Love's Pursuit by Siri Mitchell
Summary: In the small Puritan community of Stoneybrooke, Massachusetts, Susannah Phillips stands out both for her character and beauty. She wants only a simple life but soon finds herself pursued by the town's wealthiest bachelor and by a roguish military captain sent to protect them. One is not what he seems and one is more than he seems.
In trying to discover true love's path, Susannah is helped by the most unlikely of allies, a wounded woman who lives invisible and ignored in their town. As the depth, passion, and sacrifice of love is revealed to Susannah, she begins to question the rules and regulations of her childhood faith. In a community where grace is unknown, what price will she pay for embracing love?
My review: There has only been one handful of authors I've emailed directly after reading their books to tell them how much I adored their story. The books and authors:
- Jennifer Donnelly, after reading A Northern Light
- Susan Meissner, after reading The Shape of Mercy
- Lisa Mantchev, after reading Eyes Like Stars
Now I can add Siri Mitchell to the list after reading Love's Pursuit. When I enjoy a book this much, I don't often say a lot about it -- I want you guys to read it and I want you to experience without a lot of opinions bumping around in your brains.
I will say this, though: While I was reading, my husband and I ran some errands and I brought it with me, because, as I told him, "It would cause me pain to put this book down."
Go. Read. Enjoy. Comment. :-D
The Brides of Gallatin County series by Tracie Peterson
As the sisters work to maintain the roadhouse, an unexpected visitor arrives, sending Gwen into turmoil. Is he whom he claims to be? And can she dare to hope that love might again be hers?
All Beth Gallatin has really wanted out of life is to settle down in one town, with one man, and raise a family. But with her father's roaming ways, she's always been denied that dream; instead, she found solace in reading romantic books. With her father's passing, she can, for the first time, dare to claim the rugged Montana frontier as her home.
Lacy Gallatin, the youngest of the Gallatin sisters, is a woman with a mission: to find her father's killer. Haunted by the belief that she's failed him, Lacy is also battling a desire to have something more than just revenge, something she can't quite figure out.
The Kidnapping of Kenzie Thorn by Liz Johnson
Summary: Myles Parsons is just another inmate in Kenzie Thorn’s GED course until he kidnaps her, offering only a feeble explanation–that he’s actually FBI Special Agent Myles Borden. Terrified, Kenzie doesn’t want to believe his story of being undercover to protect her. Moreover, she can’t believe that someone might really want her dead.
But just when Myles thinks he has her out of harm’s way, his plans start to fall apart. He attempts to take Kenzie to a safe house—but the stubborn woman won’t go! So together they must uncover the clues that will reveal a most shocking perpetrator. All the while Myles tries to keep his distance from Kenzie … but finds himself falling in love.
My review: One of the things I look for the most in Christian romance is a believable relationship to God -- and each of these characters' stories were quite believable. Since it's such an action-packed, fast-paced book, I can't imagine how hard it was to bring these characters together emotionally as well as spiritually, but Liz Johnson does a great job. She's definitely an author to watch in the Steeple Hill collection!
The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane by Katherine Howe
Summary: Connie Goodwin should be spending her summer doing research for her Ph.D. dissertation in American History. But when her mother asks her to handle the sale of Connie's grandmother's abandoned home near Salem, she's compelled to help. It's not long before the time she's set aside for research is instead spent sorting through her grandmother's ancient possessions, discovering a woman she barely knew.
One day, while exploring the dusty bookshelves in the study, Connie discovers a key hidden within an old bible. And within the key is a brittle slip of paper with two words written on it: Deliverance Dane. Along with a handsome steeplejack named Sam, Connie begins to dig into the town's records, looking for references to Deliverance Dane. But even as the pieces begin to fall into place, Connie is haunted by visions of the witch trials so long ago, and she begins to fear that she is more tied to Salem's dark past than she could have ever imagined.
Written by an author completing a Ph.D. in New England Studies, and whose ancestors were accused witches in Salem, The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane travels seamlessly between the trials in the 1690s and a modern woman's story of mystery and discovery.
My thoughts: I absolutely love the classic gothic novel feel The Physick Book has, complete with a family mystery and a great old house! Like The Hisorian and The Thirteenth Tale (both of which I devoured), this book is rich in mood and texture. I haven't studied the Salem Witch Trials extensively, but I've read several books (including The Crucible and The Shape of Mercy) and am familiar with most of the history. I love the take in Deliverance Dane: searching for a new, original source with which to build a career. There weren't many surprises as far as the plot goes, so those of you who read for mystery and suspense might be disappointed, but I really enjoyed it just the same.
A word of warning, though: it draws you in, so this not a book to read in short spurts!
Strange Angels by Lili St. Crow
Summary: Dru Anderson has what her grandmother called athe touch.a (Comes in handy when you are traveling from town to town with your dad, hunting ghosts, suckers, wulfen, and the occasional zombie.)
Then her dad turns up dead-but-still-walking, and Dru knows she's next. Even worse, she's got two guys hungry for her affections, and they are not about to let the fiercely independent Dru go it alone. Will Dru discover just how special she really is before coming face-to-fang with whatever--or whoever--is hunting her?
My thoughts: I've heard this book called Supernatural for girls. And that's a great description, as it's more Dean and Sam than Buffy. Dru's got a gutter mouth and a violently practical edge, but more than that she's got real feelings and real fears. Even if she is a little superhuman, her vulnerabilities make her real and interesting. Strange Angels is an action-packed book that moves faster than a sparkling vampire and it still manages to have depth and plot. I'm really looking forward to the next in the series!
Impulse by Ellen Hopkins
Summary: Sometimes you don't wake up. But if you happen to, you know things will never be the same.
Three lives, three different paths to the same destination: Aspen Springs, a psychiatric hospital for those who have attempted the ultimate act — suicide.
Vanessa is beautiful and smart, but her secrets keep her answering the call of the blade.
Tony, after suffering a painful childhood, can only find peace through pills.
And Conner, outwardly, has the perfect life. But dig a little deeper and find a boy who is in constant battle with his parents, his life, himself.
In one instant each of these young people decided enough was enough. They grabbed the blade, the bottle, the gun — and tried to end it all. Now they have a second chance, and just maybe, with each other's help, they can find their way to a better life — but only if they're strong and can fight the demons that brought them here in the first place.
My thoughts: I was lucky enough to receive an audio copy of this for review, and I was glad I did. I don't have much experience reading free verse, and just hearing the book made me understand how novels-in-verse are to be read: just like regular books.
The story isn't at all hampered by the format; in fact, it flows even more beautifully. I ached for each character, even the bad guys. I cringed, I winced, I felt deeply. The voice actors were amazing, the intonation of characters spot-on.
No doubt this is a painful book, full of fear and wrongs, but the truth and beauty aid the telling of things that need told.
This is my first Ellen Hopkins book, and it's thrown her to the top of the favorite authors list.
Excellent book, not for the faint of heart, and would be awesome for discussion.
The Vanishing Sculptor by Donita K. Paul
Summary: Donita K. Paul’s 250,000-plus-selling DragonKeeper Chronicles series has attracted a wide spectrum of dedicated fans–and they’re sure to fall in love with the new characters and adventures in her latest superbly-crafted novel for all ages. It’s a mind-boggling fantasy that inhabits the same world as the DragonKeeper Chronicles, but in a different country and an earlier time, where the people know little of Wulder and nothing of Paladin.
In The Vanishing Sculptor, readers will meet Tipper, a young emerlindian who’s responsible for the upkeep of her family’s estate during her sculptor father’s absence. Tipper soon discovers that her actions have unbalanced the whole foundation of her world, and she must act quickly to undo the calamitous threat. But how can she save her father and her world on her own? The task is too huge for one person, so she gathers the help of some unlikely companions–including the nearly five-foot tall parrot Beccaroon–and eventually witnesses the loving care and miraculous resources of Wulder. Through Tipper’s breathtaking story, readers will discover the beauty of knowing and serving God.
Buy it here!
