fun of it. I understand where her hostility comes from. If I had to live the life she went through, with a mother killed by your father who then abandons you with a grandmother who tells you everyday you are worthless, I’d be angry and sullen too. However her attitude continues throughout the entire book and her continual rebuffs at those who try to help her make it very difficult to actually like her as a character. I found myself several times in the book wanting to yell at her to just listen to what the other person had to say before making snap judgments about them.

I did feel that the ending was rather abrupt and leaves the reader with a sense of incompleteness. I honestly felt that there could have been more, not necessarily a neat and tidy ending, but at least a little bit more closure than what we were given. It made me almost feel as if the time I invested in the book seem to have vanished almost immediately. I really liked the entire Watson family and would have liked more closure with them as well. That being said though, I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It is not preachy at all and the storyline sucks you and keeps you wanting to read more. This is an absolutely wonderful debut novel and I am looking forward to reading future works from Christa Parrish. HIGHLY recommended.

This book was absolutely fascinating to read. I will admit that I have not read any of either Elizabeth or Robert’s poetry before, other than the famous title of this book. I’m not too big a fan of poetry and while I will admit the writing is beautiful, it just doesn’t do anything for me. Therefore because I was almost completely unfamiliar with their story, this book was a little harder to get into than the author’s previous historical fiction works. However, I soon was able to find myself getting swept up in this world of hidden romances and a yearning for true love. Once again, the story is told in first person and the reader is taken into the mind and world of Elizabeth Barrett and her family. The descriptions of the settings, clothing and actions of the people have been well researched and carefully detailed. You feel swept up into the story and feel that you’re actually in 1800s England.I really felt for Ba and her family. I cannot process the logic of her father’s thinking. It just goes against everything from what’s expected of society to biblical meaning to human nature. It was also incredibly hypocritical of him to marry himself and have all those kids yet expect every single one of them to stay at home and be controlled by him. I’m so glad that several of them managed eventually to break away and that Ba was able to find true happiness. I could not imagine being almost 40 and still living at home under my father’s command and not being allowed to get married.

At the end of the book are a bunch of appendixes which help to fully enjoy the story. The author has included chapter by chapter, where she added to the story and which parts were actually real life events. This is extremely interesting to be able to distinguish fact from fiction and even more so when you find out that some things that sound too good to be true, actually happened! An even bigger delight is the inclusion of Elizabeth’s poems from “Sonnnets from the Portuguese”. After reading her love story, the poems become more beautiful and have more significant meaning.

My only qualm is that I feel the girl on the cover of the book is way too young to be Elizabeth. Clearly throughout the story, she’s described at being 30 or older whereas the cover model looks like she’s in her young twenties. It’s a minor complaint though. Nancy Moser is such a gifted writer and I really think she’s found her niche in writing historical fiction. I’m looking forward to whoever her next featured lady will be and discovering her past.