Gone South by Meg Moseley is a most enjoyable book that touches on several issues that are prevalent today such as homelessness, stealing, prejudice, learning disabilities, and low self esteem. Tish McCombs had her life all planned but then an accident took the life of her future husband and now her father has also died and her mother has remarried. Mom and new husband are moving to Florida to get away from the cold of Michigan and Tish decides to go along to help with the move. Tish decides to take a side trip to Noble, Alabama, to see the home that once belonged to her great-great-great grandparents and was built around 1870. The house was up for sale and on a spur of the moment decision, Tish decided to buy the house. She is happy with her decision and then trouble comes along. She goes to the bank to open an account and the lady helping her is all smiles and welcome until she looks at Tish’s driver’s license and learn that she is a McCombs. Tish cannot understand the change until the owner of the bank explains to her and tentatively offers her a job.

Mel is in Florida and hitchhiking back home when the guy who gave her a ride makes a pass and she jumps from the pickup and does not have time to grab her duffel bag from the back. This leaves Mel with no money, clothes, or food and when she finally reaches home in Noble, her dad will not let her into the house. He has kicked her out because she stole her Grandpa John’s pocket watch that was to go to her brother Stu. She does not feel it was stealing for Grandpa had told her that he was going to give the watch to her and he also told her that his 1956 Corvette would one day be her’s. Since Grandpa John did not leave a will, no one believes Mel.

George Zorbas seems to be the only person in town who is willing to give Tish a chance. George tries to persuade Tish not to give Mel a place to live but since Tish definitely feels like an outsider, she decides to permit Mel to move in hoping that they can accept each other and be a help to each other. Unfortunately, Mel is set in her destructive ways and several times Tish threatens to send Mel packing but she is determined to help Mel and at the same time Tish is trying to prove her own worth. The people of the town of Noble apparently have conveniently forgotten that everyone needs the love and forgiveness of God and also forgiveness from people.

At the urging of Tish and George, Mel gives the watch to Stu but will Stu give the watch back to Mel? Does the town come to accept Tish? Will Tish get the job at the bank and if she doesn’t why not? Will George and Tish end up together? Will Mel get help for her dyslexia and if so, who will help her? While Mel is working at George’s antique store, he figures out why Mel’s previous employers accused her of stealing. But was she stealing? These are questions that come up in the story and I think that it would spoil the story for future readers if I were to answer the questions. The book does have a happy ending.

The characters were so very well developed that I felt they were almost real and just might come to life. The plot had a lot of twist and turns and just when I thought I had something figured out, everything would change. I was fascinated by the dialogue for being a southerner I know how many people in the south feel about Yankees and the dialogue was right on target. Throughout the entire book I felt as if I were right there in Noble taking part in all the action for the author made the scenes so real. Even though I knew that I was reading a novel, I still became upset at times because of the way the small town southern people treated Tish because she was from Michigan. Even worse and what upset me more was the way she was treated because of something her great-great-great grandparents supposedly did. This is a Christian novel and I was glad to see that the author had God and Christianity as an important part of the book.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and would recommend it to anyone who likes a great story with lots of action, suspense, romance, and that has a Christian message of love and forgiveness. A sneak peek at the first chapter is available here: http://www.scribd.com/search?query=Gone%2Bsouth%2B%2B%2BMeg%2BMoseley&paid=false Meg Moseley’s website is: www.megmoseley.com and her blog is available at the same site. Her bio on Waterbrook is available at: http://waterbrookmultnomah.com/author-spotlight.php?authorid=123046

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Waterbrook Multnomah Publishers through their Blogging for Books program in exchange for an honest review. I was not required to give a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.

Reign The Chronicles of Queen Jezebel by Ginger Garrett is a fictional account of Ahab and Jezebel taken from I Kings and II Kings in the Bible. In the Bible, Jezebel was described as a very wicked woman but the author’s imagination just became too much for me. Biblical fiction is one of my favorite genre but I just could not get into this book, in fact I was not able to finish it. I was really looking forward to reading the book but it was a disappointment for all the sacrificing of babies and the vivid descriptions of the worship of Baal just became too depressing for me to continue reading.

I read over half the book and I will say that it was well written with the plot and characters being well developed. Just too well developed for my taste. It was obvious that the author did a lot of research before writing the book. I have read the story of Jezebel many times in the Bible and I know how the story ended.

If one is not bothered by reading about infant sacrifices and the sexual perversion of the temple priests, then I could recommend this book.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from David C. Cook at Net Galley in exchange for an honest review. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.

Giving Love by Sophie Dawson is the third book in the Cottonwood series and is a touching story of love between a man and a woman and of the love of parents for their children. Katie Reed’s husband and three month old son died in a fire and Sheriff Drew Richards’ wife Rachel died in childbirth just the week before. Drew is at the cemetery to ask a huge favor of Katie. His baby Annie was born early and her stomach will not tolerate cow’s or goat’s milk and Katie is the only woman in the community who can nurse Annie. She agrees to feed Annie and to care for Joel who is three years old and missing his mama terribly. Drew eats all his meals at home and spends as much time as possible with Joel but he sleeps at the jail at night so that there will be no gossip in town about him and Katie. The arrangement works just fine and then one day Joel in all his three year old wisdom suggests that he and Drew marry Katiemama. After lots of soul searching by Katie and Drew, they decide to get married but both are sure that they will never love again.

Drew is trying to solve several petty thefts that are happening in the town but is having absolutely no luck in catching the thief. Only old and worn out clothing and food are taken. Aggie decides that she will solve the mystery and in her typical take charge way she begins by putting a plate of food and warm clothing on her back porch railing at night. After a few nights she manages to catch the thief. Will not say more about the thefts but will say that solving the mystery brought great joy to Aggie. Aggie gets a wonderful surprise when her brother, David Nathaniel Ryder II, comes to town with his wife and grandson. He is known as Nugget Nate because of all the large gold nuggets that he found in his gold mine. He is one of the richest men in America but to see him and hear him talk you would think he was just a poor, uneducated, and maybe even a little simple minded mountain man. He might talk as if he were uneducated but he has business savvy that is not taught in any school and every business venture he undertakes just adds more millions to his fortune.

As with the first two books in this series, the author did a wonderful job of bringing the characters to life and the characters from the first two books show up in this book also. And the scenes in the book were so real that I felt as if I were right in the middle of what was going on. She has a special ability for developing the character and dialogue of young children. Little three year old Joel stole my heart with the first word out of his mouth. The dialogue of Nugget Nate made for lots of good laughs. One character that everyone in town disliked was Beulah Taylor, the wife of the bank owner. She was a first class snob and a down right mean gossip. The person and action that finally reached Beulah and brought about a change in her life was one of the highlights of the story but I do not want to reveal what happened for I do not want to spoil the story. Not only does the story have romance but there is nerve wracking suspense when Katie is injured in a fall in the kitchen when Joel bumps into her. The love of God, forgiveness, and the power of prayer are an important part of this story.

I highly recommend this book to everyone who likes a wonderful story with romance, a little suspense, quite a bit of humor, and also has the message of God’s love and forgiveness. I would suggest that one read the first two books before reading this one for I think they are more enjoyable in order. Unless you are one of those readers who never cries when reading a book, I would suggest that you have a box of tissue close at hand.

A big thank you to the author, Sophie Dawson, for providing me with a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.

This photo was made in March, 2007 when Brian and I went to Fort Worth for Scott’s Birthday.

This was also made in 2007 but in July when Scott came home for Brian’s birthday.  This photo is six years old and today is the first time that I have noticed Scott’s glasses. Too funny.

Christmas 2009 and Brian was not too happy with me for taking his picture.  Oh my does he ever look like his Dad. Brian HATES to have his picture taken so this is the latest one that I have.

My skinny Scott.  This was taken yesterday (5/11/2013) when he ran the Half Marathon in Colorado.  He is not as camera shy as Brian.  I think the two 2007 photos are the last “decent” pictures I have to the two of them together.

Lord’s Love by Sophie Dawson is the second book in the Cottonwood series and deals with the romance between Maggie and the new man in town. Lord St. John Lytton arrives in Cottonwood, Iowa, from England in 1875. Because of his enormous amount of debts and his lack of even trying to pay them, his father gives St. John the choice of going to America or debtor’s prison. When St. John, nicknamed Sinjon, arrived in Cottonwood he was so obnoxious that no one wanted anything to do with him. He felt that since he was of the British aristocracy that he was above everyone in the town. His father sent him to live and work for a former servant. To say that working for a former servant galled Sinjon is putting it mildly. And the job he was given was working in the livery where his main job was to muck out the stalls. Fortunately, pretty soon Sinjon realized that people are all the same and he was no better than anyone else and when he came down off his high horse he began to make friends. Magdelina Taylor, who preferred to be called Maggie, finally got up enough nerve to get a job working for the community newspaper. When her boss got married and moved out of the apartment above the newspaper office, he offered the apartment to Maggie and she quickly accepted his offer. Her mother was mortified that her daughter would stoop so low as to take a job and then to move out of a beautiful home to a small apartment. Maggie’s mother refused to let her learn any skills that would help her in keeping a home but fortunately, several of Maggie’s friends helped her to learn what she needed to know.

Sinjon is smitten with Maggie the first time he sees her but she is enjoying the freedom from her domineering mother too much to even think about a relationship with a man. Most of the story deals with their relationship and all the obstacles that both must overcome. Maggie is a Christian and lives her beliefs and Sinjon thinks he is a Christian just because he has gone to church his entire life. When Sinjon proposes to Maggie will she accept or decline? And will the story have a happy ending or will there be sadness? I will say no more for do not want to spoil the ending.

All elements of the story were very well developed and again the characters in Cottonwood, Iowa, came to life on the pages of the book. At the beginning of the book, Sinjon was extremely unlikeable but the author developed his character so well that he became a most likeable young man and was accepted by the people of the town. All the characters were great but Maggie became an exceptional young woman with a knack for work, an independent spirit, and a new approach to life that was filled with joy. There was some suspense in the story when Maggie was injured and was unconscious for quite a while. The author did a wonderful job of writing the discussion between Sinjon and Peter, the pastor of the community church. I like that God and his love are a very important part of the book. Now I am looking forward to reading the third book in the series. Maybe the author will even write a fourth and even a fifth.

I highly recommend this second book in the Cottonwood series for it is just as good as the first book. It continues the lives of characters introduced in the first book with lots of romance. And important to me is that the author has a God centered message in this second book also.

A big thank you to the author, Sophie Dawson, for providing me with a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.

Stealing the Preacher by Karen Witemeyer is a very well written and inspirational historical romance novel that gave me a great deal of enjoyment including several good laughs. Joanna Roberts has been praying for months for a preacher to bring life back into the abandoned, local church. Her dad, who is a reformed outlaw, takes it upon himself to “answer” her prayers and get her a preacher for her birthday. Crockett Archer is on his way to the Piney Woods of Texas to interview for the job as pastor of a local church. Crockett’s train is stopped and he is kidnapped and taken to Joanna who is very upset with what her father has done. Crockett manages to escape but he cannot get Joanna out of his mind for her dreams for a church in the community depend on him and being the kind of man he is, he comes back to help her. Of course there is an attraction between Crockett and Joanna but her father is dead set against the possibility that his daughter could marry a preacher for he has no use for preachers, the church, or God.

The author did an excellent job developing the plot, characters, dialogue, and scenes. The plot had a few twists and turns and enough suspense to make it interesting. The characters seemed very real and one could not help pulling for the good guys and booing the bad guys. All the scenes were so well described that I felt as if I were an observer in what was going on. One scene near the end of the book had some nail biting suspense that had me sitting on the edge of my chair wondering what was going to happen. Through the entire book one kept wondering if the father would ever change his ways, if Crockett would stay in the community, and if Crockett and Joanna would end up together. You will have to read the book to learn the answers for I do not want to spoil the ending.

I highly recommend this book to all who like a great historical romance novel that inspires and also provides some good laughs and has enough mystery to add to the enjoyment of the book. The book is also recommended because it is a Christian novel and the love and forgiveness of God is shown throughout the entire book.

I received this book free from Bethany House at Net Galley in exchange for an honest review. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.

Never Ending Spring by Darrell Case is a wonderful story of love, murder, forgiveness, and redemption. The year is 1949 and Jack Johnson is a very successful farmer in Sullivan County, Indiana and even though he really has no money worries he is a man with a troubled and grieving heart. When his five year old son was accidentally killed he blamed God for the accident. When his daughter Kristie and Jim her minister husband are murdered right at the entrance to the church, Jack almost goes off the deep end with grief and is convinced that God hates him. Jack feels that the sheriff is not working hard enough to solve the murder so he begins his own investigation which leads to the dead of an innocent man. This does not stop Jack from searching for the truth and because of this the murderer begins to plot the killing of Jack and his family. Jack’s wife Ruth and granddaughter Emily pray daily that Jack will come to accept God as his Savior and this troubles his heart. As his daughter was dying in his arms she said to him, “Jim and I will be waiting for you, Mom and Emily on Heaven’s shore” and Jack cannot get the words out of his head and heart.

The development of the plot, characters, dialogue, and scenes were extremely well done by the author. There were twists and turns to the plot including two other deaths besides the minister and his wife, a fire that was arson, and the deadly bite of a rattlesnake. All the characters were real and I would almost forget that I was reading a fictional story and not the local news. I also felt as if I were right there in the scenes when all the action was taking place. Darrell Case has a great talent for writing a suspense story. Throughout the story there were subtle hints as to the identification of the murderer but the author kept me guessing until the very end. I do not want to spoil the story for future readers so will not state if Jack came to accept Jesus as his Savior or if he did not. One thing that I really liked about the story was the way that the author kept God as a very important part of the theme of the story.

I highly recommend this book to everyone who likes a great story that just comes to life as you are reading and also has a mystery to solve. The best recommendation is that it is a Christian book with God as the center of the story.

Thank you to the author, Darrell Case, for providing me with a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.

Healing Love by Sophie Dawson is a great historical, romance novel set in Cottonwood, Iowa, in 1875. Lydia Walcott’s parents died when she was thirteen and she has been enduring almost daily beatings by her brother Cyrus for the past seven years. After Cyrus breaks her arm, gives her such a beating that one entire side of her face is black and blue, and cracked several ribs, she decides that she must leave or the next time he just might kill her. Lydia manages to walk to the home of her friend Aggie who has been like a mother to her and with Aggie’s help she escapes on the westbound train. She ends up in Cottonwood, Iowa, and since the train was late and does not arrive until nighttime, she cannot find a place to stay and ends up sleeping in an empty stall in the livery. Dr. Sterling Graham returns to town from a late night trip to deliver a baby and because he is so tired from driving in the ice storm, he decides to sleep on the cot that is set up in the livery for his use. Two of the biggest gossips in town are the first ones to the livery the next morning and leave immediately to start spreading rumors about the doctor spending the night with a woman in the livery. Absolutely nothing happened for neither the doctor nor Lydia knew that the other was in the livery. Sterling’s reputation and his medical career and Lydia’s hope for a new life are threatened so it seems that the only possible way to end the gossip is for Lydia and the doctor to marry. Lydia agrees to the marriage when she is assured that Sterling is a God fearing Christian. Even after the marriage, gossips in the town continue to spread the story with each one adding more untrue “facts.”

Will a young woman who is very fearful but has a strong faith in God and a somewhat prideful young doctor who also has a strong faith be able to make a marriage work? Sterling treats Lydia’s injuries and has nothing but compassion for her and she finally comes to realize that he will never hit her or injure her in any way. Lydia and Sterling both work hard to make the marriage work but there always seems to be the issue of trust on Lydia’s part and the fear that her brother will find her.

The author did an excellent job developing the plot, characters, dialogue, and scenes. Not only was there romance in the story but there was the suspense concerning Cyrus and if he would find Lydia. The characters seemed like real people and I found myself in tears because of the many things that Lydia had faced in her young life and was still dealing with the results. Sterling was a very loveable character and I was hoping for the marriage to work. The story has a great ending. I was very impressed with the way that the author kept God in the lives of all the main characters. I am really looking forward to reading the other two books in this series.

I highly recommend this book to anyone who likes a good historical romance with a good bit of suspense woven throughout the story and that also has a God centered message throughout the book.

A big thank you to the author, Sophie Dawson, for providing me with a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.

Rain Dance by Joy Dekok is a book that every woman should read. I am definitely Pro-Life but had never really thought all that much about abortion and how the women that had abortions felt after the fact so this book was really an eye opener for me. The story centers around two women who meet at their obstetrician’s office. Jonica who is infertile is there to tell the doctor that she and her husband no longer want to try to get pregnant using the latest medical methods. Staci is there to set up an appointment for an abortion because her pregnancy is not convenient for her since she is just getting started in her law practice. As different as the two women are, they form a real friendship and Jonica who is a devout Christian shares her faith in God with Stacie and then prays and waits for God to work on Stacie’s heart.

The plot of the story was well developed and the author wrote on the subject of infertility and abortion with a great deal of understanding and with deep feelings for the women involved. Even though the story is fiction, it reads like real life and strives for healing and understanding for women who are either infertile or have had an abortion or even thinking of having one. The author also helps the reader to realize that these women need our compassion and support. The plot takes a twist when Stacie finds photos of her mother holding a baby boy but she cannot remember having a baby brother. Stacie cannot forget what she saw and begins a search to find out about the brother. This search and what she learns adds a new dimension to the story. The author made the characters in the story so real that I wanted to just give each of them a hug and tell them that Jesus loved them. I was deeply touched by this book and I cannot remember the last time I cried so much while reading a novel.

I highly recommend this book to all women and think that men would also benefit from reading it. The story is not only about the two women but includes their families as well. The story has a great ending.. I had wondered about the title of the book but at the end it is clear why Rain Dance was the perfect title.

A big thank you to the author, Joy Dekok, for providing me with a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.

Love’s Enduring Gift by Catherine Francis is a great love story with the man and woman both living their Christianity and keeping themselves pure for marriage. Scott and Lynn work in the same building but for different employers. He has watched her take a walk each day on her break and one day he decides that the time has come for him to meet her. He went outside and stood on the walkway so that she would bump into him since she was reading a book as she walked. He asked her out for dinner but even though she said yes she debated with herself all afternoon if she should go or not. Scott is from a very close knit family but Lynn has almost no contact with her family. After a couple of dates, Scott invites her to his birthday barbeque where she will meet his family. Again she hesitates but she goes and that is the beginning of a beautiful relationship with both Scott and his large family.. Lynn has been engaged before but she suffered great hurt and humiliation from the man and his mother. Because of this, she has a hard time trusting people, especially men. Scott’s family accepts her as the lovely woman she is and very soon Lynn accepts the love of the family and begins to feel as if she is really one of the family.

The characters all seem to come alive in the book and one feels as if they are real people. The plot is well developed and near the end there is a little suspense added to the book which adds interest but also sadness. All the scenes were so real that I felt as if I were part of the family and taking part in all the activities. I especially liked that the author had all the main characters living their Christianity and not just saying they were Christians. It was refreshing to read a love story in which the man and woman were true to their beliefs and kept themselves from doing things that they would regret later on. They remained true to the Biblical teachings of purity before marriage.

I would recommend this book to anyone who likes a book that has a heartwarming romantic story, has a great Christian message, and has a very happy ending.

Thank you to the author, Catherine Francis, for providing me with a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.