The Silent Order by Melanie Dobson

This week, the
Christian Fiction Blog Alliance
is introducing
The Silent Order
(Summerside Press - November 1, 2010)
by
Melanie Dobson

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Melanie Dobson is the award-winning author of The Black Cloister; Love Finds You in Liberty, Indiana; and Together for Good.

Prior to launching Dobson Media Group in 1999, Melanie was the corporate publicity manager at Focus on the Family where she was responsible for the publicity of events, products, films, and TV specials. Melanie received her undergraduate degree in journalism from Liberty University and her master's degree in communication from Regent University. She has worked in the fields of publicity and journalism for fifteen years including two years as a publicist for The Family Channel.

Melanie and her husband, Jon, met in Colorado Springs in 1997 at Vanguard Church. Jon works in the field of computer animation. Since they've been married, the Dobsons have relocated numerous times including stints in Virginia, Tennessee, North Carolina, Colorado, Berlin, and Southern California. These days they are enjoying their new home in the Pacific Northwest.

Jon and Melanie have adopted their two daughters — Karly (6) and Kinzel (5). When Melanie isn't writing or entertaining their girls, she enjoys exploring ghost towns and dusty back roads, traveling, hiking, line dancing, and reading inspirational fiction.

ABOUT THE BOOK:

Rural America - 1928. After the murder of his partner, Detective Rollin Wells hides away in an Amish home near Sugarcreek, Ohio, to find out who in the police force is collaborating with Cleveland’s notorious mob. While Rollin searches for answers to his partner’s death, he befriends an elusive young Amish woman named Katie and her young son. As Rollin learns about Katie’s past, he’s shocked at the secret Katie is hiding - a secret that has haunted Rollin for eight years.

MY THOUGHTS:

Whoever thought you could write a book entwining the worlds of both the Amish and the Mob? I'm glad Melanie Dobson did, as this book was fantastic! The romance, suspense, and familial loyalty in both Amish and Mob circles made this a book that was hard to put down. This book makes my 2010 favorites list.

If you would like to read the first chapter of The Silent Order, go HERE.

Blog Tour: Uncertain Heart by Andrea Boeshaar

About Uncertain Heart:

"It's just as easy to love a rich man as a poor man," the adage goes. But is the dream of fancy clothes, mansions, and fine dining worth compromising your morals and faith? Sarah McCabe must find her answer in Andrea Boeshaar's Uncertain Heart, book two in the Seasons of Redemption series.

The Civil War is over. Sarah longs to escape the country and experience the finer things in life, so she leaves her home in Jericho Junction, Missouri, to become a governess in Milwaukee. Her rich and dashing employer, Brian Sinclair, shows an attraction to Sarah but doesn't share her beliefs.

Richard, however, does. Richard Navis is Mr. Sinclair's steward. He is kind, thoughtful, handsome...and harbors an unfortunate desire to leave his city job to be a farmer. Sarah has no interest in a rural farm life, even while her interest in Richard grows.

Does she sacrifice love to get the lifestyle she wants? Or will love be enough?

My thoughts:

I have been looking forward to this book ever since I turned the final page of Unwilling Warrior (Book 1). The McCabe family is such a great bunch of characters, I was more than excited to read Sarah's story.

Richard swept me off my feet right from the start. I loved the teasing banter that he shared with Sarah from the very beginning. They had such great chemistry and as the book progressed and conflict arose between them, I missed them playing off one another most of all.

Andrea Boeshaar does such a great job giving her characters depth and personality, and evoking emotion in the situations she puts them through. I laughed, had tears come to my eyes, and a few times wished I could reach right into the book and slap some folks silly!

This book, with its engaging characters and dialogue, and a plot that will keep you keep you turning pages at breakneck speed, has a dramatic ending that won't disappoint. You'll also be quite intrigued if you read the first chapter of Book 3, Unexpected Love, which is included in the back of the book...it's release in January can't come soon enough for me!

Review copy generously provided by LeAnn Hamby at Glass Road PR.

Find out more on the web:
Andrea Boeshaar
Glass Road PR
My review of Unwilling Warrior

Hatteras Girl by Alice J Wisler

This week, the
Christian Fiction Blog Alliance
is introducing
Hatteras Girl
(Bethany House; Original edition - October 1, 2010)
by
Alice Wisler

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Alice J. Wisler is an author, public speaker, advocate, and fundraiser. She has been a guest on several radio and TV programs to promote her self-published cookbooks, Slices of Sunlight and Down the Cereal Aisle. She graduated from Eastern Mennonite University and has traveled the country in jobs that minister to people. Alice was raised in Japan and currently resides in Durham, North Carolina.

Facts about Alice
* Born in Osaka, Japan, and lived in Japan for 18 years
* Went to Kyoto International School and Canadian Academy
* Majored in Social Work and graduated in 1983 from Eastern Mennonite University
* Worked at a group home for disadvantaged kids outside of Philadelphia
* Taught English and Culture Orientation at a refugee camp in the Philippines
* Taught English as a Second Language in Japan
* Speaks and teaches on Writing the Heartache
* Has three kids on earth, and one in Heaven
* Recently got married to Carl on 2/7/09

ABOUT THE BOOK:

There are two things twenty-nine-year-old Jackie Donovan asks God for: an honest, wonderful man to marry, and to own a bed-and-breakfast in the Outer Banks region. In the meantime, Jackie works for Lighthouse Views magazine, writing articles about other local business owners, and intrepidly goes on the blind dates set up by her well-meaning but oh-so-clueless relatives.

There's one specific property Jackie dreams of purchasing: the Bailey Place, a fabulous old home where Jackie spent many happy childhood afternoons, a place that has now fallen into disrepair because of its outrageous price tag.

When Jackie meets handsome Davis Erickson, who holds the key to the Bailey Place, Jackie is sure God has answered both her prayers. But as Jackie learns some disturbing details about Davis's past, she begins to question her own motivation. Will she risk her long-held dreams to find out the truth?

If you would like to read the first chapter of Hatteras Girl, go HERE.

Head in the Clouds by Karen Witemeyer

This week, the
Christian Fiction Blog Alliance
is introducing
Head in the Clouds
(Bethany House; Original edition - October 1, 2010)
by
Karen Witemeyer

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Karen Witemeyer is a deacon's wife and mother of three who believes the world needs more happily-ever-afters. To that end, she combines her love of bygone eras with her passion for helping women mature in Christ to craft historical romance novels that lift the spirit and nurture the soul.

After growing up in California, Karen moved to Texas to attend Abilene Christian University where she earned bachelor and master's degrees in Psychology. It was also there that she met and married her own Texas hero. He roped her in good, for she has lived in Texas ever since. In fact, she fell so in love with this rugged land of sweeping sunsets and enduring pioneer spirit, that she incorporates it into the pages of her novels, setting her stories in the small towns of a state that burgeoned into greatness in the mid-to-late 1800s.

Karen is living her dream by writing Christian historical romance novels for Bethany House. When she visited her publisher back in January of 2010, she was interviewed by the staff. If you'd like a behind-the-scenes glimpse into how she develops her story ideas and a description of her bumpy journey to publication, go to her website to listen to a podcast of that interview.

ABOUT THE BOOK:

Adelaide Proctor is a young woman with her head in the clouds, longing for a real-life storybook hero to claim as her own. But when a husband-hunting debacle leaves her humiliated, she interviews for a staid governess position on a central Texas sheep ranch and vows to leave her romantic yearnings behind.

When Gideon Westcott left his privileged life in England to make a name for himself in America's wool industry, he never expected to become a father overnight. And five-year-old Isabella hasn't uttered a word since she lost her mother. The unconventionality of the new governess concerns Gideon--and intrigues him at the same time. But he can't afford distractions. He has a ranch to run, a shearing to oversee, and a suspicious fence-cutting to investigate.

When Isabella's uncle comes to claim the child--and her inheritance--Gideon and Adelaide must work together to protect Isabella from the man's evil schemes. And soon neither can deny their growing attraction. But after so many heartbreaks, will Adelaide be willing to get her head out of the clouds and put her heart on the line?

If you would like to read the first chapter of Head in the Clouds, go HERE.