Wounded Spirits - April Gardner

THE BOOK:

On the frontier, Adela McGirth's life is simple, rugged, and exactly to her liking. Her greatest concern is whether to marry the settlement's most eligible young officer. When a distant war among the Natives spills over into a nearby skirmish, life takes a perilous turn. Deep in enemy territory Adela must chose between the man she loves and a baby that has yet to be born; will she be strong enough to wait on God's provision?

A peace-loving yet loyal Creek warrior, Totka is forced to align with the exremist Red Stick faction whose purpose is to eradicate the Whites from Crek soil. In the midst of the battle, Totka is assigned to protect those he is expected to hate - and kill. Life was simpler before his enemy became a beautiful face with a quiet strength and dignity he cannot resist.

Having lived a life plagued with death and loss, Zachariah McGirth is a man on a misson - he'll have his revenge or die trying. Blinded by grief, he can't see his way clear of yet another tragedy. Why has God taken everything from him...or has He?

Their lives molded by the course of history, can these Wounded Spirits learn to rely on God's grace during one of the bloodies conflicts in the South

MY REVIEW:

Star Rating:  *****

From the first chapter of this wonderful book, Wounded Spirits kept me turning the page - breathless to find out what would happen to Adela next. In this story, there is adventure, peril, romance, heartache, challenges, redemption, and lessons to be learned from everything. Certainly a read you won't want to miss, and I am pretty sure I will be picking it up in the near future to read again!

The relationship between Adela and Phillip was an interesting twist and opener for his story. While he displayed an outwardly charming and perfectly dashing character I felt him rather skin-deep and pushy towards Adela as the story progressed. To be able to tell this just from the way the author portrayed him to act was, I thought, wonderful. Adela herself was an amazing character to get to know. April really knew how to describe her characters in such a way, I felt as if they were real people. Totka, Zachariah, and Lillian were also well developed and believable characters.

There were a few spots in the book where it got a little physically between characters who were not yet married to each other. Nothing serious happened, yet I was slightly uncomfortable as to where it was going until the heroine, Adela, put a stop to it. It didn't ruin the book for me, but I just wanted to point this out, as it may not be suitable for younger readers.

As a whole, this book was a great read and I recommend it for those of you who love a good adventure story mixed in with a love story. Adela's winning personality and heroic efforts to support her mother and sister after they are captured by the Indians was sweet to read and endeared her to me. And once you read the last pages, you will be looking forward to the sequel even more - yes, it is a bit of a cliffhanger! ;-)

Thanks goes to April Gardner for sending me an Advance Readers Copy of Wounded Spirits to review!













~~

Christmas at Harrington's - Melody Carlson

THE BOOK:

Sometimes the best gift is a second chance

Christmas is approaching, and Lena Markham finds herself penniless, friendless, and nearly hopeless. She is trying to restart her life, but job opportunities are practically nonexistent. When a secondhand red coat unexpectedly lands her a job as Mrs. Santa at a department store, Lena finally thinks her luck is changing. But can she keep her past a secret?

Reading Christmas at Harrington's, a story full of redemption and true holiday spirit, will be your newest Christmas tradition.

MY REVIEW:

Star Rating:  ****

Christmas at Harrington's by Melody Carlson was a very sweet story about Lena - a woman who moves to New Haven for a fresh start on her broken life. It is really full of the Christmas spirit as Lena meets new people and continues to touch lives.

It was different than what I usually enjoy in a book, but the story was really touching and interesting, which kept me flipping the pages until the end. Lena's gentle nature and the way she reached out and touched Jemima's life was really sweet. The characters were well developed and I felt like I knew Moira, Beth, Jemima, and Sarah by the end of the book. Sam's character, in the beginning, was hard to get to know, but as the story continued, you saw him for what he really was - a nice guy with his mother's interests best at heart.

There wasn't anything negative in this book! It was wonderful - the kind of book you can snuggle on a couch with your family around and read aloud. (It would make a wonderful family tradition to begin!) Though it certainly can't be read in one sitting, it's still a book that can reach out and touch lives with its story of redemption and second chances.

Thanks to Revell for giving me a review copy of this book!!














~~

No Greater Love - Kathi Macias

THE BOOK:

Forbidden romance,

An unlikely martyr

And an even more unlikely hero.

Orphaned four years earlier when their parents, active in the African National Congress (ANC) movement against apartheid, were murdered—16-year-old Chioma and her 15-year-old brother Masozi now live and work on an Afrikaner family’s farm.

When Chioma and Andrew, the farm owner’s son, find themselves attracted to one another, tragedy revisits their lives. Chioma escapes to join an ANC rebel band in her effort to survive and gain revenge for her family and culture. When cultures clash in life-or-death struggles, Chioma must choose between violence and revenge—or forgiveness and selfless love.

Loosely based on historical events and set near Pretoria, South Africa, in the violent upheaval prior to ANC leader Nelson Mandela’s release from prison in 1990 and his ascendance to the presidency of South Africa, this story of forbidden romance produces an unlikely martyr who is replaced by one even more unlikely.

MY REVIEW:

Star Rating:  *****

5 big stars goes to this book that is adventurous, touching, memorable, romantic, and a wee bit suspenseful - all at the same time! Told from several unique character's viewpoints, this story kept me turning the pages, wanting to learn more about Chioma's past and where her future was headed. Each chapter held a new piece to this special story of her hard, pain-filled life, and her journey toward salvation.

There were only two scenes that, depending on the age and maturity of the reader, might be considered unnecessary to the story or bothersome. After a couple are married, it has a scene the next morning where the reader is informed that they are not wearing clothes. And later on, a woman is accosted by three men while she is bathing herself and her infant son, though it never says if they saw her out of the water.

Besides these two mild parts, the book was amazing from beginning to end! I loved and enjoyed every moment. There were a few scenes that made me smile, while others made my heart ache for the characters suffering. A book like that is priceless! And to add to that, it also has a lot of history of how the times were while Nelson Mandela was in prison in the 1980s. I always enjoy learning new facts and information from history - and getting to learn it within a story is even better!!

If you've been looking for a book that won't quickly leave your thoughts or that will cause you to pick it up more than once to re-read those special scenes, then I highly recommend No Greater Love to be at the top of your list! ;-)














~~

Sworn to Protect - DiAnn Mills

THE BOOK:

Danika Morales has sworn to protect our borders.

But that oath has come with a price.

Two years ago, her husband was shot and killed trying to help undocumented immigrants - the very people Danika, a Border Patrol Agent, is responsible for deporting. His murder was never solved.

Now, a recent string of attacks and arrests leads Danika to believe her husband's death may have been part of a larger conspiracy, and it appears that she's the next target. When the Border Patrol discovers that one of their own is leaking top-secret information, Danika turns to the only person she can trust - a doctor at the local medical clinic. Together they search for answers before more innocent lives are destroyed

MY REVIEW:

Star Rating:  ***

I wasn’t really sure as to how many stars to give it…I mean, I liked the story, but it wasn’t a suspenseful book (You know who the bad people are early on in the book) and I was disappointed in the romantic part of the story. DiAnn’s first book in the “Call of Duty” series, Breach of Trust, was more thrilling, in my opinion. But this book was a good read.

As I mentioned, there wasn’t a lot of suspense in this book (Unlike Breach of Trust, which kept you guessing who the bad guy was till the last few pages!). It didn’t have as many twists and turns as I was hoping for, though the action in the book did keep me turning the pages to find a resolution for all the problems Danika had to face.

The death of one person in this book took me by surprise and I must confess, I was sad at the murder. Throughout the book, I had been able to grow very close to this character – closer than even the main character – and to read about her unnecessary death made me depressed. But then, often in this world of drugs, crime, etc, the innocent are often plowed down. So I commend DiAnn for writing a novel that portrayed the real world fully – not sparing characters to get a message to her readers.

The love story in the book, as I said, was a little disappointing. I didn’t really feel the growing attachment between the two characters – they just saw each other and were automatically attracted to each other. I usually don’t really care for these kinds of romances, as it’s unrealistic and just shows that the love isn’t based on solid foundations, but sudden feelings (That don’t last forever). So in this part of the book, I found little interest in.

But, nonetheless, the book was a good read and I did enjoy it.


Thanks to Christian Review of Books for sending me this review copy!!














~~