Friday, June 4, 2010

Book Blogger Hop!

Jennifer from Crazy for Books has created this meme.

If you'd like to participate, here's Jennifer's instructions:


Every day I seem to find another book blog that I start following. In the spirit of the Friday Follow, I thought it would be cool to do a Book Blog Hop to give us all bookies a chance to connect and find new blogs that we may be missing out on! It will also give blog readers a chance to find other book blogs that they may not know existed!


So, if you'd like to participate, just repost this on your blog, sign MckLinky and check out other blogs in MckLinky! Let's connect and make new book bloggy friends!! So, if you consider yourself a book blogger, come join the fun!

Review - Hearts Awakening

Hearts AwakeningHearts Awakening
BY: Delia Parr
PUBLISHED BY: Bethany House
PUBLISHED IN: 2010
ISBN: 978-0-7642-0670-2
Pages: 352
Reviewed by Billy Burgess

“Hearts Awakening” is set during the 1840s on the Dillon’s Island that is located in the Susquehanna River. Elvira Kilmer has always wanted a husband and family of her own, but feels that she is getting to old and that her dream will never come true. She moves to Dillon’s Island in hope of a new life. She takes a job as a housekeeper at the Smith residents.

Jackson Smith is a handsome widower with children. Both Jackson and Elvira start to have feelings for another, but their relationship maybe in jeopardy when she learns of Jackson’s first marriage scandal.

This is a simple story about the plain looking Elvira falling in love with her boss. Elvira’s character is likeable, and you do at times feel everything she is feeling. Jackson is an interesting character, with a somewhat harming past. Even with the simple plot, I ended up liking this cute romantic tale. If you like romance books, check this book out.

I would like to thank Bethany House for sending me this copy to review.

Review - Somewhere to Belong


Somewhere to Belong
BY: Judith Miller
PUBLISHED BY: Bethany House
PUBLISHED IN: 2010
ISBN: 978-0-7642-0642-9
Pages: 364
Reviewed by Billy Burgess

Book one in the “Daughters of Amana” series is set in Main Amana, one of the seven villages settled by devoted Christians who believe in living a simple life. Johann Ilg has lived her entire live there and is devoted to God. A part of her has longed to see the outside world, but stays loyal to her community.

The Schumacher family leaves the big city life and moves to the Amana community. Their daughter, Berta, doesn’t care for the change, and she wants to rebel.

Meanwhile, Johanna stumbles upon a dark secret.

There have been dozens of books released in the last few years about the Amish/simple life communities. “Somewhere to Belong,” stands out from some of the others by using great descriptions of what life would have been liked in the late 1800s. I liked that the author threw in a bit of mystery. It’s a great read.

I would like to thank Bethany House for sending me this copy to review.

Review - Sixteen Brides


Sixteen Brides
By: Stephanie Grace Whitson
PUBLISHED BY: Bethany House
PUBLISHED IN: 2010
ISBN: 978-0-7642-0513-2
Pages: 348
Reviewed by Billy Burgess

Sixteen Civil War Widows respond to an ad. They all attend several gatherings ran by a land speculator, who promises that they’ll have a chance to own their own land.

The speculator has a different plan in mind. He brings to Plum Grove, Nebraska - a small struggling town. He hopes that’ll accept marriage proposals from some of the Plum Grove single and widow men.

Some of them women announce that they are getting married when hours of arriving. Of course by the end of the book, almost all the women are happily married.

“Sixteen Brides,” is an average historical romance novel. At the times, I found the book to be boring. There are too many characters to keep up with. The overall plot didn’t interest me. If you like this type of novel, you’ll probably enjoy it. If you have never read a historical romance, don’t start with this one. There are better books out there.


I would like to thank Bethany House for sending me this copy to review.

Sunday, May 23, 2010

Review - Buying Time

Buying TimeBuying Time
BY: Pamela Samuels Young
PUBLISHED BY: Goldman House Publishing
PUBLISHED IN: 2009
ISBN: 978-0-9815627-1-1
Pages: 419
Reviewed by Billy Burgess

“Buying Time” is author Pamela Samuels Young’s fourth novel. Waverly Sloan is your typical nice guy being disbarred from his job - a lawyer. Afraid of losing his high-matinance, younger wife, Deidra, he takes a job as an insurance broker at Live Now, a new insurance company.

At his new job, Waverly signs on terminally ill people in exchange for quick cash to pay for medical bills, house payments, and other expenses. Investors, some of them doctors, advance the cash, and then those investors become the sole beneficiary of their life insurance polices when the client dies.

Waverly gets a broker’s fee for every deal he makes. Within a few months, Waverly has paid off all of his debts, and he has finally gotten the home that Deidra has always dreamed of. Life is good, until his clients starting dieing off, one by one.

Angela Evans, a U.S. Assistant Attorney, starts investigating Live Now and Waverly Sloan.

Waverly starts questioning his new job and wants to find out why his clients are dying so fast.

“Buying Time” is fun thriller to read. The plot is cleverly written, and the characters are entertaining enough to keep you turning the pages. The main character Waverly Sloan is very likeable, but at times can be a little annoying. He’s suppose to be an ex-lawyer, but he had no clue what was happening to clients at the insurance company. Why would an ex-lawyer join Live Now to begin with is beyond me? Besides this little silliness, I enjoyed the book. If your into thrillers, you should give this book a look.

Note: I would like to thank the author for sending me a copy to review.

Friday, May 14, 2010

Book Blogger Hop

Jennifer from Crazy for Books has created this meme.

If you'd like to participate, here's Jennifer's instructions:


Every day I seem to find another book blog that I start following. In the spirit of the Friday Follow, I thought it would be cool to do a Book Blog Hop to give us all bookies a chance to connect and find new blogs that we may be missing out on! It will also give blog readers a chance to find other book blogs that they may not know existed!


So, if you'd like to participate, just repost this on your blog, sign MckLinky and check out other blogs in MckLinky! Let's connect and make new book bloggy friends!! So, if you consider yourself a book blogger, come join the fun!

Review - The Ranks of Jody Brae


The Ranks of Jody Brae
BY: Jonathan Michael Cullen
PUBLISHED BY: Block Island Books
PUBLISHED IN: 2009
ISBN: 978097681691
Pages: 294
Reviewed by Billy Burgess

Long before cell phones, computers and other electronics, police officers used only their know-how to solve cases. In “The Ranks of Jody Brae,” a Boston cop, Jody Brae, is one of those officers. Set during the 1960s, abandoned buildings are being burned by an unknown arsonist. The Arson Squad has determined that the fires are accidental, therefore the media is ignoring the incidents.

Detective Jody Brae, a Korea war veteran, begins investigating the fires on the same day he gets up the nerve to ask out the lovely Ruth. He’s assigned a new partner, a black man, Detective Harrigan. While Jody relationship with Ruth scorches, so does the streets of Boston. The arsonist strikes again, this time taking innocent lives.

Soon, Jody is abandoned by his own police department. He must go into the dark underworld of the Boston streets to solve the mystery of the fires, and his own past.

Jody Brae is your typical hero character with a troubled past. Unlike other mystery novels, this is set during the 1960s, and just like I mentioned before, there are no electronic gizmos to help Jody out. The dialogue is cleverly written, and so is the descriptions of the Boston streets. I didn’t care much for the love story, it’s been done to death. Overall, this is a entertaining read from a debut author. I recommend reading it.

- I would like to thank the author for sending me this copy to review.