Now and Forever ~ Review

Now and Forever
Wild at Heart #2
By Mary Connealy

Shannon Wilde has a soft spot for animals and she babies her sheep carrying into and out of the barn if necessary.  But when she and Mathew Tucker end up on the wrong side of a protective mamma grizzly they end up on the wrong side of a cliff in a river no one has been known to survive.  But surviving a deadly river is just the beginning of the troubles they find themselves in.

Shannon may be the second Wilde sister to fall to the bonds of matrimony.  But marriage to a mountain man is not something she wants.  Nor is leaving her sheep and homestead behind.

Matt Tucker has no plans to marry.  He enjoys the life he has and can't see any woman agreeing to live up in the mountains with him.  And he isn't willing to to leave any woman behind like his pa did.  To his way of thinking a solitary life is his one and only option.  But then an unexpected trip over a cliff wasn't an option in his opinion either.

But civilization and a certain preacher have a different opinion about what is best for Tucker and Shannon after their fall.  Pa is sure to be riled if Shannon gets married, giving possession of her claim to a man. What's a girl to do?  If you're one of the Wilde sisters you prove to be stubborn with carefully hidden secrets that just might scare off most men.

But when someone becomes determined to run Shannon off her claim it might not be a bad thing to have a man around to help her protect what is hers.  But just how desperate is the coward who only attacks in the dark of night?  And just how far will he go to get Shannon's claim?

If you up for a humorous and intense story that features some seemingly impossible escapes you need to check-out the second book in the Wild at Heart series.  This historical fiction is set shortly after the Civil War during the 1860's land rush in the Dakota / Idaho Territory border region.  If you want to escape into the pages of a book give this one a try. 

I was provided a copy of this book by the publisher in exchange for my honest review.


About the Book:
Saddle up for romance and adventure with the Wilde sisters!

Shannon Wilde is the middle sister--and the one who loves animals. She's established her own homestead and is raising sheep for their wool. Things are going fine...until Shannon gets swept over a cliff by Matthew Tucker!

Tucker seizes every opportunity to get away from civilization, but one particular walk in the woods ends with him sprinting away from an angry grizzly and plunging into a raging river, accidentally taking Shannon Wilde with him. Their adventure in the wilderness results in the solitary mountain man finding himself hitched to a young woman with a passel of relatives, a homestead, and a flock of sheep to care for.

As Tucker and Shannon learn to live with each other, strange things begin to happen on Shannon's land. Someone clearly wants to drive her off, but whoever it is apparently didn't count on Tucker. Trying to scare Matthew Tucker just makes him mad--and trying to hurt the woman he's falling in love with sets off something even he never expected.

Paralyzed ~ Review

Paralyzed
A Kennedy Stern Christian Suspense Novel
By Alana Terry

Kennedy Stern feels that she is being followed.  Since she was kidnapped she can't find the peace, the feeling of safety she once had.

Is this feeling of being followed, of being watch all in her head?  Or is she really in danger?  Those who read Unplanned will know what happened to Kennedy and Paralyzed is the after effect.

Kennedy is just trying to get past her memories.  But until people stop recognizing her she knows she'll never be able to forget the fear and the helplessness she felt.

But when Kennedy's fears become reality just as Christmas break starts she is about to experience a Christmas she may not survive. One of kidnappers - Vinny - is still at large and until he is apprehended Kennedy is in danger.  But is Vinny the only one Kennedy needs to be on the look-out for?

Can fear truly be powerful enough to paralyze someone?  Is it so strong as to shake the very foundations of one's most firmly held beliefs?

This is Kennedy's continuing story as she learns to cope with life in America, life as a pre-med college student, and as a survivor.  We are taken through Kennedy's emotional battle as she tries to return to her new normal.

This is a exciting and thrilling read that will definitely keep one in suspense as to what is going to happen next.  Believe me you will want to read Unplanned first to full appreciate what Kennedy is going through.  I highly recommend this book if you like fiction suspense.

I was provided an advanced copy of this book in exchange my honest review.



About the Book:
Kennedy Stern has returned to campus after surviving an abduction, but old scars cut deep.  Vivid flashbacks and terrifying dreams paralyze her, threatening to ruin her academic career and any chance she has at peace or happiness. This mental anguish, however, constitutes only a small fraction of her post-traumatic nightmare.

A partner in Kennedy’s kidnapping remains at large and will not stop until he has silenced her witness permanently. His violent resolve risks not only her life, but the safety of anyone who tries to help.

Kennedy must engage in a deadly battle of the mind as she struggles to stay alive. While fighting on two fronts — one psychological and one physical — the question isn’t whether she’ll come out of the war stronger in the end.

The question is whether she’ll come out of it at all.

The newest release from inspirational suspense author, Alana Terry, whose Christian Fiction has won awards from Women of Faith, Grace Awards, Readers' Favorite, and several others.

In Good Company ~ Review

In Good Company
A Class of Their Own #2
By Jen Turano

Millie Longfellow has a string of disappointments in her life - she just can't seem to hold a position for very long.  Her latest job fiasco finds her yet again on the steps of the employment agency in want of another job.  Millie has run through ever available place of employment but one - Everett Mulberry again finds himself in need of a nanny.

Having been named guardian of three children, who have scared off every nanny within mere hours of meeting them, Everett is desperate to find someone.  He's willing to hire anyone, except Millie. But the employment agency is adamant its Millie or nobody.

Everett's attitude convinces Millie she could never work for such a man.  But when she meets Elizabeth, Thaddeus, and Rose Millie changes her mind - for these three hurting and misunderstood children she would become a nanny in Everett Mulberry's home.

Millie's management of the children is soon at odds with Everett's expectations and her suggestions of his spending time with his wards at odds with societal norms.  But Millie has little use for the expectations of society and is determined that healing these children should be her first duty.

But when Abigail Hunt is your champion and self-proclaimed chaperon match-making mischief is on the horizon.  And Millie is next on Abigail's match-making list after getting Harriet Peabody and Oliver Addleshaw matched.  Newport may never recover after be subjected to the ideas of Millie Longfellow and Abigail Hunt for the summer.  Ideas about society and class are about to be dealt a shocking blow.

Harriet and Oliver are not in this book but Lucetta Plum and Reverend Gilmore are so those who read After a Fashion can enjoy mote from these two.  Lucetta's a voice of reason as Millie experiences ups-and-downs in her relationship with Everett both as the nanny and as a friend.  Can Millie and Everett discover what is truly in their hearts or will the demands of society and snobbery rule the day?  Does wealth and social standing take precedence over personal character when determining the company one keeps?  This is the heart of the story.

I was provided a copy of this book by Bethany House through their blogger program in exchange for my honest review.


About the Book:
After growing up as an orphan, Millie Longfellow is determined to become the best nanny the East Coast has ever seen. Unfortunately, her playfulness and enthusiasm aren't always well-received and she finds herself dismissed from yet another position. 

Everett Mulberry has quite unexpectedly become guardian to three children that scare off every nanny he hires. About to depart for Newport, Rhode Island, for the summer, he's desperate for competent childcare.

At wit's end with both Millie and Everett, the employment agency gives them one last chance--with each other. As Millie falls in love with her mischievous charges, Everett focuses on achieving the coveted societal status of the upper echelons. But as he investigates the suspicious circumstances surrounding the death of the children's parents, will it take the loss of those he loves to learn whose company he truly wants for the rest of his life?

The Shock of Night ~ Review

The Shock of Night
The Darkwater Saga #1
By Patrick W. Carr

Darkness lurks within the Darkwater Forest.  No one who has ever entered the forest has survived it. At least that is what everyone has believed.  But Lord Willet Dura once entered the forest.  Since then he has night-walked, but only on the nights when someone has been murdered.

Having become the least noble within the court of King Lairdir after protecting the crown from treason, Willet has made an enemy of most of the court while befriending the king.

Following the brutal murder of an elderly priest and his guard Dura begins experiencing something unusual.  He begins to see the memories of those he touches.  Has he become cursed or has he been gifted with an unknown gift?

Suddenly Willet Dura is of importance to not only the king but all four orders of the church.  Could the murder of a priest and his guard be so important to warrant such notice and added danger?

Lord Willet Dura has a darkness locked up within him.  A darkness that hides the memories of his time within Darkwater.  But these memories may hold an important key - one that may save the kingdom from an encroaching evil.  For centuries this evil has been waiting - hiding in the darkness - but it is about to strike.  Can it be stopped?

The Shock of Night is the first full length book in the Darkwater Saga series.  Not unlike his previous series (The Staff and The Sword) Patrick Carr has brought to life a damaged hero - Willet Dura.  He isn't prone to baser evils but he does have issues with anger.  He doesn't easily trust anyone.  He has few true friends.  The life he wanted was lost to him because of his service during the war. And then there is his mind.

Overall I think this is excellent book.  Though the murder is solved, in no way is the mystery resolved.  I think that Willet Dura maybe in for some interesting conclusions before he or his new "friends" truly understand what is happening within the Darkwater Forest.  The loses that Willet has endured and even now faces make him a character one can empathize with.  How one faces such difficulties speak to one's inner character and strengths.  I, for one, am looking forward to book 2.

I was provided a copy of this book by Bethany House through their blogger program in exchange for my honest review.

Read an Excerpt click here

About the Book:
When a brutal attack leaves one man dead and a priest mortally wounded, Willet Dura, reeve to the king of Bunard, is called to investigate. As he begins to question the dying priest, the man pulls Willet close, screams in a foreign tongue—then dies.

After this strange encounter, Willet finds the clues to this crime only lead to more questions, and his senses are oddly skewed. It’s as though he can see their very thoughts. In a world divided between gifted and common, Willet must pursue the murderer still on the loose even as he’s pulled into an epic conflict that threatens not only his city, but his entire world.

By Divine Right ~ Review

By Divine Right
The Darkwater Saga: An Introductory Novella
By Patrick W. Carr

Willet Dura is a reeve in the city of Bunard.  When he discovers a murder of a musician he is determined to discover who killed this man to steal his gift.  What he discovered is even more disturbing than what he was expecting.

Someone is murdering the gifted within the kingdom and stealing their gift.  There can be but one purpose for this gathering of gifts.  And this crime is proof that King Laidir and the Kingdom of Collum are in danger.  But Dura's life is in danger as his efforts may have been observed by the perpetrator.

Can Dura find the proof he needs before it is too late?  Or will he fall to the very person he is trying to stop?

This is an introductory novella to the Darkwater Saga series.  At 119 pages this is a quick read and provides valuable insight into Willet Dura someone who plays a major role in the first novel of this series.

About the Book:

Willet Dura ekes out a living as an assistant reeve in the city of Bunard, the royal city, investigating minor and not-so-minor crimes in the poor quarter. Ever since a terrible battle, Willet's been drawn to the dead, and has an uncanny ability not only to solve their crimes, but even to know when one has been committed.

When a gifted singer is found dead in the merchants' quarter of the city, everyone assumes by the signs that the old man simply died of a stroke, but Willet's intuition tells him better. When he learns that this is the second death within the last month of one of the gifted, those with a rare inherited ability, he begins to suspect that something more is afoot, and he soon finds himself chasing a mystery that could bring down the very kingdom of Collum.

The Abbess of Whitby ~ Review

The Abbess of Whitby
A Novel of Hild Northumbria
By Jill Dalladay

Seventh century Britain is a land that is in turmoil the old ways are in conflict with the new ways that are moving in.  This is the world in which Hild finds herself.

A father never known murdered at her birth.  A king's niece, brought up to be the price of allegiance.  A servant of the goddess Eostre.  Wife.  Mother.  All those describe Hild but these only touch the surface of who she was.

Caught between the warring of kings and princes at the time of Edwin, Penda, Cadwallon, Oswald, and Oswy Hild's life offers a glimpse of this world from the eyes of a woman.  In the midst of the chaos wrought by war, priests for an unknown God bring a message of peace.

This message of peace is exactly what Hild will need as she loses all she holds dear.  One traveling priest had a profound impact on Hild's life.  Aidan's teachings helped Hild come to understand this Christ who was starting to have an influence across Britain.  This influence would lead Hild to become both a servant and a teacher transforming the nation by helping to setup missions throughout. Her influence would help guide the hearts of the nation through her intelligence and understanding of the gospel message.

The nation was ready to listen and Hild was seeking a purpose for her life to provide meaning after the loss of her family.  The history of Northumbria is fascinating and The Abbess of Whitby is the newest book to open another window into this world.  Those who have read and enjoyed Edoardo Albert's Edwin High King of Britain and Oswald: Return of the King will find this book an intriguing addition to their Northumbrian reading library.

I was provided a copy of this book by Kregel in exchange for my honest review and tour participation.

About the book:

Chosen as Eostre's handmaid, Hild will serve the fertility goddess for a year before being wed. Her future is predictable--until King Edwin claims her as kin and she learns that her father was murdered.

Her first love is given a command in Edwin's forces and vanishes from her life, wed to her sister. The court is baptized, ending the old religion and Hild's role. Life looks bleak. She can't stop wondering who killed her father.

Suspecting Edwin, she challenges him, only to be married off to safeguard his northern frontier. Struggling in a loveless marriage, she is intrigued by the Iona priests making pilgrimages to spread Christ's love. When home and family are lost in Oswy's sack of Edinburgh, she finds herself in enemy hands, but meets the charismatic Aidan.

Inspired and guided by him, she builds communities to live and teach Christ's love. She attracts followers. Even her old enemy, King Oswy, entrusts his child to her, gives her Whitby, and seeks her help to reconcile divisions in his kingdom.

She never ceases battling against old superstitions resurrected by storm, plague, and solar eclipse, but at last she receives a bishop's blessing--from a man she trained herself.

Bach, Casals & The Six Suites for 'Cello Solo: Volumes 1-4 by Steven Hancoff Spotlight and Interview with CD Review

ENTER THE CREATIVE WORLD OF J.S. BACH IN INTERNATIONALLY RENOWNED GUITARIST STEVEN HANCOFF’S GROUNDBREAKING FOUR-VOLUME E-BOOK

Book Details:

Book Title: Bach, Casals and; The Six Suites for 'Cello Solo: Volumes 1-4 by Steven Hancoff
Category: Adult non-fiction, 1189 pages
Genre: Biography / Music
Publisher: iTunes
Release date: June 2015
Tour dates: Nov 30 - Dec 18, 2015
Content Rating: G

Book Description:

FROM TRAGEDY TO TRANSCENDENCE

A Totally Immersive Multimedia Experience

Richly Detailed Text Embedded with More Than 1,000 Illustrations Illuminating Bach’s Masterpiece, from Its Creation to Its Legacy

Bach, Casals and the Six Suites for ’Cello Solo and 3-CD set Audio Recording of ’Cello Suites to be Released June 23rd

Exclusively on iTunes and CD Baby

Includes Hancoff’s Complete Recording Of His Acoustic Guitar Transcription of Bach’s ’Cello Suites

From tragedy to transcendence is the theme that embodies the essence of the life and work of Johann Sebastian Bach. “This man, ‘the miracle of Bach,’ as Pablo Casals once put it, led a life of unfathomable creativity and giftedness on the one hand and neglect and immense tragedy on the other,” says Hancoff.

Bach’s life was rife with hardship and tragedy from the start. By the time he was nine years old, he had witnessed the deaths of three siblings and then, within a year, his father and mother also passed away.

For all his education and talent, however, his first job was serving as a lackey for a drunkard duke. Subsequently, he spent the next fifteen years in the employ of Weimar’s harshly ascetic Duke Wilhelm Ernst, who cared little for music. When he was twenty-two, he married the love of his live, his distant cousin, Maria Barbara Bach. During the thirteen years they were married, she bore him seven children, three of whom died at birth.

In 1717, Prince Leopold of Cöthen offered Bach a position as the musical director for Cöthen. Bach jumped at the chance. The officials of Weimar, however, threw him in jail for “the crime” of daring to resign his present position. Still, Bach was on the verge of a career breakthrough.

Three years into his happy and contented tenure in Cothen, Prince Leopold and Bach visited the spa town of Carlsbad for a month of vacationing and music-making. Unfortunately, upon his return Bach learned of the death of his wife and then only when he entered into his home. Imagine the shock, the impact. He never even discovered the cause of death.

Yet this tragic setback in Bach’s life was a major turning point because he came to grips with his personal tragedy by unleashing a flood of masterpieces for which he is and will be forever revered. First came the Six Violin Sonatas and Partitas for Violin Solo and then the Six Suites for ’Cello Solo.

In the ’Cello Suites we hear Bach expressing his own seeking, yearning, love, loss, sorrow, grief and determination and their overtones of surrender, resolution affirmation and transcendence. He aspired to articulate an ultimate personal confession, a revelation, entirely unique, entirely sublime, as an ultimate act of artistic and creative testimony, a heavenly statement about his own life and even of life itself—as a final gift and an enduring, heavenly send-off for his beloved wife.

Bach, Casals and the Six Suites for ’Cello Solo invites readers and music lovers into a unique experience, contained in an immersive four-volume e-book from Steven Hancoff – a virtuoso musician’s restless, passionate, multimedia exploration of a musical masterpiece that only grows in stature almost three centuries after it was written.

The many fascinating and inspiring aspects of the book include:

• How Bach struggled and overcame adversity and the lessons his example offer us today.

• The ultimate meaning of the Six Suites for ’Cello.

• How almost all of Bach’s works would have nearly sunk into oblivion were it not for the extraordinary efforts of Sara Levy, the great aunt of Felix Mendelssohn, to rescue them.

• How Felix Mendelssohn single-handedly created with the performance of the St. Matthew Passion a Bach renaissance and a legacy that continues to be enjoyed to the present day.

• The miraculous discovery of the six ’Cello Suites by Pablo Casals in a Barcelona thrift shop and why he studied them for twelve years before performing them in public.

• What Pablo Casals meant when he spoke of “the miracle of Bach.” Bach, Casals and the Six Suites for ’Cello Solo promises to be an adventure for anyone fascinated by the enduring power of music, art and why they matter.

Buy the music and ebooks: iTunes

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Meet the author:

Steve Hancoff began playing guitar when he was 13 years old, captivated by the folk music craze of the 1960s. Within a year he was performing in coffeehouses around Baltimore and Washington, D.C.

For nearly 15 years, he toured the world—about 50 countries—as an official Artistic Ambassador representing the United States of America. His recordings include Steel String Guitar, New Orleans Guitar Solos, Duke Ellington for Solo Guitar, and The Single Petal of A Rose. He is also the author of Acoustic Masters: Duke Ellington for Fingerstyle Guitar and New Orleans Jazz for Fingerstyle Guitar. He is a graduate of St. John’s College, home of the “100 Great Books of the Western World” program and has a Masters degree in clinical social work. He is a psychotherapist, a Rolfer, and a practitioner of Tai Chi. An avid hiker, he is also a member of the Grand Canyon River Guides Associations.

Connect with the author: Website   ~  Twitter  ~   Facebook

Subscribe to Steven's Hancoff's work on YouTube

Enter the Giveaway!

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Interview with Steven Hancoff

Is there a message in your book that you want readers to grasp?

Yes: Life is a gift. No matter the adversity, the damage, the obstacles, feel gratitude for having been given life… the opportunity to experience the wonder and magnitude of all that which is. Maybe in the end, that’s really what writers are trying to express.

Contribute to the world so that by virtue of your participation in it, you leave the world a better place. Make the most of the time you have here. Let what you do and how you live, glorify not yourself, but life itself and whatever you imagine the source to that life to be. Dig deeper and more honestly, forthrightly and open-eyedly.

How much of the book is realistic?

All of it, even though none of us possess the inherent gifts of Bach, and few of us the inherent gifts of Pablo Casals.

Are experiences based on someone you know, or events in your own life?

All based on what I can fathom of the lives of Bach and Casals.

What books have most influenced your life most?

Believe it or not, Euclid’s Elements; Homer’s Odyssey; Shakespeare, especially Othello and King Lear; Darwin: On the Origin of Species; Dante’s Inferno; Tolstoy’s War and Peace; Swift’s Gulliver’s Travels, Rolfing and Ida Rolf Talks about Rolfing and Physical Reality.

If you had to choose, which writer would you consider a mentor?

Ida P. Rolf, without doubt.

What book are you reading now?

“Reading through” Bach’s Violin Sonatas and Partitas; and The Loves of Judith by Meir Shalev (who seems to me to be a great genius). I tend to haunt second-hand bookstore. I also love anything by John Updike. I used to always be reading a novel. Nowadays, I wish I had more time to be reading novels.

Are there any new authors that have grasped your interest?

Meir Shalev, and Etgar Keret

What are your current projects?

I am creating a concert length, multi-media presentation of the story. The first performances are in Seattle, Vancouver and Victoria at the end of November. I am calling it: From Tragedy to Transcendence –Bach, Casals and the Six Suites for Cello Solo. I notice now that when I tell some people about it, I like to say: “It’s real adult entertainment for real adults!”

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

I have not read the book that was spotlighted but I have listened to the 3 CD music set.  The music is beautiful and lovely background accompaniment to dinner or an evening of quiet reading.

Prepare for close to 3 hours of music that will touch you.  Though  written for cello the transition to guitar is delightful.  Those who have a fondness for guitars will fall in love with the instrument again.

I also found the accompanying booklet to enlightening as it described the means by which many of Bach's pieces were saved so that we could and can rediscover them though this presentation by Steven Hancoff.

I was gifted a copy of this CD set but no expectation of a review was expected and these expressed thoughts pertaining to this 3 CD set are my own.

CSFF December Blog Tour Day 3 ~ The Shock of Night

Welcome to the Third and Final Day of CSFF's December Tour!

This month we are examining the newest book from 
Patrick W. Carr ~ The Shock of Night.

The Shock of Night
The Darkwater Saga novella
By Patrick W. Carr

Death and darkness have a starring role in The Shock of Night.  But when you look at the world around us this should not come as a shock, but in no way should this be a cause for despair.  Darkness must eventually give way to light.

Willet Dura has an unusual fascination with the moment of death. He serves as a reeve thus he would be expected to examine death in carrying out the the duties of his job.  But Willet sought something else, he sought to discover what lay just beyond the veil of death.

Map from http://www.patrickwcarr.com/the-backstory/

One has to wonder why he has this fascination with death.  Did he always have it?  Was it a byproduct of the war in which he was forced to take the life of his enemies in defense of his home?  Or was it something else - something that first took hold of him when he was forced into the Darkwater Forest?

And then there is the Darkwater Forest - what is the evil that lives within this forest?  How long has it been there?  The Vigil claim that though there is no visible sign of growth that the Darkwater is indeed growing.  I would be interested in the backstory of this forest - was it always this basic area or was it in fact a smaller land area originally?

One can hope that the second book in this series will offer further glimpses into these questions.  Willet Dura is a damaged man.  His life has not unfolded as he had expected.  He was training to be a priest, but war prevented this.  He had few if any true friends.  He was the least noble among the nobility and the court was not about to embrace him.  And if The Shock of Night is any indication Dura may lose even more with his inheritance of the gift of Domere.

I'm interested to see where this series takes and discovering the truth about the darkness that hides within Dura and why it seemingly hasn't effected he as yet.  And I would love more backstory about the Vigil and why they took on the task of guarding the Darkwater.


I was provided a copy of this book by the publisher Bethany House in conjunction with this blog tour in exchange for my honest review and tour participation.

Thank you for joining me for the CSFF December Tour.  If you haven't already you may want to visit the other tour participants who have been posting throughout this 3-day tour.

Thomas Clayton Booher   Keanan Brand   Beckie Burnham   Carol Bruce Collett 

Carol Gehringer   Victor Gentile   Rani Grant   Rebekah Gyger   Bruce Hennigan 

Janeen Ippolito   Carol Keen   Rebekah Loper   Jennette Mbewe 
Shannon McDermott    Meagan @ Blooming with Books (you're here)
Rebecca LuElla Miller   Joan Nienhuis  Nissa  Audrey Sauble
Chawna Schroeder   Jessica Thomas   Robert Treskillard 

Shane Werlinger   Phyllis Wheeler   Nicole White

About the Book:

When one man is brutally murdered and the priest he works for mortally wounded on the streets of Bunard, Willet Dura is called to investigate. Yet the clues to the crime lead to contradictions and questions without answers. As Willet begins to question the dying priest, the man pulls Willet close and screams in a foreign tongue. Then he dies without another word.

Willet returns to the city, no closer to answers than before, but his senses are skewed. People he touches appear to have a subtle shift, a twist seen at the edge of his vision, and it’s as though he can see their deepest thoughts. In a world divided between haves and have-nots, gifted and common, Willet soon learns he’s been passed the rarest gift of all: a gift that’s not supposed to exist.

Now Willet must pursue the murderer still on the loose in Bunard even as he’s pulled into a much more dangerous and epic conflict that threatens not only his city, but his entire world–a conflict that will force him to come to terms with his own tortured past if he wants to survive.

CSFF December Blog Tour Day 2 ~ The Shock of Night

Welcome to the Second Day of CSFF's December Tour!

This month we are examining the newest book from 
Patrick W. Carr ~ The Shock of Night.

The Shock of Night
The Darkwater Saga novella
By Patrick W. Carr

Something is cutting down the guardians of Darkwater Forest and their numbers are too few to fill their losses.  And someone wants to keep this knowledge from becoming known and they are willing to cut down a elderly priest and his guard in the darkness of night to guard this evil secret.

For centuries evil has lurked within Darkwater Forest - an evil that no one, who has entered the forest, has lived to share.  But somehow Lord Dura has managed to survive his single foray into this dreaded place.  He memories are vague and unreliable - all he knows is that those who entered the forest with him didn't come out.  But why did he survive?  That question and his lost memories haunt his sleep.

Willet Dura, a reeve in service to King Lairdir of Bunard, has a way of sensing death that few others do.  He night-walks, but only on nights in which a murder has been committed.  His sleeping mind somehow senses these murders but how?  He secretly fears that somehow he is involved in these crimes though he has no memory of them.

Following the brutal murder of a priest and his guard, Dura comes to the attention of the four orders of the church.  Somehow Dura has been drawn into an unexpected power struggle between the king and the church.  Determining the truth about the murders of Elwin and Robin may be the answer that both the king and the church seek, but Dura may not be willing to pay the price it will cost. And then there is a strange intuition that Dura now possesses, one that may give him an advantage against an enemy he doesn't know.  But his new "gift" could in truth be a curse that will cost him everything...

I was provided a copy of this book by the publisher Bethany House in conjunction with this blog tour in exchange for my honest review and tour participation.

Please check back tomorrow for the third and final day of the CSFF December Tour.  While you wait check-out the other tour participants who will be posting throughout this 3-day tour.

Thomas Clayton Booher   Keanan Brand   Beckie Burnham   Carol Bruce Collett 

Carol Gehringer   Victor Gentile   Rani Grant   Rebekah Gyger   Bruce Hennigan 

Janeen Ippolito   Carol Keen   Rebekah Loper   Jennette Mbewe   Shannon McDermott 

Meagan @ Blooming with Books (you're here)  Rebecca LuElla Miller   Joan Nienhuis  

Nissa  Audrey Sauble   Chawna Schroeder   Jessica Thomas   Robert Treskillard 

Shane Werlinger   Phyllis Wheeler   Nicole White

About the Book:

When one man is brutally murdered and the priest he works for mortally wounded on the streets of Bunard, Willet Dura is called to investigate. Yet the clues to the crime lead to contradictions and questions without answers. As Willet begins to question the dying priest, the man pulls Willet close and screams in a foreign tongue. Then he dies without another word.

Willet returns to the city, no closer to answers than before, but his senses are skewed. People he touches appear to have a subtle shift, a twist seen at the edge of his vision, and it’s as though he can see their deepest thoughts. In a world divided between haves and have-nots, gifted and common, Willet soon learns he’s been passed the rarest gift of all: a gift that’s not supposed to exist.

Now Willet must pursue the murderer still on the loose in Bunard even as he’s pulled into a much more dangerous and epic conflict that threatens not only his city, but his entire world–a conflict that will force him to come to terms with his own tortured past if he wants to survive.

CSFF Blog Tour December Day 1 ~ The Shock of Night

Welcome to the First Day of CSFF's December Tour!

This month we are examining the newest book from 
Patrick W. Carr ~ The Shock of Night.

But, before delving into The Shock of Night, I want to examine the prequel novella that offers us a glimpse at Willet Dura before he becomes a lord within Collum.

By Divine Right
The Darkwater Saga novella
By Patrick W. Carr

Willet Dura is an assistant reeve in service to King Lairdir of Bunard.  But there is something unusual about Dura he night-walks, but only on nights a murder has been committed.  What causes these night-walks is known - service during the war damaged him in some way.  Many who saw the horrors of war also night-walk, but Dura alone walks the nights when murder in committed.

His walks trouble him as he has no recollection of them - though he awakes fully clothed - he knows not whether he is the murderer or merely a wanderer of the night.

When Dura suspects that the death of a gifted man is instead murder he stumbles upon a plot that threatens the king and the gifted of the kingdom.  But proving his suspicions and warning the king of the potential threat won't be easy.  But Dura is determined to do his duty and even go beyond what his duties require of him.

What follows sets the scene for The Shock of Night and dangers that Dura faces at the beginning.

By Divine Right is available in digital format only but is free if you are interested in getting a deeper understanding of Dura and his place within the kingdom at the beginning of The Shock of Night.  This is a delightful introduction to Patrick Carr's newest series The Darkwater Saga.  The very mention of this is worthy of a shiver!  What lies within this feared forest?  This is what I want to know, but from reading his previous series The Staff and the Sword I'm anticipating tidbits and clues to be scattered throughout with the payoff coming with the last book.  I love anticipating the next book.

Please check back tomorrow for the second day of the CSFF December Tour.  While you wait check-out the other tour participants who will be posting throughout this 3-day tour.

Thomas Clayton Booher   Keanan Brand   Beckie Burnham   Carol Bruce Collett 

Carol Gehringer   Victor Gentile   Rani Grant   Rebekah Gyger   Bruce Hennigan 

Janeen Ippolito   Carol Keen   Rebekah Loper   Jennette Mbewe   Shannon McDermott 

Meagan @ Blooming with Books (you're here)  Rebecca LuElla Miller   Joan Nienhuis  

Nissa  Audrey Sauble   Chawna Schroeder   Jessica Thomas   Robert Treskillard 

Shane Werlinger   Phyllis Wheeler   Nicole White 

About the Book:

Willet Dura ekes out a living as an assistant reeve in the city of Bunard, the royal city, investigating minor and not-so-minor crimes in the poor quarter. Ever since a terrible battle, Willet's been drawn to the dead, and has an uncanny ability not only to solve their crimes, but even to know when one has been committed. 

When a gifted musician is found dead in the merchants' quarter of the city, everyone assumes by the signs that the old man simply died of a stroke, but Willet's intuition tells him better. When he learns that this is the second death within the last month of one of the gifted, those with a rare inherited ability, he begins to suspect that something more is afoot, and he soon finds himself chasing a mystery that could bring down the very kingdom of Collum.

Available from Amazon to download for free at this time.

The Midnight Visitors ~ Review

The Midnight Visitors
By Juliet David 
Illustrated by Jo Parry

It was a ordinary night, cold and dark and quiet...

At least it was quiet until visitors started arriving in Miriam's cowshed.  First a family of rabbits arrived seeking the warmth of the hay and the shed.  They were soon joined by a fox and an owl.

Then a couple of people with a donkey arrived - seeking shelter with the menagerie already within. But these people were weary with travel.  And the woman was expecting a child - and soon from the look of her.

Before too long the family of travelers had a baby and visitors of their own!  Shepherds had heard of this little baby's birth and had to come see him.

What had started out as ordinary, cold night soon became one never to be forgotten by those who visited it that night.  The Midnight Visitors is a sweet story and a delightful recounting of the Nativity for young children.  This is in no way an in-depth story, but rather one that can lead into the full Biblical account.  After reading the story parents could ask young listeners if they know who the strangers who came into the barn were.  Who the baby was?  What was the distant singing that Miriam heard?

The illustrations are delightful - I have a particular fondness for Freddy Fox as he reminds me of one of my doxies.  In fact Freddy's picture on the cover is what made me really want to review this book when Kregel offered me the opportunity.

I was provided a copy of this book through Kregel's blogger program in exchange for my honest review and tour participation.

Darkness Reigns ~ Review

Darkness Reigns
The Kinsman Chronicles Part 1
By Jill Williamson

Darkness has covered the land in which the Five Realms dwell and the long foretold Five Woes seem to be coming forth as if in response to the evil brought forth by the King of Armania.

Within Armania, King Echad rules with a cruel glee - no one is safe from his whims or his worship of Barthos, even his own children.  Prince Wilek, eldest son of Echad, longs to be named Heir, to bring about an end to the sacrifices that his father insists upon.

A series of disasters is throwing the Realm of Armania into chaos. A quake has brought Cape Waldemar into the sea.  An entire city has been lost to the Lowerworld. 

Mielle finds herself newly installed within the court of Armania.  Serving as an honor maiden to Lady Zeroah is her best hope of bringing help to the those living within the Sink.  But court corruption and politics is more dangerous than Mielle had anticipated or expected.  Mielle is dedicated to helping Lady Zeroah with her upcoming marriage to Prince Wilek and to do this she must ferret out information about the prince.  Information that will help Zeroah win his heart.  But who do you trust in a court where no one trusts anyone and everyone seeks only their own advancement. 

This is the first part of the first book of the Kinsman Chronicles and I am totally hooked eagerly awaiting the second part.  There is nothing more satisfying than a book that leaves the reader waiting for the next part. This book introduces to a vast cast of characters who seem to be on a course that will bring them together - how and in what matter remains to be seen.  

Bring on part 2 and The Heir War...

I was provided an advanced pre-released copy of this book, but have also since purchased it. Darkness Reigns released today - December 1, 2015, and you can get it for a fantastic price free!

About the Book:

The god of the soil is furious. Volcanic eruptions, sinkholes, earthquakes--everything points to his unhappiness. At least this is what the people of Armania in the Five Realms believe. Amidst the unsettling state of the world around them, the princes of Armania live their lives focused more on who will claim the throne after their sickly father, King Echad, dies. That is until Prince Wilek's concubine turns up dead--beside her, a bloodied message that seems to have come from the mother realms. - See more at: http://jillwilliamson.com/

Lightning ~ Review

Lightning
Stone Braide Chronicles #2
By Bonnie S. Calhoun

Selah has been reunited with the father she never knew about, but Glade is so focused on his quest to reach the West and the Third Protocol of Landers that Selah seldom spends much time with him. And since they arrived in Tic City Selah hasn't seen much of Bodhi.  The bond between them seems broken, but Selah still feels it.

Having become a novarium has left Selah with more questions than answers and there is no one she can ask.  There are no other living novarium that she can ask and the information she has is limited and vague.  Even more unsettling are the symptoms that she is experiencing - flashes of power and visions of destruction.

As Selah tries to adjust to the changes she is undergoing, she is being drawn into a situation that could very well leave her imprisoned with the Mountain. Time is running out as Selah must find her family and save them from the coming disaster.  A disaster which Selah fears she may be the cause of.  Little does she realize just what she is about to bring about and the sacrifice that she will be called upon to make.

Fans of Thunder will definitely want to check-out the newest addition to the Stone Braide chronicles.  And, yes, you need to read the first book first, and if it has been a few months since you closed the cover  pick it and give yourself a refresher.

This book has more action in it and less "romance" which should please those who were a bit put off by the romance in the previous book.  Also be prepared to possibly shed a tear or two as there are a few scenes that are a bit heartbreaking. Have a tissue handy.

I was provided a copy of this book by the publisher Revell in exchange for my honest review.

About the Book:

Selah's past and her future are about to collide . . . and time is running out.

Selah Rishon thought that finding her real father would solve her problems. Instead it has created a host of new ones. She is feeling strange, destructive flashes of power within her body. The family she left behind is being sequestered in the Mountain. And if her father and his team cannot find the key to the West and make contact with the Third Protocol of Landers, Selah will fracture.

Selah is trying to accept this new world, but none of the facts she's learned about novarium or Landers are adding up. Determined to find answers, she launches a new rescue effort to the Mountain. But will the prison that holds her family become Selah's grave?Bonnie S. Calhoun loves to write, but it doesn't make her happy unless there are the three Bs: body count, blood, and blowing things up. She is the author of Thunder, Tremors, and Aftershock, all part of the Stone Braide Chronicles. Bonnie lives in a log cabin in the woods on fifteen acres and shares her domain with a husband, a dog, and two cats--all of whom think she is waitstaff. Learn more at www.bonniescalhoun.com.

Rescuing Finley ~ Review

Rescuing Finley
A Forever Home novel #1
By Dan Walsh

Amy Wallace has just made the biggest mistake of her life and she is going to pay for it.  In fact it will cost her several years.

Finley's life is a series of upheavals when his beloved owner enlists to serve in Afghanistan.  Finley needs one-on-one human interaction to help him get over the depression he falls into after ending up in a local shelter.

Chris Seger has sacrificed much for his country and he has the scars (physical and mental) to prove it. He needs something to help him get past the bad days.

These three are about to be just what the others need.  A program to train specially selected shelter dogs as service dogs for vets suffering from PTSD offers Amy a chance to get out of the general prison population.  Finley is given a chance to heal and find someone who needs him.  And Chris is given a chance to find the peace that has escaped him since he was injured.

This is a story that will touch your heart and offer hope.  The idea that unwanted dogs can be given a purpose that will help them find a home while at the same time bring healing to those who have been injured is beautiful.

As someone who loves dogs (and all animals) this is a refreshing story that is told from the various points of view of the main characters (including Finley).  I appreciate a book about animals in which the animal doesn't die nor is it the object of abuse.  I am also looking forward to the future books in this series.

I was provided an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

About the Book:
Amy Wallace has made plenty of mistakes in her young life, but she didn’t see this one coming. Chris Seger is a marine serving in Afghanistan. His life is forever altered by a single, fateful step. A mother of another Afghan war vet suffers a devastating loss, which changes the course of Finley’s life for good. Finley is a mostly golden retriever, who suddenly finds himself alone and confused in a dog shelter. Later, he’s brought to a local prison to be trained in a special program for female inmates. Could this prison actually become the place where Finley finally finds freedom? Rescuing Finley tells the story of how one rescue dog powerfully impacts three tragic lives and puts all of them on a road toward redemption and healing.

The Aleppo Code ~ Review with Trailer

The Aleppo Code
The Jerusalem Prophecies #3
By Terry Brennan

Will history's most powerful weapon 

trigger humanity's most horrifying days?

They thought they had discovered all the pieces to the puzzle, but they were wrong.  A long hidden treasure has been hidden for several millennium.  A treasure that could be the most powerful weapon the world has ever known.  

Tom Bohannon and his team have gathered again in Jerusalem to examine a copy of the tenth-century Aleppo Code, which may hold the answers they seek. What they discover leads them to search for the Ark of the Covenant and its true source of power.  But these two artifacts have been separated since the time of Jeremiah, but the time has come for them to be reunited. 

This is an intense action driven book though there are times of reflection on what their quest has cost them up to this point.  With the world ready to erupt in war and tensions boiling in the Middle East Tom Bohannon's team is in even more danger as they try to stay ahead of the Prophet's Guard.  But the Prophet's Guard is determined to stop them and control this ancient power. 

Fans of Indiana Jones styled adventures will find much to enjoy in this third installment of the Jerusalem Prophecies series. This book appears to be the last in the series, but one never knows something could pull them back for more adventure.

An enjoyable book that needs to be read within the series structure so as to understand the references to previous events.

I purchased this book which is published by Kregel and it was worth the investment of both my money and my time.

About the Book:
Will the code reveal history's most powerful weapon for destruction--or humanity'’s only hope?

The living members of Tom Bohannon's band of adventurers gather again in Jerusalem--physically battered, emotionally exhausted, spiritually challenged, and in various stages of shock--to examine a copy of the tenth-century Aleppo Code, the oldest complete text of Jewish scripture. What the clues inside reveal could lead to the reuniting of the Ark of the Covenant with its true source of power, a weapon that could lead to victory for this ragged bunch trying to save the world.

Hunted by the relentless assassins of the Prophet's Guard and caught in the web of an international conspiracy plotting the conquest of Europe, Bohannon's team searches the ruins of Ancient Babylon. Their search lands them amid the chaos that engulfs western Iraq, but they must press on to accomplish one of the most pivotal pieces of end-times prophecy. This intrepid group will uncover secrets that require them to risk everything for their faith, their country, and the peace of all mankind.

Unfolding against the backdrop of an Israeli/U.S. strike against Iran and the planned economic overthrow of the European Union by the sinister, secret head of the international Muslim Brotherhood, The Aleppo Code is a heart-pounding race. Brennan takes an epic story on a grand scale and tells it primarily through the eyes of one man who is desperately trying to save the world as he follows God's purpose for his life.