New Hope Pub.. 254 pages; Blog Tour; Buy Link

I meant to have this posted on Thursday (Sept. 7th, which was my 36th birthday), but I've been sick with a cold sore, so I'm just now getting around to writing the review for Mercy Triumps by author Jana Kelly. The novel is final installment of the trilogy that began with Side by Side and Door to Freedom.

I was well aware the novel was the final installment of a thrilogy when I signed up to review it. For some odd reason, I thought I had read the other books in the series, but I'm pretty sure I have never read them. Anyhow, I began reading Mercy Triumphs with no knowledge of what occured in the first two books.

Inspired by true events, Mercy Triumps takes on the subject of modern-day persuction of Christians and what life is like for religous refugees.

The novel centers on three different women - Mia, a wife and mother of three; Halimah, a new Christian who is undercover and on the run; and Rania, Halimah's younger sister. All of them are former Muslims who are forced to live in exile outside Sudan, where they are in the constant presence of oppression and each one's faith is challenged.

Abingdon Press; 188 pages; $16.99; Buy Link; Blog Tour

The holiday is sneaking up quickly upon us this year. Thanksgiving (or now known as Black Thursday) is just over a week away, and there is no better time than the present to start your Christmas shopping.

Now available from from Abingdon Press is the Christmas advent book "The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year" written by Ace Collins.

It's basically a 25 day countdown (Dec. 1st - 25th) till Christmas Day. Each chapter/day begins with a Bible scripture and a short essay or story inspired by the scripture. Then there is section featuring lyrics to a Gospel song. Lastly, there is either a recipe for holiday treats or instructions to craft a homemade gift.

Final Thoughts: This a cute (under 200 pages) devotional that is also a Christmas advent to read around Christmastime. The author has done an excellent job creating a simple, but beautiful little book. The devotional part of each day is written really well, and it never felt "preachy" in anyway. The very first devotional mentions my favorite Christmas movie, "It's A Wonderful Life." While I can't carry a tune, I did enjoy reading the about the different Gospel songs/lyrics. My favorite part of each day is the recipes and gift instructions.

Overall, I enjoyed reading The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year and I recommend it to others.

*I received complimentary copy from the publisher for my honest review and they are 100% my own opinions. I received no other compensation for this review and I am not required to give a positive review. I am also not associated with the publisher or author in any way.







About the Author: Ace Collins defines himself as a storyteller. He has authored more than sixty books that have sold more than 2.5 million copies. His catalog includes novels, biographies, children's works as well as books on history, culture and faith. He has also been the featured speaker at the National Archives Distinguished Lecture Series, hosted a network television special and does college basketball play-by-play. Ace lives in Arkansas.


Learn more about the author at: acecollins.com


You can follow the author on Facebook and Twitter.

Revell; 394 pages; $14.99; Amazon

A few months ago, I had promised myself that I would attempt to get caught up on a several ARC that have piled up on my desk collecting dust. Most of them had been read, but I hadn't gotten around to writing the actual reviews for them. Now it's nearly Thanksgiving and I still haven't gotten around to them yet. I'm going to try to make it my #1 priority to get these reviews written and posted before Christmas!

Which title am I going to start with first?

The book is titled Thin Ice, book 2 in the Men of Valor series by author Irene Hannon.

The plot centers on Christy Reed, a young woman who receives an envelope address to her in her sister's handwriting. She had lost both her parents and sister, and had just started to pick up the pieces when this envelope arrived. Inside that envelope is a note that claims her sister is still alive.

Christy's only hope for solving the mystery is with FB Special Agent Lance McGregor, a former Delta Force Operator who is assigned to reopen her sister's case. Sadly, the further they investigate, the more questions they come up with than actual answers.

Harald Press; 342 pages; $14.99; Buy Link

Do you have any bad reading habits?

One of my bad reading habits is a reading a book and later noticing it's either book two or three of a series. Like most readers, I would rather begin with book one. However, that sometimes isn't the case with me as either agree to review a title based on the genre, the author's name, or cover art without paying any attention to see if it is part of a series or not.

For Christian's Hope, book three in the Return to Northkill series, by Ervin R. Stutzman, I had signed up to review the book based on the cover art alone. I only noticed it was book three  after I had already read several chapters.

Set in the 1760s, the novel centers on Christian Hochstetler, a young man who has spent the last seven years in captivity during the French and Indian War. During this time, he had lived among the Native Americans.

Now he has returned to his family's home to try and live a normal Amish life. After living with Shawnee Indians, farming along side his Amish father is a little predictable. As Christian struggles with his future in the Amish community as well as faith, he falls in love with Orpha Rupp.

St. Martin's Press; 276 pages; $18.99; Amazon

Once upon a time, there were young adult horror novels that didn't contain glittering vampires, dystopian worlds, or supernatural romances. Yep, back in the middle 1980s throughout the 1990s, there were a slew of YA horror novels, mostly published by Point Horror. Of course one of the most popular series at the time was Fear Street by R.L. Stine (who later created the Goosebumps series). Each novel played out like an 80s' slasher flick with the main character typically being a female teenager who is either being stalked by a killer or has stumbled into a supernatural plot involving the Fear family.

In 2014, R.L. Stine brought back the Fear Street series with Party Games. Now available from St. Martin's Press is the fifth installment in the relaunch series, titled The Dead Boyfriend: A Fear Street Novel.

Set in the fictional Shadyside, Ohio, the novel centers on a teenager named Caitlin, who is thrilled to be dating the new boy in town, Blade. Despite the objections of all her friends, she quickly falls in love with him. Sadly, Blade doesn't feel the same for Caitlin. After a brief public argument, Caitlin kills Blade in self-defense. With no witness in sight, she flees the crime scene, hoping she can get away with the murder.

Unfortunately, this is a horror story, so things don't go quite as easy as Caitlin thought it would be. It seemed Blade had another admirer - Deena Fear, a descendant of Simon Fier (Fear). The girl has never been popular in school, mostly thanks to her Gothic looks and cold-hearted attitude. Her obsession with Blade goes way beyond the grave when she uses a little bit of witchcraft to bring him back from the dead.

Ripley Publishing; 256 pages; $28.95

If you're looking to give your kids something a bit unusual this year for Halloween instead of sugary candy, then the recently released Ripley's Believe It or Not!: Unlock The Weird! would make a perfect gift.

Ripley Publishing has been releasing an annual book showcasing the weirdest and strangest facts from around the world along with hundreds of colorful photos

Unlock The Weird! marks the 13 volume in the series. As you can see by the cover art, it has three eyes popping practically popping out at you. The book has been named a Mom's Choice Awards winner.

Similar to the other releases, this edition kicks off with a two-page biography of Robert Ripley along with a few pictures. The rest of the book is divided into 10 chapters - Believe It!, World, Animals, Body, Pop Culture, Transport, Feats, Art, Food, and Beyond Believe.

Artist Eric Millikin used over 1,000 miniature bags of M&Ms to create this pop culture portrait of Count Chocula.

Jimmy Patterson; 336; $18.99; Amazon

If a book is a bestseller, then eventually it will get a reprint, and some of those titles will also get a brand new cover art. Well, that was what was I thinking when I saw the cover to Cradle and All by James Patterson on Barnes & Nobles a few months ago. The original Cradle and All was published in 2000, and it was actually a rewritten novel called Virgin that was published in 1980. This year's release of Cradle and All with the baby stroller on the cover is in fact another rewritten version of Virgin, but this time Mr. Patterson has written the story for young adults under his children book label "Jimmy Patterson."

Cradle and All centers on a pregnant seventeen-year-old, Kathleen Beavier, in Boston who claims she's a virgin. During her pregnancy, the world is turned upside down with droughts, epidemics, floods, and epidemics.

The young girl's claim gets the attention of the Catholic Church, leading Cardinal Rooney to ask Anne Fitzgerald, a former nun who is now a private detective, to investigate the situation. Also sent in to help out in the case is Father Justin O'Carroll, who has had past relationship with Anne.

On the other side of the world, Father Nicholas Rosetti travels from Rome to Ireland in search of Colleen Deirdre Galaher, a sixteen-year-old pregnant virgin.

Are Kathleen and Colleen telling the truth? If so, is one of them carrying in The Second Coming? Or is one of the carrying Satan's child?

Tommy Nelson; 32 pages; $14.99; Amazon

Though Halloween is a lot closer than Christmas, I'm more in the mood for the Yuletide season than I am for All Hallows Eve, which might explain why I'm once again reading another Christmas title.

What did I read this time?

Well, yesterday I read One Small Donkey: A Christmas Story by Dandi Daley Mackall and illustrated by Marta Alvarez Miguens. Published by Tommy Nelson (a division of Thomas Nelson Publishers), the book will be available to purchase on September 27th in either a hardcover or a board book for "little ones."

One Small Donkey: A Christmas Story centers on a small donkey (the donkey's name is never mentioned) who wants to be tall and brave like the horse he sees marching in the grass each and everyday.

Then one day his master, Joseph, calls for him. It seems Joseph and his pregnant wife, Mary, are planning a trip to Bethlehem and it's the small donkey's responsibility to help carry Mary across the land.

When Mary goes into labor, Joseph knocks on the doors of every home in the city, hoping to find shelter. However, nobody will take them in. Luckily, they do find a manger just in the nick of time. 

Abingdon Press; 200 pages; $14.99; Buy Link; Blog Tour

There's still 109 days till Christmas Day. However, I spent my morning reading a Christmas-themed book this morning while I sipped on a cup of coffee. (FYI - Today's my birthday!)

What the title of the book?

Well, the book is called God Bless Us Every One and it's written by Eva Marie Everson, which is basically a modern day spin on the Charles Dickens' classic "A Christmas Carol."

The novella centers on a twenty-seven-year old named Charlene "Charlie" Dixon who is fired just a few days before Thanksgiving as the the activities director at an all-girls school in Florida.

Yeah, it's a great way to start the holidays!

Charlie packs her bags and heads back home to Testament, North Carolina to spend the holidays with her grandmother, who she calls "Sis." Her mother abandoned her at a young age and her father has been in and out of a jail, so her grandmother had to raise her.

Heritage Beacon; 290 pages; Buy Link; Blog Tour

Participating in blog tours gives me the opportunity to read titles by new authors. Well, that just happens to be the case with Starving Hearts written by Janine Mendenhall and published by Heritage Beacon Fiction (an imprint of Lighthouse Publishing of the Carolinas). Originally, I wasn't going to sign up to review the title as the cover art didn't appeal  to me. Note: The mansion on cover reminds me the one from Downton Abbey (which I've never taken the time to watch). Later, I gave it some thought and decided to give the novel a try anyway.

Typically, I prefer my romance reads to be set in the 1800s; however, this title is set in England in the late 1700s. It centers on two characters -Miss Annette Chetwynd and Mr. Peter Adsley.

Annette is worried about her mother trying to set up an arranged marriage. She would love to find someone to rescue her from her life, but she is still haunted from being assaulted.

Peter is becoming a pastor and is on the lookout for a wife, which is where Annette comes into the pictures. However, they are both haunted by their pasts, which might jeopardize any sort of future they could have together.

Bethany House; 320 pages; $14.99; Amazon

If you enjoy reading Christian romances, then you're probably already familiar with the works by Janette Oke, who has written over 70 titles and has sold over 22 million copies. One of her most popular books is Love Comes Softly and its many sequels. The books have been made into a series of made-for-movies that aired on the Hallmark Channel.

Another one of the author's book series is called the Canadian West series, which started in 1983 with When Calls The Heart. The movie adaptation aired of the first book aired in 2013 on the Hallmark Channel. A television series of the same name debuted a year later; this time focusing on the niece Elizabeth Thatcher, a young woman who is sent to a small town in Canada to work as a school teacher. Around the same time the series started, Janette Oke and her daughter Laurel Oke Logan published "Where Courage Calls," a companion to the new series, which ended up being book one in the Return to Canadian West series.

The third installment of the series, Where Hope Prevails, arrived in bookstores last month, and once again centers on Elizabeth "Beth" Thatcher, who is returning to Coal Valley after a spending the summer visiting her family in East Canada. She is in for the shock of her life when she returns to see that the small town has changed quiet a bit. Many of the beautiful trees have been cut down and all that remains are the stumps, which was done to make room for new buildings.

To make things worse, Beth has to move into the room above Abigail’s Tea House, because all the rooms at Molly's Boarding House are occupied by miners. While Beth as away, the school board approved of a second teacher, Mr. Robert Harris Hughes, due to the increase in new students.

Pocket Books; 368 pages; $7.99; Amazon

I believe almost every reader has heard of the author of V.C. Andrews or has read one of her books. Ms. Andrews got the attention of the world when her first "Dollanganger"novel (Flower in the Attic) was published in 1979. Teenagers and some adult readers couldn't get enough of the Gothic novel about four siblings being forced to live in an attic, though many libraries and schools banned the title and it's sequels due to the "taboo" love story.

In 1982, the standalone novel "My Sweet Audrina" was published. It centered on a young girl, Audrina, who was forced to live in her older sister's footsteps (the First Audrina), well, so she thought so. If you've read the book, then you are well aware how the story goes. I'm not going to spoil it for others; however, you can read my review for it here. (The water-down made-for-Lifetime movie aired earlier this year.)

After V.C. Andrews passed away in 1986, her family decided to let a ghostwriter, Andrew Neiderman, finish the books she was working on at the time of her death and to continue writing other novels under her name.

Fast-forward to 2016, Andrew Neiderman is still ghostwriting all V.C Andrews titles; though the Gothic-vibe from the V.C. Andrews' original novels are long gone, with many of the recent releases receiving mixed to negative feedback from diehard fans.The newest V.C. Andrews' release is Whitefern, the long-awaited to sequel to My Sweet Audrina.

(Warning: Spoilers!) Set several years after the ending of My Sweet Audrina, the novel opens up with the death of Audrina's father, Damian Jonathan Adare. She doesn't have much time to mourn as she has to help her autistic sister, Sylvia, deal with their father's death. However, it's more difficult than what she could ever imagined due to Sylvia's odd behavior of sitting in rocking chair in the First Audrina's bedroom, where the young woman claims to hear the voice of their father; telling her that a baby is coming.

Fire & Ice
Wild at Heart, book three
by Mary Connealy
Publisher: Bethany House
Pub. Date: October 6, 2015
ISBN: 978-0764211805
Pages: 336
Buy Link: Amazon

Review:

As promised, I'm featuring my review on book three of the Wild at Series, Fire & Ice, on Black Friday, though I'm technically writing this in the early morning hours on Wednesday.

This time the heroine is Bailey Wilde, the oldest sister of her family, who is slight depressed that all her sisters have gotten married and that she is still single (and lonely). With a long dreadful winter approaching, she finds a way to get Gage Coulter to marry her, which is somewhat an odd choice for husband as she previously pointing a gun to him.

It seems that there is five-thousand acres of great grazing land on a canyon, but Bailey's farmhouse happens to be located on it. Therefore, Bailey owns all the lush grass there, so that's the only reason why Gage would ever consider marrying her - to get complete control of the land.

The Christmas Joy Ride
by Melody Carlson
Publisher: Revell
Pub. Date: September 1, 2015
ISBN: 978-0800719678
Pages: 176
Buy Link: Amazon

Review:

Yep, I'm trying to get through my Grinch-like mood by reading a few holiday-themed books this month. You might recall me reading The Christmas Cat last year. Well, the author, Melody Carlson, has published another book titled, The Christmas Joy Ride, which can be purchased at most bookstores.

The novella centers on an Miranda Fortner, who is currently unemployed and is now fearing that the bank will foreclose on her home. Her 85-year-old neighbor, Joy Jorgenson, has sold her own house and is moving to a assisted living place in Phoenix, so she can be near her sons. Miranda is shocked when she learns how Joy is going to get to there - she's going to drive her old RV, which is covered in Christmas decorations, 2,000 miles to Phenoix!

Joy has a mission to deliver gifts to six people that had each won a contest on her blog. There is no way that Miranda is going to let her drive across the country all by herself, so she packs her bags and joins Joy on the trip.

Now & Forever
Wild at Heart, book two
by Mary Connealy
Publisher: Bethany House
Pub. Date: June 2, 2015
ISBN: 978-0764211799
Pages: 336
Buy Link: Amazon

Review:

One of my favorite genres to read over the last few years has been western-romances, so whenever I see any romance novels set in the 1800s, I automatically sign up to review it. One of my favorite authors who writes these kinds of books is Mary Connealy. During the summer, she released the second book int he Wild at Heart series, titled Now & Forever.

Set in the Dakota Territory/Idaho Territory Border in the year 1866, the novel centers on a tomboy named Shannon Wilde. She's the middle sister of her family who absolutely loves all animals. Along with her other two sisters, they were forced to join the Civil War disguised as men. She now has her own homestead and is raising sheep on her land. The last thing she ever wanted was a man, but that all changes when her path crosses with Matthew Tucker.

Matthew is a lost soul who went into the wilderness with the intention of getting away from the world, but after he almost bumps into a grizzly bear, the beautiful Shannon comes out of nowhere. She saves his life by jumping with him off of a cliff and into the Slaughter River. Before he can even breathe, he finds himself married to Shannon.

Steadfast Heart
Brides of Seattle, Book 1
by Tracie Peterson
Publisher: Bethany House
Pub. Date: January 6, 2015
ISBN: 978-0764213014
Pages: 336
Buy Link: Amazon

Review:
 
My journey to clear off all the book on desk continues with my review for the novel Steadfast Heart by author Tracie Peterson. The book was released back January. Yeah, I know I'm really late with the review. I barely remember reading the book back January, so I had to reread the title over the weekend.

Set in 1888, Steadfast Heart centers on twenty-year-old Lenore Fulcher, who would like to fall in love with the man she is supposed to marry instead of being stuck in an arranged marriage to a 37 year-old just to make her father happy. The future husband is one of her father's business partners and she has no say so in the arrangement.

Out of the blue, Kolbein Booth, a lawyer from Chicago, arrives in city to search for his missing young sister, whom he believes has signed up for a mail-order bride program. His search leads him to the Madison Bridal School, but he is disappointed to learn that his sister isn't there at all. However, this is where he meets the beautiful Lenore Flucher, which the two fall in love with each other.

Keeping Christmas
by Dan Walsh
Publisher: Revell
Pub. Date: September 1st, 2015
ISBN: 978-0800721190
Pages: 224
Buy Link: Amazon

Review:

While my humbug attitude hasn't changed quite yet, I nevertheless made some time to read the holiday novel Keeping Christmas by Dan Walsh. Actually, I was a bit too tired to even read last night, but talked myself into reading at least the first chapter. I ended up reading about half of the novel before going sleep and I finished reading the rest this morning.

The novel centers on Stan and Judith Winters, an older couple that are for first time dreading the holiday season. In the past, each and ever year they have the same routine of hosting Thanksgiving dinner for kids (Suzanne, Anna & Brandon), son-in-laws, a daughter-in-law and grandchildren. The girls would spend Thanksgiving afternoon flipping through Black Friday ads and Judith would go shopping with them the next day. Early in the morning, Stan would drag out the Christmas decorations for the kids to put up. Then he would go fishing with his good pal Barney, which they would later head to the Bass Pro Shop for some bargain shopping.

Sadly, all the kids have moved out of state and aren't coming for Thanksgiving or Christmas this year, letting Stan & Judith to consider leaving behind their holiday traditions.

Rising Darkness
Finding Sanctuary, book 3
by Nancy Mehl
Publisher: Bethany House
Pub. Date: November 3, 2015
ISBN: 978-0764211591
Pages: 320
Buy Link: Amazon

Review:

After reading the first book in the Road to Kingdom series a few  years ago, I was an instant fan of Nancy Mehl's writings. Plus, I always like authors that live in my home-state of Missouri. While I had read book two (Deadly Echoes) in the Finding Sanctuary series earlier this year, I went ahead and reread it prior to reading book three, Rising Darkness, which was released earlier this month to bookstores.

Once again, the setting is in Sanctuary, Missouri, but this time the story centers on an ex-Mennonite named Sophie Wittenbauer, who had left her strict community in Kingdom to start a new life. She takes a job working at newspaper office under a new identity. Sadly, she can no longer escape her previous life after she receives a tip that a criminal might be hiding somewhere in town. While this might seem like a great story for a newbie reporter, there is a slight problem - Sophie recognizes the criminal's name and she's worried that her past will be exposed.

To make matters worse, she runs into an old crush from her childhood, Jonathon Wiese, who is a now a pastor in Sanctuary. There are threats and dangers around every corner, and while Sophie doesn't exactly trust Jonathon, she might not have any other choice, but to let him save her life.

Deadly Echoes
Finding Sanctuary, book 2
by Nancy Mehl
Publisher: Bethany House
Pub. Date: February 3, 2015
ISBN: 978-0764211584
Pages: 336
Buy Link: Amazon

Review:

In my continuing quest to review all the books that have been collecting dust on my desk for months, today I'm reviewing Deadly Echoes, book 2 in the Finding Sanctuary series, by Nancy Mehl. I stumbled upon her Road To Kingdom series a few years ago and I've been a fan of her writings ever since.

Set in the same Mennonite community in Sanctuary, Missouri that had to deal with a horrible kidnapping in the first book, Gathering Storms, Deadly Echoes centers on Sarah Miller, who moved to the small town start a new life as a school teacher and to reconnected with her sister, Hannah. Their parents were murdered when they were young and they were separated after going into the foster care system.

Out of nowhere, Hannah is also murdered, leaving Sarah to raise her niece by herself. While she could just let the local authorities try to solve the murder, Sarah believes there is a connection between Hannah's death and their parent's murders. With help from Sheriff Paul Gleason, she is determined to unravel a mystery that has been hidden for almost twenty years.

An Endless Christmas
by Cynthia Ruchti
Publisher: Worthy Inspired
Pub. Date: October 13, 2015
ISBN: 978-1617955877
Pages: 232
Buy Link: http://bit.ly/1PmF69N
Blog Tour: http://litfusegroup.com/author/cruchti

Review:

It's almost hard to believe that there are only five more weeks until Christmas Day. Though I do have about 99% of my gift shopping finished already, I'm not exactly in the holiday mood this year. Every time I stumble upon a Christmas movie on the Hallmark channel, I avoid it all costs. I've also been skipping over the radio stations that are playing holiday tunes. No, I'm not a Scrooge. I just guess the Christmas magic hasn't exactly hit me yet. That being said, I had signed up to review a several holiday themed novels for a few book tours awhile back and I've delayed reading them as long as I could.

One these books (well, a novella) happens to be An Endless Christmas by author Cynthia Ruchti, which centers on Wilson and Dodie Blinder hosting Christmas for their large family (children, grandchildren, etc.) at their cottage in Minnesota. They're excited that their grandson, Micah, is going to ask his girlfriend, Katie, to marry him. Micah asks her to marry him in front of his entire family and Katie's answer is - "No!"

Unfortunately for Katie, she has no other place to go, so she's stuck at the Binder cottage for Christmas. Most of the family are upset with her for breaking Micah's heart, but Dodie sees this extra time as an opportunity for her grandson to win back Katie's heart.