Dressed for Death by Julianna Deering

This is a another fun mystery in the Drew Farthering series. This one takes place in 1932 in England but what makes it even more fun is that Drew and his wife Madeline are attending a week long Regency costume party at a friends estate. So not only do we get the early 1900s flavor, but we also get the Regency period flavor as well. Everything is going as planned until Drew's friend's fiance is murdered. Now our friend, Chief Inspector Birdsong and Scotland Yard are on the case but Drew continues to conduct his own investigation. There are many twists and turns and the book begs reading to the finish rather than laying it down to do mundane daily chores.

I always love Julianna Deering's books and wait anxiously for the next installment. Bethany House provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for my personal review, but I would have purchased this one anyway if I had chose one of the other selections this month.

Burning Proof by Janice Cantore

This book is the second in a series but I did not read the first one yet and this book can definitely stand alone. Abby Hart is a homicide detective in Long Beach, CA and Luke Murphy is a PI. They both had relatives murdered in a restaurant fire a decade earlier. They team up to try to find out what really happened and also tag-team on a cold case that Luke is working on.

The action never stops in this book and there are several threads going which make it very interesting. It’s not difficult to follow as is sometimes the case with this style of writing. It keeps you wanting to read “just a few more pages” so you can find out more. The end result of that is reading straight through to the end of the book and then thinking, “darn. Now I don’t have any more of the story to read.”

I really enjoy this author’s work and look forward to more in the future. I’m also planning on going back and reading everything she has written to date. I one of those gals who doesn’t want to miss anything!
I received a complimentary copy of this book from Tyndale in exchange for a fair and honest review.


Author Q&A

RISEN by Angela Hunt

This is the story of the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus but it is told from the point of view of Clavius, a Roman soldier, and Rachel, a Jewish widow. It is the novelization of a screenplay. Angela Hunt has done it again! She has taken a story from the Bible and fictionalized it but left it true to the scripture. I found it very interesting to see the perspective of the two very different people (one a Gentile) and to get the gist of what people at the time were thinking about the things that were occurring. I think Angela Hunt did a very good job of developing her characters and giving us a better idea of the setting and life at that time.


Many times novels based on scripture contain only the scripture basically and not a whole lot else and they tend to be boring. Not so with this book. I really enjoyed it and had trouble putting it down because although I was very familiar with the Bible passages, I had no idea where these characters would end up.


I received a copy of this book from Bethany House in exchange for a fair and honest review.

The Play-Along Bible

This is the sweetest little book. The illustrations are so much fun. But what my wiggly preschoolers like the best is the fact that there are motions and things to say that go along with it! For instance in the chapter called "The Sneaky Snake," Adam and Eve are happy and then that pesky snake gets involved. They get to make snake motions and hiss, pantomine eating an apple, and then act out a little drama as they get thrown out of the garden. This is so much fun and they remember the story after taking an active part in it.

I highly recommend this be gifted to your small children and grandchildren and placed in your church preschool classes and library.

I received a copy of this book from Tyndale House in exchange for a fair and honest review.

With This Ring ?

This book contains four novellas by some best-selling authors. I chose it because I cannot stand to skip over anything that Mary Connealy writes. She's my favorite "old West" author. And she didn't disappoint with this one either. Her story, called Runaway Bride, brought me up to date on some characters from Mary's former series and also introduced some new ones. Can't wait to hear more about Big John and Carrie in a later book.


The Husband Maneuver, by Karen Witemeyer was fun too. I have heard of this author before but am not sure if I have read any of her other books. This story was about a ranch owner's daughter who loved the foreman and the foreman who was desperate to get his own place so he could finally propose.


Her Dearly Unintended, by Regina Jennings was interesting but a little strange. The circumstances and the characters seemed a little off.


Engaging the Competition by Melissa Jagears was a lot of fun. Harrison and Charlie seem to be exact opposites but their devotion to each other is fun to watch. I was delighted with this story. This author is in the same league with Mary Connealy and I can't wait to read more from her.


I received this book from Bethany House in exchange for a fair and honest review.

The Daniel Fast for Weight Loss by Susan Gregory

I started reading this book with great expectations. I tried a version of this years ago with good results.

Basically, this is 21-day (3 week) process in which only fruits, vegetables, nuts and grains are consumed and only water is drunk. There are no animal products (meat, eggs, dairy) or coffee. Along with this, the author provides devotional material and scripture to help you in the process. The expected outcome is a healthier body and a closer walk with our Savior.

I have no problem with the intent of this book but I do have some reservations about the recommended products. There has been a lot of information put out about the harmful effects of soy products (including tofu) and the use of soy in processed foods. The massive use of this in various forms in the U.S. is quite excessive in comparison to use in other countries and many detrimental health effects have been discovered with this excessive use. The other thing that I did not find consistent with a Daniel fast was the use of processed foods such as rice cakes. The one really good aspect of this regimen is weaning off of fats and sugars. That I heartily applaud.
With an adjustment of the food list, the rest of the program would be very beneficial and I intend to pursue it again very soon.

Tyndale gave me a copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review.

The Midwife’s Choice by Delia Parr

This is the second book in the At Home in Trinity series. I did not read the first one but this one stands alone. It does, however, leave some loose ends to be resolved in the next installment. Martha Cade is the local midwife. She and the local doctor help each other in their practices. The local mayor is an old boyfriend that she is being reacquainted with. She misses her two grown children and is presently living with two ladies who own the confectionary shop because the tavern that had been in her family for several generations had recently burned down. The story revolves around these people, some of Martha’s patients and other townsfolk. There is a lot of stuff going on. It almost was so much different stuff going on that it didn’t seem real. Martha didn’t really seem like a very nice person much of the time and the actions and conversations of the characters seems a little strange at times. I did enjoy the story, however, even though I would have liked a story with a little better flow.

I received a copy of this book from Bethany House in exchange for a fair and honest review.