The Alliance

On the first pages of Jolina Petersheim's latest novel, The Alliance, you will see Moses Hughes's plane crash in the middle of Leora Ebersole's property.  Leora cannot understand what in the world has just happened.  When the Englischers cars and cellphones stop working as well, the people of this old-order Mennonite community realize that something very serious has occurred!

When Moses finally regains consciousness, his military background tells him that perhaps an EMP has struck the area. Moses begins to encourage this community to form an alliance with the few Englischers in the area to protect their homes from the potential danger that may be coming.  As you watch these two groups of people with very different moral backgrounds attempt to work together, you have no idea what will happen!

What will Leora and Moses do when they discover that someone within their community is actively working against them?  What actions will the leaders of this community decide to take when they learn that a large gang of thieves is headed their way?  Finally, how will Leora respond when she looks into her father's eyes again, years after he abandoned his family!

This was an interesting tale with an ending that you will never expect!


I received this book from Tyndale House Publishers in exchange for my unbiased review

Dawn at Emberwilde

You are introduced to Isabel Creston on the opening pages of Dawn at Emberwilde, the latest novel by Sarah Ladd.  Isabel is a young woman who was left at the Fellsworth School as a young girl.  As Isabel waits for a new opportunity to open up for her to work as a governess, a stranger arrives at the school with the news that Isabel has an aunt, unknown to Isabel, who has invited Isabel to relocate to live with her family at Emberwilde. Walk along with Isabel as she travels down this new path to a destination that she knows nothing about!

As Isabel attempts to familiarize herself with her new home and lifestyle at Emberwilde, she finds herself missing her former world.  Life was harder in a lot of ways at Fellsworth; however, the rules that her aunt insists on in her new world are almost suffocating!  Isabel soon senses that her aunt's primary goal is to get Isabel married off as soon as possible.  Mr. Bradford, the supervisor of the foundling home located on Emberwild's property, is her aunt's first choice for her future husband; however, when Isabel meets Colin Galloway, a man her aunt would never select, her eye seems to be turned his way instead!

There is a lot of action and mystery contained in the tale.  Who is involved with the criminal activity  in the depths of the forest surrounding Emberwilde?  Why is Isabel's aunt pushing so hard for Isabel to be married by a certain date?  What could be the mystery involving Isabel's grandfather's estate?  Hang on until the last page of this tale to learn the answers to these questions and so much more!


I received this book from Thomas Nelson in exchange for my unbiased review.

Her One and Only

Her One and Only is the last entry in Becky Wade's most recent series.  I thoroughly enjoyed the first three books in this series and this final book did not disappoint!

Dru Porter grew up in a male dominated world with three older brothers; however, she has managed to make a unique name for herself working as a bodyguard.  Her latest client is Gray Fowler, a superstar in the NFL who has been receiving threatening letters from a stalker, yet unidentified.  Dru takes her job very seriously, so she does not know how to handle it when she starts to be drawn toward Gray.  When you learn that Gray and one of his teammates make a bet concerning which one will be able to get Dru to kiss them first, you are on pins and needles waiting for Dru to erupt in anger when she learns the truth!

When Dru's feelings for Gray grow to the point that she feels that she should be taken off his protection detail, Gray does take this decision very well.  Everyone is relieved when Gray's stalker is finally identified and charged; however, Dru does not stop looking at all the angles because something tells her they should still keep an eye out for Gray's safety!

Will danger eventually make its presence known in Gray's world and will Gray finally be free of the demons from his past?  This is a great tale that wraps up the details of the lives of the Porter family!


I received this book from Bethany House in exchange for my unbiased review.

I Really do Miss Your Smile

I Really do Miss Your Smile, written by Susan May Warren, is a novella that tells the tale of when and where the saga of the Christiansen family began.  This short story contains a fun tale that must not be missed!

I have read and enjoyed each novel in the Christiansen Family series.  It was great to also read this story about how John and Ingrid first met when she vacationed with her family every summer at his family's lodge, how they fell in love and after a bit of difficulty, how they finally decided to build a life together!

This novella is definitely worth the read!

A Flight of Arrows

A Flight of Arrows, the latest novel by Lori Benton, opens with a young Indian mother quietly recounting the story of his birth to her young son, Two Hawks. How his twin brother was taken by Reginald Aubrey, a man who lost his own child to death. This man left behind a family so full of grief that the mother finally had no option but to cast out her warrior husband, Stone Thrower, because he was so full of rage!


This is an interesting tale to follow as you watch these characters deal with this fast changing world of the early days at the birth of America.  Stone Thrower and his wife both longing to look into the eyes of the child who was taken from them so many years ago!  Reginald Aubrey leaning to deal with his grief over the consequences that his theft has caused after so many years!  His adopted daughter, Anna, longing after Two Hawks, the twin who is from a world that Anna knows nothing about!  Finally, there is William, the young man whose sense of realty has been torn apart when he learns that the parents he was born to are not the ones who have raised and formed his life!

As you see Two Hawks become an apprentice to Reginald, a well-known shipbuilder, you know that fireworks will be soon to follow.  Only the violence comes from a different source than you expect!  This is an exciting tale as you walk along with each individual in a world that is nothing like current day America.  You will be interested to see how God will lead each of these characters and where they will end up by the final page!

There are so many characters and places to keep track of that it made this book a difficult read for me!


I received this book from Waterbrook Press in exchange for my unbiased review.

The Magnolia Duchess

The Magnolia Duchess is the final book in Beth White's Gulf Coast Chronicles series.  This tale begins with Fiona Lanier in tears.  She has just learned that her twin brother, Sullivan is being held on a British prison ship.  As Fiona travels along the Gulf Coast shore line, she suddenly comes upon a body that appears to be half-drowned.  After Fiona is able to turn the body over, she is surprised to find that this man is a face from her past!

The last time Fiona saw Charlie Kincaid was when she and her family had visited his grandfather's estate in Scotland.  Now, she is faced with attempting to keep Charlie alive!  After Fiona's family home becomes a place where Charlie can begin to recover, they realize that his accident has resulted in Charlie losing his recent memory.  As Fiona and Charlie attempt to put the pieces of his memory back together, Charlie discovers a scrap of paper in his gear with what appears to be code written on it!  Why had he written this code down in the first place and who was the intended recipient?

Hang on as you travel through this new world with Charlie in the midst of the early American war as he seeks to discover the truth about himself and why he is in the foreign land!

This tale was interesting to revisit the facts of the founding of our country; unfortunately, this book was not an easy read for me!


I received this book from Revell in exchange for my unbiased review.

Like Never Before

The opening pages of Like Never Before, the latest by Melissa Tagg, contain an e-mail conversation between Amelia Bently and Logan Walker.  The small newspaper in Maple Valley is in need of a news reporter and Amelia thinks Logan would be a perfect fit.   Logan argues that he is not interested in leaving his fast-paced life in L.A. to return to his sleepy hometown; however, before you know it, Logan actually turns up in town!  Amelia is totally shocked when she learns that Logan not only owns the newspaper now, but he has decided to temporarily relocate to Maple Valley in an attempt to bring new life to the paper!

Logan and Amelia soon discover that they both have demons from their past they need to deal with; however, it does not help to have a budding romance growing between them that they need to figure out!  After two months in Maple Valley, the newspaper's press suddenly crashes and Logan takes it as a sign that it is time to let go of the paper and go back to his former life!

Watch and see where Logan and Amelia end up on this rocky new road God has planned for them both!