The Swiss Courier Book Review

The Swiss Courier

by Tricia Goyer & Mike Yorkey

The destiny of a world is riding on the success of this one mission.

Secret Agents.

Double Agents.

Border Patrol.

Nazi Germany.

Prisoner Torture.

Who can you trust in such a time of uncertainty, during a treacherous war where the enemy could be among those closest to you?

Could you put your own life on the line for someone you've never even met?

Reading this story is like putting together a puzzle; you have no idea how it's going to look in the end but it's an exciting adventure along the way! There are DEFINITELY surprises beyond what you would even imagine! I found the story to be so thoroughly researched that it felt more like a retelling of actual history rather than a fiction novel. This is definitely a recommended read for all historical and suspense fans!

The Jewel of His Heart Book Review

The Jewel of His Heart
by Maggie Brendan
Heart of the West Series, Book 2


Gentle and hard-working. Faithful and passionate. As a sheepherder, trying to build a life as worthy as his father's cattle ranch, Josh McBride happens upon rare jewels, Yogo sapphires and the woman his Lord had planned for him all along.

Alone and hurting. Stubborn and independent. Guarding her heart from pain she is sure to endure, Juliana Brady will never let her life depend on any man.

Both Josh and Juliana learn that life can change in an instant. Will Juliana learn to trust again the God of her youth and let herself love the man He has sent to her? Will Josh push Juliana away so he can prove to his father he can make it on his own? When decisions are made, will love be won or lost?

Sparks fly in this romantic tale of hope and forgiveness. Maggie Brendan does a wonderful job telling an intriguing romance. She creatively throws unexpected events into the story that you can't even see coming. Her unique style of writing will leave you sorry the story is over. I hope to read much more from this author in the future.

An Eye for an Eye Book Review

Available September 2009 at your favorite bookseller from Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group...

An Eye for an Eye
by Irene Hannon

On a routine, morning jog in the park they meet again. It had been twenty years since FBI-Hostage Rescue Team Agent Mark Sanders and Psychologist Emily Lawson last saw each other, but the chemistry they shared that long summer ago was still there. Their happy reunion is turned upside down when shots are fired from nearby trees, leaving one of them wounded.

Was Mark and Emily's reunion a chance encounter or did God have bigger plans?

Now, without knowing who the bullet was intended for and no leads for suspects or motives to go on, all hope of finding the shooter seemed to be lost.

Will the case stay cold?

Will Emily allow God to stay her fear of another heartbreaking loss and move forward in her relationship with Mark? Will Mark allow God to heal the hollowness in his heart and accept the faith he sees Emily live every day?

This is one suspense novel you won't be sorry you picked up! Hannon weaves a plot so well, she keeps you guessing with each turn of the page. Crime-scene drama and witty banter collide with romance in St. Louis! The combined elements provide a great read for fiction fans of any genre!

Fools Rush In Book Review

Available September 2009 at your favorite bookseller from Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group...

Fools Rush In
Wedding by Bella - Book One
by Janice Thompson

Bella Rossi's life never sees a dull moment. Her Italian turned Texan family makes sure of that, especially when they hand over the keys to the family wedding planning business. The newly renamed Club Wed now specializes in themed weddings...thanks to Bella's new advertising strategy.

In her late twenties and no serious love interest in sight, Bella has concluded that, as a wedding planner, she is doomed to a life of chronic singleness...planning everyone's happily ever after but her own. That is, until a flicker of hope saunters up the walkway in his worn blue jeans and cowboy boots - Texas twang and all.

Can Bella learn to trust God to lead her out of her comfort zone?

This is one hilarious love story! Mix up the Mob and a few boot-scootin' cowboys and you're in for a barrel o' laughs and then a few more! The lighthearted playfulness of this book only left me with one complaint...that I couldn't read the next installment of the series! A guaranteed smile to add to your reading collection.

The Frontiersman's Daughter Book Review

Available August 2009 at your favorite bookseller from Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group...

The Frontiersman's Daughter
by Laura Frantz

Leal Click leads a life tucked away in the Kentucky wilderness, as a famed frontiersman's only daughter. Her father's ties to the Shawnee Indians, some secret and others not so secret, darken the only life she's ever known.

Confused by her father's disapproval of her childhood love and a Shawnee, would-be-suitor's attempts to woo her, Lael's father sends her away to an elegant finishing school. For reason's she can't understand, Lael suffers through more than five long years at the school until finally, due to unexpected circumstances and overwhelming loss, her chance comes to return to her beloved Kentucky home. Upon her return, she finds that her seemingly lost chance at love may not be so lost after all, but is not at all what she expects. What she learns about herself in her longing for love will prove to be grander than the beautiful view of her dear Kentucky wilderness.

This book was a hard one to put down. Even after reading the last page, the story stays with you. It draws you into a different place, where you can almost smell the perfume of wild roses drifting on a warm breeze.

Laura Frantz has created a set of characters, each unique and inspiring. Lael Click's determination and grit is what paved the way across long-ago, uncharted America.

I hope we will see much from this author in many books to come. A fantastic story and MUST READ for ANY fiction fan!

The Believer Book Review

Available August 2009 at your favorite bookseller from Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group...

The Believer
by Ann H. Gabhart

Elizabeth Duncan and her two younger siblings are left desperately alone following the sudden death of their father. Left as a bookmark in the family Bible, a simple Shaker's seed packet guides them to new hope. After the advances of a dangerous and unwanted suitor, Elizabeth leads her young brother and sister secretly to the community of "Believers" who will turn away no one.

For Elizabeth, one Shaker stands out among the rest. Young Ethan is committed to his belief, having never harbored feelings of anything other than sisterly toward any female, he is unprepared for his immediate attraction to the young woman seeking shelter among his people.

Matrimony is sinful in the eyes of the Shakers and any feelings of attraction to the opposite gender are strongly rebuked. As Ethan struggles with his feelings toward Elizabeth, she strives to keep herself from being a stumbling block to his faith. But something draws them close at every turn.

Will Ethan hold fast to the rules that are proving so hard for him to release and learn what being a "Believer" really is?

This book gives a good look into the inner goings on of Shaker villages. The story is brought to life with the detail Ann Gabhart gives to her setting, characters, and storyline. A well written story that is sure to touch you with a sweet sense of finding the truth in God's Word.

Things Left Unspoken Book Review

Things Left Unspoken
by Eva Marie Everson

Lonely Jo-Lynn Hunter is searching for that something to fill the void in her life. As an interior designer, she begins to find comfort when the death of her beloved great-uncle Jim brings her home to the area surrounding small-town Cottonwood, Georgia.

Jo-Lynn accepts a project to restore the historic home that Uncle Jim shared with his wife, Stella. The "big house" was built more than a hundred years before and had been handed down through Stella's family.

Little by little, secrets begin to unravel the legacy Jo-Lynn believed she was restoring in her family's home, but the revelations she uncovers will change the lives of those she loves the most.

Things Left Unspoken holds a little bit of history, with travels back to 1930s Georgia. The twists in this book are amazingly unexpected, a little suspenseful, and quite realistic.

A recommended read for both historical and contemporary readers! The more I read of this book, the harder it was to put it down.

Worth a Thousand Words Book Review

Worth A Thousand Words
by Stacy Hawkins Adams

Indigo Burns has the picture perfect life. Photography is her passion and she is on her way to the master's program at a prominent college of visual arts.

During what is supposed to be a relaxing summer spent interning as a photojournalist at her hometown's newspaper, Indigo's life begins to fall apart. Her boyfriend proposes one master's degree too early, health issues could keep her from the career she's always dreamed about, and her favorite aunt's life hangs in the balance after a frightening incident.

When the betrayal, disappointment, and fear blur the lens, will Indigo bring what really matters into focus?

Overall, a good read with a sweet story of learning to deny what we want and following God's plan for our lives.

A Passion Denied Book Review

A Passion Denied
Daughters of Boston - Book 3
by Julie Lessman

Buckle your seat belts, and keep your eyes on the pages! You're in for one great ride!

Little sister, Elizabeth O'Connor, has blossomed into a modern woman of the roaring 20s, bent on loving John Brady, a man who refuses to love her back. Her hopes are dashed until, with the help of her sisters, Lissie summons her courage, determined to open Brady's eyes and make him notice she is no longer the little "Beth" he sees her as.

Plans go awry, leaving them with hurt feelings and lonely hearts.

Brady finally finds acceptance in God's forgiveness from his deeply hidden past, a life so contrary from the godly man Lizzie has grown to cherish. With his revelation, will the pain and disappointment she feels push her away forever?

Can she deny John forgiveness, and her heart the deep love she longs for? Can she go through with a marriage to someone else?

Continuing the O'Connor's family saga, book three in the Daughters of Boston series, A Passion Denied, will take you on a roller coaster of emotions; hilarious heights, heartbreaking drama, and pulse-pounding tension, all intertwined in the amazing plots Lessman readers have come to love and expect.

Julie Lessman's rich words of God's love and forgiveness weave a story so real, so powerful, you will want to read it over, and over, again. This won't be the last we hear from one of the best writers, in any market, today!

The Measure of a Lady Book Review

The Measure of a Lady
By Deeanne Gist

Twenty year-old Rachel van Buren has been unexpectedly thrust into the parental role to her two teenage siblings. And boy do they not like that!

Carrying out rules that a proper young lady should live by in 19th century San Fransisco seems next to impossible. Where gold fevered men and women of ill repute are the sole citizens, Rachel finds her protective task more than she can handle.

Rachel must learn the hard way that she must trust God solely with her own life as well as those of her family and community. Will her ideas of what the measure of a lady should be remain unchanged or will she flee that horrible place the moment any ship leaves the port?

This book took a little longer to get me hooked into the story, but into the first few chapters I wanted to know what would happen next! In the end it left a few of my questions unanswered. So I would definitely read a sequel if Ms. Gist would write one!

Tracie Peterson's Alaskan Quest Series Review

Alaskan Quest Series
by Tracie Peterson

Book 1 - Summer of the Midnight Sun
Book 2 - Under the Northern Lights
Book 3 - Whispers of Winter


I really enjoyed this book series. It begins with the story of brother and sister duo Leah and Jacob Barringer. Orphaned at a young age it has been "just the two of them" for a long time. They live together in the rugged terrain of 1915, unexplored and very harsh, Alaska in the small Indian village of Last Chance Creek.

They search for God's will in their lives and wonder if either one will ever find the person they are meant to marry. God brings people into their lives and lots of drama is sure to follow.

This series is full of dog sled adventures and near death experiences in the frozen wilderness. If you're a fan of a little suspense with a tad of romance then you will really enjoy this series.

Tracie Peterson does a great job making you believe you are in the blistery winds right therwith her characters. Her research on the history of Alaskan Indians and their way of life adds a very real theme to the book!

This series does follow the characters from her Yukon Quest series. I didn't know that when I read this series and it made a great stand alone series anyway!

Redeeming Love Book Review

Redeeming Love
by Francine Rivers

I was actually sad when I finished this book.

It's a great stand alone novel but I didn't want to stop reading it!

The book tells the tale of a girl called Angel who was sold into prostitution as a child. Trapped in the only life she has ever known, she continues selling herself so she has a place to lay her head at night and food to fill her stomach. And in Pair-a-dice, California during the 1850's gold rush, there is no shortage of men who wouldn't give their last ounce of gold dust just for a chance at a half our of her time.

Bitter and disgusted at the way men use her, she trusts no one. So when Michael Hosea shows up and wants to marry her, she laughs in his face. How many times has she been proposed to? How many men have confessed their love only to leave her feeling used and abandoned?

Angel pushes herself too far and finds herself clinging to every breath. Michael steps in, claims her hand and nurses her back to health. He shows her what unconditional love really is and introduces her to the God who is the author of that love.

Michael has opened her heart to emotions and Angel, guiltridden, runs from the feelings she has fought so hard to keep away. Michael deserves so much more than she can give him.

Does she return to the man who loves her for who she is, in spite of her dark past?

Can she trust his God to forgive her for that past and trust him with her future?

A beautiful story of God's mercies and the love we all need.

I was overwhelmed with the emotion that is jam packed into this story! A must read for anyone!

A Passion Redeemed Book Review

A Passion Redeemed
Daughters of Boston Series - Book Two
by Julie Lessman

The O'Connor saga continues with a book that, if possible, is even better than the first!

Centered on Charity, the drama heats up in Ireland. She has always set her sights on what she wanted and won it... one way or another. And now, Charity wants Mitch!

Stubborn personalities collide and heart pounding passion explodes between them. Mitch refuses to give into her temptations and makes his point quite clear. He has given in to his feelings before and learned that that road leads to nowhere. But, when Charity gets herself in a fix it is Mitch who saves the day!

Charity manipulates Mitch and takes advantage of his kindness and thinks she finally has him. Until Faith learns her secret and Charity can no longer hide behind her lies and deceit. When Mitch learns the truth, she realizes that she could lose the man she truly loves.

As she lay in the darkest moment of her life, Charity learns that no man on earth can fill the void in her heart she has so desperately tried to fill. And the only way her heart can be complete is to surrender totally to Him who can really make her whole.

This is truly a story of a passion redeemed! Beautifully woven with God's love and mercy, the story draws you further into the lives and hearts of those in O'Connor-land!

I cannot wait until book 3, A Passion Denied, comes out in May!!!

My First Book Review: A Passion Most Pure by Julie Lessman

A Passion Most Pure
Daughters of Boston Series - Book One
by Julie Lessman

If you are a fan of romance, intrigue, emotion, historical adventure and edge of your seat drama, this is a MUST read. It instantly became one of my favorite reads! The saga centers around the O'Connor's, a tight knit Irish family living in early 1900s Boston.

Be prepared! This book will bless your socks off! =)

Bringing a new meaning to sibling rivalry, Faith and Charity couldn't be more opposite had they purposed it themselves.

Faith is quiet and gentle spoken whose heart desperately want to follow God's precepts for her life in every area. Her parents, Patrick and Marcy, have given her the greatest example of what a marriage should be. Tended with love and care and centered on God and family.

Charity is gorgeous! She lives for the thrill of the moment and craves the attention that is often given freely to her by those of the opposite gender. Her outgoing personality hide her true insecurities as jealousy and anger fuel her feelings toward her older sister.

Faith feels shattered when she learns that Collin, the man she has loved for nearly as long as she can remember, is courting her younger sister. And even as he is vying for their father's approval with Charity, Collin suddenly notices the older sister as never before and makes her the object of his affections.

Faith knows that the kind of feelings Collin has run deep. But, she longs for a passion most pure. Caught between her beliefs and the man she has loved for so long, Faith must make the decision to stand firm in her trust in God's plan for her life or give in to herself.

War strikes and sends away the men they love.

New people enter their lives and everything seems to change around them.

An amazing story of hurt and healing. And the triumphant glory of God's will in all of our lives.

Two books follow in this series. A Passion Redeemed and A Passion Denied(releases in May 2009).

Visit Julie's website to learn more about her and the O'Connor's.

Welcome To My Blog

Well, I have my blogging spot! I am really excited! I can't wait to get it all set up the way I want it.

I am a total bookworm so the main topic of my blog will be "Fiction". More specifically, Christian Fiction. I will blog about my favorite authors, books I have read or plan to read, etc.

A little bit about me... God has blessed my life in so many ways that I could never name them all! I am married to a great guy who does his best to take good care of our family. We have three beautiful children who are 1, 3 and 5 years old. I am a stay at home mom so they occupy most of my time. We also have an 8 month-old golden retriever. Needless to say, there is never a dull moment around our house! I recently went back to school and I am currently working towards my degree in journalism with creative writing/career english classes as well. So, I love to write and I may blog on that subject once in a while too...well, maybe! :)

Blessings and hugs! Ashli