I loved this final book in the French Twist series, and am so sad that the series is over! Lexi Stuart is a person that you want to see succeed, not only with her job, but also with the right mate. I found myself going back and forth through this book, as well as book 2 (Bon Appetit), on who I wanted her to end up with. I won’t spoil it for you, but I can definitely say that Lexi made the right choice!

On top of the dating issues, Lexi also has the responsibility of opening a new bakery back in her home town of Seattle. And bless her heart, that is not an easy task! Through it all, her intentions are right in line, but roadblocks are right there with her, too. So, she goes right to the source to get the strength she needs….the Word of God. The book of Philippians was the perfect parallel to Lexi’s story, and provided the perfect guidance that she needed for this chapter in her life.

If you have never heard of Sandra Byrd, then, you are missing out on a real treat! She’s mostly known as a YA author, but branched out with adult books with the French Twist Series, with Pièce de Résistance as the 3rd and final book. Her books have just the right mix of fun, romance, and faith. Oh, and just reading about the pastries in all three books will make your mouth water!

I love to read books about strong, confident women. Faith Westcott is definitely such a women, and strenth, confidence, and determination are all necessary traits considering the fact that she’s a pirate. Right at the beginning, she takes command of a ship, The Red Siren, and makes it her own, not realizing the disgrace that will soon befall the ship’s former captain. All that she can see is that it is up to her to provide for her sisters so that they’re aren’t all married off to horrible, greedy men. Faith father also intends to marry her off to such a man, Sir Wilhelm, and she must to everything she can to stop that from happening.

The romance in this book is packed with intensity! Some of the scenes between Faith and Dajon just made my heart start fluttering, and reminded me very much of Julie Lessman’s books which are also full of passionate scenes. I’m loving the fact that more and more of this type of writing is becoming more common in Christian fiction. It’s okay to have passionate scenes between couples without stepping over the line, and as long as it’s presented tastefully, I say bring it on!

I would highly recommend this book if you like good historical fiction with a great romance. MaryLu Tyndall is quickly becoming a favorite of mine after reading one of her other novels, The Falcon and the Sparrow. Looks like I need to pull out her first pirate series….I doubt they disappoint!

Fans of The Shack will love this new offering from Windblown Media—Bo’s Cafe. It’s crammed with just as much depth as The Shack, but just with a much better story, in my opinion.

You’d be hard-pressed not to find yourself doing a lot of self-examining after reading this. This book will step on your toes, get under your skin, and cause you to realize that not everything in life can be fixed by just putting a Band-aid on it. Some things simply take longer to understand and resolve, and after reading Bo’s Cafe, you realize that that’s okay.

The characters are fabulous, too. Each one is so real, and any one of them could easily be part of your own circle of friends. Also, the description of the cafe itself is very real. You can practically smell the aroma of fish and shrimp, and it makes you want to drive your nearest favorite seafood restaurant for a great meal.

Bo’s Cafe will leave you saying “Wow” after you finish the final page. It’s a book that should be passed around and talked about just as much as The Shack has been. No doubt about it….this is a book that everyone needs to read. It’s just that good.

This book has so many great qualities that I almost don’t know where to start! It’s got a fast-paced storyline, a good romantic element, and a mystery that will have you guessing the “who-done-it” all the way through. Not only that, but it’s a hard book to put down. I was reading it every spare minute that I could!

Lately, I’ve been on the Amish fiction bandwagon, so I really liked the fact that this book was set in Amish country. This was my first experience with an Amish story that was combined with a mystery, with the mystery being the main focus of the story instead of the Amish. With that said, the author does include the important things one needs to know to understand the Amish culture. So, if you’ve never read Amish fiction before, you’d definitely get a good knowledge of what you need to know to understand their lifestyle.

Probably the most interesting thing that I liked about this book was that the DNA testing and research that goes on in Amish communities is factual. I had no idea that there were several genetic disorders that they have to deal with, but it’s understandable since they’re all so tight-knit and marry within their community. The author did an incredible amount of research that shows when the DNA lingo starts to get really technical, but she writes it in a way that makes sense.

Mindy Starns Clark is definitely an author I’ll be on the lookout for in the future. Make no mistake—you’ll not be sorry if you read Shadows of Lancaster County. It is not a book you want to miss out on!

Okay, I confess that I am completely and hopelessly now addicted to chick-lit. I just love, love, LOVE it! Since I fully intend to read much more of it in the future, I’m definitely going to have to be on the lookout for new authors and good recommendations for existing releases that are out there. As for this author….I’ve read some of her other books in the past, and really enjoyed them, but I had no idea that she had branched out into chick-lit. Thank goodness, she’s written a whole series—not just one book—so I can get a good fill of chick-lit from an author that is already an A+ in my book. :o)

This book has several things that I just love. First of all, Andie works with diamonds and gemstones all the time. Seriously, is there any other job out there greater than that for a girl?!?! Then, on top of that, she’s been offered an incredible opportunity in Louisville (of all places) to work for the Shop-Til-U-Drop (S.T.U.D.) Network as their jewelry host. So, she gets to be around all this jewelry AND be on tv…just too cool, in my opinion. And, just to keep it even more interesting, there’s a little mystery thrown in there and what seems like might be a developing romance. Since there’s 2 other books in the series, I expect that possible romance to play out furthur a little later on. Oh, and let me not forget to mention that this book is set in the south. Andie’s travels do take her to a couple of other places around the world, but the fact that home for her is now in Kentucky puts a whole new spin on things.

I also got a kick out of the supporting characters. Aunt Weeby, Andie’s aunt, is hilarious! She is a southern gal to the core, and has an opinion on practically everything. Her opinion doesn’t come off as know-it-all, but rather “I know just a tidbit about what you’re talking about, and I’m gonna put it my two cents.” Then, there’s Miss Mona, the owner of the S.T.U.D. Network. She’s a no-nonsense person, but sweet as she can be. Finally, there’s Max…Andie’s tv cohost, and stud extraordinaire. He also happens to be the first male hired to work at the S.T.U.D. Network…go figure. :o) The on-screen scenes between Andie and Max had me laughing out loud because Max is such a dunce about jewelry! That flusters Andie to no end, but everyone else just eats it up!

With all that said, I absolutely cannot wait to finish out this series! It also makes me want to gather up everything ever written by Ginny Aiken and just gobble it up (sorry now…we say stuff like that in the south).

I really enjoyed book 1 of this series, and had really high hopes that the next book would be just as good. Sadly, I was slightly disappointed. One of the main things that endeared me to book 1 was that much of the storyline was set in the south, which is where I’m from. I picked up on so many little nuances like sweet tea and antiques, and it was so easy to relate to. So, the fact that 2/3rds of the book was set across the globe in Kashmir just wasn’t as exciting for me.

During the time the gang was in Kashmir, I found myself struggling to read the book, and it was more than just not liking the setting. Everyone’s dialog seemed a bit disjointed, and there were times that I had trouble following along. Also, the “who-done-it” was very predictable, and I knew who it was very early on.

I do plan to read the last book in the series, A Cut Above, just to finish out the whole story. Book 3 so far picks up immediately where book 2 leaves off, and I’m just hoping that I’ll like it a lot more.

I have to be honest…I really, really struggled to finish this book. I just could not seem to really get into the story and into the lives of the characters. One thing in particular that made it difficult to really get into the book was that it took 100 pages before the two main characters even met each other. Also, there were several places that most definitely could’ve been edited to shorten the book; at times, the author just had too much information.

The Christian portions of the book seemed like they were entered as an afterthought which bugged me a little since it’s supposed to be a Christian fiction book. The main character, Gennie, barely seemed interested in what God thought about her journey out west, but she definitely made sure that she at least uttered the briefest of prayers before boarding the train.

Overall, I just don’t think I could recommend this book to anyone. There are some other flaws that I could point out, but won’t so that I don’t spoil anything for those interested in reading this book.

Cindy Woodsmall has done it again! She’s got a knack for writing a good Amish story that is different from anything else available on Christian bookstore shelves. Just like all of her other books, she has written a great story in The Hope of Refuge that will stay with me for days.

This book has probably one of the most believable storylines for Amish fiction that I’ve read in a long time. Cindy has created convincing characters with real flaws and real reactions to the circumstances that surround them. She also has great skill in being able to draw you into the lives of these characters, and it’s like you are right there with them through the good and the bad.

What Ephraim did for Cara by taking her into his home took a lot of guts considering his commitment to the Amish lifestyle. He had to face some harsh treatment from his family and friends for obeying God’s command for him to “be Me to her.” I felt that the author hit the nail on the head by adding that small statement to this book, and it made me wonder how much we apply that to our daily lives.

Trust me, you will not be sorry if you get the opportunity to read this great book. As I said before, it’s a book that will stay with you and have you thinking for days. I am already looking forward to the next one that Cindy has coming out…thankfully, I only have a couple of months to wait!

Fun read by a new author. A little slow at first, but the penguins win you over to make up for it. :o)

It is so enjoyable to read books that can be paralleled to real life. Not that reading books as a way of escaping real life is bad, but sometimes, it’s a big help to have things put in real-life perspective. Randy Singer’s newest book, The Justice Game, is such a book. He deals with an issue that I have never before read in any other Christian fiction book—guns. And I don’t mean, someone dies from a gunshot wound and that’s the only place the gun is mentioned. No, this book is all about the gun debate, and it looks at the whole picture.

I was not raised in a home with guns. My husband, on the other hand, was. Growing up, I had an irrational fear to guns simply because I had never been exposed to them. In the last couple of years, thanks to my husband’s patience and teaching, I’ve become more comfortable holding one and firing one. In spite of my personal history, I found myself going back and forth between sides throughout this book. It’s somewhat hard to explain that without giving away something crucial. Even though going after a gun company to seek restitution for a death caused by one of their guns sounds a little crazy, I have to admit that I probably would’ve thought to do something similar. But on the other hand, how in the world can a gun company be held responsible for people’s actions? Mr. Singer explores both possibilities, and he tells the story from both sides of the argument very well.

There is no doubt in my mind that I will be looking for more books by this talented author in the future. I will admit that it was a little slow through the first 100 pages or so, but hold on to your hats for everything else that follows. You will not be able to put this book down!