For the Record by Regina Jennings

This story takes place in Missouri in 1885. The town of Pine Gap has citizens taking the law into their own hands. They are calling themselves the BaldKnobbers. Betsy Huckabee is a reporter for her Uncle’s local paper and has dreams of writing for larger papers. Deputy Joel Puckett is the Texas lawman being sent to town by the Governor of Missouri to restore order in the community. Betsy sees an opportunity to get a foot in the door with the Kansas City Star by writing serial stories for women about the dashing new deputy but she doesn’t count on falling for him Deputy Puckett has something to hide and wants his anonymity.

This story was well thought out and had some surprising twists and turns. It did take a while to get captivating. It was always interesting but it didn’t make me want to keep reading in the first half of the book like it did in the last half of the book. The first half too a few days and the last half took one long evening. All in all I enjoyed it very much and look forward to what this author may write next.

Bethany House gave me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Where Does Love Hide? by Mary Manz Simon

This little board book has a wonderful message and it is presented so simply that the little ones can grasp the lesson. The simple but very sweet illustrations make the book fun for the small fry. This is a lift-the-flap book and on the first page the little girl is playing with a stack of blocks and love is hiding at her house until she invites a friend to play. You pull down the flap (the stack of blocks) and there is her friend that she is offering a block to. There is a verse, Proverbs 17:17 -- "A friend is always a friend." Similarly, each page has a flap of some sort (i.e., door, stack of cookies, sand castle, bush) and another definition of love such as helping or sharing and each set of pages has a simplified verse to go with it. This is a great start to teaching your child to love the Word and get it in their hearts. I really enjoyed this simple little book with my grandkids and they loved it too. My only advice is put it away and don't leave it lying around for them because they tend to get a little too enthusiastic about lifting the flap and the flaps can get torn off way too soon.


I received this book from Tyndale for the purpose of an honest review. I would definitely purchase another copy in the future as a gift to a small child.

Fatal Frost by Nancy Mehl

I love all of Nancy Mehl's books. This is no exception. This is the first book in her Defenders of Justice series.


Mercy Brennan is a U.S. Marshall whose father, a cop, has just been murdered. Her friend Tally (a cop) and her partner Mark (also a Marshall) are tasked with protecting her from the cartel who murdered her father. The cartel thinks Mercy has something they were trying to get from her father. They end up in a snow storm out in the boonies and most of the story takes place on the property where they are sheltering. It is full of suspense and I never figured out the whole story before it happened as sometimes happens when reading these types of books. Nancy Mehl is a clever crafter of suspense stories. I enjoyed this book so much I can't wait for the sequel.



Bethany House provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. I have to say though that since I have all of her books this one would have wound up on my shelf sooner rather than later anyway. Bethany House has the best authors!

Waves of Mercy by Lynn Austin

This is the story of Geesje, who immigrates from Holland with her parents to escape religious persecution by the state church there and ends up in the wilderness that was then Michigan where their group founds the town of Holland, MI. Years later, as she looks back on her life while writing her story for the local Semi-Centennial committee, she meets Anna, who is also seeking some religious freedom and is staying at a nearby hotel while trying to figure out what to do about her fiancé who wants her to have nothing to do with the church where she has been seeking a closer walk with God. That’s the basic premise but the story is wildly more wonderful that than sounds.

Wow. I didn’t read this book all in one sitting like I do many books that I absolutely love because this one was so special I wanted to savor it. I wanted it to last forever. This book is set in Holland, Michigan. I remember visiting there as a child and still have the wooden shoes my parents had made for me. My ancestors were from a nearby town. I have also visited the Netherlands.

I first learned about Lynn Austin’s work from my daughter who loves WWII stories. Since I read that book that she recommended I have collected all the Lynn Austin books available. My daughter and my granddaughters and I enjoyed the OT Kings books together. This book, however, is, I think, the crème de la crème of Lynn Austin books.

I obtained this complimentary book from Bethany House Publishers and the author in exchange for a review, but I can assure you that this book was on my wishlist on Amazon long before that came about and before the book was available for purchase.

If you want to read something really satisfying, grab this book and put your life on hold so you can wrap this story around you like a warm hug.

Answers to the Most Important Questions About the End Times by Dr. John Hart

In this book, Dr. Hart has taken common questions about End Times and answered them according to his understanding of the scriptures. Eschatology is on everyone’s mind these days as the signs seem to be coming thick and fast. I appreciated the way he broke this down so you could skip to the part you want the most immediate answer to or just read it cover to cover to get a feel for the entire subject. This is a deep subject and there is a lot to be learned about it. It is not always easy for the average person to dig this all out for themselves and many people rely on other peoples’ research and insight to supplement what they have gleaned from the scriptures. I found this book very helpful and a good addition to the other books on this subject that I have in my library. I highly recommend this book to anyone who might have questions and would like to be directed to where the answers can be found in the scriptures.



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

The Domino Effect by Davis Bunn

This is a timely and intriguing story. It involves Esther Larson, a risk analyst at one of the U.S.’s largest banking institutions. She is a genius and has an affinity for mathematics. She has analyzed the current financial system and the global effects of the methods the major players are using. She knows that the bubble is about to burst and she has figured out how it will happen and is watching for signs of it coming down. She turns away from loyalty to the crooked bankers and dedicates her time to warning the public and devising ways they can protect themselves. Danger is part of the process because obviously the major players don’t want to be exposed. I can’t say I understood all the financial / economy talk but I have heard for years that we are headed for a major crash globally and that makes this story timely.


I loved the characters in this book. They all had real problems, real feelings, real relationships with God and drew the reader into their lives.


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

Catching Heat by Janice Cantore

This is the third and final installment in the Cold Case Justice series. Abby Hart (Detective) and Luke Murphy (PI) and a couple of other professionals are part of the new Cold Case team. In this book they are looking for the murderer of a co-ed whose case was never solved. While they are in the area they are also looking for clues to solve the case closest to Luke and Abby’s hearts. Luke’s Uncle and both of Abby’s parents were murdered years earlier and Abby suspects that the governor’s wife may have had something to do with it. This book keeps you on your toes from cover to cover.


I really enjoy Janice Cantore’s characters and all of her criminal justice books. She has a lot of expertise in this area and her research is excellent. Add to that the fact that the characters are likable and walking their Christian convictions as an integral part of their life or searching for their worldview in the course of the story.


I received this book from Tyndale in exchange for a fair and honest review. Quite frankly, I would have bought it at the first opportunity anyway since I have enjoyed every one of Janice Cantore’s books I’ve read and the fact that I was waiting for this conclusion to this series.