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Showing posts from October, 2015

The Brontë Plot

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The Brontë Plot Katherine Reay Thomas Nelson Lucy Alling makes a living selling rare books, often taking suspicious measures to reach her goals. When her unorthodox methods are discovered, Lucy's secret ruins her relationship with her boss and her boyfriend James—leaving Lucy in a heap of hurt, and trouble. Something has to change; she has to change. In a sudden turn of events, James's wealthy grandmother Helen hires Lucy as a consultant for a London literary and antiques excursion. Lucy reluctantly agrees and soon discovers Helen holds secrets of her own. In fact, Helen understands Lucy's predicament better than anyone else. As the two travel across England, Lucy benefits from Helen's wisdom, as Helen confronts the ghosts of her own past. Everything comes to a head at Haworth, home of the Brontë sisters, where Lucy is reminded of the sisters' beloved heroines, who, with tenacity and resolution, endured—even in the midst of change. N

Owls

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Owls Matt Sewell Ebury Press A cute little book with charming illustrations, although a little inconsistent. Each owl has a short little snippet. Some are informative and factual, and some give very little fact information and instead focus on some sort of lore surrounding the specific owl or even (at times) contemplative rambling. Despite appearances, it's not a kid's book, but rather more of a novelty gift book for adults or teens. I received this book for free from the publisher in exchange for my honest review.

Vendetta

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Vendetta Lisa Harris Revell No one needs to push Nikki Boyd to excel on the Tennessee Missing Persons Task Force. The case of her own missing sister, still unsolved after ten years, is the driving force in her work. When a Polaroid photo of a missing girl shows up at a crime scene, Nikki quickly recognizes similarities to the past. The closer she gets to the abductor, the more she feels this case has become personal, and she is not the hunter . . . but the hunted. With this explosive first book in The Nikki Boyd Files, award-winning author Lisa Harris takes you on a fast-paced pursuit of justice that will have you holding your breath until the heart-stopping finish.      Having read the last two books in Lisa Harris's previous series, I decided to try this one, especially because the cover looked mysterious and eye-catching. Yes, I judge books by their covers. All the time.      Lisa Harris is good at building suspense, but I wasn't truly captured by the

Street God

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Street God Dimas Salaberrios Tyndale His street name was Daylight. But he was a nightmare. On the streets of New York, darkness and violence reigned. Dimas “Daylight” Salaberrios began selling drugs when he was eleven years old, and by sixteen, he had served his first stint at the notorious Rikers Island prison. Dimas saw only one way to survive: by reigning over the streets. He would be the richest, most powerful ruler in the hood . . . or die trying. Street God is the true story of one man’s dangerous journey through the underworld of crime, drugs, and almost certain death. It was an encounter with the real God that saved his life — and then made it even more dangerous. Because that God sent Dimas back down the darkest streets he’d ever known — with other lives depending on it. And Dimas had to ask the question: How far am I prepared to go? A dramatic, compelling memoir full of twists and turns, Street God delves deep into a world from which few ever emerge —

The Trim Healthy Mama Cookbook

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The Trim Healthy Mama Cookbook Pearl Barrett and Serene Allison Harmony      Having been familiar with the "Trim Healthy Mama" diet through friends, and whose family often receives the Above Rubies magazine, this book interested me.      I'm not always big on "healthy" food, but these dishes look good . True, some of the ingredients have me raising a brow wondering if the dishes will taste as good as they look, but for anyone with a strict diet or food allergies, I'd definitely recommend checking out this book. Some of the ingredients are things that might be a little obscure, though, and might have you heading to a health food store.      However, there's a good variety of recipes types (including desserts, of course!) so it's good even for people who, like me, are neither mamas nor particularly healthy.      I admit I am a little worried about the binding; my copy has barely been used and I can already see the wear on the spine. Fo

The Knight's Bride

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The Knight's Bride Barbour Dianne Christner, Pamela Griffin, Yvonne Lehman, Tracie Peterson, and Jill Stengl Take six romantic adventures back in time to the Middle Ages along with five authors including Tracie Peterson, who tell the stories of couples challenged by the injustices of their times. Some couples are pulled apart by wars and feuds, while others have their futures determined by their oppressors. Can a faith be found to keep hope alive and give joy in all circumstances?      A collection of six novellas centering on "chivalry in the Middle Ages," The Knight's Bride popped up as I was perusing netgalley for ebooks to review. While I haven't always had the best experiences with Barbour novella collections, when I saw the castle on the cover of this one I was drawn in against my will. I don't read a lot of fiction set during the Middle Ages, so I thought six short stories set during this time would be a nice change of pace.      Unfort

A Sherlock Holmes Devotional

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A Sherlock Holmes Devotional Trisha White Prieb Barbour      I'm not usually a fan of devotionals that try to mesh secular things with the spiritual. Actually, I'm a little wary of devotionals in general because I find that a lot of people use them instead of actual Bible reading, and are more inclined to trust other authors' interpretations than what the Bible actually says. That's why, when I first saw this book several months ago, I passed it by without a second glance.      However, I've been thinking lately that you really can't divide the world into the "spiritual" and the "secular"- God is Lord of all, even entertainment. And while I still do not at all like when people try to "sanitize" truly ungodly things, I do think that if one has a Christian worldview, then that mindset while affect how you look at everything.      Even fictional detectives.      So, as I was browsing netgalley (newly encouraged t

The Flower Brides

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The Flower Brides Grace Livingston Hill Barbour      It's been a little while since I've read something by Grace Livingston Hill, and when I saw this volume of hers available- with three stories in it that I hadn't yet read- I decided to try it.      I admit I was really dragging my feet with this one. Part of the reason was that this was an ebook, which is definitely not my preference, but also, as a whole, I don't think these three stories lived up to some of the other GLH books that I've read.      I admit that it was rather difficult for me to like the main character of Marigold . She wasn't all bad, but her attitude annoyed me even though I found her character to be realistic. I guess, considering the way she was raised, her actions seemed especially unlikable?      White Orchards  had some sweet moments, but the hero and heroine were separated for much of the book and some aspects of the plot seemed very familiar to me, even though I hadn&#

On This Foundation

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On This Foundation Lynn Austin Bethany House Publishers When news that the wall of Jerusalem is broken down, and its gates have been burned with fire, Nehemiah, Jewish cupbearer to King Artaxerxes in Persia, seeks God's guidance. After fasting and prayer, he's given leave to travel to Jerusalem and rebuild the city wall, not anticipating all the dangers that await him on his arrival. The leaders of the surrounding nations become his fierce enemies, plotting to assassinate him and halt the work. A drought, meanwhile, has left the country impoverished, many families resorting to selling their children as bondservants just to keep from starving. Capturing the rebuilding of the wall through the eyes of a number of characters, On This Foundation is a powerful exploration of faith in the midst of oppression, and hope that, in spite of appearances, the gracious hand of God is upon those who believe.      If you've been reading my reviews for a while now, y