The Reluctant Warrior by Mary Connealy

Cam is a former army officer who finds himself in a situation where he is snowed in with the folks who rescued his daughter and nephew from a wagon train massacre which killed his brother.  He and his sister came to claim the children and ended up snowed in for the winter with Gwen and her sister Deb and Deb's husband Travis. Deb and Travis met up in the first book of this series.  This is the second book.  In true Mary Connealy style, there is a crooked varmit that is trying to make everyone's life miserable and they have to end up tracking him down. Gwen and Cam are attracted to each other and repelled by each other at the same time because they both want the two children. 


I read this book in about 24 hours (not straight through but I started and finished the book in the same 24 hour period.  It was that good!  I couldn't put it down.  Mary Connealy is one of my favorite authors and I don't think she has written anything that I haven't read just as soon as it came out.  The only drawback to that is that I have to wait a few months for the next installment in a series like this.  I am eagerly anticipating the third book in this series!


I did receive a digital copy of this book from NetGalley and the publisher Bethany House in exchange for an honest review.

Hidden Among the Stars by Melanie Dobson

This story takes us back and forth between the present and a bookstore owner who gets an antique book with some intriguing notes in it and starts to research the origin and the people whose lives were affected by the circumstances surrounding the book.  The second part takes place in Austria leading up to WWII. 

I can’t say enough good things about this book.  The story was intriguing and solving the mystery was not a simple task.  This book kept me wondering throughout.  I am normally not a fan of WWII books, mostly because my daughter is a big fan and I’ve read way too many of them already, but this one was a cut above the rest.  The research this author must have done was phenomenal and her story-crafting was exceptional. I would definitely read another book by this author in a heartbeat.

I received this book from Tyndale in exchange for a review and I am so glad I did!

Thief of Corinth by Tessa Afshar

This story is set in Corinth and Athens in the time of Paul the Apostle.  Ariadne is a young girl with a difficult life.  She runs away from her mother and grandfather’s house in Athens to return to her father in Corinth. When she has been there for a while she discovers her father’s secret and begins to get involved in his activities.

The detail of the everyday life of the people in these two cities is exquisite. The reader feels like they are a part of this culture and daily life.  At some point in the story some of the characters convert to Christianity under Paul’s ministry and begin to turn their lives around. The theology is sound, if a stated more in modern terms to help the reader understand.  I love it when the stories in the Bible come to life and the early Christians become so much more real to us.

I have found a new favorite author and now I will pursue all the books she has written and will write in the future because I don’t want to miss any of the delicious detail.

This book was provided to me by Tyndale in exchange for a review. I am so grateful for this opportunity because it helps me discover new favorite authors and also keep up with my other favorite authors. 

More Than Meets the Eye by Karen Witemeyer

This is the story of three orphans that struck out on their own in Texas after the Orphan Train they were riding on was in a terrible wreck and they were facing being sent back to the East coast since they had not been selected by any interested people along the route.  Seth, Zach and Evangeline are all grown up and established in a house / farm of their own when Logan Fowler comes looking for Zach because he believes that his family was cheated out of the farm when he was a child and his father committed suicide as a result.  Some snarky church people and some bootleggers mix things up a little bit and it makes for a very fun story.

I love how Bethany House authors seamlessly include the characters’ faith as part of the story .  Ms. Witemeyer does a great job and her characters are real and interesting.

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

The Spirit-Led Heart by Suzanne Eller

In trying to draw closer in relationship to my Savior, I have been trying to learn ways to understand the Holy Spirit and His role in our lives a little better.  This book has been very helpful and instructive in that pursuit. The author leads us step by step through the basics and we learn how to recognize the Holy Spirit’s intervention in our lives, expect it, be confident in it, be guided by it and be sure that it is legitimate. This book provides a well thought out and outlined study by which we can come to a better understanding of and relationship with the Holy Spirit.  I found the study guide at the end of the book especially helpful to review and process what I had just read.  I would recommend this book for individual or group study.

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

Lone Witness by Rachel Dylan

This is the second book in this series that I have been able to read and review and I really enjoy this author.  Most of this type of story that I read has female police officers or FBI agents but in this series, the heroines are lawyers and the heroes are ex-military or police officers that have a private agency of their own.  The stories are very detailed and there is a lot of lawyer / prosecutor type information – they are always researching their case.  I thought that might make these a little dry and harder to read, but that has not been the case.  I find the detail very interesting and I will pursue more of this type fiction from this author.

This is the story of Sophie Dawson, an Assistant DA in Atlanta and her bodyguard, Cooper Knight, who has been retained to protect her when she suddenly becomes a witness to a murder and her role is now different than her day-to-day role in the DA’s office.  There is a lot of action and nail-biting adventure but also a lot of detail and background information on the cases involved.  Faith is interwoven into the story and plays a big part in the points of view of the characters. I highly recommend this book and its predecessor to anyone who wants an interesting read that’s a little out of the norm.

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

The Road to Magnolia Glen by Pam Hillman

This is the story of Irish immigrants that arrived in Mississippi in 1792 to be indentured servants. Kiera Young and her younger sisters had been sent by her brother-in-law who had sold them to a brothel owner. Quinn O’Shea brought his two younger brothers to meet up with his older brother.  When Quinn decides to help Kiera escape from the brothel owner, they embark on a dangerous journey along the Natchez Trace to find Quinn’s brother.

I love the historic details and the wonderful character development.  This is the second book in a series it turns out so I will be seeking out Book 1, while waiting (rather impatiently) for  Book 3 to be released. 

There is a lot of action, twists and turns and suspense in this story along with the love story.  The Faith of the characters also is woven into the story and is integral to it.

I received this book from Tyndale in exchange for a review.