Threads of Hope by Christa Allan

This week, the
Christian Fiction Blog Alliance
is introducing
Threads of Hope
(Abingdon Press - March 1, 2013)
by
Christa Allan
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

A true Southern woman who knows that any cook worth her gumbo always starts with a roux and who never wears white after Labor Day, Christa is a writer of not your usual Christian Fiction. She weaves stories of unscripted grace and redemption with threads of hope, humor, and heart. Christa is the mother of five adult children, a grandmother of three, and a brand new retired teacher. She and her husband Ken live in New Orleans with their three cats and do their best to dodge hurricanes.

And, since she is not fond of writing about herself in third person, she asked her oldest daughter to contribute. Like her mother, Erin is not at a loss for words…


ABOUT THE BOOK:

Passed over for promotion and dumped by her boyfriend, Nina O’Malley is further frustrated when her editor assigns her one of the “soft” stories she despises—covering a gala benefit supporting the AIDS Memorial Quilt. More determined than ever to prove she deserves a promotion to the NY office, Nina decides to write a series featuring a local quilting group raising money for AIDs research. At the event, she runs into her high school nemesis: Greg is a widower and the adoptive father of Jazarah, an HIV positive girl from Ethiopia. Unlike Nina, Greg has faith in a loving God, and he trusts in God’s plan for his life. Greg and Nina grow closer, and as Nina interviews the quilt families, she begins to question the choices she has made and her lack of faith. Nina suddenly finds herself facing two possible dreams, two paths for her life.

MY THOUGHTS:

I really enjoyed this book that touches on such a heart-wrenching subject...losing a loved one to HIV/AIDS.

This story demonstrates that past hurts can be patched by the power of love as Nina and Greg have a somewhat painful backstory. I will have to say that their confrontation at the benefit just about broke my heart, especially for Greg's sake. I'm not sure I could carry a grudge as long as Nina did.

As Nina researches the AIDS Memorial Quilt and tells the stories of the families memorializing their loved ones as a catharsis for their grief, she comes to a greater understanding of what these families go through, especially after meeting Greg's AIDS afflicted daughter, Jazarah. Jazarah is a strand of bright-colored stitching that really pops out of this story...she is hard not to fall in love with.

Characters I loved: Aretha and Paloma - I think each of them would make for great characters in stories of their own. Character that annoyed me to no end: BRADY! He just about drove me crazy!

The only thing that kind of didn't feel right is the ping-pong effect of the last chapter. I had to re-read a few parts to really get the gist of what was going on. But I did like how it turned out.

I think it was a really great touch that Christa Allan completes this book with instructions on how to make a quilt panel for The AIDS Memorial Quilt. I'm sure many people will be inspired through this book to make a panel in memory of someone they love.

My thanks to CFBA and Abingdon Press for generously providing a copy for review.

If you would like to read the first chapter of Threads of Hope, go HERE.

Wings of Glass by Gina Holmes

This week, the
Christian Fiction Blog Alliance
is introducing
Wings of Glass
(Tyndale House Publishers - March 1, 2013)

by
Gina Holmes
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Gina Holmes began her career in 1998, penning articles and short stories. In 2005 she founded the influential literary blog, Novel Journey now called Novel Rocket and she is also the founder of Inspire The Fire.

Her debut, Crossing Oceans, was a Christy and Gold Medallion finalist and winner of the Carol Award, INSPY, and RWA’s Inspirational Reader’s Choice, as well as being a CBA, ECPA, Amazon and PW Religion bestseller. Her sophomore novel, Dry as Rain, was also named a Christy finalist. Her upcoming novel, Wings of Glass will releases this month. She holds degrees in science and nursing and currently resides with her family in southern Virginia. She works too hard, laughs too loud, and longs to see others heal from their past and discover their God-given purpose.

ABOUT THE BOOK:

From the bestselling author of Crossing Oceans comes a heart-rending yet uplifting story of friendship and redemption. On the cusp of womanhood, Penny is swept off her feet by a handsome farmhand with a confident swagger. Though Trent Taylor seems like Prince Charming and offers an escape from her one-stop-sign-town, Penny’s happily ever after lasts no longer than their breakneck courtship. Before the ink even dries on their marriage certificate, he hits her for the first time. It isn’t the last, yet the bruises that can’t be seen are the most painful of all.

When Trent is injured in a welding accident and his paycheck stops, he has no choice but to finally allow Penny to take a job cleaning houses. Here she meets two women from very different worlds who will teach her to live and laugh again, and lend her their backbones just long enough for her to grow her own.

MY THOUGHTS:

The author takes the difficult and delicate subject of domestic abuse and makes the story not only palatable but engaging. She either did excellent research or her life has been touched in some way by abuse as her descriptions and scenarios were so realistically written. This book sent me on an emotional journey, going from happy, to sad, to mad and even disgusted - oftentimes within the span of a single page.

I disliked Trent from the moment he shows up in the book and at times, I even disliked Penny. I've never experienced domestic abuse firsthand, but I was left amazed and disappointed at the excuses that she gives her friends and the blind forgiveness she gives Trent.

Callie Mae and Fatimah had to be my favorite characters in this book...tough, mouthy, strong-willed, but also tender and vulnerable. I cheered them on many times in their attempts to get Penny away from the abuse and I loved their stick-to-itiveness (if that's a word).

I highly recommend this book - it is beautifully written, emotionally compelling, and is a story that will speak to you long after you've turned the final page. This is the first book I've read by Gina Holmes and it definitely won't be the last.

My sincerest thanks to CFBA and Tyndale House Publishers for generously providing a copy of this book for my honest review.

If you would like to read the first chapter of Wings of Glass, go HERE.

Catherine's Pursuit by Lena Nelson Dooley

This week, the
Christian Fiction Blog Alliance
is introducing
Catherine's Pursuit
(Realms - February 5, 2013)
by
Lena Nelson Dooley
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Award-winning author, Lena Nelson Dooley, has more than 675,000 books in print. She is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers http://www.acfw.com/ and president of the local chapter, DFW Ready Writers. She’s also a member of Christian Authors Network, CROWN Fiction Marketing, and Gateway Church in Southlake, Texas.


Lena loves James, her children, grandchildren, and great grandson. She loves chocolate, cherries, chocolate-covered cherries, and spending time with friends. Travel is always on her horizon. Cruising, Galveston, the Ozark Mountains of Arkansas, Mexico. One day it will be Hawaii and Australia, but probably not the same year. Helping other authors become published really floats her boat, with fifteen signing their first book contract after her mentoring. Three of her books have been awarded the Carol Award silver pins from American Christian Fiction Writers and she has received the ACFW Mentor of the Year award at their national conference. The high point of her day is receiving feedback from her readers, especially people whose lives have been changed by her books. And she loves chocolate, especially dark chocolate.

ABOUT THE BOOK:

When Angus McKenna was forced to give two of his daughters to families in the wagon train, he promised he'd never try to contact them. Catherine made no such pledge. But when she sets out to find her sisters, she doesn't go alone. Angus sends Collin with her. Will they discover the two women---and love?

MY THOUGHTS:

While I haven't read the first two books in the series (Maggie's Journey and Mary's Blessing), I couldn't pass up the opportunity to read this book as I am the middle of three sisters. I thoroughly enjoyed getting to know Catherine, Maggie, and Mary through the pages of this book.

I couldn't imagine being 18 years old and just finding out that I was separated from siblings, especially identical sisters, at the time of my birth. I also can't imagine the agony that Angus McKenna went through parceling out his daughters so quickly after his wife passes away and it broke my heart when Mary expresses her feelings about the situation.

Collin Elliott...what can I say about him. Strong, masculine, vulnerable, definitely swoon-worthy...but trying to overcome his past had to be difficult especially when it seems to follow him everywhere he goes. I loved the sparks that flew between him and Catherine...first out of mutual disdain borne of misconceptions of one another and then from feelings neither of them expected.

I had no problem reading this book as a standalone, but I adored it so much that I must go back and read Maggie and Mary's stories to fill in more of the background of Catherine's Pursuit. Fans of Historical Romance need to get a hold of this series...it's definitely is worth pursuing.

My thanks to CFBA and Realms/Charisma House Book Group for generously providing a copy for my honest review.

If you would like to read the first chapter of Catherine's Pursuit, go HERE.

Strands of Deception by Robin Caroll

This week, the
Christian Fiction Blog Alliance
is introducing
Strands of Deception
(B&H Books - March 1, 2013)

by
Robin Caroll

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Born and raised in Louisiana, Robin Caroll is a southerner through and through. Her passion has always been to tell stories to entertain others. Robin’s mother, bless her heart, is a genealogist who instilled in Robin the deep love of family and pride of heritage—two aspects Robin weaves into each of her books.

When she isn’t writing, Robin spends time with her husband of twenty-plus years, her 3 beautiful daughters, 2 precious grandsons, and their character-filled pets at home—in the South, where else?

ABOUT THE BOOK:

When Gina Ford, the daughter of a prominent Tennessee politician, goes missing from the University of Memphis a week after another girl was murdered on the same campus, police call in the FBI. Nick Hagar, married to his job as Special Agent in Charge, is assigned to the case, and when Gina’s body is found, her father demands justice.

Maddie Baxter is the forensic expert running DNA tests from the crime scene. When they come back without a match, Nick asks her to do a familial DNA run that yields a shocking result: the prime suspect is Adam Alexander, the very same guy who broke Maddie’s heart when she was in college.

But do scientific advancements tell the whole story? Strand of Deception offers romance, suspense, and a lively debate about the impact of DNA testing, for better or worse, on the United States justice system.

If you would like to read the first chapter of Strands of Deception, go HERE.

The Return of Cassandra Todd by Darrel Nelson

This week, the
Christian Fiction Blog Alliance
is introducing
The Return of Cassandra Todd
(Realms - February 5, 2013)

by
Darrel Nelson
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

I am a schoolteacher by profession and have taught school for (thir—ahem!) years. I grew up in Raymond, Alberta, and attended the University of Lethbridge after graduating from high school and serving a two-year mission to Japan. During university, I met and married Marsha Smith, and we are the parents of four children, which has grown to include their spouses and our ten grandchildren.

I have always loved to write. I started writing stories before I was old enough to realize I was writing stories. It seemed a natural thing to pick up a pencil and paper and create a world simply by using words—worlds of adventure in steaming jungles (Tarzan was an early influence on me) or realms of adventure in outer space (Buck Rogers). But as I have grown older, I have discovered that the real inspiration for me is exploring the theme of love and how it can make such a difference in the world.

I’ve had an article published in Lethbridge Magazine and have written several dramatic plays, two of which won provincial recognition and were showcased at a drama festival. I won the CJOC radio songwriting contest two years running, and have had one of my songs receive international airplay. I have written four novels intended for the juvenile market. They are unpublished as yet, but I read them annually to my fourth grade students and my students tell me they love them, the darlings.

ABOUT THE BOOK:

When the girl he hated in high school suddenly reenters his life, little son in tow, and asks for his help, Turner must put the past behind him if they are to survive.

Turner Caldwell works at a local motel as a handyman while attending college full-time. On his way to class one day, he passes the bus depot just as Cassandra Todd and her young son arrive. He is shocked to see her, remembering how cruel she was to him in high school. She was the popular head cheerleader and he the target of her mean-spirited pranks.

Turner could never have imagined that the outdoor training and survival skills he learned at Camp Kopawanee, a summer youth camp where he worked three years as a leader, would one day become so crucial. But when Cassandra and her son check into the motel where he works and she asks for his help in eluding her abusive husband, Turner finds himself entangled in a situation that will require every skill he has in order to survive.

MY THOUGHTS:

I'm not quite half done with this one, but I have to say I was sucked into this story from the very first page. I'm loving the drama, action, and the emotional connection that exists between Turner and Cassandra even though they have a less than favorable past. This book is quite a page turner and I know from the blurb that more excitement is yet to come and I'm anxious to see how it ends.

My thanks to CFBA and Realms Publishing for generously providing a copy for review.

If you'd like to read the first chapter of The Return of Cassandra Todd, go HERE.